“I had to. You can’t trust me, Alan. You said it yourself, you were scared of me. You don’t need that kind of man—you don’t need me.” All Jeremy wants is to be a good man, like his adopted dad. He works hard as a mechanic, takes care of his brothers, and keeps his head down. His only vice these days is the occasional cigarette. When he'd stepped out onto the street, he hadn't expected to step right into a scene from his dark past, and when he saw that alpha smacking an omega around in front of their kid--something dark and terrifying unleashed in him. Alan thought he and his son Simon had escaped his abusive ex, Mark, Simon's father. A year ago, Mark had hit six year old Simon for the first time, Alan gathered his courage, grabbed Simon, and ran as far as he possibly could. But Mark's found them, and he's not happy. Somehow, he and Simon are saved by a tall, dark man with a vicious streak, and now they don't have to worry about Mark chasing them any longer. But have they just traded one dangerous situation for the next? Jeremy is nothing but tender after that first incident, and he's never laid a finger on them, but Alan doesn't know if he can trust an alpha with any kind of dark streak, no matter how protective he seems. Jeremy is appalled at what he did to the abuser, but he doesn't regret it. It just confirms that he can't trust himself with a family of his own. He'll turn out just like his bio-dad, whether he wants to or not. But until Alan can get on his feet, he's going to make sure he and his kid are protected. Even if it's from himself. Two broken men hold the key to each other's healing and their hearts--but can they get past their wounds to find the dream they've both longed for so long? Beastly is the first in a contemporary mpreg trilogy of three men with broken pasts who became brothers, thanks to the only man who gave them a chance. Trigger warning for violence and abuse. Warning! This book contains adult situations, with adults doing adult-only things, so 18+ readers only! Guaranteed HEA.

    A professional, hard-working, over-achiever, he’s finally realized his life-long dream of promotion, and the last thing he needs now are complications.But he can’t help being intrigued by the enigmatic Ian James. Not only is Ian flat-out gorgeous, he’s also mysterious. And he awakens in David a passion that he hasn’t felt since … well, ever.Unfortunately, Ian James is a man with a dangerous past and an even more dangerous present, and loving him will come at a cost. Can David trust him? Is he willing to put his entire career on the line to protect a man who might be playing him? Is Ian capable of loving and trusting him back?Discovering the truth will take David into the heart of blackmail, corruption, and scandal. Straight to the edge of control.The Edge of Control is a stand-alone, full-length novel with NO cliffhanger!

    Write a contemporary, HEA, double gay-for-you. What makes this a challenge? Well gay-for-you is always a challenge, and a double-gay-for you has been done very well by a select few. But these stories are dynamite.See these two guys in the flannel shirts? Well, this isn’t insta-love, but they are taken by surprise by the growing attraction, and it causes them to question who they are. The ramifications are different for each one. What will make this story fun and hot is how they get to the HEA. Awkward situations, soul searching and above all, believable based on their characters. The old miscommunication thing is not as interesting as internal conflict. Maybe they’ve been friends for years? How do they ease into the physical side of the relationship? Or maybe they don’t ease into it, who knows.Photo Description: Two formerly straight young guys holding hands… the distance between them showing a fledgling relationship with some uncertainty and hesitation in their affection… the clasped hands indicating the desire for connection and their attraction to each other… will love conquer social and family expectations?This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love’s Landscapes" 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. This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

    A lonely man, hiding in shadows. Wealth. Fame. Gold record. Henri Lafontaine had it all…including a control freak manager, band members who smiled while sharpening blades for his back, and last but damn well not least, a fan out to steal his heart. Literally. To recreate himself, he must walk away from all he knows and trust a stranger with more than his career. Opera tenor Sebastian Unger doesn’t share Henri’s bravado or his success. What he does have is a voice as pure as the Colorado mountain air, a heart as fragile as frost on a windowpane, and secrets he keeps close to his chest. Take on a vocal student in the off-season? Sure. What he doesn’t expect is someone who’ll challenge him, teach him as much as Seb teaches Henri. Despite their differences, love is determined to find them. It’s just a matter of when.

    It starts with a minor meltdown at work that leaves Danny under house arrest with a cast on one leg and an ankle monitor on the other, courtesy of the San Diego Police Department. On top of that, he’s battling a chronic case of virginity, with no relief in sight.Oh, and there’s one more little glitch. A serial killer is stalking the city, murdering young men. And when strange sounds are heard in the house behind Danny’s, the neighborhood kids think they’ve found the killer. But not until Danny learns he's next on the madman's list do things really begin to get desperate.Damn! And Danny had plans to come out this summer—maybe even get laid! He doesn't have time for ankle monitors and serial killers!Then ginger-haired Luke Jamison moves in next door. Not only does Luke solve a few of Danny's more urgent problems, he also manages to create a couple more that Danny never saw coming. Gee. If he can survive it, this summer might not be so bad after all.

    Edwin Blais—a University of Texas history professor—vows celibacy. With only his dead lover’s cat for company, he spends the next eleven years alone before the Maine Coon, Francesca, escapes from her cat sitter while Edwin is at work. The loss shatters Edwin. Desperate, he plasters the neighborhood with Lost Cat signs offering five thousand dollars for her return. A few blocks away at a body shop, Nasty, an old black Tom cat, adopts Francesca. Forrest James, owner of the shop and Nasty, refuses the reward and strikes up a friendship with Edwin. While Forrest seems like a safe crush for a celibate man because he certainly appears straight, after a couple of drinks he gets a little handsy. After Edwin meets Forrest’s ex-boyfriend, he realizes that his crush may be a relationship and he’s not sure he’s ready for it. Will Edwin get over himself and his lost love before the dreamboat mechanic moves on? This story is 60k words of pet matchmaking May/December romance that features classic cars and a slow burn Republished from the original title.

    Technically he's a lawyer, but really he's a problemsolver. He just never expected the problem to be Caleb Sinclair, the passionate but introverted artisan carpenter who lives next to the proposed quarry site."Know your enemy." That's Caleb's philosophy. And trying to turn fertile farmland into a gravel pit earns Peter the title of "enemy." Caleb loves that land, and if he has to make peace with his homophobic neighbors to make war on Peter, so be it. Except knowing his enemy doesn't turn out anything like he expected. Peter's not the fairy-tale monster-he just might be the first step to happy ever after.

    He never knew where his next meal would come from or if he would be safe going home at night. Desperate to escape, he trusts the wrong person. A different kind of evil wrapped in hope led him into the claws of a prison he might not survive.Gryphon took a chance on a new life and ended up a captive. To his shock, he wasn’t alone. Twenty boys experimented on physically and mentally, few would ever see the light of day again. A family forged in the fires of hell. Escape came, but at the price of losing more of themselves than they realized. They must depend on each other and new friends. No-one is expecting to find love, but love may find them anyway. Their mission is clear: Find the people who did this to them and destroy them. But some missions aren't always so cut and dry...

    But becoming buddies with Grayson Academy’s golden boy is not on Greg’s agenda. When a wager erupts into violence, the young men are thrown together with unexpected consequences. And, a single kiss forges a path to an epic love that won’t let go—no matter the obstacle. At least, this is how Greg, now a successful screenwriter, has always wanted to portray his and Aaron’s coming-of-age story. His thinly veiled biopic, No Apologies, catches the attention of Hollywood—and the loosely based account of the lovers’ origins soars free of society’s moorings to become the most buzzed movie of the year. Still, such an emotionally honest tale has its drawbacks. Greg believes in the power of imagination, but perhaps it’s caused him to deny the very real and cavernous cracks in his present day relationship. Now he and Aaron must determine if they can rewrite the hard truths of their history, or if it’s too late to pave the way for a new future together. "Tibby Armstrong delivers an engrossing story of self-discovery, unlikely friendship, and a love that stands up against the odds. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.” – Ella Frank Young love, the curses of stardom, and the chance for happily ever after collide in this emotionally compelling tale of fiction versus reality. “Attractive leading men and a gut-wrenching storyline make No Apologies a compelling read from start to finish. I'll be looking out for more by Tibby Armstrong.” – Harper Fox “Highly emotional, sexy romance with vivid characters and an engaging plot. Lovely.” – Z.A. Maxfield Note: NO APOLOGIES is a previously published work, and is not substantially different from the original edition.

    But the one thing he really wants—someone to love—seems elusive. Until the couple next door moves in and Jeremy sees the man of his dreams, Shane McCallister, pushed down the stairs by a brute named Cole.Jeremy would never go after another man’s boyfriend, so he reaches out to Shane in friendship while suppressing his feelings of attraction. But the feeling of something being off only begins with Cole being a hard-fisted bully—it ends with him seeming to be different people at different times. Some days, Cole is the mild-mannered John and then, one night in a bar, he’s the sassy and vivacious drag queen Vera.So how can Jeremy rescue the man of his dreams from a situation that seems to get crazier and more dangerous by the day? By getting close to the couple next door, Jeremy not only puts a potential love in jeopardy, but eventually his very life.Warning: graphic violence, mentions of past sexual abuse

    A smile across a counter at a coffee shop or video store. A secret revealed in a song from another place and time. Or in a love ballad crooned at a high school dance. In this anthology of never-before-published sweet LGBTQ+ stories, six authors explore the beginnings of love between young and new adult couples. All proceeds will support The Trevor Project's work with crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth.

    One got left behind. One went off to war. He came back a man. A broken, lonely, desperate man searching for the one thing to ease his pain. Can Dylan forgive George for leaving him? Can love snuff out the pain? The Proof Is the Way It Hurts. *This is a standalone M/M novella. A shorter version of this story was featured as a KU Korner's Bedtime Story*

    When he finally gets his chance to talk to him, Mateo’s response, or lack thereof, is enough to have Elias vowing to never make such a fool of himself again, not for any guy, no matter how hot.But then the flowers start arriving. Every day, each with a special meaning, a story to tell him – a secret admirer who has a way with words even though Elias doesn’t even know who he is.When Elias finds himself in over his head late one night and Mateo comes to his rescue, can Elias learn to stop expecting pretty words and start listening to his heart instead? Original Prompt:Dear Author,This young guy is a shy florist. [picture 1]His dream is to build up a courage to ask out the sexy mechanic who works across the street. A mechanic who wears EYELINER that drives our florist crazy. He just doesn't know what to do! He doesn't even know if the sexy mechanic knows he's alive.Wearing this kind of t-shirt (below) is a bit too blatant, isn't it? *grin*. [picture 2]Well, if you can help him to get his HEA, you will make my florist's summer.Photo Description: [picture 1] A lithe, dark-haired man hugs a bouquet of white lilies to his bare chest, face tilted to the flowers until one silky petal lies against his chin. The curve of his muscled arm, and the wistful look on his face, suggest it is not flowers he imagines in his embrace. [picture 2] A young man wearing a white t-shirt with the phrase ‘I love boys in eyeliner'.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" 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.Download the story at Author's website [pdf format], read it online or find it in Don't Read in the Closet, Volume 4.__________Genre: contemporaryTags: gay m/m, flowers, public sex, hot men in eyeliner, guy next door, blue-collarWarnings: mild assaultWord Count: 9,853

    He is expecting a summer of mosquito bites, bonfires with s’mores, and photography classes with Simon, his favorite counselor, who always helps Jonathan see his life in perfect focus.What he isn’t expecting is Ian McGuire, a new camper who openly argues against phrases like pray the gay away. Ian is certain of many things, including what could happen between them if only Jonathan could surrender to his feelings. Jonathan, however, tosses in a storm of indecision between his belief in God and his inability to stay away from Ian. When a real storm hits and Ian is lost in it, Jonathan is forced to make a public decision that changes his life.

    Not college—that’s all set. Not prom—he’ll find a date somehow. No, it’s the worst problem of all: he’s fallen for his best friend.As much as Jamie tries to keep it under wraps, everyone seems to know where his affections lie, and the giggling girls in art class are determined to help Jamie get together with Mason. But Jamie isn’t sure if that’s what he wants—because as much as Jamie would like to come clean to Mason, what if the truth ruins everything? What if there are no more road trips, taco dinners, or movie nights? Does he dare risk a childhood friendship for romance?This book is about what happens when a picture reveals what we can’t say, when art is truer than life, and how falling in love is easy, except when it’s not. Fan Art explores the joys and pains of friendship, of pressing boundaries, and how facing our worst fears can sometimes lead us to what we want most.