Let’s give a warm welcome to author Zara Detand who is joining us today to talk about her new release Second To Nine.
Welcome Zara 🙂
Talk Banter to Me (or: I Love You, But I’d Rather Insult You)
Let me be honest: I’m in it for the banter. Good dialogue and characters throwing clever jabs while falling hopelessly in love? Oh. It’s the easiest way to my little reader heart. As a writer, most of my books begin as snarky dialogue scribbled onto whatever scrap of paper is closest.
But why is banter so addictive? Well, here’s my take. You’re welcome.
It’s basically flirting in disguise. The art of saying “I like you” while sounding like you’re trying to win an argument.
Then there’s the tension. That delicious push-pull. Watching two characters verbally spar their way into intimacy is the best kind of slow burn.
Also? Shared humour builds trust and connection—it says, “If you can handle me at my most sarcastic, you might just survive me at my most sincere.” Which is honestly more romantic than a thousand earnest declarations.
Take Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall—two men, wildly different, trading lines sharp enough to shave with. Or Red, White & Royal Blue: when Alex quips, “Did your parents send you to snobbery school?” we feel the shift. That kind of snark does more emotional heavy lifting than an entire monologue.
Then there are shows like Good Omens, Sherlock, Our Flag Means Death—the verbal chemistry leaps off the screen. Because we recognise what’s really going on: teasing as tension, sarcasm as self-defence. Banter isn’t just fun—it’s emotional armour, begging to be stripped away.
In Second to None, my newest release, two ex-bandmates reconnect after years apart. Fame is long gone, replaced by family and regret. They bicker. They banter. They pretend it’s all fine. (Spoiler: it’s not. Yet.) Because underneath every jab and joke, there’s something tender. And that? Oh—that is what I’m really here for.
Bring it on!
—Zarah
Blurb
Fame broke us. Now the love of my life is back, asking for my help with the one thing he wasn’t ready to do: come out.
Levi
I thought my boyband days were behind me—along with the heartbreak that came with them. I’ve traded world tours for a countryside house and a steady job that lets me raise my sister’s kid. So when Cassian Monroe, the ex-bandmate who shattered my heart, waltzes back into my life, I know I should keep my distance. Problem is, I’ve never been able to stay away from him.
Cass
I’ve spent years hiding behind dazzling smiles, scared to be true to myself. And it cost me the only man I’ve ever loved.
I’m ready now. But with my life under a microscope, even the truth needs a bit of staging. Candid pictures, dinner dates, and just the right amount of mystery—it’s the perfect PR strategy. The only catch? I want Levi Blake, the one who got away, to help me sell the story.
Second to None is a standalone MM rockstar romance told in dual POV. It features epic mutual pining and meddling friends, a precocious seven-year-old, two men who never stopped loving each other, and a HEA that shows that second chances aren’t given—they’re earned.
Zarah Detand
Author of witty M/M romances with snark and heart. Chaos monkey. Coffee snob. Cheese is her love language.
Zarah’s partial to a slow burn that unfolds with maddening patience and an extremely satisfying payoff. She loves opposites that attract and has never met a celebrity romance trope she didn’t like—and frankly, at this point, might need professional help. Expect sharp banter, inconvenient feelings, and guaranteed happy endings.