These dark, often disturbing tales expand the boundaries of the horror genre; the sexuality of the protagonists is a point of reference for the "horror" of otherness that defines and, at times, divides us.Cover painting: Detail from The Ambassador of Obloquy by James HuctwithContains the following stories:"The Nightguard" C. Mark Umland"Piercing Men" Douglas Clegg"The Siege" Michael Marano"Bear Shirt" Gemma Files"Little Holocausts" Brian Hodge"The Sound of Weeping" Thomas S. Roche"Hey Fairy" Edo Van Belkom"The Spark" William J. Mann"Spindleshanks (New Orleans, 1956)" Caitlin R. Kiernan"The Perpetual" David Quinn"Genius Loci" Becky N. Southwell"Goodbye" Michael Thomas Ford"Tabula Rasa" Robert Boyczuk"You Can't Always Get What You Want" T.L. Bryers"The Bird Feeders" David Nickle"No Silent Scream" Nancy Kilpatrick"Second Shadow" Joseph O'Brien

    What does a maiden alone in the dark forest do when she finds that she is hot for a giant? Anya has kept herself hidden for so long, she doesn't know what to do when she finds the man of her dreams, but she figures it out pretty quickly.

    I can't blame him for being pissed. I fucked up royally. Can you find a way for me to make it up to him? Can he ever forgive me? Can you lead us to a happily ever after? Photo Description: Two young men, naked from the waist up. One sitting on the ground leaning back on his hands with his head turned to the side looking distressed. The second on his knees, leaning over him, kissing his neck, with his hand on the waistband of the other's pants, pulling his clothes down.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is Always Write" 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 Love Is Always Write: Volume 5.Don't miss In Too Deep, a novel inspired by this short story.

    Someone to Love"God, I'm happy she's gone," one of Jill's friends said. "Yeah, looking at her face makes me sick to my stomach." Words like those have followed Raina every since she was a child and half of her face was destroyed by a tragic fire. Once upon a time, she was one of the ‘beautiful ones’ with her hazel eyes, light brown skin and long flowing hair. But now, Raina only watches the world around her. Too ashamed of her looks to actually interact, she finds joy in following Bill with her eyes. With her head down and her hair obscuring her scars she manages to get by.Bill doesn’t like anyone and has little patience for Jill’s flirtations. He has been described as looking like Brad Pitt on crack—and it’s not very far from the truth. The only thing that matters is getting through the work day so that he can get high. But one day he literally crashes into Raina and for the first time in either of their lives they allow themselves to actually be ‘seen’.The Way HomeJamie thinks too hard, reads too much and doesn’t much care for her looks. At fourteen, she knows that she’s never had a real childhood. When her mother died she was the one that had to step up to the plate and run the household—and for the most part she doesn’t mind at all. And then one day she sees a white boy coming from the woods who was dirty, hungry and obviously uncared for but with eyes so lost that despite her normal shyness she offers to help him. As they come to terms with the fact that their lives transcends the ‘norm’, Kenny and Jamie’s relationship reaches heights that they could have never imagined, and lows that their love may not survive.Baby Girl and the Mean BossNicole wasn’t sure why she had gotten the nick name Baby Girl when she was not-by far-the youngest employee of The Down Home Calabash. Her much younger co-worker complained, gossiped or talked about how attractive their boss was. But Nicole didn’t have the luxury of a fantasy existence. She was on a mission to make money and to get her degree and her plans most definitely did not include Marty. Besides he was mean and he yelled at her!But once she experiences a tragic accident, Nicole sees a different side of her sexy, boss. But each has their own secrets and if they can’t express their heartfelt emotions their relationship might be doomed even before it begins.

    Enchanting Publications brings you 12 sizzling short stories to make your toes curl on a cold winter’s night. The proceeds of this anthology will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

    Whether in the old west or the Australian outback, New England or the Great Plains, these girls and their horses work hard, play hard, and love hard. Contributors Radclyffe and Jove Bell depict the rough and tumble world of female rodeo riders, while Cheyenne Blue explores cattle ranching and the new environmentalism, and Delilah Devlin writes about a “Hired Hand” who may be a woman, but is more than a match for any man. Sexy, steamy, and crackling with the energy of a wild filly, these stories represent the cutting edge of lesbian cowboy fiction.

    Taking the opportunity to attend a lavish masquerade ball -- even if she wasn't invited --was just too delightful an opportunity to resist. When Nicholas Powers dragged her into his arms for the most explosive kiss she ever experienced, she floated on cloud nine. It is a fantasy night she'll never forget, even though she knows she would never have a chance with him. Especially when she winds up working for him as a temp and sees him obsessing about finding his Cinderella... a fantasy she can never fulfill.Nick had never felt such fiery passion as he did when he held the dazzling beauty in his arms. She aroused him as no other woman could, then she ran away with his heart, leaving behind only an antique glass slipper earring. If only the mask hadn’t hidden her features. Knowing no other woman could ever make him feel the way she did, he swears to find her and make her his. Why, then, does his little spark of a secretary make his pulse quicken?Previously published as "Masquerade of Love".Length: 50,000 words/224 pagesPlus an excerpt of Secret Weapon by Opal Carew.

    Her whole life had been about pleasing others - her straight-laced parents, her rule-bound teachers. When her best friend, Kayla, suggested they hop a cruise from Boston to Bermuda, Amanda leapt at the chance. This was her one chance to light the night on fire. And then Evan stepped on stage. Evan was exactly the man her country-club parents would have disapproved of. Ripped abs and soul-deep eyes. Lightning-fast fists. One glance and she knew she has to be his - if just for these seven brief, torturously-exquisite days. And, oh, Evan could play her. His fingers were connoisseurs of her body, drawing out her deeper notes, sending her soaring to heights she barely knew existed. She lost all sense of self, of rules. Until the day she saw what she was never meant to see - and her world changed forever. * * * Bermuda Nights - The Boxed Set presents all four novellas in the Bermuda Nights series in one complete set! It includes the novellas Resonating Souls, Wine-Dark Dreams, The Soulless Abyss, and Wanting All. The first three novellas have cliff-hanger endings, which lead to the final novella with a happily-ever-after. Half of all proceeds of this novella benefit battered women's shelters. Due to the strong sexual content and mature-topic situations, this romantic suspense series is recommended for readers aged 17+.

    He never expected to learn about love.Billionaire Chandler Harrison’s third marriage is now history, and he’s left with his ex-wife’s parting barb, 'You have no appreciation of beauty.' Determined to prove her wrong, Chandler hires artist Neil Sweeney to add a mural to his office wall. He doesn’t even care what the picture is, as long as it’s beautiful.Neil Sweeney is an ex-tagger, a free spirit, and a bit of a hippie. He’s never met anybody as uptight as Chandler, but when it comes to warming up Chandler’s cold, stark office, Neil has plans involving more than art.Chandler begins to find himself strangely moved by the mural developing on his office wall. He’s especially moved by the artist himself. Chandler has denied his homosexual urges for most of his life, but it isn’t long before Neil begins introducing Chandler to all kinds of new things. As Neil’s masterpiece comes to life, so does Chandler’s appreciation for art, colour, and the best kind of beauty of all—love.Reader Advisory: This story has been previously released as part of the Promoted by the Billionaire anthology by Total-E-Bound.

    A model who finds herself unaccountably aroused as she poses for a watercolor artist. A pool of water on a desert road and two lovers who know how to make the most of it. This is Aqua Erotica, a sensuous tasting of desire's liquid, ecstatic other worlds.Aqua Erotica is a siren's song, a book so unforgettably sexy that you will want to take it with you to the bath, the sauna, the night-lit pool.What's amazing is that you can.The first-ever waterproof book for adults. The most seductive collection of original literary erotica ever gathered under one cover.Aqua Erotica is a book that quite literally goes places you never imagined books could go. Featuring today's boldest erotic voices:Francesca Lia BlockPoppy Z. BriteLouise ErdrichCarol QueenMarcy SheinerCecilia TanBarry Yourgrauand many others --

    For such a tightly-laced age, people spent a lot of time thinking about things carnal. Jules Verne, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Mary Shelley, H.G. Wells, et al enthralled us with their visions of new possibilities. The rich and slightly decadent visuals of the steam age lend themselves perfectly to the new carnality of post-punk era. And, of course, what is repressed will be even more exciting once the corset is unlaced. Steampunk, even without sex, is erotic; with sex, it’s over-the-top hot. A widowed lady engineer invents a small device that can store the energy from sexual frustration and convert it to electricity to help power a home. Teresa Noelle Roberts shows us what it can do, confronted with sexual fulfillment. What volume of steampunk would be complete without a tale of sailing ships and the men who sail them? If your taste runs to sexy pirates in space, Poe Von Page will delight you with the mutinous crew of the Danika Blue and their new captain. Then there’s the very special room on the top floor in the House of the Sable Locks, a brothel where sexually discriminating men go to have their fantasies fulfilled. Even if a man daren’t put those fantasies into words, Elizabeth Schechter’s “Succubus” will give the madam all the information she needs with which to make her clients happy. There are brothels, flying machines, steam-powered conveyances, manor houses, spiritualist societies. The following stories afford intelligently written, beautifully crafted glimpses into other worlds, where the Carnal Machines won’t fail to seduce you, get you wet or make you hard so, lie back, relax; a happy ending is guaranteed.

    Rarely has a book about lust been full of so much love, conflict, and intelligence. If you think you already know what's in these stories, or you think you don't need to know, you're wrong."—Patrick Califa, author of Sex Changes: The Politics of TransgenderismExploring the crossroads of gender and sexuality, Trans/Love: Radical Sex, Love & Relationships Beyond the Gender Binary offers unusually engaging narratives that create a raw and honest depiction of dating, sex, love, and relationships among members of the gender variant community. FTM, MTF, thirdgender, genderqueer, and other non-traditional identities beyond the gender binary of traditional male and female are included in this often heartwarming, occasionally heartbreaking, always heartfelt groundbreaking anthology. From monogamous love and marriage to anonymous sex and one-night hook-ups (and everything in between), these stories offer readers insight into the precarious emotional and practical mechanics of intimacy among gender-variant experiences.Features contributions from award-winning authors including Julia Serano, Sassafras Lowery, and Max Valerio, alongside outstanding new writing by Tribe 8 guitarist and acclaimed film director Silas Howard, activist Joelle Ruby Ryan, filmmaker Ashley Altadonna, SisterSpit alum Cooper Lee Bombardier, and many other unique and talented voices.

    Now, with her college degree in hand, she begins chasing down her biggest dream, to become the biggest female music manager LA has ever seen. She has the drive and determination to make it big. The only problem is she has no clients—or money—and no leverage to get started in the cut throat world of talent management. Remington Maddox was born with a fully loaded bank account. He has money, cars, connections, and an all access pass to the hottest women in LA. When Olivia crashes into Remy's high-class life, he knows he has to make a choice. Will he choose his billionaire lifestyle of endless wealth and hot hookups? Or will he throw it all away to pursue the small town girl who unknowingly captured his heart? Fate Interrupted is intended for a mature audience, 18+ only.

    A vigilante warrior. A bizarre alliance with lasting consequences. SEALed Together - A man dismissed in shame and scorn. A secret baby. A new beginning. SEAL of Love - An embedded omega journalist. A hardened alpha SEAL. Best friends on opposite sides of a line that can’t be crossed… SEAL of Trust - A SEAL with a secret. A backdrop of war and redemption. SEAL and Deliver - A famous Hollywood omega. A hard-ass alpha SEAL. A PR assignment from hell. Sexy omegas and hard-bodied alphas ABOUND in this five-volume S.E.A.L. themed set. Over 250,000 words of omegaverse magnificence! Dive in tonight!

     Champagne corks aren’t the only things popping! Chloe Kingston: I just wanted to learn how to play the guitar. Spurred on my one of my Mi Alpha Alpha sorority sisters New Year, New You texts, I decided to take music lessons. Who knew I’d end up learning to play from the biggest player around, the god of indie rock…Gavin Pierce himself? I vowed to finish the lessons I’d already paid for and never see him again. I vowed I wouldn’t be like the throngs of screaming women lining up to spent just a night in his arms. I vowed I wouldn’t be like every other woman in America, lusting after him so hard it made you stupid. But I broke that vow, and now there’s no going back. Gavin Pierce: Rock god, that’s what they called me. Player. Lothario. And I was, I was all those things and more. But I was also tired of the lifestyle, tired of partying and touring. So when my best friend need a favor, I stepped up just for a little break and to give his struggling music store some much needed publicity. Little did I know I would meet the woman of my dreams, the only one who would be able to save me from myself. How did I convince her that our one night could become a lifetime together, especially when I didn’t know how to find her again?