Today on the site I’m delighted to partner with Amy James to reveal the cover of her upcoming m/m romance, Final Cut, releasing November 3rd! Here’s the story:
Hollywood’s favorite actor. Nobody’s favorite Formula 1 driver. One life-changing winter break.
Quin McCarthy is Hollywood’s favorite actor. Cole Milton is nobody’s favorite Formula 1 driver. The two men have less than nothing in common, and when their paths briefly cross at the Singapore Grand Prix, it ends in mutual loathing.
Neither expects to see the other again, but when Quin moves to a remote Canadian ski town to film a thriller series, he learns that his deep-woods rental cottage has a single neighboring property, owned and occupied by none other than Cole.
Quin resolves to ignore him and spend his winter nights reading books by the fireplace. But when he stumbles upon a dead body on set—and glimpses the murderer making a run for it—his laid-back winter plans take an abrupt turn for the worse. As things grow more dangerous, he’s forced to turn to Cole for help—and in doing so, realizes Cole might not be the bad guy everyone thinks he is.
Early praise for Final Cut:
“Amy James delivers a pulse-pounding romance that proves first impressions can be dead wrong. Equal parts heart-racing suspense and swoon-worthy chemistry, Final Cut had me racing to see what would happen next! Quin and Cole are the perfect opposites…one beloved by millions, one misunderstood by nearly everyone…and watching them fall for each other amidst danger, secrets, and snow-covered isolation was absolutely irresistible!” – Chip Pons, USA Today Bestselling author of Dearly Departed
“In Final Cut, a wintry small-town romance collides with a twisty murder investigation. I love how Amy James writes tense, tamped-down yearning, and how her characters push each other for honesty—baiting the tenderness from one another even when it’s hiding behind a shield of animosity. This is a fast-paced, moving story about grief, our capacity for both pain and healing, and the kind of love that sees our fear and brings it into the light.” – Ellen O’Clover, author of The Heartbreak Hotel
And here’s the sexy cover by Quel Martins!
Buy it: In Bloom Bookery | Hopeless Romantic
Amy James lives on the east coast of Canada with her husband and dog. Her debut romance novel, A Five-Letter Word for Love (Avon, 2024) was short-listed for the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. Her second romance novel, Crash Test (Avon, 2025) was named one of CBC Books’ Best Books of 2025.
MAYA AMEYAW is a Toronto-based community arts writing instructor and award-winning author. She has edited several mental health–themed anthologies for youth and adults and is the author of the critically acclaimed novels When It All Syncs Up and Under All the Lights.
