Book picks similar to
Alex by Dianne Hartsock


paranormal
m-m
scarred-hero-heroine
mystery

The Practical Guide to Trying Not to Die


Sam Schooler - 2013
    In the past three hours, he’s been attacked by Lord of the Rings lookalikes, saved by his hot but weird next-door neighbor, threatened with a pair of Manolos, and been told he has to move out of his house.Oh, and he has to leave this dimension, too. So there’s that.His neighbor, Soren Greenfield, is not only a gardening fanatic and an avid swimmer, but a guardian — a member of a fierce, loyal league of warriors who have sworn their lives to protect the keys. Unfortunately for Danny, he’s a key, and he possesses a well of magic that can be tapped and manipulated by sorcerers. Soren’s job is to protect Danny from sorcerers, and now that a particularly powerful one (code name: Doctor Doom) has set his sights on Danny (a geeky geology major with inferiority issues, no combat skills, and a smart mouth), Soren is probably going to regret that oath he took to give his life in exchange for Danny’s.Together with Danny’s black belt best friend Malia Hesse, they escape to Lohrfast, Danny’s birthplace and Soren’s home, in order to ensure Danny’s safety. Arriving at White Oak, one of the League’s training camps, should be the end of their travel, but there are dangers within the League as well, and when Danny, Soren, and Malia are forced to make a desperate journey to the League’s largest stronghold, Soren’s secrets catch up with them.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love Has No Boundaries" 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.

Family Money


Chad Zunker - 2022
    They have two daughters and a beautiful home, and Alex’s startup business is about to explode thanks to massive private funding from his compassionate and supportive father-in-law, Joe. With millions more to come, all is perfect—until Joe is abducted and murdered during a family trip in Mexico.Alex’s world is about to be turned upside down. He can’t bear to tell his grieving wife why. The man they’ve both idolized has been keeping secrets. The pledged millions are nowhere to be found. The source of the original investment is a mystery, even to Joe’s financial adviser. No one, it seems, has any idea who the man they knew, loved, and trusted really was.As Alex digs deeper into Joe’s shadowy life, the most shocking surprises are yet to come. Deadly ones, too, because every lie that Alex uncovers in Joe’s dark past puts his family in more danger.

Untrue Love


Amy Crook - 2015
    That is, until he puts himself in the middle of a criminal investigation by literally stepping in it.This is the story of Alex's first case with Agent Murielle Lapointe, and while it's lacking in romance, it's a delightful look into grumpy young Alex and what he got up to before he was a professional consultant.

Rebel Yells


Rain Carrington - 2014
    When Martin dies Jack goes into mourning so deeply that he starts to see his late husband everywhere. Martin tells Jack that he needs to move on and find another love but Jack is holding on too hard to his love and his job to see love when it speeds through the small sleepy town he watches over.Rebel Marino lives up to his name. He fights hard not only with his fists but to keep from letting anyone get close. Rebel inherits a home and business from his favorite aunt, whom he sees even though she recently passed away. She tries to convince him that the tall handsome sheriff is worth a leap of faith.Together they start to discover what it means to move on, to trust, and push the boundaries of not only their interest in BDSM but of love itself but will a third man who is secretly in love with Jack come between them and rip them apart before their love can fully bloom?

The Obituary Society


Jessica L. Randall - 2014
    Lila is charmed by the people of Auburn, from the blue-eyed lawyer with the southern drawl to the little old lady who unceasingly tries to set Lila up with her grandson. But when strange things begin to happen, Lila realizes some of her new friends are guarding a secret like it's a precious family heirloom. It's a dangerous secret, and it has come back to haunt them. Lila is caught in the middle, and her life may depend on uncovering it. But even if she can, can she stay in Auburn when not everyone is what they seem, and even the house wants her gone?

A Purrfect Match


Chris T. Kat - 2012
    Then his bad day turns into a bad night—while prowling his Atlantic City neighborhood as a large gray house cat, he’s caught in a torrential downpour. What little luck he has washes down the gutter when his new boss, Andrew Wright, catches him taking shelter on his porch, brings him inside, and starts calling him Mr. Frosty. As a feline, Jim becomes the inadvertent confessor for his boss’s lonely son, Tony, a victim of schoolyard bullying. As a human, he feels drawn to Andrew, a man he wanted to resent. Finding love was never part of Jim’s plan for the future—not with his bizarre secret—yet suddenly he finds himself navigating that minefield anyway. But not everything is easy, especially for an interracial gay couple dealing with prejudice in the workplace, at Tony’s school, and even within their own families.

The Curse of Allie Mae


Aiden James - 2010
    David Hobbs, vacationing with his wife Miriam, inadvertently stumbles upon a small cloth 'keepsake' bag and a broken tooth. A human tooth. Miriam begs David to hand the bag and tooth over to park officials, but he ignores his wife's pleas and secretly keeps the 'harmless' items. The action opens a doorway that had been closed for nearly a hundred years and unleashes hell on earth, or at least hell in the lives of David and Miriam.Following the brutal murder of his best friend in Denver, and an aborted attack on his oldest son, David desperately seeks to understand why a mysterious teenage girl has chosen to terrorize him and the males closest to him. To prevent further devastation to his family and end the wanton bloodshed, he returns to the enchanted hills of eastern Tennessee, where a terrible truth awaits discovery...one that forces him to face the consequences for the unpaid sins of his ancestors.

Wonderland


Jude Ouvrard - 2013
    His life went from heartbreak to joyful and then, from friendship to love. The impact Preston had on Lucas’ life was mesmerising. What would you do if you knew you may not have a tomorrow?

A Subtle Breeze


Bailey Bradford - 2010
    While the scars on the outside have faded, the damage inside is much harder to conquer. Zeke resigns himself to a solitary existence, aside from his sister Enessa and, of course, his mama's occasional visits.Brendon Shanahan has a very meddling cousin, Gloria, who is best buds with Enessa Matthers. When the two women convince Brendon that he should hook-up with the reclusive Zeke, a plan is hatched that sets a series of events into motion - with potentially deadly consequences.Can Ezekiel conquer his fears and accept what Brendon is offering? Or will Brendon walk away, giving up on the love he has waited for? And will the visits from Zeke's mama - deceased for four years now - help the two men find their way to each other?Only time will tell, and that may be the one thing the lovers don't have, because someone is out to destroy everything Zeke and Brendon hold dear - and this time, the bad guy just might succeed.

Morning My Angel


Sue Brown - 2016
    Used to working in sole charge of his well-honed team, he clashes heads with the handsome, but pompous Cal, his UK co-operator and superior. Josh’s gut tells him something is wrong. He’s being kept out of the loop and Cal’s agenda is running on a different path.He also has a personal issue to deal with. He’s involved in a cyber-relationship with “Charlie”, an unknown man who connected with Josh by accident. Their banter has led to deeper respect and a sexual interest, but now Josh is faced with a growing attraction to Cal. Between this conflict and the tension of the mission, Josh’s heart and head are overworked and confused. Things can’t get much worse.Then Josh discovers the enemies he’s seeking have a new target: him.

Dreaming in Color


Cameron Dane - 2009
    He just knows the man needs him, and Colin aches to find and heal his lover…even if the man doesn’t really exist.Marek Donovan just wants to be left alone to lick his wounds and recover from a terrible loss. The rundown house in Fiji suits his minimal needs just fine. He doesn’t want to face the world again, and on a small, secluded island figures he’s safe from everyone and everything. Particularly guilt from his past.Dreams of this nameless man and his house plague Colin for two years, but he’s come to care about his phantom lover so deeply he doesn’t want them to end. Then Colin visits Fiji and comes face-to-face with the house from his visions, prompting him to believe these dreams just might be his destiny.Colin knocks on the door, determined to find answers. What he finds is a man he already knows.

Loving Luki Vásquez


Lou Sylvre - 2011
    The mutual attraction is immediate, but love-shy Sonny has retreated from life, and Luki wears his visible and not-so-visible scars like armor. Neither can bare his soul with ease.While they run from desire, they can’t hide from the evil that hunts them. After it becomes clear that a violent stalker has targeted Sonny, Luki’s protective instincts won’t let him run far, especially when Sonny’s family is targeted as well. Whether they can forgive or forget, Sonny and Luki will have to call a truce and work together to save Sonny’s nephew and fight an enemy intent on making sure loving Luki Vásquez is the last mistake Sonny will ever make.

My Partner the Wolf


Hollis Shiloh - 2014
    They're a great team, and they have fun together, too: joking and enjoying each other's company in a way that doesn't happen every day.Tom is also a married man. And his husband hates the wolf shifter with a passion. Tom tries to balance the sides of his life—one minute on a high-pressure chase with Sean, the next placating his husband Lowell.Then the unthinkable happens: his marriage ends. Heartbroken, he's not expecting to ever get over Lowell's betrayal or to be able to love again.Sean offers a solution: sex as friends. They have chemistry, and they trust each other.But can they change their partnership that much? And is Sean secretly harboring feelings for him—expecting more than just sex?Sean is a loveable, funny, strong, and protective. He's the best buddy a guy could have. But Tom might not be able to keep from breaking his heart—if Sean is in love with him, and Tom can't love him back.

Going Home: When Everyone Thinks You're Dead (Walkersville Book 1)


Joanne Reid - 2015
    The story continues in Being Home where more is revealed of this story. It concludes in Staying Home**Liza Diamond tries to go back home now that everyone thinks she has been dead for ten years. She discovers that the beauty of the small town of Walkersville still conceals a seamy underbelly of low-level intrigue, secrets, and lies. Liza herself is telling a few lies, the biggest of which is that her return is not driven by a desire for revenge. Her return is all about revenge for a love gone very wrong. This is part one of a series about life, intrigue, and gossip in a small New England town where society's rules and roles are set by family histories.Being Home is Part 2 of the Walkersville series. Staying Home is Part 3.

The Debt Collector


Jon Mills - 2015
    Four years later, Jack is free and he wants out of the game, but his boss won't let him go. Forced to take on one last job to make amends for what landed him in prison, he travels to the small town of Rockland Cove, Maine. There, he not only discovers that the target and money have disappeared; he finds himself falling for a damaged woman, and befriending an unruly son left behind. Under mounting pressure from his boss and local police--as well as the ghosts of his past--he must unravel the mystery and decide where his loyalties lie...before it's too late.