He hates his soul-killing office job, but he loves volunteering at a local community center. The only fly in his ointment is the dance instructor, Laurie Parker, who can’t seem to stay out of his way.Laurie was once one of the most celebrated ballet dancers in the world, but now he volunteers at Halcyon Center to avoid his society mother’s machinations. It would be a perfect escape, except for the oaf of a football player cutting him glares from across the room.When Laurie has a ballroom dancing emergency and Ed stands in as his partner, their perceptions of each other turn upside down. Dancing leads to friendship, being friends leads to becoming lovers, but most important of all, their partnership shows them how to heal the pain of their pasts. Because with every turn across the floor, Ed and Laurie realize the only escape from their personal demons is to keep dancing—together.

    His life is perfect until he gets a phone call that brings it all crashing down: a car accident takes his parents, and now he must return to Austin to raise three teenage brothers he barely knows.During the funeral, Ben meets Travis Atwood, the redneck neighbor with a huge heart. Their relationship initially runs hot and cold, from contentious to flirtatious, but when the weight of responsibility starts wearing on Ben, he turns to Travis, and the pressure shapes their friendship into something that feels a lot like love. Ben thinks he’s found a way to have his old life, his new life, and Travis too, but love isn’t always easy. Will he learn to recognize that sometimes the worst thing imaginable can lead him to the place he was meant to be?

    His parents did, and so did his sister, but he survived.Now he lives in the hospital. He serves food in the cafeteria, he hangs out with the nurses, and he sleeps in a forgotten supply closet. Drew blends in to near invisibility, hiding from his past, his guilt, and those who are trying to find him.Then one night Rusty is wheeled into the ER, burned on half his body by hateful classmates. His agony calls out to Drew like a beacon, pulling them both together through all their pain and grief. In Rusty, Drew sees hope, happiness, and a future for both of them. A future outside the hospital, and away from their pasts.But Drew knows that life is never that simple. Death roams the hospital, searching for Drew, and now Rusty. Drew lost his family, but he refuses to lose Rusty, too, so he’s determined to make things right. He’s determined to bargain, and to settle his debts once and for all.But Death is not easily placated, and Drew’s life will have to get worse before there is any chance for things to get better.A partly graphic novel.

    Roosevelt said, “No man and no force can abolish memory.” John Oakes and Kurt Fournier are living proof of the truth behind those words. Since the horrors of the Second World War, John and Kurt have been trudging through existence, bleeding from wounds that have never healed. Now they’re at the crossroads of the 1950s: the war may be over, but the battle to find lasting peace has just begun.John, a PhD student at UC Berkeley and a battle-hardened veteran, floats through his postwar life until he catches the mysterious Kurt secretly playing a university piano. John thinks he may find comfort in Kurt’s company but doesn’t know how to connect with a man who lives a life of such careful solitude. Guilt and regret threaten to cripple their hopes for a normal life. No man is an island, so John and Kurt must risk their hearts to find happiness. Unfortunately, memories and enduring fears can paralyze even the strongest man.

    At age seven, I left home to train with other boys where we were taught obedience, solidarity, military strategy, and how to withstand pain. My harsh upbringing stripped me of my weaknesses and forced me to become strong. Ruthless.But, I craved something greater—a life I could never have.Against all odds, and the toughest training a warrior could endure, I found an unexpected love in the arms of a fellow Spartan. He was the very air I breathed and the water that sustained me. Fighting side by side with him, we were invincible. Where he went, I followed.However, there was no place for love in Sparta. Feelings were for the weak. The only life for a Spartan was one of battle and brutality with no guarantee of tomorrow. In times of war, all men were put to the test, but the greatest challenge for us was not one of swords and spears, but of the heart.*M/M Historical Romance set in Ancient Sparta*

    When he's not out walking his beat as a police officer, all he wants is peace, a manageable routine, and time to fix up his newly-purchased project home. And Samuel absolutely does not have room in his new routines for a relationship. Except a chance encounter with a handsome diner cook unexpectedly shakes his resolve. Rey King lives for his work as a short-order cook, part-time hardware salesman, and full-time handyman. He’s in debt up to his eyeballs, so he isn’t looking for complications. And the gorgeous blond cop who comes to Rey’s rescue is a complication he definitely doesn’t need. Lucky for him, Samuel feels the same way. But what starts as an afternoon of no-strings sex inevitably complicates itself, as the two men learn how deeply each other’s emotional damage goes. When Rey is seriously injured protecting a friend, their already shaky foundation cracks a little more. Samuel barely pulled his life back together after his first lover's death and falling in love again isn't part of his recovery plan. He knows renovations are always a gamble, but this one isn't about risking money—it's about Samuel risking his heart. NOTE: This book was previously published under the same title. This new edition has been lightly edited to address minor continuity problems, but the overall story is the same.

    To be a Docile is to forget, to disappear, to hide inside your body from the horrors of your service. To be a Docile is to sell yourself to pay your parents' debts and buy your children's future.Elisha Wilder’s family has been ruined by debt, handed down to them from previous generations. His mother never recovered from the Dociline she took during her term as a Docile, so when Elisha decides to try and erase the family’s debt himself, he swears he will never take the drug that took his mother from him. Too bad his contract has been purchased by Alexander Bishop III, whose ultra-rich family is the brains (and money) behind Dociline and the entire Office of Debt Resolution. When Elisha refuses Dociline, Alex refuses to believe that his family’s crowning achievement could have any negative side effects—and is determined to turn Elisha into the perfect Docile without it.

    Did you really think I wouldn't notice? I can see it... in your eyes. Your smile never reaches your eyes.”When Aspen Ace falls, he falls hard. It’s a gradual descent that happens so naturally, Aspen doesn’t even recognize anything’s changed until he’s already neck-deep in an unrequited love for his best friend, Rafe Alvarez.Nervous and insecure, Aspen brings this new revelation to the person he trusts most—his older brother, Alex. He doesn’t expect to be met with unconditional acceptance, but the reaction he receives is nightmare fodder. Regret barely scratches the surface of Aspen’s emotions when his brother decides to blackmail him, but with no other option, Aspen learns to survive. Aspen can deal with the abuse as long as Alex keeps his sexuality a secret. He’ll just wait it out. Aspen will graduate high school with a baseball scholarship and get the hell out of his conservative hometown… if he can endure. But he can’t, and Aspen’s suddenly fighting not only his brother, but the all-consuming monster in his head.Danielle N. Dawsen takes us through a journey of prevailing love surrounded by hate and the demons that linger in her brilliantly crushing debut novel, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes.

    Hardest GoodbyeEllis.I feel him.Before I even lay eyes on him, I sense him.The air in the room seems charged, my awareness of him heightened, but he is a stranger to me.Unfamiliar, yet familiar.Unknown, yet known. And something inside me says, “Hello, I’ve been waiting for you.”Macsen.I see him. I've seen him a hundred times before and I know this will not be the last, but each time I do, I feel it. That invisible tether. I remember everything.I remember him.His eyes lock with mine and then move away too quickly. I am nothing more than a stranger, another face in the crowd.While he is my favourite hello, and my hardest goodbye.

    For years the former back-alley boxer has not only been terrified men from his past would exact their vengeance, but also of his sexuality. After an incident with the cops, Peter is on his way to prison. Behind bars, he won’t be able to repress his fears by being a reclusive alcoholic—or hide himself from the men who once preyed on him.The Protective Prison GuardDrew Greene has been working at Trident Falls Correctional for one reason: to keep track of the facility’s most dangerous inmate. The day Peter arrives at the prison, Drew’s solitary mission becomes something more. Peter gradually charms him and he wants to keep Peter safe. When he learns they share a dark secret, one that has ruled and ruined both their lives, Drew’s horror makes him even more determined to protect Peter.Targeted by Their PastThings look up when Peter is released from prison. Drew takes Peter home and helps him finish his long physical recovery that alcoholism derailed. Stronger and happier, Peter is ready to move on with Drew and try to repair the damage he caused. There is only one problem—Peter and Drew aren’t able to outrun their past for long. Can they come together to withstand the fallout from the truths they reveal, or will they both end up in prison… or worse, dead?Bully Rescue portrays a hate group that has been invented. The people in the hate group are not good and are not presented as such; however, Bully Rescue does explore some of the ways individuals might enter and leave those types of harmful associations. As the author, I do not condone or support the ideologies or activities of any hate-based organizations, and this book is in no way meant to romanticize them. Please do not read Bully Rescue if you’re sensitive to this type of material.

    One dilapidated cabin in need of renovation.Two stubborn men pretending to be a couple.Three summer months to get the job done.Four tangled legs in only one bed.Five cameras catching it all for YouTube.Six hundred thousand Instagram followers.Seven nosy family members with Opinions.Eight thousand reasons they should never fall in love.Nine million reasons why they will.Say You'll Be Nine is a standalone novel.

    After relapses, detoxes, and even jail time, Otto found the stability and sobriety he was looking for halfway across the country with a new identity.But when Otto gets word that his father is terminally ill and his mother and brother are struggling to keep the family inn afloat, he knows that it’s time to swallow his pride and go home.Even if he hasn’t talked to his family in almost two decades. *** When Cheshire-native Reese left his foster family to find his passion in New York City, he imagined he was saying goodbye to Cheshire forever. But Reese was never cut out for New York. The city chewed him up and spat him out, and Reese was forced to return home where his best friend still resented Reese for leaving. “You left me just like Otto. Everyone leaves...” Now it’s been two years since he’s been back, and Reese runs Cheshire’s only general store. He’s painstakingly mended his friendship with his best friend, and even after the recent death of his foster father, Reese almost feels like part of a family again. Reese feels like he’s finally got his life under control.  Then his best friend’s brother walks into Reese’s bar. *** Nineteen years ago, Reese and Otto were as good as brothers. But now, they have more catching up to do than either of them realized. After a chance encounter in which neither man recognizes the other, the two must navigate the wreckage of a struggling family, a brother who can’t forgive, and the reality of life in an isolated town in the mountains. Black Sheep is the first book in the three-book series, My Best Friend’s Brother. It has a happy-for-now ending, but is NOT self-contained. This slow burn starts out with a bang and delivers content meant for adult audiences. Black Sheep contains frank discussions about drug use and recovery.

     Sebastian Blake is a cynical, self-made billionaire who has only known rejection and abandonment in his personal life. Adam Johnson is a closeted gay man who works for the law firm representing Sebastian in a civil lawsuit filed against him by a former employee. The attraction between the men is immediate and intense, but neither of them wants a relationship. Sebastian makes an offer that Adam can’t refuse and they agree to have a purely sexual arrangement. Passions ignite and their hearts refuse to be ignored, but... Enemies from Sebastian’s dark past begin to turn up dead and he is the prime suspect in their murders. Adam is his alibi and the only one who can save him. Will Adam risk everything and out himself to protect the man he loves? Everlasting love or fatal attraction? Adam soon finds himself in the killer’s crosshairs, which forces Sebastian to face his feelings for the man. If these two men are to have a future together, they must trust each other, brave adversity, and outsmart a serial killer. **This male/male romance is for ADULT readers only. It includes graphic sex and explicit language.

    

    The other crushing feelings of inadequacy.Fate knew they needed each other.DominicFor the longest time, I believed we get one shot at true love. A single person that sets our soul on fire. I had that with my wife until she died, then I was lost in a dark sea of grief. In need of companionship, I decided to adopt a dog.What I found at the shelter was so much more. Micha, the volunteer, is insanely cute and ridiculously funny. He awakens feelings within me I never knew existed. Is it possible I may get a second chance at real love?MichaLove just isn’t in the cards for some people. And I’m among those unfortunate few destined to be alone. I trusted the wrong man with my heart once and had it shattered into a million pieces. I won’t make that mistake twice. Instead, I pour every ounce of my energy into building my business and trying to convince myself I’m not lonely.But Dominic could be the one to tear down the walls I hide behind. He’s the most handsome man I ever met and unbelievably kind. I know he experienced a horrible loss. Is that what’s behind his attraction to me? Or has the connection between us led to his bisexual awakening?Twice in a Lifetime is the first book in the Sheltered Connections Series. This book involves themes of hurt/comfort, bisexual awakening, and an age gap. Swoon-worthy moments, laugh-out-loud humor, and scorching chemistry make up this 70k word story. Oh, and don’t forget the cherry flavored icing.