Books by "Joel Skelton" (7)

This warm, quirky, character-filled series begins with a life-changing event that triggers Harper and Ian, the anchors of all three stories, to search for an adventure that takes them out of the city and out of their comfort zones. Pooling their collective talents, they risk everything when they set their sights on a dilapidated resort located on the North Shore of Lake Superior called Beneath the Palisade.

Beneath the Palisade: Reliance

When attorney Harper Callahan hires Ian Burke to landscape his yard, they’re soon on the fast track to romance and life changes neither of them anticipated. 

Beneath the Palisade: Courage

Theo Engdahl is struggling with his sexuality, but he finds support in out-and-proud Alex at the Men’s Center.

Beneath the Palisade: Justice

Wrongly accused Owen Grady is seeking legal help. When young lawyer Brent Burns takes on the case, obstacles seem determined to prevent the acquittal—not least being their hearts.

See excerpt for individual blurbs.

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A Beneath the Palisade Book

Despite a spirited inner debate pitting right against wrong, Owen Grady is lured off a forest trail by a handsome stranger. Just as he is about to surrender to an urgent desire, Owen realizes he is making a mistake and attempts to leave, but the rejected man wrestles Owen to the ground and discloses he is a cop. Wrongly accused of sexual misconduct, Owen seeks legal help.

Ambitious young lawyer Brent Burns is a junior partner at Burns & Callahan, a law firm located within the Men's Center in Two Harbors, Minnesota. He takes on Owen’s case, determined to prove him innocent. But Brent can't possibly predict the obstacles on the bumpy road to an acquittal—not the least of which is an ethical taboo involving his heart, which threatens to defeat him before he ever sets foot in the courtroom.

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A Beneath the Palisade Book

Theodore Engdahl’s sexual identity crisis clashes with his faith. Raised to believe homosexuality is a sin, Theo finds himself on the ropes with his girlfriend as well as his straight coworker, whom he can’t stop staring at. Luckily, before he can panic too much, Theo discovers the support system provided by the Men’s Center.

At the center, he meets Alex, and the two hit it off. Unlike Theo, Alex wears his sexuality like a favorite shirt. Alex is also easy on the eyes, but for Theo, following his example is anything but uncomplicated.

With a little help from Alex and his mentors, Ian and Harper, Theo realizes that living well requires courage. While he struggles to take the next step with Alex and to come out to his conservative parents, life beneath the palisade goes on. But when Alex and his boat disappear during a terrible storm, Theo must find the strength to hope.

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After his Aunt Dee Dee sends him a windfall, Ethan decides to bail on the family holiday drama and go on a college skiing trip instead. Then a reservation snafu lands him in the same room as Henry, another student on the trip, and Ethan stumbles onto a bonus present of another kind: one that could last through Christmas and beyond.

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A Beneath the Palisade Book

Rising star attorney Harper Callahan hires Ian Burke to landscape his backyard, but it’s his heart that gets the real makeover. Cautious at first, Ian is soon won over by Harper’s good looks and charm, and before they know it they’re on the fast track to romance.

Then a brush with death makes Harper and Ian reassess their plans for the future… and offers them an opportunity for adventure. What starts out as a casual fantasy of owning and operating a B&B on Lake Superior soon explodes into reality as Harper and Ian realize that when they rely on each other, they can accomplish great things.

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After grieving over the death of his partner for a long, lonely year, Matt is finally starting to feel the need to pursue love again. Andy, an A-List model just back from Milan, longs for someone special to spend his life with but for the time being, sets out to find the hot guy he tried to pick up the year before from the local Christmas tree lot. The magic of a snowy Christmas Eve may prove that Saint Nick’s not the only one who can ring in the Yuletide—sometimes you just need a hottie from St. Barts.

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Broadway director Wyatt Stark's smash hit, Dress Up, a free-spirited, spaghetti strap of a tale set during New York’s legendary fashion week, has played at full capacity for almost two years. Wyatt is taking his wildly successful musical to Hollywood with the help of his business partner, Murphy. But Wyatt is on the edge, overworked by the industry and overwrought by a terrible breakup, and so he agrees to spend the summer before production starts recuperating at Murphy’s secluded beach house in Maine.

It's there that Wyatt meets and falls for Ryan Taylor—but Ryan isn’t who he portrays himself to be. Distressed and desperately in love, Ryan weaves a web of lies in an effort to secure Wyatt's heart, hoping and praying that their romance can survive the deception. When Wyatt discovers the truth, will their love be there to stay, or will it be, like a worn-out fashion trend, yesterday’s news?

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