What does it mean to you to be called an author?

Oh wow, that’s a great question. I don’t know if anybody has actually ever asked me this before. Well, honestly… Brian Klems said it well: “Being a writer is just a way for grown ups to keep their imaginary friends.”

For me being a writer is a creative escape. Being an author means I get to share my stories and take my readers with me on a break from everyday life. And m/m romance is simply my very favorite thing to write about.

Great segue. Please tell us a little more about your new book? What kind of romance is it?

End of the Line is an “opposites attract” romance jumbled up with a fast-moving suspense plot, because what could me more fun than two men falling in love while dodging bullets and chasing bad guys.

Jake is a lone wolf. He’s guarded and keeps his past and his secrets close to his chest. Con is impulsive, emotional and has something to prove to the world. Con is like a fire storm racing through the defensive walls of Jake’s heart.

What inspired the story and how did you come up with the title?

In the opening scene were really the first words I put on paper. It inspired the whole story. Con is on the run. For a moment it looks like he has escaped, but then he turns into a dead-end road with nowhere to go. Then Jake opens the backdoor to his bar and in a case of mistaken identity offers Con a job for the night.

It’s a bit of a theme for the series. Jake’s Bar is special place. It’s a safe haven—a place to find support when life spins out of control.

That sounds fantastic. Is Jake’s Bar inspired by a real place?

I’m sure there are actual places like my fictional bar out there, but Jake’s is completely made up. But, the location, South Boston and the Seaport District, of course, is real.

And I admit I have a soft spot for South Boston. It’s where I met the love of my life and where many of our first dates happened. Long walks around Castle Island, a first kiss on M Street Beach, pub crawl on W Broadway. I have a lot of love-soaked memories of Southie. So, it was easy to pick it as the location for this new series.

South Boston’s roots are working-class Irish Catholics. There are lots of remnants all over the Letter and Number streets. South Boston still hosts an immensely popular St. Patrick’s Day Parade. But a lot has changed in the past ten years; the Seaport District was developed and turned into a buzzling hub for technology companies.

Jake, grumpy bar owner with a booming voice and an aversion to change, goes through something similar as South Boston. His bar was a peaceful place for a cold beer at the end of the day until a rainbow-colored blogpost that turned his quiet neighborhood bar into a prime hook-up spot. Now, Jake faces a whole slew of irritating challenges like crowd control, cocktails glowing like coolant, and the need to hire new staff to handle the three-ring circus his world has turned into. Still one of his ground rules stays the same: No Hate.

Grumpy, growly Jake is an unlikely hero and that’s why I love him so much. If you like your main characters a little flawed and maybe even a tad unlikable at first… Jake is your guy!

Jack’s Bar is a series, right? Are you already working on the next book?

Yes, Jake’s Bar, is a series. Each book will be a stand-alone romance with a new couple and there will be a satisfying end for the suspense plot, you know, villain caught! and boy gets boy at the end!

Of course, the bar will be the central location throughout and characters from End of the Line won’t disappear. In fact the characters of the second story are already introduced in the first book.

So, if you like End of the Line, look out for Crossing the Line in the Fall of 2022.

A mystery, a case of mistaken identity, and a cast of quirky technicolor characters make for a wonderful start to a brand new series. Set in South Boston End of the Line opens with vice cop Con on the run for his life when an undercover assignment goes horribly wrong. A wrong turn into a dead-end alley leads to the unlikely refuge of Jake’s Bar.

When one of his employees spuriously offers up a friend named Con to cover his shift at the last minute, bar owner Jake is surprised to find the mysterious man actually exists, and with a recent upturn in business, Jake will take all the help he can get. Not sure who Jake was expecting, Con just goes with it.

It isn’t lost on Jake that Con has been beaten and seems to be adrift. Life has not always been kind to Jake and though he fronts as a grump publicly, secretly he has a soft spot for each of his employees and the newest one gets under his skin fairly quickly.

Con is just happy to find a respite while he works out what went wrong with his mission. He is certain that he was betrayed but the likely suspects are people he trusts with his life and he is at loss to explain it. Jake offers sanctuary in his bar and his arms and it is an offer Con finds he can’t refuse.

Suspense and romance are constant throughout this book as the reader steadily reads racks up the clues and follows the twists and turns through the story. Jake’s Bar is the perfect location to anchor this series. The employees and regular customers offer up a diverting and enjoyable backdrop for the fast paced mystery surrounding the main characters. There are stories aplenty that need telling in the bar and it will be enjoyable to learn them. I am looking forward to a return trip not only to reacquaint myself with the characters but also to follow the larger mystery arc. I am intrigued. Though the book doesn’t end in a cliffhanger, not all is as it seems.

I received an advance review copy for free from Gay Book Promotions, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Book Title: End of the Line

Author: AG Meiers
Publisher: Painted Hearts Publishing
Release Date: July 7, 2022
Genres: Contemporary M/M Romance Suspense – Two men falling in love while budging bullets and chasing bad guys.
Tropes: Mistaken identity / opposites attract / lone wolf meets stubborn pretty boy / age gap / found family
Themes: Falling in love / chasing bad guys / overcoming trust issues / finding balance and letting go of other people’s expectations
Length: 77 672 words
Heat Rating: 4 flames
It is a standalone book and is the first in the series to be published. It does not end on a cliffhanger. Suspense and Romance are complete, but there’s a 2nd book with a new couple and a continuation of the suspense plot.

Goodreads
Buy Links
Amazon US | Amazon UK

Opposites Attract…T R O U B L E…

Blurb

Jake Devlin knows trouble when he sees it and he wants no part of it. His quiet, peaceful life is a hard-fought dream. And the man who stumbles through the backdoor of Jake’s bar—beaten to hell—he is trouble with a capital T. The last thing Jake needs is to get involved with the sexy and secretive stranger. He definitely shouldn’t offer him a place to stay. But…he does…

Murder and mayhem follow Detective Miguel Conway. One minute he’s working a case, and the next, his cover is blown and he barely escapes with his life. Con didn’t expect Jake to offer help when he needs it most. And he definitely wasn’t prepared to fall for the grumpy ex-Marine. But…he does…

Attraction sparks as the two men are thrown together to figure out who wants to keep Con quiet and why. Well, at least Con is trying to solve his case. Jake is mainly trying to protect the young, impulsive cop. Midnight stakeouts, a celebrity wedding, and passion-filled nights—can Jake and Con find the balance between taking risks and keeping safe? And turn attraction into happily ever after?

But none of that matters if they fail to get the target off Con’s back…

Series: End of the Line, Book 1 in the award-winning Jake’s Bar series, is a steamy, M/M romantic suspense featuring a rainbow-colored bar full of quirky characters, and all the romance you can handle. It’s a place where you can always find support (and a cold beer) when life spins out of control. So, download today, and get ready to fall in love with Jake’s Bar.

Excerpt

A gay bar. Thank you, Jesus. A fucking gay bar. Loud and proud. Con’s kind of place, but none of Murphy’s men would be caught dead in here. Con’s body hurt all over, but they hadn’t found him. He’d given his pursuers the slip and was out of the rain.

About an hour ago—close to two in the morning—Jake had flipped the lights on and kicked everybody out. People barely dared to finish their drinks when the big, bulky man with his booming voice told them to go the fuck home. Con would be surprised if any of them would come back. Damn, Jake was something else. Con had a thing for guys who took charge and thinking of it sent sparks down his spine.

Jake had offered Con to call it a night as soon as the last guest had left the place. Clearly, he hadn’t missed that Con was moving slower and slower as the night progressed. And fuck, his ribs hurt something fierce. Still, he had declined Jake’s offer to leave right away. The bar owner had raised an eyebrow, but much to his relief, Jake had started to put the chairs up himself while Con got a broom. And every time he tried to do anything but sweep, Jake had thundered at him to stay out of the way.

“Are you trying to dig a hole with that broom? I think that corner is clean enough,” Jake said quietly from across the room, his tall frame propped against the bar—arms crossed—watching. Jake’s calm focus sent chills over Con’s body as he forced himself to relax with a few more long inhales and exhales. His overtired brain fired some images of being at the receiving end of Jake’s laser sharp attention under different circumstance—with a whole lot less distance between them, and fewer clothes. Jake was hot in an angry, pissed-off way. Square. Solid. A force to be reckoned with.

Loud tapping of Jake’s fingers onto the bar brought Con back from his wayward thoughts. For a moment, the impatient rhythm was the only sound, then Jake let out a huff of air and said, “Listen, I’m not sure how to ask this, but—do you have anywhere to go tonight?”

“Yes, of course, I—” Con’s answer had been a reflex, but he actually had no idea how to end this sentence.

“You can stay here if you have nowhere safe to go.”<

Nowhere safe. How did he know? Con’s heart skipped a beat and then started to race again in his chest. His eyes shot over to the front door. How the fuck did he know?

“Hey, calm down.” Jake pushed himself up from the counter and walked a few steps closer but then stopped again. “You have no defensive wounds. And, well, you’re a big dude, so I wonder what happened to you tonight.”

Three against one. I never had a chance.

“It’s fine. You’re safe. Is it okay if I touch you?” Jake was suddenly by his side, his voice soft. Gently, a hand came down on his shoulder. “It’s okay. Why don’t you just stay on my couch tonight?”

The warmth of Jake’s hand seeped through his skin. Con gritted his jaw to steel himself against the sudden need to lean in. Any other time, he’d have given Jake crap for treating him like a wounded animal, but his beat-up body was starting to give in on him. “That would be great,” he managed through clenched teeth.

About the Author

Eighteen years ago, AG Meiers came to the US for adventure and stayed for love. Currently, she lives in New England with her husband and two awesome kids—balancing work, friends and family, and writing.

When she has some free time, her favorite thing to do is travel and visit new places. Her past trips have already brought her to a variety of countries on four continents. She never passes up an opportunity to experience different cultures, diverse people and amazing locations.

Even though she has been dreaming up stories all her life, she has only recently started to write them down and share them with the world. As a writer she loves to put her characters through a lot of challenges, conflict and heartbreak, before she allows them to find their happy-ever-after.