Contemporary Romance books

It’s dangerous diving for secrets.

When a megacompany threatens to take over his family-owned business, programming prodigy Adam Preston escapes the stress with a much-needed vacation in the Dominican Republic. There he meets attractive, intelligent, insightful Jonah James, a scuba dive instructor, and what starts as a holiday fling soon blossoms into much more.

But Jonah has a secret: ten years ago he woke up on an island beach with no idea how he got there… or even who he is. Their paradise may not be as perfect as it seems. When Jonah’s memories come crashing back like waves on the sand, will it be Adam clinging to the proverbial life raft, or will the two men find a safe harbor to ride out the storm?

Read more...

Brett has spent twenty-seven years trying to be perfect for the Mormon grandparents who raised him. Unfortunately, doing so has meant missing out on lots of life experiences—and denying a major part of who he is. Now that his grandparents are gone, Brett is ready to make up for lost time, break out of the sedate façade he’s always presented, and do something he would have never considered before: attend a gay men’s spiritual retreat in rural Massachusetts. 

While trying to infuse some spice into his life with workshops like Erotic Massage, Body Painting, and Drag 101, Brett meets Boston nurse Karl, and it’s hard to deny the connection between them. But will Brett’s lack of experience and Karl’s insecurities end their romance before it can really begin? 

It might be a spiritual retreat, but Brett must learn to embrace his physical reality if he’s going to grab on to his chance at love. 

States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.

Read more...

Wade Porter spent his whole life in the shadow of a lover who doled out snippets of love and time as he saw fit—and who insisted that love stay deep in the closet. But now that man is gone, and Wade finds the oceanside cottage where they spent so many weekends together in the Florida Keys cold and empty. He has come one last time, not even sure he wants to keep living. 

To his surprise, the house next door is occupied by another bereaved and lonely man. Kent Walker is an artist of romantic gay paintings who is open to the future—and determinedly interested in Wade. Kent wants to show Wade the beauty in being an openly gay man and the possibilities for a real relationship. 

Maybe Kent can help Wade let go of the past and discover a better way to live—and love.

2nd Edition
First Edition published in Two Tickets to Paradise by Dreamspinner Press, 2012.

Read more...

Serie Storie di Mangrove

Innamorarsi di un collega non è quasi mai una buona idea, specialmente per un uomo a cui è appena stata data l’ultima possibilità per salvare la propria carriera. Ma fin dal primo momento in cui Dwyer Knolls vede Takeo Hiroyuki, bellissimo ma socialmente inetto, sembra destinato a prendere solo delle pessime decisioni.

La vita di Takeo è scandita da continui fallimenti nel tentativo di rendere orgoglioso il padre, un uomo giapponese fissato con le tradizioni. Sfortunatamente, avere successo negli affari per Takeo è difficile quanto cambiare il proprio orientamento sessuale. In effetti, l’unica cosa in cui sembra eccellere è notare Dwyer Knolls.

Quando i due partono per Mangrove, in Florida, per un viaggio di lavoro, la loro amicizia incerta diventa più solida e si trasforma in qualcosa di più profondo. La loro improvvisa sintonia sarà abbastanza forte da permettere loro di costruire un futuro insieme, oppure si tratta solo di un abbaglio ispirato dalla brezza dell’oceano?

Read more...

Every satisfying romance starts with chemistry—that elusive element that brings two men together and just makes things work. It might be hard to define exactly what chemistry is, but it’s impossible to deny these sexy scientists, professors, students, and their partners have it going on. When the formula is right, the reactions will be explosive.

Organic Chemistry

Former boy genius Professor Brendon Marcus understands science better than people. Coach Josh would like to give Brendon an interactive lesson, but he’s dealing with pushy parents and some closed-minded players.

Biochemistry

Opposites attract when rich-kid jock Freddie turns to openly gay scholarship student Kurt for help in biochemistry class. But will being with Kurt jeopardize the future Freddie has planned when rumors start to fly?

Electrochemistry

Science major Brad can’t keep his eyes off Jordy on campus, but he doesn’t think he stands a chance. When they literally collide during a cruise, things heat up. But is it just a holiday fling that will dry up as soon as they’re back on land?

Read more...

A Hearts Entwined Novel

As a stunningly attractive man and the owner of a successful chain of auto repair garages, Trevor is used to attention, adoration, and getting what he wants. What he wants tends to be passionate, no-strings-attached flings with men he meets in clubs. He doesn’t expect anything different when he sets his sights on James. Imagine his surprise when the charm that normally brings men to their knees fails to impress. Trevor will need to drop the routine and connect with James on a meaningful level. He starts by offering to take James home instead of James riding home with his intoxicated friend. 

For James, losing his sight at a young age meant limited opportunities for social interaction. Spending most of his time working at a school for the blind has left him unfamiliar with Trevor’s world, but James has fought hard for his independence, and he knows what he wants. Right now, that means stepping outside his comfort zone and into Trevor’s heart. 

Trevor is also open to exploring real love and commitment for a change, but before he can be the man James needs him to be, he’ll have to deal with the pain of his past.

Read more...

Love can bloom in the most unusual places….

In Wings of Love, Dr. Bradford Mitchell flees to Alaska to escape the devastating memories of his deceased partner, but can he let go of the past soon enough to embrace a future with pilot and friend Mac Cleary? In Treasure of Love, dive master and charter boat captain Jackson Cameron finds himself questioning his sexuality when openly gay treasure hunter Dax Powers hires him, but if they want to keep their new-found treasure, they’ll have to fight to keep the crew safe.

In Bounty of Love, Zander Walsh wakes up from coma only to find his fiancé and parents dead in an apparent robbery gone wrong. FBI Agent Jake Elliot is doing his best to find the murderer, but as the months pass—and unexpected feelings grow between them—it becomes clear that someone is doing their best to keep them from finding the truth.

Finally, in Foundation of Love, co-written with Z.B. Marshall, Wes Stanhope has spent years running from his father’s controlling ways, but when his mother dies, leaving behind one last wish, he finds himself back under his thumb. His attraction to architect Ty Williams—and Ty’s refusal to hide in the closet—just might be enough to make him fight back.

See excerpt for individual blurbs.

Read more...

Read more...

Crossing the border into love.

Snap decisions and misguided ideas bring Portuguese national Mateus Fontes and businessman Crawford Hargrave together at the Canadian border crossing.

Mateus is caught in a catch-22. With his almost-expired tourist visa, entrance to Canada is denied, but the US won’t let him back in either. Crawford thinks he’s solved things when he tells the border agent they’re engaged, and it works—except now they have to actually get married before either of them can get back into the United States. But Crawford has been burned by marriage once, and he’s determined not to make that mistake again.

Neither of them expects real feelings to bloom out of their fake marriage, but they do. And the two of them have to learn how to be honest with each other to make things work, which is especially hard when their entire marriage is based on lies.

Read more...

Danny Sims is in over his head, torn between his abusive lover, Joshua, and Jay Holtsclaw, the bartender up the street, who offers Danny the one thing he never gets at home: understanding.

When Joshua threatens to get rid of Danny’s terrier, Danny knows he has to act fast. Afraid of what Joshua will do to the dog and afraid of what Joshua will do to him if he tries to leave, Danny does the only thing he can do. 

He runs.

But Danny isn’t a complete fool. He has enough sense to run into the arms of the man who actually cares for him—the man he’s beginning to trust.

Just as their lives together are starting to fall into place, Danny and Jay learn how vengeful Joshua can be.

And how dangerous.

Read more...

Un libro della serie Wrench Wars - Gli assi dei motori

Che cosa è considerato “normale”? 

Quando Brandon Kenner si presenta all’officina dove lavora Kasey Ralston con una Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 del 1970, Kasey perde la testa sia per l’uomo che per la macchina. Ma Kasey nasconde un segreto imbarazzante: la sua passione per le vecchie muscle car va oltre ciò che viene considerato normale. La sua bizzarra fissazione lo ha portato a isolarsi: dalla famiglia, che lo ha estraniato, e dai colleghi, dai quali si tiene alla larga. 

Ma quando Brandon scopre il segreto del bel meccanico, non ne resta affatto disgustato, anzi. Trova che Kasey sia intrigante ed è deciso ad averlo tutto per sé.

Tutto di Brandon sembra mandare su di giri il motore di Kasey, che di certo non disdegna l’idea di sporcarsi le mani con un uomo così affascinante. Ma Kasey è preoccupato di ciò che accadrà dopo: ci sarà un futuro per loro due? Anche se in passato tutte le sue speranze per una relazione a lungo termine sono state deluse, non può fare a meno di sognare che, nonostante la propria mania, Brandon sarà l’eccezione.

Read more...

Bonfires: Book One

Ten years ago Sheriff’s Deputy Aaron George lost his wife and moved to Colton, hoping growing up in a small town would be better for his children. He’s gotten to know his community, including Mr. Larkin, the bouncy, funny science teacher. But when Larx is dragged unwillingly into administration, he stops coaching the track team and starts running alone. Aaron—who thought life began and ended with his kids—is distracted by a glistening chest and a principal running on a dangerous road.

Larx has been living for his kids too—and for his students at Colton High. He’s not ready to be charmed by Aaron, but when they start running together, he comes to appreciate the deputy’s steadiness, humor, and complete understanding of Larx’s priorities. Children first, job second, his own interests a sad last.

It only takes one kiss for two men approaching fifty to start acting like teenagers in love, even amid all the responsibilities they shoulder. Then an act of violence puts their burgeoning relationship on hold. The adult responsibilities they’ve embraced are now instrumental in keeping their town from exploding. When things come to a head, they realize their newly forged family might be what keeps the world from spinning out of control.

Read more...

Leaving romantic wreckage behind him, Nick Charles and his best friend Barb Anderson use Nick’s sizable inheritance to fly to one of the most exciting places in the world—New York City—with plans to open their own theater. In doing so, they meet Ross Taylor, the handsome real estate man and actor, and Rudy his construction-worker cousin. Ross is determined to heal Nick’s fragile heart, while shy Rudy and oblivious Barb stumble toward their own connection. Will Rosie Dupree, a rigid method actress, and talented but devious Gordon Holmes destroy their theater dreams? Was choosing the original piece, Starting Over, by an unpublished young playwright the best move for opening night? Will the invited critic show up? Amid the frantic and colorful world of the New York City theater scene, Nick and Barb must open their hearts and risk everything for their endeavors to succeed—both on the stage and behind the scenes.

States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.

Read more...

Deux  mois après que Mitch Jenkins a vu sa vie s’écrouler quand sa relation de deux ans a connu une fin brutale, la souffrance est toujours présente. La tentative d’un collègue pour le réconforter l’amène dans un « club » secret. Mitch n’est vraiment pas intéressé par les minets qui paradent comme des paons jusqu’à ce qu’il aperçoive un jeune homme à l’arrière de la salle, le nez plongé dans un livre et inconscient de son entourage.

Le voilà maintenant intéressé.

Nikko Kurokawa veut payer sa dette et sortir du Black Lounge où on le force non seulement à avoir des rapports sexuels, mais où il doit aussi parfois subir des maltraitances pour plaire aux clients. Gagner sa liberté se révèle difficile, surtout lorsqu’il commence à attirer l’intérêt d’une certaine clientèle. La vie devient plus facile à supporter lorsqu’il rencontre Mitch qui n’est pas du tout comme les autres hommes qui fréquentent le club. Et quand il tombe amoureux de cet homme, Nikko suppose qu’il peut tout supporter. Bientôt, se répète-t-il, il pourra sortir de cet endroit sordide et Mitch et lui pourront déterminer s’ils ont un avenir ensemble.

Mais aucun d’eux n’a pris en compte ceux qui ne voulaient pas que Nikko parte…

Read more...

A Resilient Love Story

Successful lawyer Jeremy Speer has it all—a loving husband, a beautiful home, and a cherished dream that’s about to become reality. He’s learned not to take happiness for granted, meeting the challenges of life and love head-on with unwavering commitment and fierce devotion. A series of tragic events leave Jeremy shattered, adrift on a sea of unimaginable pain. He’s able to piece his life back together, but instead of embracing it, he merely exists, using isolation and punishing physical exertion to keep the world at bay.

High school teacher Kai Daniels has a heart for at-risk kids—he was one himself, and a teenage brush with the law and some troubled years behind bars left him scarred inside and out. With courage, hard work, and the support of friends, he’s built a fulfilling life that leaves no time for a relationship.

An intense encounter with Kai at a gay club ignites a spark in Jeremy that he thought was extinguished forever, but he’s unwilling to destroy the fragile peace he’s managed to create, and he leaves Kai humiliated and disappointed. Things should have ended there, but a bizarre occurrence brings the two together in a way neither of them expected.

Read more...

How do you save a drowning man when that drowning man is you?

Jake Moore’s world fits too tightly around him. Every penny he makes as a welder goes to care for his dying father, an abusive, controlling man who’s the only family Jake has left. Because of a promise to his dead mother, Jake resists his desire for other men, but it leaves him consumed by darkness.

It takes all of Dallas Yates’s imagination to see the possibilities in the fatigued art deco building on WeHo’s outskirts, but what seals the deal is a shy smile from the handsome metal worker across the street. Their friendship deepens while Dallas peels back the hardened layers strangling Jake’s soul. It’s easy to love the sweet, artistic man hidden behind Jake’s shattered exterior, but Dallas knows Jake needs to first learn to love himself.

When Jake’s world crumbles, he reaches for Dallas, the man he’s learned to lean on. It’s only a matter of time before he’s left to drift in a life he never wanted to lead and while he wants more, Jake’s past haunts him, making him doubt he’s worth the love Dallas is so desperate to give him.

Read more...

Shawnee County, Kansas, might not be the most accepting place for a gay couple, but boyfriends Antony James and Curtis Ramírez have made it their home. Both of them work at Pauline Central Primary School, and while Antony is content teaching, Curt would rather pursue his passion: poetry. He plans to resign, but he doesn’t get the chance.

Working together has its risks, and when a student witnesses Antony and Curt sneaking a kiss in the workroom, they’re reprimanded. The school board’s punishment is mild, but some members of the community aren’t willing to let the indiscretion go. That small mistake could cost Antony and Curt their home—or it could remind them that home is in the heart, and as long as they stay strong in their love, they’ll always have a place to belong.

States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.

Read more...

Lickety Split: Love won’t wait.

Patch Hastle grew up in a hurry, ditching East Texas for NYC to make his name as a DJ and model without ever looking back. When his parents die unexpectedly, he heads home to unload the family farm ASAP and skedaddle. Except the will left Patch’s worst enemy in charge: his father’s handsome best friend who made his high school years hell.

Tucker Biggs is going nowhere. Twenty years past his rodeo days, he’s put down roots as the caretaker of the Hastle farm. He knows his buddy’s smartass son still hates his guts, but when Patch shows up growed-up, looking like sin in tight denim, Tucker turns his homecoming into a lesson about old dogs and new kinks.

Patch and Tucker fool around, but they can’t fool themselves. Once the farm’s sold, they mean to call it quits and head off to separate sunsets. With the clock ticking, the city slicker and his down-home hick get roped into each other’s life. If they’re gonna last longer than spit on a griddle, they better figure out what matters—fast.

Read more...