Pulling Strings


Riley Long - 2018
    thinks he doesn't deserve love. Ari has bipolar disorder and parents who don't understand his challenges. Falling in love isn't on the playlist for a guy like him, someone running from his past and so uncertain about his future. Shane Beckett doesn't have time for things like love. He's busy - giving music lessons, finishing his senior year, and oh yeah, he's the lead singer of up and coming indie rock band, Young Spades. A cup of beer, a music history class, and a pack of cigarettes changes everything. As Ari and Shane are about to find out, despite having a lack of time or the confidence to believe they can make it work, love has a way of pulling them in and rocking their worlds.

The City and the Pillar


Gore Vidal - 1948
    But when he and his best friend, Bob, partake in "awful kid stuff", the experience forms Jim's ideal of spiritual completion. Defying his parents’ expectations, Jim strikes out on his own, hoping to find Bob and rekindle their amorous friendship. Along the way he struggles with what he feels is his unique bond with Bob and with his persistent attraction to other men. Upon finally encountering Bob years later, the force of his hopes for a life together leads to a devastating climax. The first novel of its kind to appear on the American literary landscape, The City and the Pillar remains a forthright and uncompromising portrayal of sexual relationships between men.

The Story of the Night


Colm Tóibín - 1996
    Richard Garay lives with his mother, hiding his sexuality from her and from society. Stifled by his job, Richard is willing to take chances, both sexually and professionally. But Argentina is changing, and as his country edges toward peace, Richard tentatively begins a love affair. The result is a powerful, brave, and poignant novel of sex, death, and the diffculties of connecting one's inner life with the outside world.

Wrestling With Desire


D.H. Starr - 2010
    He’s gay.Scott Thayer is a new student who’s just moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts from Iowa. On the first day of school Derek and Scott meet, and their lives change in an instant.As Derek and Scott discover the things they have in common, they enter into one of the closest, most loving relationships either of them has ever experienced. When unexpected circumstances threaten to tear them apart, they both have to make a decision.Do they protect their secret and separate? Or fight for what they want...each other.

Invisible Life


E. Lynn Harris - 1991
    Law school, girlfriends, and career choices were all part of Raymond Tyler's life, but there were other, more terrifying issues for him to confront. Being black was tough enough, but Raymond was becoming more and more conscious of sexual feelings that he knew weren't "right." He was completely committed to Sela, his longtime girlfriend, but his attraction to Kelvin, whom he had met during his last year in law school, had become more than just a friendship. No matter how much he tried to suppress them, his feelings were deeply sexual.Fleeing to New York to escape both Sela and Kelvin, Raymond finds himself more confused than ever before. New relationships -- both male and female -- give him enormous pleasure but keep him from finding the inner peace and lasting love he so desperately desires. The horrible illness and death of a friend force Raymond, at last, to face the truth.

Gay Love and Other Fairy Tales


Dylan James - 2018
    He’s gay. He comes out to his family, then he comes out to everyone, and it goes well. Like, way better than he thought possible. But that’s about where it ends. There aren’t enough out gay kids at school for him to build a queer social life or even consider the possibility of dating. For now, he’s happy to be the gay bestie for his BFF, Hannah. Benjamin Cooper is the captain of the football team and has known Jordan for almost his whole life. And he has a secret. When they won an award at the science fair in grade nine, Jordan hugged him—and that’s when Ben realized he had feelings for Jordan. As he watches Jordan come out and flower into who he is, he can’t help but feel ashamed—ashamed at what a coward he is compared to Jordan. When a broken leg and fair-weather friends leave Ben feeling lonely on Christmas break, he spends New Year’s Eve with Jordan, just hanging out in his basement like they used to years ago. But as the countdown to midnight happens and the ball is about to drop, Ben has something else in mind. At the stroke of midnight, he kisses Jordan. What starts with a surprise kiss leads to a year of shared secrets, hidden love, relationship troubles, and broken hearts. Through it all, one fact holds true—Jordan loves Benjamin and Benjamin loves Jordan. But is that enough to carry them through when Ben wants to stay firmly in the closet, to the very point that this might destroy what hope they have of true love?

Cupid Hates Me


Romeo Alexander - 2020
     Brendan: Romance isn’t my thing, and I hate Valentine’s Day. All that matters is I’ll be working that day at the restaurant…or so I thought. I wasn’t expecting the crazy guy in the alley to try to kill me, or the hot paramedic who showed up to start flirting with me. Now the red-headed medic wants a date, but given my cursed love life, of course, I turned him down…for now. Ryan: Okay, so maybe hitting on an injured guy in a dirty alley, no matter how cute, wasn’t the smoothest move. But sometimes my mouth gets the better of me, so after they stitched him up, I asked him for a date. Well, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! He turned me down, but I made sure he has my number… Brendan and Ryan have very different views of romance and, in particular, Valentine’s Day. Can the romantic spirit of the holiday work it’s magic to bring these two hot men together?

Clicking Beat on the Brink of Nada


Keith Hale - 1983
    Set in Arkansas but first published in Amsterdam under the title Clicking Beat on the Brink of Nada, Cody quickly won praise from reviewers and readers across Europe and North America and caught the attention of William S. Burroughs and other writers who befriended the young author (Hale began writing the novel when he was sixteen). The first edition of the book was immediately banned in the United Kingdom during Margaret Thatcher's Operation Tiger. Today, Clicking Beat remains current and continues to be unique in both coming of age literature and the gay literary canon.

Gossip


Christopher Bram - 1997
    The manager of a Greenwich Village bookstore and politically to the left, Ralph agrees to an F2F (face-to-face) meeting with Thersites in Washington, D.C., where his friend Nancy writes speeches for a popular woman senator. With his penchant for Shakespearean drama, Ralph should have seen the elements gathering for tragedy...or farce. Thersites proves to be a young, attractive, and enthusiastic lover. He is also Republican, in the closet, right-wing, and the author of a tell-all book that spreads gossip about several Washington women, including a footnote about a lesbian affair between a speechwriter and a "happily married" senator. In a town where rumors can kill a career, such words may be fatal. And despite his passion, Ralph is disturbed by his new lover's politics...and then stunned at being charged with his murder. Christopher Bram joins dark satire with chilling suspense as Ralph is arrested for first-degree homicide and becomes a "cause" in the gay community.

Tomte


Jamie Fessenden - 2018
    He’s been tormented by a sense of emptiness and loss—but what did he lose? He has no idea. Then a mysterious man appears, calling himself Tomte, a Swedish word Ryan remembers hearing from his grandmother in his childhood. It means “Christmas elf.” With the help of his older brother and his nine-year-old niece, Ryan begins a journey to discover what happened fifteen years ago, when he disappeared during a winter storm and didn’t reappear until spring. Not only has he forgotten those months, he’s forgotten the faithful dog who failed to come back with him. As memories surface and impossible things happen all around him, Ryan senses Tomte, that beautiful man he’s inexplicably drawn to, is the key to everything—his past, his future, and his happiness.

Stirring Up Trouble


Z.A. Maxfield - 2010
    Because of pranks, indiscretions, and plain bad timing, his ability to work in New York's temples of haute cuisine is a thing of the past. When Toby's sister tells him he should look up an acquaintance whose restaurant -- Le Potiron --is failing, he doesn't have much choice.Pretty soon he's in bed, literally, with a cook who hates people, trying to save a restaurant that only the neighborhood mothers seem to love, and on the verge of another --possibly painful -- lesson or two about what it means to be successful.Evan hates everyone but Toby. Toby likes to stir things up. See what's on the menu at Le Potiron, in Stirring Up Trouble.

Finding His Place


Nic Starr - 2017
    Despite striving to win his father's affection, a confrontation that has been years in the making leaves Kieran devastated to realize he will never be good enough. Jealous of the half brother he's never met, and who most likely doesn't know of his existence, Kieran vows to find out what makes his brother so special in their father's eyes.Darius Jensen manages a nightclub. He loves his job, but is reluctant to commit when given the opportunity to become a partner. His previous foray into business ownership with a boyfriend had disastrous results, and Darius is still paying the price, both financially and emotionally.When Kieran starts working with Darius at Sparks, Darius shows him it's not too late for Kieran to realize his dreams--the fulfilling career, a loving family, and someone who loves him for who he is. If only Kieran can convince Darius of the same thing. But before Kieran's and Darius's dreams can come true, Kieran needs to come clean with his brother and deal with the resulting fallout... which threatens his relationship with Darius.Note: This book was originally published as part of the Memories with the Breakfast Club Kindle World. The text remains unchanged.

Love Spell


Mia Kerick - 2015
    Nonetheless, he struts his stuff on the catwalk in black patent leather pumps and a snug-in-all-the-right (wrong)-places orange tuxedo as the winner of this year’s Miss (ter) Harvest Moon Festival. He rules supreme at the local Beans and Greens Farm’s annual fall celebration, serenaded by the enthusiastic catcalls of his BFF, Emily Benson. Although he refuses to visually fade into the background of his rural New Hampshire town, Chance is socially invisible—except when being tormented by familiar bullies. But sparks fly when Chance, Pumpkin Pageant Queen, meets Jasper (Jazz) Donahue, winner of the Pumpkin Carving King contest. Chance wants to be noticed and admired and romantically embraced by Jazz, in all of his neon-orange-haired glory.And so at a sleepover, Chance and Emily conduct intense, late-night research, and find an online article: “Ten Scientifically Proven Ways to Make a Man Fall in Love With You.” Along with a bonus love spell thrown in for good measure, it becomes the basis of their strategy to capture Jazz’s heart. But will this “no-fail” plan work? Can Chance and Jazz fall under the fickle spell of love?'

Male Model


Dave Benbow - 2004
    Reprint.

From the Inside Out


Talya Andor - 2012
    He likes things exactly as they are: school is going well, he has his study-buddy Sloane, long-distance best friend Liz, his online friend Tru, and a ridiculously hot boss to stare at longingly. It might not work for everyone, but it's working for him. Comfortable routine is upended the day Tru suddenly suggests they meet, and Soren finds himself uncharacteristically agreeing to coffee. When his date proves to be the last person he expects, a simple date is only the start of all the complications Soren has always tried to avoid.