Book Title: Armed and Ready for Love
Author: Dann Hazel
Publisher: Original Press
Cover Artist: Josh Fippen
Release Date: November 6, 2024
Tense/POV: third person, past tense, single POV
Genres: Dark MM historical romance
Tropes: Small town romance, second chance, hurt/comfort
Themes: Coming out, forgiveness
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 91 509 words/ 332 pages
This is the first book in the series, Aphrodite in Disguise, but may be read as a standalone.
It does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
We all live obsessed by our fiery passions. And yet, we remain so far from satisfaction.
Blurb
Jonathan Wren survives growing up in the South amid extreme homophobia and the ravages of a pandemic. When he meets a charismatic young man in a gay bathhouse, he falls in love, despite his best friend’s warning that looking for love in a bathhouse is a fool’s game.
Several years pass after realizing his friend was right. True love remains as elusive in Jonathan’s life as snow in Miami.
Until he meets Ryan during a trip to Savannah.
But even then, there are obstacles in his way.
Jonathan struggles with his own self-loathing, partially brought on by Andre Fast’s rejection of him. Andre was a childhood friend who, after gaining fame and fortune, delivers condemnation and hatred toward gay men.
Jonathan wonders how he can ever attain his “happily ever after.”
Armed and Ready for Love is a dark gay romance, a story of the sadness of love lost, the betrayal of old friends, the torment of obsession and the frustrations of searching for the right man.
And then, the doorbell rang. Jon patted Ryan’s knee and quickly made his way to the front door.
In a matter of minutes, Jonathan appeared in the bedroom doorway. “You won’t believe who that was.”
As if on cue, Lady Chablis stepped into the bedroom. Without a word, she went to Ryan’s bedside and kissed his cheek.
Ryan was beaming. “Chablis! How did you know?”
Chablis sat on the side of the bed and took Ryan’s hand. “Haven’t you heard, darling? There’s telephone, telegraph and telegay.”
Still smiling, Ryan looked into Jon’s face. Jon blushed and coyly looked away.
“It’s very sweet of you to visit me—and all this way!” Ryan said. “I think about you all the time, y’know.”
Chablis pursed her lips into a sexy pout. “Oh, sweetie. This is hardly a visit. I am now officially your home nurse. But only during daylight hours. I’ve lined up a number of drag shows in the Orlando area.”
Ryan cast Jon an incredulous look.
Jon shrugged. “You said you wanted as little disruption to our lives as possible. Chablis’ generosity guarantees we can keep a little normality in our lives.”
Chablis cackled. “Well, boys. I’m not going to promise that.”
Later that afternoon, Ryan and Jon took Lady Chablis to Wine Bar George at Disney Springs. Cattily, Chablis kept referring to the establishment as “Wine Boy George,” even to their server.
Only Ryan refrained from having a glass of wine.
But as Chablis noted: “Considering the treatment you’re facing, love, you’re probably the young man among us who needs a drink the most. But what I know about you that so many people don’t? You are one tough son of a bitch.”
Ryan blushed. “Thanks, Chablis. I won’t lie to you, though. This diagnosis has eroded my toughness a little.”
“Before I’m three sheets to the wind, tell me what I can do to help—besides keeping Ryan entertained with my charming repartee all day,” Chablis said. “I’m a quick study, so no holding back. After all, I’m a movie star now.”
“Getting Ryan to appointments that are considered more or less routine is one important chore,” Jon said. “Of course, the scarier procedures, well, I’ll want to be there with him. But that doesn’t mean you can’t come, too. It’s your choice.”
Chablis nudged Ryan’s shoulder. “I’ll play that one by ear. It depends on how he’s been treating me at home.”
“Speaking of home, you may need to help me out if I’ve had a bad reaction to treatment,” Ryan said.
Chablis waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, honey. No worries. I have experience with handling most bodily fluids.”
Ryan and Jonathan cracked up.
“That could take any number of forms,” Jonathan continued. “Nausea, sleepiness, pain. Ryan has laid down the law that he is not to be pampered. Ever. It’s a lot, Chablis. As I said before, we insist on compensating you for your time and effort.
“Well, that’s bullshit,” Lady Chablis said. “We’re all friends here. We help each other out in shitty situations. I’ve made arrangements to stay as long as Ryan needs me. So you should put the kibosh on the payment nonsense right now. Just keep me well-fed and I’ll be happy.”
Dann Hazel has been writing both fiction and nonfiction for more than twenty years.
Besides writing romance, he has taught high school English and journalism, college psychology and human sexuality, directed federal grants and worked as a therapist in a psychiatric hospital. His fiction genre interests include thrillers, horror, literary and gay romance. He has published the Some Like It Haute Gay Romance Series, including Room for Dessert, My Own Private Biscuit and Lonely Diner.
Nonfiction works include Witness: Gay and Lesbian Clergy Report from the Front and Moving On: The Gay Man’s Guide for Coping When a Relationship Ends.
Dann’s personal interests include reading and writing, cinema, jogging, Broadway, keeping abreast of current events and travel.
Currently, Dann lives in Central Florida with his husband, Josh, and their American Eskimo canine, Flurry.
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