Book picks similar to
Michael's Awakening by Jaclyn Osborn
m-m
mm
m-m-romance
romance
Finding Zach
Rowan Speedwell - 2010
When he is rescued at last from the Venezuelan jungle, he is physically and psychologically shattered, but he slowly begins to rebuild the life he should have had before an innocent kiss sent him into hell. His childhood best friend David has lived those years with overwhelming guilt and grief. Every relationship David has tried has fallen apart because of his feelings for a boy he thought dead. When Zach is rescued, David is overjoyed--and then crushed when Zach shuts him out. Two years later, David returns home, and he and Zach must come to terms with the rift between them, what they feel for each other, and what their future could hold. But Zach has secrets, and one of them might well destroy their fragile love.
Safe in His Arms
Renae Kaye - 2014
He’s not looking for anyone, but when Casey offers, Lon doesn’t turn him down. Welcoming the young man in his big, hairy arms, Lon provides a safety to Casey that he has never known, and Casey wants to stay forever. Still reeling from the breakup of his family years ago, Lon’s not sure he’s ready for the responsibility of the comfort and security Casey craves. But perhaps Lon can risk opening his heart again and hoping for a brighter future. Casey has some pretty big skeletons in his past to deal with. And Lon wonders what Casey will do when he finds out how badly Lon failed at protecting the ones he loved eight years ago.
Daddy Ink
Ali Lyda - 2020
But one look at Gordo? I’m smitten. Even though I might be a tough looking tattoo artist, I know that the ink does a lot to hide my own insecurities. It doesn’t matter how much Gordo seems to like me - I can’t bring myself to make a move.Talking has never come easy to me - and I mean that literally. But Gordo doesn’t seem fazed by my speech problems or the mess in my head, and soon we’re forming a deep connection. But I learned a long time ago that nothing lasts forever … and when a blast from Gordo’s past shows up, it proves that everything was too good to be true.At least, that’s what the old me would say. This time, I know that Gordo and his little baby are worth fighting for. I’m willing to walk through fire to get what I want. But can a tattoo artist with a checkered past really be any guy’s happily ever after?Daddy Ink is the first of the Get Ink’d m/m romance series. The Get Ink’d crew are misfits from all walks of life who come together to create amazing art. They’re a family born of love, loss, and ink. In this first in series, ambitious single dad Gordo has met his match in heavily inked Javi, and sparks are ready to fly.
An Unlocked Heart
K.C. Wells - 2013
He focuses on making Collars & Cuffs, a BDSM club in Manchester’s gay village, successful. That changes the night he and his business partner have their weekly meeting at Severinos. Leo can’t keep his eyes off the new server. The shy man seems determined to avoid Leo’s gaze, but that’s like a red rag to a bull. Leo loves a challenge.Alex Daniels works at Severinos to scrape together the money to move out on his own. He struggles with coming out, but he’s drawn to Leo, the gorgeous guy with the icy-blue eyes who’s been eating in his area nearly every night.Leo won’t let Alex’s hesitance get in the way. He even keeps him away from the club so as not to scare him. And as for telling Alex that Leo is a Dom? Not a good idea. One date becomes two, but date two leads to Leo’s bedroom… and Alex discovers things about himself he never realized—and never wanted anyone to see.
Too Close
R. Phoenix - 2016
Making ends meet seemed impossible until Tate Chandler took them in -- his knight in shining armor who promised to make life about more than just surviving. But Tate is not the man he seemed to be, and even his whispered I love yous and generous gifts do little to soothe the pain he causes. Knowing he can't give his sister all that she deserves without Tate, Skylar stays with him, relying on bad puns and a worse sense of humor to keep up the charade. He will do anything for his sister, even if that means acting the responsible adult and going back to his old high school to meet Dexter Weston, the hot math teacher who can make even algebra interesting. Sparks fly between the two of them, but with his dependence on Tate, Skylar isn't free to follow his heart. He wants what is best for Evie, but can he pass up the chance to find love that heals instead of harms? Warning: This book contains scenes of domestic violence/abuse that some may find triggering to read.
Rattlesnake
Kim Fielding - 2015
What he does have is a duffel bag, a lot of stories, and a junker car. Then one cold desert night he picks up a hitchhiker and ends up with something more: a letter from a dying man to the son he hasn’t seen in years. On a quest to deliver the letter, Jimmy travels to Rattlesnake, a small town nestled in the foothills of the California Sierras. The centerpiece of the town is the Rattlesnake Inn, where the bartender is handsome former cowboy Shane Little. Sparks fly, and when Jimmy’s car gives up the ghost, Shane gets him a job as handyman at the inn. Both within the community of Rattlesnake and in Shane’s arms, Jimmy finds an unaccustomed peace. But it can’t be a lasting thing. The open road continues to call, and surely Shane—a strong, proud man with a painful past and a difficult present—deserves better than a lying vagabond who can’t stay put for long.
Love Him Free
E.M. Lindsey - 2020
He just doesn’t know how to get it. From an early age, Simon’s life has been marked by loss. After the death of his father, Simon and his infant brother are ripped from their home in Tel Aviv and forced to settle in a small mountain town in the US where no one speaks his language. By the age of twelve, Simon is an orphan. By the age of twenty-one, Simon finds himself the unwilling owner of his bubbe’s bakery, and the hesitant guardian of his little brother. Terrified of losing what little he has left, Simon dedicates himself to his faith, sacrificing everything to keep the fragile scraps of his broken family.But, when Simon’s favorite film star’s life suddenly falls apart on social media, Simon makes a choice. He goes against every one of his instincts and fires up his camera, sending a message in rusty ASL. He doesn’t expect anything from it, of course. After all, Simon’s life has been anything but charmed.Deaf film star, Rocco Moretti, had anyone's fantasy life, and he wouldn’t change it for the world.When he was in college, Rocco decided to corner the market as a Deaf man in adult films as a quick way to make cash. Fifteen years later, and he’s rich with a house in Malibu, a boyfriend of almost two-decades, and a body that’s constantly in demand. His life was charmed, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. But when Rocco wakes up to his boyfriend leaving, he has nowhere to turn. People are starving for the drama, but no one cares that Rocco’s life has just fallen apart. His job is on the line, and he’s lost his interpreter, and all people want is the story. Rocco realizes in that moment, he wants something more. He’s not sure where to find it, but he thinks maybe the shy video in shaky ASL in his DMs is a good place to start. After all, Cherry Creek is in the middle of nowhere, and since seeing that video, Rocco hasn’t been able to stop thinking about that shy baker’s long fingers, shy smile, and the constellation of freckles on his pale cheeks.Rocco isn’t sure leaving his life behind is the right choice, and Simon isn’t sure he belongs in Rocco’s world. But the one thing they do know, is that this love has a chance to set them both free.Love Him Free is Book One of the series On The Market. It contains no cheating, light angst, and has a HEA.
Love the Sinner
Avril Ashton - 2012
Gabe can’t deal with the sudden, intense need he has for one of NYPD’s Most Wanted. Everyone close to Angelo Pagan ends up dead, with the smug gang leader standing amid the rubble. Gabe would love nothing more than to bust Angelo’s ass and lock him up. So why is he seeing the bastard in his dreams at night?Angelo Pagan knows attraction to Gabe is suicide. He’s resolute to ignore the chemistry…until a police raid goes wrong. He critically injures Gabe, changing the trajectory of both their lives. Now the two can’t get close enough. They settle into a forbidden affair threatened by lies and betrayal, living on different sides of the law with no way of breaching the gap between them. With the authorities looking to make an example of Angelo, Gabe has to decide if it’s really worth it to hate the sin but love the sinner.
The Last Thing He Needs
J.H. Knight - 2014
Since he was fifteen years old, he's managed to keep the children fed and out of foster care. It takes up every ounce of his energy and the last thing he needs is romance complicating his life further. Rookie cop Bobby McAlister doesn't belong in Tommy’s harsh world, but Tommy can’t push him out. As their unlikely friendship turns into a tentative relationship, they weather the daily storm of Tommy’s life with a lot of laughs and more than a few arguments. Tommy isn't used to trusting outsiders, and he's never asked for help in his life. But when a tragedy strikes the O'Shea family and threatens everything he's fought for, he'll have to learn to do both to recover from the brutal hit.
Silver & Black
Tyler May - 2015
But when a tragic health event leaves him vulnerable, he realizes those things are worthless. He is on a mission to fill the void in his life when he first meets the young, gorgeous Greyson Black, who is working his way through school as a barista at one of his coffee shops.Silver wants Greyson, and he’s used to getting what he wants. Greyson Black is determined to make the best out of his life, but despite his best efforts, life hasn’t played fair, and neither has love. He is nursing a broken heart when Brian Silver walks into his life, and for once, Greyson thinks fate has finally granted him the opportunity for happiness. But fate can be manmade, and Greyson soon discovers that a relationship with Brian Silver comes at a cost. Silver and Greyson emerge on a hot and passionate journey, but danger lurks in the darkness, threatening to destroy everything they’ve worked for. When the mind games make Greyson question Silver’s motives, he will have to determine if their love is worth the risk. Shots are fired, leaving all trust dead. They say love is blind, but Greyson would say, suspicion is the real killer. And sometimes, secrets are worse than bullets. Silver & Black is a gay mystery romance and is intended for readers 18 years of age or older for sexual content, language, and mild violence.Second edition includes: New cover, updated blurb, a chapter added, updated and added scenes, change of tense, added dialogue, new editing and formatting.There is SIGNIFICANT changes to the book, but the plot is the same. First edition, published May 2016; Second edition, published July 2018.
Bishop
A.E. Via - 2019
His gang was his family, the streets his home. Until the crew he’d always called his brothers betrayed him. After doing five years in a federal prison, Bishop is back at his dad’s trailer and working for his landscaping company, thrust into a legit world where he’s no longer the alpha—a world where a criminal record is the least of his disadvantages, because Bishop can’t read or write. Illiteracy had never been an obstacle for him on the streets, he didn’t need to know how to read Moby Dick to survive, he needed to know how to read people… and that was a hustle he’d learned hard and fast. Now, he had to change his life. Bishop’s only support system was a young, inexperienced dad who’d insisted he call him Mike all their life—since they looked more like brothers than father and son. And his hot-tempered, childhood, best friend from ’juvie, Trent. Bishop already had the deck stacked against him, but he wasn’t afraid of hard work to change his situation, and he did want to change. Especially after he encountered Edison Scala, a kind-spirited office manager who didn’t hesitate to come to his defense… a man that saw past Bishop’s grass-stained coveralls. A man who wasn’t intimidated by his stern features and his silence. Edison hadn’t grown up the way most of his peers had. He’d been raised by a single father who’d owned an old-fashioned barber shop where Edison was taught how to not only shave with a straight razor, and shine shoes, but also how to treat others, to not judge, to be a gentleman, to be respectful and speak without profanity. But, the biggest lesson he’d learned, was to always be himself. His lack of friends and a social life wasn’t his fault. No matter how much weight he gained, no matter how many times his staff called him a square, Edison did not need to change. Bishop knew Edison was off-limits. He’d made personal vows to himself when he was released from prison, ones that he never intended to break. But, when Edison asked him about providing landscaping services at his home, there was no way he could refuse. He hadn’t expected Edison to feed him, praise him, encourage him, and look at him the way he did—as if Bishop was somebody. Mike and Trent warned him not to mix business with pleasure and he didn’t intend to. No multiple pairings. No cliffhangers. Ends with a very, very HFN. Warning: This book is a M/M contemporary romance, a hardened man’s struggle to find real love. There are no police chases or doors being kicked in, in this one. But, don’t worry. Bishop is still intense enough to keep you on the edge.
Alaska
Cate Ashwood - 2018
Success. Money. Acclaim. I was standing on the doorstep to having it all when my father handed me an impossible ultimatum: travel to middle-of-nowhere Alaska to convince Gage Emerson to return to work or don’t bother coming back.Gage: Power and prosperity are overrated. Especially when they come at a price. When enough became enough, I walked away, forging a new, quieter life for myself in small-town Sawyer’s Ferry. That life was perfect, until one day Holden Prescott, son of my former business partner, showed up in my backyard. And he isn’t taking no for an answer.Nothing had ever tempted me to look back, but now I’m not so sure I can walk away a second time.
Rory's Last Chance
Bailey Bradford - 2011
Once a wild and voracious player, he became a loner after a traumatic event in his past tore his world apart. Older and wiser, years of loneliness and a moment of weakness drive him to seek another’s touch. The only problem is, the club he chooses to visit is filled with PYT’s—pretty young things Chance simply doesn’t find appealing.Rory Calhoun has his own baggage that haunts him. Still, he gives in to curiosity and decides to check out the local club. Inside he spots a man who fires up every fantasy Rory’s ever had. The only problem is, despite a quick, enthralling encounter, the stranger makes it clear he isn’t interested in PYT’s, a label Rory knows would be slapped on him in a heartbeat if the stranger ever saw his face.Rory has one unexpected opportunity to make Chance see him as a man, and he’s going to grab that opportunity, and Chance with both hands.
A Second Harvest
Eli Easton - 2016
Born to a Mennonite family, he obeyed his father and took over the family farm, married, and had two children. Now with both his kids in college and his wife deceased, he runs his farm alone and without joy, counting off the days of a life half-lived.Christie Landon, graphic designer, Manhattanite, and fierce gay party boy, needs a change. Now thirty, he figures it's time to grow up and think about his future. When his best friend overdoses, Christie resolves to take a break from the city. He heads to a small house in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to rest, recoup, and reflect.But life in the country is boring despite glimpses of the hunky silver fox next door. When Christie's creativity latches on to cooking, he decides to approach his widower neighbor with a plan to share meals and grocery expenses. David agrees, and soon the odd couple finds they really enjoy spending time together.Christie challenges the boundaries of David's closed world and brings out feelings he buried long ago. If he can break free of the past, he might find a second chance at happiness.
One Night at Finn's
R.G. Alexander - 2017
Alexander.**
Ever been on a bad date? Hold my beer…
My dry spell isn’t voluntary. It just happened. Or didn’t happen. And then... it didn’t happen some more. I’m not saying I’m looking for perfection, but is hot, sweaty sex with a genuinely decent guy too much to ask? When I meet the much older and newly retired Master Sergeant Carter Willis, he definitely fits my criteria. But after he rescues me from the worst of my dating mistakes, I can’t tell if he’s watching my back to protect it, or because he likes what he sees. Giving romance tips to strangers is easy. This feeling I get when Carter is around is making life complicated. It feels like a thing. A forever type thing. And if there’s one thing that scares me more than my accidental abstinence becoming a permanent condition… It’s trusting in forever. A previously published alternate cover version of ASIN B075ZHQ8Z3 can be found here.