A warm welcome  to Ari  from Ari McKay who is joining us today to talk ablut their new release “Seeking Solace , book three in the walker boys series.

Ari talks to us about the release, shares an exclusive excerpt and brought an exclusive giveaway for our readers!

Welcome Ari 🙂

Hi, everyone! Ari of Ari McKay here! I’d like to thank Dani and the other lovely people at Love Bytes for the opportunity to join you on the blog today. We’re celebrating our release of Seeking Solace, which is book 3 of The Walker Boys, available from Dreamspinner Press!

 

Seeking Solace is, of course, a story of romance, set against a backdrop of a Caribbean cruise. Not quite The Love Boat, for you 70s babies (like me!) out there, but cruises really are among the most romantic of vacations. There’s something about tropical sunsets, azure waters, the scents of exotic flowers and the sounds of island music that just seems to get everyone’s blood pumping and almost begs for people to fall in love.

 

Working on a cruise ship seems ideal to Devin Walker. He wants to be a chef, but he’s willing to take a job as a bartender for the opportunity to work for Poseidon Cruises, hoping to eventually get a position in the kitchens. He’s good at what he does, and enjoys meeting people. Then he’s asked to chaperone a visiting executive, and he finds himself attracted to Paul Bailey in a way he’s not experienced in a very long time. But Paul is more than what he seems — and his secret just might drive a wedge between he and Devin that even the magic of cruising can’t overcome.

 

I’d like to give you a taste of what the book is like, so here is an exclusive excerpt just for Love Bytes readers — and a giveaway too!

 

Paul stopped walking and turned his attention to the ocean, clasping his hands behind his back as he stared out at the distant horizon. “I know I shouldn’t focus my entire life around work,” he said at last, his voice so soft that Devin had to strain to hear him over the lulling rhythm of the surf. “Maybe one day, I’ll feel like doing more than going to work early and staying late. But right now, it’s easier.” He paused, then admitted, “And safer.”

“At the risk of sounding like my mother, we Osage have a saying,” Devin said. “‘If the eyes had no tears, then the heart would have no rainbows.’ I always took that to mean that you can never find joy if you never risk hurt. Safety… well, I think for the most part, it’s an illusion. Or maybe just another word for loneliness.”

“Intellectually, I know all that,” Paul said, his expression turning pensive. “But I’m having a difficult time dealing with fear. After my ex broke up with me, my first therapist pushed me to try dating. It didn’t go well, and I changed therapists.”

Devin’s suspicions about Paul’s ex were confirmed by Paul’s words. Not only that, a bad dating experience would have reinforced any negative things Paul’s ex had said. Devin felt an unusual urge to kick the asses of the men who had managed to heap more injury on top of the accident that had cost Paul his leg. If Paul had been part of the Walker clan, anyone who’d tried it would have found themselves in far more hurt than they’d ever want to face.

“Fear is hard,” he said. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, and it was cruel for anyone to add to what you were dealing with by hurting you. But they’re the ones who are truly crippled, Paul, don’t you see that? You might be missing a limb, but they’re missing a part of their souls. You could never be diminished, not in my eyes or the eyes of anyone who can truly see.”

Paul blinked rapidly and looked away, and when he faced Devin again, his answering smile was small and wobbly. “Thanks for saying that.”

“It doesn’t take many words to speak the truth,” Devin said softly. He rested his hand on Paul’s arm and gave it a small squeeze. “Don’t give those jerks power over your life by letting their pettiness limit your world.”

“I’ll try.” Paul drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. “Shall we look for some more shells?”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Devin replied. He wished he could keep his hand on Paul’s arm—not for support, but just because he wanted to—but Paul obviously needed some space. So he gave Paul’s arm one last squeeze, then stooped down and picked up a piece of smooth, pale green sea glass. It was narrower at one end than the other, and it reminded Devin of a teardrop.

He thought for a moment, then held out the glass to Paul. “Here, I think you should keep this.”

Paul accepted the glass with a puzzled frown. “Okay…. Why?”

“So it can be a reminder,” Devin replied. “To some people, that’s simply a piece of broken glass, rejected and worthless. But to others, it’s a gift of the sea, polished by the sands, a treasure to be sought after and cherished, a thing of unique beauty. Whenever you feel like you’re less than perfect in the eyes of some people, look at that, and remember that to many more others, you are a gem.”

Paul slid the smooth piece of glass between his fingers, caressing it slowly. “I’ll try to remember that.” He slid the piece of glass into his pocket and offered Devin a small but genuine smile. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” If Devin had wanted any payment for the glass, Paul’s smile was more than enough. He returned it in kind, hoping he could earn more of those smiles, which warmed him even more than the tropical sun.

 

Thanks so much!

 

Arionrhod and McKay

BLURB:

All hands on deck for a shipboard romance—with a secret.

Like his cousins, Devin Walker aspires to be a chef, but he wants to indulge his wanderlust while feeding his customers, and working a cruise ship seems like the solution. Since he can’t find an opening in the kitchen, he’s happy to start out in a position behind the bar.

While onboard Poseidon’s Pearl, Devin is assigned to shepherd a visiting executive. Paul Bailey is quiet and unassuming, and a car accident that cost him his leg also shattered his confidence. He doesn’t think he’s attractive to other men anymore, and Devin is eager to show him just how wrong he is. Paul has a surprising secret that might sink their passionate affair before it even leaves port.

Ari McKay is the professional pseudonym for Arionrhod and McKay, who have been writing together for over a decade. Their collaborations encompass a wide variety of romance genres, including contemporary, fantasy, science fiction, gothic, and action/adventure. Their work includes the Blood Bathory series of paranormal novels, the Herc’s Mercs series, as well as two historical Westerns: Heart of Stone and Finding Forgiveness. When not writing, they can often be found scheming over costume designs or binge watching TV shows together.

 

Arionrhod is a systems engineer by day who is eagerly looking forward to (hopefully) becoming a full time writer in the not-too-distant future. Now that she is an empty-nester, she has turned her attentions to finding the perfect piece of land to build a fortress in preparation for the zombie apocalypse, and baking (and eating) far too many cakes.

 

McKay is an English teacher who has been writing for one reason or another most of her life. She also enjoys knitting, reading, cooking, and playing video games. She has been known to knit in public. Given she has the survival skills of a gnat, she’s relying on Arionrhod to help her survive the zombie apocalypse.

CONTACTS:

Website: http://arimckay.wordpress.com

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ari-Mckay/266185570179748

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ari.mckay.7

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AriMcKay1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6153630.Ari_McKay

Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/arimckay

Ari Mckay brought a giveaway just for our readers!

Have a chance to win an ecopy of Striking Sparks, book 1 of The Walker Boys

a Rafflecopter giveaway