Books Tagged With where - state - california

Word Count: Click here to reveal100,000+ (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A wolf shifter eases his pain with work after being rejected by the other half of his soul, a man who despises the idea of true mates. Nicholas Cartwright buries himself in his work in an effort to forget the night he found his mate only to be callously rejected. He pushes himself to exhaustion, an incomprehensible state for most shifters, while being unable to find solace for even a single night in another man’s arms. When Nick’s reluctant mate reappears one day asking for his help, he questions whether he can set aside his pain and forgive Thayne. He must decide if he can trust Thayne to stay this time and not cut and run again. Forgiving Thayne is Book 2 in the True Mates series. Although it can be read as a standalone, it does include scenes with characters from the previous book.  This book features rejected mates, slow burn MM romance, and some content which some readers may find difficult to read with an inevitable HEA. **Please note: this is a self re-release previously published by a publishing house.**

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Chance has an unexpected attraction to his neighbors—a gay couple—and this unconventional relationship could end Chance’s career and family relationships. Chance Findley is a successful marketing executive until his career is jeopardized by a disastrous presentation to a Chamber of Commerce member. During a mandated recuperative break, Chance’s suppressed same-sex attraction reawakens when he bonds with his new neighbor, Arlo, despite Arlo having a physician partner named Charlie and a surprising job as a cam performer. Chance secretly subscribes to Arlo’s fan page. Guilty about his invasion of Arlo’s privacy, Chance avoids his neighbor until an acute medical problem brings Arlo and his doctor boyfriend—the same Chamber of Commerce member who hated Chance’s presentation—to his doorstep. An attraction grows between the three men. But when Charlie’s attempt to mend Chance’s relationship with his boss backfires due to a potential conflict of interest, and Chance’s parents learn of his relationship with Arlo and Charlie, Chance finds himself out of a job, at odds with his family and struggling with Arlo and Charlie. Will the three of them be able to find a happily-ever-after, despite everything that stands in their way?

Word Count: Click here to reveal30,228 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Everything about thirty-five-year-old Stone Acres hardware store owner Frank McCord is old-fashioned -- from his bow tie and overalls to the way he happily makes house calls. He dreams of lasting romance, true love, and marriage. Frank’s ancestors have run the store and been mainstays in the small California town for over a century. While genial Frank upholds tradition and earns the respect of friends and neighbors, he fears he’s too dull and old to attract a husband. Maybe it’s time to break out of his mold. Then handsome thirty-six-year-old electronic games designer Christopher Darling and his fifteen-year-old son, Henry, come into his life. Christopher has everything Frank could want in a potential partner: charm, kindness, and compatibility. Also, he’s a terrific father to Henry. When their Stone Acres home turns out to be uninhabitable, Frank offers the Darlings temporary lodging in his ancestral farmhouse, where he and his tenant Emil reside. Since Emil thinks Frank is his, sparks fly. Suddenly, Frank’s monotonous life promises to explode with love and change him forever.

Rainbow Award Honorable Mention book.

Word Count: Click here to reveal16,500 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Wade Rivers and Jason Thomas have finally made it official, they’re boyfriends. Their first date, hopefully the first of many, starts out with a simple dinner, but Wade has a surprise in store for Jason, and takes him to a haunted house attraction for Halloween. It’s soon obvious Jason loves investigating the paranormal, but he’s not as enthused about the different attractions. When they meet up with a fellow paranormal researcher, Jimbo, their fun night gets more frightening with each room in the haunted house attraction. From the beginning to the end, they’ll visit every nightmare imaginable, and they’ll all find out some truths about each other they never thought would come to light. A short, friends to lovers, paranormal romance.

Word Count: Click here to reveal114,539 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: The Blackwood Pack saga continues… This is part of an on-going series by Amazon Bestselling Author, Mary Rundle, and catching up on previous titles is advised. Readers of the past books will enjoy meeting old friends once more as the pack does what it does best ̶ caring for one another and helping shifters everywhere. David spent most of his life as a prisoner, beaten countless times as he was taught by the Sisters of the Four Gods. After learning the truth about what they had planned for him, he escaped and eventually landed in Scotland where he was rescued by kind shifter who gave him a job and a bed. His feeling of safety ended abruptly when he was discovered by the ones he fled. Zane, the Blackwood Pack’s genius computer programmer, joined his brothers and friends in Scotland on his very first vacation. It had been a long and hard road for him since parents and younger siblings were massacred, but his life was finally coming together Not expecting anything more than fun and sightseeing, he was stunned to find his Fated Mate there. Before they can claim each other, they find themselves in a terrifying game of cat-and-mouse, trying to elude brutal pursuers who want to capture David and kill Zane. As they fight to stay one step ahead of them, Zane sets out to win David’s heart and restore his confidence and also becomes his protector and lover. Learning about each other’s abilities and gifts—and about the gods’ plans for David’s formidable new role in the shifter world—they form a unique bond with undying trust and a deep love that will bind them forever together as one. Narrow escapes, kidnappings, battles, rescues and the revelation of unique gifts from the gods will keep you turning page after page as Mary Rundle weaves another thrilling tale of love and adventure.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: The Brothers Grime Book 1 One man's tough job is a path to love. The Brothers Grime is Jack Masterson's way of helping people in crisis after disability ends his career as a firefighter. Jack's people get to a scene long after the physical trauma ends. They don't solve crime or rescue the victims. They help people move on. The new job is all Jack wants or needs, until he gets the call about old flame Nick Foasberg's suicide. Ryan Halloran's cousin Nick has been on a downhill slide for a long time. Despite that, Ryan does everything he knows to help. Ryan only understands part of what happened between Nick and Jack in high school, but after Nick's suicide, Ryan agrees both he and Jack need closure. They work together to clean the scene and despite the situation, heat flares between them. Jack is keeping a painful secret and fighting his attraction to Nick's lookalike cousin, Ryan. Ryan calls himself a magnet for lost causes and worries Jack might be the next in a long line of losers. Despite his misgivings, despite the past and the mistakes they've both made, Jack gives Ryan something to look forward to, and Ryan gives Jack a reason to stop looking back, in Grime and Punishment. This is a rerelease of the 2013 novel with bonus stories in the Grime-verse!!!

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: The Brothers Grime Book 2 Loving yourself can be a tough job... Eddie and Andrew have dynamite chemistry, except Eddie is profoundly dyslexic, and Andrew lives to read. Andrew is pathologically disorganized, and Eddie likes things neat and clutter-free. Andrew is desperately ashamed of his hoarder father—a secret that could pull them apart even as a friend's tragedy brings them together. When Andrew's father's condition deteriorates and he nearly dies because of his compulsion, Eddie and Andrew must learn compassion begins with loving oneself in Eddie: Grime Doesn't Pay.

Word Count: Click here to reveal42700 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Three M/M holiday stories in one festive collection! Home is Where the Christmas Trees Are A grieving brother caring for his niece receives holiday hope from the cute band instructor at his niece’s school. After the death of his sister, physical therapist Dex abandons his urban single life to move to a smaller town and raise his 12-year-old niece Rowan. Christmas is approaching, and he doesn’t have a clue how to make the season merry—for Rowan or for himself. Then he meets Rowan’s teacher, Ed, and things start to get brighter. Middle-school band teacher Ed is kind and handsome, totally single, and likes kids, music, and holiday decorations. He also happens to be killer at trimming Christmas trees. Like a twinkly Christmas elf, Ed brings with him the possibility of love, home, and celebration, and Dex is immediately smitten. But how will Rowan feel about her uncle and her band teacher getting involved? A Holiday Crush Opposites attract as a jaded San Francisco trial lawyer and a young Berkeley activist find their way to love. San Francisco lawyer Brad is in a rut. At forty-one, he’s successful but alone, and even his holidays are predictable. Then attractive but oh-so-young filmmaker and activist Michael invites him out. Michael lives in a group house in Berkeley and as Brad joins the group in their holiday celebrations, he learns that life can be joyful. But he hesitates to saddle Michael with a much-older boyfriend. Michael longs for a partner, and he hopes serious but sweet Brad Halberstam is the one. His housemate reminds him that Michael always latches on to someone during the holidays, so he won’t be alone. After a misunderstanding, Michael loses heart, no longer sure if his relationship with Brad is real or just another holiday crush. Pattern for an Angel Can an angel gown for a little boy let a single dad and a drag queen stitch together a new pattern for love? Hospice nurse Gabe Martin is bisexual but doesn’t have time for love—his main priority is raising Ian, his adopted five-year-old son. Ian loves wearing dresses at home and wants an angel gown for his kindergarten holiday pageant. When Gabe visits a sewing store to get help with Ian’s costume, he’s assisted by a bewitching employee named Loren who opens up Gabe’s focused world. Drag queen Loren Schuster likes playing with gender norms and wearing skirts and dresses in everyday life. A bad breakup killed his interest in serious relationships, but he reconsiders that stance when gorgeous single dad Gabe walks into the shop. Loren helps young Ian see it’s okay to be himself, and together, Loren and Gabe create a new pattern for a family full of love.

Word Count: Click here to reveal25,778 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Everyone hopes his road to happily ever after will be carefree and smooth, but too often hair-pin turns and detours seem to get in the way. Having thought he was on the road to forever before, former Silicon Valley programmer Dan Lassiter is leery about pedaling down it again. His elderly companion Charlie urges him to get to know Rick Reardon whose bakery is across the street from Dan’s bicycle shop. Under the watchful eye of Charlie, Dan and Rick take tentative steps toward each other, all the while trying to avoid potholes such as exes, homophobes, and family problems. As summer turns to fall and then winter, they hope that the road will be smooth going from their first date and first kiss to having what Rick’s sister euphemistically calls their “sleepovers.” At each step, though, they are tripped up and wonder why there seem to be so many bumps in their road. Maybe Dan and Rick should heed some of Charlie’s sage advice, or maybe they should listen to their hearts instead of the ghosts from their pasts.

Word Count: Click here to reveal92000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Hollywood, the mid-1960s. President Kennedy has been assassinated, the country’s civil rights movement is in full swing, and teenager Nate Berrigan is a television sitcom star. But Nate’s onscreen life looks nothing like the real thing, which stars abusive, addicted parents instead of swooning teenage girls. On top of that, Nate’s questioning his sexuality, and his boss is a demanding monster. The pressure would get to anyone. Fortunately Nate has Tai Atua, his costar… and maybe the love of his life. As the boys slowly fall for each other, Nate tries to believe in the possibility of his own happiness. Tai could be his savior, pulling Nate away from the precarious knife-edge he’s balancing on. Of course, he could also be his undoing. Because if anyone finds out about their relationship, Nate’s whole life will come crashing down around him. If that happened, Nate couldn’t live with himself….

Word Count: Click here to reveal68,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Gabriel Hunter wants one thing. Joel Reading. Joel is alone in the world and down on his luck. When he's forced out of his apartment with nowhere to go, handsome stranger Gabriel swoops in and saves the day. He gives Joel a place to stay, food to eat, and most importantly, something to hope for. It's taken extensive planning, but Gabriel finally has Joel right where he wants him. Joel didn't mean to fall for his wealthy savior, but Gabriel knows him too well. He has Joel's favorite coffee, favorite books, and he knows exactly how Joel likes to be touched. It's almost too easy to fall in love with the mysterious man who happened to be in the right place at the right time. Gabriel's omissions come back to haunt him and he's left hoping Joel can see through the deceit to the man he really is. The man he wants to be. As he's getting comfortable with his new life, Joel's happiness is snatched out of his grasp. With his world spiraling out of control, there's only one person he wants to catch him, because... Joel Reading wants one thing. Gabriel Hunter.

Word Count: Click here to reveal62083 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Bells ring and choirs sing. People bustle with happiness and joy. Calories pile up while everyone gathers to chat with friends and relatives. What’s more exciting than all the holidays in December? But sometimes we need a break from the expectations and the wonderment. A great way to revive our spirits is by reading a story to ground us in the true meaning of the season. This collection features four stories infused with happiness, love, and joy. From a small business owner discovering his first fruitcake and a homeless man finding a permanent home to a blacksmith’s wish to propose to his childhood friend and a gay man relocating to a small town, each story is a journey of self-discovery leading to happily ever after. Contains the stories: Blame It on the Fruitcake: Motorcycle shop owner Sam McGuire falls for the fruitcake his loft neighbor’s grandma makes as well as the man himself. But will handsome, educated, personable Jay Merriweather be attracted to a grease jockey like Sam? The Orpheum Miracle: The son of crack addicts who abandoned him as a child, Mick has found refuge in the historic Orpheum Theater. But when the new owner takes over, will Mick be pushed out on the street or taken into the owner’s heart? Making the Holidays Happy Again: Butch has been manning the forge in Old Town and fantasizing over his best friend Jimmy since they were in high school. Does Jimmy feel the same way about Butch? Does Butch want to push their friendship and find out? Heart of the Holidays: When Silicon Valley programmer Dan Lassiter moves to a small California town, he doesn’t expect to find love. After Rick Reardon opens his bakery across the street, Dan may change his mind.

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 reveal39700 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Chris Kearney is a surgeon working the Emergency Room at a large hospital near the bad part of the city. After operating on and losing a teenaged patient, he runs into Drew Hayden, an undercover vice cop. Connecting over a kid who tried to get out of gang lifestyle and still died, the two men check each other out. When they run into each other at the grocery store, they are more than happy to reconnect and pleased to find that neither of them had read the signals wrong. It's hard for a cop and a doctor, especially an undercover cop and an emergency room doctor, to find time to meet, date and do all the other things a burgeoning relationship requires, but somehow Chris and Drew manage. Their lives are full and sometimes difficult. Will they get through the traumas and troubles of the first year and a half of their relationship? And, when they get there, what will the other side look like?

Word Count: Click here to reveal69k (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Tony award-winning musician Reese Matheson’s life resembles a natural disaster, and caregiver Jude De La Torre is caught in the eye of the storm. Can the love these two opposites find together survive caring for an ornery octogenarian with wayward balls and a meddling family insistent upon tradition?   A public break-up is not what Reese expects upon returning from the successful run of his musical in London. All he wants to do is spend time with his beloved grandfather and musical mentor, who suffers from Alzheimer’s. Reese knows he doesn’t have much time left before the elder Matheson doesn’t remember him. In classic “Hurricane Reese” form, he moves into the cottage by the sea, displacing Jude, the intriguing caregiver he’d hired two years before. When Grandpa proves too much for Reese to handle on his own, Jude comes to his rescue, taming Grandpa… and the Hurricane as well. Soon all Reese can think about is how to get Jude out of his scrubs and into his bed. Permanently. Will Hurricane Reese destroy everything in its wake, or will this gay odd couple learn to harmonize together?  

Word Count: Click here to reveal8200 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Derrek is dealing with the recent, unexpected death of his mother just before Thanksgiving. He’s been alone for five year since his husband Will died, and he’s ready to find someone new and to start living again. Ryan lost his partner, David, in an auto accident, and is dating Alex, who doesn’t treat him right.

Derrek can’t figure out why Ryan won’t see what’s right in front of his face. Why does Ryan come to him to talk about all his hopes, dreams, and fears, then go home to Alex?

 If Derrek can figure that out, they might just have a shot.

Word Count: Click here to reveal108000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Kieran was sold into slavery where he was forced to care for other prisoners held by a shifter trafficking ring. But that changed when a Blackwood brother freed him and the others. Now for the first time in his life, the world beckons and he can plan his future. That is, until he discovers why the Fates brought him to the Blackwood Pack. Logan, one of the brothers, has become a virtual recluse, spending hours at his design table, unable to shake the horrible memories of his family's massacre and an unhappy childhood under the fist of his father, a dictatorial and abusive Alpha. When Kieran appears, Logan is smitten with this pink-loving twink who tries to use his sassy and irrepressible wit to win his heart. After Logan claims Kieran, he finds keeping him is not easy. When both realize Logan can't give himself completely to his Fated Mate, Kieran takes off but tells no one where. A frantic search, rejection, dark secrets revealed, ghosts exorcised- these are just some of the obstacles Kieran and Logan must overcome as they embark on a mission of discovery that will make their love for each other stronger. Only then, will these two unique wolves fulfill their destinies decreed by the Fates and gods and prove worthy of the powerful gifts bestowed on them.

Word Count: Click here to reveal87000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Shane A cat is a man's best friend, because they can't be bought or threatened. If they don't like you, they walk away, showing you their butthole. If they stick around, it's because they find you interesting. Mimsy's stayed with me through six years and across half the country, which means I'm not a total loser. We earn our daily bread and fishy treats by busking, and sometimes we get lucky. Like this abandoned wine-tasting place we're squatting in. California climate so we don't need heat, running water still on, all the comforts of home. Sure, there's a weird guy with mental health issues who shows up now and then, but he keeps life interesting and he's not bad to look at. We might stick around Gaynor Beach for a while. Theo I finally have control of my grandparents' legacy, which means I can give away all the things they valued more than me. I have enough money to live on without theirs. The vineyard's easy. I'll give it to Manuel, the guy who did most of the work while never being allowed in their showplace mansion. I love imagining his kids bouncing on Grandmère's priceless antiques. The wine-tasting parlor's harder. I'd like to burn it to the ground, but the cops frown on arson, plus when I went to check it out there was a homeless guy living in it. Instead of being scared of me— because I admit, I was losing it a bit when he spotted me— he cleaned up the cut on my arm and listened to me ramble. He had no clue who I was and I liked that. Maybe I can turn my grandparents' showroom into a homeless shelter. Or something for homeless animals. Shane loves his little cat, and I wouldn't mind if they stuck around for a while. Impurrfections is a slow-burn romance between a guy who loves pets more than people, and a man trying to escape a painful legacy, who come together to build something better for themselves and Gaynor Beach. Warning for past history of emotional abuse. This book is part of the multi-author stand-alone series Friends of Gaynor Beach Animal Rescue

Word Count: Click here to reveal15000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Jeff Holloway is a twenty-five-year-old skater with a killer smile and lots of free time on his hands. He’s also a vampire who prowls the dark corners of San Francisco looking for entertainment and his next meal. Lately, he’s been spending lots of time watching a tattoo parlor in the Mission District, where someone tall, artistic, and handsome has caught his eye.

Word Count: Click here to reveal62000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Alone on his mountain, the kitsune Tadashi only wishes to be left in peace so he can mourn his lost lover and take care of his temple. Unfortunately, several townsmen who have no idea of Tadashi’s true nature have different plans for the "Jap on the mountain" and his land. When they push the kitsune too far, he reacts with horrific violence, leaving tragedy in his wake. Broken and terrified of himself, Tadashi represses his natural drives and shuts himself off from the world. The intrusion of a lost little girl and her persistent veterinarian uncle, Berg, stumbling into Tadashi’s life, though, and turn his carefully ordered world upside-down. The reluctant hero needs to decide whether he is truly happier alone or whether he can once again embrace a truth he used to know, that life is for the living. Please Note: This is a re-edited, second edition with 4 illustrations. No changes have been made to the story. There will be B&W and Color print editions released.