Contemporary Romance books

415 Ink: Book Three

From the moment SFPD Detective Ruan Nicholls meets Ivo Rogers, he knows the tattoo artist is going to bring chaos to his neat, orderly life. A hellion down to the bone, Ivo is someone Ruan not only doesn’t understand, he’s not even sure he needs to. Everything about Ivo is vibrant, brash, cocky, and arrogant, and Ruan wants no part of him.

Or at least that’s the lie he tells himself when he damps down his desire for the social wild child life tosses into his path.

For Ivo Rogers, life revolves around two things—his family and 415 Ink, the tattoo shop he co-owns with his four brothers. His family might be stitched together by their battle scars from growing up in foster care, but their brotherhood is tight—and strong enough to hold Ivo together during the times when he falls apart.

Now Ivo faces a new challenge when he falls for a cop with an old-school mentality on how a man looks and acts. Ruan is the promise of a life Ivo thought he’d never have, but their clashing perspectives threaten any chance of a relationship. Being the family’s hellion makes it easy to be misunderstood, yet Ivo has faith Ruan will not only embrace who he is but love him as well. 

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A Coastal Carolina Novel

The first step is the hardest. After a scandal, New York political reporter Reed Barfield is lying low at the North Carolina coast, writing a story about the seafood industry. But it’s the harbor pilots on the Cape Fear River who capture his interest—men who jump across ten feet of open ocean to grab a rope ladder and guide huge container ships into port. Men like sexy but prickly Justin Vance. 

After surviving an abusive childhood and a tour in the Navy, Justin isn’t fazed by his dangerous job—it’s certainly easier to face than Reed’s annoying questions. Justin isn’t out at work, and he doesn’t need Reed digging into his personal life or his past. 

But Reed’s no stranger to using his considerable charm to get what he wants, and as he wears Justin down, they realize they have a lot in common—and that they like spending time together. Moving beyond that, though, will mean Justin confessing his sexuality and learning to trust Reed with his secrets—if Reed even decides to stay. Both men want a future together, but can they find the courage to take the first step?

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Se hai ricevuto un cuore nuovo di zecca non puoi donarlo a chiunque…

Negli ultimi anni Robin ne ha passate tante, dal trapianto di cuore a una crudele separazione. Ma queste esperienze gli hanno insegnato che la vita è breve, e ora è pronto a cogliere l’attimo e ricominciare da capo. Il lavoro alla Euro Pride Tours è proprio il tipo di avventura che cercava: finalmente può conoscere il mondo e godersi un po’ la vita. L’amore, però, è sparito dal suo schermo radar: Robin non crede che il suo cuore potrebbe sopportare di soffrire di nuovo.

Johan ha deciso di costruirsi un futuro con le proprie mani, tradendo le aspettative della sua famiglia. Quando incontra Robin, però, non ha intenzione di deludere anche lui. Ciascuno dei due è ciò di cui l’altro ha bisogno per tornare a sentirsi completo. Forse Johan è diverso da come Robin lo immaginava, ma riesce a far battere il suo cuore in prestito più forte di qualsiasi medicina. Il viaggio attraverso la Germania ha inizio, e tappa dopo tappa il rapporto tra i due si fa più intenso. Ma quando l’ex fidanzato di Robin si unisce alla comitiva, il loro amore appena sbocciato potrebbe arrivare a una drammatica conclusione.

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Movie Magic, libro 1

Luca McGrath sarà anche tornato nella Napa Valley, California, come promettente chef, con il sogno di aprire un proprio ristorante con cantina di vini, ma il suo cuore è ancora legato a James Armstrong, il classico cattivo ragazzo e figlio di un miliardario. Luca ha trascorso tutta l’infanzia con James, il ragazzo d’oro dell’alta società californiana, così accecato dalla sua bellezza da non notare il pacato e tenebroso fascino del fratello maggiore, Dylan.

Ma ora Luca è tornato, e il suo nuovo charme sembra essere in grado di far dubitare James della sua eterosessualità, tanto da mettere a rischio il fidanzamento dell’uomo con una ricca e potente donna d’affari. La palese attrazione tra i due fa sì che Dylan si decida a fare la sua mossa: perché mentre Luca sognava James, Dylan sognava Luca. Quando Luca si trova incastrato in una disputa tra fratelli e viene addirittura accusato di spionaggio culinario, si prepara a cestinare il suo sogno d’amore, ma non sa che proprio Dylan potrebbe essere la chiave per realizzare i suoi sogni.

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A high-stakes case of industrial espionage ties them together, but before they can pursue their attraction, they must find out who’s pulling the strings. 

Devon Donaldson doesn’t know how a folio of stolen corporate secrets found its way into his bag, and certainly can’t think of anyone who’d want to frame him. The trouble is, he has to convince Powers McPherson. 

Devon’s firm hired Powers to investigate the theft of a new banking system, and so far Devon is his only lead. While Powers’s gut tells him Devon is innocent, he has no intention of letting Devon out of his sight… for more than one reason. Working together to get Devon’s life back leads to feelings far beyond cooperation. But before they can act on them, they need to find the group of thieves intent on ruining Devon’s reputation.

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A Links In the Chain Story

Can two hearts stained by past pain find healing together?

Tom Kotke held his husband of twenty-five years on the day he died and spent nearly a year adrift. Determined to force Tom back into the world, his family takes him to the Park View Diner, where he meets young stained-glass artist Aiden Dawson. For a brief moment, Tom doesn’t think about his deceased husband—a terrifying prospect.

Slowly, Aiden draws Tom out of his shell and helps him feel alive once more. But Tom isn’t the only one who has suffered. Aiden fears no one sees beyond his wheelchair. Even if Tom can convince him he’s different, they’ll still have to overcome their age difference and a secret that could destroy their future together.

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Exploring Limits: Book Two

For three actors in a committed gay ménage, balancing work, sex, and romance might be their most challenging role yet.

The Dom who taught Devon about BDSM is back to reclaim his sub and break up the trio. He leaves chaos across the set of Camelot and Devon reluctant to resume his dominant role with his lovers, Jonathan and Kit. 

But facing their pasts and discovering and exploring new kinks might not be the ultimate test of their relationship….

Filming is ending on the miniseries that brought the three of them together, and they’re about to go their separate ways, pulled in different directions by family, obligations, and careers. How will they hold onto the love they’ve built when production wraps?

Each man has a unique idea about how to maintain their relationship, but will promises and memories be enough?

This volume includes newly edited and expanded versions of the novellas:

Breaking Limits

Transcending Limits

No Limits

First Edition
Breaking Limits, Transcending Limits, No Limits previously published individually by Dreamspinner Press, respectively: July 2010, September 2010, November 2010.

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Sequel to The Doctor's Date
Copper Point Medical: Book Three

Once upon a time Nicolas Beckert was the boy who stole kisses from Jared Kumpel beneath the bleachers, but now Jared’s a pediatrician and Nick is the hospital CEO who won’t glance his way. Everything changes, however, when they’re stranded alone in a hospital elevator. Ten years of cold shoulders melt away in five hours of close contact, and old passions rekindle into hot flames.

Once out of the elevator, Jared has no intention of letting Nick get away. It’s clear he’s desperate for someone to give him space to let go of the reins, and Jared is happy to oblige. But Jared wants Nick as a lover in a full, open relationship, which is a step further than Nick is willing to go. They’ve traded kisses under the bleachers for liaisons in the boardroom… and it looks like the same arguments that drove them apart in high school might do the same thing now. 

Jared’s determined not to let that happen this time around. He won’t order Nick from his shell—he’ll listen to what his friend says he needs to feel safe. Maybe this time he can prescribe his lover a happy ever after. 

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Seguito di Un posto vuoto
Serie Un posto: Libro 2

Quando Seth Wilder e Bryce McFarland tornano a Chicago dopo la loro crociera nel Regno Unito, sono ormai quasi innamorati e decidono di andare a vivere insieme per capire se i loro sentimenti possano sopravvivere al mondo reale.

A Seth viene comunicato che sul corpo del defunto marito è stata eseguita un’autopsia, obbligatoria nei casi di suicidio, e che il medico legale ha fatto delle scoperte inquietanti che gettano dei dubbi sulla reale causa della morte.

La clausola sul suicidio contenuta nell’assicurazione della vita del marito prevede che gli venga negato il risarcimento, ma alla luce delle nuove scoperte, l’avvocato gli consiglia di fare ricorso. L’investigatore della compagnia di assicurazioni si rivela essere lo stesso uomo che venticinque anni prima ha spezzato il cuore di Bryce. L’uomo sta attraversando un periodo difficile, e quando si rende conto di tutto il successo ottenuto dal suo ex – e dell’enorme somma di cui Seth potrebbe entrare in possesso – decide di provare ad accaparrarsi una fetta della torta, mettendo a dura prova la relazione tra Bryce e Seth.

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Histoires de tissus, numéro hors série

Quand sa vie s’est effondrée deux ans plus tôt, Will Dawson a pris un nouveau départ en Floride. Son travail au service informatique d’Idyll Fling, un studio de films pornos gays, est idéal pour lui. Lorsque son patron l’oblige à accueillir un nouvel employé, il ne s’attend clairement pas à voir apparaître Dallas Greene, l’homme à cause duquel il a perdu son travail et son compagnon, quand il était encore dans le Connecticut. Il ne sait pas quelles sont les intentions de Dallas, mais il ne se laissera pas duper par un loup caché sous un physique de mannequin. Pas une deuxième fois.

Même si Dallas a accepté avec empressement l’aide de son frère pour lui obtenir un travail, ses compétences sont réellement utiles pour Idyll Fling. Travailler avec Will est un plus, puisque Dallas n’a jamais pu l’oublier. Une bonne relation de travail, ce serait déjà un début, mais Dallas en veut davantage.

Cependant, Dallas ne sait pas combien Will se montre méfiant à son égard, et celui-ci ignore que l’homme pour lequel il se sent déchiré entre amour et haine est en réalité le frère de son patron. Lorsque toutes les vérités éclatent, une question se pose à eux : comment une relation construite sur des mensonges peut-elle perdurer ?

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An Animal Lark Novel

What to expect when your pet rat is expecting, or how to fall in love at a pet show.

Jamie Hewett rescues and breeds prize-winning fancy rats. While he’s surrounded by supportive, animal-loving friends, his ex-boyfriend has never been one of them. One embarrassing breakup later, he definitely isn’t looking for love again, but perhaps a rebound relationship might ease his broken heart.

Liam Donnelly’s quirky dating life is the subject of a popular vlog, and his viewers have interesting ideas on where he might find romance. When they suggest he take Mabel, his new rat, to a pet show, he’s up for the adventure.

Although they can’t deny their growing interest in each other, neither Jamie nor Liam believes in love at first sight. They’ve both had bad luck with men, and Jamie isn’t pleased that Liam makes a living as a serial dater. On top of that, others are conspiring to keep them apart, and Jamie is left holding the baby—or twenty-plus babies—when their fur children have no trouble making a connection. Will a YouTube ukulele serenade convince Liam that Jamie’s love for him—and their unborn rat children—is for real?

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A Beneath the Stain Novel

Everybody thinks Mackey Sanders’s Outbreak Monkey is the last coming of Rock ’n’ Roll Jesus, but Cheever Sanders can’t wait to make a name for himself where nobody expects him to fill his famous brothers’ shoes. He’s tired of living in their shadow.

Blake Manning has been one of Outbreak Monkey’s lead guitarists for ten years. He got this gig on luck and love, not talent. So hearing that Cheever is blowing through Outbreak Monkey’s hard-earned money in an epic stretch of partying pisses him off.

Blake shows up at Cheever’s nonstop orgy to enforce some rules, but instead of a jaded punk, he finds a lost boy as talented at painting as Mackey is at song-making, and terrified to let anybody see the real him. Childhood abuse and a suicide attempt left Cheever on the edge of survival—a place Blake knows all too well.

Both men have to make peace with being second banana in the public eye. Can they find the magic of coming absolute first with each other?

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A Hearts Entwined Novel

Car restorer Dean Milford knows how to make damaged things beautiful again. Only, after a bad breakup, he loses sight of who he is, playing the field and distracting himself with any man he comes across. But now there’s only one guy who really matters to him. And maybe with his latest restoration job—a vintage Cobra—he’ll get the chance to let him know.

Losing his sight wasn’t the worst thing to happen to Lee Studer—losing his independence was. It’s taken a while, but he’s finally found his place in the world—in a garage. Funny enough, his acute hearing allows him to pinpoint engine problems just by listening. And even better, he’s going to have a chance to help his long-time crush, Dean, rebuild his fantasy car.

As the restoration comes together, so do Lee and Dean, building a friendship that quickly turns into so much more. But before they can think about a future together, they have to deal with the past. Only that turns out to be more dangerous than either one ever dreamed….

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Can the trusted town handyman rebuild a broken pianist’s heart?

When a freak accident ends Aiden’s career as a world-renowned classical pianist, he retreats to his New Hampshire hometown, where he finds the boy he liked growing up is even more appealing as a man.

Dean Cooper’s life as handyman to the people of Springhaven might not be glamorous, but he’s well-liked and happy. When Aiden drifts back into town, Dean is surprised to find the bond between them as strong as ever. But Aiden is distraught over the loss of his career and determined to get back on the international stage.

Seventeen years ago Dean made a sacrifice and let Aiden walk away. Now, with their romance rekindling, he knows he'll have to make the sacrifice all over again. This time it may be more than he can bear.

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Geek Life: Book Three

When best friends Brenden and Dakota launch the biggest comics and pop-culture convention of their careers, they finally realize what everyone around them already knows: they’ve been in love for years.

Now what are they going to do about it?

Meticulously organized Brenden Wade and easygoing Dakota Nye turned their love of geek culture into a business, running conventions all over the Chesapeake Bay area. Now the weight of their pasts is threatening not only their friendship but their dream. Brenden fears losing his foster family when his secrets come out, and though the last thing Dakota wants is to hurt his plus one, he doesn’t know if he’s capable of settling down.

One night of passion challenges both men’s preconceptions and forces them to evaluate what they want from the future. They’re both scared, and though they’ve always been able to figure out anything together, hearts are on the line. Will taking a chance on romance lead to a beautiful disaster, or just a disaster?

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An Aster Story

Noah Hitchens loves the New York City life he worked hard to build. But when his father dies and leaves him a bankrupt bookstore in their sleepy Georgia hometown, Noah knows he has to save it. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know anything about business. He finds unlikely help in Henry, the man who owned Stardust Books before his 1966 murder, and Kyle St. James, a shy but kind-hearted out-of-towner with a past almost as mysterious as Henry's.

Kyle came to Aster, Georgia, looking for redemption. On the run and out of hope, he’s just trying to get on with his life. Then he meets Noah, a ghost, and a big sloppy lab named Jake who redefine his idea of living. But his past is closing in, and when it finds him, they could lose everything.

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Geschäfte kann man planen, Liebe passiert ... 

Thomas Stepford hat über Jahre eine sehr erfolgreiche Firma aufgebaut. Jetzt, mit neununddreißig, wünscht er sich ein ruhigeres Leben. Als seine Eltern Hilfe brauchen, kehrt er zurück nach Hause. Weil er seine Geschäfte nicht einfach so an den Nagel hängen kann, wird ein Assistent für ihn eingestellt. Brandon macht sein Leben leichter, aber auch erst richtig kompliziert ...

Brandon Wilson kommt frisch vom College und braucht einen Job. Seine Mutter besorgt ihm eine Stelle – als Assistent bei Mr Stepford. Thomas scheint sich nicht daran zu erinnern, aber Brandon hat schon einmal für den umwerfend attraktiven, älteren Mann gearbeitet: Vor Jahren hat er bei Thomas den Rasen gemäht. Thomas war Brandons Jugendschwarm. Und jetzt ist er Brandons Boss.

Thomas und Brandon sind beide entschlossen, ihre Beziehung rein geschäftlich zu halten. Sie lernen, miteinander zu arbeiten, selbst als das Knistern zwischen ihnen immer stärker wird. Als ihre Leidenschaft füreinander schließlich zum Siedepunkt kommt und sie gerade soweit sind, ihren Gefühlen nachzugeben, wird Thomas von seinem alten Leben eingeholt. Er muss zurück nach New York. Und dann erfüllt sich für Brandon ein Traum: Er bekommt ein Angebot aus Hollywood.

Hat ihre neugefundene Liebe noch eine Chance?

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Can a sexy rock star show a relationship-phobic ice skater that there’s more to life than gold medals?  

When ice-skating’s bad boy Blaze first glimpses Drake, every fantasy he’s ever had flares to life. Not only is rock star Drake sexy as sin, his songs awaken a longing in Blaze that he’s denied for years. But Blaze Parker doesn’t believe in relationships—at least not those that last more than twenty minutes. 

Drake Keys has dreamed about the sensual ice skater for years. When Drake is kicked out of his band because of his bisexuality, he drives across the country to finally see the man he’s had a crush on skate live.   

Though the attraction is instant and intense, both Blaze and Drake have baggage that puts any relationship on thin ice. Blaze is driven by a long-ago betrayal to prove himself a champion, and Drake, uncertain about the future, hopes to resurrect his music career. As they take a road trip together, Drake romances Blaze, hoping to melt his heart and show him that love is possible… but not without some tough decisions.

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