Contemporary Romance books

Larx and Aaron have faced a lot together—small-town prejudice, work injuries, and pregnant daughters. But finally two of their teenagers have graduated and Larx is making moves to lessen his workload in anticipation of Aaron being elected sheriff in the fall. Maybe, just maybe, they can start planning the wedding they’ve longed to have.

Then a student goes missing and Aaron’s mentor takes a bullet during the search. Larx and Aaron backburner their plans and jump into what they do best—taking care of their people.

They don’t expect to be the ones who end up in danger.

While Larx and Aaron struggle to get out of their perilous situation, their family is galvanized into action. Just like Larx and Aaron’s relationship, their rescue is going to take hard work, ingenuity, and a solid sense of humor, but the people whose lives they’ve touched are up for the job. Nobody will rest until Larx and Aaron are safe and sound—and ready to ride off into the sunset toward the beginning of the rest of their lives.

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In a last-ditch effort to finish a manuscript, Thomas Kovacs packs up his teenage daughter, Alexis, and relocates to a small town in northern England. Things have been strained between them for months, but the closer Thomas gets to the end of his book, the more distant Alexis becomes.

Krishna Singh came to Corbridge to open a bookstore and start a family. After two years, his business is thriving. His family? Well, he hasn't gotten around to that yet. Actually, he hasn’t even dated. The closest he gets is bonding over books and music with an American teenager who comes into his shop.

When it turns out the teenager’s dad is none other than Krishna’s favorite author, he wastes no time in getting to know Thomas. But attempts at something more go about as well as Thomas’s writing, or his relationship with Alexis. Can Krishna convince Thomas that they all deserve a happy-ever-after?

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When Liam Belanger gets a professional tryout with the Miami Caimans, he’s hoping to land a roster spot that’ll keep him from bussing tables. If he can make the team and score a tryout in bed with Russ Lyons, the veteran defenseman who’s appointed himself Liam’s mentor, that would be the icing on the sweet hockey cake.

Living life by a strict set of rules has worked out well for Russ. He has a great career, great friends, and a great family, even if they do keep setting him up with hometown honey traps. But he can’t stop time, and now, despite all his planning, he’s looking at his last year with the Caimans before the uncertainty of free agency. Maybe that’s why he finds sunny, free-spirited Liam so attractive. 

He’s still not going to sleep with his rookie.

Probably.

Liam starts the season in the minors, but it’s not long before he gets a shot at the Big Show. His year is shaping up to be a dream come true—even before Russ picks up on Liam’s passes and proves defensemen can score too. 

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Der achtzehnjährige Scott Keating weiß, dass es jenseits seines strengen Elternhauses noch eine andere Welt gibt, aber er hat keine Ahnung, was es dort alles zu entdecken gibt. Das ändert sich, als er Zugang zum Internet bekommt und in einem Chatroom JeffUK kennenlernt, der ihn liebt und versteht. Als Jeff ihn nach Großbritannien einlädt, ergreift Scott die Chance, seinem eintönigen Leben zu entkommen und mehr von der Welt zu sehen. Doch dann landet das Flugzeug in Manchester und Jeff ist nirgendwo zu sehen. Scott wird von Panik erfasst.

Ben Winters ist Barmann und Dom-in-Training im Collars&Cuffs. Als er seine Schwester zum Flughafen bringt, trifft er dort auf den verängstigten Scott, der nicht weiß, was er tun soll. Nachdem Ben Scotts Geschichte gehört hat, klingeln bei ihm sämtliche Alarmglocken. Sein Beschützerinstinkt wird geweckt und er nimmt den naiven Jungen mit ins Collars&Cuffs, weil er hofft, dass einer seiner Chefs Scott helfen kann.

Scott träumt davon, mit Herz und Seele einem Mann zu gehören. Ben sehnt sich nach seinem eigenen Sub. Keiner der beiden erkennt, was sie direkt vor Augen haben.

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Dillon Fitzgerald is a famous singer. He’s also exhausted. Too many shows in a too busy schedule have left too little time for him to write or relax. He feels like the music is being strangled out of him. Some time is just what the doctor ordered, so when his friend offers him a week on a cruise, Dillon gets right on board. All he has to do is grow a little beard and hope no one recognizes him.

Financial advisor Tio Smythe-Barrett has been friends with Dillon forever. When the latest in a long string of girlfriends turns out to be a cheater, Tio offers her spot on what would have been a romantic vacation to Dillon instead. After all, why wouldn’t he want to spend a week with his best friend?

As Tio and Dillon share close quarters, the boundaries in their friendship shift like the ocean currents. Spending time with Tio has Dillon’s creative muse singing, and he can no longer deny that his feelings for Tio go beyond friendship. His heart soars when Tio responds to his flirting—but is he willing to risk what they have for the chance at true love?

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When cantankerous firefighter Dirk Krause gets injured on the job, no one at his firehouse cares enough to visit, so new guy Lee Stockton gets saddled with the task of bringing him a sympathy bouquet. Dirk figures it won’t take much to get Lee to hate him too, but Lee sees right through his attempt to push everyone away and picks his own battle—getting Dirk to stop being a jerk.

Good thing they’re firefighters, because the chemistry between them is explosive. Together they face burning buildings, budget cuts, professional failures, and family drama. If their relationship can survive that, it can survive anything. Right?

Bonus story: Traffic cop Justin Briggs keeps a cool head on the job, but put him in front of a hot guy and it all goes up in smoke. Firefighter Rock Sparks happens to be the hot guy in question. Teasing Justin for being tongue-tied is fun, but when Justin gets injured, everything turns serious. Can Rock get Justin to open up about his past so they can explore a future together?

This anthology contains the following previously published novellas: Redemption by Fire (published by Dreamspinner Press May 2012), Strengthened by Fire (published by Dreamspinner Press August 2012), Burnished by Fire (published by Dreamspinner Press October 2012), and Heat Under Fire (published by Dreamspinner Press March 2013).

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Welcome back to the world of Granby, where the yarn is soft, the knitting is fine, and the critters are never far off....

After the happy ever after of Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny's Lair, Jeremy and Aiden continued to be fan favorites, and author Amy Lane visited them from time to time in a series of whimsical shorts that were posted on her blog and Patreon. Those shorts, together with a brand-new, never before seen Christmas novel featuring the entire Granby family, are gathered here in Weddings, Christmas, and Such, a collection of stories that show the good times in the bad, and the hope even in the darkness. Welcome back to the world of Granby—Jeremy, Aiden, Craw, Ben, Stanley, Johnny, Ariadne, Rory, and baby Persephone are all happy to see you again!

In This Collection:

The Gift of a Birthday: The folks at Craw's mill and shop have always knitted for each other's big holidays, but one person in their midst hasn't been entirely honest about his own birthday...

Bunnies: Ariadne and Rory are going off on a much-needed vacation--are Jeremy and Aiden prepared for full-time childcare and all the hard questions it might entail?

And the Mountains Should Crumble: Hard times have come to Granby--can Craw and his small patchwork family survive fire in the pandemic, and find something to be thankful for on the other side?

Weddings and Such: After all the troubles and some years of peace, it really is time for everybody to get married. Has Jeremy come far enough along from his rabbit days to be the center of attention while his boy makes an honest man out of him?

Crocheting Hawks and Knitting Christmas Angels: Gideon Haze and Pippen Madison commit a near-tragic mistake, and everybody's favorite bunny is laid up for Christmas! Can the bodyguard and his vulnerable charge find a way to atone for their lapse in judgment and grow into the men who can make themselves and their new Granby family safe from Pippen's dangerous father?

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Fisher Moreland wurde von seiner Familie verstoßen, nachdem sie nicht länger mit seinen Problemen umgehen konnte. Fisher ist bipolar, lebt von Tag zu Tag und versucht, mit seiner Erkrankung zurechtzukommen, doch er hatte nicht immer allzu viel Kontrolle über sein Leben und musste sich mit allem, was er finden konnte, so gut wie möglich selbst helfen.

JD Burnsides‘ Familie hat wegen eines Skandals an seinem Heimatort den Kontakt zu ihm abgebrochen. Er ist nach Carlisle gezogen, hat aber Charme und Wärme des Südens mitgebracht. Als er Fisher an einem Winterabend auf einer Parkbank entdeckt, lädt er ihn zu einem späten Abendessen mit sich und seinen Freunden ein.

Anfangs weiß Fisher nicht, was er von ihm halten soll, kommt jedoch allmählich aus sich heraus. Und als Fishers Arbeitsplatz wegen eines Brandes in Gefahr gerät, ist JDs Unterstützung und Sorge mehr, als er je erwartet hätte. Doch als Menschen aus Fishers Vergangenheit inmitten einer wiederauflebenden Drogenepidemie auftauchen, ist Fisher klar, dass sie seine aufkeimende Beziehung zu JD sabotieren könnten.

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Killian Thornton likes his downtown life, tending bar, and enjoying time with his friends and community. He'd given up on passion long ago—he wasn't cut out for grand romance or dramatic gestures. Then one night, in a characteristic act of kindness, Killian offers his couch to help a friend's little brother find his feet in a new city, and everything Killian thought he knew about himself and his little life gets turned upside down.

Lewis Bernard, the funny, quirky guy happy to find a spot on Killian's couch, can’t believe his luck. After being forced to flee his parents’ house, he was afraid of what came next, but Sacramento seems to be treating him just fine. The stunningly handsome bartender who lives downstairs from his brother offers Lewis his couch and doesn’t even balk when Lewis discovers two abandoned kittens in a vacant lot as they walk home.

Vet bills, cat food bills, litter boxes—none of it was on Killian's Christmas agenda, but he jumps in gamely to help because all the shelters seem to be full, and that's just the kind of guy Killian is. But kittens can multiply faster than rabbits, and Killian and Lewis accidentally rescue more and more cats.

Lewis starts to panic. He really wants to know Killian better, but with each act of kindness, Lewis falls further in love while ruining Killian's life. How can Killian find time to fall in love with Lewis and ask him to stay if they’re inundated with destructive furry poop-machines who all seem to need a home before Christmas?

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The rules of dreidel are simple—unless the hot new rabbi your friends have been wanting you to meet turns out to be your childhood crush. Now Zach Kravitz is playing for more than bragging rights as the dreidel champion—he’s playing for his heart.
 
Hanukkah parties with the Kravitz family were some of Garrett Fitzpatrick’s favorite childhood memories. Now that Garrett has a chance to reconnect with Zach, the quiet, artistic young man he has yearned after for years, he’s ready to put a new spin on an old game. Garrett has eight nights to show Zach the spark between them can turn into a lasting flame that will stay bright long after Hanukkah ends. 

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Enjoy these free short stories set in Amy Lane's Gambling Men universe!

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Shy web designer Kyle Zigler is resigned to living a solitary life as a single dad raising two gifted kids…until a sexy artist at a holiday market gives him a gift with delightful and unexpected consequences. Is he brave enough to open his heart again?

Charming holiday vendor Vic Burgess has spent his entire life on the move, drifting wherever the wind blows to sell his handmade creations, when he meets a hunky young father who makes him feel like staying put. What will it take to make him stay?

Two lonely lives colliding at Christmas…. Can a festive fling turn into something more? Find out in this heartwarming story of gay apparel, found family, and the magic of unexpected meetings.

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Veterinary student Dutton Glenroth isn’t on speaking terms with his sister, Mary, but he isn’t about to let his niece and nephew suffer because of it. He knows they have very little, so for the holidays, he makes up a basket of gifts for them and leaves it outside their door.
 
But the kids are getting older, and this year Dutton finds it difficult to pick out their gifts. When he asks for help at Foster’s Toys, he runs into Randy Grant, his high school crush, who even volunteers to wrap and deliver the gifts with Dutton. Suddenly Dutton’s normally lonely holiday has a spark of Christmas cheer. Will this be the year he gets the holiday he’s always longed for?

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CEO Gordon Wyckoff lives for work and certainly has no interest in Christmas. When a blizzard runs him off the road, he ends up stranded in a picturesque mountain town that is the polar opposite of his fast-paced world. The Snowed Inn is the definition of the Christmas kitsch he hates.

Innkeeper Elliot Osterman can barely keep his quaint B&B afloat but has never been able to say no to a guest. One snowy night, he makes room for a stranded executive who knocks him out of his comfortable rut.

As the holidays take hold, the magic of the little town begins to restore their spark and unlock their hearts. Together these two mismatched men might be able to build a future, if they can just dig through all the history that's kept them frozen in place.

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Jake lost his Christmas spirit when his husband left him on December 26. This year, when a friend offers him her reservation at a resort in Florida, he jumps at the chance to get away. No snow, no Christmas trees, no problems.

Except the resort does a Christmas Golf Cart parade every year, and Alex, the man in the neighboring cabin, wants Jake’s help with his.
 
Jake just wants to be left alone… until he spies Alex’s design. Maybe working together won’t be so bad. Can an unexpected friendship reawaken more than Jake’s holiday spirit?

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Emmett McElroy is the cowboy horses hate. When his heir apparent brother dies and his father has a heart attack, he does his duty and steps up as head of the family ranch, but he wishes things were different and his life choices were his own. Just when he begins to get his legs under him, he arrives home to find his high school crush has been hired as ranch foreman.

Ex-rodeo cowboy Nathaniel Zachary desperately needs work. When Mrs. McElroy offers him a job while her husband recovers, he jumps at it. The only issue is Emmett… because Nathaniel has never been able to get his best friend’s brother out of his mind.

Tensions only increase when, after drowning his sorrows, Emmett foolishly agrees to enter a bucking bronc contest at the local rodeo. The attraction that grows as Nathaniel helps prepare Emmett for the contest is something neither of them expected, but as Emmett's father's health improves, the happiness they've built may break faster than a cowboy thrown from the meanest bronc.

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Actor Tucker Crawford is having the worst summer ever. Thanks to a viral video of him trying to swim, he’s the laughingstock of Hollywood and his role in a hit TV series is in jeopardy. The only bright spot is Tucker’s sexy new swim coach, Reed Oliver, but even that has its problems—because Tucker is deep in the closet and has never been with a guy.

Reed Oliver is having the best summer ever. He’s just scored a high-paying freelance gig teaching a Hollywood actor how to swim. The two of them have the run of a deserted summer camp, complete with an Olympic-size swimming pool. But when cocky playboy Reed meets shy, virgin Tucker, sparks fly and Reed’s walk-in-the-park coaching job becomes a minefield of temptation. Once they kiss for the first time, there’s no way to overcome their mutual passion and no looking back. But after two weeks of secluded intimacy, can they keep their romance alive in the real world? 

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When Prince Reynard escapes his gilded cage, he runs as fast as he can in search of a taste of freedom. Predictably, he gets pulled over.

State Trooper Fisher Bronson doesn’t know the handsome stranger in the rental car, but he does know the guy was driving way too fast. Still, Fisher takes to protect and serve seriously, so he helps Reynard find a hotel for the night.

Then the hotel catches fire.

Apparently Reynard hasn’t covered his tracks as well as he thought. But is it paparazzi on his tail, or someone much more deadly? Either way, when Fisher offers him a room for the night, he’s grateful for the refuge.

Reynard is generous and kind, but Fisher knows he’s hiding something. Finally Reynard confesses the truth: as prince of Veronia, his life is structured and ordered for him, but as Reynard, in Carlisle with Fisher, he has the freedom to become a person he actually likes. To Reynard's surprise, Fisher likes him back—not for his title, but for the man he is. But duty, family expectations, and whoever is after Reynard could spell the end of their relationship before they get past once upon a traffic stop.

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