Book picks similar to
Roots Before Branches by Abigail Tyrrell


rainbow-crate
m-m-romance
bang-bang-there-goes-your-heart
angst-for-days

The Gardener


Charles Reeza - 2015
    He lives alone and he's doing everything he can to keep it that way. "I prefer plants to people," he tells his only friend, Donna. "It's just the way I am." An accountant by day, he spends his free time tending his impressive garden and reading grim 19th century novels from the private library in his Victorian house. His cautious, predictable life is governed by a set of sensible rules, just the way he likes it. One winter day, a young man shows up to ask about the apartment for rent above the garage. Adam quickly decides Sam is not a suitable applicant, no matter how polite and attractive he is. Unless, just once, Adam bends his rules. How bad could it be? Adam would never let things get out of control.What follows is a humorous emotional roller coaster involving social awkwardness, gardening, classic literature, flirting, doughnuts, office politics, a southern lady, pickup trucks, ice cream, dish washing, sex, a stern Scotswoman, great meals, homophobia, arson, the police, psychotherapy, a renovation project, and a guy who calls everyone "dude." Did I mention murder? And what about that handsome guy at the office who compliments Adam's neckties? What does he want?Nope . . . Adam would never lose control of his life!With a full cast of well-developed characters, The Gardener will take you on a journey of self-discovery that explores the many variations of love, relationships, commitment and family.~~~~~~This is a full-length contemporary M/M romance novel written by a gay man. It depicts realistic relationship problems, with HEA.

Dream Boy


Jim Grimsley - 1995
     In his electrifying novel, adolescent gay love, violence, and the spirituality of old-time religion are combined through the alchemy of Grimsley's vision into a powerfully suspenseful story of escape and redemption.

Second Chance Christmas


Beau Brown - 2019
    One bad decision derailed him for two years, but now he’s out of prison and trying to begin anew. The only things that ever made him happy in life was his younger brother Taylor, and the sexy alpha, Harlon Smith, who taught Taylor how to swim. Ian’s teenage crush on Harlon was never reciprocated, but Ian has fantasized about Harlon since the day they met. When the cab driver drops him off at Millie’s Hotel the first night of his freedom, he’s shocked to find Harlon behind the front desk. Alpha Harlon Smith always thought Ian was a nice kid, but he truly was just a kid. Nine years older than Ian, Harlon never looked twice at Ian romantically. However, when Ian shows up on his doorstep, fresh out of prison, Harlon is instantly drawn to the younger omega. He’s shocked at his need to take Ian under his wing, and the desire to protect him. However, Ian isn’t a child anymore, and when Harlon offers Ian a job and a place to live, neither one of them is prepared for the chemistry that explodes between them. This 53,000 word story is a standalone holiday story with lots of steamy scenes, Christmas cheer, and warm feels.

A Forbidden Rumspringa


Keira Andrews - 2014
    There’s no rumspringa for exploration beyond the boundaries of their insular world. Isaac will soon have to officially join the church and take a wife, but he yearns for freedom.He yearns for David.When he becomes David’s carpentry apprentice, Isaac discovers he’s not alone in his longing. Passion ignites amid sweat and sawdust. Somehow, Isaac and David must reconcile their deepening love for each other with their commitment to faith, family, and community.Now that they’ve found each other, are they willing to lose it all?A Forbidden Rumspringa by Keira Andrews is a gay romance and the first book in a series of forbidden Amish love. It contains steamy exploration, forced proximity, Jane Austen levels of pining, and of course a happy ending.

The Body in the Backyard


Hollis Shiloh - 2017
     Abe starts amateur sleuthing in self-defense...and to spend time with Gregory. When the two green thumbs look into their neighborhood's dirty little secrets, who knows what they'll dig up? A cozy gay mystery 51,000 words

The Inside of Out


Jenn Marie Thorne - 2016
    Before you can spell LGBTQIA, Daisy's leading the charge to end their school’s antiquated ban on same-sex dates at dances—starting with homecoming. And if people assume Daisy herself is gay? Meh, so what. It's all for the cause. What Daisy doesn't expect is for "the cause” to blow up—starting with Adam, the cute college journalist whose interview with Daisy for his university paper goes viral, catching fire in the national media. #Holy #cats. With the story spinning out of control, protesters gathering, Hannah left in the dust of Daisy’s good intentions, and Daisy's mad attraction to Adam feeling like an inconvenient truth, Daisy finds herself caught between her bold plans, her bad decisions, and her big fat mouth.

The Last of the Wine


Mary Renault - 1956
    As their relationship develops, Renault expertly conveys Greek culture, showing the impact of this supreme philosopher whose influence spans epochs.

Just Friends


Saxon James - 2020
    The move was supposed to get my life on track. I even had a list. Life changing epilepsy surgery. Check.See the world. CheckGet over my straight best friend … Not exactly.No matter where I go or who I meet, I can’t let Tanner go. I’m back to tell him how I feel. To get the closure I need once and for all.Only now I’m here and falling for him all over again, it’s getting harder to say the words. Because once I have my closure, I’ll be gone. And this time it will be for good.TANNERWhen my best friend, Roo, left for Australia, it was the worst day of my life. I thought we’d have each other always.But Roo needed the surgery so I let him go, thinking he’d come straight back.Five years is a long time.Now he’s here, all I want is to hold on tight. I need to show him what he means to me. The problem is, I’m not exactly sure what that is. My draw to him has always been confusing and different—everyone in town says so. But I struggle to understand it. All I know is I won’t survive him leaving again. And I’ll do anything to make him stay. Just Friends is a best friends-to-lovers romance with an oblivious MC, only one bed, and terrible kangaroo jokes.

Taming His Wild Girl (Wild Whip Ranch #2)


Lee Savino - 2021
    Joel always looked out for me, but now I'm desperate and he's my only hope. He offers me a way out, but only if I follow his rules. The second I disobey, he'll tip me over a hay bale and teach me how to mind. When I refuse his help, he rescues me anyway. He takes me to his ranch to keep me safe. He demands obedience and doesn't hesitate to mete out harsh discipline when I defy him. I think he know my secret: I crave punishment, almost as much as I love the pleasure he gives me as a reward... Taming His Wild Girl is Joel and Isabelle's story and part of the Wild Whip Ranch series. It can be read as a standalone.

Something Like Summer


Jay Bell - 2011
    But over time it can change.The hot Texas nights were lonely for Ben before his heart began beating to the rhythm of two words; Tim Wyman. By all appearances, Tim had the perfect body and ideal life, but when a not-so-accidental collision brings them together, Ben discovers that the truth is rarely so simple. If winning Tim’s heart was an impossible quest, keeping it would prove even harder as family, society, and emotion threaten to tear them apart.Something Like Summer is a love story spanning a decade and beyond as two boys discover what it means to be friends, lovers, and sometimes even enemies.

Leave Myself Behind


Bart Yates - 2003
    After his father dies, Noah's mother, a temperamental poet, takes a teaching job in a small New Hampshire town, far from Chicago and the only world Noah has known. While Noah gets along reasonably with his mother, the crumbling house they try to renovate quickly reveals dark secrets, via dusty Mason jars they discover interred between walls. The jars contain scraps of letters, poems, and journal entries, and eventually reconstructs a history of pain and violence that drives a sudden wedge between Noah and his mother. Fortunately, Noah finds an unexpected ally in J.D., a teenager down the street who has family troubles of his own.

Love at First Spray


Tom Caval - 2018
    Simon, a small-time clerk in the Big City, has just two hours to buy all the items on a ridiculously detailed (and expensive) gift list. A long list provided by Joshua, his handsome boyfriend, who also happens to be a self-absorbed aspiring model. Now the race is on to check all the items on the list. For the sake of love. Simon is almost done, but there is only one item left: the latest perfume obsession for gays. Of course, it is sold-out and a desperate Simon needs to scour the city for it. But little does he know, he will have the help of a sexy and exotic stranger. Love at First Spray is a funny, romantic and cosy gay Christmas short story, about finding love in the most unexpected place.

Love Always, Wild


A.M. Johnson - 2020
    To us. But no matter how hard I wish for what I want, there are some things in life that aren't meant to be. I don't expect you to understand. You've already moved on, living your life. But mine ended that night, nine years ago, and I still can't let you go. Not sure I ever will. I regret so many things, but hurting you, I'll never forgive myself. I'm sorry for… everything.Jax~****Jax,If only you could've seen it like I did, the way you were when you thought the world wasn't watching. How you'd change when I looked at you, when it was just us.But most of all… I wish you could've seen how much it hurt me when you disappeared. Regrets are for cowards. It has always been my belief you should chase after the things you want with actions, not words. There is no such thing as never meant to be.So this apology… not accepted…Love always, Wild

Rainbow Boys


Alex Sanchez - 2001
    Jason Carrillo is a jock with a steady girlfriend, but he can't stop dreaming about sex...with other guys. Kyle Meeks doesn't look gay, but he is. And he hopes he never has to tell anyone—especially his parents. Nelson Glassman is "out" to the entire world, but he can't tell the boy he loves that he wants to be more than just friends...In a revealing debut novel that percolates with passion and wit, Alex Sanchez follows these very different high-school seniors as their struggles with sexuality and intolerance draw them into a triangle of love, betrayal, and ultimately, friendship.

Protecting What's Mine (Playing with Trouble)


Ava Gray - 2022