Book picks similar to
Diamond in the Rough by C.J. Black


m-m-contemporary
m-m-m
on-ibooks
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The Dragon's Christmas Baby


Emmy Clark - 2020
    If you see a door leading to the basement, inform a librarian immediately.(The entire library is strictly off limits during winter break.)~*~Ever since she was young, Kennedy Fisher has been obsessed with dragons. Now that she’s matured a little, she’s added Rex Draconis to her list of obsessions.Not that she needs more than two things on her list. I mean, a billionaire heir bad boy and dragons are probably more than enough to last her a lifetime, don’t you think?Anyways!Rex is nice enough, though she wouldn’t say he’s into her. Except then why did he join her paranormal mysteries club? And why does he give her an ancient book explaining some of Steamydale’s oldest small town secrets on Christmas Eve?One of those secrets leads to her breaking a very important rule, which also leads to the discovery that her list of obsessions may be shorter than she first thought.Dragon’s may actually exist! And one’s been hiding under her nose this entire time...Also, that point about Rex Draconis not being into her? Um, that may have been slightly wrong...Talk about obsessions!By the end of the night and into a hot and heavy Christmas morning, she’s going to find out just how wrong she was. If they survive a rule-breaking adventure in the university library, that is...

The Letter


Jerry Cole - 2017
    Not everyone has had the sort of beginning Sam has. He was found at birth on the steps of a children’s home run by a convent in Chicago and raised by nuns, eventually to be adopted at the age of three. Given a life with a new family down in Florida, he is unable to shake off the natural curiosity that comes with wanting to know exactly where he came from. Resentful and angry, he ducks and dives his way through his existence, often with the help of law enforcement, before being given a lifeline that takes him back to Chicago. It’s an opportunity both for a new start, and to see whether he can ever get answers to questions he has over how he came to be. When a letter linking him to his past arrives, he is thrown into turmoil, and decides to join a local support group. It’s run by Jay Millar, himself an abandoned baby, but one Sam envies. Jay seems to have his life together in a way Sam craves. Sam soon realizes that it may not be just Jay’s life he’d like, but Jay himself. He is faced with some very tough decisions. Should he reach out to the stranger who gave birth to him? And should he follow his heart down a path he has never dared to tread? It’s time for Sam Nolan to grow up, but he can only do that by closing wounds that have been open since the day he was born. Please Note: This book contains Adult Language & Steamy Adult Activities, it is intended for 18+ Adults Only. Novel, approx. 50,000+ words in length. HEA (happy ever after ending). Does not end with a "cliffhanger". BONUS NOVELLA - "When Worlds Collide" Scott Rogers thinks of himself as the average guy - he works his job, he drinks with his friends, and he has the occasional hook-up with other average guys. If you asked him, he’d say that nothing in his life is remarkable. His friends don’t think of him as average - they see him as incredibly kind, understanding, and full of humor. For a lot of people, he’s the first one they’d turn to in a crisis and he’s always ready to lend a helping hand. But Scott is modest, and he doesn’t have high hopes for his love life. Owen Carlisle is anything but an average guy. A breakout child star at sixteen, he’s lived his entire life in the spotlight. He’s considered to be one of the most intelligent and talented actors of his generation but not a single one of his fans realizes that he’s living a lie. Owen’s reputation and his career depend on his image of being a straight man, the dream man for many women around the world. For Owen, this means he can never have a true relationship and is doomed to pretend to date a string of Hollywood starlets he doesn’t even like. He has no real hope for true happiness. Neither of them expect the whirlwind romance they are thrown into when they come across each other one fateful night. Can Owen sacrifice his career for Scott? Can Scott love somebody who would have to keep his existence a secret? When these two star-crossed lovers meet, they will change each other’s lives forever. Whether they change it for the better or for the worse is up to them. Please Note: This book contains Adult Language & Steamy Adult Activities, it is intended for 18+ Adults Only. Novella, approx. 40,000 words in length. HEA (happy ever after ending). Does not end with a "cliffhanger".

Just Once


Kate Hunt - 2019
    And he’s more than a decade older than me. But I want him anyway. My plans for Halloween this year are pretty laid-back: drive up to see my parents, hand out candy at their house, and watch some cheesy horror movies. But then my mom tells me that we’re invited to a Halloween party hosted by my dad’s new business partner. And my dad’s new business partner, Dante, is freakin’ hot. Hooking up with Dante proves to be inevitable. What catches us both off guard is our mutual desire to actually be together. But I don’t see how we can make it work. And I’m scared out of my mind to tell my parents about us. How can this possibly end well? JUST ONCE is a fun, short, Halloween romance with steam, sweetness, and a happily-ever-after!

Blind Eye


S.W. Hubbard - 2015
     We see what we want to see, nothing more. When detectives Coughlin and Holzer investigate the disappearance of a successful young businessman, they’re both impressed by his beautiful wife. Slender, curvy, delicate—Michelle Fanning is not the kind of woman a man would choose to leave. Soon, a gruesome discovery leads the detectives to believe they’re investigating a murder. Reeling from the collapse of his own marriage, Detective Coughlin sees Michelle Fanning as a suspect. Detective Holzer, fascinated by her gentle femininity, sees her as a victim. Which cop turns a blind eye to the truth? Inspired by a true crime that occurred in New Jersey, this **short story** originally appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. The story introduces the character of Detective Sean Coughlin, who goes on to play a role in the full-length novels, ANOTHER MAN’S TREASURE and TREASURE OF DARKNESS, in the Palmyrton Estate Sale Mystery series. Please be aware that BLIND EYE is a short story, not a full-length novel. Chapter 1 of ANOTHER MAN’S TREASURE is also included.

Three Bullets for the Cactus Kid


Louis L'Amour
    He thought fast and he shot fast, but how many battles can a peace loving cowpoke survive when every gunman is set against him.

Oasis In The Desert And Other Stories


Arushi Vats - 2020
    It is not meaning that the individual searches for in their life, but at the ground level, what the person is seeking is hope, life-lessons, the truth and a dash of motivation every now and then. All this search makes one feel a sense of fulfilment in their life. Learning is a part of life and man’s quest for life-lessons will never cease until death. Presenting you a collection of short stories, which is an attempt to make you see life and its subtle messages through a different lens.

The Beachside Cafe (Saltwater Secrets Book 6)


Sage Parker - 2021
    

The Hooker: A Reprehensible Acts Story


Simon Wood - 2016
    He insists in sending Mark off in style...in the company of a hooker. It's supposed to be the last hoorah of a single man before being condemned to a life of marriage, but that all changes when the hooker scams them. Mark's world unravels and a dark side he never knew he possessed spills out.The REPREHENSIBLE ACTS series feature stories without heroes or happy endings in some cases. These stories feature characters that lose their way and may never find their way back. You can't condone their actions, but perhaps you can have sympathy for their damaged souls. You might find these stories unpalatable, but then again, you're meant to. Don't judge. No one is immune to committing a reprehensible act.

The Ranger


A.W. Hart - 2021
    His father was black, his mother a full-blood member of the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas. He remembers neither of them. Both disappeared soon after Concho’s birth and his Kickapoo grandmother raised him on the tribal reservation just outside Eagle Pass, Texas.Often bullied as a youth for his differences, Concho soon grew into the promise of his big hands and wide shoulders. Hatred of him remained in some; fear joined that emotion in others. Concho learned to walk a solitary path, which first took him away to college and then to Afghanistan as an Army Ranger.Now, a group of Neo-Nazi terrorists have taken over a mall in Eagle Pass. One hostage is the woman Concho loves. The only path Concho can see is straight ahead and through.

Quiet Soldier: On Selection With 21 SAS


Adam Ballinger - 2016
    So what made him risk it all for the gruelling, year-long SAS Selection course, with a better than ninety per cent chance of failing to win the toughest badge in the British Army at the end of it? Over the months of combat patrols, press-ups, punishing runs and Gas! Gas! Gas!, the ordeals of Long Drag and hostile interrogation, Ballinger learnt that who you think you are and what the Army wants you to be are very different things, and the end product of Selection bears little relation to either. This vivid, often funny account of the varied characters who commit so much to training for the 'misfits regiment' is remarkable both for its unromantic authenticity, and for its objective attempt to find out why. A question, Ballinger discovered, that few, if any, in the SAS could answer.

You Melted Me


Kari Gregg - 2010
    Leland isn’t just his boss, though. He’s the son of the company’s CEO. And Brian has fallen in love. Hurt by too many stolen kisses and nooners at seedy hotels, Brian finally broke off their secret affair two weeks ago. Leland isn’t ready to let Brian go and he isn’t above seducing Brian — again — to give them both what they really want for Christmas: each other.This free short story was originally written for the Goodreads M/M Romance Group's 2010 holiday event and appears in the event's Stuff My Stocking: M/M Romance Stories that are Nice and… Naughty anthology.

Sweet Tooth (Zaftig Dating Agency #82)


Jane Fox - 2021
    But when my niece sends me on an errand, I might just find the woman of my dreams.Naomi: I might be a pro at baking unicorn cakes, but I'm definitely not one when it comes to talking to handsome customers. Besides, it's not like I have a chance with Blaise, anyway.Sometimes fate needs a little help. Welcome to the files of the Zaftig Dating Agency, where alpha men find the curvy women of their dreams!Each book in the series is a complete, standalone story.This is a sweet but sexy short story romance, complete with insta-love and a guaranteed happily-ever-after. If you’re looking for an escape from everyday life with an alpha older man and the curvy BBW younger woman that he loves, this is the book for you!

How To Exit Your Body: and Other Strange Tales


Christopher Maxim - 2018
    This book is guaranteed to horrify you in the best way possible. Open it up, turn the page, and take a journey to a world consumed with mystery in madness.

Because of a Dog: A Western Novella


Donald L. Robertson - 2016
    Mostly those kind of folks ain’t worth knowing." Nolan Parker rides into Mustang City looking for grazing land of his own. With money in his pocket, he’s in town to buy a ranch.Then he saves a boy's dog from a killer. Now he finds himself embroiled in the beginnings of a range war, battling the hired gunmen of a ruthless rancher. He must make a decision. Stay and fight, or cut and run. Because of a Dog, is a drama of honor, love, hate, and death—a stirring tale of the old west that will keep you engrossed to the very end.

Swept Up In Blue


Pender Mackie - 2012
    Tait’s more than interested, but he’s sworn off coworkers. Can Jude market himself as an employee benefit?Also available here.