Title: Winter Masquerade
Author: Kevin Klehr
Narrator: Jon Bolitho-Jones
Length: 3 hours and 40 minutes
Publisher: NineStar Press
Released: Feb. 22, 2022
Genre: Romantic Fantasy
Ferris wakes on the Sea Queen, an enchanted cruise ship sailing on a chocolate sea. He has no idea how he got here, but he desperately wants to go home to his boyfriend.
The alchemist is the only person who can help Ferris, but he’s been kidnapped. The ransom is high tea, with scones, and jam.
Meanwhile, the passengers are gearing up for the Winter Masquerade, a ball where love and magic reign.
With a murderous musician, an absent boyfriend, and a mystical party, Ferris soon learns that Wednesday is not the day to fall in love.
Ferris is unsure of himself, yet at first, we’re not sure why. He lives with his boyfriend, Harris, in a rented Sydney home, but this is not where this tale begins.
He wakes on the Sea Queen, an enchanted ocean liner sailing on a chocolate sea with a permanent rainbow above. He is in his early twenties with brown hair and brown eyes, and is both delighted and disturbed at what happens aboard this mystical journey.
Cole is the guitarist in the band that is rehearsing for the masquerade ball. He doesn’t say much, but broods instead, covering up the fact that he’s a little shy. He wears a white suit and is never without his sunglasses.
Janus is a very small horse with wings. Yes, a miniature Pegasus! He helps The Detective solve mysteries and is carried around in the investigator’s man-bag. He is also highly intelligent and well educated, and often debates when The Detective has no clue how to solve a case.
In Winter Masquerade, Janus and The Detective are trying to find The Alchemist, the only person who can help Ferris get home to his boyfriend.
Camilla is The Alchemist’s wife. She is cultured and is the favourite character of Jon Bolitho-Jones, the narrator of this audio book. Jon claims Camilla has the personality of an old actress – dramatic and whimsical. She sounds as if she’s born into money, yet she has always existed in the fantasy world aboard the Sea Queen.
Molly is ditzy. She is Camilla’s best friend, and like Camilla, is in her early sixties. She can read handwriting and believes she was a fishmonger’s wife in a previous life. The narrator believes Molly is like those eccentric aunts you find in Jane Austin novels.
Olive is also ditzy. She is the harp player in the band and the best way to describe her is to say – think Stevie Nicks at forty years of age. Olive has long red hair, green eyes and wears a long sheer dress for comfort. Scallywag is the ten-year-old boy who plays the drums for the band. He is plump, has short dark hair and is wiser than his age. Like Ferris, he is from our world, but there’s a grim reason he hides out in this alternate reality.
Kevin lives with his husband, Warren, in their humble apartment (affectionately named Sabrina), in Australia’s own ‘Emerald City,’ Sydney.
His tall tales explore unrequited love in the theatre district of the Afterlife, romance between a dreamer and a realist, and a dystopian city addicted to social media.
His first novel, Drama Queens with Love Scenes, spawned a secondary character named Guy. Many readers argue that Guy, the insecure gay angel, is the star of the Actors and Angels book series. His popularity surprised the author. The third in this series, Drama Queens and Devilish Schemes, scored a Rainbow Award (judged by fans of queer fiction) for Best Gay Alternative Universe/Reality novel.
Recently, his work, The Midnight Man, scored Runner Up in Best Gay Fantasy at the Rainbow Awards, while Winter Masquerade received an Hourable Mention. The Midnight Man also scored a first place in an LGBT category at the Paranormal Romance Guild’s Reviewers Choice Awards.
So, with Guy, his fictional guardian angel guiding him, Kevin hopes to bring more whimsical tales of love, life and friendship to his readers.
Jon Bolitho-Jones is an actor/writer based in Prescot, a place between Manchester and Liverpool in the UK. He can also be found hanging around in Watford and Kings Langley.
Jon graduated from ArtsEd School of acting and since then has worked in Short Films, Shakespeare, Fringe Theatre, and Pantomime. He also has experience in Improv Comedy, Stand Up, Writing and Directing.
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This looks like a fun read.