Books Tagged With potential trigger - abuse - past

Word Count: Click here to reveal145,000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Questioning, Polyamorous (Click here to hide)

Summary: I summon the dragon. I claim my throne. The warlocks of Icarus Academy claim me.  I start my night with a heist in a Catwoman costume at a Vegas casino--and end up shifting into my dragon form for the first time ever in mid-plummet from the roof. Except I can't actually fly. Oops. Turns out being the first dragon shifter queen to rule the witching world (while I'm simultaneously a student at the Icarus Academy) isn't, like, a party. Especially when I go into heat. Because now I have...needs that no warlock at the Academy can satisfy. Plus the only full-blooded male dragon shifter on the planet intends to kill all my warlocks and make me choose just him for my king. As. If. Sweet Jesus, this Maxim guy's causing a world of trouble.  Vasili and Ronin are fighting over whether to kill him or kiss him. My wolf shifter headmaster Lucius has his paws full trying to keep us all from getting expelled. And my sweet bookworm Neo needs something new we're all afraid to give him. When a rival rises to threaten my throne, it'll take major trust between me and all my warlocks--including that vicious dragon I've sworn I'll never claim--to save us all from an assassination attack we'll need a miracle to survive. Gemini Kings is a New Adult queer dark witch academy poly paranormal romance. This deadly duet delivers a seductive and lethal warlock court, teacher-student forbidden love, first-time MM, bi awakening, extended and explicit group encounters, a satisfying climax (no cliffhanger), and enough heat to set your Academy uniform on fire! One-click to read free on Kindle Unlimited. Content notes: This book contains mentions of pregnancy, past childhood abuse, incest, and overcoming internal homophobia as part of one hero’s journey. There is no on-page abuse, pregnancy, incest, or external homophobia, but these topics are mentioned.

Word Count: Click here to reveal135000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Genderfluid, Polyamorous (Click here to hide)

Summary: They say I’m not worthy to be the next queen. Guess I'm not the Cinderella story they signed up for. When you’re the celebrity bad girl and wild future queen of the witching world, you pretty much expect scandal, secrets, paparazzi, and bad press. Like those salacious pics plastered all over The Witching Inquisitor of me—Zara Gemini—getting hot and heavy with my whole warlock harem. Like I care about the gossip? My guys’ll burn the world down to rule at my side. What I don’t expect is to be betrayed, humiliated, and dethroned over the scandal by my backstabbing ex-boyfriend and my lying ex-BFF. And thanks for ruining my birthday bash on live TV. Now I’ll need to use every trick in my dark witch academy spell book to win back my throne, pay back my enemies, and prove I’m worthy to the whole witching world. Never mind that I’m only a freshman at the Icarus Academy, juggling an ever-expanding curriculum of magical superpowers and unpredictable superheats I can barely control. Or that adding the obsessed, possessive, tortured, and twisted Dark Fae King to my limited list of Academy allies splits my found family of warlocks right down the center. Suddenly I’m the mad, bad, totally rad rebel Cinderella of the witching world resistance. But hey, if the glass slipper fits… Gemini Wicked is a spicy, shifty, paranormal adult academy why-choose romance and the scandalous sequel to Gemini Wild. Get ready for teacher-student forbidden heat, wolf and dragon shifters, dragon riders, bi awakening, all swords crossed, seven hot bi warlocks, and a confident queen who never needs to choose. This series is guaranteed to whisk you away from your unmagical day and set your schoolgirl skirt on fire!

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

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Genderqueer, Polyamorous (Click here to hide)

Summary: Only I would start my new semester at the dark witch academy with a kidnapping (mine) on dragonback and end the night with a marriage proposal I don’t want from the King of the Dark Fae. My intense and sinister kidnapper. Suddenly I’m not only Zara Gemini, the wild rebel queen who’s supposed to save the witching world. I’m the misfit new student at the Avalon Academy for Promising Royals of the Faerie Court. And the unwilling future bride of Zephyr, the Dark Fae King. He claims our union is his last chance to break this curse that’s destroying his realm. Plus I’m already up to my royal neck in dangerous warlocks who’ll kill to rule at my side. Sounds delish, right? Not so much. See, the enchanted secret world of Avalon has a dark side, and so does this Hades-Persephone fairytale my latest suitor and I are enacting. Sure, Zephyr might be powerful as a god. He’s the sexy-pretty hottie every Fae at court is jonesing to shag. Turns out he’s also twisted AF. Let’s just call Zephyr a fixer-upper. Thankfully, my warlocks track me to Avalon, and they’ve got a hate-hate history with Zephyr. They’re hella determined to help me bust out of this joint and get us all back home to our cobbled-together found family. First I’ve got a curse to break and a kingdom to save. That’s gonna take all seven of my witchy suitors learning to trust each other, plus something even more risky from the Dark Fae King to me and my guys. That twisty, shifty, shattered heart of his needs to dare to love. Gemini Wild is a spicy paranormal why-choose romance and the sequel to Gemini Kings. This LGBT-friendly adult academy series delivers wolf and dragon shifters, dragon riders, teacher-student forbidden heat, first-time MM, bi awakening, all swords crossed, a badass queen who never has to choose, and flaming fast-burn heat!

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

Summary: Family. Christmas. Old ghosts. Or comfort, joy and new beginnings? When it comes to the holidays, Jack and Gareth are poles apart. Just the prospect of a big celebration brings Jack sleepless nights and painful memories. Add two rescued teenagers, an upcoming trial, and an unexpected discovery, and Jack is convinced he’ll screw up his second chance with Gareth. Because Gareth loves the holidays. For him, they’re all about new beginnings and family he's chosen for himself, while Jack’s past has only taught him to fight and protect. Jack wants Gareth, the boys, a new life. He just never guessed that the fight for what he always wanted would rage in the most dangerous of battlefields: the back of his head. The books of the Power of Zero series are available from my store, all retailers, Kobo Plus, and libraries. Also available as part of a bundle. Please check my store for additional links.

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Summary: A brutal war left Volos Perun with physical and emotional scars and with a reputation as a hero. Now he’s a soldier stationed at the palace, desiring Prince Berhanu while receiving only loathing in return. But when Berhanu foolishly refuses the king’s request to let Volos accompany him on a peace mission to the neighboring country, Berhanu is kidnapped and brutalized. Now Volos must risk his life as he works to save Berhanu and help his country avoid another devastating war.

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

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

Summary: As a teenager, Lincoln Woodhouse was thrown out of his home, an isolated farm in Norfolk, for being gay. Life could have gone very badly for a young uneducated boy not used to the ways of the outside world. Luckily for him, he was saved by two incredible people, a social worker who found him a school and a place to live, and her brother, who taught him all he knew about working with wood. Sixteen years later, Linc has a successful business and many good friends, but he longs for more. One day, he receives a call about a job unlike any he' s done before. The beautiful voice on the end of the phone stirs something within him. A few days later, Linc discovers that the man who opens the door is every bit as attractive as the voice. David Rallison was adopted at the age of three into a happy family who helped him to deal with the other issues in his life. David has two great loves— books and cats. He loves running the local library, and also fosters kittens, but hasn' t yet found someone special to share his life. Could the person on his doorstep be that man? Book One of the Finding Family trilogy follows Linc and David from their first meeting to their discovering more about each other. But, as they begin to build a relationship, echoes of the past are always there, ready to destroy possible hopes of a future together.

Word Count: Click here to reveal86,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: David and Linc are now a couple and have each other to help them deal with whatever challenges the past and present throw at them. Having discovered his mother has died, Linc now needs to face the ghosts of his youth and return to the place he grew up. His Uncle Noah has done everything he can to remove the spectre of Linc's grandfather, but is it enough for Linc to move on, and is he prepared to discover more about his past? For David the present is just as demanding and more threatening. Now he has discovered his mother's name, will he continue his journey, and what will he discover? As he negotiates a path through his life story, David's whole world becomes more uncertain when the library faces possible closure. If he loses his job, what will he do? Will he be forced to leave the place, the family, and the man he loves? In the meantime, life goes on all around them. Linc and David enjoy their first holiday, a baby is born, kittens are fostered, pregnancies and weddings are announced, and Linc and David have plans of their own. Can their found family help when circumstances try to force them apart?

Word Count: Click here to reveal81000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A baby’s laughter. A mind uncaged. Lance is known as Scourge, the warrior in the black armor, the dog of the warlord Ulfr Blackwolf. He was just a boy when Ulfr found him and molded him into the perfect weapon. He slaughters and pillages on command, merciless and numb, devoid of emotions. Then a baby girl laughs at him during a raid. And everything changes. When Gust, a talented healer, is out deer hunting and stumbles across a magnificent horse bearing a mortally wounded rider, he has no idea that his life is about to change forever. Gust applies all his skills to his patient, determined to save the rider’s life, and is rewarded when the man opens his eyes. As friendship, and more, bloom between warrior and healer, so does the danger over the horizon. Ulfr has not forgotten, and Lance must take his first steps on the long road to redemption.

Word Count: Click here to reveal44080 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Wolf shifter Xavier learns that you are often your own worst enemy. Josh McPhee always wanted to be an agent. To keep from going crazy at the Agency’s New Mexico substation, he talks to the imprisoned wolf shifter—or tries to. Their one-sided conversations only prove the shifter is not getting the help he needs. After all, he is a victim too. Wolf shifter Xavier doesn’t remember much before his time with the Knights or the time under their control, where he was brainwashed and used to kill innocent shifters. He wants to recover his memories, and yet he fears what he might find. He would escape were it not for the aide whose voice quiets Xavier’s implanted urges. Late one night the Knights attack the station to retrieve what’s theirs. Overpowered, Josh cannot stop them before they unlock Xavier’s cage. But Xavier rushes to Josh’s rescue and, sensing his opportunity, escapes, taking Josh with him. When Josh wakes up on the road, they strike a bargain: Josh offers Xavier one month of freedom before he calls in the Agency. Both doubt he can be cured, but something about Josh makes Xavier better. They just have to figure out what before the enemy catches up to them. Second Edition with updated and revised text.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: In one tragic night Steven loses everything: his lover, his dreams, and his sight, but he gains the compassionate, caring dominant he has always longed for. He starts to rebuild with Nick, a fellow survivor of the tragedy, and together they discover new heights of love and ecstasy, and the real magic they can create together. Nick must teach Steven not only how to have a healthy and consensual BDSM relationship, but how to navigate the ways of magic. You see, Nick is secretly a mage, and the longer they're together, the more obvious it becomes that Steven is one, too. But as Steven begins to wield his new--and terrifyingly strong--powers, he draws the attention of evil beyond our world. The ancient enemies of the faerie courts have banded together under a cruel, calculating leader, and Steven is the only one standing in his way. Only Steven can defeat this threat... And he doesn't have the first clue where to start.

Word Count: Click here to reveal56841 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealLesbian, Questioning, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: Fourteen tales of women who love women await you within the pages of Her Sigh. Meet Alindra, a woman fleeing a deadly revolution in Evermore. A young reporter seeks to buy love with money in Red Shoes. A ghost of love long lost haunts Vasira in Memories In The Mist. Sophie is a woman with a tragic secret in the war-torn world of Sophie’s Song. In The Price Of Love, Alicia trades love for marriage and risks losing her childhood friend Yumi forever. Princess Talia must choose between her birthright and her lover in Talia’s Choice. In dystopian tale Expiration Date, Amy and Esther learn that raising a child with a limited life span can bring a couple closer together or drive them apart. Freya must Hope Against Hope if she’s to keep her and Aerie’s dream of a Mars colony alive. A trans woman and a lipstick lesbian find companionship and solace in The Antidote, while a woman dreams of her first encounter in Rainy Sunday. Memories are precious… except when they may doom an entire planet, as Alisha learns in Memoria. In Sickness And In Health… Lena and Raine learn the true meaning of those words when a plague strikes their humble village. Arienne must learn to sing the Songs Of Life and Death if she is to fight for something she truly believes in and not someone else’s war. All worlds must come to The End, and digital ones are no exception, as Athea and Ellyne discover.

Word Count: Click here to reveal50,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Two men, one with a past and one determined to give them a future. Mick Flanagan has kept himself hidden since his only lover died three years ago. He works at night, keeps to his routine, has impressive facial hair and avoids contact with other people as much as possible. Enter Ceri Llewellyn, with his constantly changing rainbow-colored hair, who, for reasons Mick doesn’t understand, seems determined to talk to him. Gradually, Mick reveals his traumatic past as he begins to trust Ceri enough to shake himself out of his entrenched routines. Ceri Llewellyn has no idea why Mick intrigues him, but he determines to bring this shy man out of his protective shell, especially when he discovers they share a mutual love of all things Doctor Who. Ceri faces his own turning point, a moment when he must decide on his future. The more time he spends with Mick, the more he realises he wants Mick to be a part of this new life. Can Ceri show Mick he’s his perfect companion, give him the new beginning he needs and, above all else, help him find his true self?

Word Count: Click here to reveal85119 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Eighteen-year-old Aaron Pickard is dealing with a lot: he’s falling for his straight best friend, his mother has ended up in the hospital after a violent assault by his father, and he’s trying to decide when to come out. Tack on the stress of an upcoming prom and graduation, a part-time job, and the possibility he could lose his best friend, and he’s an emotional wreck. Aaron’s best friend Jeff Leaton provides a soft place for him to fall when his life is thrown into chaos, literally holding him each night as they fall asleep. As Jeff helps Aaron navigate through the mess that has become his new normal, Aaron’s feelings for Jeff intensify. Aaron’s pretty sure it’s all going to end badly, but he’s holding on to hope.

Word Count: Click here to reveal55000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A rowdy superstar in danger. His resentful new guardian. It’s hate at first sight until love takes an unexpected encore.   Closeted actor Owen fears failure and betrayal. So after he’s stabbed by a crazy fan, the movie studio offers a hunky bodyguard for protection. Suspicious that the ripped security man is just a gossip-seeking plant, he pushes back at his bulging biceps, ignoring the chemistry.   Newly retired SEAL Jamal is having a hard time adjusting to civilian life. Reluctantly taking a Hollywood job for a bad boy with tight abs, he’s sure the star is simply paranoid. But when he discovers the sexy celebrity is in serious jeopardy, he doesn’t hesitate to jump into action mode.   As the peril hits closer to home, Owen finds himself falling for the handsome hero fighting for his life. And as the threats intensify, Jamal fears he might lose the man he has come to love.   Will Owen and Jamal go down in a catastrophic climax, or will they star in their own happy ending?   Hollywood Lighting is the red-hot first book in the Bodyguards M/M contemporary romance series. If you like tortured heroes, intense predicaments, and steamy affairs, then you’ll adore J. V. Speyer’s tale of LGBT passion.   Buy Hollywood Lighting to let desire take centerstage today!

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

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

Summary: In 1920, a werewolf attack changed Malachi Powers’s life forever. Now, a decade later, Malachi lives near Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, as a lone wolf, avoiding humans and other werewolves alike. Two young men, Roger and Jonathan, arrive on the beach below Malachi’s cottage with a boat full of illegal hooch. Captivated by his unexpected visitors, Malachi wants them to stay. But bringing the men into his life would mean letting them in on his secret—and endangering his heart. Once again, Malachi’s life is changing. Forever. 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.

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Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Pansexual, Polyamorous, Straight (Click here to hide)

Summary: In a respectable neighbourhood, on the top floor of a beautiful house, crouches the Succubus; by design, and by temperament, she is all that men crave and fear. To the wealthy and privileged men of London, the Succubus is a test they must pass to gain access to the House of Sable Locks, the most exclusive brothel in town. However, to William, a wealthy young man born and raised in India, she is the very essence of his desires. William is recovering from the loss of everything he knows and loves when he first meets the Succubus. With great care she tears him apart... and he falls in love again. But their idyll cannot last: there is a killer loose in London, and the darkness of William's past is about to collide with the terror of his present. Based on the story "The Succubus" from the acclaimed erotic steampunk anthology Like Clockwork, HOUSE OF SABLE LOCKS lets us enter the mysterious brothel readers previously only had a glimpse of.

Word Count: Click here to reveal89.600 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealAce, Gay, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: Can you leave your heart on the other side of the galaxy? When Wouter, a down-to-earth dyslexic caretaker, accidentally activates a travel disc sent by his late brother, he finds himself whisked away to a distant planet. Desperate to go home and reassure his grieving mother he’s alive, he’s instead stuck struggling to fill his brother’s shoes to keep the amphibian bani from freezing to death. Nif, a bani healer, clings to human music as a lifeline to memories of joy and a world beyond grief after losing his mate. Intrigued by the culture behind the songs he cherishes, he volunteers for Wouter’s support team—even as many of his kin distrust the humans, fearing exploitation of their fuel production. Their first meeting is one of necessity—a human in need and a bani ready to mend. As they navigate mistranslations, killer plants, and space pirates, a deeper connection blossoms between them. Each shared moment and conquered challenge draws them closer to an inevitable farewell. Will Wouter leave his heart or his home? In this slow-burn ace romance, discover a low-angst intergalactic adventure where true connection transcends stars and species. ___________________________ Content notes are available in the book's front matter and on the author's website.

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Summary: On the night of the full moon, a six-year-old human boy goes missing, and werewolf Alpha Tobias Rogan is blamed. But Kyle Slidell, Tobias’s vegan mate, knows who is truly responsible. Saul Hughes, a former Alpha turned fugitive, has followed his victim Brianna, Tobias and Kyle’s newest packmate, to Boston. Saul will do anything to destroy Tobias, including turning members of Tobias’s own pack against him–and trying to turn Tobias against Kyle. Immune to Saul’s mind-control power, Kyle locates the child. To rescue the boy and clear Tobias’s name, Kyle disobeys the regional werewolf leader, the Arkhon, and violates shifter law, placing his own life at risk and leaving Saul still on the loose in Boston. As the full extent of Saul’s crimes and abuse of Brianna comes to light, Kyle works with Tobias and members of the neighboring pack to locate the fugitive. But before they can stop him, Saul takes Brianna captive–and one of them will not survive. This book was originally published in 2012. This version has been revised, edited, and expanded from the original, with additional content originally published as a separate novel in 2013. This book contains child abduction; references to off-page abuse and sexual assault; violence between werewolves; and depictions of PTSD.

Word Count: Click here to reveal87000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Shane A cat is a man's best friend, because they can't be bought or threatened. If they don't like you, they walk away, showing you their butthole. If they stick around, it's because they find you interesting. Mimsy's stayed with me through six years and across half the country, which means I'm not a total loser. We earn our daily bread and fishy treats by busking, and sometimes we get lucky. Like this abandoned wine-tasting place we're squatting in. California climate so we don't need heat, running water still on, all the comforts of home. Sure, there's a weird guy with mental health issues who shows up now and then, but he keeps life interesting and he's not bad to look at. We might stick around Gaynor Beach for a while. Theo I finally have control of my grandparents' legacy, which means I can give away all the things they valued more than me. I have enough money to live on without theirs. The vineyard's easy. I'll give it to Manuel, the guy who did most of the work while never being allowed in their showplace mansion. I love imagining his kids bouncing on Grandmère's priceless antiques. The wine-tasting parlor's harder. I'd like to burn it to the ground, but the cops frown on arson, plus when I went to check it out there was a homeless guy living in it. Instead of being scared of me— because I admit, I was losing it a bit when he spotted me— he cleaned up the cut on my arm and listened to me ramble. He had no clue who I was and I liked that. Maybe I can turn my grandparents' showroom into a homeless shelter. Or something for homeless animals. Shane loves his little cat, and I wouldn't mind if they stuck around for a while. Impurrfections is a slow-burn romance between a guy who loves pets more than people, and a man trying to escape a painful legacy, who come together to build something better for themselves and Gaynor Beach. Warning for past history of emotional abuse. This book is part of the multi-author stand-alone series Friends of Gaynor Beach Animal Rescue

Word Count: Click here to reveal67750 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Sometimes the best place to hide is in plain sight. Triss Singleton came to Summit Springs to find a safe place to raise her baby. No one believed her claims about her abusive ex-husband, so she saved herself by taking on a new identity. She just wants to start over and is leery of any cops, current and former… until she meets Briona Maverick, Summit Springs’ sheriff, jumpstarting her bisexual heart. After her missing girlfriend turns up dead, Briona is shattered. She’s certain she’s done with love and relationships, but the mysterious Triss Singleton makes her want to try again. Triss is more guarded than Fort Knox and avoids talking about her past, but something simmering under those well-fortified defenses makes Briona cautiously hope Triss is the kind of woman she’s been searching for her whole life. Plus, baby on the way. Bonus! But trouble arrives when Triss’s ex shows up in Summit Springs, and Briona faces a dilemma. She’s sworn to uphold her oath to protect abused women like Triss, but she’s an officer of the law, which often fails those women. Briona wants the happily-ever-after, but the sheriff must uphold justice. The wrong decision could cost her everything.