Olympic Equestrian Team and the love of his life, Rich Evans. A tragic accident wipes out everything in the blink of an eye. Hard work and sacrifice get him another shot at Olympic Gold, but only if he puts his past behind him and agrees to work with Rich again. Bound by secrets he cannot share, Rich was forced to give up Jake eight years ago. Now he has a second chance to help Jake realize his dreams. But the secrets that drove them apart haven’t changed, and Rich must face them or risk losing Jake forever.

    He enjoys the rides and the company of his family, and it’s a good break from his going-nowhere existence back in Indiana. Then he meets a certain sexy employee in a pirate costume, and Alex’s vacation gets even better. But thrill rides last only a short time, and sooner or later everyone has to return to real life. Alex long ago gave up on marrying a handsome prince—will he have to give up on his pirate as well? A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar "Warmest Wishes."

    When seventeen-year old high school newspaper editor Jake Powell, fresh from Alabama, lands in New York City to attend Columbia University's prestigious summer journalism program, it's a dream come true. But his father, a fundamentalist Christian preacher, smells trouble. And his father is rarely wrong.Jake navigates new and unfamiliar ways "up North." Starting with his feelings for a handsome Jewish classmate named Sam. What Jake could keep hidden back home is now pushed to the surface in the Big Apple.Standing by his side are a gorgeous brunette with a Park Avenue attitude and the designer bags to match, a high school friend who has watched Jake grow up and isn't sure she's ready to let him go, and an outrageously flamboyant aunt who's determined to help Jake find the courage to accept love and avoid the pain that she has experienced. Provocative and moving, Playing by The Book is a feel-good novel about the pain and joy we encounter in the search for our own truth."In Playing by the Book, S. Chris Shirley tells a story I loved curling up with, featuring one of the most endearing teen protagonists I've read in years." --Alex Sanchez, author of The God Box and Boyfriends with Girlfriends "There's so much to admire in Chris Shirley's debut novel, but the most remarkable thing may be its voice. Jake is both earnest and skeptical, curious and guarded, and he tells his story with an endearing humility that-somehow-avoids the sarcasm that has become the norm. Playing by the Book reminds us of how rewarding it can be to climb into someone else's head."--Patrick Ryan, author of Send Me and Saints of Augustine

    But when master negotiator Mac shows up to make a deal with the owner, he comes face-to-face with quirky, colorful Hailey—unexpectedly good-humored about Mac’s attempted eviction and, also unexpectedly, a hot guy. Hailey won’t give up his lease, no matter how much money Mac offers. When it comes to consummating their mutual attraction, though, he’s a lot more flexible. Soon Mac has as hard a time prying himself out of Hailey’s bed as he does prying Hailey out of the building. But Hailey doubts Mac’s plans serve Ball’s End’s best interests, and he insists Mac give him a chance to prove his case. If they’re going to build a happy ever after, one of them will have to be remade….

    He has a great group of friends, his pick of colleges, and he has recently come to terms with his sexuality. One night, he meets Mark Galovic, a gorgeous, younger classmate of his. In a matter of minutes, Brendan is hooked. As the friendship between them grows, Brendan reaches his breaking point when he spontaneously confesses his feelings to him. Brendan is shocked and elated to find out that Mark feels the same way about him. The two begin to date, but because Mark is not out, it must remain a secret. As their friends and family become suspicious, openly gay Brendan becomes increasingly frustrated with their discreet relationship, while Mark becomes more and more paranoid that they’re going to be found out.

    A future father in law who’d like nothing more than to shoot him in the back. Horny bridesmaids with handcuffs, a Texas sized bar fight, a stripper with hygiene issues, and riding a horse without getting killed. Leo, his fiancée’s little brother, gets him through it all as well as reigniting the urges Dean thought he’d put to rest years ago. In one night Leo lost the love of his father, the ranch meant to be his, and almost his life. After eight years, he’s forced to return to Texas or risk his sister’s inheritance. Leo must face his past, the father who despises him, and the violent sadist hell bent on revenge. Leo finds an unexpected friend in Dean. Giving Dean a taste of sex with a man is supposed to help Dean decide, once and for all, what he wants. Falling in love with him was never part of the plan.

    Brent Miller is as wealthy New York businessman who has never had to hide. When Brent's car breaks down in Jake's hometown, the two of them begin a romance that might be hazardous to their health.From the prairies of Texas to the lights of New York and back again, from western rodeos to big city gay bars to a courtroom in Dallas, can the bull rider from the Lone Star State and the businessman from New York buck the odds to stay together?

    It doesn’t bother him that Doug is a man, much less a player. What matters is that he’s a perfect candidate for a no-strings-attached night that just might help Craig prove to himself that he’s not as broken as he fears. One night—that’s all it was supposed to be. But one night turns into yearning, turns into e-mailing, turns into communicating, turns into Doug hoping against hope that Craig might feel the same frightening attachment that he feels, pretty please? With cherries on top?

    Rusty is a professional costumer with an exotic black fox mask that he'd created after a strange accident in the woods his senior year in high school -- an accident that left an odd scar on his throat. An accident he can't remember. As far as Rusty's concerned, what he doesn't know can't hurt him. A gorgeous young actor with the same face from Rusty's most erotic dreams, walks into Rusty's costume shop claiming that he has a fox mask just like Rusty's, though white. "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours." Rusty is about to discover that what he doesn't know - hasn't forgotten him at all.

    After a scandal, New York political reporter Reed Barfield is lying low at the North Carolina coast, writing a story about the seafood industry. But it’s the harbor pilots on the Cape Fear River who capture his interest—men who jump across ten feet of open ocean to grab a rope ladder and guide huge container ships into port. Men like sexy but prickly Justin Vance. After surviving an abusive childhood and a tour in the Navy, Justin isn’t fazed by his dangerous job—it’s certainly easier to face than Reed’s annoying questions. Justin isn’t out at work, and he doesn’t need Reed digging into his personal life or his past. But Reed’s no stranger to using his considerable charm to get what he wants, and as he wears Justin down, they realize they have a lot in common—and that they like spending time together. Moving beyond that, though, will mean Justin confessing his sexuality and learning to trust Reed with his secrets—if Reed even decides to stay. Both men want a future together, but can they find the courage to take the first step?

    He was a successful attorney, engaged to the mayor's daughter. He was handsome and charming. His career was poised on the brink of taking off, and it looked like nothing could stand in his way. So why did he risk it all to have one night of blazing passion with a male prostitute? When Gabriel met Nicky he had no idea what he was getting himself into. Manipulative and clever, the beautiful young waif was involved in the seedy underworld of the city. Would Gabriel be able to turn his back on the young man, or would he let himself be sucked into a world that could destroy his entire life?

    dark, scorching eyes. Those eyes belong to a sexy bartender and former stripper named Mason, who shows up on Ben's doorstep a week later with a suitcase and a marriage certificate in hand.Their matrimony, a night of wild and dirty sex, is anything but holy...especially when Ben's fiance finds out. What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas!Warning: This 48,000 word novella contains sexual graphic scenes with a dash of romance that will make your heart melt.

    Snatched abruptly from his homeland and enslaved into the Antebellum South, grand homes and majestic oak trees meant little to him. Now he is considered the property of other men, but his spirit would not be broken. The awkward Benjamin Nathanael Lee lives a privileged life. His father owns the largest tobacco plantation south of the Mason Dixon line. Ben wants little to do with the harsh realities of running a plantation—that is, until he meets Tobias, the one person that changes everything for him. Wealth, greed, and power brought them together. The same now threatens to separate them forever. The two men are on the verge of losing the one thing that matters: their love for one another. Against the odds, they steal off and embark on a journey to find freedom: the freedom to love one another and to live a life without the chains of slavery. Come to the Oaks is the tale of a forbidden romance—a love forged by two young men as they journey through a land that is tearing itself apart.

    The two connect through letters and phone calls for a year, falling in love and making plans to meet when Ryder finishes his tour. However, in an effort to save one of his men who steps on a mine, Ryder loses his leg. Broken and depressed, he doesn't think Dean will want him. But once Dean learns what happens, he immediately goes to Ryder, determined to help him heal and show him that he loves him no matter what. Ryder has a long road of recovery ahead of him, but with Dean's support, he realizes his life isn't over, it's just beginning if he’ll only give them a chance.

    and a pupil, Mitchell, whose life changed after hearing Dominic lecture on conservation at college.Aiden is hiding, scared of people finding the real him, hiding his identity from the world, and keeping a lid on his grief.Could working together at a census on a grizzly bear sanctuary in British Columbia be the making of Aiden. or will it end up destroying him?