Today I am so pleased to welcome Jenna Rose and Katey Hawthorne to Joyfully Jay. Jenna and Katey has come to talk to us about the re-release of Kanaan & Tilney: The Case of the Man-Eater. They have also brought along an exclusive excerpt and a great giveaway. Please join me in giving Katey and Jenna a big welcome!

 

Thanks for having us at Joyfully Jay! We’re here to talk about Kanaan & Tilney 2: The Case of the Man-Eater. In the first book, the Case of the Arms Dealers, Lowell Kanaan took on a new partner (and lover) in his PI business, mystery author John Tilney. Now they’re back with a case that hits a little too close to home. Lowell’s a packless Beast—a wolf-shifter, to be precise—and prejudices are on the rise thanks to a new series of murders.

It brings up some strange emotions, needless to say. So onto the excerpt!


Excerpt

Lowell toed off his boots, too buzzed to care much about anything else, and flopped down onto John’s bed. John had already unbuttoned his flowered shirt; he shrugged it off and laid it on top of a skinny dresser in the corner, then yanked up on his undertank. “Feels like today was long,” he commented, lost somewhere inside the shirt.

“Mmm,” Lowell agreed almost distractedly as he watched John. “Murder cases will do that.”

Another good yank, and John’s ginger hair appeared again. It was longer than when they’d first met, which wasn’t saying much. Nice to get the fingers into, though. John started on his belt. “This one was worse. I mean, it always bothers me when they try and blame Beasts. But…” When he turned his head slightly, there was an unaccustomed frown twisting the corners of his mouth. “But I’ve been thinking about it all day, and it’s more than that.”

Lowell’s brow knit with concern. This…wasn’t like John. He rolled up onto his side, more alert now than he had been moments before. “What is it, then?”

“Not sure, exactly. I mean, I am, but it’s…weird.” John looked down as he unzipped, then dropped his pants and stepped out, leaving him in a pair of short boxer-briefs almost the same shade of orange as his hair. His skin was slightly flushed from all the beer, deepening the brown of the freckles scattered over his shoulders. “I think it’s the packless thing. Maybe it’s unrelated, but someone preying on that guy…” John turned to face Lowell, but his eyes stayed down, and he worried his lip.

It took Lowell a moment, but he realized what John was getting at. “You’re worried about me,” he said, surprised. First, it had been the thing with Jankowski. John had threatened him—a strange, protective gesture Lowell was still trying to understand. And now this. He wasn’t used to people worrying about him. He knew John cared, but cared and worried were two different animals. So to speak.

John nodded. He knelt on the edge of the bed, then crawled up it slowly. “Not sure why. I know you can handle…things. And anyhow, I’m with you most of the time. But still.” He flopped onto his side, facing Lowell, still frowning.

Lowell had the sudden, overwhelming urge to kiss him. He touched John’s cheek, then cradled the back of his neck with a hand and rolled them over until John was pinned to the bed. Lowell’s mouth caught his softly, lips and tongue slowly working the kiss deeper. He wanted to kiss that frown away.

John melted into his every movement eagerly, lifting one knee to settle a thigh between Lowell’s, re- angling his hips to match up, mouth giving way at first, then pulling Lowell farther still into it. John ruffled the hair at the nape of Lowell’s neck and hummed. It was a happy sound, contented, but with a hint of heat at the end.

It would be all too easy to get lost in this. It always was. But there were still things to be said. Kissing John wouldn’t make everything better. So Lowell stayed like that a little longer, fingers playing circles on John’s bare skin as they kissed, then closed it off with a quick, sweet peck.

“Worrying isn’t necessarily about competence,” Lowell said. “I worry about you, and I know you can handle things.”

John huffed out a little laugh, breath hot on Lowell’s lips. “Do you, now?”

“Never,” Lowell replied, a smile threatening to break free. “I made that one up.”

“Can’t let me hear you say it twice, huh?” John giggled, then arched a little beneath Lowell, applying friction to a few of the more crucial areas between them. “It’s all right. Much harder to worry with you on top of me anyhow. If that’s what it is. Worry, I mean.”

Lowell chuckled. “Guess my plan’s working then.” He tilted his head to kiss John’s neck, nuzzling at an old hickey. “There’s nothing to worry about. If that’s what it is. I’m gonna be fine.”

John ruffled Lowell’s hair again. “I keep thinking this…this weird thing: you can’t know that. What the fuck is wrong with me?” Another small laugh, this time helpless, bouncing against Lowell.

“Johnny baby,” Lowell said softly. That fucking laugh made his heart hurt. He soothed a hand through John’s hair, and the kiss he gave him this time was gentle and comforting. “Nothing’s wrong with you. You’re right—I can’t know that. No one can. But it’s one murder, John. There’s no proof that it had anything to do with him being packless.”

“Yeah.” John sighed and angled up into him once more, this time less distractedly, with greater purpose. Willing to be distracted, if nothing else. Very willing. “Not used to worrying, I guess. I never worry about me.”

Lowell worried about John all the time. “Come here,” he murmured, his touches tender as he kissed John once, then again. “Want me to help you forget for a little while?


Blurb

Wolf-Beast and ex-cop Lowell recently brought his boyfriend, Elementalist and mystery author John, into the PI business with him. They’ve been solving cases for Boston’s diverse praeternatural community ever since. When a young Terran feels that the brutal murder of his Beast boyfriend isn’t being treated seriously enough by the police, he brings the case to Kanaan & Tilney for a second opinion

Similarly defiled corpses pop up around Boston as they race to find the killer. All the victims are packless Beasts, like Lowell, and the vicious nature of the killings stir up old prejudices in the praeternatural community. Throw a personal vendetta and some ugly family history for Lowell in the mix, and the trails are as muddy as ever. It will take everything Kanaan and Tilney have, as a team and a couple, if they hope to stop a serial killer—and survive doing so.


Bio

Jenna Rose is an avid reader and writer, particularly when it comes to science-fiction and fantasy. Currently, she works as a receptionist, but her real love is writing. In her free time, she likes to read comic books, play video games, and waste time on the internet. She currently lives in Massachusetts with her dog, Harley.

 

Katey Hawthorne is a reader and writer of superpowered and paranormal romance, even though the only degree she holds is in the history of art. (Or, possibly, because the only degree she holds is in the history of art.) Originally from the Appalachian foothills of West Virginia, she currently lives in Ohio with her family, two cats, and one very large puppy.


Giveaway

Katey and Jenna have brought a $10 Amazon gift card to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Friday, April 10th at 11:59 pm ET.


  • By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
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