A Friend in the Dark


Gregory Ashe - 2020
    But when Rufus shows up for an arranged meeting and finds his handler dead, his already-uncertain life is thrown into a tailspin. Now someone is trying to kill Rufus too, and he’s determined to find out why.After leaving the Army under less than desirable circumstances, Sam Auden has drifted from town to town, hitching rides and catching Greyhounds, until he learns that a former Army buddy, now a police detective in New York City, has died by suicide. Sam knows that’s not right, and he immediately sets out to get answers.As Rufus and Sam work together to learn the truth of their friend’s death, they find themselves entangled in a web of lies, cover-ups, and accelerating danger. And when they witness a suspect killed in cold blood, they realize they’re running out of time.

The Shutout


Dianna Roman - 2022
    Life after loss is too difficult for surprises, which is why Max would be lost without his reliable best friend and neighbor, Jack.Best pitcher in the MLB, Jack Spears, is at the top of his game. He has it all, except for the one thing he wants most, which happens to be the one thing he can't have if he doesn't want his private life to overshadow his career: love. When an emotional evening reveals his biggest secret, he's faced with losing everything that matters most to him.Can Max see him for the man he truly is, or will Jack forever be doomed to live in the shadow of the image he created as America's favorite pitcher?Heartfelt and human, The Shutout is a story of friendship, loss, love, and the rough road to new beginnings.

Snow Time for Love


Timothy Warren - 2021
    But he’s also single and yearning to share his life with someone.Bo Bryson’s recent breakup has not only left him homeless but forced him to question everything about his former relationship.Lonely for company, Ralph seeks to celebrate a pricey property flip with his favorite contractor, Bo. But Bo is afraid Ralph will discover he’s squatting in the house they’re currently renovating.A winter storm is coming, and the forecast is heavy snow… with a chance of tequila, Chinese food, and love.This book contains mature content.

Finding Home


Garrett Leigh - 2017
    Broken and burned, they’re thrust into the foster care system. Leo shields Lila from the fake families and forced affection, until the Poulton household is the only place left to go. Charlie de Sousa is used to other kids passing through the Poulton home, but there’s never been anyone like his new foster brother. Leo’s physical injuries are plain to see, but it’s the pain in his eyes that draws Charlie in the most. Day by day, they grow closer, but the darkness inside Leo consumes him. He rejects his foster parents, and when Charlie gets into trouble, Leo’s attempt to protect him turns violent. When Leo loses control, no one can reach him—except Charlie. He desperately needs a family—a home—and only Charlie can show him the way.

Inseparable


Sloan Johnson - 2017
    As only children, they grew up as close as brothers, but their love grew to something more. Something they couldn't talk about because their parents wouldn't understand. Gabe is gay and unapologetic about his sexuality. He refuses to live his life in the shadows, but that doesn't mean he isn't harboring secrets. Trevor is his parents’ miracle child and he doesn’t want to hurt them. Coming out, admitting he's in love with Gabe, could ruin everything. Heading off to college was supposed to finally free them to be together, but nothing is as easy as it seems. Can they find a way to navigate this new world, living and loving openly?

Madison Square Murders


C.S. Poe - 2021
    Larkin is different from others, but his deduction skills are unmatched and his memory for minute details is unparalleled.So when a spring thunderstorm uproots a tree in Madison Square Park, unearthing a crate with human remains inside, the best Cold Case detective is assigned the job. And when a death mask, like those prominent during the Victorian era, is found with the body, Larkin requests assistance from the Forensic Artists Unit and receives it in the form of Detective Ira Doyle, his polar opposite in every way.Factual reasoning and facial reconstruction puts Larkin and Doyle on a trail of old homicide cases and a murderer obsessed with casting his victims’ likeness in death. Include some unapologetic flirting from Doyle, and this case just may end up killing Everett Larkin.

A Song for Noah


Declan Rhodes - 2020
    He's about to have his younger brother’s wedding, the 10th anniversary of his parents’ tragic death, and the return to town of his first love, Callum, collide in what feels like a terrifying recipe for disaster. All Noah wants to do is keep a low profile, but all three events carry hidden opportunities and secret traps. One of the most compelling is the possibility of a second chance for romance.Callum McCrea was Noah’s high school sweetheart in private, and the best friend of Noah’s brother, Ike, in public. Callum and Noah kept their relationship discreet even when Callum’s farewell in pursuit of a professional music career broke Noah’s heart. Now, Ike is getting married, and Callum can’t say no to the wedding invitation. He returns to the Midwestern town of Lincolnport as a hometown hero with a desire to bridge an eight-year gap by offering Noah friendship and a hug.A Song for Noah is a 59,000-word gay second chance romance with strong family relationship themes. This is the first book in the Sanderson Brothers series. It features four brothers: high school art teacher, Noah, the oldest, businessman, Ike, the acknowledged leader of the family, police officer, Jared, and Ivy League college student, Matthew. The tragic loss of their parents brought the four boys close together and forged an unbreakable bond.All of the books can be read as standalone stories, but they are best read as a continuing series about the Sanderson family including all four brothers as characters in each novel.

Catch Me If I Fall


Noah Steele - 2021
    When I confessed my crush at seventeen and he pulled away, I got scared and left town without saying goodbye. Fifteen years later, we’re both back in Sugar Hills, and all I want is closure. But when he proposes a flashback tour through our friendship, all my feelings come flooding back. When our reunion leads to romance, is the fall worth the pain of losing Jasper again? JasperBy the time I realized I'm not so straight, Cole was gone, and I was confused and alone. Now I’m back home, between jobs, and looking for a second chance. I need Cole to know he was never just my best friend. The closer we get, the less I want to be without him, even knowing I’ll eventually be leaving town again for my dream job. Maybe it’s my turn to put my heart on the line so I can prove to Cole my feelings are real. I didn't know how to catch him when we were kids, but I'm finally ready for one last fall. Catch Me If I Fall is a best-friends-to-strangers-to-lovers, second chance, MM romance that also features meddling friends, a curious library cat, and a fluffy fall small town Canadian setting. It's low angst, swoony, steamy, and packed with tons of early 2000s nostalgia.

Love Can't Conquer


Kim Fielding - 2016
    Now in his forties, he’s an urban park ranger who does his best to rescue runaways and other street people. His ex-boyfriend, Donny—lost to drinking and drugs six years earlier—appears on his doorstep and inadvertently drags Jeremy into danger. As if dealing with Donny’s issues doesn’t cause enough turmoil, Jeremy meets a fascinating but enigmatic man who carries more than his fair share of problems.Qayin Hill has almost nothing but skeletons in his closet and demons in his head. A former addict who struggles with anxiety and depression, Qay doesn’t know which of his secrets to reveal to Jeremy—or how to react when Jeremy wants to save him from himself.Despite the pasts that continue to haunt them, Jeremy and Qay find passion, friendship, and a tentative hope for the future. Now they need to decide whether love is truly a powerful thing or if, despite the old adage, love can’t conquer all.

The First Three Rules


Adrienne Wilder - 2014
    The distraction saved Jon’s life but cost the lives of innocent people including his best friend and partner. It was a price for survival Jon couldn’t live with and was sure he’d never understand. Driven by grief and guilt he tried to escape his past by fleeing to a small town in the middle of nowhere. Only instead of peace, the memories festered. Then the offer of a stick of gum from a stranger changes Jon’s life and puts him on a road out of the nightmare he’s trapped in. Ellis Harper has lived the past twenty years isolated from the outside world and sole caretaker for his mentally disabled brother, Rudy. While Ellis loves his brother, he longs for a life he’ll never be able to have. Shut away, his days consist of chores, endless cartoons, and games of Go Fish. A world that seemed to have no end until an innocent misunderstanding turns Ellis and his brother into a target for a town bully. It’s a fight Ellis can never win on his own but thanks to a chance meeting with a stranger, he doesn’t have to. What begins as a new journey in love for both men quickly unfolds into something neither of them could have ever imagined.

Model Citizen


Lissa Kasey - 2015
    He takes over his brother’s business as a private investigator, even though he doesn’t have a license. His first case: a childhood friend has become a reality TV star and was injured on set. But others haven’t been as lucky. Some have died.Ollie’s brother’s best friend, Kade, has arrived to take over the job. He’s got a license, a gun, and is a former Marine. But Ollie refuses to step aside. The business is his, the case involves his friend, and even when the bullets start flying, he’s determined to find the killer.But Kade isn’t willing to put Ollie in danger, even if that means stepping in and taking the shot to save Ollie’s life.Note: This MM romance features a tattooed ex-Marine, a former model with a passion for manties and sticking his nose into mysteries, and a bunch of reality TV stars with the habit of getting murdered. Second edition.

Steel Hearts


Jason Collins - 2021
    Falling in love with a criminal isn’t.I’ve finally landed the undercover assignment I’ve always wanted: taking down the local Mafia branch from the inside. Then I meet Chris, my sharp-talking, gorgeous mentor. The don assigned us a high-stakes heist on a jewelry store, and that means a lot of time together. Bad, bad idea.I’m already falling hard for him—and now I have to ruin his life. When the heist falls apart thanks to yours truly, Chris is arrested along with the rest of the local Mafia. That’s when the surprise comes: he isn’t what he seems. Soon we’re in the sights of a wrathful Mafia don, and Chris and I have to learn to trust each other if we’re going to survive.CHRIS:Rule #1 in the Mafia: Don’t fall in love with another associate. But I’ve been breaking rules for a long time.My life has always been all work, no play. It rocketed me to the top in the Mafia—and doomed my marriage to my ex-wife. Now that Aiden’s been placed under my care, I wonder if she and I were always destined to fail.Every time I’m with Aiden, I can’t help myself. We’ve been tasked with pulling off a heist together, but it feels like I’ll go crazy if I don’t touch him. When the local cops get wind of our plans, things get even more complicated. I’m not what I seem, and I’ve been lying to everyone—including Aiden.**This is the first book in the Brothers in Blue series. It can be read as a standalone with no cliffhanger. **

When All the World Sleeps


Lisa Henry - 2014
    And rightly so: he sleepwalks, with no awareness or memory of his actions. Including burning down Kenny Cooper’s house—with Kenny inside it—after Kenny brutally beat him for being gay. Back in the tiny town of Logan after serving his prison sentence, Daniel isolates himself in a cabin in the woods and chains himself to his bed at night.Like the rest of Logan, local cop Joe Belman doesn’t believe Daniel’s absurd defense. But when Bel saves Daniel from a retaliatory fire, he discovers that Daniel might not be what everyone thinks: killer, liar, tweaker, freak. Bel agrees to control Daniel at night—for the sake of the other townsfolk. Daniel’s fascinating, but Bel’s not going there.Yet as he’s drawn further into Daniel’s dark world, Bel finds that he likes being in charge. And submitting to Bel gives Daniel the only peace he’s ever known. But Daniel’s demons won’t leave him alone, and he’ll need Bel’s help to slay them once and for all—assuming Bel is willing to risk everything to stand by him.

Chrysalis


S.E. Harmon - 2021
    Waking up with amnesia is far worse. I learn that the hard way when I wake up in the hospital, my memory practically wiped. I don’t know why someone wants me dead. Hell, I don’t even know my name. They say my name is Christian Cross. Too bad that name means nothing to me.I haven’t forgotten everything, though. Grayson Laurie has always been my kryptonite, and it would take more than a bullet to the brain to forget him. He assures me that I’m imagining the distance between us, but I know better. I just don’t know how to fix it. I console myself that at least I've reached rock bottom and things can’t get worse…until they do.My life is a tangled mess of lies and deceit. The more I learn about myself, the less I want to know. I want nothing more than an honest future with Gray, but the past isn't about to let me go without a fight.Fortunately, I’m starting to realize that fighting is my specialty.

Kept in the Dark


Charlie Cochet - 2019
     Now Caiden is riding a desk at Langley after his cover is blown. And Álvaro—who was “killed”—has a new identity and purpose as Delta/D, an operative for the Locke and Keyes Agency, under the leadership of the mysterious Alpha Orion. When D and Caiden team up in a deadly black ops mission, the urge to kill each other will have to take a back seat to the desire for revenge against the man who betrayed them both. Surviving the mission won’t be easy. Resisting the passion between them—that might be impossible.