Historical Genre

Word Count: Click here to reveal82298 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: “You are only a prisoner when you surrender.” The second novel in The Iron Warrior series continues the edgy pairing of Gristle and Wynn. The former soldier's young lover has been too shamed to admit he’d been raped when he’d been ambushed and almost killed by two villainous druids. Throughout a series of adventures, the men are kept from a healthy partnership by Wynn’s harboring his secret and by Gristle’s own jealousies and superstitions. The two lovers find adventures both perilous and humorous in their trip from Derry to the seacoast of Ireland, then on to Wales and finally to Tara, the scene of Wynn’s recent capture. Into the uneasy relationship steps another warrior…Dub, the Wise Man (Ollamh) of the high king of Ireland, who had befriended and healed Wynn in the earlier book. Weakened by jealousy, the unconquerable Gristle lowers his guard, and he is savagely attacked. Now Wynn must join with his old mentor Dub in trying to save his life. And even if Gristle can be saved, how can the lovers ever be happy under the shroud of suffocating jealousy and buried shame?

Word Count: Click here to reveal81000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Shirzah holds a position of honor as a Preparator of the Dead in the great Necropolis of Abdon. His skills assist souls in their journey to the next life, a worthy occupation. But when a body comes into his care bereft of its soul and heart, Shirzah finds himself launched into a chaotic web of murder, intrigue, and fearsome events that force him out of his comfortable, pleasant existence, and give him no choice but to seek out a former friend, lost years ago to the service of the gods. The priest Set-Imbe holds power now, as a priest of the Fourth Rank. Kept to the Pantheon grounds by binding oaths, trained to serve the god Toth, still Seti is delighted when his old friend Shirzah seeks him out, ending eight long years of loneliness and separation. Their joyful reunion nearly overshadows the reason behind Shirzah's visit, all the more so when their old friendship bursts into a new flame of forbidden passion. Frightened by the strength of his attraction to Seti, Shirzah nearly abandons his attempt to secure the priest's help. But the horror of desecrated bodies drives him forward into a whirlwind of events. A demon terrorizes the town of Abdon, feasting upon souls. And a purely inner demon torments Shirzah, as he realizes the strength of his love for Seti, a thing forbidden by his entire society.  And what of the gods? Once, they walked the streets of Abdon, but they haven't been seen in decades. Even the highest ranking priests have had no contact with their deities beyond vague, fuzzy visions once in a while. Where are they now, when a demon is feasting upon their followers? Shirzah and Seti discover an underlying web of corruption powered by death and greed in their quest to defeat the demon and free their missing gods. Will they succeed in saving Abdon and its people? And more, will Shirzah overcome his fears of the love he feels for Seti?

Word Count: Click here to reveal104842 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A linguistic genius, Portia Sebring is recruited to decipher Russian codes for the Venona Project. While at Arlington Hall, she meets Nigel Mann, a CIA officer known as Mr. Freeze. Portia’s father is behind the meeting. Rumor has it she’s a lesbian, and in the late ’50s, her sexuality could negate any veracity to the codes she deciphers. A match with an equally cold man who won’t distract her from her work seems the ideal solution. But Portia and Nigel develop strong feelings for each other and marry to start a family. However, the lifetime together they anticipate is cut short when Nigel’s jet crashes. Devastated, but with a young son depending on her, Portia has no choice but to go on after Nigel’s death. Her son Quinton joins the US Equestrian Team for the 1980 Summer Olympics, but doesn’t compete due to the government’s boycott of the Games. To distract him, Portia takes him to France, and it’s there that Quinton first feels an attraction for someone of his own sex. Since Portia herself had a same-sex affair in her early twenties, she’s very accepting of this. Along with her trusted bodyguard Gregor, she watches as Quinton finds a career in the intelligence community, following in her footsteps, and also finds a partner worthy of his love. She’s happy for her son, but sure that she won’t love again, since Sebrings have their “one” and she's lost hers. But is she right?

Word Count: Click here to reveal91,916 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Johnny Smith's luck has been bad from the moment the Stock Market crashed and he'd been forced to leave an exclusive boarding school, and he sees no reason to believe it will ever change. But then he meets Church Chetwood, a dashing, devil-may-care director of motion pictures, and his life is turned topsy-turvy when Chetwood takes him along on what the man promises will be the adventure of a lifetime. Johnny doesn't care, as long as he's with his Mr. Chetwood. The year before, Church had hired Captain Johansen to take him to the mysterious island of Iwi Po'o on the tramp steamer August Moon. There he'd found and captured a sabretooth tiger and brought the animal back to the States. "Chetwood's Kitty," so dubbed by the press, is the reason he has to leave New York so precipitously -- people had died and the law is after him. The only bright spot is the kid he'd come across in a saloon. Church thinks he's had the best idea of his life when he decides to take Johnny along with him to the South Seas. He and Captain Johansen plan to make a living transporting goods from one island to another, and they have every intention of avoiding Iwi Po'o. But a treacherous stowaway has plans to take the August Moon for himself, and convinces the men to mutiny. Johnny, Church, the skipper, the ship's cook, and the wireless operator, accompanied by the little girl Johnny had rescued from prostitution, find themselves in a lifeboat, with Iwi Po'o the only spot of land. The last time Church was on this island, twelve men lost their lives to what lived there. Will Johnny, Church, and their friends somehow manage to make it our alive this time?

Word Count: Click here to reveal105,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Soulmates across time. Two hearts that were meant to be together. In present day, Zach takes a road trip to Trinidad to find information on a missing friend. In 1892, Layton Blue, outlaw, longs for hearth and home even as he treasures his life of freedom. A freak rainstorm washes Zach’s car into a ditch, sending him back to the year 1892. Searching for help, alone and on foot in the middle of the nowhere, he crosses paths with the famous Ketchum Gang. Now the gang’s prisoner, Zach’s fate is to be sold at a seedy auction for whores. Layton is put in charge of making sure Zach does not escape, but as the chemistry between them grows, Layton finds himself wanting to help Zach. Can Layton overcome years of being on the run? Can Zach accept help from an outlaw? A male/male time travel romance complete with fast rides across the desert, campfires beneath the stars, cool water in the desert, wild rescues, and true love across time.

Word Count: Click here to reveal73994 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Who do you trust when no one is who they seem? Germany 1944 Fleeing German physicist Dr Kristopher Lehrer and his lover, Resistance fighter Michel, are caught up in an Allied bombing campaign.  Separated from Michel after discovering an injured RAF pilot in the Black Forest, and pursued by the SS for the information he carries, Kristopher is frantic to reunite, unaware that Michel has been recruited by the Allies for a rescue mission. Time is running out. The Gestapo is closing in. How can they decide who to trust, when the dagger pointed at Kristopher’s back could be wielded by a friend? Author’s note: This is the third edition of Winter Duet. The first and second editions were released by another publishing house.  This story has been re-edited, and uses UK spelling to reflect its setting.

Word Count: Click here to reveal87400 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay, Genderfluid, Genderqueer (Click here to hide)

Summary: A winter storm blows through Salem, Massachusetts, setting young witch Alexander MacBeth on a perilous path to adulthood as his dying mother gifts him an heirloom and pleads for him to use it to survive. To do so, he will need to perfect his inherited witchcraft to protect himself from those who want him dead. In his journey to adulthood, he falls in love with dashing nobleman Crispin Nottingham. Abandoned by Crispin and pursued by the Puritans, he finds he must harness the wind to assist his escape and flee his homeland aboard a pirate ship led by the handsome captain, Henri the Twisted. Struggling against distrustful pirates, an evil witch, and his continued longing for Crispin, Alexander sharpens his magical skills and falls into a romance with Henri. Chaos and danger confront him at every turn, even as he searches for love and belonging. A new sail on the horizon may signal hope or more danger than ever before—if Alexander can survive to meet his future.

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

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

Summary: Falling in love is easy, but staying in love... In a 1980’s alternate universe, ex-Necromancer Frank Hope quit his job at a corporation that slays demons for fuel to be with his onetime demon familiar, Kasimir. Now the lovers are being pursued by Frank’s ex-colleagues, a host of demons, and Demon Hunters. Frank and Kasimir must do everything they can to escape, but will their budding relationship survive the struggle? Determined, prickly Frank is trying to protect his lover, Kasimir, from Demon Hunters and Necromancers while rescuing his mother, who is suffering from dementia. At the same time, he battles doubts about his and Kasimir’s relationship. Will it last? Will he screw it up like he seems to do everything else? Does an ex-villain like him even deserve happiness? Kind, gentle Kasimir is an Eternal, called a demon by every human on Earth except his beloved Frank. Being far from home and chased by people who would kill him and use his essence for fuel is only bearable because he is with his lover. Everything seems to be against them, but his and Frank’s fated love for each other is unshakable. Or is it? This is the second book of the Love Songs for Lost Worlds Trilogy. It weaves paranormal gay romance with themes of redemption and true love.

Word Count: Click here to reveal110000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Courage. Honor. Loyalty. All fine things, but they’ve led John Ringo to kill a man. He was raised right and he knows he’s not a murderer, but it’s already too late. He’s lost his soul, and his demons are real. Doc Holliday is fascinated by this man who claims to have a demon lover – the son of the Devil, no less! Doc promised himself a few months of debauchery before he meets up with his dearest friend, Wyatt Earp – and the troubled Johnny Ringo is as dissolute as Doc desires. In between times they talk, and Doc suspects that he alone can see Ringo’s complexities and help him understand himself. The affair grows dangerously close to meaning something… But Doc’s deep-seated love for Wyatt outweighs his affection for Ringo, and they part, despite Doc assuming that Wyatt will never return his feelings in kind. Which leaves Johnny Ringo prey to his demonic distractions. Imaginary or not, if this creature abandons him, too, then surely his sanity is forfeit – and what will his life be worth then? This Queer Weird West novel follows these three along the complex trails that lead into and out of Tombstone, Arizona in 1881.

Word Count: Click here to reveal127000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: “There’s no deal unless you tell me who killed Lucretia, Thomas! For the love of God, I have to know—” “She was shot by an assassin.” “But who was this assassin? Who shot her?” he demanded again angrily, leaning forward over the table. “I did,” I said, after a suitably dramatic pause. He threw his head back and laughed loudly, his arms crossed on his chest. “You?” he said once he’d regained his breath. “You? Thomas Haupner, the violinist? The would-be army officer from some stupid, derelict relic of the British Empire, a trained assassin?” After returning from a secret mission in occupied France for His Royal Highness, George, the Duke of Kent, Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Haupner is looking forward to a cup of tea, a hot bath, and the sleepy head of his American lover, Major Henry Reiter on his shoulder when he wakes up the next morning. However, along with items Tommy has recovered for the duke, he has also discovered a secret stash of documents, which, when opened, prove to be a poisoned chalice. Tommy and Shorty find themselves caught up in a dangerous web of lies, enemy agents, assassins, and traitors. In an effort to save the reputations of not only their friends, but men and women high in both society and in the government, they themselves become victims of I.K.S., a former World War One international extortion ring, which has risen, phoenix-like, from the ashes of bomb-devastated London.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: London, 1845 It's December, Alan "Aigee" Garmond's favorite time of the year, when the window display of the small bookshop where he works fills up with crimson Christmas books and sprays of holly. Everything could be perfect — if it weren't for handsome Christopher Foreman, the brilliant writer for the fashionable magazine About Town, who has taken an inexplicable and public dislike to Aigee's book reviews. But why would a man such as Foreman choose to target reviews published in a small bookshop's magazine? Aigee is determined to find out. And not, he tells himself, just because he finds Foreman so intriguing. Aigee’s quest leads him from smoke-filled ale-houses into the dark, dingy alleys of one of London's most notorious rookeries. And then, finally, to Foreman. Will Aigee be able to wrangle a Yuletide truce from his nemesis? WARNING: Contains a very grumpy writer, snarky Victorian book reviews, a scandalous song, two men snogging, and fan-girling over Punch. ~~~~ "Yuletide Truce is warm and cozy, just what I want out of a holiday romance. Aigee is a total cinnamon roll and it was lovely to see him happy." ~ Cat Sebastian "Sandra Schwab's Yuletide Truce is charming and witty, and I thoroughly enjoyed the peep into Victorian literary culture. The relationship between the proudly self-made Aigee and carelessly arrogant Foreman unfolds through dueling book reviews and salon repartee, but also in wonderfully drawn London streets and rickety boarding houses. The cross-class romance is a terrific cup of holiday cheer." ~ Emma Barry