Ellie Thomas: A Marriage for Three

Today Ellie Thomas visits to talk about some of the history behind her new eighteenth century release A Marriage for Three! Welcome, Ellie.

Thank you so much, Ally, for having me as your guest today! I’m Ellie Thomas, and I write Historical Gay Romance. In this blog, I’ll be chatting about my latest story with JMS Books, released on September 4th. It’s a novella entitled A Marriage for Three.

A Marriage for Three, New Post by Ellie Thomas

I first got the idea for this story from a submissions call about ‘moresomes’ or relationships between more than two people. As I write historical romance, what sprang to my mind was a trio, at the heart of which is a settled gay relationship complicated by an arranged marriage. 

The setting is rural southwest England in the final years of the eighteenth century. As this is familiar territory for me, I didn’t need to consult my bookshelves too much for reminders of geographical locations. However, I did get the chance to peruse one of my books on historical costume for my female character. I couldn’t quite remember when waistlines rose from natural level to the under the bust silhouette of the Empire Line and checked Costume in Detail by Nancy Bradfield. This wonderful book doesn’t contain the usual sketches from contemporary fashion plates but illustrations of real garments worn by real people (now very fragile and carefully guarded in private collections).

I found a detailed picture of a cotton dress from the last decade of the eighteenth century, where the waistline was carefully unpicked and altered to emulate the new high-waisted fashion. Throughout writing this story, I had the book open at that page, thinking of my character sewing a similar dress.

My plot evolved from several questions. What would cause a gay man with a loving partner to offer a woman marriage? Why would she be obliged to accept such an offer? In what ways might that affect the central relationship? How would my trio resolve that dilemma and still have a happy ever after?

The character who causes the relationship upheaval is Anthony Wallace, a wealthy, independent young man and landowner. He’s a gentleman scholar, more comfortable with books than people. I picture him as an absent-minded professor who thinks he can arrange other people’s lives as neatly as the books in his study. For Anthony, proposing to Charlotte, the Grenvilles’ eldest daughter, is a practical solution for financial hardship in a family he regards as almost his own. 

Warm-hearted Simon, his Anglo-Indian estate manager and life partner, more than makes up for Anthony’s lack of sensitivity. Simon knows Anthony’s intentions are genuine, but also that it would not occur to his partner to consider the emotional consequences of his edicts. 

For the romantic plot to evolve, Charlotte must be aware that Anthony and Simon are a couple. However, the late eighteenth century was a different world in terms of sexual awareness. In wanting to make Charlotte a woman of her own time, rather than jarringly modern, I had to devise reasons for her understanding. Her tactless loud-mouthed older brother, Anthony’s closest friend from childhood, is a partial solution to her worldly knowledge. Also, Charlotte’s own recent life experience, working as a superior domestic servant and ladies’ companion since her family’s loss of fortune, would inevitably broaden her outlook.

At first, Charlotte rejects Anthony’s proposal out of hand. It is only when her family’s circumstances worsen that she reconsiders his offer.

What engaged me about this storyline was that my three characters, although very different, are all decent people who respect and care deeply about each other. It was enjoyable to put my mismatched trio under the same roof; autocratic Anthony, kindly Simon and selfless Charlotte, and observe how they work things through together.

A Marriage for Three

At twenty-three years old, Charlotte Grenville has resigned herself to spinsterhood. With no dowry, she works as a lady’s companion to support her widowed mother and younger siblings who live in the country town of Marlborough in Wiltshire. When, out of the blue, she receives a proposal from a family friend, Anthony Wallace, she is perplexed.

Not only does Anthony have the habit of ordering everyone around, convinced it is in their best interests, but he is also devoted to his Anglo-Indian partner and estate manager, Simon Walker.

Lottie is aware that this prospective marriage is purely a business arrangement to rescue her and her family from financial hardship. But should she accept? And will her growing attraction to Simon destroy the delicate balance between the trio?

Buy A Marriage for Three

Read an extract!

Simon knocked on the door and as he entered, Anthony was muffled in a clean shirt. Simon had a tantalising glimpse of his lover’s taut pale belly, that tempting arrow of dark hair leading down to his breeches before it was covered with the linen garment and Anthony’s head emerged.

Simon leaned against the bedpost as Anthony reached for a fresh neckcloth.

“How are the Grenvilles?” He asked.

Anthony frowned. “Well enough, but the cottage is in a poor state. There’s still damp in the parlour and Mrs. Grenville says the roof is leaking again.”

Simon made soothing noises. “We don’t have to rush away, do we? Even if I have to return to the manor, you can always stay for a while longer to organise repairs.”

Anthony grunted something that might have been assent as he concentrated on his reflection in the mirror. While tying the knot in his cravat he said, “Lottie’s home again.”

Simon smiled, “How lovely. It will be good to see her.”

Anthony finished the straightforward arrangement of his neckcloth and frowned. “She’s looking hagged,” he said. “That succession of awful women she’s been attending has dragged her down. I’m surprised she hasn’t been foundered under it all.”

Simon opened his mouth to voice his concern when Anthony blithely continued, “So I’ve asked her to marry me. It seemed the best solution.”

Simon was initially stunned. Then, as so often following his beloved’s more outrageous statements, he closed his eyes and counted to ten. When he opened them, Anthony was grappling with the buttons of his waistcoat.

“The best solution for what?” he asked with deceptive calm.

Anthony turned to look at him with that direct blue gaze. “For the whole family,” he replied impatiently. “Lottie won’t have to exist in servitude any longer. She’ll only be twenty miles away from Marlborough so she can visit her mother whenever she wants. Finally, no one can object if I move Mrs G. and the children away from that poky cottage and into a suitable house. There’s one available just off the High Street that I have in mind.”

Simon resisted rubbing his hand wearily over his eyes. “So where are you going to put Lottie once you’ve married her?”

Anthony looked perplexed. “What do you mean? She’ll be in the manor house with us, of course.”

“Doing what?” Simon persisted.   

Anthony looked uncertain for a moment and then his expression brightened. “She can reorganise the family library. Father left it in an awful state and it requires someone with a good mind like Lottie to sort it out.” He looked extremely pleased with himself at that suggestion.

“Marvellous,” Simon said flatly. “That will keep her busy for a year. And what is she expected to do for the following fifty-nine?”

Anthony looked blank as Simon inexorably continued, “And naturally, Lottie will want children.”

With a horrified countenance, Anthony exclaimed, “Oh no! There won’t be any of that!”

“Have you informed Lottie?” Simon asked sharply before carrying on in the same tone, “Then, of course, I will have to hand in my notice and look for a new situation as it would be unfair on Lottie for me to crowd your new marriage.” 

For the first time, the consequences of his rash proposal seemed to permeate and Anthony appeared almost scared. “You can’t leave me, Simon,” he said. “I can’t manage without you,” he almost pleaded.

Simon relented and sighed. “My dear Tony,” he said more mildly. “You can’t move people about like they are collections of statuary or pieces on a chessboard. We do have our own opinions, you know.” 

Anthony said nothing, gazing anxiously as Simon continued, “I can see that, in theory, your marrying Lottie would be a way out of the Grenvilles’ problems. No one could doubt your good intentions. But you haven’t considered what this would mean for Lottie. She might be more comfortable and secure than in her current situation, but would she be happy in the kind of marriage you are suggesting?”

Anthony frowned before saying, “Well, she refused me anyway.”

“I always knew she was a sensible woman,” Simon said with a wry smile.

Anthony blinked at him uncomprehendingly then was saved by St. Mary’s Church clock striking two.

Snagging his coat and making his escape from the uncomfortable conversation, he said, “We’d better be going. They’re expecting us.”

“This is not finished. We will speak about it later,” warned Simon at Anthony’s back as he reached the door.

Buy A Marriage for Three

Meet Ellie

Ellie Thomas lives by the sea. She comes from a teaching background and goes for long seaside walks where she daydreams about history. She is a voracious reader especially about anything historical. She mainly writes historical gay romance. Ellie also writes historical erotic romance as L. E. Thomas.

Website : Facebook

JP Kenwood: Locks and Keys

JP Kenwood, Dominus series

JP Kenwood is here today to talk about world building and the significance of locks and keys in their action-packed, politics-rich Dominus series. I do need to tag this post as #NSFW and give a content warning for mild #BDSM though!

World building is a huge part of penning any story, but it’s especially critical in historical fiction. I find it super useful to incorporate a few everyday items in my historical fiction—objects that truly mattered to the people of that time period. Ubiquitous objects that help readers connect with the mysterious past. I’ve used many objects as plot points and even as ‘prop characters’ in my stories. For me, these items tend to fall into the category of jewelry, but there are other objects equally if not more important to the plot, such as scrolls, mirrors, and knives.

An important recurring prop in my series, Dominus, is the simple household key. Romans are said to be the first ancient western culture to invent what most of us think of as a key – a small and usually metal implement with a handle and teeth. When the correct key is placed in a lock and turned, the key’s teeth move the pins and unlock the bolt.

Max waited for Varius to leave before he pulled a ring of keys from his pouch and unlocked the heavy wooden door. Allerix imagined Max must have had a key for nearly every lock at the villa.

“This is Dom’s playroom. You’ll be spending quite a bit of time in here.”  

Dominus: Dominus Book 1

Keys are also powerful symbols, of course. In the abstract, a key can represent penetrative sex or even warfare. In the more physical sense, a key represents wealth, since its existence implies the carrier has something of value that requires protection. Gold coins in a hinged box. Sex toys in a cupboard. A collection of exotic weapons in a cabinet.

Like an animal drawn by some irresistible but invisible pheromone, Alle’s eyes converged on a large wooden cabinet against the far wall. “That cupboard contains my other toy collection.” Gaius retrieved a key from a drawer in his desk. Running his hand up and down Alle’s back, he boasted, “I’ve been acquiring foreign weapons since I was old enough to swing a sword. Their variety of designs and embellishments has long fascinated me.”  

Games of Rome: Dominus Book 2

Keys to chastity devices blatantly symbolize control of one person over another. Cock cages feature prominently in my Dominus saga.

Gaius manipulated the device until Allerix’s balls were collared snug by the heavy silver ring. With a sharp click, the two halves of the lion-headed metal cylinder snapped together to encase Alle’s timid cock. Another softer click and Gaius had locked the contraption in place. Gaius held up a key dangling from a silver chain like a pendant and clasped the necklace around his neck. “I’ll keep your freedom beside my heart all night. Comfortable?”  

Blood Before Wine: Dominus Book 3

A key to a door is an even more powerful symbol, especially in ancient Rome. Doors are by their nature emblems of transition: physical, spiritual, and intellectual. The Romans had a god of doors and gateways called Janus. We’ve inherited the calendar term, January, from the idea of Janus and his cult of transitions. Interestingly enough, Roman door locks could only be locked and opened with a key from the outside. A room with a door that could be locked turned that room into a glorified storage space for inanimate or living valuables. A key to an apartment or the front door of a house could also signify status and even freedom:

After purchasing an assortment of delicious cheeses, sausages, bread, and pickled eggs at the upscale snack bar, the three walked back to the shoe shop and climbed the wooden stairs to Theo’s flat two floors above. He opened the lock with his key and pushed open the creaky door; the red façade of a brick building across the street dominated the view through a large window in the opposite wall. His simple but  tidy living quarters consisted of two rooms: a larger gathering lounge with a table, chairs, lamp stands, and two cupboards, while off to the right was a smaller bedroom separated from the main room by white curtains suspended from hooks at the top of the door frame.

Theo’s home.

The place where he could do whatever he wished as long as he didn’t break any laws. A cozy, private space where Theodorus decided who entered and who didn’t.

A freedman’s freedom. 

Blood Before Wine: Dominus Book 3

In addition to the modern notion of a physical key that opens a stationary lock, Romans also invented padlocks. Padlocks attached to chains or hooks or door handles were used to keep an item in place. Padlocks prevent theft, but they can also imply punishment or imprisonment.

The library was located off a grand corridor on the western side of the estate. It was a large square room with enormous windows and cupboards stuffed with correspondence, accounts, and legal records. The library had been Luc’s pride and joy, his oasis from the political tempests of the courts. And it was the perfect private place for a quick fuck over a table. Gaius knew every piece of furniture in that damn room.

When they arrived, they found the door handles secured by a thick chain and a sturdy iron lock. The entrance resembled that of a prison rather than a sanctuary for study or secret afternoon trysts.  

Games of Rome: Dominus Book 2

Keys are one object that I’ve used in every book of the Dominus series. As both relatable and symbolic, keys play an important role in the story. In final Book 4 of Dominus, a lock and its key will once again have a pivotal role!

About the series

Dominus is an alternate history series that features an ensemble of memorable characters—masters and slaves, senators and soldiers, lawyers and freedmen, wives and whores—who live, laugh, and lust during the Golden Age of imperial Rome. Dominus is an m/m alternative history fantasy series set in ancient Rome during the reign of the Emperor Trajan (AD 98-117). What if Trajan had been the custodian of two boys instead of only one? What if Hadrian had been privy to secrets that could damage the political authority of his older and more successful fellow imperial ward, Gaius Fabius? What if a Roman general had fallen in love with his captive Dacian slave? Could a powerful Roman aristocrat of noble ancestry have been deliberately erased from history?

We have released the audiobooks of Dominus (Book 1), Games of Rome (Dominus Book 2), and Blood Before Wine (Dominus Book 3). If you enjoyed the books, you will adore the audiobooks. For much more information about the characters in the Dominus series, check out my author blog.

Meet JP Kenwood

Writer of plot-packed mm stories. My Dominus series, an often dark and sexy tale, focuses on master/slave power dynamics, the vicissitudes of fate, and the fragility of historical memory. My passions are ancient Rome, laughter, and love.

My current project is the 4-book, m/m historical fantasy saga, Dominus, set in imperial Rome. Book 1 (Dominus; 2014), Book 2 (Games of Rome; 2015), and Book 3 (Blood Before Wine; 2019) are currently available. Games of Rome received 2nd Place in the 2016 Rainbow Awards for Gay Historical. Blood Before Wine received an Honorable Mention for Gay Historical in the 2019 Rainbow Awards. Final Book 4 of the Dominus saga will be released soon. 

My social media links  

#AmReading

More listening this week! KJ Charles, Jez Morrow and Jude Lucens with three gay romances (one of which is also poly). All brilliant books.

Behind These Doors by Jude Lucens (audio)

I read Behind These Doors when it first came out and loved the complex, realistic description of a poly relationship and all the bumps and dips that need to be ironed out to make them work. The fact that it’s set in 1906 just made it easier for me to pick up!

The POVs are are Aubrey Fanshawe, in a fourteen year old relationship with a married couple and his new lover, Lucien Saxby, a journalist who’s family work in domestic service. He has casual sex with various men amd a steady lover in Ben. Its an interesting exploration of social expectations and mobility as well as a complicated and touching love story. I love poly stories, where the characters find their ways toward each other with painful honesty that requires introspection and self knowledge. The book delivered all this when I read it.

Now I need to confess… since I first read it, Jude has become a mate. So when she offered me a review copy of the audio I was a bit wobbly about it because I feel I can’t put a review up on Amazon or GR for her, only here on the blog. AND THEN, of course, Callum Hale is her narrator. Who also narrates for me. So obviously I’m incredibly biased. Please take this under advisement when reading on!

Yes. I think the narration makes a brilliant book even more brilliant, okay? When I started listening it was a bit weird, because I knew I was listening ‘Callum’s interpretation of….‘ each of the characters. I got stuck a bit for a while because I think I was listening in work mode rather than pleasure mode. When I came back to it though, my brain seemed to have got over that and I could accept the characters for themselves. Callum’s talent shines through and it made it all come to life. So, if audio interpretations of wonderful, historical, complex poly romances are your thing then you should put this on your TBR.

Think of England by K. J. Charles  (audio)

Single POV historical spy thriller by the ever reliable KJ Charles. Poor Victorian wounded-hero archetype Archie is just so NICE and I love him. He exists in a perpetual state of bewilderment for almost the entire book, stolidly seeing what needs to be done and doing it. On the backs of such chaps was the British Empire built and eventually, when they realised what a rubbish idea it all was, their hands helped pull it down again. He’s just perfect. Not my type, I have to add…I’m much more attracted to Daniel, the billiard-playing, poetry-writing spy. I’m the Archie in this scenario, just so we’re clear. Unexciting, plodding along, getting the joke about half an hour after everyone else, strangely fixated on someone unsuitable’s buttocks in their tightly cut trousers.

Anyway. That’s enough of that. It’s an Edwardian country-house mystery with added gay romance, set in Northern England. The narration is an exact fit and it added loads to the story. Go for it.

Force of Law by Jez Morrow (audio)

I really like this novella. It was one of the first MM books I read, way back when I first got an ereader. The story is a sweet romance about a lowly mechanic being swept off his feet by a millionaire, with dark touch of distrust at the beginning, and depictions of homophobia and violence. It has a satisfying ending and the characters really jump out from the page.

Having said all that, the audio didn’t work as well for me as the written words. It seems to take me a while to get to grips with a new narrator and it might have been that…I am going to go back and re-listen and see whether I get on better second time round. Recommend the story, though–and there was nothing that I could put my finger on with the narration and say ‘I didn’t like it because…’ it was just that it didn’t quite click for me.

That’s the lot! Happy reading!

Anne Barwell: Working With History

Anne Barwell is here today to talk about the daunting aspects of historical research and how real events inspire plot. Please give her a big welcome!

Thanks for hosting me today as part of my blog tour for Comes a Horseman, the 3rd and final book in my WWII Echoes Rising series.

One of the daunting things about writing an historical is the research involved.  But, on the flip side, often real events can inspire plot, and get characters out of a tight corner. In Shadowboxing, the first book in my WWII Echoes Rising series, I needed to get my characters out of a heavily guarded building, and couldn’t figure out how.  History came to my rescue!  I adjusted the dates in the story by a few weeks, and the Allied bombing of that area at the time gave my characters the break they needed. Sadly one of their own lost his life during the escape.

Historical events play a big part in Comes a Horseman. When I started writing the series, I knew I wanted it to finish with D-Day—the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6th 1944.  The lead up to that event is well documented, so my timing had to be perfect.  I needed to have my Allied team in Normandy so they’d be there to hear the original coded broadcast to the resistance on 1st June so they knew the invasion was coming.  I also had to get the weather right, as that impacted the date which originally was going to be a couple of days earlier.  Not only that, but I needed to find out when the area was bombed and the specific times—as well as dates—of the crucial events leading up to, and of, the invasion. 

When I started reading up on D-Day I discovered a rather cool coincidence. The Paul Verlaine poem which was broadcast over the radio as the coded signal to the French Resistance contained a line about the “heavy sobs of autumn’s violins”, and one my characters—Kit Lehrer—is a violinist.  It was as though everything fell into place and not only that, had meant to be this way all along.  I’d love to say I planned it that way, but I didn’t.  

The attitude of Standartenführer Holm towards the imminent invasion is taken from historical accounts too. The Germans weren’t expecting an invasion in Normandy, so their attention was elsewhere. And the idea that the Allies would broadcast to the resistance on the B.B.C.? Ridiculous. 

The timing of the action of the last few chapters of the book was crucial.  I needed to have the bombs drop on my characters at ground zero so the timing was historically accurate. I wrote those last few chapters with an historical timeline written in my notebook for the series, and adjusted the timeline of previous chapters so that everything meshed.  It also solved several problems the characters needed to figure out in order to complete their mission the way they’d decided it needed to play out. 

I’ve learnt a lot more about WWII while writing this series than I ever thought I would, and despite the work involved, I’ve really enjoyed it. I still have a notebook, a folder, and bookcase full of information about the period, and although this team’s story is told, I wouldn’t be surprised if that information proves useful in another story sometime.   

I’ve spent so many years writing these guys, I doubt they’ll disappear altogether. I kind of hope they don’t.

Comes a Horseman

Cover of Comes a Horseman by Anne Barwell

Echoes Rising Book 3

What if those who stand by you are the ones who betray you?

France, 1944

Sometimes the most desperate struggles take place far from the battlefield, and what happens in secret can change the course of history.

Victory is close at hand, but freedom remains frustratingly just beyond the grasp of German physicist Dr Kristopher Lehrer, Resistance fighter Michel, and the remaining members of the team sent by the Allies—Captain Matt Bryant, Sergeant Ken Lowe, and Dr Zhou Liang—as they fight to keep the atomic plans from the Nazis. The team reaches France and connects with members of Michel’s French Resistance cell in Normandy. Allied troops are poised to liberate France, and rescue is supposedly at hand. However, Kristopher is no longer sure the information he carries in his memory is safe with either side. 

When Standartenführer Holm and his men finally catch up with their prey, the team is left with few options. With a traitor in their midst, who can they trust? Kristopher must become something he is not in order to save the man he loves. Death is biding his time, and sacrifices must be made for any of them to have the futures they want.

Author’s note: This is the second edition of Comes a Horseman. The first edition was released by another publishing house.  This story has been re-edited, and uses UK spelling to reflect its setting.

Amazon US : Universal Link

Meet Anne

Anne Barwell lives in Wellington, New Zealand.  She shares her home with Kaylee: a cat with “tortitude” who is convinced that the house is run to suit her; this is an ongoing “discussion,” and to date, it appears as though Kaylee may be winning.

In 2008, Anne completed her conjoint BA in English Literature and Music/Bachelor of Teaching. She has worked as a music teacher, a primary school teacher, and now works in a library. She is a member of the Upper Hutt Science Fiction Club and plays violin for Hutt Valley Orchestra.

She is an avid reader across a wide range of genres and a watcher of far too many TV series and movies, although it can be argued that there is no such thing as “too many.” These, of course, are best enjoyed with a decent cup of tea and further the continuing argument that the concept of “spare time” is really just a myth. She also hosts and reviews for other authors, and writes monthly blog posts for Love Bytes.  She is the co-founder of the New Zealand Rainbow Romance writers, and a member of RWNZ. 

Anne’s books have received honourable mentions five times, reached the finals four times—one of which was for best gay book—and been a runner up in the Rainbow Awards.  She has also been nominated three times in the Goodreads M/M Romance Reader’s Choice Awards—twice for Best Fantasy, once for Best Historical, and once for All-Time Favourite M/M Author. 

Sign up for Anne’s newsletterWebsite & Blog—Drops of InkFacebookTwitterGoodreadsBookbub

The Hunted & the Hind: Knitting a universe versus snappy dialogue

Cover, audiobook, The Hunted and the Hind

I thought I’d talk a bit today about the differences between writing historical stories and paranormal stories, with particular reference to The Hunted and the Hind, which is coming soon to audio. Most of my stories have magic and the paranormal in them, but I see myself as being more a historical writer than a fantasy writer—I try and get my history right and then throw in the extra ‘what if’ of the magic.

One of the things I like a great deal about my paranormal universe is that no-one, not even me, knows exactly how everything fits together. This is great as a writer because you can basically darn up plot-holes as you go along, but it is also a bit nerve-wracking, because you can write yourself into those same plot holes and it’s excruciating trying to dig out of them. Someone on twitter asked how I kept track of my magic system a while back and my answer was that I didn’t really, but in my head it looks like a room full of balls of wool and excited kittens. This is still true, although since that conversation I’ve started keeping detailed notes because it was all getting a bit out of hand.

Writing the historical parts of the stories is completely different. I like to have a clear idea of the period I’m writing in—for the 1920s now, I think I’ve got quite a grip on it. I started off with family stories about the period and then did lots of reading around, about specific areas of London, specific things that happened that I wanted to touch my characters in some way. It’s a much more measured approach. I sometimes get sidetracked by research into things that seem to blow up in my mind as immensely important and might only have a sentence in the finished book. In The Flowers of Time, for example, I became obsessed with how to make light in the Himalayas in the 1700s and ended up making not only my own butter-lamps, but my own butter.

For The Hunted and the Hind I got sucked down a sea-travel rabbit-hole that seemed to be endless. The characters take a liner home from Egypt to England and I needed to satisfy myself that I’d got the detail right before I started shoving magical happenings into the story. That seems to be the way it works for me—I get the historical period straight in my mind, I have my characters and then I say ‘what if this happened?’. It’s my own particular version of the writer habit of killing your darlings.

As the writer though, one of the most fun things about the 1920s books is the snippy dialogue between the main characters. It was really nice to get back into that when I began to write again. However, I didn’t want Hunted to be another Alec and Lew book, they’d had their turn and I wanted to focus on Fenn and Will. I ended up cutting quite a bit of Alec and Lew scenes because they were just there so I could write snarky dialogue that ending in shagging. Which is what I have as a deleted scene for you today!

The Hunted and the Hind is coming to audio in the next few weeks, narrated by the inestimable Callum Hale–catch up with the audios of Lost in Time and Shadows on the Border here.

The Hunted and the Hind

Cover of The Hunted and the Hind

#3 in the Lost in Time 1920s series.

Inadvertently tumbling through the border into the Outlands after Fenn, Sergeant Will Grant of the Metropolitan Police has spent three months imprisoned by the Frem. When Fenn frees him, they step through the border to the Egyptian desert. It’s a two week ocean-liner journey back to England, with the possibility of magical pursuit. Will the journey give Fenn and Will time to resolve the feelings they have been dancing around since the day they met?

Listen to Angel Martinez reading an excerpt for Friday Reading Day.

#3 in the Lost in Time series. m/enby paranormal, historical, romantic suspense of 40,400 words set in 1920s London. Sequel to Lost in Time and Shadows on the Border, which should be read first. The Lost in Time trilogy.

Deleted Scene from The Hunted and the Hind

“No,” said Alec, very firmly.
“I think you should,” said Lew, mildly. “It would be very helpful.”
“No,” said Alec, again.
“Please?” Lew tried.
Alec sighed. He was going to lose this battle. “Honestly, I have no idea what I’m going to do about it,” he said. “We can’t go on much longer…his mother…,” he trailed off.
“Well, yes,” Lew said. “You’ll have to speak to her. But…,”
“What?”
“She must know about the border, mustn’t she? Grant had training from his father.”
There was a thoughtful pause.
“Yes…,” Alec said, finally.
“So, and forgive me if this seems in any way less simple than it seems…we could just tell her the truth.”
That honestly hadn’t occurred to Alec. He stared at Lew.
“The truth?”
“Yes. The truth.” He paused. “Horrific thought that seems?”
There was a relatively long silence.
“Well…,” Alec was just making noises with his mouth whilst his brain processed.
Lew turned his head on the pillow and looked at him enquiringly. “Yes…?”
“The truth? I suppose…,”
“Yes…,” Lew’s tone was one of exquisite patience. Alec realised he was taking the mickey.
“Oh, do be quiet,” Alec conceded. “Fine. We’ll tell her the truth.”
“Will said she was away,” Lew said. “Can you find out when she’s back?”
“I’ll telephone her house,” Alec conceded. “And make some inquiries.”
“Good plan,” Lew said. “Well done for coming up with it!”
Alec punched him in a friendly fashion on his naked shoulder and things quickly deteriorated in to activities that meant words weren’t very necessary.