Sunday, September 27, 2026

Blitz: In the Frame (The London Arts Club #2) by Hayden Stone with an excerpt and a giveaway



In the Frame: A Fake Dating Queer MM Romance

Series: The London Arts Club, #2

by Hayden Stone

Release date: August 29th 2026

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance





Blurb:

An artist. A developer. And an art gallery which they both want—for very different reasons.

When recent uni grad Matty Gowen-Smith, a talented painter and not so talented bartender, spills a tray of drinks on a hot-shot investor, Florian de Ligt, he’s left with no choice to make amends. Especially after Matty ruins Florian’s suit on a big night out for Florian’s birthday.

Trying to make things right, broke artist Matty offers Florian his only suit in a desperate effort to not get fired from his job. Conveniently, Matty is flat sitting around the corner, where his one prized suit awaits his friend’s wedding next weekend. Not so conveniently, they are soon trapped together in an elevator at Matty’s flat, and things rapidly go from bad to worse until landing on an uneasy truce.

Which is where a pact is born to come right from this mess. Florian needs a date for an upcoming art gala, a world he knows little about. Matty desperately needs a respectable date for his friend’s Brighton wedding to prove he’s a success in his new London life.

Two fake dates and an unexpected kiss later, fake feelings begin to feel a bit too much like real feelings. Which wouldn’t be a problem if Florian wasn’t so determined to dismantle Matty’s art community by redeveloping a popular local art gallery into luxury condos. An art gallery which may give Matty the solo exhibition he’s dreamt of to launch his art career. And now Matty must choose between his community or what might be a real chance at love…

In the Frame, the second book in the London Arts Club series, features forced proximity, boy next door, and fake dating in a fun new adult romcom.

Purchase:




EXCERPT 

Florian’s close enough for me to touch, still holding a luxurious bag slung over his shoulder. Looking… nervous? “I realize you’re angry and…” He trails off, looking at me. “And you obviously have every reason to be.”

He’s holding his breath and I’m holding mine. An impossibly long moment stretches on. And on. Neither one of us dares breathe or move. Until finally, finally he yields to me. My heart leaps then.

Just as he’s starting to turn away, I catch his arm. And Florian gasps slightly, his body jerking in response to my touch, his gaze locked on mine—and I couldn’t look away for all the art or money in the world right then. 

And he fully turns back to me.  

“Florian,” I whisper, my voice barely audible, reeling.

And I do an outrageous thing, a reckless thing, since this is a fully outrageous morning, and keeping in the spirit, I catch his face between my hands. Florian shivers under my touch. His dark stubble’s rough against my fingers, the texture pleasing. 

Then, right then, I kiss him. 

It’s a soft, gentle kiss at first, turning into something bolder, more daring as he responds to me, kissing back tentatively to start. As we respond to each other with growing certainty, we progress to tasting each other more intently and deeply, lingering to savor the unexpected, sweet taste of him while blood crashes in my ears. Florian smells so good, his deep cologne making me wild. At that moment, I could float away, untethered with a momentary, newfound joy.
 
We continue more hungrily, lost and found again, until finally we at last come back to our senses, looking at each other in awe beneath the bright sunlight as if actually seeing each other for the very first time. In the hotel lobby, of all places. Still with the view of the sea behind him, and the promise of summer ahead.

His face is still between my hands. So warm. Incredibly warm. 

And Florian looks stunned, a bit flustered, but his expression is soft and oh God, what’s happening?

“I promised you a kiss.” My voice is caught deep in my throat as if oxygen has left me forever, because the world spins, and I don’t want to let go, and hell who knows and who cares who’s watching. “If you remember.”

“You… you did say that.” Florian’s voice is barely audible. “But I didn’t think you meant it.”

GIVEAWAY
Blitz-wide giveaway (INT) ends October 5
  • $25 Amazon gift card & 2x ebook copies of In the Frame




AUTHOR BIO:
More animal than mineral, Hayden Stone (he/him) is a writer of fun queer fiction, especially with kissing. Hayden is the author of the When Snow Falls, Being Royal, and The London Arts Club romcom series. He currently lives in Victoria, Canada, and has previously lived in Vancouver, Canada and London, UK. You can find out his latest news on Instagram or his website: haydenstonebooks.com

Author links:



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Blitz: In the Frame (The London Arts Club #2) by Hayden Stone with an excerpt and a giveaway

In the Frame : A Fake Dating Queer MM Romance Series: The London Arts Club, #2 by Hayden Stone Release date : August 29th 2026 Genres : Adul...