Featuring seven brand new novellas, each answering the question—what happens when the one meant for you was right there all along?

    Eight years ago, Roderick left town after high school. We’re not friends. I owe him nothing. But back then, I let one of my secrets slip, and he’s the only one who noticed. Part of me knows I should run far, far away. But the other part wants him to come upstairs and spend the night. But if I let him in, I could lose everything. Seeking: A room to rent in town. I’m tidy, have no pets, and I will feed you homemade bread.I should probably add: Gay AF, and has no filter. It’s no wonder my new landlord is so wary of me. A smarter man would ignore those hot glances from Kieran Shipley. The broody lumberjack wants more from me than another homemade pretzel, but if I push my luck, I’ll end up back on the street.Too bad I’ve never been smart with my heart ...

    The formerly popular high school quarterback now works at a gas station in the middle of nowhere. The last thing he needs is meeting the guy he used to bully at school and seeing him all sorts of polished up. James is now the proud owner of an amazing silver Jaguar and a self-made millionaire. It seems that the day couldn’t get any worse for Mike, but James ‘Lovelace’ Austin might just turn out to be his golden ticket out of the job he hates.When James Austin meets Mike Miller, his high school crush and tormentor all in one, working at an old, dirty gas station, it feels as if the stars have finally aligned in his favor. He wants to finally get his revenge on the guy, but when Mike turns out to be gay, the whole afternoon takes a turn for the surreal. Instead of just humiliating Mike at his workplace, James decides to hire him for a weekend at a conference he’s attending. A hot guy by his side is the only accessory James needs to rub his success in the faces of his frenemies.Only problem is, a gay Mike Miller might be too much of a blast from the past than James ever expected. If James wants his nerdy heart safe from the hunky jock, he needs to keep Mike at arms length. The task would be a lot easier if Mike wasn’t unashamedly hitting on James. Or is it just James’s money Mike is after?Photo Description: Two men lie on a bed locked in a passionate embrace. Completely naked, oblivious to the world around them, they share something special, a bond they couldn’t possibly have with anyone else.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love’s Landscapes" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story. This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

    The only problem is he’s straight. At least I thought he was. But when he gets me to Fiji for Christmas, he’s suddenly looking at me in a way I’ve never seen before. Could this all be real, or is he just HoliGay?

    His only solace is that Philip will soon arrive. He’s worried introducing Philip as his boyfriend rather than his roommate could put a damper on the holiday season, but his dad drops a bigger bomb: the family home will be sold. Derailed from coming out, Cal makes it his mission to squeeze every ounce out of his last holiday in his childhood home. But there’s no way to disguise his love for Philip. This holiday season is one of endings, but can it be the start of something even better?

    Not! More like cheating exes and absentee friends. For Emmett Byrd, spending the holiday season with his old college friend Terry in San Diego is supposed to be about mending his broken heart. But when Terry deserts him at the last minute, leaving Emmett alone in his condo for Christmas, it's just the icing on the cake of a crappy year full of betrayal and lost love. The only Christmas spirit this Scrooge is feeling is the alcoholic kind. Then a slightly kooky, unsophisticated farm boy named Sky knocks on the door looking for Terry, and a case of mistaken identity reawakens Emmett's hope in happily ever after.

    With his parents on a cruise and his brother and sister out of town, he's on his own. His mother insists he escape to her friend's mountain cabin. Eli reluctantly agrees, but he takes off unprepared and ends up driving into the worst snowstorm the area has seen in years.He survives the trip, but he's stuck with no logs for the wood stove and little food. Fortunately, he gets the number for Mac's Wood Delivery. Mac doesn't mind riding to the rescue, and his deep, sultry voice has Eli eagerly anticipating the delivery. Is Mac the little bit of Christmas cheer Eli has been needing?

    I don’t have time to swoon over men or any other distractions.I’m here to launch my vlog, a sex-positive, body-positive, and very personal video series, and my new career requires all my focus.I can’t imagine a reserved mountain man like Chase would be into a guy who overshares for a living, anyway.Plus, I’ll be moving back to the city soon, and he fully intends to spend the rest of his life in these mountains, caring for his family and friends.Not to mention the pesky little fact that he’s straight.Basically, Chase is my total opposite, and a bad idea too.A rugged, sexy, bad idea with a surprisingly gentle smile.A bad idea with the light of the campfire flickering across his beard and a look in his brown eyes like he’s about to kiss me…Lake Steamy is a small-town M/M romance with a flirty city boy and an earnest mountain man who finds his world turned upside down. It features a pink paddleboat, s’more-play, and lots of steamy discovery on the way to a guaranteed HEA. Enjoy!

    Having lived so many years without a family to share the holidays with, he’s determined to rebuild traditions with his fiancé, Val. However, Val’s ideal Christmas doesn’t align with Andrew’s. Not only do the men come from two different worlds, but they live thousands of miles apart. During a disastrous trip to Toronto to visit Val for the holidays, Andrew meets Xavier, a caring and thoughtful man who only wants to help Andrew out of a bad situation and get him where he’s supposed to be for Christmas. Xavier grew up in a loving home filled with a holiday spirit that reminds Andrew of his childhood. Reflecting on life and love, Andrew realizes how mismatched he and Val truly are and wonders if this is the life he’s destined to live. Perhaps being alone is better than settling for someone who doesn’t make him happy. Except, no one should be alone at Christmas, so when Xavier finds out Andrew’s plan to travel home alone after ending his relationship with Val, he has a different agenda. Maybe it’s time Andrew gets a taste of the Christmas he knows in his heart. 45,000 words

    New band member Hell showed him love and pleasure like he’d never known it. Now, Brent's late and Hell's pissed. Hell loves fireworks and he was looking forward to watching the Fourth of July fireworks show with his lover from the balcony of their new lakeside home. Brent screwed up and now he's got to make it up to his little firecracker in the best way he knows how.Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: m/m sexual contact.

    He’s powerful. Whatever he wants, he gets. Right now, all he really wants is to skip the entire month of December. Cain is about to find out that what he wants and what he needs for Christmas this year are two very different things.  “All I want for Christmas is to make him smile.” Jeremiah Wright has had a rough life. His mom is dead. His dad is gone. The only person Jeremiah has left is a stepfather who would rather drown his own sorrows than deal with any of Jeremiah’s problems. If it wasn’t for Jeremiah’s job—and his super-hot, super-intimidating billionaire boss—he wouldn’t have anything at all to look forward to this Christmas.  “Sometimes the best gifts are the ones that can’t be bought.” When an unexpected encounter makes Jeremiah’s world collide with Cain’s, will the spirit of Christmas be enough to overcome two lifetimes of fear and insecurities? A Gay Christmas Romance.

    One night is long enough to satisfy his needs and still walk away with his heart intact. It has worked out fine for most of his adult life, but this Easter, he's trying something new. He's leaving the city to visit his friend, Aiden, who recently moved in with his boyfriend in the middle of nowhere, but one unfortunate incident leaves Jason without a place to sleep.Tom doesn't do relationships, he rarely does hook-ups and never too close to home. Living on his own without attachments is far easier than having the whole town knowing about him. As the holiday approaches, his lonely house grows even quieter than normal - at least until his friend, Tristan, dumps an arrogant bartender in his lap.As soon as Jason lays eyes on the gruff lumberjack whose home he'll be sharing, he knows who'll warm his bed for the weekend and help chase away any pending holiday gloom. Too bad Tom doesn't want to get with the programme. As much as he wants to let Jason close, he won't risk outing himself for a weekend fling. Will Jason trust Tom not to break his heart if he stays longer than a couple of days, and will Tom value their relationship higher than the town gossip?

    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.

    Ever since Barney finalized his divorce, I’ve been his biggest support. He needs a shoulder to cry on? I’ve got him covered. He needs someone to answer his late phone calls? I’m here all night. He needs to be fucked to within an inch of his life? Climb on up, big guy. But when he mentions he’s finally ready to start dating again, watching him meet up with guy after guy is not on my checklist.It’s time for the best friend gloves to come off.

    I was told not to send you another text, but I never was any good at listening. I love and miss you. I always will.When I lost my partner of eight years, I felt like my world was crashing down around me. In order to feel some relief from the overwhelming emptiness, I’ve found myself sending him texts every year on his birthday, even though I know he will never answer. It makes me feel like there’s a piece of him still alive, at least in my heart.I’m sorry, you must have the wrong number. I apologize for not responding sooner, but I was at work.That is, until someone responds to my text. Jace is charming, sweet, and everything I could ever want. But how can I accept someone new in my life when Daniel’s only been gone two years? Even so, Jace starts to consume my world. It feels like I can finally breathe as he helps me understand that my life doesn’t have to revolve around my grief.Soon, I find myself laughing again as he pulls me away from the hopeless cycle I’ve been caught in, and I love spending time with him, whether it’s playing video games together or discussing our comic book alter egos. But I still need to let go of this guilt and allow Jace to show me that I can love another without replacing what I’ve lost. Jace rewrites my entire world with every word and smile he gives me, and it’s becoming harder to not give in and hand him my heart. Maybe Daniel did respond after all.The Last Text is a 37k word novella about overcoming loss, finding hope, and friendship that leads to new love.