Book picks similar to
Matchmaking Beyond the Veil by Mara Townsend
dnf
m-m
paranormal
fantasy
In This Iron Ground
Marina Vivancos - 2018
What should have been the worst moment of his life begins a journey shadowed by loneliness and pain. The night of a full moon, four years and seven foster homes later, Damien flees to the forest, desperate to escape everything. Instead, he finds the Salgado pack, and the earth beneath his feet shifts. Damien has seen the Salgado children in his school: Koko, who is in his class, and Hakan, two years older and infinitely unreachable. Damien is suddenly introduced into a world that had only ever existed in his imagination, where there is magic in the forest and the moon. He meets creatures that look like monsters, but Damien knows that monsters have the same face as anybody else. Over the years, Damien and Hakan grow closer. First, just as friends and foster brothers in the Salgado house, and then into something heated and breathless when Damien joins Hakan at college. Despite what he may yearn for in the darkest part of the night, Damien knows, deep down in that bruised and mealy part of his core, that he’s not good enough to be part of the Salgado family, their pack. He’s not worthy of calling Hakan his home. Even though he knows in the end it’ll hurt him, he’ll hold onto this for as long as he can. CONTENT WARNING: This book contains themes of emotional and (nonsexual) physical child abuse and the subsequent emotional, cognitive, and behavioural impacts. This story contains sexually explicit scenes between consenting adults and is meant for an adult audience.
He Speaks Dead
Adrienne Wilder - 2012
Lucky for him, because the love of his life, Ethan, is dead. Charlie helps Ethan possess complete strangers so Ethan can use their bodies for sex.Things are good between them until Charlie is accused of murder and Detective Daniel Briggs walks into his life. For the first time in years, Charlie is attracted to someone who is living. Ethan knows he should step aside and let Charlie live his life, but he just can’t give Charlie up--even if staying with Charlie may eventually kill him.
The Hanged Man's Ghost
Missouri Dalton - 2012
The ghosts of murder victims are leaving him clues, his drinking problem is out of control, and no matter how nepotistic the Chicago Police Department might be, there are some forces his family’s reputation can’t save him from.Just a few years ago, Fynn’s longtime partner Robert was murdered and the case went unsolved. As he gets deeper into a new investigation, it becomes apparent that somehow the two cases are connected. To make matters worse, it’s clear to Fynn that forces beyond this world have come into play.Forces like Internal Affairs agent Daniel Voight, who’s determined to make dirt stick to Fynn any which way he can. The only real bright points in Fynn’s day are when he’s with Jack, his unfortunately straight partner. Fynn is going to have to pull himself together--because if the dead don’t kill him, his family will.
The Mage on the Hill
Angel Martinez - 2019
A jaded recluse who has forgotten what living means. They’re each other’s only chance.Toby’s wild magic is killing him. The mage guilds have given up on him, and it’s only a matter of time before he dies in a spectacular, catastrophic bang. His only hope is an exiled wizard who lives in seclusion—and is rumored to have lost his mind.The years alone on his hilltop estate have not been good for Darius Valstad. After the magical accident that disfigured him and nearly drowned Pittsburgh, he drifts through his days, a wraith trapped in memories and depression. Until a stricken young man collapses on his driveway, one who claims Darius is his last chance. For the first time in fifteen years, Darius must make a choice—leave this wild mage to his fate or take him in and try to teach him, which may kill them both. The old Darius, brash and commanding, wouldn’t have hesitated. Darius the exile isn’t sure he can find the energy to try.
Messenger
K.K. Ness - 2017
For centuries, the deadlands have separated the kingdoms of Roldaer and Amas, enforcing an uneasy truce. But the deadlands hold their own secrets. Danil is a deadlands scavenger, his days spent scouring a barren land for ancient battlefield relics and mage-crystals. When the brutal magi of Roldaer take over his village, Danil becomes the key to unleashing a powerful enemy set on plunging both kingdoms into war. Desperate and on the run, he finds unexpected aid from the Amasian shapeshifters. Among them is Hafryn, an irreverent wolf shifter who fights to protect Danil with sword, tooth and claw. But safety with the shifters cannot last. As the magi set their plans into motion, Danil and Hafryn will have to embark on a terrifying mission to a broken citadel where an ancient enemy awaits. Failure to stop the magi may cost them far more than their lives, and Danil discovers that courage and determination may not be enough…
Weekend Boyfriend
Dillon Hunter - 2019
Newly single and with a class reunion just a couple of weeks away, all of his old high school friends are about to find out that his picture perfect life is actually falling apart. Except maybe nobody has to know. Maybe Trevor can still have his cake and eat it, too.
“Pretending to be gay to score a free trip home? Nothing to worry about, right?”
Wyatt Hayes never expected that his life would be this hard. The modeling contract he’d scored was supposed to have been his ticket to the good life. Waiting tables and sharing a walk-up studio the size of a shoe box was never supposed to be part of the deal, but even those things are easier to stomach than constantly having to make excuses to his family to hide the fact that he’s too broke to visit.
“One weekend, no strings attached.”
But sometimes even the best laid plans can get a little tangled when faking it starts to feel a little too real…
Weekend Boyfriend is a steamy standalone featuring a hopeless romantic whose life isn’t nearly as perfect as he would like everyone to believe, a waiter who isn’t quite as straight as he thinks, and a class reunion where anything might happen. No cliffhangers and a guaranteed happily-ever-after ending.
Broken Fangs
Skylar Sweeney - 2021
It contains action, adventure, LGBT romance, intensive world building, lots of laughter, and has an HEA. However, it also contains violence, abuse, and sexual situations that readers looking for a happy, romantic read may not be comfortable with. Be sure and read the Content Warning at the beginning. Thanks so much for reading! If a wicked witch offers to show you his magic wand, just say no.The father of all vamps learned that lesson the hard way, and now he’s stuck playing kept boy to the meanest mob boss in town.Reality TV isn’t great for hiding, but when offered a spot on a dating show with the only werewolf the Celtic mafia fears, he sees his chance to escape.All he needs is a little help from Hollywood’s baddest Alpha.Too bad the first line of the show’s contract reads, “no vampires on set.”This paranormal drama is about to get real…
Heroes for Ghosts
Jackie North - 2018
A sacrifice that could keep them apart forever. In present day, near the village of Ornes, France, Devon works on his master's thesis in history as he fantasizes about meeting a WWI American Doughboy. In 1916, during the Battle of Ornes, Stanley is a young soldier facing the horrors of the battlefield. Mourning the death of his friends from enemy fire, Stanley volunteers to bring the message for retreat so he can save everyone else in his battalion. While on his mission, mustard gas surrounds Stanley and though he thinks he is dying, he finds himself in a peaceful green meadow where he literally trips over Devon. Devon doesn't believe Stanley is who he says he is, a soldier from WWI. But a powerful attraction grows between them, and if Stanley is truly a visitor from the past, then he is Devon's dream come true. The problem is, Stanley's soul wants to finish his mission, and time keeps yanking him back to relive his fateful last morning over and over, even as his heart and body long to stay with Devon. Will Stanley have to choose between Devon and saving his battalion? Will time betray their love, leaving each alone? A male/male time travel romance, complete with hurt/comfort, French coffee, warm blankets, fireplace kisses, the angst of separation, and true love across time.
The Alpha's Vow
Colbie Dunbar - 2018
Covered in tattoos, he favors short-term relationships over anything permanent. But when Max, a Shakespeare-quoting backpacker, meets Seb in less than desirable circumstances, a misunderstanding has the omega accepting an offer that sends him hurtling in a new direction. And then there’s Trixie, a tiny, pink piglet who has the run of Seb’s home and has captured his heart. She adores apples, riding on the alpha’s motorbike and plenty of snuggles. And it’s love at first sight when she comes face to face with Max. Set against the backdrop of an unspoiled landscape and a lake that’s both serene and treacherous, Seb and Max’s relationship blossoms until a storm disrupts not only the surroundings, but also their future. This is a 28,000-word, non-shifter, omegaverse novella, and it’s the first book in the Idriador series.
Irregulars
Nicole Kimberling - 2012
It polices relations between the earthly realm and those beyond this world, enforcing immigration laws, the transfers of magical artifacts, and crimes against humanity.The agents who work for the NATO Irregular Affairs Division can’t tell anyone what they do, or how hard they work to keep us safe. It brings a colorful collection of men together:Agent Henry Falk, the undead bum. Agent Keith Curry, former carnivore chef turned vegetarian; Agent Rake, Babylonian demon with a penchant for easy living; and Agent Silas August, uncompromising jerk.Four cities, four mysteries, four times the romance. Is your security clearance high enough to read on?
Pranked
J.J. Riley - 2019
Living in Echo Bay again was not how he saw his life going and opening a bar was never in the plan. Despite that, he does his best to learn to appreciate what he has and works hard to make a life for himself. When the adorable geek next door inadvertently starts a prank war, he doesn’t hesitate to show him how to lighten up. Ezra wanted to own his own bakery more than anything. Taking over his favorite childhood bakery only made the dream that much sweeter. What he hadn’t bargained for was the sexy and frustrating bar owner next door. When he develops feelings for his cocky neighbor, he realizes he may be in over his head. When one of their pranks goes hilariously wrong, they realize they just might mean more to each other than they anticipated. But can a quiet geek and an outgoing playboy make things work? This is a mm romance that contains sexual themes and is intended for readers 18+
By Fairy Means or Foul
Meghan Maslow - 2017
Literally, no denying, because compelling the reluctant detective is all part of a unicorn’s seductive magic. To add to his woes, Twig is saddled with the unicorn’s cheeky indentured servant, Quinn Broomsparkle. Dragons are supposed to want to eat humans, but Twig’s half-dragon side only wants to gobble up Quinn in a more . . . personal way. Making matters worse, it’s obvious the smokin’ hot but untrustworthy sidekick is hiding something. Something big. And not what’s in his trousers. In the PI business, that means trouble with a capital Q. Throw in gads of zombies, a creepy ghost pirate ship, a malfunctioning magic carpet, and Twig’s overbearing fairy father’s demands to live up to the illustrious Starfig name. Naturally, an old but abiding enemy chooses this time to resurface, too. Those inconveniences Twig can handle. The realization he’s falling for a human who isn’t free to return his affections and whose life may hang on the success of his latest case? Not so much.
Brandon's Very Merry Haunted Christmas
A.J. Sherwood - 2019
Brandon doesn’t mind this in the slightest. He loves his brother, Jon seems cool, and it’s a great way to learn how to be an anchor, which is what the FBI wants him for. It’s supposedly three weeks of just following people around and observing. But there’s a hitch in the plans. Brandon accidentally picks up a hitchhiker of the ghostly variety. Donovan is NOT pleased. Jon is amused to no end. Dealing with the ghost means going back to the place Brandon accidentally got it from, Eureka Springs, Arkansas. They expect to meet up with an FBI medium, exorcise said ghost, and go home again. FBI Medium Mackenzie Lafayette is not at all what Brandon expects. And for once, he’s quite happy to ditch the plan. Returning to Nashville can wait. He’s got a sexy medium to figure out first.
Forget I Told You
Tanya Chris - 2019
Except he’s beginning to suspect that none of that is true. If he has a wife, why can’t he remember marrying her? And why does trying to remember make his head hurt?Deron knows he shouldn’t be in Seattle. Giving into his need to check on the man who once belonged to him could put a complicated cross-agency investigation at risk. All he wants is one little peek. He didn’t expect Jay to recognize him or for the two of them to get shot at on the streets of Seattle.Jay’s suffering from a case of amnesia only he can cure and is at the heart of a mystery only he can solve. Too bad he doesn’t know any of that. But there’s one thing he does know: Deron. His memory may have been removed, but his soul will never forget its mate. Can he remember everything else in time to save both their lives and possibly an entire country?Content warning: mention of suicide, gun violence
The Ghost of Ellwood
Jaclyn Osborn - 2019
Until I met him.”As a horror novelist, Ben makes a living telling scary stories. However, he's struggling in his career and fears he's lost his touch. Not only is there a disconnect in his writing, but in his personal life as well. After his relationship goes south, he decides to start over and moves to Ivy Grove, a small town with a lot of history.He hopes the quaint town and beautiful Victorian manor he moved into will spark inspiration and help him fall back in love with writing.And then strange things start happening.Creaks in the hall, shadows from the corner of his eye, and the sense that he's being watched. Ben soon learns that the manor has a dark past, and within the morbid history, he discovers a century old mystery.Who is Theo Blackwell? And what happened to him all those years ago?As Ben begins to unravel the truth, he finds himself not only falling in love with writing again, but also falling for the stunning young man who haunts his manor.*The Ghost of Ellwood is a paranormal m/m romance. You'll find mystery, a somewhat grumpy writer, a sassy ghost, and of course a HEA.*