Feast While You Can
For readers of Nightbitch and We Ride Upon Sticks, an "exciting new hybrid horror-romance" about queer love in a small town that serves as an unsettling reminder that the horrors of modern life is a monster ready to possess us all (New York Times Book Review). Angelina Sicco was born and raised in Cadenze, an ugly little mountain town that's dead most of the year. Determined to be content with her lot in life, she walks her mongrel dog, attends her brother's heavy metal concerts, holds court in the local dive bar, and does everything she can to bait hot, queer women to her sleepy, conservative hometown. But on the night of a family party, Angelina runs into the sternly handsome Jagvi, who's back in town for a spell. Upon Jagvi's arrival, an ancient evil is awakened, and a monstrous force infiltrates Angelina's life. Only Jagvi's touch repels it -- the final trigger for a secret, passionate romance. But this monster feasts on all the passion, heartbreak and mess that makes up a life, and Angelina Sicco's life has never looked tastier. What will Angelina do to protect her future? And what will it cost her?
Death Understood
When a brutal murder threatens the national security, Intelligence Agent Denise Cleever must follow the bloody trail deep into the Red Heart of Australia. Headed by the charismatic brother and sister team of Becky and Rhys Hiddwing, the powerful Hiddwing Institute is an ultraconservative think tank whose dark tentacles are insinuating themselves into the very core of Australian society. Seven years ago, family patriarch Oliver Hiddwing and his sister Clara disappeared on an expedition in the remote Outback--never to be seen again. Now Becky and Rhys want Oliver and Clara declared dead so they can inherit the vast fortune and invest it in the continued expansion of their right-wing empire. Deep undercover at the Institute, Intelligence Agent Denise Cleever tries to get as close as she can to the truth without becoming entangled in the organization's treacherous grasp...until a shocking discovery brings with it the realization that the truth--and her only chance of survival--lie in the unforgiving harshness of the Australian Outback. Death Understood is the second title in the Denise Cleever thriller series. Originally published by Naiad Press in 2000.
Cardinal Rules
The end of May approaches, and college is done for the spring semester. DJ plans to spend the summer reflecting on his traumatic childhood and trying to heal with relaxation. It isn't until his very close friend invites him to go with them for a getaway at their hometown's Pride party to live it up for the weekend. To help him feel comfortable, he invites his only family; his sister, Sierra.At first, DJ enjoys making new friends and getting involved with the community. His tensions and anxieties melt away with the drag shows and brunches that lead up to the block party. His adventures slowly become interrupted by a stalker lurking around the festivities to torment him. It's not just any old stalker.It's a cardinal!One by one, guests go missing at the hands of the deranged killer. Can DJ save himself and his acquaintances before the masked cardinal takes their lives? Will this ride be canceled from all of the mysterious murders?Cardinal Rules takes elements from '80s and '90s slasher horror, filled with blood, gore, and a little glitter. It's time to put pride back in murder!Second Edition, previously published March 2021
The Price of Cookies
Two brothers face their mother's impending death.A convenience store clerk balances compassion with duty.A grieving soldier receives a package of cookies meant for someone else.In this series of connected flash fiction pieces, people navigate the trials of life with tears, arguments and, above all, love and compassion. "Lives interwoven and cookies that arrive too late."This bravura collection of linked stories provides a profound lesson in empathy, of pouring yourself into someone else's life, someone else's pain, to see it from the inside, looking out." - Will Ferguson, Giller Prize-winning author of 419About Finnian BurnettFinnian Burnett is a professor, writer, and lifelong learner. They hold a doctorate in English pedagogy from Murray State University and teach college English, creative writing, and early British Literature. They've run the Golden Crown Literary Society's Writing Academy since 2015 and served as the Director of Education for several years. Under their former name, they published several novels with Sapphire Books Publishing, including two rainbow award winners. Their novella-in-flash, The Clothes Make the Man was released through Ad Hoc Fiction. They are a US transplant to Canada and after years as a permanent resident, they finally had their citizenship ceremony. They are now an official Canadian! (And yes, they cried during their ceremony.) They live in beautiful British Columbia with their wife.
A Heart Full of Hope
Opposites attract, repel, and bicker like fools in this adorable small town lesbian romance about finding what truly matters in life.Smalltown handywoman Hazel Lee has learned to live her best life regardless of what the universe throws at her. But her patience is sorely tested when a bossy, big-city executive blows in and starts questioning Hazel's motives for helping an elderly friend.High-powered businesswoman Imogen Alexander has her career all set. Then her elderly uncle takes a bad fall in his home. Imogen figures she can surely run his life as tightly as her work, but she doesn't count on an annoying local woman being all up in his business.Hazel has one leg, two jobs, and a whole bunch of opinions. Worse, now meddling old Uncle George seems intent on match-making the women together.But what could an icy standoffish executive in hot skirt suits possibly have in common with a cute butch with charm to burn?
Imperfectly Perfect
Two settled souls. One happenstance. But will fear get in their way?Savannah Logan wants nothing more than a quiet life with her daughter. But when her brother dies of cancer, her world is thrown for yet another spin. Fighting through her grief, she takes on the hospital and doctors, suing them in a battle that will only benefit her brother's family. But she finds herself more than intrigued by the lawyer's assistant. The only problem is that Savannah refuses to make the same mistake twice, and what she needs is friendship, not love.Fallon Schroeder has sworn off love. But the curvy, ray of sunshine that just walked through the office door has caught her attention. Proposing a no strings attached relationship is the best she can offer, and when Savannah accepts, Fallon is all in. The only problem? Every day, Fallon finds herself a little more in love with Savannah and her energetic daughter.Can these two women overcome their fears and find love? Find out in this spicy sapphic romance novel that touches on domestic violence, spousal abuse, and deep, lasting grief.
The Step Don't (Peach State Stepbros #2)
ASHAll stepbrothers need Step Don'ts.Colin and I have ours.Like, don't pit our parents against either of us. Don't hog the TV. And definitely...Don't.Keep.Secrets.These rules have done more than help us keep the peace between us.After all these years since our parents got together, I can't imagine my life without Colin.To most people, he's the hot, straight tight end for Peach State.But to me, he's my backward-cap-wearing, football-loving, piggyback-ride-giving best friend and fellow Alpha Theta Mu frat bro.Life's pretty incredible living together at the same frat house, but suddenly, I find myself keeping a particularly naughty secret.I tell myself Colin wouldn't want to know what his bi bro does in private, but then why do I feel like I'm committing a huge Step Don't?COLINThere's nothing I'm more of an expert in than my stepbro, Ash.He's a quick-witted, nerd-boy genius who's always there to help a friend cram for a test or capture bugs for me when they invade my space.He's my favorite person.Making him happy gives me a rush...but for the first time, he's keeping a secret from me.When Ash cops to his Step Don't-his new extracurricular of doing dirty things on camera-I'm confused.He is too, so we work together to figure out why this excites him so much.In places we're likely to get caught.After all, what's a little exhibitionism between stepbros?I didn't even realize I could be into guys-or be so intoxicated by these new experiences-but exploring my bisexuality with Ash is the best thing that's ever happened to me.And with each touch, each time we up the stakes, I discover I want more than just Ash's body.I want his heart too, even though that surely must be the biggest Step Don't of all.
The Brothers Bishop
Yates, the award-winning author of Leave Myself Behind, crafts another poignant and elegant work--the powerful story of two brothers who discover just how difficult it is to go home again.
Oh, How We Laughed*
Oh, How We Laughed** Cried, chuckled, suffered, retreated, enjoyed, blanked, masked, cringed, smiled, consumed, planned, protested, disappeared, felt, ruminated, withdrew, celebrated, raged, meditated, screamed, froze, danced, existed...Jace Reh and Theo Brown bring together artwork, poetry, and prose from Queer, Disabled South Australians for the anthology, Oh, How We Laughed*. Creativity and laughter are universal. They aren't a constant but are a strong point of connection. We experience fear, joy, loss, exhilarating highs, depressive lows, and so much more. How we express those emotions might be different or not at all, yet amongst all this we can always strive for a laugh.The creative works featured in this anthology draw from a wide range of experiences and expressions. They share thoughts through fiction and pure creative forms. They delve into sharp realisations and convey these in direct non-fiction texts. There are pieces that feel like mere glimpses into single moments of the creators' lives. They all collate into this anthology, which is designed as an exhibition in printed form. The works are presented for readers to browse at their leisure, focus as intently as desired, or be guided from start to finish as curated to balance the peaks in emotions and pace of the individual styles.Oh, How We Laughed* is the second book in the Blue Feet Anthology series and is edited by Alex Dunkin. The first book in the series, Green, is an anthology by South Australian emerging creative researchers.Oh, How We Laughed* is a showcase of creative expression featuring Theo Brown, Freddie Foeng, KJ Hepworth, Rainier Hotchkiss, Sally Ann Hunter, J.A.M., Fig Kershaw, Victoria Knight, Tabitha Lean, Leon McAloney, Tushar Patel, Jace Reh, Tikari Rigney, Denver Rurrk, and Cameron Rutherford.Cover art by Tikari Rigney.
Pucking Mobbed
Storm was exactly that. He was a force of nature who took the hockey world by storm. It destroyed everything. His connections gave Storm everything except his hockey career. He worked his fingers to the bone for that. Getting picked up by a pro team at seventeen and finding himself thousands of miles from the only person who loved him was terrifying. Three years later, Storm wonders if it wasn't also the dumbest move he ever made. He's not sure any of it was worth the cost because he lost Barrett. Barrett doesn't tolerate much. He doesn't have to. As the son of a known mobster, he's not tested often. His only soft spot is Storm, and the guy abandoned him for some stupid game. Barrett knows Storm is talented and deserves the life he leads. But Storm made his choice when he chose his career, knowing Barrett couldn't follow. That hasn't stopped Storm from tormenting him and refusing to let him go. Maybe there isn't a fair answer. There doesn't feel like a compromise exists. So why can't Barrett walk away? Pucking Mobbed is the tenth book in Charity Parkerson's Thin Ice series. These books are steamy sports romances meant to heat up your day. This series is best enjoyed when read in order.
The Bait
When three men turn up in their sleepy little town of Tallowwood, Harry and Asher know something's wrong. Not because someone could find them, but the fact that Asher's informant and oldest friend, Yunho, failed to alert them. Messages and phone calls unanswered; Harry and Asher go to Thailand to find Yunho is missing.Harry and Asher find themselves thrown back into the game of shadows and murder, in a race across the globe to find him and find who's behind the kidnapping.The list of their enemies is long, their web of entanglement even longer, and Harry and Asher are about to find out who is predator and who is prey.
Her Last Secret
In 1930's Paris the music is jazz, the art is experimental, and American ex-patriots of color are welcomed. Aspiring journalist Vera Clay packs her suitcase and travels from Philadelphia to France, where her Aunt Evangeline set new roots a decade earlier. While the language, culture, and self-acceptance feel foreign to Vera, the possibility of love is familiar. It is Paris during the 1930's. Cigarette smoke curled above the heads of caf矇, book store, and jazz club habitu矇s carry rumors of an approaching firestorm. Some Parisians prepare to defend their lives and country. Others join the tidal wave of hatred threatening to immolate most of Europe.
Great HEX
DARRAGH CULLEN WOULD TRAVEL TO THE MOON AND BACK FOR HIS BOYFRIENDS. AND HE MAY JUST HAVE TO.An early Spring has every witch in Atlanta hot in anticipation of the rites of Ostara, a time when the Solar Equinox promises as much power as it does heat. HEX, Darragh's magic shop, is as busy as its ever been, and he's ready to welcome the shift with open arms. Alongside the company of his lovers.So what if Learco Clarke has been acting strange? It's only natural for the temperatures to rise as the Earth shifts to welcome the sun back from his Winter away.So what if Cernun Kyteler's aura feels new and harsh against his own? Spring, after all, sets the stage for rebirth and renewal.Darragh loves his boyfriends regardless. And he's about to find out just how far he'll have to go to keep that love.Great HEX is the third installment in the HEX'd Series.
Interesting Facts about Space
A fast-paced, hilarious, and ultimately hopeful novel for anyone who has ever worried they might be a terrible person--from the bestselling author of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead. Enid is obsessed with space. She can tell you all about black holes and their ability to spaghettify you without batting an eye in fear. Her one major phobia? Bald men. But she tries to keep that one under wraps. When she's not listening to her favorite true crime podcasts on a loop, she's serially dating a rotation of women from dating apps. At the same time, she's trying to forge a new relationship with her estranged half-sisters after the death of her absent father. When she unwittingly plunges into her first serious romantic entanglement, Enid starts to believe that someone is following her. As her paranoia spirals out of control, Enid must contend with her mounting suspicion that something is seriously wrong with her. Because at the end of the day there's only one person she can't outrun--herself. Brimming with quirky humor, charm, and heart, Interesting Facts about Space effortlessly shows us the power of revealing our secret shames, the most beautifully human parts of us all.
Hate To Love You
Two unlikely roommates, hot summer nights & a forbidden sapphic romance.Ryleigh: When Alana suggested I move into the second house on the Lovers Estate, I took her up on it. Even though that meant sharing the space with Alana's little sister, who happened to hate my guts.Wrenn: Of course my older sister just had to open her big mouth and invite her friend to stay with me. It was bad enough having to see her in my sister's wedding, but to see her at my kitchen table? I thought after we hooked up that it might be the start of something, until the next morning when I woke up alone. Now all she wants to do is talk about what happened and I just want to avoid her.Ryleigh and Wrenn are sure they still hate each other but as the summer nights heat up, so do their feelings.Hate to Love You is a small town, Femme/Femme, Roommates to lovers, best friend's little sister, spicy romance. Hate to Love You is book 2 in the Lighthouse Lovers series and can be read as a complete standalone.
The Dream-Slaves
To fight the gods-you must first become a slave.Our universe is dead. All that's left are memories. But the powers indigenous to the new world are fighting back.Alexander, a handsome immigrant fleeing trouble in his poor native land, doesn't even have a claim to his own name in the magic-rich city of Norio, where they call him Aleixo. But his name may be the least of what the sorcerers of Norio take from him, when a seemingly random invitation to cater-waiter at a party of the wealthy and famous sweeps Aleixo up into a maelstrom of imperial politics and a millennia-long war between humans and gods. The empire of Norio rules the world because of its monopoly on magical high-tech devices called dream-slaves-and now the head of imperial intelligence has proof that Aleixo isn't human at all, but a dream-slave assassin, smuggled into Norio by the empire's enemies.Rescued by a cabal of sorcerers from a foiled attempt to kill him by a renegade sorcerer, Salvador, and his mysterious other-human ally Ydris, Aleixo finds his identity and humanity stripped from him in harrowing psychedelic adventures that transform his memories and bind him to a history of conflict, activating fabulous abilities he never dreamed he had. The world Aleixo lives in isn't what he's always believed it was: the forces that rule his destiny are not just economic class, race, gender, sexuality, body, nationality-they are much more sinister, and much more powerful. The greatest powers have secretly colonized his planet, and made its history strangely similar to our own. Aleixo discovers he may be the last line of defense against the dystopian present and future of Earth. He leads the struggle for emancipation as he grapples with who and what he is: is he human, or just a dream?
Zigzag
Philip Gambone's long-awaited second book of short stories takes off from where his highly acclaimed first collection ended, taking us now into the lives of older gay men, their adventures and challenges, heartaches, and joys. Set largely in Boston, these sixteen loosely interconnected new stories are about men who have experienced and witnessed a lot: marriages and break-ups; rekindling old loves and starting new romances with unlikely partners; the search for sex in an online era; the loss of familiar gay culture; the death of loved ones due to old age, sickness and AIDS; and always the adventure of living in a world where they have to make up the rules as they go along.Gambone takes us to a radical faerie wedding, a closeted French teacher's classroom, the weekly caf矇 gathering of a group of older gay bohemians, a randy eighty-year-old portrait painter who insists his clients pose in the nude, a gay man who discovers his brother is HIV positive, a man in a wheelchair who hires a straight, 23-year-old companion, another who periodically hooks up with a married man half his age, and a long-married gay couple whose weekly visits to a sports caf矇 in Boston's Italian neighborhood presents a delicious and dangerous temptation.Some of these men fight the temptation to live nostalgically in the past; others embrace the new opportunities that come with deeper insight and age. Whatever the case, in each story, Gambone explores how, as older gay men, each of his characters ultimately arrives at a place of greater equanimity, self-acceptance, wisdom, and even spiritual growth.As George Stambolian said of his first collection, "Philip Gambone has done something extraordinary-he has written with honesty, humor, and compassion about the lives of ordinary gay men. His characters speak to us in voices that are almost hypnotically real. They charm us with their words only to catch us with startling revelations of truth."Now these "ordinary gay men" have reached a new, more complex stage in their lives, where the pull of multiple responsibilities, conflicting desires, and cross-generational connections both enriches and tests the identities they've built up over the years. Exhilarating, heart-warming, sexy, and very real-these stories zigzag through the twists and turns of each character's life toward a place where gratitude, peace, clarity, and joy radiantly triumph.
Twilight Manors in Palm Springs The Great New Orleans Powder Puff Caper
Brian & St矇phane are Back, Spreading Mischief, Mayhem, and Loads of LaughsBuckle up for a wild ride in the fifth installment of the Twilight Manors series! Brian and St矇phane embark on an unforgettable journey to New Orleans via Amtrak-St矇phane to dazzle at a Powder Puff Convention, and Brian to soak up the city's vibrant chaos. But their adventure takes a jaw-dropping turn when the train is hijacked by the outrageous Barbie Liberation Front!As the pair are plunged into the heart of Texas, they encounter a bizarre cast of characters: a jubilant hooker, a man with an unusual affection for sheep, a curious peeping Tom, a woman claiming to own Ingrid Bergman's DNA, and a footsie-loving Mennonite woman. Each character adds to the madness.The craziness escalates upon their arrival in New Orleans, where the convention reveals its own set of troubles. Someone is kidnapping chihuahuas, and the stakes couldn't be higher.Join Brian and St矇phane as they navigate through a whirlwind of opera, voodoo, tortoise painters, biker gals, killer chefs, and the biggest ding-dong on this side, or any side, of the Mississippi. Oh, and don't miss St矇phane taking a cure for his homosexuality-SPOILER ALERT: it doesn't work!Dive headfirst into Twilight Manors in Palm Springs: The Great New Orleans Powder Puff Caper for a side-splitting, page-turning adventure you won't want to miss!
Love Immortal
Perfect for fans of vampires, romantasy, and dark academia!Jonathan Evergreen is a talented sophomore at a prestigious, isolated college in Vermont, who dreams of a career in book conservation. But Jonathan's life isn't as rosy as it may appear. Disowned by his family after they caught him with another boy, he struggles to overcome heartbreak and support himself through his studies. To make matters worse, his advisor and the only ally in the institution run by old money and family connections mysteriously vanishes, and a new enigmatic professor, Dacian Bathory, takes his place.Even though Jonathan is instantly drawn to Dacian, feeling a deep, intense connection between them, Dacian's hot and cold behavior leaves him puzzled. But things change when Dacian unexpectedly helps him secure a job at the college's Rare Books library from which an antique book recently went missing-a book that Dacian seems to have a deep interest in.As their attraction grows, sinister events start to unfold around campus: people disappearing in the dead of night, a group of legacies showing signs of increasingly disturbing behavior, and a dead body washing up nearby, completely drained of blood. Plagued by unsettling dreams that feel too close to reality, Jonathan suspects that some of these events might be connected to Dacian.With the stakes escalating and his own life on the line, can Jonathan unravel the truth about Dacian and confront the darkness before it consumes them both?
When the Rose Speaks Its Name
When the Rose Speaks Its Name: A Sherlock Holmes Anthology is a collection of original writings and illustrations inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's tales of the great detective Sherlock Holmes. Each work interprets the iconic character through a queer lens in celebration of the deep bond between Holmes and Watson-a relationship which has captured the hearts and minds of readers for generations.
Short-term Daddy
Jarek is burned out on life. One summer night with a sweet soul changes everything. While Luca is used to being considered odd, he's embraced the title. He's found happiness in the simpler things. It's not like he has a choice. He's dirt-poor living in an expensive town. Barely scraping by isn't even enough to describe how dire his straits are. Then a chance meeting at the park turns his entire life on its head. He's never been more terrified. This one will hurt when it's over, and Luca already knows how it'll end. As a highly sought-after attorney, Jarek hasn't taken a breath in years until one night he simply decides to stop. When he spots an adorable man playing with blocks in the middle of the park with zero shame, Jarek can't stay away. He keeps searching for ways to convince Luca to see him. Jarek can't even say exactly what he hopes to achieve, but he only has one summer to figure it out. After that, Luca will be gone forever. That's not an outcome Jarek is sure he can handle. Short-term Daddy is the first book in Charity Parkerson's Little Lost series where adorable, sometimes bratty, and scared Littles meet the men of their dreams.
Just Business
Caitlyn Pierce has been working at Black Corporation for four years and is determined to succeed, but a new face comes into play. She finds out it's the chairman's daughter, River Black, who is the new CEO. She immediately finds her attractive, but her new boss's aloofness makes it difficult for Caityln to get the closer connection that she hopes for. As she is trying to get River to recognise their compatibility, secrets of the Black's family history are revealed that force Caitlyn to ask herself if River is the person she thought she was.A sapphic love story that explores the challenges of a workplace romance and the complicated dynamics of a family.
Just Business
Caitlyn Pierce has been working at Black Corporation for four years and is determined to succeed, but a new face comes into play. She finds out it's the chairman's daughter, River Black, who is the new CEO. She immediately finds her attractive, but her new boss's aloofness makes it difficult for Caityln to get the closer connection that she hopes for. As she is trying to get River to recognise their compatibility, secrets of the Black's family history are revealed that force Caitlyn to ask herself if River is the person she thought she was.A sapphic love story that explores the challenges of a workplace romance and the complicated dynamics of a family.
Priest Kid
Sarah has always idolized her Episcopal priest mother. Until she falls in love with a nonbinary radical just like her. Our verdict: Get it.-Kirkus "Heart-wrenching, heartwarming, charming, but most of all fun-a meeting of the most complex of relationships, plagued by the same aches." Based on the award-winning queer screenplay, Saint John the Divine in Iowa, but told from the daughter's point-of-view, Priest Kid tells the story of a loving Midwest Episcopal family in which you don't have to come out...until you do. If you liked Written on the Body, if you watched the L Word Generation Q and liked the relationship between Finley and the minister, this book is for you. "I took refuge in the beautiful, truly haunting words of this novella. Lyralen Kaye has a gift for making it seem effortless to talk about grace and the role we undertake in the world to embrace what that means. Backstories are blended with asides, while the strong narrative voice propels us forward and manages to set us right within the thought and feeling we were just about to experience. The work is tremendous, complex, and full of soul and heart." Katherine Vaz, award-winning author of Our Lady of the Artichokes
Brumeterre 2 - The Submissive
Victory sometimes has a bitter taste... That's the cruel lesson Ember has learned!Thanks to her strange powers, she has triumphed over her enemy, but her sweet friend Seraphina, seriously injured during the battle, is wandering between life and death.With her companion Jareth, Ember is ready to do anything to save her. Can human medicine do nothing? Never mind, she'll resort to the most occult potions and the most powerful spells, whatever the cost! - We're ready to face hell if we have to!And what if that's what's really waiting for them out there, in the mysterious world beyond the Mists? WARNING: this book contains real pieces of black humour, sexual freedom and subversive tone! (16+)
Rain Star
A woman lover is my fuse my motorbike, my sunny day, my sea swim, my champagne, wedding, my rainy days is here. I'm house sitting, I'm a lesbian. My ex is away, it's weird. I walked into this woman's life and have never ever gone way. 23 years of laughter holidays in Wales, cars, parties, friendships, parties, food, Indian takeaways, Ferrari's, cocaine, and fireworks. No. Campfires. Diversity committed and action works for SGI Buddhist network.
An Unsettled Range
Stories from the Range: Book ThreeThe last thing Liam Southard expects when he flees his abusive father is to be taken in by a couple of gay ranchers. Soon he has a new job and a new perspective on his sexuality, and his life starts to turn around. Then someone pulls a gun on him.In Troy Gardener's defense, the gun thing was a mistake. Between his marriage falling apart and living in his uncle's isolated hunting cabin, he's been a little edgy. He wants to make it up to Liam, and once he discovers how much they have in common, he wants even more. But with Liam's father popping in unexpectedly and a mining company threatening the ranch's water supply, the only guarantee is that life is never going to be boring.
Outside the Wire
Larry, drafted just out of high school, fights to survive a year in Vietnam's Central Highlands and come home alive, while Buddy, lucky in the draft, remains seemingly safe at home. But the war, and the separation it decrees, forge changes in both. Tour of duty over, Larry returns home a different man, a ghost of himself dealing with the consequences of war and an addiction to drugs. Buddy struggles to help and understand, but despite his love for Larry, he too is haunted by what happened to Larry in Vietnam. Together, the two must find a return to what they were before, and figure out if their futures will be together or apart.
Something Close to Nothing
First comes surrogacy, then comes the messy gay breakup in Tom Pyun's tragi-comic debut novel that asks, is it ever too late to finally face yourself and grow up?Winston Kang and Jared Cahill seem like the perfect couple. When they check in for their flight to Cambodia, where they're headed to meet the surrogate carrying their baby girl, even the woman at the airline counter recognizes it: "I'm so happy that marriage is legal for you guys," she says.But while Jared is already planning for their second kid--half white like him, half Korean like Wynn--Wynn isn't ready to give up his dreams of becoming a hip-hop dancer to become "the hostage of a crying, pooping terrorist." So he does what anyone in his position would do: He leaves Jared at the airport.Wynn sets off on a journey around the globe, trying to figure out what it means to put himself first, from auditioning for Misty Espinoza's comeback tour to organizing a Prince-themed flash mob. Oceans away, Jared starts to panic that no one in his life can talk to Meryl about her period or what it's like to grow up Asian American.Told in alternating points of view, Pyun's sardonic and addictive page-turner confronts questions of race, identity, and privilege, pulling at the loose threads of the American Dream and facing the question of whether it's ever too late to finally face yourself and grow up.
The Sea Elephants
Hailed as"powerful" (GMA), "important" (Poets & Writers), and "momentous" (BookPage), a queer coming-of-age novel set in 1990s India, about a young man who joins a traveling street theater troupe, seeking to outrun the dark secrets of his past"An exquisite novel destined to be a classic." ―Eric Nguyen, author of Things We Lost to the Water Shagun knows he will never be the kind of son his father demands. After the sudden deaths of his beloved twin sisters, Shagun flees his own guilt, his mother's grief, and his father's violent disapproval by enrolling at an all-boys boarding school. But he doesn't find true belonging until he encounters a traveling theater troupe performing the Hindu myths of his childhood. Welcomed by the other storytellers, Shagun thrives, easily embodying mortals and gods, men and women, and living on the road, where his father can't catch him. When Shagun meets Marc, a charming photographer, he seems to have found the love he always longed for, too. But not even Marc can save him from his lingering shame, nor his father's ever-present threat to send him to a conversion center. As Shagun's past begins to engulf him once again, he must decide if he is strong enough to face what he fears most, and to boldly claim his own happiness. Utterly immersive and spellbinding, The Sea Elephants is both dark and beautiful, harrowing and triumphant. An ode to the redemptive joys of art, Shastri Akella's debut novel is a celebration of hard-won love--of others and for ourselves.
Maybe Now
After six years of success at Technovations, Ryan accepts a one-year assignment in Auckland, New Zealand. This assignment will advance his career, but his husband Aaron dreads the prospect of a one-year separation.While Ryan is in New Zealand, COVID strikes. His life remains mostly unaffected, but the stress of the pandemic, the social isolation, and their separation take an emotional toll on Aaron. Ryan's brother Brandon, a senior at Arizona State University, moves in when ASU shifts to online classes. Aaron welcomes Brandon's companionship and support, but their dynamic changes as the pandemic drags on and Ryan's return is repeatedly delayed.When Ryan returns, he finds his marriage in ruins. Their situation is further complicated by Ryan's high school boyfriend moving to town, the return of Ryan's estranged father, and a visit from two LDS missionaries. Ryan, Aaron, Brandon, and everyone else must navigate these upheavals to rebuild their lives and find happiness in a changed post-pandemic world.Content Advisory: This book contains adult language and references to same-sex sexual activities. It does not contain explicit sex scenes. If it were a movie, it would be rated R. This book may not be suitable for readers under 18.
Mother of Serpents
Brooklyn-based poet DuVone Mapley-Stevenson is already struggling with fragile mental health when his white husband Jack gets a promotion that means them relocating to all-white Kwawidokawa County, upstate Maine. At first it seems this could be a fresh start for the financially-stretched family, even if the house Jack has found them is suspiciously cheap.Determined to make the most of the move for the sake of their young son, stay-at-home dad Vone is at once destabilized by the racial, cultural and geographic isolation. When strange sights and sounds start to press in on him, he initially doesn't dare share with Jack what he at first assumes must be recurring delusive thinking. And then he starts to fear that the increasingly threatening uncanny phenomena are real.As a series of terrifying events begin to tear apart the boundaries between sanity and reality, myth and science, Vone finds himself fighting a life-and-death battle with both the monsters who roam the mind and those that slither across the boundaries between their worlds and our own...Fusing a convincing portrait of psychosis and its aftermath with occult and indigenous lore, the legacy of New England witch trials, gothic Americana and the lived experiences of a multi-cultural queer family in a world of racial and social discord, award-winning John R. Gordon's new novel of unease will set your pulse racing and have you looking over your shoulder for things glanced in mirrors.
Northern Vows
Their love story began over a magical Christmas holiday and now Hannah and Kristine have returned to Norway to stay at Espen and Dani's new eco-resort. They are excited to be taking part in the festivities surrounding Midsummer's Eve, but they also have a bigger celebration to plan. This time, there will be no sad goodbyes because they're getting married! Madison, Ally, and Theo, along with the supporting cast of the 'The Compass Series, ' all have their part to play in making Hannah and Kristine's wedding a memorable one. For Kate and Felicia, this trip is a chance to reconnect after too much time spent apart, but they are faced with another important decision, one that could change their lives forever. Daisy, a waitress at The Radley and aspiring photographer, is delighted to be responsible for their wedding pictures. Yet, when her lens meets a bathing Scandinavian beauty in the early hours of the day, she captures way more than she bargained for. Take part in the fun as Northern Vows connects the characters from Northern Lights, Southern Roots, Eastern Nights, and Western Shores with love, lust, laughter, and a little bit of trouble in paradise...
The Promise
When the world keeps pulling you under, who do you reach for?Life was stupidly hard enough, but when tragedy strikes Mika's life, her high school world is flipped over and stepped on, hard. Aunt Val moving in sucks even more than she thought it would too. There's just no way forward. Until the right girl shows up, that is.Willow has it all. Popular, pretty, and perky, she's got senior year wrapped up in a hot little bow. Mika can't imagine why Willow not only wants to be her friend but is also determined to have her back. When feelings start to bloom between them, Mika wonders if just maybe things will be okay...The world doesn't work like that though, and when Mika is betrayed by her family and learns secrets that upend everything yet again, she isn't sure how to get through. Can she find the strength to overcome and be the person she wants to be, or will she end up being forced into being someone she doesn't recognize?
The Whole Day Through
From the bestselling author of A PLACE CALLED WINTER, Patrick Gale's THE WHOLE DAY THROUGH is the beautiful structured story of the choices we make when we come face to face with our past. One summer's day, two lovers meet again... 'Wry, clever, faultlessly crafted' Guardian'Poignant and acutely observed' Daily Express Laura Lewis has left her life in Paris and returned home to Winchester to care for her aging, but still sharp mother. Ben has moved away from his beautiful and loyal wife to support his brother, living alone since their mother's death. A chance encounter reminds them both of the relationship - and the spark - they once shared. In the course of a single summer's day, they come face to face with the feelings of love and regret they share, and the choices they must make; whether to be true to themselves, or to what they believe is the right thing to do. What readers love about THE WHOLE DAY THROUGH: 'I found myself walking every footstep with the characters, and knowing just where they were going and what he was seeing. The characterisation was, as always with Patrick Gale, so strong and believable' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'As always, Patrick Gale does not disappoint. An excellent read, brim full with characters the reader feels they know, and a storyline which totally engages' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Ghostridden
When ghostwriter Maz Amani inherits a house from an uncle he's never heard of, he offers heartfelt thanks to the universe, packs up his car, his cat, and his skepticism about mysterious uncles leaving all their worldly goods to unknown nephews, and high-tails it to a small town halfway to the Oregon coast. Anything would be better than week after week of couch surfing his way around Portland. Even if the alleged house is a rundown shack ridden with termites, spiders, and-shudder-rats, he'll deal. Because hey, he owns a house! And when his legacy turns out to be a pristine Queen Anne beauty with nary a termite, spider, or rat in sight, he's ready to stand the universe unlimited vodka shots. Except not so fast. Because instead, his house is ridden with something a little more on-brand for a place called Ghost...
A Hole in the World
CHOICES ARE MADE. CYCLES MUST CLOSE. THE END IS HERE.Ignore. Forget. Postpone. Three words that will soon prove fatal. After the horrors of the First Night, a deceitful peace settles over White Harbor, as if brought forth by an unknown force. However, this is only the calm before the storm.The Ritual of the Four Nights continues. Martha Lange strikes in a cruel, unexpected way, turning that peace into townwide panic. She will not rest until she has Peter Lange under her control. Freddie Parham, fueled by new power, continues his blood-soaked rampage, seeking revenge on Barry Giffen and his loved ones. Nadine Schaefer and Jess Cunningham each come across mysterious new players who hold a pivotal role before the end.As White Harbor unravels, Mother watches, ready to deliver a reckoning that has been brewing for three hundred years.GOD HAS AWAKENED.
Follow My Lead
Step one - take a leapStep two - kiss in the rainStep three - fall in loveSaylor McGinnis is newly engaged to the man of her dreams, and she's moved halfway across the country to be with him. But the dream turns sour and her anxiety takes over when she no longer belongs. Desperate to find her footing, Saylor joins a local dance studio in an attempt to make friends. She never expects that one dance, or more specifically, her new dance instructor, will change her life in such drastic ways.Tia Schroeder is family to everyone, but she's never believed she could fall in love. For decades, raising her two nieces was her entire life, and she only ever had time for a surface level fling. Never one to ignore the value of experience, Tia understands she's not the ideal woman for most people. When her newest student at the studio shows promise, Tia must decide if waiting for love is worth the risk.Will Saylor and Tia save the last dance? Or will they continue to navigate the complicated steps of love and lust?Want a steamy sapphic age gap romance with a younger MC gay for you twist? With an ice queen in the mix how can you go wrong? Follow Saylor as she discovers exactly who she is and paves her own path, all the while falling hard for a woman who is determined to keep her life just as it is.
Love and Cherish
One reserved professional. One bubbly long-term temp. One gala to unite them.Haylee Coleman can't lose another job. Flat out broke, she's desperate to turn her life around, pay her bills, and keep her job. But more than that, she's found a place she might belong for the first time in her life. She can make a difference here. If only Cherish would like her. If only Cherish would help her figure out how to not get fired. If only Cherish wasn't so distracting.With a bark that rivals the boss, Cherish Barkley lives and breathes her boss. She's loved Febe Aarts for decades. When the annual gala for the Holbrook Foundation looms, Cherish begs for Haylee's help. It has to go off without a hitch, unlike last year, when Febe...Cherish can think about that later. Right now, she has to protect Febe.Will they put aside their differences long enough to ensure their boss survives the gala unscathed? Or will the mounting tension between them erupt in unsuspecting ways?Find out what happens next in this sapphic age gap, workplace romance, with an ice queen in love with her boss and a curvy new assistant that won't give up on her dream.
The Harm We Do Ourselves
Sami is summoned for an interrogation over the murder of someone he met once years earlier. The victim is yet another gay man found dead at home, as occurs frequently in Lebanon. This one though had a prominent father, which ensured detectives investigating his death would leave no stone unturned.As Beirut buzzes with the scandal, Sami finds himself talking about nothing else all week - getting engaged in conversations he'd rather not have with friends and relatives who are concerned he would meet the same fate.He grudgingly revisits all that it means to be homosexual in today's world, especially for gay people living in countries where their legal rights to even exist have not yet been acknowledged. Where they remain largely invisible and have been written out of history. Where traditions, religions, laws, and general social environments force them to cope by pretending their lives away...While hopeful for a healthier future for gay people everywhere, Sami emphasizes the crucial need for homosexuals to reflect on how their prevailing lifestyles promote self-destruction. He also rallies against Western "LGBTQ+" politics, highlighting their nefarious impact on how homosexuals have come to be perceived around the world.
At Odds with the Gods
The road to redemption is long, rough, and steep. Bring snacks. Finn Lassiter is a werewolf without a pack. Or a roof over his head. Or more than five bucks to his name. He's exhausted every lifeline except the one that makes him want to howl: begging his cousin, the supreme alpha, for charity. After the way Finn behaved for their entire lives, it's entirely possible he'll be turned down flat or banished forever when he makes that call tomorrow. So today he's blowing his last dollar at Nectar & Ambrosia-he needs one more smile from the bakery's beautiful owner to weather the bleak years ahead. Ganymede, former cup bearer to the Greek gods, is reveling in his new life as a restaurateur in Portland, Oregon. He's finally free of the Olympians and their extremely tedious menu options. Finn, the cute customer who's haunted the corner table in his bakery since opening day, is just icing on the cake. When the gods stage an encore, however, attempting to weasel out of their Fates-mandated atonement labors, Gany's new livelihood isn't the only thing at stake-Finn's safety and freedom are at risk, too. Of course Gany invites Finn to stay with him until the danger passes! It would be irresponsible not to. Right?Although with all the baggage he's carrying from his past, that idea just might be only half-baked... At Odds with the Gods is a friends-to-lovers Mythmatched/Purgatory Playhouse crossover featuring secrets on all sides, empowered former victims, misbehaving deities, three large, rambunctious pups, and cake. Lots and lots of cake.
Shelby's Vacation
Shelby sets out from L.A. on a much-needed vacation to mend her heart from her latest unrequited crush. By happenstance, she ends up at a rustic mountain resort where she meets the manager, Carol, who has her own memories of the past inhibiting her ability to create a real relationship in the present. Their casual vacation encounter turns into something more profound than either of them bargained for, as each learns what holds them back from living and loving.
Mythmatchedlets
Six "sidecar" companion stories set in E.J.'s Mythmatched universe! Second First Date (Vampire with Benefits sidecar)Rusty has a plan to win Cas again. Rusty's Really Bad Day (Vampire with Benefits sidecar)Something is terribly wrong, and it's up to Rusty to make it right. Getting the Band Together (Bad Boy's Bard sidecar)Hunter's Moon might be one of today's hottest groups, but their success didn't happen overnight. Understatement. Here's how Gareth met Josh, Spence, Tiff, and Hamish-and how they came together as a band. (With a little help from an oracle...) First Flight (Assassin by Accident sidecar)Seb takes to the air with Nevan and Lulu. Purgatory Postscript (Purgatory Playhouse/At Odds with the Gods sidecar)Can a misbehaving Greek god earn a second chance? A Very Quest Solstice (A Quest Investigations sidecar)It's their first holiday together, and Matt is determined to make it special for Lachlan. Only problem? He knows zip about how selkies celebrate, so he doesn't even know which winter holiday to pick. Guess he'll just have to improvise. Again.
Mystic Man
2018-2019 Rainbow Awards Runner-up, Best Gay Contemporary Romance & Romantic Comedy When a series of personal crises prompt risk-averse research librarian Aaron Templeton to apply for a job on the other side of the country, nobody is more surprised than he is. He nearly runs home before the final interview except for one little problem: he has no home anymore. He put his condo on the market before he left California and it's already sold. Only an encounter with free-spirited Connecticut native Cody Brown at the Mystic Seaport Museum staves off Aaron's incipient panic attack. Cody loves nothing better than introducing newcomers to the great features of his beloved home state, and when the newbie in question is a rumpled professorial type with the saddest blue eyes on the planet? Score! The attraction between the two men deepens as they explore Cody's favorite spots, but when difficulties arise and Aaron's insecurities threaten to overwhelm him, will Cody's love be enough to keep him in Mystic? Mystic Man is a 32,000-word novella featuring a pertinent internal playlist, suggestive shellfish consumption, and a six-year-old who thinks history should have more girls. HEA guaranteed.
Possession in Session
When an outcast demon is thrust into a medical technician training program, are death and destruction sure to follow? After centuries of being bound to one greedy magician after another, Auni-jel-Chandu broke free and retreated to Sheol, outcast even among other demons. But then the Realm Accords passed, and suddenly he's thrust into the Sheol Retraining Initiative as the newest supernatural medical technician student at United Memorial Hospital (aka St. Stupid's). Death and untold destruction are sure to follow. Aren't they? Wash Hern獺ndez might be a dud witch-he'd never been able to attract a familiar, so he's as magic-null as any human-but as a St. Stupid's orderly, he's still able to assist supernatural beings who need medical care. But when he meets a bewildered naked demon wandering the hospital corridors and forms an instant connection, he's not certain who needs help the most. Possession in Session, set in E.J. Russell's Mythmatched universe, occurs chronologically after Demon on the Down-Low, but can be read as a stand-alone.
The Step Don't
ASHAll stepbrothers need Step Don'ts.Colin and I have ours.Like, don't pit our parents against either of us. Don't hog the TV. And definitely...Don't.Keep.Secrets.These rules have done more than help us keep the peace between us.After all these years since our parents got together, I can't imagine my life without Colin.To most people, he's the hot, straight tight end for Peach State.But to me, he's my backward-cap-wearing, football-loving, piggyback-ride-giving best friend and fellow Alpha Theta Mu frat bro.Life's pretty incredible living together at the same frat house, but suddenly, I find myself keeping a particularly naughty secret.I tell myself Colin wouldn't want to know what his bi bro does in private, but then why do I feel like I'm committing a huge Step Don't?COLINThere's nothing I'm more of an expert in than my stepbro, Ash.He's a quick-witted, nerd-boy genius who's always there to help a friend cram for a test or capture bugs for me when they invade my space.He's my favorite person.Making him happy gives me a rush...but for the first time, he's keeping a secret from me.When Ash cops to his Step Don't-his new extracurricular of doing dirty things on camera-I'm confused.He is too, so we work together to figure out why this excites him so much.In places we're likely to get caught.After all, what's a little exhibitionism between stepbros?I didn't even realize I could be into guys-or be so intoxicated by these new experiences-but exploring my bisexuality with Ash is the best thing that's ever happened to me.And with each touch, each time we up the stakes, I discover I want more than just Ash's body.I want his heart too, even though that surely must be the biggest Step Don't of all.
