In the Absence of Men
From the author of the international bestseller Lie with Me comes the tale of an affair between an aristocratic teenager and a soldier, as they discover the possibilities and perils of first love. Summer, 1916. With German Zeppelins on the skyline, the men of Paris are off at war. For Vincent, sixteen and still too young to fight, this moment of dread is also a moment of possibility. An electrifying encounter with Marcel, an enigmatic middle-aged writer, draws Vincent's desires out into the light. As he's taken under Marcel's wing, Vincent begins a dangerous affair with Arthur, the son of his governess and a young soldier on leave. Together, they share a secret that everyone seems to know and yet everyone remains silent about. In this stunning portrait of young love, Philippe Besson depicts a young man who plays by his own rules and is not afraid of who he is. In the afternoons, Vincent is mentored by Marcel, the great novelist, in the city's opulent caf矇s as they draw the judgment of society. And at night, he hides Arthur in his bedroom as the two risk everything to be together. Their affair initiates them into a world of pleasure and shields them from the encroaching war. During this magical week away from the trenches, Vincent shelters Arthur with happiness, reassuring him, "Nothing will happen to you." Tender and harrowing, In the Absence of Men captures how exhilarating and heart-crushing it is to fall in love for the first time. Besson's award-winning novel "beautifully captures the romance and amorality of gilded youth" (The Independent).
Lake of Secrets
Eight years ago, Mackenzie Reed was vilified on social media as "the College Heights student who got away with murder" when the woman she spent the night with at a summer camp initially refused to alibi her the morning after Mack's bunkmate was discovered drowned. Now Celeste Dennis is back, and new evidence has been uncovered that may exonerate Mack once and for all. But will the real killer be found? And can Mack forgive Celeste for abandoning her in her time of need?
Valencia
An anarchic and unflinching cult novel "charged with reflection, anger, and the feeling of being alive" (Village Voice), tracing a year of love and lust in San Francisco's lesbian underground, with a new foreword by Maggie Nelson Valencia is a fast-paced account of one girl's search for love and high times in the dyke world of 1990s San Francisco. Fleeing Tucson and her rotten (ex) girlfriend, Michelle lands in the Mission District, where queers from all over the country are arriving in search of themselves and each other. An aspiring poet, she hurls herself into the city's riotous underbelly, stumbling through nightlife and open mics, drug adventures, and a string of hookups, breakups, and makeups. As butches and besties spin in and out of Michelle's orbit, she ponders the powerful force and casual cruelty of their desires, and of her own--all in a singular, biting, deadpan voice shot through with humor and heartbreak. Heady, beer sticky, and brimming with life, Valencia is a sharply observed and piercingly funny chronicle of a year lived close to the bone. Now with a new foreword from Maggie Nelson, this lesbian cult classic is ripe for rediscovery.
Three Pines
"Three Pines" A Novel by Willard R. Douglas In the wide sweep of the American frontier, two young men find something rare and quietly extraordinary-each other. When Jacob leaves behind everything he's known to find work on a remote orchard, he carries with him questions too big for words and a heart too tender for the world he's known. Under the vast Western North Carolina sky he meets Caleb-a quiet, steady cattle hand with a gaze like autumn sunlight and a past as deep as the land they work. Together, they build not just a life, but a home. Through changing seasons, hidden glances, and growing trust, their love deepens in the shelter of the East Tennessee orchard they plant and the community they nourish. As the years pass, Jacob and Caleb weather loss, joy, and the slow unfolding of chosen family-with each apple tree a testament to the life they've cultivated in defiance of the odds. Three Pines is a sweeping, lyrical novel of love and belonging-of what it means to make a life that is wholly your own, rooted in tenderness, courage, and quiet devotion.
The Cafe at The End of The Lane
He has never told anyone his secret's, living as a woman is hard enough, but what will Eli do to become himself? with the support of his friends can he escape an abusive relationship and learn to be himself? The story of a young trans man in his late-20s coming to terms with his identity and coming out to the people in his life, with all the ups and downs. Eli's girlfriend is transphobic, his boss is a flamboyant brotherly sort, he has just been outed by the local barista. Eli supposes this is the best time to come out or he knows he will be putting his happiness on hold forever. With the help of new friends, Eli finds the confidence to be himself 100% none stop.
An Ideal for Living
Grace White and her brother Robert, overweight and affluent, are desperate to hang onto their respective love interests. Grace's husband Rich is bonking every woman he can talk into bed. Grace is willing to look beyond his affairs if she can just have her marriage back. Robert's law school fling James's interest diminished as Robert's waistline increased, but Robert has never moved on. The only solution? Losing those excess pounds... by any means necessary. And when James finds a supernatural healer who can sculpt living flesh like clay, beautiful ugliness ensues. Will Robert and Grace get what they want, or what they deserve? In An Ideal for Living, Marshall Moore has written a shocking fantastique, a novel that captures the Zeitgeist of contemporary urban life, where beauty is a commodity craved, consumed, and traded.Marshall Moore is the author of four novels (Inhospitable, Bitter Orange, An Ideal for Living, and The Concrete Sky), four short-fiction collections (A Garden Fed by Lightning, The Infernal Republic, Black Shapes in a Darkened Room, and Love Is a Poisonous Color), a collection of essays Sunset House, and a memoir I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing. His work has appeared in The Southern Review, Litro, Storgy, Passengers Journal, Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, Asia Literary Review, The Barcelona Review, and many other journals and anthologies. He is also the co-editor of three academic books on the pedagogy of creative writing and publishing. He holds a PhD in creative writing from Aberystwyth University. A native of eastern North Carolina, he lives in Cornwall, England, and teaches creative writing and publishing at Falmouth University.
The Nursing Home Hoax
In this fresh take for grown-ups on the classic Nancy Drew series, crime-solving duo Taylor and Marilee investigate suspicious activity at a small East Texas nursing home.Taylor, a semi-retired lawyer, and Marilee, whom she met in college, reunite in their eighties with a bang. They bond over the return of their college friend Edith, a doctor working in Africa who returns to the US for medical treatment and ends up in rehab at a local nursing home not far from Taylor and Marilee.But when Taylor and Marilee visit, all is not as it seems. Several long-term patients have been victimized by a cybercriminal, and local law enforcement seem as uninterested as they are inept.With the help of two high school seniors, amateur sleuths Taylor and Marilee must solve the mystery of who is taking advantage of wealthy residents so they can spend more time dealing with their romantic feelings, which have evolved during their sixty years apart.
The Concrete Sky
Things are not going well for Chad Sobran. His mother is gravely ill. His creditors are circling like sharks. And he's being stalked by his violent, homophobic, and obsessive older brother Martin. One night, while drunk at a party, Chad falls off a balcony and breaks his wrist. He comes to in a psych facility, under observation: Martin has convinced the emergency room doctors that the fall was a suicidal jump. In the hospital, Chad meets Jonathan Fairbanks, an attractive fellow patient. Sparks fly, but there are questions about Jonathan's involvement in the deaths of two other patients. The police are involved, and nothing is what it seems.You'll never look at your Prozac or your passport the same way again.Marshall Moore is the author of four novels (Inhospitable, Bitter Orange, An Ideal for Living, and The Concrete Sky), four short-fiction collections (A Garden Fed by Lightning, The Infernal Republic, Black Shapes in a Darkened Room, and Love Is a Poisonous Color), a collection of essays Sunset House, and a memoir I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing. His work has appeared in The Southern Review, Litro, Storgy, Passengers Journal, Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, Asia Literary Review, The Barcelona Review, and many other journals and anthologies. He is also the co-editor of three academic books on the pedagogy of creative writing and publishing. He holds a PhD in creative writing from Aberystwyth University. A native of eastern North Carolina, he lives in Cornwall, England, and teaches creative writing and publishing at Falmouth University.
Diving Into Her
Kim Richmond is a 5'0" sassy blonde bombshell with a love of vintage dresses and killer heels. She is also a woman on the edge of losing her mind after her boyfriend cancels their holiday again. Accepting a two-week trip to the south of France courtesy of her best friend is the just what she needs. Staying at the five-star luxury Sapphire Hotel and Spa is like a dream come true. That is, until it all comes crashing down.Helene DuBois has been dumped again! The cosmos really has it out for her, well that's how she sees it. There's only one thing for it, she needs a holiday. A break away from her messy life. Sun, sea, scuba diving and absolutely NO women. A trip to Saint Tropez should do the trick. Rest and relaxation with no drama, perfect! What could go wrong? Seeing Kim Richmond sobbing in the hotel lobby would be one clue. Offering to share her suite with the blonde beauty would be the second.
The Life of Those Left Behind
In this heartbreaking yet hopeful autobiographical novel, an acclaimed Italian author who lost his partner to suicide testifies to the power of storytelling in living with grief. When 30-year-old Matteo B. Bianchi published his debut novel in 1999, the timing couldn't have been worse: he had just lost S., the man he'd lived with for 7 years, who one day, a few months after they broke up, killed himself in their apartment. Matteo discovers the body. He feels trapped in a labyrinth of contradictory emotions and constant bewilderment, which unites all the so-called survivors of the suicide of a loved one. Yet even in his darkest hours, the writer in him starts taking notes. At first they are just fragments, shards of an existence shattered into a thousand pieces. Then they slowly transform and, memory after memory, become a profound conversation with S., caught between the temptation to let go and the desire to get back to life. Both radical and vulnerable, intimate and universal, The Life of Those Who Remain is a devastating but luminous novel about surviving the aftermath of trauma. Bianchi produces pages of excruciating beauty, recounting his journey to redemption and rebirth, and showing how, even in the depths of the most unspeakable pain, writing--his own, and also powerful works such as Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking and Ocean Vuong's On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous--can still save us.
Nabalka Is Dead
The powerful sorcerer Nabalka lies dead, slain by the great barbarian - the gorgon-killer, saviour of the plains. But his victory is short-lived. Betrayed by Koron, a power-hungry lord of the plains, the barbarian is sent to defeat the Witch of the Alchinion Rock, bride of a dread god - and before whom all must fall.Koron's treachery, however, does not have the desired effect. For the naval armies of Dalam Kral, too, desire the power of the Witch of the Rock. And when the two forces collide and a god wakes, it sets in motion a chain of events set to reshape the world. Nations will war, the dead will walk, and new heroes will rise.A queer, diverse sword and sorcery epic told in six interconnecting stories, Nabalka Is Dead is a wild ride from start to finish. Follow the interspersed tales and fireside recollections of those who lived the stories as you wander with the barbarian and his faithful companion, Clavak, and a growing cast of allies and heroes of their own stories: Maramarkana, fabled Witch of the Rock. Pandarus, Prince of Dalam Kral, and the only man worthy of the barbarian's love. Arilifa, the Mokash, leader of a powerful desert people. The Rubiah of Kolkot, queen of the followers of Gon, and conduit of fate. Ashkom, the unseen oracle, diviner of futures. And more. Each with their own part to play in holding back the coming of the dark.For Nabalka may be dead, but evil never truly dies.
It's Not the End of the World
Named a New York Times Style Magazine pick for Best Queer Summer Fiction Allstora's September "(Very Gay) Book Club" pick!One of Marie Claire's "11 Best Climate Fiction Books" - Named a Most Anticipated book by Electric Literature, Jordy's Book Club, Out Magazine, and more! "Scarily prescient, outrageously funny, and utterly original" -Coco Mellors, New York Times Bestselling author of Blue Sisters From the acclaimed author of Yes, Daddy; It's Not the End of the World is a terrifying climate thriller, a vicious takedown of the uber-wealthy, and a queer family saga that isn't afraid to punch back. It's 2044 and life is bleak for many Americans, but not for Mason Daunt. Safe in his Los Angeles mansion, Mason can remain blissfully unaware of the relentless wildfires engulfing California, the proliferation of violent right-wing militias, and the rampant authoritarianism destroying American society. He's so rich, in fact, that he and his partner Yunho Kim are throwing a 100-person, $100,000 baby shower to celebrate their newborn-on-the-way. When a potentially apocalyptic event hits Los Angeles on the day of their celebration, though, the wealthy gay couple refuses to cancel their party. Surely it's not the end of the world? But as Mason runs a few last-minute errands, a staggering twist thrusts him into the mounting chaos, and threatens the lives of everyone he holds dear. Shot through with biting wit, brutal gore, primal sex, and unexpected catharsis, It's Not the End of the World is a nerve-shredding roller coaster of a novel that will leave readers shocked, heartbroken, and inspired to question their most firmly held convictions. What happens when our current battles with climate change, capitalism, and white supremacy are pushed to their breaking points? And how can we find hope?
Amuse Bouche
A wedding gone bad. One groom is missing, the other becomes a suspicious client. Enter Russell Quant, the first and only wine-swilling, wise-cracking, world-travelling, ex-cop, ex-farm boy, gay, rookie Canadian prairie private eye. Off to France on his first big case, Quant cajoles and sleuths his way from the smudgy streets of Paris to the pastel-coloured promenade of Sanary-sur-Mer and chilly shores of Pike Lake, Saskatchewan. Dealing with a cast of colourful suspects, Quant juggles his detective gig with a personal life full of equally captivating personalities.
Love on the Horizon
Two years after losing his husband, the last thing widower Rob Asher wants to do is go on a cruise-for-two by himself. But after some practical advice from his best friend, Rob realizes that his husband wouldn't have wanted him to hide away from the world with only his grief for company. So despite some lingering doubts, Rob packs his bags for his cruise adventure and flies to Barcelona to board the Ocean Wanderer. Actor Ben Rockingham has just finished a whirlwind promotional tour around Europe and is looking forward to a week long cruise so he can relax and unwind. He's felt alone for far too long and doesn't foresee that changing anytime soon. But a chance encounter in a hotel bar has Ben feeling things he hasn't contemplated for a very long time. He and Rob hit it off right away and Ben is both intrigued by and attracted to this conflicted man. Is it possible that Rob is the one who's been missing from Ben's life all these years, and can Ben help Rob move past his grief so they have a chance at a future together? They have one week aboard the Ocean Wanderer to find out and the stakes are high on the high seas.
Duped
A boy on the hunt for a sugar daddy. A dangerous man with a deadly obsession. Nothing good can come of them. Portland spent years scheming to own the man of his dreams. He did everything within his power to corner his obsession. All of that hard work was for nothing and now he's left bitter and looking for an outlet for his rage. A tiny poker dealer with a sassy smile will do as well as anyone. When Tarek moved to Atlantic City, he had one goal in mind: to find an older, richer man to sweep him away. He's had his eye on Portland for a while, but the guy hasn't noticed before now. Tarek has his attention, and he's not letting go, even if it costs him everything. With Portland, and all his secrets, that's a reality that might very well come to fruition. Duped is the fourth book in Charity Parkerson's Atlantic City's Most Wanted series. These are sexy and sometimes dark stories where the richest and most dangerous men in Atlantic City meet their match. These are best enjoyed when read in order.
How to Catch a Thief
How to catch a thief in five days or less. Noah Sun is desperately broke-his detective agency is on the verge of collapse after his fianc矇 and business partner abandoned him six months ago. So when Dean Prescott, charismatic millionaire playboy, hires Noah to recover a priceless antiquity that was stolen, it seems too good to be true.What begins as a simple case of theft takes a turn for the worse when the pair discover a dead body at the socialite's borrowed mansion. The two form an unlikely partnership to solve the case before his uncle comes back and discovers his home is a crime scene. However, as the investigation progresses, the lines between professional and personal blur. Dean's irresistible charm and the undeniable chemistry between them cause Noah to question his integrity-Dean is annoying and bratty, sure, but he makes Noah laugh in a way he hasn't in a long time. The only problem is that his client is keeping secrets, secrets that might just derail the entire investigation.Can Noah solve the case before Dean's tangle of lies and his own feelings catch up to him?How to Catch a Thief is an m/m cozy detective mystery that contains some cussing but no graphic violence or sexual content. The book also contains: one grump, one sunshine, one sarcastic teenager, and a fluffy black labradoodle named Captain.
A Place for Us
For fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid and Harper Bliss, a thrilling tale of two women who find each other irresistible but struggle for a second chance for love, redemption, and sanctuary when the world is against them. Jo, a driven environmental attorney based in Washington, DC, and Lauren, a spirited young woman from Britain on a journey of self-discovery, find themselves in a serendipitous encounter at a lively London pub in 1981. Their brief yet profound connection generates a whirlwind of emotions, but the vast ocean, Jo's career aspirations, and immigration hurdles thwart their burgeoning romance. Fast forward twenty-two years, and both Jo and Lauren are unhappy in their current relationships. Fate intervenes when Lauren and her partner travel from Europe to visit Jo in her San Francisco home. The reunion is electric, rekindling a storm of emotions that neither can suppress, despite their efforts to honor their existing commitments. Amid the majestic backdrops of Yosemite National Park and the Pacific Northwest, old passions can't be denied, leading to dramatic confrontations and painful revelations. Jo and Lauren finally realize they must admit the truth: they are irresistibly drawn to each other. But there is no country in which they can legally live together. A Place for Us is a poignant narrative of profound emotional depth. Will this second chance lead to happiness, or will the same forces that once drove them apart prevail again?
Fortune’s Lot
Fortune's Lot is the latest in a series of retellings by Wayne Goodman. He has taken historically-significant, but nearly lost, gay works of fiction and updated them for the 21st Century reader. Removing the shroud of same-sex love in clouds and coded words, Goodman relates the story openly from the main character's point of view, allowing the reader a glimpse into the protagonist's mind and heart.
This Is Me!
Luke Corbett, a young man who spent most of his life in Canberra, has recently returned to his hometown of Gamarra, a small rural community in the heart of New South Wales. Struggling to find his footing in a place that feels both familiar and alien, Luke is confronted with long-buried emotions when a childhood friend reappears. His deep feelings for this man, however, clash with the conservative values of the town. As whispers and judgement threaten to overshadow his life, Luke must choose: will he suppress his true self to conform or confront the prejudice around him and embrace the life he was meant to live?
This Is Me!
Luke Corbett, a young man who spent most of his life in Canberra, has recently returned to his hometown of Gamarra, a small rural community in the heart of New South Wales. Struggling to find his footing in a place that feels both familiar and alien, Luke is confronted with long-buried emotions when a childhood friend reappears. His deep feelings for this man, however, clash with the conservative values of the town. As whispers and judgement threaten to overshadow his life, Luke must choose: will he suppress his true self to conform or confront the prejudice around him and embrace the life he was meant to live?
A Dance Towards Forever
There are three things that Sam Chambers knows to be fact. One, her heart is broken, two, her career is sinking, and three, she hasn't a clue how to turn any of it around.When her new boss shakes things up at the photography company she works for, the last thing she expects is to be sent to Paris on a career changing project. Unbeknown to Sam, the brief glimpse of a dark-haired beauty at St Pancras is about to tip her world upside down.Anna Holland has the life she worked hard for. She's successful, she lives in the city of love and she is in a steady relationship with a nice guy. The problem? Her nights are filled with the vision of a red haired woman. Nothing makes sense when the woman of her dreams shows up in Paris and her office.Together, they start a journey of exquisite discovery. Is there something more to their chance meeting? The unfathomable connection between them would suggest so.
Irrepressible
Tim, Joe, Stan and Bart are a group of four best friends. They call themselves "The Dregs" and organise "Weekends of Manliness" together, during which they undertake activities such as camping, drinking, gaming, and other "manly" activities. However, all of them, unbeknownst to each other, are harbouring a secret. They are all crossdressers. Fearful of being rejected by the other Dregs, they hide it as best they can. They are so far in the closet that they've broken through the drywall and have run off. But each member of The Dregs encounters a challenge that threatens to out them. To keep their shame hidden and hold on to their friends, they must face off against blackmailers, cops, murderers, duffle bags, conservatives, onions, drones, phallometers, psychologists, TERFs, conspiracies, the LGBTIQA+ community, mega corporations and, most concerning of all, their own desires.
Side Quests
After a thousand years underground, a colony of survivors digs its way to the surface. A swarm of mind-controlling aliens invades a small town. Upon moving to a new city, a woman suspects her roommate is a vampire. Side Quests is an eclectic collection of short stories that range from sci-fi to horror to fantasy.
We Live Without a Future and other stories
Seven queer stories about our favourite literary figures. Lord Byron encounters a gorgeous ghost in Verona. An author seeks to share her truths. Feste discusses love and revenge. Oscar Wilde discovers more than he expected in a deep Colorado mine. La Belle Dame sans Merci shares her perspective. An engineer is astonished to find a lost manuscript in an old cellar. While Virginia Woolf contemplates peace during another world war...In Fair VeronaAdventures naturally befall Lord Byron while he travels through Europe, but all are deliciously surpassed when he is visited by an apparition in the book-lined parlour of an old palazzo in Verona.VerityMuch has changed since Verity and her beloved Stella died...In a Dark HouseCouples coalesce in happiness, while the lone ones are cast adrift... Feste is glad to see the back of Sir Andrew, is tempted to follow Antonio, a man of his own nature - but surprises even himself when instead he starts to search for the vengeful Malvolio.Magic CasementsOscar Wilde is touring North America lecturing on aesthetics - so why wouldn't the Poet of Beauty and Truth be much on his mind?Chooser of the SlainLily has a mission, which has been harshly and unjustly characterised.MisplacedSam is an engineer indulging her dreams of archaeology... What buried treasure does she discover while Reading Train Station is being redeveloped?We Live Without a FutureWith their home in London destroyed in the Blitz, Leonard and Virginia Woolf find what peace they can in a village near the Sussex coast. But with German and British planes grinding overhead, and the looming threat of a Nazi invasion, there is never enough peace to be had. There is never enough.
A Forbidden Love
June 1914: Two young friends are united in their grief for their lost mothers and increasingly begin to struggle with their own feelings for each other. Along with Thomas, a schoolboy friend and now loyal servant, they plan an idyllic holiday at the family's ancentral home in Norfolk during the summer of 1914, but their inner emotional battles are thrown into further turmoil as the Balkan Crisis turns to war. Thomas helps them to navigate an increasingly complicated and conflicted moment in their lives.With the outbreak of war in August, one has to remain in England with his father, the other is to also return home with his father - a German navy officer.Now separated for the duration of the war, will peace bring a happy reunion?
Thirst
Some Thirsts Can't be QuenchedThirst dives into the lives of Neil Graham, a country club bartender, and Ranger Melusky, a sexy and charming small-town auto mechanic who's irresistible but complicated. A chance encounter leaves Neil captivated by Ranger's rough charm, but there's a catch-Ranger only lets his true self emerge after a few too many drinks. Neil wants something real, and he hopes Ranger might, too, despite his struggle with identity and acceptance.When an accident with his truck forces Ranger to sober up, he decides to cut ties with his old life, including Neil, and takes a misguided plunge into marriage. Heartbroken, Neil seeks a new purpose. He quits the country club bar and concentrates on repairing the fractured relationship between his father and grandfather-two men divided by secrets and pride.Just as Neil finds his footing, Ranger returns, ready and anxious to rekindle the flame they once shared. Now, both men must confront their fears and decide: Is the love they left behind worth the struggle? Or will the road ahead only lead to another crash?Thirst is a powerful story of love, self-acceptance, and the winding paths that bring us back to what matters most.
Fairytail Farm
Dr. Hill McCall and her wife Alice dreamed of developing a sanctuary for unwanted cats and dogs to live out their lives as a retirement project. Hill has secretly worked on the project for months when a wealthy benefactor surprises her with a large donation, allowing Hill to be more aggressive with the project's opening. A group home operator approaches Hill about summer volunteer positions for four girls as Fairytail Farm becomes more than just a sanctuary for the animals. It creates an environment of love and kindness for the animals and all that support the project. Several love stories develop from first love to mature couples who have found their forever person. Fairytail Farm is more than a dream come true. It is a home for happily ever afters.
