The wait is over! After months of pouring my heart onto the page, I'm thrilled to announce that The King of Spades and Broken Roses is now live and ready to sweep you off your feet. This isn't just another addition to my MM romance collection – this is the book that nearly broke me to write, and I couldn't be more excited to share it with you.
Save 15% with code 15News at checkout – but more on that later. First, let me tell you why this story means everything to me.
The Inspiration That Changed Everything
You know those moments when life hits you sideways and suddenly everything you thought you knew gets turned upside down? That's exactly where The King of Spades and Broken Roses was born. I was sitting in a coffee shop in Manchester last spring, watching a couple having what was clearly a difficult conversation at the table next to me. The raw vulnerability, the way they looked at each other like they were holding their entire world in their hands – it struck something deep.
But here's the kicker: it wasn't the conversation that got me. It was the moment afterward, when one of them pulled out a worn deck of playing cards and started shuffling them nervously. Something about that simple, human gesture – the need for something familiar when everything else feels uncertain – that's when Adrian and Marcus first whispered their story to me.
Why This Story Nearly Destroyed Me (In the Best Way)
I'll be honest with you – there were nights I had to step away from my laptop because the emotions were too raw. The King of Spades and Broken Roses digs deep into what it means to rebuild yourself after loss, and as someone who's navigated my own share of life's curveballs, writing this felt like emotional archaeology.
Adrian, our protagonist, is dealing with the aftermath of losing his long-term partner in a way that nobody saw coming. He's left with nothing but a deck of cards that once belonged to them and a garden full of roses that are slowly dying without care. Enter Marcus, a landscape architect with his own complicated past, who sees beauty in broken things and believes that sometimes you have to tear everything down to build something better.
The real magic? Neither of them is looking for love. They're both just trying to survive.
The Emotional Journey You're About to Take
If you've read my previous work, you know I don't do easy love stories. But The King of Spades and Broken Roses takes that philosophy and cranks it up to eleven. This is MM romance for people who want to feel everything – the gut-wrenching lows, the tentative hopes, and those moments of connection that make your chest tight in the best possible way.
Without spoiling anything, here's what you can expect:
The slow burn that will test your patience (and reward it beautifully). Adrian and Marcus circle each other for the first half of the book like two wounded animals who desperately want connection but are terrified of getting hurt again. The tension is palpable, and when they finally crash into each other... well, let's just say I had to take several cold showers while writing those scenes.
Symbolism that will hit you right in the feels. The playing cards aren't just props – they represent memory, chance, and the games we play with ourselves when we're afraid to be vulnerable. And those roses? They're dying, blooming, being replanted... much like our heroes' capacity for love.
Real, messy emotions. Grief doesn't follow a timeline, and neither does healing. Both Adrian and Marcus make mistakes, say the wrong things, and sometimes take three steps backward for every one step forward. It's frustrating and beautiful and so incredibly human.
Behind the Scenes: The Research That Broke My Heart
Here's something I haven't shared with anyone yet: I spent three months volunteering at a community garden while writing this book. I needed to understand the metaphor I was working with – the idea that sometimes you have to let things die to make room for new growth.
I learned how to prune roses (turns out it's harder than it looks), I got my hands dirty planting bulbs that wouldn't bloom for months, and I talked to other volunteers about loss, hope, and the surprising therapy of working with soil. One woman, Eleanor, told me that gardening taught her that "dying isn't the opposite of growing – it's part of it."
That line made it into the book, and every time I read it, I think of Eleanor's weathered hands gently coaxing new life from seemingly dead earth.
The Cards and What They Really Mean
The King of Spades isn't chosen randomly. In traditional card reading, the King of Spades represents a man who has faced great challenges and emerged stronger, but who sometimes struggles to open his heart again. Sound familiar?
I spent hours researching card symbolism, learning about the psychological comfort of repetitive actions (like shuffling cards), and even consulted with a grief counselor to make sure I was handling Adrian's emotional journey responsibly.
The result? A story that uses this simple deck of cards to explore complex themes of memory, fate, and the courage it takes to bet on love when you've already lost so much.
What Readers Are Already Saying
The advance review copies have been out for just two weeks, and the response has been... overwhelming. Here's what's making me cry happy tears:
"Dick Ferguson has outdone himself. This isn't just a romance – it's a masterclass in emotional storytelling."
"I stayed up until 3 AM because I couldn't put it down. My heart is still recovering."
"The garden scenes are so beautifully written I can smell the roses. And Marcus... dear God, Marcus."
Ready to Fall in Love?
The King of Spades and Broken Roses is available now on Amazon UK, and for the next 48 hours, you can save 15% with discount code 15News. This isn't just a book – it's an experience. It's the story I needed to tell, and I have a feeling it might be exactly what you need to read.
Fair warning: keep tissues handy. And maybe clear your schedule for the evening, because once Adrian and Marcus get their hooks in you, you won't want to do anything else but find out how their story ends.
Click here to grab your copy now: Amazon UK Store
Don't forget to use code 15News for 15% off – this offer ends soon, and trust me, you don't want to miss out on this emotional journey.
What's Next?
This is just the beginning. I'm already deep into planning the next story in what I'm calling the "Broken Hearts, New Beginnings" series. But for now, I'm savoring this moment – the terrifying, exhilarating feeling of putting your most personal work out into the world and hoping it finds the readers who need it most.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Thank you for supporting MM romance that doesn't shy away from the hard stuff. And thank you for trusting me with your hearts, your time, and your late-night reading sessions.
Get your copy today with code 15News for 15% off, and let Adrian and Marcus show you that sometimes the most broken things create the most beautiful gardens.
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