historical – 20th century

Word Count: Click here to reveal95000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: 1973 – At 53 years old, Bill, hadn’t expected to run into Bobby when he signed up for that medical convention in Houston. Fair to say they didn’t exactly part on good terms last time. Twenty years later, is Bill ready to finally admit his feelings, his sexuality, and to gather his courage to conquer his old lover and friend once more? A second chance romance with flashbacks to young love, addressing the struggles of coming out in an unwelcoming environment and building the life you really want.

Word Count: Click here to reveal71000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay, Lesbian (Click here to hide)

Summary: The stage is set for murder It's the summer of 1929 and there's a serial killer on the streets of London. Bodies of young women are dumped at the stage doors of London’s theatres. Noël Coward's assistant Florence Miles, known to her close friends as Bill, is dragged into the investigation when the body of her former secret lover is found outside His Majesty’s Theatre. Bill forms an unlikely alliance with the Chronicle newspaper’s senior crime reporter Simon Sampson. Together they discover that the killer has friends in high places… This is the prequel to the LAMBDA finalist A Death in Berlin. It explores the secret world of the 1920s, a time when your sexuality could make you a lawbreaker. When gay men and women were constantly on their guard, careful about how they presented themselves in a hostile society. A Death At His Majesty's is the first of a series that brings together Bill and Simon and follows them as they embark on a series of sleuthing adventures.

Word Count: Click here to reveal134000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Clyde’s idyllic afternoon in the surf with his mates is interrupted by the news that there’s been a quadruple suicide in an apartment overlooking the beach. Two of the deceased are the parents of Barry Wilkinson, one of Clyde’s childhood friends, a man he hasn’t seen since Clyde donned the khaki and left for war. Wilkinson engages Clyde to discover the identity of a mysterious woman who has been left a huge sum of money in his father’s will. On the surface, what appears to be a straightforward case evolves into a complex story of deception, lies, violence and murder. Relationships are tested, new ones formed and Clyde discovers that those connections that seem unrelated are closely linked behind a veil of secrecy. The early summer of 1957 is a time in which Clyde nearly loses everything he holds dear—his own life included—all because of two couples who died while playing bridge at the beach.

Word Count: Click here to reveal34000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: In the decade since being changed into a werewolf in 1920, Malachi has become used to being alone. But the appearance of bootleggers Jonathan and Roger on the beach below Malachi’s cottage shows Malachi what he’s been missing. He wants these men in his life, but he can’t ask them to stay. The following day, Roger returns seeking Malachi’s help in rescuing Jonathan from the rum-runners who are holding him hostage. Can Malachi help the men while protecting his own heart? This book includes a scene in which the main character spies, without consent, on two people having sex. It also contains references to past sexual assault and underage male prostitution.

Word Count: Click here to reveal80000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: What's one more deadline? Ulysses Lenkov is on the verge of finishing his PhD when his ex-girlfriend shows up with a problem. It's been six months since the murder of her husband, Hugh, and Livia is plagued by strange noises in the night, poor sleep, and a magic book that may be cursed. The more Ulysses delves into the events that led her back to Madison, the more concerned he becomes. Ulysses's boyfriend Sam Sterling, jealous and unhappy about Livia's return, suspects that she may not be telling them the whole truth. In the meantime, he's starting to worry that he may not have left Dionysus as far behind as he thought—with odd effects for him and Ulysses. When Ulysses's academic advisor suggests their relationship is a problem, magically speaking, he's suddenly forced to make decisions he never wanted to face: break up with Ulysses to keep him safe, or stay together despite the risks. As Ulysses's defense bears down on them, the questions start to stack up. What really happened to Hugh? Does his death tie in to secrets from deep in Sam's family's past? And will Ulysses be able to figure it all out before he winds up a victim?

Word Count: Click here to reveal140000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Two years after finishing his tour of duty in the Occupational Forces in Japan, Damson O'Reilly arrives in Siena, Italy. Sight-unseen at a local auction, he buys an abandoned Tuscan farmhouse in which he aims to write, paint, and start a new life. The house, passed over at auction, becomes an impulse buy when it's put up for a final time. He's prepared for a semi-ruin, happy to turn his hand to renovating the house - however, what he's totally unprepared for are three dead bodies, one of which he stumbles over when he arrives at La Mensola, the name of his isolated farmhouse on the road between Siena and Montepulciano. Against the backdrop of a series of grisly murders, The Road to Montepulciano is the story of a young man, still suffering the scars of war, who, despite betrayal of trust and surrounded by a complex web of lies, finds friendship, love and the warmth of community.

Word Count: Click here to reveal341222 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: In six novels, a slow-burn but hot gay romance topped with intrigue and humor, set in 1920s Ireland. Save @70% on the box set… Michael McCree meets Simon Hart. Fisticuffs fly. And before Simon knows what’s happened, he’s gained a new flat-mate, a new business partner, and a wanna-be lover. It’s the “wanna-be” that drives every novel, from first to last. It takes Michael over 300,000 words to earn forgiveness for his steam-locomotive seduction of Simon, and it takes Simon almost that long to fully appreciate what the damn fellow did. ~Heart to Hart: A roustabout with a secret falls arse-over-bollocks for a surly, angry PI. Together, they solve a mystery but start their own, much deeper one. ~Sparring with Shadows:  A man fights his inner demons while confronting his horny flat-mate, a determined swordsman, and a dangerous criminal. ~To the Bone: A pesky newcomer burrows like a tick between the two PIs even as they struggle to fight crime and to understand each other’s most secret desires. ~Thin as Smoke: Hollow-chested Dashiell Hammett stands between Michael and Simon like a blunt revolver, and his presence in a Mafia hunt threatens to dead-end their edgy relationship. ~Masters of Cane: Even Simon is surprised at the true meaning of “cane master” in this novel of sex, crime, and punishment. ~Into a Crack: Michael and Simon’s arch-nemesis slips out of a staunch prison and into a crack. Their job is to bring a pitiless enemy to justice, or die in the attempt. ~gay  ~erotic romance  ~mystery  ~humor  ~action-adventure  ~forced-proximity  ~ 1920s Ireland  ~New box set of 6 full novels

Word Count: Click here to reveal40000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay, Lesbian (Click here to hide)

Summary: Lizzie Ferguson isn’t your typical 1912 woman! She does not intend to ever marry, her lovers could be male or female, she was a Pinkerton Agent, carries a Derringer in her handbag, her best friend is Stiles Long (The Pinkerton Man Series), and she will do anything to solve a case. Including dressing in rags and scrubbing toilets in a male brothel. You can read some of her adventures with Stiles and Michael in the Pinkerton Man Series. Now, she’s beginning her own adventures and she’s not afraid to do anything it takes to catch a killer.

Word Count: Click here to reveal80000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: A graduate student and an archivist fight a god. Fall, 1969. Ulysses Lenkov should be working on his dissertation. Instead, he's developing an unlucrative sideline in helping ghosts and hapless magic users. But when his clients start leaving town suddenly—or turning up dead—he starts to worry there's something afoot that’s worse than an unavenged death or incipient insanity. His investigation begins with the last word on everyone's lips before they vanish: the mysterious Dionysus. Sam Sterling is an archivist who recently moved back to Madison to be closer to the family he's not too sure he likes. But his peaceful days of teaching library students, creating finding aids, and community theater come to an end when the magnetic, mistrustful Ulysses turns up with a warning. There's a god coming, and it looks like it's coming for Sam. Soon the two are helping each other through demon attacks, discovering the unsavory history of Sam's family, and racing to find a solution that doesn't lead to heartbreak and death. But as the year draws to a close, they'll face a deadly showdown as they try to save Sam—and the city itself. Dionysus in Wisconsin is the first in a new series of urban fantasy/historical M/M romances set in Madison, WI in the late 1960s/early 1970s. It doesn't end on a cliffhanger and can be read as a stand-alone.

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Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: After training under the famed Escoffier, Henri is now Head Chef at the Royal Tea Room-the jewel in the crown of the newly opened Hartridge & Casas department store. With his sights set on one day opening his own restaurant, Henri has no time for distractions, especially not love. But his moorings are shaken loose when Nico, a charming and gorgeous new waiter, appears. However, the interfering adventurer Lord Ockley is determined to have Nico all to himself. When he can't, he threatens to expose Nico and Henri's relationship, risking not only the destruction of their careers and reputations, but possibly even worse. Will Henri abandon his career dreams for the love of the only man who has ever touched his soul? Can Nico convince Henri that love is the most important dream of all? Set against the backdrop of the 1908 Summer Olympics and the historic Franco-British Exhibition, Catering to Love is the story of two men trying to find love in a society where the mere mention of their passion risks ruin. It's a new century, with London blossoming into modernity, and love is the most important ingredient. Audiobook Duration: 7 hours 56 minutes

Word Count: Click here to reveal47500 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Michael O’Leary is devasted by the loss of his beloved Stiles Long. The thought of returning to their home in St. Louis is more than he can bare. Having received the news that, he has inherited a Manor in England, he decides to go there. Hoping that he can find a way to begin his life anew. What he finds are secrets. So many secrets, he can’t determine who is friend and who is foe. He is now Lord Whit. The owner of a vast amount of land, a village, named Whitcomb, employees on grounds, land tenants and villagers all look to him for guidance. Michael also finds family. His cousins George, who is nearly his double, and Evaline, whose personality changes with the wind. There’s also, Vicar Joseph Williams, a man who isn’t what he appears. A visit from his dear friend, Lizzie Ferguson, leaves him missing his old life even more. Just before the new year, he receives a haunting telegram from Lizzie, promising the new year was going to bright for him. Without Stiles, his life seems lost, then New Year’s Day 1912 arrives and…

Word Count: Click here to reveal127000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: From the deserts of North Africa to the dark forests in the Third Reich, Tommy Haupner, together with his American lover, Henry "Shorty" Reiter, lead their team in a daring mission to rescue a gifted young savant from Nazi Germany's T4 euthanasia program. They are forced to flee in a stolen bus in the dead of night across enemy territory with a precious cargo of 24 handicapped children destined for extermination. In a supreme effort to save their charges and to avoid capture and execution themselves, they mount the most daring and dangerous rescue mission possible, the results of which almost end in disaster. This third book in The Seventh of December series is an action-packed wartime adventure set in the early months of 1942. Stolen aircraft, kidnapped senior Nazi officials, doctors of death and bloody revenge massacres, all of which are intertwined with the love of a helpless, rescued child. Farewell, My Boy, deals with not only the frailty of men's hearts, but the truth that even the bravest are not exempt from the pain of loss, even when it is for a greater good.

Word Count: Click here to reveal50000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: A magical bookshop holds the keys. When Mason Chynoweth inherits an old house in small-town New Zealand, he hopes to discover what happened to his great-great uncle Lewis after he returned from the war in 1945. Mason’s first encounter with the property is thankfully reassuring—his sensitive psychic powers aren’t triggered and he has a calm sense of coming home. Elijah Whitaker arrives in Kedgetown for an extended visit with his aunts. He’s quickly drawn to Mason and offers to help him try to find some answers in the dusty old house. It soon becomes clear that Mason is keeping secrets, but Elijah has a few secrets of his own. Like his closely guarded knowledge of the hidden supernatural world, and the fact that many of the townspeople are psi and supernaturals. What is the connection between the house and Postscript, the town’s enigmatic bookshop? Mason’s glimpses of the past give some clues, but not enough to make sense of the puzzle. When a hidden journal comes to light, the true story of Lewis’s journey is revealed, and his path and Mason and Elijah’s begin to intertwine.

Word Count: Click here to reveal86000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Celebrate World Naked Gardening Day with five gay romance novellas! The Naked Gardening Day stories are a collaboration between Holly Day, Nell Iris, A.L. Lester, K.L. Noone, and Amy Spector. They comprise five MM romance novellas featuring being naked in a garden somehow, somewhere, to mark World Naked Gardening Day on the first Saturday of May. Contains the stories: Perfect Rows by Holly Day: Everything would've been perfect if Grayson hadn't been forced to share his garden with Cam. Grayson wants to grow vegetables, and he has a plan for how to do it. Cam loves flowers in perfect rows, but Grayson is incapable of growing things in lines. Most days end in conflict, at least until Grayson realizes he can shut Cam up by kissing him. But will they ever be able to agree about the garden? Strike a Pose by Nell Iris: Didrik would do anything for his BFF Filip, including taking naked pictures for a charity calendar of his dad Johan, the stunning man responsible for Didrik’s gay awakening. Now a widower, Johan is ready to move on. As they start the project, the attraction between them grows. Their connection is easy, but not without challenges. Will they get their happily ever after? The Death of Digby Catch by Amy Spector: When August Catch arrives at the Arachne’s Loom estate to collect his late Uncle Digby’s things, he is thrown together with Theo Webb, the heir to the Webb family fortune. The attraction is instant. When Theo begins to suspect Digby may have been murdered, he and August will need to work together to discover the killer, and not let the thing growing between them be a distraction. The Hermit of Aldershill Manor by K.L. Noone: Charlie’s ready to start a new job and life at Aldershill Manor. As a historian, he’s thrilled to dive into the archives. And he can run from a messy break-up. And explore lovely gardens, too. Lionel does not like tourists, conversations, or social niceties. But he loves his job: helping beauty grow. When he finds the new historian caught in a storm, he offers shelter, which might bloom into more. Warning! Deep Water by A.L. Lester: Spring 1947. England has just come through the worst winter in living memory. Peter’s been drifting since he left the army a year ago. George is lonely, despite the busy horticultural nursery he owns. Peter’s decision to take a swim in the irrigation tank presents them both with the chance to reach out and help each other. Can two misfits find a way to fit together with someone after all?

Word Count: Click here to reveal99000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Information not available

Summary: Dive into this collected edition of the first three volumes of The Darkly Enchanted Romance series. Sweet and sultry historical romances with just the right amount of spookiness! ~ THE HARVEST MOON In the shadows of late autumn, Malcolm comes across a quaint village tucked away in the forest. It seems the perfect spot for a weary traveller to lay his head, and maybe find a little company. But there is dark magic afoot, and lots of local gossip swirls around the seductive titian-haired weaver, Daniel. All Malcolm sought was a night's pleasure. He never suspected he would have to worry about losing his life. Or his heart. THE GHOST OF HILLCOMB HALL On a stormy night, landscape designer Jonas arrives at the cheerless and fog enswathed Hillcomb Hall. He finds an odd trio of ladies in residence and an eerie portrait of the hauntingly attractive portrait of a stately ancestor, which constantly seems to watch his every move. His nights are filled with weird dreams and otherworldly visitations. Is the manor house truly haunted? Or is it all just a trick of the mind, a sinister game being played by the inhabitants of Hillcomb Hall? MANCHESTER LAKE Monty, along with his best friend Bishop, discovers a mystical selkie in Manchester Lake who transforms into a gorgeous man of his dreams. Together they adventure through a tastefully debauched house party, an Edwardian novelty called a “night club,” and a macabre Parisian cabaret. As their journey unfolds, they come face-to-face with ghoulish agents of the occult as well as startling discoveries - including Monty’s realization that he is falling for the beautiful creature from the lake. Can he really be in love so soon, or is there a past connection? And what does it all have to do with his past trip to Paris? Before their adventure ends long-hidden secrets will erupt in a storm of magic and passion!

Word Count: Click here to reveal71000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Berlin 1933: When the parties stop...the dying begins SHORT LISTED FOR 2023 MYSTERY LAMMY AWARD The city that’s been a beacon of liberation during the 1920s is about to become a city of deadly oppression. BBC foreign correspondent Simon Sampson risks his life in a bid to save thousands of gay men from the growing Nazi threat. This is the second in the Simon Sampson mystery series. The first, A Death in Bloomsbury, was hailed as ‘a good old-fashioned John Buchan-esque mystery reworked for the twenty-first century’. Simon moves to Berlin where he meets British author Christopher Isherwood and his lover Heinz. He’s also reunited with his banter-partner Florence Miles, better known to her friends as Bill. She’s recruited him into the British intelligence services and he’s got the task of hunting down communist spies. But when Simon is ordered to spy on an old college friend, his loyalties are brought into question. Who are his real enemies? And how much can he trust his masters?

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: After training under the famed Escoffier, Henri is now Head Chef at the Royal Tea Room - the jewel in the crown of the newly opened Hartridge & Casas department store. With his sights set on one day opening his own restaurant, Henri has no time for distractions, especially not love. But his moorings are shaken loose when Nico, a charming and gorgeous new waiter, appears. However, the interfering adventurer Lord Ockley is determined to have Nico all to himself. When he can't, he threatens to expose Nico and Henri's relationship, risking not only the destruction of their careers and reputations, but possibly even worse. Will Henri abandon his career dreams for the love of the only man who has ever touched his soul? Can Nico convince Henri that love is the most important dream of all? Set against the backdrop of the 1908 Summer Olympics and the historic Franco-British Exhibition, Catering to Love is the story of two men trying to find love in a society where the mere mention of their passion risks ruin. Buoyed by a colorful cast of characters, they cook up a new meaning to romance. It's a new century, with London blossoming into modernity, and love is the most important ingredient.

Word Count: Click here to reveal138000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: “I swear to God it was Willoughby. My brother stood not two feet away from me, called me Lina to my face, and pulled Harley into his arms, saying he was sorry, sobbing, and calling him his boy.”   An apparition in Sydney’s fruit and vegetable market leaves the mother of one of Clyde’s best friends believing that her brother, hanged for murder twenty-four years beforehand, has somehow risen from the grave and confronted her. She is adamant that the visitation was real and visits Clyde asking him to investigate the mass murder her brother was supposed to have committed. She believes he was either set up or was covering for someone else’s crime. Could this vision have been a folie à deux, a delusional vision shared by both mother or son? As Clyde investigates, clues lead him to one of Australia’s most famous silent screen actors, a man who, together with his murdered father, becomes intrinsically linked to the mass murder, known as The Killing at Candal Creek. Wheels within wheels, lies, extortion, and coverups lead Clyde to a bloody confrontation on a deserted beach in the tropics. This time, it’s not only his own life at risk but also that of one of his most valued and closest friends.

Word Count: Click here to reveal78000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay, Lesbian (Click here to hide)

Summary: Reading Loving Artemis by Janet Mason  is a full-body immersion into the 1970s, with the smells of joints and musk oil, the tastes of beer and lip gloss, and the sounds of motorcycles roaring down a highway. It captures perfectly the days when young queers searched library catalog cards to find “homosexual” books, when teen lesbians felt they were the only ones in the world. More than a coming-of-age story, more than the love story of Artemis and Grace, the novel is also an illuminating and thoroughly enjoyable journey through the decades. I cared about these characters and loved seeing their lives come full circle by the book’s end in the 21st century. – Kathy Anderson, Bull and Other Stories   Loving Artemis, An Endearing Tale of Revolution, Love And Marriage (Thorned Heart Press, August 2022) by  Janet Mason is a novel that comes just as the hard-won right of marriage equality is being threatened. Loving Artemis appeals to a wide readership, with particular interest to the LGBTQA+ audience. As a love story and a coming-of-age narrative, it holds universal appeal. It is also an important slice of American history -- enticing to those who have lived through it. It also attracts a younger audience who want to learn about the events that led to marriage equality. Artemis found the love of her life when she met Linda, but their passionate relationship fizzles when Artemis lands herself on the other side of the law. Pulling the pieces of her life together, Artemis rekindles her relationship with Linda, and together they raise a daughter. Meanwhile, Grace, running from her past, starts a life with Thalia. At a pride parade, Grace spots someone who reminds her of Artemis, who she was briefly involved with in her youth. Old feelings are rekindled. A lifetime of rejection, abandonment, and fleeing rears its head, Now she must come to terms with her past, put her relationship with Artemis to rest--or risk losing everything. Artemis and Grace embark on a journey of revolution, love, and marriage and discovery that love finds us when we least expect it. Janet Mason is an award-winning creative writer, teacher, and occasional blogger for such places as The Huffington Post. Her book, Tea Leaves, a memoir of mothers and daughters, published by Bella Books in 2012, was chosen by the American Library Association for its 2013 Over the Rainbow List. Tea Leaves also received a Goldie Award. Her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and her novel THEY, a biblical tale of secret genders (Adelaide Books – New York and Lisbon) was featured at the 2018 Frankfurt Book Fair. Adelaide Books also published her novel The Unicorn, The Mystery late in 2020. She lives and writes in Philadelphia. Her novel Loving Artemis, an endearing tale of revolution, love and marriage was published by Thorned Heart Press in August, 2022.

Word Count: Click here to reveal55,700 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay, Lesbian, Pansexual, Polyamorous (Click here to hide)

Summary: Six unconventional people find their unconventionally-perfect matches in a community of adventurers and academics. An American heiress travels to England in 1905, soon to meet an aristocratic lady adventurer who becomes the friend and partner of a lifetime … An Oxford solicitor finds himself possessed of a modest estate, yet has no one with whom to share it. Seeking a lady of intelligence, he finds his perfect match … A gemstone magnate from Ceylon forms a connection with the Spanish secretary to an English duchess. The time may be right for their love; the place is not. But in the south of France they can live together in the sun … A sweet, low-angst, ensemble Edwardian frolic. Adult situations, themes, and language, with three happy endings.