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 Twisted Beauty, a m/m dystopian romance. Be sure to check out other book hooks by other participating authors HERE.
His community or his enemy. He can’t have both.
Deep in the badlands, long after the fall of modern civilization, Hunter patrols the area as the war chief for his Lakota community. His latest mission is to hunt down a marauder who robbed his neighbors of their precious goods. He’ll act as this man’s judge, jury, and executioner.
Having lost everything at his former Ojibway encampment, Chassis is far from home. He wanders the badlands, a grim reaper bringing death to those with what he needs to survive. But there is one man courageous enough to challenge him.
When the duo faces off, neither expects the sizzling chemistry to erupt between them, nor for their duel to touch what both have denied themselves. Now they must choose to either remain together and sacrifice their beliefs, or go their separate ways, losing what they’ve spent their lives searching for—love.
Genre(s): M/M Dystopian Romance, LGBTQ+, First Nations Romance, Native American Romance
Heat Rating: Level 4 (violence, dubious consent)
Publication Date: November 3, 2023
Publisher: eXtasy Books
“I guess we’re not much different, after all, hey?” Chassis stared back. His gaze was as casual as drinking a cup of coffee.
“Not much different?” The red anger heating Hunter’s chest vanished.
“Yeah, if you would’ve listened to me in the car—instead of playing judge, which you seem to love doing—you would’ve realized what we both do is fight to stay alive. Nothing more.”
Hunter let go of the collar.
Chassis rested against the car.
“But I don’t force anyone to—”
“I see. You believe I con everyone into sucking my dick? Hey, you offered. So who was I to tell you no? As you like to tell me—you’re fucking handsome and everyone wants you. So why would I be any different? Is that what you’re thinking?”
“What am I supposed to believe when my job is to defend my people from the vermin of the badlands? You wouldn’t believe some of the heinous crimes I’ve witnessed—” Hunter swiped at the stray locks that had slipped from his ponytail.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Chassis tilted his head. “Maybe I’ve witnessed the same acts of depravity.”
Hunter drew in a big breath. “Fine. I can understand you needed fuel and food which was why you robbed my neighbors. And I’ll even thank you for sparing their lives because you fight to survive—just like we do. But the blow job…why?”
“I told you why.”
The flippant reply settled under Hunter’s skin like an unbearable itch, and he reached for the marauder’s collar for the second time. “You son of a bitch—”
“Let. Go.”
“No.” Hunter shook the piece of vermin. “You tell me why.”
“There is no why.” Chassis’ tone was a low growl. “Maybe after five years I finally felt like getting some when you made the offer.”
“Five—five years…” Hunter stumbled backward. He had his answer.
Not so different.
Wasn’t this what the marauder had been telling Hunter from the get-go?
Maybe Chassis wasn’t a marauder. Maybe he was a man fighting to stay alive the same as everyone else—a lonely man who desired human company the same as everyone else? A solitary man who wished to simply touch and breathe in another’s scent for a half hour? Was the man standing before him secretly yearning for a companion? Was that why he kept a rabbit as a pet? But an animal couldn’t provide the basic needs only a human being could.
Had this man been unconsciously searching?
“Chassis. That’s your name,” Hunter murmured. For some weird reason, he couldn’t think of the guy as a marauder anymore, or as vermin.
Did Chassis feel as lost as Hunter did from time to time? He couldn’t stop breathing in the essence of proud masculinity. Powerful. The aroma was intoxicating. Up until now, he’d only held absolute admiration for Justice. But after meeting Chassis, Hunter was beginning to understand that Justice shared the same way of thinking.
Wait, Justice had trained Hunter’s mind to think like every other warrior at Voodoo Canyon. Maybe that was why he’d never committed to monogamy, had insisted their relationship remain open. There was nobody back home who could raise the hairs on the back of his neck like Chassis could, stir something in his crotch the way Chassis could, and crawl under his skin in the most antagonistic way that Chassis could.
Hunger stewed. The same hunger that had left Hunter wanting to unearth what consensual sex would feel like with…
Instinct guided him. He planted both hands on each side of Chassis. Lips with triangular tips seemed to twitch in anticipation.
Heat.
Raw heat.
It was the same potent scent Hunter had drunk at the ravine.
CHECK OUT OTHER BOOK HOOKS HERE FROM PARTICIPATING AUTHORS
Maggie Blackbird 