Book picks similar to
Strung Tight by Ann Lister
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Beyond Moonlight
Piper Vaughn - 2012
They were finally touching the way it was meant to be. No anger, no resentment, just wonder." Affirmation– "The last leg of the tour, after that concert at Madison Square Garden, had been like a fantasy. Part of him still expected that any second he'd wake up and it would've all been a dream."Allegiance– "He started walking, feeling a little unsteady on his feet, with only one thought in his mind: snagging a bottle of tequila from the bar and getting up to the room he’d been given for the night."(Warning: Contains spoilers for Moonlight Becomes You.)Word Count: 10,500 (approx)
Beyond the Edge
Elizabeth Lister - 2012
However, James has invited another man, twenty-four year-old Sebastian Doucette, to join in. Thrown together under James’ expert tutelage, the two men experience an instant attraction and begin a tentative relationship on their own time. But James hasn't been entirely honest with the boys and soon Tate finds himself the focus of two infatuated men. How will he choose the man he wants or the lifestyle he desires to pursue?Cover image by Fernando Farfan
Motorcycles and Macarons
Ashton Cade - 2019
I’ve mastered the quickie, the one-night stand, and I’m not into changing things up. Why mess with perfection? When I roll into Snow Lake to take over my uncle’s mechanic shop, the last thing I want to do is settle down. Until I lay eyes on Grayson, who is not the kind of man suited for a one-night stand. He’s domestic as all hell, running his bakery and doing cute sh!t with his son all damn day. Not. My. Type. But I can’t take my eyes off of him. Every time I see him, my heart pounds; I go weak in the knees. I dream about holding up a ring, and making him mine forever. I never wanted this life—I always thought it was a trap. But Grayson, gorgeous and kind, is giving me a sweet tooth for his baked goods and all his other delights. I just might want to make a home on this road where I’ve landed. If Gray is with me, I might fall in love with Snow Lake after all. Grayson: My partner left the minute Harry came into our lives. Ever since then, it’s been me and my boy, all on our own. I didn’t want to be a single dad, but Harry makes it all worthwhile. Sure, I’m not going on any dates, but romance can wait. I’m done with the heartbreak of losing my man, and I’m not pulling Harry into any relationship that won’t last forever. That’s why Layton comes as a surprise. He’s everything I never wanted—a bad boy with bedroom eyes, and thighs muscled from gripping his motorcycle. He keeps showing up in my nighttime fantasies—and at my bakery every morning, looking like he wants to take a bite out of me. When I slip up and let him get a taste, I know he’s all wrong. I can’t keep a man like Layton happy, and I need him out of my life for good. It’s too bad because I was a little bit in love. I never imagined it would hurt so much to leave Layton behind—or that my sweet boy would want to have Layton around. Layton keeps telling me he’s for real, that he’s in this for keeps. I’ve never been the kind of guy to take a chance, but maybe this is the time to give it a try.
Racing into Love
Noah Steele - 2021
Falling for him is a risk. I just have to be willing to take it.My relationship rut ends when pro racer Derrek Luna speeds into my cozy bookstore and crashes the end of a disastrous date. He's way too risky to fall for, but I can't ignore the sudden sparks between us. It doesn't take long before we're head over heels for each other, and we'll need that love to cross the finish line.Lap 1: Derrek wants to settle down and stop racing. The woman who runs his life on the track refuses to lose her star without a fight.Lap 2: The closer I get to Derrek, the angrier my ex-turned-best-friend gets. Is he...jealous?Lap 3: Someone broke into my bookstore. I'm starting to wonder if Derrek's exes ghosted, or if someone convinced them to disappear.But I'm tired of playing it safe, even if being with Derrek is risky for more than just my heart.Racing into Love is a low-angst contemporary M/M instalove romance. Opposites attract in swoony, steamy ways before a guaranteed HEA. It is suggested this series be read in order. Content warnings include: on-page panic attacks.
Manic Pixie Dream Boy
K.A. Merikan - 2017
You can’t hide the cracks under the spotlight .---Dusk. Leader of The Underdogs. Destined for greatness. Lives in the now.Abe. AKA Lolly. Iridescent. Unicorn.All Dusk wants out of life is for his band to become world famous. He also wants to have a lot of fun along the way. And to get his rocks off. When he wants something, he goes for it, consequences be damned.So when he sees a gorgeous pink-haired guy who is the human equivalent of tattooed cotton candy, he can’t help but have a taste. But it’s when Lolly ends up on their tour bus that Dusk knows their meeting was destiny. Abe is the kind of guy who goes with the flow. He was hitchhiking anyway, so why not spend the week with a hot piece of rocker beefcake, getting smothered by his sexy long hair? And why not play the part of the supportive cutie while he’s at it? It’s not like he’d be sticking around for long anyway.All plans hit a wall when photos of Abe and Dusk emerge online, suddenly pushing the band into the spotlight. To take advantage of the sudden popularity, the band offers Abe money for staying. Which means money for being in a fake relationship with Dusk.Which isn’t even fake.Or is it?POSSIBLE SPOILERS:Themes: rock band, alternative lifestyles, tattoos, bisexuality, commitment, instalove, abandonment issues, fame, outing, coming out, life on tourGenre: Contemporary M/M Rocker RomanceHeat level: Scorching hot, explicit scenesLength: ~52,000 words (Can be read as standalone, HEA)
Vespertine
Leta Blake - 2015
They spent several idyllic months together until Jasper's calling to the Catholic priesthood became impossible to ignore. Left floundering, Nicky followed his own trajectory into rock stardom, but he never stopped looking back.Today, Jasper pushes boundaries as an out, gay priest, working hard to help vulnerable LGBTQ youth. He's determined to bring change to the church and the world. Respected, admired, and settled in his skin, Jasper has long ignored his loneliness.As Nico Blue, guitarist and songwriter for the band Vespertine, Nicky owns the hearts of millions. He and his bandmates have toured the world, lighting their fans on fire with their music. Numbed by drugs and fueled by simmering anger, Nicky feels completely alone. When Vespertine is forced to get sober, Nicky returns home to where it all started.Jasper and Nicky's careers have ruled their lives since they parted as teens. When they come face to face again, they must choose between the past's lingering ghosts or the promise of a new future.
One Step Back
Edie Danford - 2018
He was a hothead, and I was reserved. His life was football, mine was academics. He wanted to be out and proud, and I desperately needed to keep my orientation secret.But when we fell in love, my heart took the wheel, and I took every risk to be with Joe. Then one horrible night our secrets shattered. Joe disappeared--wrecking our families and breaking my heart.Eleven years later, I landed a challenging job at a premier PR firm. And the hotshot publicist who's been assigned to my first big account? Yep. It's Joe. Fate truly hates me because now Joe and I have three days to hole up in a Chicago hotel room and nail down a deal that could make or break our careers. He keeps distracting me, but I'm too jaded to fall for sexy smiles, bedroom eyes, and his impossible-to-ignore body. Except...I like being close to him again. A little too much. Working together 24/7 is showing me sides of Joe I've never seen before. And when we touch, being together seems like the only step worth taking.One Step Back is a stand-alone m/m romance of 95,000 words.
Let There Be Light
A.M. Johnson - 2018
Hard work and drive kept Royal O'Connell one step ahead of his competition. His spot on the swim team, keeping his scholarship, was the only plan that mattered. His world was ebony and ivory. Natural talent and ambition set Camden Morgan apart from the other music majors. His dedication scoring him a full ride. Normally, their paths would have never crossed….But when Royal meets his best friend's new roommate, his big plan and Camden’s controlled environment faces a variable that could destroy it all. Attraction. The world they live in had no room for error. That undeniable pull between them was dangerous and neither one of them could've prepared for the choice they'd have to make. Love isn't always an easy road and, when everything they've worked for is on the line, they'll have to decide if being together is worth the risk. Let There Be Light is a full-length standalone.
Beyond the Sea
Keira Andrews - 2016
One desert island.Troy Tanner walks out on his boy band’s world tour rather than watching his little brother snort his life away. Screw it. He’ll take a private jet home and figure out his life away from the spotlight. But Troy doesn’t make it home.The plane crashes on a jungle island in the South Pacific. Forget dodging the paparazzi—now Troy’s desperate for food and water. The turquoise ocean and white sand beach looks like paradise, but danger lurks everywhere. Thank God the pilot survived too. At least Troy’s not alone. He has Brian.Brian’s smart and brave and strong. He doesn’t care that Troy’s famous. Brian’s real. As days turn into weeks with no sign of rescue, Troy and Brian rely on each other. They make each other laugh despite being stranded. They go from strangers to friends.What happens when they want more?Although he and Brian both identify as straight, their growing desire burns hotter than the tropical sun. If they explore their sexuality a thousand miles from anything or anyone, can their newfound love survive in the real world when they’re finally rescued?This slow-burn LGBT romance from Keira Andrews features bisexual awakening, scorching exploration, an age gap, and of course a happy ending.
American Love Songs
Ashlyn Kane - 2010
Besides, he's much too busy with his band, the Wayward Sons, to go looking for romance. His reticence has nothing to do with his embarrassing crush on Chris, the band's lead singer and Jake's erstwhile best friend. But that was before enigmatic wanderer Parker McAvoy signed on as the band's new lead guitarist.He can only deny his attraction to sweet, dorky Parker for so long before the urge to do something about it becomes impossible to ignore. The trouble is, Parker knows all about Jake's philandering ways—and oh, yeah, he's not gay. Or so Jake thinks until a string of related events provides encouraging new insight. Can he convince Parker to overlook his colorful past and give him a chance? Or will this love song fade out before it even begins?
Fishy Riot
Lindsey Black - 2017
Little do they know his apparent indifference stems from having a meddlesome family always butting into his business. And little does Taylor know he’s about to stumble into a situation that’ll make indifference impossible.When everything goes horribly wrong at a political rally on a harbour ferry, Taylor encounters Sietta Salisbury. The son of a wealthy politician, Sietta is a revered—but presumed dead—musician, and an enigma who is so strange, Taylor is compelled to look into his background. What he discovers draws him into a bizarre mess of prisoners, politics, and attempted murder that makes him realise what he’s been missing.Falling in love isn’t hard. Trying to convince someone else you’re worth loving despite your crazy family and the people trying to kill you? That’s a whole other can of worms.
Tidal Wave
E.M. Lindsey - 2021
Gunner has spent half his life running from his past, and the other half trying to protect himself from ever being vulnerable again. He’s escaped his old club and worked hard to earn the VP patch on his cut after joining the Broken Chains. But his entire life is turned upside down when Gunner’s past comes back to haunt him, and the club’s Deaf delivery guy ends up at the wrong place at the wrong time. When his president asks him to protect the injured man, Gunner wants to say no. After all, he hasn’t been able to take his eyes off Logan since the day they met, and Gunner can’t afford that kind of distraction. But ignoring him is damn near impossible when every time he looks at Logan, he starts to feel something. And Gunner doesn’t think he has the power to resist him for much longer. There will be no promise of a future though, if the Broken Chains can’t protect Logan from the mess he’s in, but even if they succeed, Gunner isn’t sure there’s a place for Logan in his world.
Syncopation
Anna Zabo - 2018
After a heated confrontation with his bandmate goes viral, Ray is hit with a PR nightmare the fledgling band so doesn’t need. But his problems only multiply when they snag a talented new drummer—insufferably sexy Zavier Demos, the high school crush Ray barely survived.Zavier’s kept a casual eye on Twisted Wishes for years, and lately, he likes what he sees. What he doesn’t like is how out of control Ray seems—something Zavier’s aching to correct after their first pulse-pounding encounter. If Ray’s up for the challenge.Despite the prospect of a glorious sexual encore, Ray is reluctant to trust Zavier with his band—or his heart. And Zavier has always had big dreams; this gig was supposed to be temporary. But touring together has opened their eyes to new passions and new possibilities, making them rethink their commitments, both to the band and to each other.
In From the Cold
Mercy Celeste - 2011
One born of wealth and privilege, the other born to working people, Nathan and Quinn shared everything. Sports, music, first kiss, first love.For sixteen years, Nathan has tried to forget Quinn. Tried to forget the stolen moments they’d shared as kids. He joined the Marines, married, not once but twice, went into law enforcement. He forgot.For sixteen years, Quinn couldn’t stop remembering. He fell into addiction, found music, lost himself, and became a country music superstar. He never forgot.Sixteen years after their one night together, tragedy conspires to reunite them.The murder of Quinn’s father sets them on a collision course not only with their past but with a killer. Nathan and Quinn struggle to deal with their past while the present slowly crashes around them. Brought together by grief, their tentative new beginning may very well come to a sizzling end, leaving them both out in the cold forever.Warning: May contain subject matter sensitive readers will find objectionable. Male/male sexual situations. Violence.
Bossy Bottom
Jeremy Jenkins - 2019
I’d be tied up in situations and then feel the mind avalanche begin, helplessly watching as it would tumble out of control and ruin the moment. Then I met Adam: A handsome police officer who swept me off my feet and out of my boring life. He’s got a dominating, authoritarian personality but carries a quiet gentleness with him everywhere he goes. Just being around him keeps my anxiety at bay. And better yet, he’s into the same things I’m into. He wants to show me his playroom… Adam: My whole world felt like it stopped the second I saw that angelic man in the bookstore. When I saw the name of the book he was carrying, it told me everything I needed to know. Once I got to know Luke, I learned that his past partner was a bully in the bedroom — and not the fun kind. It’s up to me to show him how amazing and tender a real dominant can be. The only problem is, he’s bossy. Even though I’m the one giving the commands, he knows that he’s the one in control. Luckily I have a few kinky tricks up my sleeve… **This is an 80,000+ word romance novel about 2 men in a relationship. It’s a standalone novel with no cliffhanger, no cheating, and HEA guaranteed. Readers can expect several extra spicy scenes that would make a ghost pepper jealous.