Nights Like These by Chris Scully ~ ARC Review, Excerpt, Giveaway
Blurb(s):
Starting over sucks. At forty, Miles Koprowski thought he had life all figured out. He had a nice car, a hot young lover, and a cushy job… and then he didn’t. Call it fate, or karma, or a downturn in the market, but this opinionated cynic is now forced to play rent-a-cop in a dying office building in the burbs just to make ends meet. Throw in an unhinged ex, a coworker who hates him, and a hot new boss, and suddenly everything is uncertain.
Miles doesn’t plan on liking the night shift or becoming embroiled in a mystery that reawakens old passions and puts him in danger. And he certainly doesn’t plan on falling for the overbearing head of security, Colton Decker, former soldier and doting dad. But nights like these can change a man, make him start to believe there’s more to life than a high paying job and a warm body in his bed. With a thief on the loose and his new job in jeopardy, Miles will have to decide what’s truly important. He might discover things he never knew he wanted… as long as he makes it through the night.
Categories: Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Mystery
Words: 69,000
Cover Artist: Bree Archer
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Excerpt
In short, he was the kind of guy you’d want to be stranded with on a deserted island; the kind you could count on to save you. If you were so inclined. Me? I didn’t need saving.
A pair of friendly, light-colored eyes now stared back at me, bemused. Odd that his lips were moving, but no sound was coming out.
“What?” I asked, blinking back to attention. I couldn’t remember the last time anyone had literally made me speechless. Me, Miles Koprowski, who never met a silence he didn’t want to fill.
Hell, I couldn’t recall the last time I’d been on the receiving end of a full-body pat-down either. At least not so quickly. His hands were still drifting over my chest, wiping up the last drips of coffee, and the simple touch was doing alarming things to my heart rate.
“Are you okay?” he demanded. “Did you get burned?” Before I could react, he seized my wrist and held my hand up for inspection. Strong, lightly calloused fingers, I added to my mental list. Working hands. Dumbly, I looked down. The skin on the back of my right hand was red and stung like a son of a bitch, but it wasn’t blistering. I did flinch slightly when he skimmed his thumb over the sensitive area, but not from pain, more from the touch itself. My entire body lit up, as though I’d stuck a finger in an electrical socket. “It doesn’t look too bad. I think you’ll live. Put some aloe on it when you get home.”
“Doctor?” I croaked, because really, that would be too perfect.
“Nope. Just seen a lot of injuries.” His lips twitched with barely contained amusement. “Sorry to disappoint you.” Sense of humor, check.
Buying the book at Dreamspinner
Tracy's Review
4.5 Stars
** This book was provided to me by the author/publisher via Pride Promotions in exchange for an honest review**
Miles is a web designer.
Broke and desperate for work after being laid off a year ago, he takes a job as a security guard working the night shift.
After his first night on the job he stops for coffee on his way home. After getting his order he is rundown by Mr. Perfect. His coffee spilled all over him, Mr. Perfect buys him a new one. A tongue tied Miles accepts, then flees.
The next morning as he is about to leave work in walks Mr. Perfect, aka, Colton Decker, head of security, and his boss's boss. This probably isn't going to turn out well!
This was a really good story. One of my favorite authors is John Grisham, so I love a good mystery, with some suspense. This book gave me that. It had mystery, suspense, romance, a couple of steamy m/m scenes, and it was funny too!! (I wonder if I could convince John Grisham to add some spicy m/m action to his books? Probably not. Oh sorry, back to my review.)
I loved that Colton and Miles are both very strong willed, snarky, sarcastic characters. They are very much alike in that respect, but even so, they seemed to fit well together. They had a really good chemistry.
The book flowed well and I was never bored. Miles spends a lot of time on the job, and so the "love story" portion of this book, well the "like story", this book takes place over a three week time period, so it's not love yet, definitely takes a back seat to the mystery portion of the story.
I loved the timeline at the beginning of each chapter. You know exactly what day and time it is and you never feel lost.
My complaints... I wish there would have been more. What I got was great, and things wrapped up, but I was left wanting more, and wanting to know where Miles and Colton end up. Still, this was a great read, and I highly recommend it!
CHRIS SCULLY lives in Toronto, Canada where she grew up spinning romantic stories in her head. When the tedium of a corporate day job grew too much, she took a chance and found her creative escape in writing. Always searching for something different, she has discovered a home in M/M romance and strives to give her characters the happy endings they deserve.
It’s bound to happen at some point: the dreaded spectre of writer’s block. That point in time where the cursor blinks mockingly at you and your fingers just won’t move on the keyboard.
For someone like me, who’s an emotional writer anyway, writer’s block can quickly get out of control and send me into a downward spiral of anxiety where I lose all productivity. I’ve learned that the key is to avoid fixating on the blockage in the first place, so it doesn’t start to consume you. The more you focus on it, the more pressure you put on yourself, the bigger and scarier it gets. Above all else, keep on writing. Anything. Even if you have to delete it later.
I think of my writing like my clunky, old laptop. Sometimes it just hangs. When that happens I can either take a break, sit there getting angry and wait, shut down a program to free up some memory or switch to a different program and work on something else.
Even under normal circumstances I don’t always write in a chronological order. When I get bored with a particular scene, I’ll start on another one and come back to it later. This is also my main strategy for writer’s block. As soon as I find myself stuck, I move on to another section or another scene. Sometimes I will even go back and spend time on editing the completed portions. Or I’ll start working on my blurb or synopsis. In rare cases, I might use the time to do some supporting research. The main thing is to keep working. Keep up your writing routine if you have one. If you’re really stuck and able to, start a new project. If it’s really bad, walk away and take a break. Do something completely different.
Oftentimes the solution to writer’s block comes when we least expect it, so I try not to dwell on it and push it to the back of my mind. You know how sometimes you forget a word? It’s there on the tip of your tongue but it just won’t come? You know how that word leaps into your mind as soon as you stop thinking about it? Writer’s block works the same way.
The other thing that works for me is talking a walk. I do my best thinking and plotting while I walk, even if it’s only on the treadmill. Something about moving loosens up my mind. I’m engaging different parts of my brain. I imagine meditation would have a similar effect.
If you’re absolutely desperate, just google “writer’s block”. There are all sorts of games and exercises out there to help but they’re all based around the same premises: taking your mind off the blockage and working a different part of your brain. Writer’s block only has as much power as you give it.
Happy writing!
Tour Dates/Tour Stops:
Rafflecopter Prize: E-book copy upon release
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Broke and desperate for work after being laid off a year ago, he takes a job as a security guard working the night shift.
After his first night on the job he stops for coffee on his way home. After getting his order he is rundown by Mr. Perfect. His coffee spilled all over him, Mr. Perfect buys him a new one. A tongue tied Miles accepts, then flees.
The next morning as he is about to leave work in walks Mr. Perfect, aka, Colton Decker, head of security, and his boss's boss. This probably isn't going to turn out well!
This was a really good story. One of my favorite authors is John Grisham, so I love a good mystery, with some suspense. This book gave me that. It had mystery, suspense, romance, a couple of steamy m/m scenes, and it was funny too!! (I wonder if I could convince John Grisham to add some spicy m/m action to his books? Probably not. Oh sorry, back to my review.)
I loved that Colton and Miles are both very strong willed, snarky, sarcastic characters. They are very much alike in that respect, but even so, they seemed to fit well together. They had a really good chemistry.
The book flowed well and I was never bored. Miles spends a lot of time on the job, and so the "love story" portion of this book, well the "like story", this book takes place over a three week time period, so it's not love yet, definitely takes a back seat to the mystery portion of the story.
I loved the timeline at the beginning of each chapter. You know exactly what day and time it is and you never feel lost.
My complaints... I wish there would have been more. What I got was great, and things wrapped up, but I was left wanting more, and wanting to know where Miles and Colton end up. Still, this was a great read, and I highly recommend it!
About the author
CHRIS SCULLY lives in Toronto, Canada where she grew up spinning romantic stories in her head. When the tedium of a corporate day job grew too much, she took a chance and found her creative escape in writing. Always searching for something different, she has discovered a home in M/M romance and strives to give her characters the happy endings they deserve.
Finding Chris around the web
Dealing with writer’s block
Chris Scully
It’s bound to happen at some point: the dreaded spectre of writer’s block. That point in time where the cursor blinks mockingly at you and your fingers just won’t move on the keyboard.
For someone like me, who’s an emotional writer anyway, writer’s block can quickly get out of control and send me into a downward spiral of anxiety where I lose all productivity. I’ve learned that the key is to avoid fixating on the blockage in the first place, so it doesn’t start to consume you. The more you focus on it, the more pressure you put on yourself, the bigger and scarier it gets. Above all else, keep on writing. Anything. Even if you have to delete it later.
I think of my writing like my clunky, old laptop. Sometimes it just hangs. When that happens I can either take a break, sit there getting angry and wait, shut down a program to free up some memory or switch to a different program and work on something else.
Even under normal circumstances I don’t always write in a chronological order. When I get bored with a particular scene, I’ll start on another one and come back to it later. This is also my main strategy for writer’s block. As soon as I find myself stuck, I move on to another section or another scene. Sometimes I will even go back and spend time on editing the completed portions. Or I’ll start working on my blurb or synopsis. In rare cases, I might use the time to do some supporting research. The main thing is to keep working. Keep up your writing routine if you have one. If you’re really stuck and able to, start a new project. If it’s really bad, walk away and take a break. Do something completely different.
Oftentimes the solution to writer’s block comes when we least expect it, so I try not to dwell on it and push it to the back of my mind. You know how sometimes you forget a word? It’s there on the tip of your tongue but it just won’t come? You know how that word leaps into your mind as soon as you stop thinking about it? Writer’s block works the same way.
The other thing that works for me is talking a walk. I do my best thinking and plotting while I walk, even if it’s only on the treadmill. Something about moving loosens up my mind. I’m engaging different parts of my brain. I imagine meditation would have a similar effect.
If you’re absolutely desperate, just google “writer’s block”. There are all sorts of games and exercises out there to help but they’re all based around the same premises: taking your mind off the blockage and working a different part of your brain. Writer’s block only has as much power as you give it.
Happy writing!
Tour Dates/Tour Stops:
26-Jan
27-Jan
28-Jan
29-Jan
30-Jan
2-Feb
3-Feb
4-Feb
5-Feb
6-Feb
Rafflecopter Prize: E-book copy upon release
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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