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Tyler has the mountains in his bones, and he can’t leave sleepy Starling Hollow even if everyone else has. He has no prospects other than helping out Granny Buchanan, the local conjure woman, and trying to keep the old Greenbrier Inn from falling down. He knows neither one’s long for the world, and he dreads the idea of being alone.

Granny Buchanan’s as stubborn as the mountain, with a memory almost as long. She has no plans to leave Tyler alone—there’s somebody right in her backyard who’d be perfect for him, and she’s learned some tricks in her life.

But things more mysterious than Granny haunt the old mountain, and they have tricks of their own. 

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Bien des années auparavant, le jeune Nick n’hésitait pas à embrasser son ami Jared sous les gradins de l’école, mais depuis que le docteur Kumpel est devenu pédiatre à l’hôpital que dirige Nicolas Beckert, ce dernier ne lui prête plus aucune attention. Tout change, cependant, quand tous deux se trouvent bloqués ensemble dans une cabine d’ascenseur. Durant ces cinq heures de confinement, dix années d’éloignement glacé s’effacent et leur ancienne passion se réveille, aussi brûlante et irrépressible qu’autrefois.

Une fois libéré, Jared ne compte pas permettre à Nick de recommencer à l’ignorer. Submergé de travail et de responsabilités, le directeur de Ste Anne a désespérément besoin d’un exutoire et Jared est très impatient de le lui fournir. Le problème est que Jared tient à vivre sa liaison au grand jour alors que Nick préfère rester dans le placard. Si les baisers adolescents volés sont devenus des ébats secrets dans la salle du conseil, les deux amants retrouvent vite les mêmes disputes qu’autrefois. Vont-ils encore une fois se déchirer et se séparer ?

Jared s’y refuse catégoriquement. Cette fois-ci, il ne sera pas aussi intransigeant. Loin d’exiger que Nick fasse son coming out, il se souciera des raisons qui le motivent à y rester. Peut-être trouvera-t-il la prescription qui ouvrira à Nick la voie du bonheur.

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Health issues have kept Scott Calligan in quarantine since the start of the pandemic. But when a wandering dog is nearly hit by a car in front of his house, he can’t help but come to its rescue—even if he’s more of a cat person.

Max’s owner, Brandon Richards, represents everything Scott has kept himself safe from. Once he picks up the runaway, Scott doesn’t expect he’ll see either of them again.

It seems Max has other ideas….

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Struggling business owner George is stuck in the past. Rootless Zephyr lives only in the present. Can they find the courage to build a future together?

At thirty years old, George Harlow is at risk of becoming as fossilized as the prehistoric tourist attraction he inherited—the one that’s headed the way of the dinosaurs. Even if staying afloat didn’t take all his energy, the dating pool in his town is as dry as the desert surrounding it. As for the family trauma from his past? That can stay buried.

Then Zephyr Steiber blows into his life.

Zephyr lives up to his name, drifting wherever Fate takes him, sometimes renting his body in exchange for a ride. With his high heels and lace and bright personality, Zephyr brings a spark of life to George’s dried-up existence.

For a while Zephyr is content to shelter in George’s refuge and to be George’s solace in return. Together they create an oasis. But with Zephyr haunted by the ghosts of bad decisions, and with George’s home and livelihood threatened by a global pandemic, can their tentative dreams for a future together survive reality?

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If Taz Oswald has one more gross date, he’s resigning himself to a life of celibacy with his irritable Chihuahua, Carl. Carl knows how to bite a banana when he sees one! Then Selby Hirsch invites Taz to walk dogs together, and Taz is suddenly back in the game. Selby is adorkable, awkward, and a little weird—and his dog Ginger is a trip—and Taz is transfixed. Is it really possible this sweet guy with the blurty mouth and a heart as big as the Pacific Ocean wandered into Taz’s life by accident? If so, how can Taz convince Selby that he wants to be Selby and Ginger’s forever home?

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A Victorian automaton that seems all too real...

A cursed book that infects the beloved family dog...

An old mill building haunted by workers killed in a fire...

Ghosts, werewolves, and aliens lurk in the twilight, at the edge of the shadows—the penumbra—in this collection of stories from Jamie Fessenden. 

This volume consists of previously published novellas.

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Conner MacKay is the last of the TV cowboys, but he’s withdrawn from society—even before a global pandemic forces the world into quarantine. When he meets activist Dante Burke, though, Conner takes a chance. He can’t leave a young Black man on the street in the face of a public health crisis. What kind of cowboy would he be then?

On the surface, Conner and Dante live in opposing realities: midlife versus youth, flush versus flat broke. But their politics, attraction, and close quarters bring them together until the heat between them grows into a burn almost too hot to handle.

Then old dangers breach their safeguards and threaten not their love, but their very lives.

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After demon elementals kill the good folks Sheriff Cali McCade has sworn to protect, the last place she expects to find herself is the future.

Cali McCade is happy being the only female sheriff in the West until evil destroys her town of Oblivion and everyone in it. But when a magical creature sends her forward in time, Cali gets a chance for justice—and to stop history from repeating itself.

Now, on the set of Harsh Reality, a television show that challenges average people to survive in historical settings, Cali isn’t just the sheriff of Oblivion—she also plays herself on TV. It isn’t easy to find her path in this new world, but at least she knows what her “character” would do… even if it’s a little strange to be navigating a blooming romance with the woman playing Arlene, her long-lost love.

When the elementals show up to destroy Oblivion all over again, can Cali find a way to defeat the demons, keep her cover, and still ride off into the sunset?

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Jackson and Ellery face their toughest case yet—against the criminal justice system itself.

Jackson Rivers and Ellery Cramer have worked difficult jobs before, but usually it’s getting the facts that’s the problem. For their newest client, the trouble isn’t finding the truth—it’s corruption at the highest levels of the justice system. It isn’t enough to find the actual perpetrator and unveil a heartless plot—not when the DA is the bad guy and he’s using cops as his goons. Keeping their vulnerable client alive and out of jail takes blood, sweat, and tears.

When one of their major antagonists is killed and the DA tries to pin the death on Jackson, he’ll need every ounce of luck and all his resources to clear his name—and to find the perpetrator before the DA can use the murder to further his own agenda. They soon find that it’s easier to spot an honest man in a field of thieves than it is to shoot fish in a barrel—and both the man and the fish will be lucky to survive….

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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.

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Pour les Hommes, les métamorphes ne sont rien de plus qu’un mythe. 

Pour les métamorphes, le mythe, c’est l’existence des âmes sœurs. 

Mais alors, dans ce cas, comment se fait-il que le tigre-garou Dellan Carson ait hérité des deux à la fois ? 

Cela fait si longtemps que Dellan est piégé sous sa peau de tigre qu’il en oublierait presque la sensation de pouvoir marcher sur deux jambes. Mais lorsque le photojournaliste Rael Parton se met en tête d’interviewer le PDG du géant pharmaceutique qui le retient prisonnier dans son bureau à l’intérieur d’une cage de verre, son monde bascule. 

Abattu de découvrir son futur compagnon piégé à l’état de tigre, Rael est bien déterminé à le libérer de sa prison… et pour ça, il aura besoin d’aide. 

C’est là qu’intervient Horvan Kojik, ancien militaire et ours-garou spécialiste de ce genre de missions. Horvan est l’homme de la situation pour voler à la rescousse de Dellan. Mais pour ce qui est d’avoir une âme sœur ? Il ne s’était jamais imaginé officialiser avec qui que ce soit, et encore moins deux fois. 

Sauver Dellan et l’aider à redevenir humain n’est que le commencement de leur histoire. Il reste aux trois amants de noirs secrets à percer et des forces obscures à éliminer…

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Inevitable Duets: Book Three

Steadfast drummer Ash Wright and wild-card bassist Dean Phillips have been best friends forever, but Ash finds himself wanting more. A break from touring should give him the space he needs to get his head on straight–except then Dean moves in with him…. 

Ash has been fighting his growing attraction to Dean ever since an ill-fated threesome on the last leg of their tour. All he wants is some time to get over it. But that doesn’t seem to be in the cards, because Dean’s mom has given his room to his niece, and he doesn’t have anywhere else to stay. Ash has a big house all to himself, so why shouldn’t he move in? 

Because they can’t keep their hands off each other, that’s why.  

Dean never saw himself having feelings for another man, but that’s what’s happening. As he and Ash explore their secret new relationship behind closed doors, they also collaborate to help a struggling charity–one Dean feels close to, since it helps underprivileged kids like he used to be learn music. The time off from touring lets them live in their own little world. 

Then the band reunites for a fundraiser concert, and suddenly the real world intrudes. Can Ash and Dean navigate a relationship that leaves them in harmony with the rest of the group?

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Flynn Dalton just wants to marry her girlfriend, Genesis, go back to her construction job, and get on with her life. But first she has to defeat a revenge-crazed psychic succubus who is erasing people from existence….

Flynn is in a tough spot. The National Psychic Registry will exile Genesis for her use of dark magic if Flynn doesn’t do their bidding… and Gen doesn’t even know the Registry is using her for leverage. The only way for Flynn to get her life back–and protect Gen–is to find and kill Tempest Granfeld, the disembodied succubus removing Registry members from time.

But no matter how hard Flynn works, she makes little progress. Using her abilities takes a mental and physical toll, and she’s so tired that she can’t keep an eye on Gen, who’s struggling with her dark magic addiction.

When Tempest sets her sights on Genesis, Flynn is pushed to her breaking point. Can she embrace her power once and for all and be the hero Gen needs?

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Can a single dad with a criminal past find love with the cop who pulled him over?

When single dad Quinton Jackson gets stopped for speeding, he thinks he’s lost both his freedom and his infant son, who’s in the car he’s been chasing down the highway. Amazingly, State Trooper Wyatt Nelson not only believes him, he radios for help and reunites Quinton with baby Callum.

Wyatt should ticket Quinton, but something makes him look past Quinton’s record. Watching him with his child proves he made the right decision. Quinton is a loving, devoted father—and he’s handsome. Wyatt can’t help but take a personal interest.
 
For Quinton, getting temporary custody is a dream come true… or it would be, if working full-time and caring for an infant left time to sleep. As if that weren’t enough, Callum’s mother will do anything to get him back, including ruining Quinton’s life. Fortunately, Quinton has Wyatt for help, support, and as much romance as a single parent can schedule.
 
But when Wyatt’s duties as a cop conflict with Quinton’s quest for permanent custody, their situation becomes precarious. Can they trust each other, and the courts, to deliver justice and a happy ever after?

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Danny Sims est perdu, déchiré entre son amant abusif, Joshua, et Jay Holtsclaw, le barman du bout de la rue, qui lui offre l’unique chose qu’il n’a pas chez lui : la compréhension.

Lorsque Joshua menace de se débarrasser du chien de Danny, celui-ci sait qu’il doit agir et vite. Effrayé par ce que Joshua pourrait faire à son chien et par ce qu’il pourrait lui faire à lui s’il essayait de partir, Danny n’a plus qu’une seule solution.

Fuir.

Mais il n’est pas totalement fou, il a suffisamment de bon sens pour se réfugier dans les bras de l’homme qui se soucie de lui, celui en qui il commence à avoir confiance.

Alors que leur vie ensemble commence à se mettre en place, Danny et Jay vont découvrir à quel point Joshua est rancunier.

Et dangereux.

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Lucas Arrowood is walking to school on his first day of kindergarten when he meets Dalton Churchill—a boy who stops and helps him tie his shoe. He knows from that moment he is going to marry that boy one day. “Boys can’t marry other boys,” his mother explains, but that doesn’t stop Lucas. He knows what he wants.

He and Dalton become best friends. And then, no matter how much he resists, Dalton falls in love with Lucas. Dalton’s very conservative family can’t accept that their boy loves another boy, but finally Dalton stands up for love and for Lucas. Still, he declares he won’t marry Lucas until it is legal everywhere. He hates the “commitment ceremonies” gay men have. They aren’t the real thing. Why bother?

So Lucas waits for his day. The day same-sex marriage finally becomes legal and he can be joined forever with the love of his life. 


Originally published in the anthology A More Perfect Union, Dreamspinner Press, June 2016

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Can a disillusioned former cop track down a missing girl before it’s too late?

Seven years ago, criminologist Ben Ames thought he’d change a big city police force from the inside. He failed. Now he’s a private detective trailing insurance frauds and cheating spouses through the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Like police work, the job would be easier if he didn’t have a conscience.

When university student Kimberly Moy goes missing, her sister begs Ben to take the case. But before Ben can follow up on any leads—What does the Fibonacci series have to do with Kim’s disappearance? What do her disaffected friends know? And where is her car?—chance and bad timing drop his unexpected ex, Jesse, into the mix.

Ben doesn’t have time to train Jesse into the junior PI he seems determined to become. Amateur sleuths are always trouble. Unfortunately, this is turning out to be the kind of case that requires backup, and his intuition is telling him Kim’s story may not have a happy ending....

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Seth Simms wollte niemals Cowboy werden und wenn man Jason Thompson, seinem besten Freund, glauben darf, ist er auch keiner. Er hatte nur zufällig Glück, als sein Bruder und er vor zehn Jahren nach Lang Downs kamen. Hier fand er den nötigen Halt, um die Schule abzuschließen und ein Studium zu beginnen. Aber er hätte nie gedacht, dass Lang Downs für ihn der sichere Hafen werden könnte wie für so viele der anderen, die hier ein Zuhause gefunden hatten. Dazu hatte er zu viel mitgemacht. Und seine Vergangenheit hatte Schäden hinterlassen. Niemand würde einen Mann mit seinen Problemen akzeptieren.

Jason hatte sein ganzes Leben lang nur ein Ziel gehabt: Er wollte Tierarzt werden, nach Lang Downs zurückkehren und hier seinen Beruf ausüben – wann immer er gebraucht wurde. Den Rest seiner Zeit wollte er als Jackaroo arbeiten. Und er freute sich darauf, gelegentlich seinen Freund Seth zu sehen, auch wenn seine Träume von einer gemeinsamen Zukunft hoffnungslos waren. Seth war nicht schwul.

Seths überraschende Rückkehr nach Lang Downs ist für Jason ein zusätzliches Geschenk. Aber es ist nicht einfach, ein Gleichgewicht zwischen seiner Beziehung zu einem der Jackaroos und seiner Freundschaft zu Seth zu finden. Dann erkennt er, wie schwer Seth an seiner Vergangenheit zu tragen hat und mit welchen gefährlichen Mitteln er versucht, seine Probleme zu bewältigen.

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