He was just another happy-go-lucky dude, a college student and hockey player, when his ordinary existence was interrupted, and he became a human trafficking statistic.He and seven other young men were taken aboard a luxurious yacht where they were to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Gray was beaten, shattered, and almost defeated by the time his buyer stepped out of the shadows in a swirl of his own cigarette smoke.He was Gray’s new owner.Darius Quinn had vowed never again to find himself in a situation like this. His days as a private military contractor were over. No more missions, no more risks, no more personal attachments. Yet, here he was, after weeks of searching, face-to-face with his broken prize.It was time to get the knucklehead back to his family.Quick and easy was Darius’s plan.Then everything went sideways.----------------------------------------------------Auctioned, book 1. (Does not end with a cliffhanger.)

    Gunner has spent half his life running from his past, and the other half trying to protect himself from ever being vulnerable again. He’s escaped his old club and worked hard to earn the VP patch on his cut after joining the Broken Chains. But his entire life is turned upside down when Gunner’s past comes back to haunt him, and the club’s Deaf delivery guy ends up at the wrong place at the wrong time. When his president asks him to protect the injured man, Gunner wants to say no. After all, he hasn’t been able to take his eyes off Logan since the day they met, and Gunner can’t afford that kind of distraction. But ignoring him is damn near impossible when every time he looks at Logan, he starts to feel something. And Gunner doesn’t think he has the power to resist him for much longer. There will be no promise of a future though, if the Broken Chains can’t protect Logan from the mess he’s in, but even if they succeed, Gunner isn’t sure there’s a place for Logan in his world.

    Even after a decade, the memory of the foster boy I once shared a room with continues to haunt my dreams. For five years, Riley helped me laugh when there was so little in our lives to laugh about. His gentle touch and stormy gray eyes were the only thing that could calm the swirling and turbulent thoughts and emotions within me. But in the blink of an eye, the safe harbor my best friend provided was ripped from my life without warning or reason. His unexplained disappearance set sail to a lonely and hopeless journey. Now, I am no more willing to let the memory of my best friend go than I am ready to give up the search for him, as hopeless as it may seem to those around me.And then a client asks me to locate a stolen treasure box. Clues have me heading from the city of Atlanta to a small, picturesque town in South Carolina called Reedsport. There, I hope to find the missing box; what I never expected was to find something else that I’d been missing for far too long. Could I have finally found a beacon of hope that would lead Riley Tanager back to me?

    Sam turns out to be nothing like Heath expects. He’s kind and funny and irreverent—and also unbelievably, shockingly sexy. For three short, glorious, life-changing days, there are no rules.The second time they meet, Sam has just been traded to Heath’s team, and instead of lovers, now they're rivals. Heath has spent the last five years working desperately to be the best quarterback the Riptide could ever need, but when injuries threaten to derail his career, Sam is right there, standing on the sideline. Ready to take over, and ready to ruin everything Heath has given his life for. Rival. Enemy. Teammate. Friend. Lover. As their orbits collide, sparks fly, and Heath struggles to find the right label and the right box to shove Sam into, hoping to keep him contained. But Sam—and Heath’s feelings—refuse to cooperate.Sam might not be just one of those things, he might be all of them, and so much more.

    Christopher Allen knows how to deal with death. He’s a psychiatrist who works with hospice patients and their families, helping them cope with grief and letting go. But Chris’s job doesn’t prepare him for the sudden death of his devil-may-care brother Cal. At Cal’s funeral, Chris is completely thrown when he meets Elliot Rawlings, an artist Cal has been dating. Chris is hurt to discover that the brother he knew as straight was actually bisexual. Elliot is angry and resentful of having been kept hidden from Cal’s family. After the funeral, a night of drinking at the bar with Cal’s friends leads to Chris and Elliot falling into bed together. The next morning, they’re overwhelmed by guilt and grief and agree to never speak of it again. But Cal’s apartment needs to be packed up and Elliot reluctantly agrees to help Chris, as well as answer some questions about Cal’s life and their relationship. Despite their guilt and initial dislike for one another, they sort through the pieces of Cal’s life and begin to fall for each other. Despite his best efforts to fix things, Chris’s family seems to be crumbling around him and he begins to question who he is and what his role with them is. As his feelings for Elliot grow, Chris must decide if they’re worth further damaging his fragile relationships with his friends and family. Elliot’s rough upbringing has left him distrustful of getting close to anyone, much less another man who isn’t willing to acknowledge him in public. The odds seem stacked against Chris and Elliot, but if they can overcome them, they may be able to lay Cal’s ghost to rest, along with their own demons. Reader Advisory: This story deals with themes related to alcoholism, death (of secondary characters), and past abuse/neglect.

    When he stumbles upon a convenience store, he breaks in to steal food. A young store clerk, Jake, confronts him, and they get into a fight that ends with Cal being knocked unconscious. He wakes in the home of Jake’s Uncle Gary, the owner of the convenience store. Realizing Cal needs help, Gary tries to communicate with him, but despite Cal’s efforts, he can’t bring himself to speak. Instead, he writes down his experiences. Horrified by the perverse cruelty Cal endured, Gary takes him to the police, who track down his tormentor.Abandoned by his parents before his abduction, Cal doesn’t have anywhere to go, so Gary and his wife eagerly welcome him into their home. He feels fortunate to be with such caring people—something he’s never had before. Despite their help, he still can’t find his voice, and he wonders if he ever will. And Jake certainly isn’t making things any easier. It’s clear he doesn’t want Cal to be part of their family. But the more Cal gets to know him, the more he realizes Jake might be the very person who can heal the deep wounds left by his horrifying past.

    In the beautifully monstrous realms of his imagination, he is safe from the pain of his losses: his family, his friends, his hope.Until war breaks out, and he is forced to flee the only home he's known since he was thirteen.Captured by an enemy soldier, young Luka is marched across brutal terrain, toward a fate known only by the bearded menace holding him prisoner. Quick with a knife, tireless and strong, Tarik guards the purpose of his mission as he takes Luka deeper and deeper into enemy territory.When the soldier discovers the painful secret he has been hiding since childhood, Luka fears he is about to endure a new kind of cruelty, worse than being abandoned, ostracized or beaten. Or is it possible the soldier holding Luka prisoner is the one person who isn't afraid of the truth behind Luka's silence and lies?

    Who would have known after everything they'd been through together Father McDermott, a Catholic priest he has secretly been dating would do something like that to him? Then he meets Hunter, a slightly older, slow-talking, smart but simple country boy who takes him in and teaches Casey to believe in himself, what true love is, and how to please a real man in bed (or on his knees).

    A colleague’s attempt to cheer him up brings Mitch to a secret “club.” Mitch isn’t remotely interested in the twinks parading like peacocks, until he spies the young man at the back of the room, nose firmly in a book and oblivious to his surroundings. Now Mitch is interested.Nikko Kurokawa wants to pay his debt and get the hell out of the Black Lounge—where he is forced to not only have sex, but sometimes suffer abuse to please clients. Earning his freedom isn’t proving easy, especially when he starts attracting interest. Life becomes that little bit easier to bear when he meets Mitch, who is nothing like the other men who frequent the club. And when Mitch crawls under his skin and into his heart, Nikko figures he can put up with anything. Before long he’ll be out of there, and he and Mitch can figure out if they have a future together.Neither of them counted on those who don’t want Nikko to leave….

    When he meets Ben Woods, the mentor of one of his students, the attraction is immediate. The revelations that they’ve both suffered traumatic childhoods form a bond between them. Raised by an abusive grandmother, Ben is a recovering addict who has made a family with his construction worker boss, Hershel, and Hershel’s husband, Daniel—drag queen ManDonna. Adding Isaiah to his life gives Ben a glimpse of a future he’d never dreamed possible for himself. Both Isaiah and Ben are survivors, but when guilt drives a wedge between them, the past threatens to end their relationship. Ben and Isaiah embark on journeys of self-discovery. Though their path will be difficult at times, humor and love find a way to bring light to the darkness.

    I thought I could play where I didn’t belong. I didn’t think his drugs would ever touch me, until they owned me, and he controlled me. And as I piece my life back together, I meet a good man who shows me nothing but compassion and kindness. Vaughn ~ My family doesn’t understand the humiliation that kept me from coming home for ten years. Now that I’m back, my brother’s pushing me to date. It’s the last thing I’m worried about, but I’m too ashamed to tell anyone why until I meet the man who makes me want to love again. Can two men who can’t forgive themselves find a way to be together? And if they can, what happens when a sin of the past comes looking for more? *This is intended for mature audiences

    One an adrenaline junkie. Love could be one risk too many. March is determined to lose the numbness that accompanies a history of loss and blame. Desperate to feel something—anything—the adrenaline junkie base jumps off cliffs, soars on hang gliders, and embarks on dangerous sea-borne rescue missions. But any release he feels is fleeting, and when you play Russian roulette with fate, eventually you come crashing down.No matter how hard Caleb tries to forget his past, a dark shadow is always behind him. When a bizarre turn of events results in him being trapped in a sea cave, Caleb wonders how his mantra—safety at all costs—could have failed him. On the point of drowning, he’s stunned when March surfaces in the cave.March’s disregard for the rules saves Caleb’s life but gets March into a heap of trouble. Not least of which is the guy shivering in the boat next to him. March tries to ignore Caleb but it’s already too late. Together, they take small, awkward steps toward love. But Caleb’s past is waiting to sink in its claws…and this time, it could drag him to his death. Warning: This book contains difficult flashbacks of child abduction and sexual violence, but also the incredible perseverance of two men who never give up on love—or each other. Bring your tissues and a heart that believes in the resilience of the human spirit.

    When a beautiful young man with haunted eyes walks into his bar, Blade’s protective instincts roar to the surface. The kid clearly isn’t made for MC life, but once Blade has had a taste, he can’t let go. All MCs can burn in hell, as far as Logan is concerned. He’s seen the way his father runs his club, and he wants nothing to do with the life. But infiltrating Hell’s Ankhor is his one chance at escape, and now he’s in the crosshairs of the sexy as sin, President Blade. How can Logan resist the strong, protective man when he’s everything he’s ever wanted in a partner? But Blade is still a big rough biker who will do anything to protect his club. What will he do when he finds out who Logan truly is? And how much destruction will Logan’s father cause when he finds his son in bed with the enemy?

    Getting a call to list a house while parading as a hot dog for a few bucks seems like my lucky break. Then things go sideways. My apartment is burglarized, and getting caught half-naked while squatting in my own listing is a low point. Meeting the sexy-voiced stranger who is now my client and realizing he has a gorgeous, cold boyfriend? Major bummer. But hey! I might sell a house ... if all the odd questions about my client don't get in the way.ReidI'm a washed up US marshal turned bodyguard, and even that's lost its appeal. A leave of absence to deal with a house I inherited in Kansas seems like a good opportunity to get my head straight -- but when my boss asks me to help a witness being targeted by a gang, I decide to take him with me. The guy is a criminal, but he's young and gay, so we set up a cover as a couple. Of course, I wasn't counting on the gorgeous real estate agent who makes me want something more in my life. When he starts asking questions, do I set him straight or risk losing him for good? And then there's still those gang members to think about ...

    Protector. Lover.Dashiell acts first and thinks second when he uses his fists to stop a vicious assault. The victim’s young, blond and beautiful — and the bratty kept boy of a gangland thug. Dashiell’s not offered thanks. Instead, he’s offered a job as the boy's bodyguard. Out of work and short of cash, it’s tempting to say yes. But there are strings attached, and Dashiell’s not sure he wants to get entangled.Billy knows his place. He’s the property of a violent criminal, and just one wrong word means a beating, or worse. He yearns for a man who will love and protect him, keep him safe, and catch him when he falls. Dashiell could be that man — but only if Billy has the courage to follow his heart. Their love is forbidden, and danger stalks their every move. Escape is the only option but as the walls close in, is time running out for Dashiell and Billy?Captive Hearts is the first in the Deviant Hearts MM Romantic Suspense series. Expect a hard fought for HEA. No cliff hangers.Note: this book was previously published under the name of A E Ryecart. The cover and description may (or may not) have changed, but the book title and contents remain the same as before.