Book picks similar to
Cricket by Anna Martin
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Inestimable Blessings
Amanda Young - 2010
He has a small circle of close friends, a career he loves, and a baby on the way via a surrogate. Mr. Right is nowhere to be found, but Lee isn’t about to let that little tidbit rain on his parade. He’s more than willing to thrust his other needs aside and focus on fulfilling his lifelong dream of being a father.With his love life in the gutter, Lee turns to fantasies of his hunky neighbor, Finn Alexander. His daydreaming is merely a harmless diversion until Finn comes to Lee’s rescue on a dark and stormy night.To Lee’s surprise, the chemistry they shared in his imagination is nothing compared to the real thing. Finn is as hot between the sheets as Lee always envisioned. Better still, they get along famously outside the bedroom. The only things standing in the way of Lee having it all are the bundle of joy due any minute and Finn’s apparent aversion to children.
When Love Takes Over
Jacob Z. Flores - 2013
His boyfriend of three years dumped him, and his writing career is going nowhere. On a whim, he heads to Provincetown, Massachusetts, to nurse his broken heart and figure out his next step. He’s expecting to find rest and relaxation on the sandy beaches of Cape Cod. Instead, Zach meets a hunky porn star during a chance encounter at a leather shop he mistakes as a place to buy a belt that is definitely not for whipping. Van Pierce is smitten when shy and inexperienced Zach crashes through a shelf of fetish gear. Though Van’s got an insatiable appetite for men on and off the set, his porn persona, Hart Throb, hides a broken heart. He’s struggling to find the reality the porno set doesn’t offer, and Zach is fighting to find the fantasy that will set his writing on fire. The odd goofball and the suave beefcake may either find love amid Provincetown’s colorful pageantry where summer never seems to end—or more heartbreak than either can imagine.
The Game Changer
Kay Simone - 2016
A gay physical therapist. Love is out of bounds… Right? Malcolm Rodgers loses everything in one week.The quarterback is benched with an injury the same week his fiancée breaks off their engagement. Lost, hurting, and stuck on the sidelines, Malcolm must spend his days in physical therapy with the one person who refuses to let him get back in the game: cocky Vance Coberly.Vance is out and proud in the macho world of pro football. As the top physical therapist in his field, flirting with football players is strictly out of bounds.But the rules of play all change when Vance meets Malcolm.Malcolm can’t deny what he feels for Vance — but Vance won’t be someone’s one-time fling. Can a Hail Mary gesture save the deepest love Malcolm has ever felt?
Steamroller
Mary Calmes - 2012
Vince is a dedicated biology student and a bit of a loner. Superstar quarterback Carson is larger than life, and he lives under a public microscope. There’s no way they should work. But Vince is learning that sometimes people just come steamrolling into your life and all you can do is hang on for the ride or lose your heart in the process. If their relationship can survive the fallout when an injury derails Carson’s future plans, maybe Vince can finally find something to believe in.
Entangled
Lex Valentine - 2012
One rainy night, Taylor turns up soaking wet on Daren’s doorstep with a confession hovering on his lips. The confession changes both their lives.Original Prompt:Dear Author,A rainy night brought him to me. Now, he sits nude, (wrapped in the smallest blanket I found) nursing a brandy and telling me his life story. Which I'm not really listening to, since I'm busy planning the way to make this straight buddy bend for me—or vice versa, I really don't care, as long as we end up tangled and satisfied. Please, don't think I'm a selfish jerk, because my crush on him is epic.Photo Description: A close-up of a man with long curly hair standing in the rain.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is Always Write" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.Read the story here or find it in Love Is Always Write: Volume 3.
Roughing the Passer
Alison Hendricks - 2016
Forced to walk away from a Division I scholarship to take care of his family, Garrett was sure he'd never play football again. When an offer comes in from the ESC Mavericks--a school near his hometown--it seems like a dream come true. There's only one catch: he's expected to single-handedly save the worst team in the state.Diego Ruiz has known his whole life that the deck is stacked against him. The harder he tries to fight it, the more it hurts when it knocks him back down. With a lifetime of disappointment to back him up, he's stopped trying for anything more than mediocrity, both on and off the football field. If not for a promise he'd made years ago, he'd probably just be some nobody in a nowhere job.So when Coach Ladner brings in some D1 "hero" to save the team, Diego is determined to show him exactly where hard work and perseverance get you--absolutely nowhere. Despite his best efforts, Garrett's unwavering optimism starts to get under Diego's skin. Caught on the verge of giving in, he relies on the one thing that's never failed him: his ability to get curious straight boys into bed.As the friction between them gives way to passion, the stakes of their former rivalry increase tenfold. With both men's hearts--and a state title--on the line, there's no time for playing games. But when Diego's past comes back to remind him that everything eventually goes to hell, Garrett will have to convince him that some things are worth fighting for.Roughing the Passer is a steamy, standalone gay romance novel with a HEA ending and no cliffhanger.
Cost of Repairs
A.M. Arthur - 2012
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.
Fool's Gold
Sarah Madison - 2016
Olympic Equestrian Team and the love of his life, Rich Evans. A tragic accident wipes out everything in the blink of an eye. Hard work and sacrifice get him another shot at Olympic Gold, but only if he puts his past behind him and agrees to work with Rich again. Bound by secrets he cannot share, Rich was forced to give up Jake eight years ago. Now he has a second chance to help Jake realize his dreams. But the secrets that drove them apart haven’t changed, and Rich must face them or risk losing Jake forever.
nest
Anyta Sunday - 2013
Julian: Enemy. Cousin. Best Friend. Something else?Lenny: Confused. Fascinated. Frustrated. Broken.Together, Julian and Lenny are the boy who smiles and the boy who falls.
Takedown
Sierra Riley - 2016
Mitchell fled to a new life as a New York City realtor rather than defend himself against the rumors flying around his small Nebraskan hometown. After all, Luke accidentally got the gay part right. Since his abrupt outing, Mitchell's been too wound-up to even date until he's forced back home.“This is all I've got.”Luke Hanson never forgave himself. Low lighting, one too many drinks, and an overactive conscience led to a terrible mistake. Luke tamped down his feelings and threw himself into his career instead. All Luke wants now is a white picket fence and a career as an MMA fighter. Then his trainer, Hugh, tells him Mitchell is coming back to town for two weeks... to sell the gym, after the death of Mitchell's uncle, gym owner Toby.“Don't play mind games with a fighter.”Luke convinces Mitchell to let him run the gym rather than sell it on the spot. But Mitchell's parents can't accept who Mitchell is, and Luke's future rides on winning his first big promotional fight. With a ticking clock, hothead Luke has to finish things... but hopefully not with Mitchell. Does a small town MMA fighter even have a chance with a high-powered realtor in backwater Nebraska?Takedown is a steamy, standalone gay romance novel with a HEA and no cliffhangers.
Buzz
E. Davies - 2015
Cam can't hide his past – especially when his heart racing is a big risk, and boy, does his new boss's nephew make his heart race. Noah's exactly the kind of guy Cam needs after his hellish ex.“I want to do something new.”Art curator Noah Clark is glad his beekeeping uncle hired this hunk. Cameron is a sweet, smart bad boy. Noah works hard, like organizing a hockey-themed art exhibition, and he wants to let himself love hard. Noah's busy life would be perfect with Cameron, but what's his new lover hiding?“Tell me why you've been watching me.”Pitting Cam's budding relationship with sweet Noah against millions of bucks, Cam is offered a lot of money to abandon his new priorities: life, love, and family. The game of their lives is on the line. And after all's said and done, is it too late for Noah to forgive Cam for his partial truths?
HeartShip
Amy Jo Cousins - 2015
But when @joshfortytwo announces he’s coming to Miami for a spontaneous visit, Benji is pretty sure the left tackle (whatever that is) expects to meet a cute girl in a bikini, not an aging twink hoping to finally get his life together when he finishes massage therapy school.Josh doesn't let himself wonder about questions like:• why don't you want to ask @princessglitter if she's a girl?• why don't you tell your friends that you can't hang on Sunday nights because you've got a date to watch anime with your new BFF?• why do you call it a date?He just knows he needs to escape from the stress of having been injured just before the bowl game, and @princessglitter has somehow become his best friend.But when Josh's secrets and Benji's sex appeal smash together for forty-eight scorching hours, they're going to feel the heat from Miami to Minnesota.
All I Want
Stella Starling - 2016
Especially since he gets to work at Chicago’s prestigious Ashby’s department store in “the North Pole,” doing his part to make the magic of Christmas come alive for others.All Bennett “Ash” Ashby wants for Christmas is to forget about it. Unfortunately, his father is forcing him to pay penance for the media frenzy caused by his latest public sex scandal. The Ashby heir, working as a lowly department store Santa? Only the fact that no one will know it’s really him can save Ash the embarrassment of being stuck in a fat suit instead of partying with his friends.But when Elliott catches Ash’s eye, Christmas starts to look a whole lot brighter. And even though Elliott would never have the guts to say yes if he knew who Ash really was, falling for “Ben,” the new Santa, is another story all together…
Noah
Ben Ryder - 2013
When his job takes him to Canada to install communications software for a new sports arena, he’s glad for a change of scenery. During his stay, he befriends Noah Lukas, the strikingly handsome star player of the Toronto Bobcats professional hockey team. Callum knows nothing will ever come of it, but he can’t stop his attraction. As their bond grows, Callum learns more about—and falls more for—Noah through his sensitive and humble interactions with fans, his gentlemanly reaction to flirtations from arena staff, and his frank apprehension over his impending retirement. Their friendship evolves from workout partners to confidants, and then to even more. But Callum’s time in Canada is limited, and circumstances may divide him from a love he wasn’t looking for.
Inherit the Sky
Ariel Tachna - 2012
His mother inherits her uncle’s sheep station in New South Wales, Australia, and Caine sees it as the opportunity to start over, out on the range where his stutter won’t hold him back and his willingness to work will surely make up for his lack of knowledge. Unfortunately, Macklin Armstrong, the foreman of Lang Downs who should be Caine’s biggest ally, alternates between being cool and downright dismissive, and the other hands are more amused by Caine’s American accent than they are moved by his plight… until they find out he’s gay and their amusement turns to scorn. It will take all of Caine’s determination—and an act of cruel sabotage by a hostile neighbor—to bring the men of Lang Downs together and give Caine and Macklin a chance at love.