Book picks similar to
Alex by Dianne Hartsock


paranormal
m-m
abuse
scarred-hero-heroine

Home Is Where You Are


Alex Jane - 2016
    But his quiet life is interrupted when another werewolf lands on his doorstep on the eve of a snowstorm, brutalized almost beyond repair, with nowhere else to turn. When Caleb reluctantly welcomes Jacob into his cabin, and eventually his bed, it forces him to face up to the traumas he’s been running from; the shame that made him leave his pack behind, and the horrors of war he endured. As the weeks pass, it seems that Jacob’s arrival might not be the coincidence it first appeared. Jacob has an agenda. One that involves Caleb. And if Caleb agrees to it – if he can let go of his past and his prejudices – it will change Caleb’s whole world. Maybe even for the better.Without a mate – a family, a pack – a wolf has no home. But what if home finds you?The Alphas' Homestead series - Book One66k words

Human Prince


Aja Foxx - 2021
    I was more saddened by my grandfather's ill health than I was by the knowledge that my father would get the family title. Having been raised by my grandfather for almost my entire life, I felt as if I was losing more than my grandfather. I was losing my best friend.When my grandfather made a deathbed request, I couldn't say no. I flew to Italy to deliver a message to an old friend of his. I had no idea my little trip would lead me to a world I never knew existed or to a man I couldn't forget.Between my grandfather's death and dodging my money-grubbing father's spiteful manipulations, learning vampires are real doesn't faze me much. Inheriting a vampire coven is another thing altogether. I never wanted to have a title, but the threats against my life leave me no choice. In order to stay alive, I'll have to accept being a vampire prince.

Ink and Shadows


Rhys Ford - 2015
    For the young tattoo artist, the shadows hold more than darkness. He is certain of his insanity because the dark holds creatures and crawling things only he can see—monsters who hunt out the weak to eat their minds and souls, leaving behind only empty husks and despair. And if there’s one thing Kismet fears more than being hunted—it’s the madness left in its wake. The shadowy Veil is Mal’s home. As Pestilence, he is the youngest—and most inexperienced—of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, immortal manifestations resurrected to serve—and cull—mankind. Invisible to all but the dead and insane, the Four exist between the Veil and the mortal world, bound to their nearly eternal fate. Feared by other immortals, the Horsemen live in near solitude but Mal longs to know more than Death, War and Famine. Mal longs to be… more human. To interact with someone other than lunatics or the deceased. When Kismet rescues Mal from a shadowy attack, Pestilence is suddenly thrust into a vicious war—where mankind is the prize, and the only one who has faith in Mal is the human the other Horsemen believe is destined to die.Published by DSP Publications: Reaching into a wide range of reader-favorite genres, including fantasy, historical, horror, mystery, paranormal, science fiction, and spiritual fiction.

Playing by the Book


Sasha Silsbury - 2019
    But will he recognise the real thing when it comes crashing into his life? Cal Sherwood is an omega on the run. He's determined that the dangerous alpha who kept him imprisoned will never find him. Cal has strict rules to keep safe: keep moving, take blockers, and stay away from the local packs.When he finds himself in the small mountain town of Aylewood as snow begins to fall, he's forced to break the last of those rules or face freezing to death outside on his own. Despite himself, he soon starts to feel at home in Aylewood and a certain attractive alpha makes him reluctant to leave...Luke Winterstoke owns a second-hand bookstore in Aylewood, and has always wanted to find love and have a family of his own, but has never managed to find love until now. When a handsome stranger comes to town, Luke finds himself inexplicably drawn to him despite the fact that the man is clearly hiding something. A pregnancy takes them both by surprise, but it's a chance for them both to finally have the family and happiness they've always wanted...until Cal's shocking past comes catching up with them at the worst possible moment.  Playing by the Book is an M/M mpreg omegaverse love story with lots of sweet, sexy moments and hurt/comfort scenes. The book is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. No cliffhangers.

The Seer


Jordan Reece - 2015
    And Jesco Currane has just gotten stuck with him on the most frustrating case of their careers.When the body of a courier is discovered in an alley, Jesco is called in to assist with his seer skills. All he has to do is touch the clothing of the deceased to identify the killer. But the victim has been stripped naked, and the only evidence at the scene is a timepiece. The people he sees within it have nothing to do with the murder, yet they must be related to the case.Chasing down leads with Scoth lets Jesco see another side of the surly, if handsome, detective. But as their feelings for each other grow heated, so does the investigation. Someone doesn’t want them to know who killed the courier . . . and plans to add them to the death toll if they don’t stop pursuing it.

Psync


Zile Elliven - 2021
    A source of comfort, companionship, and desire.For Eli, it's a source of terror.Branded by the trauma of his past, Eli is struggling in his freshman year of college. He might be afraid of just about everything, but in his heart of hearts, he's nobody's bitch.Yet it's at his lowest point, that he first hears it. HimThe voice.Wet feet, a frozen ass - this guy likes to complain, but why would Eli care about any of that, when he's got his own problems? The bigger question is what, or rather who, the voice is.Afraid it's a sign of his fragile psyche's demise, Eli is torn between hunting down the source to prove it's real, and ignoring it in case it isn't.His eventual quest will see him grappling with geese, battling burritos, and dodging deities - all in the search for his sanity.And maybe, just maybe, finding love.Psync is a steamy, 18+ 94,000 word MM romance with the following tropes: Fated mates, touch aversion turned to bliss when touching your mate, hurt/comfort, yandere main character, and meddling gods.Content warning: Trauma-related mental illness, mentions of past childhood trauma.

Crush


Laura Susan Johnson - 2011
    Tammy and Jamie are soul mates, but their love is thwarted for years by bad timing, fear of ridicule, and the damage that lingers long after childhood.

Federal Affair


Aiden Bates - 2017
     Pat Tessaro isn’t surprised when he gets suddenly reassigned to Cold Case.  They call it a loan, but he knows it’s retaliation.  When he sees the agent the FBI sent to help out with the case, he can’t find a reason to object.  The case takes a bizarre turn, and they have to focus on solving it rather than each other.  Can they find a way to make their feelings clear before they solve the case?  This is a 15,000 word gay male (mpreg) romance with explicit scenes.

Bound in Stone: Volume One


K.M. Frontain - 2005
    One stolen item.In the city of Wistal, a sorcerer is planning a holy war that will engulf kingdoms. But a theft at his manor has delayed his agenda, pitting him against the hidden rulers of Wistal, the criminal Syndicate.The likely suspect is a thief, the father of a family of robbers and prostitutes. The sorcerer sets a trap, only to find that the thief's extraordinary youngest son is a wildcard to upset the most ambitious plans of gods and men. (Content warning: Adult fiction. Graphic horror elements.) Bound in Stone: Volume One is the first novel in The Soulstone Chronicles, a fantasy adventure about an enigmatic deity reborn as a human being. The majority of the series has GLBTQ content.

More Than Words


T.T. Kove - 2015
    Or is it?I’m tired. Tired of being bullied, ignored, and tired of my dysfunctional parents. I clean out my locker, so no one else has to do it for me once I’m gone. But when someone knocks my books out of my hands, it sets off a motion of events that makes me feel more alive than I’ve ever felt before.Andreas is the best friend of one of my bullies, but he’s nothing like any of them. He’s kind and compassionate and charming—and he doesn't seem to mind my scars. When he reveals he’s bisexual and interested in me, it all seems too good to be true.But who am I to look a gift-horse in the mouth? It’s not like I can’t postpone my plans, after all, and go along with him for as long as he’ll have me.

Untouchable


Robert Innes - 2016
    It’s picturesque, idyllic and tranquil – but Harrison is far from happy. His parent’s marriage is strained to say the least and on top of that, his boyfriend, Daniel, has been mentally and physically abusing him for years. After he finds himself with one bruise too many, Harrison has had enough. But when he plucks up the courage to finally end his violent relationship, Harrison’s life is changed forever when Daniel is found murdered in the most bizarre circumstances. Detective Sergeant Blake Harte has moved to Harmschapel after his own relationship ended in tatters. But moving to a quiet village after working his way up the ranks in a city brings its own set of problems and Blake soon finds himself at odds with new colleagues who aren’t used to his style of policing. But when he is called upon to investigate the mysterious and impossible murder at Halfmile Farm, Blake finds himself facing the most challenging case of his career. So how can Daniel have been shot in a locked shed that nobody could possibly have escaped from? Is anybody really Untouchable?

The Long Way Home


Z.A. Maxfield - 2008
    Quinn's partner is Connor Dougal, a newer detective on the force, and a skeptic when it comes to psychic abilities. That is until strange things happen to Kevin when he touches objects belonging to the missing kids. Even more disturbing is the way Kevin can participate in Conner's dreams. Conner's past is more tied to the current case than anyone realizes and it's only by lancing the pain of the past there is a hope for the future.

The Last Safe Place


Ninie Hammon - 2012
    and then one of them crawls up out of the pages and confronts her face to face. A deranged, fanatical fan who believes he is The Beast of Babylon from her novel turns up at a book signing and then comes after her to claim her as his bride. And to sacrifice her son, Ty, as an offering to their unholy union. Gabriella, Ty and Ty's grandfather, Theo-the crusty old stand-up comic called Slap Yo Mama Carmichael-run for their lives, back to the only place in Gabriella's life where she ever felt safe. But once there, she discovers that facing the demons from her past may be harder and more dangerous than facing the one who hunts her. As Ty and Theo battle their own, personal monsters, Gabriella begins to fall for a man who carries a guilt she can't even begin to imagine. The predator who stalks Gabriella and her family tracks them down and corners his prey as a full moon rides high in the night sky and lightning explodes on the mountaintop. Then all their lives and demons collide in a final, apocalyptic celebration of one man's madness. Gabriella's only hope lies in the unexplainable power of 2,000-year-old tree. Is it strong enough to save them? Can a single, perfect bristlecone pine somehow determine the fate of them all?

Alone


Marissa Farrar - 2009
    Then she meets a stranger, Sebastian, who shows her the possibility of a different future. Only Sebastian has a dark secret; he is a vampire. As Serenity’s life takes a terrifying turn, she finds herself drawn into a world she never knew existed; one of murder, love, and immortality. She is forced to confront her own weaknesses to save both her own life and that of the vampire she has come to love. But in the end all that matters is; can she find the strength to be Alone ?

Cowboy Love


C.J. Bishop - 2018
     Clint and Axel finally have a night to themselves. While the kids are away, the cowboys will play as they delve into a long night of love, lust, and wild, uninhibited passion. The thrills are endless and the "rides" are free. *Contains explicit M/M sexual scenes and strong language. 18+ readers only.