Blurb:
He could work miracles with His Hands
Lance Bartner loved working with his hands, made his living refinishing furniture. Nights out were for fun with friends and the occasional hook-up. Though the L word had never been spoken, he would have enjoyed a relationship had the right man crossed his path. But who would want a laborer like Lance? He wasn’t college educated, didn’t live in a fancy loft condo, didn’t drive a Lexus, and didn’t even
own a suit.
Forrest Dentren, was an architect and city planner who had become a local name when his design for the Monroe City Center was chosen as one of the top three contenders. Well educated, extremely well built, and as both men and women put it, just plain hot. Some said he was married to his job, others said he was too picky, many said he didn’t want to share the spotlight.
One hot, uninhibited sex-filled night
When Forrest broke his routine and went clubbing on a weeknight, he spotted Lance. The attraction was immediate from both sides of the dance floor. They both felt it. A few drinks later, still feeling it, they left for Lance’s apartment.
It was never supposed to turn into anything more than one hot fuck
Two people from opposite ends of the world, no roadmap, not directions, no ideas how to make it work.
Architect Of Love is a hot and steamy, gay romance novel with no cliffhangers. It is the second book in The Fated Soulmates series and can be read as a standalone.
Where To Buy:
Smashwords || Amazon
Review:
I was very excited to read this story when I heard about it. However it wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be. Lance and Forrest weren’t as developed as they could have been. Their relationship progressed a little awkwardly at times. I questioned if they were truly going to make it or were even right for each other. The obstacle they had to overcome was a valid fear of Lance’s but it was handled in way that made it seem like he was overreacting and being a diva. If Lance and Forrest had talked when things went down, they would have had a stronger bond. The time they spent apart took up a larger portion of the book than I expected. The ending wound up being rushed and a little forced since there wasn’t as much time spent on building that connect between Lance and Forrest. As a general rule I’m not concerned if a character has sex with someone other than who he winds up with. Especially if it’s during a time they’re not together. But in this story the sex with someone else didn’t further the plot in any way. It was sex for sex’s sake. Granted it was hot sex. But I would have preferred those scenes removed and that word space used to work on Lance and Forrest. I actually liked the storyline with Forrest’s architect firm. It was fascinating seeing how he interacted with his employees and handled the business. He treated the people that worked for him like family.
Stars:
Three
Interview:
Molly: What music, if any do you listen to when you write?
John: I need total quiet when I write. I’ve tried listening to music, in the past, and found it to be a distraction.
Molly: Are you a full time writer, or part time writer?
John: Now that I’ve retired from my former career, I write fulltime.
Molly: What was the transition like between part time and full time writer?
John: The transition was not from part to full-time writer. I had been writing for my career for over 40 years. Those documents were marketing brochures, user manuals, technical manuals, etc.
When I retired, I wrote several non-fiction books under the pen name Aaron Sinclare, and found it to be too much like work. So, I transitioned from non-fiction to fiction, using the pen name John Charles, and never looked back.
Molly: Do you have a word count per day you try to hit?
John: I try to write between 1500 and 4000 words per day. Yes, that is a wide range. I have found myself running out of steam when nearing the 1500 mark. Yet, on other days, I am still running strong at 5000 words. My minimum is 1500.
Molly: When you finish writing a book, how long before you begin writing the next one?
John: I have several books outlined and will often open one or more of those files even while I’m still writing a book. If it feels good, I will print out a few pages of the outline and keep them on my desk for inspiration.
I also, start outlines for book ideas even if I only have a few thoughts. That way, I’m never without something to write.
When I complete a book, I usually take a week or so off before I pick up the next project.
About John:
As a youngster, I not only had trouble reading, I couldn’t string two sentences together. Reading was a chore, but I had to read for school and work. In my sophomore year of college, with the help of my aunt and several courses I learned to get past my, until then undiagnosed, dyslexia. After that, reading actually started to become fun. Now I read constantly.
My desire to become an author developed through the years as my own children grew. We read books every night. When they were little I read to them. As they grew, and learned how to read, they read to me.
We congregated on the couch, or on one of their beds, and read stories together. It was fun, crazy, and sometimes frustrating. There were times when schedules made group reading difficult, but individual sessions were managed most nights.
During those years of family growth, I developed the desire to write my own books. Initially I thought about writing children’s books – and developed outlines for a couple of them. As my children grew and began reading different genres, my desires changed, too.
Then I discovered the gay themed mystery – I couldn’t get enough.
I started writing gay (male/male) themed novels, using my pen name John Charles and never looked back. I find developing a character that is passionate about his life and the life of his lover is a turn on to many readers as well as to me. So I try to develop that passion in my books and endeavor to make each character special.
The plots in my novels come from real life situations. I have always believed that real life is more interesting than anything a person could make up. I listen, keep my eyes open, and let the world give me the ideas that make my stories believable and interesting.
I find myself enjoying writing more than anything I’ve ever done in my life.
Author Contact:
Website: http://johncharlesbooks.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/johncharlesauth
Molly Lolly 