Card games were very popular during the Regency. Most everyone played them, and most games involved gambling of some sort. When I was mulling the idea for Brook Street: Fortune Hunter, I knew the heroes would meet over a game of cards at a ball.

The thing is I’m not much of a gambler or a card player. I’m rather good at go-fish, no-way and Uno, but that’s about the limit of my skills. But since the guys were destined to meet over cards, that meant a research dive was in order.

So in I dove into Regency card games, and came out with a game for the guys to play: Brag. 3-Card Brag, to be specific. It’s a predecessor to poker, and since I’d seen poker games on ESPN and therefore had some idea of how things went, I figured it wouldn’t be too difficult to learn.

And it’s not a difficult game. Of course, there’s a whole strategy to it, most of which eludes me, but the mechanics of the game aren’t complicated. Here are the basics:

-Decide on the stakes; initial bet (ante), min and max bets
-The dealer deals each player 3 cards
-The person to the left of the dealer starts the game. Similar to poker, you can stay in the game or fold. To stay, you must bet at least as much as the person before you.
-The game ends when either there is only one person left, or if there are only 2 players left, one can force a ‘see’ by doubling the bet. In which case, the other remaining player must show his or her cards. If the player who paid for the ‘see’ has a better hand, he or she shows their cards and wins the hand. Otherwise, the player can simply fold and the other player wins.
-In brag, the highest hand is a ‘prial’ or three of a kind, with three 3’s making the absolute best hand. After that, it’s similar to poker with flushes then pairs.

There you have it – a basic primer on how to play Brag. So what’s your favorite card game?

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Impoverished Julian Parker returns to London with one goal: marry an heiress. He’ll do whatever it takes, even if it means denying his desire for men. After all, with a fortune comes happiness and social acceptance—which have eluded Julian his entire life.

The only things a vast fortune has brought Oscar Woodhaven are greedy relatives and loneliness. At twenty-one years of age, he has everything a man could possibly want—except someone to love him. When he meets devastatingly handsome Julian Parker, he believes his luck has turned.

Between Oscar’s lavish gifts and their searing-hot nights, Julian is caught between what he thinks he needs and what his heart truly desires. But when a betrayal threatens to tear them apart, Julian discovers he’ll do whatever it takes to convince Oscar the greatest fortune of all is love.

Buy Link: Brook Street: Fortune Hunter (#2)

Brook Street: Thief (#1) now available
Brook Street: Rogues (#3) available May 7

Ava March is an author of smoking hot M/M historical erotic romances. She loves writing in the Regency time period, where proper decorum is of the utmost importance, but where anything can happen behind closed doors.
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As a current Spartacus fangirl, I must confess that my *ahem* interest in all things ancient began with the blockbuster movie Gladiator. Even though I majored in history, the ancient world did not grab my attention until Hollywood brought the sands of the arena to life. Russell Crowe didn’t hurt either. Or Andy Whitfield, or…I’m digressing, aren’t I?

The writer in me felt compelled to try my hand at this particular era. There is a lot of room to create stories in this long stretch of history, and after some research, I found my niche in the Dacian Wars. This epic struggle with its strange ending was the perfect jumping off point for a love story between the conquering general and one of Dacia’s daughters, now enslaved in Rome.

I dug in. I did research. And I still got things wrong! Thankfully, my editor is an ancient history lover, so I feel that, between the two of us, the details are nailed down. But there were also things to avoid. First and foremost: do NOT write dialogue a’ la Spartacus! Although my husband and I have incorporated the stunted, “Apologies” and “Gratitude” into our vocabulary, it doesn’t read very well.

At the heart of things, I wanted to tell a great love story.  How does a vengeful woman taken prisoner come to fall in love with her captor? And how does a rabidly loyal soldier come to see that his commitment is misplaced? How do they learn to trust one another more than the brutal reality that surrounds them?  You decide:

As the Romans storm the last stronghold of Dacia, Princess Ademeni awaits her fate. Taken as a slave, she is deposited into General Marcus Cordovis’s home as a gift.

Driven to avenge her family, Ademeni plots to kill her captor and escape. Though not the cruel victor she expects, Marcus keeps her too close to make escape easy–so close that Ademeni is soon tormented by an unbidden, traitorous attraction. In a moment of weakness, a passionate kiss almost undoes them both.

But the handsome, widowed general has another surprise for Ademeni: a young daughter. Marcus dares ask Ademeni to help him bridge the gap between him and his little girl. And now, Ademeni is growing too fond of those she is supposed to despise. As Marcus prepares for the triumphal march and the opening of the gladiatorial games–where captives of her homeland will be sacrificed–Ademeni readies for her own battle between revenge and love.

I’ve had a great experience with Carina Press, from submission to publication. With the swing toward digital publishing and their nice list of similar historical romances, like Georgie Lee’s Mask of the Gladiator, Veronica Scott’s Priestess of the Nile, and Fae Suntherland’s Gladiator’s Master, I feel right at home.

You can purchase Surrender to the Roman on the Carina Press website.  I would love to hear your feedback, so feel free to let me know your thoughts on my Facebook fan page, Twitter feed, or over at Goodreads. You can always stop by my website and blog to see what’s happening.

See you in the sands!

M.K. Chester is a romance author, wife and mom, history geek, sports nut, sarcastic conversationalist, and totally owned by her Scotties, Stewie and Angus.

Brook Street: Thief begins with Lord Benjamin Parker walking into a gambling hell, his stomach tied in knots. He’s never picked up another man before. In fact, he’s never so much as kissed another man. Yet after years of worrying and wondering, he’s decided to find out the truth about himself. So he goes to a gambling hell, one that’s rumored to be frequented by men who prefer men, with the express purpose of picking up a like-minded fellow.

Except Benjamin doesn’t know quite how to go about it. I could empathize with him – I was horrid at dating, the initial encounters, not knowing if someone is into you or not. Awkward and uncertain. And desperate, in Benjamin’s case. He’s determined that tonight will be the night. But there’s the whole question of how to go about it. And it’s Regency London – gay men were not out. Sodomy was a crime punishable by death. So he needs to keep everything on the down-low.

There are the logistical questions, as well. If he manages to find someone who interests him, and who’s interested in him in return, then what next? Well, of course that is next. But where? Benjamin lives on Brook Street, in Mayfair, a good distance from the hell. He will–or rather, they will–need someplace closer.

Fortunately for him, Cavin Fox sits next to him at a gambling table. And unlike Benjamin, Cavin has some experience with pick-ups. He knows exactly what to say, what to do, and where to go. Benjamin just needs to follow his lead.

The man tipped his head. He took a sip from his pint, leaving a faint sheen of ale on his lips. “Drinkable stuff. Not that anyone seeks out Clements for the ale.” He turned his attention to the cards before him and lowered his voice. “Or the tables.”
“Indeed,” Benjamin murmured, before taking a long swallow of ale.

What’s the best or worse pick-up line that has ever been used on you? Or that you’ve used. Come on and share – the bad ones are always the best!

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It was only supposed to be one night. One night to determine once and for all if he truly preferred men. But the last thing Lord Benjamin Parker expected to find in a questionable gambling hell is a gorgeous young man who steals his heart.

It was only supposed to be a job. Cavin Fox has done it many times – select a prime mark, distract him with lust, and leave his pockets empty. Yet when Cavin slips away under the cover of darkness, the only part of Benjamin he leaves untouched is his pockets.

With a taste of his most wicked fantasies fulfilled, Benjamin wants more than one night with Cavin. But convincing the elusive young man to give them a chance proves difficult. Living with a band of thieves in the worst area of London, Cavin knows there’s no place for him in a gentleman’s life. As circumstances pull him to Benjamin’s Mayfair town house, Cavin keeps pulling away from the best man he’s ever known. Yet Benjamin isn’t about to let Cavin—and love— continue to slip away from him.

Buy Link: Brook Street: Thief

Check out the other books in the Brook Street Trilogy:
Brook Street: Fortune Hunter (#2) available April 9
Brook Street: Rogues (#3) available May 7

Ava March is an author of smoking hot M/M historical erotic romances. She loves writing in the Regency time period, where proper decorum is of the utmost importance, but where anything can happen behind closed doors.

Website: AvaMarch.com
Blog: Ava March – M/M Regency Erotic Romance
Goodreads: Ava March
Facebook: AvaMarchBooks
Twitter: @Ava_March

An author friend of mine recently told me my first Carina Press release, Spice ‘n’ Solace, was the first gay romance she’d read – yes, I popped her gay romance cherry.    Considering she’s now a published author in the genre herself, I guess I didn’t scare her away.  But the discussion got me thinking about firsts.  Specifically, reading firsts.  I’ve got a number of firsts that have led me to where I am, both as a reader and a writer.

First Adult Book:  The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
I think I read it for a school assignment, but I do remember I was 10.  I loved the fantasy elements so much that my dad went out and bought me The Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings, which was the first book that made me realize I wanted to be an author.  The entire series, The Belgariad, is a comfort read, along with the subsequent series, The Mallorean.  I’ve re-read those books dozens of times, and the fantasy genre is still a great love of mine.

First Romance: Gentle Rogue by Johanna Lindsey
I was 19, working in a pharmacy, my shift was to end at 9 pm, and I was facing a boring evening at home.  I’d read all of the other action/thriller books in the meager book rack at work, and I thought the guy on the front of Gentle Rogue was good looking.  Yes, it was a Fabio cover – don’t judge me!  I loved the story, and it hooked me on romance, although I didn’t read anything besides historicals for many years.  Johanna Lindsey is still an auto-buy for me.

First Gay Romance: The Price of Temptation by MJ Pearson
Many of my manuscripts have had gay characters in them.  In my early thirties, when I was considering a story with a gay main character (not romance) I wasn’t even sure who I would be able to sell such a story to.  On an internet search, I discovered The Price of Temptation, billed as a gay Regency romance.  I’d spent a lot of time reading historical romances and even tried my hand at writing a Regency, which was a disastrous failure.  There are a LOT of rules governing Regencies and I was curious about how closely a gay Regency would follow the rules.  Aside from a rather blatantly sexual cover, the story was great and it adhered closely to most Regency Romance standards.  It opened my eyes to a whole new genre — gay romance — although it was several years before I decided to try my hand at writing it myself.

Which brings me to my next first… my first book about an established couple, First Time, Forever.  So much fun to write, and I’m hoping there will be many firsts in my writing career still to come.  But now I want to hear about some of *your* firsts!  Have you got any similar book or reading memories?  What made those books significant?  Did they represent any milestones?

First Time, Forever
Derrick and Trevor used to have an incredibly passionate relationship, full of spontaneity and sizzle. Now that their son is off to college, they want to put their days of routine, vanilla sex behind them and bring back some of that spark.

Realizing that they’re empty-nesters, Trevor begins to notice their age difference. He suddenly feels old and unsure of himself, and isn’t confident Derrick still desires him. When Trevor decides to keep his health issues and gray hairs down there to himself, Derrick is hurt by his partner’s secretive behavior and thinks Trevor must be having an affair.

Nothing could be further from the truth, but Trevor doesn’t know how to communicate his fears to his partner. He desperately wants to reconnect with Derrick and rev up their sex life, but will it be enough to reclaim their marital bliss?

KC Burn has been writing for as long as she can remember.  After moving from Toronto to Florida for her husband to take a dream job, she discovered a love of gay romance and fulfilled a dream of her own — getting published.  You can find KC on her website, Twitter and Facebook.