{"title":"Tales From Ballena Beach","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"strings-attached-book-nick-nolan-9780982555019","title":"Strings Attached","description":"ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award Winner in Gay \u0026amp; Lesbian Fiction  Adolescence is a hazardous way of life for 17-year-old Jeremy Tyler; his father died in a mysterious accident when he was a child, and his mother has since descended into alcoholic hell and forced rehab; that’s when he’s sent from the Fresno slums of his childhood to the posh estate of his overbearing great aunt Katherine and her censorious husband7mdash;liberated from an economic prison, only to land in an emotional one—and is overwhelmed by the change. It’s not easy for him to fit into the upper crust, particularly because he’s trying to hide how much he’s attracted to other boys. Jeremy’s story of breaking free from the strands of dishonesty, deceit, and self-doubt has its parallels to the tale of Pinocchio, but Nolan’s take is totally contemporary: think the TV series The OC—girls with mean cheekbones, well-built guys with snotty attitudes, and Jeremy in the role of heartthrob Ryan Atwood. He’s a good-looking kid, with a sleek swimmer’s physique—and the swim team’s champ is out to get him. He dates one of the smart-set girls in an attempt to keep his hormones at bay—but that doesn’t do him much good. Nolan’s debut novel is a kitchen sink of genres—coming of age, coming out, mystery, romance, erotica, even a dash of the supernatural—that add up to an impressive story about the passage from boyhood to manhood.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50368619806993,"sku":"CIN0982555016VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50376242233617,"sku":"CIN0982555016G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0982555016.jpg?v=1750885609"},{"product_id":"double-bound-book-nick-nolan-9780982555026","title":"Double Bound","description":"Reader Views Reader’s Choice Award Winner in Gay \u0026amp; Lesbian Fiction ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award Winner in Gay \u0026amp; Lesbian Fiction  Nick Nolan’s Double Bound reunites us with many of the characters introduced in his delightful Strings Attached: Jeremy, now in a committed relationship with fun-loving, hotheaded Carlo; Arthur, Jeremy’s protector, confidant, and mentor; and Katharine, Jeremy’s wealthy benefactress, still hiding a slew of secrets and hidden agendas. This sequel displays the same wit, verve, style, and sense of adventure that were so engaging and fresh in Strings Attached. And where Strings Attached playfully alluded to Pinocchio, Double Bound has fun with the Jack and the Beanstalk fable.  Just as Strings Attached was Jeremy’s story, Double Bound is Arthur’s, exploring his troubled relationship with disapproving parents and his precarious years as a troubled Marine. However, there’s an added element this time out—the stakes are higher, the repercussions more dire, and the choices harder and more consequential. There is a darker feel to this novel, which not only adds depth to the characters but highlights Mr. Nolan’s growth and confidence as a storyteller. We’ve moved beyond high school concerns into real-world choices, where outcomes are not always tied up in neat “happily ever after” packages.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50368622788881,"sku":"CIN0982555024G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0982555024.jpg?v=1751203772"},{"product_id":"wide-asleep-book-nick-nolan-9781477817971","title":"Wide Asleep","description":"Winner! International Book Awards: 1st Place, Gay \u0026amp; Lesbian Fiction  Winner! Rainbow Awards: 1st Place, Gay Paranormal Romance  Author’s Note: WIDE ASLEEP may be read either as a “STANDALONE” or as Book 3 of the “Tales from Ballena Beach” series  Arthur Blauefee promised to stay away from Jeremy Tyler forever. But when he learns that his troubled, heartbroken ex-lover has been seduced and swindled out of his inheritance, Arthur is off to the rescue.  After rekindling their passionate affair, the starry-eyed lovers learn that Jeremy’s plight has gone from terrible to worse. Not only has Jeremy been cheated out of his fortune, he’s been framed for murder. Desperate to clear Jeremy’s name, the pair travels to Greece in pursuit of the nefarious conman Lazzaro Sforza and enters a shady world of sex rings, designer drugs, and international intrigue.   Aided by the powerful hallucinogen Sueño Gris, Jeremy journeys into his past lives. Hopscotching through time, from the Civil War all the way back to the Roman Empire, Jeremy discovers that Lazzaro has betrayed him many times before. Can Arthur and Jeremy finally trump the scheming Lazzaro, or are they doomed to repeat their ill-fated pasts?","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51327730909457,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51327733563665,"sku":"CIN1477817972G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1477817972.jpg?v=1750827118"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/collections\/tales-from-ballena-beach-book-series.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}