Contemporary Romance books

Nicholas Sayers, needing money for college, takes a job as assistant to infamous photographer Damian Wolfe. It's just taking pictures, right? Wrong. While Nick has never questioned what kind of man he is or what he truly wants in life, working for Damian during a BDSM photo shoot opens his eyes to all sorts of sexual possibilities, and many of them include the handsome Mr. Wolfe.

Damian has serious doubts about getting involved with a younger man who knows nothing about the BDSM lifestyle, but Nick's adventurous and humorous approach to new experiences is far too alluring to resist. Although he knows it might be a mistake, Damian takes Nick into his life.

Flirting on the edges of control, submission, and pain excites Nick more than he would have ever dreamed possible. With Damian, Nick learns about his own deeply hidden desires and finds out that relinquishing control doesn’t make him weak—having someone else in control of his sexual pleasure simply heightens it. And the reverse is true for Damian: Control turns him on. So they set out to explore these sensual boundaries together, neither expecting to find love along the way.

Seeking first-time riding lessons in the rolling hills of Connecticut, Gerald Saunders is pleased to discover Sutcliffe Cove. The current proprietor, Brett Sutcliffe, welcomes the beginner, and Gerald quickly finds a home away from home at the farm as he spends more and more time volunteering there.

Over the course of a few months, Gerald and Brett build a strong friendship, but it's not until Gerald is off on vacation that the two men realize their friendship could be so much more... sexually satisfying, emotionally intimate, or even warmly loving. But Gerald is so laid back, Brett just isn't sure what to do next. Move forward and deepen their relationship? Or back off and just be friends with benefits?

A Bottled Up Story

Tyler O'Connor, a successful antiques dealer, meets aspiring artist Mark Burke when Mark's mother decides to sell some of her antiques collection. Tyler is enchanted by the quiet, reserved artist and works up the courage to ask Mark to dinner. Despite the date's success and their mutual attraction, Mark's happiness takes a blow when his mother learns that he is gay and throws him out of the house. Unsure of where to go, Mark shows up on Tyler's doorstep and finds shelter.

Tyler's encouragement and support help kick-start Mark's career, especially when Mark finds that Tyler inspires him in the bedroom as well as the studio. But they're daunted when bad memories of the past, struggles in the present, and fear for the future strain Mark and Tyler's budding relationship. As the old saying goes, the best revenge is living well—and in this case—loving well, and with that in mind, Mark and Tyler go in search of happily ever after.

John McCann, a man who judges life by the tally of an accounts ledger, has a supreme goal in life: To achieve, live, and enjoy the rarified executive lifestyle. But he's encountered one problem: The migraines are going to continue to get worse unless you make some major changes in your lifestyle. What you need is a 'sea change'… Perhaps buy a nice little business in the country, settle down, something easier to occupy your time…

While John knows the doctor is right, he just can't resign from the job he's fought so hard for. He decides the sacrifice of taking a year's leave of absence won't interfere too much with his plans, and so he finds himself running Margins, a cozy little bookstore, with the help of the former owner's son, Jamie. John expects to put in his year, get his stress under control, and then get back to business.

What John doesn't expect is how Margins and its denizens draw him in, particularly the quiet, disheveled man who takes refuge in the old leather chair in the second-hand book section. John's plans for an unattached year of simple business crumble when he meets David and is forced to reevaluate life, love and what he really wants from both. John and David are forced to come to terms with their pasts as they struggle to determine what possible future they might build together.

It wasn't the first time Heydn Case had to transfer to a new school, but Acton-Pierce Academy was the prep school of choice for people with a lot more money than he had. As always, the good-natured Texan was hoping to find a friend; his assigned roommate was hoping to be left alone and said so rather bluntly.

Heydn had never met anyone quite like Blue Barclay, the campus's resident eccentric loner, but the two young men soon find they have more in common than they might have imagined. Friendship quickly takes on a new dimension of physical intimacy accompanied by bewildering new feelings. However, Blue and Heydn are given little time to explore and understand what is growing between them before they're pulled apart.

Heydn is chosen for the track team and befriended by a popular senior. Fearing, rightly, that their relationship would cost him the place he's won at Acton, Heydn turns his back on Blue. He feels he's made the right choice for his future, but when Blue finds a new friend, Heydn realizes he's made a terrible mistake. Is it too late for him to try to win Blue's heart again?

All it takes is one fateful phone call to change David's life: His ex-boyfriend is HIV-positive. Thinking back, it's all too easy to conclude he may have been exposed. With the support of his best friend Jason, David goes for testing, and the two weeks waiting for his results are a painful exercise in what ifs and what nows with only Jason – steady, calm, comforting Jason – to serve as a lifeline. There's no way to know what will happen. But David comes to realize that living is precious, and choosing the right person to love can help you make the best of the life you have.

I was looking forward to a relaxing, enjoyable vacation at my parents’ old house on the lake. No responsibility, no stress, and no entanglements, other than the odd one-night bang with a gorgeous guy (who preferably dresses left). When a cop pulled over to check on me, I was blindsided. Officer Russell Seavers was an absolute hunk – and I had to have him. Just once (or maybe twice), but no way was I in the market for anything serious. Just a quick slick grapple by the lake, a hop or two in the sack, and I’d be good. But one look at that body that just didn’t quit, oh God, that ass, and those dark, dark eyes, and I was afraid my summer fling might turn into something else, something I didn’t expect.

Jack Christensen has everything he ever wanted. He's a rising star in US Diplomacy, the youngest man to have been appointed as an Ambassador of the United States. A career diplomat who's just been sent to a politically interesting Embassy in Europe, he has the perfect wife, speaks five languages and has all the right credentials, yet there's something missing and he doesn't quite know what.

Then Lucas Carlton walks into an Embassy reception and introduces himself and his American fiancée. From the first handshake, the young Englishman makes an impression on Jack that leaves him confused and uncharacteristically insecure. Lucas' position as the British liaison to the American Embassy means they are forced to work together closely and they have a hard time denying the attraction between them, despite their current relationships.

When their women decide to go on a weekend trip together, Jack and Lucas start a passionate relationship, which continues long after their partners return. Diplomatic circles are notoriously conservative though, and they each know that the right woman by their side makes a very significant contribution to their success. Will they be able to make the right choices in their professional and personal lives? Or will they need to sacrifice one for the other?

A collection of short stories from one of today's most talented and challenging new writers. Eric Arvin covers everything from college love to mystical river sprites, from deep tragedy to bawdy sex comedy, in this collection that takes the everyday and finds the adventure within. It's a read sure to keep you guessing.

Cover art and illustrations by HvH http://hvhexpo.blogspot.com