Book picks similar to
Apple Boy by Isobel Starling
fantasy
m-m
mm
lgbt
Under the Rushes
Amy Lane - 2012
Locked in a careful dance to bring down a corrupt government, Dorjan struggles to balance his grief with Areau’s anger. Just when Dorjan reaches the end of his rope, he sees a familiar face in the shadows, and the boy he trusted a decade before offers him unexpected kindness.Taern remembers the soldier who found him under the rushes and listened to his pleas to save his family. When Dorjan reappears in his life, Taern is both captured by his commitment to justice and terrified by the risks he takes. All Taern wants to do is fix him, but the oncoming destruction has been ten years in the making, and Dorjan doesn’t want his help. Not if it puts Taern at risk.Powers clash and a world's fate dangles between Areau's madness and Dorjan's nobility. While Dorjan fights to save the world, Taern joins the battle simply to save Dorjan, knowing everything hinges on the heart of a man in armor and the strength of the man who loves him.
Outlier: Rebellion
Daryl Banner - 2014
Poor, starved, and armed with only their lowly powers, an unlikely crew of slum-born form a secret rebel group with the sole purpose of assassinating the Banshee King, who rules from the Lifted City above where those born rich—and with great powers—live in luxury. When all seems hopeless, the rebellion discovers that their newest member—a boy who CAN sleep and dream—just might be the key to their victory.*THIS IS BOOK #1 IN THE OUTLIER SERIES**It is recommended to read this series in order**Some portions of the book end in cliffhangers*OUTLIER: REBELLION (#1)OUTLIER: LEGACY (#2)OUTLIER: REIGN OF MADNESS (#3)OUTLIER: BEYOND OBLIVION (#4)OUTLIER: WEAPONS OF ATLAS (#5)OUTLIER: GIFTS OF THE GODDESS (#6)
Mr. Frosty Pants
Leta Blake - 2018
He hoped time and distance would lessen the unrequited affection he felt, but all it did was make him miss Joel more. Home for the holidays, Casey hopes they might find a way to be friends again. But Joel’s frosty reception reminds Casey of just how hard he had to fight to be Joel’s friend in the first place. It’s going to take a Christmas miracle to get past that cool façade again. Joel isn’t as straight as Casey believes, and his years of pining for Casey have left him hurting and alone, caring for his abusive father and struggling to get by. Unable to trust anyone except his rescue dog—and with no reason to believe Casey is interested in him for more than a holiday fling—Joel’s icy heart might shatter before it can thaw. Can Casey and Joel’s love overcome mistrust, parental rejection, class differences, and four long years apart?Mr. Frosty Pants is a stand-alone, Christmas gay romance by Leta Blake featuring a virgin hero, childhood friends-to-lovers, second chance romance, and romantically steamy scenes.
Spellbound
Marcus Atley - 2014
Stavros neither wants nor needs a partner, but when the option is taken from him he is left with Elion, a young, cocky elf that knows exactly how to get under his skin. Exhausted with the butting heads and heated exchanges between the two detectives, the Warden of the Force, Mikhail, takes matters into his own hands; leaving Stavros and Elion bound through magic until their lesson is learned. With mounting pressures,egos, and jaded pasts hindering them, the two seemingly opposite partners come to realize that maybe the fire that burns between them isn't solely fueled by disdain, but by something more powerful than anything they will be forced to overcome.
Hades and Seph
Eileen Glass - 2019
Another one. Seph's family is kind of messed up. His grandfather ate his parents. His father has scores of illegitimate children. His mother grows into a giant when she gets angry—right into the skies!And all Seph wants to do is get away and be on his own for once. He wants to grow up, which is such a simple thing for mortal men and all the other creatures to do. But when you're the child of Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest, and Zeus, Ruler of Mount Olympus?Seph is tired of being treated like a child. It's time to leave.But due to the sparring of his cousins over him, Zeus has decided to marry him off. ‘Disagreements amongst gods cause chaos for mortals,’ he says. All of this because Seph was caught kissing a boy.Well, nothing will happen at Demeter’s villa.Literally, nothing. It's run by a bunch of nymphs, who are all women.All Seph wants to do is find a man like himself so they can explore the world together. But with his mother guarding him and his cousins causing trouble, Seph will have to go on being the 'baby boy' unless he wants his father to marry him to someone awful. From a chasm in the earth, a dark figure emerges…
Conventionally Yours
Annabeth Albert - 2020
Yet each has a reason why they have to win the upcoming Odyssey gaming tournament and neither is willing to let emotion get in the way—even if it means giving up their one chance at something truly magical.
Heroes for Ghosts
Jackie North - 2018
A sacrifice that could keep them apart forever. In present day, near the village of Ornes, France, Devon works on his master's thesis in history as he fantasizes about meeting a WWI American Doughboy. In 1916, during the Battle of Ornes, Stanley is a young soldier facing the horrors of the battlefield. Mourning the death of his friends from enemy fire, Stanley volunteers to bring the message for retreat so he can save everyone else in his battalion. While on his mission, mustard gas surrounds Stanley and though he thinks he is dying, he finds himself in a peaceful green meadow where he literally trips over Devon. Devon doesn't believe Stanley is who he says he is, a soldier from WWI. But a powerful attraction grows between them, and if Stanley is truly a visitor from the past, then he is Devon's dream come true. The problem is, Stanley's soul wants to finish his mission, and time keeps yanking him back to relive his fateful last morning over and over, even as his heart and body long to stay with Devon. Will Stanley have to choose between Devon and saving his battalion? Will time betray their love, leaving each alone? A male/male time travel romance, complete with hurt/comfort, French coffee, warm blankets, fireplace kisses, the angst of separation, and true love across time.
Timekeeper
Tara Sim - 2016
I got out. I’m safe now.An alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, where a damaged clock can fracture time—and a destroyed one can stop it completely.A prodigy mechanic who can repair not only clockwork but time itself, determined to rescue his father from a Stopped town.A series of mysterious bombings that could jeopardize all of England.A boy who would give anything to relive his past, and one who would give anything to live at all.A romance that will shake the very foundations of time.
An Unusual Courtship
Katherine Marlowe - 2015
Swiftly befriending the fashionable trio of Londoners, Percival sets out to court the elegant Miss Bolton, but soon comes to realise that he is being courted instead by the charming but secretive Mr. Everett. As Percival begins to uncover the circumstances behind his new friends’ arrival in Linston, he is drawn inextricably closer to Mr. Everett and his secrets.
Highfell Grimoires
Langley Hyde - 2014
The sudden death of his parents shatters all of that, leaving Neil and his younger sister beggared and orphaned. When Neil’s estranged uncle offers him a bargain that will save him and his sister from debtor’s prison or exile, Neil eagerly agrees. Handing over the family grimoire as collateral for their debt, Neil devotes himself to working as a teacher for wayward youths at a charity school high in the clouds. But Highfell Hall is not the charity Neil imagines it to be and the young men there aren’t training for the dull lives of city clerks. Amidst the roaring engines and within the icy stone halls, machinations and curious devices are at work. And one man, the rough and enigmatic Leofa, holds the key to the desire that Neil has fled from all his life and a magic as dangerous as treason.
Masks
E.M. Prazeman - 2012
The only way a pawn can survive is to gain position and power. The only way Mark Seaton can be free, is to become a player. "Prazeman has crafted a magnificent, credible fantasy where noble lords symbiotically bond with masked jesters whose machinations and assassinations further their ambitions without imperiling their souls. She does a uniquely wonderful job of honoring her readers' intelligence, parsing out little hints and nibbles, barely enough information to figure out what is going on as her hero navigates the intrigue. The result is a swift and satisfying read that leaves us begging for a sequel. Whole-heartedly recommended!" – Lawrence Kane, ForeWord Magazine "Prazeman's jesters dance fine lines through a world of byzantine politics. Real, fallible people lie behind complex masks. The subtle weave of influences, and the dangers they produce, will keep readers hooked." – Sara Mueller, Endeavor Award Committee Member "The world of MASKS is a fantasy world unlike any other I've encountered, rich with mystery, intrigue, and danger, and its hero Mark is complex and unusual – a young man trying to solve the riddle of his parents' deaths while concealing dangerous secrets of his own. No one in this book is exactly what they seem, Mark least of all. We all have our masks, and MASKS lifts the façades of its characters and its world to expose the ambiguous truths behind them." – David Levine, Hugo Award Winning Author
Alpha Awakened
Susi Hawke - 2018
He’s instantly smitten, but there’s one problem—his dream guy insists that he’s a dragon prince from another time, and Emery is his fated mate!After thousands of years in stasis, Coryphaeus of Novis, the draconian Crown Prince, has been awakened by a kiss from his fated mate. But when the shy little omega denies his draconian heritage and tells Cory that dragons are nothing more than fairytales, Cory knows that the world isn’t as he remembers it. The dragons that once ruled the world are gone.It’s too bad the threat they previously faced hasn’t gone extinct, too…
The Wanderer
Rowan McAllister - 2018
But the world isn’t done with him yet. While traveling with a merchant caravan, Lyuc encounters Yan, an Unnamed, the lowest caste in society. Though Yan has nothing but his determination and spirit, he reminds Lyuc what passion and desire feel like. While wild magic, a snarky, shapeshifting, genderfluid companion, and the plots of men and monsters seem determined to keep Lyuc from laying down his burden, only Yan’s inimitable spirit tempts him to hang on for another lifetime or so. All Yan wants is to earn the sponsorship of a guild so he can rise above his station, claim a place in society, and build the family he never had. After hundreds of years of self-imposed penance, all Lyuc wants is Yan. If they can survive prejudice, bandits, mercenaries, monsters, and nature itself, they might both get their wish… and maybe even their happily ever after.
When Harry Met Harry
Sydney Smyth - 2020
Ever since their chance encounter as seatmates on the plane ride from hell, Harry “Harrison” Fields and Harry “Henry” Lee have had a love-hate relationship. But every time their paths have crossed over the years, they’ve grown to like each other more and more, even developing an unlikely friendship. Now, Harrison is a fun-loving music teacher who wears his heart on his sleeve, and Henry is a hard-driving business man who’s still striving to get out of his father’s shadow. As they go through life’s inevitable heartaches and losses, their friendship only deepens. Sure, there’s always been a simmering attraction between them but nothing worth threatening their friendship over...until one of them takes things too far. But when a valuable friendship hangs in the balance, is a chance at romance worth the price?