Book picks similar to
Heartthrob by Jerry Cole


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White-Knuckled Moments


Madeleine Ribbon - 2012
    He knows he won’t be able to complete everything on his bucket list, but the first entry is the most important to him. He wants to come out to his intensely religious family so they’ll remember him a little more accurately once he’s gone.When Tai falls for Cory, he does his best to convince Cory to date him. When he’s turned down flat, he talks Cory into a one night stand, knowing that once he gets under his coworker’s skin, Cory will want more. Much more. Tai knows that a relationship with Cory is going to be complicated, but he has some impressive persuasion techniques up his sleeve. He’s giving Cory the chance to fall in love—one thing that Cory has refused to add to his bucket list because he never thought it could happen

Unintended


M.J. O'Shea - 2010
    He never meant to fall for the hottest guy in school...or any guy at all for that matter. But he did.Alex Stewart is in love. He took one look at the adorable skater boy with the big lost eyes and was gone.They're both happier than they've ever been, but can their fragile new love survive?

Last Call


Sierra Riley - 2016
    The sting hasn't faded after that night three months ago when his last art show bombed right before he was dumped. He designs t-shirts to pay the bills, but he's dateless and creatively uninspired now, hardly moving from the couch until a chatty Siamese cat invades his apartment. When his best friend drags him out to a gay bar to get him drawing people again, Connor's stunned to reunite with the last guy he'd expect behind that bar: Zach Stephens, the heartthrob of his first year in art school.“That's when my parents kicked me out.”It's been five years since bartender Zach Stephens had to drop out of engineering school and lost touch with his best friend from freshman year. After he was caught holding hands with another guy, Zach and his dog escaped his parents, and Zach's been struggling ever since to build a stable life. He just can't reconcile the hunky, tattooed Zach everyone else sees—and wants—with the little he feels like he has to offer. But Connor sees him for more than his abs, and falling into his first relationship with his old friend is the easiest thing in the world. “I want to do something with my life.” When Zach's boss tells them the bar's closing in sixty days unless he finds a buyer, Zach has a choice to make: move and find a proper career but lose Connor, his first boyfriend, stay in town but work in dead-end bartending jobs... or take the third option, the scariest of all, and secure a future for everyone. While Connor struggles with his fear of certain failure if he enters the next big art show, Zach has to decide what kind of man he wants to be. Can Connor and Zach screw up their courage and be brave, or will they only screw up the one good thing they had going?Last Call is a steamy, standalone gay romance novel with a HEA and no cliffhangers.

Fire Inside


Dawn Douglas - 2014
    His first job is chauffeuring, assisting, and generally keeping track of NBA young gun Tyler Haley. Tyler’s had a rough few months, and his team owner is convinced he needs some hand-holding if he’s going to keep delivering wins for the St. Louis Fire Foxes. Instead of the arrogant, over-privileged athlete Eric expected, Tyler is a big, blond, lonely twenty-three-year-old who needs more than just an employee to keep him in line. While taking care of Tyler, Eric changes from employee to friend, to something more. And when Eric realizes that something is burning the kid up from the inside out, he's determined to find a way to help him before Tyler’s carefully constructed façade turns to ash.

Entangled


Lex Valentine - 2012
    One rainy night, Taylor turns up soaking wet on Daren’s doorstep with a confession hovering on his lips. The confession changes both their lives.Original Prompt:Dear Author,A rainy night brought him to me. Now, he sits nude, (wrapped in the smallest blanket I found) nursing a brandy and telling me his life story. Which I'm not really listening to, since I'm busy planning the way to make this straight buddy bend for me—or vice versa, I really don't care, as long as we end up tangled and satisfied. Please, don't think I'm a selfish jerk, because my crush on him is epic.Photo Description: A close-up of a man with long curly hair standing in the rain.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.Read the story here or find it in Love Is Always Write: Volume 3.

Butterbean and the Pretty Princess Make a Home


R. Cooper - 2019
    He’s fallen for Eli, his adorable teddy bear of a roommate, but can’t express himself when said teddy bear is around. Eli is a responsible adult who makes risotto, worries too much, and falls asleep on the couch while watching the news. Riley wants nothing more to fall asleep next to him. He has been trying to shake his younger self’s reputation, but he feels that, compared to Eli, he’s just a pretty but useless artistic type. All that changes when Riley finds two abandoned kittens and brings them home. Eli has no idea what to do with the helpless strays, which means, for once, Riley takes charge and has an excuse to stick close to his roommate—something Eli hardly objects to. If anything, he seems to like Riley around the house. He seems to like the kittens, too, so much that Riley has to wonder if Eli could also like them all together. One soft, anxious bear, one pretty but not useless artist, and two balls of fluff might just make a happy home.

Dear Santa


K.C. Wells - 2021
    He’s a little old for that, surely? But Dave will do anything to put a smile on his son’s face. Except when they get there, Santa is the one to make Dave smile. He’s pretty sure there’s a gorgeous man hiding beneath that white beard. And those eyes… Not that Dave gets a chance to even say hello. Chris tells Dave to stay back. Well, Christmas is a time for secrets, right? Jeff loves playing Santa. That cute kid with the huge eyes – and the hot-looking dad - just surprised the hell out of him. Jeff hears all kinds of strange requests during the holiday season. But this one beats them all – even if it takes a little coaxing to get it out of the kid. “There must be something you want for Christmas.”The boy snuck a glance over to where his dad stood with one of Santa’s elves. “Well… there is one thing." “And what’s that?” He bit his lip. “It’s not for me.” Jeff smiled. Sweet kid. “Tell me.” “You’re Santa. You can do anything, right?” Jeff smiled. “You bet.” “My dad… he’s a great guy, but… I think he’s lonely.” Jeff gazed at the kid’s dad. “Oh. Okay.” How can someone so beautiful be lonely? “So… what I really want for Christmas… is for him to find a new… boyfriend.” Jeff slowly arched his eyebrows. “I see.” The boy nodded. “Ever since Papa died, I know Dad has been unhappy. He tries to hide it, but I can see. And it’s been three years since Papa went. Do you think it’s too soon for him to fall in love again?”  Jeff stared at the man. “No, I don't think it’s too soon.” He gave the kid a smile. “Leave it with me. I’ll see what I can do.”

Misplaced Affection


Wade Kelly - 2014
    Before then, being gay wasn’t as real as the pain of living day-to-day. Flynn’s fear of coming out to his religious best friend Zach in their conservative community destroyed his relationship with Keith, but Flynn rationalized his avoidance and bottled up the truth until it was regrettably too late.Zachary Mitchell was the perfect son and role model as far as the outside world could tell. Active in his church while attending college, Zach had a personality that could sell anything, do anything, or be anything. Except, he couldn’t sell the truth to himself. Just when he was ready to reveal his internal conflict to Flynn and expose the darkness lurking in his heart, and in his “perfect” family, Zach met a girl and got sucked deeper into his chasm of deception.Caught in a living Newton’s Cradle of his own design, Flynn must choose between idealistic childhood fantasy, or a tempestuous passion that could ignite the very air he breathes.

The Perfect Cover


Claire Thompson - 2007
    Eager for what he sees as an easy job in an exotic locale, Ryan fails to mention he’s straight.As a year-round employee on the island, Sean dreads the peak season when horny young studs looking for casual sex or hoping to land a sugar daddy are hired to round out the staff. But when Ryan is assigned as Sean’s roommate, all those thoughts drop away as Sean falls head over heels for the man, completely unaware Ryan considers himself straight.Friendship blossoms, leading to curiosity and affection, then to confusion and pain. Both Ryan and Sean face tough questions as they confront passions and fears against the backdrop of a lush tropical paradise.

A Threefold Cord


Julie Bozza - 2014
    Maybe they even have a chemistry. Certainly they are friends and Grae is tempted to ask for more … After the beautiful tart Chris has the temerity to turn him down, Grae settles into a comfortable loving relationship with the more chivalrous Ben. But the idea of Chris never quite goes away – and when Chris finally suggests the three of them spend a night together, Grae glimpses a solution he hardly dares hope for.57,500 words

Left on St. Truth-be-Well


Amy Lane - 2013
    Then Carson can go back to waiting tables and being productively bitter about his life. He didn’t count on finding a dead body in Stassy’s bed, and he certainly didn’t count on the guy in the flip-flops and cutoffs at the local café helping him get to the bottom of the crime.But Dale Arden is no ordinary surfing burnout—he’s actually a pretty sharp guy with a seductive voice and a bossy streak wider than the Florida panhandle. When he decides to boss Carson right into his bed, Carson realizes Stassy's not the only one who's been lost. Carson likes to think he’s got his life all figured out, that sex with guys is your basic broom-closet transaction; he may just have to revise his priorities, because nobody plans on taking a left at St. Truth-be-Well and finding love at the Bates Parrot Hotel.

The Park at Sunrise


Lee Brazil - 2011
    Can Jason and Morgan make a relationship work without Paul?For years the three of them had been inseparable, first as friends, then lovers. It's been ten years since they parted for what was supposed to be a year apart to pursue their dreams. This isn't the reunion they planned then. It's nine years too late for one thing, and they are one man short for another.In the years since Paul's death, Morgan hasn't exactly been waiting for Jason to reach out to him. He's been too busy trying to forget, to move on. Until Jason sends the right message. Is the painting just an excuse to see his ex again?

The Undercover Rock Star


Jenna Galicki - 2016
    It was a chance meeting with a handsome stranger that changed everything. Brandon stirs Cameron's interest and his heart, but will the mysterious man reveal his true identity before their vacation in paradise is over? Sometimes life in the spotlight was a heavy weight to bear for Brandon Bullet. He never knew if men were interested in him as a person or just enamored with his rock star status – until he meets Cameron Douglas. It wasn't often that Brandon shared a connection with someone who wasn't aware of his notoriety. He's determined to keep his identity a secret while the two of them get to know each other and before someone blows his cover. The Bulletproof Series The Undercover Rock Star, Book 1 Branded, Book 2 Bassist With Benefits, Book 3 BULLETPROOF, Bulletproof Book 4 Also: The Stage, An Immortal Angel/Bulletproof Crossover Novella

My Next Door Omega


Ashe Moon - 2018
    They’re the two best students in their program, but that’s where their similarities end. Kell is an omega with a confidence problem, and he just can’t understand why Parker always singles out his best work with the harshest critiques. He’s always been a jerk from the very first moment they met, and Kell is certain it’s because Parker has always lived his life in the lap of luxury.Parker is an alpha who gives zero f*cks. He knows he’s the best at what he does, and what anyone else thinks about him doesn’t matter—except when it comes to his home life. He’s kept that a big secret, having been cut off by his parents for supporting his estranged brother and four-year-old nephew, who both live with him in his tiny apartment. With them to look after, Parker couldn’t care less about anything else—especially not finding a mate.When Kell and Parker get assigned as partners for a school project opposites attract, and the two rivals in close proximity find themselves struggling to deal with their unusual and (mostly) unwanted attraction. Especially when they realize they’re next door neighbors.

The Spy's Love Song


Kim Fielding - 2018
    Fame. Fortune. Gold records and Grammy awards. Lavish hotel suites and an endless parade of eager bedmates. He’s adored all over the world—even in the remote, repressive country of Vasnytsia, where the tyrannical dictator is a big fan. The State Department hopes a performance might improve US relations with a dangerous enemy. But it means Jaxon’s going in alone… with one exception.Secret agent Reid Stanfill has a covert agenda with global ramifications. Duty means everything to him, even when it involves protecting a jaded rock star. Jaxon and Reid’s mutual attraction is dangerous under Vasnytsia’s harsh laws—and matters get even worse when they’re trapped inside the borders. Romance will have to wait… assuming they make it out alive.Dreamspun Desires #67