Life Story

60 years of love, books, dogs, and gardening

Romeo and Juliet, Jack and Rose, Antony and Cleopatra, Charles and Di – do all great romances have to end in disaster? Meet David and Will, the exceptions that prove the rule…

To be homosexual in England in 1958 was a very dangerous thing to be. To act on one’s impulses, and be caught doing so, meant social humiliation, exclusion, and often imprisonment.

When David Manners moves to Fletcher’s Cross after the loss of his wife, everyone feels sorry for the young widower. But David has a secret that he needs to keep hidden if he is to settle into this small rural community in the Cotswolds.

Then he meets William Forman, a local gardener and handyman, who gets very drunk one night and David realises he is not the only one with a secret in the village; they start an affair that will last over sixty years.

Life Story tells of their love and life together. Covering major changes in English society, and the growing acceptance of men such as they, the story of David and Will is interwoven with their work, their passions, their home, their books, an irritating duck and, of course, all their dogs.

This is a novel full of love, warmth, humour, and just a little bit of drama.

“I loved the way Jonathan blended the events of sixty years of recent English history with his characters and their lives in a quiet village. From Margaret Thatcher to a bomb at Harrod’s, and music from the sixties to the near present, David and Will’s relationship survives and thrives. A lovely story, and a wonderful book.”

DS, Nice, France

“1958 to 2018. Wow, sixty years of love, sixty years of dogs, gardens and David and Will’s everlasting love! Sweet story, with real social history and the fight for equality and equal rights for gay men. A real English view of the struggle, with a classic cast of Jonathan’s trademark warm, gentle and funny characters.”

DM, Altringham, England

Cow Boy

Life for gay men isn’t all drinking in bars and partying in night clubs…

Luke Stratton is a young, gay farmer, living with his parents in a remote part of the Lake District in northern England. He could have been very isolated and lonely, but he keeps in touch with the world via Instagram (and an OnlyFans profile) and has thousands of followers, enjoying his posts about his life as a dairyman. But despite his popularity, he hasn’t got a boyfriend. Until now…

When a famous artist, Aran Green, moves into the old house next to Luke’s farm, he and the “cow boy” get together. But Aran has a lot of baggage from his past relationship, and Luke gets very insecure about his new lover’s feelings towards his ex, a fashion designer, Charlie Nolan. As Aran settles into country life, he and Luke must sort out their growing relationship as the artist adjusts to his new world… then Aran’s old boyfriend turns up…

A gay rural romance with humour, love, art, fashion, social media, a small brown dog, and an awful lot of cows!

“Jonathan has created a wonderfully romantic story, set in the Lake District, with warm, colourful characters, good jokes and the best pair of parents any gay man could ask for!”

NH, Helsinki

“Lovely book, a true rural romance. Who knew farming could be the setting for such a funny, loving and seriously dirty love story.”

NC, Denver

The Wood Man

Noah Hunter, a Scottish architect and single father, moves to the small Swedish town of Rättvik with his son, Toby. He has come to work for Hanson Hus, an old-established company that builds timber houses.

As they settle into their new lives in Sweden, the town is shocked by the disappearance of a little boy. Has he drowned in the lake or has he been abducted?

Then the boy’s body is found in the forest, brutally murdered.

A murder enquiry starts but then another child is taken, and terror stalks this small community. Suspicion and fear threatens Noah’s new life, especially as his son fits the profile of the killer’s preferred victims.

Can the police find and stop the Wood Man before he strikes again…?

“I want to live in the house of cubes! Great story, wonderful new characters and another horrible series of crimes. Jonathan has done it again!”

— LK, Melbourne, Australia.

“The relationship between Noah and his son is really sweet, and the other people who inhabit this new murder mystery are so well drawn, I could see them all so clearly. And Sweden too. Loved it.”

— JP, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Who dun it?

A classic murder mystery with a cast of characters straight from today’s media by the author of the “Gemini & Flowers” mysteries.

When ex-Commander David Granger is asked about the famous Monsson House murder, memories come flooding back. There are rumours he got it wrong and the guilty party escaped. True or false? As Granger tells the story of his last investigation, we revisit one of the most baffling crimes of recent years.

A saint of a man lies dead on the floor of Monsson House on the edge of Hampstead Heath, London. The body is that of Sir Richard Monsson, who was the owner, and a widower. After his wife’s death he had opened his home to other single people, to help them overcome loss, personal disasters, depression and homelessness. His social experiment had worked, and everyone enjoyed living there and they all said they loved him. So, why did he fall from the second-floor landing to his death? Did he jump? Or was he pushed?

Thirteen suspects were in and around the old family country house when he died. If he was murdered… who dun it?

Each suspect’s individual story is beautifully crafted and the way Jonathan slowly builds the investigation until the final reveal is excellent. A true murder mystery, and a classic ‘whodunnit?’

— ST, York.

A real English country house murder mystery but updated so well. There is a drawing room, a butler, a body and multiple suspects and a very funny crime investigation team, led by a great detective. What’s not to love about this fantastic book!

— FR, Miami

The King’s House

For nearly 500 years, the King’s House in Oxford has been home to one of England’s finest collections of art, furniture and artefacts, collected by the Weaver family. Surrounded by a glorious garden, hidden behind a high wall, it has remained almost unknown to the general public for centuries.

When twelve-year-old Dash Hargreaves asks Ellie Weaver, the last surviving member of the family, if she needs help looking after her garden, it is the start of a wonderful relationship and the beginning of major changes in the life of the Tudor mansion. As the years go by, Dash becomes more involved in the care of the house, but this brings him into conflict with an Oxford professor, who has eyes on the property. When Dash meets Jessie, a local artist who is paralysed from the waist down, he ends up helping Jessie’s father, who is a police officer, solve a very nasty murder. And when Dash tries to help Jessie walk again, things really start to get interesting…

The King’s House is a love story, filled with passion, envy, jealousy, laughter, sex, love, some excellent wine, and several dormice.

I love Jonathan’s books and The King’s House is right up there with the best of them. Funny, sad, loving, silly, romantic…I would love to live in one of his worlds.

— FT, New York City

Once again, Jonathan takes us back to an England that is warm, friendly and happy. His writing is romantic and sweet, but also very rude and funny. Dash and Jessie are two great new creations and I hope there will be the promised sequel.

— HS, Canberra, Australia

Tall Timber Falls

A novella

How do you change your life when you are stuck in a terrible job and are desperate to get out? Hal Gates was in that dark place….

“Porn free, as free as the wind blows….”

Sam Hastings has just sold his company and is heading off to start a new life at his home in Tall Timbers, California when he offers a lift to a young guy called Hal Gates. Hal has been working as a gay porn star but is trying to get away from his old life, disillusioned and disgusted by the sex movie business. But the industry isn’t ready to let him go just yet, nor is his ex-lover, the brutal, controlling Reach Handy. Sam helps Hal try and sort out his chaotic life but it is difficult for the boy to find a job in the small town.
He ends up working with Sam to finish off the new house Hastings has had built overlooking Clearwater Lake, finding a new direction and a talent that he never knew he had. As his life seems to improve, old friends, and old enemies, converge on the small summer community, and Hal finds himself torn between a possibly bright future and a very sordid past.

With strong language and very adult, gay themes, this book is not recommended for the faint hearted, Tea Party members, UKIP people or anyone who might vote for Donald Trump!

This is a short story, ideal summer reading on a Kindle, iPad or other surf device. It is also available in paperback.

Rough, romantic, very gay and very funny at times. Everyone in trouble needs to meet a guy like Hastings!

— PG, London, United Kingdom

I demolished this in one sitting as I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. Very good storytelling. I’m going to try the Gemini and Flowers books next.

— MC, Sydney, Australia

Tall Timber Rocks (The Tall Timber Trilogy Book 2)

Porn Again?

It has been three years since Hal Gates gave up making gay porn movies and found a new life amongst the forests and charming people of Tall Timbers. With his life partner, Sam Hastings, he’s built a loving happy relationship for the first time ever, such a contrast to the abusive one he had with the late, unlamented Reach Handy. But Tall Timbers has been suffering a drop in visitors so Sam and Hal start organising special festivals to try and save their friends and the town from going under.

This story starts as they prepare for the second, ‘Tall Timbers Gay Adult Movie’ festival. The town is filling up with fans and porn stars, moviemakers and sex toy salesmen! The sun is out, the people are happy and it looks as if it will be a stunning success until the Crimson Queen says someone thinks Handy was murdered…

As the festival proceeds, Hal, Sam, Sheriff Blain and the rest of the townsfolk try and deal with the mayhem that ensues. And, on the horizon, other storm clouds are building…

Very funny, very, very rude and a great continuation of the original novella. I love the characters, all of whom get stronger this second time around. Not for the faint hearted or anyone who doesn’t like strong language or rough sex!

— SG, Dorset, England.

We’re back in Tall Timbers and things are getting complicated again for Hal and Sam. Nice set-up, amusing dialogue and a lovely contrast of English and American culture, attitudes and humour. And lots more sex than the first one!

— HF, Sydney, Australia.

Tall Timber Lives, the final part in the trilogy.

Porn on the Fourth of July…

In this, the final book in the trilogy, Hal and Sam are getting married. They have been together for five years now, and, having rebuilt the house, decide it is time to tie the knot. Everyone is returning to Tall Timber for their wedding, plus some unexpected and unwelcome visitors from their past.

The weather’s beautiful, the music is amazing, the cake’s a dream but this is Tall Timber after all, so things never go according to plan!

Available from Amazon as a paperback or a Kindle eBook.

Funny, romantic, very sad and just like life today, unfortunately! Jonathan has finished off Hal and Sam’s story; not in the way I would have wanted but it rounds off the stories perfectly.

— JK, Dorking, UK

Damn! It’s over and they ain’t never coming back. But it’s been a blast. Loved the whole ex-porn star thing and love Jonathan Gregory’s writing. Not to everyone’s taste, I’m sure, but the sex is great and the jokes fast and furious!

— SD, Sydney, Australia.

Accidental Murderer

A collection of 21 short stories, some bizarre, some sweet, mostly nasty and many with a little twist in the tale. Stories of love, jealousy, hatred, money and horror. Set in locations as varied as a pet shop on the high street, a very unpleasant hotel in the mountains of Switzerland, casinos in China where you don’t want to lose and a dinner party in London where they rewrite history. And you won’t believe what they’re going to do to Miss Marple! These stories are for entertainment purposes only. No lessons to be learnt or philosophies to be mastered. Just sit back and enjoy the ride…

A real mixture of stories from the bizarre to the warm and friendly; the standard is very high throughout this lovely collection.

— PB, Oslo.

Jonathan’s been channelling his inner Dahl to great effect and these tales are a good blend of very black humour and personal recollection; something for everyone and a bit more besides.

— MT, York.

Nice People

Nice People, a romantic tale from Stockholm of guns, dogs and twelve extraordinary paintings. Both Josh and Timo feature as subsidiary characters in the Gemini and Flowers Mysteries, but this is a stand-alone novel telling the story of how they met.

Nice People actually reminds me a lot of Tales in the City, but in a very contemporary way. It's real life, it's today, it's funny and it's very gay. Even raunchy gay sometimes. I hate some of the characters and that's a good thing. And I adore a couple of them. Maybe because it's partly very romantic. Because so am I.

— BB, Norway

The Stone Age

The Stone Age is a future history novel about one man’s attempt to save to world, and the world’s rejection of his efforts. Joe Stone tries to help society by creating products to solve problems; condoms that people actually want to wear to cut the birth rate and unwanted pregnancies; a car battery that actually takes a car a reasonable distance; holographic TV screens and computer monitors that don’t need anyone to wear glasses to enjoy the experience. He creates jobs in areas of high unemployment and pays his employees great salaries. All this pits him head-to-head with a brutal group of industrialists to think they own the world. When he produces a cold-fusion reactor that changes the way energy is supplied, they go after him with guns blazing. Part political thriller, part classic English science fiction in the John Wyndham tradition, The Stone Age answers the big question, ‘How many people would you kill to save your family?’

Jonathan Gregory has written a modern saga, fierce in its criticism of modern politics and double standards. A modern Jules Verne is born! Well done!

— MDM, Sweden

Just a little ghost story

#Booo!

Simon and Julia Barrow are planning to retire to a cottage on the Yorkshire Moors, a ruin that they have bought and totally rebuilt. But Julia suddenly dies. Simon, lost and adrift, decides to go ahead with the move, encouraged by his daughter, Emma. She helps him settle in but, when she leaves, he is overwhelmed by loneliness.

However, he soon finds out he is not exactly alone. There is something in the cottage. Things are moved about during the night. When he asks the locals if they know anything about strange events, he discovers the terrible history of his new home and finds out he is sharing his new life with the spirit of a dead child.

As Simon starts to look into the mystery of the boy’s death, with the unlikely help of a punk rocker and an ex-policeman, he opens up a cold case involving child abuse and the disappearance of other children.

As events unfold, he puts his new home, his new life and his sanity in danger. An old evil reappears and Simon’s only hope of survival is in the hands of a very small ghost…

In this novella, Jonathan Gregory, the author of the Gemini and Flowers Mysteries, takes the traditional haunted house story and turns it on its head!

“Not what I was expecting! A very modern take on a haunted house story. A sweet, sad, lovely little novella, but just nasty and spooky enough to satisfy the traditional ghost story lover. I loved it and found the writing flowed so well, I read the whole story in one sitting.”

— JY, Durban, South Africa

“I had read some of Jonathan’s other books and wanted to see if he could manage a good ghost story. He did! This is great. Simple, traditional, with enough little twists of originality, and fear, to make me smile and wince all at the same time. I’ll never look at my iPad in the same way ever again. Lovely job!”

— SR, Dublin, Ireland

Another little ghost story

When Simon Barrow retired to the village of Hareholm on the edge of the North Yorkshire moors after his wife died, he was worried he might be very lonely. That was before he found out he was sharing his new home with a small ghost.

Billy Mason had been murdered, aged seven, over twenty-three years ago. Still seven, he and Simon watch DVDs together (he loves the Minions and Despicable me) and play chess most evenings. The boy loves playing in the garden with Harry the dog, and Billy also enjoys building Lego models in Simon’s study.
Things have been quiet in Hareholm since the drama the year before at the Old Priory*. But a new owner has arrived, bringing a very strange friend with her. The two women are clairvoyants. They sense something odd in the old building and ask Simon about its history. When they decide to hold a séance, all Hell breaks loose, threatening Simon’s life and the very existence of a very special little ghost.
*This is the sequel to “Just a little ghost story”.

“Wonderful second half of this very original story.”

— SJ, Brisbane, Australia

“The first book was very unusual and special, and this finishes the story perfectly. I cried at the end, for all the right reasons.”

— KT, York, United Kingdom

A Little Swedish Murder

After losing his pregnant wife in a terrorist attack, English artist David Tempest moves to an old cottage in the middle of the Swedish countryside. Days later, two of his neighbours die in a mysterious fire, deliberately started. There are no clues to the identity of the arsonist, and the small community is deeply concerned this might be the first of many such attacks, and the act of a serial killer.

As David tries to settle into his home, he meets a troubled teenager who needs a job. He employs him to help around the garden, and ends up getting far more involved in the boy’s life than he expected. As he struggles to get over the loss of his wife and unborn son, the two form a close bond and he helps the boy come to terms with many difficult issues in his life.

As the police investigate the murders, there is another fire. Then another. It seems this is going to be a long, hot, dangerous summer in the Swedish countryside…

A Little Swedish Murder is Jonathan Gregory’s first murder mystery set in Sweden. It is available in paperback or you can download it as an eBook.

“Jonathan has created a whole new community of characters that I have fallen in love with, just like his Gemini and Flowers mysteries. The crime is there, but this story is as much about love and loss, greed and privilege, friendship and starting out and finding love. The Swedish setting is beautiful, and not a word is wasted.”

— JL, Sydney, Australia.

“This slim novel is a sweet story of growing friendship, coping with terrible loss and a wicked crime ripping into simple rural life. I loved his earlier stories, which are so modern yet steeped in the history of classic crime fiction. This book is a neat little addition to his crime collection and I hope he writes a sequel. Or two.”

— FB, Durban, South Africa.