Book picks similar to
Touched by Scott Campbell


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lgbt
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Boy With Toys 1


Sky McCoy - 2019
    Maxwell Gold appeared to be a successful straight man with a wife and loads of friends, but Max had been living a secret life. Everyone knows about it, his wife, and his boys, the only one who doesn’t realize that he’s not straight, is Maxwell Gold. The night he walks into a French restaurant and is love-sick over a young man, is the same night he’s confronted with the truth about himself, and his sham marriage to his beautiful wife. Can the love of his life Jami Caulfield who knows who he is, convince Max that love is never having to say you’re sorry when you accept yourself, and who you choose to love? Can Maxwell Gold handle all the problems that have been tossed at him when he announces to his father that he’s gay and loves a man?

Sweeping Up Glass


Carolyn Wall - 2008
    Olivia Harker Cross owns a strip of mountain in Pope County, Kentucky, a land where whites and blacks eke out a living in separate, tattered kingdoms and where silver-faced wolves howl in the night. But someone is killing the wolves of Big Foley Mountain–and Olivia is beginning to realize how much of her own bitter history she’s never understood: Her mother’s madness, building toward a fiery crescendo. Her daughter’s flight to California, leaving her to raise Will’m, her beloved grandson. And most of all, her town’s fear, for Olivia has real and dangerous enemies. Now this proud, lonely woman will face her mother and daughter, her neighbors and the wolf hunters of Big Foley Mountain. And when she does, she’ll ignite a conflict that will embroil an entire community–and change her own life in the most astonishing of ways.

The Dime


Kathleen Kent - 2017
    Good thing for Betty Rhyzyk she's from a family of take-no-prisoners Brooklyn police detectives. But her Big Apple wisdom will only get her so far when she relocates to The Big D, where Mexican drug cartels and cult leaders, deadbeat skells and society wives all battle for sunbaked turf.Betty is as tough as the best of them, but she's deeply shaken when her first investigation goes sideways. Battling a group of unruly subordinates, a persistent stalker, a formidable criminal organization, and an unsupportive girlfriend, the unbreakable Detective Betty Rhyzyk may be reaching her limit.

The Assassin Shifters Books 15-18


Sandrine Gasq-Dion - 2015
    For most of them, the torment they received at those schools and at the hands of their own families was enough to make living on the street seem like a better proposition. Enter Camp Pride and its devoted staff of volunteers and backers. For college students Kory Maguire and Will Cooper, the camp was a way for them to help abandoned and confused gay kids find their way in life. And it didn't hurt that the incredible hunks - ex-Navy SEALs Jacob Steele and Seth Ralston - were working there, too. Straight Kory ran into Jacob in Seattle several times and found himself having lots of definitely un-straight thoughts about him. Will had been abused by his ex-boyfriend and was skittish of all men now - especially if they were twice his size, like Seth. Werewolves Jacob and Seth have found their mates in Kory and Will. But have the fates gotten it wrong? What if Kory can't commit to a relationship with a man? Is Will too skittish to trust and give himself to someone so much more powerful than he? And can everyone put their own problems aside so that the campers can feel safe and find strength in being loved? INTO THE LYONS DEN: FBI Special Agent Devin Lyons and Russian mob boss/FBI ally Andrei Panchenko have been at each others' throats for years. Literally. They've had their hands around the other's throat lots of times. When Andrei barely escapes a bold attempt on his life, government big shot James Jacobs decides to put Devin in charge of Andrei's safety. After all, who better to keep the Russian alive than the man who wants to do the killing himself? Andrei Panchenko knows two things as fact: Devin Lyons hates him. And the FBI agent is the sexiest man he's ever seen. Forced into cohabitation, Andrei tries to figure out why the agent wants him dead. He has been nothing but honest in owning up to his crimes and kills only the vilest men who manage to escape justice. But still Lyons (who has his own violent record) treats him with contempt. In the meantime, Andrei notices a touching side to the man that he's never seen before. And THAT scares him more than any gun. Devin Lyons hates Andrei Panchenko. It's one of the things in his life that he can count on. Until he's forced to spend time with the ridiculously beautiful and sexy man. Seeing the "real" Andrei turns Devin's world upside down until he's not sure whether he wants to kill Andrei or make love to him. A common enemy of both men is determined that neither will have the chance to do anything except die. When a life-changing secret is revealed, will the resulting fallout bring the two men together or separate them forever? THE NIK OF TIME: Colin Greystone has loved one man since he understood what love was: Nikolai Markov. But Nikolai is too young and Colin makes himself stay away. By the time he decides to declare his feelings, Nikolai has earned quite the reputation as a playboy and a badass. Colin spends years trying to forget the younger man, only to have his world flipped upside down when Nikolai Markov barrels back into his life. Colin is in danger and his fathers have asked Nik to protect him. Colin is less than thrilled to be forced into spending so much time --in such close contact -- with the man he swore he'd stopped loving. At 20 years old, Nikolai Markov is well known as a hired gun with a hot body. But now he only wants one thing : For Colin Greystone to give him a chance. Thrust into Colin's college life -- and dorm room -- Nikolai unloads his charms on a resistant and unbending Colin. When the two of them are in harm's way, Nikolai will kill anyone who threatens his man. His other mission? Making Colin fall for him.THE LITTLEST ASSASSIN SHIFTERS: It's baby time! The men of the Skull Blaster unit have spent most of their lives fighting together for a safer world, first in the military and now as an elite team supervised by Homeland Security. Now they have an even more pressing reason to make the world a better place.Their children are about to be born.Mateo Esposito grew up in foster homes, alone and cynical, grateful for the day he could be on his own. When fate upset his ordered life with innocent Riley Flynn, he didn't stand a chance against love. Now the soulmates are expecting two bundles of joy.Sam Waters found new life when he married Dakota Cadotte, the man with eyes like stars. Unaware Dakota was a werewolf when they met, Sam has now embraced the life he's been given with the man he loves. They also are expecting a baby any day now.When the time comes, the babies enter the world with a roar! Tears and hugs are shared, and life's road takes a definite twist as secrets and surprises are revealed. But chaos is nothing new for these men, is it?

The Art of Starving


Sam J. Miller - 2017
    But Matt won’t give in. The hunger clears his mind, keeps him sharp—and he needs to be as sharp as possible if he’s going to find out just how Tariq and his band of high school bullies drove his sister, Maya, away.Matt’s hardworking mom keeps the kitchen crammed with food, but Matt can resist the siren call of casseroles and cookies because he has discovered something: the less he eats the more he seems to have . . . powers. The ability to see things he shouldn’t be able to see. The knack of tuning in to thoughts right out of people’s heads. Maybe even the authority to bend time and space. So what is lunch, really, compared to the secrets of the universe?Matt decides to infiltrate Tariq’s life, then use his powers to uncover what happened to Maya. All he needs to do is keep the hunger and longing at bay. No problem. But Matt doesn’t realize there are many kinds of hunger… and he isn’t in control of all of them.A darkly funny, moving story of body image, addiction, friendship, and love, Sam J. Miller’s debut novel will resonate with any reader who’s ever craved the power that comes with self-acceptance.

A Single Man


Christopher Isherwood - 1964
    George, the protagonist, is adjusting to life on his own after the sudden death of his partner, determined to persist in the routines of his daily life. An Englishman and a professor living in suburban Southern California, he is an outsider in every way, and his internal reflections and interactions with others reveal a man who loves being alive despite everyday injustices and loneliness. Wry, suddenly manic, constantly funny, surprisingly sad, this novel catches the true textures of life itself."--BOOK JACKET.

Boomsday


Christopher Buckley - 2007
    Her modest proposal catches fire with millions of citizens, chief among them "an ambitious senator seeking the presidency." With the help of Washington's greatest spin doctor, the blogger and the politician try to ride the issue of euthanasia for Boomers (called "transitioning") all the way to the White House, over the objections of the Religious Right, and of course, the Baby Boomers, who are deeply offended by demonstrations on the golf courses of their retirement resorts.

Last Line


Harper Fox - 2011
    He's trying to hide it, because the man he loves is also his partner in a renegade counterterrorism agency, and John loves the job too. Michael, the most loyal of friends and partners, doesn't return John's passion. Nor that of anyone else, as far as John can see. Sexy and handsome as hell, Mike is a chained-up man, haunted by memories of a mission gone wrong during his time in Russia for MI5. Their one sexual encounter only drives them apart: Mike's guilt has left him needing a violence John isn't prepared to deliver.Enter Anzhel Mattvei, a charismatic secret-service agent who held Mike captive in Russia and has now apparently changed sides. The psychological programming he instilled soon has Mike in sexual thraldom, fighting for possession of his will and his soul. Only John's love can call him back from the brink. The Russian war criminal Anzhel serves has hidden a nuclear device in London, and Anzhel has set Mike up to detonate it. John must find a way to help Mike overcome his programming, or millions of lives will be the price.Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Dubious consent, male/male sexual practices.

Suicide Watch


Kelley York - 2012
    His grades sucked. Making friends? Out of the question thanks to his nervous breakdowns and unpredictable moods. Still, Vince thought when Maggie Atkins took him in, he might’ve finally found a place to get his life—and his issues—in order.But then Maggie keels over from a heart attack. Vince is homeless, alone, and the inheritance money isn't going to last long. A year ago, Vince watched a girl leap to her death off a bridge, and now he's starting to think she had the right idea.Vince stumbles across a website forum geared toward people considering suicide. There, he meets others with the same debate regarding the pros and cons of death: Casper, battling cancer, would rather off herself than slowly waste away. And there’s quiet, withdrawn Adam, who suspects if he died, his mom wouldn't even notice.As they gravitate toward each other, Vince searches for a reason to live while coping without Maggie's guidance, coming to terms with Casper's imminent death, and falling in love with a boy who doesn't plan on sticking around.

All Involved


Ryan Gattis - 2015
    in the wake of one of the most notorious and incendiary trials of the 1990s.At 3:15 p.m. on April 29, 1992, a jury acquitted three white Los Angeles Police Department officers charged with using excessive force to subdue a black man named Rodney King, and failed to reach a verdict on the same charges involving a fourth officer. Less than two hours later, the city exploded in violence that lasted six days. In nearly 121 hours, fifty-three lives were lost. But there were even more deaths unaccounted for: violence that occurred outside of active rioting sites by those who used the chaos to viciously settle old scores.A gritty and cinematic work of fiction, All Involved vividly re-creates this turbulent and terrifying time, set in a sliver of Los Angeles largely ignored by the media during the riots. Ryan Gattis tells seventeen interconnected first-person narratives that paint a portrait of modern America itself—laying bare our history, our prejudices, and our complexities. With characters that capture the voices of gang members, firefighters, graffiti kids, and nurses caught up in these extraordinary circumstances, All Involved is a literary tour de force that catapults this edgy writer into the ranks of such legendary talents as Dennis Lehane and George V. Higgins.

Ordinary People


Judith Guest - 1976
    Calvin is a determined, successful provider and Beth an organized, efficient wife. They had two sons, Conrad and Buck, but now they have one. In this memorable, moving novel, Judith Guest takes the reader into their lives to share their misunderstandings, pain...and ultimate healing. (back cover)

What I Had Before I Had You


Sarah Cornwell - 2014
    Two decades later, on a visit with her children, her nine-year-old son Daniel, recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder, disappears. Olivia's search for him sparks tender and painful memories of her past--of her fiercely loving and secretive mother, Myla, an erratic and beautiful psychic, and the discovery of heartbreaking secrets that shattered her world.

A Little Hope


Ethan Joella - 2021
    But when Greg is diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, the sense of certainty they once knew evaporates. Throughout their town, friends and neighbors face the most difficult of life’s challenges and are figuring out how to survive thanks to love, grace, and hope. “A quietly powerful portrait of small-town life…told with wisdom and tenderness” (Mary Beth Keane, author of Ask Again, Yes) A Little Hope is a deeply resonant debut that immerses the reader in a community and celebrates the importance of small moments of connection.

All of Me: A Voluptuous Tale


Venise T. Berry - 2000
    With All of Me, Berry again delivers a compelling, humorous, and poignant story on a subject that plagues half the women in America -- weight. Serpentine Williamson has a good life: an exciting career as a television reporter in Chicago, a sexy boyfriend, membership in a popular gospel choir, and a family who loves her. But in the midst of her positives lies a powerful negative -- her lifelong struggle with weight.After years of buying into fads and labels, Serpentine finds her world crumbling. And, finally losing the battle to uphold her plummeting self-esteem, she breaks down and needs to be hospitalized. All of Me is a heartwarming, inspiring, and often funny chronicle of Serpentine's fight for recovery. As she learns to meet her challenges with dignity and strength she also learns to love herself, for the first time, just the way she is. All of Me will resonate with women of all shapes and sizes and will once again affirm Venise Berry as a fresh voice in African-American women's fiction, whose snappy characters, according to Rosalyn McMillan, "double-dare you to put the book down."

The Only Witness


Pamela Beason - 2011
    Now Ivy’s gone and half the town believes Brittany murdered her daughter.A HAUNTED DETECTIVEDetective Matthew Finn, a big-city fish out of water in small-town Evansburg, Washington, struggles with his wife’s betrayal as he investigates Ivy Morgan's disappearance. The clock is ticking and he can't find any witnesses.AN UNUSUAL RESEARCH SUBJECTImaginative, manipulative, and volatile, with the intelligence of a five-year-old child, Neema cannot speak, but she knows enough sign language to invent jokes and insults. She can also hurl a grown man across the room. Neema is a gorilla.A DISTRESSED SCIENTISTAfter a psycho murdered one of her “talking” gorillas in Seattle, Dr. Grace McKenna relocated to the Evansburg area. Now with the economy on the rocks and her funding cut, her beloved gorillas Neema and Gumu are in jeopardy. When Neema repeats a story of a crying baby, a cucumber car, and a snake, Grace realizes her gorilla is the only witness to whatever happened to baby Ivy.Does Grace dare go public with Neema’s sketchy clues? Can she afford not to?