Book picks similar to
The New Normal by L.J. Hayward
m-m
contemporary
mm
mm-romance
Dads with Benefits
Jason Collins - 2019
I’ve got problems on the job, but I’m in luck: the new dad at my support group is exactly who I need. James is sympathetic when I tell him my boss won’t stop coming on to me. I’m up for a huge promotion, and I need help. Maybe a fake relationship will make my boss back off. But when James offers to be my pretend boyfriend, I’m forced to start thinking about romance again. Acting is one thing, but I don’t do real relationships, and besides, he’s straight—or so he says. This relationship was supposed to be just one dinner, but we’re getting closer than I expected. Straight men make the perfect fake boyfriends, but this romance doesn’t feel fictional. JAMES: It’s my first day in the single dad support group, and the single part is already at risk. I came to this group for advice on single parenting, but Ellis has more to offer. He’s a good dad being harassed by his all-too-forward boss, so naturally I want to help. I’m straight, so it doesn’t bother me that he needs a pretend boyfriend. But faking it turns out to be harder than I realized, especially when I get to know him better. He’s completely charming, and irresistible to boot. I want to veer off the straight and narrow with Ellis, but his past is holding him back. I’m falling for him, and I’m not sure how much longer I can pretend. Our kids are playing matchmakers, and this fake relationship is starting to feel real. This is the first book in the Fairview Single Dads series. It can be enjoyed as a standalone with no cliffhanger. Readers can expect a spicy MM romance with several steamy scenes.
Honeymoon Refrain
Harley Grace - 2020
But when he finds his fiancé buried deep not in wedding preparations but in his best friend, Andrew calls the whole thing off and cashes in that plane ticket for a solo honeymoon.Rock star Cord Fabien’s whole life blew apart when his band broke up.Now, he owes his label a solo album, but all he wants to do at the new gay resort run by the mysterious billionaire Adrien Blissand is hide from the paparazzi and lick his wounds. But when one sad interior designer catches his eye, Cord finds the inspiration to make beautiful music again.Two men, completely adrift, find in each other the strength to pursue their passions. But Bliss can’t last forever, and the lives they’ve left behind are waiting to shatter a romance that bloomed in paradise.
Road of No Return: Hounds of Valhalla MC
K.A. Merikan - 2014
--- Zak. Tattoo artist. Independent. Doesn’t do relationships. Stitch. Outlaw biker. Deep in the closet. Doesn’t share his property. On the day of Stitch’s divorce, lust personified enters the biker bar he’s celebrating at. Tattooed all over, pierced, confident, and hot as hellfire, Zak is the bone Stitch has waited for life to throw him. All Stitch wants is a sniff, a taste, a lick. What follows instead is gluttony of the most carnal sort, and nothing will ever be the same. Forced to hide his new love affair from the whole world, Stitch juggles family, club life, and crime, but it’s only a matter of time until it becomes too hard. Zak moves to Lake Valley in search of peace and quiet, but when he puts his hand into the jaws of a Hound of Valhalla, life gets all but simple. In order to be with Stitch, Zak’s biker wet dream, he has to crawl right back into the closet. As heated as the relationship is, the secrets, the hiding, the violence, jealousy, and conservative attitudes in the town rub Zak in all the wrong ways. When pretending he doesn't know what his man does becomes impossible, Zak needs to decide if life with an outlaw biker is really what he wants. As club life and the love affair collide, all that’s left in Zak and Stitch’s life is mayhem. WARNING Contains adult content: a gritty storyline, sex, explicit language, violence and torture POSSIBLE SPOILERS: Themes: Outlaw Motorcycle Club, organized crime, homophobia, family issues, coming out, first gay relationship, tattoo, piercing Genre: contemporary homoerotic romance Length: ~ 100,000 words (Standalone novel, no cliffhanger.)
And Call Me in the Morning
Willa Okati - 2010
Colleagues at work and close friends, though on the surface it's an unexpected friendship between an odd couple. While Zane took the "high school to college to med school" track, medicine is Eli's second career and the best choice he ever made. He has work that he loves, an extended second family of colleagues and friends, and Zane. So why does everyone make such a big deal about the pair of them? Yes, they spend a lot of time together. It doesn't mean they're a real couple. When teased about it one too many times by their colleagues, Zane challenges Eli to set the record straight with a kiss to prove there's absolutely no chemistry between them. Neither expected a spark to ignite between them. More than a spark. Desire. Passion. Zane wants to try getting up close and personal again to see if it was a one-time fluke or something more. Eli thinks he's too old to jump the fence now, but he can't say no to Zane and he doesn't want to. Truth be told, Eli's not so sure they can set the record straight after all.
Truth & Betrayal
K.C. Wells - 2018
Getting through the aftermath was always going to be the hardest thing he’d ever done, but finding out that the tall stranger at the graveside was the one driving the car? At least Jake now has a target for all the rage inside him. Because the man responsible for stealing Caleb’s light from the world has no right to intrude on their grief. Liam had known deep down that it was a mistake to go to Tennessee, but he’d hoped saying goodbye to Caleb would ease the pain inside him. The hostile reception from Caleb’s family and friends comes as no surprise, and Liam flees before things get ugly. They obviously know nothing of Caleb’s life in Atlanta, and maybe it’s better that way. Caleb’s secrets can die with him. When Jake turns up at Caleb’s apartment to collect his brother’s possessions, what he discovers is the first shock in what is to be a series of revelations, turning Jake’s world upside down. New knowledge brings fresh pain and anguish. Jake isn’t the only one who’s hurting…
Something Different
S.A. Reid - 2011
His wife is cold, his children are distant, and he’s desperate for one night of self-indulgence. One night of real pleasure. So he heads to notorious Brixton Park seeking a prostitute, so divorced from his own needs, he isn’t even sure of his type. A Rent BoyJames Campbell is one trick away from life on the street. Trapped in the world’s oldest profession, he long ago gave up on breaking free. When he sees Michael on a bench in Brixton Park, he doesn’t take no for an answer. James knows he can provide all the pleasure an unhappy, repressed man needs.Something DifferentThat first night leads to an affair so deep, so honest and challenging, neither Michael nor James can predict its end. Each tryst brings them a little closer, sampling every kind of pleasure until nothing is off the table. Not even love… Trigger warning: child sexual abuse.Warning: this is an erotic m/m romance. The book contains frank language, adult situations and graphic sex.Note: the author would like to thank the talented and incredibly kind Rebecca Emin for her assistance with the second edition. All correct references to modern life in London belong to her. All errors, alas,belong to me.
Getaway
Casey Cox - 2021
The problem? He thinks I'm straight.
Up until recently, I did too. But something’s shifting in me. I don't have a word or label for it yet, but I can feel it. We tell each other everything, so I want to tell Cassius this. But how?When I score an all-expenses-paid weekend getaway at a luxury resort, I figure it's the perfect time to do it. Sunny days, beautiful beaches, endless cocktails… But I'm scared.Will telling Cassius my truth ruin our friendship, or could it be the start of a whole new relationship?GETAWAY is part of the ESCAPE series. You can read the books in whatever order your heart desires!
Letting Go
Ashton Cade - 2018
But when my brother's old best friend and my teen crush Ian Barrett is here too, I find myself making excuses to stick around a little longer. He's still everything I've ever wanted, but this former baseball star is also a big-time player... if you know what I mean. I don't know what Ian would ever see in steady, reliable Grant Rainier. But I also know I can't stay away. When we start working away together on his dream, I know I'm in trouble. One glance and my heart melts, along with my resolve. Being with him means staying in Umberland and giving up my big-city ambitions, but being without him means losing the best thing that's ever happened to me. How am I supposed to let go of either one? Ian: I've had my share of men, but I've also attracted more than my share of controversy. And since I was a teenager, the Rainier family has always been my rock—I feel like part of the clan. When I see Grant Rainier again, I can't help but remember him as a teenager just off to college... and now the boy is all man. For the first time in my life, the chemistry is there, and so is the caring. But should I subject him to the whirlwind of my life? And can I risk the peace and solitude I've given up everything for? Letting Go is the first book in the Rainier Family series and can be read on its own. 67k words of dreamy, steamy, wishes-come-true love, getting over long-standing fears, Rainiers running interference, and a whole big, bustling, small-town family waiting for its HEA.
Starfish and Coffee
Kele Moon - 2012
Now jaded and broken, Alex and Matt still can’t deny their sizzling connection or the memories of one perfect, uninhibited year together. At twenty-two, Matt Tarrington is rich, good-looking and destined to be powerful, but behind that confident exterior lurks a man who resents the life his family thrust upon him. Desperate for an escape, Matt heads to Mirabella Island off the coast of Florida for a year of relaxation and some wild nights with vacationing party-girls. Matt never expected to find real passion in the arms of Alex Hunter, a handsome, laid-back local. Alex is gay, but closeted. Matt should be completely off limits, but Alex finds the deeply in denial rich boy too tempting to ignore. Especially when a bet has them working together, fighting the heat in the rundown, beachside cafe where Alex sweats for every dollar. Their love felt inevitable until youth left them vulnerable to hatred and greed. Now after six years of hating the lies they live, Alex and Matt will have to risk it all for the second chance they both desperately need.
Something About Jace
Jocelynn Drake - 2018
His life is filled with sunshine, blue skies, jogging on the beach with his dog, and the greatest friends a guy could want. What more could he ask for? Love would be a great start. After his last relationship fell apart, Jace has begun to wonder if he’s ever going to find someone who would fit into his quiet life. Of course, the last person who would fit into his life is a major movie star. Trent Elrige is drowning. He’s constantly on the go from one movie obligation to the next. And after the last stalker got a little too close for comfort, Trent decides it’s time to take a step back and figure out what he’s doing with his life. Pineapple Grove seemed the perfect spot to hide for six months and figure out his future. He just wasn’t expecting to be tackled by love so quickly. But now that he’s found Jace, is he willing to risk everything he’s worked so hard for? And is Jace willing to walk away from his precious Pineapple Grove to be with Trent?
Not Used To Cute
Becca Seymour - 2020
A lost soul who’s afraid to trust. When Elijah and Seb meet, sparks fly. But will either of them find the courage to take what they want?Pouring his all into his business, Elijah is perfectly content running his bar. With its prime location and its infamous drag shows, Bar QK is the place to be. Elijah is used to meeting new and sometimes interesting people, but it’s rare anyone catches his interest for anything longer than a five-minute conversation.It takes a wandering, unfiltered surfer, who’s tired of the chase and dog-tired of people taking advantage of him, to spark long-buried interest in Elijah.While kindness runs through his veins, Seb doesn’t believe in fairy tales. He has a past he’d rather forget and has no real expectations for his future. He believes it’s safer to not make assumptions about anything or anyone; that way, he’ll remain safe.It takes his elusive, aloof boss, whose mixed messages are more confusing than Ikea furniture instructions, to show Seb that opening his heart can be worth the risk.When Elijah and Seb find themselves working on a common goal, the high stakes may be just the nudge they need.Not Used To Cute is a low-angst, beach-town gay romance set in the Sunshine Coast, Australia.
Only with You
J.D. Chambers - 2017
He spends his days working from home in his favorite Tolkien t-shirts and pajamas while mothering his best friend-slash-roommate. The fact that his sex life is a bust and his love life is nonexistent? Unimportant. After his college boyfriend berated him for his unconventional desires, Zach doesn’t plan on sharing that part of himself ever again, anyway.“I’m tired of feeling like I missed out on something by not going to college.”Craig Pela isn’t lonely. He has tons of friends and weekends packed with activity. He hasn’t needed anyone since he left home at eighteen and never looked back. But everyone around him is moving forward in life, while he still works the same retail job at the same video game store, and it’s making him question his life choices. After all, he doesn’t want to be the loser still playing video games at fifty, does he?As their relationship develops, Zach’s shy nature melts away to reveal an irrepressible geek that charms the pants off Craig. And Craig’s kind patience and ability to match him obscure quote for quote leaves Zach wondering if he’s finally met the man he can be his true self with. After all, how can someone else love you when you keep a part of yourself hidden?
Arrows Through Archer
Nash Summers - 2017
Each day, he struggles his way through classes, parties, and trying to put on a good front for the sake of his best friend. But at night, he falls asleep to the sound of gunshots ringing in his ears.Mallory is a man fighting a war of emotions all his own. When his son invites his best friend back home to Banff over a college break, he’s happy for the company.Some time during the late-night talks, subtle smiles, and long, long silences, the two men begin to find solace in one another.But love isn’t always easy, especially when it strikes you straight through the heart.
Dumped
Lucy Hawkins - 2018
Too ashamed to show his face in Manhattan again, Alex flees for his upstate hometown and vows never to plan another wedding again. When his best friend announces her engagement, she begs him to reconsider his decision. Torn between his duty as BFF and his newly acquired cynicism for love, Alex reluctantly agrees. Little does he know that by agreeing to do so, he’s also agreeing to work with his high school bully, Hank Morrison. Once a college football star heading for greatness, Hank Morrison now runs the inn he inherited from his aunt in the small town of Redwood. The problem is, his aunt’s beloved inn isn’t getting business and with the bank threatening repossession, Hank needs to come up with a way to acquire money fast. When his high school nemesis and first love interest, Alex shows up wanting to plan a wedding at the inn, he can’t turn down the kind of money on offer. Even if it means having to deal with the uptight wedding planner who always thought he was too good for him. Opposites in every way, Alex can't ever imagine hunky straight Hank ever being anything to him. Until he finds out Hank isn't so straight after all. Especially after all those years he made his life hell. Tensions run high between the pair as they're forced into close proximity due to their working relationship. It also means that they can't help getting to know each other and when they find out they aren't as different as they once thought, things become complicated.
A Taste of Sin
Kate Hawthorne - 2019
What if he’d not been an orphan? What if he’d been adopted? What if his best friend Reed hadn’t been torn out of his life when they were teens? But as an adult, he’s focused on the things he can control—his faith, his calling, and his pride.If you still want me, then I’ll have you.Finally together after a lifetime apart, Dominic and Reed find themselves in a state of emotional upheaval, complicated by the rules of their religions. Reed is terrified of losing his soul, and Dominic, his heart, but neither of them are willing to give up on the second chance they’ve been given without first enjoying a taste of sin.Forgive me, Father; it appears I’ve sinned.