Book picks similar to
At the Lake by Geoff Laughton
ya
m-m
young-adult
lgbt
Strings Attached
Nick Nolan - 2001
Closeted teenager Jeremy is sent to live with wealthy relatives after his mother enters rehab. Struggling to fit into the posh world of Ballena Beach, Jeremy joins the high school swim team, dates a popular girl, and begins to think he may have landed in paradise - until his great aunt Katharine starts to dictate his every move and a late-night phone call insinuates that his father's accidental death was not so accidental after all.As Jeremy grows accustomed to the veneer of a fabulous life, so grows his need for answers - as well as the danger of immeasurable harm. Weaving together a murder mystery, sexual ambiguity, and characters with hidden identities and agendas, Nick Nolan offers listeners a deliciously witty novel about the "puppet" who wishes only to be a real boy. Strings Attached is also a surprisingly heartfelt story about coming-of-age and coming out - not necessarily in that order.
Empty Nests
Ada Maria Soto - 2015
They might make a connection if they can get past their differences—and their fears.At age fourteen, James Maron decided to prove he wasn’t gay despite vast evidence to the contrary. Now at thirty-two, he’s getting ready to send his son to college and wondering what he’s supposed to do next. Outside his son, his life consists of an IT job he hates and watching telenovelas with the women in his apartment building. Gabriel Juarez is the CFO of a technology giant. He has looks, charm, fantastic wealth, a workaholic personality, and a string of boyfriends who only stick around because he’s too busy to tell them to leave. A bad laptop/projector interface causes James and Gabe’s paths to cross. Friends, family, and coworkers jump to match Gabe with a nice guy, and James with anyone. But are they too different? Everyone will have to tread very carefully to keep things from ending before they start.
Waiting for Walker
Robin Reardon - 2017
His folks have split, and now he lives with his mother in the manager's unit of a motel. His mother is seeing a medium to communicate with Micah's older brother, killed in Afghanistan. He had to change schools for his junior year, which made him retreat further into himself, hiding behind his camera—and hiding that he's gay.One sunny day in June, as he's shooting a dead seagull on the shore of Long Island Sound, a mysterious guy appears in a beautiful sailboat. At first, the guy's boat shoes are the image that stays with Micah. But soon it's the person himself, Walker Donnell, who haunts Micah's dreams.Walker's life looks perfect to Micah. His wealthy parents adore him; he has everything he could want; he's gorgeous and generous; and he falls hard for Micah. But he has a secret: Walker is intersex.The closer Walker and Micah grow, the more Walker feels a need to be sure of himself in ways he hasn't fully faced before, and now it's his turn to retreat. Micah knows Walker is worth waiting for, so he waits. And waits.
Talker
Amy Lane - 2010
But Brian has spent his whole life being the invisible man, and he's used to looking below the surface. What he sees in Talker is a fragile and lovable human being. Brian is outwardly straight, but Talker is desperate for love, and when Talker's behavior leads to some painful consequences, Brian is forced to come out of his closet-in dramatic fashion. He'll do anything to make sure Talker sees that he's the Prince Charming Talker has always needed.
Losing Faith
Scotty Cade - 2016
While on a run his first day in Southport, Cullen comes upon a man sitting on a park bench staring out over the Cape Fear River with his Bible in hand. The man’s body language reeks of defeat and desperation, and unable to ignore his compassion for his fellow man, Cullen stops to offer a helping hand. Southport Baptist Church’s Associate Pastor, Abel Weston, has a hard time managing his demons. When they get too overwhelming, he retreats to Southport’s Historic Riverwalk with his Bible in hand and stares out over the water, praying for help and guidance that never seem to come. But Abel soon discovers that help and guidance come in many forms. An unexpected friendship develops between the two men, and as Cullen helps Abel begin to confront his doubts and fears, he comes face-to-face with his own reality, threatening both their futures.
Self Preservation
Ethan Day - 2009
Jack's only known Tadd for two weeks, so whatever Jack feels for Tadd couldn't possibly compare to what he shared with Davis. There's no way in hell Davis can stand by and watch the life he always expected to get back slip away to some guy Jack barely knows. Tadd Austin, indeed...more like Toad Ass-ton, Davis thinks. With his best friend, fashion designer Deseree Wildwood in tow, Davis has to shed his sweet, guy-next-door persona, and re-vamp his image into a self-confident, hot piece of eye candy. He's going to the wedding with only one goal in mind: to do whatever it takes to win back Jack. The Toad is toast! Once in Chicago, Davis discovers it isn't going to be as easy as he thought. Not only is Tadd very un-Toad-like, but a mysterious British playboy named Alex Parker manages to interject himself into the mix. Only true love will survive as the tug of war ensues in this Bermuda love triangle from hell.
Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, male/male sexual practices.
Getting Him Back
K.A. Mitchell - 2016
Mitchell
Ethan may have followed his high school sweetheart to college only to get dumped his first day there, but he's not going to let that stop him from exploring all his new life has to offer. Sex-only hookups, his photography, new friends and a campus-wide game of zombies vs humans all help keep his mind off his broken heart and move him toward building a new, better life without his ex.And then there's Wyatt. Mysterious, grouchy—hot. And possibly not gay. But Ethan's not going to let that stand in the way of figuring out what makes Wyatt tick. New college goal? Get Wyatt into bed and into Ethan's life.Step one: arrange a "tutoring" date. Step two: "accidentally" bump into Wyatt as often as possible. Step three: explore the sexy body under that ever-present hoodie. And when their friendship deepens into something neither of them expect, convince Wyatt he's not just a pity fling or a one-time hookup, but that Ethan is in it for the long haul.This book is approximately 43,000 words.
Small Wonders
Courtney Lux - 2015
He keeps it all close and works out a life he could have if he could ever let someone keep him long enough for him to build up a treasure trove of small wonders all his own.Small Wonders is Courtney Lux’s debut novel of a Southern boy escaping his roots and unexpectedly finding hope in his future.
Noah Can't Even
Simon James Green - 2017
He only has one friend, Harry, and school is...Well, it's pure HELL. Why can't Noah be normal, like everyone else at school? Maybe if he struck up a romantic relationship with someone - maybe Sophie, who is perfect and lovely - he'd be seen in a different light? But Noah's plans for romance are derailed when Harry kisses him at a party. That's when things go from bad to worse utter chaos.
Take the Long Way Home
J.A. Rock - 2015
He’s infatuated with his online friend, Evan, alienated from his family and former classmates, and still trying to recover from his father’s death six years ago. He’s also keeping a troubling secret about his older brother, Gunner, who is away at boot camp.
Then Dresden meets Caleb, a judgmental environmentalist who’s hardly Dresden’s fantasy come true. But Caleb seems to understand Dresden’s desire for rough sex, big feelings, and, ultimately, safety. As Dresden becomes embroiled in a farmers market drama involving Caleb, a couple of bullying tomato enthusiasts, and a gang of vigilante vegans, he discovers he might be willing to trade a fantasy relationship with Evan for a shot at something real with Caleb.
But Dresden fears telling quick-to-judge Caleb his secret, and the news that Gunner is coming home sends him fleeing to California for a chance to meet Evan in person and hopefully fall in love. When the encounter doesn’t go as expected, Dresden faces a choice: stay in California and carve out a new life, or take the long road home to his family, Caleb, and a past he must face if he has any hope for a future.
Boy Shattered
Eli Easton - 2018
I swear. I had everything—school quarterback, popular with girls, and my dad was proud of me. I told myself it didn’t matter no one knew the real me. And then I nearly died. Landon saved my life. He’s the bravest guy I know. He came out a few years ago, proud and fierce, and he ran into gunfire to help others. Me, I’m a mess. Can’t even stand to be in a room with the curtains open. But here’s the thing about losing it all: You get a chance to start over and be someone new. Only how can I move on when the two shooters who attacked our school were never caught? And why do I feel like I’m still in the crosshairs? Landon Will you kiss me? When I came across Brian Marshall,the hottest guy in school, dying on the cafeteria floor, I did what anyone would do. I tried to save him. His request surprised me, but I figured he needed comfort, so I kissed him on the forehead. When he survived and came back to school, he was broken in body and mind. He still needed me, and soon we were unlikely besties. But what I saw at school that day woke me up. I want to demand action on gun control, lead protests, raise my fist. I’ll tear the world down if I have to. And if I can get the man of my dreams and save the world at the same time? I’ll take it. Only I didn’t understand that the horror at Jefferson Waller High wasn’t over.
Old Town New
B.A. Tortuga - 2006
He's had a tough time of it, but Danny figures he's managed to become respectable, or at least less than notorious. The last person he expects to ever see back in town is Harlan Quinn, his old best friend and consummate bad boy. And when he finds out Quinn is the new Sheriff it's even more of a shock. Quinn knows there's more to his old hometown than meets the eye. There's trouble brewing, big enough trouble that he's willing to go undercover to figure out who's behind it. Quinn knows there's more to Danny than old memories and quiet living, too. There was a lot of passion in his old friend once upon a time, and he's willing to bet it's still there if he scratches the surface. He sets out to stir things up in more ways than one, pushing Danny to admit that there's more to life than he has, and that their old town just might manage to be new again.
Old School Discipline
Misha Horne - 2016
A no nonsense bully with a very firm hand. A dorm room that can barely contain the heat.
I never planned on continuing my pointless education. But then I got arrested. Again. Hey, if those laptops weren’t meant to be stolen, they should have been locked up better. Somehow, my latest stunt and lousy attitude landed me in Redwood Academy. An exclusive university where they’re supposed to turn screw ups like me into upstanding citizens. Or some crap like that. But, okay, fine. Some lame private college still sounded better than jail. It’s not like I’m footing the bill. So, what’s the problem? Well, let me name a few. The dean’s got it out for me, because I might have broken a fairly big rule on day one. Gotta make an impression, right? The troublemaking twink across the hall is obsessed with me, and his overprotective boyfriend doesn’t like that very much. What can I say? It’s hard looking this damn good. And then, there's my roommate. Bax is a complete psychopath. An obnoxious, dominating bastard, with a vicious sneer and massive biceps, and a past no one will talk about. I hate him like hell. Except when I don’t. When he uses those strong hands to punish me in ways I’ve never dreamed of, hate is the last thing on my mind. Oh, did I forget to mention the spanking? See, Redwood’s all about the old school discipline. And, apparently, so am I. Because getting bent over and spanked by my roommate is pushing buttons I never knew I had. Any normal person would be planning a jailbreak, I guess. Believe me, I’m tempted. But I’m starting to think I might actually belong here. Even worse, that I might want to belong. To Bax. And that’s definitely a problem.
Old School Discipline is a 107,000 word enemies-to-lovers romance novel about two angry roommates who can’t stand each other and absolutely refuse to believe they could be perfect for each other. No matter how much they like fooling around. More details in the Look Inside.
Never Do a Wrong Thing
Marcus Herzig - 2018
Best friends since kindergarten, best friends forever. That was the plan. High school sophomores Tim and Tom know everything there is to know about each other … or at least they should, but Tim has a secret that could change everything he doesn’t want to see changed. Tim is gay and almost ready to be out and proud. Tom is already proud—a proud homophobe, that is. As if the stakes were not high enough already, things get even more complicated when Tom talks his friend into double-dating a pair of girls. But sometimes unwanted challenges offer unexpected opportunities, and after the most embarrassing night of his life, Tim knows he can no longer avoid the inevitable. The question is, how will his best friend take it? From the author of Cupid Painted Blind comes a captivating new Young Adult LGBTQ novel that provides insight into the conflicted soul of a teenage boy who finds himself torn between honesty and friendship. Download your copy now.
The Bromance Zone
Lauren Blakely - 2021
One road trip. And eight inches …... of snow that night at the cabin.If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. Friends don't bang friends.I want my friends to stay in my life, especially that flirty, clever, outgoing best friend of mine.It's a damn good thing Owen and I made a pact in college to never ever sleep together, or else I'd be tempted.Trouble is, eight years later I've been wondering what his kisses taste like. And I've been curious if our chemistry would extend into the bedroom. If he might feel the same risky pull.But I don't want to lose Owen, and history says there's no way a tryst between friends can end well.So as long as I avoid the bedroom with him, I won't break that hard-as-steel rule.Except the snow has other plans …The Bromance Zone is a deliciously flirty, red-hot sexy, friends-to-lovers MM romance about the charming guy next door who's sworn to never date a friend, the flirty hot nerd who's been secretly crushing on that friend forever, and one night snowed in in a cabin. This book comes fully equipped for your reading pleasure with sexy banter, a super awkward dinner party, and a scene in front of a fireplace that proves just how dangerous the friend zone is!