The Friend


Christopher X. Sullivan - 2019
    and slowly falls in love. Mark, the model, has not been challenged in his life and is emotionally withdrawn. He returns to Chicago in the hopes of reconnecting with his college friends, but everyone has moved on without him, starting families and growing up. Chris, the writer, is socially awkward and introverted. He actively tries to be as invisible as possible. The two men meet one day in Chris' favorite park and strike up a friendship. Since this is written as a romance, you probably have a pretty good idea where the story goes from there. You'd be wrong. (Well... and kinda right.) I'm Chris and this is my story. It's not a traditional romance. This is my version of a Happily Ever After, which means Mark and I became great friends... and that's it. Mark and I end this first installment of my self-portrait in a Queer Platonic Relationship. There was cuddling and emotional closeness, but nothing remotely sexual... at least not to my mind. Mark obviously wanted more and he would eventually get it, but this book, Book One of It's Just Us Here, would have been my perfect, ideal romance. If you need banging and crazy monkey sex to keep your interest in a story, then jump in at Book Four of this self-portrait (The Lover). Otherwise, come along for the ride and meet the man who would sweep me off my feet, Mark Wolff, one of the top ten most self-absorbed men in the whole world. [NOTE: This book is a 95,000 word romantic self-portrait featuring the beginnings of a queer relationship. It is the first book of a trilogy, which is itself part of a larger trilogy. Low heat... for now. I don't think we need trigger warnings for this book, but future installments might warrant them. Maybe that can serve as enough of a warning? Warning: this book if full of life.]

Home


Cara Dee - 2016
    I couldn’t guarantee I’d be off the streets yet; in fact, I was sure I had more nights on park benches and behind Dumpsters ahead of me. But at least I’d get see my little girl again. I’d get to make new memories with her.It was on my way to my daughter that I met Adrian. A straitlaced history teacher who, according to his brother, had a habit of rescuing strays. Not that I bought the nice-guy act. Well, at first. His kind grins made me react weirdly. I felt it in my chest. This story takes place in Cara Dee’s Camassia Cove Universe, a fictional town where all books stand on their own, unless otherwise stated, and the reader can jump in wherever they want.

Strong Enough


Melanie Harlow - 2017
    I wasn’t looking for Derek Wolfe.I wasn’t looking for anybody. All I wanted was to start a new life in America. But when I found myself stranded here with no place to go, he came to my rescue, offering me a place to stay.He’s smart, successful, and sexy as hell—I can barely sleep knowing he’s right down the hall. And when the chemistry between us explodes one night with fierce, fiery passion, it’s hard to deny there’s something real there.But he does.He says he was drunk. He says it was a one-time thing. He says he’s not into guys and what we did meant nothing.He’s lying. Because it happened again, and again, and again. And it’s better every time. I know we could be good together, and I want the chance to try, but I’m done hiding. If he’s not strong enough to admit the truth, I’ll have to be strong enough to walk away.

Kairos


Mary Calmes - 2017
    His partner in their PI business, roommate, and best friend, Kade is everything to Joe, even if their relationship falls short of what Joe desires most. But he won’t push. Kade has suffered a rough road, and Joe’s pretty sure he’s the only thing holding Kade together.Estranged from his own family, Joe knows the value of desperately holding on to someone dear, but he never expected his present and past to collide just as Kade’s is doing the same. Now they’ve stumbled across evidence that could change their lives: the impact of Kade’s tragic past, their job partnership, and any future Joe might allow himself to wish for….

Acclamation


Vee Hoffman - 2012
    Ashebrook, its warm community and the house inherited from his aunt provide a comfortable haven for Michael, but it's the friendship with neighbouring Butler family and their son Dominic that proves most rewarding. Teacher, friend, soon confidant, Michael understands Dominic's secrets more than anyone in his sheltered Catholic community, but what else can he allow himself to hope for when love offers him a second chance?

Just Watch Me


Lee Blair
    I’m happy in my boring and predictable life. I certainly don’t need a gorgeous man moving into my building to mix things up.When my neighbor brings home a fresh hookup, I mean to close the blinds. I really do! It’s just that he has a tattoo and shows all that skin, and well, I’m ashamed to say I get busted. It’s not my fault he never closes his blinds and our studio apartments stare right into each other’s. I try to ignore my shame until, one day, my neighbor puts on a show, and like the magic of my favorite video games—I forget how to be boring.Just Watch Me is a 38,000-word low-angst, sweet, and steamy gay romance about a tech geek who tumbles out of his comfort zone thanks to his gorgeous temporary neighbor. This book is for fans of ridiculous T-shirts, secret geeks, all the cheese, neighbors who become lovers, and a homebody falling for someone always on the move.

Up North


Allison Temple - 2021
    But with a sister in need of help and nothing but a rusty fishing boat to his name, he takes a job at The Wild Eagle Lodge, Alaska’s newest luxury resort.When a scandal rocks his career, movie star Damian Marshall feels like the whole world is watching his every move. That is, until he meets a gruff fishing guide who doesn’t seem to know who he is. Desperate for escape, Damian grabs at the chance for anonymity with both hands.Away from the pressure of studios and the media, Damian and Jack grow closer. But as sparks fly and scandal follows Damian north, Jack will need to decide if he can love a man he hardly knows, or if this brush with fame is too hot to handle.Up North is a 77k contemporary MM romance novel. It features a movie star on the run, a fishing guide who has never been anywhere, and bears of all sorts. HEA guaranteed.

Hold the Door


Vinni George - 2021
    When Sam finds out an older, hotter, and amazingly talented Max Martino is part of the acquisition, he knows the only way to keep his sanity is to avoid Max—and their history—at any cost.Max never planned to settle down, but recently he’s been pining for roots. A new job, a new city, and a second chance with Sam makes the thought of staying in one place exciting for the first time ever.But the harder Max pushes, the farther Sam runs, sometimes literally, and Max begins to wonder if Sam can ever let go of the biggest mistake Max ever made—leaving.But maybe a second chance at forever is as simple as holding the door open for love.Hold the Door is an 80,000-word contemporary romance that features friends to lovers and a second chance at love, a sassy work husband, and surfing lessons that often lead to more. Hold the Door is the first book in the Open Doors series and can be read as a standalone.

Grumpy Bear


Slade James - 2021
    It’s opening weekend at my clothing-optional campground, guests are starting to arrive, and I’ve got a pool party and a few hundred peoples’ vacations to save while battling Mother Nature’s tantrums.The last thing I need is a temporary employee who can’t even put up a tent.Luke Cody’s not my type. He’s too young, too pretty, and too much like my late partner. Another flaky musician? No thanks. But when a storm blows down his campsite, I can’t just leave him outside and soaked to the bone. Now he’s staying in my cabin, sleeping in my bed, and worst of all, he’s completely ignoring the proverbial sign over my head that says Grumpy Bear: Do Not Approach.I’m not quite as immune to his charms as I want him to believe, but he’ll only be here for a few days.Nothing’s going to happen… Grumpy Bear is a boss/employee, grumpy/sunshine romance set at a gay campground full of bears. (Not shifters; the other kind of bears.) It’s the first full-length book in the Bear Camp series and can be read as a standalone.

Murder at Pirate's Cove


Josh Lanyon - 2020
    So when he learns he's inherited both a failing bookstore and a falling-down mansion in the quaint seaside village of Pirate's Cove on Buck Island, Rhode Island, it's full steam ahead!Sure enough, the village is charming, its residents amusingly eccentric, and widowed police chief Jack Carson is decidedly yummy (though probably as straight as he is stern). However, the bookstore is failing, the mansion is falling down, and there's that little drawback of finding rival bookseller--and head of the unwelcoming-committee--Trevor Maples dead during the annual Buccaneer Days celebration.Still, it could be worse. And once Police Chief Carson learns Trevor was killed with the cutlass hanging over the door of Ellery's bookstore, it is.**This story contains NO on-screen sex or violence.

Coin Tricks


Willow Scarlett - 2016
    But beneath his scary appearance, Wire's kind and loving. He cares for his family and his dog and imagines a future with a caring man at his side.Then he catches Sid stealing soap.Sid's a cute librarian and aspiring magician, raising his sister alone and stealing when he can't make ends meet. Wire should report the theft to the cops but instead he takes food parcels to Sid, and an unlikely friendship forms. Sid is shy and scared at first, but with time he reveals his inner strength and the burning ambition that makes him the opposite of Wire's laid-back aimlessness.Wire falls hard. But he's never been anything more than disposable to men, and he can't bear to have his heart broken by his only friend. And years of trying to be different can't hide the fact that Wire was raised to be rough, to think with his fists and ask questions later. He keeps making a bad impression on Sid without meaning to, running the risk of losing Sid before they have the chance of finding something more together.They have to struggle with work and their families and the weight of the past, trying to unite their very separate lives to create something new and beautiful. Wire knows his dreams of love are just that: Dreams. Sweet but impossible.But that doesn't stop him dreaming…Coin Tricks is a standalone M/M (gay) romance novel with a Happily Ever After ending and no cliffhangers.

Family Man


Heidi Cullinan - 2013
    It’ll be a problem for his big, fat Italian family. Still, after three failed marriages, it’s getting harder to ignore what he really wants.Vinnie attempts some self-exploration in Chicago’s Boystown bars, far from anyone who knows him. Naturally, he runs smack into someone from the neighborhood.Between working two jobs, going to school, taking care of his grandmother, and dealing with his mother’s ongoing substance abuse, Trey Giles has little time for fun, let alone dating someone who swears he’s straight. Yet after one night of dancing cheek-to-cheek, Trey agrees to let Vinnie court him and see if he truly belongs on this side of the fence—though Trey intends to keep his virginity intact.It seems like a solid plan, but nothing is simple when family is involved. When Vinnie’s family finds out about their relationship, the situation is sticky enough, but when Trey’s mother goes critical, Vinnie and Trey must decide whose happiness is most important—their families’ or their own.Second Edition.First Edition published by Samhain, 2013.

Conspiracy Theory


Elle Keaton - 2019
    Right?Bitter and dispirited after years investigating homicides, Niall Hamarsson heads for the only place he’s ever called home.A body is discovered in the waters off Piedras Island and Mat’s first priority is investigating the murder. He doesn’t need the help of the ex-detective, what he wants from the man is entirely different.Detective Niall Hamarsson remembers Mat Dempsey, but he’d prefer to avoid him.Too bad Mat is one piece of his past Niall can’t escape…Their chemistry is electric, and two heads are better than one, but will Mat’s pride get in the way?Conspiracy Theory is a dual POV about a broody introvert and a somewhat patient Sheriff--It’s hard to come in from the cold when that’s all you've known. Veiled Intentions is a series following the same couple as they grope their way to their happily ever after.

End of the Line


Nicky James - 2021
    All the money in the world won’t save him from what he’s done. On the run, desperate to get away, Leo finds himself seeking help from a wrangled bunch of vagabonds he meets in the rail yard.Leo has no idea his whole world is about to change.Killian has been homeless and living on the fly for nine years. The closest thing he has to family is a group of fellow freight-hoppers. With the wind at his back and the whole world stretched out before him, he’s happy. It’s not an easy life, but you can’t put a price on freedom.A chance run-in with a wealthy stranger turns Killian’s world upside down. Leo’s cute and desperate to get away. Without knowing a thing about him, Killian and his friends help Leo escape the city.It doesn’t take long before Killian realizes the boy he’s slowly falling for has dark secrets.Who is Leo running from?What happened to make Leo want to give up a life of wealth to live the life of a vagabond instead?**End of the Line is the first book in a queer romance series. It’s a story of two men from vastly different worlds who fall in love while on a journey of self-discovery. It’s a story of friendship and found families. No cliffhangers. 100% HEA**

Two Man Station


Lisa Henry - 2018
    His transfer is a punishment, and Gio just wants to keep his head down and survive the next two years. No more mistakes. No more complications.Except Gio isn’t counting on Jason Quinn.Jason Quinn, officer in charge of Richmond Station, is a single dad struggling with balancing the demands of shift work with the challenges of raising his son. The last thing he needs is a new senior constable with a history of destroying other people’s careers. But like it or not, Jason has to work with Gio.In a remote two man station hours away from the next town, Gio and Jason have to learn to trust and rely on each another. Close quarters and a growing attraction mean that the lines between professional and personal are blurring. And even in Richmond, being a copper can be dangerous enough without risking their hearts as well.