GUEST POST & EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT: 'Stranded with Desire' by Vivien Dean and Rick R. Reed
Hi, I'm Vivien Dean and I want to thank Kimmers for having me here today.
One of the best parts about writing a romance centered around heroes who are stranded together is the ability to strip away all the extraneous details that get in the way of them falling in love and force them to deal with what’s truly important. There are no distractions except what matters, and they’re forced to work together to find a way to survive.
In Stranded with Desire, Maine Braxton lives in a state of denial about being gay. He’s forced himself into the box he imagines people expect from him—always in control, engaged to a smart and beautiful woman—but the one person who matters the most to him is his personal assistant, Colby. He’s never been able to truly reveal that beyond a professional capacity, however. That is, until their plane crashes and he’s forced to confront the possibility of losing Colby for good.
EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:
The first thing Maine became aware of was the acrid smell of fuel burning his nose. What the hell is—
The memories rushed back. The e-mail. The plane. The panic.
Colby.
Though his throat was scratchy from the fumes, Maine forced his eyes to open. He was still on the floor of the plane, his cheek pressed to the carpet, but his view was obscured by the dark shadow of an uprooted seat that bridged across his back. Carefully he rolled onto his side, wary of any unfamiliar pains that could presage more ominous injuries than the achiness settling in his limbs. Though he sensed a faint tickle at his hairline, nothing else felt wrong. He pushed at the seat to make room to climb out.
Fresh air wafted across his face as he sat up. The windows had shattered on impact, while the landscape carved dents into the fuselage where the large trees of the Cascade Mountains had refused to bend to its intrusion. The seats opposite him were intact, thank God, but Colby was slumped to the side, strapped in securely in spite of how he must’ve been tossed around.
He was eerily motionless. No rise and fall from his chest. No quicksilver smile to catch Maine off guard. Not a flicker of movement from those hands that never seemed to settle.
Maine reacted on instinct. Ignoring his aches, he shoved the broken table that lay between them out of his way to crowd closer against Colby’s trapped legs and reach for his wrist. Colby had to be alive. He had to. What was the point of being a better man if the one person who believed in him the most wasn’t there to see it?
“Come on,” he hissed as he searched for a pulse. He shifted his grip, then gave up and shoved his fingers into Colby’s open collar to find it in his throat. When the steady beat reverberated against his fingertips, Maine sagged and exhaled loudly. “Shit. Don’t do that to me.”
His relief was short-lived. Colby was still unconscious, and the scent of fuel was getting stronger. Mindful of injuries he might not be able to see, Maine slid his hand under Colby to release the latch on his seat belt. The metallic click seemed to boom in the wrecked cabin, but he quelled his startled nerves to focus on keeping Colby from tipping farther.
Colby moaned when Maine eased his shoulder beneath Colby’s side.
“That’s it. Time to get us out of here.” Though his sore back protested from the added weight, Maine gritted his teeth against the ache to prop Colby against the seat back again. “Colby,” he said, louder this time in hopes of getting through to him. “Come on, wake up now. Don’t make me do this on my own. I mean, I can, but we both know it’ll be easier if you help. You make everything easier, remember?” He slapped at Colby’s cheek, oddly surprised at how soft the dark scruff molding his strong jaw was, but nothing happened. Panic began to return. “I need you, Cole. Wake up!”
Title: Stranded with Desire
Author: Vivien Dean and Rick R. Reed
Published: August 1, 2016
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Bree Archer
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 228 Pages
Tags: Gay; M/M; Coming Out; Family Drama; HEA
BLURB:
When their plane crashed, their desire took flight.
CEO Maine Braxton and his invaluable assistant, Colby, don’t realize they share a deep secret: they’re in love—with each other. That secret may have never come to light but for a terrifying plane crash in the Cascade Mountains that changes everything.
In a struggle for survival, the two men brave bears, storms, and a life-threatening flood to make it out of the wilderness alive. The proximity to death makes them realize the importance of love over propriety. Confessions emerge. Passions ignite. They escape the wilds renewed and openly in love.
When they return to civilization, though, forces are already plotting to snuff out their short-lived romance and ruin everything both have worked so hard to achieve.
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Vivien Dean is a firm believer that love doesn’t care about gender. That’s why her titles encompass both GLBT and het, erotic and sweet, as well as a wide variety of genres. After growing up in the snowy and isolated Midwest, she went off in search of her creative muse. She performed on stage, wrote and directed indie films in Orlando, then met her British soulmate online. One wedding, two children, and ten addresses later, she resides in the Bay Area where it’s easy to indulge in her favorite pastimes—good theater, great movies, and amazing food.
Vivien is a three-time EPIC eBook Award winner and collaborated with Pepper Espinoza to write as Jamie Craig for five years.
E-mail: vivien_dean@yahoo.com
Rick R. Reed is all about exploring the romantic entanglements of gay men in contemporary, realistic settings. While his stories often contain elements of suspense, mystery and the paranormal, his focus ultimately returns to the power of love. He is the author of dozens of published novels, novellas, and short stories. He is a three-time EPIC eBook Award winner (for Caregiver, Orientation and The Blue Moon Cafe). He is also a Rainbow Award Winner for both Caregiver and Raining Men. Lambda Literary Review has called him, "a writer that doesn't disappoint." Rick lives in Seattle with his husband and a very spoiled Boston terrier. He is forever "at work on another novel."
Email: rickrreedbooks@gmail.com
