Book picks similar to
The Catalyst by Kathryn Curran


theme-adult
theme-myth-folklore
genre-romance
lgbt

Dragon Scholar


Minerva Howe - 2020
    They're his job and his passion, and they've brought him to an auction where he meets the hottest guy he's ever seen. When Brand Drake offers to let Devon come and value his extensive collection at an old mansion high in the Colorado mountains, he knows life as about as good as it gets.Brand Drake knows he wants Devon the moment they meet, so he goes about adding Devon to his hoard the same way he would an amazing old book. But when Devon starts eating him out of house and home and showing signs that he has emerging dragon traits, he knows he hasn't just found a lover, he's found a mate.When Devon starts to show signs of something even more amazing, Brand calls on his brothers Eagan and Tyson to help him figure out what to do, as well as how to tell Devon what's going on with his body, which is life-changing, and also dangerous. Someone always wants dragon magic to use, and Brand has to find a way to keep them safe, and to keep Devon with him, hopefully forever.

Like A One-Eyed Cat


Hollis Shiloh - 2014
    He grew up a chimney sweep and starving alleyway scruff. Even now, fully grown and an army veteran to boot, he's half-wild and only trusts one man, "the boss," a gentle man he works for occasionally. Jim certainly never intends to trust anyone else, but then he ends up working an investigation job for the boss next to a scarred ex-soldier with surprisingly gentle ways.A touch of mystery, low sexiness, light steampunk elements. ~21,000 words

Mages & Mechanisms


Devin Harnois - 2018
    Enchanted mechanical animals are all the rage among the upper classes, and selling them will save his struggling family business. Enter Jak, whose enchanting ability is second only to his talent for flirting. It’s dangerous to keep such a tempting man close, but Leander can’t resist—in more ways than one.Jak needs money to continue his aimless life of running. A partnership with Leander provides both income and a lovely diversion. Their masterful creations catch the attention of an eccentric baroness who offers them an enormous sum for an ambitious project—a full-scale mechanical dragon.Swept into a life rubbing elbows with nobility, Leander is pleased but overwhelmed. Spending both workdays and evenings with Jak, he finds himself drawing closer to the charming mage. But Jak is hiding a dangerous secret, and the truth could tear them apart.

Caroline's Heart


Austin Chant - 2017
    They say it's impossible to bring back the dead, yet Cecily's resurrection spell is nearly complete and grows more powerful by the day. But when a cowboy she barely knows is fatally injured, the only way to save him is by sacrificing an essential piece of the resurrection spell—and all possibility of seeing her lover again.

Less Happier Lands


Annette De Burgh - 2013
    A war of words soon spirals into a forbidden and passionate love that covers many years.But as the years move on, troubled waters lie ahead.

Keys


Amber Kell - 2015
    I live in the City of Keys, a town of gears, keys, locks, and wonder. Our forefathers banished magic long ago, bolted the doors and locked everything up tight to keep people out and the town’s secrets in. Four Lock Lords control what information is left, and everyone else is left struggling to survive.Despite what Thorne, my naïve lover, thinks, I was an orphan, but not a victim. When I walked the streets at the age of twelve, I learned fast where to steal the best food, how to use my daggers, and where to hide my would-be attackers’ bodies. No one suspected me of such violence. No one knew then or now that I have magic inside me.Now, power hungry men intend to release the magic for their own benefit—at the expense of the rest of the city. We will stop them, even if Thorne must battle his own kin, even if I must reveal my hidden talents and the role I seem destined to play.

All the Way Out


Ingrid Sterling - 2021
    So, he’d started dating Rebecca, his devoutly Catholic girlfriend who wants to wait to have sex until she’s married, during his junior year of high school and never looked back.But on the last night of a team trip to Rome, on the cusp of his senior season at Northwestern University, a Heisman, a number 1 draft pick and a National Championship, Zach seeks out one last anonymous encounter. He opens Grindr and slips out into the Italian summer night to meet Liam - Liam who has a face that looks like it was carved from Carrara marble by one of the ancient greats and whose brazen facade becomes sheepish when he’s asked about his past in Paris. The night is intense, better than Zach could have imagined. But like all one-night stands, it comes to an end by morning’s light.But what happens to Zach’s carefully manicured plans for a professional football career and a life in the closet when Liam shows up, not only on the Northwestern campus the first day of the fall semester, but in Zach’s upper-level Plato seminar, too?

Swordheart


T. Kingfisher - 2018
    and, unfortunately, his relatives. Sarkis is an immortal swordsman trapped in a prison of enchanted steel. When Halla draws the sword that imprisons him, Sarkis finds himself attempting to defend his new wielder against everything from bandits and roving inquisitors to her own in-laws... and the sword itself may prove to be the greatest threat of all.

The Boy In A Red Dress


Russell Frank - 2016
    He certainly had no way of knowing that it would quickly change his life and end up with him going to school as a girl.

Just Say Yes: The Vampire Fae of Acadia


B.A. Stretke - 2022
    In fact, he loves the Acadia National Park. What he can’t stand is Oren. Oren is the boyfriend of his best friend and the bane of his existence. As much as Michelle tries to force them to be friends, Oren is not someone Alden wants to spend any time with. So when he finds himself tricked into a hiking trip in Acadia with Oren, he knows he is not going to have a great time. When Oren fucks off and abandons him, that guess is proven correct. Alden finds himself lost in the dense woods and soon he has no idea where he is and his surroundings just get stranger and stranger...Tiernan Byrne is the First, the leader of the DeDanann tribe, a group of vampiric dark fae. He feels the disruption in the magics of his realm before he lays eyes on the beautiful human creature who has stumbled unknowingly into his world. Humans don’t come to the Fae realm, so he is mystified by Alden’s presence. Soon he realizes why fate has allowed this human to come here, he is Tirenan’s fated mate. The Dark Fae vampires of Tiernan’s tribe are wary of humans, and there are mysteries to this new world Alden doesn’t even know the first thing about. Can Tiernan convince Alden that he is safe and this is his rightful home? Will Alden say, yes?

Ben's Bakery and the Hanukkah Miracle


Penelope Peters - 2018
     Former ice hockey star Adam Bernard has spent the last ten years caring for his ailing father and coaching his pee-wee hockey team. He doesn’t have time to brood over what could-have-been since leaving the NHL draft - and he sure doesn’t have time for a love-life. When his team is invited to a prestigious tourney in Boston - and it’s during the week of Hanukkah - he can’t find it in his heart to tell them no. Adam hates the idea of leaving his dad alone during the holidays - but a promise is a promise. Ben Daniels wasn’t running from his almost-Olympic past when he started up a kosher-style bakery three years ago. Deciding to stick to Hanukkah-themed treats, though, was probably running from the truth, which is that he’s one bad month away from bankruptcy. An infusion of donut-hungry preteens is exactly what his register needs - but their adorable and mysterious coach might be exactly what Ben’s heart has been yearning for. Adam’s life is back in Montreal - but the more time Adam spends with Ben, the less he wants to leave Boston. Ben might have spent the last three years avoiding the ice - but Adam could be the key to melting his resolve. When Adam gets an offer from the NHL, it’s a chance for them both to rewrite their histories. But Ben hasn’t been entirely truthful with Adam - and Adam’s got some prejudices that might just extinguish what’s burning between them. With Adam’s future at a crossroads, and Ben’s past out in the open, will they find a way to prove that miracles aren’t only found on the ice? Ben's Bakery and the Hanukkah Miracle is a m/m romance with a HEA ending. It features two sexy and sincere Jewish guys, match-making 12-year-old hockey players, and lots of yummy kosher donuts.

Have We Met?


Camille Baker - 2021
    She has moved back to Chicago, is considering her next career move (or temp job), and has absolutely no time to look for love—until a mysterious dating app called Met suddenly appears on her phone, and with it, an invitation for Corinne to reconnect with four missed connections from her past. One of them, Met says, is her soul mate…Corinne doesn’t believe the app for a second, but when she very quickly finds herself with back-to-back blasts from the past, she’ll have to consider if maybe she’s wrong about it. The thing is, Corinne’s also been introduced to a really great guy outside the app’s influence. As their feelings for each other grow, Corinne has to wonder: With her apparent true love still out there, should she tap yes to the next match?With help from a new group of friends, her loving if annoying family, and maybe a touch of fate, can Corinne come to terms with the loss she’s still reeling from, take control of her career, and find love along the way?

The Dragon Next Door


Holly Day - 2021
    Lorcan has a fractured leg and an empty apartment. Luckily, Adrian doesn’t mind helping him fill his lair with gems, and Doris’s second-hand shop has everything a dragon could possibly want.The problem is, Lorcan doesn’t seem to want his apartment decorated, and sneaking presents past a grumpy dragon isn’t easy.All Adrian wants is to cheer Lorcan up, but when Lorcan’s ex appears at the door, Adrian fears not even vintage coffee cups will get them their fairy-tale ending. What if the way to a dragon’s heart isn’t lined with treasures?

Changing Leaves


Edie Bryant - 2018
    One of those people being Jess, her best friend who she'd completely lost contact with. Though she never stopped thinking of her, she could never bring herself to reach out after the shame of what she'd done to her. Gina didn't even want to come back to her hometown in fear of running into Jess, but she had to take care of her mother who is ill with cancer.But fate and a kitten brings them together again, meeting for the first time in years. The connection is clearly still there between them, but will Jess be able to forgive Gina in her time of need? As the change in seasons brings color to the autumn leaves, will it also bring a drastic change in both of their lives? In this heartwarming, steamy novella Edie Bryant takes the reader on an emotional rollercoaster toward happily ever after.

Fjord Blue


Nina Rossing - 2016
    It’s not like he didn’t deserve it. After all, he crashed his dad’s vintage Bonneville in a car-chase duel on a Miami freeway. Ben is mad at the world and not ready to reveal the reason for his bad behavior the past year, when he partied and got into fights to forget his attraction to his best friend’s hot cousin Dino. Norway is cold and rainy, the farm is desolate and resists modernization, and the grandparents are quiet and religious. On to the scene waltzes Even, the eighteen-year-old farmhand, who counters Ben’s restlessness and complaints with friendship, fresh perspectives, and problems of his own.With the mounting expectations of Ben taking over the farm one day, getting closer to Even becomes Ben’s only reason to stay put. As the friendship deepens, the two boys learn that secrets can turn into both beautiful and ugly truths, and that support can be found in unexpected places.