Contemporary Romance books

Can he step out of the shadows and into love’s light? 

Eight years ago, Christian Hernandez moved to the Jamaica Plain area of Boston, took refuge in his apartment, and cut himself off from the outside world. And that’s how he’d like it to stay. 

Josh Wendell has heard his coworkers gossip about the occupant of apartment #1. No one sees the mystery man, and Josh loves a mystery. So when he is hired to refurbish the apartment’s kitchen and bathrooms, Josh is eager to discover the truth behind the rumors.

When he comes face-to-face with Christian, Josh understands why Christian hides from prying eyes. As the two men bond, Josh sees past his exterior to the man within, and he likes what he sees. But can Christian find the courage to emerge from the darkness of his lonely existence for the man who has claimed his heart?

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As soon as he graduated high school, Paul Thompson fled the tiny, heavily Ukrainian town of Liddon, Saskatchewan, for bigger and better things. Now in his late thirties, Paul owns a struggling art gallery in Toronto. His grandmother’s one-hundredth birthday is approaching, and Paul will return to place where he grew up for the first time since he left.

The town—and the province—don’t match Paul’s memories. Have they changed? Or has he? He reconnects with Dylan Shevchenko, an old friend who now teaches phys. ed. in Regina. When Paul learns his grandmother had an Aboriginal son he never knew about, he wonders what else he missed while he was away. Did he make the right choice all those years ago? He receives the rare opportunity to start over when he discovers a gallery for sale in Regina. He’s faced with a choice between his youthful dreams in the big city and making a life with Dylan in a place that somehow finally feels like home.

World of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the globe.

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Eine Geschichte aus dem Kuriosen Kochbuch

Emmett Gant   hatte sich fest vorgenommen, seinem Vater eines Sonntags etwas sehr Wichtiges zu erzählen – doch sein Vater war gestorben, ehe er dazu kam. Jetzt, drei Jahre später, kann Emmett sich einfach nicht darüber klar werden, mit wem er zusammen sein soll – mit dem Mädchen mit den Apfelbäckchen und der wunderbaren Familie? Oder mit Keegan, seinem scharfzüngigen Nachbarn, der seine Familie nie besucht, aber Emmett sehr glücklich macht, wenn er nur auf einen Schwatz rüberkommt?

Emmett braucht Klarheit. 

Zu Emmetts Glück hat die Mutter seines besten Freundes ein Kochbuch, das ihm Erkenntnis und gutes Essen verspricht. Emmett ist fasziniert. Und als ihm das Kochbuch nach Hause folgt, beschließen Emmett und Keegan, das Rezept „Für Klarheit“ nachzukochen. Was sich daraus ergibt, ist einerseits völlig klar, aber andererseits auch ein bisschen überraschend – vor allem für Emmetts Freundin. Emmett wird ganz scharf über seine Vergangenheit und die wichtigen Dinge, die er seinem Vater zu sagen versäumt hat, nachdenken müssen, wenn er das Rezept für Liebe jemals richtig hinkriegen will. 

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Vagabondo  fin dall’adolescenza, Jimmy Dorsett non ha né casa né speranze. Possiede solo un borsone, delle storie e un vecchio catorcio. In una fredda notte nel deserto, dà un passaggio a un autostoppista che gli lascia un’altra cosa: la lettera scritta da un uomo che sta per morire al figlio che non vede da anni.

Nel tentativo di consegnare la lettera, Jimmy arriva a Rattlesnake, una cittadina ai piedi delle Sierras californiane. Al centro del paese c’è il Rattlesnake Inn, dove il bel barista è Shane Little, un ex cowboy. Tra loro scoppia la scintilla, e quando la macchina di Jimmy esala l’ultimo respiro, Shane gli trova un lavoro come tuttofare alla locanda.

Nella comunità di Rattlesnake e tra le braccia di Shane, Jimmy trova una pace a lui sconosciuta ma che non può durare. La strada continua a chiamarlo, e di sicuro Shane – un uomo forte e orgoglioso, con un passato doloroso e un presente difficile – merita di più di un vagabondo bugiardo che non riesce a stare fermo a lungo nello stesso posto.

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Huxley carries invisible scars from a near-fatal car accident. He sleepwalks through a job at his father’s company, marking time until he can quit and pursue his own dreams. 

Everything changes the moment he makes eye contact with a stranger while riding to work. It’s as if he’s been shaken out of his stupor, and Huxley vows to find the man.

Thanks to a thieving ex-lover, Paul’s florist shop is on the brink of closing down. He needs to milk Valentine’s Day for all it’s worth—and the irony that a day dedicated to love might help undo the damage of a failed relationship is not lost on him.

When Huxley finds Paul at his shop, both men feel an instant attraction. Before long, they’re falling hard, but Huxley holds back. If Paul knew all the baggage he’s carrying, he might run.

Paul’s gut tells him Huxley is hiding something. Huxley looks like a keeper, but Paul can’t go through another disastrous romance.

When Valentine’s Day arrives, will they have anything to celebrate?

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Un libro della serie Il curioso ricettario di Nonna B

Una domenica mattina, Emmett Gant esce di casa deciso a confessare al padre una cosa importante, ma scopre che l’uomo è venuto a mancare. Ora, a quasi tre anni di distanza, il giovane non riesce a capire con chi stare: la ragazza dalle guanciotte da criceto e la famiglia numerosa, o Keegan, il vicino di casa che, pur non avendo una famiglia, lo rende felice con la sua sola presenza? 

Ci vuole qualcosa per schiarirsi le idee. 

Per fortuna, la mamma del suo migliore amico possiede un libro di ricette capaci di snebbiare le menti più confuse, e Emmett ne viene subito conquistato. Quando il libro lo segue fino a casa, lui e il vicino decidono di preparare un piatto “per chiarire”, e quello che segue è davvero chiarissimo – e forse anche un po’ sorprendente, soprattutto per la sua ragazza. Emmett dovrà quindi riflettere sul passato e sulla cosa importante che voleva confessare al padre, se non vuole rischiare di rovinare la ricetta per l’amore perfetto.

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Matt Bowers’s life ended at sixteen, when a vicious betrayal by someone who he should have been able to trust left him a shell of himself, fighting OCD and PTSD, living in constant fear and always running. When he buys a remote tract of land, he thinks he’s found the perfect place to hide from the world and attempt to establish some peace. For ten years he believes he’s found a measure of comfort, until the day a stranger begins to run on Matt’s road.

He returns every day, an unwelcome intrusion into Matt’s carefully structured life. Matt appeals to the local sheriff, who cannot help him since the jogger is doing nothing wrong. Gradually, after tentatively breaking the ice, Matt begins to accept the man’s presence—

But when the runner doesn’t show up one day, it throws Matt’s world into chaos and he must make the hardest decision of his life.

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Kaden Thorn, un chirurgo dentale con una vita tranquilla, non crede che troverà l’amore che tanto desidera. Un attacco omofobo gli è costato l’uso delle gambe, confinandolo su una sedia a rotelle. Ha perso la speranza di incontrare un Dom, o anche solo un compagno con preferenze più convenzionali, che lo ami. Quando la sua migliore amica lo costringe a partecipare a una cena, l’ultima cosa che si aspetta è di conoscere un Dom determinato che riesce a vedere al di là della sua carrozzina. 

Deacon James è un architetto e un Dom esigente, ma ha passato gli ultimi due anni senza un sottomesso o un compagno. Quando un suo impiegato lo invita a una cena per conoscere la fidanzata, Deacon fiuta una trappola, ma accetta comunque. Si vanta di essere bravo a giudicare le persone, e quando incontra il giovane dentista, vede oltre la sua disabilità e trova un adorabile sottomesso che suscita in lui qualcosa di più di un semplice interesse. 

I demoni e le paure che perseguitano Kade costituiscono per Deacon una sfida a usare tutto quello che ha imparato come Dom per guadagnare la sua fiducia e la sua sottomissione. Ma Deacon è determinato e combatterà per avere Kade al suo fianco e ai suoi piedi.

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Tom has always been steady and predictable—a formula he’s sure will lead him to success in his career. When his method fails him and he loses his job, he throws caution to the wind for the first time in his life and books a European holiday. 

Maybe Tom shouldn’t be surprised that Cupid’s arrow finds him in one of the most romantic cities in the world: Venice, Italy. When he encounters Giovanni working in the family pizzeria, it’s lust at first sight. Their time together touring the city is so magical it feels like a dream. But Tom is shy while Giovanni is charming and flirtatious. Tom has a newfound freedom with his unemployment, while family burdens weigh heavily on Giovanni. Add culture differences and miscommunication into the mix, and their brief romance might fade as quickly as the beautiful dream it resembles.

World of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the globe.

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Carlisle Cops: Book Six

Carlisle police officer Dwayne knows what Robin is doing the moment he lays eyes on the young man at Bronco’s club. But he doesn’t know that, like him, Robin also comes from a family who cast him out for being gay, or that he’s still lugging around the pain of that rejection. Robin leaves the club, and soon after Dwayne decides to as well—and is close by when things between Robin and his client turn violent. 

When Dwayne finds out Robin is the victim of a scam that lost him his apartment, he can’t leave Robin to fend for himself on the streets. Despite Dwayne’s offer of help and even opening up his home, it’s hard for Robin to trust anything good. The friendship between them grows, and just as the two men start warming up to each other, Robin’s sister passes away, naming Robin to care for her son. Worse yet, their pasts creep back in to tear down the family and sense of belonging both of them long for.

Will their fledgling romance dissipate like fog in the sun before it has a chance to burn bright?

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Contes d'un étrange livre de cuisine, numéro hors série

Trois mois après avoir perdu ses parents dans un accident de voiture, Daniel Whitaker, météorologue à Denver, retourne à Laramie dans le Wyoming. Il lui est déjà suffisamment difficile de faire face à la mort de ses parents et à sa relation de quinze ans qui ne cesse de se dégrader, mais lorsqu’il retrouve sa maison d’enfance sens dessus dessous, il se voit complètement désemparé. Il se tourne alors vers Landon, le voisin séduisant de ses parents, et lui demande son aide afin de ranger tout le désordre. Landon Kushner est une contradiction humaine. Il fabrique des sculptures époustouflantes à partir de débris de métal et adore le plein air, mais il conduit également une Vespa vert menthe et possède un faible pour le tricot et le voyeurisme. Il a été l’ami des parents de Daniel durant de nombreuses années et est ravi de pouvoir lui prêter main-forte.

Leur plan est simple : ranger et nettoyer la maison afin que Daniel puisse la vendre et reprendre le cours de sa vie à Denver. Mais lorsqu’un étrange livre de recettes de cuisine atterrit en la possession de Landon, Daniel se met à réaliser que l’univers – et Grand-Mère B – lui a peut-être réservé un autre destin.

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Un livre de Harmony Ink Press

Elpida, tome 2

Lycéen de dernière année, Michael Sattler mène une vie de rêve. Ou presque. Il a de bons amis, des parents qui l’aiment tel qu’il est et c’était un champion de courses de haies jusqu’à ce que quelqu’un abîme son genou lors du kidnapping de son petit-ami. Pourtant, Michael est déterminé, malgré sa blessure, à faire partie des sélectionnés pour l’USATF.

Christy Castle représente tout pour Michael. Guérissant après des années d’abus et après son enlèvement par un prédateur, il se retrouve à cacher un nouveau secret bien qu’il essaie de se reconstruire une vie. Ensemble, Michael et Christy tentent de se remettre de leurs blessures à temps pour aller au bal de promotion et obtenir leur diplôme d’études secondaires. Pour compliquer les choses, Christy est étonné d’apprendre qu’un de ses compagnons, victime également, a survécu. Il ne reculera devant rien pour le faire venir aux États-Unis afin de le mettre en sécurité.

Mais le procès du kidnappeur de Christy occupe une place importante dans leurs vies et sa lutte pour qu’elle devienne normale ne fait qu’empirer. Son passé continue de les hanter. Lorsque le procès tourne mal et que la nouvelle vie de Christy s’effondre, seuls leur courage implacable et leur détermination pourront les sauver du cauchemar qui menace de détruire leur avenir commun.

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Il épousera la femme de chambre pour hériter de 50 millions de dollars, mais un secret pourrait faire capoter l’affaire.

Taylor Fitzgerald a besoin d’une mariée de dernière minute.

À la veille de son vingt-cinquième anniversaire, le fils du milliardaire découvre, bien qu’il soit gay, qu’il doit épouser une femme avant minuit ou perdre un héritage de cinquante millions de dollars. Il file donc à Las Vegas… où il rencontre la belle femme de chambre Ally May.

Il y a juste un problème de taille : Ally est en fait Alessandro Macias, fils d’un imposant magnat de l’hôtellerie brésilien. Mais si Ally continue à prétendre être une fille un peu plus longtemps, y a-t-il une chance qu’ils puissent découvrir que ce mariage est fait pour eux ? 

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Das abrupte Ende einer zweijährigen Beziehung hat Mitch Jenkins den Boden unter den Füßen weggezogen. Selbst zwei Monate später leidet er immer noch. Der Versuch eines Kollegen, ihn aufzuheitern, führt Mitch in einen geheimen „Club“. Mitch hat keinerlei Interesse an den Twinks, die herumstolzieren wie Pfauen. Doch dann entdeckt er ganz hinten im Raum einen jungen Mann mit einem Buch vor der Nase, der nichts von seiner Umgebung wahrzunehmen scheint. Jetzt ist Mitch interessiert. 

Nikko Kurokawa will nur seine Schulden begleichen und dann nichts wie raus aus dem Black Lounge – wo er nicht nur zum Sex gezwungen wird, sondern manchmal auch Misshandlungen erdulden muss, um Kunden zufriedenzustellen. Sein Leben wird ein klein bisschen leichter, als er Mitch kennenlernt, der so ganz anders ist als die anderen Männer, die den Club besuchen. Und als Mitch ihm erst unter die Haut und dann in sein Herz kriecht, meint Nikko alles ertragen zu können. Schon bald wird er frei sein, und dann können er und Mitch zusammen herausfinden, ob es eine gemeinsame Zukunft für sie gibt. 

Keiner von beiden rechnet mit denen, die Nikko nicht gehen lassen wollen …

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Un libro della serie Wrench Wars - Gli assi dei motori

Ward Kent e Dean Zimmerman sono migliori amici sin dai tempi delle medie. Ora lavorano fianco a fianco nell’officina di Reggie, dove viene girato il reality show **Wrench Wars – Gli assi dei motori**. Fuori dall’orario di lavoro, Dean è un noto seduttore e l’amico gli fa da spalla. Non sospetta, però, che l’interesse di Ward è rivolto più alla fauna maschile che a quella femminile.

Tutto cambia quando Ash, il fratello minore di Dean, viene assunto all’officina. Ash sarà anche più giovane di loro di ben sette anni, ma ha una cotta per Ward da sempre e non si fa problemi a rendere note le proprie intenzioni.

Per Dean prendere atto che sia il fratello che l’amico sono gay è un conto, ma vederli insieme è più di quanto possa affrontare. Ward ne prende atto, ma viene messo alle strette: dovrà decidere se rinunciare alla loro amicizia – e anche al lavoro – oppure dire addio a Ash per sempre.

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WMU: Book Two

Violinist Logan has spent most of his life training for a career in music. But as the pressure mounts during his junior year, he questions whether playing in an orchestra is the future he wants, or one chosen by his parents. His new roommate—that annoying jerk Peter from last year’s production of Guys and Dolls—complicates matters. Crammed into a dorm room with the overconfident but undeniably hot accounting major, Logan can’t stop snarling. 

Then Peter sprains his ankle building sets, and Logan grudgingly agrees to play chauffeur. But instead of putting further strain on their relationship, spending time together reveals some common ground—and mutual frustration. Logan discovers he isn’t the only one who doesn’t know what he wants from life, and the animosity between him and Peter changes keys. But just as the possibility of a happier future appears, Logan gets a dream offer that will take him away from Western Massachusetts University—and Peter. Now he has to decide: will he live the solitary life laid out for him, or hold on to Peter and forge his own path?

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The Mannies

Starting over and falling in love.

Tino Robbins’s sister, Nica, and her husband, Jacob, are expecting their fifth child. Fortunately, Nica’s best friend, Taylor Cochran, is back in town, released from PT and in need of a job.

After years in the service and recovering from grave injury, Taylor has grown a lot from the callow troublemaker he’d been in high school. Now he’s hoping for a fresh start with Nica and her family.

Jacob’s cousin Brandon lives above the garage and thinks “Taylor the manny” is a bad idea. Taylor might be great at protecting civilians from a zombie apocalypse, but is he any good with kids?

Turns out Taylor’s a natural. As he tries to fit in, using common sense and dry wit, Brandon realizes that Taylor doesn’t just love their family—he’s desperate to be part of it. And just like that, Brandon wants Taylor to be part of his future.

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The promise of a dream job lures Murphy to Tampa, but he arrives to the rude awakening that the offer is on hold. Now he’s got two choices: slink back to Michigan with his tail between his legs or stay and look for work. Things perk up when he goes into a coffee shop and learns the owner is looking for someone to renovate the apartment above it. He happily takes the job, only later realizing he’s met Joe Sterling, Kaffeinate’s proprietor, before… when they hooked up at a club Murphy’s first night in Tampa.

Murphy and Joe are both proud, passionate, and outspoken. Neither is looking for a relationship, though they can’t deny they go together as well as coffee and doughnuts, in spite of their tempers. But that’s before Joe learns Murphy will be working for the corporation he believes is harming local businesses and the environment—and if Murphy will be supporting it, Joe wants nothing to do with him, dooming any possibility of an unexpected happy ending.

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