Sinders and Ash
(The Pennymaker Tales Series)
by Tara Lain
Blurb:
Housekeeper Mark Sintorella (Sinders) works diligently at a resort hotel while designing clothes anonymously, hoping to get into fashion school. Then his carefully planned life is upended with the arrival of Ashford Armitage, son of the fifth richest man in America—and the most beautiful guy Mark has ever seen. Ash must find a wife or he’ll lose his grandfather’s inheritance, and he settles on Bitsy Fanderel. But secretly Ash is gay, and the guy who cleans the fireplaces sets his heart ablaze.
Further stirring the pot is the little elf of a man, Carstairs Pennymaker, who has Mark wearing his own designs and masquerading as a girl to impress the fashion investors in the hotel. When the clock strikes twelve, two beautiful princesses line up for the wedding—but one isn’t a woman. Will the slipper fit?
Only Mr. Pennymaker knows for sure.
Only Mr. Pennymaker knows for sure.
Available for order at
An interesting twist on a classic fairy tale, I got a big kick out of this story. This isn't an erotic story so much as more of a campy romance. Ash might come across as a playboy, but there is more to him that Mark gets to see. Mr. Penny maker is filling the role of Mark's fairy godfather, as he is trying to get Mark and Ash together. Of course there is a reason that Ash is still in the closet, but will he finally own up to his true nature now that he's met Mark?
Book provided in exchange for honest review.
Excerpt
“What’s your dream, uh, Mister—”
“Ash.”
“Ash.”
Armitage set his glass down. “I guess I don’t have
one. It’s a problem of being born with a lot of money. It can kill your
motivation.”
“Bull.” Mark gasped and slapped that hand over his
mouth again.
For a second Ash looked shocked. Then he laughed so
hard Mark thought he was going to throw up the food he’d just eaten. “Hell,
kid, just when I think you’re some shrinking violet, I get to see your true
colors. That’s great!”
“I’m sorry.”
He took a breath and looked steadily at Mark. “No,
you’re not. I’ve watched you work your ass off around this place for what I
imagine is little money and less appreciation, and yet you keep going. A
dilettante rich kid like me who has never earned a dime must be beneath your
contempt.”
Mark shook his head, but Ash held up a hand. “The
only thing I’ve seen slow you down is that asshole in the hall. You don’t have
to tell me. I know it was a flashback of some kind. But I would like to know
why you kissed me.”
That was direct. Mark’s heart beat like a hammer.
Half the truth, maybe? “I was grateful… and confused. No one had ever stood up
for me like that.”
“Handshakes are good.”
“Like I said, I was confused.”
“You kissed me. Not ‘thanks a bunch for saving me,’
but a ‘how far down my throat can you get your tongue’ kind of kiss.”
Mark pushed back the chair, jumped up, and stalked
into the living room area. Okay, maybe
more of the truth. “Look, I said I’m sorry. I’m gay, for Christ’s sake, and
you’re gorgeous. In a situation like that, it’s easy to lose your bearings. You
were holding me, and you smelled good, and I was scared, and adrenaline took
over and—you know the rest.”
Ash looked at him over steepled fingers. “Would you
have kissed me under other circumstances?”
“Like what? Selling kisses for charity?” Jesus, Sintorella, control your sarcasm
before you get fired. He took a deep breath.
“No, like if we were in a hotel suite having
dinner.”
“Of course not.” He had to get out of here.
“Not even if you thought I wanted you to?”
Mark’s heart stilled. “Why would you want me to?”
Ash got up and walked over to the bar. He splashed a
little more champagne into his glass. He held the bottle out to Mark, who shook
his head.
“Why don’t you ask me again what my dream is?”
Stay very still.
This situation is volatile.
“I should go.”
“No. We have crème brûlée waiting. Ask me.”
.
“What’s your dream?”
“I don’t have one, because I’m too busy pretending
to be someone I’m not to actually have a dream. What I really should have said
to you earlier is that I’m a liar, and the person I lie to most is me. I see
someone like you and it makes me ashamed to be alive.”
Mark couldn’t take his eyes from Ash. Maybe the man
was a flame of truth, or a rattlesnake. Both were mesmerizing. “What do you lie
about?”
“Almost everything. Why don’t you tell me?”
“You’re gay.”
“Yes.”
About the Author
Tara Lain writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in LGBT erotic romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her first novel was published in January of 2011 and she’s now somewhere around book 23. Her bestselling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, Best Gay Characters, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. She often does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft.
She lives with her soulmate husband and her soulmate dog in Laguna Beach, California, a pretty seaside town where she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!
You can find Tara at
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Thank you so much for reading Sinders and Ash -- and for having us on the blog! So glad yu enjoyed it. : )
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