Maggie Blackbird

Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. Readers can jump from one author to another who share hooks from their current WIP (work in progress) or any previously published books.

For this week’s edition of Book Hooks, I give you a teaser from Two Princes, the first book in the When We Were Young series, a young adult, LGBTQ+ contemporary romance.

To win over the chief’s haughty son, a drug-dealing punk from a dysfunctional family must risk the only two things he has:  his reputation and freedom.

Blurb:  Billy Redsky, a rebellious punk who loves art and nature, is saddled with a welfare-leeching, alcoholic mother and criminal older brother who are the joke of their Ojibway community.  Sick and tired of being perceived as a loser, Billy deals drugs for his older brother to earn quick money.  He hopes if he buys a dirt bike, he’ll finally impress the chief’s popular and aloof son, René Oshawee.

When the two are forced to serve detention together, a friendship begins to bloom, but much to Billy’s frustration, René keeps putting him on ice.  To make his biggest dream come true if he finally wants to call René his own, Billy must make a huge decision that could cost him everything.

Genre(s):  Multicultural Romance, M/M Contemporary Romance, LGBTQ+, Young Adult.
Heat Rating: Level 2
Publication Date:  June 12, 2020
Publisher:  eXtasy Books

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René hiked an eyebrow. “I get tense?”

“You’re always on the defense.”

“Maybe I am.” René picked up his chicken. “But am I tonight?” He grinned and bit into the leg.

“No. You’re pretty chill. Are you getting used to me?” Billy leaned in, holding his fry.

“Yeaaah. You could say I am.” René wiggled his nose in a flirty sort of way. His eyes shone.

“Admit it. The first time you picked me up in your wheels was ‘cause you dig me.” Billy snickered. He stuffed the fry into his mouth.

“Oh, as if…” But teasing lurked in René’s answer. “I told you, I woulda picked up anyone who’s forced to walk to school.”

“You knew my story?”

“Who doesn’t,” René replied through a mouthful of chicken. “But you’re different from your buds.”

“Yeah? You thought so?”

“I knew so.” René set down his chicken and wiped his mouth. “Lemme put it this way. How many guys take an hour to pick out a video to rent each time they show up? And how many show up when they don’t have money to rent a video and hang for a good hour?”

Heat flooded Billy’s face. “Y’knew then?”

“I told you, my friend really helped me. I wasn’t sure if you dug me, but I knew you wanted something from me.”

“Is this friend Keith Harlow?”

A deep shade of crimson saturated René’s cheekbones. His eyes darted to the left. He licked his lower lip. “I… I… Dude, I can’t answer you.”

“I’m not gonna say anything.” Billy also set down his chicken leg.

“How do you know about Keith?” Suspicion flickered in René’s gaze.

A trickle of fear seeped down Billy’s back. “I… I stopped in to visit Daniel. I wanted to get to know your brother. We got to talking and… and he mentioned Keith to me.”

The suspicion never vanished. René drew in his cheeks and lifted his finger.

Billy leaned back.

“Keith’s a good friend.” René spoke quietly with a hint of defensiveness.

“He’s the friend, isn’t he?”

“Are you spying on me?” René leaned in, finger still aimed at Billy.

Aww shit, caught. “N-no. I told you. I was happening by the band office. Ned said I should get to know… Daniel.”

“You are, too.” René’s face contorted to disgust. He glanced around, but the only people present were an older couple. “Where the—”

“Maybe if you’d level, I wouldn’t have to play Sherlock Holmes.” Billy was done with melting into his seat. He also leaned in, staring. “You hide everything on me. What’s the deal? You got more secrets than a closet full of skeletons.”

“I don’t have secrets. I don’t like people getting—”

“… too close? Seeing you for who you really are,” Billy fired back. “You’re seeing me for who I am. I don’t see you getting up and leaving.”

“What you are is the most intrepid person I’ve ever met.” René tossed his napkin on the table.

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