Book picks similar to
Bearding The Lion by J. Mercury Jones


m-m
m-m-romance
m-m-contemporary
m-m-fiction

The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps


Kai Ashante Wilson - 2015
    With his ancestors' artifacts in hand, the Sorcerer follows the Captain, a beautiful man with song for a voice and hair that drinks the sunlight.The two of them are the descendants of the gods who abandoned the Earth for Heaven, and they will need all the gifts those divine ancestors left to them to keep their caravan brothers alive.The one safe road between the northern oasis and southern kingdom is stalked by a necromantic terror. Demane may have to master his wild powers and trade humanity for godhood if he is to keep his brothers and his beloved captain alive.

Finding Orlando


Lucy Hawkins - 2016
     “You helped me find what I’d forgotten I wanted.” 

Different worlds... 
Ethan Parker has his whole life planned out for him -- and it’s a life he doesn’t want. But saying no to his family is too hard, so he buries his dreams and goes through the motions. Being on the swim team at Dalton University is his only escape from the constant pressure to be someone he’s not.

 Sexy, mysterious Orlando Nolan seems to be Ethan’s polar opposite. Tall, toned, and tattooed, he looks more like a rugged rock star than an Ivy League student — but with one of the highest GPA's at Dalton, he's guaranteed a job at one of Silicon Valley’s best once he graduates. “I’m not brave like you. No matter how much I wish I could be.” 

Shared secrets...
 When Ethan needs help studying, Orlando can’t resist the chance to spend more time with the blond, blue-eyed, all-American boy from his dorm. Neither one expects the bond that forms between them, or how easy they find it to open up to each other. Then Ethan spends Thanksgiving with Orlando and his family … and their unlikely friendship catches fire. “He doesn’t fix me, he makes me realize that I can fix myself.”

 And wrenching choices...
 But family disapproval causes unhealed wounds to surface. Orlando doesn't know how long he can wait for someone who's afraid to love him back. But can Ethan sacrifice everything for the one person who makes him feel alive? Finding Orlando is a steamy stand-alone New Adult MM romance novel. It depicts a first time gay, friends to lovers relationship resulting in a satisfying HEA and no cliffhanger.

The Silver Cage


Anonymous - 2018
    A young and naive journalist. A tragic past, a dark secret, and an unforgettable tale of passion and love. WARNING: The Silver Cage is intended for mature readers; it contains graphic sensuality and strong themes including suicide, sexual identity, and self-harm. --- Anonymous is a pseudonymous international bestseller. The Silver Cord, a companion novel to The Silver Cage, will be released in the first half of 2018.

Secondhand Heart


Scarlet Blackwell - 2011
    Six months ago, Conrad died, and his organs were donated for transplant. A month later, Conrad’s lover, Christian, receives a letter from the recipient of Conrad’s donated heart.Christian can’t stop thinking about the letter, and he’s not the only one affected by loss. Conrad’s best friend Eban is also brokenhearted, and he’s struggling with his lover Damien, who has always resented living in Conrad’s shadow. Though Conrad is gone, his friends and his lover will have to cope with their grief to move on and find new love.

Last Line


Harper Fox - 2011
    He's trying to hide it, because the man he loves is also his partner in a renegade counterterrorism agency, and John loves the job too. Michael, the most loyal of friends and partners, doesn't return John's passion. Nor that of anyone else, as far as John can see. Sexy and handsome as hell, Mike is a chained-up man, haunted by memories of a mission gone wrong during his time in Russia for MI5. Their one sexual encounter only drives them apart: Mike's guilt has left him needing a violence John isn't prepared to deliver.Enter Anzhel Mattvei, a charismatic secret-service agent who held Mike captive in Russia and has now apparently changed sides. The psychological programming he instilled soon has Mike in sexual thraldom, fighting for possession of his will and his soul. Only John's love can call him back from the brink. The Russian war criminal Anzhel serves has hidden a nuclear device in London, and Anzhel has set Mike up to detonate it. John must find a way to help Mike overcome his programming, or millions of lives will be the price.Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Dubious consent, male/male sexual practices.

Heart of the Woods


Grant C. Holland - 2018
    It makes it impossible to fly.” When Levi left college to convince his grandmother to pack up her off-the-grid life in the Northwoods of Minnesota and return to civilization, he never expected to lose an argument and stay. He didn’t expect to fall in love either. In the small Missouri farm town where he grew up, Levi was a skinny gay kid with glasses scared of his own shadow and the tormentors who lurked in the hallways of his high school. A rugged life on Lone Cedar Lake helped him blossom into an attractive, muscular young man, but the underlying insecurities remained. Brandon fell in love with the lakes and woods during a spring break visit with a college friend. Upon graduation, he began building a wilderness guide business that gave him the capital to buy his first house at age 24. A downturn in the local economic atmosphere sent him scrambling to shore up the bottom line. He thought a new wilderness route to the mysterious Lone Cedar Lake would be just the ticket to lure in new clients. While exploring for the new route, Brandon spotted Levi in another canoe. Their first encounter led to a physical battle on the forest floor, but soon, an attraction they couldn’t ignore blossomed. Unfortunately, romance won’t be so easy when the mysteries of the past threaten to stand in their way. Heart of the Woods is a 55,000-word ugly duckling romance set in the Northwoods of Minnesota. It includes steamy scenes, a happily-ever-after ending, canoes paddling in the wilderness, and some of the best stargazing on earth.

Rory's Last Chance


Bailey Bradford - 2011
    Once a wild and voracious player, he became a loner after a traumatic event in his past tore his world apart. Older and wiser, years of loneliness and a moment of weakness drive him to seek another’s touch. The only problem is, the club he chooses to visit is filled with PYT’s—pretty young things Chance simply doesn’t find appealing.Rory Calhoun has his own baggage that haunts him. Still, he gives in to curiosity and decides to check out the local club. Inside he spots a man who fires up every fantasy Rory’s ever had. The only problem is, despite a quick, enthralling encounter, the stranger makes it clear he isn’t interested in PYT’s, a label Rory knows would be slapped on him in a heartbeat if the stranger ever saw his face.Rory has one unexpected opportunity to make Chance see him as a man, and he’s going to grab that opportunity, and Chance with both hands.

What You Own


A.M. Arthur - 2013
    Then my best friend. And soon my entire world. But a gay bashing rips us apart before we can be more, and I try to move on. Joke’s on me when we’re thrust together four years later to do a fundraiser for my local community center. Adam might look right through me, but I still want him down to my bones.


I had a plan, damn it. Survive my summer internship with my homophobic father’s company, graduate college, get my trust fund, and then find Ryan again. Beg his forgiveness for what happened in high school. But that plan shatters when my internship leaves me working with Ryan on a fundraiser. Old feelings can't be denied, and as we come back together over a shared love of musical theater, I realize neither one of us knows the whole truth about the night that tore our friendship apart. 

WHAT YOU OWN is a standalone, 60k word MM romance novel. It was previously published and has been lightly updated, but no significant changes were made. Warning for mentions of past violence.

Who Knows the Storm


Tere Michaels - 2014
    And underneath? Crime, fueled by "Dead Bolt," a destructive designer drug. This New City is where Nox Boyet leads a double life. At night, he is the Vigilante, struggling to keep the streets safe for citizens abandoned by the corrupt government and police. During the day, he works in construction and does his best to raise his adopted teenaged son, Sam.A mysterious letter addressed to Sam brings Nox in direct contact with "model" Cade Creel, a high-end prostitute working at the Iron Butterfly Casino. Suspicion gives way to an intense attraction as dark figures from Nox's past and the mysterious peddlers of Dead Bolt begin to descend--and put all their lives in danger. When things spin out of control, Cade is the only person Nox can trust to help him save Sam.

On Wings of Song


Anne Barwell - 2014
     Six years after meeting British soldier Aiden Foster during the Christmas Truce of 1914, Jochen Weber still finds himself thinking about Aiden, their shared conversation about literature, and Aiden’s beautiful singing voice. A visit to London gives Jochen the opportunity to search for Aiden, but he’s shocked at what he finds. The uniform button Jochen gave him is the only thing Aiden has left of the past he’s lost. The war and its aftermath ripped everything away from him, including his family and his music. When Jochen reappears in his life, Aiden enjoys their growing friendship but knows he has nothing to offer. Not anymore. Author’s note: This story was originally published in 2014 by another publisher. This edition has some added content, and uses UK spelling to reflect its setting.

Let It Be


Cheryl McIntyre - 2014
    The dependable one. The shoulder. The anchor. The pillar. The rock. The matchmaker. I’m the one you call when you’ve had a bad day. When you need to vent, or scream, or cry. I will always be there to comfort you. It’s a gift. A talent. A role I’ve happily played. I’ve helped my friends become who they were meant to be. I’ve watched them move away, find love, start their lives. But what about me? When does my life start? Where is my happily-ever-after? My name is Guy Handlin, and this is my story. *This novella is a New Adult M/M romance. Recommended for 17+ due to harsh language, sexual situations, and adult themes. **Let It Be is a companion novella to the Sometimes Never series, however, it can be read as a stand-alone book. ***Please note this novella deals with dark subject matter.