Now that Shane Templar has stripped the armour from Matt Langer’s heart, will either of them ever be safe again?

Though two years past, Matthew Langer is still getting over the death of a loved one. He’s steered clear of serious relationships, but when he meets the irascible, dirty mouthed and tempestuous Shane Templar that decision has never been harder. Shane is sexy, warm and funny, and Matthew finds himself trying like hell not to fall for him. Especially when Shane, with his quick wit and hacking skills, is quick to stand up for justice and avenge wrongs. Then Shane strikes at the wrong target, and Matthew realises just how far he’s already fallen. At the threat of losing for good yet another man who has broken through his armour, Matthew finds his heart stripped bare. He must face the demons of his soul or a future without love.

• What are the main themes of your book?

I think mainly this book is about learning to let go, leave the past behind and move on. It’s also about learning to tolerate each other’s differences and realising that sometimes opposites make a good match. It’s also about coming to terms with your faults and learning to adapt so that you find a compromise to make the relationship stronger.

Shane is cheeky, sometimes immature, very intelligent, a bit of a geek, wears his heart on his sleeve and just wants someone to really love. Matthew is wary, controlling, very protective and loving but with a tendency to over think things and let it dictate his actions. One lives in the here and now, the other is grounded in the past.

• Who or what inspired your story?

My son was talking about the escort trade as a friend of his had just become one. I got interested in some of the ideas around that, and for some weird reason an escort who was also a hacker jumped into my head. I don’t know where that came from, but Shane made his appearance and decided to stay. Then it was a case of developing that character and finding one to counter act him. Matthew simply appeared, being the opposite in every way from Shane, and that was it.

• What do you like best about your primary characters?

Shane is very giving, he’s quick to forgive (except for when it comes to his father) and he has a big heart. He likes harmony in his life not conflict. He’s also very snarky, witty and too cheeky for his own good, liking nothing more than pushing Matthew’s buttons.

Matthew is a ‘constant’, very grounded and protective and underneath that sometimes stern exterior is a man who just wants to be loved. He’s tough, very loyal and once he calls you a friend or a lover he’ll move heaven and earth for you.

• What are their worst peculiarities?

Shane tends to let events run away with him, not thinking of the consequences. He’s quick witted, sometimes to his detriment, and lets his heart and emotions rule his head.

Matthew is the complete opposite. He lets his brain rule his heart, can be judgemental and very stubborn and tends to brood about things. He’s controlling, having OCD tendencies which he’s had since childhood.

• How does your main character evolve?

I’d have to say in this book both characters evolve. Shane learns the art of being circumspect, of simply not rushing where angels fear to tread, in case he hurts somebody or somebody hurts him. He learns about being more responsible. He becomes more mature as well.

Matthew learns that sometimes you have to tell people how you feel rather than letting it simmer inside. He realises that he does have the ability to love someone else and be loved in return. He becomes less judgemental and begins to see that people have faults but it what makes them who they are. He learns to let go and trust someone else.

• What’s the principal message you want to send to your audience?

That opposites do make good relationships and sometimes you have to learn to negotiate with yourself, to compromise yourself a little in order to make things work. It’s very much a story of learning to give and take in a relationship if you want to make a success of it.

• What’s the nicest thing anyone has said about your book?

“This is an Awesome read and Susan never disappoints me her passion comes through in anything she writes and she has a fan for life in me.” S. Atkin

“What an incredible story about the power of love. This was written with such character depth that you became their friend. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the m/m genre. This is a keeper!” Sue

• Where can we purchase it?

Boroughs Publishing Group

About Susan Mac Nicol

Susan Mac Nicol was born in Leeds, UK, and left for South Africa when she was eight. She returned to the UK thirty years later and now lives in Essex. Her debut novel Cassandra by Starlight, the first in a trilogy, was published earlier this year by Boroughs Publishing Group in the US. Sue’s latest story, Stripped Bare is her first m/m romance.

Sue has written since she was very young, and never thought she would see herself being a Romance writer, being a horror/psychological thriller reader all her life. But the Romance genre is now something very close to her heart and she intends continuing the trend.

Sue is a member of the Romance Writers of America and the Romantic Novelists Association here in the UK.

To learn more, visit Susan on her website, blog on Twitter, Facebook , Amazon Author Page in the UK, and US , Smashwords and Pinterest.

Susan Mac Nicol is also author of The Magick of Christmas, Confounding Cupid, Cassandra by Starlight and Together in Starlight.

 Tour Giveaway

Susan and her publisher, Boroughs Publishing Group, will be awarding a five-book subscription to their Lunchbox Romances, two of which will be Susan’s stories, Confounding Cupid and The Magick of Christmas, plus a copy of Cassandra by Starlight, the first book in her Starlight trilogy to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

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