Where love is instant the moment you find your mate. Where there’s only one true pecker for every man. Where the sex is so hot it will singe your tail feathers. Where bird-watching is both a recreation and a preoccupation—that usually leads to feathers flying. Simon Spoonwell—intrepid bird store owner and history geek—knows avian shifters exist. With so much myth and lore, there must be a touch of reality. But he doesn't expect his proof to come in the form of hottie cop and blue jay shifter Jay Azure. It’s an innocuous ticket for jaywalking that brings them together, but an inescapable attraction, a love of awful puns, and a shared need to protect the vulnerable will make them true mates.

    With those words, two men began a journey of love and invited us to ride along. TJ and Eric have shared so much with us: their wonderful books, their smiles, their humor, their lives, and their inspiring devotion to each other. In December of 2013, their journey took a detour when Eric was taken to the emergency room. He survived the surgery to remove a cavernous hemangioma from his brain stem, but the challenges TJ and Eric face are far from over.The authors in this anthology donated their talent as a way to support Eric's continued recovery, to help bring strength to TJ, and to show both of them just how much love surrounds them. Grand Adventures is a diverse range of stories about the journey of love. We’re going on some grand adventures for a great cause. Thank you for joining us.One hundred percent of the income from this volume goes directly to TJ and Eric.Foreword by S.A. McAuleyAn Unexpected Thing by John AmoryThe Twinkie Ignition by J.E. BirkWhen Friendship Becomes More by Sophie BonasteIsle of Waiting by Sue BrownThe Jogger by KC BurnHolding Court by Cardeno C.For Dear Life by Mary CalmesUnder the Full Moon by Ellis CarringtonStripped by Shae Connor (2nd Edition)That Place Across the Hall by C.C. DadoMistaken MD by Phoenix EmrysCops and Comix by Rhys FordLast First Kiss by LE FranksTomorrow by John GoodeFrom Fantasy to Friends by CR GuilianoWitness Protected by Dawn Kimberly JohnsonWater Under the Bridge by Mia KerickA Gentle Shove of Human Kindness by Amy LaneAir (Roads #1.75 million) by Garrett LeighAn Atheist and a Yoga Instructor Walk into a Bar by Rowan McAllisterStalking 101 by Moria McCainSimple Desires by Tempeste O'RileyObject of Care by Zahra OwensKid Confusion by Madison ParkerFall Train by Jaime SammsThe Exhibition by Andrea SpeedWhat You Will by TinneanPrologue by Brandon Witt

    When Vlad, a newly turned vampire, moves in with the witch down the street, he and Darren get off on the wrong foot. Darren is always one to give somebody a second chance, though, and as they become friends, he realizes Vlad is just lonely and struggling with his new powers. That’s something Darren can definitely relate to, and he’s happy to lend his support. But while he coaxes Vlad out of his shell, Darren ends up learning about Vlad’s past… and the danger Vlad is in. Darren only wants to help—help Vlad feel comfortable in his own skin and help him feel safe.He hadn’t planned on falling in love.

    In fact, if Samuel had his way, he’d tear down his neighbor’s house so his solitude could be absolute. One day Faloola, his favorite turkey, escapes, forcing Samuel to make the trek next door. When Raymond Webber—sixty-seven—answers the door as naked as the day he was born, Samuel doesn’t know whether he’s more annoyed… or attracted. The two men are opposites in every way—Samuel is serious, while Raymond believes in free love and herbal relaxation. The weeks leading up to Christmas are rocky to say the least, but some holiday spirit might help them get past their differences….

    A smile across a counter at a coffee shop or video store. A secret revealed in a song from another place and time. Or in a love ballad crooned at a high school dance. In this anthology of never-before-published sweet LGBTQ+ stories, six authors explore the beginnings of love between young and new adult couples. All proceeds will support The Trevor Project's work with crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth.

    Although they harbor a secret love, a relationship between a prince and his servant is forbidden. Things change when the king promises Theryn’s hand in an arranged marriage to the volatile Prince Lyar of the Soltaran Empire, who needs Theryn’s Light magic for some sinister religious rite. Theryn and Atrum's struggle to discover Lyar’s scheme brings them together at last, but there is more at stake than their happiness. Atrum discovers Dark magic of his own, but neither his love nor his power may be enough to save Theryn from Lyar's dangerously seductive pull. And if Atrum loses Theryn, the world as they know it may be lost as well.An epic fantasy tale of sword and sorcery, with a gay romance twist.***This book was originally published with the Goodreads MM Romance Group's Don't Read in the Closet event. This edition contains the bonus short story Endless Light, which is told from Prince Lyar's perspective.***

    After an accident many years ago that left him in a coma, Greg woke up to find that he could touch things and know what had happened to them. Too bad he can't control the talent enough to keep it from overwhelming him. He's lived with it long enough that it he can make it day by day, but when he starts being stalked, he has to depend on his friends to help him cope. The only good thing his gift has brought him is Artie, an overprotective cop with a psychotic cat and a great bedside manner. Artie is all about helping Greg cope, and about finding out who's threatening his friend. Through grisly gifts and terrifying attacks, Artie stays by Greg's side. Even ordering take-out can be an ordeal for Greg, and Artie is happy to run interference. Greg hasn't touched anyone without pain in years, but with Artie he finds he has someone to lean on, even as the stalker finds new ways to torment him. Can the two of them find a way to solve the mystery of Greg's tormenter before one of them gets hurt?

    Up, that is, into the arms of your hunky upstairs neighbor. And so starts the comic misadventure of Blake and Ted as they go from San Francisco to Salt Lake City to Las Vegas and back again, collecting their motley pack, not to mention a whole slew of unexpected surprises, along the way. Will good win out? Can different really be better? And can the Queerwolf keep his new breed of pack together and alive? Read on to find out, but better leave the doors locked because this pack travels on its stomach... and you could be next on the menu!

    Incest is one of the untouchables, a taboo that even in alternative cultures is often still looked on negatively. But how can something that feels so right be wrong? In Fraternal Devotion, the focus is on brotherly love--in every sense of the word. These are tales of love, lust, devotion, and passion as real as any other romance. Why should the fact that the two men are brothers take away from that? This collection may challenge your assumptions and beliefs, but may also melt your heart. Not to mention steam up your glasses.Keith is a Humanist Corpsman, sworn to protect society from the mutated ranks of the Infected. When his own team betrays him, however, it's his long lost brother, Riley, who takes him in and makes him choose between War and Peace and Brotherhood. After nineteen months apart, Brandon Patrell, of Analgesia, is convinced it will take more than a home renovation to keep his playboy brother, Ethan, from running away again. But as Ethan resumes his old mind-games, Brandon is determined to tease back for once, even if it means risking everything in a game of all or nothing. A dozen years after discovering his father's suicide, Cale returns home and finds his older brother Derrick showing the same signs of melancholy. But as much as he wants to help his brother, he fears being sucked back into that world of Depression, Love, and Swimming Pools.Jeremy has been On Clouds of Obsession since long ago glimpsing his brother, Matt, naked in the locker room. Years later, with Matt due to be married in a week, Jeremy takes a chance after Matt's bachelor's party that could jeopardize their relationship, not to mention the impending wedding. Songwriter Andrew lives life On the Edge, using drugs to quiet his uncertainties about his ongoing relationship with his twin, Ben. Disheartened by Andrew's empty promises, Ben begins to pull away, forcing Andrew to choose between letting go and finally finding the strength to stop running.

    But when a stranger who's been watching him scrambles off the trail to help, he meets Mick Paulson, native Vermonter and the most gorgeous man Shanti has ever seen. Smitten with the alluring stranger, Shanti asks him for date, but quickly learns his brawny rescuer isn't exactly the dating type. But then Mick offers him a compromise. He's willing to give a full scale, romantic dinner a try, if Shanti agrees to venture into Mick's world for a night – a place where lust runs high and inhibitions run low. Through this bargain, they both learn where their edges lie, and what happens when they step beyond them.

    Unfortunately, when he encounters long time ex Jackson Brooks, things start taking a turn for the worse and Liam finds himself getting stuck in a spiral again. Will he ever be able to leave?

    Fortified by a little liquid bravery on a work night out, Jake makes his move and finds out that Cal is interested too. To Jake's dismay, Cal makes it clear that nothing is going to happen as long as they work together. Fortunately for both of them, this is just a temp job and there's only a week left in the contract.Cal admonishes Jake to behave while he waits, but as the week drags on, Jake can't resist flirting and teasing. When Friday finally arrives, Cal shows Jake what happens to people who can't follow his rules. Jake learns a surprisingly enjoyable lesson over Cal's knee--one that he won't forget in a hurry.Length: 5870 wordsThis short story was originally published in the Juicy Bits anthology from Dreamspinner Press. It has been re-edited but no major changes have been made.

    They’re the two best students in their program, but that’s where their similarities end. Kell is an omega with a confidence problem, and he just can’t understand why Parker always singles out his best work with the harshest critiques. He’s always been a jerk from the very first moment they met, and Kell is certain it’s because Parker has always lived his life in the lap of luxury.Parker is an alpha who gives zero f*cks. He knows he’s the best at what he does, and what anyone else thinks about him doesn’t matter—except when it comes to his home life. He’s kept that a big secret, having been cut off by his parents for supporting his estranged brother and four-year-old nephew, who both live with him in his tiny apartment. With them to look after, Parker couldn’t care less about anything else—especially not finding a mate.When Kell and Parker get assigned as partners for a school project opposites attract, and the two rivals in close proximity find themselves struggling to deal with their unusual and (mostly) unwanted attraction. Especially when they realize they’re next door neighbors.

    So sticking his neck out for them and asking charges of kidnapping against them be dropped by Ben Maxwell, the alpha of the nearby wolf pack, didn’t seem like too big of a risk. It took Rance a while to realize the two men were also his mates and manage to convince Terence and Samson of that fact.Rance successfully bonds with his new betas not a moment too soon, because the visions of his alpha-mate come fast and furious. But Paul is a human, and not just any human, he’s the brother of the woman that Terence and Samson inadvertently helped kidnap a couple months ago. Convincing his newly bonded betas that the man who makes up the fourth to their pride’s inner circle is so close may be the easy part, because they’ll also need to persuade Ben to let the three cougars onto the wolf’s territory to meet and court the human. And if they somehow manage that, they’ll need to convince Paul, a widower with a three-year-old son, that there really are paranormal creatures in the world and that he’s the mate of three male cougar shifters. But even if the human accepts them, will Rance’s cougar pride?

    He’s fallen for Eli, his adorable teddy bear of a roommate, but can’t express himself when said teddy bear is around. Eli is a responsible adult who makes risotto, worries too much, and falls asleep on the couch while watching the news. Riley wants nothing more to fall asleep next to him. He has been trying to shake his younger self’s reputation, but he feels that, compared to Eli, he’s just a pretty but useless artistic type. All that changes when Riley finds two abandoned kittens and brings them home. Eli has no idea what to do with the helpless strays, which means, for once, Riley takes charge and has an excuse to stick close to his roommate—something Eli hardly objects to. If anything, he seems to like Riley around the house. He seems to like the kittens, too, so much that Riley has to wonder if Eli could also like them all together. One soft, anxious bear, one pretty but not useless artist, and two balls of fluff might just make a happy home.