Book picks similar to
On the Rocks by Garett Groves


m-m
contemporary
second-chance
romance

Because You Came Back


Ian Finn - 2018
    And then I about faint when I see that the delicious-looking man inside it is Ashton Falls, my old high school classmate, and the object of my obsession ever since.Back then, I wanted him bad, but never let on. I was the popular football jock, and he was the nerd who tutored me. I had a reputation to uphold, which included staying closeted.After graduation, Ashtown moved away and became a Silicon Valley tech billionaire. He's back in Baytown for our ten-year high school reunion. Meanwhile, I stayed here to take care of my mom, and opened a mechanic's shop. And I'm still in that damn closet, because there's a stigma around these parts against gay men.Our worlds are about as night and day as they could get. But soon they collide with a night of passion in which I discover that Ashton is as attracted to me as I was to him, and that he always has been. He can teach me more than just math now, and he's as athletic in the bedroom as I was on the field. I want him to stay with me, and in me, for good. But will both of us be willing and able to change our lives enough for that to happen? And, first things first, after hiding my true identity from fellow Baytown residents for my entire life, will I have the courage to show up at our high school reunion with Ashton on my arm?Because You Came Back is a full-length standalone coming out, small town, second chance, rags to riches, opposites attract, billionaire/blue collar gay romance novel that combines humor, heat and heart. It has no cheating, no cliffhangers, and a very happy after ever. It's Book 1 in the Baytown Boys series. It can be read alone but, due to related characters and settings, is best read with others in the series... and a tall glass of water to cool you off after so much steam.

The Manny: Gay Romance


Beau Brown - 2021
    He’s done his time and has worked hard to keep his nose clean ever since. He keeps out of other people’s business and he expects the same in return.When a family tragedy strikes, he’s forced to take in his late, estranged, sister’s five-year-old daughter. Jack doesn’t know the first thing about kids. He’s never even met his niece until now because she was raised in another state. His future plans didn’t include children, but now he’s stuck with a kid.For the first time in a long time, he has to ask for help. Even if he could connect with his grieving niece, Mia, he lacks the desire. However, whether he wants to be close to the child or not, he’s legally responsible for her safekeeping. Since he can’t emotionally give Mia what she needs, he decides to hire a professional.Thomas Andrews is a carefree soul who adores children and believes in helping others. He loves his job as a manny and is thrilled to help bring happiness to Mia’s world. What he doesn’t expect is to butt heads with Jack as often as he does. Jack’s cold hands-off approach to caring for Mia irks Thomas more than he can say.But Thomas being Thomas, he can’t hold his tongue, and his criticisms don’t go over well with his new employer. What really has Thomas mystified is why he cares so much what Jack thinks, or why he feels attracted to the surly man. He knows he should just collect his generous paycheck and keep his mouth shut.With someone as opinionated as Thomas, that’s easier said than done.

Unprotected Hearts


Rachel Kane - 2016
    He never wanted to be a bodyguard again, never wanted to risk losing another person. But when he was asked to protect Trent Sinclair, a witness to an awful crime, he had no choice but to accept. Now Trent is with him in his isolated mountain cabin, with no one around for miles. What neither of them realized was that as danger pushed them together, they would find themselves growing closer. At first it was just physical, the way their bodies reacted to having another man nearby. But as the danger deepened, so did their emotions, until they had to admit what they felt for one another. But there are forces that will do anything to keep Trent from testifying to what he witnessed, even if that means ripping the two of them apart. Now Jace will have to delve into his painful past--into the secrets of the only client he ever lost--to discover what it takes to rescue Trent and keep him safe. This 54,000 word suspenseful contemporary MM romance has an HEA, no cliffhanger, and no cheating.

Heart of a Redneck


Jodi Payne - 2018
    A loner by choice, Colby works hard with his hands and finds his peace camping in the mountains outside Boulder. Gordon James is a white-collar restaurateur who owns not one, but two successful establishments in downtown Boulder. He’s a sophisticated urbanite who is devoted to his work and is accustomed to getting what he wants. The men are friends, but sparks fly when Colby falls in love and decides to show Gordon how much fun a good old boy can be. They’re just beginning to explore their relationship when Gordon’s sister’s suicide leaves him with custody of his five-year-old niece. Colby comes from a huge family and is eager to help with the girl and to prove his worth to Gordon. But neither of them is ready for the tremendous changes to their already busy lives, or for how this new relationship with Olivia challenges them, complicating the way they interact with each other. They say opposites attract, but can these two very different men work together to join their disparate lives and form a strong, if highly unlikely, family? This is a previously published title. The publisher has changed.

Farm Fresh


Posy Roberts - 2016
    He never expected it to be a sexually free commune. Hudson finds himself falling for Jude, but all the men in the yellow house are lovers. Coupling-off isn't how their house works.Jude Garrity visits the farmers market every Saturday. As an environmental engineering student, he's curious about living off the grid and sustainable agriculture. And one particular farmer.Hudson Oliva has worked hard to support his commune, the only place he's felt at home. When Jude asks pointed questions about living there, Hudson decides to be honest. Few people know what the farm is actually about, but Jude is insistent.Jude moves in, however his sexual hang-ups left over from past abuse make it hard to adjust. He's living among people who have sex freely and with multiple partners. When Jude finally loosens up, Hudson is flooded with emotions for this reserved man. Falling for Jude wasn't part of Hudson's life plan. But when vindictive rumors about the commune begin to spread, love might be all he has left.

Mister Bodyguard


Ivy Oliver - 2018
     Stuck in the desert with a crazy stuntman, insane script, and cheap sets, I'm the star in the world's worst movie. On top of that, I have a sexy-as-sin bodyguard watching my every move, hired to protect me -and the production- from myself. He's always there, and I can't get him out of my head. Lucas Baxter, a six foot slab of stud with a rock hard bod, arrogant swagger, and take-no-prisoners attitude. Suddenly I'm up at the crack of dawn when I'm used to the crack of noon. His job is to keep me safe, but his role is to keep me in line... and I'm loving every minute of it. I can't think when he's around, not with his rippling muscles sweating in the desert heat. As soon as I laid eyes on him my long-suppressed attraction to men came roaring back. Forget the script, the only lines I want to learn are the cut shape of his muscular body, and the only thing I want to know is the haunting longing behind his eyes. One look from him and my mask slips, and I'm shaken to the core. I'm ready to take the plunge. I know if I run he'll catch me, and our game of cat and mouse will end with him taking me, heart and soul... but I might lose it all.

Clean Slate


Isla Olsen - 2021
    Figuratively. But I don’t care about that anymore. At. All. I have a great life in Chicago… I mean, things aren’t exactly rosy right now, what with my boyfriend slash boss cheating on me, and then losing my job over that little vandalism incident… But that’s just a blip. Things will get better. They have to. I’ll be damned if I’ll be returning home to Finchley with my tail between my legs. But then I get some news: The Devil’s grandfather, whom I love as if he were my own, has passed away in a tragic mishap of the coital nature, and missing his funeral is not an option.Despite my desperate prayers, when I return home I’m appalled to find The Devil has not been the victim of some disfiguring flesh-eating disease. Nope, if anything he’s even hotter. And he’s sweet, and funny, and everything I remember falling for back in high school. But he’s still The Devil who shattered my heart and there’s no way I’ll give him the chance to do it again. Exes with benefits, though? Now that could be an idea…Come visit Finchley, CA, where the sun’s always shining, the locals are always gossiping, and you won’t walk two steps without bumping into a member of the Goode family. If you’re lucky, you might find gold; or, even better…true love.

Second Chance


E.M. Leya - 2015
    There was nothing that would ever come between them… Until something did. Refusing to watch the man he loves marry someone else, Conner leaves town to focus on his own life and career, but he's never forgotten the one person who has always meant the most to him. Ten years later, Conner is back to care for his mother, bringing him face to face with Kendal and emotions that never died. Kendal has spent his life focused on his job, but now, as a single father, there are new fears and worries that risk pulling the two friends apart once again.

Home Skillet


Cate Ashwood - 2018
     JAMES I don't know what's more shocking—the sudden end to my marriage, or the fact that I'd married a woman at all. But now I'm broke and homeless, kicked out of my Upper West Side apartment while my ex-wife walks away with everything we've ever worked for. So what's an executive chef stripped of his dignity gonna do? Go back to Jersey with his tail between his legs, that's what. BEN I can’t say that spending a decade pining after my best friend was the best use of my time. While I'd pretty much become an expert at the whole unrequited love thing, I'd resigned myself to the fact that Jimmy and I were never gonna happen. But when Jimmy turned up on my doorstep in his hour of need, I jumped at the chance to offer him my bed—er, couch. I mean, what are friends for, right? Now that he's released from the shackles of matrimony, I can't wait to show him exactly what he's been missing out on all these years. What I didn't anticipate was him showing me that maybe I'd been missing out too.

Bite Me


Beth Bolden - 2018
    Working at the celebrated Napa Valley restaurant Terroir is supposed to be the cherry on top to a promising career, but instead it's a creative desert. So when he gets an offer to turn his online video series into a career, he leaves his three best friends in Napa and swaps Terroir for Los Angeles.With the resources now at his fingertips, turning his pastry series into a hit should be easy. Then Miles meets his producer, Evan Patterson, and realizes he’s screwed. And not even in the good way. It's not a meet-cute . . . Evan lives to work and loves every minute detail Miles loathes. Not only that, he seems hell bent on micromanaging every aspect of Miles' show despite the fact he knows nothing about the culinary arts. Evan doesn’t even like sweets—until Miles seduces him with a rainbow of delectable confections he can't resist. . . . it's a collision. With every confrontation, the intensity between them flares even hotter until they're not sure if it's hatred they feel . . .or something else. Is it possible for two people with nothing in common to discover common ground and romance? Bite Me is a 80,000 word standalone m/m romance featuring enemies to lovers. Don't read hungry!

The Palisade


Rosalind Abel - 2017
    It was supposed to be just one night in town to close the deal, and sleeping with one of the local men, no matter how gorgeous, meant nothing more than a few hours of fun.Andrew Kelly is perfectly content with the life he has in his hometown. So much so that the only thing missing is someone to share it with. Going to bed with a tourist was never meant to be the answer to his dreams, just a beautiful distraction. He could get back to looking for Mr. Right the next day.Both Andrew’s and Joel’s worlds are turned upside down when a few hours of pleasure get extended to a couple of days. Even that shouldn’t have been a big deal. You can’t fall in love in that amount of time. That isn’t how it works. However, if destinies collide, a few short days may be all it takes to find your soul mate. Even so, when secrets and motivations get tangled, fate may do nothing more than leave two hearts in pieces.

Made in Portugal


Ana Newfolk - 2018
    Not to mention he’s keeping a big secret from everyone he knows.An old travel journal.A road trip in a temperamental red car.Pastries, lots of pastries.When the two childhood friends reunite, emotions re-ignite. But when the bubble bursts and secrets come out, will their love be strong enough?Made In Portugal is a MM romance with a best friends to lovers theme, a meddling family, lots of steam and a HEA.Made In Portugal can be read as a standalone but will be better enjoyed as part of the Made In Series as characters and stories from previous books appear in this story.Series reading order:Made In New York - Book 1 (Max and Isaac)Made In Portugal - Book 2 (Joel and David)Made In Paris - Book 3 (Dorian and Jean-Paul)Made In Manhattan - Book 4 (Max and Isaac)Made In Lisbon - Book 5 (Vítor and Tiago)Made In Love - Coming Autumn 2019

Twice Baked


Andrew Grey - 2019
    He plans to bring that same lighthearted comedy to the show—but he won’t be the only host.Meyer Thibodeaux might be a famous chef, but he’s solemn, uptight, and closeted. He’s also  Luke's ex. As different as they are, the sparks between Luke and Meyer never really went out, and as they work together, each begins to see the other in a new light, and the passion between them reignites, hot as ever. But secrets, gossip, and rumors on the set could sour their reunion.

The Alpha Dragon's Instant Family


Sean Michael - 2021
    Everyone has a little dragon in them, but he’s the full dragon king of his high-rise castle, along with his best friends Seamus and Harrison. He might had left his overbearing, aristocratic family behind, but now he has the Skye Dun clan and their successful empire. Too bad his well-ordered life gets a jolt when he meets the man he thinks is his mate at a club, then has to leave him without even getting his name due to an attack on his high rise that leaves Harrison gravely injured. Sebastian Addams is doing the best that he can. He’s just a guy with wings and a single scale on his cheek, as well as his two younger siblings to care for, so he’s pretty low in dragon society. Needing to provide for his family, he looks to a personal assistant job to a business tycoon, but when he walks into the interview, he discovers the man who loved and left him the previous night without even a real introduction. Sebastian wants to slink away, but he needs this job. Badly. Warrington, though, is overjoyed that Sebastian has walked into his office – now he doesn’t have to go searching for his mate with nothing to go on. The trick will be convincing Sebastian that they’re fated to be together, which gets more complicated when Sebastian winds up pregnant. But Warrington thinks his instant family is amazing and sets about making Sebastian see it too. Now if they can just stay safe from the bomber who seems determined to put an end to Skye Dun clan, they just might get their happy ending.

Lust & Longing


E.M. Denning - 2020
    First love especially.Unfortunately for Noah Davis, it doesn’t get easier as he gets older.Noah lost Ian years ago, when life took them in different directions. Not knowing how to let go, he relied on the friends he made while living in the city. His friends helped pull him out of his despair, but it was at a club where he found himself. He threw himself into his new identity. Being a Dom gave him the control he desperately needed and helped him put the pieces of himself back together.But time changes things. Noah left the club scene behind years ago. He’s back home in Silver Springs and suddenly Ian Osborn, the one who got away, is there, too. Love isn’t easier the second time around. Noah and Ian must reconcile who they used to be with the men they are now, and it won’t be easy, but nothing worth having ever is.