He meets a gentle, insecure magician named Gene, who's come to work on the crumbling mansion's moldings. He doesn't expect to fall in love.Note: This story first appeared in "Christmas Delights," a collection of Male/Male gay romance stories set in and around the Christmas season.Length: 9,615 words Heat level: sweetThemes: Christmas, magic, gay romance, sweet romance, historical fantasy

     Nineteen years old, estranged from his family and seemingly unable to ever get a second date, he's surrounded himself with the things he loved most: old books and old music. When one date got out of hand before it even began, Joel found himself displaced from a flooded apartment and on the doorstep of a handsome and older stranger, more than willing to take Joel in for the night. Gabriel Hunter had waited years for the right man. When a distressed Joel showed up at his door needing a place to stay, it was more perfect than Gabriel could ever have hoped for. He quickly found himself falling for the complex and beautiful boy he welcomed into his house, and started to believe in a future with the young man he adoringly called, Little Red. Unfortunately, Gabriel was a man of many secrets, and they threatened to unravel the delicate relationship he was building with Joel. Would Joel be able to see beyond Gabriel's deliberate omissions and give their love a chance, or would Gabriel's kind of love prove to be more than Joel could handle?

    Road-tripping to his brother's wedding with his best friend, Tyler, seems a fun way to spend the mandatory two-week leave, and they set out for Kansas--and a difficult homecoming.Aaron's mother was a drug addict, and his adorable younger brother was quickly adopted, while Aaron spent his childhood in foster care. As Aaron mends fences, Tyler hopes to show him that this time, he won't be left behind to face his problems alone.Aaron's opening up to how right it feels to be with Tyler and to the possibility of taking the leap from friends to lovers. But along with the wedding celebration comes a painful reminder of the past. Aaron's heart is still breakable. Can he put it in Tyler's hands?

    So it’s no wonder then that he’s spent his career crafting them on the long-running reality dating show Ever After. As the most successful producer in the franchise’s history, Dev always scripts the perfect love story for his contestants, even as his own love life crashes and burns. But then the show casts disgraced tech wunderkind Charlie Winshaw as its star. Charlie is far from the romantic Prince Charming Ever After expects. He doesn’t believe in true love, and only agreed to the show as a last-ditch effort to rehabilitate his image. In front of the cameras, he’s a stiff, anxious mess with no idea how to date twenty women on national television. Behind the scenes, he’s cold, awkward, and emotionally closed-off. As Dev fights to get Charlie to connect with the contestants on a whirlwind, worldwide tour, they begin to open up to each other, and Charlie realizes he has better chemistry with Dev than with any of his female co-stars. But even reality TV has a script, and in order to find to happily ever after, they’ll have to reconsider whose love story gets told.In this witty and heartwarming romantic comedy—reminiscent of Red, White & Royal Blue and One to Watch—an awkward tech wunderkind on a reality dating show goes off-script when sparks fly with his producer.

    But with his partner, Dr. Vaughn Bennett, working crazy hours in the ER, it’s difficult to make any kind of plans. Easter was an appendectomy. Thanksgiving, a ruptured spleen. And Christmas had called Vaughn away to work for Doctors Without Borders. So when the calendar hits February 14th, Carter expects it will be just another day when he kisses his man goodbye so he can go and save the world. Little does he know that Vaughn has a huge surprise up his sleeve—one that will change their lives forever.

    Right and wrong, justice and injustice—the differences are clear, and Will has spent his career drawing a line between them. Maybe his convictions have cost him relationships, but he’s not willing to compromise what he knows is right. Until the night he meets Amory Vaughn.As the head of his family’s philanthropic foundation, Vaughn knows very well that being rich and powerful can get him almost anything he wants. And when he meets endearingly grumpy and slightly awkward William Fox, he wants him more than he’s wanted anything. Vaughn is used to being desired for his name and his money, but Will doesn’t care about either.When Vaughn falls back on old habits and attempts to impress Will by stealing a painting Will admires, their nascent bond blows up in his face. But Vaughn isn’t willing to give up on the glimpse of passion he saw the night he took Will apart. Before Will knows it, he’s falling for the man he should have arrested, and Vaughn has to realize that some things can’t be bought or stolen. Love has to be given freely. But can a man who lives by the rules, and a man who thinks the rules don’t apply to him, ever see eye to eye? Heart of the Steal is a standalone romance with a happy ending. It features a Southern gentleman who thinks he’s always right, a buttoned-up FBI agent who secretly likes his buttons unbuttoned, and wall sex. And desk sex. And picnic blanket sex.

    He especially has no interest in his kinda-odd-but-kinda-cute neighbor Patrick, a guy who owns enough pumpkin-scented candles to start a wildfire.For Patrick, the feeling is very much mutual. He’d rather watch wax melt than share air with his kinda-rude-but-kinda-hot jock neighbor. Newly single from a painful breakup, he just wants to enjoy his first fall back in Chicago.But Patrick’s plan and Spencer’s perfect summer both come to a crashing halt after Spencer eats it on the court and winds up in a cast. Stuck having to help his neighbor get around, Patrick begins to break through the bumps and spikes of Spencer’s personality. As the two of them experience all the glory fall has to offer, they soon find themselves lost in a corn maze of emotions. But will their newfound closeness fall apart once Spencer’s cast comes off?FALL FOR YOU is a story for everyone who believes in the magic of love, the beauty of autumn, and the power of scented candles.

    Twelve blind dates. Finding his special someone will take a Christmas miracle.  Aiden would rather eat an entire fruitcake than face his ex and his ex’s new boyfriend at their company holiday party — especially by himself. So when his best friend suggests he find some arm candy, Aiden reluctantly agrees to a few blind dates.Aiden doesn’t expect a dozen perfect matches, but one disastrous night after another is killing his Christmas spirit, and time is running out. There has to be a special guy out there Aiden can kiss under the mistletoe. Right? The Twelve Dates of Christmas is a 31,000-word MM romance featuring five horny singles, four garlic cheese fries, three IPAs, two naked trees, and a jingle bell head injury. This feel-good story is filled with humor, heart, and a happy ever after perfect for the holidays.

    Or… When the code breaks down, fate just might take over. Eleven of your favorite gay romance authors have joined forces to light up your Valentine’s Day with a collection of sweet, sexy, silly, and hot short stories, featuring a wacky cast of characters chosen from your reader suggestions! Morticians and magicians, superheroes and spies, lawyers and lobstermen, will all learn that love has nothing to do with algorithms… and sometimes you find it in the least-likely places. And the best part? All proceeds from this collection will go to the authors’ favorite LGBTQ charities, to ensure that love in all its incarnations will be celebrated and protected every single day of the year! Titles included in the collection:The Magician and the Mortician by E.A. Wasp The Professional Gamer and the Paranormal Photographer by Alison Hendricks The Assassin and the Dog Walker by Charlie Cochet The Criminal and the Sommelier by Chris Owen The Superhero and the NSA Agent by Hailey Turner The Tattoo Artist and the Writer by Lily Morton The Uber Driver and the Phone Sex Operator by Lucy Lennox The Baker and the SEAL by May Archer The Event Planner and the Electrician by Poppy Dennison The Lawyer and the Lobsterman by Ruthie Luhnow The Florist and the Lawyer by Sloane Kennedy

    An exiled Alpha who just wants to be left alone. Fate brings two broken souls together to make them whole.Caden Hill’s life is in tatters. Thanks to his ex-boyfriend, he lost his high-paying job, and he’s now living in his car. When his warlock best friend invites him to a sanctuary for lost paranormals, it’s a new start for Caden. He’s sworn off romance… until a gorgeous Alpha saves him from a fate worse than death. Lee’s sexy, protective and thoughtful, but he’s broken, just like Caden is. Caden’s taste in men is awful, but maybe he can make an exception for Lee.Branded as a murderer by his old pack for killing his father, all Lee Marshall wants to do is forget his past. He runs an animal shelter with three other misfit Alphas like him. Lee thinks he’s finally found peace, but something is missing in his life. The answer lies in Caden. Caden is his bright ray of sunshine, but Lee doesn’t believe a former killer like him deserves a shot at happiness. When a former pack mate begs Lee for help, Lee finds himself at a crossroads. Will he choose redemption or his fated mate?Moon River Rogue is a mpreg shifter romance that features a reluctant Alpha with a dark past, a broken Omega keen on pursuing him and plenty of adorable rescue animals. It is the first book in the Exiled Pack series. There are no cliff-hangers or cheating, and a HEA is guaranteed.

    It wasn’t coincidence that got him stuck there overnight either.After taking a unscheduled detour on the way to his grandmother’s house, hockey player Red O'Reilly finds himself snowed in at the airport. What could have been a bleak Christmas Eve indeed suddenly turns magical when Owen “the Wolf” Lindsay, a wicked pitcher with an irresistible charm who Red's been crushing on for years sits down next to him in the last open seat in the bar.If Owen had left New York when he was supposed to, he wouldn't be trapped in the worst airport in the world. He also wouldn't have met the sexy, irrepressible young Red and that would have been a tragedy. Could it just be coincidence that they are both in the same place at the same time?No, this has to be something much stronger than coincidence; they just might have a bonafide Christmas miracle on their hands.

    That includes an epic bachelorette pub crawl, leading him to Portland’s most popular gay bar… and into Hunter Mitchell’s well-muscled arms. A one-night stand with a sexy soldier is the perfect way to ditch that pesky V-card and get himself in the mood for a weekend of flowers, cake, and nuptials.Hunter wants to blow off some steam before he stands up as his best friend’s best man. He's already married to his military career, not looking to settle down. He certainly doesn’t intend for the one guy he met (and, okay, got off with) in Oregon to be his counterpart in the wedding party. Or a virgin. Definitely wasn’t intending that. Luckily, they have the rest of the weekend for Hunter to show Randall what he's been missing.The more they’re thrown together by the wedding, the more Randall and Hunter grow together outside the bedroom… which is dangerous because there’s a lot more than 2500 miles standing between them and a happily-ever-after. If they want a future beyond their wedding weekend hookup, both must find the courage to take a chance on love.Length: approx. 38,000 words

    It sounds like a total snooze-fest until Gabe learns that the event’s Santa is a mystery man. He shows up in costume and no one has a clue who he is. Uncovering Santa’s identity sounds like the perfect angle to turn a fluff piece into serious journalism.Mack “The Mountain” McDonall, at 6’10”, is University of Wisconsin-Madison’s enormous star wrestler. When Gabe first claps eyes on him at a wrestling match, it’s lust at first sight. Gabe’s friend, Jordan, sets up the pair on a date. But when Gabe chatters on about his plans for outing Santa, Mack goes cold, and their first meeting becomes an epic fail.As Gabe researches the children’s home, he learns that Mack has secrets a guy famous for being a brute wouldn’t want the world to know. Can Gabe find his holiday spirit, write a killer article, win the heart of a surly giant, and give everyone a very merry Christmas?NOTE: This 50,000 word short novel features a new couple but includes Jordan and Owen, from the author’s book “Superhero”. It can be read as a stand-alone.

    The only problem is he’s straight. At least I thought he was. But when he gets me to Fiji for Christmas, he’s suddenly looking at me in a way I’ve never seen before. Could this all be real, or is he just HoliGay?

    But Jonty’s sure Devan’s parents aren’t going to think he’s good enough for their son. He probably isn’t. But he is good for Devan and the arrival of an unexpected guest gives him a chance to prove it. Jonty never backs down from a challenge. His mouth won’t let him. But his brain is telling him that if he interferes, he might wreck any hope of acceptance. On the other hand, could his reward be the best Christmas present ever? A little Christmas story that takes place before the epilogue of The Making of Jonty Bloom but can be read as a standalone.