Book picks similar to
The Body by R.J. Martin


romance-life
standalone-novels
first-reads
got-it

The Tears of Monterini


Amanda Weinberg - 2020
    1921. Yacobo Levi, an intellectual dreamer, works in the family bookshop. Angelo Ghione, a contadino, makes good wine by singing to the grapes. Lifetime best friends, their Jewish and Catholic families live side by side amidst a backdrop of village communal life, Etruscan tales and the growth of Benito Mussolini. Born on the same day, their children grow up and fall in love. When the 1938 racial laws are passed, the love between Bella and Rico thrives amidst and perhaps because of the fear and uncertainty. When Angelo discovers their liaison he suggests they marry but life is complicated and tensions simmer beneath the surface of love and friendship. When war is declared on the day of Bella's wedding to Michele a fellow Jew, the peaceful village they live in is torn apart, and the Levis find themselves displaced and fighting for their lives. Will life ever be the same again?The Tears of Monterini is a story of love and betrayal, loyalty and friendship. Inspired by true events in Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, this beautifully written debut will appeal to readers interested in history, Italy, romance, family dynamics and conflict.

Love Starved


Kate Fierro - 2015
    What he doesn’t have is a partner to share it with—a fact that’s never bothered him much. But the romantic in him isn’t entirely dead. When a moment of weakness finds him with a contact to a high-class escort specializing in fulfilling fantasies, Micah asks for only one thing: Show me what it’s like to feel loved.

Butterbean and the Pretty Princess Make a Home


R. Cooper - 2019
    He’s fallen for Eli, his adorable teddy bear of a roommate, but can’t express himself when said teddy bear is around. Eli is a responsible adult who makes risotto, worries too much, and falls asleep on the couch while watching the news. Riley wants nothing more to fall asleep next to him. He has been trying to shake his younger self’s reputation, but he feels that, compared to Eli, he’s just a pretty but useless artistic type. All that changes when Riley finds two abandoned kittens and brings them home. Eli has no idea what to do with the helpless strays, which means, for once, Riley takes charge and has an excuse to stick close to his roommate—something Eli hardly objects to. If anything, he seems to like Riley around the house. He seems to like the kittens, too, so much that Riley has to wonder if Eli could also like them all together. One soft, anxious bear, one pretty but not useless artist, and two balls of fluff might just make a happy home.

Keep Me Still


Stephen Hoppa - 2016
    That's when he learns what it truly means to surrender everything. Cody is strong, sexy, and more generous than Travis believed possible. He takes him in and begins unraveling all the pain and secrets that led to Travis being alone, homeless, and running for his life with an envelope of stolen cash.With such a sweet, fragile heart, Travis has never let his guard down with anyone, but he can’t resist falling deeper and deeper into Cody’s effortless dominance and possessive touch. Over stormy summer nights in Cody’s isolated cabin, Travis discovers the euphoric passion of giving in to the desires Cody draws out of him.Heart. Mind. Body. Travis hands over everything to the man who taught him to trust. The only problem is... Cody isn’t who he says he is—and his own dangerous secrets may shatter the faith Travis put in him.This is a 70,000 word stand-alone novel which contains intensely intimate scenes between two men, and a happily ever after with no cliffhangers.

Heartthrob


Jerry Cole - 2016
    Juggling school, his job at the music store, and his father’s ridiculous expectations, Trevor has a few more hurdles to clear before he can truly get out of his lifelong slump. He has managed to maintain a lie for his entire twenty-year old life, but he is ready to finally bring it all out into the open. The night before the new semester, Trevor decides to take his life by the reigns and makes a life-changing announcement: He likes men! With the help of his supporting roommates, Stacey and Paul, Trevor jumps headfirst into a world full of uncertainties as he finally begins to accept his sexuality. Desperate for a celebration, Stacey drags a reluctant Trevor to a night-on-the-town at the local gay bar, where he attempts to come out of his shell, but finds himself sitting in the corner of a bar with his eyes fixated on the floor. A local band named Eagle Talon plays a rocking show, and Trevor lays eyes on lead singer and heartthrob, Benjamin Schneider. If that wasn’t enough excitement for one night, Trevor eventually calls the attention of one handsome and very forward suitor. Little does he know that both of these men will forever alter the course of his life. Please Note: This book contains Adult Language & Steamy Adult Activities, it is intended for 18+ Adults Only. Novella, approx. 30,000 words in length. HFN (happy for now). Does not end with a "cliffhanger".

A Boy at the Edge of the World


David Kingston Yeh - 2018
    After moving to Toronto to attend university, Daniel embarks on a series of misadventures both comic and tragic, as he navigates the pitfalls of dating and relationships while juggling the needs of his eccentric family and newfound friends.A Boy at the Edge of the World is a coming-of-age novel that explores the variegations of sex, intimacy, and queer desire. It is both a rollicking dramedy and a philosophical reflection. In the end, Daniel’s story is the story of each of us: our universal search for love and family – at the edge of the world.David Kingston Yeh has been listed among “writers to watch” by CBC Books. He lives with his husband in Toronto, Canada. [more:] https://www.goodreads.com/author/1733...

The Dogs of Balboa


Rose Christo - 2014
    Torn apart by guilt, Michael sabotages his own life, until one year later, when Michael unexpectedly crosses paths with the victim again. Michael is determined to make it up to Noah, a painfully shy Native American boy whose only ambition is to travel into space. But Noah doesn't remember Michael; and Michael doesn't have the courage to refresh his memory. And behind Noah's attack lies a disturbing pastime with roots as old as America itself.

Look Past


Eric Devine - 2016
    Whoever it was is now taunting Avery, a transgender boy, with disturbing messages, claiming that Mary’s murder was revenge for her relationship with Avery. The killer’s demands are simple and horrific: Avery must repent for changing his gender identity, or he will be the next one killed.Can Avery deny who he is to catch Mary’s killer? Or will sacrificing himself be the ultimate betrayal?

Cub


Jeff Mann - 2014
    Some boys are pure country folk and like the feel of flannel and the smell of the farm. And they're neither lithe nor muscle-bound but stocky boys, the ones who develop hairy chests, arms, and faces years earlier than their peers. One such seventeen-year-old is Travis Ferrell, shy among most of the other kids at school, but proud of his West Virginia roots. He has not yet admitted his passion for handsome guys--and his idea of what handsome is and what handsome does is not much different from him. Soon he'll learn that he's not unique; gay culture has a name for young men like him. Cubs. Lambda Literary Award-winning author Jeff Mann has written a touching romance for the outsider in us all.

Wilberforce


H.S. Cross - 2015
    Stephen's Academy, the students are on the verge of revolt. While the younger boys plot an insurrection, the older ones are preoccupied with sneaking out-of-bounds, thrashing each other, tearing each other's clothes off-or some combination of the three. Morgan Wilberforce, for one, can't take it any longer.Everything Wilberforce touches turns to disaster in his desperate attempts to fight off desire, boredom, and angst. He knocks himself unconscious tackling the unattainable Spaulding on the rugby pitch, his headmaster detests him for crimes committed years ago, and even his closest friends are subjecting him to physical tortures normally reserved for juniors. When an accident at the boarding school leaves him with more suffering than he could have fathomed, he finds himself alone and adrift. And the workaday charms of cricket practice, Victorian pornography, canings from classmates, and fumbling with the pub-keeper's daughter can only do so much to mend a broken body and a restless heart.Stylishly inventive, H. S. Cross has crafted an imaginative, ritualistic world of men and boys narrowly confined by tradition and authority. Wilberforce is an indelible portrait of a young man caught between lust and cruelty, grief and God, frustrated love and abject longing-and a tour de force that heralds the arrival of a brilliant new novelist.

A Summer of Guiltless Sex


Dan Skinner - 2016
    It'd not been a great beginning of the summer season for either Bill, a young bridal store clerk, or Ted, a college student working as a lifeguard at the apartment complex’s pool. They'd both been dumped in their respective relationships and were still looking for “the one.” Their chance meeting at this low ebb in their lives and an off-the-cuff remark about what they both needed as a temporary solution to their physical needs, lead to a unique and adventuresome pact between the two. They agree to be what's lacking in each other’s lives. They begin a journey of self-discovery. One that will only last the length of the summer and will forever change their lives and ideas about love and friendship. One season of guiltless sex.

Serenity: Poems


F.S. Yousaf - 2022
    Yousaf’s last collection of poetry, Sincerely. Struck by inspiration and overwhelmed by the response of dedicated fans, Yousaf wanted to continue this journey in a new collection. While tales of longing, uncertainty, and loss flow through each poem, Yousaf artfully captures the eternal question of how to face pain with courage and quiet resilience.Featuring 140 poems and accompanying illustrations, Serenity is the perfect escape from daily life, helping readers refocus energy and kindness toward themselves and their cherished relationships.

Take Two


Mia Masters - 2019
    and the fact that they like to have threesomes and share women. They always insist it's only all about her pleasure, and it is, until they share Mallory.During the mind-blowing night they spend together, Mallory gives herself over and enjoys every moment of them sharing her curves. But she also notices that the childhood friends' love-hate relationship might be more love than they're letting on, whether either of them realizes it or not.She tells herself it's not her mess to untangle. This was just one night of forbidden fun at a party they were hosting. But she can't stop thinking about it. Their hands and skilled tongues had taken her body to heights she never even imagined.And there's definitely no forgetting when a little pink line appears on her pregnancy test a month later. As they reunite and their emotional bond fans the flames of the physical, she begins to wonder how she'll tell them she's pregnant and how they'll take the news. Which one is the father and how will that affect their blossoming relationship? And can she help them recognize and deal with the fact that they're as much in love with each other as they are with her?Will the surprise of a secret baby lead to even more revelations?And can these three deal together with parenting, coming out in Hollywood, and whatever else life throws their way, forever?Take Two is a full length standalone secret baby, Father's Day, coming out, MMF bisexual ménage novel of approximately 70,000 words. No cheating. No cliffhangers. Originally published in 2019 as 2 Celebrity Daddies by Ryan Ramsay, this is a fully revised and expanded edition in which R. Ryan has partnered with Mia Masters, master of MMF ménage romance, to bring you steamy bisexual goodness!

Summer Fun


Jeanne Thornton - 2021
    She is obsessed with the Get Happies, the quintessential 1960s Californian band, helmed by its resident genius, B—-. Why did the band stop making music? Why did they never release their rumored album, Summer Fun?Gala writes letters to B—- that shed light not only on the Get Happies, but paint an extraordinary portrait of Gala. The parallel narratives of B—- and Gala form a dialogue about creation–of music, identity, self, culture, and counterculture.Summer Fun is an epic and magical work of trans literature that marks Thornton as one of our most exciting and original novelists.

The Big Reveal


Jen Larsen - 2021
    When she's accepted into the prestigious dance program of her dreams, she thinks nothing can bring her down—until she realizes she doesn't have enough money to go. Refusing to give up, Addie and her friends decide to put on a top-secret, invitation-only burlesque show to raise funds. But word soon gets out, and the slut- and body-shaming begin. Has Addie been resisting the patriarchy, or playing right into its hands?Perfect for fans of Jennifer Mathieu and E. Lockhart, The Big Reveal asks hard-hitting feminist questions while reveling in some of life's greatest joys: chasing your passions, falling in love, and embracing yourself exactly as you are.