Spend a weekend with William Neale

Whether you knew him or not, whether you ever read any of his stories or not, I think everyone in our M/M community shared a shock with the sudden passing of William Neale. And for those who knew him best, and loved him longest, the monumental loss is sure to be felt for many years to come.

But for this week, let’s take a moment to celebrate his 55 years of life and all the love, joy, sadness, and experience he poured into every story he created. His romances are a testament to how easy love can be when you find the right person. His couples certainly had their obstacles – some small, some huge and devastating – but there was always an underlining strength to his characters, the innate desire to do the right thing no matter how hard or what the consequences might be, that was inspiring in so many ways. Integrity, honesty, commitment, sacrifice, intrigue, romance, and good old-fashioned hospitality are just a few things we associate with his novels because William Neale, the man as well as author, undoubtedly embodied all those things himself.

And with a cosmic silver lining, we as readers get one more chance to experience his magic. Hope (officially #4 in the HOME series, but I count it as #5) is being released this Friday, April 27th.

Home – bully/bullee find common ground as adults and a 13 year absence.
Son Of A Ditch – former military man settles in his hometown and reunites with his best friend, set approximately 4 years after Home .
A New Normal – newly graduated, friends finally act on their attraction, but are almost sidelined when one of them confuses the love and affection he feels for his friend’s father as being in love, set outside the current Home universe, can be read either before or after Son Of A Ditch as the events happen at about the same time but have no direct connection yet.
Always Faithful – friends-turned-lovers adjust as military service forced a long distance relationship and threatens their reunion, combines several characters from previous 3 books, set 8 years after Home and 4 years after A New Normal and Son Of A Ditch.
Hope – a man influences 2 romantic interests to open their hearts and take a chance on a fuller life, but can only keep one of them, combination of characters from previous 4 books, set immediately after Always Faithful.

And in honor of Hope’s release this Friday, MLRpress is offering up an e-book copy to one lucky winner. If you’re already up to date on this series then I’m sure you have been patiently waiting for Spencer’s story. And for those who have yet to begin, you are in for a treat!

To enter, please leave a comment below telling us which of the many couples/characters in the Home universe is your favorite. For those who haven’t read the series yet, please tell us which couples/characters are your favorites from the author of your choice. Contest is open until Thursday, April 26th, at 11:59 pm (PST). A random winner will be chosen and notified on Friday.

Congratulations bookophile81! I will be contacting you directly so you can claim your prize.