Tarnished Gold by Brita Addams Book Spotlight
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Tarnished Gold by Brita Addams
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Genre: M/M Romance
Tarnished: Book One
Tarnished: Book One
In 1915, starstruck Jack
Abadie strikes out for the gilded streets of the most sinful town in the
country—Hollywood. With him, he takes a secret that his country hometown would
never understand.
After years of hard work
and a chance invitation to a gay gentlemen's club, Jack is discovered. Soon,
his talent, matinee idol good looks, and affable personality propel him to the
height of stardom. But fame breeds distrust.
Meeting Wyatt Maitland
turns Jack’s life upside down. He wants to be worthy of his good fortune, but
old demons haunt him. Only through Wyatt's strength can Jack face that which
keeps him from being the man he wants to be. Love without trust is empty.
As the 1920s roar,
scandals rock the movie industry. Public tolerance of Hollywood's decadence has
reached its limit. Under pressure to clean up its act, Jack’s studio issues an
ultimatum. Either forsake the man he loves and remain a box office darling, or
follow his heart and let his shining star fade to tarnished gold.
~Excerpt~
Since the day he’d seen
Wallace Reid in The House of Silence at the Prytania, all he could think of was
going to Hollywood and becoming a star. Maybe one day he’d even meet his idol.
Jack checked his pocket
watch, a birthday gift from his father. The train would leave at six thirty,
and with the three-hour leeway they’d allowed, they’d get to New Orleans Depot
with little time to spare.
Andrew, his unwitting
accomplice, would make it easier to get past his parents and out of the house,
before they forced him to damn himself to eternal hell with more lies.
Jack could barely button
his Sunday shirt for his trembling fingers. He donned his waistcoat and
trousers, already feeling hotter than he had just out of his bath. Before he
slipped into his church coat, he applied pomade to his unruly hair, then raked
a comb through. He’d always admired the shine of Wallace Reid’s hair and did
his best to emulate it every Sunday for church.
He ticked off another
box on his mental checklist. Dressed and ready to go. He’d already hidden his
meagerly supplied valise behind the barn.
He cast a gaze around
the dusty, cramped attic room he and his brother had always shared. His unmade
bed made him wonder how easily he’d take to another one. On impulse, he fluffed
up his pillow and put it back in place. Bad enough his mother would find his
farewell note propped up against it, no need for her to see the impression of
his head to make her even sadder.
He so wished he could
have the life he wanted without hurting those he loved, but sadly, he saw no
other way. Years of working in the cane fields was no life for a guy with his
ambitions.
“Emery’s here,” Andrew
shouted up the stairs.
His heart leapt. Just a
few more moments, and he’d be in the clear. “Coming.”
He patted his waistcoat
pockets. Pocket watch in one and his life savings in the other. He walked out
the door without a second thought, and down the stairs.
His sickly father,
Wilfred, sat in his favorite chair, reading the newspaper as he did most every
day. He’d likely head back to the cane fields after the heat of the day
dissipated somewhat.
His father glanced up
over his glasses when Jack entered the room. “Where you headed?”
Jack decided he wouldn’t
miss his father’s gruffness. “The picture show.”
Wilfred shook his head.
“You spend entirely too much time with your head in the clouds, boy.”
Predictable response and
nothing he hadn’t heard a million times before. “Yes, sir.”
“You are mighty dressed
up for the picture show,” his mother said from across the room. “Andrew said
you’re meeting Bessie.”
“Yes, Mama,” he said,
his fingers firmly crossed behind his back.
“I’m so happy to hear
that. She’s a nice Catholic girl. You know we’d like to see you married soon.
You’re twenty, time you settled down.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jack said,
his eyes trained on the door, Emery, and freedom.
“We need more help in
the fields. I ain’t gonna live forever.”
“Yes, Papa. I’ve got to
go.”
His mother shouted after
him as he leaped off the porch. “Dinner at six. Invite Bessie for some birthday
cake.”
He waved, but didn’t
answer. One less lie to cross his lips.
Buy Links: Amazon DreamSpinner Press
~About the Author~
Born in a small town in
upstate New York, Brita Addams has made her home in the sultry south for many
years. In the Frog Capital of the World, Brita shares her home with her
real-life hero—her husband, and a fat cat named Stormee. All their children are
grown.
Given her love of
history, Brita writes both het and gay historical romance. Many of her
historicals have appeared on category bestseller lists at various online
retailers.
Musa Publishing
publishes Brita’s heterosexual historical romances, including the rewritten and
expanded, best-selling Sapphire Club series, each with new titles. Again, each
of the titles have again hit the best-selling lists at various online vendors.
Tarnished Gold, the
first in her gay romance Tarnished series for Dreamspinner Press, was a winner
in the 2013 Rainbow Awards, Historical Romance category. The book also received
nominations for Best Historical and Best Book of 2013 from the readers of the Goodreads
M/M Romance Group.
A bit of trivia—Brita
pronounces her name, Bree-ta, and not Brit-a, like the famous water filter.
Brita Addams is a mash-up of her real middle name and her husband's middle
name, with an additional d and s.
~Giveaway~
Brita is giving away an eBook of her backlist (For Men Like Us,
Tarnished Gold, Tarnished Souls or Freedom in His Arms)
For a chance to win please fill out the rafflecopter below.
I'm looking forward to reading this. I've heard good things.
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