Book picks similar to
Jericho Candelario's Gay Debut by R. Cooper
romance
mm
m-m
contemporary
Brad's Bachelor Party
River Jaymes - 2013
The bold, brash charmer was everything Cole wasn't: confident, popular, and straight. Unfortunately Cole's secret blew up in his face, and he walked away. Years later, when Brad needs help, he calls Cole. Now a respected trauma surgeon, Cole has learned not to risk his heart and is ready to be Brad's friend again. Things go well until Brad asks Cole to be his best man. With both his parents dead, Brad never would have survived college or his brother's rounds of drug rehab without Cole. The five-year gap in their friendship was painful. Now Brad's got his best friend back, a kick-ass job, and is engaged to the CEO's daughter. Life is great…until a hot encounter at his bachelor party leaves both men reeling. The sexual tension between the two is off the charts. Brad has commitments he needs to keep, but how can he go through with the wedding when he can't stop thinking about Cole? And how can Cole stand beside his friend and watch him get married, especially now that he realizes he still loves Brad?
Ollie Always
John Wiltshire - 2016
It’s a battle for identity he is slowly and inevitably losing. Ex-army PTI Tom knows all about battles—the real ones that break soldiers. When he volunteers to help with the Oliver situation, Ollie hears more in the offer than Tom apparently intends, for Tom quickly informs Ollie that he’s married. Which is absolutely fine, because Ollie isn’t gay—that’s Oliver. Tom and Ollie discover fairly swiftly that there is often a very fine dividing line between fact and fiction.
The Darkness Outside Us
Eliot Schrefer - 2021
There’s more that doesn’t add up: Evidence indicates strangers have been on board, the ship’s operating system is voiced by his mother, and his handsome, brooding shipmate has barricaded himself away. But nothing will stop Ambrose from making his mission succeed—not when he’s rescuing his own sister.In order to survive the ship’s secrets, Ambrose and Kodiak will need to work together and learn to trust one another… especially once they discover what they are truly up against. Love might be the only way to survive.
Try
Ella Frank - 2013
Logan Mitchell loves it, and ever since he realized his raw sexual appeal at a young age, he has had no problem using it to his advantage. Men and women alike fall into his bed—after all, Logan is not one to discriminate. He lives by one motto—if something interests you, why not just take a chance and try?And he wants to try Tate Morrison.Just coming out of a four-year marriage with an ex-wife from hell, a relationship is the last thing on Tate’s mind. He’s starting fresh and trying to get back on his feet with a new job at an upscale bar in downtown Chicago.The only problem is, Tate has caught the unwavering and unwelcome attention of Mr. Logan Mitchell – a regular at the bar and a man who always gets what he wants.Night after night Tate fends off the persistent advances of the undeniably charismatic man, but after an explosive moment in the bar, all bets are off as he finds his body stirring with a different desire than his mind.As arrogance, stubbornness and sexual tension sizzles between the two, it threatens to change the very course of their lives.Logan doesn’t do relationships. Tate doesn’t do men. But what would happen if they both just gave in and…tried?GENRE: M/M
Collide
Riley Hart - 2013
For three years, they were inseparable…until one day when Noah and his parents disappeared in the middle of the night.Noah and Cooper never knew what happened to each other. Now, seventeen years later, after finding his boyfriend in bed with another man, Noah returns to Blackcreek looking for a fresh start. And damned if he doesn't find his old friend grew up to be sexy as sin. Coop can’t believe Noah—the only person he trusted with the guilt over his parents’ death—is back. And gay… Or that Cooper himself suddenly wants another man in his bed for the first time. There’s no denying the attraction and emotion between them, but can they overcome the ghosts of their pasts to have a future together? This title contains two strong, sexy men, and a passionate friendship that transforms into a sizzling hot romance.
The Front Runner
Patricia Nell Warren - 1974
In 1975, coach Harlan Brown is hiding from his past at an obscure New York college, after he was fired from Penn State University on suspicion of being gay. A tough, lonely ex-Marine of 39, Harlan has never allowed himself to love another man. Then Billy Sive, a brilliant young runner, shows up on his doorstep. He and his two comrades, Vince Matti and Jacques LaFont, were just thrown off a major team for admitting they are gay. Harlan knows that, with proper training, Billy could go to the '76 Olympics in Montreal. He agrees to coach the three boys under strict conditions that thwart Billy's growing attraction for his mature but compelling mentor. The lean, graceful frontrunner with gold-rim glasses sees directly into Harlan's heart. Billy's gentle and open acceptance of his sexuality makes Harlan afraid to confront either the pain of his past, or the challenges which lay in wait if their intimacy is exposed. But when Coach Brown finds himself falling in love with his most gifted athlete, he must combat his true feelings for Billy or risk the outrage of the entire sports world - and their only chance at Olympic gold.
How to Repair a Mechanical Heart
J.C. Lillis - 2012
As co-runners of the Internet’s third most popular Castaway Planet vlog, they love to spar with the “Cadsim” fangirls who think Cadmus will melt Sim’s mechanical heart by the Season 5 finale. This summer, Brandon and Abel have a mission: hit the road in an RV to follow the traveling Castaway Planet convention, interview the actors and showrunner, and uncover proof that a legit Cadsim romance will NEVER, EVER HAPPEN.A Brandon and Abel romance: also not happening. Brandon’s sick of his struggle to make “gay and Catholic” compute, so it’s safer to love a TV android. Plus Abel’s got a hot new boyfriend with a phoenix tattoo, and how can Brandon compete with that? But when mysterious messages about them start popping up in the fan community, they make a shocking discovery that slowly forces their real feelings to the surface. Before they get to the last Castaway Planet convention, Brandon’s going to find out the truth: can a mechanical heart be reprogrammed, or will his first shot at love be a full system failure?
Henry and Jim
J.M. Snyder - 2008
These two men who have spent a life in love, from the very first date arranged by Henry’s sister, through the rocky times they worked to make ends meet, and into their twilight years.NOTE: This story appears in the following anthologies — Best Gay Romance 2008 (Cleis Press) and Best Gay Stories 2009 (Lethe Press).
Come What May
A.M. Arthur - 2016
He just doesn't know it yet. Or at least, he doesn't want to admit it. Because there is no way Jonas Ashcroft is gay. He's a straight, carefree frat boy player, just like any good son of a conservative state senator. If only his struggle to convince everyone—especially himself—didn't leave him so miserable. No matter how many girls or bottles he drowns himself in, Jonas can neither escape nor accept who he is.Enter Tate. He's smart, confident, and instantly sees right through Jonas's surly exterior. Sure, he's done things in life he's not proud of, but he knows who he is and what he wants. And what he wants is Jonas. As their easy friendship intensifies into something more, Tate introduces Jonas to a life he's never known. One filled with acceptance and sex and a love that terrifies and excites them both.But some inner demons refuse to be shaken off so easily. When Jonas's old life barges in, he faces a shattering choice, one that could destroy everything he and Tate have fought so hard for. Sometimes love just isn't enough—and sometimes it's exactly what you need.
Date Me, Bryson Keller
Kevin van Whye - 2020
Few think Bryson can do it. He may be the king of Fairvale Academy, but he's never really dated before.Until a boy asks him out, and everything changes.Kai Sheridan didn't expect Bryson to say yes. So when Bryson agrees to secretly go out with him, Kai is thrown for a loop. But as the days go by, he discovers there's more to Bryson beneath the surface, and dating him begins to feel less like an act and more like the real thing. Kai knows how the story of a gay boy liking someone straight ends. With his heart on the line, he's awkwardly trying to navigate senior year at school, at home, and in the closet, all while grappling with the fact that this "relationship" will last only five days. After all, Bryson Keller is popular, good-looking, and straight . . . right?Kevin van Whye delivers an uplifting and poignant coming-out love story that will have readers rooting for these two teens to share their hearts with the world--and with each other.
A Dirty Drag Collection
Kyle Adams - 2013
If you haven't read the Dirty Drag series, here is your chance to read them all at once. Dirty Drag: Ashley is on a mission, but is he willing to take all the risks to show he’s got what it takes? Rick is a man who knows what he wants, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure he gets it. When a gorgeous redhead walks into his local bar, wearing sexy heels and a mini skirt, he knows exactly who wants. But, looks can be deceiving, and sometimes you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.Dirty Drag 2: The Night Drags On: If you liked Dirty Drag and wanted to follow along when Ashley left the bar with Rick, well then this story is for you. The night didn’t just end in some swanky bar bathroom. No, the night continued with Ashley, our cheeky drag queen, taking Rick up on his offer to take him home. The fun ensues and things get wet – um, wait you’ll have to read it to see if that’s true.When reality sets in the following morning, Ashley has a huge problem. What is he going to wear home? For Ashley, drag simply does not work during the day. Ashley’s second biggest fear is getting caught in day drag and arrested for looking like a cross-dressing hooker. If you want to know how Ashley gets out of this jam, you’ll have to read it and see.The real question on everyone’s lips is, after one night with Ashley, has Rick had enough? Or is the lure of Ashley’s snark more addicting than a sweet luscious Oreo? One way to find out, read this book! Come on, it’s free. Dirty Drag 3: Beyond The Drag: picks up right after the shocking conclusion of book two. Ashley is on a new mission to impress Rick and show him he can be serious about a relationship. If he's able to open up and let a few things off his chest and can avoid making a boob of himself in the process, he might just succeed. This is the final story for Rick and Ashley, and it’s a finale you don't want to miss.
Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun
Jonny Garza Villa - 2021
Get into UCLA. And have the chance to move away from Corpus Christi, Texas, and the suffocating expectations of others that have forced Jules into an inauthentic life.Then in one reckless moment, with one impulsive tweet, his plans for a low-key nine months are thrown—literally—out the closet. The downside: the whole world knows, and Jules has to prepare for rejection. The upside: Jules now has the opportunity to be his real self.Then Mat, a cute, empathetic Twitter crush from Los Angeles, slides into Jules’s DMs. Jules can tell him anything. Mat makes the world seem conquerable. But when Jules’s fears about coming out come true, the person he needs most is fifteen hundred miles away. Jules has to face them alone.Jules accidentally propelled himself into the life he’s always dreamed of. And now that he’s in control of it, what he does next is up to him.
Tigers and Devils
Sean Kennedy - 2009
His friends despair of him ever meeting someone, but despite his loneliness, Simon is cautious about looking for more. Then his best friends drag him to a party, where he barges into a football conversation and ends up defending the honour of star forward Declan Tyler—unaware that the athlete is present. In that first awkward meeting, neither man has any idea they will change each other's lives forever.Like his entire family, Simon revels in living in Melbourne, the home of Australian Rules football and mecca for serious fans. There, players are treated like gods—until they do something to fall out of public favour. This year, the public is taking Declan to task for suffering injuries outside his control, so Simon's support is a bright spot.But as Simon and Declan fumble toward a relationship, keeping Declan's homosexuality a secret from well-meaning friends and an increasingly suspicious media becomes difficult. Nothing can stay hidden forever. Soon Declan will have to choose between the career he loves and the man he wants, and Simon has never been known to make things easy—for himself or for others.
Bodies in Space
Shukyou - 2012
He was a very thorough and hard worker, and had been praised for that by his supervisor on so many occasions that he'd lost count, and something had to happen very many times before Isaac lost count of it.Words: 21382 in two partsAlso on Ao3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/785559This story is also available for purchase at Smashwords.
Redemption by Fire
Andrew Grey - 2012
His life is a hell of his own making, and he makes everyone around him just as miserable. When he's injured on the job while fighting a fire, he's nearly unbearable to the hospital staff, and of course no one from his unit cares enough to visit.Lee Stockton is the new guy at the station, so he gets saddled with the job of bringing Dirk a sympathy bouquet from the guys at the firehouse. To Dirk's surprise, Lee sees through him like a pane of glass and doesn't take any of his crap. Lee's determined to get Dirk to stop being a dick just to push everyone away. When their fighting turns to fucking, will the fireworks shine brightly on a possible relationship or leave them with nothing but ashes?