Book picks similar to
Believing Rory by S.C. Wynne
mm
m-m
contemporary
abuse
Trust Trade
Ki Brightly - 2017
When he attempted to escape his abusive, zealot father, he found himself on the streets, making a living the only way he knew how, the victim of more violent men—one of whom orchestrates a series of vicious attacks that leave Jeb deaf. Now that he’s aged beyond his latest client’s interest, Jeb knows he needs to escape his risky lifestyle before it’s too late. Seeing one last chance for himself, he earns a GED and enrolls in college. Freddy Williams enjoys a life that couldn’t be more different from what Jeb has survived. He loves sports, being a personal trainer, and hanging out with friends. The son of deaf parents, Freddy is an outspoken advocate of the Deaf community and works as an interpreter at his college. When he meets Jeb at the bookstore, he’s struck by how attractive he is, and as they get to know each other, he finds Jeb’s good heart just as appealing. By the time he learns of Jeb’s past, it’s only a few steps behind them, and Freddy must make a choice between school and his familiar routine and protecting the man he’s falling in love with.Content warning: Child prostitution, pedophilia, on-page rape, physical abuse and mental trauma.
Stalker
R.D. Hero - 2013
He's always one step behind his white knight, with camera in hand, and no one's ever gotten in his way until Eric's best friend, Pacer Daringer, cast a shadow over Abel's happily ever after. Now Pacer has the little stalker in his sights, and he's determined to teach Abel a lesson. What he didn't count on was that Abel might like it.
Plan B
S.J.D. Peterson - 2013
One night at a frat party, Danny meets Lance Lenard, football jock and apparent straight guy. Lance is shocked when he's immediately attracted to Danny's feminine side. Danny is happy to be the subject of Lance's first man-on-man experiment—until Lance begins to struggle with the fact that despite his appearance, Danny is indeed a man.Lance's whole life has been focused on his goal of playing in the NFL, and he knows those dreams will be smashed if anyone finds out about his little secret. Although Lance has come to hunger for Danny's touch, he's not willing to give Danny what he's grown to crave: a boyfriend who's proud to love him for every flamboyant and snarky cell in his body.Life sends Danny and Lance in different directions, each of them focused on his respective Plan A. But the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
Pretty Shade of Grey
A.D. Truax - 2004
Two unusual people result in an equally unusual relationship. m/m slash (rough draft).Status: Complete - Chapters: 13 Word count: 126,864 words Currently taken down for editing and/or publishing preparation.
Wanting
M.L. Rhodes - 2009
Which led to another. And another. And then to a mind-blowing night of intimacy Jeremy Reynolds can’t forget. He can’t stop thinking about the gorgeous, smart, compassionate man who tilted his world. Can’t stop seeing warm, sexy eyes gazing at him with breath-stealing intensity. Jeremy tries to tell himself to let the incident go, move on, and chalk it up to a life experience. After all, what transpired between him and his best friend and roommate, Ben Cross, can never happen again. Ben is gay, and Jeremy…isn’t. At least he’s never thought he was before. But now he’s torn and confused and not sure what the night with Ben meant—for either of them. Already stressed about final exams before the holidays and his difficult family situation, Jeremy doesn’t know how to deal with the conflicting feelings he’s having. And the one person he’s always been able to talk to about everything is the very person he’s been avoiding for the past week because he doesn’t know how to face him after waking up in his bed. Afraid he might have already screwed up his and Ben’s friendship beyond repair, what haunts Jeremy even more is the backlash he could face if he admits to Ben, or even to himself, how much the night they spent together really meant to him. And how much he still wants Ben even now… This novella has been previously published and has been revised since its original release.
The Last Snow of Winter
Ian Muise - 2010
He also carefully keeps his desires frozen-for their sake. But he can't help the attraction he feels for the burly, unapproachable lineman who shares two of his classes. Cliff Stevens is equally set on achieving his adopted dream of becoming a professional football player to the exclusion of almost everything else. Cliff drifts through the days alone, but he can guess what Mark has in mind when he catches him watching one day. After an accidental encounter, Cliff proposes a bargain: for one week during the break, they will set aside their reservations and play at being together, exploring each other and perhaps even learning a little about themselves as well.
Up!
Al Stewart - 2018
He recovers from bitter disappointment and gradually life returns to a regular rhythm. Safe and predictable. Every day he gains confidence, but with health comes boredom. From the window ledge, he watches people outside and wishes he could be like them. There's another side to Luke. Underneath his bed are five hidden pairs of jeans with matching Dr Martens: yellow, purple, striped, green and tartan. Some days he feels the itch to get them out. Nope. Those days are gone. One day, an amazing thing happens. Dynamic blog artist Formaldehyde Bob comes to town with an exhibition of light and dark! Luke has crushed on him since being fifteen, idolising the man and his unusual creations. Something about the art calls to Luke like nothing else, makes him believe there might after all be someone out there who thinks in the same way. A soul mate. A bird with a similar song. No. Luke isn't going to go and see Formaldehyde Bob. He isn't. Because he's happy with his monotonous lot and doesn't want to see hope sliding down a mountain of sand. Will Luke take a chance and visit Formaldehyde Bob? Can the jeans ever be worn again? Does grumpy Barbara ever smile? And the most important question: is there any magic left in the world? Find out in this snowy tale of young love in the most unexpected places. Content warning: references to self-harm, mental illness.
Beautiful & Terrible Things
Riley Hart - 2020
We couldn't have been more different, yet we were best friends, had each other's backs, and kept each other's secrets. What you are, I am, we always said.Then one night irrevocably changed our lives forever.It's ten years before I see Gage again, and instantly I can tell he's not the same boy I fell in love with. We're both haunted and hardened by the memory of that night--of everything we did and saw.Yet as much as we've changed, the connection between us lingers. Our history is so devastatingly complicated that it's difficult to allow ourselves happiness. With every touch, every laugh, every moment we take back, the more signs I see of the old Gage resurfacing. Little by little, I'm becoming the Joey he remembers too.But it's never that easy. If we truly want to heal, we have to find strength not only in each other, but in ourselves. Life is filled with beautiful and terrible things, and this time, we'll do whatever it takes to hold on to the good, and to each other.Warning: While this is a story about friendship, found family, and two men epically in love, it also deals with difficult themes: childhood physical and verbal abuse, some violence, depression, and anxiety.
Ten
Tia Fielding - 2019
That’s what Makai lost for a crime he didn’t commit. He’s been exonerated, but the abuse he suffered in prison isn’t so easy to leave behind. He heads to the one place he remembers being happy: Acker, Wisconsin, where he spent summers with his grandpa. Unfortunately, not everyone wants Makai there. Ten days. That’s how long Emil, now twenty-one, was held prisoner as a teenager. The mental and physical injuries he suffered at the hands of a drug trafficking ring still haunt him. Nightmares, anxiety, and PTSD challenge the connection forming between Makai and Emil, though together, they might find a way to move beyond their pain and into a future—and a relationship—that both had thought impossible. Now they just have to convince Emil’s father, the town sheriff. It won’t be easy with danger closer than they know….
Soul on Fire
Tal Bauer - 2019
Everyone flees from the outbreak—except for the terrorists intent on weaponizing the catastrophe. Lieutenant Elliot Davis, US Navy SEAL, is sent to rescue CIA officers from their clandestine base in Goma, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and evacuate them out of the country. What they’ve uncovered sends Elliot back to the Congo, trying to prevent an attack that could spark a global pandemic. Dr. Ikolo Ngondu runs a refugee hospital caught between the advancing rebels intent on slaughtering everyone in their path and Elliot’s mission to find and capture their leader. In the chaos of a surprise attack, Elliot’s target slips away, and the only way to find him is to plunge into the Congo’s dark, dangerous, and fevered forest with Ikolo as his guide. Together they track a burning shadow through Africa’s broken heart, and Elliot struggles to reconcile the world he finds with the life he’s lived as a black man in the West. He looks to Ikolo for answers and finds a man with a core so bright and fierce he scorches Elliot’s soul. Even as they race against time, Elliot and Ikolo have no idea what’s been set in motion with their mission: a dark secret lies at the center, one that leaves billions of lives hovering between life and death. And through it all, a question burns inside Elliot, one that only Ikolo may hold the answer to.
Sebastian's Journal
Eden Elsworth - 2014
From the moment he lays eyes on Nathan, a homeless young man with a secret past he has hidden from for years; Sebastian is captivated by the beautiful teenager. Having escaped his abusive home, Nathan lives on the streets, selling himself to survive. When he hits rock bottom, he turns to the only person who might be able to help him: Sebastian. As Sebastian devotes himself to Nathan’s recovery, he falls deeply in love with the damaged young man. But Sebastian’s domineering father is determined to separate his son from the man he loves.
Without a Compass
Helen Juliet - 2017
But Kai is straight and he and Riley have nothing in common. Riley’s a desk jockey and hunky Kai is obsessed with the great outdoors, just like the rest of Riley’s family. It’s bad enough that Riley is forced to go camping for his dad’s 50th birthday. Even worse when gorgeous Kai shows up too and Riley isn’t sure how long his crush will remain secret. Kai always liked his best friend’s cute but shy little brother. When they reunite after a few years apart, Kai is surprised to find that Riley has grown up…and Kai can’t get him out of his head. Maybe now that Riley is an adult they can be friends? When their camping trip takes an unexpected turn, Kai and Riley find themselves stranded together out in the wild. The chemistry between them is undeniable. But Riley is too afraid to believe this could be real, even though Kai knows this is no longer just about friendship for him. They don’t have long before they will have to rejoin civilisation. Can they face the truth in front of them before their lives pull them apart once more? Without a Compass is a steamy, standalone MM romance novel with campfire kisses, a dog with a mind of her own and a guaranteed HEA with absolutely no cliffhanger. This second re-edited edition does not contain new content.
Two Night Stand
Ellis Carrington - 2015
Both of them would rather be anywhere else. Gabe needs a sober ride home without his douchey ex bringing him down. Lincoln needs to put the mistakes that brought him to Hollow Forge behind him for good. A simple lift back to campus turns into one night together that leaves them both wanting more. One night becomes two, but soon their pasts are knocking at the door and the clock is running out on their weekend. 15,000 word gay romance novella
100 Days
Mimsy Hale - 2015
Now college graduates, they take a road trip around the USA, visiting every state in 100 days.As they start their cross-country odyssey, Jake and Aiden think they have their journey and their futures mapped out. But the road has a funny way of changing course.Fifty states. Two boys. One love story.
Platonic
Kate Paddington - 2014
But when Mark goes to college in California rather than following Daniel to New York, he embarks on a decade-long search for independence, sexual confidence and love.When Mark lands a job in New York and crosses Daniel’s path, they slowly rebuild their fractured friendship through texts and emails. If they finally agree to see each other, will they be able to keep it platonic? Or will the spark of a long-lost love reignite just as Daniel accepts a job overseas?Platonic is a story of trials, growth, and knowing how to learn lessons from the past to build a future.