Book picks similar to
Bending the Rules by Brigham Vaughn
mm
m-m
hockey
second-chance
Out in Time
Grey Cole - 2014
An out and proud photographer. And a road trip.Wade Truman had grown accustomed to admiring Heath Taylor from afar. Now, years of denying himself and the irresistible Heath are wreaking havoc on Wade’s resolve. The odds are stacked against them … they’re graduating college soon. Wade just signed a multimillion dollar football deal—thrusting him even further into the spotlight. Not to mention, what would the gorgeously refined Heath want with a small town jock boy like himself anyway?Heath grew up privileged, accepted, and out. And the two hells he swore he would never put himself through—crushing on a straight guy and being anyone’s dirty little secret—have presented themselves in one sweet talkin’, dream hauntin’ package. One weekend with Wade, and Heath’s sure the devil himself has come a-knockin’.Warning: Contains Southern accents wielded like weapons of desire, a snarky, do-gooder Pennsylvanian, and two boys deserving of true love.
Playing to Win
Stacey Lynn
Nothing more than a couple of college kids having some fun, but then I did the stupid thing and fell for Jude Taylor quicker than he can score a goal on the ice. And after one beautiful night together, he left for the pros before I could make my first cup of coffee. I thought I’d put him behind me. I thought I’d moved on. Then he hobbles into my physical therapy office and I realize how absolutely wrong I’ve been—there’s no getting over Jude Taylor. But now things are complicated. Jude lives half a country away and his career is in direct opposition to my need for stability. Most of all, getting involved with him could mean losing my job and everything I’ve worked so hard for. Jude doesn’t seem to mind one bit and he’s all in. He might be a patient in my office, but he’s no longer the patient guy I remember. This time, he’s playing to win, and the prize he’s looking to score is me.
Family Camp
Eli Easton - 2019
He’s tried to become a dad for so long, and he hopes the three of them can be the family he’s always wanted. What he doesn’t anticipate is the prickly and gorgeous camp counselor who constantly comes to his rescue.Travis spends a week every year at Camp Evermore, the camp his adoptive parents own. As a pro baseball player, his presence guarantees a full campground and excited campers. He has one rule: never, ever mess around with anyone at camp. His profession demands he stay in the closet. But one sweet and funny new dad is about to test all his resolve.Sparks fly for Geo and Travis, and not because of the nightly campfire. Having been a foster kid himself, Travis is drawn to Geo’s sincerity and big heart and to his kids. The four of them just fit. But will this be a summer romance? Or can they find a way to be a family long after Family Camp is over?
Coach
Carol Lynne - 2007
For five years, Justin has repressed his sexuality in order to keep the job he loves. His only serious temptation is the father of his star running back. Sparks fly between the two men, and one Friday night after a winning game, Justin just can't say no. Luc is the man he's been searching for his entire life. But is this new relationship worth risking his career?
The Real Deal
K.M. Neuhold - 2022
We were sixteen, and I was an idiot. But now, here he is, standing right in front of me, looking at me with that same expression of awe and adoration that I never lost my addiction to.We have a week together on Palm Island, but there’s no way that’s going to be enough.The locals are quirky, the dress code is more than a little lax, and I’m determined to prove to him that this is more than just a vacation fling…it’s The Real Deal.
All I Want Is You
D.J. Jamison - 2018
Will another Christmas kiss remake it into something better? Eli hasn't been home since he left at eighteen with a heart aching from his best friend's rejection and his father's intolerance. But when his father reaches out, Eli figures it's time to make peace with his family. He doesn't expect to come face-to-face with Turner too -- or to learn that the straight friend he'd foolishly loved is actually bisexual -- but once the shock wears off, he knows exactly what he wants for Christmas. Turner's life isn't everything he'd once planned, but he's happy to be the shoulder his loved ones lean on. They keep him busy, which is just as well since none of his dates have really clicked. He hasn't been able to connect with anyone the way he did with his former best friend. When Eli shows up for the holidays after years away, Turner doesn't know what hit him. But he knows one thing: This time, he wants to give Eli a reason to stay. All I Want Is You is a friends to lovers, second-chance romance with an HEA.
Playing With Fate
Ava Thorpe - 2017
Between dog-walking, law school applications, and trying to get his music career off the ground, love doesn't stand a chance. Besides, his new customer's straight as they come, right? So why can't he stop thinking about Carter?
"I've never been with a guy. Why do I want Luke so bad?"
Carter Welling just needs a dog-walker. Big league hockey takes him away from home, and he can't take Puck everywhere he goes. What he doesn't need is a hot dog-walker who makes him think weird things about guys that he's never felt before.
"Fate brought us together. Can I afford to take the risk?"
Something just keeps pulling them back together, though, and it's not just the cuteness of Carter's dog. When Luke's dreams and Carter's hockey career seem to be splitting them apart, can they admit that what they want—no, need—is each other? Playing With Fate is a standalone gay romance novel with no cheating, no cliffhangers, and a HEA.
Linemates
D.K. Dunn - 2015
He’s playing professional hockey in Los Angeles where hockey is barely on the radar, and this allows him to live in relative anonymity. Derek’s world is tilted on its axis when he’s traded to the Detroit Wheels. Not only is this one of the top teams in the National Hockey League, he’ll also be playing in a city that lives and breathes hockey. It sounds like a dream come true, but soon enough it becomes clear it isn’t.The reason for Derek’s change of heart is Trevor Ladouceur. Five years ago Derek and Trevor were linemates on Team Canada at the World Junior Championship. They were inseparable both on and off the ice and became known as the Wonder Twins. After winning the gold medal, they slept together. Trevor was gone the next morning, and they haven’t spoken since. Now they’re together again, and the expectation is for the Wonder Twins to help Detroit win the Stanley Cup. Much to Derek’s dismay, he realizes he’s falling in love with Trevor all over again.
Something So Right
Natasha Madison - 2016
I caught my husband, my high-school sweetheart, the father of my children, balls deep in a sordid affair. That was when I gave up on men and love. I didn’t count on the NHL’s golden boy, the beautiful, arrogant Cooper Stone turning my life and my hockey rink upside down. My kids are why I wake up in the morning. Hockey is what Cooper breathes for. We’re from different worlds and places in our lives but when our hearts collided something so wrong and different turned into something so right.
Hat Trick
Jeff Adams - 2013
After the game that night, Alex makes an unexpected announcement -- he’s gay, and in love with Simon.Simon’s elated but scared to openly acknowledge that he’s gay, especially with so much at stake in their senior year. Now that they’re out to each other they have to decide what to do next. Should they date? Should they keep things between them secret? What about the team? Can Simon and Alex hide that they’re more than friends from the guys they spend so much time with?Then a simple kiss is witnessed and their secret is out. The team fractures, and Simon’s family explodes as news about the gay hockey players quickly spreads. The guys must figure out how to move forward with everyone watching. Being the center of attention was in no way part of Simon’s plan for the year.Can Simon juggle school, commitments to the team, his new relationship, and an unexpected tragedy all before the end of the hockey season?
Let’s Bi Curious (The Cruise)
Romeo Alexander - 2021
We’ve always been close, but I’ve barely shown an interest in anyone, and Zane’s only ever chased women. We know what’s what and where we belong. Zane was the one who said we should do it again…just to check…and wow! Now everything’s changing, and it’s great…but it’s terrifying. I want this new us, I want him, but what if I lose my best friend?Zane: A three-month cruise with my best friend? This is gonna be great! Dalton and I have been through just about everything together. Hell, we’re so close even our friends joke about us being…more. Well, that’s what I thought. Then one impulsive moment—well, maybe two—changed everything. Now I’m starting to see Dalton in a whole new light and, God, I really like it. I know he’s scared and overthinking it but, together we can do this, right?
Avalanche
Cambria Hebert - 2018
Through a bullet hole in a wall, I watch a man bleed to death. Those responsible think their crime died with the victim, until I identify them. What’s a girl to do when she’s being hunted by murderers witness protection can’t even stop? Run. My only refuge is a place I vowed to never go again. When it’s do or die, an eight-year-old heartache suddenly seems trivial. Besides, he won’t be there anyway. But he is. Turns out my old pain feels brand new the second his eyes meet mine. I can’t leave. I can’t stay. This snowy town that’s supposed to be my shelter suddenly exposes me more than before. With no one else to lean on, Liam becomes my lifeline. Now we’re both running for our lives, trying not to get swept away.
Redemption
Garrett Leigh - 2020
When friendship turns to love, it’s up to Paolo to convince him second chances are worth the pain.Luis Pope is back on the street after a six year stretch in prison, but life on the outside seems just out of reach, especially when the whole neighbourhood knows his face for all the wrong reasons.Paolo’s temper makes it hard to keep staff, and he knows Luis’s rep all too well. But his nonno believes in redemption, and Luis isn’t the tough guy Paolo remembers. Prison has left its mark, inside and out, and all the kindness in the world can’t fix the three inch scar on Luis’s skull.And it can’t keep ghosts locked up. Luis’s the best worker Paolo’s ever had, and Luis’s happier than he’s ever been. But his old life doesn’t want to stay in the past. Trouble comes to call, and when it makes him an offer he can’t refuse, keeping Paolo safe hurts the most.Redemption is an angsty, standalone MM romance novel, with second chances, found family, friends-to-lovers, and buckets of hurt/comfort themed loveliness.
Too Like the Lightning
Travis Beaudoin - 2022
A stable relationship with a successful man. A beautiful home in a quiet suburb. And best of all, a job where he spent his days talking about literature.Then his tenure was denied and, too quickly for him to stop it, everything crumbled.Now, with his dreams in the dust and his confidence shattered, Andrew has one summer to figure out his next move.Bulbs, Florida, is like no place Andrew’s ever known. It’s small and provincial. It’s hot as hell. Storms roll through every single day. But Andrew just has to keep his head down. Finish his book, find a new job, put things back on track. Easy-peasy.He didn’t plan on making a friend.Coley Brandt has a green thumb and an easy smile. He’s much younger than Andrew, but he puts Andrew at ease, makes him feel at home. Their time together reminds Andrew what having a purpose feels like.Suddenly, this long, lonely summer feels too short.But Coley has dreams of his own, and they’re a million miles away from the life Andrew’s trying to get back.Maybe this is just a summer fling. Maybe, like the lightning, it’s only meant to be glorious for a moment before it disappears.Or maybe it’s something more.Too Like the Lightning is a steamy small-town, age-gap romance. It’s perfect for lovers of second chances, coffee on the back porch, thunderstorms, poetry, and happily ever afters. 85,000 words.
Always Mine
Sloane Kennedy - 2019
Until I met the one boy who changed all that. When we were kids, Xavier Price understood horses, but somehow, he got me too. He’d made me feel like I wasn’t just the overdressed, too sensitive fifteen-year-old geek who loved math and didn’t always say the right thing. But all that changed the night he threw my trust back in my face and betrayed my family in the worst kind of way. And while I’m back in Eden to make sure my uncle’s horse ranch is operating in the black, the one thing I know I won’t have to deal with is the man who’d been on the verge of stealing my heart ten years ago. Because Xavier Price is still in prison for what he did and even if he weren’t, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to show his face in Eden ever again. Right? Xavier Wrong. That’s what returning to Eden after ten years behind bars feels like. But it wasn’t like I had a whole lot of choices. And it wasn’t like I was going to be handed any decent job offers, let alone my dream one of working with horses. But that’s exactly what happened and now that I’m foreman of Black Hills Ranch, I’m not letting this job go for anything. Not even the spoiled little rich kid I’d thought was different when he’d glommed onto me ten years ago. I have no doubt Brooks Cunningham didn’t wait long to move on to bigger and better things the second my jail cell was locked behind me, and that’s just fine by me. I’d been wrong about the sweet, emotional boy who’d had a habit of wearing his heart on his sleeve anyway. Except fate has decided to have another go at me by tossing Brooks right back into my sometimes too small world. Gone is the scrawny, stars-in-his-eyes nerd who used to do math problems just for fun. In his place is a gorgeous specimen of a man who thinks he can go toe to toe with me and once again destroy everything I’ve worked for. Not happening.