Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway:
Real Risk by Elle Keaton
West Coast Forensics, Book 3
It’s possible they’re a match but first the two men will have to survive trial by fire.
Chief Flynn is fighting smoke and flames, tirelessly protecting the lives and property of his fellow islanders from yet another spate of fires.
Arson or accident?
When injury puts him on the sidelines, West Coast Forensics Arson Investigator Kimball Frye offers his assistance. Frye is The Most Irritating Man in the World, a condescending know-it-all who rubs Devon the wrong way.
Or does he?
Decades ago an arsonist stole his family from him since then Frye has devoted his life to putting them behind bars. At forty-nine, he doesn’t believe in permanent relationships, instead preferring the company of interchangeable younger men.
Is the arsonist trying to shift the blame onto Devon, or trying to kill him? If it’s the latter it just might work.
Feeling the pull of attraction to Devon as the firebug grows bolder is inconvenient. Will Kimball listen to his heart or his head? The younger men he’s always preferred are nothing like the solid, stalwart Fire Chief.
Real Risk is the third in the West Coast Forensics series and can be read as a standalone but may be enjoyed more if you read the Real Trouble and Real Danger first. It is dual POV following Devon Flynn and Kimball Frye as they bicker and fumble their way to their happily ever after.
Universal Link
Amazon
Goodreads
“The ATF. What was that like? And why there?”
The sun had already set, but there were still seagulls flying. Used to the city lights, Devon supposed, and angling for leftovers. He allowed his gaze to slide over to Kimball, who, he discovered, was eyeing him thoughtfully. Did Kimball feel this same odd tug? They’d been texting on and off. Devon had sent him that sleepy picture several times just to get a rise out of the man—and each time it had been completely worth the effort.
“Why— Lots of reasons. I was twenty-one, I think, when the Oklahoma City bombing happened, and Waco had been just a couple years earlier. I had this idea I would be the agent they’d always needed, save the world and all that.”
Devon nodded, encouraging Frye to continue. Of course Frye had a hero complex. So did Devon. That and a drive to take care of others, to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves, whether during a fire or in the aftermath of one. Having a hero complex made a person attempt the impossible—or the merely dangerous, like running into burning buildings. And it meant once you recognized how foolish that was, you kept doing it anyway because no one else was going to.
“As it turns out, every new agent thinks they’re going to be the next super-agent.” Kimball echoed Devon’s own thoughts. “But I was lucky, damn lucky, to be placed under the mentorship of Cynthia Beebe.”
“I don’t know her.” Not that he would, as a volunteer firefighter, only chief for three years.
“She was one of the first female ATF agents—the first who was assigned her own cases, who took charge of investigations. What I learned working with her, even if it was only four years, is not found in textbooks. She was, is, incredible. That old adage, because they’re female they have to be twice as good to be considered marginally competent? That was Cynthia. She was never satisfied. She visited every scene, she never took information for granted, she was tireless.”
“It sounds like you were lucky.”
“Oh, yeah. She taught me everything. Most of the male agents hated her, and some of the women too. Chicago was a shit place to work. But Cynthia wanted to be there, demanded it. They called her names; there was graffiti in the men’s rooms. They talked behind her back and even tried to sabotage her work. She’s tempered steel. She ignored the naysayers and solved just about every case that came her way. Proved them all wrong.”
“Wow. Sounds like someone Birdy would like.”
Kimball nodded. “I met Cynthia when she was in her late thirties, I think, but Birdy seems to have a similar ‘Do not screw with me’ attitude.”
Devon leaned forward, setting his elbows on the table. “Weird question: does it strike you as odd that Leo has been coming up to the island a lot recently?”
Frye hesitated, eyebrows drawn together. “Not really, but—”
Whatever else Frye had been about to say was interrupted by the ringtone Devon had set for the station.
About the Author:
Elle Keaton writes contemporary gay romance and MM romantic suspense set in the Pacific Northwest. Elle’s books are known for their hot mm romance, complex characters, and unique sense of place. The men start out broken, and maybe they’re still banged up by the end, but they always find the other half of their hearts.
Elle published first in 2017, now she has over seventeen books available for you to read or listen to.
She loves cats and dogs, Star Wars and Star Trek, pineapple on pizza, and is known to start crossword puzzles with ballpoint pen.
Love always wins, thank you for supporting this indie author!
Connect with Elle:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ElleKeatonWrites
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HighwayToElle/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/elle-keaton
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellekeatonauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PirateQueenRdz1
MeWe: https://mewe.com/profile/5ac2766f310a7853d4ce8ad4
Website: https://www.ellekeaton.com/
Amazon: https://amzn.to/ek-amazon-profile
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/ek-gr-profile
