The Ruiner
by Nem Rowan
Release Date: June 21, 2021
Publisher: Gurt Dog Press
Genre: LGBTQIA+
Thriller Romance
Content Warnings: Violence, transphobia, stalking, sexual language,
graphic sex, harrassment
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Synopsis:
The night Tenny first meets shy, socially awkward David at the Oubliette Club is when it all begins: the feeling of being watched and followed, the lewd adverts posted by an imposter, the random phone-calls, strangers turning up at his house… The tirade against him seems never-ending. He has no idea why it began, and living alone makes it difficult for him to cope, forcing him to rely on his best friends for protection. Someone is out to ruin him, targetting his home, his car, his job, his life…
Despite what his friends say, Tenny is nevertheless drawn to David, who is timid, inexperienced when it comes to BDSM, and reminds Tenny somewhat of his former self. There’s no way he can believe that David is responsible for the frightening goings-on when he’s so sweet and willing to do whatever Tenny wants; it doesn’t matter that troubling evidence points to him as the source.
After all, why would David try to ruin his life when Tenny is so happy to be in his?
THE RUINER is an updated and revised version of Nem Rowan’s previously published novel, ‘The Things We Hide At Home’, only this time, there’s as much terror as there is romance.
EXCERPTS (please only use one in your post):
Excerpt #1:
Shortly after I pulled up, I checked my phone and found that I had numerous notifications from ChainLink. CordialSin had gone through all of my photo albums and—it seemed—favourited every single image with me in it. Even as I sat there swiping every notification away, more kept appearing. He—or at least I thought they were a he—was currently online somewhere, favouriting and favouriting and favouriting… He had even favourited pictures of me that I had been tagged in by other people. It felt as if he was trying to send me a message that he was interested in me, but couldn’t find the words to send a message. It seemed kind of weird, but also flattering.
Excerpt #2:
“Can I help you?” I asked with some trepidation as I approached the gate.
The figure turned around and I saw that it was a man; he was wearing a sporty raincoat over jeans and had a cap on his head. He was perhaps about my age. When he saw me, he smiled.
“Hi there. I guess I’m a little early. We arranged for me to arrive at eight?” he spoke, seeming friendly enough. “I brought the things you asked for.” He gestured to the bag on his back.
“What?” My frown wrinkled my nose. “What are you talking about?”
“Your ad on SXChat. You asked me to come at eight, so here I am,” he explained, seeming confused by my reaction.
“I didn’t make an ad. I don’t even know what SXChat is. Who are you?” I questioned, beginning to feel unnerved by what I was hearing.
“We literally had a conversation about this. You’re Tristen, right? Tristen Fleetwood?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t make an ad and I haven’t spoken to you before; I don’t even know who you are or why you’re here,” I insisted, my whole body beginning to tremble.
“Is… Is this part of the role-play or something?” He cocked a brow and squinted an eye at me.
“I’m not role-playing; this isn’t a game. Please leave, right now, or I’ll call the police,” I threatened, and his smile soon faded.
He came down the steps and I stood aside to let him pass. As he did so, he turned to me and said: “Guess you changed your mind at the last minute, huh? Fucking cock-tease, wasting my time.”
I didn’t answer, instead scowling and watching as he stalked off along the road with his hands in his pockets.
Excerpt #3:
I looked through the windscreen to find him standing in the doorway, another baseball bat in hand. He must have grabbed it during his hunt. In a moment of panic, I shut the driver-side door and slammed my hand on the lock. The car made a series of clunks as the locks turned, securing every door.
“If you want me, you’re gonna have to get your keys!” I shouted in defiance. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it wasall I had at this point. At least if he went to fetch the key, he’d give me chance to find a way out of the garage, and if he returned with the key before I got outside, I could fight him for it and I’d have a solid method of escape.
“As if I’d leave you on your own long enough to get them.” Even in the car’s interior, where sounds were muffled, I heard him clearly. He strolled along the width of the garage and stopped before the car, his gaze penetrating me through the window as he raised the baseball bat.
“No! No!” I shrieked as he swung, the end of the bat creating a spider-web crack in the windscreen right before my eyes. I clambered into the back seat, watching helplessly as he swung until the window finally caved in. He brushed aside shards of glass so that he could climb onto the bonnet after me.
“Come here, Tenny! I won’t play cat and mouse with you forever. Stop playing hard to get,” he cried as he struggled through the hole.
My hands were shaking so badly, I had to fight to unlock the car door. Thankfully, he was only halfway through the hole, moving slowly because of all the chunks of broken glass.
I threw open the rear door, fleeing before he had a chance to grab me. I heard him cursing as he tried to climb out of the car. The bloody footprints he’d made showed me the pathways he’d walked as he’d scoured the house for me, so I followed them, zigzagging from room to room until I heard his voice again. I darted through the nearest doorway and hid again, this time in an office.
Excerpt #4:
“I understand that you want this,” I spoke as I gazed towards David. I threw aside the box and held the collar by its tips in either hand, ready to be put on.
“I do, Sir.”
The excitement that had been growing inside of me this whole time began to surge, spreading into my fingers and causing a slight tremble as I placed the leather strap over the back of David’s neck. He remained perfectly still, his wide eyes staring up at me, a muted smile on his face as he allowed me to buckle the collar. I had the feeling that, despite its ease in being undone, the collar would remain on him until I chose to take it off by hand.
Even after the deed was done, neither of us moved; we just gazed into each other’s eyes, each acknowledging the importance of this moment. Despite the many times I had done this, this time was different. David’s overwhelming yearning to be mine had created a nebulous emotion in my heart that I couldn’t name; like a rolling thundercloud, it gave off little flashes of light, illuminating emotions that I recognised, such as determination, joy, and empathy, but its overall density swelled and blocked it all out. This love was growing faster than I could keep check on.
Notes from author:
BDSM is practiced between consensual adults, but the same activities when not consented to are abuse. It's important to communicate with your partner.
If you are ever stalked, you should stay in contact with friends and family, and report everything to the police.
About the Author:
Nem Rowan is originally from the UK, but despite Brexit, he still considers himself to be European. He was born in the West Country of England, but later moved to Wales, where he lived for almost a decade before deciding to move to Sweden in the summer of 2019. He shares his home with his wife, his girlfriend, their rapidly-growing triplets, one cat and a demon.
Nem started writing when he was very young. He always loved Horror stories and has an undying fascination with the creepy, the bizarre, the shocking and the unusual. Coupled with his enjoyment of love stories, his writing became a fusion of Horror and Romance, often with characters that have been through terrible hardships but who eventually reach the happy ending they deserve.
Nem’s books were originally published by the now defunct Less Than Three Press, and also by JMS Books for awhile. He is the owner of Gurt Dog Press, where he hopes to bring fresh, new LGBTQ+ fiction into the world.
Author links:
Website: https://nemrowan.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nemrowan
Publisher: https://gurtdogpress.com/nem-rowan/
Instagram Giveaway:
Win one of two prizes! One winner will get a signed paperback copy and one winner will win one e-book copy of THE RUINER by Nem Rowan. The giveaway is international.
To enter, follow @gurtdogpress & @nemrowan on Instagram, tag 3 friends under one of the tour-hosts' posts. Extra entry by posting a picture with the book in your feed or stories and tagging the author and publisher.
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