Books by "Elle Brownlee" (15)

Jamie Crane, the ambitious young mayor of Hollingsford, Minnesota, is facing a holiday season like no other. His small town has been unexpectedly entered into a high-stakes reality TV Christmas competition, and with only days to prepare, Jamie must scramble to invent traditions out of thin air if he wants to keep Hollingsford in the running, which he isn’t sure he does. As if that pressure wasn’t enough, his first love, Jordan Miller—the boy-next-door turned successful lawyer—returns to town, stirring up memories of their secret teenage romance.

Once inseparable during the holidays, Jamie and Jordan have since gone in different directions—Jamie driven by his desire to improve his hometown and Jordan determined to leave his rough upbringing behind. But as they navigate the chaos of holiday events, old feelings resurface, and Jamie is faced with two dilemmas: keeping his town’s dignity intact on national television and deciding if he and Jordan are meant to be together after all.

With a heartwarming mix of humor, nostalgia, and Christmas cheer, "Convincing Christmas" is a romantic tale of first loves, second chances, and discovering that sometimes, the best holiday traditions are the ones you create together.

Read more...

Solitary photojournalist Philip Conyers is out of money and out of time.

One year after pausing his work chasing stories across the globe to buy and fix up his dream house, a series of events has him flat broke, creatively clogged, and out of options. Philip must sell—and then is stuck as months pass without any offers.

Enter tech millionaire Zak Springer. He needs space and quiet away from New York City to think up the next big idea, and Philip’s upstate place is the perfect retreat. He wants to rent it for six months, price is no object, and oh yeah, Philip is welcome to stay. What can Philip do but agree?

Living with easygoing Zak proves interesting for Philip, a dedicated loner. Despite their different circumstances, Zak understands him in a way no one ever has, and the attraction that simmers between them is undeniable. With their days together numbered, Philip decides it’s safe to indulge in a fling—until he realizes he never wants this life in his dream house with his dream man to end. Can Philip open his heart as well as his home, or is he doomed to lose them both?

Read more...

Lake Copeland’s best friend Miriam is perpetually single. When she laments the idea of returning to her hometown solo for the holidays to meet her mom’s new husband, Lake has the perfect solution: he’ll tag along as her boyfriend. Fake boyfriend, that is. Some of his favorite holiday romances have fake boyfriends that lead to true love—and complications. But since he’s gay, there'll be no complications. Right?

Unfortunately Lake’s foolproof plan didn’t account for Miriam’s new stepbrother Spencer, who sets Lake’s heart aglow….

Read more...

Les sauvetages sont fous en Alaska. La romance aussi.

Dan Farnsworth, garde-côte californien abreuvé de soleil, est peut-être à l’aise dans l’eau, mais il n’est pas dans son élément à la station de Staggered Cove, isolée, accidentée et glaciale. L’acclimatation s’avère déjà assez difficile, mais il doit aussi chercher à savoir comment le précédent nageur-sauveteur de la station a disparu en mer. S’agit-il d’une opération qui a mal tourné ou de quelque chose de plus sinistre ? Ajoutez à cela la tension instantanée entre son partenaire, Karl Radin, originaire d’Alaska, et lui, et Dan a fort à faire.

L’attraction entre Dan et Karl augmente au fur et à mesure que son enquête s’intensifie, même s’ils ne se font pas totalement confiance. Mais lorsque des évènements suspects dégénèrent en sabotage, Dan commence à craindre que Karl et lui n’aient pas la chance de devenir plus que des collègues réticents.

Read more...

Welcome to the Cardinal Christmas Market, an exclusive holiday experience where the offerings are as unique and quirky as the people and town who run it. 

Douglas is a first-time vendor, and he's determined to make a splash and grow from there. A mix-up means he has no choice but to share a booth with Boyd, one of Cardinal's own.

Douglas and Boyd don’t like each other’s style... or one another. But in the ensuing weeks working the booth, with help from a little Cardinal Christmas Market magic, they find their art, world views, personalities, and passions are complementary—even compatible. Can they get past feeling like the coal in each other's stockings to a sweet happy ending, or are they destined to be holiday humbugs?

Read more...

When efficiency consultant Graden Baxter gets stranded at the Las Vegas airport, of course he starts to book another flight… until curt demands and disappointing news from his boss finally best his practical nature. If tireless dedication to the job only leads to being taken for granted, maybe he should reevaluate his life.

A cross-country drive to New York City with fellow stranded traveler Cole Carmichael presents the perfect opportunity. He can have a little adventure but still make it home in a long weekend.

Professional nomad Cole has other ideas for getting there, but the tension building between them isn’t all down to Graden’s overplanning and Cole’s inconsiderate spontaneity. As they navigate the Southwest, exploring parks and endless starry skies, they begin to see themselves less as opposite and more as complementary.

Unfortunately, adventures have to end—and theirs ends with Graden back at a thankless job, Cole solitary and rootless.

Except that peculiar road-trip alchemy means they aren’t the same men who embarked on the trip. Can they find their way together, even if it means going off the map?

Read more...

Can a fake engagement become a real marriage?

Wiley Grey is stuck in a rut. He loves his picturesque hometown, helping in his best friend’s bakery, and the house his grandmother left him. But something’s missing.

Holt Leydon never intended to become a reality TV show host. When his flamboyant brother, Kit, needed a handyman on the set of I Do!, Holt fell into the role, using his expertise to make Kit’s wildest wedding designs come true. Now he’s ready to move on. Kit has agreed on one condition: they rescue Kit’s would-be ratings bonanza “coming home” episode by making Holt the groom.

The problem is Holt needs someone to marry, and fast. Something compels him to ask childhood friend Wiley—and Wiley agrees to the pretense.

Kit gets his dramatic last episode, Holt gets off the show, and Wiley gets some artificial excitement and a “honeymoon” on the show’s dime. It’s perfect—until the grooms start wishing their pretend engagement was more reality and less TV….

Read more...

Read more...

A Coast Guard Rescue Novel

Rescues are wild in the Alaskan terrain. So is romance.

Sun-kissed California guardsman Dan Farnsworth might be at home in the water, but he’s out of his element at remote, rugged, and freezing Staggered Cove Station. Acclimating proves hard enough, but he’s also digging into how the station’s previous rescue swimmer was lost at sea. Was it an operation gone bad or something more sinister? Add to that the instant tension between him and his partner—no-nonsense Alaska-born Karl Radin—and Dan has his hands full.

As his investigation heats up, so does the attraction between Dan and Karl, even if they don’t completely trust each other. But as suspicious events escalate to sabotage, Dan starts to fear that he and Karl won’t get the chance to become more than reluctant coworkers.

Read more...

A fairy-tale vacation—if he can get the ending right. 

American nurse Finch Mason steps beyond the comfort of his orderly life and takes a dream trip to England, complete with a National Trust Pass so he can visit numerous historical sites. At the first one on his list, he’s warmly welcomed—and told he bought a pass good for two. 

Finch doesn’t hesitate to offer the pass to Benedict, a handsome Brit also there on an outing. They spend a magical week touring the countryside, and while it’s too soon to get attached, Finch wishes their time together would never end. 

Then Finch finds himself stuck abroad with no money, and he has no one to turn to but Benedict. Benedict is happy to help, but he also owes Finch some answers—such as who he really is and why he was at the estate where they first met.

Read more...

Sebastian (Sen) Holt is an artist currently in New Orleans. He’s always been a wanderer, believing in fate and following signs to guide his destiny. Although he itches to pull up stakes, getting a painting into a gallery keeps him rooted. One morning his good friend calls him in desperate need of help with her cleaning business. Her regular cleaner flaked, she can’t lose her client, and there’s no one else.

The job is at a large and recently restored house—and the owner, Morgan Ballard, comes home unexpectedly. They are immediately drawn together, as if they know each other, but they’ve never met. As they grow closer, Morgan behaves like two people. Sometimes he’s friendly and casual, and other times intimate and demanding. Sen juggles his painting through bursts of vision-like inspiration, the cleaning job, and an unexpected commission—all while trying to unlock the growing mystery of the intense connection he feels to Morgan. He’s not sure which scares him more—the strangeness surrounding their growing bond or that he’s found someone to make him reconsider his lifelong wanderlust.

Read more...

Professional baseball player Harmon "Hawk" Kiel was a rookie sensation with dazzling talent and an arrogant attitude to match. But he's hit his sophomore slump, and his natural talent seems to have deserted him, along with the confidence of his team and the media's approval. During the All-Star Break, he hits rock bottom, gets careless, and sensational pictures of him at gay clubs go viral. All at once he's outed—and out of a job.

When he’s dealt to the Loggerheads, a worse-than-terrible expansion team in Charleston, South Carolina, he can't imagine he'll get a warm reception—nor does he particularly want one. But it's the only chance at redemption he has.

There he meets Caleb Jackson, a former player who's part of the Loggerheads organization, someone who tries to be the friend Harmon so desperately needs. But Caleb has a secret too, one more gut-wrenching than anything Harmon can imagine. Together they try to put the past behind them, rediscover their love of the game, and maybe even find the love of their lives.

Read more...

When Liam's best friend has to leave town on business, he asks for a favor—be an emergency contact for his cousin who is new in town. Liam doesn’t think twice before he accepts. He's great with numbers and confidently plays the odds, because nobody ever uses those emergency contacts, right? Wrong. The very next Sunday, cousin Garrett shows up at Liam’s apartment, fresh-faced, devastatingly gorgeous, and nothing like Liam had dismissively assumed.

Garrett arrived in New York City hoping to make it in the modeling world, and Liam isn't sure what to do with him. While he eventually warms to welcome the distraction, he’s not prepared to have his steady, predictable world overturned. Liam is sure Garrett will soon tire of him and find someone closer in age and less eager for the quiet, settled life Liam prefers. But Garrett is too sweet-natured and naïve to recognize Liam’s dismissal, and he’s not as shallow as Liam presumes.

Although Garrett sees a future for the two of them, Liam manages to push him away. It is only then Liam sees the Garrett-shaped hole in his life.

Read more...

The holidays are a time for celebration, discovery, coming home, and maybe even miracles for those who are lucky. From the streets of New York City, to the wintery wonderland of the Maine woods, to the quaint, small town charm of Idaho, the men in these stories have different holiday desires. They’re looking for familiarity or fresh starts, but they have one thing in common—their happily ever afters might be waiting in the last places they think to look. Come see what they unwrap in these stories by three acclaimed authors of male/male romance.

Holiday Roommates by Tere Michaels

As an actor without prospects, Nate Brandywine needs an emergency roommate for the month of December. During a humiliating gig as a Christmas elf at a NYC department store, he meets Sean Callahan, his producer and a man struggling under the weight of a past-due loan. Sean’s desperate for a place to stay in the city for a few weeks. A month of sharing a workplace and an apartment with someone you can't stop flirting with? Maybe the holidays won’t be so terrible after all.

Holiday Sanctuary by Elle Brownlee

Chris Declan is trekking through the wintry wonderland of rural Maine, searching for inspiration and himself, when he's literally and figuratively taken by storm. First by the surprise blizzard that finds him seeking refuge in Paul Bak's secluded cabin, and second by Paul. Making the best of being snowed in together soon becomes a comfortable friendship with fireside chats, a quaint holiday celebration, and more. But despite their growing closeness, there's one thing they avoid—what will happen when the snow clears and the holidays end.

Holiday Homecoming by Elizah J. Davis

Gavin Anderson never thought making it as a writer in LA would be easy, but when his latest project falls through, he gives up on Hollywood and heads to Bonabri, Idaho in hopes that the peace and quiet of his childhood home will help him figure out his next move. Instead he finds Eric Nichols, his parents' cute and charming housesitter who is there to experience the small town Christmas festivities. Gavin's plans for quiet reflection are no match for Eric's holiday cheer, and he soon finds himself swept up in the spirit of the season. Gavin thought his life had hit a dead end, but in coming home he finds what might be a new beginning.

Read more...

Just a Drive by Tere Michaels

After weeks of flirting, “One Night” Wyatt Walsh spends a fabulous night with his shy coworker, Benji Trammell. As Wyatt tries to sneak out the next morning, he receives a call from his frantic, very pregnant best friend Raven—she needs him immediately. With no other way to get from New York City to the Pennsylvania town where Raven and her husband live, Wyatt accepts Benji’s offer to drive him there. Wary and unsure of each other, they start the trip at odds, but as time goes on, the barriers that usually keep people at a distance fail. And what started out as “just a drive” becomes a step toward romance.

Just a Stranger by Elle Brownlee

The excitement of meeting a stranger in a club can’t be beat. Loud bass sets the rhythm to Michael Wiercinski’s primal urges as he flirts with Andrew, a cute guy offering the promise of a hot night with no strings, no complications. Still, when their night is done, Michael admits there was something about Andrew that left him wanting more. Months go by with no sign of Andrew until Michael moves back home to help after his father’s heart attack. Once there, Michael is completely amazed to find Andrew Lucas living in his hometown. Despite surprising “complications” in Andrew’s life, Michael vows to take advantage of this second chance to make Andrew more than just a stranger.

Just a Weekend by Elizah J. Davis

James is a homebody in a predictable, if not altogether comfortable, rut. He’d rather stay in with a book than brave the Seattle bar scene. One night, after allowing his friend Kara to coax him out for drinks, he meets Devin—charming, gorgeous, and way out of his league. With a little bit of help from Kara, James leaves with Devin to indulge in a night together, which is as much time as he’s bound to get with a guy as hot as Devin. He doesn't expect the easy rapport that quickly develops between them, and when the weather conspires to keep them together, James wonders if this could be more than just a weekend fling.

Read more...