Book picks similar to
Saving Crofton Hall by Rebecca Cohen
m-m
contemporary
mm
romance
Soldier
A.K.M. Miles - 2009
Staying to look into the situation adds more to his life than he ever dreamed possible, leaving him championing seven boys whose lives had been as ravaged as his. Suddenly his life has purpose, meaning.The other unexpected development is Dillon. Resigned to a life spent alone, it's hard for him to wrap his mind around the fact that Dillon returns his feelings. Every minute spent counseling and protecting the boys makes Soldier’s life richer, but it makes it hard to spend time with Dillon. Can he find a way to take his new life and make it everything he wants it to be?
Not a Word
Dawn Sister - 2015
He doesn’t speak to anyone. Avoiding conversation is easier than the pity and impatience he senses from everyone the moment he opens his mouth and nothing comes out. Since he split up with his partner years before, he hasn’t had much to do with anyone and that has suited him just fine. He has his dog, Zen, for company. Zen doesn’t care that Niall can’t get through an entire sentence without stuttering. Zen is all Niall needs. And that’s how it would have stayed until the day a new neighbour moves in next door.Zak is Niall’s exact opposite—twenty-three years Niall’s junior, bubbly, gregarious and never shuts up. His arrival fills Niall’s quiet life with constant noise and constant company. Zen appears to have defected, and Zak doesn’t seem to even notice that Niall rarely speaks. Gradually, Zak’s endless patience brings Niall out of his shell. To Niall’s surprise, he suddenly has a friend, a confidante and perhaps something more.And he didn’t even have to say a word.This story was originally 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.A new, extended version is now available with Beaten Track Publishing.
Crossed Hearts
K. Vale - 2015
The other is secondhand.Kory Vansant doesn’t deserve to be alive.As time sucks him dry of energy, sapping the final ounces of strength from his congenitally enlarged heart, he’s forced to end his career as Kory Kent, porn star. Staring down death, he questions his life choices and prays for a miracle. For another chance at life, he vows to change who he is at his core.His prayers are answered. A perfect heart now beats in his chest, but it comes at a heavy price. The donor is an innocent young man cut down far too prematurely.Kory’s blemished history and his donor’s spotless past are far from ideal matches.As his debts skyrocket, Kory can’t help but think his resolve to walk the high road is being tested. After he meets the adorable Will Squire at the gravesite they both visit, he’s doubly damned because there’s no way he can keep up his end of the bargain. What happens when a man breaks a deal with a higher power?Will often prefers the company of the dead to that of the living. Following a bad breakup, he pours himself into his two jobs—funeral director at his uncle’s mortuary and part-time paramedic. He’s drawn ever closer to Kory, as if fate sticks her fickle hand in and pushes them together like two unlikely puzzle pieces. But sometimes history can’t be buried, and maybe divine intervention isn’t always right. Will discovers everyone is imperfect, no matter how pretty the outer package, and opening one’s heart is never easy, but can be oh, so worth the pain.
The Ideal Cut
Elinor Gray - 2013
The party is in full swing, the guests are all occupied, and a ten million dollar prize sits unguarded just over their heads. But bumping into sexy, mysterious Theo Edgeworth throws a wrench into Clayton’s plans for a clean getaway, and Theo has an agenda of his own.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love Has No Boundaries" 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.
After The Fall
Sarah Goodwin - 2012
His wife is a stranger, his dead parents just a photograph, and his home an unfamiliar, shabby place that smells of dog.At a local support group for amnesiacs, Connor meets Nate, a fellow sufferer of retrograde amnesia. Nate has no memory, and no idea how he came to lose it, but he remains easy going, and Connor quickly considers the foulmouthed, chain-smoking Nate a friend. But, when Nate makes a pass at him, Connor starts to question everything he’s learnt about himself. Is he really a happily married 32 year old, or are secrets being kept from him?Who is the mysterious ‘Coop’ whose cryptic emails are still in his inbox? And why, on the day of his accident, was he driving with another man in his car? A man whose life, and death, are still a touchy subject at home.
Self Preservation
Ethan Day - 2009
Jack's only known Tadd for two weeks, so whatever Jack feels for Tadd couldn't possibly compare to what he shared with Davis. There's no way in hell Davis can stand by and watch the life he always expected to get back slip away to some guy Jack barely knows. Tadd Austin, indeed...more like Toad Ass-ton, Davis thinks. With his best friend, fashion designer Deseree Wildwood in tow, Davis has to shed his sweet, guy-next-door persona, and re-vamp his image into a self-confident, hot piece of eye candy. He's going to the wedding with only one goal in mind: to do whatever it takes to win back Jack. The Toad is toast! Once in Chicago, Davis discovers it isn't going to be as easy as he thought. Not only is Tadd very un-Toad-like, but a mysterious British playboy named Alex Parker manages to interject himself into the mix. Only true love will survive as the tug of war ensues in this Bermuda love triangle from hell.
Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, male/male sexual practices.
Beauregard and the Beast
Evie Drae - 2019
If he wins, his record-breaking title reign will remain unbroken. If he loses, he’s on the fast track for retirement. But when nerdy and awkward Beauregard Wilkins stumbles through his front door, staying focused on the task at hand becomes a struggle.After taking over as his little sister’s legal guardian when their parents passed away, Bo is used to working hard to take care of his family. And now that Lulu is off at the expensive college of her dreams, he can’t afford to lose the generous salary his new position as Adam’s live-in personal assistant offers. However, as chemistry sizzles beneath the guise of an unexpected friendship, Bo discovers his new boss hardly lives up to his beastly reputation.At the end of the day, Adam always thought the most significant fight of his life would be a physical one. But when things take an unexpected turn, he realizes
his greatest prize can't be won in the octagon.
Screwups
Jamie Fessenden - 2014
Even as a successful business major, he is absolutely miserable. Not only is Jake pursuing a field he hates when he’d rather study art, he is utterly terrified of what will happen if his father finds out he’s gay. When he finally gets up the courage to move into the creative arts dorm on campus, his new roommate, Danny, is openly gay—and there’s no denying the attraction between them.Danny Sullivan has been out since high school, and he appears comfortable with his sexuality. But something happened in Danny’s past—something that gives him nightmares he refuses to talk about. Unknown to Jake, the way he mistreated his friend, Tom Langois, when Tom came out to him in high school, is mild compared to the way someone very much like Jake treated Danny.It may be too late to fix the mess Jake made with Tom, but if Jake wants to be with Danny, he’s going to have to fix the mess made by another closeted jock he’s never even met.
Shelter
Ashley John - 2015
His relationship with his family has never been so strained and with no real life of his own, he has nothing to live for. His overachieving twin sister and his ruthless mother's political success as Mayor of Havenmoore has left him empty. Getting high started as an act of rebellion but the addiction soon controlled his every waking moment.Aspiring writer, Caden Walker, thought he had the perfect life until he discovered his boyfriend in bed with his best friend. Leaving everything behind in New York, he returns to Havenmoore to re-evaluate his life from his parent’s guest bedroom. When his mom offers him a job working for the charity she runs, helping people struggling with addiction, he’s not in a position to turn it down.Caden never expected to find what he did, but when he is assigned to work with Elias, a reluctant attraction quickly blossoms into something deeper. Can Elias find in Caden the one thing he’s always searched for or will his addiction drag him under once again? Is Caden ready to let go of his New York dream to take a chance on something unexpected? Both men are faced with difficult times of change, but can they make it through the storm to find the shelter?
Jaywalking
Rachel Ember - 2020
Maybe there’s something—or someone, missing. But dating is hard enough for vanilla people. Emile doesn’t just have to find someone he wants to date—he has to find someone he wants to kneel for.Jay likes playing soccer, reading poetry, and handsome men in tweed vests. Men like Emile, who Jay can’t forget after they connected on a rainy July night. Their encounter awoke a powerful urge in Jay to take, command, and control that has haunted him ever since. Jay had hoped that starting college would distract him, but that hope died when he showed up for the first day of his literature class and discovered Emile was his professor.When Emile tells Jay they can’t be together, Jay is still determined to figure out a way for the two of them to explore what they share. And Emile craves Jay’s gentle dominance too much to resist him. Jaywalking includes an age gap, a professor-student relationship, BDSM, a very polite dog, explicit sex, and a happy ending.
Kneading You
C.S. Poe - 2019
He’s been hired to save an old library from closing, but his obstacles include not only fighting for state funding, but a Selectman who wants to tear the building down in favor of a shopping center. Christopher is introduced to Miles Sakasai, a charming tattooed repairman on site to restore the historical interior of the building. Working in close proximity has both men falling hard for each other. It also provides Christopher with an opportunity to learn about Miles’s passion for baking. And as it turns out, Miles’s skills in the kitchen may end up being the key to saving the library—but only if his bread can rise to the occasion.
Adam's Song
Spencer Spears - 2017
But since when do I say no to bad ideas?
Adam: It’s not like I wanted to fall in love with Ben. When we first met in college, I thought he’d be like every other hot jock who’d made my life hell in high school. It's not my fault he turned out to be sweet, funny, and insanely talented. We moved to New York after college to break into the music business and of course Ben got signed by a major label—they’d be stupid not to want him. But even though he’s a famous popstar now, he still wants to be friends with a nobody like me. Honestly, if he didn’t want me falling for him, he should have been less goddamn perfect.Well, except for the part where he’s straight. Did I forget to mention that?In my defense, responsible decision-making has never been my strong suit. Case in point—collapsing on stage, guitar in hand, after discovering my then-boyfriend, now-ex was cheating on me, and downing a bottle of bourbon in response. But I’m cleaning up my act—no more hiding in the closet and no more bad life choices. But that also means no more waiting around for the day Ben magically decides he likes di…sgustingly sappy guys with secret crushes on him (aka me).So why did Ben have to pick now to make me question everything I thought I knew about us?
“I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want you right now. When I see you, something inside me lights up.”
Ben: It’s not like I planned this. I was on tour when Adam collapsed back in New York and he wouldn’t even let me come home early to visit him. But that’s Adam for you—brilliant, breathtaking, and pathologically afraid of vulnerability. All I wanted was to be there for him—and him coming out didn’t change that in the slightest. Yeah, I couldn’t help seeing him a little differently. And no, I couldn’t quite explain why I was suddenly noticing the curve of his back, the freckles on his cheeks, or wondering what his lips tasted like. But whatever weird awakening I was having, Adam needed support, not more confusion.And then I kissed him. Whoops.And I know it’s fast. I know it’s unexpected. I know my label would be livid if they found out I was dating a guy. But I also know—deeply and inexplicably—that this could be something real. I just have to convince Adam of the same thing. Beautiful, broken Adam who looks at the world through 14 layers of irony. Adam, who’d rather get an appendectomy than admit that he needs someone. Adam, who still doesn’t know all of my secrets.So do I convince him to risk everything—on me?Adam’s Song is Book 1 in the 8 Million Hearts series. While each book can be read on its own, they've even more fun to read together. Adam’s Song is a 120,000 word m/m romance full of snark, sweetness, and a healthy serving of steam. Friends-to-lovers and hurt/comfort themes. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed HEA.
#20DaysToLA
Tanya Chris - 2020
To fly out to LA where he has an apartment and a coveted entry level job waiting for him. To build a life filled with the security and stability he never had as a kid. To find a husband who’s a lot like him: steady, smart, responsible, and capable of making good choices. To leave Connecticut and everything in it behind him, including his mother, her revolving door of suitors, and his straight ex-stepbrother.Craig has a plan. To convince Braxton to drive out to LA with him. To see every last sight along the way, no matter how weird or expensive or out of the way. To have one last hurrah before embarking on the adult life he’s in no way ready for. And maybe to act on the bisexuality he’s kept to himself so far.Whose plan wins? Is twenty days enough to make it from Connecticut to LA and from ex-stepbrothers to friends to happily-ever-after? Will Braxton’s stuffed bear, Mr. Lovey, find a real-life bear friend? Find out in this slow burn, friends to lovers, opposites attract, bi awakening, road trip romance in which there’s ONLY ONE BED.
The New Neighbor
Rye Cox - 2021
His Mom and younger brother depend on him to be strong and support them, even if it meant sacrificing himself. He was resigned to being a cog in the wheel in a job he hated, until his new neighbor moves in and challenges everything.Zack didn’t do relationships. After his family cut ties with him, he vowed to stick to friendships in the future. However, when his blushing neighbor overhears him mention erectile dysfunction and balls, he can’t let the cute man leave thinking he has issues with his lower parts.The New Neighbor is book 1 of the Corio Heights series about well, the new neighbor. Join Caleb and Zack’s story as they discover that they can have more than what they resigned themselves to. It features a regal cat, hurt/comfort themes, and lots of blushing.
Shaking the Sugar Tree
Nick Wilgus - 2014
A failed writer on food stamps, Wiley works a minimum wage job and barely manages to keep himself and his deaf son, Noah, more than a stone’s throw away from Dumpster-diving.Noah was a meth baby and has the birth defects to prove it. He sees how lonely his father is and tries to help him find a boyfriend while Wiley struggles to help Noah have a relationship with his incarcerated mother, who believes the best way to feed a child is with a slingshot. No wonder Noah becomes Wiley’s biggest supporter when Boston nurse Jackson Ledbetter walks past Wiley’s cash register and sets his sugar tree on fire.Jackson falls like a wet mule wearing concrete boots for Wiley’s sense of humor. And while Wiley represents much of the best of the South, Jackson is hiding a secret that could threaten this new family in the making.When North meets South, the cultural misunderstandings are many, but so are the laughs, and the tears, but, as they say down in Dixie, it’s all good.