The Greatest Show on Earth By Morgan Brice
I’m so thrilled to be part of the Carnival of Mysteries multi-author shared-world series, in part because I absolutely love going to fairs, carnivals and amusement parks!
There’s magic in those places, because everything is a theatrical performance and you’re in the middle of it. I love the rides, the displays, the performers—and especially the midway food! The fair near my home had a non-profit that made homemade pies and sold them by the slice to raise money for charity. They would have 30 different kind of pies—and all of them were awesome!
You never know what you’re going to see at a festival. It could be an amazing performance, people in costumes, prize-winning livestock, or all kinds of things to buy or eat. I used to love going through the RV’s on display at the fair, and seeing the new cars, or going to see the Saturday night concert.
When the sun goes down and the neon comes on, carnivals and fairs are magical. Anything could happen. It’s like being transported somewhere else.
That was part of the fun writing Roustabout, because in this case the carnival really is magical and the normal rules don’t apply. I enjoyed getting to see the carnival from both Bart’s and RJ’s perspective, because they experienced it very differently. I would love to visit for real!
Don’t forget to check out the rest of the books in the series, too! And if you like Bart and RJ, be sure to look up my Kings of the Mountain series, where they are recurring characters!
Book Title: Roustabout: A Carnival of Mysteries book
Author: Morgan Brice
Publisher: Darkwind Press
Cover Artist: Dianne Thies
Release Date: August 23, 2023
Genre: Paranormal MM romance
Tropes: adversaries-to-lovers, hurt/comfort, forced proximity, rogue with a heart of gold, secret agent/con man, redemption arc
Themes: overcoming the past, settling old wrongs, second chances
Length: 230 pages
Heat Rating: 4 flames
It is a standalone book, but also part of the shared-world, multi-author Carnival of Mysteries series and is connected to Morgan’s Kings of the Mountain series.
It does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
Blurb
Bartlett Gibson is a necromancer and an agent for the Tennessee Bureau of Supernatural Investigation. He’s hot on the trail of RJ Tucker, a psychic con man who has eluded him at every turn and led him on a merry chase. Pursuit leads to grudging respect in their game of cat and mouse, which becomes a high-stakes game of seduction. Bart chases RJ to the Carnival of Mysteries and realizes that nothing is as it seems. A dark witch’s curse ups the ante, creating a deadline for revenge and redemption, and the clock is ticking.
Falling in love breaks all the rules. Can Bart and RJ stop the witch, break the curse, and find a way around RJ’s spot on the “most wanted” list before time runs out?
Roustabout is a fast-paced MM paranormal romance filled with supernatural suspense, snarky humor, crafty carnival workers, sarcastic ghosts, midway magic, hurt/comfort angst, adversaries-to-lovers tension, and a very happy ending!
Part of the multi-author, shared-world Carnival of Mysteries series. Can be read as a stand-alone.
But first, reckless as it might be, RJ had a date.
He knew he was fussing too much over his hair—manicuring his stubble and manscaping— but it had been a long time since there’d been anyone to notice, and he was going to make the most of it.
RJ wore his best shirt, a russet one that complemented his hair and warmed his pale complexion. Together with a new pair of jeans and a pair of Timberlands that were a rare splurge, he knew he cleaned up well.
He drove to Rosco’s Barbecue and parked, then realized his palms were sweating as he gripped the steering wheel.
It’s just dinner, he told himself. But nobody had ever made him feel like Bart did.
He grew up fast on the circuit surrounded by roustabouts and wranglers who didn’t follow convention and largely lived outside the restrictions of polite society. RJ had plenty of boyfriends and lovers over the years. Those in the carnival life rarely expected permanence, and relationships seldom lasted more than a season.
Moving from place to place had been a necessary distraction in those years. He hadn’t wanted more than temporary connections since he still mourned the people he had loved and lost. The dream of vengeance had sustained him, and for a long time, that was enough.
But now, with the end of his quest in sight, RJ found himself wanting more. Maybe he could never tell a partner everything about his old life and the recompense he had dealt out, but perhaps he didn’t need to live in self-imposed solitude.
After all, people in WITSEC get married. This isn’t too much different.
God, I’ve got the cart before the horse. We haven’t even fucked properly, and I’m picking out china patterns. It’s just dinner. And maybe a blow job if I play my cards right.
He went inside and looked for Bart. When he didn’t see the tall man waiting, his stomach tightened, fearing he had been stood up.
Bart came in a moment later, looking harried. “Sorry. Work ran over. Have you been here long?” He looked like he really cared whether RJ had been worried.
RJ relaxed and gave a broad smile. “Just got here myself.” His stomach growled. “It smells so good in here, and I’m starving.”
They followed the hostess to a table. RJ saw Bart slip her a twenty to get a spot out of the thick of the fray. Rosco’s did a booming business, with food that deserved the buzz.
“Did you have a good day?” Bart asked after they had ordered. RJ thought it was charming that Bart seemed flustered.
Maybe he’s as out of practice as I am.
Morgan Brice is the romance pen name of bestselling author Gail Z. Martin. Morgan writes urban fantasy MM paranormal romance, with plenty of action, adventure and supernatural thrills to go with the happily ever after. Gail writes epic and urban fantasy, with less romance, more explosions.
All of the modern-day Morgan Brice and Gail Z. Martin series crossover, so characters from one series appear in cameos and on page in important secondary roles in books from other series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but the more you read the more the expanded universe of friendships and connections becomes clear.
Morgan and Gail believe that paranormal elements make any story even better, and her worlds are full of ghosts, psychics, shifters, creatures, vampires, monster hunters, and magic.
She’s also a huge fan of the TV show Supernatural. (Chibi art by Kamidiox)
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