Contemporary Genre

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.

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

Summary: When humans forsake the temples, the gods need to find other employment. Hades opens Brandywine Investigations after his divorce and his subsequent move to the modern world. If he was hoping for boring infidelity cases and lost dogs, he’s sorely mistaken as murder and mayhem find his agency and his extended family at an astonishing rate. Includes: Canines, Crosshairs & Corpses: Brandywine Investigations #1 No Enemy But Time: Brandywine Investigations #2 Dragons, Diamonds & Discord: Brandywine Investigations #3

Word Count: Click here to reveal52663 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Past crimes, present danger With a new Police Scotland job, a new-ancient home, a loving pet, and a fresh outlook, Rory and Alex are almost ready for their marriage—as soon as bonnie Scotland can figure out how to do it. Working on the restoration of an old Jacobite tower house, they find evidence of a serious crime. But with no handy forensics lab on the wind-swept heathland, they don’t know whether it happened recently, or a hundred years ago. For his part, Alex’s new duties also mean a new identity, as he follows the trail of drugs and dirty cops. Former playboy Rory is anything but a detective. But with Alex tied up in his current job, he finds himself chasing down clues to a mystery lurking in Brash Tower itself.  Their independent investigations uncover some startling secrets—and a source of immediate peril—as Brash Tower becomes once again a fortress against brutal enemies. Will Rory and Alex ever tie that infernal knot—or will the high moor become once again a desolate reminder of what might have been?

Word Count: Click here to reveal56000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: In a near-future United States where slavery is alive and controlled by an organization known as the Circle, Avery Tulano is up for sale yet again—and it might very well be his last time on the auction block. As a young man, he signed his life away in a contract willingly, driven by the desire to escape his life. Now, eight years later, he's broken, battered, and sick from a life of unspeakable horrors. When the bidding starts as low as $200, it may as well be a death warrant. Enter Conrad Fisher, a corrupt ex-cop discharged from the force who runs a failing private detective business. His wife died chasing one final high and he's been in a state of isolated depression ever since. He's only at the auction to help his journalist daughter Christina get a scoop on the Circle. When he sees Avery up for bid at such a low price, however, it's an offer he can't refuse and before he knows it, he's walking out of the auction house as Avery's new owner. It's a mistake. Slavery is wrong. Conrad can't afford to keep him anyway, no matter what strange connection they find in each other. But even if a real relationship was possible, a life of drugs, alcohol, and bad decisions is rapidly catching up with both of them—if the Circle doesn't kill them first.

Word Count: Click here to reveal75230 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Should falling in love really get in the way of your lifelong dreams?  Sebastian Saunders is 3000 miles away from home. Working for his father’s expanded business in New York, he's left behind the music career he craved, the friends he relied upon and possibly the love of his life. In a city that never sleeps, how can the nights cure a broken heart? Jay Ruttman is in London, throwing himself harder into football and his quest to make it on the professional playing field. Locking himself back in the closet, how can he ever open the door, and his heart, again? A chance encounter in New York where Jay and Seb rekindle their lost romance sets them both on a path to self-discovery and coming to terms with their past, their present and their future. This is the second part of the District Line serial, where half-time oranges are swapped for the Big Apple.

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

Summary: From the frying pan into the fire. After a critic’s review attacks both Chef Liam Walker’s culinary skills and his personal life, Liam can no longer take the heat of the cutthroat New York City restaurant scene. He needs to get out of the kitchen—at least long enough to cool down and regroup. At the Overlook Resort in North Carolina, Liam meets owner Carter Galloway. Carter has a passion for the hospitality business to rival Liam’s own, and it’s not hard to see where their shared interests—and attraction—could lead. But Carter has no interest in a fling, and Liam has no intention of walking away from the career he fought so hard for. If they want a taste of happiness together, they’ll have to find the courage to break the bonds threatening to pull them apart.

Word Count: Click here to reveal103000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Sometimes a single moment defines a man For homicide detective Mac, it's been a good year. Having Tony to go home to makes him a better cop and a better person. For Tony, it's been hard being in love with a man he can't touch in public. Evasions and outright lying to friends and family take a little of the shine off his relationship with Mac, but Tony is determined to make it work. As the Minneapolis Police Department moves into a hot, humid summer, Mac is faced with a different challenge. A killer has murdered two blond women, and the police have no real clues. Mac hates to think that another murder may be the only way they'll make progress with the case. But when that murder happens, it hits close to home for Tony. And suddenly Mac faces an ultimatum: come out into the sunlight and stand beside Tony as his lover, or walk away and live without a piece of his heart.

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

Summary: Luke Bell Three years after leaving a life on the streets behind, Luke is in his first relationship with Sarah, a woman he met on his University course. When they unexpectedly break up, Luke has to deal with the fallout: cyber bullying and questions about his past. Struggling to deal with what the bullying brings up, Luke meets the teaching assistance on his course, and a close friendship develops. As they grow closer and emotions deepen, Luke questions the decision he made never to have a gay relationship. When Luke realises that he is in a relationship, he needs to decide to continue and face the shadows from his past or walk away and never look back? Krish Bashir Krish, an openly gay man, has been attracted to Luke since the first moment he saw him in the lecture hall. Knowing Luke isn’t gay, and in a relationship with a woman, Krish is surprised when Luke is suddenly single and the victim of a bullying campaign. As Krish supports him through this difficult period in his life, they gradually become closer. When’s Krish’s parents express their concern over their developing relationship, Krish has a decision to make. Does he stay with Luke or does he walk away?

Word Count: Click here to reveal118461 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Saul Reynolds manages a busy bicycle shop in downtown Boulder, Colorado. A recent CU graduate, he’s also a Dom, and has many friends his age in the scene. Saul’s an old soul, and even at twenty-five, he’s had enough experience to understand his own desires. He’s had plenty of lovers and he’s played the role of part-time Dom, but he’s never found the perfect combination of lover and sub in one man. Troy Finch lost his lover in a rodeo accident twenty years ago, moved to Boulder, and has worked as a line cook in his friend Carter’s diner ever since. He’s attended many parties at Carter’s home with couples in the BDSM lifestyle and feels comfortable in a submissive role, but without a Dom of his own, Troy hasn’t explored what that really means to him. He has needs he doesn’t entirely understand and finds his only outlet at the hands of Carter’s husband, Geoff, a tattoo artist who has used Troy’s skin as a canvas for as long as they’ve known each other, covering Troy in colorful, intricate triskelia. Troy doesn’t know what he was thinking accepting a dinner invitation from a kid half his age, but everything feels right about their evening together, including Saul’s Dominant side. The rules for a twenty-five year old gay cowboy from years ago, though, are totally different than for a twenty-five year old college grad in Boulder now, and despite Saul’s confidence, Troy isn’t sure whether they can make it work. Saul and Troy manage to bend a good many rules in the name of caring and compromise, but in the name of love, there are some rules they’re just going to have to break.

Word Count: Click here to reveal23,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Paul Xiao considered himself lucky. He'd lost his husband after a grueling battle with cancer, but they'd had twenty-two years together. After six months, he started to live his life again, the parts of it he'd lost touch with during that five-year battle, the parts he could carry on with alone. Then he went to a fine-art miniatures show and met the painter Kevin Park. Before he knew what he was doing, Paul had invited Kevin to join him and his friend Patrick for dinner. And Kevin, who'd been so strongly attracted to Paul that he'd held those two paintings, hoping he would come back around and they could talk, said he would. Three months of cautious dates later, Paul asked Kevin for help with his home yoga practice. It was logical; that was Kevin's profession. But he was hoping that opening the door to his home would mean opening other doors too. After a lifetime of compromised relationships, Kevin was almost afraid to hope. There was just so much between them that was right. If they could find the right balance and breathe into this, maybe they'd both find space in their lives for love.

Word Count: Click here to reveal10000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: It’s been a few weeks since my son Logan came to work with me. What a wild, filthy day that turned out to be! Seven horny lumberjacks with nothing to do and a smooth twink with a needy hole―I was amazed Logan didn’t walk bowlegged after the pounding he took. Afterwards, he asked me if we could have my brother over for some quality “family time,” just the three of us, and... today is that day! Note: Definitely no need to read Logjammin' first to know what's going on. I promise you that these aren't exactly plot-heavy books. 😉

Word Count: Click here to reveal128000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Cary “Sol” Solomon isn’t just in a slump—he’s a mess. His stats have plummeted. Fans hate him. After he caps off two awful seasons with a catastrophic playoff flop, his team is done with him. Worse, thanks to his downward spiral, the addiction that’s nearly cost him his career before is rearing its ugly head. As luck would have it, though, the Seattle Sasquatches are desperate for goalies. When they snatch up Sol off waivers, maybe he has a chance to turn things around… if he can stay sober and get back on his game. Except Sol isn’t the Sasquatches’ only new netminder. Once destined for the hall of fame, Josh O’Brien is a trainwreck thanks to an injury and a messy divorce. His illustrious career is a disaster, and now he’s an unrestricted free agent who nobody wants to sign. He’s on the brink of losing the only thing he has left: hockey. Then Seattle comes knocking with an offer he can’t refuse: a huge pay cut, but a shot at redemption. One that means being teammates with the ex whose name still raises Josh’s hackles all these years later. Now Josh and Sol are stuck on the same team, proximity dredging up emotions they’ve both kept buried for years. Which wouldn’t be so bad if the only things coming to the surface were anger and resentment. As they remember all the sparks and feelings that once drew them together, neither can decide which is worse—being together or apart. And that’s before Sol’s old demons start showing up. But they’re not just coming for him this time. Brick Walls is a 128,000 word contemporary gay hockey romance. Content Warning: On-page struggle with cocaine addiction. If you would like clarification or other additional information about this content warning, please feel free to email the author at gallagherwitt at gmail dot com.

Word Count: Click here to reveal42000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: What do you get when you mix a pro snowboarder with a music equipment salesman and his kid? --I don't know, but it's bound to be a good time. Griffin had no idea how hot Zane McDonnell was until he witnesses the famous sports stringer interview him. The snowboarder is charismatic and kind of adorable. When Griffin is encouraged to pursue the vibrant man, he decides to go for it—he needs adult fun in his life. Zane figured Griffin would be fast and fun -- exactly how he likes his lovers and his life. He was wrong. Griffin slips past his defenses faster than the downhill competition at the X-games. His friends might call him Big Mac, but inside he’s tiny and afraid. Despite that, he's tempted to stick around and see what happens, but the reality is nothing is permanent. Griffin's not about to let Zane take the easy way out. He can easily see Zane is making a rookie mistake. Will the snowboarder let himself fall for the solid father or will he blow his turn? Tags: sports romance, snowboarding & outdoor fun, music, single father, travel for work, merging lives.

Word Count: Click here to reveal79000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Jackson Young and Fletcher Doherty are back in London and on a mission—to bring to light the murky underbelly of the Charles Payne media empire and, in doing so, get justice for the murder of Tallulah Payne. It's not a simple task though. They need proof. They need people to speak up. And they need to keep their hands off each other long enough to track down the other manipulated Lotus Flowers, convince them to come forward and find a way to bring it all to the public. Not so easy when they're up against the most powerful men in London who are determined to separate and silence them by any means possible. It's a race against time, with a deadline not only on their story or their growing relationship but on their entire lives.

Word Count: Click here to reveal12,051 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: After being in both a romantic and D/s relationship for more than three years, Royce Cunningham and Jack Parker have decided to take the next step and move in together. What neither of them could have ever predicted was a global pandemic complete with a quarantine and social distancing to happen around the same time. Now they're struggling to navigate through these trying times while also dealing with the normal stresses of learning to live together. In doing so, they've unintentionally let a few cracks run through part of the foundation of their relationship. It'll be up to the both of them to recognize what they need, and maybe a special quarantine-edition playdate or two, to patch up those cracks and remind themselves that even in a world of new normals, they can still be the same to each other as they've always been.

Word Count: Click here to reveal56385 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Some inheritances are to die for. Merida Roark was happy, leading an ordinary life as a bike mechanic at Scratchin’ Gravel Bike Shop in Summit Springs, Colorado, far away from her estranged family, and the past she thought long buried. Until the day an envelope arrives with an unexpected inheritance. Tam Grimes was an FBI profiler before a serious work injury ended her career. She moved to Summit Springs for a fresh start in the peace and quiet. Falling in love was not part of her plans, but when a bike chain eats her leg and Merida patches her up, Tam finds herself drawn to the beautiful mechanic. Their fragile relationship is tested when Merida’s home is savagely vandalized. The police have no leads, but it doesn’t take Tam long to realize the threat to her new lover is connected to her hidden past. When things go from disturbing to dangerous, Tam must use all her skills to untangle this web before someone removes Merida from the equation…permanently.

Word Count: Click here to reveal66000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Greyson Hayden wants to prove to his ex that he's made it. He's a successful stock contractor with a couple of million dollar bulls, a ranch owner with more acres than he can count, and he stopped drinking when Kyler kicked him out. He's had a lot to prove, but now he's back in town to show Kyler that he has. And maybe rub it in. The hardest thing Kyler Lassiter ever did was let Greyson go, and he's lost a lot in his life, right up to his legs in a terrible accident. He's willing to let Greyson one up him if it makes the man feel better, but when fate throws them together again in the most bizarre way, Ky isn't sure he'll survive it, or having to lose Greyson again when it's all said and done. Can these two hardheaded cowboys learn to forgive each other, and themselves in time to find something lasting, or are they more broken than broken in? This is a MM cowboy romance with tough love, tough luck, and lots of learning to be something new.

Word Count: Click here to reveal43000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Lance and Billie met and fell in love over their mutual love of food and their drive to have a successful business in the small town of Stoney Brook Maine. Both are driven to succeed, but now it’s time for a vacation, a real vacation. Billie plans a trip to Dublin, Ireland to explore Lance’s Irish roots, he takes a little convincing. But when Billie tells him they’ll be spending time with an uncle who also runs a small café, it’s more than Lance can resist. They spend their days trying new foods, exploring ancient wonders, and meeting more new relatives than either of them could have imagined. And at an ancient castle, Lance discovers that everything he needs is right in front of him. What starts as a vacation ends up being life changing, and something Lance and Billie will never forget. #VacationRomance #WorkplaceRomance #MMRomance #GayRomance #FriendsToLovers

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Summary: Clement Constantine-Church is a hot mess. With deadlines to meet. Whereas the striking Viking redecorating his seaside cottage is simply hot.   As a precocious teen, Clem wrote a best seller. Now he writes for other people. Too busy contemplating his bleak career and panicking about pretty much everything, he doesn’t notice that the gorgeous surfer slapping paint across his bedroom walls has a top-notch flirting game. Nor that the body hidden underneath his white overalls should come with its own government health warning.   Anyhow, apparently the Viking is straight.   After one too many unwise hookups, Ragnar Aleksander Sigurdson Eggebraaten needs to lay low and avoid romantic entanglements. Which means there is zero chance he’d ever fall for a lonely writer. Not even if they pretended to be fake boyfriends during a weekend trip to London. Not even if there was only one bed. And especially not if he’s planning on leaving England at the end of summer to fulfil his dream of setting up a surf school.   Can surfer Vikings fall unexpectedly in love? And are failed writers allowed to write their own happily ever afters?   Brushed With Love is a warm and funny romance set in the UK. Trigger warnings include cosmic lizards, feisty octogenarians, and a spoiled shiatsu.

Word Count: Click here to reveal73000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Alec I don’t do love. I don’t do relationships. What I do is tour with my band and enjoy the life we worked so hard to earn. When I’m home, my favorite escort is always happy to join me in bed. Except he’s not an escort anymore. He has, however, hand-picked someone to replace him. I’m dubious because I hate change, but I’ll give this new guy a chance. And I will not fall in love with him. Bryce This escort gig is seriously intimidating, and the last thing I expect is for my first client to be a literal rock star. No, scratch that—it’s the second to last thing I expect. The last thing? How fast and hard I’m falling for him. Gentlemen of the Emerald City Bryce is Book 3 of Gentlemen of the Emerald City, a sexy series centered around the high class, high-dollar Gentlemen of Seattle’s most exclusive escort service. Each book is full of snark, sass, and sweetness, and like any Emerald City client, you’re guaranteed a happy ending.