Sneak Previews... Excerpts from upcoming and recent releases
The 4th book in the Royal Navy series, Home Is the Sailor is set immediately following Eye of the Storm. After an unprovoked attack during peacetime—was it revenge for their abduction of one of Bonaparte’s top military scientists?—Commander William Marshall and his lover, David Archer, are sent into hiding at David’s ancestral home in Devon.
But this is no peaceful shore leave. With the best intentions in the world, Will has discovered that his fear of losing Davy is still stronger than his desire to keep Davy beside him on the quarterdeck. And Lieutenant Archer is having problems of his own--the family that seemed so rock-solid, if distant, is staggering under the loss of its eldest son and heir. Was it an accident… or murder? And if so, how will he ever prove it to an autocratic father who still sees him as the inept youngest son? Out of their element, Davy and Will are thrust into the role of sleuths while trying to determine what sort of future, if any, they may have together.
EXCERPT:
"A pretty family gathering I have invited you to witness!" Davy's face was as downcast as Marshall had ever seen it.
"I do believe Lady Virginia might be a little unbalanced in her grief," he answered, "but your brother was deliberately baiting her. This situation cannot be easy for any of your family."
"Except for Ronald," Davy said bitterly. "He relishes it. Will, if you would rather not endure this wrangle, I would not be offended if you were to go to an inn, or back to Tavistock, or even to Kit's place in London. I hate to inflict this upon you."
It was good that they had been constrained in expressing their affection by years on a ship, where there was virtually no privacy. The practice of self-control was almost instinctive, in both speech and action. "Of course I'll go, if you wish it. But only if you truly want me to—if you would prefer to be private with your family."
"You are closer than family." Davy rubbed his hands over his face. "God, Will, without you, I'd be lost."
Marshall wanted very badly to touch him, but knew that he would be lost if he did. Of all times and places, this was one where Davy needed him to be strong. Perhaps, after the house was quiet, they might steal a few moments together in the dressing room. "Then I'll stay. No distempered in-laws will make me haul down my colors."
Davy gave him a weary, lopsided smile. "Let's go upstairs."
The fire was small but comforting, and they lingered before it until the maid had come to take the warming-pans out from between the sheets. They put out their candles, changed into nightshirts, and retreated to the sanctuary of the dressing room.
They hardly spoke. There was nothing to say, really, and it was safer to keep quiet, alert for any sound out in the hall. But even without the pleasure of sex, there was an inexpressible comfort in holding Davy in his arms, feeling the warmth of his body through the two thin layers of nightclothes. If only they had been two half-pay sailors, forced by necessity to share a bed… but at least they did have this place to be together, for a little while.
And for how much longer? Matters here would come to a crisis; that must happen. And matters in the larger world were moving toward that, too. At some point, a few weeks or a few months, the war would explode again and he would be called away.
Could he go?
He remembered what life had been like, in those weeks while Davy was lying convalescent in Kingston. He'd been a fine officer, then, daring beyond all reason. It was easy to risk your life when you truly did not care if you ever saw another sunrise. If Davy had died, he would have gone from indifferent to death to actively seeking it. There were worse ways to die than going out in a blaze of glory.
He held Davy close, reveling in the warmth of him. If only they could…
Davy raised his face from Will's shoulder, and brushed his lips against Will's. "Don't mean to tease," he said softly.
"I know."
A kiss was all they dared. For now, it was enough.
.
"HOME" is due out August 20, 2010, and is AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER AT BARNES & NOBLE:
Tangled Web
Tangled Web, a Regency m/m romance, hit the bookstores on December 23, 2009. I talked about it a bit in this interview at Jesswave's review blog:
Tangled Web is set in peacetime--1816, just after the Napoleonic War is finally over. The main characters are Brendan Townsend, the youngest son of a Viscount, and his eldest brother's former commanding officer, Major Philip Carlisle. Tangled Web is about a young man finding his path and an older man realizing his life did not end when he lost his wife and child. Brendan is the far end of the Kinsey scale; he's a good friend to his younger sister, but is simply not attracted to women in a sexual way. He falls into a convenient arrangement with his college roommate, Tony (who seduces the inexperienced Brendan with very little effort), but after they've graduated Tony gets himself into a dangerous mess and turns to Brendan, expecting him to fix it--but Brendan not only can't do what Tony asks, he can't really explain the situation to his family. His older brother, never guessing what a hot potato Brendan is juggling, sends him to Carlisle, and the poor boy is love-at-first-sight thunderstruck.
Philip Carlisle suffered a tragic loss years earlier, blames himself, and has resolved never to marry again. He doesn't realize that his willingness to help Brendan stems from anything more than generic goodwill. At first he doesn't realize Brendan is gay, either, but when he does he begins to become aware of a side of his nature that he thought he had abandoned in adolescence.
With Tangled Web, I'm trying something new in a couple of directions. When I went to the Toronto Queer Literary Festival in 2008, I asked the guys who stopped at the Macaronis table what sort of stories they'd like to see. Several asked if I had written anything that wasn't about war, and many of them asked if I could suggest any books with characters over 40, so I decided to try my hand at civilians and make one of them an older man. That's been interesting, too--contrasting Brendan's youthful elation and despair with Carlisle's steadier, more experienced view of life.
(The rest of the interview, and Aunt Lynn's reviews of all my books, can be found here: http://reviewsbyjessewave.blogspot.com/2009/03/author-in-spotlight-lee-rowan.html )
Here's a brief excerpt.....
Brendan waited for two nerve-wracking days to be certain that James' letter had reached Major Carlisle. When he finally screwed up his courage to present himself, he had rehearsed what he had to say so many times that he was afraid he'd be talking in his sleep.
He took a hackney to Carlisle's home; he had no wish to leave his horse or James' carriage standing outside while he conducted confidential business. Suffused with a lack of confidence and an ever-mounting anxiety, he found himself presenting his card to a noncommittal butler and standing in a handsome vestibule just off the foyer, admiring the black-and-white floor tiles and carved wooden pillars at either side of the doorway.
"Mr. Townsend?" A deep, well-modulated voice brought him around, and he found his mind protesting, no, not fair! even as he extended a hand to clasp the one extended to him by Major Philip Carlisle.
Major Carlisle's lean, handsome face, bronze-gold hair, and steady hazel eyes created such an overwhelming impression of male beauty that Brendan was ready to fall to his knees before Carlisle's high-top boots, and weep. The most dazzling man he'd ever seen—a man who suddenly made him believe in the phrase, love at first sight—and he was here to seek his help in dealing with a situation so disgraceful that he was not sure he could explain it. It was cruel of the Fates to have dealt him this blow.
"Major," he said, pushing his disordered thoughts aside. "I-I do apologize for intruding. My brother suggested I consult you, but if this time is inconvenient—"
"Well, it is, I'm afraid," Carlisle said regretfully. "I must leave town for a day or two, but I remember your brother with much gratitude—he pushed me out of the way of a bullet, once—and I am entirely willing to be of service, if I can."
Of course—preparation for travel would explain the way he was dressed, the trim buckskin trousers and riding boots. Abashed, Brendan apologized, and added, "I should take my leave, sir, and return when you are not pressed for time."
"Oh, not at all. It's my valet who's hard at work; I have little to do while he packs my case. If you will explain your difficulty, I shall endeavor to give you what advice I may. Come, let me offer you some refreshment."
Brendan followed him down the hallway, much the same way one of James' spaniels would have trailed behind him. He hoped he could explain the problem without shocking or angering the Major, or sounding like an utter idiot for getting himself into this stupid situation.
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You can find Tangled Web on the shelf at Barnes & Noble, or order it here:
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Tangled Web's 'teammate,' also available NOW, is Lover's Knot, by Donald Hardy You can find his website here: http://www.donaldhardy.net
The other two M/M Romances:
Transgressions by Erastes, set in the English Civil War:
And False Colors by Alex Beecroft, set a few decades before my own Age of Sail books:
Excerpt (unedited)