New Release Spotlight: The Wingman by Holly Day

My dear friend Holly Day is visiting today, talking about her brand new release The Wingman. She brought an excellent excerpt, so excellent I’m gonna have to read this book even though one of the MCs doesn’t want a boyfriend! (You’ll get it soon, I promise! 😆 )

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Hello, everyone! Thank you, Nell, for letting me swing by again. I’m here today to chat about my 14th release in the same number of months. This time around, we’re celebrating National Wingman Day, which is observed annually on February 13th. I’m guessing it has something to do with the 14th being Valentine’s, and we’re supposed to go on dates then, but I could be wrong.

Wingmen… Do we really need wingmen? I’d be extremely uncomfortable to have a friend try to score for me. I mean, I met my husband in 2002, so I haven’t tried to score in quite some time LOL, but seriously?

If a person came to chat up their friend to me, I’d be hesitant and would probably sneak away at the first opportunity. There has to be something wrong with them if they can’t fix dates on their own, right?

Do your own trolling, peeps!

In The Wingman, it’s more a case of a self-proclaimed wingman than something the characters have agreed upon. Cole got out of an abusive relationship a year ago and has been holing up in his bakery ever since – happy in his own little world of cinnamon and vanilla. And who wouldn’t be?!

But then we have Gavin, Cole’s best friend, and he thinks it’s time for Cole to hook up with someone. He takes it upon himself to find the perfect guy for Cole.

Nell once told me that she doesn’t like books where the main character doesn’t want a boyfriend. I’m sorry, Nell, but Cole doesn’t want a boyfriend. The only one he wants to spend time with is Gavin. 

They go to a bar, but since Cole has no interest in any of the guys there, and Gavin deems everyone unworthy of Cole’s attention, his success as a wingman is questionable LOL.

I loved writing this story. It’s just a short little thing, but it’s very dear to me, even if the concept of a wingman is absurd 😆

A wingman should help me get a date, not glare everyone to death.

Blurb:

A year ago, Cole Hudson got out of an abusive relationship. Since then, he’s been hiding in the kitchen of his bakery, avoiding people best he can. He prefers it there, but his best friend Gavin has other ideas.

Gavin is set on finding him a boyfriend, but Cole doesn’t like hanging around bars, and it’s precisely what Gavin has in mind. As Cole’s self-proclaimed wingman, Gavin is on the hunt for a worthy partner, but it isn’t an easy find.

Cole doesn’t want to date; he only wants to spend time with Gavin. Gavin only wants Cole to be happy. How many men flocking around Cole will he have to chase away before the right one shows up?

Gay Contemporary Romance: 11,424 words

Buy links

JMS Books :: Amazon :: books2read/TheWingman

Excerpt:

The February night was icy cold, and Cole shivered. He took a stumbling step, and Gavin grabbed his arm, which had him hissing.

“This no-touch thing, it’s new.” He didn’t make it a question but he let go of Cole’s arm.

“You touch me.”

“Yes, but you flinch and wince and hiss. And when someone wants in your pants, you panic.”

Cole opened his mouth to object, but what came out was a deep sigh. It formed a cloud in the cold.

“You used to touch me.”

Cole stared at him. “What?”

“Before. You used to grab my arm, shove me, slap my shoulder, sometimes you hugged me. I believed you stopped because you were angry.”

With a stumbling step, Cole came to a stop. “What?” He wanted to hug Gavin, but he didn’t want to appear… needy. He could manage on his own.

“I disappointed you. I should’ve been around more, should’ve checked in on you way more often than I did, but the asshole was always there, and I didn’t want to cause trouble.”

Cole stared while trying to make sense of the words. “What… do you mean?”

“We always looked out for each other, and I failed you. I know I did, but for how long are you gonna be angry with me?”

“I’m not angry.” He rubbed his forehead. “Why would I be angry?”

Gavin narrowed his eyes. “You’re avoiding me.”

Cole shook his head. He wasn’t, he just… “It’s cold, let’s go.”

Gavin grabbed his arm, and instantly he stiffened again.

“See? I might be stupid, but I can tell when I’m not wanted. It’s a superpower I have. I never believed I’d see it in you, but I know I’ve failed you.”

“No.” The crushed look on Gavin’s face broke Cole’s heart. “This is why we don’t drink.”

Gavin raised one eyebrow, but this time it wasn’t playful like it most often was. “We used to drink. Used to go out and grab a beer together all the time.”

They had, before Brian. Cole stared; he hadn’t reflected on how it had changed. “I’m not angry. I’m not disappointed. And nothing of what happened was your fault.”

“What happened, Cole?”

Cole shook his head. “Let’s go.”

Gavin said nothing but walked next to Cole—close, but not close enough to touch.

“I’m not angry.” How could he ever think Cole was angry with him?

“You’re something.”

Cole nodded, he was, but it had nothing to do with Gavin. “I’m broken.”

Gavin snorted. “You’re not broken. You need a good—”

“If you say fuck, I’ll hit you. I don’t want or need to get laid, okay?”

Gavin narrowed his eyes. “But I’m your wingman.”

“You’re my friend. And let’s be honest, you haven’t been acting like a wingman. Joseph called you my guard dog.”

“Joseph?” He growled the name.

“The man you saved me from.”

“Cupcake, you’re a magnet. I’ve saved you from a lot of men tonight.” He straightened his back as if proud, and Cole snorted.

“That’s what I mean. A wingman should help me get a date, not glare everyone to death.” Though he didn’t mind. Gavin could glare at whomever he wanted.

“They don’t deserve you.”

Cole’s heart did a double beat. “What?”

“Fishing for compliments.” Gavin tsked, but a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“No. I… why take me there if you don’t think I should be with any of them?”

Gavin shrugged and put his hands in his pockets. “Let’s get a move on. It’s freaking cold.”

Cole could only agree and hurried his steps toward his apartment. They didn’t speak until they reached the door and Cole turned to Gavin. “I… eh… had a great—”

“Get in. I’m coming with you.”

“No, you don’t—”

“We’re not done talking.”

“What?” Cole stared at him. They didn’t talk. It was an unspoken rule. Cole fed Gavin cinnamon rolls, and Gavin brought a couple of beers and a movie if something was bothering one of them. They did not talk about it. But Gavin hadn’t been around with a case of beer and a movie in years.

“We don’t talk, Gav. It’s not who we—” It was a lame attempt to get out of what was coming.

“We are now. You end up in hospitals when we don’t talk—”

“It had nothing to do with us not talking.”

Gavin motioned for him to go up the stairs, and Cole sighed.

About Holly:

According to Holly Day, no day should go by uncelebrated and all of them deserve a story. If she’ll have the time to write them remains to be seen. She lives in rural Sweden with a husband, four children, more pets than most, and wouldn’t last a day without coffee.

Holly gets up at the crack of dawn most days of the week to write gay romance stories. She believes in equality in fiction and in real life. Diversity matters. Representation matters. Visibility matters. We can change the world one story at the time.

Connect with Holly on social media:

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