I’m wrapping up my blog tour for Under a Blue Moon here on Book Reviews and More by Kathy. It’s the second book in the Camp H.O.W.L. series, and the third, Hiding in Plain Sight, will be out sometime in September so you don’t have to wait too long to get your next Camp H.O.W.L. fix.
I love banter and sarcasm, and Drew is the perfect example of how both can combine to make a deliciously snarky guy. In the excerpt I’m sharing here, Drew has fallen and hurt himself attempting the camp’s agility training course, which he refers to as werewolf parkour. As a human, he’s at a significant disadvantage, but he doesn’t let that stop him, even when it should.
Drew is Camp H.O.W.L.’s new doctor, which he’s extremely qualified for with his background growing up in a Pack and then becoming their doctor after medical school. He’s at Camp H.O.W.L. because he wants to be somewhere he can actually help, and a camp full of hormonal new wolflings definitely needs a doctor. (And sometimes so does Drew.)
Excerpt
“Let’s get you upright,” Luke said, tucking his hands into Drew’s armpits and easing him up into a sitting position. “Annabelle, would you grab the first aid kit? Cody, there are ice packs in the freezer in my office. Bring us one, please. Everyone else, laps outside.”
The wolflings streaked out the door, probably grateful to get away from the sharp scent of Drew’s pain. It was clouding Nick’s head, and he wasn’t even the one hurt. He couldn’t imagine what it felt like for Drew. Luke ran through a basic concussion check and felt around the growing bump on Drew’s temple, which just made Drew irritated. He swatted at him, assuring them he was fine.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go into town to the hospital?” Luke asked, a skeptical look on his face. He clearly didn’t want to be the one to break the new guy.
“I’m sure,” Drew said, and Nick had to admit he sounded better.
Embarrassment had snuck into his scent, and his pain seemed to be dwindling. Luke helped him up and excused himself to go find his campers so they could finish the class.
Nick helped Drew to the changing area. “Look, we can call the whole thing off,” Nick said as Drew adjusted the melting ice pack he was currently holding to his head.
“No. You won that one fair and square. Werewolf parkour is, not surprisingly, something I do not excel at.”
“Are you sure you don’t have a concussion?” He hadn’t smelled too injured, but Nick didn’t exactly know what a concussion smelled like. It didn’t come up a lot in his line of work.
“Positive,” Drew said, giving him a thumbs-up with his free hand.
“Can we at least postpone our next class until tomorrow? You should have a doctor look at that lump on your head.”
Drew poked his head into the bathroom and started talking to the mirror.
“Good to see you, Drew. How’s the head? Why, it’s fine, Dr. Welch.”
Nick sighed, but Drew kept going.
“Tell me, Drew, did you lose consciousness when you fell? No, sir, I didn’t. I was awake for every painful moment.
I see. And you aren’t experiencing any nausea or vomiting? No blurry or double vision?”
Drew turned to face him, eyes clear and lips quirked.
“I’m fine, Nick. I swear I’ll go get checked out if I show the slightest signs of any neurological deficits or loss of function.”
“If you can say neurological deficits, you’re probably okay,” Nick admitted. He reached out and gently touched the skin below the welt forming on Drew’s head. “That looks bad, though.”
“You’re supposed to tell me I’m pretty and that it’s hardly noticeable,” Drew said with a smile. He caught Nick’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Let’s go take Kaylee’s evening meditation class. I don’t think I’m up for anything physical, but that should be okay. I tell you what, if I’m not feeling like myself after dinner we’ll skip it, okay?”
Nick’s instinct was to protest, but he stopped himself. He was a work in progress, but never let it be said he couldn’t be taught. Drew was his own person, and if he said he was all right then Nick had to trust that unless presented with evidence to the contrary.
“If you’re up for it. Is it wise to meditate right after dinner, though? I’d think that would be best approached on an empty stomach.”
“No, trust me, that’s the worst. Then you just sit there and think about how hungry you are and obsess over whether or not anyone else can hear your stomach growling.”
That was a fair point. He kept a close eye on Drew all through dinner, but he didn’t seem worse for wear. He had conversations with several people, all of whom commented on the goose egg on his head, but he waved away their concerns, playing it off as just a symptom of being a clumsy human. It hadn’t been lack of skill, though. Nick was realizing Drew did that a lot—downplayed his abilities and tried not to challenge people when they looked at his humanity as something worthy of sympathy. He’d been one of the worst offenders on that, and he had a lot to make up for.
Title: Under a Blue Moon by Bru Baker
Camp H.O.W.L. Series Book Two
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Imprint: Dreamspun Beyond
Genre: Contemporary, Gay, Paranormal, Romance, Shapeshifter/Werewolves
Length: 228 pages/Word Count: 60,207
Summary:
A Camp H.O.W.L. Novel
Once in a blue moon, opposites find they’re a perfect match.
Nick Perry is tired of helping people with their marriages, so when a spot opens up to work with teens at Camp H.O.W.L., he jumps at it. He doesn’t expect to fall in lust with the dreamy new camp doctor, Drew Welch. But Drew is human, and Nick has seen secrets ruin too many relationships to think that a human/werewolf romance can go anywhere.
Happy-go-lucky Drew may not sprout claws, but he’s been part of the Were community all his life. He has no trouble fitting in at the camp—except for Nick’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge the growing attraction between them and his ridiculous stance on dating humans. Fate intervenes when one of his private practice patients threatens Drew’s life. Will the close call help Nick to see a connection like theirs isn’t something to let go of?
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Purchase Links: Dreamspinner Press * Amazon * B&N * Google Play * iTunes * Kobo
Author Bio
Bru Baker writes sophisticated gay romantic fiction with strong characters, real-world problems, and plenty of humor.
Bru spent fifteen years writing for newspapers before making the jump to fiction. She now balances her time between writing and working at a Midwestern library in the reference department. Whether it’s creating her own characters or getting caught up in someone else’s, there’s no denying that Bru is happiest when she’s engrossed in a story. She and her husband have two children, which means a lot of her books get written from the sidelines of various sports practices.
Author Links: Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads * BookBub