Secret Heart

by Marie Brown

Editions:Kindle

ISBN: B07D6YSKPX

Sir Simeon Meriwether Kerrigan, fresh out of college, was expected to marry his cousin Rebecca and settle down like a proper gentleman. But he didn't want to. And a farewell-to-bachelorhood voyage on his steam-powered airship with his dearest friend brings both disaster and a shocking discovery.

This book is on:

1 To Be Read list

Published: December 17, 2016
Genres:

Sci Fi, Sci Fi - Steampunk

Tags:

author - american, format - kindle unlimited, format - self published, format - short stories, what - concept - danger, what - concept - denial, what - emotion - angst, what - emotion - love, who - description - college grad (recent), who - nationality - british, who - occupation - aristocrat

Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 1
Romantic Content: 4
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: 18-25
Protagonist 2 Age: 18-25
Tropes: Forbidden Love, Friends to Lovers, Unrequited Love
Word Count: 5861
Languages Available: English

Excerpt:

Simeon Kerrigan leaned out over the railing, the cold dampness of the cloud slipping through his fingers like silk. He fancied he caught occasional glimpses of the ground as it sped by far below, bits of exotic South America in all its unexplored glory. Rubbish, of course. The inclement weather rendered everything outside the little bubble of light surrounding the Aurora invisible. What would it be like, to fly without a machine? To soar through the air, without a care in the world? Or to leap from the ship without the power of flight... to feel the air go by with increasing speed, to hear the wild keen of the wind, to see the ground spiral ever closer... and then the impact, the final end to it all. He leaned farther yet, considering. But death made for the coward's way out, and his father never raised him to be a coward. Reluctantly, Kerrigan straightened. The blood pounded in his head, providing a welcome diversion from regret.

Never strong enough, never resolute enough, couldn't carry through with any plan...

He waved off remembered criticisms and made his way back into the deserted interior of the Aurora. All on the upper decks had gone to bed. Surprise flickered through him. Surely he had not been out there so long? The mariner's timepiece on the mantel confirmed he had. He shrugged and made his way to the liquor cabinet. Some port would go down a treat. He poured himself a glass and settled into his favorite wingback chair, frowning at the contrast of the silvery-gray day jacket against the rich red and gold embroidery. He'd never changed out of day dress for evening, never heard the call to supper. He sipped at the port, wishing his mind would quiet and allow him to rest. He'd been up for three days. Insomnia itself was nothing new to him, but the disturbing direction his thoughts took if left unguarded... He gulped down half the port.

How was he to deal with this... this strange obsession growing inside him, focused wholly upon a certain young man? Worse yet, the unnatural dreams. Dreams of soft touches, of warm lips, of caring brown eyes... Distress curdled his innards. How could he think such things? Unclean. Unnatural. Punishable by death in some circles. Not that he'd ever cared much for social conventions, or facing death for that matter, but it simply wasn't done. The rest of the world could say what they liked about the primness of Victorian society, but proper behavior held the world together. He should give over these improper urges and feelings and make an effort to re-cultivate his relationship with Rebecca. They'd slipped apart on this journey, as she experimented with other men and he wrestled with his wayward heart. Yes, a good choice indeed, the proper path to follow. Socially acceptable, safe, expected by his peers... and utterly the opposite of what his most secret heart yearned for.

COLLAPSE

Formerly available from Smashwords.

Amazon

About the Author

"Marie Brown has lived in many locations across the United States, but spends most of her time exploring the realms of imagination. Currently located in Colorado, her brief moments of free time are spent in front of her computer, frequently covered in cats."

Blah.

Yeah, okay, that's all true. But I'm tired of hiding behind a bland, third-person pseudo-bio, utterly lacking in personality.

Hi! I'm Marie Brown, and I write a lot. I self-publish through Smashwords and Amazon because I got tired of getting "well-written, but not our thing" rejection letters. Because, you see, most of my fiction tends to include characters that are either bi or just plain homosexual, and despite increasing acceptance of human sexuality and its many variations across the world, heroes and heroines are still supposed to be straight.

Well, mine aren't. So if you're brave, and you don't mind that the main character of a story either isn't interested in sex at all, or is quite likely to hop in bed with someone of the same gender, then give my writings a chance. Come explore my fantasy worlds, or my science fiction worlds, or even spend some time with an occasional random love story set on Earth.

And by the way, just this once, I wrote this entire blurb without a cat on my keyboard.

U Might Have Missed

Word Count: Click here to reveal77300 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Questioning, Polyamorous (Click here to hide)

Summary: A F/F/M romance novel about having it all. Vicky and Sharon had a great place to live, jobs they liked, excellent neighbors and landlords, and a four-year-old daughter they loved. Ten years after they went from best friends to lovers, they were married and prospering, starting to talk about the one thing they were missing. What came next? Marco Hidalgo was still trying to decide how to tell his wife his show was cancelled when he got home and found the note. Four years after they went from co-workers to married, it was over. It didn’t seem to matter what came next, so he reached out to the one person who was always on his side. When newly-single Marco turned up on Vicky’s movie set, she called Sharon to ask What If. Sharon said Why Not, and Marco said it might be revenge. Vicky said if it wasn’t at least a little bit revenge, she’d be concerned. So they tried it, and it worked, and now all three of them had to figure out what came next. Adult situations, themes, and language; 77300 words and a happy ending.

Check This Out Too

Word Count: Click here to reveal105000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay, Polyamorous (Click here to hide)

Summary: A Lambda Literary Awards Finalist for Bisexual Fiction (2019) London, 1906 Lucien Saxby is a journalist, writing for the society pages. The Honourable Aubrey Fanshawe, second son of an earl, is Society. They have nothing in common, until a casual encounter leads to a crisis. Aubrey isn’t looking for love. He already has it, in his long-term clandestine relationship with Lord and Lady Hernedale. And Lucien is the last man Aubrey should want. He’s a commoner, raised in service, socially unacceptable. Worse, he writes for a disreputable, gossip-hungry newspaper. Aubrey can’t afford to trust him when arrest and disgrace are just a breath away. Lucien doesn’t trust nobs. Painful experience has taught him that working people simply don’t count to them. Years ago, he turned his back on a life of luxury so his future wouldn’t depend on an aristocrat’s whim. Now, thanks to Aubrey, he’s becoming entangled in the risky affairs of the upper classes, antagonising people who could destroy him with a word. Aubrey and Lucien have too much to hide—and too much between them to ignore. Rejecting the strict rules and closed doors of Edwardian society might lead them both to ruin… but happiness and integrity alike demand it.