Book picks similar to
Barren by Yolanda Olson
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Forging Bonds
Ruby MacIntyre - 2015
Christopher Waters is a recent graduate who is looking for work, and he has secret fantasies of being bound by his lover.Both men feel heat from instant attraction when they meet for an interview, but Chris questions his feelings because he has a boyfriend, one he has been with for years. So how is it that Tatum makes him doubt everything he has? After Christopher’s boyfriend viciously betrays him, he flees to the firm and Tatum takes him away to regroup. A relationship quickly forms when Chris expresses interest in BDSM. It’s difficult for Christopher to learn trust, but after Tatum willingly submits himself to Chris for a night, he knows that he will give the man anything he asks for. After their first official scene at Steel Cuffs, Tatum’s favorite BDSM club, Tatum and Chris realize that what they have is more than just sex—it’s love. Only one thing stands in their way, something that could destroy everything they have built together. Tatum’s family has never approved of his sexual orientation, and they are determined to never allow a public relationship to tarnish their family name. Tatum has to risk everything in order to save his boy from death.
Nine Lights Over Edinburgh
Harper Fox - 2010
But just five days before Christmas, his unorthodox methods catch up with him and his world comes crashing down.McBride tries to concentrate on his new day job as security for the visiting Israeli ambassador. He even starts to feel a renewed sense of self-worth when the leader of the Israeli team, the aristocratic Tobias Leitner, takes a bullet for him in the line of duty. But he can't forget the trafficking case, especially when his investigations result in the kidnapping of his own daughter! McBride has no one to turn to for help—no one, except Toby.Can these two very different men work together to bring about a holiday miracle—and heal one another's heart in the process?42,000 words
Rebound
V.L. Locey - 2019
It’s taken Victor Kalinski years to settle into the kind of happiness that he thought he’d never find. The small town of Cayuga, New York, has welcomed him warmly. It’s given him a championship team to coach, a tightly-knit group of friends, a father who he has reconciled with, and a safe place to raise the son he adores. The small town has also blessed him with Dan Arou, his husband and his soulmate, and one of the most skilled forwards on the Cougars. Given Dan’s outstanding play in their recent Calder Cup win, it was inevitable that Dan’s time in the minors was about to come to an end. When Dan is given a starting position in Boston, Victor’s serene life is thrown into complete chaos. Pride over Dan’s accomplishment fills his heart but facing a long, lonely season in Cayuga is causing no small amount of discord. Add in a wedding that will give his son a new stepfather, health issues for his dad, and Victor’s own penchant for saying things that aren’t exactly politically correct, and the impending explosion is guaranteed to blow Vic’s life to bits. Life-altering choices will have to be made. Will Victor rebound from the challenges, or will he be unable to accept the upheavals that life has dealt him?
When the Devil Wants In
Cate Ashwood - 2018
Growing up in the rural Georgia town of Magnolia Ridge, he's only ever let one person truly know him: his best friend, Chloe. To the rest of the world, they're the perfect couple, but just between them, she's helping John hide in plain sight. Matt Kinsley, a cop from San Francisco, moves to town looking for a slower pace and to reconnect with his Southern roots. Starting over in Magnolia Ridge means taking a step into the closet, but Matt finds that with John for company, he doesn’t mind so much. As the two start to explore a possible relationship, a horrific murder rips the town apart but brings John and Matt together in ways neither could've imagined. Matt must decide where his loyalties lie while John resists the urge to run again. Together, they have to discover who the real devil is before another life is destroyed.
The Rise
Amelita Rae - 2016
The exclusive, members-only Club Rimska is no common gay bar. The powerful men who come there expect total discretion and to be served by the most beautiful boys in the city. They all have money and they all have secrets. Young Mishka works at Club Rimska and one of his clients seems to have more secrets than most. He says very little, but he pays very well. He demands most of the pretty dancer’s time and attention. Mishka brushes off his fixation as harmless, until one night the powerful man decides that ‘most’ is not enough. He wants ALL of him. Kidnapped and imprisoned by a psychopath, Mishka must now do whatever it takes to make the powerful man happy- no matter how degrading or humiliating. His captor is determined to punish him and thereby ‘save’ him from his wicked, sinful ways (whether the young stripper wants to be saved or not). Days pass, and then weeks. Brutality turns to tenderness and obsession begins to resemble love. Mishka becomes more and more confused about his own feelings towards his mysterious captor. Is it Stockholm Syndrome or something more? And how does the man know all of Mishka’s deepest, darkest secrets? What secrets is he hiding in turn? This unique story by best-selling author Amelita Rae is not for everyone. It explores the most twisted versions of love and dares to shine a light on the darkest corners of the human heart. You will not forget the Fallen Angel. ~55,000 words
Kneading You
C.S. Poe - 2019
He’s been hired to save an old library from closing, but his obstacles include not only fighting for state funding, but a Selectman who wants to tear the building down in favor of a shopping center. Christopher is introduced to Miles Sakasai, a charming tattooed repairman on site to restore the historical interior of the building. Working in close proximity has both men falling hard for each other. It also provides Christopher with an opportunity to learn about Miles’s passion for baking. And as it turns out, Miles’s skills in the kitchen may end up being the key to saving the library—but only if his bread can rise to the occasion.
Marking Time
C.J. Anthony - 2012
. . a faggot? A queer? A sissy? About a dozen more words meandered through my brain, every word I’d ever heard from my friends, from adults, from TV. Was that who I was now? Were those words me now?"While most gay men grow up living in the closet until they are brave enough to step out and be themselves, Adam Shepherd experiences the opposite. After living almost all of his young life out and gay, he goes into the closet, willingly, in order to have the career and life he wants and needs. He thinks he can handle it, but he soon discovers how much he has truly given up.Chase Michaels was always there for Adam, a substitute “big-brother” and true friend in his growing up years. Adam has always harbored a secret involving Chase, but it conflicts with the closet he now lives in as an adult. When the pressure becomes too much, Adam chooses to stay in his closet . . . but at what cost? And can he change things before it’s too late?Original Prompt:Dear Author,I've missed him so much and I'd hoped he be there when I came home. I just didn't want to expect too much. After so many years of being just friends, we became more and then I got my orders. Before we could start anything, it felt like everything was over. But he came, he's here! I just couldn't contain myself and ran right into his arms.Can someone please tell me how these two began, how they survived apart and what's next? :)Photo Description: Military homecoming: Marine dressed in fatigues greets his civilian lover with a passionate embrace, arms and legs wrapped around him, as they kiss passionately, framed by a large, vibrant American Flag behind them.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 6.
My Soul to Break (The Soul, #1)
Daria M. Loshlin - 2021
A pain in my heart. A nightmare on repeat.His blue eyes haunt my dreams with the fleeting glimpse of a life not lived.Or a past, all but forgotten.For years, he'd been a tormented stare and grimace on the street.A familiar passerby in a small southern town, a ghost I'd yet to meet.The moment he fell into my life, whether by fate or chance, I knew there was no turning back.Our connection is magnetic, and his body calls to mine in ways I’ve only ever read about.He's pain and pleasure, my favorite nightmare.But is he my savior?Or did I hand him my heart, my soul, to break?
Tidal Wave
E.M. Lindsey - 2021
Gunner has spent half his life running from his past, and the other half trying to protect himself from ever being vulnerable again. He’s escaped his old club and worked hard to earn the VP patch on his cut after joining the Broken Chains. But his entire life is turned upside down when Gunner’s past comes back to haunt him, and the club’s Deaf delivery guy ends up at the wrong place at the wrong time. When his president asks him to protect the injured man, Gunner wants to say no. After all, he hasn’t been able to take his eyes off Logan since the day they met, and Gunner can’t afford that kind of distraction. But ignoring him is damn near impossible when every time he looks at Logan, he starts to feel something. And Gunner doesn’t think he has the power to resist him for much longer. There will be no promise of a future though, if the Broken Chains can’t protect Logan from the mess he’s in, but even if they succeed, Gunner isn’t sure there’s a place for Logan in his world.
Curl Around My Heart
Londra Laine - 2018
The shop is his life, and he doesn’t need anything more. Until a man walks in with his adorable daughter, and Tate has to untangle her helmet-hair…and his growing feelings for the single dad.Reece Evans has been on his job for years, has his own place, and now has custody of his eight-year-old daughter. But he doesn’t trust himself to avoid screwing up. Adulting is not his strong suit—or so he’s been told. And now a sexy beautician, who also happens to be his new downstairs neighbor, has Reece wanting and reaching for more than he thinks he’s capable of.As Tate and Reece move past their own fears about relationships, Reece’s ex issues a threat that could destroy everything. Will Reece’s worries about other people judging him undermine his budding romance? And will Tate’s fear of rejection make him push Reece away? Or have the sweet single dad and his precocious daughter curled too tightly around his heart to give them up?***Please be aware that this book contains references to drug addiction.***
Bombs and Guacamole
B.A. Tortuga - 2016
Paramedic Nate Miller, Dusty’s best friend since their early Army days, has a hippie momma, a tiny apartment, and is in lust with his buddy. When their other Army friend, Kyle, gets married, they start thinking about settling down. In fact, they both know what they want: each other. Too bad they’ve never shared that goofy little fact.A trip to visit Dusty’s family in Texas changes everything, and Dusty and Nate aren’t sure where to go from there. Good thing they’re smart guys, and between a series of bombings that target first responders, their friend Kyle’s wife getting pregnant, and more than one bowl of guacamole, they begin to figure out how to have a relationship.But as the bombings get closer to home, Nate and Dusty must navigate love and commitment before they lose their chance.
By the Book
Maria Vickers - 2017
Cayden. Fearing his love would be considered forbidden and rejected, he ran away to college, determined to move on and forget. Three years later, he is summoned home and comes face to face with the man he tried to leave in the past. The same man he never stopped loving. Samuel Cayden was looking for a fresh start and an escape. What he was not expecting was to develop feelings for his student, Joshua. Yet when the boy returns home a man, Samuel can no longer pretend the pull between them doesn’t exist. Will the student become the teacher, showing Samuel how to open his heart? Will Samuel be able to prove to Joshua that things are not always what they appear? Or will the spark fizzle before it has a chance to ignite? It’s time they got a lesson in love and temptation.
Chrysalis
S.E. Harmon - 2021
Waking up with amnesia is far worse. I learn that the hard way when I wake up in the hospital, my memory practically wiped. I don’t know why someone wants me dead. Hell, I don’t even know my name. They say my name is Christian Cross. Too bad that name means nothing to me.I haven’t forgotten everything, though. Grayson Laurie has always been my kryptonite, and it would take more than a bullet to the brain to forget him. He assures me that I’m imagining the distance between us, but I know better. I just don’t know how to fix it. I console myself that at least I've reached rock bottom and things can’t get worse…until they do.My life is a tangled mess of lies and deceit. The more I learn about myself, the less I want to know. I want nothing more than an honest future with Gray, but the past isn't about to let me go without a fight.Fortunately, I’m starting to realize that fighting is my specialty.
Blood Stained Tea
Amy Tasukada - 2016
A devastating present calls him back…Nao hides from his violent past in the Japanese mob by opening a teahouse in Japan's cultural center, Kyoto. His past comes flooding back when he discovers a gravely injured man with a tattooed chest, a bloody knife, and a Korean business card.Saehyun would've died if not for Nao's help. He knows nothing of his savior's connection with the local mafia, but Saehyun has his own secrets. He commands the Korean mafia, the mortal enemy of Nao’s former syndicate.As Nao and Saehyun grow closer, so does the strength of the Korean mob. A shocking murder pulls Nao back into a past he'd all but abandoned. War is looming, and Nao must choose between protecting Saehyun or avenging the honor of his old mafia family.Blood Stained Tea is the first book in the The Yakuza Path series. If you like complex characters, blood-soaked violence, and twists you won't see coming, then you'll love Amy Tasukada’s gritty crime masterpiece. Buy Blood Stained Tea to dive deep into the Asian mafia tale today mafia tale today!