K. Evan Coles's Blog, page 3

2019: Looking Back While Looking Forward

2019 proved to be intense in more ways than one and surprisingly productive. My schedule at the day job hit new highs and the drama in my family new lows, but I made time to write and, honestly, I think that act saved me from going under emotionally and mentally.



I loved the stories I wrote. I started two new series, Boston Seasons and Stealing Hearts, and added two books to the The Speakeasy series that I co-write with Brigham Vaughn. I also attended my first GRL Retreat which proved to be fun and rewarding in ways I never could have predicted.

As I look forward to the next year, I have two books already more than half-way written (Boston Seasons #2 and The Speakeasy #4 for those of you who are interested) and plans for so many more. So thank you to everyone who made this year productive and full, including my co-writer, Brigham Vaughn, and the beta readers and editors who polish my words until they shine: Shelli, Kaye, Jayme, Shelly, Allison, Becca, Sally, Tracy, Rebecca, and Helena—your encouragement and patience make so many things possible.

And my immense thanks to those of you who read my words. I am more thankful and honored than I can express.

New Release: Healing Hearts, a holiday novella

Earlier this year, I released Thief of Hearts, a novella for Valentine's Day. I enjoyed the world I'd built so much, I decided to revisit it for the winter holiday season and wrote Healing Hearts, book two in the Stealing Hearts series, and a sexy, hurt-comfort novella featuring a May-December romance.

Healing Hearts is available for free through Kindle Unlimited or for just 99c through Amazon.

Summary:

Some hearts are made to be mended.

Zac Alvarez never expected to start his life over at forty-five, but his recent divorce means doing just that. Luckily, his career as a nurse in Boston keeps him busy and he has friends who understand Zac’s need to be as careful with his heart as he is with his diet.

Acting on a whim one fall afternoon, Zac buys lunch from a food truck and meets Aiden Marinelli, a bold young chef who is taking the city’s food scene in new directions. Aiden is only thirty, a fact that doesn’t sit well with Zac, but both the chef and his food prove impossible to resist.

An attachment forms between the two men and, as the winter holidays draw near, Zac begins to emerge from the protective shell he’s built around himself. A chance encounter with his ex-husband shakes Zac’s newfound confidence, however, and he pushes Aiden away, unaware how deeply the act will hurt them both until it is too late.

Southampton Sea Breeze: A Free Tidal Series Short

If you’ve read the Tidal and Speakeasy books, you already know our characters Carter Hamilton and Riley Porter-Wright.

Their books, Wake and Calm, were published in the summer of 2017 and Brigham Vaughn and I put together Southampton Sea Breeze, a FREE short story to mark that anniversary.

This short story can be read on its own, but it certainly has ties to the Tidal books, Behind the Stick and the other Speakeasy books, so we suggest you enjoy them all 😉

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤

Download Southampton Sea Breeze FREE from:

Pride Publishing

or

Prolific Works

New Release: Behind the Stick, The Speakeasy #3

Brigham Vaughn and I are thrilled that Behind the Stick, the third book in The Speakeasy, is out today!

I've always liked Kyle McKee --he's a stand up kind of guy who, while unassuming, is absolutely confident in his abilities. I fell in love with Kyle and his firefighter, Luka, while writing Behind the Stick and I think you will, too.

Blog Tour:

Be sure to follow the blog tour from August 19- 28. There will be exclusive excerpts, interviews, blog posts, and you’ll have a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card.

Summary:

Love, served behind the stick.

Kyle McKee lives a charmed life. He co-owns Under, an uptown speakeasy, where he is chief mixologist. Friends poke fun at Kyle’s tiny one-bed apartment in Chelsea, but they’re the best support system a man could ask for. Unfortunately, Kyle’s lackluster love life has led him to take a break from dating.

Harlem resident Luka Clarke is a lieutenant with Engine 47, the Pride of Morningside, where he carries on his father’s legacy with the FDNY. Luka, who is mixed race and bisexual, has his eye on Kyle, whom he met at a local burger joint and he just needs to make time to visit Kyle’s bar.

Before work one evening, Kyle is trapped inside the luncheonette when a fire breaks out. Luka’s firehouse answers the call and he connects with Kyle again under the most unexpected of circumstances. When Kyle gratefully invites Luka and the firehouse squad to Under, the flirting between the two men leads to a date.

Kyle and Luka quickly grow close, but Luka’s mother and sister distrust Kyle for being both white and gay. Luka believes his family will come around and accept Kyle in the end, but Kyle is not optimistic and hides his disquiet as attraction blossoms into love.

Kyle and Luka’s near-idyllic bubble is shattered one evening after a hate crime leaves them scarred, inside and out. Shaken, they put on a strong front but struggle inwardly against fear and personal demons. As the emotions seething beneath the surface finally come to a head, both men must decide if they have the strength to find love enough to conquer hate.

New book for pre-order: "Behind The Stick"

I speak often about how much I enjoy writing The Speakeasy books with Brigham Vaughn; the characters and their world have come to mean a lot to me. Behind the Stick, the third book in the series, is no exception.

Kyle McKee first showed up in my head while we were writing Calm, the second Tidal book. A skilled mixologist, Kyle befriended Carter Hamilton and, by extension, Jesse Murtagh, with whom he got on like ‘a house on fire.’ Kyle was charming, funny, and sincere, and a Yin of sorts to Jesse’s Yang. Like Jesse, Kyle asserted himself so much, he practically asked us to give him his own story and we were more than happy to oblige. We were also thrilled to get to know Luka Clarke, a Lieutenant with the FDNY who catches Kyle’s fancy and threatens to run away with his heart.

Behind The Stick is available for pre-order and will go into general release on August 20.

Love, served behind the stick.

Summary

Kyle McKee lives a charmed life. He co-owns Under, an uptown speakeasy, where he is chief mixologist. Friends poke fun at Kyle’s tiny one-bed apartment in Chelsea, but they’re the best support system a man could ask for. Unfortunately, Kyle’s lackluster love life has led him to take a break from dating.

Harlem resident Luka Clarke is a lieutenant with Engine 47, the Pride of Morningside, where he carries on his father’s legacy with the FDNY. Luka, who is mixed race and bisexual, has his eye on Kyle, whom he met at a local burger joint and he just needs to make time to visit Kyle’s bar.

Before work one evening, Kyle is trapped inside the luncheonette when a fire breaks out. Luka’s firehouse answers the call and he connects with Kyle again under the most unexpected of circumstances. When Kyle gratefully invites Luka and the firehouse squad to Under, the flirting between the two men leads to a date.

Kyle and Luka quickly grow close, but Luka’s mother and sister distrust Kyle for being both white and gay. Luka believes his family will come around and accept Kyle in the end, but Kyle is not optimistic and hides his disquiet as attraction blossoms into love.

Kyle and Luka’s near-idyllic bubble is shattered one evening after a hate crime leaves them scarred, inside and out. Shaken, they put on a strong front but struggle inwardly against fear and personal demons. As the emotions seething beneath the surface finally come to a head, both men must decide if they have the strength to find love enough to conquer hate.

General Release Date: 20th August 2019

"Third Time's The Charm," Boston Seasons #1, is live!

I am super excited to be able to say that Third Time's the Charm is live and available for purchase.

I frequently fall in love with the characters I write and that was absolutely the case with Luke and Finn. They became very special to me and I hope you love them as much as I did.

Blog Tour:

Be sure to follow the blog tour from May 28-June. There will be exclusive excerpts, interviews, blog posts, and a giveaway! You’ll have a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card. Schedule can be found on my blog at kevancoles.com.

Summary:

Sometimes you have to start over to get love right.

Luke Ryan’s life is too chaotic for romance, what with running his business and being the legal guardian to his ten-year-old niece, but he’s hopeful he’ll find the right man.

Trauma surgeon Finn Thomason recently relocated from Chicago to Boston, where his focus on medicine leaves him little space for a personal life. Making a commitment to find a better work-life balance, Finn hopes he’ll also find a relationship.

Caught in an evening rainstorm, Luke shelters under a sidewalk awning…and encounters a handsome stranger. The two strike up a conversation and Finn offers to walk Luke under his oversized umbrella. Charmed, Luke accepts and asks Finn out for coffee in thanks.

Luke and Finn quickly grow close, but, as the summer draws to an end, Luke struggles to keep his connection with Finn while Finn tries to come to terms with caring for a man whose attention is pulled in many directions. Both men are scrambling to get it right, but only time will tell if they’ll learn there is more than enough room in their hearts to go around.

New book for pre-order: "Third Time's the Charm"

"Third Time’s The Charm" got its start in 2017 as a short story that grew into a novel.

I’m thrilled that "Third Time’s The Charm," Boston Seasons Book #1, is now available for pre-order and will go into general release on May 28.

Pre-order link

Summary:

Sometimes you have to start over to get love right.

Luke Ryan’s life is too chaotic for romance, what with running his business and being the legal guardian to his ten-year-old niece, but he’s hopeful he’ll find the right man.

Trauma surgeon Finn Thomason recently relocated from Chicago to Boston, where his focus on medicine leaves him little space for a personal life. Making a commitment to find a better work-life balance, Finn hopes he’ll also find a relationship.

Caught in an evening rainstorm, Luke shelters under a sidewalk awning…and encounters a handsome stranger. The two strike up a conversation and Finn offers to walk Luke under his oversized umbrella. Charmed, Luke accepts and asks Finn out for coffee in thanks.

Luke and Finn quickly grow close, but, as the summer draws to an end, Luke struggles to keep his connection with Finn while Finn tries to come to terms with caring for a man whose attention is pulled in many directions. Both men are scrambling to get it right, but only time will tell if they’ll learn there is more than enough room in their hearts to go around.

New Release: Extra Dirty, The Speakeasy #2

“Extra Dirty,” Book 2 in The Speakeasy series, is out today! Brigham Vaughn and I are so excited to share Jesse Murtagh's story with you. And wait until you meet Cam Lewis 🔥🔥🔥

Buy your copy now from your favorite retailer: https://books2read.com/b/ExtraDirty
Or from Pride Publishing: https://www.pride-publishing.com/book...

Blurb:

Jesse Murtagh loves his life as a wealthy bisexual businessman dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure. With a circle of friends he trusts implicitly, he enjoys a successful career in his family’s business and as co-owner of Under, an uptown speakeasy, with his friend with benefits, Kyle McKee.

Music teacher and part-time DJ Cameron Lewis lives modestly in a DUMBO loft and isn’t interested in serious relationships. However, he’s always up for some casual fun.

Doing a favor for his friend Carter Hamilton, Jesse meets Cam and is immediately charmed. When Jesse discovers Cam’s other life as a DJ, he is further intrigued. Viewing Cam as a challenge, Jesse pulls out all the stops, but his usual methods to avoid serious relationships fail. Though Cam has no intention of becoming attached, he begins to fall for Jesse, unaware that Jesse’s feelings are changing.

Afraid of heartbreak, Cam pulls away, leaving Jesse bewildered and hurt. They remain friends until a series of misunderstandings widens the rift to breaking point. When Cam steps in to help Jesse through a family crisis, they realize they care for each other more than they’ve been willing to admit. Jesse and Cam don’t want a traditional relationship, but can they build a future that makes them both happy?

New Release: Thief of Hearts -- A Valentine's Novella

Like a lot of writers, I have a hopper full of old stories and plot bunnies. Mostly on a whim, I decided to revisit an old story for Valentine’s Day and just polish it up. An additional 22K words later, I had Thief of Hearts, a sexy sweet novella featuring a May-December romance.

Thief of Hearts is free to read on Kindle Unlimited or $.99 on Amazon.

Summary:

Some hearts are made to be stolen.

Mark Mannix doesn’t believe in love or romance, which is ironic given his birthday falls on Valentine’s Day. As he approaches forty, Mark is perfectly content with his life and nursing career in Boston, and—outside of his long-time friend-with-benefits, Alistair—prefers his hookups to be one-night stands.

When Mark’s plans for New Year’s Eve fall through, he attends his sister’s party and meets Owen Todd, a graphic designer of Caribbean descent. Owen is more than a decade younger than Mark and, at first glance the two men appear to have little in common. The chemistry between them is potent, however, and Mark breaks his no-strings pattern, seeing Owen week after week.

A connection forms between the two men, leaving Mark in uncharted territory and drawn to Owen in ways he’s never known before. Even so, Mark continues his hookups with Alistair but is startled when Owen withdraws out of a desire to protect himself. His foundations shaken, Mark must decide if he can watch Owen walk away or … if the time has come to follow his heart in a new direction.

Excerpt:

“Why do you call your sister Lo?”

Mark dredged a piece of maki in soy sauce and smiled. He and Owen were seated in a booth at the sushi restaurant, sharing platters of food and drinking sweet, sticky cocktails. Mark had slept late after his shift in an effort to stock up some energy, but then Owen had run late, and for a few minutes Mark had thought he might back out. Owen had turned up at last, however, and seeing him brought that New Year’s Eve vibe back to Mark, the connection fluid and easy, as if they were already fast friends. Mark liked that very much.

“It’s sort of a twin thing,” he said in answer to Owen’s question. “My sister and I started talking pretty early—”

“Color me surprised.”

“Don’t be a bitch.” Mark smirked. “We were two or so and our mouths couldn’t always keep up with the chatter. I had a problem with the ‘r’ in Lauren’s name and shortened it to ‘Lo.’ The funny part is it stuck and never went away. My parents called her Lo, too, even after we’d both grown up.”

“I see.” Owen grinned. He’d come directly from work, and was dressed in monochromatic navy. He looked both gloriously handsome and far too serious in his dress shirt and tie, but he’d rolled up his sleeves again and tucked his tie in his pocket to keep it neat. “Did Lauren have a nickname for you?” he asked.

“She did. She claims now that she also had trouble with the letter ‘r’ for a while, but I think she just wanted to give me a special name. I’m not sure you need to know the nickname, however. That’s not the kind of information I share with just anyone.”

Mark pursed his lips against a teasing smile, but Owen merely popped a piece of nigiri into his mouth. He chewed for a moment before speaking.

“I plan on sucking your dick again at some point tonight. Does that make me just anyone?”

Mark set his chopsticks down. “No. No, it doesn’t, Owen, and I’m glad you pointed that out. Lauren called me ‘Mac’ when we were kids. She still does sometimes, when she’s feeling sassy or has had too much to drink. I’m surprised she didn’t on New Year’s Eve, to be honest, because she was in exactly the right kind of mood.”

A soft smile transformed Owen’s entire face. “That’s fucking adorable. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I do.” Mark grinned at the platter of rice and fish while fire licked up under his shirt collar.

“And Lauren’s the only one who calls you Mac?”

She is now that Mom and Dad are gone.

Something about that dark thought must have shown in Mark’s face, because Owen’s smile flickered. Mark quickly summoned up a grin.

“She is, yes.”

Owen laid a hand over Mark’s. “I don’t believe it. What about that sort of boyfriend of yours, Alistair?”

“Alistair is not my boyfriend.” Mark laughed. “He’d literally cringe to hear you say that. He’s not the boyfriend type and neither am I.”

“No?” Owen cocked his head. “Why not?”

“Not my thing. I’m not a big believer in love or romance, or anything schmaltzy. Ironic given Lauren and I were born on Valentine’s Day.”

Owen snickered. “That’s way too perfect. So you consider yourself aromantic?”

“Ugh, you’re such a millennial with your labels,” Mark said with a wink. “If I must classify myself, I suppose aromantic fits better than anything else.”

He heard the reluctance in his own voice, but knew Owen had a point. Mark had never felt romantically attracted to anyone. That heart-fluttery, over-the-moon kind of feeling people talked about when they met a special someone? He had no idea what that was all about. To Mark, falling in love sounded a little like being motion sick. Friendships and sex he understood, particularly in combination. They’d always been enough for Mark and he’d never questioned that about himself.

“Alistair would cringe at hearing me called Mac, too,” he said.

“Well, that’s stupid.” Owen glanced Mark’s way and smiled. “You can be the mac to my cheese any time you want.”

Mark tipped his head back and laughed. Damn, but this kid was fun. “Are you comparing me to comfort food?”

“Oh, yeah.” Owen’s eyes heated and Mark fell right into their warmth before he could stop himself. “You’re all kind of delicious, as far as I’m concerned.”

“I’ll accept Mac from you but only behind closed doors.”

The corners of Owen’s lips quirked up. “Okay. It’ll be our secret.”

He leaned in and covered Mark’s mouth with his own and a little while passed before either of them spoke again. A distant part of Mark knew they should ease off with the PDA. Overall, Boston was LGBTQ-friendly and the majority of its citizens didn’t care what two adult men got up to with each another. That didn’t mean bigotry was dead, however, and especially when the nearby sports arena meant a population of boorish homophobes in the crowd was almost a given. Mark didn’t stop, though. The shine in Owen’s gaze when they finally parted made him glad he hadn’t, too.

~ooOoo~

Mark meant to pour drinks once they’d returned to his apartment and stowed Owen’s skateboard in the hall closet, but Owen’s tongue in his mouth proved an excellent distraction. He and Owen were by the bed and tugging at each other’s clothes before Mark really registered what was happening, and the breathless laugh they shared felt damned good.

Once Owen’s clothing fell away, Mark drank in the sight of him nude, and the lust in Owen’s eyes seared him in return. Owen ran his hands over Mark’s pecs.

“I love your body.” He wet his lips with his tongue. “The way your muscles feel under my fingers…so sexy.” He pinched Mark’s nipple and both of them groaned.

“Fuck, you are hot,” Mark murmured.

Cock already standing rigid against his abdomen, he urged Owen down onto the mattress. Owen lay still under Mark’s gaze, his head pillowed in his hands, his chest rising and falling with each breath. A flush turned the tips of his ears red, and he sighed when Mark bent and skated his fingers over Owen’s torso.

“Want you, Mark,” he murmured.

Mark sat down beside him. “I want you, too.”

He teased the sensitive skin of Owen’s pelvis before he wrapped his hand around Owen’s cock. The noise that rolled through Owen seemed shockingly loud in the quiet of the apartment, and he brought his hands to Mark’s shoulders, pulling him closer. Mark slotted their mouths together and swallowed Owen’s greedy hum, and pumped him slowly while they kissed. He took his time stretching out on the bed.

They stayed like that for a long while, making out and grinding until they were breathless and Mark thought his heart would beat its way out of his body. With a gasp, he broke away, and pressed deep, wet kisses into the skin of Owen’s neck, licking and sucking while Owen groaned.

Mark worked his way lower, nosing at the sweat that sheened Owen’s ribs, then bared his teeth and nipped in just the right spot. Owen’s bark of laughter made him smile.

“Gah, no.”

Owen brought a hand up and wound his fingers in Mark’s hair, pulling lightly so Mark hummed. Mark moved back up Owen’s body, dropping kisses along the way, but Mark’s cock was hard and he was done teasing, particularly when Owen reached between Mark’s legs and palmed his dick. Mark arched against the touch with a gasp.

“Christ.”

Lust painted Owen’s face. “No religion during naked time,” he murmured, and even through his haze of need, Mark couldn’t stop his laugh.

“You are bananas.”

Owen smiled. “Pot, meet kettle.” Mark took him in hand, too, and Owen actually whined as Mark lined up their cocks so he could frot them. “Oh, my…fuck.”

“I’d love to.” Mark brushed their lips together. “You okay with that?”

“Hell yes.”

New release: "A Hometown Holiday"

Season's Greetings!

Two weeks ago, I decided to dust off another old short story and re-work it in time to celebrate the winter holiday season. Lots of coffee and late nights later, "A Hometown Holiday" was ready to go.

This story is set in Amherst, Massachusetts, a small town in the western part of the state. Two of five total schools in the the Five College Consortium are located in Amherst, and it's home to a large number of roughly 38,000 students attending those schools. Once upon a time, I was one of those students and it was during that time my love of writing grew from hobby into something deeper. I fell a bit in love with the Pioneer Valley and set "A Hometown Holiday" there as a homage of sorts to the four years I spent learning so much.

"A Hometown Holiday" is FREE to read on Kindle Unlimited and $.99 on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L8ZC8TB

Summary:

Life in a college town suits Josh Cassidy. He has good friends and neighbors, and the bookshop café he runs with his family is thriving. As the winter holidays begin, Josh finds himself enamored with police officer, Alex Curiel, an old friend who has recently moved back to town. The trouble is, Alex isn’t ready for the world to know he’s attracted to men.


At Alex’s request, Josh agrees to closet their relationship, but the secrecy quickly becomes a burden. When Josh realizes he is falling for Alex, he has more and more trouble denying his feelings. Soon, both men are forced to decide if hiding behind closed doors is the kind of future they’re looking for.