Contemporary Romance books

Faith, Love, & Devotion: Book One

Reeling from the recent death of his wife, police officer Evan Cerelli looks at his four children and can only see how he fails them. His loving wife was the caretaker and nurturer, and now the single father feels himself being crushed by the pain of loss and the heavy responsibility of raising his kids.

At the urging of his partner, Evan celebrates a coworker’s retirement and meets disgraced former cop turned security consultant Matt Haight. A friendship born out of loneliness and the solace of the bottle turns out to be exactly what they both need.

The past year has been a slow death for Matt Haight. Ostracized from his beloved police force, facing middle age and perpetual loneliness, Matt sees only a black hole where his future should be. When he discovers another lost soul in Evan, some of the pieces he thought he lost start to fall back in place. Their friendship turns into something deeper, but love is the last thing either man expected, and both of them struggle to reconcile their new and overwhelming feelings for one another.

Second Edition
First Edition published by Loose Id LLC, September 2008.

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Desde que eran niños, Jake, Adam, Kyle y Brendan han sido compañeros de equipo, amigos y hermanos. Entonces un día, cuando tenían veinticinco años, Adam desaparece sin decir ni una palabra, dejando desolados a sus amigos (sobre todo a Jake, quien ha estado enamorado de él en secreto desde que eran unos adolescentes).

Ahora, cinco años después, Adam ha vuelto y tiene la mente puesta en Jake. Pero todos esos años de ira, dolor y confusión son difíciles de superar y Jake no encuentra fácil perdonar a Adam. Ni siquiera está seguro de que vuelvan a encajar juntos como antes. Jake, Kyle y Brendan han seguido adelante con sus vidas, pero la destacada profesión de Adam lo mantiene “en el armario”. A pesar de todo, sus disculpas parecen sinceras y la atracción entre ambos todavía está ahí.

Jake quiere desesperadamente darle una oportunidad, pero primero tendrá que descubrir por qué se marchó y si ha vuelto realmente para quedarse.

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The Austin Trilogy: Book Three

It’s the summer of 1983, and Trent Days is Major League Baseball’s rookie sensation. Born in Alaska to an Inupiat mother, the press have dubbed him the Eskimo Slugger, but a midseason collision at home plate temporarily halts his meteoric rise to the top.

Sent back to Austin to recuperate, Trent visits his favorite record store, Inner Sanctum, where he meets amiable law student Brendan Baxter. A skip in the vinyl of New Order’s “Blue Monday” drives Trent back to Brendan, and their romance takes them into uncharted territory.

As Trent’s feelings move from casual to serious, he’s faced with an impossible dilemma. Does he abandon any hope of a future with Brendan and return to the shadows and secrets of professional sports? Or does he embrace the possibility of real love and leave baseball behind him forever? As he struggles with his decision, Trent embarks on a journey of self-discovery—to figure out who he really is and what matters most.

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After one very long tour of duty in Afghanistan and an honorable discharge from the USMC, Elijah Preston comes home to nothing. He barely scrapes up enough money for a cheap motel in Quantico, Virginia, with no money-making opportunities in sight. A chance encounter in a local Walmart finally gives Eli hope for employment. Elijah is ready to sign on with Royce Mackey's proposition... until he hears what’s required. Royce operates a gay military porn site and wants Eli as his next star, never mind that Eli isn’t gay. Desperate and broke, Eli grudgingly accepts Royce’s offer and soon finds himself immersed in a strange new world.

Hamish Turner’s been there before. Taking Eli under his wing, he teaches him everything he can about Royce’s operation. The two quickly become friends, easing the way for their first scene together. Awkward at first, they both ease into it and find there is more of a connection between them than either expected. Curious to see where their mutual attraction takes them, they begin a relationship off-screen. But life gets complicated when a crazed fan of Hamish’s starts sending threatening letters demanding the scenes between the two men stop. Or else….

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Desires Entwined: Book Three

Alexander James Noble is a gender fluid gay man who gave up on finding Mister Right a long time ago. He’s not asking for much, though. He just wants a guy who loves all of him and appreciates his feminine form too.

At the local LGBTQ center where Alex regularly volunteers, he meets Dal Sayer, an officer of the Milwaukee PD. Because he’s been rejected one too many times, Alex doesn’t trust the huge cop and the interest he shows in him, but once Dal sets his mind on something, he goes all out. Pushing aside his preconceived notions, Alex opens up just a little and soon caves.

From their first date—while dealing with his father’s failing health and his parents’ demands for him to settle down and have children—Dal never takes his eyes off his goal of making Alex his. But proving to Alex he isn’t like all the men who couldn’t see him for who he truly was and only wanted to hide him away is harder than he thought.

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A Senses Series Story

Dan was a throwaway child and learned to take care of himself in foster care. As an adult, he devotes his life to the business he started and his heart to raising children no one else wants. Dan has already adopted six-year-old Lila, who walks on crutches, and then decides to adopt eight-year-old Jerry, who suffers from MD and is confined to a wheelchair.

Also abandoned as a child, Connor ended up on his own and retreated into himself. He works as a carpenter and woodcarver and is the perfect man to ensure Dan’s home becomes wheelchair accessible.

When Dan hires Connor, neither of the men are ready to open their hearts to the possibility of love. As they learn how much they have in common, both of them must weigh the possibility of family and a future against the risks of getting hurt again.

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A Harmony Ink Press Title

Transitions: Book Two

Although Addy’s heart and body bear the scars from his life before he was adopted by the Deans, he’s ached for something he thought he would never find. Until he met Benny. He isn’t sure how anyone can care for someone as broken as he is, even though he wants it desperately.

High school senior Benny Peters has his whole life planned out for him, until a chaste kiss at summer camp opens a new world of possibilities. Determined to erase Addy’s insecurities, Benny works to take away his boyfriend’s pain and replace it with love.

When Addy’s past intrudes on their future, it’s going to take everything Benny can muster to show that no matter what–or who–they face, they belong together.

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Truman L. Cobbler has not had an easy life. It’s bad enough people say he looks like Donkey from Shrek, but he’s also suffered the death of his policeman father and his mother’s remarriage to a professional swindler, who cost them everything. Now dirt poor, they live in the barrio of San Antonio, Texas. When Tru transfers to an inner-city high school halfway through his senior year, he meets Javi Castillo, a popular and hot high school jock. Javi takes an immediate liking to Tru, and the two become friends. The odd pairing, however, rocks the school and sets the cliquish social circles askew. No one knows how to act or what to think when Mr. Popular takes a stand for Mr. Donkey. Will the cliques rise up to maintain status quo and lead Tru and Javi to heartbreak and disaster or will being true to who they are rule the day?

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It’s been nearly five years since Aaron woke up in the hospital so broken, he couldn’t stand the sight of his own face. The flashbacks no longer dominate his life, but he’s still unable to find intimacy with his lover, Spencer Thomas. With time, patience, and the support of his family, his therapist, and his loving partner, Aaron has figured out how to live again. The problem is, Spencer hasn’t. His life has been on hold as he waits for the day he and Aaron can have a normal relationship. Hoping to move things forward for them both, he takes a job as a programmer in downtown Chicago, leaving Aaron alone.

Reeling in the wake of Spencer’s absence, Aaron receives another shock when his attackers are caught.

Now, he must testify and verbalize his worst nightmare. Publicly reliving his trauma without Spencer at his side destroys his precarious control. But he finds someone who can understand and empathize in Jordan, who watched his brother cut down in a school shooting. With Spencer gone and the DA knocking at his door, Aaron seeks solace in Jordan, and Spencer will have to risk everything to hold on to Aaron’s love.

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Veteran police chief Eli Gallagher doesn’t ask for much, but he does insist that his officers uphold the “serve” part of “serve and protect.” Conscientious young Deputy Stan Leach takes Eli’s motto to heart, maintaining a high standard of personal accountability.

When Eli’s long-distance boyfriend, Gilbert Nees, telephones from Philadelphia, Eli thinks he intends to further cement their relationship. Unfortunately, Gilbert’s news is anything but good. But Eli doesn’t have time to wallow, because a violent act results in murder in the small town of Morristown, Mississippi.

But as Eli and Stan uncover evidence, their personal lives begin to unravel. Stan, working closely with Chief Gallagher, grows increasingly attached to Eli and learns what it really means to be an advocate of justice.

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William Lyons Vergangenheit hat ihn in eine Rolle gezwängt, die nicht seiner Persönlichkeit entspricht. Als er die Fassade nicht mehr aufrechterhalten kann, trennt er sich von seiner Frau und nimmt eine Stelle als Hausmeister für ein altes Gebäude an, das schon seit Jahren leer steht. Über mehr als hundert Jahre war die psychiatrische Anstalt von Jelley’s Valley die größte Einrichtung ihrer Art in Kalifornien. William hofft, dass er hier die Zeit und Ruhe findet, endlich seine Dissertation zum Abschluss zu bringen und seine Scheidung abzuwarten. Als er in der kleinen Stadt ankommt, lernt er Colby Anderson kennen, der den örtlichen Lebensmittelladen betreibt und sich um das Postamt kümmert. Colby ist, ganz im Gegensatz zu William, ein lebensfroher und liebenswerter junger Mann. Und er ist unverkennbar schwul. Obwohl William sich durch Colbys extravagantes Verhalten zunächst abgestoßen fühlt, lernt er ihre neue Freundschaft mit der Zeit doch zu schätzen, und er nimmt Colbys Angebot an, sich von ihm in die Freuden des schwulen Sex einführen zu lassen.

Williams Selbstverständnis wird auf den Kopf gestellt, als er eine Blechdose findet, die seit den 1940er Jahren in einer Wand des Asyls verborgen war. Die Dose enthält Briefe, die im Geheimen von einem Patienten namens Bill verfasst wurden, der wegen seiner Homosexualität hier eingeliefert wurde. William fühlt sich durch die Briefe unmittelbar angesprochen und beginnt, sich für Bills Schicksal zu interessieren. William hofft, dass die über siebzig Jahre alten Briefe und Colbys Unterstützung ihm dabei helfen können, sein wahres Ich zu finden.

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Australia is a nation in transition. Marriage equality looms but homophobia still rules. Depression and suicide are commonplace as Dean Prentice and his lover, Danny, grow up together in country Victoria. When Dean moves to a nearby regional center to study veterinary science, he finds acceptance and love when reunited with Danny. Profound tragedy visits Dean’s life and he grieves, moving on through a series of lovers both male and female and struggling to focus on his studies and his dream of becoming a veterinarian. He graduates and specializes in equine work.

With long hours and unrelenting pressure, he misses the support of a full time partner. The only constant in his life is his loyal Kelpie, Bruce. Then he meets Neil Andrews and falls in love. Neil is a stunning widower in his forties with children and grandchildren, and Dean realizes he wants kids of his own.

But Neil is still deep in the closet and while their relationship is passionate, it’s going nowhere permanent. They separate, and Dean contemplates marrying a woman for company and friendship. For the second time in Dean’s young life, depression reveals its ugly presence; this time there are medical professionals at hand and he might have a chance for love at last.

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After a kayaking accident took Josh Donald’s sight, he’s faced with learning to negotiate the world as a blind man. In short order, his boyfriend leaves him behind, making it clear he’s not inclined to deal with special needs. Reeling from the blow, Josh flounders. In an attempt to help, Josh’s friends take him to a camp for the blind, where he falls for the camp organizer, Charlie Cooper. Charlie seems to feel the attraction too, but when a horse named Dottie pushes them into a hot first kiss, Charlie resists. He believes he’s damaged goods, not boyfriend material. Since the accident, Josh has faced tough obstacles, but the most challenging hurdle of all may be getting Charlie to open up and take a chance on love.

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Peter Stevens believes nothing tastes better than a vine-ripened tomato tended by a farmer’s hands. The craving for heirloom tomatoes leads him to his local farmers’ market and his favorite vendor, Ethan Hart. As Peter becomes a regular customer, the two find they have more in common than a love of good food. Just as Ethan begins to relax, Peter's ex, Jay, appears and is all the things Ethan is not. A perfect storm of mistakes and poor choices, as well as Ethan’s haunted past, has him ready to admit defeat. With the guidance of friends and a goat far too smart for her own good, Ethan realizes he needs to have a tender hand and patience to grow a home for Peter.

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La secuela de Redención por fuego
Volumen 2 de la serie Por fuego

Lee Stanton y Dirk Krause han estado viéndose durante un par de meses cuando reciben la mala noticia: la estación de bomberos donde trabajan va a ser cerrada a menos que consigan el dinero para llevar a cabo algunas tareas de mantenimiento y reparaciones. El sindicato quiere alzarse y luchar. Sólo hay un problema: la única sugerencia de cómo conseguir el dinero es de Lee, y Dirk la odia.

Lamentablemente, todo el mundo cree que la cena “Pollo y cachas” de Lee (la cual atenderán vestidos tan sólo con sombrero, botas y pantalón de bombero) es una buena idea, y Lee sigue adelante con la organización. Pero la intromisión del ayuntamiento y la escasa venta de entradas amenazan con aguar la fiesta de Lee. Si Dirk no puede dejar de lado su orgullo y su carácter obstinado por una noche, le podría costar a él y a Lee su puesto de trabajo, al margen de su relación.

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Patrick Harford sees hope as magical and beautiful, too delicate to hold—and everything in his life has proved him right. An unhealthy home leaves him hiding in the shadows as he tries to come to terms with his sexuality.

Patrick finds solace among the performers at the Allegheny Mountains Renaissance Faire, where he discovers a love of performing and costumes. As he starts to come out of his shell, he meets Yu Elion, an apprentice blacksmith. Yu gives Patrick a glimpse of fairy-tale love.

But just when hope starts to blossom, it withers. Cynical after a past filled with failed relationships, Yu keeps Patrick at a distance. Working two jobs has disastrous consequences. And an obsessed fan takes things a step too far. After seeing all he’s built start to crumble, Patrick doesn’t know if he has what it takes to try again on his own, and Yu might not have the strength to be the one Patrick needs.

2nd Edition
1st Edition published by Dreamspinner Press, July 2013.

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Sei anni fa, Noah Wheeler andò a prendere il suo ragazzo, Dante Cerreto, all’aeroporto e tutto il suo mondo crollò. Dante stava baciando un’altra persona e dichiarava di esserne innamorato. Perciò Noah, con il cuore a pezzi e le foto dell’ecografia della loro figlia surrogata, chiuse la porta sul futuro che aveva pensato di avere, concentrandosi sul sogno che avrebbe realizzato, quello di diventare padre.

Ora, in vacanza a Las Vegas, Noah incontra casualmente la famiglia Cerreto e rivede proprio Dante, scoprendo che non solo lui è stato incastrato, ma lo è stato anche il suo ex. Ora Dante vuole recuperare i sei anni sprecati; per farlo ha bisogno che Noah, l’unico uomo che abbia mai amato, e Grace, la figlia di cui ignorava l’esistenza, gli diano un’occasione per essere felice. Dante avrà però bisogno di un corso rapido e intensivo di tecniche di comunicazione e seduzione perché Noah non ha intenzione di innamorarsi per essere preso in giro un’altra volta.

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All his life Benicio Quispe has dreamed of being a guide on the Inca Trail. He gets his chance when the top travel agency in Cusco, Peru hires him. Alberto Salazar, his assigned mentor, fits Benicio's idea of a perfect guide, but he's also everything Benicio never dared to dream of in a boyfriend.

Alberto learned a long time ago to be discreet about his sexuality. It's a necessary sacrifice to keep the respect of the guides and porters whose help is critical in a successful hike. So he pushes aside his attraction to his new junior guide and goes on as usual. But when a group of old friends arrives to hike the trail again, they convince him a relationship with Benicio is worth pursuing. His newfound resolve is enough to get them on a first date, but no amount of courage can change the attitudes of their family and friends. The risks on the trail are easy compared to finding a path through the challenges keeping them apart.

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