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Book Title: Cold Day Dawning (Jagged Shores #4)
Author: Thom Collins
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Release Date: August 22, 2023
Genres: Contemporary MM romance, thriller, suspense
Tropes: Small town romance
Themes: Family, rivalry, revenge, overcoming PTSD
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 63 223 words
Although it can be read as a stand-alone, this book is best read as part of a series.
It does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links
Available from Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, Pride Publishing,
First For Romance, B&N, and Kobo
Danger comes in the cold of morning
Blurb
It should be the perfect weekend away. Dalton Caine makes the long journey to Nyemouth to attend a party hosted by his sister. Catherine is estranged from most of the family, but Dalton feels the time has come to build bridges between them. Things don’t turn out how he wants, however, when Catherine gives him a cold reception at the party. But the evening is not a complete waste of time when he meets local photographer Antoni.
Following a near-fatal attack six months earlier, Antoni has struggled with his physical and mental recovery. Catherine’s party is the first time he has been out at night since then, and he’s ready for an early exit when he meets Dalton. The stranger is warm, friendly and incredibly handsome. When Antoni overcomes his reservations and accepts a drink at Dalton’s hotel, it could be the start of something new for them both.
Despite the joy of fresh romance, things soon take a darker turn. The morning after the party, Catherine’s boyfriend reports her missing. Dalton isn’t initially concerned. Catherine has disappeared of her own will before, and he’s more interested in getting to know Antoni, but the men soon find themselves at the centre of a twisted mystery, one that puts both of their lives at risk.
Reader advisory: This book contains violence, murder, PTSD, memories of a child in danger and mental illness. Although it can be read as a stand-alone, this book is best read as part of a series.
Excerpt
A few moments later, a door on the right opened and a man stepped out. He caught Dalton’s attention straight away. Dressed in jeans, a black T-shirt and a dark overshirt, the man looked nothing like the pretentious people he’d encountered so far this evening. He was also very handsome, which didn’t hurt. He was naturally good-looking, with brown hair, slightly wavy on the top and cut short at the back and sides where it was starting to turn grey. He had a serious-looking face, and Dalton’s initial impression was of something quite sad about his eyes and downturned mouth.
“Hi,” Dalton said cheerfully, hoping the guy wouldn’t turn out to be like all the other guests.
“Hello.” The man didn’t return the smile, but seemingly noticing Dalton’s interest in the photographs, he came closer. “Do you like them?”
There was a trace of an accent there. Dalton couldn’t quite place it. Eastern European, he guessed.
“Very much,” he replied. “They’re remarkable. I’ve never seen Catherine like this before.”
The man looked between Dalton and photographs. “I’m glad you like them. I took all of these.”
Up close, he was even better looking than his first appearance. His eyes were dark grey and there was stubble on his square jaw, also flecked with grey.
“Wow,” Dalton said. “They are sensational…really.”
At last, his mouth turned upwards into the smallest suggestion of a smile.
“Thank you.” He held out his hand. “My name is Antoni.”
Dalton accepted the handshake. The party had finally improved.
About the Author
Thom Collins is the author of Closer by Morning, North Point and the Anthem Trilogy. His love of page turning thrillers began at an early age when his mother caught him reading the latest Jackie Collins book and confiscated it, sparking a life-long love of raunchy novels.
Thom has lived in the North East of England his whole life. He grew up in Northumberland and now lives in County Durham with his husband and two cats. He loves all kinds of genre fiction, especially bonk-busters, thrillers, romance and horror. He is also a cookery book addict with far too many titles cluttering his shelves. When not writing he can be found in the kitchen trying out new recipes. He’s a keen traveler but with a fear of flying that gets worse with age, but in 2013 he realized cruising is the best way to see the world.
Check out his website for news updates and a free ebook, The Night.
Other links
Twitter: @thomwolf | Instagram | Newsletter Sign-up
Giveaway
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one of five ebook copies of Cold Day Dawning.
AUTHOR NAME: Thom Collins
Tell us a little about yourself.
I live in the northeast of England with my husband and cat Gambit. We’re living in the country at the minute, but I hope to move back to the coast, where I grew up, in the next ten years. I’ve been writing MM romance since 2016, and before that I used to write gay stories and erotic fiction under another pen name. I hate flying, but love to travel by sea. I love all kinds of books, but my movie tastes lean towards horror and thrillers.
What would people be most surprised to know about you?
I was a huge Cher fan when I was a teenager (still am) and got a tattoo on my butt when I was seventeen because Cher had one. It’s a purple rose and two butterflies. It looked beautiful when I was a teenager and for quite a few years afterwards. But now I’m in my late forties, it’s lost definition, the colours have fade, my backside’s gotten bigger – it’s pretty terrible! I’ve thought about having it removed or covered up in the past, but I’ve learned to live with it. I can always find something better to spend my money on than fixing my butt tattoo.
How long have you been writing and what made you fall in love with writing?
I was in my early twenties when I had my first story published but I’ve always been writing. Creative writing was my favourite subject at school, and I was an avid reader from being little. I was reading adult books from the age of eleven. My mother used to confiscate the Stephen King’s and Jackie Collins’s but it didn’t do her any good, I always found something else she didn’t want me to read. And from around twelve or thirteen I wanted to write books just like those.
What does your writing process look like?
I keep a note book with all the ideas that come to me on a daily basis, but once I’ve chosen the subject for the next novel, I start with a project book where I work out all the character backstories, locations, plot points and then a chapter by chapter outline. Once I’ve got all that in place, I start writing. I start at the beginning and write all the way to the end. No skipping ahead or skimming the difficult bits. Then, once I have a complete first draft, I print the manuscript and go through it with a pen for a thorough second draft. A third draft on my laptop to tidy it all up, followed by a proof read, then it goes off to the publisher who will then do their own edits. For a novel, it takes me five to six months to reach the stage where it’s ready for submission.
When/where is your favorite time/place to write?
I like to write in my kitchen. It’s the heart of the home. I use my study for my other work, so prefer to keep it separate from my writing. Monday to Thursday I aim for one hour from six pm to seven pm, then on Friday I write from nine am to five am – obviously with plenty of breaks in between.
Why did you choose to write LGBT romance/fiction?
It was a natural progression from the gay erotica I wrote when I was younger. The porn magazines and book publishers I used to write for all folded in the early noughties and while I had a lot of success in the early days of Kindle self publishing, I wanted to write stories that were more relationship focused than just about the sex. At first, I hated a lot of the MM books I looked at, where it was obvious some writers had just changed the name of a character from female to male but kept all the feminine characteristics, but as I read more, I discovered the quality books and that encouraged me to give it a try.
Give the readers a brief summary of your latest book or WIP. What genre does it fall in?
My latest is Cold Day Dawning. It’s about a guy called Dalton with attends a party given by his estranged sister Catherine. While the reunion doesn’t go as well as he’d like, he meets a handsome man called Antoni at the party. Dalton and Antoni hit it off but as their relationship starts to blossom, things get complicated when Catherine disappears. I’d say it’s best described as a contemporary romantic thriller.
What was the last book you read? What did you like about it?
For top notch MM I have to recommend the Two Tribes series by Kristian Parker which was published by Pride Publishing earlier this year. The three books are all about gangsters and rivalries in present day Manchester. I’m not a fan of gangster stories but I gave the first book a go because of other work I’d read by the author, and I was instantly hooked. They are filled with great characters and some nail-biting suspense.
How do you relax?
This might sound a bit dodgy but after lockdown I did some home renovations and turned an extension on the back of my house into a bar. I like nothing more at the end of the week than to put on some vinyl records and enjoy a few homemade cocktails and some wine. I’ve got disco lights too if things get more exciting as the evening goes on.
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