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Almost a year after the murder that shook Lobell College to its core, the start of a new academic year brings familiar faces back to the scene of the crime. Daniel Rosenbaum starts his first year as dean of the English department and takes a hands-on role in advising students. Lily Peterson and Gianna d’Angelo return to continue their undergrad studies after the death of the professor they were both in love with. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Hudson, Tony d’Angelo is working hard. With his sister back in college, it’s all hands on deck to keep his dad’s auto shop running and take care of his infant niece. He still finds time to spend most nights with his boyfriend, Daniel, although he can’t seem to find the words to talk to his family about his relationship. Tony’s life is exactly what he’s always wanted it to be—so why does he feel like he’s struggling to be himself? When a Lobell professor is once again found murdered, the idyll of the last months is turned on its head. Can Tony and Daniel stay out of harm’s way this time? Or will the fragile new peace they’ve found together be shattered? |
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Daniel Rosenbaum leads a predictable life. He’s a professor at Lobell, a small liberal arts college in the Hudson Valley, where he spends his days teaching classes and doing research alongside his friends and fellow professors, Colette and Mario. The biggest change Daniel’s routine has seen in years is when car trouble leads him across the Hudson and into an unexpected romantic encounter with local mechanic Tony. When tragedy strikes in the form of Mario’s murder, Daniel’s orderly life is thrown into chaos. Not only is his friend dead, it seems Mario was keeping secrets that could cause rifts in Lobell’s close-knit community. At first, Daniel’s intensifying relationship with Tony is the only way he can find solace from his grief and confusion. But all too soon, the trail of Mario’s secrets leads Daniel to the same place he’s been seeking comfort: Angel Automotive, the auto repair shop run by Tony’s family. Before long, Daniel is forced to question everything: his friends, his job, the way he lives his life, and the relationship he’s not even sure he’s in yet. Only one thing is for sure: Daniel is falling heart-first—in love or into mortal danger. |
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Two for Holding by S.B. Barnes Tom Crowler has been captain of the San Francisco Sea Lions for a decade of failures. With no cups or trophies to show for his time in the NHL, Tom retreated into himself a long time ago, and that’s exactly where he intends to stay until he retires. But when he catches the new team superstar, Jaxon Grant, in a compromising position, Tom finds it impossible to continue hiding his deepest secret behind a bland, pleasant mask. Jax is everything Tom isn’t: loud, flashy, the winner of multiple NHL Awards, and—oh, yeah—gay enough to get traded to San Francisco because of a potential PR scandal with his old team. At first, he thinks Tom catching him means the next trade, the next rejection for being just a little too much for other people to take. When it turns out the two of them have more in common than talent on the ice, though, Jax finds himself drawn in by pulling Tom out. As animosity gives way to a partnership neither of them saw coming, Tom and Jax are left facing new challenges. Will Jax’s impulsive nature put Tom’s deeply valued privacy at risk? Or will Tom’s reticence force Jax into pretending to be someone he isn’t? And if they can’t even figure each other out, how can they save a struggling NHL team from bad coaching and internal division? |
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Retelling of the classic Cinderella story, with a gender reverse and old money aesthetic. When a prestigious scholarship competition is announced by the renowned Lagen Institute for Music, Casimir sees an opportunity to be free from life within the Cruz Manor. He finds an unexpected ally in Erik, who appears to be disengaged with everyone and only broods in the school music room. As their bond deepens over their fervent passion for piano, dark secrets and unspoken burdens threaten to tear more than just Cas’ dream. |
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The Milkyway Hotel by Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud ; Marguerite Grimaud The day she loses her job and her apartment, a third surprise awaits Celeste Dorin: her great-aunt left her a hotel in a tiny town in the mountains. Is the universe nudging her—not very subtly—in a new direction? For the first time in years, Celeste ignores her anxiety and rushes to the French Alps. To Montlouis, where she has refused to go back since she was a child. Rose Beauvoir has two passions: chocolate and the stars. Or three, if you count Montlouis. The arrival of the clumsy Parisian disrupts her well-oiled routines, and she’d lie if she said she doesn’t enjoy the blast of fresh air. As Celeste learns about life at high altitude and Rose shares her love for her home town and its surroundings, the two women can’t deny the attraction blooming between them. The shift from Celeste’s boring yet comfortable life as a paralegal in the city to that of a hotelier in the mountains isn’t for the faint of heart, however. Will the beautiful scenery, the welcoming townies, and the deceptively reserved chocolatier convince her to stay? A sapphic tale of Christmas, swoon-worthy chocolate, and blessings in disguise. |
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I’ve never been one to stake my claim on a woman—until I meet the one who knocks me on my a** with a pretty smile and a mouthful of sass behind everyone’s back. Especially when this sweet thing isn’t afraid of me. Annalise Hampton is all the things a wholesome, small town girl is supposed to be: she’s pretty, she smiles a lot, she loves families, and she even has her own local business, a kid’s clothing shop. She’s nothing I should ever want, or ever touch. She was never made for me. Maybe that’s why I can’t keep my hands to myself around her. Maybe all the wholesome goodness is why I want to stain her with my brand of sin and make her mine. And the way she feels in my arms? Too f*cking good to deny. And everything is peachy, right up until I realize there’s someone else sniffing around her shop in the darkest hours. And she lets them in. I know that ink, and I know those marks. No way in hell am I letting someone else take what’s I’ve claimed. But then, that’s why I have brothers who will back me when I rain hell because someone dared touch the girl who belongs to me and mine. The Savage Kings MC isn’t just a club—it’s a brotherhood forged in blood, loyalty, and an unbreakable code. These men live by their own rules, protecting their territory and loved ones at all costs. Fierce. Possessive. Unyielding. In this scorching collection of standalone but interconnected romances, each Savage King faces his ultimate test—a love that threatens to unravel everything he thought he knew. From enemies-to-lovers showdowns to forbidden desires, and from runaway heroines to second-chance romances, these bikers don’t just take—they protect, defend, and fight for what’s theirs. |
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Puck Me Sideways by Sofia Aves Working alongside the hottest hockey team is her dream-right up until the most droolworthy defender on the ice does the one thing that ruins all her fantasies. He notices her. Hallie Newman has spent the last four months at the home of the Jericho Chimeras pretending not to exist. After all, the curvy marketing graduate knows exactly what it feels like to have her heart broken by a pro hockey player, and stomped all over by a puck bunny WAG wannabe. But when she finds herself in Solace Hunter's sights he leaves her no room to escape. He's been watching her for longer than anyone knows. Because Hallie is his obsession. And just like his job as goalie for the Chimeras, Solace takes the protection of what he considers his seriously...and he's already claimed Hallie whether she knows it or not. PUCK ME SIDEWAYS is a standalone dark romance read in Sofia Aves' JERICHO CHIMERAS ICE HOCKEY SPORTS ROMANCE world. |
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Beatrix Winslow-Hale, a celebrated author on the brink of mainstream breakthrough, has everything she needs in life: acclaim, a fiercely protective ride-or-die bestie to ensure she gets out of the house and into the most delicious trouble, and increasing ability to build worlds without support from her wealthy family. But in a city where all is possible, a new player emerges: Dorian Wolker, a man who doesn't take makes others want to be taken. As their dance of seduction moves from opulent penthouses to contracts and requests of surrender, Beatrix's world spins out of control. Yet her partner in crime, Manon De Rochemaure, a European billionaire heiress and supermodel who wields sensuality as rebellion, stands by her side as they plot a devastating comeback. AcClaim pulses with feminist punk spirit, as the two women strategically dismantle the patriarchy by wielding sensuality, brazenness, and the power of reputation as weapons proving that men only burn witches because they fear them. It's the perfect book for people who loved Penelope Douglas's Corrupt or Megan Nolan's Acts of Desperation. |
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Mountain Man’s Winter Wonder (Wildwood Valley Christmas Book 5) by Lilah Hart She’s spent her life living for everyone else. He makes her wonder if she could finally choose herself. I’d spent my whole life living for everyone else. Since the age of twelve, I’d worked in my parents’ restaurant—trading proms for late-night shifts, friendships for endless obligations, and love for a future I never chose. At twenty-three, I was still stuck in their dream, not mine, pouring my heart into crafting snow globes that captured the kind of family and freedom I’d never have. Then came the Wildwood Valley Christmas Festival. One careless moment—a pack of kids knocking over my display—sent my carefully built world crashing in pieces across the frozen ground. And that’s when he appeared. Buck. A mountain man with steady hands, eyes warm as melted chocolate, and a quiet strength that made me feel seen for the very first time. He didn’t just help gather broken glass—he saw beauty in what was shattered. He saw me. Mountain Man's Winter Wonder is an OTT age-gap holiday romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity ex-military, lumberjack romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Wildwood Valley Christmas series! |
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Ghost: A Small Town Age Gap OTT Instalove Biker MC Steamy Short Romance (Steelwood MC Book 1) by Julia Stone He stole her to save her. Now he can’t let her go. I found her by accident—just a glimpse during a job finished a few months back. One little discovery turned into an obsession. I told myself to forget her, but that was a lie I never stood a chance of keeping. When I learned her father planned to trade her to another club’s bastard, I couldn’t let it happen. So I took her. Now she’s here, hidden away in my world of smoke, leather, and scars. She looks at me like I’m her captor, and maybe I am. But I’m also her only chance. Every day she’s near, I lose another piece of the restraint I swore I’d keep. I can’t let her go—but I can’t let myself have her either. Because if I touch her, there’s no coming back from it. My whole life has been planned for me—every breath, every choice, every future moment dictated by my father. I never questioned it until Ghost tore me from that life and dropped me into his. He’s chaos made flesh—scarred, and dangerous—but somehow, he feels more honest than anyone I’ve ever known. He says he took me to protect me. Maybe that’s true. But the way he looks at me burns hotter than any lie. The longer I stay, the more I see the man beneath the rough edges—the protector, not the villain. Somewhere between fear and fascination, I start to fall. Ghost may have stolen my freedom... but he’s the first person who’s ever made me feel free. Each story in the Steelwood MC series is part of a shared storyline that is best enjoyed read in order. Each couple ends with a HFN ending that will result in their HEA by the end of the series! |
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Mediterranean Waves by L.E. Minx & T.J. Fox After over a year Sam has broken free of a narcissistic online lover, but mentally, a shell of who she used to be; Sam is lost. Her oldest friend, Nina, insists Sam take a healing journey to the scenic country of Greece. Sam’s hesitation about the journey melts away as she’s entranced by Greece’s lovely scenery, kind people, and gorgeous men, one in particular. Lucian, the sarcastic and flirtatious Florida boy, instantly charms Sam and offers a chance to step out of her comfort zone and experience the fun in life. “You’re thinking too much, Sam, life is an adventure, you should live it,” Lucian says and a sassy new friend, Jenny, agrees. Together, they take Sam on an awakening journey that changes how she feels about herself and life. When Sam’s heart is opened and she loves herself again, unexpected, perfect love finds her, now she must be brave enough to trust it. Mediterranean Waves is an adult Contemporary Women's Romantic Fiction novel featuring unconventional romantic relationships open door spice 4-5 level. It features an independent, sex positive FMC, and includes multiple lovers and friends. LGBTQ and CNM relationships present. |
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When nineteen-year-old Ellie Ioannides crosses paths with her enigmatic tutor, Alex Rodocanachi, she feels an attraction she cannot explain. Magnetic and terrifying. Alex is rational, disciplined, and the heir to a powerful Greek shipping dynasty. He is not the person she would expect to fall for. Yet, every glance they share feels deeply like fate. Every touch sparks something deep within her. Alex feels it too, but he’s convinced their worlds can never truly meet. Ellie tries to dismiss the recurring dreams that feel far too real. Yet a part of him lingers with her — waiting at the edges of her life like a promise left unsaid until fate brings them together on her university graduation.. At the start of a deeply passionate and electrifying love affair, Ellie begins to uncover the truth. Some desires are not new but remembered. Some bonds are not chosen but returned. Alex holds secrets that go beyond one lifetime. Those secrets could take her heart, her destiny, and everything she thought she knew about herself. From modern London to 19th-century Thessaly in Greece, beneath the shadows of Mount Olympus, The Thread Trilogy is a story of obsession, fate, and unapologetic passion where love is never truly lost; it is only waiting to be found again. Lyrical, romantic, and unforgettable, this story will obsess you and remain with you long after you turn the last page. |
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Reality With You by L.E. McQuinn Lights, camera…controversy? Lennon Young is a failure. Her marriage to her first love ended in under a year, and so did her first record deal. Now, a chance encounter throws her music career a life raft — but broadcasting all her failures on a reality show back in her home city of Arden Beach, Florida, isn’t exactly what Lennon had in mind. Especially when the producers discover her ex-husband is disgraced baseball star Dylan Strickland. As the son and grandson of two Arden Beach baseball legacies, all eyes are on Dylan to make a comeback from a major PR scandal. With an old family rival poised to seize team ownership, Dylan’s career needs to be his priority — but that’s what lost him Lennon the first time. Appearing on Arden Elite is a second chance to fix everything he’s broken. When “reality” TV turns out to be anything but, Lennon and Dylan learn the hard way that scandal sells better than sincerity. They’ll have to play this ruthless game right to avoid losing their reputations, their careers, and most importantly — each other. Reality With You is the first book in the Arden Beach series of interconnected standalone romance novels about the residents of a steamy South Florida city teeming with wealth, secrets, and scandal. |
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A One-Time Thing by Kate Hawthorne, E.M. Denning Gil Valentine knows three things: he doesn’t want kids, he doesn’t want a relationship, and he likes to be alone. He spends Sundays tinkering in the garage, cruising on his motorcycle, and enjoying the luxury of a bed that he doesn’t have to share. After his last relationship with his best friend’s brother ended in disaster and nearly cost him a friendship, Gil swore off anything that might lead to complications. Rowan Verne knows two things: being a single dad is hard, and being a single dad to a pre-teen is harder. After the death of his wife and a tough few years as a struggling single dad, he’s determined to give his son a better life in a new town. Between moving into a fixer-upper and handling the demands of parenting a twelve year old, he’s juggling more than he anticipated—and then his son turns up down the street, talking to a very handsome, and very single neighbor. Rowan is everything Gil doesn’t want and Gil is everything Rowan doesn’t think he needs. Even though they’re opposites, the chemistry between them is undeniable. What’s supposed to be a one-time thing quickly turns into something both men want to continue. And when tensions get high and memories from the past flare their ugly heads Gil and Rowan realize everything has changed, but they both know one thing to be true. Once is never enough. |
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"Monogamy is really a very modern, patriarchal idea," Harley said gently. "Humans were not designed to stay with only one person, that's a very repressive construct. This would be about increasing our communication skills and deepening our commitment to each other in a sustainable way." When handsome and charismatic marriage and family therapist Dr. Harley Donaghy announces on his famous podcast Self-Actualizing Your Way to Marital Delight, that he wants an open marriage, his wife Lily-Mae is stunned and blindsided. Afraid she'll lose her husband, Lily-Mae reluctantly agrees to try it out. But things don't go as planned for Harley when his wife starts getting a lot more attention than he does... |
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"Darling, I need my brilliant psychologist girlfriend to come down to Ashgrove Manor and verify that my son is not a psychopath..." When renowned abnormal psychology specialist Dr. Lark Lindeth reluctantly agrees to do her boyfriend a favor by interviewing his superstar hockey player son Gabriel and reassuring his team that he is sane enough to play, she has no idea what darkness and depravity waits for her behind the dripping stone walls of Ashgrove Manor... Author's this is a DARK Halloween horror romance and recommended for readers who love a fast pace, high spice, and unredeemable cruel villains who get a HEA. |
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The Twelfth Night Before Christmas by Keri Lane When she first put on the Santa suit, she never imagined she'd fall in love... Cheated on, unemployed, and apartmentless, Viola Pearson does the unthinkable: she agrees to pretend to be her brother at his job at Snowspruce Christmas Village Santa. That's right. She pulls the classic twin switcheroo. The job, though, offers more problems than Viola anticipated. From beard itch to demanding parents, she also has to contend with her unfairly handsome coworker, Duke, all while hiding the fact that she's a woman. Viola has twelve days-twelve days to either find her happy ending or watch her lies come crashing down around her. Either way, it'll end with a bang. The Twelfth Night Before Christmas is a sweet, Shakespeare-inspired novella that guarantees both a happily ever after and a merry Christmas. |
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The Wedding Night by Kati Wilde When an opportunity to take everything from the powerful family who destroyed his mother’s life falls into Caleb Moore’s lap, he needs help from the one person with more power and money than they have — business mogul, Audrey Clarke. The trick is getting her attention. So he approaches the infamous ice queen with an unusual proposition: marriage. The odds of a snowball surviving in hell are better than the chances of a rich, classy lady like Audrey Clarke marrying a mechanic from the wrong side of the tracks. He only hopes that she might consider a business partnership when she’s finished laughing at his marriage proposal. He never expects her to say yes — or that the ice queen could burn so hot. Because Audrey Clarke isn’t cold at all. And if Caleb’s not careful, the only thing he’ll give her for Christmas…is a broken heart. |
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Lizards Hold The Sun by Dani Trujillo Archaeology has historically been a field for white men only. Not anymore. Xiomara Chavez has dedicated her life to the preservation of her Mexican homeland. Out of hundreds of applications, she alone was selected to lead the creation of the Bunchberry Tribal Museum. Faced with her most remote project ever, Xiomara must rely on the help of Calehan, the aloof museum architect. Sparks fly in the archives as Xiomara struggles to refrain from dating in the workplace. Tight-lipped Calehan Yellowbird has been tethered to Bunchberry, Canada for a thousand years. After the loss of his mother as a teen, Calehan has been providing for his family more than half his life. While he earned his architecture degree nearly a decade ago, the Bunchberry Museum would be his first official project. The pressure was immense, and Calehan felt the pressure of this project being his first…and last. Romance and dreams weren’t in the cards for someone like him. For Xiomara though, he was willing to take the chance. Thrown among ancient artifacts, shooting stars, and cultural obligations, Calehan and Xiomara must decide if they belong to each other or if the responsibility to their tribes and families are where they must be. |
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Jason June meets F.T. Lukens in this YA debut that’s two parts fluffy romcom, one part contemporary fantasy, and all epic love story. First love is magic. Sometimes literally. Sixteen-year-old Phoenix “Nix” Ashwell has spent his whole life looking for his soulmate. He’s also spent that life living a lie. After discovering his parents kidnapped him as an infant, he runs away to a town built inside an ancient crater to search for clues about his past. And, no, he’s totally not there to look for a boyfriend. That is, until he meets Max, a boy straight out of his dreams. Okay, fine, he’s definitely there for a boyfriend. Desperate to be closer to Max, Nix takes a series of bizarre tests to get into the special program he’s part of. There’s just one problem: Max is magic. And, after unknowingly cheating on the tests, everyone thinks Nix is magic too—including a group of ex-students whose attempts to reveal magic to the world put Max in danger. Now Nix has way more to worry about than figuring out if Max is flirting with him or just super nice. He’ll have to find his own magic to protect the guy he’s falling so hard for he’s seeing stars. But then he learns his birth parents are hiding even more secrets than the ones he ran away from—one being that he was born to wield the most dangerous kind of magic. He’s faced with an impossible choice: risk the life of the boy he’s spent his whole life looking for or let him go to save him. What began as a quest to find where he belongs becomes a battle between the fire of who he is and the gravity of who he loves. |
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What Death Forgets by Thea Verdone Never meet your hero, don't tattoo his art all over your body, and definitely don't fall in love with him. When up-and-coming artist, Asher Blakely, is invited to compete for a prestigious art mentorship hosted by his hero, the reclusive celebrity artist Leviathan Marks, he’ll do whatever it takes to win. Because Asher isn’t just any fan. He’s spent hours of pain and thousands of dollars turning Leviathan’s art into tattoos on his skin. But the more Asher gets to know the mercurial Leviathan, the more he starts to fear that maybe he never should have met his hero, that maybe Leviathan is no hero at all. Lev Marks collects people like paintings and he’ll stop at nothing to add Asher Blakely to his halls. But after luring Asher to his ancestral castle perched atop a tidal island, Lev starts to have second thoughts. Because Asher’s art is a mirror showing Lev all the worst parts of himself, and he can’t risk his secrets getting out. What Death Forgets is an MM modern gothic romance featuring -master painter x art prodigy protégé -hurt/comfort -anxiety and ADHD rep -touch-starved MC -angst -age gap -forced proximity -creepy castle -limerence to insta-love -mutual obsession -spicy Perfect for fans of Saltburn, Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier, Sierra Simone's Thornchapel series, and A Picture of Dorian Gray. |
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Irresistibly Yours by Vicky Zarielle A billionaire CEO. A marketing exec with no time for distractions. And one sassy cat determined to cause chaos... Emma Harper didn’t plan on romance. She barely planned on surviving another Monday. But when her mischievous black cat, Ruby, topples coffee all over Havenport’s most elusive billionaire, Emma’s neatly ordered life takes a very unexpected turn. Nolan Pierce is powerful, polished and far too serious for his own good. The rules of his empire are simple: no distractions, no complications, no mixing business with pleasure. But Emma’s quick wit and gentle warmth prove harder to ignore than any boardroom negotiation. Between late night deadlines, awkward almost dates and a viral kiss cam that makes them the city’s favorite “secret couple,” Emma and Nolan find themselves caught in something that feels a lot like fate. And Ruby, the cat who sees everything, is determined to give them a nudge... or a shove. In a city that thrives on ambition and appearances, Emma and Nolan must decide if love is worth the risk. Because sometimes the greatest fortune isn’t in boardrooms or bank accounts, it’s finding someone who feels like home. |
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Just Like a Fairy Tale by Cameron James Luca‘s dreams are finally coming true when he secures a spot in the infamous Drag Club, The Rose Quartet. After years of perfecting his art, his moment is here but there’s still another first that’s niggling in the back of Luca’s mind: he’s never been in love. But maybe the beautiful boy who he’s certain would never like him back could change that. To Jackson, The Rose Quartet is like a second home having been raised amongst the fabulous Queens of the past, but his confidence has been shook after a disaster breakup he believes his demisexuality played a part in. With the health of his grandfather deteriorating by the day, Jackson doesn’t have time for the new Queen who’s catching his eye, right? Both have an undying love for drag which is ultimately what brings the two of them together, but will these two Drag Queens ever figure out what’s right in front of them? |
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At just 17, McKenzie Jackson took the world by storm with Dumpster Kid, his raw, unfiltered musical about survival, hope, and finding where you belong. Now, a decade later, the prodigy-turned-playwright is ready to reclaim his voice as his show gets a long-overdue revival. But this time, McKenzie won’t just sit back and watch—he’s making sure it’s done his way. Enter a nationwide talent search, a live reality competition, and one dangerously charming contestant who makes McKenzie question everything. Falling for him? Bad idea. Falling for him on national television? Career suicide. And when an unscripted, unapologetic gay kiss ignites both celebration and backlash, McKenzie is thrown into a firestorm he never expected. Meanwhile, 14-year-old Ben is ready to disappear. Bullies, school, and home feel unbearable, and he longs to be anyone but himself. When an opportunity brings him into the orbit of Dumpster Kid, he’s faced with a choice: run from the life he knows or fight for the future he never believed he deserved. Told through dual perspectives, Dumpster Kid is a story of love, identity, and the messy, beautiful chaos of finding where you truly belong. A celebration of art, queerness, and the family we choose, this heart-wrenching yet hopeful novel asks: what happens when the world finally sees you for who you really are? |
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Adolescent Summers by Cameron James Adolescent Summer has been lighting up screens for a whole decade – that’s ten years of Oz living it up in a fantasy world lightyears away from reality. But when production shut down during the global pandemic, Oz found himself with more free time than ever, giving him a chance to piece together parts of himself he’d lost. When Oz finally returns to the set after the lockdown, he’s in the midst of his own transformation. What he doesn’t realize is that he’s walking straight into a minefield of drama, one that feels all too familiar – just like the battle that erupted when his co-star, Quincy, came out as nonbinary years ago. Old wounds are ripped open, and feelings are hurt. And that’s just the beginning of the on-screen and off-screen drama. |
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Cassidy is Queen by Cameron James Cassidy is the Queen. Everyone knows Cassidy, right? Theatre star, VIP at every party, and boys wrapped around his little finger, Cassidy rules Ravenwood School for Boys, and it’s everything he’s ever wanted, isn’t it? After a mix-up in a coffee shop with Casper, a trumpet player from a rival school who isn’t under Cassidy’s spell, Cassidy starts to see his life for what it is: does he want friends or is he happy with followers? Can he trust the people closest to him? Should he continue a secret relationship with his theatre teacher? Is the word boy the right word to describe him? With the help of Casper, Cassidy begins to explore who he truly is and whether he even wants to be The Queen after all. For the first time, he lets himself fall for someone who shows him there’s more to life than fancy parties, expensive clothes, and a disposable income. |
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The Burn of a Bourbon Soaked Cherry by MJ Marlowe a queer, small town romance between a Trans M/Cis F, packed with high heat and a tender touch to soothe the burn ‘Thirty-five year old Hazel Vincent is no stranger to wanting things—she’s human after all, but a life of holding herself back has turned her apathetic. That is, until she unexpectedly sees him. Immediately drawn to the mysterious, older newcomer in the small town bar, Hazel decides she’s ready to take what she wants: starting with a night entwined in him. Except as her evening progresses with the gruff, yet tender cowboy, it’s clear to them both that their connection goes beyond something one night of passion can satisfy. Only problem is, neither one are looking for love.’ |
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Too Like the Lightning by Travis Beaudoin Andrew Madigan had everything he ever wanted. He’d worked hard to build this perfect little life. A stable relationship with a successful man. A beautiful home in a quiet suburb. And best of all, a job where he spent his days talking about literature. Then his tenure was denied and, too quickly for him to stop it, everything crumbled. Now, with his dreams in the dust and his confidence shattered, Andrew has one summer to figure out his next move. Bulbs, Florida, is like no place Andrew’s ever known. It’s small and provincial. It’s hot as hell. Storms roll through every single day. But Andrew just has to keep his head down. Finish his book, find a new job, put things back on track. Easy-peasy. He didn’t plan on making a friend. Coley Brandt has a green thumb and an easy smile. He’s much younger than Andrew, but he puts Andrew at ease, makes him feel at home. Their time together reminds Andrew what having a purpose feels like. Suddenly, this long, lonely summer feels too short. But Coley has dreams of his own, and they’re a million miles away from the life Andrew’s trying to get back. Maybe this is just a summer fling. Maybe, like the lightning, it’s only meant to be glorious for a moment before it disappears. Or maybe it’s something more. |
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Three weeks to fall in love … or lose it all. Dr. Ben Friedman’s mental health clinic, The Well Space, has helped hundreds of patients with mental health issues live better lives. But Ben doesn’t need any help for himself. He’s got it all under control, even though he suffers from worsening panic attacks and hasn’t been to the office in a month. Florist delivery driver Nell uses her green thumb and sheer optimism to get by, but under the surface, her roots are withering. The rent is late, her son is sick, and to top it all off, she woke up to an eviction notice. When she knocks on the wrong door and drops her flower arrangement, it’s just one more mistake to smooth over with a smile. But the grumpy, formally dressed man at the door sees right through her cheerful front. An unexpected connection sparks between them as Nell helps Ben through a panic attack on his porch. To thank her, Ben orders flowers for every patient in his practice. Nell agrees to deliver them—but only if he comes along for the ride. A blossoming attraction in the florist delivery van leads them to try a three-week trial run for dating. Three weeks to see if Ben can step out of his comfort zone, and if Nell can overcome her painful past and nourish her long-forgotten goals. |
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Lionheart by Melissa Fee Adkins She wasn’t supposed to fall in love on tour—especially not with her best friend. It’s the summer of 2005, and Kate Kingston is running from something—maybe grief, maybe herself—across the Midwest in a rundown van with her band, Lionheart. Every mile takes her deeper into a tangle of late-night gigs, half-healed heartbreak, and unresolved tension with Jake, her drummer and oldest friend. The plan is simple: survive the DIY tour, avoid her feelings, and definitely don’t fall into Jake’s arms, even if they already feel like home. But secrets don’t stay buried on the road. As their tour spirals through dive bars, motels, and the wreckage of everything unsaid, Kate and Jake must navigate what’s breaking them—and what might be worth saving. Lionheart is a slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance about found family, grief, healing through music, and the terrifying magic of letting someone see you—really see you—and love you anyway. |
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Leave a Light on for Me by Briar Holloway A year after her mum’s death, twenty-something trans woman Natalie Dawson is on a downward spiral, self-medicating with alcohol and binge-watching Buffy. She’s let her veganism lapse, abandoned her culinary dreams, and checked out of every connection she’s ever made. The present’s bleak, the future bleaker. Until she falls in love with Veronica, a woman twice her age who likes nothing more than to play games that would put Steven Shainberg’s Secretary to shame. After discovering a box of old mix tapes, Natalie’s convinced she’s found signs her late mum saw her as a daughter after all. A trail of pop songs and power ballads provide a lifeline, one that’ll see her exhume the role she played in her mum’s death, and bring Veronica’s own secrets to the surface. Splicing the complex romance of The Phantom Thread with the metaphorical ghosts of Six Feet Under, the novel is perfect for readers of Torrey Peters and Caroline O'Donoghue, and fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and My Year of Rest and Relaxation. |
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When the Leaves Fall by Chelsea Jean Drew’s world is forever changed when her mom collapses upon returning from their annual mother/daughter trip. Instead of flying back home to Colorado, she is staying in Wisconsin with her dad while her mom recovers. Luca chose to become a Critical Care Unit nurse because he knows how it feels for the world to fade away around you, and the only thing you can see clearly is the pain and stress of caring for a loved one. When the pair meets, they bond over their shared experiences, sweet gestures, and an undeniable attraction. But Drew lives states away, and Luca is on her mom’s care team. There is a boundary there that they know they shouldn’t cross. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to resist. |
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Mavis Meyers is thrilled to be teaching at her high school alma mater. However, organizing the end-of-year carnival might be enough to send her back to substitute teaching in Milwaukee. Who knew trying to get a group of teachers and parents to focus on the task at hand would be so hard? The most difficult person is none other than Lena Laei-Johnson, a local farm owner and co-chair of the carnival. She is used to taking the lead on planning the carnival and despises change. After the first planning meeting with Lena, Mavis understands why no one volunteered to take on this role. From the theme to the decorations, the two clash over every little detail. But underneath, a simmering attraction grows. Can the two women stop trying to be right long enough to notice how right they are for each other? |
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A Minor Inconvenience by Chelsea Jean At 30 years old, Murphie has everything she thinks she wants. A steady job, a handsome boyfriend, the best friend you could ask for, and her lovable dog. She isn’t ready for a minor inconvenience to be thrown her way. She is determined to make her relationship work and not get distracted by Gavin's thick arms, dimpled smile, and good heart; especially because she is his boss. 22-year-old Gavin is a senior in college with plans to attend veterinarian grad school in Scotland. And even though she has a boyfriend, he can't keep his eyes or thoughts off of Murphie—her flowing auburn hair and the freckles covering her nose and arms. He thinks she is the funniest and sexiest woman he’s ever met. She thinks he's too young. Can Murphie keep Gavin in the friend zone when he is determined to become so much more? |
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Soft Launch (Zeta Love Story #1) by Olivia Carter A high-heat, emotionally grounded queer romance about burnout, vulnerability, and falling hard—on camera and off. Remy: I wasn’t trying to go viral. I was just doing my job. Glitter, spandex, party chaos. Then suddenly I was internet famous, and everything got louder. Too many eyes. Too much pressure. I couldn’t keep up. Enter Karim El-Amin. Ex-wellness star. Content whisperer. Calm-in-a-storm kind of guy. He says he can help me build something sustainable. I’m trying to be cool about it. I’m failing. Karim: After I burned out, I swore I was done. No more cameras. No more public anything. Just yoga, hot tea, and quiet mornings above a queer café. Then Remy showed up. Loud. Glittery. Overwhelmed. He asked for help and I said yes. I thought I could stay detached. I thought I could keep it professional. I was wrong. Now we’re building something together. A platform. A relationship. A life. If we can stop spiraling long enough to hold onto it. Soft Launch is a high-heat, emotionally grounded queer romance about burnout, creator chaos, mutual support, and falling hard—online and off. It features slow burn to explosive heat, soft dom energy, neck kisses as a love language, and a tender third act separation with a guaranteed happily ever after. It’s book one in the Zeta Love Story series and can be read as a standalone. |
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Signing Off for the Summer by Alyssa Delle Palme Signing Off for the Summer is a romance novel about an overwhelmed radio journalist who withdraws from her toxic workplace, a bad relationship, and city life and escapes to her family’s cottage for the summer where she rediscovers her voice and the magic of falling in love. When Maggie Taylor, an up-and-coming journalist, suddenly quits a prestigious radio internship at 880 News in Toronto, she infuriates her close-knit family. Unbeknownst to her overbearing parents and controlling boyfriend, Maggie suffered a traumatic abuse of power when her boss propositioned her, and she is too ashamed to talk about it. She escapes to her grandmother’s cottage on Cedar Lake for the summer. There she finds solace and healing and begins to develop a close friendship with her cottage neighbour, Thomas. Everything takes a turn for the worse when Maggie’s aunt shows up with surprising news. More trouble follows when her former boss makes an unexpected return to her life, threatening everything Maggie has built with Thomas. In order to move forward, Maggie must face her past and learn to use her voice. |
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Derek and I have been best friends since we were kids. Now we’re halfway across the world on a gorilla-watching expedition in the Congo, and I’m finally working up the nerve to admit what I’ve been feeling for years. Somewhere amidst the jungle hikes, one bed, and far too many lingering touches, the lines between us start to blur and things start getting a little... slippery. The jungle is wild, but admitting my feelings for him might be the real adventure. Ripe & Ready is a friends-to-lovers, low-angst, 19k-word novella with a HEA and the wildly questionable use of a banana. It is the first novella in a series of queer love stories full of big feelings and extremely unconventional lube choices. Because who says silicone and water-based are the only options? |
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Swallows of Mostar by Neira Fazlovic Two years after she moved to Mostar, a historic small town in Bosnia and Herzegovina, eighteen-year-old Franka Garcia still struggles with loneliness, language barriers, and terrible grades. After she accidentally falls off the famous Old Bridge, Franka is rescued by Mirna, a wickedly intelligent, but exasperated teenager obsessed with cliff diving. Despite training all her life and frequently besting her peers, being a girl means Mirna can never participate in the centuries-old tradition of diving off the Old Bridge. But stubborn and determined Mirna won’t give up so easily. After Franka’s near-perfect accidental dive, Mirna reluctantly takes on the challenge of teaching her all she knows about cliff diving. If Franka and Mirna want to compete, they must enact their unorthodox plan to take down the patriarchal system forbidding them from diving. Falling in love was never part of the plan. |
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Between the Stacks: Stories of Lusty Librarians, Amorous Authors, & Bawdy Bookstores by Elisabeth Dove (Editor), Johannes T. Evans , Gemma Moon , A. Boss, Jack Stein , Day S. Grant , Achilles King , Cheeky Boutée The wet dreams of book lovers come to life in these seven erotic stories of library liaisons, bookstore hookups, and book convention orgies. Gay, straight, sapphic, cis and trans--everyone has a place between the stacks. Twenty percent of proceeds will benefit EveryLibrary, which supports libraries and fights censorship. A bookstore meet-cute gets steamy. Closeted gay men find connection in libraries. Roommates act out scenes from a smutty book. A man meets his favorite author—and gets invited to the author's dungeon. A she-orc uses books to send messages to her human crush in the university library. An orgy at a book convention turns into a backdoor gangbang for one author. |
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A Clean Pig by Johannes T. Evans Detective Inspector Phil Hutchinson, following up a last-ditch lead on an anonymous and impossible-to-locate narcotics distributor, attempts to get close enough to surveil her son, a young man called Adrian Gillespie, who uses a wheelchair. He gets closer than he intended, and is rewarded — and punished — as per. 13.6k, rated E, cis M/trans M. Written for an anonymous commission. Both parties are adults (49 & 27) and fully consenting throughout. Contains degradation and humiliation, age gap, dom/sub dynamics with the younger trans man dominating, mild cock & ball torture, sadomasochism, dirty talk, obedience & discipline, self-bukkake, mild drunkenness. Set in London in the 2020s. Set in my Magic Beholden universe, readable completely standalone. Phil Hutchinson is non-magical, but it is implied in several places that Adrian and his family are magical themselves. Work commissioned by an anonymous party. |
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Shattered Queens Series: Serena by Inez Ocon Serena Safe. Predictable. Logical. Numbers don’t hurt you. People do. I built my life on stability and earned my dream job as VP of Finance. I live in armor—my body trained, my mind guarded, my heart locked tight. Then Ian walks into my life. He says he'll protect me. He says he'll kill for me. But is he my savior…or my captor? And now, someone else is watching me, and I don’t know who’s more dangerous. Ian CEO. Heir. Killer. I erase anyone who threatens what’s mine. But nothing consumes me like her. Serena. My obsession. My undoing. Every step she takes is already under my watch. She thinks she rebuilt her life on safety. The truth? I am her safety—and her danger. Willing or not, she’ll belong to me. Because I’ll burn down this world before I ever let her go. |
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After years of being the quiet, “weird” gay kid with no friends, seventeen-year-old Alex Sato is counting the days until graduation. But when the ghost of handsome, popular soccer star Noah Thornbridge appears in Alex’s English class one morning, Alex grudgingly agrees to help him solve the mystery of his death. Unfortunately, there’s no sign of Noah’s body, and the last thing he remembers is hiking through the woods with two of his friends, who are also missing. With Noah’s friends’ lives on the line, Alex must push aside his introverted tendencies and better judgment to chase Noah into the woods that claimed him. There, Alex will face more than just the danger of following in Noah’s ghostly footsteps. He’ll face the greatest challenge of his life: not falling in love with a dead boy. |
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Noel I’m impossible to love. At least, that’s what my ex-boyfriend said after he moved out and left me short on next month’s rent. Luckily, I've found a sexy solution in the form of Luca, a tattoo artist looking for a place to crash. He’s older, hot, a little awkward…and he’s also in the middle of a divorce. Whatever. All I know is, my new roommate leaves me absolutely breathless. Our arrangement benefits us in more ways than one...as long as I can keep it together. He’s sweeter than I deserve, but that’s only because he doesn’t know how broken I really am. Once he figures that out, he'll leave. Everybody does. Luca Meeting someone like Noel is the last thing I expected after separating from my wife. But I can’t help being drawn to him. He’s gorgeous, talented, and unapologetically himself—something I’ve struggled with my entire life. Moving in with him may be impulsive, but it is convenient. And our chemistry is next level. Yeah, he’s bit of a brat, but this complicated man is showing me everything I’ve denied myself for years. Falling for him feels almost inevitable. But when my past threatens everything, it’s easy to fall back into familiar patterns—and playing it safe could cost me the one person who’s ever really seen me. SUCKER LOVE is a soft D/s, roommates-to-lovers MM romance between a bold art student and a closeted tattoo artist. Unraveling against the vibrant backdrop of Boston, Massachusetts, it's a love story brimming with drama and messy desire. |
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First Verse (Get your rocks off Book 1) by G Eilsel First Verse is a Friends to (one-sided) Hate to Love, bi-awakening MM Romance, packed with angst and steam. Eric My life is already complicated enough. Most of my waking hours are dedicated to my band, and we’re on the edge of making it big. It’s the stuff that dreams are made of. Until the day our drummer backs out, weeks before our tour kicks off. Just in time to save the day, in walks the one man I’d hoped to never see again. The one blip on my radar. The only man to ever break my heart. Dmitri What do you do when you have the chance to jump back into the life of the one that got away? The guy you never risked taking a chance with, because falling in love with your straight best friend is a recipe for disaster? You dive headfirst, not caring how much it’s going to hurt when you land. Six years apart hasn’t changed the way I feel about Eric, and it hasn’t changed the way he hates me. The more time we spend together, the more he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with me... and I’ll do anything to find out why. |
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Some Assembly Required: A Heartstrings & Coffee Beans Novel by Noah Bodie Liam Parker is a single dad navigating the chaos of life with his twelve-year-old son, Jack, in a world that seems determined to make things harder for them. Between juggling work, parenting, and the lingering scars of his past, Liam has little time for himself—until a chance encounter at Mocha & Magic, a quirky local cafe, introduces him to Quinn Maher, the enigmatic owner with a penchant for kindness and a complicated history of his own. |
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Shaun needs a new barista. Freddie needs a job. Exhausted, heartbroken and woefully understaffed, Shaun Harrison is at the end of his tether. All his life, Shaun has dreamt of owning his own coffee shop. Now his dream is real, it's quickly becoming a nightmare. Staff are quitting left and right, he hasn't had a day off since he opened, not to mention he's still reeling from a brutal breakup. When Freddie Young, a disarmingly handsome unemployed musician and self-confessed flirt-machine, walks through the café door one morning looking for a job, could it be Shaun's luck is finally turning around? Or are things about to get a whole lot more complicated? For fans of D.P. Clarence and Isabel Murray, Cream & Sugar is a cosy MM coffee shop romcom full of nice boys, pining, and a healthy dash of spice. Set in a fictional Scottish town in winter, it's the perfect read to snuggle up by the fire with, (while sipping a latte and eating shameless amounts of cake). |
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"Take Care" follows Amari Hawkins and Jamila Washington. He's a VP of Programming for a popular streaming service and she's an aspiring actress/cabaret performer. The last thing he wants is any sort of attachments and all she wants is a place to stay. All that changes from the moment they meet. It's a rom-com about letting go of past hurt with lots of high heat!! |
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Lila’s life is almost perfect. She’s finally opened her luxury sex shop and wellness center in a rehabilitated ancient temple. The painted faces are lining up to buy the new alchemical vibrators and unwind in the spa and baths. And she gets to work with her two best friends every day. So why is there an empty place in her chest? Enter Avisse, the delivery woman, a single mom with a quick smile and eyes that flash from hard to soft in an instant. There’s a spark, and a kiss, and a promise of dinner next time Avisse is in town. Until then, Lila’s got her hands full with the shop, not to mention the mystic portal she’s discovered in the temple basement. What lies beyond will turn their lives—and the World Within—inside out. This steamy sapphic fantasy romance stars a transfeminine heroine and includes meditation magic, alchemical trans healthcare, and family lost & found. The World Within is intended for an adult audience. Content warnings include explicit, consensual sex scenes, societal transphobia, and child peril. It’s set in the Weirdwater universe and includes some characters from The Living Waters and Unpainted but is meant as a standalone. |
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Where There Is Smoke, There Is Fire by Monique Fisher When Aaron "Smoke" Tompkins and Kara Matthews first meet sparks fly, but Kara isn’t looking for love having just ended things with her boyfriend. Aaron isn’t willing to give up, and their occasional casual hook-up quickly evolves. After a grave mistake that almost ends their relationship, he decides to fight for Kara. There’s no way he’s walking away now. Aaron may not be the type of man Kara saw herself falling in love with—a tattooed, strong silent type who’s rough around the edges--but he proves himself to be the type of man she needs. Their steadfast commitment to each other gets them through life’s rough patches and takes them on a journey they never expected… Where There is Smoke, There is Fire is a Black, contemporary take on the epic love story. Aaron and Kara’s journey is what happens after the “Happily Ever After.” |
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This Christmas by Monique Fisher THIS CHRISTMAS is about two former high school friends, Crispin Thomas and Sierra Williams who have been estranged for nine years. After being reunited due to Crispin—once again—needing Sierra's help, they work together in order to make sure the desserts for the Thomas' holiday gathering are ready and in the process, old wounds are healed and new love blossoms. This second chance romance features forced proximity, opposites attract, and of course an HEA. |
