Book picks similar to
Too Close by R. Phoenix
m-m
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abuse
romance
More Than Make-Believe
Tymber Dalton - 2010
He’ll do anything legal, including going gay for pay and spending a weekend as “Craig Rocke,” with gay porn star Marston Cougar. Marston tells him to remember it’s all fantasy for the camera even though it feels like more.Gary Carmeletti, also known as Marston Cougar, has a respectable day job. He started out making gay porn to pay for college. After getting his heart broken, he has a no-dating rule. Now paired with “virgin” Craig, he finds it hard to keep it make-believe when he’s losing his heart.Gary’s niece needs surgery, and he almost has enough money to quit for good. But now that he feels a true connection with his fantasy costar, will he be able to find a happily ever after when he feels it’s more than make-believe?
Saving Liam
D.P. Denman - 2014
For eighteen-year-old Liam Newman that means living the life of a gay porn star, a job he loathes. He isn't a star. He's a prisoner and his warden is the man who saved him from the cold Vancouver streets. Justin has been Liam's next-door neighbor for two years and has had a crush on him for just as long. Oblivious to Liam's porn career, he 's content to mind his own business about Liam's turbulent relationship until the truth stumbles drunk into his apartment one night and he realizes something must be done.When Liam's boyfriend turned producer decides rent boys make more money than porn stars Liam's nightmare takes a horrible turn. Justin must find a way to rescue him before it's too late.
Stand in Place
Mary Calmes - 2019
Kaenon Geary was done fighting the small minds in his sleepy Texas town when he made his escape and never looked back. But now, for the first time in more than a decade, he’s returned to Braxton to spend the summer with his beloved grandmother—her final summer—and no longer recognizes the home he’d left behind all those years ago. Everything has changed. Everything but the man he’s never stopped wanting. Brody Scott was the local football hero who became a gridiron champ, but he retired from the fast lane to forge a new life as the Chief Constable of Braxton. He longs to put down roots in the community he is now sworn to protect. Though he’s not at all sure he can protect his heart from the quiet, earnest boy he once knew. The boy who has come back a man. Starting something would be a mistake. Kaenon plans to fly away at summer’s end, but his love is something Brody desperately wants to have…and to keep. Their days together are numbered. Unless some simple hometown magic can make all the right things bloom and show them the true definition of love.
After the Scrum
Dahlia Donovan - 2016
Now raising his young nephew, he seeks a quieter place away from the paparazzi and all the vices of his old life. Lust and love in the form of an eccentric man weren’t even on his horizon.Yet.Francis Keen talks to his dog and his car. In his experience, people are less predictable and safe. His crippling anxiety keeps him anchored to his grandmother’s home. He wonders if he’ll ever find the courage to live—and to love.
Two men, so different, on track for a romantic collision... can they survive the impact?
“Let me start by saying that I loved this story - and all of its quirky, thoughtfully written characters. It's sweet, sexy, poignant - and, overall, one of the most unique M/M romance novels I've read.” ~Passionate ReadsRead the novel that inspired the bestselling series The Sin Bin.
Out in the Open
A.J. Truman - 2014
After a high school social life spent anonymous and alone, things are finally falling into place for him. He’s found a group of friends just as studious as he, and is on track for a promising legal career. Out in the open, things couldn’t be better, but secretly Ethan yearns for some real excitement in his life. He finds it in cocky fratboy Greg Sanderson, who challenges every rigid, preconceived notion Ethan lives by. Soon, their sparring relationship turns sexual, and these enemies-with-benefits get their freak on all over campus. Yet the more Ethan comes out of his shell, the more Greg retreats into his, working overtime to keep his ladies man public persona intact. As the sex gets hotter, and they get closer to getting caught, one part of their arrangement can’t stay hidden any longer: love. OUT IN THE OPEN is a M/M new adult romance filled with humor, heart, and hot guys. The book is intended for audiences 18+ as it contains explicit sex and language.
Fresh Catch
Kate Canterbary - 2018
Get away from Silicon Valley's back-stabbing and power-grabbing. Recharge the innovative batteries. Unwind, then come back stronger than ever.Instead, I got lost at sea and fell in love with an anti-social lobsterman.There's one small issue: Owen Bartlett doesn't know who I am. Who I really am. ~~I don't like people.I avoid small talk and socializing, and I kick my companions out of bed before the sun rises. No strings, no promises, no problems. Until Cole McClish's boat drifts into Talbott's Cove, and I bend all my rules for the sexy sailor. I don't know Cole's story or what he's running from, but one thing is certain: I'm not letting him run away from me.
Fresh Catch is a standalone novel. A portion of this novel appeared in the 2016 anthology INCOGNITO. The story has been substantially expanded.
Step by Step
K.C. Wells - 2017
However, the last thing he expected to find in the library was a Good Samaritan. He might have been suspicious of Guy’s motives at first, but it soon becomes apparent that his savior is a good man who has been lucky in life and is looking to pay it forward. Guy being gay is not a problem. Jamie’s not interested… or so he thinks.Guy is happy to help Jamie, and the two men get along fine. But when Jamie’s curiosity leads him from one thing to another, Guy finds himself looking at the young man with new eyes. What started out as a hand up is now something completely different….
Where You Are
J.H. Trumble - 2012
That's the one place where problems always have a solution. But in the world beyond high school, his father is terminally ill, his mother is squabbling with his interfering aunts, his boyfriend is unsupportive, and the career path that's been planned for him feels less appealing by the day.Robert's math teacher, Andrew McNelin, watches his best student floundering, concerned but wary of crossing the line between professional and personal. Gradually, Andrew becomes Robert's friend, then his confidante. As the year progresses, their relationship--in school and out of it--deepens and changes. And as hard as he tries to resist, Andrew knows that he and Robert are edging into territory that holds incalculable risks for both of them. J.H. Trumble, author of the acclaimed 'Don't Let Me Go,' explores a controversial subject with extraordinary sensitivity and grace, creating a deeply human and honest story of love, longing, and unexpected connection.
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.
Intoxicating
Onley James - 2019
Babysit the spoiled son of a conservative senator, keep him out of trouble, and receive a six-figure paycheck. A paycheck he desperately needs. Wyatt’s father claims he needs Linc’s firm hand and discipline. One look at him and Linc agrees. Wyatt needs discipline.Being the closeted gay son of a family values senator has left WYATT EDGEWORTH with a reckless streak and a love of partying that just cost him eight months of his life and might cost his father his re-election. So now, he has a babysitter. A very sexy babysitter.When Wyatt drunkenly tells Linc he’d make an excellent Daddy, they reach an understanding. Wyatt gets a Daddy and Linc gets a paycheck, then they go their separate ways. For this to work, discretion is key, but with a reporter dogging Wyatt’s every move, that might prove impossible.Staying together was never an option, but with each passing day, their feelings only grow. Will they risk it all for what’s supposed to be a harmless fling?INTOXICATING is the first book in the Elite Protection Services Series and contains age-gap, Daddy-kink and BDSM elements complete with a HEA and no cliffhangers.Warning: This book contains scenes which may trigger some people including self-harm, suicide attempt, past and present physical abuse, and implied past sexual violence.
Without You
Marley Valentine - 2020
My brother’s best friend, he fit with my family in ways I never could. While he and Rhett went on to play house, I left the only life I knew, desperate for a fresh start.Until everything changed.Heartache came along, and the aftermath of my brother’s death was here to stay. I was now face to face with Julian more than I ever wanted to be.Being around him brought up all my insecurities, forced me to deal with hard truths, and conjured up feelings I had no business entertaining. He wasn’t the man I thought I knew. He was complex and layered, and inherently beautiful in all the ways I’d never noticed.Not on another person.Not on another man.Not until him.
A Little Bit like Love
Brooke Blaine - 2017
One he’s been hiding since he graduated from South Haven all-boys academy—and that secret’s name is Lucas.When a work trip takes Jackson back to his old stomping grounds, memories of the year he shared with Lucas come crashing to the surface. With growing pressure from his father to settle down and take over the family business, Jackson knows he’s on borrowed time, and sets out to find the free-spirited daredevil he once knew.But Lucas isn’t the same man he was eight years ago.One night. A shattered heart. And an endless parade of nameless faces. Lucas Sullivan is South Haven’s ultimate playboy, a reputation he’s honed since the only boy he ever loved left without a trace. To the world, he’s brash and confident, an in-demand artist who spends his days designing one-of-a-kind pieces and his nights as king of the downtown scene.Many have tried and failed to get past the barrier he’s carefully constructed, but it’s the shy, studious boy he once coaxed out of his shell who still haunts him.Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe it was lust. Or maybe…it was a little bit like love.
Distorted
Nyla K.Nyla K. - 2021
And trust me, you’ll wish you were. We’re the stain on society. The freaks, the creeps, your favorite Netflix documentaries come to life. They lock us up and throw away the key, because we deserve it. But not me. I’m just a lowly bank robber. I don’t belong here, surrounded by psychopaths and killers with no remorse… At least, I don’t think I do.Getting by unscathed is my top priority. Unfortunately for me and my fellow prisoners, those in charge are more dangerous than we are. You see, the guards run the show, and I seem to have caught the attention of the most twisted one. He has a name, but it might as well be Officer. We move around one another like a sun and a moon, revolving in an axis of confused lust and torment until the truth is distorted, and the thing I once feared becomes that which I crave; my vile addiction, somehow so exquisite.
Reality warps in the dungeon, and I’m left wondering which prison is worse… the one holding my body, or my mind.
*DO NOT READ OR POST SPOILERS! I am begging you to think of your fellow readers, in your reviews, your posts… everywhere. Revealing plot twists is a dick move. And I promise, it’ll be fun to go in blind. **Distorted is the first book in the Alabaster Penitentiary series. It is a full M/M romance, with HEA. Each book in this series is technically a standalone, though they are interconnected, so it will be recommended to read in order, as references to this story will be made in future books. Distorted is intended for mature audiences and open-minded readers ONLY! If you prefer the same old story, this book won’t be for you. This story is dark, probably darker for some than others, so please proceed with caution, and if you’re easily triggered, steer clear.
You’ve been warned.
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.
The Life We Have
Kelsey Kingsley - 2020
That is, until the discovery of his father, Sebastian - a world renown drummer in a famous rock band.Overnight, Greyson's world had been turned upside down, taking him from rags to riches. And now, six years later, Greyson's only goal is to follow in his dad's footsteps.Except, while his father is a reformed ladies' man, Greyson is gay. And that's a secret he's not ready to let go of.But he never planned on meeting Zach.How can he keep the man he loves without disappointing the man he admires?