Title and cover
Heart of the Steal
Publisher:
Philtre Press
Release Date (Print
& Ebook):
July 11th, 2017
Length (Print &
Ebook):
about 80K words
Subgenre:
Contemporary queer romance
Book Blurb:
Responsible, disciplined William Fox channeled his love for art and his
faith in the rules into being an FBI Art Crimes agent. Right and wrong, justice
and injustice—the differences are clear, and Will has spent his career drawing
a line between them. Maybe his convictions have cost him relationships, but
he’s not willing to compromise what he knows is right. Until the night he meets
Amory Vaughn.
As the head of his family’s philanthropic foundation, Vaughn knows very
well that being rich and powerful can get him almost anything he wants. And
when he meets endearingly grumpy and slightly awkward William Fox, he wants him
more than he’s wanted anything. Vaughn is used to being desired for his name
and his money, but Will doesn’t care about either.
When Vaughn falls back on old habits and attempts to impress Will by
stealing a painting Will admires, their nascent bond blows up in his face. But
Vaughn isn’t willing to give up on the glimpse of passion he saw the night he
took Will apart. Before Will knows it, he’s falling for the man he should have
arrested, and Vaughn has to realize that some things can’t be bought or stolen.
Love has to be given freely. But can a man who lives by the rules, and a man
who thinks the rules don’t apply to him, ever see eye to eye?
Heart of the Steal is a standalone romance with a happy ending. It
features a Southern gentleman who thinks he’s always right, a buttoned-up FBI
agent who secretly likes his buttons unbuttoned, and wall sex. And desk sex.
And picnic blanket sex.
Quotes from the
authors about the book:
“Writing this book with Roan was so much fun! It was a joy
to create these characters and take them on a journey to their hard-earned HEA.
Even if we had to suffer some pretty bad hotel breakfasts of our own.” --Avon Gale
“I adored writing with Avon. It felt like I got to crack
open her skull and peek at her brain. Which is my idea of heaven :)” --Roan
Parrish
“So, Will, what brings you here?”
“My sister’s the event planner.
Charlotte Fox.” I spread my arms out and smiled. “So I’m just here for the good
whiskey, the free food, and moral support. You?”
“The asparagus quiche was
delicious. Please convey my compliments to your sister. And I suppose you could
say I am an investor, of a sort. I’m
the head of my family’s philanthropic foundation, and that means I attend quite
a few parties. Most of them are exceptionally dull.” He moved closer, and my
heart rate kicked up another notch. “I’m finding this one unexpectedly
enjoyable, however.”
“That because of the art
collection?” I asked. Warmth curled in my stomach and spread through me, like
the sunset from the Staunton had slipped directly into my veins. He smelled
good, Vaughn. I caught eucalyptus and amber, along with something woodsy and
natural, like pine. It made my mouth water.
“The Staunton is lovely, but I’ve
seen better.” He reached out slowly, eyes still on mine, and drew a single long
finger down the lapel of my suit jacket. It was one of the hottest things any
man had ever done to me, dressed or undressed; in bed or out. I shivered, and
my breath caught in a sharp inhalation. I could see how much he liked my
reaction. There was something sly and challenging in his expression before he
leaned down and kissed me.
His mouth was hot and his hands
were suddenly on my shoulders, giving me a little push until my shoulders hit
the wall. I slid a hand around the back of Vaughn’s head, fingers caressing the
strands of braided hair. I slid my other hand down his chest as we kissed,
feeling lean muscle, strong but sinewy. I rested my hand on his stomach as we
kissed, as if I could measure the space between us, and I made a sound as we
broke apart to breathe.
I did not make out with strangers
at parties. I couldn’t even really blame the whiskey either. Vaughn was
overwhelming, as bold as that goddamn Staunton, and so attractive that the
second his mouth met mine I knew I wasn’t going to push him away. Vaughn
dropped one of his hands and began to boldly rub me through my pants while his
mouth did wicked things to my neck.
“You—” I didn’t know what to say,
so I just pulled him back in and kissed him again. He nipped at my bottom lip
with sharp teeth, and I widened my legs as his hands began to work at my belt.
There was a momentary pause that I took as him asking for permission, and I
gave it with a rough jerk of my head and a choked groan.
About the authors
Roan Parrish lives in Philadelphia where she is
gradually attempting to write love stories in every genre.
When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her
friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to
torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She
loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One
time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown
it out the window in a fit of pique.
She is represented by Courtney
Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary Agency.
Avon Gale wrote her first story at the age
of seven, about a “Space Hat” hanging on a rack and waiting for that special
person to come along and purchase it — even if it was a bit weirder than the
other, more normal hats. Like all of Avon’s characters, the space hat did get
its happily ever after — though she’s pretty sure it was with a unicorn. She
likes to think her vocabulary has improved since then, but the theme of quirky
people waiting for their perfect match is still one of her favorites.
Avon grew up in the southern United States,
and now lives with her very patient husband in a liberal midwestern college
town. When she’s not writing, she’s either doing some kind of craft
project that makes a huge mess, reading, watching horror movies, listening to music
or yelling at her favorite hockey team to get it together, already. Avon is
always up for a road trip, adores Kentucky bourbon, thinks nothing is as stress
relieving as a good rock concert and will never say no to candy.
At one point, Avon was the mayor of both
Jazzercise and Lollicup on Foursquare. This tells you basically all you need to
know about her as a person.
I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this one and I really enjoyed it. The chemistry between these two was smoking hot. I definitely want to read more from these authors one day
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