Book picks similar to
The Carpenter's Apprentice by Van Barrett
m-m
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romance
m-m-romance
Life Class
Scarlet Blackwell - 2010
The subject of his first foray into nudes is a vision, indeed: Ryan Morgan. With each sitting, Harley finds it harder to ignore the fact he s falling head over heels for the straight-arrow model.Their first kiss confirms that Ryan feels the heat, too for about five seconds. Then he pushes Harley away and bolts.Ryan is less than proud of some of the things he s done to survive his hand-to-mouth existence. Including model for a gay magazine and accept money from his female clients in exchange for extra favors . The memory of Harley s kiss still rattles the foundation of his sexuality even now, six months later.When they run into each other at a gallery opening, nothing has changed. The sparks flare brighter than ever, driving Harley to make an offer he desperately hopes Ryan won t refuse. And Ryan is just desperate enough to say yesWarning: Contains scenes of m/m intimacy; hot sex on a kitchen table and a man with a body to die for. "
Nothing Serious
Jay Northcote - 2013
His relationship with Rachel is over and he’s moving out of the home they’ve shared for six years. They get along, but he can’t fix a relationship when the person he’s with is the wrong gender. Jamie Robertson, one of the removal men, is huge and ridiculously gorgeous, and Mark is smitten at first sight. When a cardboard box splits, revealing items of a personal nature that Mark never wanted anybody to see, he’s mortified. But it sparks the start of a beautiful friendship with benefits. As Jamie initiates Mark into the joys of gay sex, the two men get increasingly close and “nothing serious” turns into something rather important to both of them. But communication isn’t their strong point. Will either man ever find the courage to be honest about his feelings? Please note that although this edition has been re-edited for publication, there is no new or additional content.
Frozen Hearts
Teegan Loy - 2013
Can Erik make peace with his past and the boy he left behind, or will he fold under the pressure? The best college hockey player in the nation is hanging up his skates because he's tired of living a lie. Five years ago, Erik Fox was forced by his father to change schools in the middle of the night when his father found out about his indiscretion. Erik had a boyfriend and hockey players do not date boys.With his college career over, Erik is determined to change his life. Can Erik make peace with the boy he left behind and find the life he wants to live, or is he going to fold under the pressure from his father and everyone else who thinks he is defined by the game of hockey.
Spark
E. Davies - 2015
Moist. Supple. Like the stranger's lips.Once a gourmet baker designing elite desserts, Kevin Walker now works at a second-rate bakery and dreams of opening a dessert bar with his best friend, mixologist Troy. When Troy secretly applies for a Main Street storefront on Ember Isle, an exclusive gay millionaires' retreat, they're accepted – despite how Kevin's always said he's straight. Kevin's not worried; he's secure enough in his sexuality. He's never been with a woman, but then, he's never found the right one... right? Billionaire Eli Black thought he had it all until he walked in on his high-rolling actor boyfriend Tom rolling in the hay with another man. His closest friend Dean drags him to Ember Isle to make him have fun while they wait for Tom to make the news public. He doesn't think he can flirt again, but before he can even set foot on the island, he's proven wrong. When he later spots a dessert bar and can't resist a peek before opening time, the man he met earlier catches his eye. He wants Kevin over his knee and in his bed... and he doesn't believe for a second that Kevin is straight. Eli and Kevin try to understand their intense mutual attraction at first meeting, and they're drawn together for fun in the island heat. Wires cross afterwards as they realize they're more than a one-night stand, yet Kevin thinks Eli is lying to him about being single. Can their budding relationship survive its first test? Spark is the first book in the Island Heat series. Book two, Sizzle, will be released on July 31st, 2015.
Damaged Package
S.A. McAuley - 2014
He’s been living life by the tips of his fingers for over twenty years, and his new gig organizing a group of misfit military types into a functioning team—including his reluctant ex-fiancée—won’t return him to stable ground anytime soon.Trevor Barrow has been on the move for the last seven years—hitting the road when relationships became too real or too much work. He’s home now, working in the hazardous world of bike messengers in the Motor City, and the only one of his eight siblings who knows he’s returned is his sister Cat. It’s not as if reconnecting with them matters anyway, because it’s likely he’ll be gone again soon.Both men are lugging some heavy baggage, but when they chance upon each other in a dive bar it’s hard to deny their flaws are more like symbiotic quirks. Trevor’s backpedaling instincts and Deacon’s dance-dance party past may just be intersecting at a time when things are about to get explosive in Detroit.
Best of Both Worlds
Liz Andrews - 2012
After months of exploring his bisexuality on his own, college student Chase Randolph is ready for a night out on the town—all the way “out”. He never expected Alex Landry to witness his first experimental sexual encounter, though. Chase has been attracted to his best friend and roommate forever, but one thing is sure: Alex is straight. So straight, he’s never caught on to Chase’s mixed tastes. Alex assures Chase they will always be friends, but privately, his own reaction shocks him. An ex-jock isn’t supposed to fantasize about his roommate. Not supposed to need another man’s kiss so badly it makes him sweat. He was prepared to change direction after his football career ended before it began, but change this drastically? As Chase and Alex struggle to come to terms with the changes in their relationship, jealousy pushes friendship to the brink—of disaster…or love. Warning: No heaving bosoms here, just two gorgeous guys, lots of muscles and some closet doors banging wide open.
Shying Away
Kate Sherwood - 2011
Quinn, however, has apparently decided to make an exception to his usual open-bed policy. He may be an unrepentant connoisseur of one-night stands, but he's not going to disappoint a sweet kid like Aaron by giving him a hot night and then leaving while the sheets are still warm.After Quinn takes a job at Aaron's family horse farm, Aaron spots both the demons and the decency that drive Quinn's frequent brush-offs, and it makes Aaron want him even more. But Quinn is determined that Aaron won't go home with a man who doesn't deserve him, so he starts sending likely candidates Aaron's way. It takes a grim act of sacrifice for Aaron to realize exactly why Quinn's been so skittish, and he’ll have to keep a firm grip on the man of his dreams to keep Quinn from shying away.
Same Page
Lily Velden - 2013
But he doesn’t get far into their first conversation before he realizes what he’s feeling is attraction, which brings him up short. Jaxon has always been a womanizer.Despite his reservations, Jaxon makes a play for Liam, but Liam has his own issues. Unlucky in love and orphaned at sixteen, he is reluctant to open his heart to anyone, and dismisses Jaxon out of hand.Driven by a need he doesn’t understand, Jaxon organizes a return to Sydney to film his next project. If he can’t be with Liam, maybe they can be friends. Of course, that creates a whole new problem. Now Jaxon is falling in love for the first time. How can he move their relationship from friends to lovers without destroying the trust he’s worked so hard for?
Gambling Men
Amy Lane - 2012
Eight years later, when Jace finally decides Quent is the one man he can't live without, he sees no reason for that to change.But as much as Jace believes that poker is life, no one gave Quent the same playbook. After their first passionate night, the real game of love and trust begins, and Jace has been playing alone too long to make teaching the rules easy. Jace only speaks two languages: one of them is sex, and the other one is poker. Between the two, he needs to find a way to convince himself to take a chance on love—and Quent to take a chance on him. It's a lucky thing they’re good at reading the odds, because they’re playing for keeps, and this is one high-stakes relationship that's definitely worth the gamble.
Unforgiven
Ruth Clampett - 2017
They’ve always had each other’s back, but when one walks in on the other with another man, everything changes. How do you explain to your best friend that he’s the one you’ve always wanted, that until now your life has been a lie? Desperation and shame are two dirty words that run through Jason’s veins. He carries the scars from a wayward priest who stole his innocence and left him shattered. Meanwhile for years he’s watched Dean pursuing woman after woman, as his own heart slowly breaks.When their world blows apart, they learn the powerful bond between them has more fire than either understood. Can two broken souls find the light in their darkness and come together to make a whole, or will sins of the past be forever unforgiven?This standalone is a M/M love story with graphic sex. Trigger warning.
The Music of the Spheres
Chase Potter - 2016
With the wounds of his past almost healed, high school is simple, and so is everything else.But that changes when Ryan is paired with Adam for a class project. Adam, the guy with birthmarks like flecks of mud and compost-brown eyes that hide behind dorky glasses. Grudgingly, the two young men work together, and as they do, an unlikely friendship is formed.With the passing college years, their bond deepens and grows. Even Ryan’s sister and dad take a liking to Adam, and the family – always missing a voice – seems to gain another. But just as Ryan is forced to confront what Adam really means to him, his family is dragged toward crisis. And beneath the silent snows and starlit sky of a Minnesota winter, their friendship will be tested more than ever before.
Dark Chocolate and Raspberries
Sui Lynn - 2011
A spoiled rich kid, Dylan enjoys pushing people around. Or does he? When Taj is charged with taking Dylan under his wing, he discovers the shy boy behind the diva mask.But Dylan walks in on Taj kissing Ben, their budding feelings may not be able to withstand the blow. Stunned, Dylan runs from the room. Taj gives chase, trying to catch him to tell him the kiss he saw was the result of a game played in the dorm called 'Raspberries'. Will their love blossom into kisses, drown in drunken chocolates, or erupt in raucous raspberries in Dark Chocolate and Raspberries?
Wedding Season
Sean Ashcroft - 2017
As the heir to his family's fortune, his future is already pre-arranged: a partner will be picked for him based on what’s best for the family business. When he meets Oz at his sister’s wedding, he thinks the other man—his new brother-in-law—might just be fun for the night. But then one wedding turns into two, and two turns into three, and before Seth knows it, he’s falling in love with a man he can’t have, one social event at a time. Oz is tired of having his heart broken. He’s been so focused on finding someone to settle down and be happy with that he’s thrown himself into one bad relationship after another, looking for a partner he’s no longer sure he can find. Seth proves to be a great distraction, a casual fling Oz doesn’t have to take seriously… until he realises he’s falling in love with a man he knows he can’t have. With Seth’s father putting pressure on him to marry someone else, he’s faced with an impossible choice: lose Oz forever, or leave the security of his family behind and make his own way in the world. Can Seth take a leap of faith into Oz’s arms? Or will he choose safety and security over the man he loves? Wedding Season is a standalone gay romance with a HEA ending. It does not contain a cliffhanger, but it does contain two cowboy hats, an oversized adult toy, four weddings, explicit sex scenes, and everything being bigger in Texas.
Heart and Soul
Jeanette Grey - 2011
These two have been best friends since forever to hear them tell it. The blonde has been in love with the dark headed one since as long as he can remember. The dark headed one has only recently become open to the idea of a relationship with his bestfriend because he's tired of denying himself what he wants most in life. How did they meet, what's happened to them, what does everyone think? This is a story line that has been done many times over, so is there any way that you can put a twist on this or give it some new and fresh take so it's not the "same-ol-same-ol"? Anyone up for a challenge? ;o)Just so you know... I REALLY REALLY like angst.Photo Description: Two naked, muscular men stand front to back, mostly facing the viewer. The tattooed man in front has his eyes closed and his head tilted back onto his lover's left shoulder. From behind, the other leans his head around to nibble on an ear, hands splayed over his lover's stomach.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" 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.Read the story here or find it in Don't Read in the Closet, Volume 1.__________Genre: contemporary Tags: gay m/m, friends to lovers, tattoosWord Count: 8,663
Chase the Storm
V.M. Waitt - 2013
Desperate to find his own path, he heads out on the open road, only to end up stranded in Nebraska. Not wanting to ask for his parents’ help, he takes a job with tough, independent farmer Chase McKenzie. Despite their age gap, the attraction between Chase and Elijah soon becomes undeniable. They give in to their desire, but that night changes everything and threatens the secret Chase guards so carefully. As the summer heats up, so does their relationship. When autumn arrives, Elijah is due back at college, and he’ll have to choose whether to continue his education and follow in his family’s footsteps… or to stay in Nebraska with the man he loves.