Book picks similar to
He Called Me Beautiful by Annabeth Chatwin
lgbt
contemporary
gay
mm
Pictures of You
Leta Blake - 2016
Growing up gay in Knoxville, Tennessee is even harder. Eighteen-year-old Peter Mandel, a private school senior—class of 1991—is passionate about photography. Peter doesn’t have many friends, preferring to shoot pictures from behind the scenes to keep his homosexuality secret.Enter Adam Algedi, a charming, worldly new guy who doesn't do labels, but does want to do Peter. Hardly able to believe gorgeous Adam would want geeky, skinny him of all people, Peter's swept away on a journey of first love and sexual discovery. But as their mutual web of lies spins tighter and tighter, can Peter find the confidence he needs to make the right choices? And will his crush on Daniel, a college acquaintance, open a new path?Join Peter in the first of this four-part coming of age series as he struggles to love and be loved, and grow into a gay man worthy of his own respect. This new series by Leta Blake is gay fiction with romantic elements.Book 1 of 4. Warning! These books contain: New Adult fiction, ‘90s gay life, small city homosexual experiences, Southern biases, sexual exploration, romance, homophobia, bisexuality, and twisted-up young love. Oh, and a guaranteed happy ending for the main character by the end of Book 4.
Winter Freeze
E.M. Leya - 2016
Being homeless, Darren isn't used to anyone caring, especially cops. He's seen the worst in people, and trusting Andy isn't easy.To Andy, homeless means addictions, overdoses, and panhandling. It's a world he doesn't understand, and isn't sure he wants to. Yet, when it comes to life and death, he can't just walk away and let someone die.Their worlds couldn't be more different, but the more they get to know each other, they find that, inside, where it matters the most, they really aren't so opposite. Trust comes hard for both men, but when a murderer starts hunting homeless boys, the two work together, showing them that no matter where you come from, dreams really can come true.
Between Enzo and the Universe
Chase Connor - 2020
It might not even be in the top twenty list of problems that he faces on a daily basis. His grandmother is dead. His parents are dead. His sister and brother are dead. He has no money. No friends. No job. He's all alone in a country that will always seem strange. Soon, he might not even have a home. And he's so angry. At life. Himself. God. The universe. Everyone. Except for the man he sees in the market. Something about the man with the red hair (who only speaks English) tells Enzo that the universe might not be completely against him for once. 'Between Enzo & the Universe' is a story about a boy who emigrates from France with his family to Canada in the hopes that a better life might be found. Enzo arrives in Canada as a boy with a happy, healthy family...and ends up a young man with no one left in the world. How does the universe apologize for that? Enzo meets an American at the autumn festival and over the course of a night, they will share their dreams, their passions, and the events that made them the people they are. They will eat, laugh, talk...and come to realize that they both share a dream for the future.
Trust the Connection
Brigham Vaughn - 2016
Minor updates have been made but the story is essentially unchanged. This is a re-release. --- Scars run deep but run loves even deeper. --- After a lifetime of being told he’s worthless, Evan Harris is forced out of the closet and the only home he’s ever known. Jobless and homeless, he makes a desperate call to a couple he barely knows. They give him a place to stay at their place in Atlanta while he gets back on his feet. But he’s too shy to explore the big city and go after what he wants: a relationship. Physically and emotionally scarred from a devastating car accident, Jeremy Lewis struggles to reconcile the brash, outgoing man he used to be with the social recluse he’s become. He’s resigned himself to being alone, but an encounter with an ex-boyfriend shakes up his dull existence and brings Evan into his life. Loneliness draws Evan and Jeremy to each other, but a strong mutual attraction isn’t enough. At thirty-six, Jeremy is convinced a relationship would be holding twenty-one-year-old Evan back. Evan must be strong enough to fight for what he wants and Jeremy must let someone close enough to see his scars. Otherwise, they’ll miss out on the love of a lifetime.
Unintended
M.J. O'Shea - 2010
He never meant to fall for the hottest guy in school...or any guy at all for that matter. But he did.Alex Stewart is in love. He took one look at the adorable skater boy with the big lost eyes and was gone.They're both happier than they've ever been, but can their fragile new love survive?
Dads with Benefits
Jason Collins - 2019
I’ve got problems on the job, but I’m in luck: the new dad at my support group is exactly who I need. James is sympathetic when I tell him my boss won’t stop coming on to me. I’m up for a huge promotion, and I need help. Maybe a fake relationship will make my boss back off. But when James offers to be my pretend boyfriend, I’m forced to start thinking about romance again. Acting is one thing, but I don’t do real relationships, and besides, he’s straight—or so he says. This relationship was supposed to be just one dinner, but we’re getting closer than I expected. Straight men make the perfect fake boyfriends, but this romance doesn’t feel fictional. JAMES: It’s my first day in the single dad support group, and the single part is already at risk. I came to this group for advice on single parenting, but Ellis has more to offer. He’s a good dad being harassed by his all-too-forward boss, so naturally I want to help. I’m straight, so it doesn’t bother me that he needs a pretend boyfriend. But faking it turns out to be harder than I realized, especially when I get to know him better. He’s completely charming, and irresistible to boot. I want to veer off the straight and narrow with Ellis, but his past is holding him back. I’m falling for him, and I’m not sure how much longer I can pretend. Our kids are playing matchmakers, and this fake relationship is starting to feel real. This is the first book in the Fairview Single Dads series. It can be enjoyed as a standalone with no cliffhanger. Readers can expect a spicy MM romance with several steamy scenes.
Regret
Christina Lee - 2017
The last thing he expects is for his friend’s roommate to be the one guy he despises the most. The same guy who stomped on his heart senior year of high school. And by the looks of the girl on his arm, the same man who’s still deep inside the closet. Nicholas Dell never predicted that eleven years later, one of his greatest regrets would show up on his doorstep down on his luck. Nick has made some terrible mistakes—story of his life—and he’s been paying for them ever since. And if the guilt and shame aren’t enough, his first crush had to turn into one of the sexiest men he’s ever laid eyes on. Nick and Brin have weeks to steer clear of each other. Weeks to avoid strangling each other. But when stubbornness leads to skyrocketing sexual tension, hate-sex doesn’t seem like such an awful way to work through their frustration. Except hate is a powerful emotion, especially when it’s turned inward. And in Nick’s case he’s been drowning in a sea of self-loathing for so long, he can’t see his way out. As Brin reconnects with Nick, his perception of what really happened in their past begins to change. He’s finally ready to forgive him and take a second chance on the one guy who stirs him like no other. But Nick’s demons are complicated, heart-wrenching…demanding. So devastating, he might never allow himself true happiness—even with the one man who’s always owned his heart.
Black Leather & Knuckle Tattoos
J.M. Dabney - 2018
No one compared to the large man and never would. A decade later, Brent, Troy’s father, falls ill and he needs to take over the business for a while. Interacting Day in and day out with sexy Win is a cruel punishment. Winston Sanchez hadn’t done a thing right in his life, except interviewing for a handyman job for Brent Canter. He loved his job, but an attraction to Troy Canter complicates things. As Troy ran the business while Brent fights cancer, it has thrown the man right in his lap. When an unexpected development in the package of a four-year-old daughter throws Win into a panic, Troy comes to the rescue. Can a man who doesn’t think he’s worth much let go enough to open himself to the love of a man who thinks he’s worth everything?
Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun
Jonny Garza Villa - 2021
Get into UCLA. And have the chance to move away from Corpus Christi, Texas, and the suffocating expectations of others that have forced Jules into an inauthentic life.Then in one reckless moment, with one impulsive tweet, his plans for a low-key nine months are thrown—literally—out the closet. The downside: the whole world knows, and Jules has to prepare for rejection. The upside: Jules now has the opportunity to be his real self.Then Mat, a cute, empathetic Twitter crush from Los Angeles, slides into Jules’s DMs. Jules can tell him anything. Mat makes the world seem conquerable. But when Jules’s fears about coming out come true, the person he needs most is fifteen hundred miles away. Jules has to face them alone.Jules accidentally propelled himself into the life he’s always dreamed of. And now that he’s in control of it, what he does next is up to him.
Another Shot
J.H. Knight - 2015
For Aaron Forester, it’s a gay-friendly buffer between himself and the rest of the world. After being outed in high school and bullied to the point of violence, his family uprooted their lives and relocated to the small hamlet. He’s moved on from all that and now owns a popular café in the bustling shopping district. But after twenty years of happy living, Aaron’s past creeps up on him in the most unexpected way. Brad Collins only has one regret and he’s carried it with him since he was a teenager. When he moves to Heartsville and gets set up on a blind date with the most adorable, engaging man he’s met in a long time, he couldn’t be happier. But Brad didn’t expect the guy to be the person he outed in high school—who he’s now falling in love with. Aaron and Brad hit it off instantly—in and out of the bedroom. But after a long overdue apology and a small serving of resentment, is their fledgling relationship worth another shot?
'Til Death Do Us Part
Addison Albright - 2016
They love their careers -- which afford each of them opportunities to travel to exotic locations -- they love their home, Sam’s caring family, and each other. They disagree on the subject of adoption, but are fully committed to each other in marriage ... ’Til Death Do Us Part. The dream is shattered when Henry’s plane crashes and he’s presumed dead. But four people -- Henry, two other men, and a child -- survive undetected on a remote, small, and insignificant island. Will Sam and Henry’s love be able to survive, as well? Henry fights to endure in harsh conditions, never knowing when disaster will strike. Sam struggles with his loss, but with help moves on with his life. Will Sam be able to put aside his new love when he reunites with Henry?
Street Love
Chris Ethan - 2016
This version contains mild edits but no significant changes to the story.Please read trigger warnings in the front of this book.
Up!
Al Stewart - 2018
He recovers from bitter disappointment and gradually life returns to a regular rhythm. Safe and predictable. Every day he gains confidence, but with health comes boredom. From the window ledge, he watches people outside and wishes he could be like them. There's another side to Luke. Underneath his bed are five hidden pairs of jeans with matching Dr Martens: yellow, purple, striped, green and tartan. Some days he feels the itch to get them out. Nope. Those days are gone. One day, an amazing thing happens. Dynamic blog artist Formaldehyde Bob comes to town with an exhibition of light and dark! Luke has crushed on him since being fifteen, idolising the man and his unusual creations. Something about the art calls to Luke like nothing else, makes him believe there might after all be someone out there who thinks in the same way. A soul mate. A bird with a similar song. No. Luke isn't going to go and see Formaldehyde Bob. He isn't. Because he's happy with his monotonous lot and doesn't want to see hope sliding down a mountain of sand. Will Luke take a chance and visit Formaldehyde Bob? Can the jeans ever be worn again? Does grumpy Barbara ever smile? And the most important question: is there any magic left in the world? Find out in this snowy tale of young love in the most unexpected places. Content warning: references to self-harm, mental illness.
The Date
May Archer - 2018
Nothing in life was guaranteed-perfect, especially not guys... and most definitely not guys in the immediate vicinity of tiny O'Leary, New York. And then sexy Navy SEAL Ash Martin walked into Cal's bakery, and made him wonder if fate might have cooked up something sweet for him after all. Their connection was immediate, all-consuming, and definitely not vanilla... but could their perfect date last for more than just a night, or even a season? Note: This is a 23k word SHORT STORY that first appeared in the Heart2Heart anthology as “The Baker and the SEAL." It has been slightly expanded.
Trusting Him
Laura N. Andrews - 2017
The last thing he’s looking for is a man who doesn’t know what he wants. After a chance meeting with David Rossi, a security guard who has recently discovered his bisexuality, Trey begins to question exactly what he wants and how much he’s prepared to bend his own rules.