We Could Be Rats
A "one-sitting-read" (Laurie Frankel, New York Times bestselling author) about two very different sisters, and a love letter to childhood, growing up, and the power of imagination--from the bestselling author of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead and Interesting Facts About Space. Sigrid hates working at the Dollar Pal but having always resisted the idea of growing up into the trappings of adulthood, she did not graduate high school, preferring to roam the streets of her small town with her best friend Greta, the only person in the world who ever understood her. Her older sister Margit is baffled and frustrated by Sigrid's inability to conform to the expectations of polite society. But Sigrid's detachment veils a deeper turmoil and sensitivity. She's haunted by the pains of her past--from pretending her parents were swamp monsters when they shook the floorboards with their violent arguments to grappling with losing Greta's friendship to the opioid epidemic ravaging their town. As Margit sets out to understand Sigrid and the secrets she has hidden, both sisters, in their own time and way, discover that reigniting their shared childhood imagination is the only way forward. "A must read" (Haley Jakobson, New York Times Editor's Choice author), We Could Be Rats is an unforgettable story of two sisters finding their way back to each other, and a celebration of that transcendent, unshakable bond.
Punk-In
BrodieMy rock band has reached the pinnacle of success but fame has its price. Sooner or later, people let you down or sell you out. Except Ivan Cross. My manager, my muse, my obsession. There's nothing in this world that I want more than Van. And I always get what I want.VanFour years ago, I was selected to manage a hot new band called Wayward Lane. I knew I was in for an exciting ride - and a world of trouble - and it's all because of their lead singer, the provocative Brodie James. We've always butted heads but lately, that tension is higher. When Brodie insists on an impromptu concert in New Orleans at Halloween, I make it happen. The city, the food, the music, it's intoxicating. So is Brodie, and I'm not sure I can resist his pull any longer. Even though Brodie could have anyone he wants, all wants is me.Punk-In is a bi awakening, age gap, friends to lovers MM romance filled with sizzling chemistry, an unforgettable Halloween concert, and a HEA fit for a rockstar.
The Alpha and Omega of All Viruses
The digital entity Odyssey is on the ultimate journey where he must look inwards to explore his own mind before taking a mind expanding journey to find himself in the cosmos, while still watching over his human friends who are doing everything they can to protect his identity from overreaching politicians who only view him as a threat to their way of life.
A Forbidden Love
In the shadow of Langley Hall, young Thomas Cooper navigates the complexities of friendship, duty and love in Edwardian England. As the son of a tenant farmer, Thomas forms an unlikely bond with Lord John Langley and Prince Christian, two boys from vastly different worlds. Their shared adventures and deepening connections are tested by the rigid boundaries of class and the looming threat of war in the summer of 1914. When tragedy strikes, Thomas is thrust into a role that demands unwavering loyalty and discretion. As he rises through the ranks of service, he must confront his own desires and the painful secrets that haunt him. "Thomas' Tale", is a poignant exploration of love, loss and the enduring power of friendship in the face of society's constraints. Spanning seven decades of British history, Thomas' story chronicles his life from the fields of Norfolk, to a post-war life that includes a liberating road trip across the United States, and also reflects the many changes in social attitudes towards the LBGTQ+ communities.
Cloven
Erica and Lauren love each other. But this is not a love story.The couple should've broken up years ago-and they have, multiple times. But no matter how many times they call it quits, they can't let go. And it's slowly unraveling them both.For Erica, every breakup is a fresh wound, leaving a gaping hole where only anxiety spirals. She needs Lauren to choose her, fully and finally. But Lauren would rather escape into her video games than rehash past arguments. And the mystical, magical world of The Witches of Endor is more enticing than reality.Two witches, Tasin and Seadah, share a love that feels effortless and fated. Tasin's consumed with having her first vision while all of the wizards and fairies are more concerned with Seadah's glowing, green-eyed temper. But their connection is undeniable and the romance that surges between them is something out of a fairytale.Why can't Erica and Lauren's relationship be that easy?Or maybe the better question is: In an unmagical world, can love ever be enough?
Machines of Consent
Dr. Jess Stockton is a scientist with high goals and even higher ambitions. Through her efforts, she has created a device based around consent which has revolutionised society and drawn no small amount of attention both good and bad.Roh is a freerunning messenger for the underground with the solitary goal of survival. When tested in the lab for the consent device, she displays a very odd set of biometrics which should be impossible in humans.Machines of Consent follows two trans lesbians in a sci-fi adventure as they find each other and try to escape an oppressive force bent to use them for nefarious ends. Both cyberpunk and spicy blockbuster, it's a thrill ride from start to finish.Do you consent to the heat?
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
"To read Jeanette Winterson is to love her."--O, the Oprah MagazineThe 40th anniversary edition of a beloved modern classic and pioneering work of autofiction--a funny, poignant exploration of a young girl's quirky passage into adulthoodWith a new introduction and afterword by the authorJeanette Winterson's extraordinary career began at the age of twenty-five with the publication of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. An international bestseller and winner of the prestigious Whitbread Award for Best First Fiction, it is considered a classic of contemporary literature and taught widely around the world, in courses ranging from core undergraduate classes to women's studies and queer studies.Jeanette is a bright and rebellious orphan who is adopted into an evangelical household in the dour, industrial north of England. Her youth is spent embroidering grim religious mottoes and shaking her little tambourine for Jesus. But as this budding missionary comes of age and comes to terms with her unorthodox sexuality, the peculiar balance of her God-fearing household collapses. Jeanette's insistence on listening to truths of her own heart and mind--and on reporting them with wit and passion--makes for an unforgettable chronicle of an extraordinary passage into adulthood.
Tangled Webs
Karen Cappelletti, a gritty, battle-tested, battle-scarred middle-aged detective in a small town outside of Philadelphia, finds herself immersed in another dysfunctional relationship. While she has an issue persevering in unhealthy relationships, bigger problems loom. She learns the man she arrested for a brutal felony assault, imprisoned ten years ago, is scheduled to be released on parole the next day. To make matters worse, the ex-con's daughter, Tam, is publicly expressing her attraction to Karen. When the ex-con's daughter reports a dead body on her driveway, a week after her father's release, things take a bizarre turn. As the lonely detective professionally dives into an investigation with few clues, she struggles to understand the unexpected twists and emotional turns in her empty personal life. With the town's safety and her love life on the brink of disaster, Karen finds herself entangled in both a personal betrayal and the cunning brilliance of a sociopath. She must sift through a tangled web of lies to save her town from a heartless killer and save herself from becoming the next victim.
Marked by Instinct
Summer break for Erin Storm involves photography, hanging out with friends, and cramming as much partying as he can into three months before the final year of university starts. However, meeting Black Hill's mysterious and handsome newcomer, Victor Lovelace, at a party throws a wrench in those plans as Erin is introduced to a supernatural world driven by two things - fate and instinct.Secrets are threatened.Wars are waged.The Moon weeps.How much is Victor willing to sacrifice to be with Erin?Will Erin be able to overlook the absurdity of werewolves being real?Fate and Instinct play a dangerous game, lurking beneath the surface of the boys' relationship as they take bets on which side will win the brewing battle ... again.
Forever Magical
In the third and final book in The Witches of Prosperity series, readers may wonder if El (freelance attendant and male witch in training) and Anthony (aka The Prince) and their friends, Sebastian and Reginald, will EVER find their happy ending. Well, quite frankly, so are they...It's been a long road to finding love and happiness, and they have overcome a lot, including a cruel step-mother, a beastly curse that makes Reginald not your average guy, a wicked witch on the loose, and an intolerant kingdom that doesn't accept same-sex relationships-or magic, for that matter. Yet despite all this, Elister Hesta and Prince Anthony Enchanting remain deeply in love and committed to each other. Likewise, Lord Sebastian Withers and Duke Reginald Drake-although slower out of the block to confess their feelings for each other and believe they are each worthy of love-are finally on their way to couplehood. But relationships are hard to grow when they must be kept secret, and the Prince is supposed to be looking for a royal lady to be his wife. Not to mention that malicious magic is threatening members of the Court, involving the whole kingdom as things spiral out of their control. Before each of our two couples can even think about a future together, they must stop a powerful witch, break several enchantments, and face various magical foes. Yet all this pales next to their greatest challenge: They must also change their society's opinion about who it is okay to love...Touching, funny, unconventional, romantic, and sometimes steamy, Forever Magical is a story about fighting for who and what is important.
The Inalienable Right
In the age of AIDS and Section 28: a secret that could change political history It is 1987, and Tommy Wildeblood has put his days as a Piccadilly Circus rent boy long behind him. Slightly to his own surprise, he is now a rookie teacher at a South London comprehensive. But when Margaret Thatcher's government launches a chilling attack on the ' promotion' of homosexuality in a new law known as Section 28, Tommy can't stay silent - especially when he realises he may have information about one of Thatcher's key lieutenants that could change the political situation completely. Forming an uneasy alliance with a sharp-elbowed tabloid journalist, and delving deep into his past on the ' Dilly', he puts everything on the line - both for himself and his old friends - in a desperate bid to expose the truth. With his trademark blend of historical research and ' what if' fiction, Adam Macqueen captures the spirit of a frightening age in another spellbinding case that lifts the lid on the Eighties political establishment's murkiest secrets.
Candid About Space
In an epic road trip to remember, Tera and her girlfriend, while giving their relationship one more try, are toting their moms to the New York Finger Lakes for a pleasant wine and cheese weekend. Just two moms and two daughters bonding as much as they can before Tera, approaching her mid-twenties, drifts apart into independence. Only, Tera doesn't know the half of it. Her mom, Pauline, a well-off divorcee, has some plans of her own after the weekend ends. Those plans are realized sooner than expected when Tera bears her angst full force and creates family discord in front of their gracious traveling partners. Pauline will regret her decisions as a parent to the very end, but it won't stop the tumultuous unravelling on the trip.Mother and daughter trips, each one of many, is about getting along and working things out for a day or two, a week, and in life. It's the beginning of a new start for Tera and Pauline both. Keeping the memories happy and harmonious isn't an ultimatum, but Pauline and Terra, both, will always want to look back. When words are all too candid, it takes some space to regroup and formulate the things you always meant to say.
Twilight Manors in Palm Springs
From Hairdos to Hairdon'ts: Brian and St矇phane's Most Chaotic Case YetBrian and St矇phane are back-and spreading chaos as only they can. When this retired gay duo stumbles onto a lunatic planting TOP SECRET deadly devices in women's curlers, things spiral out of control faster than a bad perm gone rogue.Their "investigation" (and we use that term loosely) tangles them in a deliriously twisted web of intrigue involving mobsters, poodles, and even a brief, eye-rolling cameo by the insufferable Chihuahua, Mitzi.On the trail of the elusive Hairdo Killer, Brian and St矇phane encounter a grieving cat named Fish Paste, an old friend showing up with his new "wife," a woman with an interchangeable head, trigger-happy lesbian gardeners filming Godzilla vs. Frida Kahlo, the Jilted Wives Club, a sausage-wielding Viking, giant giraffes, covert ops, an Andy Warhol superstar, a wardrobe-malfunctioning waitress, an English tearoom serving questionable cakes-and a production of Hedda Gabler so bad it should be illegal.And seriously-why is everyone licking the Forever Marilyn statue in Palm Springs? Don't ask. Just buckle up.Campy, chaotic, and completely bonkers-this is one wild ride on a rollercoaster of absurdity and satire you won't want to miss.
The Otto Digmore Decision
Book 2 in The Otto Digmore Series"If we get caught, they'll throw us in jail. On the other hand, we'll have been involved in one of the craziest Hollywood stories I've ever heard, and maybe someone will want to turn that into a movie!"Otto Digmore is back, still trying to make it as an actor in Hollywood - despite his facial scars - but frustrated by all the schemers who'll stab you in the back to get ahead. But then Otto's good friend Russel Middlebrook sells a screenplay, a heist movie set in the Middle Ages - and Otto has been cast in an important supporting role! For twelve weeks, Otto and Russel will be on location together in England and Malta.Problem is, once production is underway, it quickly becomes clear that the director is ruining Russel's script. If the movie ends up being the bomb that both Otto and Russel expect it to be, it could destroy both their Hollywood careers forever.But Otto and Russel aren't willing to take that chance. Together, they hatch a crazy plan to make a good movie behind the director's back. But how far are they willing to go to save their careers? Are they willing to become exactly the kind of scheming backstabbers they always said they hated?The Otto Digmore Decision is partly a caper story, partly a humorous Hollywood satire. It's also an inside look at the struggles of anyone "different," and it's even something of a love story, except it's one between two friends.More than anything, The Otto Digmore Decision proves the old adage about creative pursuits: the most interesting drama always happens behind the scenes!REVIEWS"An adventure, a caper-within-a-caper, [and] a Hollywood story about a movie being made... Wonderfully, and horribly, all of my angst is reflected in the bright, beautiful hearts of Otto and Russel. They make me sad, and they give me hope at the same time."- This Gay Book I Loved"I enjoyed every second...I can't imagine that people won't fall in love with Otto!"- Bite Into Books"It was great to see Otto and Russell back together again, continuing their adventures. Their friendship is inspiring; it is clear that it reaches a new, clearer level in this story. I'm looking forward to reading more about this awesome pair."- Rainbow Book Reviews PRAISE FOR BRENT HARTINGER"Hits the narrative sweet spot."- NPR's All Things Considered"Downright refreshing."- USA Today"I really think this guy could be the next Judy Blume." - Pop Candy
Simpleman
No man is that simple.Ronald Simpleman is not about to take the fall for the faults of the fathers. He may be a pansy, but he's no patsy. While his conscience has been in full-blown crisis mode for three quarters of a century, this self-exiled hermit feels like it might be finally safe to ease out of hiding.Misguided in childhood through the faults of his father, just as his grandfather had misled his dad, Simpleman has been burdened by secrets he's lugged around since he was a kid. Lying low as a recluse on family acreage clinging to the sloped outskirts of Crested Butte, he has managed to outlive ten presidents and-at least so far-outsmart those who might be after him.Now, with what might be his final winter upon him and too little time left to expunge his guilt-ridden soul, Simpleman believes he just might get away scot-free as he begins to round up his closeted skeletons for the short trip to his final resting place in the Simpleman Family plot.
Simpleman
No man is that simple.Ronald Simpleman is not about to take the fall for the faults of the fathers. He may be a pansy, but he's no patsy. While his conscience has been in full-blown crisis mode for three quarters of a century, this self-exiled hermit feels like it might be finally safe to ease out of hiding. Misguided in childhood through the faults of his father, just as his grandfather had misled his dad, Simpleman has been burdened by secrets he's lugged around since he was a kid. Lying low as a recluse on family acreage clinging to the sloped outskirts of Crested Butte, he has managed to outlive ten presidents and-at least so far-outsmart those who might be after him.Now, with what might be his final winter upon him and too little time left to expunge his guilt-ridden soul, Simpleman believes he just might get away scot-free as he begins to round up his closeted skeletons for the short trip to his final resting place in the Simpleman Family plot.
The War Between Cedar and Oak Collection
Monsoon QueenTwenty-year-old Noor has been hiding her magic and biding her time in the spice markets of 1812 Tajoura as she and her neighbours wait for the ravenous British Empire to sail into their homeport, cannons blazing. But when the HMS Victory arrives, so does the chance of a lifetime to join a found family in the Yemeni resistance. Noor finds herself caught up in the fight against the Empire's battle mages and Rami, the dark prince who leads them.In a case of mistaken identity, Noor heals Rami before a decisive battle. She sees the good in him, and her heart is torn.Noor's new friend Razan-a brilliant and beautiful inventor for the resistance-has no such qualms. She hates Rami for his role in the raid that killed her parents. Razan has found a way to harness Noor's power to defeat the British, and the two women grow ever closer. On a perilous camel ride to the coffee roasting city of Mocha, Rami strikes, kidnapping Noor and taking her back to his cruel master on the HMS Victory.In order to survive, Noor will need to call on everything she learned in the spice markets and the Yemeni resistance.Rebels, mages, lovers. With the final battle looming and the resistance struggling without her, Noor must keep her eye on the prize: saving Yemen from the British Empire. If she can keep Razan in her bed and save Rami from the Empire, she will have the future she's always dreamed of. But first, Noor has to survive the storms to come.Dream SwimmersEvery night, Noor saves a drowning prince.In her dreams, she finds him drifting deeper, ever farther from the midnight stars of a half-remembered Gaza. She hauls him to the surface, forces him to breathe, to talk, to tell her where he is.He doesn't know.Noor awakens on the Cormorant, a once-and-future pirate ship searching for Rami, the former prince of Yemen whom she aims to rescue from his British captors before it's too late. While Rami fights to survive the secret British prison, Noor will have to use her magic, cunning, and skill to find him. But she won't be alone. Her found family is with her. Lovers, inventors, pirates, rebels, and deserters, they all must come together as they hunt the Arabian Sea for the lost prince.Dream magic connects Noor and Rami, but in the end, what saves him won't be magic or science or even love, but the stars themselves.
Above the Ash, I Rise
Nalin Taylor has always felt like more of a caretaker towards his twin brother than an actual sibling. He knows that Lindy is running from something that happened in the past, he's just not sure exactly what. Diagnosed with dissociative amnesia, Nalin must deal with resurfacing flashbacks of his childhood while balancing college, soccer, an unstable home life, figuring out his sexuality, and taking care of his twin brother when he returns home from a rehab program.Lindy Taylor remembers everything. Plagued with the haunting memories of what happened to him and his brother as children, he dives into a dangerous drug addiction in a desperate attempt to forget. He knows that Nalin doesn't remember anything about what happened, and struggles between wanting him to know the truth or letting him remain in the dark for his own well-being. When Lindy gets home form a 90-day-rehab program, he tries his best to deal with the past and keep himself on the right path towards a better future.When demons from Nalin and Lindy's past suddenly come crashing back onto their lives, they both must team up with an unlikely ally in order to try to break free from the abuse.
Drown Me Gently
He was never meant to fall in love with the surface.Auren is a Mer prince with a restless heart and a dangerous fascination for the surface world. When he falls for Elias, a charming human with a smile like sunlight, Auren breaks every law of the deep to see him again. But someone is watching-Ulric, the Kraken court sorcerer sworn to protect him, and the only one who knows what it will cost if the sea decides to punish Auren's defiance.He was never meant to feel anything at all.Ulric has guarded Poseidon's bloodline for centuries, bound by ancient magic and an oath he cannot break. Auren was supposed to be a duty, nothing more. But every rule Ulric has lived by starts to fray the moment the reckless prince dares to look at him like he's more than a monster. And when Auren turns to him for comfort, for touch-Ulric knows the price of breaking his oath may be his soul.In a world of gods, monsters, and forbidden magic, love is the one thing neither of them was meant to survive.But when a prince offers his heart to the dark, the dark just might love him back-with all its teeth.
Learning Curves
From the author of Stars Collide and Cover Story comes a steamy will-they-won't-they romance about a bright young teacher reconnecting with the jaded professor she once pined for.For Audrey Lind, working with clay still evokes memories of her favorite professor. The woman's zeal for art history ignited Audrey's own academic career--and her tweed blazers and British accent kindled her first female crush. After fate brings Audrey back to Northshire University to teach, she's thrilled to be working alongside her former mentor, but the grumpy woman she encounters upon her return is nothing like the dynamo she remembers.Divorce and a stalling career have turned Dr. Michelle Thompson bitter and guarded. When Audrey swoops in to teach the Women in Art class Michelle's been pitching for years, she longs to hate her. But her young rival is too kind, too enthusiastic, too irresistible. And her passion for life slowly reawakens Michelle's own.Wary of age gaps and workplace politics, they suppress their smoldering attraction--until one wine-filled night at the pottery wheel puts their romantic truce to the test. Will they keep things on the tenure track or risk it all for love?
