Not Like Other Boys


K.A. Merikan - 2014
    Win a boyfriend. ---Ethan. Taxidermist. Goth weirdo. Can’t wait to be done with high school.Ethan is a young artist-entrepreneur with a love for quirky taxidermy. Roadkill is so much better than people. By the end of high school, all he wants is to develop his business, yet all his parents want is for him to go to law school. That is more than enough of a problem for Ethan, so any kind of love life is out of the question. That is until Robert Hunter, the quarterback of the football team, comes crashing into him. Literally.Robert. Quarterback. In the closet. More than meets the eye.Robert is the popular kid, the quarterback on his way to med school. He’s gay, but not exactly coming out since he doesn’t like to stir the pot. One night, spurred on by too much booze, he ends up causing irreversible harm to Ethan, the school’s weirdo.The aftermath.Robert will do anything to avoid charges for what he’s done, but when Ethan makes an indecent demand in return for his silence, Robert might just be in way over his head.For Ethan, it’s a simple act of revenge on a bully, but when Robert turns out to be not-so-straight, their arrangement gets complicated all too fast.POSSIBLE SPOILERS:Themes: First love, fitting in, entrepreneurship, disability, high school, jock/goth, taxidermy, artist, coming out, becoming an adult, enemies to lovers, hurt/comfortGenre: New Adult M/M romanceLength: ~ 90,000 words (Standalone novel, no cliffhanger.)WARNING: Contains steamy, passionate scenes, violent injury, themes of bullying, and a morally ambiguous proposition(This book was formerly published as ‘Diary of a Teenage Taxidermist’)

Lush in Lace


A.J. Ridges - 2015
    I was Jamie’s best man, and Scott was BJ’s best man. Not an ideal situation for either of us, since Scott and I have been enemies since high school. Somehow we managed to get through the weeks before the wedding without killing each other (barely), but then the bachelor party incident occurred and added fuel to the fire. Now we argue even more, and the sexual tension between us is unbearable, at least for me. Unfortunately, I have things I like— kinky things— that Scott would never be able to handle, probably because he’s not even gay. Or at least that’s what I always thought, but now I’m not so sure and apparently neither is he… Lush in Lace is a complete contemporary story written as part of the Goodreads MM Romance Group's Don't Read in the Closet - Love is an Open Road event. Tags: enemies to lovers, gay for you, out for you, funny/humorous, snarky, bickering best men, lingerie (maties/stockings), fetish/toys, nerd/jock, panty-scorcher, porngasmic fluff, family

Below the Belt


E.M. Lindsey - 2018
    His first serious relationship crashed and burned with his boyfriend in the bed of their dog-walker. After achieving his dream job working as a Classics Professor at the University, his life is derailed by a car accident, leaving him blind in one eye and battling to lecture through a stammer. Whatever his luck, though, Noah is bound and determined to pick up the pieces and find his own way to happiness. The day Noah walks into Baum’s Boxing is the day everything changes. Adrian Flores, an ex-Marine boxer with his own story to tell and his own struggles to overcome, is immediately taken with the timid man taking his first kickboxing class. It seems like a fairy tale waiting to happen, until the day it doesn’t. A miscommunication between both men leaves them vulnerable for one cruel, obsessed man to take matters into his own hands. Will their relationship survive blackmail, violent attacks, and a promise to destroy their livelihoods? Or will the two be forced to part ways and accept that fate is just not on their side? Below the Belt is the first in the series, Baum’s Boxing. Each book will contain an HEA with no cliffhangers.

Clean Up on Aisle Mine


Patricia Logan - 2020
    He cleans up messes other people make of their lives to forget the wreckage his own has become. Whether it means retrieving a drug addict whose family is being blackmailed or rescuing a furball who’s the subject of a custody dispute, Damon just gets things done.When the job means kidnapping the wild son of a prominent Senator in an election year, it should come with hazard pay.From the day Jude Chenoweth was born into wealth and position, his father has groomed him to follow in his footsteps. Jude has other plans. Openly gay and infamous, all he wants to do is live his life, create his art, and never settle down.Life has a way of kicking butts, even the sexy ones. Thrown together in a situation neither wanted, Damon and Jude must now decide how to move forward. Jude knows something is wrong when he gazes into Damon’s haunted brown eyes and Damon recognizes there’s much more to Jude than the caricature he shows the world.This might be the beginning of a journey… or an incredibly stupid mistake. Perhaps working together will help them process their own demons. Whatever happens, neither of them believes Damon’s assignments will always come with a heaping helping of bad guys.Not always… right?

The Jock


Tal Bauer - 2021
    Three years in, he has it all: he’s the starting tight end, team captain, and, according to ESPN, maybe the best college football player in the nation. But he’s been keeping a secret from everyone.Justin Swanscott has three certainties in his life: he’s gay, football is overrated, and he really, really doesn’t like cowboys. He should never have fallen into Wes’s open-range eyes or let his heart run wild when Wes gave him that shy little smile over summer. But he couldn’t stop himself.Everyone’s asking questions about Wes this season: How is he playing so well? Will Texas be undefeated this year? Will he take the team all the way to the national championship? What’s next for him?The truth? Wes isn’t dreaming about an NFL contract. His heart belongs to Justin, even though the world wants it to belong to football.Wes has stadiums packed with screaming fans, ESPN is all over him, and the NFL wants him badly. He’s living under a microscope, and the pressure keeps building as the team keeps winning. Everyone wants something from him, but all Wes wants is to love Justin.Something’s gotta give.

The Rainbow Clause


Beth Bolden - 2017
    Don't sleep with the athletes. Don't fall for the athletes. It had never been particularly difficult to keep the rules but Nick had a feeling he was about to be tested. Heisman winner. Member of the National Championship team. NFL Rookie of the Year. Quarterback Colin O’Connor knows he’s become the ultimate romance novel cliché: all the success he’s ever dreamed of but nobody to share it with. Too bad it’s not as simple as asking out the next girl who intrigues him – because the next girl to intrigue him probably won’t be a girl at all. Unexpectedly, the solution comes in one neat package: Nick Wheeler, lead journalist for a leading sports and pop culture blog. Hired by Colin’s team, Nick comes to Miami to shine a spotlight on the NFL’s most private quarterback. The heat in Miami rises when Nick discovers that Colin is nothing like the hollow personality he pretends to be in interviews and he’s even hotter in person than on his Sports Illustrated cover. Nick knows this is the story of his career, and it also hits close to home. What he needs is to help Colin share his story while keeping their growing relationship from boiling over in the press, but what he wants is to tell the world.Note: this book has been re-edited and re-released on 6/24/2017. Content is the same, errors are fixed.

Maybe With a Chance of Certainty


John Goode - 2011
    Brad is the baseball star at Foster High. Both boys are damaged in ways that the rest of the world can’t see. When they bond over a night of history tutoring, Kyle thinks that maybe his life has taken a turn for the not-so-lonely.He finds out quickly that the promise of fairy-tale love is a lie when you’re gay and falling for one of the most popular boys in school, and if being different is a sin in high school, then being gay is the biggest sin of all. Now Kyle and Brad need to come to an understanding amidst the scrutiny of their peers or their fledgling relationship will crash and burn before it ever gets off the ground.

Sitting Ducks


J.R. Gray - 2022
    I’ve spent weeks winning his respect, and as an added bonus, the sexual tension built on the foundation of his hate is so arousing I almost forget we’re just fucking with each other.Only we don’t have time to process, because we’re thrown into the middle of a raging forest fire, trying to find a missing hiker before it’s too late.At the worst possible time, I figure out the case, but if I tell Hayes he’ll hate me. If I don’t tell him, we might die in the woods. How to tell your partner you nearly killed his last partner when you want to keep fucking him, while dodging bullets, was not covered in FBI training.

Houston


Shaw Montgomery - 2018
    Broad, strong Doms are supposed to look intimidating in leather, not sexy in leather and lace. When long looks and a curious encounter with his new roommate make Houston think there might be some interest from Reece, he isn’t sure what to do. Reece is straight, isn’t he? Reece knows who he is…but most men don’t seem to understand.Reece has known he was bi for a long time, but the Doms he’s met don’t seem to be able to accept that. When his new roommate makes Reece’s submissive side want to roll over and beg for a spanking, he’s not sure what to do. Houston gives orders like a seasoned Dom, but is taking a chance worth the possibility of embarrassing himself and being asked to leave?When two stubborn men both refuse to acknowledge what’s right in front of them, it might take a push to get them to see the truth.55k WordsStory Contains: M/m sexual content, BDSM elements, gender-fluid dressing, edging, and spanking

Fake and Dandy


G.R. Lyons - 2019
    With his trust fund to support him, Jayden would rather spend his days designing clothes and his nights partying. A business would be useless to him, but he loves Grandpa and can't bring himself to just say no.When Jayden happens upon Dirk Cameron, a man he knows his grandfather hates, Jayden proposes a fake relationship, hoping it'll get Gramps to back down. Though there's an instant attraction, Jayden and Dirk know they're not perfect for each other, but they think they can fake it long enough to both get what they want.Until their fake arrangement starts to become a little too real.(Fake and Dandy is a prequel short story that begins the Dandies, Inc. series. Approximately 30k words.)

Letting Go


Ashton Cade - 2018
    But when my brother's old best friend and my teen crush Ian Barrett is here too, I find myself making excuses to stick around a little longer. He's still everything I've ever wanted, but this former baseball star is also a big-time player... if you know what I mean. I don't know what Ian would ever see in steady, reliable Grant Rainier. But I also know I can't stay away. When we start working away together on his dream, I know I'm in trouble. One glance and my heart melts, along with my resolve. Being with him means staying in Umberland and giving up my big-city ambitions, but being without him means losing the best thing that's ever happened to me. How am I supposed to let go of either one? Ian: I've had my share of men, but I've also attracted more than my share of controversy. And since I was a teenager, the Rainier family has always been my rock—I feel like part of the clan. When I see Grant Rainier again, I can't help but remember him as a teenager just off to college... and now the boy is all man. For the first time in my life, the chemistry is there, and so is the caring. But should I subject him to the whirlwind of my life? And can I risk the peace and solitude I've given up everything for? Letting Go is the first book in the Rainier Family series and can be read on its own. 67k words of dreamy, steamy, wishes-come-true love, getting over long-standing fears, Rainiers running interference, and a whole big, bustling, small-town family waiting for its HEA.

Everything to Lose


E.M. Denning - 2020
    It shouldn’t be a problem but being around Dante makes Zane question everything he thought he knew about himself. The more time he spends around Dante, the more alluring he becomes. But… Zane is straight. Right?Dante is alone in a strange city. He didn’t have much back home, but at least he had his best friend. Zane’s increased presence in Dante’s life comforts him and stops him from feeling adrift and alone. There’s one complication, however. Dante’s years-old crush on his best friend’s brother is back. While struggling to put his feelings behind him for good… Zane kisses him.Pursuing their mutual attraction isn’t without risks. Zane could lose his heart, but loving Zane could cost Dante everything.

The Best Friend


Raleigh Ruebins - 2020
    It didn’t matter that he was a football star and I was a mathlete, or that I was gay and he was straight. We stuck together like glue--until he married a girl and ran away.Now Mitch is back home, and he’s a divorced single dad. His son is in my math class, and I collide with Mitch everywhere in this small town. When he starts bartending at the only local gay bar, I’m screwed. Red’s Tavern is my haven, but how can I fake it for other guys when I’m in love with the big jock behind the bar?Then Mitch invites me into his bed, saying it's just for fun. But I’m addicted to him the second his body is on mine.I’ve done the math a million times. I know the odds are bad, but I know I want him.And now that he’s given me a taste, I can’t stop begging for more.

Moving in Rhythm


Dev Bentham - 2012
    Handsome and smart, he's also cripplingly shy, especially around attractive men. Tired of waking up alone, he's desperate to conquer his insecurities and have a real, meaningful relationship.He gets his first opportunity when he tags along to his sister-in-law's dance class and lays eyes on the sexy instructor. Seth Miller has a way of moving that takes his breath away. It isn't long before sparks fly and they share a steamy kiss, but Seth wants much more than just a casual encounter.If Mark wants a real relationship with Seth he'll have to come to terms with his sexuality—but will it be enough to break through the walls he's built up around his heart?

Off-Campus Setup


Maria Vickers - 2017
    Between the university screwing up his living arrangements, the weird meddling old woman who runs the boarding house, and the fellow student who instantly catches his eye, life in Cali is more than he expected, and he isn’t sure he’s ready for any of it. College was supposed to be an adventure, but this might be more than Levi can handle. Nathan Orion wants to have fun. That’s what he lives for and it's exactly what his college years are supposed to be about. He’s happy with living the single life and being carefree…that is until the new student at his grandmother’s boarding house crashes into his life. Now he’s been recruited to show the new guy around, and if Nathan has his way, it won't be just on-campus.Will there be more, or is this only an illusion? Two men thrown together, not expecting anything, but possibly finding so much more than an off-campus setup.