Book picks similar to
The Shop Downstairs by K. Sterling
m-m
mm
mm-romance
contemporary
One Step Back
Edie Danford - 2018
He was a hothead, and I was reserved. His life was football, mine was academics. He wanted to be out and proud, and I desperately needed to keep my orientation secret.But when we fell in love, my heart took the wheel, and I took every risk to be with Joe. Then one horrible night our secrets shattered. Joe disappeared--wrecking our families and breaking my heart.Eleven years later, I landed a challenging job at a premier PR firm. And the hotshot publicist who's been assigned to my first big account? Yep. It's Joe. Fate truly hates me because now Joe and I have three days to hole up in a Chicago hotel room and nail down a deal that could make or break our careers. He keeps distracting me, but I'm too jaded to fall for sexy smiles, bedroom eyes, and his impossible-to-ignore body. Except...I like being close to him again. A little too much. Working together 24/7 is showing me sides of Joe I've never seen before. And when we touch, being together seems like the only step worth taking.One Step Back is a stand-alone m/m romance of 95,000 words.
One Week Stand
Dillon Hunter - 2016
You don’t even need to know his last name. Hell, you don’t need to know his first name…”
Gabe Campbell doesn’t do one night stands, but after his boyfriend walks out on him, his best friend insists that it will be the perfect cure for his heartache. Gabe isn’t so sure, but when he meets a hot businessman who’s only in town for a week, it seems like the perfect opportunity to cut loose for once… as long as he can remember not to fall for a guy he’ll never see again.
“I will never, ever trust someone like that again."
Getting his heart broken once was more than enough for Nick Jeffries, and he’s spent the eight years since avoiding love in favor of easy, no-strings fun with men who don’t put his heart at risk. When his job offers him the chance to move from L.A. to Seattle, though, he finds more than he bargained for when a one night stand has him longing for things he’d long since stopped believing in.
“Trust me enough to give me a chance..."
Is one week long enough for two men to let go of their past and take a chance on forever… ?
One Week Stand is a steamy, standalone gay romance of approximately 25,000 words, with a HEA and no cliffhangers.
Buzz
E. Davies - 2015
Cam can't hide his past – especially when his heart racing is a big risk, and boy, does his new boss's nephew make his heart race. Noah's exactly the kind of guy Cam needs after his hellish ex.“I want to do something new.”Art curator Noah Clark is glad his beekeeping uncle hired this hunk. Cameron is a sweet, smart bad boy. Noah works hard, like organizing a hockey-themed art exhibition, and he wants to let himself love hard. Noah's busy life would be perfect with Cameron, but what's his new lover hiding?“Tell me why you've been watching me.”Pitting Cam's budding relationship with sweet Noah against millions of bucks, Cam is offered a lot of money to abandon his new priorities: life, love, and family. The game of their lives is on the line. And after all's said and done, is it too late for Noah to forgive Cam for his partial truths?
Acrobat
Mary Calmes - 2012
What he’s not very good at is sticking around afterward. He’s a nice guy; he just doesn’t feel things the way other people do. So even after all the time he’s spent taking care of Michael, the kid across the hall, he doesn’t realize that Michael’s mob muscle uncle and guardian, Andreo Fiore, has slowly been falling in love with him.Dreo has bigger problems than getting Nate to see him as a potential partner. He’s raising his nephew, trying to leave his unsavory job, and starting his own business, a process made infinitely more difficult when a series of hits takes out some key underworld players. Still, Dreo is determined to build a life he can be proud of—a life with Nate as a cornerstone. A life that is starting to look like exactly what Nate has been looking for. Unfortunately for Dreo—and for Nate—the last hits were just part of a major reorganization, and Dreo’s obvious love for Nate has made him a target too.
East
Domashita Romero - 2011
Small, small town. There are ways out of even the smallest town, if you can find the hand to guide you out.Original link: http://s2b2.livejournal.com/176784.htmlWords: 12,720 Complete
Finally Falling
Raleigh Ruebins - 2017
He’s just my best friend. At least, he used to be….Devin: From day one, our friendship never made sense. I was happy in the studio with a canvas and a paintbrush, and Russ was the gorgeous star quarterback that everyone loved… including me. But I could never tell him. He was straight. I should have been happy that I got to see a side of him that nobody else did: Russ was sensitive, thoughtful, and affectionate when it was just the two of us. Our friendship didn’t make sense, but it was ours. That’s all that mattered. But after college, Russ left Rose Falls without even saying goodbye. I was ripped apart, and everyone could see it. But that was eight years ago. Ancient history. It was all in the past… Until suddenly, it wasn’t.Russ: I’m done running. Eight years ago, I was terrified of losing everything because of feelings toward Devin I couldn’t shake. It shouldn’t have been possible—I was straight! So why couldn’t I keep my eyes off my best friend’s lips, his smooth skin, his body after a shower? I thought that leaving would make the confusion go away. But it never did. Now that I’m back home, I feel like myself for the first time in my life. I need to make things right with Devin.But I hadn’t anticipated falling into bed with him. And even after one scorching night, can Devin ever forgive me for leaving without a trace? Or have I missed my chance?Finally Falling is a 68,000-word gay romance about two best friends falling in love. It features a kitten named Pepper, plenty of crunchy fall leaves, and hot 'n' steamy scenes next to a waterfall. It’s the first book set in the small, quirky town of Rose Falls, but can absolutely be read as a standalone novel.
Love Ahead: Expect Delays
Astrid Amara - 2010
But he would never forgive himself if the man he loved, Zach Roth, got himself killed in Idaho, so he agrees to go.Besides, he has something to prove. He wants Zach to know that its more than just Zach’s deliciously wicked body he adores. And if it takes spending Hanukkah in Zach's Grandma’s old hatchback to prove it, then so be it.Ever the optimist, Zach believes everything will turn out for the best. But bad weather, robberies, blown gaskets, run-ins with the police and motel bedspreads of questionable cleanliness seem to conspire against them, and they may need eight days of miracles just to keep each other and their romance alive.
The Love Song
Kay Simone - 2016
Casey has plenty of friends, supportive parents to pay for college, and a solid future ahead of him. It should be easy to ignore a new outcast on campus.But try as he might, Casey is drawn to Grant—and the more he learns, the more he wants to learn.How do you go back to being strangers with someone who has seen your soul?Grant left a broken life behind him in Georgia. When his mom moves them to Middle-of-Nowhere, Nebraska, he wants a fresh start, setting his sights on a future when he’ll be done with school, helping his mom make ends meet, and able to forget all of his mistakes.The last thing he needs is someone getting in the way of that—someone feeling sorry for him. So why can’t he bring himself to stay away from Casey Dunne?I don’t want us to be strangers again.When circumstances tear them apart, it seems unlikely that they’ll ever be reunited. But when their paths do cross again, against all odds, their positions are reversed.Casey doesn’t believe that Grant will recognize—or want—the person he’s become since high school.Grant doesn’t know if he can give Casey the life he deserved all along… But he’s damned well going to try.The Love Song is a steamy and emotional standalone romance with second chance themes, hurt/comfort, and a happy ending.
Honeymoon Hoax
Devyn Morgan - 2016
He’d take the honeymoon alone, but his non-refundable tickets are for a newlyweds-only cruise. Brad needs a spouse to get on that ship, so he asks his best man (and best friend) for a quickie Vegas wedding. Now they both can have the time of their lives in the Caribbean. Best man Cameron Hines has never been able to say no to Brad’s hare-brained schemes, but this one takes the cake! The truth is, Cameron would be happy to be Brad’s husband - for a lifetime. But pining after a straight man is the road to heartbreak. Better to go play in the sun with his best friend and resign himself to ending the charade once they return to their regularly scheduled lives. Brad knows he’s not gay, but he’s not entirely straight either. Playing the happy honeymooning couple with another man is the perfect opportunity for some sexual experimentation. It’s just a shipboard fling—it won’t wreck a friendship as strong as theirs. Or will it? Can the salt sea air and island cruise magic transform this sham marriage into the type of happily-ever-after that comes with knowing that “Today I married my best friend”? Honeymoon Hoax is a standalone gay romance with a HEA ending.
The Best Men
Sarina Bowen - 2022
Still, that's no excuse to send ten drunk-texts on why her hasty marriage would be a mistake. If only I had just texted my sister. But nope. I accidentally sent the message to her, her groom, and his super hot wingman. I also used the phrase “super hot wingman,” so I’d like to die now. Instead, I have to plan a wedding with the aforementioned hottie and share a too-small guesthouse in steamy Miami. Three days in the sun with the cocky, charming former athlete who likes to push my buttons? Fine, two can play at that let’s-infuriate-each-other game. Until Asher ups the stakes with one wildly sexy suggestion. A no-strings fling, then I go back to my single dad life in New York, and he returns to his star-studded one. Sign me up. But the more nights I spend with the other best man, the more I want days too, and that just can't happen. Especially when I find out the real reason why… Contents Include: First times, a secret to-do list, champion-level flirting, fast cars, #eggplants, and two men who look good in formal wear.
Promises
Marie Sexton - 2010
He can't imagine living anywhere else. Unfortunately, the only other gay man in town is twice his age and used to be his teacher, so Jared is resigned to spending his life alone. Until Matt Richards walks into his life, that is. Matt has just been hired by the Coda Police Department, and he and Jared immediately become friends. Matt claims he is straight, but for Jared, having a sexy friend like Matt is way too tempting. Facing Matt-s affair with a local woman, his disapproving family, and harassment from Matt-s co-workers, Jared fears they'll never find a way to be together-if he can even convince Matt to try.
Shock & Awe
Abigail Roux - 2013
He’s not surprised when fellow Sidewinder Nick O’Flaherty stays with him in New Orleans. Nor is he surprised when Nick travels home with him to help him get back on his feet—after all, years on the same Marine Force Recon team bonded the men in ways that only bleeding for a brother can. He’s very surprised, though, when Nick humors his moment of curiosity and kisses him.Nick knows all of Kelly’s quirks and caprices, so the kiss was a low-risk move on his part . . . or so he thought. But what should’ve been a simple moment unleashes a flood of confusing emotions and urges that neither man is prepared to address.Now, Kelly and Nick must figure out what they mean to each other—friends and brothers in arms, or something even deeper?—before the past can come back to ruin their tenuous future.
Leaning Into Love
Lane Hayes - 2017
He’s part owner of a highly successful tech firm, he has a supportive family and a great group of close friends. But something is missing. Or maybe he’s reacting to his business partner and ex’s wedding news. He knows his former lover is making a big mistake but he also knows it’s time to move on. And hopefully avoid falling for another friend.Zane Richards is an avid sailor and surfer with a laid-back approach to life. He firmly believes there’s a time and place for everything if you’re willing to take a chance. Like letting his best friend know he’s interested in being much more than friends. Eric has always been half in love with Zane but going from friends to lovers isn’t an easy sell for someone protecting his heart. Eric will have to decide if he’s willing to risk it all by leaning into love.THIS EDITION INCLUDES BONUS CHAPTER
Off-Campus Setup
Maria Vickers - 2017
Between the university screwing up his living arrangements, the weird meddling old woman who runs the boarding house, and the fellow student who instantly catches his eye, life in Cali is more than he expected, and he isn’t sure he’s ready for any of it. College was supposed to be an adventure, but this might be more than Levi can handle. Nathan Orion wants to have fun. That’s what he lives for and it's exactly what his college years are supposed to be about. He’s happy with living the single life and being carefree…that is until the new student at his grandmother’s boarding house crashes into his life. Now he’s been recruited to show the new guy around, and if Nathan has his way, it won't be just on-campus.Will there be more, or is this only an illusion? Two men thrown together, not expecting anything, but possibly finding so much more than an off-campus setup.
Blowing It
Kate Aaron - 2015
His new relationship with gruff, gentle Magnus Cassidy is at risk, and Owen isn’t going back into the closet without a fight.When a photo circulating online threatens his squeaky-clean image, Owen seizes his opportunity to lash out, not realising he’s hurting the man he’s doing it all for.Can Owen find a way to reconcile his public and private lives, or has he already blown it? Contents: passive tops and slutty bottoms, bitchy best friends, bad jokes, sexy underwear, an excess of beards, and a smattering of angst. May contain nuts. Word Count: 83,500 THE BLOWING IT SERIES:BLOWING ITBALLS UPBOTTOMS UP (Expected release Autumn 2016)Spin-off: Ryan’s Story:DOM ON THE SIDESUB ON TOP (Expected release May 2016)