Out of Tune

Broken Strings Sneak Peek

Read on for a sneak peek into Brenna's first LGBTQ+ novel, to be fully released in fall 2021 (the prologue and first 2 chapters are available on her profile now)...

There was a sort of electricity that arose between them. A kinetic spark that made it hard for Travis to think straight or even remember to breathe. He didn't look at Sam and the other man sure as hell made it a point not to look at Travis.

At least, they tried not to look at each other until they reached their rooms. Sam's was the first they came across, two doors down and on the other side of the hall from Travis's.

Sam unlocked the room with his key and then leaned against the wall, one foot keeping the door propped open. His eyes roved over Travis's face and Travis did the same, staring into Sam's brown eyes with an intensity that made heat bloom in his gut. Sam's blond hair was slightly mussed up from the plethora of times he'd run his fingers through it that night.

But Travis's eyes dropped to Sam's lips and lingered.

"You want to come in?" Sam asked, the words were barely a murmur in the dimly lit corridor. "Have another drink or...something?"

Something, Travis thought – the word edged with wry humour. They'd been doing something with each other for almost two years now. Not a relationship. Definitely not that. Hell, Sam was engaged and Travis...He was with Ginger. But he cast the thought of her from his mind. They weren't serious. They were taking it slow and they'd never talked about being exclusive.

Besides, this thing with Sam would never go anywhere but here, ensconced within the walls of a motel room. The state changed sometimes but never the location. It was always a nondescript motel that hid from the world what they were to each other. Passion. Heat. Release.

Freedom.

Within the walls of the motel room, Travis could let go of the piece of him that was always locked away. And yet when he let go of that piece, the other parts of him were contained instead.

His family's expectations.

The pressures of society.

Ginger's kind face.

All of it, locked up tight where the Travis who existed inside of the motel room couldn't access it to feel guilty. He just...existed here. Without pain. Without fear.

"Sure," Travis murmured, his voice a little hoarse. He swallowed as he walked into Sam's room. The click of the door shutting behind him, Sam inches away, set his blood on fire.

Yes, Travis had a secret. One that defied explanation or reason. One that he couldn't ignore in full, no matter how hard he tried. Travis Grant was gay.

And it scared the absolute shit out of him.

***

The past has come back to haunt Brock Mason.

He had thought that the dissolution of their band two years earlier would have been enough to keep his ex-best friend out of his life forever, but Trace Strickland isn't fading away quietly from the bright city lights. As Trace catapults back into media stardom, spreading rumours scandalous enough to destroy Brock's already rocky solo career, Brock knows that he needs to act fast to salvage his image before it's irreparably damaged. When his recording contract is sold to a new label, Brock must face the music when his only saviour is someone who might want nothing to do with him.

Travis Grant is at a standstill.

With those around him beginning to move on to bigger and better things, Travis wonders if competing on the rodeo circuit and ranching cattle is all that he's truly destined for. But when famed country singer Brock Mason arrives in Travis' small town, seeking the help of Travis' superstar younger sister, Travis inexplicably finds himself drawn into the world of celebrity that he's always so steadfastly avoided. As Travis and Brock grow steadily closer, Travis begins a journey down a path that will alter his future forever as he grapples with accepting who he is versus who he is meant to be.