Book picks similar to
The Imperfect Heart by J.K. Benson


m-m
homofobic
violence-or-abused
i-enjoy-read-this-book

Car Wash


Shawn Lane - 2009
    He’s already been laid off from his job, compelled to sell his motorcycle, and now faces eviction from his apartment. Things can hardly get worse. Now, forced to work a low-paying job at a car wash and barely surviving, Kevin is too embarrassed to even tell his friends. Hotshot lawyer, Michael Bennett, comes into the car wash to have his Maserati cleaned. Kevin knows Michael well. When Kevin was fifteen, an openly gay twenty-one-year-old Michael was Kevin’s dream. But when the teenaged Kevin made his move, Michael rejected the young man. Nine years have passed and Michael is surprised how attracted he is to Kevin. He soon takes him out, then takes him home. This time the beautiful man is not too young. When he learns of Kevin’s situation, a smitten Michael makes it his job to clean up the disaster that Kevin’s life has become. But his take-charge, bossy way irritates a sensitive Kevin, who starts a fight, ending in the breakup of their budding relationship. A breakup neither of them really wanted. Can they repair their fractured relationship or will their differences and hurt feelings keep them apart for good?

Relationship Material


Jenya Keefe - 2019
    He has a good life, but the emotional aftermath of a horrific crime makes him feel too damaged to date. So when his sister’s hot bestie, Malcolm Umbertini, comes on to him, he turns him down flat. Mal is Relationship Material: the kind who thinks in the long term. What would Evan do with a man like that?As a prosecuting attorney, Mal’s learned how to read people, and he knows there’s more to Evan than meets the eye. Mal has faced his own hardships since his family kicked him out as a teen, and he respects Evan’s courage and emotional resilience. More than that, he wants Evan—in his bed and in his life. But can he weather another rejection?Both wary, they agree to a no-strings fling. Mal knows that Evan wants things to stay casual, but he’s falling in love a little more with each encounter. With health, happiness, and bruised hearts on the line, Mal and Evan must risk everything for love.Reader discretion advised. This title contains the following sensitive themes:Child Abuse (past)Drug Use (references to past interaction with drug users/drug dealers)Emotional Abuse Explicit Violence (past)Eating Disorder (past)Non-Consent (Discussion of past incident)Self-Harm (references)Sexual Assault (Discussion of past assault)

Complementary Colors


Adrienne Wilder - 2014
    Her greed made me a slave and circumstance left me with no way to escape.Trapped, the only way I could silence the nightmares driving me to insanity was to wrap them in color, hold them with shadow, and stitch them to negative space with line.But no matter how bright the pigments, no one could see my confession.Except for Roy Callahan.I thought he was just another nameless one-night stand in a long line of many. But I was wrong. Roy could see past the façade of my life and through the veil color over the canvas. He could see what the world couldn’t.And with him I’d find the courage to tell the truth about the boy.The boy who kissed me.The boy who loved me.The boy whose name I couldn’t remember.

Until September


Chris Scully - 2016
    Desperate to shake the shadow of his past, he reinvents himself as Archer Noble, an outspoken blogger and controversial author who lives only for himself. But when his beloved sister dies, Archer is saddled with guardianship of his niece and nephew.Elementary school teacher Ryan Eriksson is devastated when his best friend Marguerite is killed, leaving her two young children orphaned. Helping Archer with his new responsibilities eases his grief, but when Archer offers him custody of the children, Ryan’s left with an impossible choice: get the family he’s always wanted, or respect Margie’s wishes and convince Archer to give parenting—and his heritage—a chance.To buy time, Ryan promises to stay for the summer, hoping that Archer will change his mind and fall for the kids. But Archer’s reluctant, and the growing attraction between him and Ryan complicates matters. Legal decisions must be made, and soon, before Ryan returns to school. But with hearts involved, more than just the children’s future is on the line.

Drawn In


Barbara Elsborg - 2016
    He’s become trapped in an abusive relationship with his violent thug of a boss and sees no way back without wrecking months of work. The hope of ever being involved with someone who respects him seems a distant dream.Private investigator Gethin is depressed that the bulk of his work involves following unfaithful partners. He knows just what it’s like to be cheated on. Even worse, his relationship with his ex is complicated and Gethin can see no way of breaking free of a guy who so desperately needs him.A chance encounter brings Kell and Gethin together, entwining their lives with secrets and danger. They both have reasons to keep things casual. But there are consequences to zipless fucks. Not only do they have to survive people trying to kill them, they need to trust each other and keep their wits about them, while ensuring their hearts stay intact.

Winter Games


Kyell Gold - 2012
    You can trust him. If he doesn't talk a lot about his past, well, a lot of guys have done things they'd rather forget. A lot of guys have been through things they'd rather forget, too. He's so nice that it isn’t that weird when he asks about some of the other guests. Not like a cop, though, or a Fed—well, okay. Maybe a little like that one guy from that movie. Maybe he's off-duty, settling a score on his own time.Or maybe he's the guy on the run. Come to think of it, he looks around corners like someone's after him, too. But you know, some guys are chased by nothing more than the ghosts of their past...

Angel


Cyma Rizwaan Khan - 2012
    In captivity he meets a man named Mikhail who does nothing but torture him. And yet as time passes and the captive/prisoner game goes on, a Stockholm syndrome type relationship begins to form. But is Mikhail as ‘bonded’ with his captive as he says he is? Or is this a ruse to further torment him?Book One: Ty and ‘Angel’ are having a rough time of it. Even though they love each other, it’s obvious Ty has a connection with his past life of being a contract killer and it’s hard for him to let go of the violence. In order to make Mason (Angel) feel safe, Ty tries everything in his power, including fabricating stories to make it seem like everything is fine, even when things are not even close to being ‘fine.’ His tendency to keep Mason in a happy and ‘safe’ frame of mind is a losing game and when Ty ends up killing the son of a mob boss by mistake, Mason too will have to pay for it.

Dirty Deeds


S.E. Jakes - 2014
    His specialty is deep undercover assignments with virtually no support. He’s been alone for so long that he no longer knows anything else.Mal’s also used to being alone. Wanted in several states and even more countries, he’s not allowed in the vicinity of any of his former Navy SEAL teammates. And his current assignment is to track Cillian in order to discover the spook’s endgame. Except he’s no longer sure which one of them is getting played.Cillian isn’t about to let the mission that’s consumed him for the past several years crumble because an outsider is poking around where he doesn’t belong. But Mal forces his way through Cillian’s defenses—and into his heart—exposing a devastating betrayal that could destroy them both.

Enemies like You


Annika Martin - 2017
    Absolute enemies. And totally hot for each other.Will has never met anyone like Kit. He’s arrogant. Gorgeous. Lethal. The most expensive bodyguard money can buy. And Will can’t seem to resist him. A simple command in Kit's cut-glass accent makes Will want things he’s never wanted, do things he’s never done. Their red-hot chemistry is off the charts. Just one problem: Will has vowed to kill the billionaire that Kit is hell-bent on protecting.And Kit has secrets, too—his own reasons for sacrificing his soul, piece by painful piece, to keep one of the worst men on earth alive.This is a stand-alone hot contemporary M/M bodyguard/spy romance.

Dream by the Fire


Devyn Morgan - 2015
    They attend the same university, and it was a no-brainer to live together. Yet, Mason crossed the country to choose this school over a more prestigious grad program. He always told Darcy it was because of the extracurricular opportunities. Darcy wonders: did Mason move for him? They cuddle now and then... but Darcy's always assumed his best friend was straight. Darcy isn't looking forward to a lonely Christmas. His parents won a Christmas cruise they've been looking forward to forever, but it's for two people. Meanwhile, Mason's flying thousands of miles across the country on Christmas Eve to be with his family. That leaves him alone for ten days. The news of a freak storm sweeping in off the Atlantic shouldn't excite Darcy as much as it does... When the planes are grounded, the roads are a mess, and the airports close down, Darcy and Mason are snowed in together. Now, with the magic of Christmas in the air, they can connect on another level. But can their relationship as best friends withstand the drastic change as sparks fly? Dream by the Fire is a standalone story with a HFN ending.

ACID TOWN


Kyuugou - 2009
    They ultimately fail but instead spark the interest of the mob's young leader, Kazutaka Hyodo, who offers Yuki a deal he can't refuse: pay him a visit at his office once a week and all hospital bills will be taken care of. Yuki accepts without hesitation and in order to keep his end of the deal, starts paying Hyodo the visits he asked for...Ch1-5

Come To The Oaks: The Story of Ben and Tobias


Bryan T. Clark - 2014
    Snatched abruptly from his homeland and enslaved into the Antebellum South, grand homes and majestic oak trees meant little to him. Now he is considered the property of other men, but his spirit would not be broken. The awkward Benjamin Nathanael Lee lives a privileged life. His father owns the largest tobacco plantation south of the Mason Dixon line. Ben wants little to do with the harsh realities of running a plantation—that is, until he meets Tobias, the one person that changes everything for him. Wealth, greed, and power brought them together. The same now threatens to separate them forever. The two men are on the verge of losing the one thing that matters: their love for one another. Against the odds, they steal off and embark on a journey to find freedom: the freedom to love one another and to live a life without the chains of slavery. Come to the Oaks is the tale of a forbidden romance—a love forged by two young men as they journey through a land that is tearing itself apart.

Full Circle


Kaje Harper - 2011
    Jamison Severs is sitting in a bar contemplating his past as a failed lover, failed doctor, failed drunkard, and a fading old man, trying to find a reason not to lift that glass. Then a beautiful blond boy walks in the door, bringing reminders of Jamie’s past with him. Meeting the son of Jamie’s former lover, Toller, brings back the good old days, and the bad. And maybe it’s finally time for Jamie to come to terms with all the things that brought him and Toller together, and the things that broke them apart.

Fight


Kelly Wyre - 2014
    Telling the truth has gotten him nothing but heartache and pain; so lying about who he is and what he wants seems to be the only path to job security and friends. Hell, it even brings him a hollow kind of happiness.Except, that's not much of a life for any man. Especially one with Nathan's passions. Nathan's attempts to distract himself from his problems lead him to a mysterious, intoxicating man named Fury. The Mixed Martial Arts fighter knows a thing or two about lies and pasts better left buried. He and Nathan have something else in common - they both want to be with someone who lets them be themselves.Together, they undertake a journey that proves honesty is more dangerous and more difficult than either of them could have imagined. And as they combat addiction, thugs, guns, and their own inner demons, Nathan and Fury can only hope that their battle to be together will be worth the bitter fight.

Love Is a Stranger


John Wiltshire - 2014
    A lie so profound that when the shadows are lifted, Ben realises he's in love with a very dangerous stranger. Ben has to choose between Nikolas and safety, but sometimes danger comes in a very seductive package.