Today I am so pleased to welcome Renae Kaye to Joyfully Jay. Renae has come to talk to us about her latest release, Safe In His Arms. She has also brought along an exclusive excerpt and a copy to give away.  Please join me in giving Renae a big welcome!

An Introduction to Safe In His Arms

My newest book will be released at the end of this week, and I’m so excited.

Eagle-eyed readers will notice a difference from my other stories, particularly that this book is written in third person point of view (POV) which is a change from my usual singular first person.  In this story you’ll get both POVs so you will know what is happening in the mind of both characters.  Why the change?  Well this story called for it.

If you were anything like me, you were completely confused through English class at high school and didn’t memorise what characteristics a “great” novel was meant to have.  For me, the teacher would start talking about things called “conflict” in stories and I’d start dozing off.  Contrary to any assumptions, I didn’t ace English class, and did not study writing at university.

But what I do know is that a story must show the growth of a character – or conversely, validate the character’s initial stance after putting him through hell.  With my first three novels, the story was about the growth of the character from whom the POV was in.  Loving Jay was about Liam coming to the realisation that he’s gay and that’s okay.  The Shearing Gun is about Hank coming out of the closet.  The Blinding Light is about Jake finding a new path to follow.  There was little growth from the second main character in these stories.

Safe in His Arms is very different.  Both characters are wounded by pasts that they had no control over.  Both characters are hiding.  Both characters are just what the doctor ordered for the other.  This story called out for both POVs.

In Safe in His Arms, you meet Casey and Lon.  On the surface they are polar opposites, but underneath, they are surprisingly similar.

Casey is running and hiding from sexual abuse which happened to him when he was a child and he was unable to defend himself.  He struggles on a daily basis to get through the day without being frightened.  At just nineteen years of age, he has no anchor in his life and no vision of the future.  He’s just existing, congratulating himself at the end of the day that he made it through.  But his first glance at Lon reveals something he desperately longs for – safety from the bad guys.  Lon’s size attracts the part of him that was wounded.  To him, Lon’s bulk means protection.

Lon’s size belies the soft heart he has beneath.  He’s not going to hurt Casey, but he can’t protect him either.  He tried that once before.  Once he was the responsible one, the big brother, the safety valve.  But he failed, and a tragedy occurred.  Lon’s home and heart was ripped from him.  For the last eight years he’s been in limbo, existing in a vacuum of work and nothing else.  During his down time, he spends hours in the gym for something to do.  He doesn’t want Casey relying him.

In order for the reader to experience the full growth of both men, you needed to see the dark place they were in at the beginning of the story, and then the journey to their end.

This story is darker than anything I’ve attempted before, which is not saying much.  Loving Jay is so light and fluffy, that anything is darker than that story.  But what I mean is that these men did not become the person they are at the beginning of the book because their lives were easy.  They have some tough issues to deal with.  While reading this, you’re not going to be taken on a gentle stroll through the park and feed the ducks.  This story is hard.

Of course, since the author on the cover page of this book is “Renae Kaye,” you can be guaranteed to laugh and smile along the journey.  Don’t worry – the humour comes through at unexpected moments.  I don’t think I could write without humour unless I had a lobotomy.  Humour is me.

So, pick up this book, sit back, and enjoy the journey.  Watch the love blossom.  Watch the wounds heal.  Watch the pages sizzle (oh yeah – I forgot to mention that.  I upped the heat rating on this book.  Prepare the fans and cooling ice.)

I hope you enjoy.

Xx,

Renae Kaye


Excerpt

The water was still running hot, and Lon considered taking care of the erection that had sprung to full tilt while he was showering. He fingered his heavy sack but sighed and turned off the water instead. If he came while he was in the shower, he was liable to fall asleep, and that would cause a large problem. Trying to carry his muscular frame out of the small cubicle of a caravan park shower would require some beefy-fireman help. On second thought….

He grinned to himself as he towelled off. His erection wasn’t going anywhere soon, and any guy who was in the shower rooms at this time of night would just have to put up with the sight of his large cock saying hello. It was late—his flight was delayed and didn’t land at Perth Airport until after 10:30 p.m. Most of the caravanning and camping community had retired for the night, since the grounds had a noise rule which kicked in at ten o’clock.

Lon opened the door and stepped out to the basins, naked and unashamed. He was big all over—from his height to his chest to his cock. Mama made this boy extra-large. His chest was wide and shaped from the days he spent in the gym while on down time. It matched the impressive girth of his muscled thighs. He was covered with a healthy pelt that had some men drooling and wanting him to be their leather daddy. He just shook his head at them. He didn’t do that sort of shit. If you wanted someone to boss you around and tell you what to do, then go visit your parents.

He started for half a second as he registered a second body in the shower rooms. A light-haired, lanky lad was leaning against the far basin, staring intently at himself in the mirror. They made eye contact with each other for a moment through the reflecting surface before Lon saw the guy’s eyes drop to check out what Lon usually kept covered. Bright blue eyes widened—either in appreciation or fear—and a cute mouth fell open as the guy stared at Lon’s gear.

Lon had no time for polite modesty. He was tired, exhausted, and nearly completely clean. He threw his dirty mining uniform on the ground, slung his wet towel over his shoulder, and dumped his bag full of toiletries on the shelf above the basin. He needed to shave. Then he would throw the towel around his waist and walk the three vans to his home. He reckoned it was about four steps to his bed once in his van, and it would take less than two minutes to be asleep. None of that required clothing.

The electric trimmer slotted neatly into the power point above the basin. He was ready to start on his beard when he realized the other person in the room was still staring.

The kid was probably legal age—just. That in-between age where people didn’t know whether to call you a boy or a man. His hair was wheat-colored and styled with some sort of gel to make it stand up straight from his skull, then flop artfully to the side. He hadn’t moved from the basin apart from turning his head so he could stare at Lon, four basins up—well, stare at one particular part of Lon.

Lon growled low in his throat. Had the guy never seen a dick before?

“Either you get on your knees and take care of this for me, or you quit staring. I’m not in any fucking mood for catering to your pansy- arse objections to my God-given right to be naked in the shower room.”

Turning away from the dickhead, he clicked on the trimmer and began neatening the length of his beard around his mouth. He then thumbed the comb off the headset, lowered the trimmer to its shortest length, and started on his head, taking all the hair off his skull until just a black shadow remained. Some hot water in the basin, shaving foam, and a razor, and the rest of his beard came off, leaving a tidy little goatee and not much else.

He cleaned up, washed away his mess, and was wiping down the trimmer when movement caught his eye. The boy-man was still in the room. He had moved to the corner where he was hidden in the shadows, but he was still looking Lon’s way.

“What the fuck, man?” He spun to confront his intruder, wiped off his face, and strode to the corner to challenge him. But before Lon could reach for the kid’s collar and give him a shake, the boy dropped to his knees and looked up at Lon with longing.

“Can I take option A?”

Huh?

Lon was confused for a moment before he remembered what he had growled. Either you get on your knees and take care of this for me, or you quit staring. So if this boy wanted option A….


Blurb

Safe In His Arms CoverIn the late-night quiet of the caravan park shower room, Lon Taylor washes away the filth of the Western Australian mines. He’s not looking for anyone, but when Casey offers, Lon doesn’t turn him down.

Welcoming the young man in his big, hairy arms, Lon provides a safety to Casey that he has never known, and Casey wants to stay forever. Still reeling from the breakup of his family years ago, Lon’s not sure he’s ready for the responsibility of the comfort and security Casey craves.

But perhaps Lon can risk opening his heart again and hoping for a brighter future. Casey has some pretty big skeletons in his past to deal with.  And Lon wonders what Casey will do when he finds out how badly Lon failed at protecting the ones he loved eight years ago.


Bio

Renae Kaye is a lover and hoarder of books who thinks libraries are devilish places because they make you give the books back.  She consumed her first adult romance book at the tender age of thirteen and hasn’t stopped since.  After years – and thousands of stories! – of not having book characters do what she wants, she decided she would write her own novel and found the characters still didn’t do what she wanted.  It hasn’t stopped her though.  She believes that maybe one day the world will create a perfect couple – and it will be the most boring story ever.  So until then she is stuck with quirky, snarky and imperfect characters who just want their story told.

Renae lives in Perth, Western Australia and writes in five minute snatches between the demands of two kids, a forbearing husband, too many pets, too much housework and her beloved veggie garden.  She is a survivor of being the youngest in a large family and believes that laughter (and a good book) can cure anything.

You can contact her on:


Giveaway

Renae has brought a copy of Safe in His Arms to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Thursday, November 27th at 11:59 pm EST.

I hope you enjoyed my excerpt. I’m offering a giveaway of an eBook copy of my new book, Safe in His Arms to one very, very lucky Joyfully Jay reader.  Simply post a comment below and let me know which part of Australia would you love to visit in one of my books?  The city?  The desert?  The ocean?  The tropics?  The bit with kangaroos?  Cowboys?  Shearers?  The Opera House?  Uluru (Ayers Rock)?  The Great Barrier Reef?

  • By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win.  The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
  • If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
  • Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
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  • Void where prohibited by law.
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