Length: 54,000 words approx.
Blurb
Can Jason find the courage he needs to be the man Seb deserves?
When Seb Radcliffe relocates to a seaside town in Cornwall, he feels like a fish out of water. He misses queer spaces and the sense of community he enjoyed when he was living in the city, and decides to open an LGBT-friendly cafe–bar.
Jason Dunn is the builder Seb hires to help renovate the rundown space where the cafe will be housed. Jason is also gay, but unlike Seb, he’s deep in the closet. He’s never had a relationship with another man—only allowing himself the occasional hook up with guys who are prepared to be discreet.
The attraction between the two men is instant and impossible to ignore. But while Seb is out and proud, Jason is terrified of being exposed. With the grand opening of Rainbow Place approaching, tension is growing among some locals who object to Seb’s plans. When things escalate, Jason is forced to choose whether to hide in the shadows and let Seb down, or to openly support the man he’s fallen so hard for.
Although this book is part of a series, it has a satisfying happy ending and can be read as a standalone.
June 15 - My
Fiction Nook, The Way She
Reads, Gay
Book Reviews, OMG Reads, June 18 - Cupcakes
& Bookshelves, Two Chicks
Obsessed, The
Geekery Book Review, Jim's Reading
Room, June 20 - Love Unchained
Book Review, June 22 - Bonkers About
Books, Kimmer's
Erotic Book Banter, Wicked
Faerie's Tales & Reviews, V's Reads, June 25 - Mikku-chan, Katie's
Book Corner, June 27 - MM
Good Book Reviews, July
4 - Scattered
Thoughts & Rogue Words, Wicked
Reads July 6 - Nicole's
Book Musings, Xtreme
Delusions, July 9 - Diverse
Reader, July 11 - Drops Of Ink, Book
Lovers 4Ever, Making It Happen, July 13 - Queerly Reads, Mirrigold, Valerie
Ullmer, Bayou Book
Junkie, Books
That Are A Must Read, Lillian Francis
Review
“What once felt like a safe space, now felt
like a prison”
By now I’ve been reading
MM for long enough that there are a few authors I would recognize even if their
name wasn’t on the cover of a book. Jay Northcote is such a writer. His voice
is unmistakable and fluent, his characters are always realistic and familiar,
and the stories never fail to capture me from start to finish.
All of the above is
true for Rainbow Place. Both Seb and Jason could be the ‘man next door’
with dreams, insecurities and fears most if not all people can recognize. And
the same can be said for the secondary characters. The slow burn coming
together of these two men was as mesmerizing as it was at times frustrating. Jason’s
fears are as easy to understand as Seb’s occasional impatience. And yet, I have
to admit that I lost patience with Jason at one point and even found myself
wishing, for a few pages, that this particular romance would not come with a
happy ever after. Of course, that says more about me than it does about the
story, the author, or even the character in question. And to say that Jason made
up for his mistake in the most fabulous fashion, would be a gross
understatement. Suffice to say it made me grin from ear to ear even while I
teared up right along with Seb.
I adored the idea of
Rainbow Place; the world, especially in smaller communities, could do with more
establishments like the one Seb is starting up. The balanced way in which the
reception of the news that this café was about to open was received impressed
me. The very realistic, but very hard to read, hatred was only bearable thanks
to the subsequent support shown by others.
As I said before, Jay
writes stories about real people, living in the real world. That doesn’t always
make for easy reading, because our real world isn’t always a nice place. The
fact that his characters get their happy ever after, despite the world’s (and
sometimes their own) best efforts to jeopardize such an ending, never fails to
leave me feeling uplifted and hopeful when I finish the story.
In other, and fewer, words.
Rainbow
Place is yet another great read from Jay Northcote. I can’t wait to
discover who else will find their happy within the walls of this wonderful café.
Author Bio
Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England. He comes from a family of writers, but always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed him by. He spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content.
One day, Jay decided to try and write a short story—just to see if he could—and found it rather addictive. He hasn’t stopped writing since.
Jay writes contemporary romance about men who fall in love with other men. He has five books published by Dreamspinner Press, and also self-publishes under the imprint Jaybird Press. Many of his books are now available as audiobooks.
Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England. He comes from a family of writers, but always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed him by. He spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content.
