There's really no other choice for someone who was the son of a shepherd, from a village of shepherds, hidden in a remote mountain valley. School was nothing but a distant memory, nobody in his village went there for more than a few years. Skills like reading the weather, sensing when a sheep was about to give birth, knowing how to make the most of the milk and cheese, those were what they needed to get by. And maybe also the ability to survive in solitude. Because growing up a shepherd meant you’d spend the summer months mostly depending on your own, sheep and dogs your sole companions. More importantly it was a life free from the ravages of war that were inflicting other parts of his country. Most of the villagers and shepherds had become wary of both soldiers and the resistance fighters. He'd heard stories of soldiers torturing innocent villagers just because a resistance fighter had spent the night in one of their stables or of so-called resistance troops looting villages for food. His village's seclusion is the shield that protects them and his small family... until the day he stumbles over a severely injured freedom fighter, one whose beauty and charm turn Raul's world upside down. The two men spend the summer of their lives together. But autumn and with it Raul's return to his village, his wife and his child, is approaching mercilessly. After a spending such a summer together, how can they possibly face a future apart?

    Of course, all the late nights and weekends he spent at the office had their price, which he paid dearly. He no longer has any friends or social life to speak of, but none of that matters when he’s finally given the chance for an executive promotion, one that will grant him the financial security he so desperately craves. Kieron Parsons loves his life. He’s got a great family, friends he can count on, and a job that he enjoys. He works hard, but he also knows how to have fun, and for Kieron, there’s nothing more fun than teasing the sexy, surly man that comes into the deli every day for lunch. In fact, making the man blush has become the one thing he looks forward to most. He would love the chance to crack that hard exterior and see if there’s any sweetness inside. When Shaw’s boss invites him to attend an exclusive company vacation for executives only, he is thrilled. That is, until his boss tells him how important it is to have a balanced work and personal life then asks who his guest will be. Worried that not having anyone might cost him the promotion, Shaw makes up a lie, using the only person he can think of, the outrageous guy who’s always flirting with him at the deli. Thankfully, Kieron agrees to Shaw’s plan, posing as the uptight man’s boyfriend, but how are they supposed to convince everyone that they’re a couple when they barely know each other? Will Shaw’s rigid nature end up exposing their lie or will Kieron finally be able to convince him that there’s more to life than just work?

    Well, their almost relationship. When their only interactions are during scenes at the Bound & Controlled club, Harper can’t help but wonder if he even has the right to ask why Bailey is pulling away. Bailey’s got a secret, and it’s eating away at him and his relationship with his Dom-with-benefits Harper. It doesn’t matter how he feels about Harper or what he envisions for their future, because Harper’s made one thing clear: he doesn’t like littles. When assumptions and crossed wires erode a relationship, it’ll take a leap of faith to fix what’s broken. **Author’s Note** While the Bound & Controlled club is under the Shaw side of my world, this sweet age play book is definitely an M.A. Innes story. My books as Shaw Montgomery are the more traditional side of BDSM, and my books as M.A. Innes are filled with sweet age play and fun things like puppy play. Since A Leap of Faith straddled both sides, I decided to put it under both names. A Leap of Faith was originally included in the Dirty Daddies Pride anthology in 2021, and no material changes have been made to the story.

    Now she's focused on her career and her efforts have finally paid off. A trip to Aspen with her best friend seems like a perfect way to celebrate her big promotion at Marshall Resorts. But meeting the most gorgeous man she has ever seen under awkward circumstances is definitely not a part of her plan. If that’s unexpected, discovering two weeks later that the breathtaking stranger is her new CEO is outright unimaginable. Logan Marshall distanced himself from the drama of his dysfunctional family years ago. But when he’s called back to save the Marshall Resorts after a traitor sold their secrets to a competitor, he can’t let his great-grandfather’s legacy go down in flames. As if taking charge of the family firm in the middle of a scandal wasn’t enough to process, he’s faced with the fact that one of his new employees is the woman he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about since their embarrassing first encounter in Aspen. The atmosphere is tense, the environment is hostile, but when two people are so perfect for each other as Emily and Logan are, can anything stop them? Clean, inspirational romance novella.

    A source of comfort, companionship, and desire.For Eli, it's a source of terror.Branded by the trauma of his past, Eli is struggling in his freshman year of college. He might be afraid of just about everything, but in his heart of hearts, he's nobody's bitch.Yet it's at his lowest point, that he first hears it. HimThe voice.Wet feet, a frozen ass - this guy likes to complain, but why would Eli care about any of that, when he's got his own problems? The bigger question is what, or rather who, the voice is.Afraid it's a sign of his fragile psyche's demise, Eli is torn between hunting down the source to prove it's real, and ignoring it in case it isn't.His eventual quest will see him grappling with geese, battling burritos, and dodging deities - all in the search for his sanity.And maybe, just maybe, finding love.Psync is a steamy, 18+ 94,000 word MM romance with the following tropes: Fated mates, touch aversion turned to bliss when touching your mate, hurt/comfort, yandere main character, and meddling gods.Content warning: Trauma-related mental illness, mentions of past childhood trauma.