contemporary

Word Count: Click here to reveal25109 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Hotel owner and part-time musician Zeke Bandy is too busy for love. His plate is full running the historic Bandy Hotel and upholding his family’s tradition of offering refuge to strays and runaways. For fun two nights a week, Zeke also plays and sings traditional folk music with his rewritten gay lyrics at the Stonewall Saloon and for occasional celebrations. Then at a gay wedding, Zeke meets Victor Longbow, who just might be the man of his dreams. However, Vic isn’t looking for love either. In fact, because of his upbringing in a strict, white foster family, Vic’s not sure he believes in love. He’s in Stone Acres to open a branch office of a national brokerage firm. He also hopes to track down a vintage photo of what might be his Native American ancestor. After their paths cross, they become friends. Connected by their experiences as orphans raised by flawed fathers, Zeke and Vic wonder if their future could possibly hold love and family or if they are destined only to be lifelong friends.

Word Count: Click here to reveal70200 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: When Freddie Chandra went through the casino kitchen to see what was causing the commotion, he expected to find the usual: a cluster of vehicles in the alley, all refusing to give way. What he found instead was six people yelling at each other over a seventh, a thin dark man who made not a sound. Edmund Robert was mostly thinking well I’m buggered because he had no papers to display, no one was speaking in English, and the sign language he’d relied on for years wasn’t getting him anywhere. Then the most beautiful man in the world walked out of the kitchen, shut the rest of them up, and went to look at Edmund’s makeshift shelter. When he returned to the now-silent group, he said, “Bower bird.” Edmund looked up, startled, thinking how did you know? In short order, Edmund was David Marlowe. Along with the new name, he had a proper job, and the safest place in the world to live. Not long after that, he also had Freddie. But the man at the top was going to Los Angeles to make a movie, and Freddie – the interpreter, the man who could speak to anyone – was going with him. Leaving David – the man who couldn’t speak at all – alone on the private island. Safe, working, surrounded by friends, but more alone than ever. They were both such beginners at love. They’d barely learned how to be together. How on earth could they survive being apart?

Word Count: Click here to reveal3491 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Athena loves her wife. She loves Maria’s smile and sculptor’s hands and tender dominance. She loves being Maria’s model, posing for the creation of art. She’s happy to stay right where Maria’s arranged her, taking pride and pleasure in remaining just so. And as she stays so perfectly still, her submission becomes more and more pleasurable -- and distracting. But if Athena can wait without moving, she’ll earn her reward ... and find the sweetness of release in the art of surrender.

Word Count: Click here to reveal30000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A second chance romance about friendship, new beginnings, and putting the pieces back together. Lindsay: Two years after my divorce I’m ready to push through the pain. Either I pick up the reins of my life now, or let go forever. I didn’t expect to cross paths with Rae—in a chat room of all places. She was my first love, who I met in college. Ten years ago, I walked away from us at a time when she needed me. Unfortunately, now I know how that feels. My first instinct is to run—it would be too easy to fall in love again. Too easy for my heart to break. But now that she’s back in my life, I’m truly grateful for her friendship, even though she’s far away. Rae: Real love has evaded me since Lindsay, my first love and the girl I left behind. It’s been a string of friends with benefits—I give my body but never my heart. But my second chance has come, and the girl I loved is now a woman with a broken heart. She’s a shadow, and everything in me yearns to coax her back to life. That’s why I’m inviting her to stay with me in Ireland. I think she could use a break away to let the past go and find some healing. I suspect the demons of her past won’t let her go so easily, but I’ll do what I can to help her find happiness again.  

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

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

Summary: THE TRILOGY IS COMPLETE! There was a time in Detective Eagle Woodard’s life that he would like to forget, but Eagle’s past catches up with him and it’s threatening to destroy everything and everyone he holds dear. Dr. Adam Coulter is recovering from a cancer diagnosis and Adam and Eagle’s relationship is stronger than ever, but the continued disappearance of their son, Michael, overshadows their happiness. A new threat appears in the form of a man Detective Eagle Woodard thought dead. Sergeant Dean Kessler aka ‘The Viking’ is on a mission to destroy his old Black Ops team mate. Secrets held in silence by Eagle for over a decade come to the surface, threatening his relationship with Adam and with Eagle’s family. Not only is The Viking after Eagle, but when Dean Kessler finds his younger brother is in Albuquerque, he becomes a target for his older brother’s revenge as well. Eagle wants to deal with Dean on his own, but the people who care for Eagle the most aren’t about to let him do this by himself. The question is, will Eagle be able to keep the worst part of himself locked away or will he need ‘The Skinwalker’ to help him defeat ‘The Viking’? AUTHOR'S NOTE: This book begins about six months after the end of Book 2 in the Coulter/Woodard series. This is the third planned book in the Coulter/Woodard series. No others are planned at this time, but who knows if the muse will strike. There are secondary characters who might need to have their stories told, but if they do, then the stories will be standalone novels. PLEASE NOTE: This story contains some scenes of BDSM, drug abuse, and violent death. If these are triggers for you, this book may not be for you.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary:

A struggling artist. A devoted son. Will they sacrifice everything for forbidden desire?

Kyoto, Japan. Iroha is sick of his boyfriends only dating him to get closer to his famous artistic sister. Shelving his own creative ambitions to run a mafia-funded gallery, he seeks comfort in a fake relationship at an exclusive host club. But when he sets eyes on the outlandishly dressed Kenta, something real stirs in his heart.

Kenta works hard to keep his place as a top-five host at the exclusive Aphrodite’s Castle club. Though it’s put a damper on his love life, the lucrative gig earns him more than enough to support his elderly parents. But when he breaks the rules and falls for the enigmatic Iroha, his income plummets and jeopardizes his family’s welfare.

Heedless of the consequences, Iroha and Kenta plunge into a passionate affair. But the shadow of Iroha’s creative failures threatens to break them apart. And when trouble pulls Kenta back home, the rift between them becomes a chasm.

Can Iroha and Kenta find a common canvas to paint their perfect picture of devotion?

Finding Our Love is the delightful first novel in the Aphrodite’s Castle Host Club MM contemporary romance series. If you like caring men, Japanese culture, and the quest for happiness, you’ll adore Amy Tasukada’s heartwarming tale.   

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

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

Summary: Dr. Ethan Marshall is the medical student on call the night Tessa Duran murders her husband for abusing her twelve-year-old-son, Rino. Ethan stays in the cubicle while tests are performed and is surprised when the boy resorts to prayers instead of tears. Despite compelling evidence, Tessa receives a life sentence. To avoid placing Rino in foster care, her parish priest agrees to raise him. Ethan is touched by the boy’s plight and visits whenever possible, but the connection is broken when he leaves the area months later. Raised by the Dominicans in California, Rino considers joining the order until a romance blossoms with a fellow student. After much soul-searching, he turns his back on everything familiar, and chooses his orientation over his perceived vocation. Seventeen years have passed since that horrible night in the emergency room. Forty-three-year-old Ethan is now a Dominant in search of a full-time submissive. Twenty-nine-year-old Rino is adrift, longing for someone or something to help him find the serenity he’s lost along the way. As they rekindle their friendship, they realize they might be perfect for each other

Word Count: Click here to reveal8100 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Fifty Shades of Gray pales in comparison to what Taren and Ian do behind closed doors. Ian loves his pleasure laced with sweet pain. Taren’s only desire is to give Ian everything he wants and deliver his fantasies. What better way to celebrate their love than a vacation to a BDSM resort that promises to satisfy their every sexual fantasy? Taren has brought titillating sex toys designed to tease, torture and delight. The icing on the cake is introducing Ian to one of Taren’s old, trusted friends, Kevin and including him in one of their sexiest scenes. With help from Kevin, Taren plans to double Ian’s pleasure. Ian knows Taren’s past is a little more adventurous than his own. It’s something that’s always intrigued Ian about his husband and Dom. Now Ian comes face to face with a piece of that past. And Kevin’s glorious! Fantasy and reality collide when Ian is treated to the attentions of two skilled Doms. He’s never had a gay threesome and admits he’s a bit jealous. However, Taren makes sure Ian enjoys his time with another man while being the protective husband Ian loves and trusts beyond words.

Word Count: Click here to reveal64000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A scarred young man finds security in the arms of a sexy cowboy with a big heart. Kaden James has relied on dangerous coping mechanisms to quiet the horrific memories that led to his fear of large men. After struggling to hold down a job, he knows he can’t refuse the offer to be a cook at a Montana ranch, even if it is temporary. He never imagined just how much that decision would change his life. Logan Michaels can sense the fear in his new cook as soon as they meet. Although he’s always considered himself straight, there’s something about the younger man that captivates him. He tries to fight the attraction, but even the memories that have kept him from finding love aren’t enough to stop him from trying to earn Kaden’s confidence. Will Logan find a way to break through the mistrust and fear Kaden carries as a shield? This is a re-release. Some content has been edited, but nothing regarding plot line been changed. Please note this book may contain content that is potentially difficult for some readers, but rest assured, Logan and Kaden will find their happily ever after!

Word Count: Click here to reveal36,600 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: It isn’t easy to leave a family that hurts. But what if it’s the start of finding a love that heals? High-school senior Sandy's Catholic parents are furious to discover he's had sex before marriage. But when he blurts out he's bisexual, they go ballistic. To avoid conversion therapy, Sandy runs away from Rockford, Illinois to move in with his gay uncle in Portland and start a new life. He leaves behind Jade, the fabulous out gay kid in their Catholic high school. They hooked up—once—to confirm Sandy’s bisexuality. Jade had never expected to get that far with star athlete and altar boy Sandy. But he was crushed when Sandy disappeared without even telling him. A year later Jade and Sandy run into each other on the train going home to Rockford for Thanksgiving and form an alliance to help Sandy confront his parents. Will they keep building where they left off or will their spark turn to dust? If you like coming of age stories, queer kids finding the courage to be themselves, and the comfort of found families, you’ll love Sand-Man’s Family. 2^nd edition, revised.

Word Count: Click here to reveal90000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Quarter-Finalist in the BookLife Prize Contest "Overall: 9.50 out of 10 Expertly plotted and paced, this romance builds a central relationship that is sweet, sexy, and satisfying. The love story grows through various plot points and conflicts, taking the main characters -as well as a vibrant supporting cast - on an emotionally resonant and heartwarming journey. It's exactly what a good romance book should be. Merrill’s dialogue is authentic and exhibits variances of tone and cadence when spoken by different characters; it's distinct and clear. The love scenes are explicit and passionate with an undercurrent of emotion that sets them apart from others in the genre. This swoon-worthy romance between a Marine officer and a rock star charms with a sweet and sexy story that shows how love can heal two hearts touched by tragedy." —BookLife Prize "Over the course of this novel, Merrill writes about this burgeoning connection with smooth confidence...Merrill rests a good part of the story on a realistic appraisal of his characters’ fallibility: “People want to think they can handle anything that comes their way, but everyone has a breaking point,” Brains reflects at one point. It may seem like a standard unlikely-romance plot at first, but the author offers it to readers with considerable skill and style." —Kirkus Reviews "R.L. Merrill is the reigning queen of romance and rock and roll. Brains and Brawn delivers yet another heartfelt love story with relatable characters whose trials feel steeped in the real world. Like the first book in the series, Summer of Hush, this one gives you a VIP backstage pass to life on a mega-tour. You’ll come out feeling like a member of the band.A realistic and inviting love story in the rock-music world.A rock star with a secret is injured in a freak accident. A single-dad Navy corpsman comes to his aide. Neither expected romance to bloom, but now that it has, will their secrets end it before it begins?" —Award-Winning Author Kilby Blades Billy “Brains” Brennan has achieved rock stardom in not just one, but two chart-topping bands, but events from his past have him convinced he’s living on borrowed time. Brains and his brothers-in-Hush are ready to take the last cross-country Warped Tour by storm...until the actions of two drunk dudes with bad attitudes set off a chain of events that leave him incapacitated...and face-to-face with a handsome stranger who inexplicably feels like home—and not the home Brains fled at sixteen. Chief Petty Officer Paul McNally has spent his 25-year career as a Navy Corpsman responding to emergencies and caring for wounded soldiers. When fate has him in the right place to provide aid to a fallen rock star, it sends his life spiraling on a trajectory he never planned for. Instead of concentrating on his impending retirement and a second career, he’s now playing nursemaid to a fascinating younger man…and falling in love—a fact he can’t seem to figure out how to explain to his adult son. A health scare, band drama, and pain from both their pasts threaten to end Brains and Paul’s fledgling relationship. Fate brought them together. It will take trust, honesty, and hope to keep them together.

Word Count: Click here to reveal70000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: When the past intrudes, can two lost souls forge a future together? Karl’s carefully erected walls are crumbling. Giving up sex and relationships made perfect sense when he was eighteen. For a decade, he poured all his time and effort into his flourishing career. Doubts crept in the first time Karl met Leo and now, after two years of avoiding him, Karl is in charge of training Leo. Leo loves his life in The Blowhole. Entertaining the guests during explicit shows under Roger’s guidance meets Leo’s needs and keeps his demons at bay. When Roger leaves, Leo’s job expands but he’s assigned to work with Karl, the General Manager who appears to detest him, and Leo’s anxiety blossoms. It wouldn’t be so bad if Leo hadn’t been attracted to Karl from the first moment he saw him. Two men. A truck-load of insecurities and an attraction that can’t be denied. When the full horror of Leo’s past comes to light, will their fledgling connection be strong enough to weather the storm?

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: When his lover Jason’s drug addiction spiraled out of control, TV celebrity chef and cookbook author Adam de Leon walked away from him. Adam also abandoned his renowned restaurant in San Francisco to start a small bistro in the Sierra Foothills. Five years later Adam is battling the conservative leaders of Stone Acres, California, to open a new restaurant in historic Old Town when Jason turns up on his doorstep—a recovered Jason, now going by the name David and claiming he's overcome his addictions. What’s more, he begs Adam to take him back and says he’s ready for their happily ever after. Adam has enough on his plate with problems plaguing the opening of his restaurant. And now he’s having a hard time deciding which to follow—his head or his heart. Rainbow Award Honorable Mention book 2016.

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 reveal68000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: When a vampire finds his soulmate, the bond is forever. It’s love at first sight. Or is it? Homicide Detective Jonas Forge has been a vampire for centuries. He’s fought wars, seen life go from the simple colonial days to the modern high-tech world. He’s evolved with the times, adapted to each new era, blended into each new life. The one constant is his best friend, mentor, and lover, Declan. Even though not fated to bond as soulmates, Forge and Declan are happy and settled in their life together. Until Forge’s real soulmate falls, literally, into his life. Forge isn’t thrilled with the guy, despite the pheromones attracting them to each other, and the feeling seems mutual. While trying to adjust to his clumsy soulmate and equally awkward feelings, Forge is also on the hunt for a serial-killer witnesses can’t identify who’s leaving a trail of bodies in its wake. Will the bond Forge is finally forming with his soulmate be destroyed when the hunter becomes the victim? If you like fated mates who aren’t perfect for each other, a paranormal killer who might not be caught and found families then you’ll love Elizabeth Noble’s Electric Candle.

Word Count: Click here to reveal80000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: One lost soul graffiti artist. The sweetest boy ever. Will they save each other or go down in flames? Echo is a brilliant artist but he’s not a good bet. He’s running from a suspended sentence and trying to pay off a debt that’s about to cripple him, literally. When he gets involved with a drug gang, his life goes from bad to worse. Until he meets Peri. Peri is like sunshine. He’s innocence and good things—he’s home. Spending time with Peri is saving Echo’s life in so many ways. Peri teaches him sign language, teaches him the important things in life don’t always need words to express them. And more than that, Peri shows him how even the most broken heart can heal. But Echo is trouble and he wants to save Peri from getting hurt. If only falling in love wasn’t so bloody impossible to stop. If you like lost boys being found and love redeeming even the most hopeless of situations, you’ll love Sometimes There’s Stars.

Word Count: Click here to reveal42,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: James McKinney has always lived life alone. He doesn’t have a family, at least none that he remembers. He’s always dreamed of having a house of his own, a place he can call home. Finding the right house, ready to work to make it his home, nothing can put a damper on his happiness, or can it? Trey Andral, returning home from college, notices someone moving into his old friend’s house next door. Miss Hattie is still waving to him from the bedroom window, even though he knows she’s gone. He also knows he can’t not help the new guy make the house his own. Trey has always been able to see and hear spirits, but what’s normal to him is terrifying to most others. When the spirits seem intent on contacting James, Trey has no choice but to share his secret, risking their friendship. If they work together, maybe they can figure out what the clues the spirits are giving them mean. And maybe they can find family in each other.

Word Count: Click here to reveal74k (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: After two years grieving the death of his best friend, Silas Franklin is back on the road with his metalcore band, Hush. With a new member, a brilliant new album, and a headlining spot on the last cross-country Warped Tour, life couldn’t be better—unless Silas could meet the intriguing music blogger known only as the Guru. Silas has followed his blog for years and feels the Guru might be the only person who “gets” him. For years Krishnan Guruvayoor has reported on the metal scene as an anonymous blogger, and he’s just landed an internship on the Warped Tour as well as a potential position with a well-respected music magazine. His best friend arranges for him to meet singer Silas Franklin—but only as Krish the Intern. Their chemistry is instant, and Krish is thrilled to get to know the man behind the music. The rock star and blogger quickly go from meet-cute to cuddle session, but secrets, overprotective bandmates, meddling media, and a terrible accident all conspire against them. Can their romance survive the summer of Hush?

Word Count: Click here to reveal30,048 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Big, burly CEO Abe Behr is furious to discover someone—probably a relative—is embezzling from Behr Construction, a family-run business in the Sierra Nevada foothills outside Lake Tahoe. To confirm his suspicions, Abe takes the unprecedented step of hiring a non-family accountant, handsome Jeff Mason, to go over the books and help find the culprit. As they talk to Behr relatives and visit construction sites, Abe and Jeff are drawn to each other, bringing out new, softer emotions in workaholic Abe. Since he has sacrificed romance all his life to build the construction business, Abe’s surprised by his feelings for the handsome Jeff. He’s even more shocked when they come face to face with homophobia in the small foothills community where generations of Behrs have called home. Abe had always thought Stone Acres was a live-and-let-live kind of town. As he and Jeff get closer, he finds out how wrong he is when he comes out to both family and a community who think he’s making a big mistake. Will being the head of a large, powerful family and a pillar of the community be enough to win Abe his happily ever after with Jeff?

Rainbow Award Honorable Mention book.

Word Count: Click here to reveal37000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Sam McAuley isn’t having a great start to the summer. Served with papers? Great. He’s being sued. Perfect, pristine yard overrun with chickens? What the—? Clearly, the new guy running the animal rehabilitation centre next door has no idea what he’s doing. It’s one town to the next, one school to the next, one job to the next for Bo Novak. Everything is temporary. Even his current job—running his sister’s animal rehab centre while she’s away on a four-month leave—is temporary. And he does know what he’s doing, thank you very much. Sure, things don’t always run smoothly, but the stick-in-the-mud next door could be a little nicer about it. One overheard conversation, an olive branch, and a baseball game might show these guys that being at odds isn’t really what they want, and that what they want might just be each other. [As Big as the Sky was first published in August 2017. This new edition has a brand new cover but no content changes.]