Title: Gideon
Author: Lily Morton
Series: Finding Home #3
Genre: M/M Romance
Audiobook Release Date: July 22, 2020
Narrator: Joel Leslie
ebook Release Date: May 12, 2019
Cover Design: Natasha Snow
Summary:
Gideon Ramsay is so far in the closet he should be a talking faun.
A talented, mercurial, and often selfish man, Gideon has everything he should want in life. Fame, money, acting awards – he has it all. Everything but honesty. At the advice of his agent, Gideon has concealed his sexuality for years. But it’s starting to get harder to hide, and his increasingly wild behaviour is threatening to destroy his career.
Then he’s laid low by a serious illness and into his life comes Eli Jones. Eli is everything that Gideon can’t understand. He’s sunny tempered, friendly, and optimistic. Even worse, he’s unaffected by grumpiness and sarcasm, which forms ninety percent of Gideon’s body weight. And now Gideon is trapped with him without any recourse to the drugs and alcohol that have previously eased his way through awkward situations.
However, as Gideon gets to know the other man, he finds himself wildly attracted to his lazy smiles and warm, scruffy charm that seem to fill a hole inside Gideon that’s been empty for a long time. Will he give in to this incomprehensible attraction when it could mean the end of everything that he’s worked for?
From the bestselling author of the Mixed Messages series comes a story about a man who needs to realise that being true to yourself is really just a form of finding home.
This is the third book in the Finding Home series but it can be read as a standalone.
Summary:
What happens when temporary becomes forever?
Oz Gallagher does not do relationships well. Bored and jobless after another disastrous hook up, he decides to leave London for a temporary job in the wilds of Cornwall. Surely managing a stately home on a country estate will be easier than navigating the detritus of his relationships at home. Six months there will alleviate a bit of his wanderlust and then he can come back to London as footloose and fancy-free as the day he left it.
However, when he gets there he finds a house in danger of crumbling to the ground and a man who is completely unlike anyone he’s ever met. An earl belonging to a family whose roots go back hundreds of years, Silas is the living embodiment of duty and sacrifice. Two things that Oz has never wanted. He's also warm and funny and he draws Oz to him like a magnet.
Oz banks on the fact that they're from two very different worlds to stop himself falling for Silas. But what will he do when he realises that these differences are actually part of the pull to one another? Will falling in love be enough to make him stop moving at last and realise that he's finally home?
Oz Gallagher does not do relationships well. Bored and jobless after another disastrous hook up, he decides to leave London for a temporary job in the wilds of Cornwall. Surely managing a stately home on a country estate will be easier than navigating the detritus of his relationships at home. Six months there will alleviate a bit of his wanderlust and then he can come back to London as footloose and fancy-free as the day he left it.
However, when he gets there he finds a house in danger of crumbling to the ground and a man who is completely unlike anyone he’s ever met. An earl belonging to a family whose roots go back hundreds of years, Silas is the living embodiment of duty and sacrifice. Two things that Oz has never wanted. He's also warm and funny and he draws Oz to him like a magnet.
Oz banks on the fact that they're from two very different worlds to stop himself falling for Silas. But what will he do when he realises that these differences are actually part of the pull to one another? Will falling in love be enough to make him stop moving at last and realise that he's finally home?
Summary:
Once upon a time a brave knight rescued a young man. Unfortunately, he then spent the next few years bossing the young man around and treating him like a child.
Milo has been burying himself at Chi an Mor, hiding from the wreckage of his once promising career and running from a bad relationship that destroyed what little confidence he had. Niall, his big brother’s best friend, has been there for him that entire time. An arrogant and funny man, Niall couldn’t be any more different from the shy and occasionally stuttering Milo, which has never stopped Milo from crushing wildly on the man who saved him.
However, just as Milo makes the decision to move on from his hopeless crush, he and Niall are thrown into close contact, and for the first time ever Niall seems to be returning his interest. But it can never work. How can it when Milo always needs rescuing?
From the bestselling author of the Mixed Messages series comes a story about a man who needs to write his own happily ever after.
This is the second book in the Finding Home series, but it can be read as a standalone.
💥Content warning: There are descriptions of domestic abuse in this book.💥
Once upon a time a brave knight rescued a young man. Unfortunately, he then spent the next few years bossing the young man around and treating him like a child.
Milo has been burying himself at Chi an Mor, hiding from the wreckage of his once promising career and running from a bad relationship that destroyed what little confidence he had. Niall, his big brother’s best friend, has been there for him that entire time. An arrogant and funny man, Niall couldn’t be any more different from the shy and occasionally stuttering Milo, which has never stopped Milo from crushing wildly on the man who saved him.
However, just as Milo makes the decision to move on from his hopeless crush, he and Niall are thrown into close contact, and for the first time ever Niall seems to be returning his interest. But it can never work. How can it when Milo always needs rescuing?
From the bestselling author of the Mixed Messages series comes a story about a man who needs to write his own happily ever after.
This is the second book in the Finding Home series, but it can be read as a standalone.
💥Content warning: There are descriptions of domestic abuse in this book.💥
Gideon #3
I come awake slowly, becoming aware of beeping sounds and the low hum of voices. At first I wonder whether I’ve died, but when I inhale I smell the scent of antiseptic and relax. I’m fairly sure heaven won’t smell of Dettol. I stir, trying to open my eyes, and someone’s hand comes down on mine, the skin so hot it makes me aware of how cold I am and that my teeth are chattering.
“So c-cold,” I mutter.
“It’s okay,” the voice says. “You’re alright, Gid. I’m here.”
I want to smile because that halting but warm voice belongs to my baby brother, Milo, but sleep beckons me again and I fall into its welcoming arms.
The next time I wake up it’s easier. My eyes flutter open and I wince against the brightness of the light. “Fuck,” I mutter, and a low chuckle sounds from somewhere near me.
“I see your vocabulary hasn’t been improved by your brush with death.”
“Niall!” Milo sounds horrified. “What the hell?”
My best friend and old hook-up chuckles. “Relax. I’ve read that people who have near-death experiences come out of it changed. I thought maybe his intellect would have improved and he’d be using fancy words.”
I shake my head and force my eyes open again. “Oh, my God! That bloody light is burning my retinas. Close the fucking blinds.” My voice sounds thick and unused.
Niall laughs. “No, don’t worry. His intellect is still at base level, as is his temper. Yes sir, I’ll get right on it for your majesty.”
There’s movement and then the room dims welcomingly.
I open my eyes fully to look at my companions and immediately frown. Milo looks worn at the edges, his clothes rumpled and his hair messy, while Niall has huge circles under his eyes. I notice Niall’s hand on my brother’s arm and want to roll my eyes. Since they got together and declared their love it’s been like being on the set of a romance by Barbara Cartland.
“You both look fucking awful,” I say hoarsely.
Niall laughs. “Oh my God, you came back with compassion. It’s like Simon Cowell has morphed into Mother Theresa.”
“I certainly didn’t come back with any patience for your shitty sense of humour.”
I come awake slowly, becoming aware of beeping sounds and the low hum of voices. At first I wonder whether I’ve died, but when I inhale I smell the scent of antiseptic and relax. I’m fairly sure heaven won’t smell of Dettol. I stir, trying to open my eyes, and someone’s hand comes down on mine, the skin so hot it makes me aware of how cold I am and that my teeth are chattering.
“So c-cold,” I mutter.“It’s okay,” the voice says. “You’re alright, Gid. I’m here.”
I want to smile because that halting but warm voice belongs to my baby brother, Milo, but sleep beckons me again and I fall into its welcoming arms.
The next time I wake up it’s easier. My eyes flutter open and I wince against the brightness of the light. “Fuck,” I mutter, and a low chuckle sounds from somewhere near me.
“I see your vocabulary hasn’t been improved by your brush with death.”
“Niall!” Milo sounds horrified. “What the hell?”
I shake my head and force my eyes open again. “Oh, my God! That bloody light is burning my retinas. Close the fucking blinds.” My voice sounds thick and unused.
Niall laughs. “No, don’t worry. His intellect is still at base level, as is his temper. Yes sir, I’ll get right on it for your majesty.”
There’s movement and then the room dims welcomingly.I open my eyes fully to look at my companions and immediately frown. Milo looks worn at the edges, his clothes rumpled and his hair messy, while Niall has huge circles under his eyes. I notice Niall’s hand on my brother’s arm and want to roll my eyes. Since they got together and declared their love it’s been like being on the set of a romance by Barbara Cartland.
“You both look fucking awful,” I say hoarsely.
Niall laughs. “Oh my God, you came back with compassion. It’s like Simon Cowell has morphed into Mother Theresa.”
“I certainly didn’t come back with any patience for your shitty sense of humour.”
Oz #1
That night at midnight I sit at the kitchen table looking over the mass of papers and plans and sheets of paper covered with my sprawling handwriting. I lift my glasses and rub my eyes and look again. No, still there.
I look down at my current huge shadow who is sitting by my chair and watching me with mournful brown eyes. “Are you waiting for me to start screaming, Chewwy, or just bored?”I ask conversationally. He stares at me for a long second and then gives a huge yawn which shows off his massive teeth. I shrug. “Okay, just bored.”
“I didn’t know you wore glasses.”
The deep voice coming from the kitchen door makes me jump. “Shit, you startled me.” I take my black-framed glasses off, feeling slightly self-conscious at being found talking to the dog. “I took my contact lenses out.”
Silas gives me an exhausted smile. “They suit you.”
He comes into the room fully and I look at the tired slump of his shoulders. “Have you been out on a call?”
He gives a jaw-cracking yawn that almost sets me off. “Horse birth that looked like it was about to go pear shaped.”
“Bugger. Was everything okay?”
He nods and grins. “One very pretty filly called Moonshine.”
“Aw, that’s pretty.” I pause. “So, while we had dinner you’ve had your hand up a horse’s vagina.” He nods, biting his lip in an attempt not to smile, and I grin. “After the dinner we had, I have to say your evening looks like it might have been better.”
A burst of laughter comes from him and I smile as he sinks into the chair opposite me. I can’t help the warm feeling I’m getting in my chest at making him laugh. Why, oh why, does he have to be so nice and sleepy looking?
His voice breaks into my thoughts. “How bad was it?”
I shudder. “We had beef casserole.”
He grimaces. “God, I feel your pain. Last time I forced that down I was ten and I had to eat it because my father believed in serving up leftovers until they were eaten.” I stare at him and he nods. “I had it for breakfast, lunch and supper.”
“Oh my God. Did you eat it in the end?”
“Did I, fuck. I gave it to Cyclops, our old bulldog. It made him sick, though, so I spent a whole night nursing him and mopping up vomit.” He pauses. “Which was still better than eating that shit.”
I laugh. “Is that where the desire to be a vet came from?”
He stares at the wall, deep in thought. “No. I just think that animals are better than humans for the most part. They’re simple. You love them and they love you back, and no matter how you fuck up they still love you. That’s loyalty for you.” He seems to come to and gives me an embarrassed look.
I look down at my current huge shadow who is sitting by my chair and watching me with mournful brown eyes. “Are you waiting for me to start screaming, Chewwy, or just bored?”I ask conversationally. He stares at me for a long second and then gives a huge yawn which shows off his massive teeth. I shrug. “Okay, just bored.”
The deep voice coming from the kitchen door makes me jump. “Shit, you startled me.” I take my black-framed glasses off, feeling slightly self-conscious at being found talking to the dog. “I took my contact lenses out.”
Silas gives me an exhausted smile. “They suit you.”
He comes into the room fully and I look at the tired slump of his shoulders. “Have you been out on a call?”
He gives a jaw-cracking yawn that almost sets me off. “Horse birth that looked like it was about to go pear shaped.”
He nods and grins. “One very pretty filly called Moonshine.”
“Aw, that’s pretty.” I pause. “So, while we had dinner you’ve had your hand up a horse’s vagina.” He nods, biting his lip in an attempt not to smile, and I grin. “After the dinner we had, I have to say your evening looks like it might have been better.”
A burst of laughter comes from him and I smile as he sinks into the chair opposite me. I can’t help the warm feeling I’m getting in my chest at making him laugh. Why, oh why, does he have to be so nice and sleepy looking?
His voice breaks into my thoughts. “How bad was it?”
I shudder. “We had beef casserole.”
“Oh my God. Did you eat it in the end?”
“Did I, fuck. I gave it to Cyclops, our old bulldog. It made him sick, though, so I spent a whole night nursing him and mopping up vomit.” He pauses. “Which was still better than eating that shit.”
I laugh. “Is that where the desire to be a vet came from?”
He stares at the wall, deep in thought. “No. I just think that animals are better than humans for the most part. They’re simple. You love them and they love you back, and no matter how you fuck up they still love you. That’s loyalty for you.” He seems to come to and gives me an embarrassed look.
Milo #2
“Bloody hell, is that a relation of my husband or a suspect in the Jack the Ripper case?”
I laugh and Cora startles slightly. I shush her and kiss the tiny fingers she holds up to my face. Moving next to him, I stare down at the picture. “He is a bit grim, isn’t he?”
“Grim? Caligula was grim. This is a new and previously undiscovered level of malevolence.” He cocks his head to one side. “Is it my imagination or do his eyes follow you when you move?”
I shake my head. “My remit isn’t to judge. Instead, I reveal what has been previously hidden.”
“While I’m sure that sounds romantic in your head, let’s be realistic. You’ve actually just wiped dirt off a grumpy old git’s face.”
I laugh. “I’m so glad my time at art college wasn’t wasted.”
He looks searchingly at me and opens his mouth but then closes it again. I stare at him. “Oh my God, what were you going to say? It must be bad if it’s made Oz Gallagher shut up.”
He laughs, and I look affectionately at him. I know he’s going to tell me the truth. Oz doesn’t ever shy away from that. He’s my best friend in the world and it comes as a shock to realise that I’ve only known him for a couple of years. He came here to Chi an Mor in all his wisecracking, sassy glory and proceeded to turn everyone’s lives upside down. Footloose and fancy-free, he only intended to stay for a few months and ease the old house into opening to the general public. The best-laid plans always go wrong – or right – and now he’s settled with his husband Silas, the current earl, and they have a beautiful seven-month-old daughter.
He clears his throat and looks at me, and I straighten from kissing Cora’s forehead. “What?”
“I just think that you’re actually a bit wasted here, Milo.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re so bloody talented. People from all over the country are starting to come here to consult with you, and rather than enjoying it you’re stuck in a small, cold room wearing ugly gloves and hunched over a hideous painting. It’s like something from a Dickens novel.”
He pauses for breath and I try to relax my instinctive defensive shield. I don’t need it with him.
He rubs my arm affectionately. “You’re so clever and talented and no one sees it here apart from us, and you need more than that. You should be living it up and going to exotic parties. Mixing with artists and the bohemian crowd.”
I swallow hard at the thought of the people that used to surround Thomas. “I don’t think I’m cut out for a bohemian crowd. They sound quite noisy and tiring,” I manage to say.
“Well, maybe look for a sub-branch. The whispering bohemians or something.”
I laugh and Cora startles slightly. I shush her and kiss the tiny fingers she holds up to my face. Moving next to him, I stare down at the picture. “He is a bit grim, isn’t he?”
“Grim? Caligula was grim. This is a new and previously undiscovered level of malevolence.” He cocks his head to one side. “Is it my imagination or do his eyes follow you when you move?”
I shake my head. “My remit isn’t to judge. Instead, I reveal what has been previously hidden.”
“While I’m sure that sounds romantic in your head, let’s be realistic. You’ve actually just wiped dirt off a grumpy old git’s face.”
I laugh. “I’m so glad my time at art college wasn’t wasted.”
He laughs, and I look affectionately at him. I know he’s going to tell me the truth. Oz doesn’t ever shy away from that. He’s my best friend in the world and it comes as a shock to realise that I’ve only known him for a couple of years. He came here to Chi an Mor in all his wisecracking, sassy glory and proceeded to turn everyone’s lives upside down. Footloose and fancy-free, he only intended to stay for a few months and ease the old house into opening to the general public. The best-laid plans always go wrong – or right – and now he’s settled with his husband Silas, the current earl, and they have a beautiful seven-month-old daughter.
He clears his throat and looks at me, and I straighten from kissing Cora’s forehead. “What?”
“I just think that you’re actually a bit wasted here, Milo.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re so bloody talented. People from all over the country are starting to come here to consult with you, and rather than enjoying it you’re stuck in a small, cold room wearing ugly gloves and hunched over a hideous painting. It’s like something from a Dickens novel.”
He rubs my arm affectionately. “You’re so clever and talented and no one sees it here apart from us, and you need more than that. You should be living it up and going to exotic parties. Mixing with artists and the bohemian crowd.”
I swallow hard at the thought of the people that used to surround Thomas. “I don’t think I’m cut out for a bohemian crowd. They sound quite noisy and tiring,” I manage to say.
“Well, maybe look for a sub-branch. The whispering bohemians or something.”
Lily writes contemporary romance novels, and specialises in hot love stories with a good dose of humour.
Lily lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven’t had a proper conversation with her since she bought her first Kindle.
She has spent her life with her head full of daydreams and decided one day to just sit down and start writing about them. In the process she discovered that she actually loved writing, because how else could she get to spend her time with hot, funny men!
She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations – chocolate Baileys! Her lifetime’s ambition is to have a bath in peace without being shouted by one of her family.
Joel Froomkin, a eight-time Earphones Award-Winning narrator, is a UK transplant, growing up with American parents in a British commonwealth. A classically trained actor with an MFA in theatre from USC, he is often cast for his unique ability to deliver native, authentic combinations of British and American sounds. His great range and ability to bring characters to life with honesty, wit and versatility delights producers and listeners alike. He has won Earphones Awards for 1st person British, American and Australian narrations.
He was the winner of three 2020 Independent Audiobook Awards, including Best Male Narrator. He has nearly 300 full-length audiobooks to his credit and over 25,,000 five star reviews on audible. His narration of JJ McAvoy's Ruthless People was a #1 Romance Best-Seller on audible. He served as Director of Drama at Manchester University and has been a Theatre Professor at Indiana/Purdue University.
He is a dialect specialist and has taught accents and speech at NYU, Tisch School of the Arts as well as coached accents for major regional theaters, Broadway stalwarts and national tours.
He has had the pleasure of working with Audible Studios, Penguin Random House, Dreamscape, Scholastic, Podium, Blackstone, Harper, Bee Audio, Brilliance, Deyan Audio, Tantor, Punch and Hachette.
Joel also records in the romance genre as ‘Joel Leslie’ and has developed a very strong following and garnered many awards including m/m Audiobook Narrator of the Year 2018 from openskyebookreviews and numerous Audiobook of the Year-winning titles.
Joel has consistent access to his home studio for all production needs. When not in the booth he spends his time chasing after two loquacious wiener dogs.
Lily Morton
Joel Leslie(Narrator)
Gideon #3
Oz #1
Milo #2
