Book picks similar to
Breaking Out by Garry M. Tuckwell
m-m
young-adult
m-m-romance
coming-of-age
Innocence
Suki Fleet - 2015
His mother vanished when he was very small and after spending more than ten years travelling on the rivers and canals, drifting between towns and schools, with mostly only his dad and brother, Jay, for company, he is desperate to escape that claustrophobic existence.When they return to settle in Arlow, a town they haven’t been back to in over a decade, everything changes. Malachi has given up on love. He lost his heart when he lost his innocence. Now at twenty nine he just exists--getting drunk, fixing cars and playing the music he loves. When their paths cross one night at a gypsy camp, Christopher thinks he's found what he's been looking for, but Malachi is afraid. He is afraid their love will destroy everything Christopher has ever known. They are both ghosts from one another's past, and if Malachi's secrets are revealed more than just innocence will be lost in their wake.
On the Right Track
Sam Kadence - 2013
Now he’s in hiding in the Midwest to avoid the press and the ensuing storm of judgment. He never expected his dream guy would be a high school jock that he meets at a small-town library.Adam Corbin is a high school football star on the verge of graduation. He has big plans of escaping his small town and living life unafraid of being a gay man. However, seeing how his openly gay friend has been treated, Adam stays away from socializing, and focuses on fading into the background to avoid exposure. The last thing he wants is to have everyone examining his life.When Adam and Ru have a chance encounter sparks fly. Ru wonders if it’s okay for him to still be a musician and openly love another man. And Adam dreams of finding the courage to love openly even if doing so brings his life into the limelight. Will their love survive the scrutiny of the world?Note: This book was previously published under the pen name Sam Kadence. Content has not changed.
The Front Runner
Patricia Nell Warren - 1974
In 1975, coach Harlan Brown is hiding from his past at an obscure New York college, after he was fired from Penn State University on suspicion of being gay. A tough, lonely ex-Marine of 39, Harlan has never allowed himself to love another man. Then Billy Sive, a brilliant young runner, shows up on his doorstep. He and his two comrades, Vince Matti and Jacques LaFont, were just thrown off a major team for admitting they are gay. Harlan knows that, with proper training, Billy could go to the '76 Olympics in Montreal. He agrees to coach the three boys under strict conditions that thwart Billy's growing attraction for his mature but compelling mentor. The lean, graceful frontrunner with gold-rim glasses sees directly into Harlan's heart. Billy's gentle and open acceptance of his sexuality makes Harlan afraid to confront either the pain of his past, or the challenges which lay in wait if their intimacy is exposed. But when Coach Brown finds himself falling in love with his most gifted athlete, he must combat his true feelings for Billy or risk the outrage of the entire sports world - and their only chance at Olympic gold.
The Other Guy
Cary Attwell - 2012
Cautious, reserved and staid, however, all crowd around him like best friends. Still, he gets by -- or at least he gets by up until his fiancée dumps him at the altar. Out of spite, he takes a solo honeymoon to Thailand, where he can pretend to be someone better than himself for a little while. In meeting Nate, a fellow traveler, Emory slowly discovers how to stop pretending.Word Count: 58,561 (approx.)
Return to Sender
Ashlyn Kane - 2011
He's finally pissed off Jonah, the sweet, patient, funny boyfriend he's loved as long as he can remember, to the point that Jonah isn't even speaking to him. Emerson hasn’t felt this awful since the summer after graduation when Jonah ruined their college plans by running off on a cross-country trip without even saying goodbye. Jonah isn't just angry. He's furious and hurt. Devastated, even, because he's completely in love with Emerson, but although they've been together for a year, Emerson still doesn't trust him. The full weight of their past mistakes drags Jonah and Emerson into memories of happier—and lonelier—times, but wallowing in their guilt isn't solving the problems. The only way to move forward is to learn from the past… but someone still has to be the first to apologize.
Shirts and Skins
Jeffrey Luscombe - 2012
Josh Moore lives with his family on the 'wrong side' of Hamilton, a gritty industrial city in southwestern Ontario. As a young boy, Josh plots an escape for a better life far from the steel mills that lined the bay. But fate has other plans and Josh discovers his adult life in Toronto is just as fraught with as many insecurities and missteps as his youth and he soon learns that no matter how far away he might run, he will never be able to leave his hometown behind.
Cowboys Down
Barbara Elsborg - 2012
But who’s taming whom?London stockbroker Jasper Randolph flies to Jackson Hole with hopes as high as the Grand Tetons. Hope that the getaway will force him to let loose, get dirty, and overcome a deep-seated phobia about horseback riding.He hadn’t counted on an attraction to the dude ranch owner’s son, a man with sun-tousled hair, eyes bluer than Wyoming skies…and a father who’d rather eat tofu than accept his only son’s sexuality.The moment Calum lays eyes on the uptight, buttoned-down Brit, he’s lost. But with his own saddlebags full of emotional baggage, he knows he should be looking at anything but Jasper’s spotless riding boots and tight-fitting jodhpurs. Trouble is, Jasper makes his heart buck like a wild horse trying to break free.Despite the differences that set them oceans apart, they fall hard and fast. Trouble isn’t far behind, and they’re in for a rocky romantic ride. Especially since there’s growing evidence that someone is willing to do anything—no matter how dangerous—to poison their love.
Product Warnings:
Mix one sun-bronzed cowboy with a yummy Brit who’d give Darcy in his wet shirt a run for his money. Mix gently. Try not to drool.
Enlightened
J.P. Barnaby - 2010
Brian also has a secret: he is in love with his best friend, Jamie. But in Crayford, Alabama, being in love with another boy is the worst kind of sin.Brian and Jamie will discover just how deep their emotional bond runs, and at what cost. What will they do if their secret is discovered? From fumbling through their first sexual experiences to hiding all aspects of their relationship from everyone in their lives, Brian and Jamie battle for the one thing that is truly theirs—love.
Four Corners
Kate McMurray - 2012
Then one day, when they were twenty-five, Adam disappeared without a word, devastating his friends-none more so than Jake, who had secretly loved Adam since they were teenagers.Now, five years later, Adam is back, and he has his mind set on Jake. But those years of anger, hurt, and confusion are a lot to overcome, and Jake doesn't find it easy to forgive. He isn't sure they'll ever fit together the way they did. Jake, Kyle, and Brendan have moved on with their lives, but Adam's high-profile career keeps him in the closet-the same place he's been for years. Still, his apologies seem sincere, and the attraction is still there. Jake desperately wants to give him a chance. But first he has to find out why Adam left and if he's really back for good.
A Broken Kind of Life
Jamie Mayfield - 2013
His life remains a constant string of nightmares, flashbacks, and fear, but he perseveres and starts college, determined to move on. Then Aaron gets assigned to work with Spencer Thomas for his programming project. Aaron doesn’t want Spencer to think he’s a freak, but as he gets to know his new deaf friend, he figures out he doesn’t need to be “normal.” If he could just learn to control his fear, that could be enough to find his footing again. Or so Aaron thinks until his parents begin talking about institutionalizing him to give his brothers a more stable life. He searches desperately to find a way to cope or even to fake normalcy. But his new shrink’s instability makes conquering his demons that much more difficult, and his attraction to Spencer threatens to send Aaron spinning out of control. Adapted as a YA edition of the novel Aaron by J.P. Barnaby. 100% of the author's royalties are being donated to help homeless LGBT kids find safe shelter.
The Last Snow of Winter
Ian Muise - 2010
He also carefully keeps his desires frozen-for their sake. But he can't help the attraction he feels for the burly, unapproachable lineman who shares two of his classes. Cliff Stevens is equally set on achieving his adopted dream of becoming a professional football player to the exclusion of almost everything else. Cliff drifts through the days alone, but he can guess what Mark has in mind when he catches him watching one day. After an accidental encounter, Cliff proposes a bargain: for one week during the break, they will set aside their reservations and play at being together, exploring each other and perhaps even learning a little about themselves as well.
Kieran & Drew
L.A. Gilbert - 2013
His only friend is the school janitor, his father doesn’t talk to him, and Kieran doesn’t know how to mention he’s gay. No wonder he daydreams about college anywhere but Florida. High school baseball star Drew Anderson has only wish in life: to be able to care for those he loves. With an absent father, an agoraphobic mother, and a closet he's not ready to come out of, he can barely stand under the pressure. No one knows how alone he feels. When Drew finally notices Kieran's long-time crush, it jumpstarts a relationship that introduces them to sex, intimacy, and love. Neither has ever been this happy. But lasting happiness is evasive, and Kieran’s desperation to get out of Florida and Drew’s desire to stay and care for his family cannot be reconciled.
Noah Can't Even
Simon James Green - 2017
He only has one friend, Harry, and school is...Well, it's pure HELL. Why can't Noah be normal, like everyone else at school? Maybe if he struck up a romantic relationship with someone - maybe Sophie, who is perfect and lovely - he'd be seen in a different light? But Noah's plans for romance are derailed when Harry kisses him at a party. That's when things go from bad to worse utter chaos.
Where the Allegheny Meets the Monongahela
Felicia Watson - 2011
Although he’s now in an abuser counseling program, Logan cannot face the real source of his unhappiness: he’s always been attracted to men but has refused to accept it since witnessing an act of violence.During his therapy, Logan meets Nick Zales, a counselor at a shelter for victims of domestic violence. Nick is understandably suspicious of Logan despite an immediate attraction to him. Logan feels the same attraction and faces a critical internal struggle as he finds himself falling in love with this enigmatic man.Both men are haunted by unacknowledged ghosts and abuse in their pasts. How can they help each other heal if they continue to ignore their own wounds?
Breaking News
Michael Murphy - 2012
While others his age have spouses, children, and personal lives, Cole has only his faithful dog, Riley, and his lonely closet, so his producer hires a matchmaker to help him find Mr. Right.Forced to do something radical—leave work at a reasonable hour to prepare for his first date—Cole is shocked to walk into his house and find someone there: Marco, the grad student who walks and feeds Riley. It's too bad the matchmaker hadn't set him up with sweet, caring, adorably cute Marco—it would have saved him from a string of disastrous dates. But Cole doesn't know if Marco is gay, and he's not sure how to ask.Then the biggest news story of the political year breaks and Cole gets a unique opportunity to make a stand—one that could break his career and maybe do his asking for him.