Books Tagged With what - condition - mental illness

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

Summary: A bomb destroyed high-powered lawyer Gil Lemieux’s seemingly perfect life, and PTSD has ruled every decision since the explosion that left him scarred inside and outside. Moving home with his mom is meant to be a temporary measure, just like proofreading for a medical editorial firm is meant to be a stopgap. But two years after taking on the wrong court case, he’s still living in fear. Keith Kramer might be based 1,500 miles away from Gil, but their shared work brings them together—a chance meeting that’s life-changing. Gil is drawn to Keith’s good looks and intelligence, but it’s his innate understanding that Gil is more than the scars on his skin that is truly attractive. He’s everything Gil used to be and more. It blows Gil’s mind that his attraction might be returned. Only doubt could widen the distance between them. Keith’s hopefulness, borne out of surviving some tough challenges of his own, isn’t enough to bridge the distance alone. Gil will need to believe he has as much to offer as Keith if they’re to build a life together. 87,000 words, 275 pages

Word Count: Click here to reveal136000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: In a relationship that violates rules and expectations, Mayr and Tash have found their perfect match in each other. Despite their fears and difficult pasts, they hope for a shared future with security and a family. When Mayr's secret first love, Arieve, proposes they create that family with her, it seems dreams could become reality. But life is complicated, and so is the delicate balance between duty and love. While Mayr protects the Dahe family at all costs, Tash is determined to succeed as a priest. Both positions require sacrifice, forcing their relationship into painful choices. To make matters worse, criminals lurk in the shadows, seeking revenge on them and those they guard. The life they want risks losing everything—including Arieve and each other. Even if they can have it all, keeping it may take more than they can give.

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

Summary: Asher Strigodeus was tricked into vampiric immortality with the promise of saving his soulmate, Akakios. As he turned, his creator brutally murdered Akakios in front of him. After slaying his creator in retaliation, he took over the coven as their new leader and built it into the strongest and largest coven in the world for over twenty-five hundred years while he waited for his soulmate to be reborn. Cato Axton is a history professor who has suffered from night terrors his entire life. His dreams always consist of a past version of himself throughout history being brutally slain over the last twenty-five hundred years. Having always hoped his dreams are only dreams, he is forced to face the reality they were all past lives when he finds himself being rescued from a deadly situation by Asher. Before Asher can celebrate being reunited with his love, he learns the events of the past weren’t what they seemed, and he hadn’t destroyed the forces that separated them as thoroughly as he thought. Now they are caught between rejoicing in having found each other again, and a race against the enemies that are lurking in the shadows. Can they unravel the mysteries from the last twenty-five hundred years and uncover the real villain before history repeats itself? Or will their enemies manage to rip them apart again? This is the first of a two-novel MM HEA that originally started out as a campy vampire novel and turned into a soulmate journey that spans over twenty-five hundred years. There is sizzling heat, a completely besotted vampire, and an extremely strong human who is so much more than what meets the eye. These two novels are heavy angst/heavy fluff, hurt/comfort, validation/affirmation. Along with harrowing monsters full of violence, blood, torture, and devastating heartbreak.

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

Summary: Asher Strigodeus was tricked into vampiric immortality with the promise of saving his soulmate, Akakios. As he turned, his creator brutally murdered Akakios in front of him. After slaying his creator in retaliation, he took over the coven as their new leader and built it into the strongest and largest coven in the world for over twenty-five hundred years while he waited for his soulmate to be reborn. Cato Axton is a history professor who has suffered from night terrors his entire life. His dreams always consist of a past version of himself throughout history being brutally slain over the last twenty-five hundred years. Having always hoped his dreams are only dreams, he is forced to face the reality they were all past lives when he finds himself being rescued from a deadly situation by Asher. Before Asher can celebrate being reunited with his love, he learns the events of the past weren’t what they seemed, and he hadn’t destroyed the forces that separated them as thoroughly as he thought. Now they are caught between rejoicing in having found each other again, and a race against the enemies that are lurking in the shadows. Can they unravel the mysteries from the last twenty-five hundred years and uncover the real villain before history repeats itself? Or will their enemies manage to rip them apart again? This is the second of a two-novel MM HEA that originally started out as a campy vampire novel and turned into a soulmate journey that spans over twenty-five hundred years. There is sizzling heat, a completely besotted vampire, and an extremely strong human who is so much more than what meets the eye. These two novels are heavy angst/heavy fluff, hurt/comfort, validation/affirmation. Along with harrowing monsters full of violence, blood, torture, and devastating heartbreak. ***Disclaimer: This is not a standalone. It is a continuation from the first book and picks up exactly where the first book left off***

Word Count: Click here to reveal4364 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Despite having known each other for half their lives, it took years of heartache before Carter Hamilton and Riley Porter-Wright could admit they were perfect for each other. They’re in a great place now, and neither wants to rock the boat, but that hasn’t stopped Carter from thinking it’s time to ask Riley a certain question that’s been on his mind. Publisher's Note: This free story is linked to The Speakeasy series, and features Carter and Riley from Calm and Wake

Word Count: Click here to reveal77000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Adrenaline addicted veteran, Vivian Chastain, confronts the man who has been following her for days, only to find he has a message of dire consequence for her. Spurred into action by his news, she barrels head on into a tumultuous and violent series of events. Stoic and stubborn, Vivian lands in the hospital, fighting for her life. During Vivian’s lengthy recovery, her partner is released from jail and the two reconnect, stoking up the flames of their toxic union all while Vivian dives into a blossoming relationship with a new love interest who offers fulfillment and love, if only Vivian can figure out how to allow it all in. Still on the mend, she learns that the coast is not clear as former threats return and continue to endanger her. While she cannot rest easy; friends, her work crew, and customers at the night club where she tends bar provide her with much needed fun, comradery, and support. Vivian wrestles with her temper, her penchant for physical violence, and her overwhelming emotional baggage. Struggles from within and without threaten her existence, and in the moment when death is just a breath away, Vivian’s brother shows up and changes everything.

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

Summary: Ben and Alex have been happily married for six years, living in the beach house left to them by Ben’s mother Allie. Their two daughters, Ally and Lucy, help Ben’s grandmother Polly keep both men on their toes. Life seems perfect. When Alex’s mother turns up, however, she opens old wounds and reveals things Alex never wanted Ben to know. Can their relationship – and their family – survive Janice’s hatred of her son? Can Alex?

Word Count: Click here to reveal98000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A werewolf pack reels from the loss of five members, including the Alpha and Beta, at the teeth and claws of Canadian werewolves. Summoned by a frantic call from a young werewolf who survived the massacre, Anax Tobias Rogan, the highest-ranked wolf in the United States, heads to North Dakota. Tobias is able to stabilize the pack, but his trip takes a toll on his relationship with his mate, Kyle Slidell. When the Canadian Anax, Silas Creighton, requests a meeting, Tobias seizes the opportunity for a trip with Kyle to restore their connection. With an international conflict to resolve and a traumatized young werewolf in tow, Tobias and Kyle struggle to find time for each other. And then assassins try to take Tobias’s life… This book includes discussions of past sexual assault and physical child abuse, homophobia including a French Canadian homophobic slur, a child character living with cancer, and depictions of grief and mourning.

Word Count: Click here to reveal210000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary:

Alana might be gone, but the world hasn’t forgotten what she did. The damage is done, and the world is quickly spiraling toward a war that will threaten the survival of humans and vampires alike.

An anti-vampire organization, known as the Assassins of Light, has emerged again after centuries of lying in wait, and for reasons no one understands, Rose Foster is their new target. As Rose struggles with her growing feelings for the Viking warrior, Kara Unnarsdóttir, and her own inner turmoil, she must find a way to protect the people she loves from the Assassins of Light.

Kara Unnarsdóttir tries to protect Rose from afar by utilizing her impressive network of spies, but her investigations into the Assassins of Light lead her to the realization that the extremist organization is closer to Rose than she originally thought.

In this third installment of the Creatures of Darkness series, the world will find out what happens when tragedy meets the power of the Eklektos…

Word Count: Click here to reveal20000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Broken-hearted Grant retreats to a cabin in the woods to work on his master’s thesis and escape the sadness of a recent breakup. A blizzard is on the way, but Grant has food, books, and a cozy fireplace. But when a loud knock jolts Grant from his chair, he’s stunned to see his intense ex-boyfriend, Adam… Adam wants to win back Grant’s love, but it won’t be easy. Harsh words were spoken during their breakup, and Adam’s struggling to heal from his wounded past. Grant wants to start a family, but Adam can’t imagine being a father… The men cooperate to stay safe and warm during the blizzard, but they can’t deny their feverish attraction. They discuss a future together, but old hurts surface. Can Adam and Grant resolve their differences and have the future they always planned, or will this weekend be their final goodbye? The Carpenter is a 20,000 word standalone gay romance.

Word Count: Click here to reveal97,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Nathan doesn’t know how to stop dwelling on the failures and tragedies that have plagued him since the last time we saw him at the end of The Mayor of Oak Street, a twenty-one-year-old happily in the arms of the handsome young doctor he had pined for since he was twelve. Many years later, what could mend Nathan’s heart after the latest tragedy and stop his deep dives into the past? Another handsome young doctor? Or would someone in the medical field do? After a chance meeting with ER nurse, Mateo, a lot of Nathan’s reminiscing is now devoted to that encounter and how it made him feel. Will he seize the day or continue wallowing in the past, having lunch with his best girlfriend from high school, and writing poetry? Nathan has lived through and had a personal connection to many of the crises that have plagued the LBGTQ+ community in the last forty years: the Up Stairs Lounge fire in New Orleans, the assassination of Harvey Milk, and the AIDS epidemic. He has lived in foreign countries, traveled the globe, and had lovers on every continent, all the while with a disease that people once thought was a death sentence. There are moments he is convinced that Mateo is the reward to all his suffering and loss, that his whole life led him to this great love. At other times, he’s so frustrated with Mateo, he’s ready to run as far away as he can get. Mateo, for his part, must take care of his ailing mother while he works full time in the emergency room. The practical aspects of starting a new relationship are challenging to say the least. The Long Journey to You is both a moving romance and a lesson in survival.

Word Count: Click here to reveal85000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Every action has consequences. For a decade, Angel Salvatore has been the most powerful sorcerer and only necromancer in all the Northeast. Never one to ask permission nor apologies, he has acted with near impunity for years. Until now. The High Council of Sorcery has come to Boston, and Angel is their target. Charged with numerous violations of practitioner laws, his freedom and family are placed in jeopardy. If found guilty, Angel's apprentice Daniel will be imprisoned to serve out the remaining years of his apprenticeship. Isaac, his brother, is too vulnerable to be left unguarded, and Angel fears for his sanity and health. And Simeon, Elder vampire and Angel's mate refuses to see Angel convicted under the laws of the Council and his actions to keep Angel free threaten to start a war that could destroy their world. And Angel faces the severest of punishments—the castration of his gifts. The Council has never cared for the people of Boston, and Angel doubts their motives. They have come for some insidious reason, and it has nothing to do with upholding the law and everything to do with Angel. Dealing with an impending trial, a wayward ghost, and a graverobbing ring of thieves leaves Angel on the edge. He thinks he may have a handle on things until violence erupts across the city, and a stranger comes to town...a stranger with his own dark powers of necromancy. This is book 3 of a series, and the previous books should be read first for full enjoyment. Trigger Warnings are on the Copyright Page and can be seen using the Look Inside feature or by downloading a sample of this book. 85,000 words 340 pages Gay Urban Fantasy Romance

Word Count: Click here to reveal220000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary:

Powerful vampire, Rose Foster, and her girlfriend, Kara Unnarsdóttir, take refuge in a hidden kingdom of vampires, as war breaks out between vampires and humans. Rose is shocked to find that even though she doesn’t know them, the vampires of this kingdom know her. Not only that, but they’re prepared to follow her into battle. Yet, they refuse to tell her why.

World war rages on in their absence, threatening the extinction of both species. Rose soon realizes that, even though she doesn’t want power, if she wants to prevent genocide, she’ll have to take her place as a Commander of Power.

But when Kara uncovers a terrifying piece of information about Rose, she must decide, once and for all, if her loyalty to the woman she loves is strong enough to withstand even the end of the world. Or if it’s time to do what she does best: betrayal.

In this final installment of the Creatures of Darkness series, the Eklektos will either save the world or destroy it.

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

Summary: As a Certified Mental Health Therapist, Scott Reid has his share of interesting experiences, though nothing compares with the time he spends with the psychic, Alex Elson. Plagued by terrifying images and dreams, Alex turns to Doctor Reid in the hopes of learning to control his visions. Instead, Scott is pulled into Alex’s world, where dreams and reality mix and nightmares are real. Two young men, brothers, have been abducted from the lake outside of Oakton without a trace of who took them. That is, until Alex receives a silver pocket watch in the mail belonging to the elder brother, a taunt from the kidnapper for Alex to come find them. Alex’s visions turn at once into nightmares. Images flash in his mind of an abandoned well and a terrified, lonely boy slowly dying at the bottom. The shed looms close by, holding a horrifying secret, a dark place Alex’s frightened mind refuses to go. With the help of Scott Reid, Alex endeavors to control his visions and find he brutalized victims before death claims them. But the watch is ticking away and time’s running out

Word Count: Click here to reveal52000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Rescued from slavers, healer novice Jaime Buchanan finds himself alone and free in Pyrderi, a kingdom of magic, mythical creatures, and a culture as open and kind as his homeland was cruel and close-minded. Despite his rescue, Jaime is not left without scars, both mental and physical. Traumatized by his experience and hiding his gift, Jaime struggles to earn his place in the kitchens of Angharad Palace, the heart of Taliesin City. His former life as a student of the healing arts leaves him at a disadvantage in the kitchens, and his damaged state is becoming more apparent by the day. One day, when necessity and fate intervene, Jaime meets someone unexpected—Prince Maxim, youngest son of the Pyrderian king, a sword master and a devastatingly kind man. Unaccustomed to powerful people with compassion and heart, Jaime flees. A cascade of events reveals Jaime’s hidden talents of healing, and he finds himself not in chains, but at the beginning of a new life. This swift change of fortune opens Jaime up to new possibilities, including a smitten prince who cautiously courts Jaime, easing him away from his fears and reminding him that compassion and love can make him strong. The winter solstice is quickly approaching, and Prince Maxim shows Jaime the enjoyment and excitement to be found in a land that embraces the ice and cold, and the mysteries of all things magical. He learns to see the man under the royal mantle, and Maxim is more than even Jaime suspected. The winter solstice is nigh when tragedy strikes, and Jaime learns that his past of grief and sorrow can be a pillar of strength for his solstice prince. If there is one thing that Jaime believes above all else, it is in the healing power of love. 51,835 words, 182 pages Gay Epic Fantasy Romance

Word Count: Click here to reveal200000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary:

Rose Foster is just starting adjust to life as a vampire when a series of highly publicized murders throws the world into chaos. Rose and her friends must intervene, if they want to prevent the imminent war between vampires and humans.

But when they realize that the woman behind these murders is Alana—a vampire they believed to be long dead—intervening becomes complicated. Alana is as powerful as she is seductive. She is a master of manipulation and the queen of mind games. She craves vengeance, and she doesn’t care if she has to tear the world apart to get it. And now, she has an army.

Outnumbered and overpowered, Rose accepts help from a cunning and skilled warrior by the name of Kara Unnarsdóttir. Kara is the second-in-command of the largest vampire colony in the world—the Tomb of Blood—and she offers to help Rose infiltrate the Tomb of Blood and forge an alliance with Aaron, the most ancient vampire known to exist. There’s just one problem: Kara is Alana’s lover, and Aaron is the last person in the world that should ever be trusted. No one knows who will betray whom, only that betrayal is inevitable.

Word Count: Click here to reveal60000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Is the handsome winged criminal a madman? Or has he uncovered a government conspiracy that threatens his entire race? In the country of Tar, humans and winged people called hollow-boned live side by side. Red Raven, a criminal so named by the media because of his red wings and black hair, wreaks havoc on the cities. He revels in torturing government employees and blowing up charity organizations. His true motives with these attacks, however, remain a mystery. Indigo is an agent of the Sentinels of Light, a private organization sworn to uphold justice. The skilled fighter is the Sentinel’s Master Swordsman and makes apprehending Red Raven his top priority. However, he finds the criminal beautiful and charming. The man may not be as evil as everyone seems to think. The more often they battle each other, the harder it becomes for the two men to deny their fiery attraction. And the more he learns about the alluring man’s motivations, the more Indigo questions everything he was taught about the sheltered world he was raised in.

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

Summary: Twins Bren and Clark have been holding each other up since their mother passed away. It hasn’t been easy. But Bren is running the family greenhouse and Clark has a good job at the local library. Life is quiet, just as Bren likes it. But Clark feels like he’s stagnating. Bren isn’t looking for love when a greenhouse customer dumps water all over her. But Elodie’s cute and bouncy and, it turns out, a folklorist at the local college and has a special interest in plants and their stories. It seems like a perfect match. Clark might have a tiny crush on a patron at the library, but he’s never going to say anything. But when Jasper, that very patron, asks for Clark’s assistance on a research project, Clark can’t say no. To Jasper or the project; Jasper’s researching local “ghost trails”. And Clark is a bit of a believer. But trauma and grief are slippery things, and getting through it isn’t simple or easy. Maybe love needs to find a way to help them both heal.

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

Summary: A bloody past haunts him. A devastating present lures him back... Nao hides from his violent past in the Japanese mob by opening a teahouse in Japan's cultural center, Kyoto. His past comes flooding back when he discovers a gravely injured man with a tattooed chest, a bloody knife, and a Korean business card. Saehyun would've died if not for Nao's help. He knows nothing of his savior's connection with the local mafia, but Saehyun has his own secrets. He commands the Korean mafia, the mortal enemy of Nao’s former syndicate. As Nao and Saehyun grow closer, so does the strength of the Korean mob. A shocking murder pulls Nao back into a past he'd all but abandoned. War is looming, and Nao must choose between protecting Saehyun or avenging the honor of his old mafia family. The Yakuza Path: Blood Stained Tea is the first book in a series of Japanese mafia thrillers. If you like complex characters, blood-soaked violence, and twists you won't see coming, then you'll love Amy Tasukada's gritty crime masterpiece. Buy Blood Stained Tea to dive deep into the Asian mafia tale today!

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

Summary: Kaleo Lakeford skyrocketed in the entertainment industry during his first year of university. 15 years later, he is a retired entertainer. Married for ten years with a 7-year-old daughter, he finds himself divorced and a single parent after his wife was caught in a string of public affairs. Devastated and trying to put the crumbs of his and his daughter’s life back together, he decides to take a break from the cameras and media for the holiday season and takes his daughter to his childhood home that he hasn’t set foot in since before he got married ten years prior. Destin Ashwell left university his first year to take care of his sick mother. With no education, he fought to provide for her for six years until she passed away from her illness. The bank seized their home, and he was living in his car when Lilah Lakeford finds him and brings him home. With her help, he finishes school and rebuilds his life, both of them leaning on each other as replacements for his dead mother and her estranged relationship with her son, Kaleo. At 33-years-old Kaleo will come home this holiday season to repair the fences around the rocky relationship he has with his mother, put the building blocks of his and his daughter’s life back together, and unravel past misunderstandings and misconceptions of his old schoolmate Destin, all while trying to keep the holiday cheer turned up for his 7-year-old daughter. Will Kaleo find the life he’s been waiting for all along back home? Or will his walls send him back to the only life he’s known for the past 15 years? This is a winter holidays story about a family healing with holiday traditions and cheer to warm the heart. This story comes with a single dad, one-sided dislike to friends to lovers, second chance on first crushes, unrequited love, mutual pining, past misunderstandings, learning to communicate, hurt/comfort, and healing from an emotionally and physically abusive marriage. But it’s also paired with colorful holiday adventures, the joys of a child, along with undeniable chemistry and sizzling heat while learning to love again. A found family, and a reconnected and put back together family.