One Thing Leads

Jude Dunn

What makes a young man go further than he ever thought he would?

Dion Bellamy is twenty-seven and studying social work at the University of Chicago. He has lived with Kenji Okamura, a construction worker, for a year and a half. Dion loves Kenji and passionately hopes Kenji feels the same, but he has never said the three big words. Then Grayson Sinclair, Dion’s schoolmate and a vivacious, oversexed playboy, comes between them.

One step at a time, barely aware where his steps are leading, Dion descends the slippery slope into a life of depravity. First, Grayson ensures Kenji is out of the way. Then he entices Dion to go clubbing with him, gets Dion drunk and high, and then takes him to a sex club, where he films Dion giving blow jobs to multiple men. He threatens to put the video online unless Dion signs a contract to work as a prostitute. Though he hardly understands how he reached this point, Dion must now figure out how to escape his fate and save himself.

Categories: Contemporary, Erotica, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

 http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5545 

Do I or Don’t I?
How do you know which path to take?

One Thing Leads by Jude Dunn

When I was in my twenties (back in the nineteenth century), I had a choice to make. Do I stay in Nashville and work for a Music Row publisher or move to rural Alabama to start my own music consulting business? After a lot of list-making, discussions, and a prayers over my calculator, I made a decision and started down my chosen path.

This kind of choice is easy to see for what it is: a major decision about which way to direct your life. But there are other choices we make without realizing it. Sometimes the step forward we take is so small that we don’t even realize we’re changing direction. That’s what happens to Dion, the main character in One Thing Leads. Things go from bad to worse to dangerous for Dion, and at the beginning, he doesn’t even realize he’s started down a different road. After Grayson Sinclair, a devious playboy who has designs on him splits Dion and his boyfriend up, he leads Dion one step at a time away from the life he wanted. How Dion defeats a Grayson’s attempt to blackmail him into a life of forced prostitution and reunites with his lover is what One Thing Leads is all about. It’s a touching love story laced with erotic scenes and devious schemes.

Below you’ll find a synopsis, a short bio of yours truly, and the requisite excerpt, freebies, and “buy me!” linkage. Click and enjoy.

About Jude
I’m a southern boy who lives in Chicago and enjoys fine wine, dark chocolate, and plays jazz piano from time to time. Most of all, I love writing gay romance and erotica that will touch your heart and make you laugh.

Links
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Excerpt:

“God,” Dion screamed, throwing his hands in the air in disgust. He and Kenji glared like dogs circling each other before attacking. Finally Dion broke the tension. “I need some air,” he said, then spun on a heel and strode to the bedroom. Kenji sat still as stone, listening to Dion slamming drawers as he found clothes suitable for going out.

How did this happen? I wanted to come clean. I thought if we talked about it—

After quickly dressing, Dion stormed to the front door.

“Where are you going?”

“Out,” Dion said without looking at Kenji. “Does that meet with your approval?”

“Dion, don’t be—”

The sound of the door slamming rang in Kenji’s ears. Footsteps fell hard and fast down the stairs. When they stopped, he looked away from the door. He closed his eyes at the muffled sound of another door slamming hard two floors below. When he opened his eyes a few minutes later, he looked down, surprised to see dots of blood on the seat of the recliner. He opened his hands and saw that his fingernails had broken the skin of his palms.

About Jude

I’m a southern boy. Well, “boy” may be a stretch. I’m sixty-one this year, but I still feel like I’m twenty-two and act like I’m nine-and-a-half. Grew up in north Alabama, smack-dab in the middle of the Bible belt.

I discovered I was attracted to boys at age fourteen. Twenty minutes after that, I found out that being gay was the unforgivable sin, not blaspheming the Holy Spirit, as my little Baptist church had taught me. So, as so many like me have always done, I hid from everyone, including and especially myself.

At age forty-nine I came out to myself, my wife, and my three wonderful children. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done and the best thing that ever happened to me.

I started writing shortly after discovering anime. There’s this thing called “fandoms,” you see—well, I know you probably know about that. I grew my skills slowly, feeding on the dribbles of praise and criticism my mailing lists provided. In 2011 I decided to try my hand at original fiction and found I have a talent for telling stories that touch people’s hearts and make them laugh. For me there’s no greater high in all the world. The next year I somehow screwed up the courage to submit to a publisher and was given a thumbs up. Now I’m happily sharing my tales with those who care to read them.

My day job is editing and engraving sacred music for a mainline publisher in Chicago, where I live with an antisocial cat who refuses to be named. I enjoy fine wines, jazz, and the darkest chocolate I can get my hands on.

I write in a variety of genres, from gay romance and erotica to science fiction and mainstream thrillers, each category under a different pseudonym. Jude Dunn is the one I use for gay romance. My work is sometimes subtle, sometimes fiery, but always brimming with characters who tackle their challenges with an unwavering love of life.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy your time here.

Author Contact: https://twitter.com/jude_dunn

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Review

Title: One Thing Leads

Author:  Jude Dunn

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novel (230pgs)

ISBN: 978-1-62798-622-9

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (20th October 2014)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 3 ½ Hearts

Reviewer: Tina

Blurb: What makes a young man go further than he ever thought he would?

Dion Bellamy is twenty-seven and studying social work at the University of Chicago. He has lived with Kenji Okamura, a construction worker, for a year and a half. Dion loves Kenji and passionately hopes Kenji feels the same, but he has never said the three big words. Then Grayson Sinclair, Dion’s schoolmate and a vivacious, oversexed playboy, comes between them.

One step at a time, barely aware where his steps are leading, Dion descends the slippery slope into a life of depravity. First, Grayson ensures Kenji is out of the way. Then he entices Dion to go clubbing with him, gets Dion drunk and high, and then takes him to a sex club, where he films Dion giving blow jobs to multiple men. He threatens to put the video online unless Dion signs a contract to work as a prostitute. Though he hardly understands how he reached this point, Dion must now figure out how to escape his fate and save himself.

Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5545

Review: This book took a little while to get off the ground.  Kenji and Dion’s relationship is established and shown to be solid but as the story unfolds you realize that they may not be as perfect as you first suspected.  The character development happens slowly as the story introduces you to all the characters pretty much from the beginning. 

As a student, Dion seems to know what direction he wants his life to take.  He is very outgoing and really seems to love Kenji even though he has a hard time expressing his feelings.  He is the more sensitive of the two and seems hurt that Kenji can’t express his feelings either.  Because of Kenji’s upbringing and his parents past, he is more reserved and slow to open his heart to anyone.  Even though they’ve been living together for 1 ½ years, they still are navigating their relationship. 

At first, it was hard to follow all the characters as the story jumped around.  The quick glimpses of the other characters helped build the story – albeit slowly – and helped add to the mystery of why things were happening. 

Grayson is a complex character and seems to ‘steal the show’.  Both Dion and Kenji appear to be under his spell.  There are many twists and turns to his character throughout the book which, I believe, makes him the character with the most depth. 

The supporting characters are strong and surprising.  The writing is pretty good and thankfully I was happy with the ending.  There are a couple of scenes in the book that were hard to read but overall it was a good story. 

I definitely recommend checking out more of Jude’s work.

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