Book picks similar to
Flourish by Avery Ford
glbt
gay
romance
adoption
In Southern Deep
Marissa Holt - 2017
Muscular, tattooed, and very much the bad boy, Sean is irresistible…even though Jeremy considers himself straight.
Impossible dilemmas…
Sean knows he should stay far away from Jeremy. His troubled background and rough ways will never be welcome in Jeremy’s world. More, Sean doesn’t want his kind of trouble to intrude on his friend’s life. But sensitive, adorable Jeremy is exactly what he wants, and Sean finds himself unable to say no.
Fateful choices…
Afraid of his father’s disapproval, Jeremy tries to hide his relationship with Sean even as the heat between them intensifies. But constant meddling from both families strain things to the breaking point, especially when Sean learns that Jeremy’s keeping secrets. When Sean’s past returns with a vengeance, Jeremy must risk everything to save the man he loves.
In Southern Deep is a Friends to Lovers 85,000 word novel that contains steamy male/male scenes, language and violence. HEA Guaranteed and No Cliffhanger. See the About This Book page on the Look Inside for more detail.
Shying Away
Kate Sherwood - 2011
Quinn, however, has apparently decided to make an exception to his usual open-bed policy. He may be an unrepentant connoisseur of one-night stands, but he's not going to disappoint a sweet kid like Aaron by giving him a hot night and then leaving while the sheets are still warm.After Quinn takes a job at Aaron's family horse farm, Aaron spots both the demons and the decency that drive Quinn's frequent brush-offs, and it makes Aaron want him even more. But Quinn is determined that Aaron won't go home with a man who doesn't deserve him, so he starts sending likely candidates Aaron's way. It takes a grim act of sacrifice for Aaron to realize exactly why Quinn's been so skittish, and he’ll have to keep a firm grip on the man of his dreams to keep Quinn from shying away.
Drawn In
Sean Ashcroft - 2017
But when he moves back to his hometown after losing his wife, he finds Jude sick and at risk of dying, all because his medical insurance was cancelled. Between wanting to help Jude out and wanting to get custody of his daughter back, Owen takes the plunge into a fake marriage, hoping to solve everyone’s problems at once. As Jude begins to recover and the two of them settle into married life, Owen starts to get a little too comfortable with being married to his best friend. Owen begins to wonder if he missed out on a lot by getting married for the first time when he was eighteen--including the chance to explore his sexuality. Jude seems like a safe person to experiment with, but will that put Owen’s little patchwork family at risk? And what happens when outside forces challenge their newfound stability? Can Owen and Jude find a way to be happy and raise Kalya together? Drawn In is a standalone gay romance with a HEA ending. It does not contain a cliffhanger, but it does contain a sweet baby girl, a big family wedding, glow-in-the-dark condoms, and socks with rubber ducks on them.
The Good Fight
Andrew Grey - 2012
Luckily, that means he can hire some help. Jerry just hopes his new employee, John Black Raven, ends up being more helpful than distracting—but John’s deep eyes and long hair are very distracting. John came to town for an education and a chance at a life he couldn’t have on the reservation, but what’s important to him now is getting a job and keeping it. Six months ago, his sister died, and now her children are in foster care. Despite having the law on his side, John can’t get custody—can’t even see his niece and nephew. As Jerry and John grow closer, John discovers he doesn’t have to struggle alone. Jerry helps him win visitation rights and provides much-needed support. Yet their victories aren’t without setbacks. Child Services is tangled up with money, politics, and red tape, and Native American children are their bread and butter. But John and Jerry are determined to fight the good fight and to win—in more ways than one.
Cowboys Don't Come Out
Tara Lain - 2016
He loves his small California ranch, raising horses, and teaching riding to the kids he adores—but having kids of his own and someone to love means coming out, and that would jeopardize everything he’s built. Then, despite his terror of flying, he goes on a holiday to Hana, Hawaii, with his parents and meets the dark and mysterious Kai Kealoha, a genuine Hawaiian cowboy. Rand takes to Kai’s kid brother and sister as much as he drools over Kai, but the guy sports more prickles than a horned toad and more secrets than the exotic land he comes from.Kai’s earned his privacy and lives to protect his “kids.” He ought to stay away from the big, handsome cowboy for everyone’s sake—but since the guy’s just a haole on a short vacation, how much damage can he do? When all of Kai’s worst fears and Rand’s darkest nightmares come true at once, there’s not much chance for two cowboys who can’t—or won’t—come out.
Morning My Angel
Sue Brown - 2016
Used to working in sole charge of his well-honed team, he clashes heads with the handsome, but pompous Cal, his UK co-operator and superior. Josh’s gut tells him something is wrong. He’s being kept out of the loop and Cal’s agenda is running on a different path.He also has a personal issue to deal with. He’s involved in a cyber-relationship with “Charlie”, an unknown man who connected with Josh by accident. Their banter has led to deeper respect and a sexual interest, but now Josh is faced with a growing attraction to Cal. Between this conflict and the tension of the mission, Josh’s heart and head are overworked and confused. Things can’t get much worse.Then Josh discovers the enemies he’s seeking have a new target: him.
Rescued
Susi Hawke - 2019
Stolen. Forgotten… until the Alphabits step in. A Team A.L.P.H.A. spinoff series. Sam Remington, former leader of Team Beta, has a new dream: to lead a team whose sole purpose is to protect those most vulnerable—shifter pups. His new mate, Dean, shares his passion. As a child counselor, Dean is all too familiar with the darker side of the world when it comes to pups. If Sam can rescue them, Dean will do his best to help fix them. Sanctioned by Team Alpha’s bossman, the great Ray Perkins himself, Alphabits is Sam’s baby. This new hand-picked team consists of five highly-trained wolf alphas—and one bumbling bear who couldn’t take a hint. As always with a new team, personalities will clash. But at the end of the day, they all share a common goal help lost, missing, and hurting children—starting with the needy wolf pup who lives across the street from Sam and Dean. The Alphabits aren’t vigilantes. These former soldiers and officers of the law have to do things by the book—even when it tears them apart to do so. But once all their ducks are in a row, the bad guys had better beware! You do not want this team of protective alphas on your tail. This is the first in a new series in the Team A.L.P.H.A. world, but can definitely be read as a stand-alone novel. You can expect to find naughty, knotty scenes of steamy passion, along with a lot of potty-mouth language and some violence. Prepare your box of tissues and lock up your heart, because this book contains a fluffy little wolf pup who’s about to steal it away. HEA definitely included, intended for 18+ readers only. Seriously, would you expect anything less from Susi Hawke and Crista Crown?
Cowboy's Law
B.A. Tortuga - 2020
Seth loves those kids like they’re his own, and he settles in well to his new life, which is why he’s pretty wary when his buddy’s older brother finally makes it home from a long stint in the military.Law knows he might get a chilly reception at his brother Pistol’s old ranch, even if the kids living there are his half-siblings. He didn’t make it to his brother’s funeral, after all, but to his credit, he was blown up trying to come home to do just that. He’s fighting injuries and insecurity, but when Seth welcomes him to the family ranch, Law knows he’s pretty much in love. Even if he thinks Seth was his brother’s lover. Can these two find a way to let their emotions out before tragedy strikes their family again?
Still Your Guy
Devon McCormack - 2017
But being back at the place where his fondest memories are--the place where he and Mason laughed, played, and loved--quickly ropes Chase back into those feelings all over again, reminding him of the flame he could never extinguish.MASONDespite his attempts at getting over Chase, Mason still can't move on--not from the greatest love he's ever known. When Chase comes back to the dairy, all those old feelings return, as powerful as ever. A wavering hope strengthens, making him believe that maybe...just maybe...they can find a way to put the past behind them and create a future together. But it isn't easy, and every time he pushes, Chase pulls away. As much as Mason wants it to work, if it doesn't, what's he supposed to do?How can you move on when--even after all the years--you know in your heart, he's still your guy?
Firefly Lane
Riley Hart - 2021
His job as a pilot keeps him from getting restless, and he’s got a man who doesn’t want promises for the future. One phone call from his estranged sister changes everything. She needs his help, so Holden drops everything and heads to Harmony, a small town in Briar County, which represents everything he’s tried to avoid in life.Monroe Covington is forty-five and happy. He loves his life—running his store, helping at his family’s farm, and spending his days with his best friend, Lindsey, and their son, Wyatt. Sure, half the town likes to forget he’s gay, and he’d love for the queer population to be bigger, but Roe makes do. He misses dating, relationships, and a man to hold at night, but at least he gets new eye candy when Holden, the brother of the woman who’s renting his cabin, shows up.The attraction is instant, the friendship not far behind, but between Holden’s initial relationship status, family complications, and the two of them wanting different things, they’re a disaster waiting to happen…only it doesn’t feel that way, not with how much time they spend talking, laughing, and eventually, tumbling into bed, a field, or the back of a truck together. The closer they get, the more Holden realizes that just being fine isn’t enough, and Roe begins to see that his life isn’t as complete as he thought. Now, if they could only sort out the rest of it…Firefly Lane is a small town, strangers-to-friends-to-lovers summer romance with no cheating, mature characters who talk out their problems, like to work with their hands, and have amazing chemistry. Did I mention they watch movies in the company of goats?
Chance of the Heart
Kade Boehme - 2015
He'd one day own the ranch he grew up on, have a family, and be the son he was raised to be, like all good boys in Small Town, U.S.A.When his high school sweetheart calls for a break during her last semester of college, the last place Chance thought he'd end up was in his old friend Bradley's bed.Bradley Heart blasted out of the closet before his family could name him heir apparent to his father's church. After six years away, a job layoff has him coming home to work behind the scenes. He and his father have little interaction and he's fine with it staying that way when he returns home. Going back into the closet, for any reason, is not on his list of things to do. But Chance may prove too much a temptation, especially with the simmering feelings they’ve had for one another since they were teens.Confused over his sexuality, Chance has to decide what’s more important -- loyalty to his family and the path set forth, or the promise of happiness with not just the only man, but the only person, he's ever really wanted. Includes a very toppy accountant, a cowboy who'd rather be in the kitchen, porn positions, some spanking, and absolutely zero religion other than worshipping... You know.
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.
Secrets & Misdemeanors
G.A. Hauser - 2007
Burned by a bitter divorce, his ex-wife having an affair with his best friend and law partner, David devoted his life to his two children and his job, trying to believe that was enough. But deep down he knew something special was missing.Young, attractive Lyle Wilson from eastern Oregon arrived in LA penniless and homeless. Taken in by Jeff Best, an unstable co-worker from his newly found job in construction, Lyle had no idea what would occur during a remodeling work of an old office building. Standing on scaffolding six flights in the air, Lyle got his first glimpse of the handsome successful attorney, Mr. David Thornton, and couldn't get him out of his mind.Can unlikely star-crossed lovers manage to get through the tangle of obstacles that have been laid before them like landmines? Or will they allow the madness of the others around them to influence them and tear them apart? One thing David and Lyle learn, that no man is an island and they need others in their life to grow and learn.
Come Rain Or Shine
Preston Walker - 2018
I just didn’t expect it to look anything like this. Apparently, that all sounds like an excuse if you ask Skyler, the omega wolf whose seekerstone says he’s my destined mate. According to him, it wasn’t that I was waiting for love to find me, I’m just a workaholic who couldn’t take the time to look. Before him, it never occurred to me to second guess the long hours, the six day work weeks. There was always one more surgery to perform, one more person for me to try and save. The way I couldn’t save my parents. Focusing on things I can fix is my way of ignoring the things I can’t. So maybe Skyler’s right. Maybe I did bury myself in work so I didn’t have to face that something was missing in my life. But he’s here now, and this thing between us, this chemistry, this heat, there’s no ignoring it. Suddenly I’m painfully aware of everything my life was lacking before he came into it. And I’m terrified of having to live without it again. SKYLER Bernard Rain is an ambitious werewolf alpha doctor. I can almost feel my parents fainting with approval at the mention of his perfection. He’s everything they ever wanted in a mate for me. Hell, he’s everything they ever wanted me to be. It’s enough to make me want to run in the opposite direction. If only this damn stone would let me. It was supposed to make my life easier. To make finding love less of a chore. But its only made my life more complicated. True love is way more work than was advertised. My past before him doesn’t seem to want to leave me alone, and now I’m even messing up being pregnant with my mate’s child. I want the love fate seems to think I can have with this man. I want him. But getting what you want is one thing. Keeping it is another matter entirely… This 50,000 word novel features wolf shifters, mpreg and fated lovers who couldn’t be less alike. All the sparks from opposites attracting and clashing can be found within, so be eighteen years or older when reading further, please!
Better Together
B.L. Maxwell - 2018
He lives in constant fear, stresses over his next meal, and dreads trying to find a safe place to sleep at night. He eventually finds an unlocked car and settles in to sleep, but is soon interrupted when someone steals the car. With little choice but to ride along, Caden soon learns that first impressions aren’t always correct. Seventeen-year-old Damario has been raising his little brother and sister by himself since his parents were deported. He never knew how hard it was going to be paying the bills and making sure there was always food on the table. Or how hard it would be to hold his family together when they all depended on him to do it. He finds himself stealing cars to make ends meet, but he never expected to find someone sleeping in the back of one of them. And he really didn’t expect this stowaway to change his life. When Damario brings Caden home, it was supposed to be just for a shower and a hot meal, but he can hardly kick him out onto the streets again. There is no way he could have seen that by saving Caden that night, he was also saving himself. When Damario’s world starts to fall apart, they both realize that the answer to all of their problems is helping each other, and although the world tries to drive them apart, they really are better together.