Amy doesn’t know who she is. Determined to put that right, she’s arranged a date through the Pink Roses website and now she’s face to face with Kayla. Kayla’s gorgeous but Amy’s terrified. New to dating, and new to women, she’s torn between, curiosity, lust, and fear. Was this all a mistake? Has she left it too late to explore her true self?
Also available at Amazon.co.uk and JMS Books LLC
I have a brand new spicy FF romance just released with JMSBooksLLC. So, if you fancy a spicy quickie, this is for you.
Buy now at Books2Read
My grateful thanks goes to Cathy Lynn Brooks for this lovely review of Onward, purchased after she read and reviewed The Devil on Her Shoulder.
Cathy Lynn Brooks
4.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Short but Sweet
Reviewed in the United States on 30 March 2023
This was a short book, almost a few chapters of what could be a novel or novella. I’m not sure why the author chose to publish such a brief short story. The premise is cute. Jen and Allyssa, two young women meet online and develop a serious relationship, even though they’ve never met in person. This takes place during the COVID lockdown, when everyone was homebound for months at a time. They become each other’s soulmates and the most important people in each other’s lives, even though it’s just over the internet. I’m sure many serious relationships start this way so it was entirely believable. They want to meet in person but they live in different countries and hundreds of miles from one another. They discuss their relationship with other family members and gain advice from them, but the ultimate decision is up to them. Will one of them give up everything?
*
Onward is a sweet lesbian romance short story available in ebook format from all good outlets.
Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers to gather once a week to share six sentences from a work of fiction, a WIP or a book recommendation.
Because of the torrential rain this week, I’ve chosen a snippet from my gothic supernatural romance, Road to Nowhere.
Lost in a storm, Stella’s driven her car off road. Injured and scared, she spots lights beyond the trees. There’s a house in the distance and where there’s a house, there’s a phone. Stella heads towards salvation but the woods are denser than they’d appeared and the terrain is treacherous.
The woods were savagely inhospitable with low branches that clawed Stella’s face and brambles that tripped her and scratched at her legs. At least the storm was dissipating. The rain eased while the thunder only grumbled under its breath. The moon, peeping from behind the scudding clouds, cast eerie shadows among the swaying trees. Something flapped out of the darkness and Stella ducked as a beady-eyed raven flew past, screeching angrily. It circled her, cawing, before melting away into the woods.
Road to Nowhere is a short tale of lesbian romance with a twist of supernatural gothic intrigue.
Available at Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com and JMS Books LLC.
I’m delighted to receive this new review of Leap of Faith. Reviews really do make an author’s day – thank you 🙂
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet Lil Story
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2023
Continue reading “New Review”
Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers to gather once a week to share six sentences from a work of fiction, a WIP or a book recommendation.
For this week’s Rainbow Snippet I have chosen an extract from my short story, Sweet as Candy.
Danny Jessop has organised the first ever Pride festival to be held in his provincial home town. Kate goes along for moral support but is pleasantly surprised by the scale of the event, and who she meets…
In this extract, Kate has just arrived and is taking in the sights.
On any other day, Kate imagined the street would look rather ordinary, like every other high street in Middle-England, except for the church which was larger than most. But that day, the street was awash with rainbow brilliance. Shopkeepers had gone all out: rainbow bunting fluttered from lampposts and storefronts, Pride flags adorned window displays, and mannequins in the charity shops sported colourful clothing. And High Street was crowded. Men, women, and children, their faces painted with rainbows, Pride flags tied around shoulders and waists, jostled along the pavement and spilled onto the road. They pointed and laughed; glittered skin sparkled in the sunshine.
Sweet as Candy is published by JMS Books LLC
I’m delighted to find this wonderfully insightful review of Leap Of Faith posted on Amazon.
Huge thanks to Review Hog for taking the time to write this 🙂
Review HogVINE VOICE
A delightful little story
February 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
This was a delightful little read about two female teachers in the UK who find each other. One is damaged physically, and the other is recovering from a busted relationship. Interspersed throughout is a secondary story about one of the women abseiling for the first time, as her love interest looks on from the safety of the ground.
The women meet when Lauren takes a teaching job at the school where Anika teaches. In fact, Anika is the person who hires Lauren. She boldly asks the newly hired educator to travel with her to Wales for some company, and from there these lucky teachers take a few more trips to beautiful locales, where they eventually get to know one another well.
Lauren is seeking companionship after a tough breakup with her girlfriend of nine years. She gets that from Anika, who was in a car accident that paralyzed her. Their relationship feels natural and inevitably grows within their beautiful getaway surroundings and at the rough-and-tumble school they work at.
This is just a simple, heartwarming story about two people seeking love and solace, even if they don’t entirely know they want these things at first. The novella was a pleasant surprise, and I’m glad I came across it.
Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers to gather once a week to share six sentences from a work of fiction, a WIP or a book recommendation.
This week I have chosen an extract from my FF romance flash fiction, Hidden Among The Roses.
Lilian is running late. Hurrying across the park on a sweltering August day, she pauses, memories flooding her brain. It’s been years since she last saw Jean, years since they went their separate ways. Lilian wonders if Jean will even be there and increases her pace even more. At last she spots her but it’s not the reunion she’d hoped for…
Dressed in tight white shorts and a lemon shirt tied in a knot at the waist, bleached blonde hair stylishly tousled, Jean was as alike to Marilyn Monroe as a short olive-skinned girl of Mediterranean descent could ever be. Spotting Lilian, she stood, scarlet lips stretching into a beaming smile. She eyed the rose clasped in Lilian’s hand.
“Is that for me?”
Lilian held it aloft. “Yes, I—” Excruciating pain stabbed through her chest, and the blood drained from her face. Dropping the bloom, she staggered forward, scarcely aware of Jean’s arms around her, guiding her onto the bench.
Hidden Among The Roses is published by JMS Books LLC
It’s 2023 and may I wish you all a very Happy New Year!
Today is my first post for Rainbow Snippets, a Facebook group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers to gather once a week to share six sentences from a work of fiction, a WIP or a book recommendation.
For my first snippet I have chosen six sentences from Leap of Faith, my FF novella published by JMS Books.
Lauren has had a tough year. Separating from long-term girlfriend, Shanice, she’s re-building her life from scratch – new home, new job, new friends. It’s hard but the transition is made easier by Anika, a new colleague. Anika is a glass-half-full girl who lives life to the full. Taking Lauren under her wing, she reintroduces adventure into Lauren’s life, and love.
In this snippet, Lauren looks back on her past while enjoying another day with Anika
It was less than five months since my split with Shanice, but the fun had stopped long before that. We hadn’t taken a holiday together for over a year. Sitting in the sunshine with hindsight painting a clear picture, I wondered, again, how I failed to see the cracks in our relationship. They were so wide, so obvious. Yet I don’t remember being unhappy until…
I stood, stretched, and closed my mind to such thoughts.
I’m delighted that the lovely Ceebee has read my latest story, Onward and left this wonderful review.
Bittersweet and beautiful
June 21, 2022
Format : Kindle Edition
Such a beautiful story about endings and new beginnings. After nursing her mother through her final illness, Jen is at a crossroads in her life. As she prepares to sell her childhood home with all the memories it holds, there is the promise of a new life and new love in Alyssa, a woman from New Zealand who Jen met in an online chat room during lockdown.
The author writes so tenderly of grief, nostalgia and letting go and as Jen gathers her courage to embark on her new life far away from everything familiar, I was cheering for a happy ever after for her and Alyssa. So much emotion in so few words.
*
Onward is available from JMS Books and via these links at Books2Read.com
Jen’s had a tough year. Her mother’s sudden passing has created a void in her life and she’s uncertain how to carry on. Thankfully, Alyssa’s there to ease her pain–but they live on opposite sides of the world
I’m so thrilled to find this post on MM romance writer, EllieThomas’ blog. Thank you so much Ellie.
Take a look at what she wrote:
https://elliethomasromance.wordpress.com/2022/05/22/recent-reads-2/
And if you’re not familiar with Ellie Thomas, check her out on WordPress and at JMS Books Llc
I have a fantastic 5* review of Road to Nowhere from the lovely Ceebee. I’m thrilled she likes my latest story from JMS Books Llc. Thank you, Ceebee
“I loved this deliciously Gothic tale by Mags Hayward! The theme of a young woman lost on a lonely road coming across a spooky mansion was given a fresh twist with Stella’s dreamlike arrival at a no-holds-barred party and her encounter with the compelling Madame Reynard.
I relished the twists and turns of this tale veering between reality and fantasy and leading to self-knowledge, which was so cleverly constructed, vividly described and beautifully written.”
***
Road to Nowhere is available from:
And all major stockists as listed on Books2Read
And if you like my stories, why not follow me here at WordPress and at BookBub.com
The sun’s out and Spring is in the air so I’ve done a bit of spring cleaning on one of my old stories. New cover, fresh new look 😊
Buy now at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk
Stella is lost in the dark, driving in a storm on an increasingly narrow, unfamiliar country road. When her car runs off the road, she needs help. Beyond the wild hedgerows and woods is a sprawling mansion with lights in the windows. Stella’s saved …Or is she?
Fancy a shot of paranormal romance this bank holiday weekend?
Stella is lost in the dark, driving in a storm on an increasingly narrow, unfamiliar country road. What should she do? And why is she running away?
Stella’s car runs off the road and she injures her head. She needs help. Beyond the wild hedgerows and woods is a sprawling mansion with lights in the windows. It seems a party is taking place and Stella’s saved … or is she?
When Stella meets the host, the stunning Madame Reynard, she’s instantly attracted. In fact, she knows this woman … intimately. How? Why is she so familiar?
Stella searches for answers in this dark gothic tale of desire and denial.
This is an extract from Sweet as Candy published by JMS Books LLC as part of their Sweet or Spicy short story series.
Crossing the road, Kate ran ahead, eager to explore. Like the theatre, Jubilee Park was bigger than she’d expected, and the town’s first ever Pride—Danny’s debut as an event organiser—was buzzing. Bunting fluttered from anything tall enough to tie it to; stallholders lined the paths, selling everything you’d expect at a festival from handmade, tie-dyed clothing, to local honey, and sizzling ‘healthy alternatives’ fast food.
Continue reading “Extract from Sweet as Candy”
Thank you so much to Ceebee for this wonderful review of Sweet as Candy posted on Amazon 😊🍭🍬🍭
A romantic delight!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 March 2022
This was a delightful feel-good read, from the successful first Pride festival in a sleepy country town setting to a special first meeting between student, Kate and local girl, Candy. A sweet, romantic and life-affirming coming of age story, this was another gorgeous tale from Mags Hayward.
I’m giving away 5 x copies of my flash fiction, Hidden Among the Roses in exchange for an honest review. This part of the HOT FLASH series from JMS Books LLC, perfect reading for the weekend
All reviews will be gratefully received, thank you, Mags x
The lovely A.L. Lester has kindly invited me to talk about my new story, Sweet as Candy on her blog. I love the result 😊
What do you think?
Sweet As Candy at A.L. Lester.co.uk
Sweet as Candy is available at all major outlets
Mags Hayward 