Books Tagged With what - sex - no sex

Word Count: Click here to reveal95000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Will and Jack Merrit are set a simple task: Journey to an island in the Bristol Channel to attend the reading of a will. Why? No-one knows. Charles Marisco can guess what’s in his father’s will. Everything will go to his twin brother, Simon, because he was born first. However, Charles has other things on his mind, namely, his best friend, Barrett Newton, a man he would like to know more intimately. A storm-lashed castle, a remote island, and a cast of eccentric characters set the stage for Will and Jack Merrit's most baffling case yet—one that grows deadlier as the body count rises. This is the fourth book in the Delamere Files series. The books should be read in order.

Word Count: Click here to reveal13264 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: When making wishes on the Hunter’s star... It will take more than wishes to improve Sedgewick Icetrotter’s Solstice. After being sent to the infirmary, again, for dislocating his shoulder while stringing his bow, he figures he’s got a snowball’s chance in hell to impress the centaur he loves. Until Corporal Ronin Creekjumper brings in two injured centaurs suffering from unusual insect bites, and Sedgewick knows how to treat them. Ronin can’t believe his good luck when Sedgewick saves his men. It also gives him a chance to do more than light candles for his injured friend. Ronin takes the chance and invites Sedgewick to spend the Solistice holiday together. Just the two of them. And a pack of hungry dire wolves who’d like to put Sedgewick on the menu. Who says Solstice can’t be exciting?

Word Count: Click here to reveal71000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: The stage is set for murder It's the summer of 1929 and there's a serial killer on the streets of London. Bodies of young women are dumped at the stage doors of London’s theatres. Noël Coward's assistant Florence Miles, known to her close friends as Bill, is dragged into the investigation when the body of her former secret lover is found outside His Majesty’s Theatre. Bill forms an unlikely alliance with the Chronicle newspaper’s senior crime reporter Simon Sampson. Together they discover that the killer has friends in high places… This is the prequel to the LAMBDA finalist A Death in Berlin. It explores the secret world of the 1920s, a time when your sexuality could make you a lawbreaker. When gay men and women were constantly on their guard, careful about how they presented themselves in a hostile society. A Death At His Majesty's is the first of a series that brings together Bill and Simon and follows them as they embark on a series of sleuthing adventures.

Word Count: Click here to reveal71000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Berlin 1933: When the parties stop...the dying begins SHORT LISTED FOR 2023 MYSTERY LAMMY AWARD The city that’s been a beacon of liberation during the 1920s is about to become a city of deadly oppression. BBC foreign correspondent Simon Sampson risks his life in a bid to save thousands of gay men from the growing Nazi threat. This is the second in the Simon Sampson mystery series. The first, A Death in Bloomsbury, was hailed as ‘a good old-fashioned John Buchan-esque mystery reworked for the twenty-first century’. Simon moves to Berlin where he meets British author Christopher Isherwood and his lover Heinz. He’s also reunited with his banter-partner Florence Miles, better known to her friends as Bill. She’s recruited him into the British intelligence services and he’s got the task of hunting down communist spies. But when Simon is ordered to spy on an old college friend, his loyalties are brought into question. Who are his real enemies? And how much can he trust his masters?

Word Count: Click here to reveal7200 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Part of the "A Holiday to Remember 2017 Series" On the colony planet Vega III, everyone knows Beck—outgoing, fabulous, and genderqueer—and nobody notices Anil, the quiet plant biologist. But when Anil finds Beck hiding in his greenhouse, lonely and missing Earth, it's Anil who is able to comfort Beck by letting them talk about what they miss most—the feeling that comes with celebrating the holidays with loved ones, especially New Year's Eve. ​The two of them are drawn to one another, but both of them are hiding secrets about their sexuality. With trust between them already on shaky ground, Anil's elaborate plans to cheer Beck may well backfire. A Holiday to Remember Freddy MacKay - Watermelon Kisses Foster Bridget Cassidy - But to Love More Toni Griffin - Corey's Christmas Bundle Angel Martinez - Safety Protocols for Human Holidays Nicole Dennis - Secrets & Silk Kassandra Lea - Winter Home Jill Wexler - The Christmas Eve Craigslist Killer Jayne Lockwood - New Beginnings Tray Ellis - A Piece of Ourselves J. Scott Coatsworth - I Only Want to Be With You Siri Paulson - A New Year on Vega III

Word Count: Click here to reveal53,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: “Orcs are the answer but what is the question?” Elias is a priest at the Temple of the Divine Sibyl. When he becomes lost in the woods after his brother’s hunting party abandons him, it’s just his luck that he’d stumble upon an angry orc caught in a trap. Unable to stomach the suffering of others, Elias throws self-preservation to the wind and frees the orc. Then Gurrkk—that’s a name?—ends up leading him to safety. Gurrkk finds himself rather smitten by the sweet, awkward human. He’s always been fascinated with his people’s sworn enemy, and now he has a life debt to fulfill to maintain his honor. Hiding an orc among the temple’s crypts wouldn’t have been Elias’s first choice but Gurrkk is stubborn about leaving. As they learn each other’s languages and spend more time together, Elias realizes they’ve become friends… and maybe more. And when the dying sibyl gives her last prophecy, Elias knows it wasn’t chance that brought them together, it was the gods. But why? This is a sweet, ace romance, so no sexy times, but plenty of snuggles and cuddles!

Word Count: Click here to reveal14400 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Why is “fun” always so freaking painful? Software engineer Brent Levine has always struggled with the life part of work-life balance, but to hold on to his new job, he’ll have to embrace his employer’s dreaded “staff enrichment” events. This year’s annual ugly holiday sweater party will strain his ambition to remain inconspicuous: everyone has to wear their sweaters upside down and converted into pants—aka “swants.” At six foot eight, Brent has a hard enough time finding clothes that fit him the right way up. And while he’s an ace at coding, when it comes to handcrafts, he’s definitely at the far left end of the bell curve. Luckily he encounters seriously cute theater costumer Jonathan at the Goodwill Outlet. Jonathan offers Brent both an acceptably ugly sweater and his expertise in swants conversion. Attraction sparks on Brent’s side, but how can Jonathan be interested in a nerdy geek like him? A Swants Soiree is a short and sweet opposites-attract rom-com featuring crafting catastrophes, suggestive sweaters, and an awkward introvert who meets his extroverted match.

Word Count: Click here to reveal7,000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay, Genderfluid, Genderqueer, Non Binary (Click here to hide)

Summary: What would the Earth look like if the very atoms that compose the planet were suffused with magical aether? How would our lives in the modern world be different if this aether was discovered last year, or last decade, or last century, or last millennia? How might the people who inhabit this oh-so-different but still modern Earth explore their gender identities? These are the questions we posed to the 17 authors chosen to contribute to Duck Prints Press's newest anthology Aether Beyond the Binary. Their diverse answers are bound together in this must-not-miss collection of stories about magical worlds, adventures and mysteries, new chances and well-earned endings, and characters as gender-diverse as the worlds they inhabit.

Word Count: Click here to reveal7000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A gender-fluid prince finds an unexpected ally in an arranged marriage with a transgender man. Prince Darian is willing to give up his penchant for gowns when he must wed for the sake of the kingdom. However, his intended bride has a secret of their own. A marriage of convenience may bring something neither expected—acceptance, and all that entails.

Word Count: Click here to reveal68,500 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Three cheating girlfriends in a row have given skateboarder Brennan Cross the same excuse: he wasn’t meeting their needs. Desperate and humiliated, he goes to the professionals at the local sex shop for advice. Zafir Hamady, a sales clerk at Red Hot Bluewater, has an unusual theory: he doesn’t think Brennan is a bad lover. In fact, he doesn’t think Brennan is heterosexual. Or sexual at all, for that matter. He also can’t stop thinking about Brennan. But even if he’s right and Brennan really is asexual, that doesn’t mean Zafir has a chance. Brennan’s never dated a man, and Zafir’s never met anyone who’s game for a Muslim single father with a smart mouth and a GED. Brennan’s always thought of himself as straight. But when sex is explicitly out of the mix, he finds himself drawn to Zafir for the qualities and interests they share. And Zafir can’t help enjoying Brennan’s company and the growing bond between Brennan and his son. They work well together, but with so many issues between them, doubts creep in, and Brennan’s struggle with his identity could push away the one person he didn’t know he could love. * * * * * * * The BLUEWATER BAY stories can be read in any order - jump in wherever you'd like!

Word Count: Click here to reveal16000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A different kind of home invasion... When Adam Tyler's sister announced she was pregnant, Adam decided to move from Portland, Oregon, to Phoenix, Arizona, to fully embrace the uncle experience. However, he didn't count on the move being delayed until three days before Christmas--and three days before his sister's due date. And he definitely didn't count on finding a scorpion in his bedroom. Cue the panicked calls to exterminators. A different kind of knight to the rescue... Garrett Strong doesn't consider himself at all remarkable--his ex certainly didn't think so--and Garrett's pest-control business is circling the drain. Although Adam is his first new client in months, that isn't the only reason Garrett goes above and beyond for him. He feels a real connection to the younger man and intends to do everything in his power to make sure Adam feels safe and welcome in Phoenix--venomous intruders notwithstanding. An Everyday Hero is a short and sweet opposites-attract, age-gap rom-com featuring a fish-out-of-water geek (who still manages to get a bit soggy), a stand-up blue-collar guy (who can't see his own worth), unexpected additions to the holiday festivities (some less welcome than others), and more than one serious discussion about the true meaning of the word hero.

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

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

Summary: If a megalomaniacal earth mage kidnaps your little sister, do you: A) Kill him B) Kill him C) Kill him D) Magically indenture yourself to him to ensure her safe return Welsh water horse Nevan Quirke would have happily opted for A, B, or C, but had no idea where his sister was hidden—so, option D it is. He’s not a fool, though. He made sure to limit his obligation to a single task. Unfortunately, he neglected to nail down a few tiny details before the geas brand was seared into his skin, and now: A) He can’t shift B) He can’t swim C) He can’t drink D) If he fails, he’ll be bound to the mage for eternity Oh, and that task? Assist in an assassination. If only he weren’t so thirsty. And if only his partner for the heinous job weren’t the most appealing man Nevan has seen in his entire two-thousand-year life. Assassin by Accident takes place in E.J. Russell’s Mythmatched universe and is part of the multi-author Carnival of Mysteries series. Each book stands alone, but each one includes at least one visit to Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, a magical, multiverse traveling show full of unusual acts, games, and rides. The Carnival changes to suit the world it’s on, so each visit is unique and special. This book features grumpy/sunshiny, hurt/comfort, mistaken identity, opposites attract, unexpected derring-do, and of course an HEA—no matter how little the men in question think they deserve it.

Word Count: Click here to reveal28,800 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: What discoveries wait behind a silver mask? Rejected by his family, Dalton Radclyffe left California for a new start in New Orleans. Rescued from the streets, he devotes his life to the Rainbow Rescue Center and the kids. An invitation to the Krewe of Eros Mardi Gras ball – a masquerade – changes everything. As part of the invited charity, hidden behind a silver mask, Dalton discovers there can be ways to revive a struggling charity and life thanks to an enigmatic man named Finn. Could something happen between them beyond one magical night? Was it all a dream? Is there a possibility of something more?

Word Count: Click here to reveal12000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Finn’s rugby career was brought to a premature end by a crunching tackle, shattering his confidence and leaving him shy and insecure about his sexuality, despite his size. But understanding how it feels to lose courage in the face of a shaky future, he volunteers at a homeless shelter.   One night he gives up his shoes to a homeless man. Of course, that’s the night he finally gets an opportunity to talk to Sam, the cute twink he’s been crushing on. Shoeless, breathless, not at his best – it’s no wonder Sam mistakes Finn for another man down on his luck. Previously published in the anthology ‘A Taste of Honey’

Word Count: Click here to reveal93000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGenderfluid, Lesbian, Non Binary, Pansexual (Click here to hide)

Summary: When a change in collective conscious sends the Outsiders, a group of aliens, to the shadows below the city, humans reason that the demonization of their peers is simply more “humane.” There’s no question, nor doubt. Just acceptance. Lydia had embraced that sense of “truth” for as long as she can remember. The daughter of a powerful governor, she has been able to live her life with more comforts than most. Comforts can be suffocating, though, and when the opportunity to teach Outsider children in their private, “humane” community becomes available, she takes it. What she finds beneath the city is far from the truth she had grown to know. There she meets Alessia, an Outsider with the knowledge and will to shake the foundation of all those who walk above ground. The two find a new and unexpected connection despite a complete disconnect from the technological world. Or perhaps in spite of it. Still, it takes a lot more than an immutable connection to change the world. Lydia, Alessia, and a small group of Outsiders must navigate a system of corruption, falsehoods, and twists none of them ever saw coming, all while holding on to the hope to come out alive in the end. But it’s a risk worth taking, and a future worth fighting for.

Word Count: Click here to reveal100500 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealAce, Genderqueer, Non Binary, Pansexual, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: For Ress, survival is a complicated nightmare. Caught between two masters on different sides of the law, his life is falling apart one bad decision at a time. All he wants is to be is a good person, a loyal family man, and a successful metalsmith—a dream he can never obtain while he works for the Shar-denn, the violent gang that plagues the republic of Kattal. To make matters worse, he works as an informant for the High Council. He scrapes through both jobs waiting for his last breath. As the Shar-denn motto says: the only way out is dead. No stranger to living complicated decisions, Adren is caught between worlds of cir own. As the child of a Shar-denn faction boss, cir life is a conflicted tangle of expectation and duty. When cir family is arrested, Adren manages to escape, but nowhere is safe. Desperate and on the run, Adren is determined to punish Ress for turning in cir family. No one who betrays the gang can live. Ress must pay the price, even if Adren has to go against everything ce is.

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

Character Identities: Click here to revealGenderfluid, Lesbian, Pansexual, Straight (Click here to hide)

Summary: Alessia is an Outsider—a member of the not-quite-human community that has recently been released from their underground prison. Shortly after their liberation, Alessia is given an ultimatum: obey all the United Earth Alliance’s demands, or her mother will forever remain a hostage—a mother she’d believed dead for fifteen years. Reluctantly, she agrees, though she has no idea what those demands may be or how she will balance her obligations to the UEA with her responsibilities to her people and her family. As the UEA tightens its grip on humans and Outsiders alike, it becomes clear that meaningful social change will not be possible without a revolution. Alessia and her peers embark on a mission to discover just how far the government is willing to go to maintain their monopoly on power. What Alessia and her comrades discover, however, goes much deeper than they’d ever anticipated. Who are the Outsiders, really? What secrets of their destiny lay hidden within a top-secret space station? And why are the Outsiders linked to an emerging disease the UEA seems desperate to keep secret?  As they delve deeper, it isn’t only Alessia’s identity that will be called into question, but the fate of the entire planet.

Word Count: Click here to reveal18847 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A therapist once told Martin Stevens that being gay was the only thing that saved him from being the most boring man alive. He spends his daytime working a dead-end job and his nights still pining after the ex-fiance who left him five years ago. When his older brother, Daniel, takes him to see a touring musical, a mishap sends superstar performer Alec Jameson flying off the stage right into Martin’s lap. It’s love at first sight. But can that love withstand the scrutiny of the press, a shock-jock radio personality bent on causing trouble, and the return of Martin’s overbearing ex-fiance?

Word Count: Click here to reveal7900 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: If he succeeds, he gets angel wings. If he fails, he gets unspeakable pain. What if Charlie wants neither?  Urban fantasy light short story with a touch of gay romance in a slightly noir short story with a very happy ending. In another Los Angeles, two Nephilim take hell-horses into battle against Angels, risking everything in an effort to give Hell’s lowliest slaves a chance at freedom. Eventually, every Nephilim must face Choosing Day, and for Charlie Chrysalis, the day has arrived. At Angel Headquarters in Los Angeles, the Angel Sidriel—Charlie’s guardian and also his worst enemy—asks the key question: “Spirit or Flesh?” If he chooses Spirit, Sid will certainly do everything he can to make sure Charlie fails, but he’s made up his mind. His test: solve Region Six Immigration Crimes Case D665. It looks like a piece of cake. But can Charlie bring down Sidriel's brand of justice upon innocent, unfortunate souls, even if it means he must silence his heart and sacrifice the respect—and possibly love—of the one man he doesn't want to disappoint?

Word Count: Click here to reveal14,151 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Dear Author, As Crown Prince to the human nation, I could have anyone I choose but to end the war between the humans and the griffons, I must marry the youngest son of the Griffon King. The night before I’m to be married, I meet a man who captures my attention at first glance but before I can talk to him, he disappears. How am I supposed to marry someone I’ve never met when I’ve finally found someone who’s captured my interest? But I suppose it’s for the best because no matter what, I’m determined to end this war… I just hope my betrothed is someone I can grow fond of… Photo Description: Photo 1: A tall man with short, dark brown, roman-cut hair, piercing eyes of indeterminate color, and high cheekbones in an oval, masculine face with pouty lips is walking towards the viewer. He wears a tilted gold crown with two red stones visible on front. He has a brown, thigh-length fur coat with a black fur collar, a dark brown scarf, and leopard-patterned gloves. His long black pants partially cover the top of his silver-studded black boots. Photo 2: A golden-tanned man with black pants hanging hip level and a muscular, shirtless back is facing away from the viewer with a black background. He has short, straight, ginger hair with brown and gold highlights. His left hand grasps a long silver sword at the hilt near the left side of his head, across his broad shoulders, and cut off from the picture to his right with his right arm hanging down. This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love’s Landscapes" 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. This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.