Wake up Call (A story in the Porthkennack Universe) by J.L. Merrow Virtual tour | Spotlight, Excerpt & #giveaway @RiptideBooks @jlmerrow

Hi, I’m JL Merrow, and I’m delighted to be here today as part of the blog tour to celebrate the release of Wake Up Call, the first of my contemporary MM romances in Riptide’s multi-author Porthkennack series. 

South London mechanic Devan Thompson has gone to Porthkennack to track down someone he’s been waiting all his life to know. But Dev’s distracted from his quest by Kyle, a broodingly handsome local of only a few months, who’s already got a reputation as an alcoholic because of his strange behaviour—including a habit of collapsing in the street.

Kyle Anthony fled to Porthkennack to escape from the ruins of his life. Still raging against his diagnosis of narcolepsy—a condition that’s cost him his job as a barrister, his lover, and all chance of normality—the last thing he wants is another relationship that’s doomed to fail. But Dev’s easy-going acceptance and adaptability, not to mention his good looks, have Kyle breaking all his self-imposed rules.

When disaster strikes Dev’s adored little sister, Kyle steps up to the plate, and Dev sees a side of his lover he wasn’t prepared for: competent, professional—and way out of Dev’s league. With one man determined that they don’t have a future, and the other fearing it, life after Porthkennack is starting to look bleak for both of them.

Now available from Riptide Publishing and Amazon

Welcome to Porthkennack!

Welcome to Porthkennack, a charming Cornish seaside town with a long and sometimes sinister history. Legend says King Arthur's Black Knight built the fort on the headland here, and it’s a certainty that the town was founded on the proceeds of smuggling, piracy on the high seas, and the deliberate wrecking of cargo ships on the rocky shore. Nowadays it draws in the tourists with sunshine and surfing, but locals know that the ghosts of its Gothic past are never far below the surface.

This collaborative story world is brought to you by five award-winning, best-selling British LGBTQ romance authors: Alex Beecroft, Joanna Chambers, Charlie Cochrane, Garrett Leigh, and JL Merrow. Follow Porthkennack and its inhabitants through the centuries and through the full rainbow spectrum with historical and contemporary stand-alone titles.

Check out Porthkennack Universe at Riptide Publishing.

Excerpt...

“You all right, mate? Mate?”

The bloke didn’t answer, just carried on half-sitting, half-lying there on the bench, eyes glassy behind his Aviator shades.

Dev glanced back at the Square Peg Café. He’d been sitting outside drinking the world’s crappest latte, wondering if he should’ve gone for the cream tea, when he’d noticed the man on the other side of the road. The bloke had slumped down onto the bench all of a sudden, and not like his feet had been killing him and he couldn’t wait to take the weight off. No, this had been jerky, unnatural—more like he hadn’t been able to stand up any longer. After a split second waiting to see if someone else was going to deal with it, Dev had jumped up and jogged over the quiet street.

Now he was here, though, he still wasn’t sure whether to call an ambulance or call the bloke a wanker for pissing him about.

There were only two other people who’d been daft enough to join Dev at the outside tables under the cloudy skies, a middle-aged couple in matching walking gear, and neither of them bothered to look up from their phones. The skinny waitress stopped clearing tables long enough to roll her eyes at Dev and make a scornful drinking-up gesture.

Great. That was well public-spirited, that was. So what if Dev’s Good Samaritan act turned out to be over the local alco? Even alcoholics got ill. Had strokes and stuff, didn’t they? Like his mate Mal’s uncle, who staggered around everywhere these days looking wasted even on the rare occasions he wasn’t on the piss.

This bloke looked way too young for that sort of crap, mind. Midthirties, tops, although the full, dark beard made it harder to tell for sure. Pretty fit too, with a lean build and broad shoulders. Dev reached over to grasp one of them and give it a gentle shake.

Dev wasn’t even certain if that was what had done the trick, but a second or so later the bloke roused and blinked, life coming back into deep-blue eyes. “Sorry,” he said, frowning up at Dev. “Did I . . .? Sorry.”

“’S all right, mate.” Dev realised he was still hanging on to the bloke’s shoulder and let go in a hurry. His hand felt cold, after, and he shoved it in the pocket of his hoodie. “You okay now?”

“Yes. Thank you.” His voice was clipped, like he was angry about something. “Sorry to disturb your . . . Sorry.”

Dev couldn’t help a laugh. “You’re gonna wear that word out, mate.”

JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea. She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where she learned many things, chief amongst which was that she never wanted to see the inside of a lab ever again. Her one regret is that she never mastered the ability of punting one-handed whilst holding a glass of champagne.

She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance and the paranormal, and is frequently accused of humour. Her novella Muscling Through is a 2013 EPIC ebook Award finalist. She is a member of the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet organising team.

Connect with JL:

• Website: www.jlmerrow.com
• Twitter: @jlmerrow
• Facebook: facebook.com/jl.merrow
• Goodreads: goodreads.com/.J_L_Merrow

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Wake Up Call, one lucky winner will receive a $20 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on April 22, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Comments are entered into a monthly giftcard giveaway as well, so you have the potential to win TWICE! Just leave a comment.