It is a product of the Goodreads M/M Romance Group Scavenger Hunt challenge and features original stories from some excellent authors. The Scavenger Hunt challenge is an event where readers find books that fit a criterion (like having a green cover or a title starting with “D”) and then find specific items within the pages of these books to add up to as many points as possible (for example, “twin bed” = +2 points). This challenge was a helluva lotta, fun and so we thought we share by creating the ultimate 2013 Goodreads Scavenger Hunt book.This book was lovingly put together as a baby gift for Katie, our tireless leader, who recently had her first baby and is probably just now realizing what “busy mom” really means. Congratulations Katie!We’ve listed the items you need to find in the front of the book. Happy Hunting (Under Covers).Publisher’s Note: This book is intended for adult audiences. It contains sexually explicit scenes between two or more men, violence, and language which may be considered offensive by some readers.

    Until I met them. We’d seen each other at different times but it wasn’t until the night I almost killed myself trying to lift more weight than I should that our worlds finally collided. What started out as lifting partners and movie marathons turned into weekend jaunts across the city and every free moment spent together, a tension building up between us that left me holding my breathe. I’ll never forget the night He took control and shattered our worlds, morphing our growing friendship into something more. I used to tell myself I would walk this earth lost and broken forever, but I know now my soul was waiting for Sir and Pup to save me.Photo Description: A naked man tightly holds a chain wrapped around the necks of two guys on their knees in front of him.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love’s Landscapes" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story. This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

    …Perhaps they are lovers, partners… but the man in the back is also a Dom and the man in suspenders is his sub and needs some “attention” from his Dom…Photo Description: Although it’s in color, the photograph has an old-fashioned feel. Two short-haired men recline together, visible from the waist up. Both wear collared shirts with no ties, and their sleeves are rolled up. The young man in the foreground wears suspenders, his eyes are half shut and he has a peaceful expression. The slightly older man cradling him wears a waistcoat. He looks with nearly closed eyes and a loving expression at the man in his arms.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love Has No Boundaries" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.

    He’s looking out from a window somewhere in heaven. He’s alone and miserable, because he did the unthinkable and gave in to the advances of another angel. The two angels fell in love with each other, and that was when things went wrong.His lover got punished; he was tossed out of heaven, because even though sometimes an angel can give their wings when they fall in love with a human, it can’t happen with other angels. Those are the rules in heaven.The angel in the picture wonders, if it would be worth to ask for a permission to go down to look for his love, because all his lover’s memories would have been wiped when he was de-winged.The worst part? Once an angel asks to go down to live as a human, there’s no way he can ever return to heaven, not until he dies. He may keep his memories, but what would he do if he couldn’t find his lover or if the lover wouldn’t want him in his new life.And my dear author, please don’t make this in any way about God, Christianity, or religion in general, because I’m agnostic and I can’t deal with that stuff. Sorry. :)Photo Description: Half in shadow, the dark-haired angel gazes intently up and away. Sunlight catches the fine cut of his naked muscled chest, the tattooed stars on his hip, the thorny design on his shoulder. Shadows lie on the soft white feathers of his wings, as he slides his white pants open.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.Read the story here or find it in Don't Read in the Closet, Volume 4 or Don't Read in the Closet: GayRomLit Retreat 2011 Special Edition.__________Genre: paranormal romanceTags: gay m/m, light D/S, angels, angst, love, drama, light BDSMWord Count: 19,345

    All this beautiful skin, coupled with my dark restrains— it gets me going and wanting to have you at my every wish. And you are with me, every time. So beautiful! And afterwards— so good to be with you, next to you, feeling every breath you take, breathing in your smell, the one that’s totally you, giving me peace. But what’s even more wonderful is getting to be held by you, your arms around me. So good to have you near me.Yes, we are in tune, belonging together.Really?Photo Description: Two men lie side by side, embracing one another. One of them has black ropes still tied around his wrists and ankles while the other holds him protectively.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love’s Landscapes" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story. This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

    David's sheltered upbringing has left him socially awkward, a 80s fashion sense and a stick-thin physique. Matt decides to look out for the daydreaming student and teaches about some of the things he has missed out on. They quickly become best friends. However, David's feelings for Matt grow deeper than just friendship. After a awkward encounter with a girl Matt sets him up with, David knows he only wants on thing. But will David convince Matt to succumb to their desires? Or will it all end in disaster?

    S. undercover, posing as a British cop, to investigate a series of murders he suspects have been committed by a dark mage. He never expects, however, to find himself intensely attracted to the American police detective in charge of the case. Christian has long struggled with his hidden desires and hasn't admitted them to anyone. But Alec Anderson stirs something deep within him that's difficult to ignore. Still...even if he could master his fear of coming out, Christian's dedicated himself to protecting the world from magic terrors. It's a dangerous life an ordinary human could never understand or accept. And to complicate matters, Alec's emotionally vulnerable, still grieving the death of his previous lover, a fellow cop killed in the line of duty. So Christian's determined to keep his true occupation and powers hidden from Alec. Neither man can deny the powerful chemistry that burns between them, and both realize they're falling hard for one another, yet with so many secrets and complications, a relationship seems impossible. When the two men become the target of the dark magic, however, and clues about an ancient legacy come to light that indicate Alec may not be exactly what he seems, can they find the strength to tear down all the barriers between them and risk their hearts in order to save each other's lives?

    This is a story about two men with dissimilar struggles in theirs lives, joined by the force of nature and kept together by their own irresistible passion.

    We are deeply formal, and decorum and honor are most important to us. So I’m sure you’ll understand my utter dismay upon being married to one of those savages, those long-haired barbarians we had been fighting for centuries. And to a man, no less. I was to broker peace by bringing shame to my family and to my kingdom.That was how I married into this happy, weird clan, this race of freedom and warmth that wouldn’t know propriety if it hit them in the face. And I’m terrified. Terrified that that my dark, deviant, twisted desires will be brought to light for all the worlds to see. Not that my new family seem to care. From what I’ve seen, men holding hands or women kissing in the streets are as common as sunrise in this land.And what am I supposed to do with my gorgeous, warm husband, who looks at me with such kindness in his eyes and a smirk I just want to kiss punch off his face? Or with that red-haired band of lunatics, with absolutely no concept of personal space, they call the royal family?I’m starting to believe I could finally find myself here, and yet it is my duty to betray those that I’ve come to hold dearest. When I’m made to choose between duty and love, when the hour comes when I must favor a side, how will I do it without losing a part of myself?Photo Description: 2 drawn images 1)A man with a naked upper torso. Long wavy red hair, purple eyes, wearing a leather thong necklace with a large red pendant. The background is a grayish sky. 2)A royal portrait of a man with blue eyes and dark bluish hair. He’s wearing a white shirt with frills down from the neck and flared frilly sleeves. Over the shirt is a royal blue coat with gold detailing. His left hand holds the handle of a sword.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love’s Landscapes" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story. This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

    On his way home from school, Kipling rush falls through some broken boards and lands on the strange boy Chemuel, whom he calls Crash for obvious reasons and their lives together begin.What's not so obvious is who Chemuel is, why he's down there, or what lies ahead for them in this short story about the transformative power of selfless love.

    When John McIntyre sees Nick Kelley step off the island ferry, he's instantly attracted, and fairly certain that he knows what Nick is keeping secret, because he's been doing it himself for years. When he discovers Nick's real secret he's drawn into a world he never knew existed, one haunted by grief and guilt and ghosts. In the shadowed world of the spirits, Nick's power is all that the ghosts have to help them. But Nick is still mourning the death of his lover in an accident he believes he caused, and John's determined to keep their relationship secret.It's going to take a lot more than attraction and really good sex to solve their problems but will they be lucky? Or will one week be all they have before they're left alone again?

    I’m thinking Kinsey three or four. This would also explain his extreme dislike of the shy Dr Simon (who we now know was played by a gay man).I’d love to see a post Serenity, space opera treatment of someone like Jayne’s self-realization. Now what would be his type… hmmm… what man would finally drive him wild enough to face up to his repressed desires. It should include all of the attendant emotional turmoil (inside monologue) of someone with his low IQ and high survival instincts, and yet include the outside language of someone who was trained to say as much with as few words as possible. This man has depth, but the waters are pretty murky.Anyone take the challenge?Photo Description: The original request included a promotional shot of Jayne Cobb, a character from Firefly. He is gruff with a face shadowed by stubble, and he is crouched and holding a gun. The request wanted “a man deep in the closet, striving to be hyper-masculine, and completely misogynistic, simply to hide his attraction to men.”This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love Has No Boundaries" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.

    Since we were supposed to be rivals and everyone expected us to fight, we just did it. But then we met under completely unexpected circumstances and realized that neither of us is the prick we thought the other one was. Eventually, we became friends and now I cannot imagine a life without him. Just a few people know that we only fight for publicity now and actually like each other very much.But during our last “fight” something went awfully wrong. He grabbed me in front of the cameras and kissed me! And I liked it! Now, everyone asks me if we are gay or if that was some kind of prank. But I really don’t know! I need to talk to him but he doesn’t react to my phone calls. The only thing I know is that I don’t want to lose him.Photo Description: Two men stand whisper-close, one second from a kiss.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love Has No Boundaries" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.

    I don’t mind; it’s funny how everyone is deceived by our act and while they look at me with fear and loathing, His secret is safe. No one is going to know that behind his innocent look and smile there is a soulless and sadistic man. I love Him the way He is and even if He isn’t capable of love, I know that I’m the most valuable person in his life. He trusts me, He cares about me and He wants to be with me. And it’s enough.Sometimes, I wonder— am I monster too?Photo Description: Two manga-style young men on the verge of a kiss. One has white hair, while the other has his face partially hidden by a hood, although his eyes seem to have a reddish tint.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love’s Landscapes" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story. This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

    Until I find him (yes, I am gay, my pack is pretty much open to sexuality), I am allowed to have fun with other guys. I’m known as a player but that’s okay because once I find my mate, my wolf and I will be truly monogamous.Then I find him. My mate (You can decide how we meet— make it meet-cute type). But then my mate says that he is an asexual. What the hell? What does he mean, asexual? Does he mean that I cannot have sex with him ever? That he will never enjoy sex with me? How can I make him fall in love with me then?But my wolf and I are determined to romance my mate; even if I have to join AVEN forum (which I thought at first as forum for AVIAN shifters) and talk around to couples with asexual lovers for tips. Because I will have my HEA with him, right, dear author?Photo Description: A young man and a wolf appear close together. The young man is dark-haired the wolf has pure white fur and amber eyes. The young man is holding the wolf close to himself in an almost possessive manner. They seem like they belong together.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story. This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.