Book picks similar to
Roots Before Branches by Abigail Tyrrell


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The Problem with Mistletoe


Kyle Baxter - 2019
    And then he has to ask Alex Capili, an old friend who just returned from the big city, to help run it. Spending weeks working closely together old feelings come up and David wonders if fairy tales really do come true.Alex came home to help sell off his family’s restaurant, he was not looking for love. And happy endings only happen in movies. But nothing about this return trip home town is quite what he expected and David is still the best man he's ever known. A good father, with a heart as big as all outdoors, and disarmingly handsome.

Perfect Freedom


Gordon Merrick - 1982
    Tropez -- dapper American expatriate Stuart Cosling, his ravishing French wife Helene, and their stunningly handsome son Robbie. To his parents, Robbie was still a boy, but in the spring of 1938, on a cruise of the Greek islands, Robbie discovered the pleasures of manhood. It wasn't until a certain season in St. Tropez that Robbie discovered the endless passion that comes only once with first love.

The Night Of


Tal Bauer - 2021
    He calls in an investigator he knows to take a second look, certain there's more going on.I'm the investigator. Secret Service Agent Sean Avery. The guy who called me? My ex, Vice President Jonathan Sharp. And the guy he doesn't believe put a bullet in his brain?That was President Steven Baker.The deeper I dig, the more things fall apart. I've got a dead president inside a locked room. A hidden note. A secret gun. A missing CIA officer.And no one I can trust.Now Jonathan's in the crosshairs, and if I don't figure out what really happened that night at Camp David, the love of my life might be the next president to die.***This M/M romantic suspense features smoldering forbidden love and a May/December second chance romance that ignites your pages.

The Road Home


L.A. Witt - 2020
    He’s made decisions that have left him estranged from his once tight knit family. Even now, when David is clean and sober and working his way through medical school with a promising future ahead, his parents refuse to forgive or forget. When he gets some grim news about his father, David realizes he’s running out of time to make amends. As he comes home for the holidays and his sister’s wedding, he knows it’s going to be tense, but he’s desperate to prove they’re wrong about him. And since they won’t take his word for it, he’s bringing reinforcements. Hunter Scott will do anything for his childhood best friend, but he never thought that would include posing as his boyfriend. Except David’s family has always respected Hunter. Maybe if they see that David is good enough for Hunter to love, they’ll realize he’s good enough for them too. But as Hunter and David lean on each other through snowstorms, family drama, and visits from personal demons, maybe this relationship isn’t as much of a performance as it was meant to be. The Road Home is approximately 82,000 words long. CW: Recovering addict struggling on-page, references to meth use, combat PTSD, discussions of suicide

Two Boys Kissing


David Levithan - 2013
    While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other.

Tight End


M.D. Saperstein - 2019
    Oh, and he’s still in the closet. Unwilling to sacrifice his career or livelihood - not to mention the fact that not even his family knows - his personal life remains on the back burner. Dr. Wyatt Carrington lives his best life out and proud. With the love and support of his friends, families, and coworkers, he has never questioned his decision to come out. He dates often but has been unable to find his true love. Or at least a man that understands his crazy work schedule. When Wyatt is tasked with the unfortunate and unenviable responsibility of telling Brick that some of his players may have genital warts, the meeting has both men feeling...well, uncomfortable. After a series of coincidental run-ins, Ben decides to bite the bullet and ask Wyatt out. Though very discreet, secrets - and gay men - come out of the closet sooner or later. It’s always best when it’s done of your own volition. But that’s not always how the cookie crumbles. Or in their case, the pizza.

Anything Could Happen


Will Walton - 2015
    Which makes it hard for him to be in love with his straight best friend. For his part, Matt is completely oblivious to the way Tretch feels – and Tretch can’t tell whether that makes it better or worse. The problem with living a lie is that the lie can slowly become your life. For Tretch, the problem isn’t just with Matt. His family has no idea who he really is and what he’s really thinking. The girl at the local bookstore has no clue how off-base her crush on him is. And the guy at school who’s a thorn in Tretch’s side doesn’t realize how close to the truth he’s hitting. Tretch has spent a lot of time dancing alone in his room, but now he’s got to step outside his comfort zone and into the wider world. Because like love, a true self can rarely be contained. ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN is a poignant, hard-hitting exploration of love and friendship, a provocative debut that shows that sometimes we have to let things fall apart before we can make them whole again.

All I Have Left


Shey Stahl - 2014
    Her secrets go beyond the black eyes and the breaking heart. She’s dropped out of college, forced to quit her job and avoiding the questions her friends and family so desperately want answers to. And then her childhood crush shows up in town. Rugged, and not so innocent anymore, she’s reminded of that boy from her past and realizes he’s not the same. There’s a newfound darkness about him she can’t place. Grayson Gomez is hiding more than his unexpected return home. Trained to fight for his country, he has to battle harder to hide his despair when he finds the girl he left behind in the arms of another. With his world crashing around him, he’s holding on to a memory of the girl he used to know. As he questions what’s really going on with Evie’s boyfriend, Grayson makes a horrifying discovery. When her life is threatened, and his past catches up with him, Grayson will stop at nothing to protect her. Even if it means putting his own life on the line for her.

My Dragon Prince


Rowan Porter - 2018
    DAMON Not to be a snob, but everything about humans is boring and tedious. That should have been my first clue something was different about James Bennett. I'd spent too long already in the mortal realm. My senses were dulled; as was my desire to do anything but find our queen's long-lost heir. It had seemed so simple when I first volunteered for this quest. I hadn't counted on the modern world being so mundane. In contrast to that gray backdrop, James was the only spark of living color. Too bad he hated my guts from the start. To be fair, I tend to provoke him without trying. I’m drawn to him, driven to throw fuel on the flame and see what ignites. The passion that flares in him when he’s spoiling for a fight. It’s been so long since I’ve been near fellow dragons; I try and evoke their semblance anywhere I can. Except suddenly dragons are everywhere. Rivals are spoiling for fights of their own; each determined to bring honor to their clan. And James is caught in the middle, witness to a scene not meant for mortal eyes. Too fearless to turn away from me even now that he knows what I am. Only then do I realize, he might be everything I’ve spent years searching for, in more ways than one. JAMES Stop me if you’ve heard this before. The new guy at work is tall, sexy, oozing with menace and mystery. He’s also a total jerk. Who happens to change into a dragon. Yeah, that last part threw me too. As did everything that came after. One minute I’m following my obnoxious coworker to give him a piece of my mind. The next? Dragons. Fighting. Us? Running. Him? Asking painful questions about my past, only to have more answers than I do. Answers I’ve spent my whole life searching for. The very way he’s looking at me now, with a desperate intensity like hunger, want, need. All rolled into an insatiable desire to consume and possess. And the more I feel the heat of his gaze upon me, the more there’s only one thing I want, one thing that matters. And it’s not answers. My Dragon Prince is a standalone M/M Dragon Shifter romance featuring two sexy men who can’t help but be attracted to one another. 18+ only please.

Beginnings


Eve Raineer - 2019
    At least that's how it is in my wolf pack, has been since high school. There's only two problems with that: one, I'm a man, and two, I'm human. Back from college and armed with my teaching certificate all I want is to quietly teach chemistry to the kids of my hometown, wolf and human alike, but its never that easy in Silver Branch. Weird things start to happen, a hot guy shows up, and suddenly I'm mixed into affairs probably better left to wizards and shifters. Nick Duval My family sucks, my pack sucks and all I've ever wanted was to get break free and leave to live life on my own terms. But I can't risk the danger that would put my Mom and little brothers in so I'm trapped pretending to be the perfect son and Alpha heir. My overbearing father has finally set his ultimatum, marry the adopted human son of his dead best friend or the woman of his choosing. I'm gay, so neither option is particularly appealing to me. However, when I meet this human I know he's the one for me, all I have to do is convince him. All hell breaks loose and I start to find that the biggest challenge might not be convincing my Mate, but rather keeping him. Can Nick, Billy, and the other residents of Silver Branch band together to stop the monster someone is trying to summon in their midst? Can they keep their hands off each other long enough to save the world? Beginnings is an M/M non-mpreg shifter romance intended for adults only. It contains swear words, some violence, and sexy times.

Where You Hurt the Most


Anne Brooke - 2012
    When his boss and dear friend asks him to entertain his nephew, Adrian readily agrees, but meeting Dan challenges him in ways he'd never imagined.Dan is scarred inside and out from an accident that destroyed a promising future. Despite Adrian's loveless lifestyle and Dan's withdrawal and anger, the two men forge a deep--if unnerving--connection. Soon they find themselves questioning the choices they've made and the futures they've mapped out for themselves.Yet even bright young men like Adrian and Dan fear the unknown and take comfort in the familiar. Neither may be strong enough to step away from the life they know and toward the one they dare not hope for. But while it's true that love can't heal all wounds, it is the surest balm for where you hurt the most."(This title is part of the 2012 Rentboy Collection.)"

And They Lived . . .


Steven Salvatore - 2022
    I loved it from once upon a time all the way to its joyfully complex ever after." - New York Times bestselling author Becky AlbertalliChase Arthur is a budding animator and hopeless romantic obsessed with Disney films and finding his true love, but he's plagued with the belief that he's not enough for anyone: he's recovering from an eating disorder and suffers from body dysmorphia fueled by his father, and can't quite figure out his gender identity. When Chase starts his freshman year of college, he has to navigate being away from home and missing his sister, finding his squad, and contending with his ex-best friend Leila who is gunning for the same exclusive mentorship. If only he can pull together a short for the freshman animation showcase at the end of the semester.Then Chase meets Jack Reid, a pragmatic poet who worships words and longs to experience life outside of his sheltered world. But Chase throws everything into question for Jack, who is still discovering his sexual identity, having grown up in close-knit conservative family. Jack internalized a lot of homophobia from his parents and childhood best friend, who unexpectedly visit campus, which threatens to destroy their relationship. Chase will have to learn to love--and be enough for--himself, while discovering what it means to truly live.

Get Your Shine On


Nick Wilgus - 2015
    As this unlikely trio begins to build a new life together, they encounter both support and hostility in the small Mississippi town where they live. Seems like just about everybody has an opinion on the matter—and they're not shy about expressing it. While this blossoming little family finds its feet, outside forces—and ghosts from the past—threaten to tear it apart. Henry, still trying to deal with the tragic death of his parents, finds himself hard-pressed to open his heart to this needy child. Just as a little shine begins to come back into their lives, Ishmael's mother returns, and their world is thrown into chaos.

The Boy Next Door


P.D. Singer - 2011
    The casual meetings that sustained him will be over soon—Raymond’s parents are moving from the old family home.The weeping willow tree in Raymond’s back yard is a place of transformations: from caterpillar to beautiful moth, from child to youth to adult. The old tree might retain enough of its childhood magic to open Raymond’s eyes and let him see the loving man where the adoring child once stood.Original Prompt:Dear Author,Everyone keeps telling me I'm too young to really know what I want or who I am yet. Give it time, don't be rash. But it's all just noise -- just blah blah blah -- when I see him.He's older, wiser, experienced and he makes me melt every time he looks at me. He's what I want and his boyfriend is who I am. Well, I'm hoping that's where tonight will lead, anyway. I'm going to do my damnedest to seduce him, to show him I can give him the sweet and tender I'm betting he needs.He spends his days being tough and confident, but I know there's a marshmallow angel inside him. I can take care of him. I can. Even if I've never done anything like this before. I have to try.Photo Description: An older, naked mystery man lies back, left leg bent so his foot is flat on a white bed, hands on his torso. His naked teenaged lover is on hands and knees between his legs, arms braced to either side of his hips. The blonde youth stares at him with intent.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" 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.Download the story, read it here or find it in Don't Read in the Closet, Volume 3 or Don't Read in the Closet: GayRomLit Retreat 2011 Special Edition.__________Genre: contemporaryTags: gay m/m, friends to lovers, age-difference, college, vanilla, outdoorsWord Count: 4,382

Her Wounded Cowboy: A Clean & Wholesome Cowboy Romance (Unforgettable Cowboys Book 3)


Danae Little - 2019
    Returning to her family’s failing ranch crashes a harsh reality upon her. With the responsibility that her parents can no longer shoulder, she has to take the first position offered to her…helping the boy who broke her heart in high school.Ryder lost more than his memory during a bull riding accident. Losing his ability to walk and the headaches that come with his head injury are nothing compared to his broken heart. His emotional instability distances him from his family, including, Maci, his daughter he can’t remember.Maci dreams of having a stable family, a mom who won’t run out on her, and her dad home. Will she be able to bring Savannah and her dad together in order to make her dream come true? Book Three of Unforgettable Cowboys, a clean and wholesome romance series with a touch of suspense. e.