Book picks similar to
Regrets and Resolutions by Marley Valentine


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winter-wonderland-giveaway
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contemporary

Memories of the Heart


Felice Stevens - 2015
    All words used to describe Dr. Micah Steinberg by the hospital staff for their next head of surgery. When a letter arrives from his grandmother’s friend at the assisted living facility, his orderly world tilts dangerously out of control. Josh Rosen had everything until it was revealed much of his world was a lie. Forced to re-evaluate his life, Josh gives up his career and returns home to New York City to care for his beloved grandmother. What Josh didn’t figure on was an attraction to a man who on the surface, appears to be exactly like the life Josh chose to leave behind.As Micah struggles with the reality of his grandmother’s illness, the bond these two share deepens, as Josh helps Micah heal, then open his heart. Micah discovers there is more to life than work, control and success. Josh is in deep but has yet to tell Micah who he really is.When the fight for the hospital’s head of surgery turns ugly, Josh’s past and present collide. Micah must let go of the past and accept who he is, if his life is going to move forward.Life is full of surprises, and as both Micah and Josh learn, love can happen whether you plan for it or not.

Conduct Unbecoming


L.A. Witt - 2012
    Three long, lonely years on a crappy island that’s thousands of miles from his daughter? Oh. Yeah. Sign him up. But as long as he’s stuck here, he might as well make the best of it, so he discreetly checks out the local gay scene, where he meets Shane Connelly. What starts as a one night stand leaves both of them wanting more, but then Eric finds out Shane doesn’t just outrank him, he’s an officer. DADT may be repealed, but an enlisted man getting involved with an officer falls under conduct unbecoming a gentleman and could cost both men their careers. They both have kids to take care of, future civilian careers to consider, and retirements on the line.Still, they can’t resist each other. They discreetly spend nights together, and their mutual desire to explore the beautiful island of Okinawa is a perfect excuse to spend days together. As long as no one asks and they don’t tell, there’s no reason anyone has to find out.But secrets like this tend to make themselves known…This 95,000 word novel was previously published.

In the Rough


K. Sterling - 2016
    Unfortunately, his true self is a thirty-six year old man who dresses like he did in high school and has never stepped foot in a nightclub of any sort. Thank goodness for the fabulous, unflappable Mr. Wren. Handsome, confident and refined, Wren takes Hunter under his wing and vows to make him the ultimate player. Things become complicated and confusing as Hunter's makeover proves a little too successful and harmless flirting goes too far. Kisses were the bait Wren used to snare his prey, to melt their resistance and make them his. He perfected kissing but it was just another weapon in his arsenal, it never really did much for him. But he was trapped and melting as Hunter’s lips pressed against his and their tongues twisted and searched hungrily. Hunter’s head tilted and the kiss became deeper and Wren felt much drunker than he did minutes earlier as Hunter’s hand curved around his neck. Wren growled softly against his tongue as he eased Hunter onto his back. His hand slid down his stomach and Wren’s cock pulsed insistently against the front of his jeans. His instincts were about to take over when Hunter panted his name. Oh, no, no, no… “Shit,” Wren whispered as he sat up and leaned back. “Sorry, I got carried away,” he murmured weakly as he reached for his wine and Hunter swore under his breath as he scrubbed his hands over his face. “Yeah… That was…” His eyes were dazed as he sat up and Wren swallowed a large gulp of wine then cleared his throat. “I think it’s safe to say you don’t have anything to worry about,” he said and Hunter raised a brow. “No?” he asked and Wren nodded. “That was a very decent kiss.” Liar. That was so much more than decent. That was probably the most arousing moment of your life. Wren licked his lips and stifled a moan at the taste of Hunter’s lips and tongue. “In fact, if you were anyone else, I don’t think I would have stopped,” he said and Hunter’s lips pulled tight. “I don’t know if that’s reassuring but thanks,” he said sarcastically and Wren gave him a pointed look. “If I didn’t care about you as much as I do, I’d have you bent over the arm of this couch and be riding you like a stolen bike,” he said. “Ummm…” Hunter’s brow rose as he stared back and Wren rolled his eyes. “Tomorrow would be hideously awkward and I wouldn’t want to jeopardize our friendship,” he explained and Hunter frowned. “You don’t think it’s a little late to worry about awkward?” He asked and Wren shook his head. “Of course not. It was just a kiss,” he said and the memory of Hunter’s tongue sliding around his made his balls ache. “I only did it so you would stop worrying, it didn’t mean anything.”

Promises


Marie Sexton - 2010
    He can't imagine living anywhere else. Unfortunately, the only other gay man in town is twice his age and used to be his teacher, so Jared is resigned to spending his life alone. Until Matt Richards walks into his life, that is. Matt has just been hired by the Coda Police Department, and he and Jared immediately become friends. Matt claims he is straight, but for Jared, having a sexy friend like Matt is way too tempting. Facing Matt-s affair with a local woman, his disapproving family, and harassment from Matt-s co-workers, Jared fears they'll never find a way to be together-if he can even convince Matt to try.

Animal Instincts


Kim Alan - 2012
    Jordan Mackenzie has been alone, focused on his career and raising his son, for many years. He's fine with that until one prickly young man's intriguing quirks trigger a sudden need to take care of someone in an entirely different manner.Calvin Sherbrook has issues. He knows it, and he can live with it. He's just decided it's better for everyone involved if he keeps to himself. And he might have succeeded too, if it wasn't for one particularly hot veterinarian, a crazy old lady and her meddling dog.Original Prompt: Dear Author,This is Dr. Mac. The dog, Sir Winston is one of his best patients. Dr. Mac has two ladies working for him who have made it their mission in life to match him with a man who doesn't mind the long hours and a stray or two, or three. I'd like him to meet a gruff, surly type…maybe with a lap dog (like a Shih-tzu) and after a huge misunderstanding have a HEA.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is Always Write" 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.Download the story, read it online, or find it in Love Is Always Write: Volume 1.__________Genre: contemporaryTags: mild BDSM, D/s and bondage

Bullet


Garrett Leigh - 2013
    Figuratively speaking, at least.Enter Sonny Valentine, a go-go dancer at Blue's sister club, Silver's. Levi has secretly admired Sonny from afar for years, but there's one problem–he can't stand Sonny and the feeling is entirely mutual. When Levi learns Sonny is to play the third part in a scene he considers his worst nightmare, he figures things can't get any worse.But when preparations for the scene from hell collide with tragic events in his personal life, he finds his fast growing, red hot attraction to Sonny the one thing left between him and a bullet.

In the Middle of Somewhere


Roan Parrish - 2015
    Daniel has never fit in—not at home in Philadelphia with his auto mechanic father and brothers, and not at school where his Ivy League classmates looked down on him. Now, Daniel’s relieved to have a job at a small college in Holiday, Northern Michigan, but he’s a city boy through and through, and it’s clear that this small town is one more place he won’t fit in. Rex Vale clings to routine to keep loneliness at bay: honing his muscular body, perfecting his recipes, and making custom furniture. Rex has lived in Holiday for years, but his shyness and imposing size have kept him from connecting with people. When the two men meet, their chemistry is explosive, but Rex fears Daniel will be another in a long line of people to leave him, and Daniel has learned that letting anyone in can be a fatal weakness. Just as they begin to break down the walls keeping them apart, Daniel is called home to Philadelphia, where he discovers a secret that changes the way he understands everything.

Falling Back


Mercy Celeste - 2019
    With few options in his field, he returns to the diner he’d worked at as a teenager. Waiting tables again was like rubbing salt in an open wound. Resigned to his fate, Chase puts on a smile to greet his very first customer. Divorced, children’s book author, Gavin Hayes was looking for a quiet place to write. The corner table at the diner down the street had the best afternoon light. He could grab a bite to eat and work on his manuscript in peace while he tried to salvage what was left of his life. He never expected the friendly smile of the new blue-haired waiter to spark something inside him that had grown cold. While Chase has no plans to stay. Gavin has no plans to leave. Can love at first sight, bring them together?

Playing for Keeps


Avery Cockburn - 2015
    Reeling from a brutal breakup, he’s determined to captain his LGBT soccer team out of scandal and into a winning season. For that, he needs strict rules and careful plans. He does NOT need a brash, muscle-bound lad messing with his head and setting his body afire.John Burns has a rule of his own: Don’t get attached. Boyfriends are for guys with nothing to hide. Nobody—not his university mates, not the men he beds—knows his family’s shame. Now his double life is starting to unravel, thanks to a certain Highlander whose storm-riddled eyes turn John inside out, who wears a kilt like he was born in it.Fergus is the first man John wants to share his secret with—but he’s the last man who could handle it. John knows the truth would shatter Fergus’s still-fragile heart. But how can he live a lie when he’s falling in love?

Hot Head


Damon Suede - 2011
    Unfortunately, Dante is strictly a ladies’ man, and the FDNY isn’t exactly gay-friendly. For ten years, Griff has hidden his heart in a half-life of public heroics and private anguish.Griff’s caution and Dante’s cockiness make them an unbeatable team. To protect his buddy, there’s nothing Griff wouldn’t do… until a nearly bankrupt Dante proposes the worst possible solution: HotHead.com, a gay porn website where uniformed hunks get down and dirty. And Dante wants them to appear there—together. Griff may have to guard his heart and live out his darkest fantasies on camera. Can he rescue the man he loves without wrecking their careers, their families, or their friendship?

My Cowboy Heart


Z.A. Maxfield - 2013
    That is until Crispin Carrasco shows up. Lean, muscular, and with a motor mouth that won’t quit, Crispin sparks something in Malloy—something the foreman didn’t know was there. But how does a lone coyote approach the warmth of a fire? And more important, what would happen if that fire burned?

Protecting Elliot


Sloane Kennedy - 2017
    Until it wasn't.Two years after surviving a brutal attack from members of his own unit, former Special Forces soldier Cruz de la Vega has found new purpose working for an underground vigilante group that offers justice when the law can't. When he's assigned to figure out who attacked a local gay rights activist, Cruz expects it to be just another job.But when it comes to protecting Elliot Wittier, he soon learns that the last thing he wants is for the intriguing young man to be just another job.At twenty-five years old, Elliot Wittier is well on his way to having the perfect life. As the head of a hugely successful investment firm and the founder of a prominent foundation, he should be on top of the world.But looks can be deceiving and Elliot knows how to play the game. With the fear of failing the two most important people in his life always at the forefront of his mind, Elliot keeps an iron-grip on the control that has served him so well in the past. But when a violent attack leaves him vulnerable, Elliot's carefully constructed world starts to fracture. As he struggles to keep the threat under wraps, he's thrown off guard when a gorgeous stranger takes an interest in him at a Halloween themed benefit. Throwing caution to the wind, Elliot decides to allow himself the freedom that being with the enigmatic Cruz de la Vega brings for just one night.But what happens when one night isn't enough? Or when the past catches up with the present? Can what two men found in each other in just twenty-four hours really last a lifetime?***Although it features several characters from my other books and is part of the "Protectors" world, Protecting Elliot is a stand-alone novella that can serve as a great way to get a feel for the Protectors/Barretti/Finding universe I've created. In regards to the timeline of events, Protecting Elliot occurs after Book 9 in my Protectors series, but it is not necessary to read any other books to enjoy this novella. I've specifically written this book to give new readers a chance to meet my guys and for loyal fans to check in with old favorites while still meeting a new couple.***

The Pet's Play


M.D. Gregory - 2021
    Who will win? This is a Killough Company novella. It takes place as book 3.5 (between The Assassin and The Apprentice).

Tonight


Karen Stivali - 2015
    But, as Derek never hesitates to point out, Wiley is straight.When Wiley has a falling out with his roommate and winds up crashing on David and Derek's couch for a month, he's a 24/7 reminder of what David wants but fears he'll never have. Until one afternoon when David has a major art project to finish and a model who's a no-show. Wiley offers to pose for him---and it sure feels like the heat between them is mutual.Could Derek have been wrong about his best friend for all these years? Would David's dreams about Wiley finally come true? The only thing David knows is that one way or another he'll find out for sure...tonight. This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" 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. Here is the letter and a description of the photo that accompanied this prompt:Dear Author,See the hot jock sitting on top of me? He’s my older brother’s team mate and I’ve lusted after him— and loved him— since forever. I never thought I’d have a chance though. That dumbass brother of mine always said he was straight. But look at the way he’s giving the phrase “He takes my breath away” a whole new meaning! My brother must be wrong. Please, dear author, let him be wrong and make my dream come true.Photo Description: Two sexy, shirtless, dark-haired young men are making out on a couch. The muscular, tattooed man on top is holding the other guy’s wrists above his head with one strong hand as they kiss.This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

Why Love Matters


Jay Northcote - 2016
    His mother runs cuddle workshops, which could help Alastair overcome his fears--if he's brave enough to try. Alastair is nervous not only about the workshop, but also because he will be sharing a room with Martin, who's starred in his fantasies more often than an assistant should.Alastair reluctantly decides to give it a try, so they head to a commune in Wales where Martin grew up. The weekend at the commune with Martin proves to be transformative in more ways than one. NB: All royalties from sales of this story will be split equally between two LGBT charities: The Human Rights Campaign in the USA and Stonewall in the UK.