Books Tagged With potential trigger - grief; past loss

Word Count: Click here to reveal84000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: The Birthmark Murders (MM mystery with slow-burn sparks) Step into a world where secrets smoulder between the lines and truth hides behind the curtain. A famous father’s death. A city of secrets. A son who won’t let go. A play that refuses to stay on the stage. When Mikael—a half-Finnish New Zealander—returns to Finland to probe his father’s supposed suicide, nothing adds up. With reluctant new friend Pekka Wall, a sharp-tongued editor-translator, and a local misfit at his side, the stunning Mikael slips into Finland’s eccentric underbelly. In nightless summer, the light hides more than it reveals; silence is a blade; the past refuses burial. As layers of performance, paranoia, and betrayal peel back, the real challenge isn’t catching a killer—it’s facing the truth. Darkly funny and emotionally charged, The Birthmark Murders blends satire with sorrow, theatre with obsession, and a distinctly Finnish atmosphere you’ll feel in your bones. It launches a new pair of gay sleuths—Pekka Wall & Tuomas Ylivire—who crackle with wit and chemistry… even as the body count rises. For Queer Romance Ink readers MM mystery / crime with slow-burn attraction and banter Reluctant partners → found family vibes Queer leads front and center, no tragedy porn Atmospheric Nordic summer, theatre & literary satire Tone: darkly comic, emotionally satisfying, hopeful ending for the sleuths If you love smart, stylish queer mysteries with bite and heart—start The Birthmark Murders today. Grab your copy and meet your next favorite duo.

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

Character Identities: Click here to revealAce, Bisexual (Click here to hide)

Summary: When mages come to collect on the deal that resurrected Elias Batesian with deadly supernatural powers, he, his mage-king Beau, and brilliant queen Penny find their kingdom caught in a centuries-old battle between ancient magic and the secret society built to defend against it. If Elias can come to terms with the man he was before Beau–and may have to become again–he’ll secure unlikely allies to keep magic from breaking the world. Book two of the Heart-Mage Trilogy, A VILLAIN’S HOPE is a polyam, bi fantasy romance. A perfect read for lovers of found family, steamy on-page spice, royal/guard, complex and loveable characters, and bi, Autistic, and ADHD rep. Book one of the trilogy was named to Kirkus Reviews’ Top 100 Best Indie Books of 2025 and Top 6 Best LGBTQ+ Indies of 2025.

Word Count: Click here to reveal64354 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A Christmas in July Release! The stranger Kieran spent the night with was never supposed to become front-page news. But the morning after their snow-covered Christmas hookup, Kieran discovers the man he spent the night with is Thane Hale—professional hockey's golden boy—and he's coming out as bisexual to the entire world. At twenty-nine, Thane has spent years controlling every part of his image. One quiet drink before the headlines hit was supposed to help him breathe. Instead, he found Kieran. Young. Beautiful. Completely unaware of who Thane was. And for one perfect night, Thane got to feel normal again. Now he can’t stay away. Not when Kieran looks at him like the headlines don’t matter. Not when one holiday hookup is starting to feel dangerously real. And Kieran? Kieran is starting to realize he doesn’t just want Thane for Christmas. He wants him for keeps.

Word Count: Click here to reveal45000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: There’s no glory in custodial work. That never bothered campus janitor Carl Gibson any. He worked hard—had to. His love life was a tragedy best not reopened and his only hope for the happiness he broadcast to the world was in two things: Halloween and the shrill, ever-demanding bark of his darling Lilah. But Halloween decorations were being displaced by Christmas already, and his precious pug? He could only hope she’d hold on a bit longer. Austin Edwards had failed his little boy. The most junior dining manager at the college, when everyone called out on Halloween, he got called in. The house lights were all dark. except one. A sparkling hope of legend at the college. For his boy’s sake, he hoped Carl was as crazy about Halloween as the stories said. When Carl filled his son’s empty bag with candy, Austin couldn’t help but wonder why such a wonderful man was so alone. He had to find out. With Christmas fast approaching, Carl and Austin tip-toe into dating. But they both have ghosts and memories to contend with. Can Austin be Carl’s Christmas vision? Or will Carl retreat, as he always has?

Word Count: Click here to reveal65,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: ~~AMAZON TOP 10 BESTSELLER~~ Keep your lovers close—and your enemies in bed. TURK. My club sent me to track him down. And when my mission was over, I never wanted another one again. When I found him, I kicked the crap out of Havelock Singer. I issued the mightiest beatdown of all time. Problem is, we’re evenly matched. We’re equals in every way, and when we finished whaling on each other, exhausted, we fell into each other’s arms. I’ve never regretted it for an instant. It’s been the ride of my life. But loving another man in the MC world is a risky business. As if our business isn’t already brutal and ruthless enough, Lock’s homophobic sergeant-at-arms Stumpy gets an eyeful of our lovemaking and blackmails us into doing some of his dirty work, or be exposed for what we are—a couple of deviants. This run into the Indian reservation is sleazy and beneath us, but now I’m cornered, and I’ll do anything to keep my sweet Master from being lynched by his club. LOCK. When that kingpin Carmine Rojas got a load of my beautiful stallion Turk Blackburn, he’d stop at nothing to have him—and Rojas gets what he wants. It’s my fault we’re in this situation. I should’ve kicked Turk’s ass and sent him packing back to The Bare Bones. I wasn’t even close to being ready to come out, but now they’re forcing my hand. I can hear my destiny calling me. Either I’ll slink back to my club like a hetero bounty hunter with no morals—and no respect from anyone in my own backyard—or I’ll step up to the plate and be the lion of the day. Either way, my lover and I are screwed. Our clubs are going to hound us underground or into another country before we escape this mess—if we don’t die trying. “Living off the grid and being an outlaw brings a dangerous reality.” –Ron Perlman Publisher’s warning: This book is not for the faint of heart. It contains scenes of gay sex, consensual BDSM, illegal doings, derisive terms for homosexuals used by Bad Guys, dubious consent, and man-on-man violence. There is no cheating and a HEA.

Word Count: Click here to reveal60000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul. ANSON: I was just a mercenary back from fighting the good fight overseas. I was on a quest for my father, my roots, looking for answers. Turk Blackburn, Bent Zealots MC Prez, ordered me on a fresh operation to prove myself, my guts, my valor. Infiltrate the Navajo Rez and find out who is claiming the Zealots’ turf, using kids to cook drugs. My partner is the famous badge slut, Ormond Tangier, known far and wide for his mad oral skills, his subservience to anyone in uniform. Mercenaries don’t wear badges, but my dominant side soon has me all over that seductive Spanish servant. A man may as well have a few laughs while on a fatal mission. Because these things never end pleasantly. ORMOND: I was flung into a life-or-death battle against the slimy Iceman, leader of a rival MC. Iceman is running all sorts of questionable ops on Bent Zealots land, and now Anson and I have to prove our street creds just to stake a claim in our own backyard. I’m a friend of cops, firemen, and soldiers alike, but suddenly I only want one man ordering me around. Anson Dineyazzie, macho half-breed hired gun, has stolen more than just my heart. This was never supposed to happen. ANSON: I swear I’m never falling for that service bottom Ormond. I’m accomplishing this op and going back to Afghanistan. But I have to wrest control of this Rez land from Iceman and the lethal hit man who has been trailing us. I’d bury anyone who got between me and Ormond. Does that mean I’m in love? God, I hope not. Don’t think I can take that again. Just need to get back onto the open road and blow the dust from my soul. Publisher’s warning: This book is not for the faint of heart. It contains scenes of gay sex, illegal doings, violence, mild BDSM, and forced seduction roleplay. There is no cliffhanger or cheating and there is a HEA.

Word Count: Click here to reveal10233 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Gil and Ford shared a pivotal moment when they were kids living in tiny Leeward, California, on the northern coastal highway. Immediately afterward, Gil moved to the San Francisco Bay Area with his family so his mother could get better cancer care. Years later, Gil is back in Leeward, working as CFO at Mainsail Construction where Ford supervises the work teams. Gil has come home to take care of his father after the older man’s stroke. While Gil says he’s a small town boy at heart and is glad to be back, Ford wonders if that’s true or if he’ll bail as soon as his dad is settled. Is Gil being honest with himself? If so, how does Ford fit into his new life?

Word Count: Click here to reveal65,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: They do not apologize for a damned thing. VAN. Revenge for the death of my lover led me west, out of the Appalachian holler where meth-making defined me. I was not that backwoods addict but a clean member of a motorcycle club where violence and mayhem prevailed. My only outlet was cruising the dating apps, and yes, catfishing juicy hunks under a fake profile. Some sleazery just never vanishes. But I was trying. HUNT. As an astrophysicist and family man, I was seemingly living the good life. But the persona I’d kept hidden for decades insisted on bursting forth. I needed to handle the crazy, so I came out to my wife and children. A heart attack showed me the path, and it led directly to the loving arms of Van Rossi, a down-to-earth fellow hillbilly. His rustic persona brought out the lusty, experimental side of me, and I’d follow him to any jackoff club at the end of the earth. VAN. Dr. Mountjoy is beyond my redneck reach. I loathe myself for scamming such an upstanding academic—with such upstanding equipment. My stunning archangel has dropped from heaven just for me, and I don’t deserve him. And when the Society’s Baggers come to blast the Bent Zealots MC, Hunt will see the real me. I’m not even brave enough to follow through on my revenge. How can this beautiful saint see anything in me at all? I have my whole life to apologize for, but he doesn’t need to apologize for a fucking thing. Publisher’s Note: This book is not for the faint of heart. It contains scenes of graphic gay sex, illegal doings, consensual bondage and discipline, forced seduction, catfishing, rimming, teabagging, jackoff clubs, themes of Daddy dominance, and violence in general. It’s a full-length novel of 60,000 words. There is no cheating or cliffhangers, and there are HEAs for all.

Word Count: Click here to reveal82000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: After an amicable divorce, Euan Holmes follows his retired parents to live on the Isle of Lewis. His daughter, eight-year old Billie, unhappy in London, comes to join him in the new house he has designed. An architect, specialising in eco-homes, Euan has set up his own company to create homes on small developments across the Highlands and islands. When Billie arrives, the first thing she needs is a school. Murdo MacIntyre has lived on Lewis all his life. He’s gay, but has never had a relationship—his sister, then his niece, and his work, have always come first. He’s taught at the local primary school for eighteen years—his whole teaching career and has spent eight years as headteacher. He is also guardian to his eight-year-old niece, Fion. Fion and Billie hit it off immediately, and become fast friends. One night, Murdo and Euan overhear the girls discussing how lonely the two men are, and that perhaps they could be boyfriends. Murdo, embarrassed, apologises, although he might wish for the same, and Euan finds he can’t stop thinking about the idea. Are the girls right, after all?

Word Count: Click here to reveal19000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Snow turns to sleet where monsters tread As the resident sorcerers, Toren and his family protect their village from monsters—like the one they trapped in the mountains decades ago. But on the eve of the annual midwinter festival, it’s not a monster but a sudden eruption at the springs that threatens their lives. With rescue spells failing and the danger of a second, more deadly eruption looming, Toren discovers that a monster responsible for his brother’s death holds the key to saving the village. When his family refuses to listen, Toren must make an impossible choice: risk their wrath by seeking the monster’s help, or lose everything his brother died to protect. ___________________________ 100 pages / 19,000 words - Novella Content notes are available in the book's front matter and on the author's website.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: A Christmas in July Release! Cozy MM Holiday Romances. An entire Christmas season in one collection. Celebrate Christmas in July with over 1000 pages of cozy, emotional, and binge-worthy MM holiday romance featuring beloved couples, heartwarming favorites, and THREE brand-new holiday novellas written exclusively for this collection. Inside you’ll find: holiday weddings hockey romance fake dating Daddy/boy & Daddy/little dynamics bi-awakenings small-town charm found family emotional hurt/comfort spicy holiday nights ... and all the Christmas feels Return to fan-favorite couples including: Niall & Eli Wynter & Taran Savion & Declan Markus & Nicky Aiden & Levi Creed & Avery … and more.

Word Count: Click here to reveal120000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: May-December love is sweet… but December doesn’t last forever. Tim Davis always knew he’d likely outlive his older husband. He just thought they’d have more time. He also never imagined that their final years together would revolve around a grueling and protracted battle with cancer. Eighteen months later, he’s still coming to terms with his loss and his new life. Where does he go from here? Alex Ouellette is drowning in grief and survivor’s guilt, constantly reliving the moment his world stopped. Then a friend suggests that a change of scenery and the company of men who’ve been through similar losses could do him some good. Alex is dubious, but he agrees to go. Neither man has high hopes for this widowers’ retreat. Grief and loneliness have been constant and unwelcome companions, though. At this point, they’ll try anything. The last thing either anticipates when they get there? A powerful spark of attraction. Friendship blooms. Then more. They bond over their grief, but also find joy, laughter, and a connection neither expected to ever feel again. As their broken worlds collide, both Tim and Alex finally have unexpected hope that there’s life after loss. But grief’s dark clouds are never far behind, and the past could be the one thing standing in the way of a happy future. After December is a 120,000-word standalone gay romance novel.

Word Count: Click here to reveal90000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Callum I've wanted to play pro hockey since I was nine years old. That's when my grandfather looked at an angry, hurting, orphaned kid and said, "A sport might be a good way for you to work some of that out." Sadly, in the Under-11s division, punching people wasn't part of the game, which is how I ended up a goalie, to keep me out of temptation's way. Well, plus I'm good at it. Now I'm in the PHL, and have the second-best record (and yes, the most penalties) of any goalie in the league. I'm aiming for the NAPH and when I make it, I'm going to pay off my grandfather's mortgage and get the family store back out of debt. I'm not going to let anything derail me, not my high-school crush moving in next door, nor my least-favorite uncle showing up. But sometimes determination isn't enough to keep life going my way. Zeke I joined the Vancouver police department to honor my military dad after he passed and do good in the world. But a long stint undercover left its marks, and now suddenly I'm the guardian for my twelve-year-old half-brother. I'm rethinking everything about my life, and scrambling to fit a bereaved pre-teen into my shift work. Only help from my elderly neighbor, Mr. Fitzpatrick, and his hockey player grandson, Callum, lets me keep my head above water. My attraction to Callum is a whole other problem. I'm trying hard not to let my appreciation for red hair and strong muscles and blunt honesty get out of control. Because Callum's gay but he's definitely not out and not looking for a relationship. We're just convenient. I'm not going to be the one to mess up his single-minded drive toward the top professional league. Until the day he comes to me, asking for help, and everything changes. The Games We Play - Season 2 - is the second season of this multi-author minor league hockey romance series! All titles run concurrently through the same hockey season and the books can be read in any order, so jump in anywhere!

Word Count: Click here to reveal79000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Coming back from loss, one heartbeat at a time. Alec ran from his grief over the death of his son, throwing a few things in his car and driving west. In the town of Gaynor Beach, CA, he hit the shore and stopped. The next step would be off a broken pier into the ocean and although he stands daily watching the waves, he's not quite ready for that. Especially when a young voice like his son's, behind him, says, "Hey, Mister, you wanna see a picture of an albatross?" Joe brought his preteen son to Gaynor Beach, looking for a better place to raise his kid. Kevin loves California— the beaches, the marine life, the weather, and the freedom. But when Joe finds out Kevin's "ghost down by the pier" is a living, grieving, and much too appealing man, this simple new life is about to change, for all of them. * hurt-comfort, single dad, grief and recovery, sweet rescue dog, bright preteen, HEA The books in the Single Dads of Gaynor Beach series stand alone, but why not discover them all, and meet the wide range of complicated, wonderful men raising kids in this fictional California town.

Word Count: Click here to reveal96000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealAce, Gay, Non Binary, Questioning, Polyamorous, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: Longtime friends Jack Riley and Juliette (aka Jules) Baxter are now partners in a new breakfast café, but they are surprised to be confronted by a wave of homophobia in a town known for its inclusive and diverse LGBTQA+ community. Their romantic lives are just as uncertain. Jack, a gay former actor and fashion model, has failed at committed relationships due to his unsavory past – until he meets Reese Baxter, his partner’s handsome, closeted cousin. Jules juggles several polyamorous relationships due to major trust issues, until she’s drawn to an intriguing artist. However his jealousy of her bestie Jack is getting out of hand. Is the vandalism against their café from conservative hate groups, or is it a focused personal attack?

Word Count: Click here to reveal79000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Taran I've disappointed a lot of people in my life, but the one that still hurts is Diego. I should've been honest about my feelings for him, but instead I went off to college and focused on my so-called football career. Eight years later, when we saw each other again for the first time, we ended up in the backseat of his car just like old times. I know it's selfish, but I'd beg for another chance to treat him right. Diego What a pathetic cliche, the gay theater kid that fell for the closeted high school quarterback. He might've broken my heart ages ago, but when Taran showed up at my stepsister's wedding, I knew I was in danger all over again. I have a great life in the city, good friends, talent, aspirations, hook up apps. The last thing I need is a blast from the past to destroy it all. So why the hell can't I stay away from him?

Word Count: Click here to reveal102000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Spencer’s thirtieth birthday is right around the corner, and he wants to say goodbye to his twenties with a bang. Literally. As a self-proclaimed sex god, Spencer has sworn off love and dedicated himself to finishing his F***-it List – a collection of wild fantasies he’s checked off one by one. Now, only one fantasy remains: rock a virgin’s world with a night of unforgettable sex. Shy, sweet Mickey seems like the perfect candidate, but he’ll need a major confidence boost before he’s ready to go all the way. Hoping for a chance to be Mickey’s first, Spencer makes him an offer he can’t refuse – he’ll transform Mickey into San Francisco’s next sex god. Mickey, who’s always felt out of step with the gay scene, jumps at the chance to reinvent himself. It isn’t long, though, before styling tips and flirting lessons give way to stolen glances and heart-to-heart conversations, and what started as a playful makeover begins to look a lot like falling in love. For Spencer, feelings were never part of the plan. But as Mickey blossoms into a self-assured man and their connection deepens, Spencer is forced to ask himself: is Mickey just another checkmark on his list, or could he be the man who finally makes Spencer believe in love? Better Than Sex is a steamy, slow burn, opposites-attract romance. Loaded with humor and heart, the story explores friendship, found family, and the messy, wonderful lengths we go to for love and acceptance.

Word Count: Click here to reveal77816 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Ray Cortez returned to Seattle after fourteen years to help his pregnant best friend and her partner. He meets another fireman at his station, and is immediately attracted to blond Viking, but Ray doesn’t date straight or closeted guys. Leif Ramsey has spent the last year trying to figure out how to come out to his mother and macho firefighter brother, terrified he’ll lose them. With Ray’s no-closeted-men policy, Leif takes the risk. When a fire at Ray’s childhood home ignites past trauma and threatens their growing trust, can Ray and Leif survive the heat, or will their relationship go up in smoke?

Word Count: Click here to reveal64500 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: The bull shifter, Ryan, and his human mate, Caleb, have made a good life together. Alongside Caleb’s mother, Mandy, they run an animal rehabilitation center on their ranch. Ryan has become the honorary uncle to two young bull shifters, and Caleb is proud at how well his mate has acclimated to the human world. For Ryan, he’s found the family and the peace he’s long craved, and he’s determined to keep it by whatever means necessary. But their quiet lives are disrupted when Caleb’s aunt—Chief Hera of the US Agency—visits. And she brings a dire warning: the Knights of the Dawn want Ryan’s blood. After losing someone precious to them during a skirmish with the knights, Caleb spirals into grief, and Ryan must work through his guilt and sorrow to care for his mate. A task made easier when Hera stays with her nephews, sharing their heartache. After they retreat to Haven, Montana, they begin the long process of healing. Unfortunately, Haven is in a state of unrest, and they are sucked into shifter politics that threaten the safety of the community as a whole. Meanwhile, the knights still need Ryan’s blood, and he can’t hide forever. Note to readers: Caleb and Ryan first show up in Love is a Whirlwind. While many of these books can be read alone, for full enjoyment please read previous books in the series, as this one does have many cameos and character resolutions.

Word Count: Click here to reveal44000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Coming to Collier’s Creek is the best decision they’ll ever make. When Kit arrives in the small town of Collier’s Creek, he's searching for a change of scenery and the solitude to help him overcome his writer's block. All he wants is to be left alone to finish his novel. Felix was born in Collier's Creek, with no plans to return. But after a nasty breakup and losing his job, he grabs the opportunity to help a friend by managing his coffee shop. He’s not going to let life get him down. Felix is drawn to the mysterious older man who says he wants nothing from him than conversation. But the sizzling looks hint at a lot more. Now he needs to convince Kit to ignore the town gossip about their age gap and theories about Kit’s past, and to give them a chance. If Felix has his way, they’ll find the happy ending they’ve both been searching for. Blue Skies is a romance between a grumpy author and a barista full of sunshine who never expected to find love in the small town of Collier’s Creek.