The wrought-iron door handle was cold against Hartley’s fingers. Quite why he was gripping it so tightly he didn’t know; it had to be fear or excitement. Or both, coiled so inextricably within him that he couldn’t tell which one was which. It was different in candlelight. Last time there had been barely any light; it had been easy to forget himself, to get lost in the rush of desire that had taken hold. Now, with enough light to see both the cramped tightness of the room and a glimpse of his own white face in the mirror above the basin, it was almost impossible to imagine feeling enough pleasure to overcome the terror filling him. He held his breath as Mr. Balfour moved closer. Close enough to press against him, chest to chest, thigh to thigh. Hartley sighed, a deep shiver running through him as he looked into the man’s warm brown eyes. He couldn’t even think of him as Mr. Balfour anymore. Not in this naked, vulnerable light. Master, servant, Mr. Hartley, Mr. Balfour; no rank, no polite form of address, quite held up to scrutiny. Not here. Not now. The man in front of him was Josiah….

1–What is the title of your latest release? A WINTER’S EARL 2–What is it about? Really short answer: One exiled earl, one sexy poet, one hell of a past relationship to work through. Short answer: It’s a loose riff on Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale, a second-chance m/m Regency romance set at Christmas with buckets of longing, angst, sexy fencing, a secret baby, found family and a brief but memorable appearance from a bear. Longer answer: it’s about making a future that both acknowledges and draws a line under the past, about confronting the demons that have haunted you for years – and about how really, deep down, you never forget your first true love. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I love writing about snowy weather and remote places. Sherborne’s castle in Cumbria is basically at the end of the world, surrounded by bleak, dramatic landscapes and beset by bad weather. Nothing to do but light the fires, look out at the darkness and work through all those lingering romantic feelings… 4–How did Sherborne surprise you?  Sherborne was quite a complex character to write. Without getting too spoilery, there’s an unthinking nobility that guides some of…

In this excerpt, Captain Benjamin Frakes is taking the flirtatious August Weatherby to a ball to act as his bodyguard. Much as he tries to ignore his irritatingly attractive carriage-mate, he doesn’t do a very good job of it… The carriage came to a shrieking halt. Benjamin peered out of the window at the lamp-lit street. At first he saw no one of importance. Crowds of chattering people, gentlemen and ladies enjoying the night…and then, slipping from the threshold of a doorway like a smiling shadow, was Weatherby. Benjamin swallowed, a lightning bolt of pure awareness travelling from head to foot. He was at risk. Of course he was. At risk of making a complete fool of himself over a man ten years younger than himself, and ten times more attractive than anyone he’d met in years. “Goodness.” Weatherby’s voice filled the carriage. “Surprisingly small in here.” A flash of silver disappeared into the coachman’s palm as Weatherby climbed into the carriage, all black curls and bright eyes and dark velvet. He waited until the door closed, then turned to Benjamin with that unmistakable smile. “How cosy we shall be.” Nodding warily, Benjamin moved closer to the window as the…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Annabelle Greene! Writes: Annabelle writes hot, heartwarming m/m romances set in the Regency period. Her debut novel, The Vicar and the Rake, is the story of the romance between Gabriel Winters and Edward Stanhope, Duke of Caddonfell. Gabriel’s a repressed vicar, Edward practically invented the word ‘scandal’, and their adolescent friendship abruptly ended when Edward abandoned him. But now Edward’s back in his childhood home, hiding from someone who wants him dead, and Gabriel needs to face his hidden feelings for his oldest friend. There’s also a secret society, a kitten named Buttons and a blackmailer brother who steals every scene he’s in. About: Annabelle has had a book in her hand ever since she learned the alphabet, and retains a special love for the Mills and Boon romances she used to sneakily read while volunteering at the local library. She lives in Italy, where she’s in a perfect relationship with pasta and an adequate relationship with a human. One day…