Book picks similar to
Ice Devils by Ryan Taylor


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Our First and Last


Becca Seymour - 2021
    Now he just needs to figure out how to achieve the future he wants, one that will lead to a happily ever after and a place he can call home.Ian Haughton is a loveable, hardworking nurse. He’s ready for a change and wants to escape and start afresh in the small community of towns he’s grown to love—Kirkby being at the heart.When the new annual Pride festival launches in this small-town community, Ian is happy to be involved but reluctant to be the lips needed to draw in the crowds at the kissing booth. That is until one man’s lips save him from an uncomfortable moment and end up turning his world on its head.With miles separating Ian from the future he so desperately wants, he has no idea how he can make it all work out, especially when someone appears to be driving a wedge in his plans.Some surprises are unexpected, while some revelations come with the sweetest of first—and last—kisses.Our First and Last is a sweet and sexy M/M romance in Becca Seymour’s bestselling True-Blue series. It can be read as a stand-alone novella, but it’s recommended you read book four, Thinking It Over, first so you have a better understanding of the wonderful characters in this world.

Living on a Dare


Grace Kilian Delaney - 2019
    The same man he’s been crushing on since the first day they met. The same man that has grown distant over the past year. And the same man who just agreed to be his fiancé.Julien Bouchard is tired of living a lie. He spent the past year exploring his sexuality in secret, enduring countless dates with women to appease his mother, and dodging his best friend, Draven, who knows everything there is to know about him, except the one thing that could change their friendship. Ready to face his friend, he meets him at a bar and is greeted by an unexpected marriage proposal. The dare isn’t surprising; it’s the scorching hot kiss that sends Julien’s head and heart in a tailspin—and gives him an idea for the perfect plan.But his plan hits a bump when news of their fake engagement spreads to their families as fast as a wildfire, forcing them to confront their true feelings about each other and hope they don’t get burned.

Wrapped with Love


Beth Bolden - 2017
    It isn’t the most serendipitous of meet-cute’s and they certainly aren’t the likeliest of romances, but over venison steaks and crème brûlée, they fall in love anyway.Flash forward two years . . .Jordan isn’t a football player anymore.Reed sold his restaurant. But even more drastically, they’ve lost each other.When Reed moves to Los Angeles take a new job, he doesn’t realize Jordan now works there too. But Jordan definitely realizes how precious the second chance fate has bestowed on them is. He’s determined to make up for everything that fell apart the first time around, and it turns out he’s not the only one scheming to right old wrongs.Starting a new career is always difficult but sharing office space—and big projects—with an old lover is particularly rough. Between impromptu Secret Santa exchanges, Christmas light viewings, and more tacos than even Reed can eat, the two former lovers have an eventful holiday season to navigate.

Playing the Point


Ashley K. Broome - 2017
    It happened. But even he couldn't predict that he'd be going from Seattle to their biggest rival, the Sioux Falls Martens. It didn't keep him from happily packing his bags and moved to a team that, hopefully, wanted him there.With plans to keep his head down and to prove to the Marten's organization and his new teammates that he was a worthwhile trade, Henny thought he was ready.Until he met Matt.Matt Doherty, the captain of the Martens, had Henny throwing any plans he'd made out the window. Their chemistry was instantaneous, on the ice and off it. Getting his mind off the captain and on the game was near impossible. There was something about how Matt treated Henny that made it too easy for him to think there could be something more than friendship between them.As the season progresses, the temptation becomes harder to resist. For the first time, Henny started to think that he could have both hockey, and love.

Blow Me


Mari Thorne - 2020
    That was, until he kissed me at my graduation party and I freaked out, ran away, and didn’t come back for three years. Now I’m home, conflicted about my future, and determined to repair our broken friendship, though it seems he’ll never forgive me for hurting him.Aaron: Three years ago, I made a huge mistake. I kissed my friend at his graduation party. My very straight friend that I had a huge crush on. Because I couldn’t keep my lips to myself, he ran away and ghosted me. Oh well, his loss, right? Since then, I’ve moved on with my life, or so I thought.Brady’s back in town, and I don't want anything to do with him. Then, he kisses me, leaving me reeling once again. But that doesn’t mean I plan on forgiving him. I didn’t think I’d find myself in a position to need his help, though. When he steps up to help my brass band out, he’s in my life again whether I want him there or not.Blow Me is a 55,000 word friends-to-lovers novel about finding your soulmate through music, the unbreakable bond of high school band, forgiveness, and choosing what makes you happy. It features a bisexual awakening, humorous moments, steamy scenes, a small-town brass band, a pug named Petunia, and trumpets.

Romantic Hero


Jeris Jean - 2021
    I don’t even know what came over me. It was probably just that it was Halloween, and it was late, and I was lonely. Oh, and the fact that he is the world’s hottest human.But then he pulled back, and I got awkward, and I have avoided the library at all costs ever since. I couldn’t bear the humiliation. So when I agreed to be a faculty advisor for a student project, why didn’t I ask where the meetings would be held?Because I’m a moron; that’s why.Oh, and the best part? The other staff advisor to the project is – you guessed it – Hot Librarian.TheoI don’t get rejected. Why would I? There’s objectively nothing undesirable about me. Well, maybe besides a lack of humility. But still.That didn’t stop Sexy Professor from bolting right in the middle of an almost-hookup and avoiding me like the plague, though. And that level of avoidance takes f*cking work on a small campus like CCC.So when he showed up to co-supervise a student project, I didn’t give him the time of day. Didn’t notice how his rain-soaked sweater clung to his body. Or how the little droplets of water gathered at the tips of his wavy hair. And I sure as hell didn’t get turned on as he nibbled the cap of his pen while listening to the project proposal.Professors just don’t do it for me. Never have. Never will.Romantic Hero is book one of the Coleridge Cliffs series. It’s a broody academic vibe MM romance series that is equal parts heat and heart.

Cold War


Keira Andrews - 2014
    He’s worked for years to win Olympic gold, and he can’t let himself—or his partner—down. Distraction in the form of steely and smoldering Mikhail Reznikov is the last thing he needs as he prepares for the biggest competition of his life. But with the Games only days away, they can’t keep their hands off each other. Dev soon learns that beneath Mikhail’s arrogant and aloof exterior is Misha, a passionate man who warms Dev’s heart and scorches his bed. They're both determined to win, but for Misha his freedom could be on the line. Can Dev put his deepening feelings on ice as he goes for gold?

Hockey Bois: A Beer League Romance


A.L. Heard - 2021
    Ever since he can remember, it's been his favorite thing in the world. It's too bad he never learned to play, he'd tell himself, but it was too late to do it now. Adults don't just magically learn to skate and join a hockey team. That'd be ridiculous.Except maybe they do? On a whim, he decides to sign-up for an adult beginner's class. He learns to skate, joins a team, and meets a really hot teammate… and it’s pretty much a disaster from there on out.

Riding the Board


Cate Ashwood - 2013
    When his diving partner suffers a nearly fatal injury, Blake is devastated and walks away from everything he’d worked so hard for. Two months later, though, his coach finds him a replacement partner in an attempt to coax him back into the water. The only problem? His new partner is Nick Freeman. Despite his reputation for being cocky and impossible to work with, their coach thinks Nick would be the perfect match for Blake. Too bad the two can’t seem to get it together long enough to find out. Desperate, their coach hatches a plan that leaves them handcuffed together for a full week. Will the scheme to get them in sync take them to Rio, or will they be riding the board on their own?

Protecting the Prince


Ali Lyda - 2021
    I’m not going to fall for a spoiled price.Prince Ryden is as hot as he is off limits.I have no intention of sleeping with a client, especially not a royal client.He’s got the weight of an entire kingdom on his shoulders, and he deserves to let loose for a bit.Maybe I can show him a thing or two.It can never be more than a fling.A guy like Ryden wouldn’t want me forever anyway.His family will never approve.My only job was to keep him safe.But now that I know how amazing he is, I want to keep him close for good.Falling for my bodyguard would be a disaster.As prince of Cosandria, I have a duty to marry and produce heirs.My bodyguard can never be my boyfriend.But what about a fling?I’ve never done anything with a guy before, no matter how much I’ve wanted to.When it comes to Ajax, I can’t resist.He’s here to keep me safe, but it’s my heart that’s in danger.How can I keep him when I have a duty to my country?And even if I find a way to come out, will he want to stay?Protecting The Prince is a 70,000 word bodyguard/prince romance featuring an irreverent and protective bodyguard and the nerdy and spoiled prince he needs to keep safe.

Bully & Exit


Brigham Vaughn - 2015
    He needs to come out and reclaim his first love. If only Caleb will believe him...Theater geek Caleb Stockwell gave up on love when his boyfriend chose the closet over being with an openly bisexual guy. Now, he hides his heartbreak behind a string of casual hookups. He loves the drama on stage, but he’s done with the drama of Nathan Rhodes. For good.Nathan is determined to right the wrongs of four years ago, but the clock is ticking.One month until he and Caleb go their separate ways. One month to take a final shot at winning Caleb's heart back.Win or lose, everything is on the line.NOTE: This is a second edition released June 2020 with an additional 18k words of brand new content, fresh edits, and a new cover.

The Thomas Flair


E.J. Russell - 2020
     Diabetic gymnast Sol Ashvili, an alternate for the 2016 men’s Olympic gymnastics squad, had one thing on his agenda for the last day of competition in Rio—corner teammate Tony Thomas, his best friend for half his life, and finally confess he’d been in love with him for years. But instead of returning to the team suite after winning his second silver medal, Tony jetted out of Rio and turned his back on everything: a college degree, gymnastics meets… and Sol. The first two Sol could forgive—barely. The last? Not a chance. Commentators had a name for Tony’s crowd-pleasing, no-holds-barred, high-octane gymnastics—the Thomas Flair. After the 2016 Games, he parlayed that reputation into a career as an internet celebrity, specializing in extreme sports and risky stunts. His decision to battle his way back into competition shape for a chance at the 2020 Olympic team is extreme all right, but now he must survive the biggest risk of all: facing Sol again after his epic betrayal in Rio. For the sake of the team and the reputation of US men’s gymnastics, Sol and Tony struggle to leave the past behind and find a way to work together. But as the Games draw closer, they’re starting to realize that finding their way back to each other may be the only way for both of them to truly fly high. The Thomas Flair is a 64,000-word enemies to lovers second-chance rom-com set around the Tokyo Olympics that might have been, featuring a thrill-seeker who needs reining in, a perfectionist who needs to let go, redemption, rowdy teammates, and a few gymnastics moves that will never make it into the Code of Points.

The Goalie's Secret


Riley Knight - 2016
    He’s always found the starting goalie Dante to be incredibly attractive, had a bit of a hero worship thing for him, and in person, he’s just as devastatingly handsome as ever. Immediately, Cody finds himself wanting things that he thinks he can’t have. Dante, too, is immediately drawn to the beautiful young man, but Cody has been taught from a young age that he can’t be who he is, not if he wants to succeed in hockey. And Dante, too, is too cautious to be open about his own attraction to other men. Maybe friendship is all that the two can expect to have. Still, they’re drawn together irresistibly, and while the hockey world starts to speculate about whether or not they’re competing for the starting goalie position, they’re actually just busy trying to hide what they are both coming to feel for each other … The Goalie’s Secret is a gay hockey romance featuring explicit scenes. There is guaranteed no cheating, no cliffhangers, and an HEA ending. Enjoy!

The Viking and the Drag Queen


V.L. Locey - 2022
    The only son of the late Danish hockey great, Elias Hemmingsen, Tyr has always done his best to follow the plans his father had laid out for him: Finish school, make it into the pros, become team captain, find a biddable young lady to marry, and win a championship so the Hemmingsen name lived on eternally on the side of a massive silver cup. Like the good son he is Tyr has done as his father wished no matter how it peeled away layers of his true self. Then all the neatly placed supports that hold up his so-called life come crashing down during a night on the town. Tyr might be known as the ‘War God of Wilmington’ on the ice but there’s no battling the effect Gigi Patel LeBay has on him. Elijah McBride lives for the spotlight. As Gigi he bewitches and bedazzles the crowds at the Campo Royale Club. His vibrant stage persona is the face he presents to the world. Underneath the rouge, eyeliner, and lipstick is a young man who still feels the sting of his parent’s disapproval and rejection of the son who wears wigs and dates other men. With his drag family and older brother in his corner he’s finally found peace in his life. Until that fateful night a massive hockey player shows up the club. There’s a world of hurt in Tyr’s soft brown eyes and Eli finds himself falling for the big man despite all the barriers he’s built around his tender heart. The Viking and the Drag Queen is an opposites attract gay romance with heavy checking, lipstick worship, an out and proud queen, a closeted athlete, family lost and found, twink/jock, a new beginning, and a well-cinched happy ending.

A Breath Apart


Christina Lee - 2019
    Even if it means pretending Josh Daly doesn’t make his heart pound every time their eyes meet. The tension eases once Josh heads off to a Christian University on a baseball scholarship. Brennan stays put in Elm Grove to work at his family’s drive-in movie theater and take classes at the local community college. But when Josh comes home for summer break, the feeling not only returns, it transforms into a loud and commanding drumbeat he struggles to tune out. Finally admitting who he is feels overwhelming. There’s a reason Brennan remains a virgin and when he realizes Josh might be one too, the chemistry between them becomes impossible to ignore. Except acting on his attraction throws everything Josh has been raised to believe out the window. Plagued by fear and self-doubt, they finally surrender, placing their trust in each other and their undeniable connection. But facing the world together takes the sort of faith that will either strengthen their bond…or shatter its very foundation.TW: homophobia