Sapphire Spring (Sapphire Cove Book 2) by C. Travis Rice/ Christopher Rice (Anne Rice’s son!!) <— LIVE!!! M/M ROMANCE ALERT!! And it involves his former bully!!
And to celebrate this release, Christopher (as well as his publisher, Blue Box Press) are sponsoring today’s newsletter!
The author says:
SAPPHIRE SPRING, the second installment in my steamy, emotional gay romance series, is now on sale from all retailers.
Enemies-to-lovers. Redemption. A former bully trying to make things right. Also some “therapeutic” role play — in the shower. It’s all here and more. And if you haven’t read the first in the series, don’t worry. Each book features a new love story so you can check in to this beautiful resort at any point.
So what’s it about?
Under his new pen name, C. Travis Rice, New York Times bestselling author Christopher Rice offers tales of passion, intrigue, and steamy romance between men. The second novel, SAPPHIRE SPRING, once again transports you to a beautiful luxury resort on the sparkling Southern California coast where strong-willed heroes release the shame that blocks their heart’s desires.
Naser Kazemi has never met a problem a good spending plan couldn’t fix. But working as the chief accountant for his best friend’s resort isn’t turning out to be the dream job he’d hoped for. It doesn’t help that his fashion designer sister is planning an event that just might bring Sapphire Cove crashing down all around them. When the wild party unexpectedly reunites him with Mason Worther, the gorgeous former jock who made his high school experience a living hell, things go from bad to seductive.
The former golden boy’s adult life is a mess, and he knows it’s time to reform his hard partying ways. But for Mason, cleaning up his act means cleaning up his prior misdeeds. And he plans to start with Naser, by submitting to whatever the man demands of him to make things right. The offer ignites an all-consuming passion both men have denied for years. But can they confront their painful past without losing each other in the process?
EXCERPT:
Mason spent most of the hours leading up to Friday night rehearsing scenarios for his reunion with Naser Kazemi.
In his favorite, he took Naser’s hand in a firm and confident grip, stared right into his eyes with sober sincerity, and assured him in his most confident voice, “I’ve never felt right about the way we treated you. If I had it all to do over again…”
And that’s where the daydream fizzled and died. Because the way he wanted to finish that sentence didn’t exactly jibe with the Hallmark tone of his opening line.
The truth was, if he had to do high school over again, he would have tried his best to get Naser naked in a janitor’s closet, see those beautiful brown eyes up close, and find out if a bright sheen came into them when his body was played like an instrument.
If I had it all to do over again, I would have been better to you.
FUN LITTLE TIDBIT BY THE AUTHOR:
I’m finishing up the revisions on SAPPHIRE STORM, the third Sapphire Cove novel (due to be published in March 2023) and this week we wrapped recording of the audiobook for SAPPHIRE SPRING (book 2 in the series, out in September) at The Dinner Party Show studios here in West Hollywood.
It’s a head spinning and also deeply gratifying experience to read your own audiobook aloud. The SAPPHIRE SUNSET audiobook, which I also narrated, is available for sale. Marshaling voices that feel authentic to the characters, embracing their quirks and their individual gender expression, finding a cadence that doesn’t get in the way of the story you’re trying to tell — these are all challenges the audiobook narrator faces. And it’s very interesting to sit with your own writing for that length of time and Not! Change! ANYTHING!!! (I’m an obsessive reviser right up until the delivery deadline hits.)