Blog Tour: M/M ~ Secret of the Manor by Taylin Clavelli ~ (Review, Excerpt, Book Trailer + Giveaway)

Blog Tour: M/M ~ Secret of the Manor by Taylin Clavelli ~ (Review, Excerpt, Book Trailer + Giveaway)

Title: Secret of the Manor

Author: Taylin Clavelli

Genre: Gay romance, mystery, paranormal, adventure

Length: Novel

Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing

Synopsis

Warren Blake is an accountant at the pinnacle of his career. After accepting a new position he decides to settle in the scenic Cotswold village of Walmsley Hackett.  A village with a colourful history of myth, old wives tales and mystery.
One morning during his train ride into work, Warren notices a small quaint church which he becomes enchanted with. Curiousity compels him to find the church and when he finally does, he discovers an unmarked grave in the corner. Feeling sorry for its occupant, Warren becomes a frequent visitor.
Little does he know that the young man inside the coffin needs a champion and Warren is chosen.
What follows involves a ghostly medieval joust, witchcraft, love, and Warren risking his life.

Excerpt

First visit to the church

Warren worked his way around the four walls of the building, which was at least half the size of his cottage. Peering through some of the windows, he was unsuccessful in avoiding thorns from the newly sprouting roses, and growled when he snagged his thumb on a barb. With the bleeding digit in his mouth, he turned to the church doors looming before him. Locked, preserved, solid old English oak barred his entrance to the inner sanctum.

Unable to venture inside, Warren turned his attention to the cemetery. Many of the gravestones bore worn inscriptions, which he could hardly read—half a name here and there. One read, Gwyn, Mother and Beloved Wife. Another, Franklyn, 1823. The only unworn part on one headstone was 17-something. Before that, dates and many names were visible but hardly decipherable. As for the headstones themselves, many were simple and traditional tablet markers while others were in the shapes of angels or stone coffins. Nothing was overly ornate.

Warren felt as though he’d stepped back in time. The years of history that lay on and in the ground made him light-headed. It was as if he could feel scenes from way back unfolding around him. He stood in the middle of the graveyard, aware of but not quite seeing images of old. Given his experiences with Carl, he wondered if breaks in the fabric of time were possible. Maybe some places were like ancient forms of cinematography, able to record life and have it on constant playback.

As he wandered about the area, he noticed a curtain of holly in a far corner. Curiosity flipped Warren’s insides as he made his way over. For all he knew, the plant sheltered nothing more than dead leaves and spiders, but an inner voice told him to go look. The prickly leaves scratched his hand as he drew the shroud away.

Mari's Review

*** ARC provided to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for a fair and honest review. ***

Warren Blake is a very private man, used to keeping his work life completely separated from his private life. No one knows much of him at work, other than him being a very hard worker and a 'human calculator'. He's a loner, although in the last few years he's opened more of himself to one of his new neighbors, Carl and his wife Emily. 

He sees a church everyday on his way to work, and curiosity makes him visit the place. He finds an unmarked grave there and feeling sorry for the person that was interred there, he visits frequently. What he doesn't know is that he's been chosen to be that person's champion and that soon he'll find himself travelling through the fabric of time to a medieval joust and be caught in the middle of a tangled web of witchcraft, love and ghosts, while risking his own life. 

I really liked this story. Warren was very likable and I really loved the way he and Alex worked together and slowly fell in love. I also loved Carl and James and even Nicholas the ghost, they were awesome additions to the story. The blurb didn't give much away, so I wasn't quite sure how it would play out, but it was an interesting tale, mixing fairy tale elements with time travelling and lots of information regarding medieval jousts, with a sweet, slow-burning romance and a HEA, which is always a plus in my book! Very recommendable!  

Rating: 4 Stars! 

Buy Links

WIP: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/product/secret-of-the-manor-by-taylin-clavelli/
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Manor-Taylin-Clavelli-ebook/dp/B0174MHXS8/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Manor-Taylin-Clavelli-ebook/dp/B0174MHXS8/
Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/Secret-Manor-Taylin-Clavelli-ebook/dp/B0174MHXS8/
Amazon DE: http://www.amazon.de/Secret-Manor-Taylin-Clavelli-ebook/dp/B0174MHXS8/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-secretofthemanor-1914001-149.html

Book Trailer

Giveaway

3 x Mega Swag Packs (Europe only) – Bullet USB, Keyring hip flask, Memo set, Mints, 3-in-1 Stylus pen keyring
2 x $10 WIP Gift Cards
3 x Swag Packs – Memo set, Mints, 3-in-1 Stylus pen keyring
a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author

Taylin Clavelli lives in the United Kingdom, about 15 miles south of Birmingham, and a short journey from the world famous Cadbury’s Chocolate factory. She’s married with children and loves her family with all her heart.
Her love of books has been a long standing affair, with Taylin liking nothing better than to lose herself in an imaginary world.
Until she met Lily Velden, she never considered trying her hand at writing. However, after talking ideas, Lily encouraged her to put pen to paper—or rather, fingers to keyboard. Since, with a few virtual kicks in the right place, she hasn’t stopped. Her confidence eventually led to her writing an original work for submission.
Her first published work was Boys, Toys, and Carpet Fitters, developed for the Dreamspinner Press Anthology – Don’t Try This At Home.
Now she absolutely adores immersing herself into the characters she creates, and transferring the pictures in her brain to paper, finding it liberating, therapeutic, and wonderful.
Outside of writing, her interests include; martial arts (she’s a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Taekwon-do), horse-riding, all of which facilitates her love of a wide variety of movies. Her action heroes include Jet Li and Tony Jaa—finding the dedication these men have for their art combined with their skill both amazing and a privilege to watch. If pressed, she’ll admit to thinking that the screen entrance of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean – Curse of the Black Pearl, and Shadowfax in LOTR, to be the greatest screen entrances ever. Her all-time favorite movies are Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.
The simple things in life that make her day, putting a smile on her face are:
Laughter – especially that of her children.
The smell of lasagna cooking – it makes her mouth salivate.
The dawn chorus – no symphony ever written can beat the waking greetings of the birds.

Social links:
Website: http://www.taylinclavelli.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005234535413
Twitter: https://twitter.com/taylinclavelli