Blog Tour: The Wanderer by Dahlia Donovan
Author: Dahlia Donovan
Title: The Wanderer
Series: The Sin Bin, Book 1
Genre: Gay Romance
Release Date: April 8, 2017
Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing
Cover Designer: Claire Smith
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Graham Hodson lives for adventure.
His entire life has revolved around his obsessive wanderlust. His
inner fear of staying in one place or being with one person for too
long has kept him on the go. The last thing he expects is a sudden
diagnosis to ground his travel—permanently.
Boyce “BC” Brooks has screwed
up his lifelong dream of being the captain of the English national
rugby team. He’s lost everything. When his uncle leaves him an inn
and a dog in Cornwall, he has little choice but to try his hand at
innkeeper.
Can two jokesters kicked around by life
and their own decisions find stability when their world shakes
beneath their feet?
Weddings.
Weddings were a pain more excruciating
than a broken nose, or tooth, or both—an event to be avoided when
at all possible. Only the blissfully ignorant would voluntarily
submit themselves to the farce of “marital bliss,” never mind the
noise, whimpering women, and a priest who would undoubtedly drone on
and on unless someone whacked him upside the head.
Why did I agree to this shit? If this
bint sobs into my sleeve one more sodding time, I’ll shove her into
the aisle, manners be damned. I should’ve claimed a sudden bout of
dengue fever in Macau and been done with it.
Graham Hodson had returned home early
from yet another adventure to attend the wedding of his best mate,
Francis, and his soon-to-be husband, former rugby star Caddock
Stanford. He’d contemplated doing a runner. His twin brother,
Rupert, had threatened to drag him in by the ear, pointing out that
they couldn’t disappoint their childhood friend, could they?
Even if he were tempted to do so,
Joanne, Rupert’s wife, had promised untold pain if he did anything
to ruin Francis’s day. The spoilsport also vetoed all of his ideas
to improve the day for the two grooms. He didn’t see why they
wouldn’t enjoy having massive cod strung up to their escape
vehicle.
Graham glanced across the room, and his
mood brightened when he spotted an old mate, Jack Sasaki. They’d
spent summers playing on Cornwall beaches together as kids, along
with Rupert. They often flirted with the same boys, though one date
with each other had been enough to realise they made far better
friends.
The half-Japanese and half-Cornish man
made his living as a barber a few villages over, in Fowey. Graham
hadn’t seen him in a while and would have to find time while home
to have a beer and chat with him. He hoped Jack was having better
luck romantically than he currently was.
Wanderlust didn’t come with the perks
of being romantically available. His passport might’ve been filled
with stamps, but his nights had been filled with loneliness—aside
from occasional casual sex. His adventures brought joy to his life.
I don’t sodding need anyone to be
happy.
Now, repeat the mantra until the
wedding stops making you act stupidly moody.
It might be the wedding of a close
friend, but boredom continued to make his mind drift. Did anyone
other than the couple care about the cute dog with a bow tie or the
adorable child in the tuxedo? No. The answer would always be
no. People went to ceremonies for the food and drink that followed
after, and no one would ever be able to convince him otherwise.
A sniffle from the woman beside him was
a reminder that maybe some people did care. With a less cynical view,
Graham could admit the tuxedos had been well chosen. Tastefully done
bouquets of white roses were adorned with pale blue ribbons that had
antiqued copper rugby charms dangling from them.
Adorable.
Graham could also admit, however
painfully, that the blissful happiness on Francis’s face made him
slightly envious. “Sodding weddings.”
A gasp from the weepy twit reminded him
not to mutter out loud. He summoned a smile when Francis glanced his
way. The things one did for friends.
Oh, hello.
Who the bloody hell are you?
Never mind who you are. Can I see you
naked?
An absolutely gorgeous bloke sitting on
Caddock’s side of the church had caught his attention. Tall, with a
closely shaved head and black beard, he had a strong jaw—sharp
lines all over really, from what Graham could see. He wore a suit
that bordered on obscene for the way it clung to his muscled form.
Suddenly this event looks far more
interesting than it did a minute ago. Now how do I get myself an
introduction? Should be easy. It’s a wedding; single people come to
hook up at them, right?
Right.
Their eyes met. Almost identical grins
of acknowledgement followed, which intrigued Graham. People didn’t
always read him so well. Mr Tall, Bald, and Gorgeous smirked as if he
knew exactly what Graham had been thinking.
They’d definitely made a
connection.
Interesting.
If the wedding ceremony hadn’t been
in full swing, Graham would’ve immediately wandered over to
introduce himself. They settled for not so subtle flirtatious smirks.
His impatience grew more palpable waiting for it to be over.
Their eyes continually drifted towards
one another. An electric shock hit him each time. It sounded dramatic
even in his head—but he did feel a mysterious sense of adventure
just from contemplating a brief encounter with the mystery man.
Dahlia Donovan wrote her first romance
series after a crazy dream about shifters and damsels in distress.
She prefers irreverent humour and unconventional characters. An
autistic and occasional hermit, her life wouldn’t be complete
without her husband and her massive collection of books and video
games.
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