Grief, guilt, and PTSD have ruled his life since a terrible crime tore his world apart last year, and he’s dreading a holiday visit with the family he simultaneously needs and resents. Then someone from his past shows up and rattles that shaky foundation right out from under him. First a war nearly destroyed Jeremy Kelley, then his family threw him out when he needed them the most. Now he’s barely holding on emotionally. He spends his last dollar to get to Chicago and prays his former best friend won’t leave him out in the cold. Neil and Jeremy spend the holidays with Neil’s family in their hometown of Omaha. They struggle to deal with families, flashbacks… and feelings that haven’t even begun to fade since their last failed attempt at more than friends. As they try to repair their fractured psyches and rebuild damaged bridges, they rely on each other more than ever, but they can’t deny the mutual attraction that’s existed since before they were both emotionally battered and scarred. If they couldn’t make it work back then, how in the world can they pull it off now? This book was previously published and has been lightly revised.

    One trip to Aspen with Winter, and Ivan knows they won’t be spending another year alone.Even though Ivan has a high-paying job, that doesn’t mean he has any desire to be anyone’s sugar daddy. He’s seen men his age go through their mid-life crisis with gold diggers and doesn’t want to be that guy. Unfortunately, there’s one thing worse than being used for his money—being alone during the holidays. He’s about to strike a deal to end that horrible tradition.Winter only knows Ivan as the surly Russian who gets a single drink at his bar each night and always leaves a huge tip. The last thing he expects is Ivan’s sudden offer for a trip to Aspen. A moment of pure insanity mixed with the holiday blues has him accepting. He has no idea how to act or what to expect. There’s no way he could prepare for the storm known as Ivan that upturns his life.A Sugar Daddy for Winter is a short standalone story loosely connected to Charity Parkerson’s Sugar Daddies series. While there is no need to have read any of the series to enjoy this book, if you’re interested, Sugar Daddies is a contemporary romance, age-gap series where the men are hot, rich, and don’t like to be told no.

    For Aaron Forester, it’s a gay-friendly buffer between himself and the rest of the world. After being outed in high school and bullied to the point of violence, his family uprooted their lives and relocated to the small hamlet. He’s moved on from all that and now owns a popular café in the bustling shopping district. But after twenty years of happy living, Aaron’s past creeps up on him in the most unexpected way. Brad Collins only has one regret and he’s carried it with him since he was a teenager. When he moves to Heartsville and gets set up on a blind date with the most adorable, engaging man he’s met in a long time, he couldn’t be happier. But Brad didn’t expect the guy to be the person he outed in high school—who he’s now falling in love with. Aaron and Brad hit it off instantly—in and out of the bedroom. But after a long overdue apology and a small serving of resentment, is their fledgling relationship worth another shot?

     What is that supposed to mean? Those are the words Lucas Daniels hears before stumbling through the brass doors of the elegant Club Dyavol, a club that seems to appear out of nowhere. The club is his last hope of getting a job to escape his predatory stepfather’s home. Who would dare enter a vampire’s sanctuary uninvited? Count Konstantin “the Wolf” Volk may be weakened by a curse, but he is still a primal predator. And when he sees a young man venture into his club, bypassing all of his magical and physical protections, more than just his curiosity is aroused. Is there more to this meeting than simple chance? NOTE: THIS NOVELLA SERIES HAS CLIFFHANGERS! EVERY BOOK WILL END ON ONE. THAT'S MY NATURAL WRITING STYLE. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE CLIFFHANGERS, WAIT UNTIL THE WHOLE SERIES IS PUBLISHED TO READ. THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT! X. Aratare writes gay paranormal romance with witches, vampires, magic, and mystery. Though some books may venture into dark territory, they will all have happy endings.

    Taggert to fall in love with his capricious student Duncan.Duncan’s numerous absences caused him to be held back three times. At age 19 his last chance to graduate is in Mr. Taggert’s class. He’s happy to be there since he’s had a crush on the sophisticated disciplinarian for a while. Taggert is shocked when the boy flirts with him. No one’s ever looked at the stern man that way before. At first he thinks Duncan is teasing him, but the boy soon makes his feelings clear.Taggert isn’t about to have his career destroyed by a lovesick schoolboy—even one as lovely as Duncan. When Duncan prays to the oracle to intervene the flustered teacher is put in an even more compromising situation!

    He’s found his soulmate in high school social studies teacher Coleman Pierce, but while Micah’s out and proud of it, Coleman’s closet door is closed, locked, and welded shut. Stolen nights are all they’ll ever have, unless Micah can find some way to convince Cole that coming out won’t be the end of his dreams. Cole moved to Blueridge Junction to escape his past. He planned to make himself a new life, far from home and the betrayal he’d suffered there. He wasn’t going to make the same mistakes again, but he didn’t count on meeting Micah, or the intensity of the feelings the man arouses in him. But Micah is out and Cole… isn’t. And while Micah definitely revs his engines, Cole isn’t going to risk his job or his newly minted future on a relationship that might not work out. When outside forces bear upon the couple, Cole is faced with a decision. Will he keep his secret and risk losing everything, including the man he loves? Or will he stand with Micah and fight for their future? *Fight For It is a male/male romance meant for ages 18+ due to language, themes, and adult scenes.*

    And now it’s up to the Ancient vampire who turned him to teach photography student Morgan how to live.When faced with the loss of everything he’s known, Morgan isn’t sold on an eternity spent with an emotionless, 2,000 year old record producer with fangs. Trapped on top of a mountain in a vampire’s retreat, Morgan must grapple with the reality of his demise. But the true challenge is whether to kill or kiss the one being walking the earth who can make his heart beat again.Can Morgan face his new undead reality?

    Things get worse when his high school bully, captain of the football team and meathead extraordinaire, Ric Saunders, shows up for an appointment at the chiropractic clinic where Alex works. Things go from bad to worse in a comedy of errors that leaves Alex's head spinning. Has Ric turned into a crazed stalker, ready to pick up the bullying where he left off eight years before? Or has Ric got something else in mind this time?

    After high school he had football but he lost Dylan.Dylan Sunday walked a different path, one laid down before him by his father and his grandfather. Losing Bo one day after discovering they shared more than football wasn’t part of the bargain. Six years of missed connections and finally Dylan is able to come home to the man he left behind. The spectacle of the biggest game in the NFL is only the beginning of one sizzling week. After that time and fate would decide if Bo and Dylan would walk the same path, or if one of them would make the ultimate sacrifice.Warning: bittersweet tale of two hot men, making up for six years of separation. May not be suitable for sensitive readers. Contains scenes of male/male sexual practices.

    In the year 2050 mankind’s never-ending quest for proof life exists in the universe is answered—in the form of massive space ships that appear without warning above the capitals of all major nations. The name of their planet is Tah’Nar—and is dying. The United States sets up a lottery system, and each young man between the ages of twenty-three and twenty-eight is assigned a number. Once a year, for the next five years, numbers will be drawn and a new set of one thousand males will be collected. The media coined the expression ‘The Harvest’ for when the Tah’Narian’s collect these young men.Captain Keyno Landium Shou is a Tah’Narian starship captain who has been granted the right to take a mate, any mate, he wants during the last harvest on Earth. Dale was seventeen when the aliens first appeared. His parents assumed he’d be safe since the final collection would be done before he turned twenty-three. He didn’t fall within the guidelines established, so they took for granted he had nothing to fear.They were wrong.

    It wasn't New York, or California, but he figured it would be better than being home. College would be be a new start in a new place, maybe somewhere he could be himself.Sean was local, born and bred, on the opposite side of the town-and-gown divide, but attraction knows no boundaries. When personal tragedy brought them together, it was the beginning of something extraordinary.~~~~~This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.Dear Author,I realize I'm late to the party, but it took me a bit to find just the perfect photo! This:The first time is so beautiful, if the one you're with cares enough to make it that way. These two are so young: barely out of high-school, but college is all about finding out who you really are.Photo Description: The place is secluded; leaves filter the sun. The men are so young, shirtless, smooth skin and sleek light muscle. The dark boy tentatively holds his lover, head tilted to bring their mouths together. There is nothing tentative about the blond. He leans in, driving the kiss. 1980's sweet summertime.Word Count: 15,288

    Mundane routine helps keep his anxiety and obsessive tendencies under control. Socializing—especially dating—isn’t on his list of strong skills either, and, made worse with the echoes of his disapproving mother. So he’s content to stay at home with his lists and cleaning and wildlife documentaries, until a one-night stand goes unexpectedly right.History has taught Devon DuCaine that dating can be uncomfortable, but there’s just something about Scott. He may be the opposite of Devon’s own long-haired, tattooed, free-wheeling spirit but he brings out the nurturer in Devon. Maybe it’s Scott’s surprising fascination with Devon’s motorcycle, or his shy surprise in moments of affection, but there’s more under those sensible suits than meets the eye. The most important person in Devon’s life, his mom, taught him love and compassion and that’s all he wants to share that with Scott. Their one-night stand turns into a regular thing, but Scott doesn’t trust it to last. He’s pretty sure Devon is hiding something. He’s even more sure that once Devon gets to know him, the attraction will fade. And then there’s his mother. However many sparks fly between them, Devon will have his work cut out to convince Scott they can have their happily ever after.(This book was originally published as 2 short stories. They’re combined here with massive edits and double the content from the originals.)

    The only thing beautiful in his life is his sister. When Gwennie is obliged to turn a suitor down because she fears to leave her brother to the brutality of their village, Knife is desperate for anything to ensure her happiness.Her suitor's cousin offers him a way out, but it won't be easy. Aerie-Smith has been cursed to walk upright in the form of a beast, and his beloved village suffers from the same spell. Aerie-Smith offers Gwen a trousseau and some hope, if only Knife will keep him company on his island for the span of a year and perform one "regrettable task" at year's end.Knife is unprepared for the form the island's curse takes on his own misshapen body. In one moment of magic, he is given the body of his dreams—and he discovers that where flesh meets spirit and appearance meet reality, sometimes the only place to find truth is in the darkness of a lover's arms.

    But his stepbrother proves to be the very last person he expected to encounter. On top of that, the long-ago residents of the tourist hot spot, a tower dating back to the revolution, are not quite as dead as Gene would have liked..

    His older brother Kell mated a cruel alpha who abuses him daily, and Braun is terrified of that seemingly inevitable future. When Braun’s father dies in a car crash, leaving Braun an orphan, he’s sent to a halfway house for omegas. But on his fourth night there, he witnesses a horrifying crime that sends him fleeing to the streets alone—and edging into his first heat. Tarek Bloom is settled in his workaholic, single lifestyle, even if it is somewhat embarrassing to be a twenty-eight year-old unmated alpha. He enjoys his job as a constable, helping people and solving problems, so he isn’t prepared for his life to flip upside-down when he walks into his beta friend Dex’s apartment to help with “a problem.” The problem turns out to be an unmated, nearly in-heat omega orphan who Dex and his husband rescued off the street last night. The even bigger problem is that Tarek feels the mating bond for this terrified omega immediately—and he’s pretty sure the omega feels it, too. But Braun hates alphas as a general rule, and no way is he giving in to the bond. All mating leads to is violence and suffering, so no thank you. But Tarek’s gentle kindness slips under Braun’s emotional shields, and Braun begins to want. To dream. All Braun has ever known is violent alphas, but Tarek is determined to make Braun trust him—and to trust in the idea of their happily ever after. NOTE: This is a non-shifter Omegaverse story with alpha/omega/beta dynamics, heats, knotting, and mpreg. In this world, omegas are second-class citizens with few civil rights and almost no protections under the law. Trigger warnings for physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. 67,000 words.