Book picks similar to
Off-Balance by Brigham Vaughn
mm
m-m
age-gap
contemporary
The Beach House
Angelique Jurd - 2018
At a concert he meets Ben. Confident and comfortable with his life, Ben has only ever known unconditional acceptance in his family.When Ben asks him out, Alex assumes it will be like every date he's had: casual and unimportant. He doesn't count on falling in love. Will Ben be enough to help Alex turn his back on a lifetime of rejection and accept that he can be happy?
Behind the Curtain
Amy Lane - 2014
Running his community college theater like a petty god, he and his best friend, Benji know they'll succeed as stage techs after graduation. His father adores him, Benji would die for him, and Dawson never doubted the safety net of his family, even when life hit him below the belt.But nothing prepared him for falling on Jared Emory's head.Aloof dance superstar Jared is a sweet, vulnerable man and Dawson's life suits him like a fitted ballet slipper. They forge a long-distance romance from their love of the theater and the magic of Denny's. At first it's perfect: Dawson gets periodic visits and nookie from a gorgeous man who “gets” him—and Jared gets respite from the ultra-competitive world of dancing that almost consumed him.That is until Jared shows up sick and desperate and Dawson finally sees the distance between them concealed painful things Jared kept inside. If he doesn’t grow up—and fast—his "superstar" might not survive his own weaknesses. That would be a shame, because the real, fragile Jared that Dawson sees behind the curtain is the person he can see spending his life with.
Patchwork Paradise
Indra Vaughn - 2016
They share a gorgeous house in Antwerp, go out with their friends every weekend, and count down the days to their dream wedding. But their happy ending is shattered one late night, and just like that, Ollie is left bereft and alone.The months that follow are long and dark, but slowly Ollie emerges from his grief. He even braves the waters of online dating, though deep down he doesn’t believe he can find that connection again. He doesn’t think to look for love right in front of him: his bisexual friend Thomas, the gentle giant with a kind heart and sad eyes who’s wanted him all along.When Thomas suddenly discovers he has a son who needs him, he’s ill prepared. Ollie opens up his house—Sam’s house—and lets them in. Ollie doesn’t know what scares him more: the responsibility of caring for a baby, or the way Thomas is steadily winning his heart. It will take all the courage he has to discover whether or not fairy tales can happen for real.
Hostile Takeover
Lucy Lennox - 2021
A silly frat boy dare.One hot moment in a hidden storage closet. One kiss. No consequences.But if you get that close to a man with fire in his eyes, you’re gonna get burned, and I was no exception. One taste of Grey Blackwood ruined me for life.The way Grey sees it, I was the one who did the ruining. I humiliated him. Wrecked his life. Destroyed his future.Doesn’t matter that he’s clawed his way back and then some. Doesn’t matter that he’s already top of the Wall Street food chain. The man’s ruthless. Heartless. And he likes his revenge served cold.Now he’s taking down the companies owned by every frat boy who did him wrong. And when he comes for my family’s company, the quiet life I’ve built for myself far away from Manhattan comes crumbling down, too.But when Grey’s standing in our boardroom, threatening a hostile takeover and demanding I negotiate on behalf of my family, I don’t see an enemy. I see the chance I’ve been waiting for.The chance for another night in his arms, and hopefully a whole lot more.Let the negotiations begin.Hostile Takeover is a full-length, standalone novel.
Something About Jace
Jocelynn Drake - 2018
His life is filled with sunshine, blue skies, jogging on the beach with his dog, and the greatest friends a guy could want. What more could he ask for? Love would be a great start. After his last relationship fell apart, Jace has begun to wonder if he’s ever going to find someone who would fit into his quiet life. Of course, the last person who would fit into his life is a major movie star. Trent Elrige is drowning. He’s constantly on the go from one movie obligation to the next. And after the last stalker got a little too close for comfort, Trent decides it’s time to take a step back and figure out what he’s doing with his life. Pineapple Grove seemed the perfect spot to hide for six months and figure out his future. He just wasn’t expecting to be tackled by love so quickly. But now that he’s found Jace, is he willing to risk everything he’s worked so hard for? And is Jace willing to walk away from his precious Pineapple Grove to be with Trent?
Finley
Ella Frank - 2016
But that’s all about to change.On his thirtieth birthday, he receives the one thing he never dared hope for. Something that was promised to him years earlier—a note. One simple sentence from the man he’s never been able to forget.Six words will forever change the course of their lives.Brantley Hayes has it all. Or so he thinks. When he first made the decision to take a job down in Florida, his family thought he was crazy. But, after years of living in the quiet beach town, he finally feels a sense of community. He’s surrounded himself with friends who are like family, has a job he loves, and owns a spectacular beachfront property that is his sanctuary.Yet he still feels unfulfilled, as if a piece of the puzzle is missing, and he knows exactly which piece it is. On an impulse, he follows through with a promise he made years earlier. A promise to call home the one he sent away.Nothing is as simple as it seems.After years of separation, the former lovers are reunited, but Brantley wasn’t expecting to encounter the high walls now guarding Daniel’s heart. Daniel may not be the same person he was when he left, but he knows that the first step to healing is the note in his hand.
Behind Iron Lace
Mercy Celeste - 2011
Until he meets a smooth talking bad boy who makes him question his entire belief system.Darcy Butler is a fish out of water (or in his case a Duck out of Oregon), and he is suffocating in the humid New Orleans' heat. Dissatisfied with his career, his life, he is homesick and heartbroken. But above all Darcy is straight. Or so he believes until he meets the drop-dead gorgeous photographer he wants to hire to revamp the art department of the e-magazine he co-owns with his former lover.Caleb Mitchell, bad boy extraordinaire lives life on the edge. He's been around the world covering murder and mayhem. Back in New Orleans to tend his dying mother, Caleb is worn down by grief and his own mortality. He seeks the diversion of playing art director of a small local e-magazine to help keep him sane. He doesn't expect the instant attraction to the bright-eyed editor/owner. That Darcy is deeply closeted and possibly straight doesn't matter to Caleb. Because when Caleb wants something, there is nothing going to stand in his way.Not even Darcy.A jealous ex, the hot summer nights, and the secrets Caleb carefully hides behind iron lace tattoos could just be Darcy's undoing.
Racing into Love
Noah Steele - 2021
Falling for him is a risk. I just have to be willing to take it.My relationship rut ends when pro racer Derrek Luna speeds into my cozy bookstore and crashes the end of a disastrous date. He's way too risky to fall for, but I can't ignore the sudden sparks between us. It doesn't take long before we're head over heels for each other, and we'll need that love to cross the finish line.Lap 1: Derrek wants to settle down and stop racing. The woman who runs his life on the track refuses to lose her star without a fight.Lap 2: The closer I get to Derrek, the angrier my ex-turned-best-friend gets. Is he...jealous?Lap 3: Someone broke into my bookstore. I'm starting to wonder if Derrek's exes ghosted, or if someone convinced them to disappear.But I'm tired of playing it safe, even if being with Derrek is risky for more than just my heart.Racing into Love is a low-angst contemporary M/M instalove romance. Opposites attract in swoony, steamy ways before a guaranteed HEA. It is suggested this series be read in order. Content warnings include: on-page panic attacks.
Mark of Cain
Kate Sherwood - 2014
When he sees who’s bellied up to the bar, though, he reaches for his cell phone to call the police.It’s Lucas Cain, the man who killed Mark’s brother three years ago. Apparently he’s out of jail and hanging out with his old crowd, which has to be a breach of parole, right?Pulled over upon leaving the bar, Lucas blows a clean breathalyzer and hopes this isn’t a harbinger of things to come. He’s ready to build a sober, peaceful life. His friends aren’t ready to let him move on, though, and he ends up taking refuge in an Anglican half-way house.Thrown together, Mark and Lucas find common ground in the struggle to help a young gay man come to terms with his sexuality—and the fight against homophobic townsfolk. As attraction grows, the past is the last stumbling block between them and a future filled with hope.Warning: Bad boys being good, good boys being bad.
How to Bang a Billionaire
Alexis Hall - 2017
. .If England had yearbooks, I'd probably be "Arden St. Ives: Man Least Likely to Set the World on Fire." So far, I haven't. I've no idea what I'm doing at Oxford, no idea what I'm going to do next and, until a week ago, I had no idea who Caspian Hart was. Turns out, he's brilliant, beautiful . . . oh yeah, and a billionaire.It's impossible not to be captivated by someone like that. But Caspian Hart makes his own rules. And he has a lot of them. About when I can be with him. What I can do with him. And when he'll be through with me.I'm good at doing what I'm told in the bedroom. The rest of the time, not so much. And now that Caspian's shown me glimpses of the man behind the billionaire I know it's him I want. Not his wealth, not his status. Him. Except that might be the one thing he doesn't have the power to give me.
Be True
Stella Starling - 2017
And jetting off to New York City to play the part of reclusive billionaire Logan Carter's boyfriend for a Valentine's Day publicity campaign? That's not just a yes, but oh hell yes.When Logan Carter's business partner, the founder of the popular dating app bLoved, starts receiving death threats and has to stay out of the public eye, Logan is thrust into the limelight. The only problem? Logan doesn't do public. He also learned the hard way never to mix business with pleasure... no matter how tempting someone like Trevor might make it.Trevor doesn't want to be tied down, and Logan isn't interested in opening up… but if falling in love is all just an act, why does saying “I love you” start to feel so real?Be True is a gay romance novel of approximately 93,000 words that contains a bossy billionaire, a failed attempt at an utterly impossible sex position, and two men who are destined to discover that the love neither wanted is exactly what each of them needs. It has a Happily Ever After ending, no pesky cliffhangers, and can be read as a standalone… but if you enjoy Trevor and Logan’s story, be sure to keep an eye out for the other two books in the series! Enjoy!
Too Close
R. Phoenix - 2016
Making ends meet seemed impossible until Tate Chandler took them in -- his knight in shining armor who promised to make life about more than just surviving. But Tate is not the man he seemed to be, and even his whispered I love yous and generous gifts do little to soothe the pain he causes. Knowing he can't give his sister all that she deserves without Tate, Skylar stays with him, relying on bad puns and a worse sense of humor to keep up the charade. He will do anything for his sister, even if that means acting the responsible adult and going back to his old high school to meet Dexter Weston, the hot math teacher who can make even algebra interesting. Sparks fly between the two of them, but with his dependence on Tate, Skylar isn't free to follow his heart. He wants what is best for Evie, but can he pass up the chance to find love that heals instead of harms? Warning: This book contains scenes of domestic violence/abuse that some may find triggering to read.
Redemption
Garrett Leigh - 2020
When friendship turns to love, it’s up to Paolo to convince him second chances are worth the pain.Luis Pope is back on the street after a six year stretch in prison, but life on the outside seems just out of reach, especially when the whole neighbourhood knows his face for all the wrong reasons.Paolo’s temper makes it hard to keep staff, and he knows Luis’s rep all too well. But his nonno believes in redemption, and Luis isn’t the tough guy Paolo remembers. Prison has left its mark, inside and out, and all the kindness in the world can’t fix the three inch scar on Luis’s skull.And it can’t keep ghosts locked up. Luis’s the best worker Paolo’s ever had, and Luis’s happier than he’s ever been. But his old life doesn’t want to stay in the past. Trouble comes to call, and when it makes him an offer he can’t refuse, keeping Paolo safe hurts the most.Redemption is an angsty, standalone MM romance novel, with second chances, found family, friends-to-lovers, and buckets of hurt/comfort themed loveliness.
Dumped
Lucy Hawkins - 2018
Too ashamed to show his face in Manhattan again, Alex flees for his upstate hometown and vows never to plan another wedding again. When his best friend announces her engagement, she begs him to reconsider his decision. Torn between his duty as BFF and his newly acquired cynicism for love, Alex reluctantly agrees. Little does he know that by agreeing to do so, he’s also agreeing to work with his high school bully, Hank Morrison. Once a college football star heading for greatness, Hank Morrison now runs the inn he inherited from his aunt in the small town of Redwood. The problem is, his aunt’s beloved inn isn’t getting business and with the bank threatening repossession, Hank needs to come up with a way to acquire money fast. When his high school nemesis and first love interest, Alex shows up wanting to plan a wedding at the inn, he can’t turn down the kind of money on offer. Even if it means having to deal with the uptight wedding planner who always thought he was too good for him. Opposites in every way, Alex can't ever imagine hunky straight Hank ever being anything to him. Until he finds out Hank isn't so straight after all. Especially after all those years he made his life hell. Tensions run high between the pair as they're forced into close proximity due to their working relationship. It also means that they can't help getting to know each other and when they find out they aren't as different as they once thought, things become complicated.