About Me | Updates

shiMMer - MM UK author and reader event

About Me — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I'll be an Attending Author at this event, and I'd love to see you there. I'll be selling copies of my new book, Unveiled, along with some of my backlist. If you want me to sign any of your own copies, please bring them along. We can have a cup of tea and catch up.

MM UK author and reader event

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shiMMer is presented to you by BOOKS LAID BARE BOYS

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Unveiled: A Romantasy of Secrets, Desire, and Moments Where Everything Changes

About Me — Sat, 6 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

There’s a particular kind of tension I love writing—the kind that sits just under the skin. The glance that lasts a beat too long. The conversation that’s perfectly polite… until it isn’t. The moment two people realise they’re not just curious, they’re caught. And Connor and Julien are caught in this trap together.

That’s the heartbeat of Unveiled.

What Unveiled is really about

At its core, Unveiled is a story about what happens when the mask slips.

Not the dramatic, soap-opera kind of reveal. The quieter, more dangerous kind—when you’ve spent years being careful, controlled, and contained… and then one person comes along and makes you want to risk everything.

It’s a romance, yes. But it’s also about:

· Wanting something you’ve told yourself you don’t deserve

· The pull of intimacy when you’re used to distance

· The way desire can be both a comfort and a threat

· Learning that vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s a bloody superpower

The setting: the Highlands, a town that shouldn’t exist, and magic that doesn’t ask permission

Unveiled doesn’t just flirt with secrets—it lives inside them.

The story is rooted in the Scottish Highlands, where the landscape feels old enough to remember every oath ever sworn on it. There’s beauty, yes, but also that sense of watchfulness—as if the hills are keeping score.

And then there’s the town.

A mysterious place that doesn’t sit neatly on any map, wrapped in its own quiet wrongness. The kind of place you can drive past a hundred times and never see—unless you’re meant to. Unless something in you has already been marked.

And the magic? It’s full on.

This is a world where spells aren’t rumours or metaphors—they’re tools. Weapons. Bargains. Sometimes salvation, sometimes catastrophe. Magic in Unveiled has weight and consequence, threaded through the land, the bloodlines, and the choices the characters make when they’re backed into a corner.

The Council of Veils: political power in velvet gloves

Every secret has a guardian.

In Unveiled, that guardian is the Council of Veils—a ruling body with one job: keep what’s hidden, hidden. They don’t operate like a coven. They operate like a government.

The Council deals in:

· Influence and leverage

· Rules that look like “protection” until you realise they’re control

· Favour-trading, quiet threats, and consequences delivered with polite smiles

Their boundaries aren’t suggestions. They’re lines drawn in ink and law, enforced with the kind of calm that should worry you.

And when desire, destiny, and inconvenient truth start pushing at the edges of those boundaries… the Council doesn’t simply step aside.

The vibe: sensual, emotional, and a little bit sharp

If you’ve read my work, you’ll know I’m not interested in romance that’s all sweetness and sunshine. I like my love stories earned—messy, complicated, and emotionally honest.

Unveiled leans into that.

Expect:

· Slow-burn tension that keeps tightening

· Chemistry that doesn’t politely wait its turn

· Emotional stakes that matter as much as the heat

· Characters who feel real—flawed, stubborn, and trying their best (even when their best is questionable)

And yes, it’s steamy. But the steam isn’t there to tick a box. It’s there because it belongs—because sometimes the most revealing conversations happen with clothes on the floor.

Why I wrote it

I wrote Unveiled because I’m fascinated by the stories we tell ourselves to stay safe.

The rules. The routines. The “I’m fine.”

And then along comes the one person who sees straight through it.

I wanted to explore that moment of collision—when attraction isn’t just tempting, it’s disruptive. When the life you’ve built starts to feel like a costume. When being seen is terrifying… and also the thing you’ve secretly wanted all along.

And I wanted to set that emotional danger against a world where danger is very real—where magic has teeth, and the people in charge are very invested in keeping them pointed in the right direction.

Who will love Unveiled

If you enjoy LGBTQ+ romance with bite—where the emotional arc hits as hard as the physical one—Unveiled might be your next read.

You’ll probably love it if you’re into:

· Fated mates

· Character-driven romance

· High tension and high emotion

· Secrets, longing, and that delicious “don’t touch me / please touch me” energy

· Full-strength magic: spells, consequences, and power that can’t be ignored

· Political manoeuvring: councils, rules, and the sharp edge of “for your own good”

· A story that’s sensual without losing its heart

Read Unveiled

You can find Unveiled here in Goodreads - pop it on your TBR list Unveiled by Susan Mac Nicol | Goodreads

Books2Read link: https://books2read.com/Unveiled-Monarchs-of-Magic

And if you do pick it up, I’d love to hear what you think—message me, tag me, or drop a review. (Yes, I read them. No, I don’t bite. Much.)

Want more behind-the-scenes posts, bonus content, and the occasional bit of chaos? You can also join my newsletter for updates and exclusives.

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Episode 1 - The Velvet Petal Hotel (Inhospitable)

About Me — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Yet another WIP. Sigh. I need a clone. Or two.

Hotel inspector Calyx lives out of a suitcase, traveling the world to escape his troubled past. He moves from one luxury hotel to the next, his sharp critiques feared by managers across the globe. His assistant, Ethan, accompanies him on these trips, providing a constant and calming presence to Calyx’s gruff demeanour. Though both men feel a strong attraction, neither acts on it, fearing the complications that could arise from a workplace romance. Their relationship remains in a tense holding pattern, filled with unspoken desires and lingering glances.

The pair’s routine takes an unexpected turn in Romania, where they are set to inspect a new hotel in the heart of Transylvania where mystery and mayhem ensue.

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More WIP for you to drool over...

About Me — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Vampires, Murder and Romance, you say? Well, I don't mind if you don't.

Blood, betrayal, and deadly attraction as desire and danger intertwine.

In the gritty underbelly of a city shrouded in mystery, an unlikely pair find themselves entangled in a web of deception, desire, and deadly consequences. Gordy, an anthropologist and psychology professor, leads a double life - one as an esteemed academic, the other as a man harbouring a dark secret. His world is upended when he encounters Daniel, a dangerous yet alluring vampire detective investigating the murder of Gordy's father. From their first electrifying meeting, the air crackles with an undeniable attraction, a force that threatens to consume them both. Gordy, haunted by a past steeped in abuse and trauma, finds himself inexplicably drawn to Daniel's otherworldly presence.

This one is only a few chapters in but bear with me. I'll get it finished. One Day.

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Free Reads

About Me — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A selection of short freebies and bonus scenes

Whether you have a quick minute or a luxurious five-minute break, here you’ll find a selection of short freebies and extended scenes for your reading pleasure.

Strawberry Kisses

Why should we change?

Vincent Lowry lived in fear until he met the proud Nazari and realized his “stain of shame” wasn’t so bad after all.

When Harry Met Sully

When Harry goes to his local homeless shelter to help with the Christmas decorating, the last thing he expected to find was a sexy Christmas elf.

A Small Soirée (Bonus Scene)

Leslie Scott is tasked with putting on a small, intimate event by his boss, the inimitable and fierce Laverne Debussy-Smith. A small mishap at the party leaves Leslie thinking he's about to get the proverbial kick up the arse. However, friendship is forever, and in typical gracious fashion, Laverne is the one to save the day.

Saving Alexander (Bonus Scene)

Punishing himself for a horrific past that is not his fault, bestselling author Alexander Montgomery seeks redemption and love—and perhaps he will find it.

Worth Keeping (Bonus Scene)

Ah, for the love of a tortured hero… In Worth Keeping, Owen offers up every part of himself—his heart and mind and soul and even his pride—to provide Nick with the loving arms he so desperately needs to be held in.

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