Book picks similar to
Never Apart by Ashe Winters
m-m
mm
dnf
romance
Beneath the Surface
Kate Sherwood - 2012
Technically he's a lawyer, but really he's a problemsolver. He just never expected the problem to be Caleb Sinclair, the passionate but introverted artisan carpenter who lives next to the proposed quarry site."Know your enemy." That's Caleb's philosophy. And trying to turn fertile farmland into a gravel pit earns Peter the title of "enemy." Caleb loves that land, and if he has to make peace with his homophobic neighbors to make war on Peter, so be it. Except knowing his enemy doesn't turn out anything like he expected. Peter's not the fairy-tale monster-he just might be the first step to happy ever after.
Changing Focus
D.J. Jamison - 2015
The staff doesn't respect him, and a confrontation with the sexy but arrogant senior photographer only adds to his stress. But after Mac puts him in a situation that nearly gets him shot, Jorge realizes he doesn't know as much about being a newsman as he thought he did.Mac is frustrated by Jorge's inability to see the big picture. Journalism is about more than grammar and spell checks. When a stand-off gives him the perfect opportunity to teach Jorge a lesson, he seizes it -- but immediately regrets putting the gorgeous editor in danger.In the aftermath, Jorge earns Mac's respect. But can Mac apologize enough for his behavior -- and his inappropriate apologies that follow -- to ever earn Jorge's affection, or will he lose his chance to the police sergeant with a flirty smile?"Changing Focus" is the first of the Ashe Sentinel Connections series, and is a m/m romance.
Guarded Hearts
Louisa Keller - 2018
Cue Forest Ethridge, my prickly, defensive coworker. I'm drawn to him right off the bat...despite the fact that he seems to find me more of a nuisance than anything else. I fall hard and fast, despite his warnings that I should guard my heart carefully. Just as he's opening his own heart to me, Forest disappears without a trace, leaving me wondering what exactly went wrong. Ten years later I'm still grappling with the repercussions of my first devastating love...and that's when he shows up again. Can I look past my own pain long enough to find out what happened? Or is it better to move on with my life? "I have one rule: don't let anybody in." Forest: As a teenager, I learned the hard way that nobody except my sister Faye can be trusted. Still reeling from our parents' abandonment, we've figured out how to fly beneath the radar. For years I never let anybody in...until I met Blaise Lancaster. He's kind and funny and full of hope. Making out with him is a mistake, and promising to take his virginity is an even bigger one. But before I can make good on my promise, Faye and I are thrust into chaos once more. It's time to leave my hometown once and for all, and there's no time for goodbyes. A decade later I'm still wary and defensive. My solace at the end of each day is listening to Blaise's award-winning podcast. When I find out that he'll be visiting a local bookstore on a promotional tour, I decide to go and skulk in the back of the room. Then our eyes meet, and I realize that my feelings for Blaise have never truly flickered out. Is it too late to rekindle my first love? And will Blaise be able to forgive me? Guarded Hearts is a standalone enemies-to-lovers gay romance featuring a whole lot of mutual pining, a second chance at love, and an HEA.
Tru Smoke
Edie Danford - 2016
Growing up in Ember Peak, Colorado, Jones Hudson nurtured dreams as big as the Rockies. Why else would a flat-broke college student believe he has a shot with Truitt Larkin, the billionaire CEO of Larkin Corp? And, sure, Tru might own the fab, five-thousand-acre Ember Peak Ranch, where Jones is just the son of a ranch employee, but that doesn’t mean a future with Tru is doomed, does it? When he finally, finally convinces Tru to break his chiseled-in-rock no-sex-ever policy, Jones is sure smoke will never shroud Tru’s silver-flame eyes again.But fire burns and dreams crash. And Jones leaves Ember Peak—and a big chunk of his heart—behind.Tru knows he’s responsible for fracturing his valued friendship with Jones. Indulging his attraction to the younger man was selfish and destructive—something he’ll always regret. When Jones returns to Ember Peak for a family wedding, Tru wants a chance to heal their friendship and give back to Jones the comfort of coming home. But sparks fly the moment they reunite, and they scramble to douse the passion that’s burned them both before. Yet a flicker of hope glows brightly, and soon they need all their courage to see their way to a future together.
Brainy and the Beast
J.M. Cartwright - 2013
How does he control his attraction to this brash, sexy mechanic?Nick owns his own classic car garage, and he is more than willing to hit it with the brainy, seriously hot, Henry. What he doesn't need is the aggro that comes with feelings. But since his 14yo nephew, Grant, has come to live with him, he's been dealing with aggravation every day. And now his dad lives with him, too. A dad who doesn't mind commenting on Nick's lame parenting skills.With Henry turning his crank in a big way, and Nick enjoying not being in charge for a change, things heat up pretty fast. They're actually dating, with dinner and everything, before he knows it. And the after-dinner drinks at Henry's gorgeous house have Nick wiping the sweat from his brow.But Henry and Grant don't get along; Nick isn't sure he wants a relationship at all, and Nick's dad, Big Mike, has an opinion on everything.How's a guy to have fun on the weekends - even during the week, for crying out loud - with all the family baggage hanging around?
The Coincidence
Felice Stevens - 2019
After his boyfriend dumps him, Coby vows to take it slow and not jump into another relationship, no matter what his ninety-five-year-old great aunt says. When Coby sees his ex has moved on, he goes on a series of disastrous first dates and swears off men, determined to be alone. His best friend disagrees and finds the “perfect man” for him online and arranges a date. The only problem? Coby has no idea what she’s done. Since childhood, Eli Kaplan has been his father’s greatest disappointment, a fact he’s reminded of at every opportunity. For years, he’s struggled with the knowledge that dating women doesn’t work for him. A late-night confession to his brother changes everything and Eli realizes, maybe, just maybe, he can come out, find himself, and find love. Eli takes the plunge and creates a profile on a dating website, not knowing what to expect. One night he chats with an intriguing man, and despite his nervousness, they arrange to meet for coffee. No big deal. They’ll probably never see each other again. On the day of their first date, nothing could surprise Coby and Eli more than to discover that they live in the same apartment building, on the same floor. In a city of eight million people, coincidences don’t get crazier than that. But as the two men begin to weave their lives together with cautious optimism and hope for a future, they find an even greater thread holding their families together—one born from the ashes of a final solution that couldn’t destroy their ancestors’ courage, leaving scars that remain almost a century later. Past lives torn apart can be pieced together by a future no one could have ever imagined, where love is more than fate or coincidence. It’s meant to be.
Liam Davis & The Raven
Anyta Sunday - 2014
But I’m about to find out.Jock. Big-boned. Broad shoulders. Tall. Runs fingers through hair as though he’s attractive and knows it. Walks into party like he has all the time in the world, slow but oddly graceful. Laugh lines around the mouth, a deep crack in his skin where a dimple might be. That’s how I described him in the notes for my latest party-page column.He fascinates me, but I’m not sure why. Or what to do about it. My belly is a fluttery, twisty mess.Best to focus on my mission to find The Raven—the campus vigilante—and warn him about the hate mail the student paper’s been getting for him.Except . . .Quinn looks at me and his eyes darken. He wants something. But what is it?Why do I want so badly to give it to him?Liam Davis & the Raven is a slow-burn, bi-awakening, New Adult, gay romance set in college. This roommates to lovers story follows quirky, socially awkward Liam to his heartwarming HEA.
Chasing the High
Beth Michele - 2016
Dumped. Abandoned. Jilted.That only happened in books. Fictional disasters like the kind I wrote. It wasn’t supposed to happen to me, Sam Stone. My life was supposed to be orderly. Organized. Perfect. But I had no control over my fiancé’s decision to leave me.What better place to be alone while nursing my broken heart than in paradise, right? Two weeks of sandy beaches and tranquil waters to quietly rethink my life.That's what I thought anyway--until Drew Mariano came along and shook everything up. He shook me up. He made me feel high on life.But I was afraid...the higher I got...the harder I was going to fall...**This is a steamy mm for readers eighteen and over due to language and graphic sexual content.**
The Battle for Jericho
Gene Gant - 2012
Gay activist Dylan Cussler stirs up the establishment when he moves in with his boyfriend and sues the state over its gay adoption ban. Sixteen-year-old Jericho Jiles and his best friend, Mac Travis, decide to do their bit to convince Dylan and his boyfriend to leave town. But when Dylan turns up before they can finish trashing his house, Jericho panics, leaving Dylan unconscious and wounded.Drowning in guilt, Jericho returns to Dylan’s home to make amends. He is surprised when Dylan forgives him and opens his eyes to the world around him. Soon Jericho comes to a life-changing realization: he is attracted to boys as well as girls. That’s a problem, considering Jericho has a girlfriend and very strict, very religious parents. Accepting his sexuality means he must question not only his identity and his place in the world but his relationship with his girlfriend, his parents, and with God.And so begins the battle for Jericho’s soul.
The Storm Before the Calm
Cate Ashwood - 2015
It’s his salvation when it feels like the world is swallowing him whole. When his mom secretly secures him a spot in the summer intensive at the Free Rein Dance Company in New York, he is thrilled. He knows that once the summer ends, he'll have to return to Beacon to get a job and help support his family, but for those two months, he can spread his wings. In New York he meets Max, a junior instructor who is everything Charlie wishes he could be. Bold and self-assured, Max radiates pride in who he is. As they spend time together, Max shows Charlie what life can be like past the walls of his closed-minded home town. But Charlie doesn’t know if he’s ready to show the world who he truly is when standing in the spotlight is the last thing he wants.
Brave for You
Crystal Lacy - 2018
When he meets the friendly pediatrician who lives three doors down, he only expects friendship—even when it's clear An is up for more.An unexpected kiss, feelings Nate has never had before, and a friendship neither wants to risk. Are they brave enough to give their love a chance to flourish?A sweet and steamy slow burn M/M romance set in Hawaii. This story is a HEA story with NO cliffhangers. Subsequent books in the series will feature new main characters.
Catch My Breath
M.J. O'Shea - 2013
He just needs his big break. So when he hears that Blue Horizon Records is holding auditions looking for the next big thing, Danny jumps at the chance. It doesn’t turn out exactly as he imagined, though. Instead of getting solo contracts, Danny and four other guys are put into a boy band. Innocent, idealistic Elliot Price thinks he’s headed for college. An impulsive decision to sing in the local talent search changes all that. A bigwig producer happens to see him, hands him a business card, and turns Elliot’s life upside down. Elliot and Danny are close from the beginning. They love all the guys, but it’s different with each other. Soon their friendship turns into feelings more intense than either of them can ignore. The other three boys only want Danny and Elliot to be happy, but when their management team and record label discover two of their biggest tween heartthrobs are in a relationship, they’re less than pleased. Danny and Elliot find themselves in the middle of a circle of lies and cover-ups, all with one bottom line—money. They have to stay strong and stick together if they don’t want to lose themselves… and each other.
Letting Go
Ashton Cade - 2018
But when my brother's old best friend and my teen crush Ian Barrett is here too, I find myself making excuses to stick around a little longer. He's still everything I've ever wanted, but this former baseball star is also a big-time player... if you know what I mean. I don't know what Ian would ever see in steady, reliable Grant Rainier. But I also know I can't stay away. When we start working away together on his dream, I know I'm in trouble. One glance and my heart melts, along with my resolve. Being with him means staying in Umberland and giving up my big-city ambitions, but being without him means losing the best thing that's ever happened to me. How am I supposed to let go of either one? Ian: I've had my share of men, but I've also attracted more than my share of controversy. And since I was a teenager, the Rainier family has always been my rock—I feel like part of the clan. When I see Grant Rainier again, I can't help but remember him as a teenager just off to college... and now the boy is all man. For the first time in my life, the chemistry is there, and so is the caring. But should I subject him to the whirlwind of my life? And can I risk the peace and solitude I've given up everything for? Letting Go is the first book in the Rainier Family series and can be read on its own. 67k words of dreamy, steamy, wishes-come-true love, getting over long-standing fears, Rainiers running interference, and a whole big, bustling, small-town family waiting for its HEA.
Falling for the Player
Jessica Lee - 2017
Ever since his scorching hot one-night stand three years ago, no one has interested him. So when Max Segreti wanders into his mechanic shop—and his life again—Patrick can't stop thinking about the totally-out-of-his-league law grad and the possibility of getting him out of his system once and for all… Max Segreti has spent his entire life doing what his father wants. But when he runs into the hotter-than-hell player he’s never been able to forget, he’s not thinking about studying for the bar. A distraction is the last thing he needs, but after an encounter leaves him wanting more, Max embraces the chaos that Patrick brings…even as he knows it can’t last. They're too different to ever have a future together.
Curl Around My Heart
Londra Laine - 2018
The shop is his life, and he doesn’t need anything more. Until a man walks in with his adorable daughter, and Tate has to untangle her helmet-hair…and his growing feelings for the single dad.Reece Evans has been on his job for years, has his own place, and now has custody of his eight-year-old daughter. But he doesn’t trust himself to avoid screwing up. Adulting is not his strong suit—or so he’s been told. And now a sexy beautician, who also happens to be his new downstairs neighbor, has Reece wanting and reaching for more than he thinks he’s capable of.As Tate and Reece move past their own fears about relationships, Reece’s ex issues a threat that could destroy everything. Will Reece’s worries about other people judging him undermine his budding romance? And will Tate’s fear of rejection make him push Reece away? Or have the sweet single dad and his precocious daughter curled too tightly around his heart to give them up?***Please be aware that this book contains references to drug addiction.***