Books Tagged With who - occupation - restaurant owner

Word Count: Click here to reveal97,046 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Love, served behind the stick. Kyle McKee lives a charmed life. He co-owns Under, an uptown speakeasy, where he is chief mixologist. Friends poke fun at Kyle’s tiny one-bed apartment in Chelsea, but they’re the best support system a man could ask for. Unfortunately, Kyle’s lackluster love life has led him to take a break from dating. Harlem resident Luka Clarke is a lieutenant with Engine 47, the Pride of Morningside, where he carries on his father’s legacy with the FDNY. Luka, who is mixed race and bisexual, has his eye on Kyle, whom he met at a local burger joint and he just needs to make time to visit Kyle’s bar. Before work one evening, Kyle is trapped inside the luncheonette when a fire breaks out. Luka’s firehouse answers the call and he connects with Kyle again under the most unexpected of circumstances. When Kyle gratefully invites Luka and the firehouse squad to Under, the flirting between the two men leads to a date. Kyle and Luka quickly grow close, but Luka’s mother and sister distrust Kyle for being both white and gay. Luka believes his family will come around and accept Kyle in the end, but Kyle is not optimistic and hides his disquiet as attraction blossoms into love. Kyle and Luka’s near-idyllic bubble is shattered one evening after a hate crime leaves them scarred, inside and out. Shaken, they put on a strong front but struggle inwardly against fear and personal demons. As the emotions seething beneath the surface finally come to a head, both men must decide if they have the strength to find love enough to conquer hate.

Word Count: Click here to reveal55275 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Ben De Santis is the first book in the Deser Witch series by Nathan Grant.  Included in this series are Teddy Granville Desert Witch, Darius Zan Desert Witch, and Adam Draecon Desert Witch Ben De Santis I manage a small Western art gallery, where I’ve flirted on and off for years with Devin, an Arizona ranch owner, and a scruffy sexy artist. I know he likes what he sees but is too shy and never says much to me. Not one soul here knows I’m a witch, but today things suddenly sparked into life, and now Grandpa is calling, and I have no clue what he wants. Devin Hunter I sell my Cowboy art at a small gallery in Carefree, that has a crazy handsome manager, and he is it for me. He’s always been friendly but seems quiet so I’ve left him alone. Now however, I need to make my move, since I’m going to start my own art gallery and want him to come along. When I finally approached him and shook his hand, I had the shock of my life, and soon his phone was ringing. Nero De Santis My grandson Bennie a good boy, respectful, and dense about his fated soulmate, but so is Devin. I felt them connect but they still had no clue what was going on, and I soon filled them in. I scanned Devin naturally, and something is way off with that cowboy. His deadbeat witch parents are a joke, so his immense power makes no sense. I need to consult Agnes as something is very wrong over there. Agnes Granville As a witch dealing with the Magnus coven, I received a concerning call from Nero, about his grandson’s fated soulmate Devin. I checked him out as a favor, and while quite powerful, he is unaware he is under a spell, and has no apparent pedigree to back up his dangerous power. I need Vito and Craig to help me sort this out, and do some sniffing around, sorry Craig, no pun intended.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: From the frying pan into the fire. After a critic’s review attacks both Chef Liam Walker’s culinary skills and his personal life, Liam can no longer take the heat of the cutthroat New York City restaurant scene. He needs to get out of the kitchen—at least long enough to cool down and regroup. At the Overlook Resort in North Carolina, Liam meets owner Carter Galloway. Carter has a passion for the hospitality business to rival Liam’s own, and it’s not hard to see where their shared interests—and attraction—could lead. But Carter has no interest in a fling, and Liam has no intention of walking away from the career he fought so hard for. If they want a taste of happiness together, they’ll have to find the courage to break the bonds threatening to pull them apart.

Word Count: Click here to reveal54000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Arriving on an alien world to negotiate a trade deal, Shane discovers that Earth has another commodity that his hosts desperately crave... Drake throws a party for time-travelers: the invitations will only go out after the event. But then someone knocks on the door... Jac has two lovers, one a cop, one a criminal. Getting off the wretched outpost he calls home in the midst of a galactic war means leaving one of them behind... It all happens in Berlynn Wohl's second anthology of tantalizing sci-fi weirdness, Dreams and Machines. Experience thrilling tales of exotic aliens, fall in love with a mad scientist, and find yourself riveted by robotic passion. If you have a taste for the extraordinary and the extraterrestrial, you'll discover weird and wonderful fascination inside these pages.

Word Count: Click here to reveal230,861 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: The tiny Sierra Nevada community of Stone Acres looks benign on the outside, but it’s been a hive of activity since gay men from Silicon Valley began moving in. The Old Town establishment is up in arms as newcomers challenge the conservative community to move into the new millennium. Along the way, gay couples find true love and a new home. Contains the stories: What’s in a Name?: When barista Jimmy is dumped and gets drunk on his 30th birthday, a handsome, hunky bartender takes care of him, but is mum about his real name. When Jimmy presses him, the bartender makes the quest a game, giving him seven guesses and promising romance each night. For every wrong guess, Jimmy has to forfeit a hot, sexy kiss. Sounds good, but what’s the catch? Redesigning Max: Out and proud award-winning designer Fredi Zimmer takes on straight outdoorsman Max Greene’s cabin renovation. When he finds out Max is closeted and wants to come out, Fredi helps Max remodel not only his cabin but his life. Angered that Fredi has turned him, Max’s former friends intervene. Will Fredi and Max win the fight for their happiness? Behr Facts: After CEO Abe Behr discovers discrepancies in his construction company accounts, he hires CPA Jeff Mason to help him find the embezzler. Searching for the culprit, they become closer, and Abe realizes he’s gay. However, coming out to a hostile family and community may break up the couple before they cement their happiness. With so much strife, will love prevail? When Adam Fell: Jason’s drug addiction ripped them apart. Does Adam want to get back together now that his former lover says he’s clean? Relative Best: When hotel owner Zeke Bandy meets Vic Longbow, he sees stars. But Vic is in town to attend a wedding and to open an office, not to fall in love. Are they doomed as lovers because they’re both too busy for happily ever after? Frank at Heart: What will it take to make hardware store owner Frank update himself and his store? Could the new man in town be the key to unlock Frank’s life and future happiness? Waking the Behr: Ladies’ man and small town contractor Ben Behr is blindsided by his lustful feelings for San Francisco entrepreneur Mitch O’Shea. Can a country mouse and a city mouse bridge the gap in their upbringing and expectations to find love? Short Order: Amid the happiness of the Christmas season, horticulturist Fen Miller and his landlord sous chef John Barton have some serious decisions to make. Fen must decide on a career and John on eluding his grim past. Together can they support each other enough to discover their happily ever after?

Word Count: Information not available

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.

Word Count: Click here to reveal69000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: When a single dad and a newly outed veterinarian meet by chance, it takes red-cheeked conversations, a tentative friendship, and the willingness to put their hearts on the line to show these men they’re made for each other.   Single dad Davis Jackson is busy balancing his coffee shop and being the best dad he can be. That doesn’t mean he’s not lonely. After a fumbling encounter with a man who looks as gorgeous as he does unhappy, Davis is left wondering who the mystery man is.   All Davis knows is that he has never felt such an instant attraction to anyone before, but when he discovers the brown-eyed man’s identity, it’s clear the recently out-of-the-closet veterinarian is lost and quite possibly broken.   A swoon-worthy low-angst stand-alone contemporary M/M romance featuring characters from LET ME SHOW YOU. 

Word Count: Click here to reveal56546 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Elian, a sexy restaurateur meets Martin, an equally sexy food critic. Will their past keep them from giving love a chance? Restaurant entrepreneur Elian Whitman believes hard work and determination usually wins out in the end, but that theory is put to the test after meeting the handsome but reticent Martin Williams. Martin knows better than anyone that relationships can fall apart when you least expect them to. After a nasty break-up he leaves his Texas home and restarts his life as a restaurant critic in Fort Lauderdale. Just as Martin is coming to terms with the belief that he’s going to spend the rest of his life alone, he comes face to face with the sexy Elian who throws his perfectly controlled world into chaos. Despite the roadblocks Martin throws up, Elian is persistent, but is persistence enough to break through Martin’s thick walls and give them both a chance at love

Word Count: Click here to reveal86000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: The rules keep changing as Saul and Troy and their good friends and lovers Geoff and Carter are figuring out how they all fit together in their evolving relationship. Subs Geoff and Troy test the limits of both their friendship and their Doms’ patience as they discover new things about each other, and Doms Carter and Saul wrestle with how to be the men their subs need and become lovers in their own right. As they all push boundaries trying to decide how to move forward, Troy begins to feel like he’s constantly one step behind, and he’s having trouble keeping up with everyone else. He’s already unsure how much more change he can accept, so when a tragedy strikes, it threatens to completely overwhelm him. Geoff, Carter, and Saul all come together to help Troy cope, and to figure out what he needs. But what they all soon discover is they have to understand what they each desire, and that making the rules is all about that balance.

Word Count: Click here to reveal72,750 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Underneath that calm demeanour, I sensed lay a deeply passionate man.  Noah My parents pounded perfection into my head from a young age. Perfection is how you succeed. Striving for it has allowed me to own one of the most popular British-themed pubs in Victoria, BC. But perfection also makes love unattainable. But as I get used to being alone, a guy named Brody walks into my pub and becomes a regular, coming in at the same time every weeknight, and always orders the same thing. Brody reminds me of the sea before a storm. The expression on his beautiful face is often fixed. He doesn't talk much, but his deep mahogany eyes speak volumes. There's someone passionate inside all that outward calm. The sparks are there, but what I eventually discover about Brody holds me back from pursuing more. A relationship with him would be far from perfect. To call him mine, I need to redefine what perfection looks like. Noah is a sweet slow-burning romance about a member of the Salish Sea Society, a group of four best friends who have been through a lot together. This novel is set on the rugged coast of Pacific Canada and is a story of newfound understanding of the autism spectrum and finding passion and love beating beneath the chest of a man of carefully measured words and silent looks.

Word Count: Click here to reveal70000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: With a serial killer on the loose, the baffling mystery of Aiden’s past, and their tenuous budding romance, Aiden and Fouchard tread through a world of magic and myth on padded shoes, terrified to stir up something neither can control or defeat. Aiden Mercer’s life now centers around lounging on the sunny beaches of his adopted country with a beer in one hand and a coffee in the other while admiring the local male population. After a rough life as a respected detective in DC, playing it cool shouldn’t be too hard, right? With the magical community on his case and dead bodies piling up around town, the responsibility of finding their killer seems fated to fall on him and deny him of his easy living. Then there is Naël. Cantankerous merman Naël Fouchard's life is focused on bringing up and protecting his little sister. When DNA found at the scene of the murders mark him as the prime suspect, Naël seeks out the help of Aiden, whose reputation as a detective grossly belies his lazy lifestyle and apparent lack of ambition. The chemistry between the strong, stoic Naël and the easygoing Aiden is undeniable, no matter how many walls Aiden builds. If this unlikely pair can’t come to terms with their feelings for each other long enough to catch the killer, their emotional turmoil might yet allow the murderer to kill them instead.

Word Count: Click here to reveal59000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: For these polar opposites, the most interesting plays happen off the field. Garrett Stevens is done with scandal. The drinking, the hookups…he’s over it all. It’s time to grow up and focus on his pro football career. The last thing he needs is a new romance. So why can’t he keep his mind (or hands) off the sexy bar owner who makes him question everything he thought he ever wanted in life? Chester Monroe is too busy working day and night, making his business a success, to worry about finding love. Even if he was looking for a relationship, it wouldn’t be with someone famous. Which meant getting involved with Garrett was definitely a mistake. The easiest one Chester ever made… When all is said and done, will the ghosts of the past—and the secrets of the present—destroy Garrett and Chester’s shot at happily ever after?

Word Count: Click here to reveal42000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: This Christmas they'll get the most precious gift of all... Cam The holiday season is my favorite time of the year, but this year feels different. Greg and I have built a life together and now we’re ready for the next step—a family of our own. But when our plans for a surrogate seem unattainable, I start to wonder if the universe is telling us it’s not meant to be. It breaks my heart to think we might not have the child of our dreams. Still, when the snow starts to fall and Christmas comes to Collier’s Creek, I can't shake the feeling that something wonderful is just around the corner. Greg I’ve always been the realist in our relationship. After everything we've been through—my accident, Cam’s mom’s illness, the way life seems to keep throwing curveballs—maybe it’s a sign that we’re not supposed to have kids. But seeing the look in Cam’s eyes, his unshakable belief that we’ll be fathers one way or another, gives me hope. I’m not going to give up. I’m going to keep believing that having a family is just a matter of time. Silver Linings, a heartwarming holiday romance, filled with love and hope and the sweetest gift of all. Celebrate the holidays with the men of Collier’s Creek, where magic fills the air and irresistible romances are the highlight of the festive season. Six low-angst romances, each filled with heartwarming moments and swoon-worthy romance.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: The stakes are high and the heat is on. Beau Walker, owner of the Barbecue Shack, needs the help of Jake Parnell, his one-time rival and secret crush, in a televised barbecue competition. Beau is a proud man, but the stakes are high, and smart, sexy Jake is his only hope, even if being around Jake reawakens the attraction he’s fought for years. Jake left his hometown, determined to build a life somewhere his sexuality wouldn’t hurt his family’s restaurant business—and far away from hunky, obstinate Beau Walker. Then his twin, Josh, is killed, and Jake returns to support his brother’s wife and children. Despite his reservations, he agrees to go head-to-head against Beau on national television. Between stress and grief, as well as pride and determination, only one thing is certain—the heat between Beau and Jake extends well beyond the kitchen.

Word Count: Click here to reveal65,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: NEWLY REISSUED, WITH NEW COVER ART! At the shocking end of SINISTER MOTIVES, Noah Sanders was forced to make a decision that would change everything he’d strived for since arriving in the coastal paradise, one that jeopardized not just his relationship with his family, but with his lover. In Cane’s Inlet, located on a barrier peninsula along the Jersey Shore, the lucrative summer season is just two weeks away, with Hatcher’s Resort its most-desired attraction, including the newly opened Medusa Lounge. But drama ensued onboard the restored pirate ship, leaving Noah determined to leave Cane’s Inlet behind. A killer has another idea, and soon Noah knows there is no escape. Living behind enemy lines, Noah realizes he must finally confront Ginette and Emerson Hatcher about the truth he’s been hiding from them all these months. But then the killer strikes again, making Noah’s investigation even more personal. He uncovers a string of secrets that have been lost to the ocean floor for generations. Reaching deep into the past, Noah is in a race against time before the season begins. Needing to repair his relationship with Demetri if he’s ever to find happiness, Noah sets a chilling plan in motion. One which will have devastating consequences, but not before the final, shocking truth is revealed. SUSPICIOUS TRUTHS is the third part in a trilogy that will lay bare stories of the past, and in the end, no one will escape the web of deceit that has defined Cane's Inlet for more than one hundred years. Scandalous, sinister, suspicious, the Cane's Inlet Mystery is a tour-de-force tale of two families, one secret, and, ultimately, one man's discovery of his own true self.

Word Count: Click here to reveal64395 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Hollywood celebrity, Rian Johns has a habit of leaving a mess behind him. Flamboyant, cocky, and intent on having a good time, after being caught by both the police and the media with his pants quite literally down, his studio sends him to cool off and sober up. He shouldn't be able to get in any trouble on the Oregon Coast. After the death of his son's mother, Mason Andrews came home to Cliffport to raise him. Owner of a small bar and grill, Mason has spent his time focused on his son and his business. Twelve years later, as he prepares for  Jake to leave for college, the very last thing Mason Andrews needs or wants is any kind of trouble. Rian, it seems, has other plans.

Word Count: Click here to reveal42000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: The last person Christian wants to run into on a visit home to spend time with his mom over the holidays is his former best friend-turned-lover-turned-ex. But there Riley is, in all his tall, chiseled, blondness. The same guy who walked out on him six years ago, breaking his heart in the process. Who knew he’s still in love with the jerk? Two years ago, Riley was injured out of the NHL, but he's got his own bakery now and a quiet life selling quiches and cupcakes to his customers. Then Christian unexpectedly walks back into his life, forcing Riley to question his choices. Especially that one choice he made six years ago that walked him out of Christian’s life. Now if only he had the courage to tell a boy how he really feels about him… [The Play of His Life was originally published in 2017. This updated version has a brand new cover, but very little changes to the content aside from fixes to grammar and typos, fixing a minor inconsistency, and the inclusion of the bonus epilogue that was originally available via my newsletter.]

Word Count: Click here to reveal115000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A group of strangers meets at Ragazzi, an Italian restaurant, for a cooking lesson that will change them all. They quickly become intertwined in each other's lives, and a bit of magic touches each of them. Meet Dave, the consultant who lost his partner; Matteo and Diego, the couple who run the restaurant; recently-widowed Carmelina; Marcos, a web designer getting too old for hook-ups; Ben, a trans author writing the Great American Novel; teenager Marissa, kicked out for being bi; and Sam and Brad, a May-September couple who would never have gotten together without a little magic of their own. Everyone in the River City has a secret, and sooner or later secrets always come out.

Word Count: Click here to reveal115000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A group of strangers meets at Ragazzi, an Italian restaurant, for a cooking lesson that will change them all. They quickly become intertwined in each other's lives, and a bit of magic touches each of them. Meet Dave, the consultant who lost his partner; Matteo and Diego, the couple who run the restaurant; recently-widowed Carmelina; Marcos, a web designer getting too old for hook-ups; Ben, a trans author writing the Great American Novel; teenager Marissa, kicked out for being bi; and Sam and Brad, a May-September couple who would never have gotten together without a little magic of their own. Everyone in the River City has a secret, and sooner or later secrets always come out. Narrated by Michael Lysan.