Books Tagged With potential trigger - traumatic past

Word Count: Click here to reveal112000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealAce, Aromantic, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Be not inhospitable to – handsome – demons, lest they be angels in disguise. Two things are well-known about Alberto. One: he's gorgeous. Like it or not, like him or not, there's no debating that. Two: Alberto feels nothing and everyone constantly jokes about it. There isn't much else to say about him. Floating about like a drifting cloud, Alberto likes minding his own business, but out of nowhere, an angry guy named Mathias charges into his life, demanding answers. Deep down, he knows Mathias isn't the solution to his problems, but it doesn't matter, as long as he feels something. But here's the annoying thing with feelings: they can sneak up on you at the least opportune time... *** Mathias is new in town and enrolled at Colette International due to unfortunate circumstances. His devotion to his family places him face to face with a puzzling equation, one he never thought he'd have to solve before. Now he's forced into the path of a schoolmate he particularly dislikes, and not without reasons. The only problem is, he can't seem to take his eyes, nor his hands, off him. He was promised a peaceful senior year after everything he went through. But Mathias already knows life is never that easy. And now he's in the thralls of an unfeeling demon.     He Looks So Fine is a seven-part story about two young men's rediscovery of empowerment, communication and trust, about the lasting damages of trauma and the healing virtues of friendship. Part One is 360 pages long and contains arcs 1 to 3 pertaining to Alberto and Mathias's journey. The upcoming Part Two is longer; it contains arcs 4 to 7 and concludes their story. As it features several characters from the previous books, it's usually recommended to read the series from the start. However, the tone of this story is darker and more mature and differs from the rest of the series. As a result, this book can also be enjoyed as a standalone. Content Warning:Due to the presence of difficult themes, sexual content and other potentially upsetting scenes, this work isn't intended for readers below the age of eighteen. (A full content warning list can be found at the beginning of the book.) This is not a happy book! This work explores themes such as depression and grief.  If you're looking for fluffy romance, please select another book/author.

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 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 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?  

Word Count: Click here to reveal20055 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A Shifter Chronicles story, sequel to Healing Minds With the construction for their shifter rehabilitation clinic in Haven underway, wolf shifter Xavier and his mate Josh couldn’t be happier, professionally. But their busy lives leave them little alone time. It’s putting a strain on their relationship, and they still haven’t had anything close to a honeymoon. Josh realizes Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and sees an opportunity he can’t let get away. But never having observed the holiday before, he has no idea what Xavier might want. All Xavier knows is that Josh wants to celebrate, but he has no clue how. Before either of them makes a concrete decision, a bear shifter attacks Haven and threatens to trample their romantic plans. Second Edition with revised text.

Word Count: Click here to reveal54,646 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Kaede Hiyashi is sick and tired of living in the shadow of his father, supervillain Doctor Terror. Brilliant but crazy, Doctor Terror sends his son to Corwyn, California, for reasons Kaede can’t imagine. Sent to accompany and protect him is Ash, a genetically modified supersoldier raised and trained by an infamous death cult. Corwyn is lousy with superheroes, led by the obnoxious Dark Justice. Kaede finds himself dancing around Dark Justice as he digs into his father’s mysterious business and teaches his socially awkward—but physically lethal—bodyguard to acclimate to “normal” life. Can these two wacky supervillains figure out what Doctor Terror wants them to do, solve the riddle of the villain known as Black Hand, and keep Dark Justice from raining on their bloody parade? The course of love—and world domination—never did run smooth.

Word Count: Click here to reveal56841 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealLesbian, Questioning, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: Fourteen tales of women who love women await you within the pages of Her Sigh. Meet Alindra, a woman fleeing a deadly revolution in Evermore. A young reporter seeks to buy love with money in Red Shoes. A ghost of love long lost haunts Vasira in Memories In The Mist. Sophie is a woman with a tragic secret in the war-torn world of Sophie’s Song. In The Price Of Love, Alicia trades love for marriage and risks losing her childhood friend Yumi forever. Princess Talia must choose between her birthright and her lover in Talia’s Choice. In dystopian tale Expiration Date, Amy and Esther learn that raising a child with a limited life span can bring a couple closer together or drive them apart. Freya must Hope Against Hope if she’s to keep her and Aerie’s dream of a Mars colony alive. A trans woman and a lipstick lesbian find companionship and solace in The Antidote, while a woman dreams of her first encounter in Rainy Sunday. Memories are precious… except when they may doom an entire planet, as Alisha learns in Memoria. In Sickness And In Health… Lena and Raine learn the true meaning of those words when a plague strikes their humble village. Arienne must learn to sing the Songs Of Life and Death if she is to fight for something she truly believes in and not someone else’s war. All worlds must come to The End, and digital ones are no exception, as Athea and Ellyne discover.

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

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

Summary: Jackson Young has gone into hiding. Fighting to get his name cleared and his truth heard, he’s followed Fletcher Doherty to Ireland for a safe haven from those who want to silence his story. As they work on Jackson's biography, their growing attraction gets harder resist. Fletcher's made it clear though—their professional boundary isn't to be crossed, especially with so many loose threads from each of their pasts left hanging. But as he learns more about the once coveted celebrity's rise to fame, and the manipulation and control that came with it, Fletcher finds it increasingly difficult to distance himself from their intimate moments. Lust fuelled attraction is easy to ignore, but an emotional connection is harder to deny. Surrounded by Fletcher's meddling family, and ex boyfriends who still harbour feelings of being jilted, Jackson has to play the part of his lifetime. Can he prove that he does have talent and win Fletcher's heart as well as his trust? And can he do it all before their idyllic hideaway is compromised? Hide to Seek is the second book in the London Lies trilogy and is a slow burn, hurt/comfort, romantic suspense series.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: He’s the perfect submissive -- gorgeous, responsive, and yet aloof, and every Dom at the Candy Cane fantasizes about claiming the sub who calls himself Saiph. Nick Tierney is a Dom whose instincts tell him Saiph is hiding some complicated issues. He would love to help Saiph, but his desire seems hopeless in the face of Saiph’s adamant refusal to do a scene with any gay male Dom. Then Saiph volunteers for the Candy Cane’s first annual charity auction, and Nick seizes the opportunity to have Saiph at his command, if only for a single night. When they meet to discuss their rendezvous, Nick sees past Saiph’s facade to the pain beneath, while Saiph finds Nick is far more insightful than any Dom he’s ever met. As they get to know one another, Nick becomes more determined to help Saiph find a way to let go and truly submit. Can he convince Saiph to let down his guard enough for Nick to help him heal? Or will Nick’s rapidly deepening feelings drive Saiph away for good?

Word Count: Click here to reveal74000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Ricardo Torralba and August Morrison don’t agree on much besides the fact that they hate each other. According to Ricardo, August is a spoiled brat who really needs to knock off the sass once in a while. August insists that Ricardo needs a sense of humor, a good lay, or a well-placed bullet. Maybe all three. Fortunately, the assassin’s profession is a solitary one, and they can go about their lives without getting in each other’s way. Usually. When a contracted hit turns out to be a setup for both of them, they narrowly escape with their lives. Now, even if they don’t like it (spoiler: they don’t), August and Ricardo have to work together if they want a shot at survival. In between firefights and questionable interrogation methods as they hunt down their would-be killer, the cranky assassins discover that under all that mutual loathing is a spark of chemistry they can’t ignore. They want to ignore it, they probably should ignore it, but August can’t help flirting to annoy Ricardo, and Ricardo can think of at least one way to shut him up for a while. But they need to focus, damn it, and figure out who’s gunning for them and why. Assuming they don’t kill each other first. Hitman vs Hitman is a standalone gay romantic suspense featuring two men who’d rather chew glass than fall for each other, a whole lot of inappropriate comments, and some buttons that will need resewing.

Word Count: Click here to reveal55000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A rowdy superstar in danger. His resentful new guardian. It’s hate at first sight until love takes an unexpected encore.   Closeted actor Owen fears failure and betrayal. So after he’s stabbed by a crazy fan, the movie studio offers a hunky bodyguard for protection. Suspicious that the ripped security man is just a gossip-seeking plant, he pushes back at his bulging biceps, ignoring the chemistry.   Newly retired SEAL Jamal is having a hard time adjusting to civilian life. Reluctantly taking a Hollywood job for a bad boy with tight abs, he’s sure the star is simply paranoid. But when he discovers the sexy celebrity is in serious jeopardy, he doesn’t hesitate to jump into action mode.   As the peril hits closer to home, Owen finds himself falling for the handsome hero fighting for his life. And as the threats intensify, Jamal fears he might lose the man he has come to love.   Will Owen and Jamal go down in a catastrophic climax, or will they star in their own happy ending?   Hollywood Lighting is the red-hot first book in the Bodyguards M/M contemporary romance series. If you like tortured heroes, intense predicaments, and steamy affairs, then you’ll adore J. V. Speyer’s tale of LGBT passion.   Buy Hollywood Lighting to let desire take centerstage today!

Word Count: Click here to reveal96800 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: The truth hurts. But in the end, honesty wins. Or does it? Warren Prescott loves a challenge. He knows how to play the game and adapts when necessary to succeed in his cutthroat world. Tired of pining for a man he’s wanted for months, Warren intends to seal the deal. Until that man throws him an endearing curveball… Be honest. Gian Benedetti doesn't play games. Success has cost him the personal connections he craves, and he doubts he’ll take another chance on a relationship. Until the attractive, younger man with the brazen personality and confidence stirs his interest. Except…someone else is playing games. And threatening everything Gian has worked hard to achieve. Warren won’t rest until he uncovers the new player and gets his forever with Gian. But they’ll soon face a hard truth— Honesty may be what brings them together… Or it could be the one thing that tears them apart. ----- Honestly Yours is an age-gap standalone romance. It features a snarky younger man with a giant crush on a good-hearted, affectionate, bisexual older man. Expect some banter, a little mystery, a few twists, a dash of angst, curious parents, animal trivia, and a whole lot of love…and hugs (so many hugs).

Word Count: Click here to reveal34000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: In 1920, a werewolf attack changed Malachi Powers’s life forever. Now, a decade later, Malachi lives near Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, as a lone wolf, avoiding humans and other werewolves alike. Two young men, Roger and Jonathan, arrive on the beach below Malachi’s cottage with a boat full of illegal hooch. Captivated by his unexpected visitors, Malachi wants them to stay. But bringing the men into his life would mean letting them in on his secret—and endangering his heart. Once again, Malachi’s life is changing. Forever. This book includes a scene in which the main character spies, without consent, on two people having sex. It also contains references to past sexual assault and underage male prostitution.

Word Count: Click here to reveal72855 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: What’s a straight guy to do when he falls for his new friend? Paramedic Connor Devlin is a stressed-out tower of a man. Hoping knitting will help him unwind, he visits a local craft shop, where he’s overwhelmed by the yarn selection but more so by his feelings for shop owner Judah. Judah Bissel is tired of falling for unavailable men. He can’t help his crush on Connor, though, or wanting to get closer to the big, gentle bear. And that just might spell trouble because pining for straight guys is not Judah’s style. As a blizzard pummels the city, the men hunker down together to wait out the storm. When the spark between them ignites, will the revelation that Connor feels more than friendship for Judah bring them together or tear them apart? Hooked On You is a 72.8K friends-to-lovers MM novel. It features a stressed-out paramedic who’s figuring out he’s not quite straight, a yarn shop owner with a bad habit of falling for unavailable guys, lots of knitting and snowdrifts, and a sweet, happy-sigh HEA.

Word Count: Click here to reveal73341 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: He struggles with the stirrings of his heart The welcoming lights of Las Vegas dim when Kevin Monroe and his drag persona Layona Beach leave Robbie Rhythm. Deciding it’s time to face his past, Robin McMaster emerges from Robbie’s shadow, and sets his sights on Canada to reconcile with the mother who abandoned him. But, first he to travels to San Francisco, intending to mend his broken heart amid red-headed sluts and willing men. A year after his partner of twenty years left him, retired Master Sergeant, Cassidy O’Connor lives alone on his mountain. With his PTSD under control, he is content with his solitude. When a mutual acquaintance requests a favor, Cassidy agrees to trail Robin covertly. With instructions to keep Robin safe, Cassidy is unprepared for his attraction to the engaging young man. But Cassidy has a secret. So, he struggles with the stirrings of his heart for the young musician, over his loyalty to his former partner. Will Robin allow himself to give his heart to the man called Hound? Can a gruff Master Sergeant find love with a fiery redhead whose past goes beyond heartache? Will the secrets of their pasts grant a life of harmony?

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Pansexual, Polyamorous, Straight (Click here to hide)

Summary: In a respectable neighbourhood, on the top floor of a beautiful house, crouches the Succubus; by design, and by temperament, she is all that men crave and fear. To the wealthy and privileged men of London, the Succubus is a test they must pass to gain access to the House of Sable Locks, the most exclusive brothel in town. However, to William, a wealthy young man born and raised in India, she is the very essence of his desires. William is recovering from the loss of everything he knows and loves when he first meets the Succubus. With great care she tears him apart... and he falls in love again. But their idyll cannot last: there is a killer loose in London, and the darkness of William's past is about to collide with the terror of his present. Based on the story "The Succubus" from the acclaimed erotic steampunk anthology Like Clockwork, HOUSE OF SABLE LOCKS lets us enter the mysterious brothel readers previously only had a glimpse of.

Word Count: Click here to reveal50000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Khy is a prisoner and a slave. His life consists of days of drudgery and nights of agony. He has no memory of anything else, yet he knows there must be more beyond the fog that shrouds his mind. When his Master is called away on urgent business and Khy is left alone, a moment of unexpected clarity has him running for freedom. Jaedin is done running, both from war in the north and from his lover’s tragic death. He’s settled in the tiny village of Rosefire, and has finally achieved an uneasy truce with his grief. Jaedin’s hard-won peace is shattered when he places himself between Khy and the band of brigands hunting him. During the scuffle, Khy panics and works the leythe to set loose a spell. When the dust settles, Khy has fled and Jaedin finds himself haunted by something far darker than his own past. In order to regain his peace—and his sanity—Jaedin sets off in search of the young man who has cursed him. What he finds threatens not only his own personal equilibrium, but the balance of the leythe itself. To protect the leythe, Khy must face his tormentor and fight to free himself from the man who considers him both pawn and prize. To protect the man he loves, he must do it alone. (~50,000 words) Note: Human Choices is a stand-alone story that takes place in the same world as Human Frailties, Human Strengths.

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Information not available

Summary: On the night of the full moon, a six-year-old human boy goes missing. When Boston North Pack Alpha Tobias Rogan is blamed for the disappearance, Tobias’s mate, Kyle Slidell, knows who is truly responsible: Rogue werewolf Saul Hughes, who has come to Boston seeking to remove Tobias from his rank. Permanently. And he is using members of Boston North to do it. Immune to the powers wielded by Saul, Kyle is able to locate the child. But to rescue the boy and clear his mate's name, he must disobey a werewolf ruler and violate shifter law. And he might not survive the aftermath. This book was originally published in 2012. This version has been revised, edited, and expanded from the original. This book contains child abduction; references to off-page abuse and sexual assault; violence between werewolves; and depictions of PTSD.

Word Count: Click here to reveal15500 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: When Aaron refused to discuss getting married, he didn't expect Chris to take it so poorly. They’ve been together twelve years. Aaron thought they’d at least talk about his very valid reasons. Gay marriage isn't even legal in their state, and what do they need a piece of paper for, anyway? When Chris leaves after the fight, Aaron tracks Chris down just in time to see him about to lock lips with a stranger in a club, which drives home the situation’s urgency. Aaron must make things right with Chris. He’s willing to do anything, but their friends’ advice only goes so far, and when he learns what Chris has been hiding, Aaron has to decide if a life with Chris is even an option.