Author Name: Elizabeth Noble
Book Name: Gone Away
Series: Circles
Book: Four
This book can be read as a standalone
Release
Date: January 6, 2016
Blurb:
Mason
Arquette isn’t one for mincing words. In fact, he often rubs people the wrong
way—with the exception of Riece Burrell. Riece came with his own set of social
issues, but he saw right through Mason’s tough exterior, and they made a
perfect couple. Or so Mason thought… until Riece abruptly ended their
relationship without much explanation.
Years later, Mason and Riece are thrown back together. As a US Forestry
Service photographer, Riece is sent on assignment to the Black Hills, where
Mason works. When Mason is tasked with guiding Riece around the territory, old
feelings quickly are rekindled.
But nothing is ever easy. Just as Mason and Riece begin to work things out,
they’re targeted by people with motives so vile and twisted they defy
imagination. In a desperate race for their lives, they must depend on one
another and take a big step out of their personal comfort zones to find their
way back to safety—and back to love.
Pages or Words: 115 pages
Categories: Contemporary, Crime Fiction,
Fiction, Gay Fiction, MM Romance, Mystery
Excerpt:
“Hungry?”
Mason poked at the campfire he’d started. This spot was a popular one. There
was already a fire pit rimmed with rock and stone, set against an outcrop and
facing a small stand of trees. Whoever constructed it had clearly thought out
the location well. The trees were far enough away to be of minimal danger from
the fire, yet close enough to be convenient for hanging food from. Their fire
was protected by the outcrop and the shallow pit.
Riece turned
and studied Mason and their camp. He grinned and raised his camera to take a
few more pictures. “You photograph very well.” Riece walked over and sat beside
Mason. “Want to see?”
“Sure. If I
don’t like them, do they get deleted?”
“No,” Riece
said and rolled his eyes. He settled on the ground beside Mason and leaned
against him while going through the photos he’d taken that day.
Without
thinking, Mason lifted one arm and put it around Riece, tucking him close to
his side. “Those are pretty good. Even the ones with me in them.” Both of their
actions seemed natural and easy.
Riece snorted
and pulled the micro-memory chip out. “Of course they are. I have excellent
technique.”
Mason laughed
and handed Riece his bag. Riece extracted a plastic case, slipped the chip into
one of the slots, and put a new one in the camera. “What’s on the menu?”
“Chicken
burritos—well, my version. I threw some potatoes on to bake too, and the
all-time campfire favorite of s’mores.”
“Oh, nice. I
haven’t had those since I was a kid. My mom used to make them for me over the
stove.”
“You haven’t
had s’mores until you’ve had them made over an open fire,” Mason said.
Riece tucked
his camera away, and they set about assembling and eating their dinner. Mason
squeezed shredded chicken from foil pouches onto tortilla wraps. They added
shredded cheese, some salami, and dried fruits and spices to the mix. Mason
rolled them in foil and set them on the hot embers from the fire to warm up.
Dried power-drink mix to add to their water completed the meal. It was
completely dark by the time Mason loaded skewers with marshmallows for
roasting.
“That was
pretty good.” Riece leaned against his pack and gazed up at the sky.
Mason
laughed. “What were you expecting, squirrel meat?”
“I was
worried about what we were going to eat. I’ll admit I had visions of
freeze-dried food packets. I didn’t really pay attention when you were packing.
I was afraid to look too closely,” Riece confessed.
“Tomorrow
we’ll be near a river, and we can score some fresh fish and use our water
filters to refill our bottles. I’ll show you how to spear fish.” Mason stood
and stretched. When he began collecting their food stocks and garbage, Riece
immediately joined in, helping him. “Anything like toothpaste or mouthwash
we’ll store in our sack as well. That stuff smells good to wildlife too.”
“We can keep
the lube with us, right?”
That made
Mason laugh. “I wouldn’t dream of having it any other way. It’s nice enough out
tonight. I can set the tent up, or we can sleep without it.”
“If you don’t
mind, and if the wildlife will cover their eyes, I’d like to be able to see the
open sky.” Riece sat cross-legged near the fire and pushed his hands against
the ground. “Sort of hard and lumpy.”
“You’re such
a city boy,” Mason said with a chuckle. “That’s what I brought a sleeping pad
for.”
“Now who’s
being a city boy? I was thinking more along the lines of how comfortable you are to sleep on.”
Mason smiled,
rolled his eyes, and shook his head before he went about completing the task of
getting their sleeping area readied. Riece packed their food in the bear bag
they would use to secure it high enough off the ground it would be safe. Using
a rock and some utility cord, Mason showed Riece how to rig it between two
trees.
“We’ll use
this as a base camp, hike farther out tomorrow, and come back here to sleep
before heading to the next area you need to go to,” Mason explained. He’d
spread the map out and traced their path with one finger.
Riece looked
over his shoulder. Mason could feel his warm breath on the back of his neck and
how he nodded every few seconds. Eventually Mason spread the sleeping pad out,
and Riece inflated it before arranging their bedrolls over it.
The
temperature dropped fast after the sun went down. Riece was lying on his back,
arms bent under his head, looking up at the sky. They’d hiked quite a way that
day, and Mason was getting tired. He spent a few minutes watching Riece. He’d
folded his clothes and neatly placed them in his backpack, which made Mason
smile. Even in the wilderness, there were some things Riece would do to follow
his routine, and there was no stopping him. Mason had learned long ago trying
to make Riece give up too many of his habits too quickly would cause him to
close off and withdraw. Something Mason wanted to avoid at all cost.
Mason stripped off his clothes before he slid into the
bedroll with Riece and wrapped one arm around his waist. Despite the cool night
air, he was warm in seconds with Riece’s body against his.
Meet the author:
Elizabeth Noble
started telling stories before she actually knew how to write, and her family
was very happy when she learned to put words on a page. Those words turned into
fan fiction that turned into a genuine love of M/M romance fiction. Being able
to share her works with Dreamspinner is really a dream come true. She has a
real love for a good mystery complete with murder and twisty plots as well as
all things sci-fi, futuristic, and supernatural and a bit of an unnatural
interest in a super-volcano in Wyoming.
Elizabeth has three
grown children and is now happily owned by an adorable mixed breed canine
princess and one tabby cat. She lives in her native northeast Ohio, the perfect
place for gardening, winter and summer sports (go Tribe!). When she's not
writing she's working as a veterinary nurse, so don't be surprised to see her
men with a pet or three who are a very big part of their lives.
Three of
Elizabeth's books have received Honorable Mentions in the Rainbow Awards.
Where to find the author:
Twitter: @elizabethnoble1
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover
Artist: TL Bland
Tour Dates & Stops:
Parker Williams, The Hat Party, BFD
Book Blog,
Butterfly-O-Meter, Bayou Book Junkie, Book
Lovers 4Ever,
Happily Ever Chapter, A.M.
Leibowitz,
V's Reads, Sinfully Addicted to All Male Romance, Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews, Molly Lolly, 3
Chicks After Dark,
Dawn’s Reading Nook, Havan Fellows, Alpha
Book Club,
Velvet Panic, MM Good Book Reviews, Inked
Rainbow Reads,
Charley Descoteaux, Cheekypee Reads and Reviews, Two
Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy,
My Fiction Nook, Kirsty Loves Books
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Prize: A book from Elizabeth’s extensive backlist
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