When seventeen-year old high school newspaper editor Jake Powell, fresh from Alabama, lands in New York City to attend Columbia University's prestigious summer journalism program, it's a dream come true. But his father, a fundamentalist Christian preacher, smells trouble. And his father is rarely wrong.Jake navigates new and unfamiliar ways "up North." Starting with his feelings for a handsome Jewish classmate named Sam. What Jake could keep hidden back home is now pushed to the surface in the Big Apple.Standing by his side are a gorgeous brunette with a Park Avenue attitude and the designer bags to match, a high school friend who has watched Jake grow up and isn't sure she's ready to let him go, and an outrageously flamboyant aunt who's determined to help Jake find the courage to accept love and avoid the pain that she has experienced. Provocative and moving, Playing by The Book is a feel-good novel about the pain and joy we encounter in the search for our own truth."In Playing by the Book, S. Chris Shirley tells a story I loved curling up with, featuring one of the most endearing teen protagonists I've read in years." --Alex Sanchez, author of The God Box and Boyfriends with Girlfriends "There's so much to admire in Chris Shirley's debut novel, but the most remarkable thing may be its voice. Jake is both earnest and skeptical, curious and guarded, and he tells his story with an endearing humility that-somehow-avoids the sarcasm that has become the norm. Playing by the Book reminds us of how rewarding it can be to climb into someone else's head."--Patrick Ryan, author of Send Me and Saints of Augustine

    That twink was so determined not to date an infamous playboy like myself that there was no way for me to resist proving him wrong. However, I didn't expect to actually fall in love with him. How can I make him mine? How do I make him believe I really want him and for him to stop pushing me away?Photo Description: Two men fill the frame, with only their heads, pale-skinned bare shoulders and bare arms visible. The light-haired one is closer, and leans his forehead on the other’s shoulder, eyes closed, his face almost peaceful. He grips the dark-haired man’s biceps; the other man does the same. The dark-haired man, only partially visible, presses his head into the light-haired man’s chest.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love Has No Boundaries" 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.

    And Derrick is nothing like Sandy, who was willing to go along with anything, big, bad, Jade wanted. How often can two Alpha males butt heads before one of them surrenders?

    It’s not his fault his parents are freaked out because his older brother went to college and binge drank himself to death. Trevor’s not going to do that, but they won’t let him go unless he stays with his godfather, Marine vet Grady McKinnon. Grady’s come to appreciate a quiet life in Boston since an IED tore off his foot and forced his discharge, but he owes his oldest friend a lot. He agrees to the babysitting, provided Trevor sticks to a few basic rules. It’s been five years since Trevor’s seen Grady, a long time in a teen’s life. Now Trevor is stunned to find out his muscled temporary guardian is a walking wet dream. Trevor has a new plan: get Grady’s attention, no matter how many rules he has to break to do it. Warning: This book contains a pushy brat, a loner learning to like company, lots of spanking, and some desperate longing.

    His skills as a network penetrator are renowned, but in meatspace he's seen as cold and awkward. His Asperger's makes it hard to be a team player and in a cutthroat industry, enemies abound. Justin is framed for a massive security breach and soon it's not just his job on the line; his very life is in danger."If I can't keep you safe, what good am I?"Bodyguard Calder Lesley takes pride in his career protecting others. In contrast to his geeky hotshot best friend, Calder uses body language and psychology to excel at his job. He only ignores his instincts when it comes to Justin. Even though their friendship has been long distance for eight years, Justin's feelings for him are obvious. Calder's afraid of nothing... except losing a friend to pursue a new kind of love."We're both in danger unless we act now."When a rival hacker threatens Justin's career, he's going to need the help of the person he trusts most, but Calder can't protect him from a distance. Forced into Calder's orbit for protection, the sparks begin to fly as Justin's career falls apart. Opposites might attract, but can they last?Firewall is a steamy, standalone gay romance novel with a HEA and no cliffhangers.

    As he goes about his daily life avoiding friends and relationships, he has no idea that someone has been watching him-someone who has decided that there is more to Jason than meets the eye.Kaden Jamieson is an investigative researcher with an excellent reputation, a talent for hacking into computers, and a client who has just asked him to find proof that her brother did not commit suicide. Now armed with suspicions that there may be a homophobic serial killer on the loose amid the ranks in the North Bay police precinct, Jamieson decides there is only one person who can help him-Detective Steele. But when Jamieson approaches Steele with the idea that they pretend to be boyfriends in an effort to lure the bloodthirsty culprit into their trap, he unwittingly opens a can of worms that causes hard-hearted Steele to question everything he has ever known or believed about himself.In this gripping thriller, a seasoned police detective must learn to trust a man he barely knows with his life in order to catch a determined killer on a deadly mission.