Book picks similar to
Rival by M.A. Gray
m-m
mm
sports
contemporary
Analog to Digital
Posy Roberts - 2016
So spending Christmas Eve at his sister’s wedding is the last thing on his wish list.At the ceremony he sees everything he’s dreamed of. It makes him ache for even more, but he knows Toby is allergic to marriage. If he keeps living the status quo, he’ll be lying to the man he loves. But if he admits he wants it all, he risks losing Toby entirely.He needs a Christmas miracle. Is it too late?***Analog to Digital is a heartwarming holiday MM romance novella about long-term lovers afraid to commit. These opposites-attract men take denial to the next level.***Also available in the paperback All I Want by Posy Roberts.
The Story of Us
Barbara Elsborg - 2018
One love. Ten summers.Are you okay?The first words Zed says to Caspian, and the first time someone has cared about the answer. On a hot summer’s day, the lives of two boys are changed forever. A rebel and a risk taker, Caspian doesn’t give a damn for the consequences. Studious and obedient, Zed is the good boy who is never good enough.The two couldn’t be more different, but there’s one thing they share, a need to belong to someone who understands them, someone who cares. Their friendship goes deeper than either can possibly imagine. They’re young, in love, and planning their future when an act of betrayal tears them apart.Fate deals its hand. Seasons pass. Zed’s words follow Caspian through pain, fear and into the darkest of places. Friendships can last a lifetime, even when the world conspires to crush them. But this is more than friendship. This is love and they’re not going to let it slip through their fingers.WarningThe Story of Us is a tale of love and survival, and the triumph of good over evil against the odds. It's a new adult contemporary romance that deals with family and social issues. There is violence and cruelty to children but not sexual assault. The story has sexual situations, dark elements and suspense. The events and locations are a mixture of real and fictional. The characters are fictional.
A Taste of You (Chef's Table #1)
Irene Preston - 2015
He has a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City, a hit reality TV show, and a new man in his bed every week. Yes, he secretly thinks his business partner, Giancarlo “Carlo” Rotolo, is hotter than a ghost pepper, but he would never jeopardize their friendship with a fling. Then Garrett overhears some juicy gossip among the crew and realizes he’ll have to break Giancarlo’s cardinal rule, no banging the staff - for Carlo’s own good, of course. Just a taste of Carlo should be plenty. Long-term relationships aren’t on Garrett’s menu.Giancarlo’s been in love with Garrett forever. He’s sure Garrett will eventually realize they are destined to be more than business partners. But when Garrett installs his latest boyfriend as their new chef d’cuisine and announces plans to leave Carlo in New York while he opens a second restaurant on the west coast, Carlo is forced to re-evaluate his life. Can a high-strung British chef and a nice Italian boy from Brooklyn find the perfect fusion of fine-dining and family-style?
Lucky
Garrett Leigh - 2018
There are no trophies for being gay in his game. Locked into his rep as the meanest defender on the pitch, keeping his secret is soul-crushing, but love has no place in his sport, even if his soft heart craves it. Lucky Coleman is on his knees when he meets a man with more money than sense. It’s a Grindr hook-up for cash, not a love match, but dreaming of his desperate, kind eyes earns a place amongst his numerous bad habits. Meeting once was risky, twice pushes Dom’s courage to the limit. Losing Lucky seems inevitable, but his tight grip on his image counts for nothing when Lucky starts to fall. Catching him could cost Dom everything, but if he can set his heart free, getting Lucky long term might be a risk worth taking.
The Dating Game
Rebecca Norinne - 2020
What I meant was I’d auction off a couple of old jerseys, not go on a reality dating competition to drum up business until the old man can retire.But as a former NFL quarterback, I know a thing or two about taking one for the team, so I suit up, hop on a plane, and head out to a L.A. where I’ll spend the next several weeks wooing a beautiful nurse who’s on the hunt for a husband.Only, in a surprise twist absolutely no one saw coming, she’s not the person I want. Falling for the suave, confidant man who sleeps just across the hall, though? That's another show entirely.
Lost and Found
Lucy Lennox - 2017
But when I needed him the most, that was exactly what he did…Wilderness guide Xander Reed has spent fifteen years trying to forget the night he turned to his best friend in his darkest hour, only to find the young man who’d sworn to always have his back was turning his on Xander instead. Two thousand miles and fifteen years of building a new life in the quiet backcountry of the Rocky Mountains should have been enough to put the memory of Bennett Crawford out of his mind forever, but old wounds run deep and when Bennett suddenly reappears in his life as part of a wilderness expedition Xander is guiding, the scars he thought long healed break wide open.I’d only ever wanted to protect Xander from getting hurt again. I never considered the one he needed protection from was me…Bennett Crawford was faced with an impossible choice the night his best friend needed him.He chose wrong.As the only son of one of the wealthiest families in New England, he should have had the world at his feet, but losing his best friend at the tender age of fourteen changed everything. And even though Bennett’s managed to hide behind a mask of contentment as he takes his place at his father’s side in the family business, inside he’s searching for the piece of himself that’s been missing ever since Xander Reed walked out of his life. Bennett’s only saving grace is his work with a group of inner city kids, and when he’s given the chance to show the troubled teens that there’s a bigger world out there waiting for them if they just have the courage to reach for it, he takes it.But when he steps off that bus for what was supposed to be a week of fun and adventure, he’s instantly returned to the past when he discovers their expedition guide is none other than the boy he let go so long ago. Only, the soft-hearted, insecure little boy Bennett once knew is gone, and in his place is a brooding, bitter man who isn’t interested in second chances.People leave. I know that now and nothing Bennett has to say to me will change anything…All Bennett wants is another chance to show Xander that friendship was only the beginning. But when a stubborn Xander refuses to even hear him out, Bennett realizes he’s going to need to fight dirty.Because now that he’s found Xander again, he’s not letting him go a second time…
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.
The Brick Yard
Carol Lynne - 2014
He hadn’t expected the owner, Tony Brick, to welcome him with a job and a place to sleep when Lucky’s abusive and drug addicted mother made it too dangerous to return home.Dray was a gay man living in a world of straight fighters. When his secret was exposed to the media, he dropped out, giving Lucky a piece of advice, if you want to make it as a MMA fighter, bury the part of yourself that won’t be accepted.Lucky discovered the cage was the perfect place to keep his demons at bay, but when he learns his trainer and mentor, Brick, is suffering from end-stage cancer, he begins to spiral out of control. After eight years, Dray returns to help Lucky and Brick deal with the devastating news.With Dray so close, Lucky’s old desires return, and Dray teaches him more than how to fight. Torn between his career and the passion he feels for Dray, Lucky finds that his past demons resurface in full force, threatening his sanity and his budding relationship with Dray.Despite leaving the cage years earlier, Dray finds himself in the battle of his life with the only man he’s ever loved. Will he stand and fight or walk away like he did years earlier?
Goodbye Paradise
Nealy Wagner - 2015
But for twenty years, Josh and Caleb called it home. In Paradise, there is no television. No fast food. Just long hours of farm work and prayer on a dusty Wyoming ranch, and nights in a crowded bunkhouse. The boys of the Compound are kept far from the sinners’ world. But Joshua doesn’t need temptation to sin. His whole life, he’s wanted his best friend, Caleb. By day they work side by side. Only when Josh closes his eyes at night can they be together the way he craves. It can never be. And his survival depends on keeping his terrible desires secret.Caleb has always protected Josh against the worst of the bullying at the Compound. But he has secrets of his own, and a plan to get away — until it all backfires. Josh finds himself homeless in a world that doesn’t want him. Can Caleb find him in time? And will they find a place of safety, where he can admit to Josh how he really feels? Warning: Contains a hot male/male romance, copious instances of taking the Lord's name in vain, and love against the kitchen counter. This book was previously released under the title: In Front of God & Everyone.
The Proof Is the Way It Hurts
E.S. Carter - 2017
One got left behind. One went off to war. He came back a man. A broken, lonely, desperate man searching for the one thing to ease his pain. Can Dylan forgive George for leaving him? Can love snuff out the pain? The Proof Is the Way It Hurts. *This is a standalone M/M novella. A shorter version of this story was featured as a KU Korner's Bedtime Story*
Lost and Found (Dave&Carter)
Quin - 2018
And goddamn, I needed him to need me.”A May/December Romance. After their first encounter in “Take it All”, Lost and Found explores how Dave and Carter’s relationship took root and blossomed.Lost and Found contains graphic language and explicit sexual content and is intended for a mature, adult audience looking for an emotional ride.
Content preview: a sprinkle of Daddy kink, spanking, dirty talk, major age gap, romance, no cliffhanger
Undue Influence: A Persuasion Retelling
Jenny Holiday - 2018
Now that mistake is coming back to haunt him. His family’s beloved vineyard has gone into foreclosure, and the new owner is the sister of the only man he’s ever loved—the man he dumped under pressure from family and friends who thought the match was beneath him.When Freddy Wentworth, aka the bad boy of Bishop’s Glen, left town with a broken heart, he vowed never to return. But a recently widowed friend needs his help, so here he is. He’s a rich and famous celebrity chef now, though, so everyone can just eff right off.But some things are easier said than done. Despite their attempts to resist each other, old love rekindles—and old wounds reopen. If they want to make things work the second time around, they’ll have to learn to set aside their pride—and prejudice.This modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion is a standalone novel that can be enjoyed by Austen-philes and by those allergic to the nineteenth century.
Ignite (Set on Fire #1)
Rebecca James - 2021
And although he knows it's going to be difficult to go back to the real world, he can't help but get a little lost in the act. Funny thing is, before this trip Luca would have sworn he knew everything about his best friend. But before they leave Miami, Michael reveals something that Luca never expected.Tropes: Fake boyfriend, friends-to-lovers, bi-discovery, virgin, tall/short.
Impossibly Fond
Tanya Chris - 2020
He’s a selfish, greedy fledgling wizard with a ratty hat and a worse attitude. There’s no way someone as handsome and kindhearted as Ian would like him without magic in play. But as the three reluctant companions set out on a quest to assemble the ingredients for an anti-spell, a different kind of magic happens. Ian’s unflagging belief that Waltham is worthy of love makes Waltham begin to wish it were true. There are grasshopper gonads to be collected, moonbeam crystals to be harvested, kitten tears to be wrung, and somewhere, at the end of the rainbow, a pot of gold to be collected. But if Waltham can overcome his upbringing and mend his ways, then maybe—once the spell has been lifted—something real will remain.
Breaking With His Past
James Lee Hard - 2016
But things are not that easy, especially when people can’t see past the ex-convict, and getting a job is harder than ever. Meanwhile, Kyle has finally come to terms with his own sexuality and does the hardest thing he’s ever done in his life: getting a divorce from his wife, Jessica, with whom he has a toddler named Ryan. He leaves both behind in a bid to rebuild his life and to become the father he dreams of being to his son. It’s in this hurricane of life-changing events that Logan and Kyle end up meeting each other by chance in a small town far away from their previous lives. The spark between them is immediate and strong, but they both try to fight it, coming up with excuses not to pursue it. While their friendship evolves, they find themselves even more attracted to each other. But will Logan trust he can find love with another man while his past is still so present? And is Kyle ready to invest in his first gay relationship at the same time as he’s fighting for his son’s custody? Set in a small town with quirky characters and all the peculiarities that only a small town can offer, Logan and Kyle embark on a journey that could change their lives forever. But will they feel free to follow through? WARNING This book contains explicit sexual scenes as well as some graphic language. It is intended for a mature, adult audience.