Jagged Ends
by Thom Collins
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Cover Artist: Kelly Martin
Release Date: April 30, 2024
Genre. Contemporary M/M Romance
Tropes: Suspense, thriller, small town
Themes: Second chance, revenge
Length: 61 912 words/ 248 pages
Heat Rating: 4 flames
It’s a standalone romance that forms part of a wider series
and does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links
Publisher | Universal Amazon Link | Kobo
Jerico is about to meet two figures from his past.
One filled with love, the other consumed by vengeance.
Blurb
The coastal town of Nyemouth is the perfect location for celebrity chef Jerico Osman to fulfil a lifetime ambition. With it’s stunning harbour and brisk holiday trade, there’s no better place for him to open his first restaurant. It’s a dream that has been a decade in the making. But there’s another attraction in Nyemouth, one Jerico was completely unaware of.
Andy Quinn is content with his life. He has a great job managing Quay House, the popular waterfront hotel, and a peaceful home with a cat called Patches. Andy spent his twenties working in the cruise industry, exploring the world and has finally settled in his home town of Nyemouth. Those years at sea were a time of adventure and discovery, including a ship bound romance with a young Jerico. After fifteen years, Andy doubts the famous chef will even remember him, but from the moment they reconnect, the time they spent apart falls away.
Andy isn’t the only figure from Jerico’s past. A week before the restaurant is due to open, an act of reckless sabotage puts everything he cares about in danger, including Andy. Jerico has made an enemy, someone who will stop at nothing to see his long-realised dream become a nightmare. As a plan for vengeance is played out, who will survive until the end?
Fall in love with compelling new characters and rediscover some old favourites in the fifth and final instalment of the Jagged Shores series.
Excerpt
The evenings in Nyemouth were beautiful in the summer, when the blue sky was transformed to the most startling shades of purple, pink and red. It was Andy’s favourite time of the year, and tonight, it was even better, as he walked the South Point cliff with Jerico.
“It reminds me of all those sunsets we saw when we were at sea,” Jerico remarked.
Andy nodded his agreement. “I come up here a lot when I have the time, if I get finished at the hotel early enough. It helps me to relax. At this time of year, there’s nothing I like more.”
“It seems like you’ve always been drawn to the sea.”
“Mmm, probably. I grew up at the coast, worked on ships. I can’t imagine ever being far away from it.”
He was aware of Jerico watching him and tried to keep his gaze on the path ahead, though the temptation to turn and feast his own eyes was huge. Instead, he filled his lungs with the salty air coming from the water. Up here, the sticky heat of the hotel and the town centre was forgotten.
“What did you do?” Jerico asked. “After we lost touch. You have me at a disadvantage. You can find out about me online, everything I’ve ever done is there. But you, apart from your professional CV, there’s nothing.”
Now Andy could not resist looking at him, raising a bemused eyebrow. “So, you’ve been cyber-stalking me?”
“Doesn’t everyone?”
His brown skin looked glorious in the evening light. Andy’s mouth was dry. Jerico looked more handsome than he’d ever known him. How had they come to be here, after all this time? Andy knew he wasn’t dreaming. This was very real.
He wet his lips. “It’s a similar story to your own. I kept working at sea until I was around thirty.”
“Doing the same as before? Excursions and tours?”
“For a while, yes. But when I moved to another cruise company, an opportunity arose to join the hotel management side of the ship, and I found I enjoyed that even more. I became Deputy Hotel Manager after just two years. I loved being on the ships. I’m so glad I did all that. For a young guy in his twenties to travel the world and see all those places, how many people are lucky enough to do that?”
Jerico nodded. “It was great, though I don’t miss the force-eleven gales and ten-metre waves.”
Andy laughed. “Yeah, I think I’ve pushed those to the back of my mind and just remember the calm waters and sunsets.”
“I remember some really bad nights, trying to sing and dance while the stage was going up and down beneath my feet.” He gave a dramatic shudder and chuckled.
“But look at it now,” Andy said, gesturing to the peaceful North Sea. Tonight, there wasn’t even a white cap to ruffle its surface. “When I see it like this, I do miss being out there.”
“Would you ever go back? To working on the ships?”
“Nah. Been there, done that. I’m happy here. I’ve got my dream job and my family close by. I’ve seen almost all the world has to offer, so now I’m content to stay home. How about you?”
“I’ve done a couple of themed culinary cruises in the last few years—guest speaking and cookery demonstrations, that kind of thing. It’s a lot different on the other side. The guest staterooms are a lot nicer than those tiny crew cabins we had to stay in.”
“I’ll bet. That’s something I’ve never done, experiencing a cruise ship from a passenger perspective. I imagine it’s a different world from what we were used to.”
“Yeah, but when you’re young, you don’t care, do you? You just need a place to sleep and shag. They could have put me in a cupboard, and I’d have been happy.” He gave Andy a flirtatious wink.
“I remember what you were like, all right.”
They paused and stood side by side and looking out to sea together. For a moment, Andy lost himself in those memories…of standing on the deck of a ship or the shores of exotic countries with Jerico. Were those the best days of his life? No, he decided. The best days were still ahead of him. Be positive and keep moving forward.
It had gone eight o’clock. “I’m getting hungry,” he said. “Do you fancy something to eat?”
“Starving,” Jerico said. “What do you suggest?”
Check out the other books in the Jagged Shores series
About the Author
Jagged Ends is Thom Collins’ tenth novel. As well as the Jagged Shores series, he is the author of the Anthem Trilogy andCloser by Morning. He has lived in the North East of England his whole life. He grew up in Northumberland and now lives in County Durham with his husband and cat. He loves all kinds of genre fiction, especially thrillers, romance and horror. He is also a cookery book addict with far too many titles cluttering his shelves. When not writing he can be found in the kitchen trying out new recipes. He’s a keen traveler but with a dislike of flying that gets worse with age. Since 2013 he prefers to see the world by sea.
Check out his website for news updates and a free ebook The Night.
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