Haywire Witch


Ren Stjerne - 2015
    Watching Mitchell when he comes in for ice cream awakens his powers in unexpected ways. A threat from the past draws them together to find unexpected allies and new friends. Angels has to learn to control his powers without scaring Mitchell away. Mitchell finds the courage to let go and embrace the chaos that Angels bringss to his life.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" 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. Dear Author,This is me, causing trouble again. I don’t know what happened. One moment I was having a conversation with my roomie and the next thing I knew, the fountain exploded and I’m drenched in stink water. Ugh. Thanks to the hot summer day nobody seemed to mind that I had no idea how to get the water back under control.The thing is, I’m a witch and I suck at magic.I stopped using the little magic I knew since moving into the city about a year ago. Completely. It’s “fun” enough being gay, I didn’t want to be a witch too. I hate keeping secrets and the witchery thing was definitely supposed to be one. Not using my powers had me thinking I could be normal for a change. Tough luck. Since meeting “him” a few weeks ago, all shit went to hell. Every time he comes into the ice-cream shop I work at my magic goes crazy, doing the most embarrassing things!Nothing was meant to happen today! But then I saw him. My pistachio guy–tall, dark, and gorgeous. Always wearing a suit, always ordering pistachio ice-cream. And always giving me those secret smiles. His being around today definitely triggered my sucky magic to go haywire, and causing the fountain to put on a show. Thanks!My lack of witchery knowledge was starting to get me into deeper trouble than I’d ever expected was possible. But I had to find him and… then what?Photo Description: A young man stands in a pool of water in soaking red shorts and pink fluffy earmuffs. Behind him, water splashes out of a broken fountain. His expression shows concern, possibly guilt.This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

Dashed


Gwynn Marssen - 2015
    Everyone knows that summoning demons and alcohol is a very bad not good combo, and that Dark Entities Are Not Personal Playthings or Party Favours.So, long story short, I’m now stuck with that absurdly hot guy you can see in the picture. He owns my soul and the bastard won’t even tell me what I sold it for…I just hope that he’s not as bad as that smirk would suggest and that my story will have a happy ending.Photo Description: A photograph from the chest up of a stunning dark-haired man. He has his hands behind his head and he’s looking into the camera with a look that is both devious and challenging. The smirk around his lips doesn’t promise much good— or a lot of it— depending on your perspective.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" 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. This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

A King's Vow


Xander Tracy - 2018
    As he captures the throne of Kenta, a letter summons him to Ashwall Castle in the land of his birth, a place he left behind years ago to wage war and take his place in the world. Ashwall is caught in the grip of famine, and Prince Adonias, his childhood friend, desperately needs his help. When Naxar arrives, he finds the prince as hauntingly beautiful as ever, with the golden eyes of a true blood mage. But the prince wants nothing to do with Naxar or his aid. And he wants nothing to do with the marriage alliance his father has arranged between him and the unwitting Naxar. But the prince reawakens something in Naxar, a heart he thought had ceased to beat, and Naxar's determined to make the deal. Prince Adonias only wants one thing—to end the famine ravaging his country. His blood magic is the key, but he hasn't mastered its power. And he doesn't see how he can, now that his father has sold him for food and soldiers to the brutal Naxar, the warrior king who bears no resemblance to the boy Adonias used to know. Adonias knows his magic can solve their problems, but only if he can make it work before his marriage to the madman. And before his own countrymen fall into the superstitious fear of his golden blood-mage eyes. As the rumors begin to swirl around them, blaming Adonias for the blight killing their crops, Adonias fears for his life and his kingdom. And when his father insists he use the dark side of his magic, the choice is anything but simple: submit to the power in his blood...or to the man who heats his blood to boiling with a single kiss...

Broken


X. Aratare - 2016
    In exchange, Nick’s family gets a chance to regain their fortune. Is this the worst mistake of Nick’s life, or will it lead to a love only found in fairy tales? A modern, M/M retelling of Beauty & The Beast. Sensitive, aspiring photographer Nick Fairfax wants nothing to do with his family's corporate business, or their vicious, cold-blooded lifestyle. Intending to give up his inheritance and pursue his art, he arrives at his father's office, only to find that Fairfax Industries has fallen to a scarred man in a hooded cloak. The man is the reclusive billionaire Lord Bane Dunsaney, and he is bent on destroying the Fairfaxes. But when he sees Nick, everything changes. Bane offers the Fairfaxes the chance to regain their fortune if Nick will reside at Moon Shadow, his secluded mansion, and do whatever the billionaire wants for a whole year. Nick has no real choice other than to agree to Bane’s terms. At Moon Shadow, Bane lords his power over Nick, going even so far as to take Nick’s phone, computer and beloved camera away. The billionaire claims such measures are to protect his privacy, but Nick is convinced they are so Bane can control him. Each is determined to see the worst in each other. But as time passes, Nick glimpses a Bane that is much more than the cold-hearted figure that he met in his father's office. He discovers that Bane is a man betrayed by love and no longer believes in it. But what Nick comes to know about Bane is nothing compared to the man’s true secret. Bane is cursed. He is a tiger-shifter who has no control over his beast. And that beast wants Nick.

Betrothed: A Faery Tale


Therese Woodson - 2015
    Prince Chrysanths should be no different—except with a human for a father, the prince known as Puck already is different. When he is betrothed against his will to Prince Sky, Puck flees to his father in the human world, only to have Sky follow. Prince Sky Song of the Clouds isn’t thrilled with the prospect of marriage either, but is bound by duty to follow through. If he can’t win Puck over, the faery realm might very well dissolve into utter chaos. Too busy arguing, Puck and Sky are unaware there are others with a vested interest in seeing the betrothal fail. In a bid for Puck’s crown, they’ll seek to keep them apart, even as Puck and Sky realize that duty and love don’t always have to be mutually exclusive.

Lava Red Feather Blue


Molly Ringle - 2021
    But the Highvalley witches have rarely done things the way they're supposed to. On the north Pacific island of Eidolonia, hidden from the world by enchantments, Prince Larkin has lain in a magical sleep since 1799 as one side of a truce between humans and fae. That is, until Merrick Highvalley, a modern-day witch, discovers an old box of magic charms and cryptic notes hidden inside a garden statue.Experimenting with the charms, Merrick finds himself inside the bower where Larkin lies, and accidentally awakens him. Worse still, releasing Larkin from the spell also releases Ula Kana, a faery bent on eradicating humans from the island. With the truce collapsing and hostilities escalating throughout the country, Merrick and Larkin form an unlikely alliance and become even unlikelier heroes as they flee into the perilous fae realm on a quest to stop Ula Kana and restore harmony to their island.Content warnings: Magic used nonconsensually to compel others; violent attacks, including some blood and fire; death and grief; imprisonment; untrustworthy governments.

How to Keep an Author (Alive)


A.J. Sherwood - 2021
    Now, vampires hold day jobs like everyone else, and Justus is no exception. The funny thing about living forever is that you still somehow have laundry and bills to deal with. Enter stage left: JD Cooper, Justus’s new employer. Supposedly, the man is a writing raconteur, known to craft a mean mystery. His skills excel on paper, but suck in reality because he’s one step away from hoarder level. Justus takes the job as his housekeeper, expecting eccentricity. Which he gets. And so much more. Tags: Vampires with day jobs, Justus has it rough, Cooper is a walking disaster, how self-indulgent should I make this, the answer is very, bite kink, book hoarding, this is the least angsty thing I’ve written all year, smother tested, editor approved (This was a short story originally published in the Working Stiffs anthology. With the anthology no longer published, I've chosen to re-release it as a 10k short.)

Gaven


J.C. Owens - 2009
    By a man claiming to be his father. It turns out his entire life has been a lie, and now his 'father' will give him into the hands of another man to indoctrinate and train him. Gaven vows he will never shame his people by giving into the Masarians' way of loving other men.But Vlar, the legendary warrior to whom he has been given, has other plans. The blood-drinker is determined to have Gaven and to make him yield.Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, dubious consent, male/male sexual practices, violence, voyeurism.

Salt Magic, Skin Magic


Lee Welch - 2018
    There are no bars or chains; he simply can’t leave. His sanity is starting to fray. When industrial magician John Blake arrives to investigate a case of witchcraft, he finds the peculiar, arrogant Thornby as alarming as he is attractive. John soon finds himself caught up in a dark fairytale, where all the rules of magic—and love—are changed. To set Thornby free, both men must face life-changing truths—and John must accept that the brave, witty man who’s winning his heart may also be about to break it. Can they escape a web of magic that’s as perilous as love?

The Winter Spirit


Indra Vaughn - 2015
     Although a boyfriend wouldn’t go amiss. Someone to share his beautiful B&B with, even if it is in the middle of nowhere and he’s long past the wrong side of thirty. Problem is, Nathaniel’s living with a ghost who thinks he’s cupid, and whose arrows fly a little too straight. Gabriel Wickfield had the unfortunate luck of dying before his time, and now he’s stuck trying to make romance happen to earn his right to move along. Not that he’s bored in the meantime—Nathaniel is just too easy to tease. And also a little bit scrumptious… With the curse reaching its expiration date, Gabriel needs to make a final match this Christmas. Without it, nothing but darkness awaits. Love can conquer all, but can it beat death?

Private Dicks: Undercovers


Samantha M. DerrAlison Bailey - 2012
    Keeping his lies separated is all that's keeping him alive, and it's a job that grows harder by the day—especially with the unexpected complications of the alpha he's investigating.The PI and the Rockstar by K-lee Klein— Mason is a detective. He’s not flashy or hip and he doesn’t have an office conducive to entertaining wealthy clients. But when made-of-money Durango and his gum-snapping daughter hire him to do surveillance on a popular rockstar named Jade Jonathan Lee, Mason’s business world collides with his personal life, and the result is a mystery that must be solved.Glamour by Holly Rinna-White—When his little brother is kidnapped, Jason hires Eric, PI and long-time crush, to find him, terrified of what will happen if people learn his brother is unregistered psychic. But when Jason is kidnapped as well, he learns he and his brother are not the only ones keeping secrets.The Virginia Gentleman by Alison Bailey—When the Virginia Gentleman rides into town, it's a sure bet that trouble ain't far behind. He's quick on the draw, feared by all, and one sad little group of train robbers is about to find out why it's never wise to bet on trouble.The Royal Inquisitor by Megan Derr—Esmour is one the best Inquisitor's in the kingdom, but the penance bracelets on his wrist serve as constant reminder that once he was not a master of deception, but a victim. To solve his latest case, he must work alongside the liar who changed his life, and the love he learned too late was never real.Regarding the Detective's Companion by E.E. Ottoman—Jamie is desperate: he has no money, rent is coming due, and if he does do something soon he'll be forced back into a life of charity and pity. So when he is brought a case, Jamie takes it—even if it will mean lying to his client, manipulating the suspect and propelling himself into the middle of a plot involving murder and political intrigue.The Demon Bride by Isabella Carter—One dead body left at the door is more than enough, but after three are left on the stoop of his father's agency and no one else is willing to investigate, Quinton decides he'll just have to solve the mystery himself.Too Dangerous by Sasha L. Miller—Shi is good at what he does, no matter what his stupid ex thought. Danger comes with the territory, especially when that territory includes a special license to do select work for the government. But when the government needs him to fix something that defeated even their most elite, Shi learns that some situations are too much even for him.

Swift and the Black Dog


Ginn Hale - 2016
    But someone in the new government prefers dead heroes to living, swearing, cynical wizards. Caught between bullets, revenge and desire, Jack had better be swift indeed.

The Wolf and the Sparrow


Isabelle Adler - 2019
    With the old count dead and the truce dependent on his marriage to the rival duke’s son, Derek has no choice but to agree to the victor’s terms in order to bring peace to his homeland. When he learns of the sinister rumors surrounding his intended groom, Derek begins to have doubts—but there can be no turning back from saying I do. After the death of his wife, Callan of Mulberny never expected to be forced into another political marriage—especially not to someone like the new Count of Camria. Seemingly soft and meek, it’s only fitting that Derek’s family crest is a flighty sparrow, worthy of nothing but contempt. Another war with the seafaring people of the Outer Isles looms on the horizon, and the reluctant newlyweds must team together to protect those caught in the circle of violence. Derek and Callan slowly learn to let go of their prejudices, but as they find themselves enmeshed in intrigue fueled by dark secrets and revenge, their tentative bond is all that keeps their world—and their lives—from plunging into chaos.

Prelude to Fate


Eressë - 2012
    Impulse pushes him to journey to distant Tal Ereq with the delegation assigned to negotiate terms with the small town's citizens. But destiny has something in store for the powerful Ardan of Ylandre. An unlooked-for merging of memory and reality and a second chance long hoped for.Note: Prelude to Fate is set just before the events described in Chapter 1 of Book One: Sacred Fate .

Touch of Magic


Stella Rainbow - 2020
    A dying human. A squirrel intent on setting them up.Jai:I've lived my whole life with a terminal illness, knowing I'd never be "normal." I basically just existed, one day at a time with my dog as my sole, faithful companion. Then one day, Fate intervened and an encounter with a beautiful man gave me something I'd never had before: Hope.Could I really have the life I never thought I would have? Could I have all the things I'd only ever dreamed of having?Health, happiness, a full life...love?Raphael:I was always the black sheep of the family, the mage with faulty magic. I'd lived for a hundred and fifty years being taunted and put down, and I'd had to take it all with a smile.When I'd finally had enough, I left my home in Ravenshire and moved to Mistvale. Fate intervened when I was least expecting it and a chance encounter with a beautiful man tipped my world on its axis, and I discovered things I hadn't known about myself.Could Jai really be the answer to all my questions?Touch of Magic is a 70k words story including a goofy mage, a human who believes in magic, a squirrel intent on setting them up and a best friend who will threaten anyone who tried to hurt his bestie. it's the first book in the Mages of Ravenshire series. Each book in this series can be read as a standalone, but it is recommended to read them in order for the most enjoyment.