Contemporary Romance books

He’s searching for a story but finds so much more.

Brad Torrence is next on the chopping block at the newspaper where he works. Hungry for any source he can find, he runs across an ad in the classifieds: For Sale: Nursery Items, Never Used. It’s the lead he’s been looking for. Thinking a piece about the loss of a child will give him the edge he needs to keep his job, Brad follows up. He doesn’t expect a single man to answer.

Rather than being offended, Cory Wolfe finds sharing the story of his grief and pain liberating. He’s even surprised by the spark that strikes, and one story leads to another.

Brad digs into his stories and Cory’s life, eager to know everything about the man who’s caught his attention. But when a lead points him to the hospital where Cory works, he unearths a mystery that might have been safer left buried. Brad’s search for a story could prove deadly….

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Dustin “Dusty” Rhoades isn’t looking for a relationship. He’s tried them before, with disastrous results, and decided he’s better off on his own. So he focuses on his professional life as a landscape architect.

Cliff Benson is convinced he can’t have the relationship he wants. His father is as homophobic as he is wealthy, and has made it perfectly clear he expects Cliff to get married. Dutifully, Cliff proposes to society girl Alyson, works in his father’s law firm, and accepts that he has nowhere to turn.

When Dusty meets Cliff at his engagement party, the attraction is strong and instantaneous, but when Dusty admits his feelings, Cliff backs off. Dusty suggests they proceed as friends, but they are too drawn to each other. Just as they both finally agree they want more, Alyson’s suspicious brother outs them, risking everything Dusty has worked for.

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Todd Burton has had enough of small-town Buckman. His abusive stepfather calls him a fag; his friend Austin makes him realize he may be gay, but Todd doesn’t want to admit his stepfather is right; and he dreams of being a chef. Three good reasons to flee his hometown and pursue greener pastures. But when Todd reaches the big city, his luck runs dry. Soon he can’t pay his rent and gets evicted. In the middle of a snowstorm.

Gabe Richards is a wealthy businessman with enough wounds of his own to make him afraid of ever being intimate again. But when he sees Todd outside his building, freezing to death, he takes pity on him and takes him in from the cold.

To their mutual surprise, Todd and Gabe find themselves drawn to each other. “One night” turns into a week. Maybe letting a man in from the cold can melt the ice around Gabe’s heart—and maybe getting evicted will turn Todd’s luck around.

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Kit Mason works at Eddy’s, a boutique where the clothes are chic, the paycheck’s weak, and Kit has no qualms about snagging rich older men looking to pay for play. When Cory St. James walks in, he checks all Kit’s boxes: he’s middle-aged, the entrepreneur of a pharmaceutical company, and already has a kept boy at home—what’s one more? Kit sets out to seduce Cory and bulldozes through his denials, but when Cory finally gives in, his lover, Sasha, catches them with their pants down.

Sasha isn’t the pampered toy Kit expected. In fact, Kit may have misjudged him. And the consequences that ensue when Sasha catches Kit and Cory together leave him alone. Unwilling to be weighed down by guilt, Kit decides to look after Sasha himself, even if Sasha can’t stand the sight of him and there are a few things about Kit's past he doesn't want Sasha to know. But Kit isn't willing to do all the work when it comes to forcing Sasha to rebuild his life. It’s a slow process of growing trust and learning to stand on their own—and together.

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Learning to Love: Book Three

When Chris Andrews gave evidence against the men who manipulated him into taking part in a homophobic assault, Josh Saunders was his rock, and his support gave Chris the courage to come out. Now that Chris finds himself sharing a house with Josh, he wonders where that strong, sexy guy has disappeared to. Chris wants him back—but he can’t wait forever.

Josh has been attracted to Chris from the get-go, and the more time they spend together, the stronger the pull grows. But he needs to make sure Chris feels the same attraction, and not just gratitude. Josh bides his time, waiting for the right moment… and misses his chance when Chris starts seeing someone else.

Somehow Josh has to convince Chris they are perfect together. But first, he needs to figure out who has been sending Chris malicious letters, threatening him over the phone, and writing hateful slogans across their front door—and persuade his own ex, who seems determined to win Josh back, to get lost. In fact, Josh’s life may depend on it.

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Un libro della Serie Assaggio d'amore

Se Peter Christopoulos è riuscito a imparare qualcosa nei tre anni passati su di una sedia a rotelle, è che le persone difficilmente riescono a vedere oltre quell’oggetto. Quando chiede di uscire a Russ Baker, dopo avergli fatto un preventivo per le attrezzature destinate al suo nuovo ristorante greco, è deluso, ma non sorpreso, per il suo rifiuto.

Russ ha coperto il fidanzato violento per così tanto tempo che è diventato quasi automatico farlo, ma, con l’aiuto dei suoi amici, trova il coraggio per lasciarlo. Con sua sorpresa, Peter è ancora interessato a lui e i due si innamorarono velocemente. Ma il loro mondo viene gettato nel caos: Peter trova una vecchia lettera che gli rivela l’esistenza di una sorellastra che non ha mai incontrato e il passato di Russ ritorna prepotentemente quando il suo ex gli fa capire che è disposto a fare qualsiasi cosa per riaverlo.

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Sequel to Chase the Stars
Lang Downs: Book Three

Office manager Sam Emery is unemployed and out of luck. When his emotionally abusive wife demands a divorce, he contacts the one person he has left, his brother, Neil. He doesn’t expect Neil to reject him, but he also doesn’t expect the news of his divorce—and of his sexuality—to be met with such acceptance.

Neil takes Sam to Lang Downs, the sheep station Neil calls home. There, Sam learns that life as a gay man isn’t impossible. Caine and Macklin, the station owners, certainly seem to be making it work. When Caine offers Sam a job, it’s a dream come true.

Jeremy Taylor leaves the only home he’s ever known when his brother’s homophobia becomes more than he can bear. He goes to the one place he knows he will be accepted: Lang Downs. He clicks with Sam instantly—but the animosity between Lang Downs and Jeremy’s home station runs deep, and the jackaroos won’t accept Jeremy without a fight. Between Sam’s insecurity and Jeremy’s precarious position, their road will be a hard one—and that’s without having to wait for Sam’s divorce to be final before starting a new life together.

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Prodigy pianist Simon Duckworth has a dark past. After being violently raped when he was thirteen, he flees to London, ashamed and determined never to tell a soul. He gets a job at a Denmark Street music shop, but it stifles him. At the first opportunity, Simon answers an ad for a musician, an act that changes his life forever.

Stephen Abednego has seen the same ad. He arrives in London with little more than his ambitions and a sheaf of poems, but together, they’re enough to get him hired. Under their new manager’s watchful eye, Stephen falls for Simon—but Stephen deeply closeted, and Simon may be too emotionally scarred for a mature relationship.

With their manager’s help, their music rises, dragging them into the hectic world of superstardom, but success doesn’t come without a price. Each step out of the ennui and coal smoke of 1960s industrial London must be paid for in regret. With social convention standing between them and the whole world watching, Stephen and Simon discover that finding each other is not as easy as it seems.

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Andrew Wingal’s life has become a farce. Unemployed for more than a year, he starts giving tours into the seedy parts of Chicago to tourists eager to witness real-life crime. The local media, politicians, the police department, and belligerent gang members don’t like him. When Andy’s job gets him into deeper trouble, his hotheaded boyfriend insists he flee town for a few weeks until things simmer down. With nowhere else to go, Andy heads for eastern Iowa, where his former brother-in-law, Harden Krane, lives on an idyllic farm with his two school-age children, Mason and Olivia.

Harden has his own specters haunting him. Left with his young daughter and son to raise on his own, he struggles to work full time and build a normal life for them. Yet when Andy shows up after a three-year absence, he hopes that the family’s hardships might ease up, if only temporarily. But during Andy’s stay, a common menace from Harden and Andy’s past appears unexpectedly—and Harden and Andy find solace in each other in a way neither imagined possible.

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A Book in the Good Fight Series

Ever wonder how Horse got his name?

A FREE bonus story in The Good Fight Series!

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Dear Diary: Book One

Chris Bishop has everything a high school senior could want—a loving family, a perfect girlfriend, and a bright, shining future. At his dad’s suggestion, he spends a summer working at a law firm to gain experience, but he never bargained on meeting Josh. Josh is handsome and green-eyed and just what Chris doesn’t want—or does he? Some things Chris has admitted only to his digital diary, but by the time prom comes around, he needs to make a decision: risk the pain of honesty about himself and his feelings for Josh, or play it safe and lose what matters most.

2nd Edition
First Edition published by XoXo Publishing, June 2011

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Chip Arnold ist ein beliebter Football-Trainer an einem kleinen College mit einem aus der Spur geratenem Privatleben. Er geht gerne mit seinen Kollegen was trinken, kommt mit seinen Spielern gut klar und geht mit den hübschesten Frauen der Stadt aus - er lebt ein Leben, von dem viele heterosexuelle Männer nur träumen können. In letzter Zeit scheint aber keine der Frauen, mit denen er ausgeht, die Leidenschaft in ihm wecken zu können. Bis er den neuen Kaplan des Campus, Foster Lewis, trifft.

Romantische Gefühle für einen anderen Mann sind neu und furchteinflößend für Chip; er kann sich einfach nicht erklären, warum er sich so zu Foster hingezogen fühlt. Er weiß nur, dass diese Anziehung alles übertrifft, was er je zuvor in seinem Leben gefühlt hat. Da er niemand ist, der sich vor einer Herausforderung scheut, entscheidet er sich, diesen neuen Gefühlen eine Chance zu geben. Aber Liebe ist niemals einfach und manchmal ist sie einfach nur ein heilloses Durcheinander.

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Volumen 2 de la Serie Talker

El pasado de Tate Walker es demasiado doloroso para borrarlo, a pesar de que el chico de sus sueños, Brian Cooper, está a su lado. Este ha hecho hasta lo imposible por él, pero Talker (que siempre ha sido bueno para ignorar el dolor) tiene problemas para enfrentarse a lo que le pasó cuando confió en el hombre equivocado en un mal momento de su vida.

Cuando la verdad resurge y envía a Brian al hospital, Talker se ve forzado a tomar una decisión: puede hacer frente a cada demonio de su frágil y sangrante corazón o puede dejar que Brian lo defienda, como lo ha hecho desde el inicio. Pero incluso Talker sabe que no debe dejar a su chico solo e indefenso cuando acaba de salvar su vida, y tendrá que encontrar las fuerzas necesarias para cuidar de él cuando este lo necesita más que nunca.

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A Blue Notes Novel

World-renowned conductor David Somers never wanted the investment firm he inherited from his domineering grandfather. He only wanted to be a composer. But no matter how he struggles, David can’t translate the music in his head into notes on paper.

When a guest violinist at the Chicago Symphony falls ill, David meets Alex Bishop, a last-minute substitute. Alex’s fame and outrageous tattoos fail to move David. Then Alex puts bow to string, and David hears the brilliance of Alex’s soul.

David has sworn off relationships, believing he will eventually drive away those he loves, or that he'll lose them as he lost his wife and parents. But Alex is outgoing, relaxed, and congenial—everything David is not—and soon makes dents in the armor around David's heart. David begins to dream of Alex, wonderful dreams full of music. Becoming a composer suddenly feels attainable.

David’s fragile ego, worn away by years of his grandfather’s disdain, makes losing control difficult. When David’s structured world comes crashing down, his fledgling relationship with Alex is the first casualty. Still, David hears Alex’s music, haunting and beautiful. David wants to love Alex, but first he must find the strength to acknowledge himself.

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Il quindicenne Addy Monroe, imbottigliato nel traffico insieme ai suoi zii, assiste a una scena che cambierà tutta la sua vita: sul sedile posteriore di un taxi bloccato accanto alla loro auto ci sono due ragazzi che gli rivelano l’esistenza di un altro mondo. Sei anni dopo, in un locale di Los Angeles, Addy incontra il cantante rock Zak Roscoe, l’uomo che, involontariamente, gli aveva mostrato chi fosse veramente, e non si lascia sfuggire l’occasione di assaggiarlo.

Da quella persona riservata e circospetta qual è, Zak trova le avances determinate di Addy sia fastidiose che divertenti, e alla fine acconsente a lasciarsi sedurre per una notte di piacere. Sfortunatamente, le brutte abitudini sono dure a morire, e gli atteggiamenti post-coitali di Zak lasciano molto a desiderare. Addy si trova così a capire che qualche volta il sogno e la fantasia non hanno proprio nulla in comune. Ma se i desideri fossero seconde occasioni…

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Un libro de la saga Probando el Amor

Sebastian Franklin ha esperado mucho tiempo para demostrar su valía como encargado del comedor del Café Belgie, pero su primera noche en el cargo mientras Darryl, su jefe, está de vacaciones, no es precisamente un éxito. Atracan el restaurante a la hora de cierre, y el buen samaritano que frustró al atracador entra en escena con sus propios problemas.

Robert Fortier es el nuevo juez del condado, y uno reacio además. Es muy consciente de que la vida pública no es siempre fácil, sobre todo cuando tu vida personal te hace ser el blanco de los insistentes medios de comunicación. Pero aún así, Robert disfruta de la compañía de Sebastian, y a Sebastian nunca le falta una ración de felicidad y naturalidad para regalarle a su figura pública favorita. Pero también tiene sus conflictos: el caos familiar y un ex en apuros harán presión en ambos mientras luchan por estar en igualdad de condiciones en esta nueva relación.

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One morning Padrig Kennedy comes home to find his partner, Nick Glenfielding, in bed with another man. Shocked, hurt, and vulnerable, Padrig flees and meets a stranger who seems to offer comfort—but he force-feeds Padrig a steady diet of drugs and prostitution instead. When he finally surfaces from his hell, it’s to another system shock: he’s now HIV positive.

Nick descends into darkness as well. Devastated by losing Padrig, he finds no consolation in the legal career he doesn’t love and tries to find solace in alcohol, spending his days in an ever-deepening haze.

Padrig and Nick find each other again, but their relationship can never be the same. If they’re to stand any chance of a future together, they must do the improbable: make sense of the past and learn to cope with new burdens they’ll bear for life.

A Bittersweet Dreams title: It's an unfortunate truth: love doesn't always conquer all. Regardless of its strength, sometimes fate intervenes, tragedy strikes, or forces conspire against it. These stories of romance do not offer a traditional happy ending, but the strong and enduring love will still touch your heart and maybe move you to tears.

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"I'll do anything."

Staff Sergeant Jasper "Ace" Atchison takes one look at Private Sonny Daye and knows that every word on paper about him is pure, unadulterated bullshit. But Sonny is desperate, and although Ace isn't going to take him up on his offer of "anything," that doesn't mean he isn't tempted.

Instead, Ace takes Sonny under his wing, protecting him when they're in the service and making plans with him when they get out. Together, they're going to own a garage and build race cars and make their fortune hurtling faster than light across the desert. Together, they're going to rewrite the past, make Sonny Daye a whole and happy person, and put the ghosts in Ace's heart to rest.

But not even Sonny can build a car fast enough to escape the ghosts of the past. When Sonny's ghosts drive them down and run their plans off the road, Ace finds out exactly what he's made of. Maybe Sonny was the one to promise Ace anything, but there is nothing under the sun Ace won't do to keep Sonny safe from harm.

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