I was approached about contributing to a charity anthology and I wracked my brain for a gay romance story.  A friend had suggested Page Against the Machine as a potential name for a bookstore.  Another friend suggested The Owl’s Nest, and since the randomizer chose that, I was happy to go with it.

Great. I had a name for the bookstore in my fictional town of Mission City, British Columbia.  With Page Against the Machine, I had a title.  I already knew one character who worked at the bookstore — a free-spirited sensitive named Sunshine who was forever getting into everyone’s business.  I figured her boss would be more of a traditionalist.  Who better than a guy whose parents once owned the store and that he’d inherited?  More back and forth with different friends and I had Dickens.

Now, knowing this was a novella, I wanted a quick meet-cute and a deep dive into the relationship.  How about a motorcycle mechanic who sets up shop next to the bookstore?  Suddenly, Bookstore Dude’s quiet is disturbed by hot Motorcycle Dude.  So that made them enemies, right? Eventually, I realized I was writing an enemy-to-lovers book that had hate sex in the fourth chapter.

Of course, this being a Gabbi Grey story, I had to throw in some emotional wounds — especially for Spike the Motorcycle Dude.  And I’m not sure if this is a true rom-com, but it’s as close as I’ve come thus far in my short writing career.

Naturally, I hope you’ll snag a copy.  In the meantime, share with me your favorite enemy-to-lovers story or a good rom-com I should check out.  $5 Amazon GC to a random commenter.

Page Against the Machine Synopsis

Dickens

My tranquility is shattered when a motorcycle repair shop moves in next to my bookstore. All I want is peace and quiet. What I get is gunning engines and eighties rock music. One of us has got to go, and since I was here first, it’s the hot mechanic.

Spike

I chose Mission City to set up shop because of the weekend-enthusiast riders. I’ve dreamed of owning my own shop for years, and no one is going to run me out of town. Least of all the adorable geek Bookstore Dude.

This 25k gay romance novella is a true instalove, enemies to lovers, opposites attract story with a cuddly cat named Aristotle. The story first appeared in the anthology Love Is All, Volume 5.

Links:
Amazon US:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B8BW6W8H
Amazon CA:  https://www.amazon.ca/Page-Against-Machine-Mission-Romance-ebook/dp/B0B8BW6W8H/
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61866363-page-against-the-machine

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

Website: https://gabbigrey.com/
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