But the home he fought hard to make feels empty since everyone has grown up and moved out, and his precious baby niece is now a teen with a life of her own. With fewer people at the dinner table every night, Jerry suddenly has all the time in the world to think about what he wants.For years, Jerry has kept to himself, never going to college, never dating or doing anything with his evenings except getting lost in a book. But although he pushed aside his longing for community and romance, he never stopped imagining the freedom he might have in a distant someday.Then kind, clever, and out Lincoln Lee opened a bakery in Jerry’s small town. Jerry told himself he was lucky when they became friends. He was too busy to try for a relationship, and someone like Lincoln would never want someone like him anyway. But now that Jerry’s nights are free, all he wants to do is spend them with Lincoln. Jerry knows nothing about gay culture, or dating, or being in love. With Lincoln, he wants to try, but is he making a fool of himself or is his someday finally here?

    But someone in the new government prefers dead heroes to living, swearing, cynical wizards. Caught between bullets, revenge and desire, Jack had better be swift indeed.

    Teaming up with broody photographer, Mark, promises other perks. A ten year relationship with high school sweetheart, Eli, no longer offers Tristan the excitement he craves. Mark made his intentions clear and Tristan is close to giving in to his advances.One morning at ‘The Gallows’ leaves Tristan reeling. He wasn’t prepared for the hell he witnessed and certainly wasn’t prepared to meet Zane. Disarmed by Zane’s angelic manner, Tristan can’t believe anyone would stand him up. He soon realises the tardy boyfriend only exists in Zane’s mind and the beautiful young man is not a visitor to The Gallows but a patient.Eli walks out and Tristan’s life falls apart. A decision to meet with Mark almost ends in tragedy and Tristan finds solace in Zane’s company. Before long Zane’s delusions begin terrorising him again. While Tristan fights to save his own sanity and get Eli back, he knows someone must fight for Zane’s right to love a man no one else can see. A man who scares away violent hallucinations, takes away Zane’s fear, keeps him safe, and is trapped inside a stone statue.

    Together they explore the fat-underworld of London including blind dates, Internet dating, phone sex and the possibilities of lifetime celibacy.When a week-long getaway to Greece turns into a whirlwind of romance, sex and horrific embarrassment, each one of them will have to decide what they really want in life.

    They require time and effort, both better spent protecting the woods surrounding his Mountain Shadows home. Lights in the west, smoke patterns in the east, and now a shiny glint deep in the forest. Someone needed to do something. Mick Rutger rarely met a challenge he wouldn't chase, but the drop-dead gorgeous man next door gives a whole new meaning to crazy when he spends hours in a tree just...watching? When his charming words have no effect, Mick has no choice if he wants to crack this nut. He follows the mysterious Rowe on a middle of the night hike, only to be caught before the chase can even begin.

    When you’re nineteen, those shoes can be pretty damn big, and ten years later he’s feeling the pinch.Turner and Sons Construction is a success, but Charlie hasn’t had a date since…he doesn’t want to remember. When he’s hired to do renovation work on an art gallery, he had no idea the sparks would fly so quickly with the owner. Amos Greene—arrogant, pushy, and an all-around jerk—is one of the sexiest men Charlie can imagine. But it’s not a good idea to get your honey where you get your money. Determined to make some changes, Charlie moves to Mountain Shadows in Flagstaff. But how will that impact the fragile relationship he has with his brother, Damon? Keeping the brat out of juvie is practically a full time job, and the changes Charlie is making might just blow up in Damon’s face.

    A fraternity hazing. Two cantankerous ghosts. Jim and Randy have known each other since Kindergarten and have been teased through their teen years for being the textbook definition of “bromance” - never apart, finishing each other’s sentences, only truly happy in the other’s company, completely platonic. Now in their first semester at college together, and pledging the same fraternity, they are sent to stay the night in a supposedly haunted house as part of the hazing process. No big deal, right? The two besties can conquer anything together, right? Except the current resident of the house is grumpy. It’s been too long since Brenden McClain has lived with humans, not since old Linda Richmond had passed on. Since then, he’s only had the joy of toying with the young people who dared to visit the “haunted house” he occupies. In all fairness, he is indeed haunting it but only because he seems to be bound there for no reason other than to be regularly annoyed by Edward, who appears to be stuck on the property as well, though he tends to spend most of his time where the old barn used to be. When Jim and Randy get dropped off on his front porch to stay the night, Brendan nearly swoons over the prospect of having guests to play with. His excitement escalates when he picks up on a very repressed emotion emitting from both young men...and decides to have a different kind of fun with the pair.

    Chinese mythology retold from the time of humanity's creation to contemporary Hong Kong. "The Crows Her Dragon's Gate" (first published in BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES, 2013. Ed. Scott H. Andrews). The story of Xihe, the mother of suns, when she was young and the world was new: how she met her husband, lost herself, and found it again. "Woman of the Sun, Woman of the Moon" (first published in GIGANOTOSAURUS, 2012. Ed. Ann Leckie). Houyi rose in heaven, bow and arrow in hand: the hunt was her joy, the slaying of demons her delight. But most delightful was a serving girl called Chang'e. "Chang'e Dashes from the Moon" (first published in EXPANDED HORIZONS, 2012. Ed. Dash). Chang'e has been a prisoner on the moon while the world turns and cities rise. For centuries Houyi has looked for a way to free her wife, and now she has found it in a distant grand-niece: a young mortal woman named Julienne.

    As he spends the night at a village's inn, the innkeeper begs him to help stop a mischievous kitsune, a fox spirit, plaguing their village. But when he captures the spirit—in the form of a hauntingly beautiful man—Hajime learns that the kitsune has troubles of his own. The pearl that contains the fox's soul has been stolen, leaving him a slave to the new owner, who is forcing him to attack the village. Hajime agrees to help the fox retrieve the jewel, but living with a fox spirit isn't easy, and the budding trust between them is constantly tested. Kitsune are tricksters above all, and Hajime must decide how much of the story the fox tells him is truth. What's worse, an old comrade of Hajime's is in town, bringing with him the sour memories of Hajime's time as a samurai. Hajime must find a way to locate the thief and steal back the jewel before the thief turns the kitsune's considerable power against him. Novella. Mature content.

    After six months of hospitals and rehab, Scott starts a new life as owner of the Mountain Shadows Campground. Maybe learning to run a bed and breakfast—not to mention dealing with the permanent residents—will keep him from making Robby the center of his universe. Again. Leaving San Francisco to take a part-time position as a law enforcement ranger makes no sense at this stage of his life, but after Scott’s critical burns, Robby moves to Flagstaff anyway—to take up residence at Mountain Shadows—which has nothing to do with his long-buried feelings for his ex. Despite the white-hot attraction that still burns between them, too much is at stake for Robby to take that chance. Again. Torn apart a dozen years ago by an unlimited ability to cause each other pain, each man believes the relationship door is firmly closed, but when life brings them back together, Scott is still the irresistible force to Robby’s immovable object, and where there’s smoke…there’s fire.

    Then an incident at work changes all that.Huffington Post: One of the best literary fiction books of 2016 (Independently Published).

    He's never heard of other werewolves being unable to shift back, and he's not about to attack the pound staff to get out, because it's just not right to hurt humans who don't know what you are. With the clock ticking down until he's scheduled to be put down, Mateo's only way out is shifting back or being adopted. Given how huge and scruffy his wolf form is, no one wants him ... until Lily and her father, Wes, arrive. Seeing them as his only option, Mateo decides he can swallow his pride and play dog for them for the time being, just until he can safely run back to his pack. Wes has been a single father since only weeks before Lily was born. Her other father left them and Wes hasn’t had much luck with dating since. At four, Lily is smart and strong-willed, and finally has the dog of her dreams. Wolfy is a friend, a babysitter, and a protector, and Wes is pretty sure the dog understands speech, too. A few weeks after bringing Wolfy home, everything in Wes' lonely but peaceful life changes. He lets their beloved dog out into the yard, only to find a gorgeous -- and naked -- man in his place. Thrown into a world where werewolves and magic users aren't just fairytales in Lily's storybooks, Wes must face even more revelations after meeting Mateo's pack. With so much changed between them, both men have to be true to themselves and their responsibilities while Wes figures out what he can and cannot deal with, and Mateo decides where his home really is.

    But when his powers flare up to save his life—and the lives of innocents—he has no choice in the matter. Plunged into a world of capes, costumes and derring-do, he’ll do whatever it takes to survive. Even if that means casting away his old life to become someone else. Maybe even someone better…

    Keeping his lies separated is all that's keeping him alive, and it's a job that grows harder by the day—especially with the unexpected complications of the alpha he's investigating.The PI and the Rockstar by K-lee Klein— Mason is a detective. He’s not flashy or hip and he doesn’t have an office conducive to entertaining wealthy clients. But when made-of-money Durango and his gum-snapping daughter hire him to do surveillance on a popular rockstar named Jade Jonathan Lee, Mason’s business world collides with his personal life, and the result is a mystery that must be solved.Glamour by Holly Rinna-White—When his little brother is kidnapped, Jason hires Eric, PI and long-time crush, to find him, terrified of what will happen if people learn his brother is unregistered psychic. But when Jason is kidnapped as well, he learns he and his brother are not the only ones keeping secrets.The Virginia Gentleman by Alison Bailey—When the Virginia Gentleman rides into town, it's a sure bet that trouble ain't far behind. He's quick on the draw, feared by all, and one sad little group of train robbers is about to find out why it's never wise to bet on trouble.The Royal Inquisitor by Megan Derr—Esmour is one the best Inquisitor's in the kingdom, but the penance bracelets on his wrist serve as constant reminder that once he was not a master of deception, but a victim. To solve his latest case, he must work alongside the liar who changed his life, and the love he learned too late was never real.Regarding the Detective's Companion by E.E. Ottoman—Jamie is desperate: he has no money, rent is coming due, and if he does do something soon he'll be forced back into a life of charity and pity. So when he is brought a case, Jamie takes it—even if it will mean lying to his client, manipulating the suspect and propelling himself into the middle of a plot involving murder and political intrigue.The Demon Bride by Isabella Carter—One dead body left at the door is more than enough, but after three are left on the stoop of his father's agency and no one else is willing to investigate, Quinton decides he'll just have to solve the mystery himself.Too Dangerous by Sasha L. Miller—Shi is good at what he does, no matter what his stupid ex thought. Danger comes with the territory, especially when that territory includes a special license to do select work for the government. But when the government needs him to fix something that defeated even their most elite, Shi learns that some situations are too much even for him.

    Inouye will stop at nothing to ensure victory, but for Ivar it is not only a matter of pride, but a deeper emotion that forces him to accept.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" 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. Dear Author,I’m looking for a story from the sub’s POV… focusing on the senses, especially how the rope feels against his skin. Also how being tied up makes him feel… helpless, but safe. He trusts his Dom, and feels pleasure in pleasing him. Another person is watching, but the possessive Dom won’t let anyone else touch his boy. Instead, he carries on a long conversation with the other person, all while casually touching the sub, with minimal verbal interaction with him. Impersonal touches, almost absentminded, although the Dom is actually very focused on his boy. Maybe a brush against his balls while ignoring his cock. Or some nonchalant fingering while he discusses other matters with his guests. All gentle, though. And once the guest is gone, I’d love a tender aftercare scene.Photo Description: A dark-haired man in an intricate karada of jute rope lies spreadeagled on a low table, wrists and ankles tied to chairs positioned at his head and feet. He is naked and a Japanese tea tray, with the accoutrements for sadō, covers his lower chest and abdomen. His head is unsupported and his genitals are exposed to view.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.