Release Blitz: People Like Us by Ruby Moone #Review #Excerpt #Giveaway

 

Release Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway:

People Like Us by Ruby Moone

 

 

Winsford Green Stories, Book 2

 

Arthur Fitch clawed his way out of the violence and poverty of the slums of London to become a valet to the aristocracy. His ambition to secure a higher position led him to a disastrous appointment with a cold, brutal man, and when things come to a head, Arthur is forced to flee into a snowstorm to find safety.

Joseph Wilkinson is the Winsford Green blacksmith. He has a good life, good friends, owns a thriving business, but at the end of the day when he goes home, loneliness consumes him. When he stumbles upon a small man determinedly trudging through the snowstorm, he invites him into his home to shelter.

Arthur Fitch is older, smart-mouthed, and as prickly as hell. But, as Joe peels back the layers, he discovers a warm, funny, vulnerable man whose tastes in the bedchamber leave Joe gasping and desperate for more. Trouble is, having found the real Arthur Fitch, how can he convince him that life in a small town can be infinitely better than working for an Earl? That love really is possible for people like them? Particularly when Arthur’s past catches up with him in horrifying fashion.

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Review

Praise to this story. I love me some good written historical narrative! And omg it was so incredibly good!

Joseph saved Arthur from the snow, fed him, and gave him a warm bed to sleep in.

Arthur isn’t the nicest guy the next morning, haughty even. Joseph is disappointed.

But behind that haughtiness, there is a quirky man with humor, also a man with particular needs.

Without thinking, Joseph fulfills all his needs and thereby his own.

Joseph is the blacksmith of this village, appreciated by all the residents. He’s lonely and somewhat withdrawn.

The little town and the warm, positive people who live there, aren’t things Arthur could ever imagine to experience.

Arthur’s goal is London, being a valet to an earl, living amongst the aristocracy. What this town has to offer, frightens him. Fear is what makes him make terrible decisions. Like not choose to be loved and cared for. So, London will be it.

What a precious story, 

Joseph’s words and posture gave me goosebumps more than once. He was kind-hearted, compassionate, considerate, honest, and passionate. Never questioning Arthur’s needs.

Dear, dear Arthur can’t believe this man in front of him, full of warmth. He himself is full of shame, sarcasm, reserved and skeptical. 

The whole story felt amazingly authentic, the language, the clothes, the food, the jobs, the houses, all the surroundings everything felt so real. The way of writing made it easy to picture it all. I’m also talking about picturing emotions, shining eyes, hearts full of hope, opportunities, the smell of fresh-baked bread, the best diners, and of course tea.

Wonderfully written narrative, so precious to experience. Both Joseph and Arthur were beautifully flawed, they were, just like the secondary characters, extremely lovable.

I  couldn’t get enough of them.

The title, oh my goodness, I’m crying again 😭

Look at the cover and you’ll recognize them in this story just like that!

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Excerpt:

Arthur Fitch drifted into awareness slowly. He was warm. Deliciously warm. He rubbed his face against the pillow, sighed, and the warm body behind him shifted with him. He smiled and hummed happily as he eased his way up through the layers of sleep. When he moved, he groaned. Every part of him seemed to ache. Including his head. He stretched out his legs and the body behind him moved again.

Arthur froze. Body? Body behind him? Body in bed with him...?

His eyes shot open, blinking rapidly. Where in God’s name was he? It was a completely unfamiliar room, unfamiliar bed, and … and … he swallowed and turned his head to the side. A completely unfamiliar man. Who, at that moment, opened outrageously blue eyes and looked at him.

Arthur let out a wild yell and leaped from the bed.

“Who the hell are you?” he demanded as he stumbled to his feet. His legs were like water. He grabbed his swimming head with one hand and clutched at the bed post with another as he almost overbalanced.

His blue-eyed bed companion sat up. Dear… sweet …. God. He was magnificent. Huge, muscled shoulders. Pronounced collar bones peeping through the open neck of his night shirt. Shaggy hair the colour of autumn, and an untamed beard.

And he was young.

The man threw back the covers and stood on the opposite side of the bed. “Don’t you remember?” His voice was deep, husky rumble.

“Remember what?” His own voice had become a shriek. “What did you do to me?”

The man took a step back, wariness edging into his blue gaze. Christ, they were so blue.

“I didn’t do anything. I rescued you from the snow.”

Arthur looked around with his mouth open. He was used to being surrounded by the finest things money could buy. Working with the most respected and envied men of the upper ten thousand. Why the hell was he in some poky, rustic, shabby … Did that man have an erection? He stared at the man’s groin. There was definitely some stirring visible. He looked at him and raised a quelling brow. The man flushed, put a hand over himself, and glared at him. Dark brows pulling down.

“You walked from the Abbey in the snow. I brought you in and warmed you up. That’s all. Don’t flatter yourself.”
“My good man, I …” Arthur began, at his most haughty, then hesitated. Memories crowded in. Snow. Cold. More snow and so cold he thought he might die. He held onto his head as it all came flooding back. The giant had indeed saved him from the snow and probably saved his life.

He cleared his throat.

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Enter the Giveaway:

 

To celebrate the release of People Like Us, Ruby is giving away a £15/$15

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a5740/?

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Check out Book 1 in the Winsford Green Stories:

Dances Long Forgotten

 

On Christmas Eve, Dylan, the man of James Pell-Charnley’s dreams, is on the point of walking out. Then they hear the faint strains of a waltz in the library of the empty abbey. The music is said to be heard only by those truly in love, and it gives James the courage to tell Dylan the story. 

In December 1841, Lord Hugo Pell-Charnley is in a terrible mess. The youngest son of the late Marquis, youngest brother of the incumbent, never felt to fit. When his life comes crashing down, and his life and his family are threatened, he is forced to face his elder brother and confess his deepest secret. When he arrives at Winsford Abbey he finds he must also confront the shame from his past in the form of Lyndon Cross. The boy he’d loved but betrayed in school. 

As they clear the ghosts from the past, they dance in each other’s arms in the library to the soft strains of the waltz, but long buried secrets threaten to destroy their happiness. 

Two hundred years later, can those dances long forgotten give James and Dylan the courage to hold on to love?

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Goodreads

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About the Author:

My name is Ruby Moone and I love books. All kinds of books. My weakness is for romance, and that can be any kind, but I am particularly fond of historical and paranormal. I decided to write gay romance after reading some fantastic books and falling in love with the genre, so am really thrilled to have my work published here. The day job takes up a lot of my time, but every other spare moment finds me writing or reading. I live in the north west of England with my husband who thinks that I live in two worlds. The real world and in the world in my head...he probably has a point!

Connect with Ruby: Website -  http://www.rubymoone.com/
Facebook Page -  https://www.facebook.com/RubyMoone/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/RubyMooneWriter
Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/rubymoone/
Facebook Group – Ruby’s Room - https://www.facebook.com/groups/883596845175216/
Book Bub -   https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ruby-moone?list=about
Tumblr - https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/rubymoone

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Release Day Review: Slippery Creatures by KJ Charles #Review #Giveaway

Title: Slippery Creatures
Series: The Will Darling Adventures Book 1
Author: KJ Charles
Self Published
Publication date: May 13, 2020
Length: 215 pages

Reviewed by Sammy

Synopsis

Will Darling came back from the Great War with a few scars, a lot of medals, and no idea what to do next. Inheriting his uncle’s chaotic second-hand bookshop is a blessing...until strange visitors start making threats. First a criminal gang, then the War Office, both telling Will to give them the information they want, or else.

Will has no idea what that information is, and nobody to turn to, until Kim Secretan—charming, cultured, oddly attractive—steps in to offer help. As Kim and Will try to find answers and outrun trouble, mutual desire grows along with the danger.

And then Will discovers the truth about Kim. His identity, his past, his real intentions. Enraged and betrayed, Will never wants to see him again.

But Will possesses knowledge that could cost thousands of lives. Enemies are closing in on him from all sides—and Kim is the only man who can help.

A 1920s m/m romance trilogy in the spirit of Golden Age pulp fiction.

Purchase Link

Review

After coming home from the war, Will Darling tries to find a job but to no avail—it’s as if his country is no longer interested in her finest and brave once they’ve served their duty. Desperate, Will takes a friend’s advice and contacts an uncle he’s never met only to be received warmly and given both a place to stay and a job in the bookstore his relative owns. A short time later, his uncle dies and leaves everything to Will. Determined to eventually clean out the endless stacks of boxes and books and make a success of the shop he now owns, Will begins the process of going through mountains of papers in an effort to clean house. When some shady visitors begin to make threats and demand Will turn over the papers he has no idea he even has Will turns to a stranger, Kim Secretan, for help. But lies abound and mystery surrounds both the papers bearing some sort of formula for a deadly weapon and Kim, himself. If only Will weren’t attracted to the man—perhaps them he would stop being duped by the stranger who is rapidly worming his way under Will’s normal reserve.

With more twists and turns and fast paced action than I can ever recall reading before, KJ Charles has released their first book in a new series called, Slippery Creatures. This novel starts with a bang and never lets up. Set in the 1900’s in England, Will Darling has just returned home from serving in the war. He is determined to survive and stepping into his Uncle’s shoes as a bookstore proprietor may not have been his first choice but he gives the job his all. Unfortunately his uncle seemed to have been corresponding with a man named Draven—a scientist who has concocted a deadly weapon—a plague capable of being weaponized and killing millions. When the war office comes demanding the formula—citing the country’s safety as its goal—will is reluctant to turn over papers he has no idea where to find without knowing more about them. Then a man named Libra, who has connections to a shady group called Zodiac who are determined to get the formula and use it to reset the world structure (i.e., wipe out mankind) begins to threaten Will. And demand the papers.  Without a clue as to what he is searching for, Will turns to a virtual stranger, Kim Secretan who offers to help. Kim is an enigma—a sexy one, no doubt, but still a man with lots of secrets.

Poor Will now faces multiple break-ins and threats to his life, kidnapping, torture and more while never really knowing who he can trust or what to do about the hand written hieroglyphics that serve as the key to a deadly weapon. With both incredible bravery and heaps of foolhardiness and obstinance, Will manages to avoid death while coming close multiple times. But as things heat up both with those pursuing him and with Kim in the bedroom, Will is not sure what to do about the papers—hand them over to the war office or destroy them.

This story was magnificent in the way it kept one guessing who was the real bad guy to the very end—the novel makes a case for more than one enemy here—even dragging Kim into the mix. While there is no real HEA or even a HFN ending it still leaves you with the idea that Kim and Will are going to make an attempt to be honest with each other and pursue a relationship—as much as one can in that time era. There is a sizzling sense of chemistry between Kim and Will and even though Kim has been less than honest, Will still is drawn to the man. Of note, there are also two side characters-both females-who I hope to see more of—they are delightfully shrewd yet seemingly innocent and make great companions to the two men. There are two more books slated in this series and I am happily onboard for them all. If you love exciting mysteries with a dash of romance then look no farther than KJ Charles new Will Darling Adventure series.

Giveaway

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Contest ends May 31st

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