It wasn't New York, or California, but he figured it would be better than being home. College would be be a new start in a new place, maybe somewhere he could be himself.Sean was local, born and bred, on the opposite side of the town-and-gown divide, but attraction knows no boundaries. When personal tragedy brought them together, it was the beginning of something extraordinary.~~~~~This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.Dear Author,I realize I'm late to the party, but it took me a bit to find just the perfect photo! This:The first time is so beautiful, if the one you're with cares enough to make it that way. These two are so young: barely out of high-school, but college is all about finding out who you really are.Photo Description: The place is secluded; leaves filter the sun. The men are so young, shirtless, smooth skin and sleek light muscle. The dark boy tentatively holds his lover, head tilted to bring their mouths together. There is nothing tentative about the blond. He leans in, driving the kiss. 1980's sweet summertime.Word Count: 15,288

    The Faradays have supported Alex through his struggles with being bipolar. He loves them as he loves nothing else, but this year, his excitement for the holiday has less to do with the family as a whole and more to do with their youngest son, Everett.Everett is Alex’s best friend and the love of his life, but for years, Alex has been consumed by the idea that he is a burden on the family, and worried that someone as amazing as Everett would never truly want a man constantly on guard against his own mind. But last Christmas, with his career doing well, and his life as stable as it likely will ever be, Alex finally let himself respond to Everett’s open adoration—with one condition. A year without seeing Everett to be sure he can stand on his own without Everett’s ready support. Alex needs to know that he can, for his own sake and for Everett’s, because he has already failed once, and it nearly destroyed them both.There will never be a time when Alex is perfect. But this is as close as it gets, and he is tired of waiting. This Christmas, all he can hope for is that Everett still wants him, and that he can be brave enough to keep his promise.

    Maxfield, and Josh Lanyon's Until We Meet Once More make up this contemporary anthology. Fifteen percent of the sales of Because of the Brave sold at the Aspen Mountain Press website will be donated to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network between release and September 11th!  Perrenial favorites, Laura Baumbach, Josh Lanyon and Z.A. Maxfield contributed to the anthology Because of the Brave.  This collection honors the men who've served in the military and labored with the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.  In Laura Baumbach's Designated Target a soldier returns to his commander's hometown to tell his brother the truth about what happened in the field.  Josh Lanyon's Until We Meet Once More pits a Naval Academy graduate against the Taliban and his own repressed past.  Finally in Z.A. Maxfield's Jumping Off Places a soldier returns home to be with his dying mother and finds more than he bargained for in the place he'd hoped to never see again.

    You always think there’s plenty of time, plenty of chances. Staring down at 20% survival odds has made me rethink a lot of things. I wish I had come out of the closet instead of letting him leave, wish I’d been more willing to rock the boat before it started to sink. Maybe he meant it when he said he’d still be there for me, still be my friend.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is Always Write" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.Download the story, read it online or find it in Love Is Always Write: Volume 5.

    Like hundreds Jonathan Wright had seen and hundreds more he'd ignored. He hadn't intended to watch it, but he gives in to his curiosity. When he sees the lithe, blond young man who's doing naughty things with a bearish, older man, he's seduced... and feels like a pervert afterward. The youth in the video seems a little too young, despite the fact he runs his own escort service. Worse yet, Jon gets the nagging feeling he's seen "Justin Time," aka precious_boy, before. When Jon takes a chance and meets Justin in a Chicago hotel room, Jon's past, present, and possibly his future begin to converge in alarming and confusing ways. There's no escaping the resulting dilemma: Jon must decide just how involved he wants to get with a sweet kid whose life has turned sour... a decision made more complex by a surprising connection to a lover from Jon's past.

    Boyhood sweethearts get a second chance at romance. Two very proper gentlemen indulge their forbidden desires. And a Christmas tree farmer has an epiphany. It may be cold outside but these four holiday novellas will warm you up. Anthology includes:My True Love Gave to Me by Ava MarchWinter Knights by Harper FoxLone Star by Josh LanyonThe Christmas Proposition by K.A. MitchellStories also available for purchase separately. 116,000 words

    A wave of sinkholes appears on the anniversary of a rural tragedy, and local residents begin to hear the voices of the dead. A woman encounters a predator from her youth—and a chance to turn the tables. A child’s inner beast takes on a sinister life of its own. An undetectable serial killer raises tensions on a college campus. Experimental physics reveals another world, and it might mean the end of ours. Shrouded in darkness, lurking in the shadows, NIGHT TERRORS III awaits you. The third installment of the chilling Night Terrors anthology series includes stories from Jack Ketchum, Steve Rasnic Tem, Dennis Etchison, Taylor Grant, Eric J. Guignard, Aric Sundquist, Jennifer Brozek, John McNee, Simon McCaffery, Patty Templeton, and many more!

    Professionally run and staffed by friendly, personable -- and hot -- talent, it's a heck of a temptation even for someone who's never thought about getting down with a guy before. Trouble is, Aaron finds he likes the action more than he thought he would -- and he's starting to see Cody in an entirely different light. What's a guy supposed to do now?

    Realising he feels the same way, Graham has to journey across the US to tell Will he loves him, too. But with little money and travelling in a strange country, the way to Will is not an easy one.

    These two guys have been paired up for the latest Ursa Majoris Pornacopia Holoflick. They have 24hrs to figure out how to get it up and get it on… without breaking Universal Health and Safety Codes for Interspecies Sex Acts.Photo Description: Redhead with soul patch in a black T-shirt is standing in front of a giant blue man with gold horns and yellow hair. The redhead has an "Are you shitting me?" look on his face.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is Always Write" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.Download the story, read it online or find it in Love Is Always Write: Volume 2.

    Broken in more than one way by love and loss, he plans on going it alone, until he meets the new intern, Jake. Newly separated from the Army, and damaged by war, Jake has returned to the ranching life he grew up with. But he's not that person anymore, and he's no longer sure what he wants. Can two half-broke men help each other heal and come together to create a whole life?

    While Silvio and Franco are off taking care of the Russian problem, mutiny brews in Stefano's crime family. It soon becomes clear he can trust only one man in his life, but whether he can hold on to Silvio-and what it might cost his marriage-are questions for which he has no answers.In "Dark Rival II," Silvio returns from his mission. Job done, threat gone, Stefano knows Silvio has no reason to stay. Or so he thought, anyway, until Silvio makes his move. It seems Silvio wants only sex, but Stefano is well aware there's much, much more on the line. Including Donata, whose suspicions of a mistress in Stefano's life are uncomfortably close to an even more uncomfortable truth.Hopeless and helpless as his life crumbles down around his head, Stefano gives in to his desires in "Dark Temptation." He isn't any closer to understanding Silvio-and he's farther from Donata than he's ever been-but at least he's come to understand his own needs. Now if only he could figure out how to be himself without hurting the ones he loves the most.This title is #4 of the Dark Soul series.

     A suspicious husband sets out to discover what his wife really does late at night in her shop. A man starts a new job guarding the entrance to a pier at night. An abandoned house hides a sinister – and disgusting – secret in its basement. A young girl waits for a message from her dead mother, and then she finds something stranger in the freezer. The Butcher's Husband and Other Stories features the new short stories The Butcher's Husband, Tongue, The Pier and The Butcher's Husband II, as well as revised versions of The Seagull and A Perfect Death, and a new novella titled Larry.

    But over the years, he turned himself into a gorgeous gym god. The problem is he’s also become an egotistical snob. But one day his arrogance pisses off the wrong little old lady, and he wakes up to find that, like the Prince in Beauty and the Beast, he’s been transformed into something from his personal nightmares. Javier has nowhere to go but back home, where to his surprise, he is greeted with open arms, not just by the family he remembers, but by his new brother-in-law, Cole. Cole suspects there might be a pretty heart to go with the pretty face locked inside that new body, but has Javier learned enough to earn Cole—instead of coal—for Christmas?

    He doesn't imagine the strong attraction he feels is mutual. But after overcoming his shyness, David discovers Jess is definitely interested.Jess just isn’t interested in anything but a one night stand. Or maybe two. Falling for David is definitely not part of his plan. But when David gets trapped in a snowstorm the night before Christmas Eve, Jess realises a night or two is never going to be enough.Proceeds of this sale will be divided between two UK charities working to support homeless youth: Shelter and Centerpoint.