TITLE:
Signs of Desire
SERIES:
Desires Entwined
AUTHOR:
Tempeste O’Riley
PUBLISHER:
Dreamspinner
Press
COVER
ARTIST: Reese Dante
LENGTH:
200 Pages
RELEASE
DATE: November 30, 2015
BLURB:
Desires Entwined: Book Four
Professor Adrian Keys has tried to date Hearing men before, but being Deaf himself, he’s never had any success at making a connection. After his friends con him into going out and Adrian realizes it’s all an elaborate plan to set him up, he braces for yet another failure, only to discover there is a spark—except it’s not with the man his friends had in mind, but with Simon Tyler instead.
Not all their friends have found a way past their romantic failures, but Simon and Adrian might be on the path to happily-ever-after.
A tap to his shoulder
pulled Adrian out of his musings. He turned and realized the server was back
with their dinners and blushed at how entranced he’d been. He didn’t usually
stare, hating when others did that to him. “Sorry.”
“No sorrys.” Chase
hugged Adrian, then dug into his bowl of chicken and dumplings.
Simon waved to get
Adrian’s attention and smiled when he looked up from his country-fried steak
and mashed potatoes with white gravy. “Chase said you were his teacher before
and are now a friend.” Adrian nodded. “How’d he convince you to go out with his
skinny butt?”
Heat infused Adrian’s
face as he laughed. “Chase was very sweet and asked nicely.”
“I love your laugh, by
the way. It’s deep like your voice, kind of carefree.” Simon looked slightly sad.
Adrian knew he’d had a hard time lately. Chase said he’d been cheated on a year
ago and had refused to date since. Adrian knew the feeling, though he pushed
the thought away, hoping not to dwell on why he was alone.
He ducked his head
slightly. “Thanks? I don’t know how anyone sounds, even myself, so it’s always
weird to get comments like that.”
“I said the same when
we went out,” Chase commented. “But don’t let him fool you. He’s an excellent
teacher and speaks in all his classes. He knows his voice is good.”
“No, I know it’s clear
enough for you to understand. That’s something I work hard to make true, but I
have never heard my voice, so I have no idea how I sound. And well…. Chase was
the first person to ever say something like that.”
He worked regularly
with various computer programs to improve and maintain his speech, knowing if
he didn’t it could cost him his position at the college. He had always
struggled to make sure he spoke well for Hearing people, considering his
family’s opinion of his Deafness. His dad knew sign language, but his mom
refused to learn, insisting he learn to be “normal.” Adrian had always thought
that was extremely unfair, especially as a child. Considering his hatred of
being dependent on others for his communication, he was thankful he could read
lips and speak as well as he did.
“Then you know the
wrong people, ’cause he’s right.” Simon nodded to emphasize his point,
confusing Adrian more. Why would he be so determined with his compliments?
Shrugging off his
curiosity, Adrian tried to push past the topic. “What do you do?”
Simon’s eyes tightened
at the edges slightly, his shoulders drooping a little more. “I’m a writer.”
“He’s a romance author,
and a damn good one,” Jamie, or James as he knew the guy’s actual name was, said.
Chase talked about his best friend often, though this was the first they’d met.
“Don’t let him talk down about what he does.”
“James, hush. He’s not
interested in what kind of writing I do.”
“Yes, I am. I love to
read. Would I know any of your work?” Adrian didn’t have a large collection of
romances, but he had read some. He couldn’t think of any authors named Simon,
though.
“You’re an author?”
Grayson asked, turning to join their conversation.
The nod seemed
reluctant, but the smile on Simon’s face, while small, looked genuine. “Yeah, I
write under the name Tyler Jacobs, a pseudonym, but I have a few books out.
But, um, I thought we were trying to get to know Adrian and Grayson, not more
about boring ol’ me.”
Adrian looked to
Grayson and back, then shrugged. “I thought it was so we could all get to know
each other.”
“Actually, I think
Chase was trying to play matchmaker,” Rhys said, shoving Chase playfully.
“Matchmaker?” Adrian
asked. Whom was he trying to set up with whom? And why?
Chase scowled and
swatted Rhys. “I was hoping to introduce a few new friends and hoped everyone
got on well, brat.” Chase reached out and patted Adrian’s hand, confusing him
further. “I swear, I’m not trying to push you if you don’t want to date anyone
right now.”
“Just who were you
hoping to match up?” Dale asked, smirking as he stared at Chase.
Honestly, Adrian wanted
to know that as well. It was obvious Chase meant to fix him up with one of his
other friends, but he couldn’t imagine which one. James was married, Chase was
happily with Rhys, and he didn’t know Simon, Dale, or Grayson beyond what he’d
learned of them since he’d arrived, really.
Only two of the people
at the table even interested him, truth be told, but he couldn’t figure out why
anyone would try to set him up with either man. In Adrian’s experience, most
Hearing people didn’t overly like dealing with having a Deaf partner. His few
exes certainly hadn’t, no matter what he did to seem more “normal.”
Chase shook his head,
clamping his lips closed as he glared at Rhys.
“Chase?” Adrian said
and signed. “Who were you hoping to set me up with and why?”
Their eyes locked for a
few moments before Chase looked away, his shoulders drooping. After a moment,
Chase turned back to face Adrian and replied, “Grayson. He’s in IT, like you
and I are, he’s super loyal and really cute in that quiet reserved-guy kind of
way.”
“Grayson?” Well, he was
handsome and seemed nice, if a little stoic. Adrian didn’t know how to feel
about Chase trying to set him up with one of his friends, though. “I can get my
own dates, Chase.”
“I know that. It….
Grayson is really nice, and I’d love to see Rhys’s buddy happy. And I like you,
but we’re not right for each other, either. I thought of you two, though. You’d
make a beautiful couple. His Native American features and your slightly Asian
ones….”
Kobo Store
Wicked Faerie's: I’ll admit I’ve fallen in love with more than
one of your characters, particularly Jamie, Chase, and Lexi. How do you pick
your character’s traits and personality? Is it that they come to you as a fully
formed character or are you more of start at
the basics and build the character up from that point?
Tempeste O'Riley: Aww, thank you! My
characters actually tend to grow organically. I begin with a basic idea and as the story develops, so does
the character. With James (Jamie) I knew
he was shy, battered, and lacking in confidence, but the rest of him developed
as I wrote. With Chase, it was harder because I knew what he was really liked
and hated hearing people fuss he was a cliché as he is so NOT, lol. I loved
writing “Desires’ Guardian” because I got to finally show the man behind the
façade.
Wicked Faerie's: What is the next book(s) that you plan on
working on?
Tempeste O'Riley: In general or in the series? In general, I’m
working on the next story in the Chain of Fate stories. This time, it’s Sasha
and Trace’s turn, lol. In the series
though... Oh, lest’s just say that there’s a smart mouthed little vet on my hot
plate next. Dale isn’t the only vet (just the only one that is the kind that works
with animals, lol) so can you guess who might be my next set of MCs?
Wicked Faerie's: Would you share a little bit of your writing process with us today?
Tempeste O'Riley: Now that’s a hard one, actually. I tend to write
in jags and burst. I begin with my basic idea and let it run in the back of m
mind while I do other things. Kind of like how we listen to music or to the TV
while not really paying a ton of
attention. But then when I sit to write, it tends
to pour out in larger burst of words. The
only real problem is that I often don’t know what’s going to be on the page
when I’m done until I’m writing.
Wicked Faerie's: Are you planning more books in the Desires
Entwined series? If so, are they characters we’ve already met or new
characters?
Tempeste O'Riley: See above, lol. Yes, The next one has both MCs
known. I have two more planned, but back to where only one MC is known. I mean, it’s a series where they are
all interconnected by James and Chase, so it has to be them and their friends,
right? J
Wicked Faerie's: What is your favorite genre to write? What is
your favorite genre to read?
Tempeste O'Riley: Write? Contemporary with at least elements of
BDSM. To read... hmm... Paranormal, I think.
Tempe is a hopeless romantic that loves strong relationships and happily-ever-afters. Though new to writing M/M, she has done many things in her life, though writing has always drawn her back–no matter what else life has thrown her way. She counts her friends, family, and Muse as her greatest blessings in life. She lives in Wisconsin with her children, reading, writing, and enjoying life.
Tempe is also a proud PAN member of Romance Writers of America®, Rainbow Romance Writers, and WisRWA. Learn more about Tempeste and her writing at http://tempesteoriley.com.
Winner’s
Prize: $25 Dreamspinner Press Gift Card
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