RELEASE TOUR incl Exclusive Excerpt: HIDDEN GREED by Oliver Takely
Milo looks like every twink you’ve ever met, but behind the cheeky smile is a man who craves control. Older men are his weakness, but none ever take him seriously. Until Edward.
Length: 52k words
Series: Sinful Knights, book 2
Prior Reading: not required
Genre: contemporary
Tropes: Age gap, Forbidden romance, Secret relationship, Closeted politician MC, Opposites attract
Trigger/Content Warnings: “In terms of trigger warnings for Hidden Greed, both MCs have lost their parents, so this is touched on, as well as a secondary character losing a parent. The topic of homophobia and transphobia is discussed, but nothing graphic is depicted on the page, although there are some unpleasant comments from secondary characters. Edward is a senior politician, so some of more underhand workings of government are depicted, which may be triggering for some given the current political climate, although this is not extensive. Your mental health is of upmost importance, so please prioritise this before deciding whether to read the book.” -Oliver Takely
Designer: Emily’s World of Design
Milo looks like every twink you’ve ever met, but behind the cheeky smile is a man who craves control. Older men are his weakness, but none ever take him seriously. Until Edward.
Edward Chivington is forty, polished, and powerful. The deputy prime minister of the UK. A man forced into the closet by his father, who doesn’t know how to break the door down after so long. Milo is everything he wants, everything he never thought he could have.
Their first encounter is in The Back Room, a notorious labyrinth where anything goes in the dark. One night becomes many, and Edward starts to reveal pieces of himself, as he falls deeper for the young man. Then Milo realises the truth. The man he’s also falling for is on the brink of becoming prime minister.
But Edward isn’t the only one with ambition. His rival will stop at nothing to expose him. Milo’s flat mates will disown him for sleeping with the enemy, and the press is circling, hungry for scandal. A romantic trip to Norway over the holidays, proves this could be their moment for happily ever after, but when their story breaks, Edward must make the ultimate choice.
His dream job, or his dream man? Because the world isn’t ready for him to have both, or is it?
“Let’s be serious for a moment,” said Derek, lowering his voice. “Is this just fun, or something more serious?”“I don’t know. We haven’t talked about it.”“Mouth full was it?”Edward couldn’t help but snort, but he was mindful they were in a public place and didn’t want to be overheard having a conversation like this. Before Derek could say anything else, their server came over to take their order. They both went for the steak. The new chef they’d brought in here was excellent and cooked it to perfection.Once the server left them, Derek leaned back in his chair and sipped his wine. He watched Edward intently, as if he was waiting for him to say something, but he didn’t find the silence uncomfortable. It was a great asset for dealing with politicians, who always loved to talk constantly about themselves.“I’ve got an idea,” said Derek, leaning forward.“Why does that sound terrifying?”“Not terrifying. Risky perhaps, but I think it could help you decide.”“Decide what?”“Whether to try for something more with Milo.”“I don’t like you getting in my head all the time. Okay, what’s your idea?”“Take him to the cabin.”“Your cabin?”“Yes, it’s sitting there empty. You get about five hours of daylight at this time of year, so lots of cosy nights to get to know each other better.”“What about you at Christmas?”“I’ve got the club and I can find someone to entertain me.”Edward chuckled. He knew his friend could find someone to keep him company. He did not discriminate on gender or age, so he had a lot of options, although Edward was not aware of him ever fucking around at his club. Perhaps that was a hard limit for him – not shitting in your own back garden. The same philosophy did not apply in politics. If only those walls could talk.“I don’t know if he’d want to go. He’s probably got plans for Christmas already.”“Ask him . . . and use the time to see if there’s more there than what you’ve already been doing. See if he’s worth it.”“Worth what?”“Blowing your life up.”“Thank you for that!”“You know what I mean. If it came down to having to choose between your career and him, which would you choose?”“My career, of course.”“And if that meant you’d never see him again?”Edward hesitated.“Exactly. There’s something more there. It’s worth seeing if it’s reciprocated, and if it’s not, at least you know. If it is, then you’ve got January to decide.”“Why can’t I have both?”“I’m not the one who said you couldn’t. That’s your dad, who’s still in your head.”Derek leaned back in his chair and took another sip of his wine. He’d said his piece, and it was for Edward to process. His head was spinning. What was he supposed to do? Even if Milo wanted to spend Christmas with him in Norway, he might just see it as some privacy to fuck all day. I mean, that’s what they’d done all weekend. And if he suggested to Milo he wanted more, he might lose him. Edward would hardly be easy to have a relationship with. He came with a lot of baggage, and he could be the prime minister in a couple of months. Was that the time to start a relationship? Logically, he knew he needed to end this thing with Milo and focus on the leadership contest, but the thought of never seeing that beautiful young man again was the thing that made him hesitate. Whether it was being driven by his heart or his hormones was something he wasn’t sure of yet, but Derek was offering him an opportunity to get his answer. Why shouldn’t he take a chance?“I’ll ask him.”
Oliver Takely is a passionate MM romance author who revels in dark, edgy stories featuring complex, flawed characters. With years of writing experience and a creative day job, Oliver Takely is also an avid reader of MM romance, consuming 300 books in 2023. His favourite trope is enemies to lovers, but is also a sucker for a feel-good Christmas romance.
Originally from the north, Oliver now resides in the south of England with his husband and their beloved fur baby, who is treated like a princess, living their own happily-ever-after straight out of a romance novel. When not writing or reading, he enjoys holidays and indulging in lots of good food, because who doesn’t love a delicious combination?
