stories in and

Never Leave, Never Lie

Never Leave, Never Lie by Thea Verdone

The lies that brought them together will tear them apart. Alek and Ianā€™s relationship is built on lies and the cracks are starting to show. A pianist gifted with synesthesia, Alek sees sounds and hears colors and transforms all of his emotions into music. But no matter how hard he tries to hide behind a facade of apathy and seduction, he canā€™t escape the dark past that haunts him. Contractor Ian sees the beauty in something destroyed by neglect and his obsession with fixing extends beyond historical buildings. But when Alekā€™s self-destructive tendencies turn their relationship to ruins, Ian fears Alek is the first project heā€™ll have no choice but to abandon. Now the Gothic Victorian mansion theyā€™re renovating is the only thing connecting them. Alek will do anything to keep Ian with him. Except tell the truth. Because Alek is lying about everything, starting with his name, and when Ian learns the truth, their house of cards will collapse. Never Leave, Never Lie is an angsty MM modern gothic romance that will appeal to fans of mental health representation, relationships in crisis, hurt/comfort, and a hard-fought happily ever after.


The Gunrunner and Her Hound

The Gunrunner and Her Hound by Maria Ying

Viveca Hua, arms-dealer ...is driven by three things: the certainty of steel, the need to win, and the compulsion to possess. Yves, bodyguard ...hunts for the place she belongs, and she might just have found it in the captivating Viveca, who offers her a new organization, an answerā€”and a collar. But their world is violent. It is unpredictable. Luck alone will not shield them. Together they must survive assassins, rival gunrunners, and their own lethal attraction. The Gunrunner and Her Hound is an F/F/F mosaic novella (40,000 words) built from short stories connected by an overarching plot. Part romance (happy ever after included), part thriller, this is a high-heat love story set in contemporary Hong Kong, where passion burns between a ruthless ice queen and an ex-soldier who fled a ruined empire.


Wish Lists Lead to This

Wish Lists Lead to This by Kay Claire

Whenever Seb wants to get something done, he makes a list, and he sets deadlines. He's been in Cape Town for 2 years and has yet to do all the touristy things the city has to offer, so he's set his 24th birthday as his deadline to do 100 things on the list heā€™s come up with. JJā€™s in a rut. He has no friends hates his job (working at a shirtless waiter at a gay bar isn't all it's cracked up to be), and is sick of one-night stands. After an awkward encounter with a former crush, JJ finds himself roped into helping Seb accomplish an item on his list ā€“ but plans change after he finds a box of abandoned kittens the day heā€™s suppose to meet up with Seb. When the two decide to foster the kittens together, theyā€™re both surprised at how well they get along, since on paper theyā€™re exact opposites ā€“ especially after their new budding friendship turns into something more complicated after JJ finds a secondary, secret list in the back of Sebā€™s notebook...


All Roads Lead to This

All Roads Lead to This by Kay Claire

Cedric and Rueben have been best friends since sixth grade, and cannot imagine life without each other - Cedric was there for Rueben when he came out to his family, and Rueben was there for Cedric through every step of his transition. Now, both twenty-four and working at the same plant shop, their boss gets an opportunity to receive some extremely rare plants she's wanted for years, except there's a problem: the plants need to be collected in person from across the country, and she cannot make the journey herself. Rueben, ever helpful, is quick to volunteer him and Cedric to travel across the country in her place. Cedric is apprehensive about the trip, both because he hates sudden changes to his routine, and because he may or may not have a few secrets he hasn't told Rueben about. Secrets like the fact that he might be in love with his best friend... All Roads Lead to This is a low angst HEA m/m romance that involves a road trip across South Africa, sharing a bed, heavy pinning, and childhood friends to lovers tropes. Roughly 85,000 words long.


Pit Stop

Pit Stop by Ellis Mae

When Isamu Miura returns home on medical discharge from the military, he finds his childhood best friend busy with a new relationship, and his father packing up to return to Japan. With only Inu, his trusted service dog, left at his side, he plans to outfit a camper van to travel across the country. Thereā€™s just one problem. The only guy in town who can help wants nothing to do with him, his dog, or his dreams. Unlike Isamu, John Love doesn't consider himself a dreamer. A car accident took his mother way too soon, and he has all but lost his father to alcoholism. All he wants is to work his mechanic job to pay for school and leave everything else behind. Adding more work by helping out Isamu is the last thing he wants. When a friend convinces John to take the job, will he find something, or someone, worth dreaming for? Only if Isamu can prove that John is more than just a pit stop on everyone elseā€™s path.


Book of You & I: When Two Souls Collide

Book of You & I: When Two Souls Collide by G Severino

OLIVIA WOODS IS CONVENTIONAL, DOWN-TO-EARTH, AND COMPOSED. She's the kind of girl who goes out of her way to do the right things for others but forgets about herself. BRANDON COLLINS IS UNCONVENTIONAL, A CREATIVE SOUL, AND PRONE TO ECCENTRICITY. He values facts over feelings, and his ability to detach from emotions can sometimes make him lonely. When the universe pushes them together under unfavorable circumstances, like lovers from the past and secret relationships, they try to stay apart. But their feelings are too strong to ignore, and they become swept up in a love like they've never felt before...until their true colors start to show. Even after their first kiss, their first touch, the first time they ever laid eyes on each other; were they destined to meet and fall in love, or was their relationship doomed from the start? *Inspired by true events*


Sentence for Life

Sentence for Life by Maxime Jaz

ā€œSometimes, we are in a place where we donā€™t want to be. And maybe, that place is the only place we should be after all.ā€ Theo knows he will become a star lawyer, like the one his Dad paid to keep him out of prison... he's wrong on both counts. He thinks the first day of jail is brutal; meeting his new cellmate redefines the word. Theo's world not only falls apart; it shrinks to the size smaller than a dorm bathroom he has to share with a man who doesnā€™t belong in his world. Ryker is as strong as a fortress, one that he had to rebuild from the ruins of his own self. Serving the last year of his long sentence, he is terrified of having his freedom at arm's reach. Ryker is everything Theo fears; Theo is everything Ryker loathes. But being locked up together in a tiny space is a powerful force sparking the fires of love, and neither of the men are prepared for the turmoil this raging inferno will unleash. Are Ryker and Theo who they think they are? Or will new lives be born, like the phoenix etched in Ryker's skin, out of the fire of their love?


As the Sun Comes Up

As the Sun Comes Up by Olive J. Kelley

When competent, capable, and drop-dead gorgeous bed & breakfast owner Cricket Sterling asks friend-of-a-friend Moriah Becker if she can crash on her couch for a night, Moriah doesnā€™t hesitate to say yes, even despite her secret crush on the other woman. But, when the awards ceremony Cricket is being honored at gets pushed three days, Moriah starts to panic. With her post-pandemic agoraphobia, OCD, and odd hours, she knows sheā€™s difficult to live with, and the idea of having someone in her space for that long nearly sends her into a tailspin. However, Cricket is considerate and accommodating, excitable and passionate, and Moriah finds herself oddly at peaceā€”and falling deeper than ever. It feels inevitable when they crash into each other, spending one sizzling night togetherā€”and then anotherā€”and Moriah has to reconsider her own mental walls. Were they built to keep people out, or only ever to keep herself inside?


Pretty Average

Pretty Average by Arini Vlotman

Society should agree that growing up was a scam. One giant experiment that failed.. Esha More is celebrating her 35th birthday and her quick fix of hair dye and champagne only leaves her with a hangover and more problems. When she asks for excitement, getting thrown in the deep end of a corporate scandal is not what she meant. Kane Mittal has been called in as a consultant to manage yet another crisis. Kane has enough women making demands, but after Esha tumbles into his life he can't stop thinking about her. On a mission to save Esha's career and Kane's family business, together they navigate an inept flock of managers while faced with a mounting deadline, their powerful attraction, and a pandora's box of secrets. Join Esha and Kane in their adventurous meet-cute, a workplace romance filled with laughter, and a hefty dose of intrigue.


Death Sentence

Death Sentence by Ashley Hawthorne

He just might take being a bad boy a little too far. Eloise Mason keeps everything arranged to her exacting standards. A stable job, a non-existent dating life, and a perfectly maintained home in just the right neighborhood. Nothing unexpected ever happens and thatā€™s how she likes it. Ethan Callaghan moves in next door and destroys her vision. Late-night parties, roaring motorcycle engines, and charming smiles were nowhere on her schedule, and she isnā€™t in a hurry to forgive him when he causes a scene in front of the neighbors. She hates him until his persistent interest begins to win her over, but when someone close to her is murdered, it becomes apparent that her softening heart is more of a threat than she realized. As the stakes rise and the killer closes in, Eloise will have to decide if trusting Ethan will save her life or be a death sentence.


Earth to Alis

Earth to Alis by Lex Carlow

Alistair Woodson is a loner by choice. Since the traumatic night that ended his only friendship, heā€™s isolated himself by letting his classmates believe heā€™s a criminal and an arsonist, best to be avoided at all costs. But on his graduation trip across Paris, Switzerland, and Italy, Alis discovers that isolation isnā€™t so easy to maintain in hostel rooms and cross-country trains. Soon he finds himself growing closer to classmates who were once strangers to himā€”namely the class clown, Craig Miltenberg, whose frustratingly good hair and cheerful disposition donā€™t irritate Alis nearly as much as they should. Yet, as his deepening connections stir up painful reminders of his last doomed friendship, Alis continues to cope the only way he knows how: drowning out the pain on the inside by hurting himself on the outside. When his self-destructive behaviours intensify and put him and his new relationships in jeopardy, Alis must find the courage to confront his spiralling mental healthā€”even if it means letting someone in. Lex Carlow's gritty queer debut is perfect for fans of Alice Oseman, Kathleen Glasgow, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.


Love at the Rock Show

Love at the Rock Show by Katta Kis

A burnt-out former pop star A sweet, broke psychicā€¦ who hates him The festival tour that changes everything Broke pansexual psychic Judit is scraping by. Sheā€™s got chronic pain and survives (barely) on Tarot reading gigs. When her rent skyrockets, she jumps at the chance to work a merch booth on a festival tour. Itā€™s the perfect escape until Judit spends a lovely evening with her friendā€™s ex-flame (itā€™s complicated)ā€”and he ends up touring with the festival. Ex-boy band idol Patrick didnā€™t want to play the Endfest tour with the guy who stole the love of his life. He was about to quit the label they started together when a last-minute emergency forces him to join the tour. Worse, the mystery woman who turned his anxiety attack into a magical night is there tooā€”and she knew exactly who he was all along. Judit and Patrick are forced to share a bus while navigating the drama of a mismanaged festival, other peopleā€™s exes, and drunk drag queens. The more time they spend in adjoining bunks, the less they find to hate about each other. But can this summer fling last, or will what happens on tour stay on tour?


Black Cloud

Black Cloud by Magnus Thorne

Aden suspects his dealer Gage is involved in something dangerous and deadly, but so long as their unique arrangement continues, heā€™s fine with not asking any questions. Then, when a routine hookup turns out to be their last, Aden impulsively decides to go on the run with a man he barely knows. BLACK CLOUD is a 13k m/m dark erotic novelette with a transmasc main character. Please review author's note and content warnings in the front matter before engaging with this work.


Pretty Dogs

Pretty Dogs by Riley Nash

Itā€™s hard to imagine dating when I secretly share a bed with my best friend every night. When we can barely spend an hour apart. When heā€™ll kill anyone who tries to touch me. We finally escaped the trailer park, but maybe we werenā€™t ready for freedom. My best friend Beck doesnā€™t know how to leave the gang heā€™s always known, even if it costs him his life. And I donā€™t know how to find my purpose and confidence as a trans man. Weā€™re too lost in our fears to see whatā€™s right in front of us. But when I almost lose him, it only takes five words for us to fall: I heard about a game. I run. He hunts me. And if he catches meā€¦ there are no limits in the dark. Daylight is a different matter, full of the ghosts of everything weā€™ve lost. Until we stumble across someone who needs us, who forces us to take the broken pieces of our pasts and put them together into something strong. The courage it takes to become who we were all along.


Those Summer Nights

Those Summer Nights by D.T. Brandt

Brandon, a fast food worker with a lead in Victoria, BC's Pride production of Hello, Dolly!, has had nothing but swings and misses in the city's dating scene. He's settled for chatting with his former high school crush when he comes around for his breakfast and coffee every morning. Xander is now a history teacher up Vancouver Island in Duncan and assistant coach for a successful local Under-18 baseball program, the Malahat Mashers. His chats with Brandon brighten his mornings, but memories of failing to get signed to a major league team (and his old independent league summer flings) always haunt him on his hour-long commute from Victoria. Living in Duncan might work out if the rent, the roommates, and the accommodations are right. When Xander and Brandon finally meet somewhere other than the drive-thru, they knock the chemistry out of the park and the whole summer lays ahead for themā€¦ once Pride and baseball season wind down. Even then, real life has a pesky way of always lurking around the corner. As the next school year waits on-deck, is a little summer lovin' enough for Brandon and Xander to become hopelessly devoted?


Tangled in Ribbons

Tangled in Ribbons by Penny Heart

On a trip that goes awry from the start,... Vicky and Michelle, best friends since childhood, rented a cabin for a last hurrah together before Michelle's upcoming nuptials. The day of their trip, Michelle receives an email with proof her fiance cheated on her. The two women head to the cabin anyway to escape the chaos of a cancelled wedding. Neither of them expected the cabin to already occupied by three sexy guys. Vicky's snowed in with three hot guys... When Michelle's ex shows up unexpectedly to set the story straight and asks to meet her at a nearby hotel, Vicky gets snowed in with the three men, where things get even hotter! It starts out as happy fun times, but what happens when none of them want to let go? What else is she supposed to do to pass the time other than them? Read "Tangled in Ribbons" to find out if they salvage their friendships when jealousies, insecurities, and realities intrude in this snowed in, why choose adventure. This is full consensual, why choose erotic romance with MFMM and limited MM action. For a list of sexual activities included in this book, please check out https://www.pennyheartbooks.com/#books This story was previously released on Kindle Vella. This version has been modified to include additional content, including additional spicy scenes and other material to further develop the characters and story. Contains extensive explicit sexual language.


Mending Bones

Mending Bones by Merlina Garance

Claire, a Detective Inspector in her late forties, has known and worked with Estelle for many years. Ever since they met, it felt like there could have been something more there: Estelle's gentle flirting and compliments have been a constant in Claire's life, but her self confidence never allowed her to truly believe the other woman meant anything by it. Until one day, Claire breaks her leg and finds out soon after that Estelle has decided to retire from the police, at only 56. Something doesn't feel right there, but before Claire can begin to ask more questions, Estelle offers to take her away to her seaside cottage for a week. After all, with Claire on sick leave and Estelle retired, they both have the time. Surely a week of lazy mornings, too much food and wine, and walks through the countryside aren't enough to make Claire fall when sheā€™s resisted for so long?


Just Stu

Just Stu by Merlina Garance

John, 41, settles in Leicester after his divorce, with hopes of becoming the best version of himself as he builds a new life. He makes friends, starts doing yoga, and joins an RPG campaign. Only one day, he realises he might just have fallen in love with his best friend. Oops. In this slow paced tale of falling in love over time, follow these characters on their journey to self discovery and acceptance, and found family. This is a story about love in all its forms: friendship, romantic, the family we are born with, and the one we end up choosing.


The Flourishing

The Flourishing by Merlina Garance

When Andy Campbell, Detective Inspector in Leicester, gets assigned the case of Mr Parryā€™s disappearance, she expects to find nothing else than an umpteenth marriage ruined by a husband taking off with his mistress. Instead, she ends up investigating a murder case, and struggling to fight her attraction for Mrs Parry. When she realises the feelings are mutual, things definitely get complicatedā€¦


Cleats, Corsets, and the Cutie

Cleats, Corsets, and the Cutie by Ashish Rastogi

One football star, one drag queen, and a pansexual. Eliotā€™s closet is crowded. Living one life is tough. Living three!? Eliot craves acceptance. He wants to show the world his flamboyance. Most of all, he yearns for a love that accepts the different parts of his life. The floodlights and the spotlights make him wary till he crosses paths with the Indian chef, Raghuvendra, with his ā€˜tutti-fruttiā€™ English, who speaks in the third person. Six months is long enough to make goo-goo eyes from across the stage. Eliot needs to make a move on the cuddle-worthy bear. But? What if he shows Raghu who he really is and all that he has worked for burns down? While his cleats and corsets are stored in the safety of different compartments of his life, Eliot must find a way to keep the cutie.


Beneath the Indigo Sky

Beneath the Indigo Sky by Rayne Hawthorne

Namid I may not know where I come from, or who I am, but Iā€™ve done my best to build a life for myself. I know a handful of people in town, I have a nice place to live, and I enjoy my job. I look just like everyone else. But I donā€™t feel like everyone else, because I feelā€¦everything. The emotions of others get tangled with my own as they race through my heart and sink into my soul. They set my nerves on fire and rearrange my cells and spread across my skin until they consume me. Jayce I donā€™t know how to explain what itā€™s like to lose half of your soul, to fall into grief so dark and relentless that you lose yourself. Thatā€™s what it feels like Iā€™ve lost. Half of my soul. I donā€™t want to do this. I donā€™t want to try to fill in the gaps. I donā€™t want to walk into rooms that are populated by memories. I donā€™t want to hear the voice of a ghost echoing in my head. When the eccentric, introverted man who was found on the side of the road without any memories a decade ago takes pity on me and offers his help, for some reason, I find myself unable to say no. Even though I don't know him, when he's standing by my side, for one brief moment, I forget to hurt. Beneath the Indigo Sky is a 75000 word, MM, slow burn, contemporary romance filled with angst, grief, found family, longing, forests, road trips, stargazing, sweet dates, and of course a HEA. There are also minor paranormal elements that are left deliberately open to reader interpretation


Rock Star Romance

Rock Star Romance by Melina Druga

A college grad still reeling from an amicable breakup falls for a rock star whoā€™s given up on love in this contemporary, second-chance romance. A year after she and her now-ex-boyfriend were forced into a devastating decision when life took them ā€” literally ā€” in different directions, Cassandra Economos is done with men. Or so she thinks. Just as Cassieā€™s getting bored and starting to think she needs to get back out there, she meets Nat, and everything changes. Dramatic Sneezer frontman Nathaniel Hardwick hasnā€™t dated anyone for months, ever since he caught his girlfriend cheating. Weeks away from the launch of the bandā€™s next tour, however, he finds himself falling for his sisterā€™s friend. Nat isnā€™t Cassieā€™s type, but something about him ā€” something more than mere rock star charisma ā€” draws her in. Soon, sheā€™s breaking all her long-standing relationship rules for him. With tour dates looming on the horizon, Cassieā€™s already seeing parallels to her last breakup. But what happens if this is more than just a summer fling? Jam-packed with sizzling scenes and post-Y2K nostalgia, Rock Star Romance is a must-read for fans of Scarlett Cole and Christina Lauren.


Mr. Right is a Myth

Mr. Right is a Myth by Melina Druga

This heartfelt follow-up to Sexual Awakening follows its ambitious diarist to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where her hopes and dreams for the future are further tested by a string of social hiccups. Cassie Economos has rules. If a new boyfriend canā€™t wait two months to have sex with her, heā€™s not the guy for her. If he refuses to wear a condom, heā€™s not the guy for her. And if dating him would mean maintaining a long-distance relationship, heā€™sā€¦ well, you get the picture. Sheā€™s got her life planned out, and she knows better than to try to make things work with someone who canā€™t agree on the basics, like where to live and whether to have kids. But Cassie isnā€™t perfect, and the more disappointing situationships she finds herself in, the more she wonders if thereā€™s even such a thing as a ā€œMr. Right.ā€ But Cassie doesnā€™t have time to worry too much about that. Her four years at U of I are passing quickly, which means itā€™s time for her to chart her final course: toward Chicago, the city of her dreams. Readers are in for a rollicking ride through college life in the ā€™90s here, as Cassie and her friends wade through continental relationship shifts.


Sexual Awakening

Sexual Awakening by Melina Druga

This coming-of-age story, set against the backdrop of the mid-1990s Midwest, follows Cassandra, a high schooler whose big dreams clash with her familyā€™s conservative expectations, as she comes into her own while navigating the complexities of teenage sex and dating. Fourteen-year-old Cassandra Economos doesnā€™t fit the mold of her traditional Greek family. Sheā€™s always been a good kid, but lately sheā€™s begun to question how much influence her relativesā€™ expectations should really have on her life. Cassie doesnā€™t understand why anyone would want to stay in Sterling, IL when thereā€™s a whole world out there to explore and experience. She wonders why her brother Chris gets showered in love and affection after becoming a father at 25, when she and her sister, Vanessa, arenā€™t even allowed to date before theyā€™re his age. And sheā€™d rather go see Nirvana play live in Chicago than attend her homecoming dance. Perfect for fans of Now Is Not the Time to Panic and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, this series-starter traces the social entanglements of the Economos sisters and their friends ā€” from bodice-rippers and bad sex to secret boyfriends and matters of consent ā€” through Cassieā€™s diary entries from 1993 to ā€™97.


Girls Night

Girls Night by I.S. Belle

Gossip queen ALEX longs to be seen. Cheerleader TULSI is sick of cutting people on her sharp heart. New kid CLEMENTINE canā€™t escape the violence inside. And wallflower SUNJU is tired of keeping quiet. When a twist of fate brings this unlikely quartet together, sparks and punches fly. They call it ā€˜Girls Night,' an underground fight club thatā€™s girls only. Soon every girl at Sterling High is showing up to class with bruised knuckles and split lips. Alex, Tulsi, Clementine, and Sun have never felt more alive. Until demonic head cheerleader, Quentin Scarhill, steps in the ring with her eyes on Alex. As Quentinā€™s hold over Alex tightens, Girls Night spirals out of control. Can they take back the reins before things turn deadly? And if Girls Night ends will they throw in the towel on their newfound friendships?


Meeting over Murder

Meeting over Murder by Edale Lane

Two women, a dead teen, and a cruel killer at large. From award-winning, best-selling author Edale Lane comes a new contemporary sapphic mystery! Jenna Ferrari is a tough-to-the-bone homicide detective with no patience for stupidity and an Italianā€™s penchant for displays of emotion. While she excels at catching criminals, she continues to strike out at relationships. At thirty-two, she wonders if sheā€™ll ever find the right woman. A brilliant, creative college literature professor, Miranda McLeod is respected by her peers and loved by her students. After years of walking an ambiguous line, she wants to come out but doesnā€™t know how. When the two meet over the case of a murder on campus, could they have both found what theyā€™ve been looking for, or will the unknown killer on the loose foil their chances for romance? This is the first in a series of contemporary sapphic crime-solving novellas and novels set in Roanoke, VA. (Book 6 is a Golden Crown Award Finalist for 2024.) Enjoy the sweet romance, follow the action, see if you can solve the mysteries, and discover the biggest enigma of all lies in the human heart. ĖƒĖƒĖƒ Love a whodunnit? You'll love it more when it's heated with a sweet sapphic romance! Meeting over Murder introduces you to characters you'll love while you test your skills against theirs to see who solves the crime first. The clues are there. Will you put them together before Detective Ferrari?


To Be Fair

To Be Fair by Julieta Moss

In the autumn of 1997, Bogdan is a teenage Yugoslavian refugee who fled his country at just eleven to claim asylum in Italy. He does not know the fate of his family, so he mainly relies on his old school friend Alessia, whose father employs him during the summer, and her boyfriend Guido, who is also his social worker. A regular at the Caffe Fratelli where Bogdan works, James has lived in Italy for a couple of years escaping family problems after dropping out of university. He works as a cruise crew member, spending his time in between contracts sofa surfing at Guido's, who grew up in James' native Bristol. After breaking up with his lover, James goes on a path of self-destruction neglecting his health. Bogdan tries to help him, and they begin an on-off relationship with disastrous consequences. Unable to let go despite knowing that James doesn't take him seriously, Bogdan decides to travel to England with James to help him save the family business when his father becomes sick. But when the authorities come to deport Bogdan for overstaying his visitor visa, will James rise to the challenge of saving the boy who risked everything to be with him?


A Trashy New Year Romance

A Trashy New Year Romance by Sinnamon Carnelian

Start the new year off with a bang in this captivating tale of resilience and unexpected romance. Paige never expected her world to crumble right before her eyes on New Year's Day. But when she catches her long-term boyfriend engaging in a scandalous affair with her own stepsister, her whole life implodes. Fueled by heartache and determination, Paige decides to leave it all behind and returns to her hometown. As she dives headfirst into the uncertain waters of starting over, Paige finds solace in an old friend's generous job offer. Working at a bustling restaurant and bar seems like the perfect escape, but nothing could prepare her for the enigmatic Duke Griffin, her new boss. Who seems more interested in her than her work ethic. In this tale of redemption, unexpected connections emerge as Paige navigates the tangled web of her shattered past. Will she find the strength to heal her heart, or will Duke's undeniable charm become an enticing distraction? Join Paige on her riveting journey as she discovers that sometimes unexpected beginnings can lead to happy endings.


A Trashy Christmas Romance

A Trashy Christmas Romance by Sinnamon Carnelian

Holly Jolly Cromwell hated Christmas after being born on it. Everything about it annoyed her. The repetitive music. How it took over November and smothered Thanksgiving. Those creepy elves that were supposed to watch the children and make sure they were nice and not naughty. Most of all, she was sour over the fact that she could never celebrate her birthday. Her older brother and golden child of the family never grew out of his childhood bullying and tantrums over her getting both Christmas and birthday gifts her first birthday, and it followed her long into her adult years. She forced herself to smile and get through it for the sake of her younger siblings and keeping the peace with her parents. However, year after year of being the backup caregiver for her younger siblings and dealing with the golden child, she found herself starting to slip. A chance meeting at a club leads her into the arms of a man who has the missing pieces she never knew she lost.


Body Check

Body Check by J.J. Arias

To win it all, rivals will have to get dirty and play together Fabiola Santos never expected to be back on Cutthroat Island, the reality competition show she lost six years earlier. But when the opportunity to redeem herself and win half a million dollars comes along, she canā€™t pass it up. Itā€™s a decision she regrets the moment she sees Cameron - the woman who stole her prize and broke her heart once already. All Cameron Herrera wants to do is rewrite history. Walking away from Fabiola was her biggest mistake in a long line of wrong choices. Now that she has a second chance to play with her, Cameron is determined to win Fab back. Forced to compete as a team, Fabiola finds that her feelings for Cameron arenā€™t in the past like she wished they were. The more they work together, the harder it is for Fabiola to focus on her anger and ignore their undeniable attraction. Find out whether love gets a second chance in this slow burn, enemies-to-lovers, reality show romance where the games are hard and the nights are hot.


10 Things That Never Happened

10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall

Sam Becker lovesā€”or, okay, likesā€”his job. Sure, managing a bed-and-bath retailer isn't exactly glamorous, but it's good work, and he gets on well with the band of misfits who keep the store running. He could see himself being content here for the long haul. Too bad, then, that the owner is an infuriating git. Jonathan Forest should never have hired Sam. It was a sentimental decision, and Jonathan didn't get where he is by following his heart. Determined to set things right, Jonathan orders Sam down to London for a difficult talkā€¦only for a panicking Sam to trip, bump his head, and maybe accidentally imply he doesn't remember anything? Faking amnesia seemed like a good idea when Sam was afraid he was getting sacked, but now he has to deal with the reality of Jonathan's guiltā€”as well as the unsettling fact that his surly boss might have a softer side to him. There's an unexpected freedom in getting a second shot at a first impressionā€¦but as Sam and Jonathan grow closer, can Sam really bring himself to tell the truth, or will their future be built entirely on one impulsive lie?


Waiting for the Flood

Waiting for the Flood by Alexis Hall

Twelve years ago, Edwin Tully came to Oxford and fell in love with a boy named Marius. He was brilliant, an artist. It was going to be forever. Ten years later, it ended. Now Edwin lives alone in the house they used to share. He tends to damaged books and faded memories, trying to build a future from the fragments of the past. Then the weather turns, and the river spills into Edwinā€™s quiet world, bringing with it Adam Dacre from the Environment Agency. An unlikely knight, this stranger with roughened hands and worn wellingtons offers Edwin the hope of something he thought he would never have again. As the two men grow closer in their struggle against the rising waters, Edwin learns he canā€™t protect himself from everythingā€”and sometimes he doesn't need to try. Because love doesnā€™t only leave scars; oftentimes, it heals them too.


Boyfriend Material

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Luc O'Donnell is tangentially? and reluctantly? famous. His rock-star parents split when he was young, and the father he's never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad's making a comeback, Luc's back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything. To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice normal relationship...and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He's a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and someone who has never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words, heā€™s perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately, apart from being gay, single, and really really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust settles. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened. But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that's when you get used to someone...start falling for them...don't ever want to let them go.


Glitterland

Glitterland by Alexis Hall

Once the golden boy of the English literary scene, now a clinically depressed writer of pulp crime fiction, Ash Winters has given up on hope, happiness, andā€”most of allā€”himself. He lives his life between the cycles of his illness, haunted by the ghosts of other peopleā€™s expectations. Then a chance encounter throws him into the path of Essex-born Darian Taylor. By his own admission, Darian isnā€™t the crispest lettuce in the fridge, but he makes Ash laugh, reminding him of what itā€™s like to step beyond the boundaries of anxiety. But Ash has been living in his own shadow for so long that he canā€™t see past the glitter to the light. Can a man who doesnā€™t trust himself ever trust in happiness? And how can a man who doesnā€™t believe in happiness ever fight for his own?


The Space Ace of Mangleby Flat

The Space Ace of Mangleby Flat by Larre Bildeston

On paper, things look fine. Sam Dennon recently inherited significant wealth from his uncle. As a respected architect, Sam spends his days thinking about the family needs and rich lives of his clients. But privately? Even his enduring love of amateur astronomy is on the wane. Sam has built a sustainable-architecture display home for himself but hasn't yet moved into it, preferring to sleep in his cocoon of a campervan. Although they never announced it publicly, Sam's wife and business partner ended their marriage years ago due to lack of intimacy, leaving Sam with the sense he is irreparably broken. Now his beloved uncle has died. An intensifying fear manifests as health anxiety, with night terrors from a half-remembered early childhood event. To assuage the loneliness, Sam embarks on a Personal Happiness Project: 1. Get a pet dog 2. Find a friend. Just one. Not too intense. As Sam comes to terms with the shameful family secrets revealed in a series of letters left to him by his deceased uncle, Sam falls in love again: first with his adopted poodle-cross, and then, much more slowly, with a kind and generous trans woman from his tennis club. Reina is so visibly and proudly queer Sam canā€™t imagine the two of them share a single thing in common. If only humans came with a guide book...


The Only Exception

The Only Exception by Allie McDermid

Izzy Barbour tells everyone sheā€™s an accountant, little do they know sheā€™s really a hired companion. Sadly, thatā€™s where her love life ends. Doomed to be a serial dater, Izzy is close to giving up on finding her one.Lady Ingrid Munro has one focus in work. When a family scandal threatens to dredge up the past, sheā€™s forced to think quick to save face and the palace.Izzy wants to do her job and keep a low profile. Ingrid needs to uphold the familyā€™s reputation. Can they keep things professional, or will lines get blurred when it comes to romance?Set in the fictional world of an Ayrshire Palace, The Only Exception is bursting with sexual tension, fake dating, and forbidden love. Find out today if secrets can stay hidden for longā€¦or are some things too good to be true?


Breathe for Me

Breathe for Me by Donna B. Comeaux

Less than a month ago, Robert Aaron Jaegerā€™s wife, Christina, and four-year-old daughter were in a terrible accident on the downtown streets of Seattle. The four-year-old came away with scratches. Christina succumbed to her injuries. Laden with unspeakable guilt for putting his job over family, he can no longer cope with the neglect he imposed on his wife. Under the disguise of rafting through the Glenwood Canyon, Robert sets out to kill himself, but his plan is thwarted when he stumbles upon a woman standing in freezing water aiming to do the same thing. Lilly Radford has been riddled with guilt since the day her baby died and thereā€™s not been a day she hasnā€™t beat herself up about it. She finally snaps, takes her rent money, and uses it to keep her tank filled until the money runs out. With her car running on fumes, sheā€™s forced to exit off I-70 in Glenwood Springs at the Grizzly Creek Rest Stop where she gives up and falls in the river. After Robert rescues Lilly and later steps off the plane in Seattle, Zachary Butler lurks close to his heels, looking for the first opportunity ā€¦ for a nice clean shot to kill Robert for getting him fired. Zachary is much more than a typical killer on the loose. His disorder causes him to converse with the good side of himself to collaborate on a scheme for revenge. To complicate his chaotic existence, his wife, Ethel, threatens to derail his plan. As danger looms and a loved one gets tangled in the crossfire, Robert and Lilly are forced to let down their guard and wrestle with their physical attraction to each other. Determined to right past wrongs, their self-centered past haunts them, makes them edgy, and keeps love at bay. But if they arenā€™t careful, they could miss the beauty lying just below the surface of their pain ... if the killer has his way. Anger. Madness. Darkness. Murder. Obsession. Ambition. How will it all end?


Tempting Olivia

Tempting Olivia by Clare Ashton

Olivia Sachdevaā€™s life is flawless. With a first from Oxford and as the youngest partner at Bentley lawyers, she expects high standards from everyone. Her only indulgences are eating iced desserts and repeat watching romcoms, especially those featuring Kate Laurence ā€“ pure escapism and cinematic perfection. But, when the actor walks into Oliviaā€™s office with a bag full of divorce and a messy personal life, that perfect bubble bursts. Kate seems nothing like the screen goddesses she plays, and Olivia must put aside her comfort viewing and handle the case like the true professional she is. It requires secrecy, especially with indiscreet friends. Will best-friend Charlotte ever read the room? And will Millie, who instantly reads the room, ever stop commenting loudly? And Kate? She doesnā€™t know what to think about this frosty lawyer. But she needs a quick divorce from a mistake of a marriage, which was over before it started, and Olivia Sachdeva is the best. But little by little, Olivia and Kate glimpse behind the mask, to find someone they werenā€™t looking for, who may not even be perfect, but might be the right person for them. Read as a stand-alone romance or book two of the Oxford Romance series.


Chefā€™s Kiss (A Gia, San Francisco Romance)

Chefā€™s Kiss (A Gia, San Francisco Romance) by Stephanie Shea

Valentina Rosas has always known what she wants. Mostly. Sort of. At least, she does now. And what she wants is the coveted staging role at Gia, San Francisco. With four years at the top of her class in culinary school and enough tenacity to fuel the entire Mission, no one doubts she is about to land the job of her dreamsā€”including the three-person cheer squad made up of her best friend and adorably overbearing parents. Renowned chef Jenn Coleman is not a people person. Her rise to the top of the culinary industry stems from a cultivated blend of top-tier schoolingā€”from her nonnaā€”and bouts of carefully managed misanthropy. Owning and operating two Michelin starred restaurants doesnā€™t leave time for much else anyway. Just ask her ex. When the new stage at her restaurant trips into her with all the grace of a baby giraffe, itā€™s a sure recipe for disaster. But for all of Jennā€™s reserve, Valentina has twice the allure, and the chemistry between them is justā€¦ chefā€™s kiss. If only Jenn wasnā€™t Valentinaā€™s boss with nearly ten years between them.


Guava Flavored Lies

Guava Flavored Lies by J.J. Arias

Allā€™s Fair in Love and (Pastry) War Sylvie Campos and Lauren Machado have hated each other since before they were born. For generations, the Campos and Machado families have blamed each other for stealing pastry recipes they claim their great-grandfathers originated before fleeing Castroā€™s Cuba. Having spent their lives as rivals, Lauren and Sylvie are now in their early thirties and primed to take over their respective family bakeries. That means working long, hot, seasons of outdoor food festivals where they are forced to endure each other - albeit with a lot of bantering and barb-trading. After all, no one knows how to get under Sylvieā€™s skin like Lauren. Sick of dealing with Lauren and her thieving family, Sylvie sets out to unmask the Machados for the traitors they are. But when the truth is not what Sylvie expects, will the fiery exchanges between her and Lauren turn into something hot enough to melt away generational baggage? Could they get the chance to rekindle what they almost had in high school? Find out in this laugh-out-loud hilarious, enemies-to-lovers, romantic comedy featuring plenty of steam, tension, and delicious Cuban food.


Not Like Before

Not Like Before by Lily Seabrooke, Jacqueline Ramsden

Lola never wanted to be on camera alongside an A-list starā€”but maybe Mackenzie is everything she needs. History professor Lola Barnes never cared about celebrities, and filming alongside superstar actress Mackenzie Vale isnā€™t exactly on her bucket list. But there arenā€™t a lot of experts on Mackenzieā€™s hometown on the remote Celadon Isles, so when the studio filming a deep dive of Mackenzieā€™s backstory comes knocking, no isnā€™t really an option. This exposĆ© is the last thing Mackenzie wants to do. Sheā€™s had a good run as an actress without the ravenous press finding out sheā€™s trans, but keeping it that way when the media is digging around in her childhood and with her gossipy family isnā€™t going to be easy. But it might be her last shot at her dream castingā€”and her agent doesnā€™t take no for an answer, anyway. And it isnā€™t any easier when Mackenzie is immediately head-over-heels for the gorgeous professor they tapped to film with her. And it isnā€™t any easier when going back to the isles means confronting all the things Lola ran away from there over twenty years agoā€”and that the only thing comforting her is a bond with the last person sheā€™d ever expect to fall for. As a tight filming schedule, a nosy agent and a relentless director force Lola and Mackenzie to face the ghosts of their pasts, will they crumble in the face of everything they ran from once? Or can they find strength in one another and be more than they were before? Not Like Before is a 90,000-word grumpy/sunshine celebrity romance with a trans woman lead set on a fictional island where everyone is at least a little gossipy, and is the second collaborative novel between Lily Seabrooke and Jacqueline Ramsden. Features a celebrity actress made of pure sunshine and a historian whoā€™s secretly soft under the surface, a meddling ex, Mackenzieā€™s meddling family, Lolaā€™s meddling friend who loves Mackenzie more than she loves life, and Mackenzieā€™s agent, who is, unsurprisingly, meddling. Content warnings for on-page sex, a toxic ex, parental abandonment, gambling addiction, implicit threats of outing, a panic attack, falling off a boat, Hope being a fangirl, Taron being smug, and of course, the granny bra incident.


Deadly Memory

Deadly Memory by Jess Austen

***The first book in the Her Super Spy Trilogy, is a story of Romantic Suspense, Espionage...and murder.*** Unlucky in espionage, lucky in love? Samantha King is a hopeless romantic when it comes to love. On vacation in London, England, she meets a guy that she could really go for. But he disappears on her, breaking her heart. The next morning, she finds out why - he was murdered in the alley behind the pub. The killer is after her next. Tom Bridges is a Data Intelligence Officer for the civilian branch of MI5. He wants to find out who killed his friend and retrieve the evidence that the agent was bringing in. Sam has it and he knows it. Heā€™s going to have to keep her safe in order to get it from her. Because the killer knows she has it too. Even if she doesnā€™t know it. The attraction between Tom and Sam is immediate. And platonic, to her disappointment. If Tom will stop being all business and give her a chance, she might be able to break the romance curse. If they both live that long.


A Not So Bollywood Meet Cute

A Not So Bollywood Meet Cute by Miya Malai

No, I didnā€™t meet him by my bangles getting caught in his sleeve. Or by grabbing his hand from a running train. No, instead he met me with a Darcy-like disdain you wonā€™t ever see in a Bollywood movie. Bollywood movies and smutty romance novels are every Desi girl's guilty pleasure. And I had the crazy idea to combine the two... āˆ’Miya Malai


Deliver Me

Deliver Me by Ashley Hawthorne

She's a pastor's daughter. He's a convicted killer. Forever may be out of reach when she falls in love with one of the dangerous ones. Faith is more than just a word to Mia Anderson. It's the foundation of her life as a pastor's daughter. At home in her church and at peace with her beliefs, she decides to participate in a program to send letters to inmates regardless of what sins they may have committed. Gabriel Myers is a convicted criminal, serving life in prison for his father's murder. Facing a hopeless future and haunted by a past that has left him full of contempt for God and the church, he wants nothing to do with Mia until she proves she can understand the man everyone believes is a monster. With each letter that's exchanged, Mia becomes more aware that although Gabriel has never denied his crime, there is more to the story than the jury was allowed to hear. As reluctant friendship turns to seemingly ill-fated love, she knows she must convince him to appeal the verdict. Dealing with the Texas justice system is a long shot, but the only chance they have to finally be together outside the walls of Gabriel's prison. Winning his freedom will give them a chance at happiness but can they finally find bliss in each other's arms or will the challenges they face and their divergent beliefs destroy their love for good?


Their Perfect Fit

Their Perfect Fit by Hannah Murray

Gideon has been the star of all of Minaā€™s sweaty dreams for months now, and the feeling is entirely mutual. But the type of relationship Gideon wants? Well, itā€™s complicated ā€“ and includes his best friend and business partner, Bax. When circumstances finally throw Mina and Gideon together, sparks fly. Theyā€™re just as combustible ā€“ and perfect ā€“ together as Gideon knew they would be. But will Mina be open to adding Bax to the mix? And can they all live happily ever after? Only one way to find out.


Honey and the Hitman

Honey and the Hitman by Hannah Murray

Ethan Sullivan is a contract killer, and heā€™s good at his work. But killing for a living makes for a complicated existence, and itā€™s wearing on him. Heā€™s decided to turn in his garrote and try to build a normal life. Whatever that means. Honey Foster is a small-town girl, and happy with it. Even if all the men her age are married, and the dating pool is more like a puddle, and the only lover sheā€™s had in the last several months requires batteries, she loves her life. She has her friends, her community, and her big, goofy dog to keep her warm at night. And that's enough, at least until Ethan comes along. Heā€™s hot and funny, and the air fairly crackles with sexual tension whenever theyā€™re in the same room. But even though she knows he feels it too, he seems to go out of his way to get out of her way as quickly as possible. Because Ethan has resolved to stay uninvolvedā€”after all, retired killers donā€™t get picket fences and happily ever afters. Do they? Heā€™s trying to keep his distance, but he doesnā€™t realize in a town this small, heā€™s going to see her everywhere. Backyard barbeque? Sheā€™s there. Local tavern for a drink on Saturday night? Sheā€™s there. Pretty soon all that resolve dissolves, and suddenly that picket fence starts to feel like itā€™s in reach. But when the shadows of his past come calling, heā€™ll have to expose his secrets to deal with the danger. And Honey will have to decide if love is enough, and if a flawed, complicated man is worthy of redemption.


Goldie & The Bears

Goldie & The Bears by Hannah Murray

Mac has been coming to this cabin in the woods with his best friends and business partners for years, and their planned activities have nothing to do with the brewery they co-own. The three of them are eager to get started on their annual vacationā€”a week of hedonistic, no holds barred bro bangingā€”but thereā€™s one problem. Thereā€™s a blonde in their bed. Lia needed a place to film content for her new career as an online-based adult performer (porn!), and her friendā€™s cabin in the snowy Oregon woods seemed perfect. She only has a week to get as much footage as she can, so she wastes no time getting to lights, camera, action. But the three huge men bursting in on her mid-scene were not in the script. What do you get when you combine three bisexual men, one woman trying to launch a porn career, a double-booked, snowed-in cabin, and a checklist of adult content to film? A week-long bang fest. What do you get when two of those people start catching feelings for each other? Thatā€™s a week-long bang fest with a Happily Ever After. Goldie & The Bears is a steamy romp of a bisexual M/F romance featuring multiple partners (the HEA is M/F, but the banging is MFMM, and MFM, and MMā€¦look, the swords cross, okay?), unexpected love, and of course, a happily ever after.


Stuffed: F.I.L.T.H. Book 1

Stuffed: F.I.L.T.H. Book 1 by Hannah Murray

Why stuff the turkey when they can stuff her? Itā€™s Thanksgiving, two and a half years after lockdown began, and Tuck and Esme Parrish are deciding how to celebrate. Normally theyā€™d have dinner with either his folks or hers, but with travel restrictions no longer a factor, both sets of parents are taking advantage and spending the holiday elsewhere. With a chance to craft the day to their tastes for a change, they decide to host a Friendsgiving. The guest list is small, just four friendsā€”Spence, Jude, Evan and Colin. Realizing sheā€™ll be spending the day with her sexy husband and four single, sexy friends (some who had crushes on her in college, and one of whom sheā€™s already slept with), Esme makes a joke about all the F.I.L.T.H (Friends Iā€™d Like To Hump) coming for dinner. Which gives Tuck an idea: why not turn this Friendsgiving into a Bangsgiving? When lockdown hit, it put a halt to a new and exciting element of Tuck and Esmeā€™s sex life: swinging. It started as a way for Tuck to indulge his candaulism kink (a desire to show off his wife). But he soon discovered that sharing gorgeous, curvy Esme with other men was even more funā€”for both of them. They were just finding their groove when lockdown happened, and though their sex life is still exciting and fun, theyā€™ve missed the extra zing that swinging gave them. And Esme has had a gang bang on her swinging to-do list for a whileā€¦ Hey, it's Thanksgivingā€”what better time to get stuffed?


Starved: F.I.L.T.H. Book 2

Starved: F.I.L.T.H. Book 2 by Hannah Murray

Colin and Evan have been best friends for fifteen years, since they met the first day of freshman orientation. And theyā€™ve been in love with each other for almost as long. But theyā€™ve gotten so used to hiding their feelings, itā€™s going to take something extraordinary to bring them out into the open. Something like a Thanksgiving orgy, maybe? With their feelings finally out in the open, Colin and Evan have the chance to explore their desire for each other. And itā€™s better than they couldā€™ve dreamed. But going from friends to lovers after fifteen years comes with complications, and theyā€™ll have to decideā€”is it worth the work? Starved begins on the morning after Thanksgiving, right after Stuffed ends


Feast: F.I.L.T.H. Book 3

Feast: F.I.L.T.H. Book 3 by Hannah Murray

Poor Spenceā€”all he wanted to do was fly to Vegas, walk his mother down the aisle, and get back to his shop. Until a very attractive seatmate on the plane has him adjusting his plans to make time for some anonymous stranger sex. It's just his bad luck that his anonymous stranger turns out to be his new stepsister. When Maddie realizes sheā€™s just spent two days banging her new stepbrother, her first reaction is to laugh. Her second is to wish she could do it again. It was very memorable banging, and the prospect of not doing it anymore is a bleak one. Still, she can keep things sibling-like if Spence can. Lucky for her, Spence is just as eager as she is to pick up where they left off in Vegas, on the condition they keep it just between them. Telling the family will only make things complicated, after all. And thatā€™s fine with Maddieā€”until she realizes that sheā€™s falling in love with a man who seems content for her to stay his dirty little secret. Dirty sheā€™s fine with. A secret? Thatā€™s a deal breaker.


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