Books Tagged With where - general - beach

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

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

Summary: Claire, a Detective Inspector in her late forties, has known and worked with Estelle for many years. Ever since they met, it felt like there could have been something more there: Estelle's gentle flirting and compliments have been a constant in Claire's life, but her self confidence never allowed her to truly believe the other woman meant anything by it. Until one day, Claire breaks her leg and finds out soon after that Estelle has decided to retire from the police, at only 56. Something doesn't feel right there, but before Claire can begin to ask more questions, Estelle offers to take her away to her seaside cottage for a week. After all, with Claire on sick leave and Estelle retired, they both have the time. Surely a week of lazy mornings, too much food and wine, and walks through the countryside aren't enough to make Claire fall when she’s resisted for so long?

Word Count: Click here to reveal76,644 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Kyle Winchester has a facility with numerous foreign languages, as well as reading and writing Braille, but when he fails to hear from the numerous colleges he’s applied to, he thinks he’s destined to spend his life as a busboy. Then, as luck would have it, he learns of an opening at a company in Boston where his knowledge of Braille just might get him the position. Off he goes, hoping he’ll obtain a good job and an even better girlfriend. When it turns out it isn’t Huntingdon that needs an expert in Braille, he turns his sights on the company’s sister organization, the Washington Bureau of Intelligence and Security, which actually deals in the gathering and dissemination of intelligence. The job is good, but still no girlfriend. April O’Shay has a secret she’s been keeping for years. To prevent a spiteful coworker from outing her to friends, family, and other coworkers, she leaves the small town where she’s lived all her life and moves to DC. With the help of her previous boss, she obtains a job waiting tables at the Rib Shack, a well-regarded restaurant. Now she has a good job, even better roommates, and a life that’s happy except for one minor detail -- she’s not comfortable returning to the dating scene. As much as she’d like to find a boyfriend, she’s afraid her secret will come between them. And then, one day, Kyle is sent on assignment to the Rib Shack, to observe a shady character who wants to get his talons into the gay son of the Secretary of the Treasury. There he meets April and is quick to realize he’s fascinated by her. As for April, she takes one look at his violet eyes and is smitten. It’s “like” at first sight for the two, with the promise of developing into much more. But Kyle works for an organization that could send him out to kill someone at any time, and April has her own secret she’s guarding. When April reveals she must return home for Christmas for the first time in many years, Kyle suggests he accompany her. Will her refusal result in their relationship teetering on the brink, or will they find a way to trust each other enough to hold on to what they have?

Word Count: Click here to reveal17,600 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Sometimes life gives you more than this. Two years after whistle-blowing on irregularities in the company she worked for in the US, businesswoman Veronica Smith runs into Cassandra Forster, the woman with whom she had an intense affair back in New York. Cass pushed all Ronnie’s buttons as well as her boundaries, and the relationship was becoming something more before Ronnie left without an explanation. When they pick up where they left off, Ronnie finds she still wants more…but does Cass feel the same? Cass wants an explanation. Being with Ronnie had begun to mean more than great sex, but then Ronnie left her high and dry. Cass’ feelings haven’t changed, but can she trust Ronnie enough not to hurt her again? Can she trust herself to let someone into her life? Over a weekend and a wedding, the two women finally talk and discover they have more in common than the ability to meet each other’s desires. But can they take this second chance life has given them to have more than this?

Word Count: Click here to reveal32250 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: 2018-2019 Rainbow Awards Runner-up, Best Gay Contemporary Romance & Romantic Comedy When a series of personal crises prompt risk-averse research librarian Aaron Templeton to apply for a job on the other side of the country, nobody is more surprised than he is. He nearly runs home before the final interview except for one little problem: he has no home anymore. He put his condo on the market before he left California and it's already sold. Only an encounter with free-spirited Connecticut native Cody Brown at the Mystic Seaport Museum staves off Aaron's incipient panic attack. Cody loves nothing better than introducing newcomers to the great features of his beloved home state, and when the newbie in question is a rumpled professorial type with the saddest blue eyes on the planet? Score! The attraction between the two men deepens as they explore Cody's favorite spots, but when difficulties arise and Aaron's insecurities threaten to overwhelm him, will Cody's love be enough to keep him in Mystic? Mystic Man is a 32,000-word novella featuring a pertinent internal playlist, suggestive shellfish consumption, and a six-year-old who thinks history should have more girls. HEA guaranteed.

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

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

Summary:

Five years ago, Scott Borden finally shook the sand off his feet and left his Cape Cod hometown for a dream job in Silicon Valley. Scott barely gave Falmouth a second thought once he was in California, but he’s never been able to get Jarlath completely out of his mind.

Jarlath O’Connolly now owns his late father’s pub in Falmouth Heights. O’Connolly’s pub is part of the heartbeat of his hometown and its walls hold the memories of everything he’s ever loved. Everything except his best friend, Scott. Scott was easy to replace with a new bartender, but there was no replacing Scott in Jarlath’s heart.

The summer is ending, there’s a hurricane in the forecast, and Scott’s finally come home, but Jarlath isn’t sure he’s ready for the reunion. A lot has changed, including Jarlath’s understanding of who Scott really was to him. Will they still find each other hard to get over once they’re face to face?

Word Count: Click here to reveal40000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A bar owner who’s not looking for a relationship. A lost soul who’s afraid to trust. When Elijah and Seb meet, sparks fly. But will either of them find the courage to take what they want? Pouring his all into his business, Elijah is perfectly content running his bar. With its prime location and its infamous drag shows, Bar QK is the place to be. Elijah is used to meeting new and sometimes interesting people, but it’s rare anyone catches his interest for anything longer than a five-minute conversation. It takes a wandering, unfiltered surfer, who’s tired of the chase and dog-tired of people taking advantage of him, to spark long-buried interest in Elijah. While kindness runs through his veins, Seb doesn’t believe in fairy tales. He has a past he’d rather forget and has no real expectations for his future. He believes it’s safer to not make assumptions about anything or anyone; that way, he’ll remain safe. It takes his elusive, aloof boss, whose mixed messages are more confusing than Ikea furniture instructions, to show Seb that opening his heart can be worth the risk. When Elijah and Seb find themselves working on a common goal, the high stakes may be just the nudge they need.

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 reveal113,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Leroy Madden is in trouble. Big, handsome, Fox Carmody trouble. Leroy has buried his attraction to the enigmatic fisherman in irritation and pointless bickering, keeping Fox at a safe distance. But with the troublesome man now living in Leroy’s house, it’s becoming impossible for Leroy to keep his true feelings hidden, or the fact that Leroy maybe isn’t so straight, after all. Leroy hungers for something different between them. He wants more. But Leroy’s business is struggling, his newly mended relationship with his brother is at risk, Fox doesn’t plan to stay, and their mothers are lovers. Regardless of what Leroy’s heart so desperately wants, his entire world is at stake, and nothing about a relationship with Fox Carmody was ever going to be easy.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: A Coming Home Love Story. Murdoch “Doc” Smith has finally been stationed at the US Air Force base where he grew up, and he’s looking forward to being home and reconnecting with the love of his life. When he finds her, he discovers that she is now a he. It doesn’t matter to Doc. He welcomes Terry with Open Arms. Too much has changed for Terry, and he isn’t so sure they should get back together. Will they reconcile, or break each other’s hearts? This sweet love story includes a military and a trans character, who are both virgins. #SweetHeat #FirstLove #TransLove #acceptance #Virgins

Word Count: Click here to reveal60869 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Storms pass and, in their wake, new beginnings can be found. Talented young artist Jonty Trelawn paints the sea as self-inflicted punishment. For almost a year he has hidden away from life, survivor’s guilt consuming him, but the time has come to move on. He conceives the idea of a charity art auction in support of the local lifeboat station and the men and women who saved his life. He hopes the tribute to his family will release him from the sea’s invisible chains. Carpenter Jed Curnow is bound to the water in a different way. As deputy coxswain of the Govenek, the local lifeboat, his world revolves around the close-knit crew. He thinks nothing of risking his life to save others. Saving Jonty is less dangerous but just as important to him. He wants nothing more than to give Jonty the love and security he needs. Jed’s dominant personality calls to Jonty’s more submissive nature but will he ever allow himself to be happy? It’s up to Jed and his best friend Marmite to help Jonty put his tragic past behind him and live for the future.

Word Count: Click here to reveal36,050 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Vietnam War vet turned deep-sea treasure hunter Digger Sullivan scratches out a living, and this new commission is just another job—albeit an exciting one—off the Florida coast in 1977. But while exploring the area, Digger and his crew encounter one shark too many. Reef and his shark shifter clan are charged with protecting a vital, magical secret—two of four scrolls that, when brought together, could annihilate shifters across the world. But Reef can’t keep his head in the game around this intriguing diver, and it’s not long before Digger takes one of the scrolls topside. Reef now has two missions: seduce Digger and recapture the scroll. Despite his attraction to Digger, Reef’s priority must be reclaiming the scroll. For Digger’s part, he can’t keep his eyes off the flirty young man on his boat. While he doesn’t know what Reef could want with a scarred old vet, he’s not going to pass up an opportunity of pleasure. Unfortunately for Reef, he loses sight of his duty and all his plans go awry. Then Digger’s crew is captured by the very person who commissioned them, and Reef and his shark clan are the only things standing between them and death. Second Edition with revised and expanded text.

Word Count: Click here to reveal58000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Two hot men. One deserted tropical island. Mr. Don’t-Touch-Me Wade O’Rourke has never allowed anyone to get close to his heart, or into his bed. Perhaps he’s not wired that way. He’s not gay. He was brought up to know it’s not possible in his family. But he’s not attracted to women either. He keeps up appearances for the sake of his family because it’s the thing to do— never mind his family traumas or that he hates his life. And he has reasons to hate his homophobic uncle, too. Outgoing, optimistic, and carefree Adam Bennet comes from a long line of earthy people— gardeners and farmers. After his parents died, he was raised by his wise grandmother. He helps her run her shop. When Wade and Adam meet on an airplane, they don’t quite hit it off. They survive a crash landing on an island paradise where they have to join forces to survive. Will Adam take a chance on love with the seemingly straight man? When love blossoms, can it survive the rescue and return to their American small town? This full-length, standalone novel contains: Two hot guys and a deserted island. A man damaged by his homophobic upbringing. A virgin who never thought he'd want to be touched that way. Coming out in a small town. Steamy man on man love action and a happy ending. ***58,000 words. Available at many ebook stores.

Word Count: Click here to reveal46000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A Crumpet Christmas is the perfect time to fall in love. When a mission goes south, Elijah Cobalt is forced to take medical leave. What could be better than relaxing in a small town and keeping an eye on his little sister at the same time? Nothing, until he gets his first look at his sister’s boss. Elijah has always felt bulky and big around the smaller type of men he prefers and around Justin Bailey, it’s the same damned thing. Justin gave up dating big, muscled men after his breakup with his abusive boyfriend, but he just might make an exception when his café manager’s older brother takes over his spare bedroom. The instant attraction has sparks flying and, after a few days, Justin doesn’t want to fight it any longer. Christmas is a magical time of year. The power of love takes over. Possibilities are endless. Until Justin’s ex-boyfriend suddenly shows up out of the blue determined to cause as much trouble for him as possible. Only Justin has a support system now, in the form of a Special Forces Unit, and things are going to get really damned intense in a very short amount of time. Mess with one and you mess with them all. Author note: The men of Infinity are back in Reese Knightley’s Code of Honor book two. Risking It All is a fast paced, insta-love, alpha male, twinky baker, action and adventure Christmas story set in the fictional town of Crumpet, Washington, where it snows on the beach in the winter and Christmas is the most magical time of the year. This book is part of a series but can be enjoyed as a standalone. *Code of Honor, Cobalt Security, and Out For Justice series are loosely connected.

Word Count: Click here to reveal45100 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A well-earned island vacation. A missing boyfriend. An out of jurisdiction agent racing against time. Mark Beecher and FBI Special Agent Aaron Pearce are relaxing on the island of Barbados, filling their days with sun, surf, and each other. At a restaurant off the usual tourist route, Mark sees a woman he believes may be in danger and wants to try and help, however, Pearce reminds him they are not citizens and have no legal power on the island. But Mark can’t forget the woman, even after they return to the restaurant but are unable to find her again. Following an argument with Pearce about his inability to let it go, Mark slips away to investigate on his own. He locates the woman, but she is in trouble, and when Mark tries to intervene, he’s taken captive as well. Mark is drugged and hidden away to await a sex slavery ring auction. When Pearce is unable to locate Mark, he makes a report to the Barbados Royal Police Force. The detective he speaks with asks a lot of questions that make Pearce realize he’s most likely the prime suspect in Mark’s disappearance. With no official legal power on the island, Pearce begins his own investigation, determined to find and rescue Mark before the man he loves is taken off the island and lost forever.

Word Count: Click here to reveal102663 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Out of the swirling mix of secrets and a hurricane, can love survive?  Two years later, part of the Charm family, Gavin Hartfield creates magical memories and events. One of those weddings will be for the Charm’s owners, Samuel Ashford and Dakota Mitchell, if they ever make up their minds. The other one for his ex-boyfriend and his new partner. In the middle of all this, he keeps tangling with a tattooed brusque EMT. Xavier “Gray” Grayson feels a bit on the outside looking in when it comes to the collection of Charm men. He envies all of them finding love. Pushing his non-existent sex life filled with one-nights at clubs aside, he runs through life as an EMT and college student pushing to better himself. Running along the beach and trails become his relief and sanctuary. Until he keeps tripping over the new event coordinator. An incoming hurricane takes aim at Shore Breeze. The town braces for the impact. Plans falter and change. Will life, love, and a wedding follow these changes?

Word Count: Click here to reveal60,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: NEWLY REISSUED, WITH NEW COVER ART! In a tiny Adirondack village, a secret is about to be exposed. Noah Sanders learns from his mother—on her deathbed—that he is not who he thought. Suddenly, the unassuming Noah finds his entire life called into question, and only he can separate the truth from the lies. He’d been given one clue: his real name. But what is the reason for his abduction from the family he should have known. The coastal paradise called Cane’s Inlet, situated along the Jersey Shore, is where Noah finds himself, trying to keep a low profile as he quietly begins his investigation. But Demetri, a sexy diner owner, catches his attention almost immediately, as does the local police chief when Noah stumbles across a corpse on the beach. But it is a family named Hatcher who most interests Noah, and he must find a way to insinuate himself into their powerful grip, and only then uncover the secret to his past. SCANDALOUS LIES is the first part in a trilogy that will lay bare stories of yesterday, 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 warring families, one shocking secret, and, ultimately, one man’s self-discovery.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: The court case is over. Alex and Ben can concentrate on healing the wounds inflicted by Alex's mother, Janice. As they find their way back to a normal family life Alex begins to experience life in ways he never has before.  When he takes up a role in a local free clinic, he encounters a teenage boy who has been neglected and rejected by his parents. Will Alex be able to cope when he and Ben decide to take the boy in? Will the new family member help him take the last steps into the lightness of being loved?

Word Count: Click here to reveal76000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Can a merman and an Atlantean, separated by centuries and prejudices, find love together? Merman Delwyn is an Oracle of the past. He loves nothing better than observing the comings and goings of those who lived centuries before he was born. His favorite time period to visit is when both Atlantean and mer inhabited the sunken city of Atlantis, and his guilty pleasure is watching lovers come together in passion. Secure in the knowledge that no one can see him when he’s viewing the past, nothing can prepare Delwyn for the moment Fabian, an Atlantean living in the past, speaks to him. Fabian is a man with divided loyalties. The demi-god son of the Goddess of Sea Creatures has sworn to serve the Goddess of Prophecy as her Oracle of the present. His unique status gives him the power to see anything in the present, including the mysterious merman voyeur from the distant future. Despite the centuries that separate them, Delwyn and Fabian find they have a lot in common and quickly form a friendship that both hope one day will become something more. But before they can be together in the present, Delwyn and Fabian must unravel the mysteries of the past. Only time will tell if truth about the long-since vanished Atlanteans will bring them together or tear them apart, as the battle for the sunken city of Atlantis begins.

Word Count: Click here to reveal60,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: NEWLY REISSUED, WITH NEW COVER ART! At the conclusion of SCANDALOUS LIES, Noah Sanders made a startling discovery, one that turned his already conflicted motives into further turmoil, the mystery of his past growing as dangerous as the undertow of the ocean. In Cane’s Inlet, located on a barrier peninsula along the Jersey Shore, the lucrative summer season is fast-approaching, as is the Opening Night celebration of the Medusa Lounge, where Noah has secured a job. But working alongside the Hatcher’s at their exclusive resort is complicated by his own investigation into the scandal that might connect them. With a family secret uncovered during a surreptitious visit to their mansion, Noah’s quest to seek the truth behind his mother’s deathbed confession takes on sudden credence. With the aid of his new lover, Demetri, as well as Cane’s Inlet busybody Cilla Cane, the questions only deepen. When another murder shocks the coastal village, Noah realizes that what’s happening no longer concerns only himself, but perhaps all of Cane’s Inlet. With a mystery dating back to the village’s founding and the raising of the old pirate ship Medusa, no one is safe from being exposed, or from a desperate killer. For Noah, the truth might come at a price higher than he’s willing to accept. SINISTER MOTIVES is the second 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 reveal44920 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Whatever your romance reading preference -- gay virgin, opposites attract, friends to lovers, or simply fun how-they-met stories -- this collection contains a variety of sweet, contemporary, short gay romances, sure to make you smile. Rewritten and re-edited, these stories were previously published singly and are available now in one collection! Contains the stories: King Kong vs. The Skinny Pirate Born to Be Wild The Straggler Now and Forever Moving On Moving Along Dropping Quarters Nevermore Photo Shoot Okay, Then Preface I love short stories. Sometimes a brief “snapshot” taken from a couple’s larger story is all that’s wanted. The narrative of “how they met” is the focus of six of the shorts in this set—quirky tales ranging from meeting at a charity fundraiser, to college kids pranking each other, to a mishap at a XXX adult video arcade. Also included is a story featuring a well-established couple’s wedding dilemma, a friends-to-lovers tale, a coming-out-of-the-closet drama, and a continuation short that follows one of those how-we-mets. Rounding out this collection is an account revisiting the main characters from my full-length novel, ’Til Death Do Us Part. All of these stories are contemporary, although one has a bit of paranormal flavor to it. Heat ratings range from “fairly sweet” to “rather steamy.” Excepting the final story, all were originally written in 2008 and early 2009. One (“Photo Shoot”) started out as a prompt word ficlet that I later fleshed out to a more complete story. Each has received a thorough overhaul, some more extensive than others. I hope you’ll enjoy reading them as much as I did writing them. Keywords: short story, short stories, collection, meet cute, slice of life, kindle unlimited, ebook, print, paperback