Books Tagged With author - american

Word Count: Click here to reveal64,000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealStraight, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: Trevor Larson is a Navy brat. He’s used to moving every few years, and thanks to social media, he can stay in touch with the friends he leaves behind. But shortly after he leaves Okinawa, his best friend, Brad Gray, cuts off contact and disappears. Four years and two bases later, Brad resurfaces—and announces his family is coming to Trevor’s base in Spain. But a lot’s changed in four years, and Trevor is stunned to find out Brad is now Shannon. Their reunion isn’t quite what either of them had hoped for, but they quickly find their footing, both relieved to have each other back. Except nothing is ever all sunshine and roses. The military is a small world, and there’s no keeping Shannon’s transition a secret. Parents warn their kids away from her. She can’t attend school on-base for fear of harassment or worse. And although her parents try to hide it, being ostracized by their only social circle while they’re thousands of miles from home is taking a toll on them too. More and more, Shannon leans on Trevor. But she’s also drawn to him, and he’s drawn right back to her, feeling things he’s never felt for anyone before. Trevor’s scared, though. Not of dating a trans girl. Not of damaging his chaplain father’s career or reputation. After finally getting his friend back, does he dare take things further and risk losing her a second time?

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Summary: A Plummet to Soar Story Theo Hsu is back—in Hawai‘i, that is. Following the death of his father and a brush with disaster in the icy Wisconsin winter, Theo wants to reconnect with his family, work the job he loves, and find a way to get with lifelong secret thirst-trap, HPD Detective Koa Palapiti. Theo's a beat cop, not a detective. That doesn't stop him from wanting to solve a few mysteries about Koa… like why is he blowing hot and cold? What's going on with him and his partner, Freddie Ortiz? Will investigating a shipping magnate with shady ties to human trafficking and international espionage put Koa and Freddie in over their heads? And does Koa still have some kinkhound howling in his blood? Theo's halfway around the world, and right back where he started. This time he's gonna get what he came for—unless Koa’s latest murder case gets both of them first.

Word Count: Click here to reveal38,616 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Can Benjamin trust his feelings for Tate, a man who reminds him of his ex-husband? And should Tate trust Benjamin when he's hiding information that could destroy the growing love between them? Benjamin Bailey, a New York City librarian, lives for his eleven-month-old son, Jack. But that is threatened when his lying, spiteful ex-husband Justin convinces his friend Katrina, the woman who carried their baby, that Benjamin is a neglectful father and was a cheating spouse. Katrina sues for temporary custody of Jack for every other weekend. On the eve of the first weekend Jack is to spend with Katrina, a charming and handsome man, Tate Monroe, visits the library. Due to a misunderstanding, Tate learns Benjamin is gay and he begins to flirt with the flustered librarian. Dazzled by the magnetic stranger, Benjamin accepts a dinner invitation for the following evening. Based on Benjamin’s experience with his ex-husband, he assumes Tate is another attractive player who is interested only in fun devoid of responsibility…so he withholds the information that he is a single father. In between sneaking check-ins on his son’s welfare, Benjamin is treated to the compliments and attention—both emotional and physical—that he’s been deprived of. Benjamin tries to fight his growing attraction to a man he feels is interested only in a quick fling, despite Tate’s actions that signal he may be feeling the same.

Word Count: Click here to reveal14,000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Hey! Name’s Adam Darling and hustling’s my game. When I was eighteen, my parents kicked me to the curb after catching me enjoying a good romp in the sack with my boyfriend. So I took the bus to Queens, NY and used my boyish looks to turn tricks to make my rent and fund my weakness for club clothing. On the night of my twentieth birthday, everything came crashing down and, like a wuss, I collapsed and had myself a good cry. Deep in my “woe is me” fest, I knew I had to make some decisions I’d much rather not have to face. Confused, I’m not sure what to do. Should I leave the head game my life has become? Will my changing looks allow me to continue status quo? One very sexy cowboy has an offer that sounds like the answer I’ve been looking for, but can I find it within myself to take the leap of faith and accept it or should I walk away?

Word Count: Click here to reveal107708 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: A lawyer and an architect walk into a bar…   Jocelin:   What do you do when your boss’s pushy nephew repeatedly asks you out and won’t take no for an answer? You create a fake boyfriend. One who works a lot, so he never comes to office functions or meets you for lunch. It works well until le salaud calls my bluff.   So that’s how I find myself at a client event, practically begging a handsome stranger to play said boyfriend. Only after I calm down do I realize le bel homme in the bespoke suit is no stranger at all. He’s my best friend’s brother, and mon Dieu, he cleans up well!   When Gunnar volunteers to keep up the ruse beyond one night, of course, I say yes. I’m no fool. But fake love can have very real consequences…   Gunnar:   Being accosted by the attractive, if slightly flustered, Jocelin Allard before I even make it out of the parking lot isn’t how I expect to start my evening. But pretending to be his boyfriend for a few hours seems like a harmless way to liven up an otherwise painful social event.   And as far as dates go, fake or otherwise, I could do a lot worse. He’s smart, gorgeous, and has a sexy accent. Plus, my sister would kill me if I left her bestie hanging.   When the evening goes shockingly well, almost effortlessly, our relationship turns real, and for a while, it’s total bliss. Until I unintentionally take a wrecking ball to my life. Again.   Heal Me is a low-medium angst, MM fake boyfriend, sister’s best friend, contemporary romance about bad decisions, past trauma, and loving someone including their flaws. It contains no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA.

Word Count: Click here to reveal75000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual (Click here to hide)

Summary: Aiden Varik has had two great loves in his very long life. And he lost them both too soon. His only wish is to protect his four vampire sons and their mates. But someone from Aiden’s distant past has returned to break down the walls erected around his wounded heart. Temptation never tasted so sweet. Can Aiden find the strength to risk his heart yet again? Especially when this man is accompanied by Aiden’s enemies. Healing Aiden is the fifth and final book in the Lords of Discord paranormal romance series. This book contains vampires, werewolves, witches, overprotective sons, secrets, broken hearts, hope, redemption, and a love that will never end.

Word Count: Click here to reveal37151 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealDemisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Some hearts are made to be mended. Zac Alvarez never expected to start his life over at forty-five, but his recent divorce means doing just that. Luckily, his career as a nurse in Boston keeps him busy and he has friends who understand Zac’s need to be as careful with his heart as he is with his diet. Acting on a whim one fall afternoon, Zac buys lunch from a food truck and meets Aiden Marinelli, a bold young chef who is taking the city’s food scene in new directions. Aiden is only thirty, a fact that doesn’t sit well with Zac, but both the chef and his food prove impossible to resist. An attachment forms between the two men and, as the winter holidays draw near, Zac begins to emerge from the protective shell he’s built around himself. A chance encounter with his ex-husband shakes Zac’s newfound confidence, however, and he pushes Aiden away, unaware how deeply the act will hurt them both until it is too late. Now, Zac must decide if he is brave enough to go after what he wants and mend not only Aiden’s heart but his own.

Word Count: Click here to reveal81000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealDemisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: A baby’s laughter. A mind uncaged. Lance is known as Scourge, the warrior in the black armor, the dog of the warlord Ulfr Blackwolf. He was just a boy when Ulfr found him and molded him into the perfect weapon. He slaughters and pillages on command, merciless and numb, devoid of emotions. Then a baby girl laughs at him during a raid. And everything changes. When Gust, a talented healer, is out deer hunting and stumbles across a magnificent horse bearing a mortally wounded rider, he has no idea that his life is about to change forever. Gust applies all his skills to his patient, determined to save the rider’s life, and is rewarded when the man opens his eyes. As friendship, and more, bloom between warrior and healer, so does the danger over the horizon. Ulfr has not forgotten, and Lance must take his first steps on the long road to redemption.

Word Count: Click here to reveal44080 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Wolf shifter Xavier learns that you are often your own worst enemy. Josh McPhee always wanted to be an agent. To keep from going crazy at the Agency’s New Mexico substation, he talks to the imprisoned wolf shifter—or tries to. Their one-sided conversations only prove the shifter is not getting the help he needs. After all, he is a victim too. Wolf shifter Xavier doesn’t remember much before his time with the Knights or the time under their control, where he was brainwashed and used to kill innocent shifters. He wants to recover his memories, and yet he fears what he might find. He would escape were it not for the aide whose voice quiets Xavier’s implanted urges. Late one night the Knights attack the station to retrieve what’s theirs. Overpowered, Josh cannot stop them before they unlock Xavier’s cage. But Xavier rushes to Josh’s rescue and, sensing his opportunity, escapes, taking Josh with him. When Josh wakes up on the road, they strike a bargain: Josh offers Xavier one month of freedom before he calls in the Agency. Both doubt he can be cured, but something about Josh makes Xavier better. They just have to figure out what before the enemy catches up to them. Second Edition with updated and revised text.

Word Count: Click here to reveal75527 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Book two in The Beyond Heartache Series For the past two years, Kevin Monroe has lived his dream, performing alongside his partner, Robbie McMaster, as noted Las Vegas drag queen Layona Beach. Raphael Delgado’s love for Kevin made it easy to set aside his dream of becoming a teacher, to care for Mr. Monroe and his own disabled mama. Now Mr. Monroe is dying, and Kevin is coming home. Raphael’s inadvertent refusal to publicly hold Kevin’s hand is the catalyst for a chain of events that answers these questions. Will Kevin go to gay inmate prison?  Will Robbie end Layona Beach and Robbie Rhythm? How does Raphael become accidentally engaged? Within its themes of family obligations, unrequited love and acceptance Kevin, Robbie, and Raphael discover that heart and home are synonymous.

Word Count: Click here to reveal25,000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Jimmy McSwain is enjoying a relaxing holiday at his grandmother’s cottage, but it turns out to be a set-up. Hester Bryne has a favor to ask: to meet with her old friends, Franklin and Carolyn Hardy, who wish to hire the young private-eye-in-training to find their son. Seems he’s been gone for forty years. Jimmy, taken with the idea of reuniting a father with his son, wants to take the case. But he must get the all-clear from his new boss, Finn, the ex-cop who has taken Jimmy under his wing. A visit to Finn’s home proves to be yet another set-up, one that takes an unexpected twist in the name of a newcomer to the city, Aiden Garvey. As Jimmy immerses himself in the case of the missing son, his attention keeps getting distracted by the newfound presence of a man who makes his heart skip a beat. Juggling the promise of a new relationship with the complexities presented by this puzzling case, Jimmy realizes that he’s getting too close to one of them, and it could end with more broken hearts than lives. Can a remembrance of his father be both his motivation and the cause for the destruction lying in wait?  

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Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Colby McBride is a hardworking cowboy trying to make ends meet laying tile in Colorado. A loner by choice, Colby finds his peace camping in the mountains outside Boulder. Gordon James is a sophisticated restaurateur who owns not one, but two successful establishments in downtown Boulder. He is devoted to his work and wealthy enough to get what he wants. The men are friends, but sparks fly when Colby falls in love and decides to show Gordon how much fun a cowboy can be. They’re just beginning to explore their relationship when a family tragedy leaves Gordon with custody of his five-year-old niece. Colby comes from a huge family and is eager to help with Olivia and to prove his worth to Gordon. But neither of them is ready for the tremendous changes to their already busy lives, or for how this new relationship with Olivia challenges them, complicating the way they interact with each other. They say opposites attract, but can these two different men work together to join their disparate lives and form a family? Please note: this book previously published as Heart of a Redneck by Jodi Payne and BA Tortuga.

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Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Fear of being like his unfaithful father has put high walls around senior litigator Asher Caldwell’s heart. Can former district attorney Zach Richardson knock them down to reveal the passionate man beneath the commitment-phobic workaholic, or will Zach’s own jealousy destroy what they’re trying to build? A new life and a new love—that’s what Zach’s hoping for when he leaves the DA’s office and lets his friends give him a makeover. But the jury’s still out on whether the experiment was a success. His new look gets the attention of his boss and secret crush, Asher Caldwell, and leads to a seduction. Unfortunately, to Zach’s horror he learns that Asher assumed he was a paid escort. Asher is equally mortified to discover he had sex with an employee. Even so, the encounter meant a lot to both men, and they want to give dating a shot. Their romance born out of mistaken identity might work if Zack can trust Asher to be satisfied with the love of only one man… and if Asher can trust himself.

Word Count: Click here to reveal110840 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealLesbian, Straight (Click here to hide)

Summary: When Robyn's father and brother are killed in the Third Crusade, she is banished from her manor home and branded a traitor by the Sheriff of Nottingham. Disguised as a boy, she joins Little John and the rest of the gang in Sherwood Forest—and soon finds herself their leader. Queen Eleanor suspects Prince John is up to no good, and colluding with Sir Guy and the Sheriff of Nottingham. To learn more, she engages Maid Marian as a spy—and unwittingly reunites Marian with her old childhood friend, Robyn. Together, the women help the queen acquire the funds needed to free King Richard and help Nottinghamshire—and perhaps fall in love along the way.

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Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Stone Harrison never knew he had an aunt; he certainly never expected her to bequeath him one of the largest spreads in central Nevada. But something about Copper Lake Ranch and its foreman, Luke Reynolds, speaks to him, offering a chance for the home he’s never really had. Luke wants Stone to succeed as a rancher and put the legacy of his shiftless father behind him, but he’d also like Stone to share his bed. Unfortunately, Stone is convinced that the world is a harsh place that will never accept two men sharing their lives. Much to Luke’s dismay, he refuses to risk Luke’s life despite the intense attraction they share. The tension between them escalates when a series of calamities strikes Copper Lake. An unexpected and unwelcome visit from Stone’s dandified cousin, James, only makes things worse. Stone’s ability to run the ranch comes into question, but the threat of losing it means less to Stone than the threat to Luke’s life. Stone will do anything it takes to protect the man he loves—even if it makes him a murderer.

Word Count: Click here to reveal176041 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealDemisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: High King Aleksander D’Vairedraconis prefers the comforts of home, rarely leaving his estate. While forthright by nature, his sexuality is a secret Aleksander guards—even his best friend is unaware. With the possibility of his mate showing up at his large estate in Arizona next to impossible, Aleksander focuses on family and building more wealth to allow them to flourish. Duke Rafferty Kestledraconis is new to the Council of Sorcery and Shifters and is learning what he can about this fresh start. His life revolves around pleasing his royal father and brothers, and he rarely explores past their plot of land. Unable to refute an order given by his king, he travels with his eldest sibling to the remote D’Vaire sanctuary, where to his bewilderment, he discovers that his mate is the only High King in the dragon realm. Aleksander and Rafferty are ill-prepared for the reality of being mates and unready to take the final step of being fully joined, but together, they slowly build something worth protecting. Circumstances soon spin out of control, testing their fortitude and straining their wills. In the end, they must cling to hope if they want to be together—it will take everything that rests in the hearts of the High Kings to honor the call of Fate.

Word Count: Click here to reveal25,778 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Everyone hopes his road to happily ever after will be carefree and smooth, but too often hair-pin turns and detours seem to get in the way. Having thought he was on the road to forever before, former Silicon Valley programmer Dan Lassiter is leery about pedaling down it again. His elderly companion Charlie urges him to get to know Rick Reardon whose bakery is across the street from Dan’s bicycle shop. Under the watchful eye of Charlie, Dan and Rick take tentative steps toward each other, all the while trying to avoid potholes such as exes, homophobes, and family problems. As summer turns to fall and then winter, they hope that the road will be smooth going from their first date and first kiss to having what Rick’s sister euphemistically calls their “sleepovers.” At each step, though, they are tripped up and wonder why there seem to be so many bumps in their road. Maybe Dan and Rick should heed some of Charlie’s sage advice, or maybe they should listen to their hearts instead of the ghosts from their pasts.

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Character Identities: Click here to revealLesbian (Click here to hide)

Summary: Niamh Hunter has a teeny, tiny problem. If hosting the first ever Heartcore Yoga Retreat at her Summit Springs studio is about opening as many hearts and minds as possible, well, she’s got plenty to open–because sign-ups are out of control. Maybe she should have capped attendance. Or rented a bigger space. Or researched event organizing before, you know, organizing an event. But an open heart and positive attitude have gotten Niamh this far in life. Surely they’ll get her through what might end up being the Fyre Festival of yoga retreats. Visiting marketing consultant Jordan Kowalczyk owes a friend a favor, which is why she agrees to a consultation with Niamh. But Niamh’s situation is way above Jordan’s paygrade. Maybe Niamh thinks she’s being cute with her scatterbrained, crunchy-granola approach to life. With her smelly–but always well-dressed–bulldog, Beau Brummell. With her…okay, she is kind of cute. But Jordan doesn’t want her chakras opened, thanks. Besides, Jordan’s not an event planner, and marketing this retreat is the one thing Niamh’s done well. Way, way too well. With mere weeks until the retreat, Jordan agrees against her better judgment to assist. What she doesn’t count on is developing feelings for Niamh. As she helps Niamh buckle down, she finds herself opening up–and discovers what’s been missing from her life for too long. But when Jordan’s family threatens her new relationship, she must decide whether to leave Summit Springs in the rearview mirror, or whether she and Niamh have built something worth fighting for.

Word Count: Click here to reveal175000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: The Stone City and the Heart Wood: uneasy neighbors separated by the Bluebird River. In the City, Hendrik is about to lose the only life he's ever known, the only love he's ever wanted. In the Wood, corruption threatens the carefully cultivated ecosystem and Dagan's way of life. Two worlds, fated to collide at last. It could be the end. Or a new beginning.

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: In one tragic night Steven loses everything: his lover, his dreams, and his sight, but he gains the compassionate, caring dominant he has always longed for. He starts to rebuild with Nick, a fellow survivor of the tragedy, and together they discover new heights of love and ecstasy, and the real magic they can create together. Nick must teach Steven not only how to have a healthy and consensual BDSM relationship, but how to navigate the ways of magic. You see, Nick is secretly a mage, and the longer they're together, the more obvious it becomes that Steven is one, too. But as Steven begins to wield his new--and terrifyingly strong--powers, he draws the attention of evil beyond our world. The ancient enemies of the faerie courts have banded together under a cruel, calculating leader, and Steven is the only one standing in his way. Only Steven can defeat this threat... And he doesn't have the first clue where to start.