Novellas

High school best friends Toby Billings and Jim Maverick went their separate ways after graduation. Five years later, they meet by chance. Toby needs a ride, and Jim offers to give him one.

During a journey across several states, with stops at roadside diners, state parks, and cheap motels, small talk turns to serious discussions of lives that didn’t turn out the way either of them dreamed. Their choices are catching up to them, and neither is on an innocent summer vacation. Renewing their friendship will mean painful admissions and secrets coming to light. Yet they discover they have more in common now than they ever guessed, and going their separate ways at the trip’s end won’t be easy.

After aimlessly wandering the country, all roads lead back home. But first they must decide what home means.

Read more...

Clay and Elliott are working toward a dream—working sixty-hour weeks for one of the oil companies that recently sprung up in North Dakota. The pay is good, but is it a fair trade for never seeing each other? The point becomes moot when the company folds, like so many others, and the couple is left with a difficult choice.

Should they find comparable work somewhere else, or is it time to throw caution to the wind and go after their goal—years earlier than they intended?

What they’ve always wanted is to be together and have time to enjoy it, so they follow their hearts. They’re going off the grid and fixing up an old cabin so they can be self-sufficient. But when they go from all the conveniences of the modern world to outhouses, solar power, a shoestring budget, and more mosquitos than they ever thought possible, will they find there’s such a thing as too much time together?

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

Read more...

A single moment—or a single mistake—can change everything.

When Captain James Lee Hooker and his lover, Sergeant Easy Jacobs, were in the Army, they made a mistake that got a young soldier hurt. Three years later, they’re civilians again, living far apart, haunted by what they lost. Now that young soldier needs their help.

With his grandmother’s one-eyed Chihuahua riding shotgun, James Lee climbs into Easy’s pickup for a trip across the American Southwest. They set out to rescue a friend, but their journey transforms them with the power of forgiveness.

Read more...

Fortsetzung zu Gestählt im Feuer
Buch 3 in der Serie - im Feuer

Die beiden Feuerwehrmänner Lee Stanton und Dirk Krause sind urlaubsreif. Doch das Leben hat andere Pläne: An ihrem letzten Arbeitstag haben die beiden mit einem Feuer zu kämpfen, das drei Leben fordert. Wie gut, dass Lee und Dirk eine ganze Woche auf hoher See vor sich haben, um sich von dem Schrecken zu erholen. 

Sie haben eine tolle Zeit – bis sie feststellen müssen, dass auch Dirks miesepetriger, engstirniger Vater an Bord ist. Über dessen Anwesenheit und den Schuldgefühlen wegen der Menschen, die er nicht retten konnte, vergeht Dirk die romantische Stimmung gehörig. Doch dann rettet er einem Passagier das Leben – und vielleicht kann er ja auch noch etwas anderes retten …

Read more...

Wayward Wolves: Book One

Gibson Keller’s days are fairly routine: wake up early, get some work done, drink lots of coffee, and take care of Ellis, his older brother, stuck in wolf form after coming home from the war. It’s a simple life made up of long runs on two legs—or four—and quiet evenings…. Until Ellis chases a handsome man off a cliff and into the frozen waters beside their cabin, changing Gibson’s life forever.

For Zach Thomas, buying an old B&B is a new start. Leaving behind his city life, he longs to find peace and quiet, and hiking the trails behind his property seems safe enough—right up to the moment an enormous black wolf chases him into a lake, nearly drowning him. Discovering werewolves are real astounds him, but not as much as the man who rescues him from the icy water, then walks into Zach’s heart as if he owns it.

Loving a werewolf—loving Gibson with all his secrets—has its challenges, but Zach believes their love is worth fighting for, especially since his heart knows the big bad wolf is really a prince in disguise.

Read more...

A friends-to-lovers novella that came from Out of the Shadows, because Nate and Dylan needed a story….

Nate and Dylan have been pals for a long time. So what if their friends think they’ve got a little bromance going? Doesn’t mean there’s anything more to it than that, right? And even if there is, Nate and Dylan are totally oblivious….

Until the night they share a drunken kiss—and everything changes.

Read more...

Nick Caratelli flees the city in an attempt to escape a broken relationship and a career he never wanted. He plans to set up a bed-and-breakfast in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country—despite the fact he has no experience in renovating the old building. Luckily his handsome neighbor Sam approaches him with a curious proposal: he’ll help with the restoration in exchange for Nick babysitting his niece.

As they work to have the bed-and-breakfast open for business by summer’s end, their lives become interwoven without them even trying. Before he knows it, Nick is recovering from his loss and taking his place in the unconventional family that seems determined to form. But for Nick and Sam to be together in all the ways they desire, they’ll have to realize all the arguments against romance exist only in their heads….

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

Read more...

Ein Titel der Mangrove Stories Serie

Kelly Seaton hat ein wunderbares Leben. Er hat seine eigene Firma für Landschaftsgärtnerei, ein hübsches kleines Haus und seinen besten Freund, Cosimo Renaldi, sowie Coz‘ verrückte Familie, die Kelly als einen der ihren adoptiert haben. Sicher, nachts ist es ein wenig einsam, aber es ist ein guter Deal und Kelly kann es sich nicht erlauben, alles zu ruinieren, indem er zugibt, dass er mehr von Coz will – immer mehr gewollt hat.

Dann kommt Kellys Vergangenheit in die Stadt und bringt schlechte Erinnerungen und verletzte Gefühle mit sich, die anfangen an Kelly zu nagen und Coz versteht einfach nicht, warum Kelly ihn nicht die Stärke und Stütze sein lässt, die Kelly immer für ihn gewesen ist. Sie haben schon den Krieg durchgestanden, Coz‘ schreckliche Verletzung und haben sich neue Karrieren in Mangrove, Florida, aufgebaut. Warum sollten sie ihre Vergangenheit nicht gemeinsam bewältigen und ihre Zukunft voller stiller Nächte beginnen?

Read more...

For a chance at a future filled with love, he’ll have to face a painful past.

Eric, recently dumped by his boyfriend, is summoned home after his dad suffers a stroke. His family farm in rural Vermont holds memories he’d rather forget, but he—with his degree in agricultural business—is needed to clear up a predicament with the bank. In trying to forget the bad, Eric has also lost sight of the good: green meadows dotted with grass-fed dairy cows and the sugar maples that once produced the area’s finest maple syrup. With Eric’s help, they will again.

A captivating farmhand named Phil tempts Eric to give the countryside another chance, but before they can consider being together, Eric must move past more than his feelings for his ex-boyfriend—he’ll need to stand up to the ghosts that sent him running from the farm in the first place….

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

Read more...

Un libro della serie Spalle al muro

Una doppia dose di maschio alfa potrebbe essere meglio di una.

Sebbene appena reduce da una relazione violenta con un bastardo, lo sguardo curioso di David Underwood cade su due giocatori sexy della squadra di pallavolo australiana, a Laguna Beach, mettendolo di nuovo nei guai. Eppure, quando quello schianto di Gareth Marshall prova il proprio interesse per lui facendo coming out con la squadra, David soccombe all’attrazione per il pallavolista. Peccato che il partner di Gareth, Edge, attraente quanto il primo, farà della vita dei due amanti un inferno.

Per Gareth, tutto il tempo passato a celare il proprio orientamento sessuale – e la propria attrazione – dal suo migliore amico, Edge, nonché da tutte le altre persone intorno a lui, non fa che acuire le ferite e aumentare la frustrazione. David è il primo uomo che riesce a competere con Edge per la sua passione. Ma anche Edge ha un segreto, e l’ex-ragazzo di David non demorderà finché non riavrà David alla sua mercé. Con tutti questi ostacoli, riuscirà mai un uomo gay di Laguna a trovare la felicità con un maschio alfa… o due?

Read more...

Every man has secrets, but some are bigger than others….

Felix Peake escaped a shady past to carve out a successful career as an expert in Mesopotamian art and gain the respect of the Chicago art community. But when an assistant curator—a man Felix could easily see himself falling for—asks him to reauthenticate a cuneiform tablet to avoid a looming scandal, Felix’s carefully constructed life could crumble.

The tablet is a fake, and Felix is intimately familiar with the artist. Master forger Carter Janson—Felix’s ex and first love—disappeared from his life six years before without a word of explanation. Now, to hold his world together, Felix must find the original tablet, steal it back, and replace the forgery—all before the museum exhibit debuts. It’ll mean slipping back into a role Felix wanted to leave behind and risking his promising future. But even then, he can’t do it alone. He’ll have to confront that rat, Carter Janson.

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

Read more...

Fortsetzung zu Der Einbruch in der Royal Street
Buch 2 in der Serie - Die Spürnasen

Halloween ist Beau Bissonets Lieblingsfeiertag, dazu gehört das Aushöhlen von Kürbissen ebenso wie die Dekorationen in seinem Vorgarten und er liebt es, sich in ein Kostüm zu werfen und die Nachbarskinder zu erschrecken. Aber in diesem Jahr nimmt sein Halloween eine andere Wendung; eine, die seine Fähigkeiten als Detektiv und seine Hingabe zu seinem Partner bei der Arbeit und in der Liebe herausfordern wird.

Seit Beau und Tollison vor einem Jahr den Einbruch in der Royal Street gelöst, Liebe gefunden und Bissonet & Cruz gegründet haben, läuft es privat und beruflich gut. Bis Tollisons Ex-Freund, Bastien Andros, aus heiterem Himmel auftaucht. Natürlich ist Beau misstrauisch, aber zwei Tage nach Bastiens Ankunft verschwindet dieser spurlos und Tollison sorgt sich, dass seine Vergangenheit ihn einholen könnte.

Ein mysteriöses Paket zeigt deutlich, wer Bastien entführt hat und was auf dem Spiel steht. Sowohl Bastiens als auch Beaus Leben sind in Gefahr und Tollison hat nur eine Möglichkeit: Er muss nach Zürich in die Schweiz reisen, um das Lösegeld zu beschaffen und abzuliefern, beide Männer außer Gefahr zu bringen und gleichzeitig sich selbst treu zu bleiben.

Read more...

Dass Carson Cress ihn nach einem Date fragt, ist so ziemlich das Letzte, womit Vincent Wade gerechnet hätte. Vince ist ein ehrgeiziger Biologiestudent und eher ein Einzelgänger. Quarterback Carson ist ein Superstar und lebt unter ständiger Beobachtung der Öffentlichkeit. Das kann auf keinen Fall funktionieren. Aber Vince muss feststellen, dass manchmal einfach jemand in dein Leben gewalzt kommt und dich auf eine wilde Achterbahnfahrt der Gefühle mitnimmt, und du dich entweder gut festhältst oder dein Herz dabei verlierst.

Read more...

Dane McCormick’s job negotiating leases and building out furnished office suites takes him all over the country. He stays until the job is done—and then he moves on. As satisfying as the job is, it leaves him no place to call home and no chance to build a personal life. After arriving in Greenville, South Carolina, for a job, a severe stomach virus knocks Dane for a loop. He finds a local urgent care clinic… and a tall, dark, and handsome doctor who goes well above and beyond his duties to treat Dane. The doctor’s bedside manner makes Dane forget all about his stomach flu.

Carter Baldridge has dedicated his life to caring for others. Since graduating from medical school, he has spent all his time and energy building his urgent care business. But the morning he steps into his examining room and sees Dane McCormick on the table, he realizes it might be time to devote some attention to a part of life he has neglected. The spark is there, but so is a major obstacle in the form of Dane’s peripatetic lifestyle and a bad experience in Carter’s past. Both have to decide if the risk is worth the reward.

Read more...

Ned Balding used to be a decent man—until the stress of seemingly countless responsibilities changes him, and he becomes cold and driven—the kind of man who considers firing an employee days before Christmas. The kind of man who kicks a dog…. But Ned’s transgressions haven’t gone unseen. A Salvation Army Santa witnesses his misdeeds and decides Ned needs to be taught a lesson.

When Ned wakes up the next morning, he’s stunned to discover he’s been transformed into a dog.

In the past year, Jake Carrara has lost his mother, a lover… even his dog. His boss came close to firing him just before the holidays. He isn’t sure he’s ready for another pet when he’s asked to foster a dog, but Jake’s good heart won’t let him refuse. Little does he know, this isn’t just any dog.

Through a twist of fate, two people with little reason to be friends might teach each other to rediscover the good—and the love—in life.

Read more...

Evin lost the only two men he ever loved. But he might get a second chance with one of them—if he’s willing to take the risk.

Following the death of his husband, Evin is living in Portland and raising the infant son they had through a surrogate. Six-month-old Micah is his life, and if it means no time for activities or friendships beyond his minuscule support network, that’s a sacrifice Evin is willing to make. When he suffers a burn baking teething biscuits, the last person Evin expects to encounter in the ER is Ben, his lover from college—and the man who left him without a word of explanation.

Ben knows it won’t be easy to earn Evin’s trust and prove he’s not the same man Evin once knew, but he can’t bear to watch Evin struggle to care for Micah, hurting and alone. He wants back in Evin’s life, as a friend and hopefully more, but Evin’s heart is fragile, and the years have changed him too.

Read more...

Texas native Colt Burrow isn’t happy about his third cold, lonely Christmas in frozen Michigan. But when fate sends him a gift in the form of an abandoned puppy, he can’t keep his heart from melting. With the puppy’s companionship, he doesn’t feel so isolated anymore, and the holidays don’t seem as bleak. He even finds enough Christmas spirit to take Roger tree shopping. But just when Colt’s starting to hope Roger’s owner doesn’t show up… he does, and Colt doesn’t want to say goodbye.

Will Roger end up being Colt’s Christmas heartbreak… or his Christmas miracle?

Read more...

Sometimes the best day of your life is the one you never saw coming.

Joe Cohen has devoted the past two years of his life to one thing: the care and feeding of Kade Bosa. His partner in their PI business, roommate, and best friend, Kade is everything to Joe, even if their relationship falls short of what Joe desires most. But he won’t push. Kade has suffered a rough road, and Joe’s pretty sure he’s the only thing holding Kade together.

Estranged from his own family, Joe knows the value of desperately holding on to someone dear, but he never expected his present and past to collide just as Kade’s is doing the same. Now they’ve stumbled across evidence that could change their lives: the impact of Kade’s tragic past, their job partnership, and any future Joe might allow himself to wish for….

Read more...