Two Tribes Series by Kristian Parker
The mean streets of Manchester are the scene for a blood thirsty gang war. But with battle lines drawn, three heroes find themselves falling in love at the worst possible time.
The war for supremacy has begun.
What do you think makes a good story?
I suppose in a nutshell it’s nailing the three elements of plot, characters and location.
In the Two Tribes trilogy, I wrote a continuous storyline for the first time and really enjoyed the challenge it brought. My previous series are connected stories yet standalone. The books of Two Tribes should be read in order to get the most enjoyment.
When I’m writing characters, I am drawn to flawed yet decent sorts. In book one of Fool’s Gold, the hero is Liam Moseley, an unremarkable lad who has been in Jonny Wellingham’s gang for ten years. He’s rapidly approaching thirty with nothing and no one.
Then Marco Ponti appears in his life, setting off a chain of events that will change all their lives.
I love Liam because at first he’s withdrawn and the runt of the litter. As soon as Marco appears, he lights the touchpaper. He gives Liam the strength to be the person he should be. I enjoyed writing that part of the story very much.
Liam’s older brother, Shaun Moseley is the subject of the second book, Everything Changes. He fled Manchester ten years ago. It was obvious that Liam was going to join Wellingham and Shaun wanted nothing to do with it. Now he’s slap bang in the middle of the underworld again.
Marco assigns his cousin, Enzo, as Shaun’s bodyguard. Shaun is not impressed at being shadowed by a thug. Then, as he starts to get to know Enzo better, he wonders if he’s got him all wrong.
Poor Shaun is feisty and feeling vulnerable. In earlier drafts I had him far more mouthy than he is now. I wanted to convey his frustrations and fears but perhaps went a bit overboard!
The final book, Don’t Look Back In Anger sees the vicious turf war come to a conclusion. At the end of Everything Changes, Lorenzo de Luca came back onto the scene. I really wanted to try and protect this twist yet there would be no way for me to talk about book three. I’ll be vague, I promise.
Lorenzo is back in Manchester with one thing on his mind…revenge. Anger has festered inside him for years. Now the time is right.
When he arrives in Manchester his own past comes back to haunt him in the guise of an ex-lover. Lorenzo finds the old embers weren’t extinguished totally and just a spark is all it takes to reignite them.
Can Lorenzo have it all?
I loved writing Lorenzo’s story. It was quite a challenge as it isn’t just his story, it’s the finale of the series. That is why I chose Lorenzo to lead it. He’s the boss after all.
As for location, I have lived and worked in Manchester for over twenty years. I was keen to set a trilogy in the city I love. Manchester has long had a reputation for being a hard partying city. A few years ago, I wrote a different novel set in Manchester’s gang culture. Nothing came of it, but I loved doing all the research. It seemed a no-brainer to repackage it into Two Tribes.
Most of the settings in the books are real. I have used my imagination where required of course. I’m thinking of writing a walking tour and putting it on my website. Just in case anyone wants to follow in the footsteps of the heroes of Two Tribes.
I hope I have done Manchester justice in these novels. It is a city that I am proud to be associated with.
NEW RELEASE – BOOK 1
Book Title: Fool’s Gold
Author: Kristian Parker
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Cover Artist: Erin Dameron-Hill
Release Date: March 14, 2023
Genre Contemporary M/M Romance
Tropes: Forbidden love, opposites attract
Themes: Gangster, action
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 52 069 words/233 pages
It is not a standalone book, but does not end on a cliffhanger
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
First for Romance | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Falling in love can be a deadly business.
Blurb
Liam Moseley has been living a lie ever since he joined Manchester’s notorious crime boss Jonny Wellingham ten years ago. Liam is gay, and that could get him killed in the deadly world he has fallen into.
When he meets handsome Italian Marco Ponti, Liam’s whole world is turned on its head. Marco is in town looking for business opportunities for his uncle in Rome, and makes Liam see his life in a brand-new light.
But all is not as it seems, especially when Marco shows Liam the past isn’t always as it appears and the future can change in the blink of an eye. In a dangerous world where each job could be Liam’s last, he finds himself fighting for love as well as survival.
Liam will have to put everything he holds dear on the line to make his dreams come true.
“So you’re Manchester born and bred?” Marco asked.
“Can’t you tell by the accent?” Liam replied.
Marco beamed. “I love the Manc accent. It’s so…expressive.”
“That’s the first time I’ve heard it called that before,” Liam said. “I’d rather have an Italian one.”
“You find it sexy?”
Marco’s eyes dared him to answer honestly. Something about this guy gave Liam confidence. No man had ever had this effect on him. “Yeah, I do,” he replied before glancing down.
“Why do you do that?” Marco asked, leaning forward, his elbows on the table.
“Do what?” he asked.
“Break eye contact every time you say something. Are you ashamed?”
Liam shifted uncomfortably. “No, it’s not that.”
“Tell me what it is, then?” Marco asked, his voice soothing and sincere.
“I guess I don’t think I have anything to say worth listening to,” he replied, eventually.
To his astonishment, Marco’s foot connected with his leg. The pressure told him it was absolutely on purpose.
“I respectfully disagree, Liam. I think I’d listen to you. Whatever you had to say.”
He had that burning sensation on his neck again. It had made him so paranoid at school.
“Sorry, I have made you blush,” Marco continued.
“Don’t worry about it. I always bloody blush. They called me Po at school because of it.”
Marco frowned. “What?”
“The red Teletubby?” Liam expected him to burst into that laughter again. Most people did when he confided this, but instead, Marco just shook his head.
“Kids can be so cruel. But who cares? They are in your past.”
“Yeah, they’re probably sweeping up shit in the hospital now. Serves them right.”
This time Marco did seem amused. “Said with true passion. I like it. So, what do you do, Liam?”
Here it came. The inevitable question. He could hardly say he was a lackey for one of the biggest gangsters in the northwest of England, so he reverted to his stock answer. “Oh, you know, bit of this, bit of that. How about you?”
“As I said, my uncle works in shipping. I’m over here seeing if there is any potential to expand to Manchester.”
Liam nodded. “The city is booming. You could do a lot worse.”
“That’s what I thought. I like what I see more and more.”
The look which followed that statement practically oozed with intent. This time, Liam forced himself to meet Marco’s gaze. “I’ve never been to Italy, but maybe I should,” he replied. “Rome seems pretty good from where I’m sitting.”
“Ah, you definitely should,” Marco said, leaning back. “It is beautiful. I’ve been the length and breadth of it with my job. I worked in Venice recently. Bellissima.”
Liam had seen pictures of the water world on television. “Better than the canals in Manchester. They’re just full of shopping trolleys and used condoms.”
Marco laughed again. It was so loud and carefree that Liam had to stop himself from looking around to see if anyone noticed. But he forced himself to relax and ended up giggling along with him. It had been so long since he’d done something like this.
“This is better,” Marco said.
“What is?”
“You are relaxing. You seemed very tense earlier,” Marco said. “I thought perhaps you’d changed your mind about me.”
“Oh, nothing like that,” Liam said hurriedly. “It’s just that I’m not out, you see. I don’t normally do this.”
Marco’s stunning eyes widened. “Who isn’t out these days?”
Shaking his head, Liam took a swig of his drink. “Me,” he said, placing the drink down. “In my line of work, it isn’t the done thing.”
A group of lads banged through the door. Liam frantically scanned each face but didn’t recognise any of them.
“Wow. I can’t imagine being in the closet. At my eighteenth birthday party, I came out. I figured if I had to enter adulthood, people should know what they were dealing with. Although I like to make a statement now and then. It keeps them on their toes.”
The lads were being quite rowdy. Even the barman appeared nervous.
“You’re very brave,” Liam said.
“Not really. My uncle is gay too, so it was a well-beaten path. No one in our family cares as long as you’re healthy and happy.”
“Sounds perfect.”
Marco chuckled, but Liam couldn’t relax. He watched the group of lads out of the corner of his eye. He could spot trouble a mile off, and these lads were desperate for it.
“We’re a long way from perfect, believe me,” Marco said. “But we get by.”
Liam drained his glass. “You want another?”
Marco shook his head. “There are a lot of things I’d like from you, Liam…but another drink is not one of them.”
The change in tempo took Liam by surprise. Heat crept over his face and he didn’t know what to say in return. He had never been any good at the whole game-playing thing. “Just nipping to the loo,” he managed before bolting for the door.
BOOK 2 – COMING SOON
Book Title: Everything Changes
Author: Kristian Parker
Release Date: April 11, 2023
Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance
Trope: Close proximity
Themes: Gangster, action
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 50 578 words
It is not a standalone book, but does not end on a cliffhanger
Buy Links – Available for Pre-Order
First for Romance | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Blurb
Fear can open doors we never dreamt possible.
Shaun Moseley is in a trap and it’s all his brother, Liam’ s fault.
Living a normal life running a B&B in Blackpool, he finds himself right in the middle of a gang turf war in Manchester. Shaun is an alien in this horrifying new world of drugs, guns and violence.
Shaun rebels against everyone, isolating himself in the process. But a terrifying experience opens his eyes to gang member Enzo Ponti. Shaun may be trapped for the time being, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have a little fun along the way, right?
He dismissed Enzo as just another hired killer but when he scratches the surface, he finds much more there.
But evil gangster, Jonny Wellingham, wants revenge on the gang and has set his sights on Shaun. Can he live long enough to find just how deep Enzo’ s waters are?
BOOK 3 – COMING SOON
Book Title: Don’t Look Back In Anger
Author: Kristian Parker
Release Date: May 30, 2023
Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance
Trope: Second chance love
Themes: Gangster, action
Length: 50 123 words
Heat Rating: 4 flames
It is not a standalone book, but does not end on a cliffhanger.
Available for Pre-Order
Blurb
Revenge is best served cold, yet old embers can burn hot.
Lorenzo de Luca has come back to Manchester with revenge on his mind.
Supposedly killed by evil gangster Jonny Wellingham’s hitmen fifteen years ago, Lorenzo has waited a long time for this. He has to stay focused. And he does…until a past lover comes back into his life.
But old embers can spark a flame and the couple pick up where they left off—but the war has only just begun, and everyone is fair game…and Lorenzo’s distraction gives Jonny the opportunity he needs to strike a deadly blow.
Torn between his burning need for vengeance and the scorching heat of love, which will Lorenzo sacrifice?
Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of violence, murder, organised crime, sex work, and drugs trafficking. There are also instances of homophobia.
I have written for as long as I could write. In fact, before, when I would dictate to my auntie. I love to read, and I love to create worlds and characters.
I live in the English countryside. When I’m not writing, I like to get out there and think through the next scenario I’m going to throw my characters into.
Inspiration can be found anywhere, on a train, in a restaurant or in an office. I am always in search of the next character to find love in one of my stories. In a world of apps and online dating, it is important to remember love can be found when you least expect it.
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