Book picks similar to
influential by Wynn Wagner


m-m
romance
contemporary
young-adult

The Music of What Happens


Bill Konigsberg - 2019
    Sports. Video games. Gay and not a big deal, not to him, not to his mom, not to his buddies. And a secret: An encounter with an older kid that makes it hard to breathe, one that he doesn't want to think about, ever.Jordan: The opposite of chill. Poetry. His "wives" and the Chandler Mall. Never been kissed and searching for Mr. Right, who probably won't like him anyway. And a secret: A spiraling out of control mother, and the knowledge that he's the only one who can keep the family from falling apart.Throw in a rickety, 1980s-era food truck called Coq Au Vinny. Add in prickly pears, cloud eggs, and a murky idea of what's considered locally sourced and organic. Place it all in Mesa, Arizona, in June, where the temp regularly hits 114. And top it off with a touch of undeniable chemistry between utter opposites.Over the course of one summer, two boys will have to face their biggest fears and decide what they're willing to risk -- to get the thing they want the most.

The Cranberry Hush


Ben Monopoli - 2011
    He lives alone, works in a comic book shop, and has a crush on his coworker he can't seem to act on. Like an old comic book, his life's colors have started to fade. Everything brightens when Vince's long-lost friend Griff appears on his doorstep in the middle of a blizzard. They were roommates in college, so close back then that Griff's girlfriend called them "lifebuddies" -- but Vince's love for Griff had ended the friendship, he thought, forever. They haven't spoken in years. Why has Griff shown up again? And, more importantly, can Vince handle his return?Vince and Griff are two twentysomethings struggling to find their places in the world and in each other's lives. This is a story of friendship and love, both unrequited and requited, and of learning how to fly through the post-college void, which just might hold more than a cranberry hush.

Pretty Shade of Grey


A.D. Truax - 2004
    Two unusual people result in an equally unusual relationship. m/m slash (rough draft).Status: Complete - Chapters: 13 Word count: 126,864 words Currently taken down for editing and/or publishing preparation.

Timberwood Cove Books 6-10


Liam Kingsley - 2020
    And now my mission is to deliver his dog tags to his brother. Jahiah doesn’t seem anything like Jesse. He’s struggling to raise his son alone and hanging on by a thread. But there’s a core of steel to the man that I can’t resist. It feels wrong to fall so fast when we’re both supposed to be grieving, but when Jahiah’s in my arms, it couldn’t be more right.But Jahiah’s been on his own for so long that he doesn’t know how to lean on someone else. And he seems to think that an alpha like me couldn’t want an omega like him. I want to give him the world, but how can I protect my mate when he won’t ask for help?We will need to confront our entrenched issues if we’re ever going to survive as a family, but will a fated bond be enough to hold us together? Or will our invisible wounds destroy the foundations of the new life we’re trying to build?

Goodbye Paradise


Nealy Wagner - 2015
    But for twenty years, Josh and Caleb called it home. In Paradise, there is no television. No fast food. Just long hours of farm work and prayer on a dusty Wyoming ranch, and nights in a crowded bunkhouse. The boys of the Compound are kept far from the sinners’ world. But Joshua doesn’t need temptation to sin. His whole life, he’s wanted his best friend, Caleb. By day they work side by side. Only when Josh closes his eyes at night can they be together the way he craves. It can never be. And his survival depends on keeping his terrible desires secret.Caleb has always protected Josh against the worst of the bullying at the Compound. But he has secrets of his own, and a plan to get away — until it all backfires. Josh finds himself homeless in a world that doesn’t want him. Can Caleb find him in time? And will they find a place of safety, where he can admit to Josh how he really feels? Warning: Contains a hot male/male romance, copious instances of taking the Lord's name in vain, and love against the kitchen counter. This book was previously released under the title: In Front of God & Everyone.

No Homo


RemainNameless - 2014
    Fandom: Teen Wolf (TV)Relationship: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski------------------------------Stiles' sophomore year starts something like this:3 FourLokos + 1 peer-pressuring cat - 1 best bro to end all best bros = 1 Craigslist ad headline that reads "str8 dude - m4m - strictly platonic".Derek is the fool who replies.Word count: 84064 complete

Youth in Revolt: The Journals of Nick Twisp, Book One


C.D. Payne - 1993
    As his family splinters, worlds collide, and the police block all routes out of town, Nick must cope with economic deprivation, homelessness, the gulag of the public schools, a competitive Type-A father, murderous canines (in triplicate), and an inconvenient hair trigger on his erectile response—all while vying ardently for the affections of the beauteous Sheeni Saunders, teenage goddess and ultimate intellectual goad.

Bound by His Omega


Alice Shaw - 2018
    Some knots are meant to be tied forever. Marcus: It's my first time with a man, and Sawyer Mckinnon has a bit of a "bad boy" reputation. As soon as I look into his dark, determined eyes, I put all preconceived notions aside. He's hot as f*ck, and every nerve in my body is pushing me closer to him. When our lips crush together, I realize I'm in for the ride of my life. Hard, yet sweet. Gentle, yet commanding. Most important, his strong touch makes me feel safe and protected. In the heat of our passion, Sawyer vows never to leave my side. But I'm not sure of what I want. All of our hot and heavy fun has to remain a secret. No one can find out, or I'll lose everything: My job with the police department, my father, and, possibly, my entire life. All I want to do is love him. But how can I be with a man if I can't be honest with myself? “Tie me up. Set me free…” Sawyer: That hot cop is the only guy that makes my c*ck stir. I know that boy's straight, but he's got my heart twisted up in knots. Luckily, sometimes, all it takes is one kiss to change someone's mind. On the night of my going away party, Marcus tells me that he's wanted me for months. I look deep into his eyes and takes his hand. He doesn't pull away. But did I really think a cop like him could handle his feelings? He's not ready to commit, and I'm not the type of man to get strung along. As much as I want him, I can't keep waiting for him to decide on what his heart truly yearns for. So, when my family needs my help, I move away from the city. Somehow, I never stop thinking about him. It feels crazy to be this captivated by someone, but he's got me in his grasp. I crave his skin, hushed moans, and strict obedience. Together, we form an incredible bond. Now, it's time to push it to the next level. Bound By His Omega is a full-length, First-Time MM gay romance novel with a dash of mpreg. It is a 45,000 word omegaverse book. This novel contains hot and sexy leather action & some menage scenes, passionate angst & desire, and a HEA - a beautiful baby to keep you smiling for days. This mpreg romance is meant for 18+ readers.

My Three Crushes


Bianca Vix - 2020
    They aren’t what I expected. And they certainly weren’t expecting to have me crash into their own private world.It’s just a few days in a fun fantasyland that I couldn’t ever have imagined. Nothing more can come from it. Our lives are just too different. They’re small town guys. I live in Manhattan.And even if it was an option, there’s no way I could choose between all three. I want them all.How crazy is that?My Three Crushes is a standalone mmmf b i s e x ual why ch o o s e m e n a ge romance. Guaranteed HEA ending. No cliffhangers!

Everything I Know


Josh Lanyon - 2014
    He loves working with kids, he loves feeling like he's making a difference. And the kids -- and parents -- seem to love him. Until the afternoon he makes a small error in judgment, and an angry father's thoughtless comments start the kind of rumor that destroys careers. And lives.Now everything Connor thought he knew about himself and his world is in doubt. But sometimes help comes from the most unexpected direction.

Love and Other Foreign Words


Erin McCahan - 2014
    She speaks High School, College, Friends, Boyfriends, Break-ups, and even the language of Beautiful Girls. But none of these is her native tongue -- the only people who speak that are her best friend Stu and her sister Kate. So when Kate gets engaged to an epically insufferable guy, how can Josie see it as anything but the mistake of a lifetime? Kate is determined to bend Josie to her will for the wedding; Josie is determined to break Kate and her fiancé up. As battles are waged over secrets and semantics, Josie is forced to examine her feelings for the boyfriend who says he loves her, the sister she loves but doesn't always like, and the best friend who hasn't said a word -- at least not in a language Josie understands.

The Student Prince


FayJay - 2010
    A modern day (BBC) Merlin AU set at the University of St Andrews, featuring teetotal kickboxers, secret wizards, magnificent bodyguards of various genders, irate fairies, imprisoned dragons, crumbling gothic architecture, arrogant princes, adorable engineering students, stolen gold, magical doorways, attempted assassination, drunken students, shaving foam fights, embarrassing mornings after, The Hammer Dance, duty, responsibility, friendship and true love...145,248 Words Complete

Girlfriend, Interrupted: From carefree twenty-something to instant mother-of-two...


Patricia Caliskan - 2018
     Enjoys walking barefoot across shards of broken home. Likes loaded silences, resentment and insomnia. Dislikes romantic weekends, lie-ins and any chance of future happiness. Former GSOH. Developing PTSD. Ella Shawe was undomesticated, unattached and uninhibited. Until she met Dan. Sexy, charming and funny, Dan ticked all the right boxes and Ella threw herself head-first into the whirlwind romance. But now she’s moved into his family home, complete with two demanding children and a hyperactive dog. Throw in Dan’s impossibly perfect ex-wife, Ella’s interfering sex therapist mother and the snooty and dismissive mother-in-law from Hell, and Ella is almost ready to throw in the towel. But, ready or not, Ella is part of the family now, and getting it right for Dan’s kids means getting it right for everyone. She just needs to figure out how to include herself in the mix… Girlfriend, Interrupted will have you laughing-out-loud, gasping in embarrassment and rooting for Ella all the way. This British romantic comedy is packed full of humour and has a delightful contemporary heroine at its heart.

Love Lessons


Heidi Cullinan - 2013
    But when he arrives at Hope University, he quickly realizes finding his Prince Charming isn’t so easy. Everyone here is already out. In fact, Kelly could be the only virgin on campus.Worst of all, he’s landed the charming, handsome, gay campus Casanova as a roommate, whose bed might as well be equipped with a revolving door.Walter Lucas doesn’t believe in storybook love. Everyone is better off having as much fun as possible with as many people as possible…except his shy, sad little sack of a roommate is seriously screwing up his world view.As Walter sets out to lure Kelly out of his shell, staying just friends is harder than he anticipated. He discovers love is a crash course in determination. To make the grade, he’ll have to finally show up for class…and overcome his own private fear that love was never meant to last.Warning: This story contains lingering glances, milder than usual sexual content for this author, and a steamy dance-floor kiss. Story has no dairy or egg content, but may contain almonds.

Slow Burn


Sam B. Morgan - 2014
    Raised strict but fair by his police chief father, he joined the academy right out of school, climbed the ranks hard and fast, and now works homicide for the City of Charleston. The job is his entire life. For years it’s kept him happy enough to minimize the side of him that craves what he believes is wrong. An accident on the job puts him on medical leave and everything in Brody’s world changes. He has to prove himself once more to be best cop in the department, all while dealing with Zack – his persistent, sexy, and out of the closet physical therapist.Zack is tan skin, big grins, floppy hair and tackles his job with the same full-blown enthusiasm he does everything else. When the “patient from hell” is thrown his way by another PT who can’t handle him, Zack is committed to achieving the impossible. His new patient is a head strong and hot as hell homicide detective, who oozes as much resentment as he does sex appeal. Any involvement with a patient, especially a man who is so deep in the closet he can’t see light, is something Zack swore he’d never do. But Brody slowly proves too much to resist…