Book picks similar to
The Mayor of Oak Street by Vincent Traughber Meis
mm
gay
all-time-favorites
family-dynamics
Two Man Station
Lisa Henry - 2018
His transfer is a punishment, and Gio just wants to keep his head down and survive the next two years. No more mistakes. No more complications.Except Gio isn’t counting on Jason Quinn.Jason Quinn, officer in charge of Richmond Station, is a single dad struggling with balancing the demands of shift work with the challenges of raising his son. The last thing he needs is a new senior constable with a history of destroying other people’s careers. But like it or not, Jason has to work with Gio.In a remote two man station hours away from the next town, Gio and Jason have to learn to trust and rely on each another. Close quarters and a growing attraction mean that the lines between professional and personal are blurring. And even in Richmond, being a copper can be dangerous enough without risking their hearts as well.
Christmas Riches
H.L. Day - 2019
But does that include age? Christmas comes early for Aiden Malone in the form of a seductive, blue-eyed stranger down on his knees. But a shocking revelation about his new “friend” has him running for the hills and cursing his stupidity before the night is out. Tom's not prepared to give up that easily. He may be rich where Aiden's poor. Innocent in a way that Aiden isn't. And on the wrong side of twenty. But he's old enough to know what he wants. And that's Aiden. He just needs to persuade the older man to look past his hang-ups about age and wealth. Lust and prejudice pull Aiden in opposite directions, severely testing his willpower. As Tom's layers begin to peel away, Aiden discovers the younger man's life of privilege may not be all it seems. If Aiden gives in, they could have the sweetest Christmas that either of them has ever tasted. But Tom's about to shatter their joy with a surprise announcement. Decisions need to be made on both sides. It’s down to Aiden, though, to stay strong and decide whose happiness is more important. His? Or Tom's? Because they can’t have it both ways. It's possible their relationship won't even last as long as it takes for the snow to melt.
Tallowwood
N.R. Walker - 2019
Since the death of his boyfriend eight years ago, August works alone, lives alone, is alone — and that’s exactly how he likes it. His work is his entire life, and he’s convinced a string of unsolved cold-case suicides are linked to what could be Australia’s worst ever serial killer. Problem is, no one believes him.Senior Constable Jacob Porter loves his life in the small town of Tallowwood in the middle of the rainforests in northern New South Wales. He runs summer camps for the local Indigenous kids, plays rugby with his mates, has a close family, and he’s the local LGBTQIA+ Liaison and the Indigenous Liaison Officer.When human remains are found in the camping grounds at Tallowwood Reserve, Jake’s new case turns out to be linked to August’s cold cases, and Jake agrees they’re not suicides at all. With Jacob now firmly in August’s corner, they face one hurdle after another, even when more remains are found, they still can’t seem to gain ground.But when the body of a fellow police officer turns up under the same MO, it can’t be ignored anymore. August and Jake must trace the untraceable before the killer takes his next victim or before he stops one of them, permanently.
Briefly Buddies
Chase Connor - 2021
In less than twenty-four hours he’s going to graduate from high school. His parents and friends have always given him their full support and unconditional love. He’s always had plenty of friends in school, he’s attractive, always gotten good grades, and he’s headed into a new chapter of life—university after his last summer of working at a local ice cream joint. His life has been…blessed.There’s just one thing. He’s never had a boyfriend. Never gotten laid. Never even been kissed. Well, not like that, anyway. So, life has been good, but it’s been boring. When he came out, Dustin imagined his own rom-com, teenage, coming-of-age scenario playing out, finding a boyfriend in high school, and being crowned dual Kings of the Prom.Nothing ever works out the way he imagines, though, and he’s getting pretty tired of it.On the night of his graduation, Dustin and his friend, Miguel, come up with a plan while sharing a few beers swiped from the neighborhood barbecue. If you can’t get laid through skill and swagger of your own, you can always turn to a professional. All you need is the internet and a device.So, buzzed from the beers, Dustin logs onto Briefly Buddies to find the perfect guy to help him achieve his first real gay experience.And that’s where everything really started to go wrong…
Ramen Assassin
Rhys Ford - 2019
After rescuing former child star Trey Bishop from a pair of murderous thugs, he reluctantly picks his guns up again. It seems trouble isn’t done with Trey, and Kuro can’t quite let go… of either danger or Trey.Trey never denied his life’s downward spiral was his own fault. After stints in rehab, he’s finally shaken off his Hollywood bad-boy lifestyle, but not his reputation. The destruction of his career and relationships was epic, and no one trusts anything he says, including the LAPD. When two men dragging a dead body spot him on a late-night run, then try to murder him, Trey is thankful for the tall, dark, and deadly ramen shop owner not just for rescuing him, but also for believing him.Now caught in a web of murders and lies, Trey knows someone wants him dead, and the only one on his side is a man with dark secrets. Trey hopes Kuro will stick around to see what the future holds for them once the dust settles, but from the looks of things, neither of them may survive to find out.
Pay It Forward
Nic Starr - 2018
Forced to leave home as soon as he finished high school, Bailey McCreedy’s focus has been on earning enough money to survive. All he needs is a roof over his head and to keep his small mobile lending library running. Books are Bailey’s escape, and he loves to share the joy of reading with those who don’t have access to them. Tom Brooks’s upbringing is very different to Bailey’s, with a loving family, a good education, and a high-flying job—that is, until things came crashing down. Tom opens a coffee shop, struggling to build his business and reluctant to accept help, operating under the misguided belief that he must pay penance for his sins. Watching Bailey work with the street kids opens Tom’s eyes to the reality that accepting help is not a sign of weakness, and that he is so much more than his past mistakes. But as Bailey falls for Tom, with his charming manner, obvious care for others, and group of successful friends, Bailey’s own sense of self-worth threatens to tear them apart. In the face of intensifying challenges, he’s reluctant to confide in Tom, afraid he’s not good enough. A bright future will require Bailey to heed his own advice—people aren’t defined by their failures or inability to live up to the expectations of others. It’s time for Tom to pay it forward, and Bailey needs to accept the help and love that Tom offers.
Ink
Sarah Goodwin - 2011
Since the death of his mother, Eli has fallen foul of everything his father holds dear – indulging in drink, drugs, women and men. With a dark and desperate secret weighing on him, Eli is determined to lose himself to vice, no matter what the cost.Daniel Fisher is a twenty-six year old high-school janitor. He spends his days cleaning the school, and his nights taking care of his seventeen-year-old brother, Cory. With an alcoholic father to support, Daniel’s plate is full, even before one of the school’s students decides to seduce him. When Eli enters his life, Daniel is too lost in his own despair to consider the consequences of their fling, and as he grows closer to Eli, and to the boy’s damaged former choirboy persona, he realises that all is not as it seems with the teenager.However, neither of them knows the secret that connects them and their families. A secret that will eventual break their hearts afresh, and test their new relationship to its limits.A secret that lies in their very blood.
Save Me
Beck Grey - 2021
Safety tore them apart. Can one act of recklessness reunite them forever?Jamie: Against protocol and my best intentions, I fell in love with the key witness I was assigned to protect. I know. Rookie move. I tried not to let it happen, but Ash is so smart, and sexy, and though his snark is biting, I know it’s only meant to protect himself. But in the end, none of that mattered because I still had to let him go. I’m just glad he never knew how I felt. That would have made things infinitely worse. Not that things are much better now, because a year later, with no hope of ever seeing him again, I still can’t forget him.Ash: Being in love with the officer assigned to protect you sounds like the start of a fairy tale romance. Trust me, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Especially when they don’t return your feelings. There is nothing more humiliating than mooning after an unattainable man. Which is why I never let him know.With the end of the trial, I entered the WITSEC program with a new identity and a new life far away from the sexy deputy marshal who still holds my heart. I’ve tried to move on but it’s useless. Jamie MacDougall is too hard to forget.When my past pulls me back to Seattle, and the group I was hiding from finds out, I’m once again running for my life, and there’s only one person I can trust.If you enjoy Forced-Proximity, Second-Chance Romance with a bit of snark, a dash of sweet, and a lot of steam, then you’ll love Save Me by author Beck Grey!Save Me is Book 1 in the LGBTQ Contemporary Romance series Love in the Pacific Northwest, but it can be read as a standalone.
Madison Square Murders
C.S. Poe - 2021
Larkin is different from others, but his deduction skills are unmatched and his memory for minute details is unparalleled.So when a spring thunderstorm uproots a tree in Madison Square Park, unearthing a crate with human remains inside, the best Cold Case detective is assigned the job. And when a death mask, like those prominent during the Victorian era, is found with the body, Larkin requests assistance from the Forensic Artists Unit and receives it in the form of Detective Ira Doyle, his polar opposite in every way.Factual reasoning and facial reconstruction puts Larkin and Doyle on a trail of old homicide cases and a murderer obsessed with casting his victims’ likeness in death. Include some unapologetic flirting from Doyle, and this case just may end up killing Everett Larkin.
A Solitary Man
Shira Anthony - 2015
But Chance doesn’t do repeats, Xav seems detached, and they go their separate ways without a word. Later, when closeted Assistant District Attorney C. Evan “Chance” Fairchild meets Dare's Landing’s newest deputy sheriff, Xavier “Xav” Constantine, Evan isn’t only wary. He’s irritated as hell.Xavier is a former FBI agent turned deputy sheriff who is hot on the trail of a South American child prostitution ring. Evan is fighting to put an end to rampant cocaine trafficking and chafing under the thumb of an election-hungry boss. When someone tries to kill the eleven-year-old witness who holds the key to both their investigations, they’re forced to work together as they put their lives on the line to protect him. As Chance and Xav collide in the heat of a sweltering North Carolina summer, dodging bullets and chasing bad guys isn’t the only action going on.
All the Way to Shore
CJane Elliott - 2016
A gentle musician who loves to garden, he’s woefully unsuited to running Vallen Industries, the family business. When his father hires a hotshot executive, Marco Pellegrini, to save the company, Jonathan moves away and leaves his humiliation behind. A year later and forty pounds lighter, Jonathan runs into Marco on an LGBT cruise. Marco doesn’t recognize him, the sparks fly, and Jonathan pretends to be someone else for the week—Jonah Rutledge—someone good enough to be loved.Marco Pellegrini has always been driven. He rose from poverty to the pinnacle of business success, and he’ll do anything to protect his reputation—including hiding his bisexuality. Having saved Vallen Industries, he’s weary of the rat race and ready for a more meaningful life. When Marco meets his soul mate for that new life—Jonah Rutledge—on an LGBT cruise, he prepares to stop hiding and start living.Back on land, the romance crashes when Marco discovers his perfect man is not only a lie but the son of his boss, Frederick Vallen. Jonathan resolves to win Marco back, but Frederick takes vengeful action. Jonathan and Marco must battle their own fears as well as Frederick’s challenge to get to the future that awaits them on the horizon.
The One That Got Away
Nicky James - 2021
I’m not imagining it. I’m not crazy.
Charlie Falkingham is convinced someone is after him. There are signs. There are clues, but no one believes him. After living through a childhood horror, Charlie suffers from a severe paranoia disorder, among many things, and the Hamilton Police have labeled him The Boy Who Cried Wolf.When the only person on the force who ever listened to Charlie’s concerns retires, who can Charlie reach out to for help?Arrogant and young, Officer Takoda Dyani has a chip on his shoulder a mile wide. He’s rude and brash and doesn’t play well with others. He has more enemies than friends, and he doesn’t care. When his senior officer assigns him to be Charlie’s consultant, Takoda knows it will end badly. He doesn’t have time to coddle a prissy rich boy.However, if he can’t calm Charlie’s paranoid delusions and act civil for once, he’ll lose his job.But are they delusions?The longer he knows Charlie, the more Takoda realizes, something isn’t right.Is someone stalking Charlie, or is Takoda getting too wrapped up in Charlie’s fragile world?**The One That Got Away is an MM psychological romantic suspense. Triggers for severe anxiety and panic disorder, OCD, dissociative episodes, PTSD. The plot line includes a reference to a past child kidnapping and sex trafficking incident. The details of the sex trafficking are NOT discussed in any detail.**
The First Time Ever
L.M. Krier - 2017
With a promising career in front of him. Then he meets someone who could change everything but who can’t live with his police role. Ted’s wanted to be a copper since he was nine. Can he find a new opening within the force which is his surrogate family? Despite being trained to shoot to kill, Ted’s good with people. They like him, they trust him, so they talk to him. His skills get him noticed and he’s seconded to help with a big CID operation. It isn’t long before he’s facing his first murder case. Has he made the right choice in switching jobs? Or is he, as his Firearms boss warns him, about to commit career suicide?
Love Can't Conquer
Kim Fielding - 2016
Now in his forties, he’s an urban park ranger who does his best to rescue runaways and other street people. His ex-boyfriend, Donny—lost to drinking and drugs six years earlier—appears on his doorstep and inadvertently drags Jeremy into danger. As if dealing with Donny’s issues doesn’t cause enough turmoil, Jeremy meets a fascinating but enigmatic man who carries more than his fair share of problems.Qayin Hill has almost nothing but skeletons in his closet and demons in his head. A former addict who struggles with anxiety and depression, Qay doesn’t know which of his secrets to reveal to Jeremy—or how to react when Jeremy wants to save him from himself.Despite the pasts that continue to haunt them, Jeremy and Qay find passion, friendship, and a tentative hope for the future. Now they need to decide whether love is truly a powerful thing or if, despite the old adage, love can’t conquer all.
They Told Me I Was Everything
Gregory Ashe - 2020
It’s a punishment, and he’s determined to make his way through the year, prove himself, and earn the right to go back home.Theo is a grad student recovering from a terrible car accident. He’s lost his husband and their daughter, and he’s trying to figure out how to keep going.When both are tangled up in a murder, though, they have to set their personal problems aside and work together—first to clear their names, and then, when the killer turns his attention on them, to survive.But what might really kill them is finishing a seminar together on King Lear.