Authors: Bonnie Dee & Summer Devon
Victorian
m/m historical
Self published (editing by lindaedits.com)
Our spotlight book is a journey along the
Cornish coast.
A grumpy smuggler
meets a bumbling professor and treasure is found.
An
explorer at heart, former university professor Phillip Singleton’s adventures
have only taken place in his imagination—until recently. Exploring the Cornish
coast to research a travel book, he encounters a living example of a pirate
archetype. Dark-haired, black-bearded Carne Treleaven might have been hewn from
the very rock his name describes, and Phillip is eager to discover more.
Carne has
little patience for the awkward, dreamy professor, an outsider who must be
steered away from local secrets. He agrees to serve as a guide to seaside caves
where smugglers once operated only to keep Phillip away from more recent activity.
As
personalities clash, secrets unfold, and riches are revealed, the two polar
opposites find the point where their similarities lay. Carne’s old beliefs are
shattered by his attraction to a man and he must decide if he’s willing to take
a huge step outside his familiar life and into a brand new world.
Excerpt:
Singleton
apparently forgot Carne after he’d carried the tripod back to the clearing. The
professor talked to himself and peered down at the equipment, brows raised as
if he was surprised to find the camera, as if it had arrived from nowhere. A
couple of minutes showed he did seem to know what he was doing as he expertly
attached camera to tripod and adjusted the lens.
Carne
had come to the stones intending to drive off the stranger, but found himself
gazing at the accordion leather, brass, and glass contraption. “What sort of
camera is that?”
“A
Zeiss. You might be surprised to hear that, because they’re known for their
microscopes.”
Carne
bit back the retort that certainly he was fair astounded to hear it, though he
had no bloody notion of who made microscopes and, truth to tell, wasn’t
entirely certain what a microscope did.
“I also
have a Kodak, much cheaper, and I could even carry it with no problem, but this
is better for my project.” He took a moment to beam at Carne, the sunlight
reflecting off his spectacles and hiding those bright gray eyes. As he went
back to work, he launched into a long explanation of wet plates, dry plates,
and nitrocellulose. He seemed particularly excited about adjustable lenses.
Carne
hadn’t known he wanted to hear a history of photography, but it was more
interesting than he might have expected. The professor’s enthusiasm and ability
to talk made the world of cameras sound downright fascinating.
He
stood and watched and listened until he heard the far-off bell that reminded
him he had a meeting to get to. “You said weeks, but surely you plan to move
along to the next village sooner than that. There’s nothing to do round here.
Nothing hardly like entertainment.”
Singleton laughed, showing straight, very
white teeth. Could they be false?
“Somethin’
funny?” Carne asked.
“I
don’t require entertainment,” he explained and for some reason blushed.
Apparently,
the stranger truly didn’t need much to amuse him if he thought Carne’s words
were funny.
“Not
lingering in Par Gwynear, are you,” he said rather than asked.
“Oh,
just some exploration and interviews. I would love to talk to people about
local lore and legends.”
“Don’t
ask too many questions,” Carne said.
Singleton
looked up from adjusting the lens. “How will I find out what I need to know if
I don’t ask questions, Mr. Carne?” He brightened and added, “Ha. Cairn, Carne.
Is your name derived from ancestors living near a pile of rocks?”
Was
that some sort of bizarre insult? Probably not, judging from the earnest look
on the professor’s thin face and the way he waited for an answer.
“No
idea.” Carne didn’t bother to explain it was his first name. He wasn’t willing
to share his surname, Treleaven, with a stranger. “Professor, there’s no inn
hereabouts. You won’t find anywhere to lay your head down. Go inland a few
miles, you’ll get to—”
Singleton
interrupted. “Not a professor any longer. Mr. Singleton will do. And it’s no
bother. I have gear in my motorcar. One appreciates sleeping under the stars in
weather as fine as this.”
The man
was an idiot, though as appealing as a gangly puppy—a large one, perhaps some
sort of wolfhound. All right, idiot was
the wrong description, for Singleton had a brain jammed into his head. And he
certainly had more than enough money if he jolted about the countryside in a
motoring car with cameras for company.
BUY IT
Amazon http://amzn.com/B0186H4SQA
Barnes
and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-professor-and-the-smuggler-summer-devon/1123117363?ean=2940152509342
Smashwords
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/594087
All
Romance Ebooks https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theprofessorandthesmuggler-1940494-153.htm
iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/book/professor-smuggler/id1065988112?mt=11
our bio: Summer
Devon and Bonnie Dee have co-written over a dozen books. Their historical
novels often feature cross class romances which give the protagonists even
greater hurtles to overcome than being gay men in dangerous times. Summer is
the alter ego of author, Kate Rothwell, who writes gaslight historicals. Bonnie
is interested in flawed, often damaged, people who find happiness together.
These writers met by chance online and have had a fabulous time passing stories
back and forth, creating characters and situations in what might be the world's
longest party game.
Our sites
htttp://duetpublishing.blogspot.com
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