Out of the Blue
By Josh Lanyon
3.5/5
()
About this ebook
Grieving over the death of his lover, British flying ace Bat Bryant accidentally kills the man threatening him with exposure. Unfortunately there’s a witness: the big, rough American they call “Cowboy” – and Cowboy has his own price for silence.
Josh Lanyon
Author of nearly ninety titles of classic Male/Male fiction featuring twisty mystery, kickass adventure, and unapologetic man-on-man romance, JOSH LANYON’S work has been translated into eleven languages. Her FBI thriller Fair Game was the first Male/Male title to be published by Harlequin Mondadori, then the largest romance publisher in Italy. Stranger on the Shore (Harper Collins Italia) was the first M/M title to be published in print. In 2016 Fatal Shadows placed #5 in Japan’s annual Boy Love novel list (the first and only title by a foreign author to place on the list). The Adrien English series was awarded the All-Time Favorite Couple by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group. In 2019, Fatal Shadows became the first LGBTQ mobile game created by Moments: Choose Your Story.She is an EPIC Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist (twice for Gay Mystery), an Edgar nominee, and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads All-Time Favorite M/M Author award.Find other Josh Lanyon titles at www.joshlanyon.comFollow Josh on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.
Read more from Josh Lanyon
Stranger on the Shore Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Snowball in Hell Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lone Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder Takes the High Road Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jefferson Blythe, Esquire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Puzzle for Two Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In a Dark Wood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Male/Male Mystery & Suspense Box Set 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLament at Loon Landing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Night Watch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The French Have a Word for It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Parting Glass Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Come Unto These Yellow Sands Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lovers and Other Strangers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wizard's Moon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Short Stories 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIrregulars Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Heart Trouble Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Requiem for Mr. Busybody Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Footsteps in the Dark Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blood-Red Butterfly Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Wedding Favors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Merry Christmas, Darling (Holiday Codas) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Plenty of Fish Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Out of the Blue
Related ebooks
I Spy Something Christmas: I Spy 3 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Case of Christmas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Adrien English Mysteries 2 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dead Run: Dangerous Ground 4 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Farewell Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Rough Magic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Halloween is Murder Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mummy Dearest Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Darkling Thrush Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Spy Something Bloody: I Spy 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder Between the Pages Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Christmas Waltz Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Parting Glass Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Where All Paths Meet: The Adventures of Holloway Holmes, #3 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Until We Meet Once More Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mermaid Murders: The Art of Murder 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ghost Had an Early Check-Out Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fatal Shadows:The Adrien English Mysteries 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Come Unto These Yellow Sands Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder in Pastel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Horse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blood Heat: Dangerous Ground 3 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dangerous Ground: Dangerous Ground 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Perfect Day Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Old Poison: Dangerous Ground 2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ghost of a Chance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Look Back Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thuggiana: The First Quarto, #5 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tangents: Hazardverse: Sidetracks, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Boy with the Painful Tattoo: Holmes & Moriarity 3 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Gay Fiction For You
Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kiss Her Once for Me: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pomegranate: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Priory of the Orange Tree Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cabin at the End of the World: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Young Mungo Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Him: Him, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Silver in the Wood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Exquisite Corpse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ghost Wall: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Marvellous Light Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Zombie: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Orlando: A Biography Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Persian Boy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5And Then He Sang a Lullaby Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maurice Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We the Animals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5White Trash Warlock Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Boy's Own Story: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Faggots Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House of Impossible Beauties: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slammerkin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Reality of Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lie With Me: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Querelle of Roberval Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seduced by My Sister's Boyfriend Part 1: A Gay Taboo Erotica Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jonny Appleseed Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Magnolia Park: A Comic, Pornographic Novel of Erotic Obsession and Other Horrors in the Deep South Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5We Are Water: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Charioteer: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Out of the Blue
42 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5France, 1916 - set in WWI - story of two pilots facing death at any moment, yet determined to live every moment.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I want to give this more stars but I HATE noncon-kink and I loathe the "boy blackmails boy into sex, only to later confess there was no blackmail, whereby the blackmail-ee sees NOTHING WRONG with being lied to and used for sex for because he LIKED getting laid" trope.
*smites*
Integrity is sexy. Give me a m/m romance with an integrity-kink, and I'll be a stunned and happy reader.
Anyway, set all THAT aside, and it's a sort of sweet little WW1 aviator novella. The setting is vivid enough and nicely drawn, the action sequences were good, and the characters held my interest. However, the sex was surprisingly bland and there wasn't near enough believable yearning.
I'd like to see the same story done without the noncon and lies, actually, with the plot pushed by charm and persuasion instead of fake blackmail, because Bat may have been a blushing violet, but he seemed a *persuadable* blushing violet. The noncon was gratuitous and unnecessary.1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I have never read any m/m books before (other than Anne Rice's Vampires series), so as a first experience, this book was actually more than I was expecting. I was expecting random pointless sex scenes, so I was kinda surprised that, wow, there is actually a story in the background... and a very good one! The story itself is cute in spite of the scenario in which it occurs (in the middle of the war? Wow, who would have thought about it) and the only reason I don't give it five stars is because the ending is a bit of a downer and I felt like it could've been either more dramatic or better elaborated. But that is just me.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Out of the Blue by Josh Lanyon is a 70-page historical romance set in France in 1916 among the British pilots who fought the Germans during the First World War - and whose life expectancy amounted to eleven days. The story opens on an intense scene in a stable where an enlisted man, Orton, has drawn aside Captain Bat Bryant in an attempt to blackmail him over his secret affair with Gene, a recently killed pilot.
Bat knocks Orton down, but accidentally kills him. Another pilot steps out of the shadows and offers to dispose of the body. It’s Cowboy, an American who has long lusted after Bat.
In exchange for his help, Cowboy demands that Bat submit to him sexually whenever he asks. Bat feels rage, excitement, lust, and even relief at having the conscious choice taken out of his hands. He and Cowboy, who grow increasingly attached to each other emotionally, are playing a dangerous game as they slip away for their secret trysts. Meanwhile, a crafty French constable finds Orton’s body and starts piecing together his blackmail scheme, which could lead to a murder conviction and execution by firing squad for Bat.
This is a flawlessly written story that offers a vivid glimpse of the harrowing existence of a First World War flying ace. The fast pace never lags even as the story recreates its time and place with cinematic clarity through expressions, songs, dialogue, and descriptive touches that engage our five senses. Highly recommended even if you don’t normally enjoy historical fiction!
Val for AReCafe
Book preview
Out of the Blue - Josh Lanyon
Out of the Blue
Smashwords edition, September 2012
Copyright (c) 2012 by Josh Lanyon
Cover Art by Lou Harper
Cover photos licensed through Shutterstock
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from Just Joshin' Publications
ISBN: 978-1-937909-17-8
Printed in the United States of America
Just Joshin
3053 Rancho Blvd.
Suite 116
Palmdale, CA 93551
www.joshlanyon.com
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Epilogue
OUT OF THE BLUE
Josh Lanyon
Dedication
To my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather — who bravely served their country.
Chapter One
France, November 1916
"Don’t be too hasty, Captain Bryant, Orton warned.
Not like I’m asking a king’s ransom. Not like you can’t find the ready, eh? What’s a couple a bob ’ere and there? Could ’ave gone to the major, but I didn’t, did I? Not one word to ’im about what you and poor Lieutenant Roberts used to —"
Bat punched him.
He was not as tall as the mechanic, but he was wiry and strong, and his fist connected to Orton’s jaw with a satisfying crack. Orton’s head snapped back. He staggered, tripped over something in the shadowy darkness of the stable, and went down slamming against the side of the stall.
The elderly dappled gray mare whickered softly. Leaning over the stall door, she lipped at Orton’s fallen form.
For a second, perhaps two, Bat stood shaking with rage — and grief.
Get up, you swine,
he bit out.
Orton’s head lay out of reach of the uneven lamplight, but his limbs were still — and something in that broken stillness alerted Bat.
Orton?
He moved the lantern and the light illuminated Orton’s face. The man’s head was turned at an unnatural angle — watery eyes staring off into the loft above them.
Bat smothered an exclamation. Knelt beside Orton’s body.
The mare raised her head, nickering greeting. The lantern light flickered as though in a draft. He could see every detail in stark relief: the blue black bristle on the older man’s jaw, the flecks of gray in his mustache, oil and dirt beneath his fingernails.
There was a little speck of blood at the corner of his mouth where Bat’s ring had cut him. But he was not bleeding. Was not breathing.
Bat put fingers to Orton’s flaccid throat and felt for a pulse.
There was no pulse.
Sid Orton was dead.
Bat rose. Gazed down at the body.
Christ. It seemed...unreal.
He was used to thinking swiftly, making life-and-death decisions for the entire squadron with only seconds to spare, but he could think of nothing. He’d have to go to the CO. Chase would have to go to the Red Caps...
Bat wiped his forehead with his sleeve. First he’d need to come up with some story — some reason for what he’d done. Gene mustn’t be dragged into it. No one could know about Gene and him. Wasn’t only Gene’s name at stake. There was Bat’s own family and name to think of. This ... just this ... murder ... was liable to finish the old man.
He couldn’t seem to think beyond it. Disgrace. Dishonor.
He ought to feel something for Orton, surely? Pity. Remorse. He didn’t. He hadn’t meant to kill him, but Orton was no loss. Not even an awfully good mechanic. And Bat had killed better men than Orton — ten at last count — for much worse reason.
A miserable specimen, Orton.
But you couldn’t murder a chap for that.
Gaze riveted on the ink stain on the frayed cuff of Orton’s disheveled uniform, Bat tried to force his sluggish brain to action. Yes, he needed a story before he went to the major. More, he had to convince himself of it — get it straight in every detail — in case he was cross-examined. Mustn’t get tripped up.
If only he had ignored Orton’s note ... Why the devil hadn’t he?
You waiting for him to tell you what to do?
a voice asked laconically from behind him.
Bat jerked about.
Cowboy leaned against the closed stable door. His eyes glinted in the queer light. Bright. Almost feral as he watched from the half shadows.
P-pardon?
Bat asked stupidly.
If you don’t plan on getting jugged by the MPs, you better get a move on.
It was as though he were speaking to Bat in a foreign language. Granted, Cowboy was a Yank — a Texan, at that — and did take a bit of translation at the best of times.
Bat said, I don’t — what d’you mean? I-I shall have to report this.
Why’s that?
Cowboy left his post at the door and came to join him. Oddly, it gave Bat comfort, Cowboy’s broad shoulder brushing his own. Together they stared down at Orton’s body.
Already he had changed. His face had a waxy, sunken look. The smell of death mingled with kerosene and horse and hay.
Bat’s stomach gave a sudden lurch and he moved away, leaning over a rusted harrow. But there was nothing to vomit. He hadn’t eaten since yesterday. Hadn’t eaten since Gene bought his packet and crashed in flames in the woods of the estate his family once owned near Hesdin.
Instead, he hung white-knuckled onto the rough metal frame heaving dry, empty coughs and nothing coming out but a few exhausted tears. Not for Orton. For Gene.
You better pull yourself together, boy,
Cowboy told him when the worst of it was over. Listening distantly to that terse voice, Bat knew he was right. He shuddered all over. Forced himself upright, blinking at the American.
Cowboy was a big man. Several inches taller than Bat. Broad shoulders and narrow hips. Long legs. Must be the way they grew them in Texas. Cowboy certainly fit Bat’s notion — based entirely on the works of Zane Grey and Max Brand — of a man of the West. He’d been attached to the RFC for about two months. Which was a bloody long time in this war. Several lifetimes, really.
The old mare stretched her long neck and nibbled at the collar of Cowboy’s tunic. He patted her absently and drawled, Orton was a sidewinder. A low-down, miserable piece of shit pretending to be a man. He wasn’t even a very good mechanic. Whatever else you might be, you’re one hell of a pilot. And the RFC is running short on pilots these days. Let alone aces.
Bat blinked at him, wiped his face again. He felt hot and cold, sick and sweaty. He felt as though he were coming down with something — something fatal. He was unable to think beyond the thing at their feet. What are you saying?
I’m saying what the hell’s the point of you going to jail for killing that skunk? Anyway, I saw what happened. It was an accident. You slugged him and he fell and hit his head.
It’s still...
But he didn’t finish it. He felt a flicker of hope. You’ll back me up then? When I go to Major Chase?
I don’t think you want to do that.
Too right there. Bat didn’t. But...
"How are you going to explain what he said that got you so mad you punched