Blurb:
A desire for
justice as strong as their passion for each other.
Concerned about
the welfare of his young cousin, Josh Jackson, a restaurant owner, traces the
boy to Winterstone Grange, a gated manor deep in the country. Miles from
anywhere, the protected walls of this stately house conceal dark secrets.
Josh’s search brings him into contact with Ed Brolin, a handsome journalist who
has spent weeks investigating the secrets of the Grange and its owner. Ray
Armstrong is a wealthy business man with influential connections in Parliament
and the police. Ed knows exactly what goes on at the Grange but without
evidence, he hasn’t got a story.
Drawn together by instant attraction and a powerful hunger for justice, Josh and Ed are determined to expose the sordid secrets of the grange despite the risks it poses. Josh has never met a man like Ed before—so strong, determined and masculine. Falling in love is easy. But they’ll have to put their emotions aside if they’re going to give a voice to all the silent victims of Winterstone Grange.
Drawn together by instant attraction and a powerful hunger for justice, Josh and Ed are determined to expose the sordid secrets of the grange despite the risks it poses. Josh has never met a man like Ed before—so strong, determined and masculine. Falling in love is easy. But they’ll have to put their emotions aside if they’re going to give a voice to all the silent victims of Winterstone Grange.
BUY LINKS:
Pride
Publishing: https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/silent-voices
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2oWUfrx
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2nx15UR
Barnes and
Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/silent-voices-thom-collins/1126168330
Excerpt:
Josh Jackson
didn’t worry when his cousin failed to come home. It was Saturday night and
Kevin was eighteen. Josh wasn’t about to impose a curfew on the kid. Neither
was he going to babysit. Kevin was old enough to take care of himself.
Josh checked
Kevin’s room when he came home from work at one o’clock. The spare bed hadn’t
been made since Kevin had gotten out of it that morning and yesterday’s clothes
were all over the floor—discarded jeans with his boxers still inside them, a
scruffy T-shirt and a pair of dirty socks. The smell of the socks hit him from
the doorway. Despite the reek of cheap deodorant and aftershave filling the
room, the socks were pungent. Teenagers. Josh wasn’t about to tidy up after him
so he left things as they were, including the damp towel draped over the foot
of the bed. The kid was only staying a few nights. If he wanted to live in a
mess like that, so be it, so long as he left the place as he’d found it when he
moved on.
Josh shut the door
and went to bed. He wished his cousin luck. If the boy wanted to get laid, he’d
rather he did it somewhere else. It was bad enough that Josh’s lodger, Bobby,
regarded the place as a Grindr pit stop, without his cousin treating it like a
knocking shop, too.
Josh read for a
while and half-listened for the sound of Kevin coming home, but eventually fell
asleep.
He wasn’t overly
concerned in the morning to find Kevin’s room just as he’d left it, though by
now it smelled considerably worse. The fancy fragrances had worn off and all
that remained was the fetid odor of teenage sweat and damp towel. So, he stayed
out all night. Good on him. Josh had been a teenager once, a horny one at that,
so he could totally relate. Kevin wouldn’t get the chance to fuck around much
when he was at home. His mother had very rigid views on that. It wouldn’t have
mattered whether Kevin had turned out straight or gay. His mother had raised a
good boy and intended to keep him that way.
Kevin will be
going back to her in a couple of days. He might as well have fun while the
leash is off.
He was a
good-looking lad. Josh knew he’d be popular in town. A little baby-faced for
his age, but with the family features of blue eyes and blond hair, his fresh
twinkie image would attract plenty of attention. He looked a lot like Josh had
at that age. Josh had been a slim-looking twink until well into his twenties.
It was only in the last few years he’d filled out with muscle and looked more
like a man. The beard helped. How grateful he’d been when the ability to grow
more than a few wisps of pale chin-fluff finally occurred. He kept it neat with
a regular trim, but now that he had grown a beard, he couldn’t ever see himself
being without one.
Josh called
Kevin’s mobile while waiting for his morning coffee to brew. It rang a few
times before going to voicemail. “Hi, it’s me,” he said. “Not checking up on
you, I just want to know you’re okay. Give me a ring back, or a text when you
get this message. Just to say you’re alive… Otherwise I’ll have to call your
mother,” he added jokingly and hung up.
He had bigger
concerns than a randy teenager. His restaurant, The Cellar Steps, was short on
staff today and fully booked for both lunch and dinner. He’d asked all his
remaining staff to come in early to help with the prep and service, which meant
getting in even earlier himself. As the owner, it wasn’t necessary, since he
employed a manager for the day-to-day running, but Josh believed in setting an
example from the top down. That meant rolling up his sleeves when things got
tight. He thought about putting a little cash Kevin’s way to help out, if he
arrived home in decent time and wasn’t too hung over.
He heard the
heavy thud of the newspapers landing in the hall. Perfect timing. A little news
and some freshly brewed coffee. A relaxing start to an otherwise hectic day.
Josh sat at the
kitchen table with multiple Sunday supplements spread all around him when Bobby
stumbled out of his bedroom in just his boxers and a T-shirt, yawning and
scratching his belly and balls at the same time. His semi-hard dick waggled in
the front of his shorts. Bobby lurched into the bathroom and returned a few
minutes later, looking fractionally more awake, minus morning wood.
“Coffee?” Bobby
asked. “Okay if I help myself?”
“You know where
it is,” Josh said, drawing back from the stench of alcohol that came off him in
stale waves. “Jesus, your blood must be one hundred proof.”
“I think I’m
still drunk,” Bobby observed. “The hangover hasn’t kicked in yet.”
“I don’t envy
you when it does.”
“One cup of this
and I’m crawling back beneath the duvet.”
Josh looked at
him uncertainly. An idea had just occurred to him. He hoped he was wrong. “I
don’t suppose my cousin is under that duvet with you?”
Bobby chuckled,
his dark eyes crinkling. “Wouldn’t that be something? He is kinda hot. But
little blond cupcakes are not my thing. In Kevin’s case, I could make an
exception. Maybe.”
“But did you?”
“Too close to
home, bro. The kid’s a cutie but he ain’t worth the earache. I’d never hear the
last of it.”
It was some
relief. Josh didn’t have a problem with his young cousin fucking around—but
with Bobby, no way. His lodger was a good friend but a total slut. Kevin would
need a lot more experience under his belt before he was ready for that old
hound. “I don’t suppose you do know where he is? He hasn’t been home.”
“He’s between
somebody’s sheets, all right. I walked into town with him last night, had a
drink and showed him where to go.”
“You left him on
his own?”
“No, he left me.
I guess I cramped his style. He headed off toward Gala Square with a group of
studenty types. He didn’t know how fast to ditch me once he got to talking to
people his own age.”
Josh loosened up
again. He’d been right about Kevin. He knew what he was doing. A young man in a
new city making friends fast. There was nothing to worry about.
*****
Thom Collins Bio
Thom Collins is
the author of the novel Closer by Morning, with Pride Publishing. His love of
page turning thrillers began at an early age when his mother caught him reading
the latest Jackie Collins book and promptly confiscated it, sparking a
life-long love of raunchy novels.
His novella Silent
Voices will be published by Pride in May, followed by the novel Anthem of the
Sea, the first book in the Anthem Trilogy. He has recently finished writing the
second book in a series and is making plans for the third.
Thom has lived
in the North East of England his whole life. He grew up in Northumberland and
now lives in County Durham with his husband and two cats. He loves all kinds of
genre fiction, especially bonk-busters, thrillers, romance and horror. He is
also a cookery book addict with far too many titles cluttering his shelves.
When not writing he can be found in the kitchen trying out new recipes. He’s a
keen traveler but with a fear of flying that gets worse with age. Since taking
his first cruise in 2013 he realized that sailing is the way to go.
Links:
Twitter: @thomwolf
and @realthomcollins
Email:
thomcollinsauthor@aol.com
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