Books Tagged With potential trigger - grief; past loss

Word Count: Click here to reveal100000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Bookish, lonely farm boy Liam finally heads off to college at 20, determined to enjoy his freedom. He's gonna party, he's gonna get laid, and dammit, he's gonna enjoy himself. Except it kind of sucks. Gianni never struggles with anything but boredom: the chief difficulty in the life of a vicious, century old vampire. And then his pretty little roommate Liam reminds him what he loves about being alive, and Gianni decides he simply has to have him. It begins as pure entertainment, a provisional friendship. Then it turns into a challenge. Then something like love, at times indistinguishable from hate. It’s a love story for monsters, and the beginning of something that will affect their lives, families, friends, and world forever. Which, for a vampire, is a hell of a long time.   The Family is a dark m4m (eventually mmm?) romance that spirals into an epic story about love, death, and an undead found family. This is the first 21 chapters, which have a love story arc of their own.

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

Summary: Haru is a single dad, a widower, doing his best to balance his career and raising his little girl, Minako. Thankfully Fairyland theme park is a haven for both of them. However, when both a prince and a pirate start courting Haru, his balancing act gets a lot harder... Cillian plays a pirate at Fairyland theme park and he loves playing the rogueish character in and out of work hours. The last thing he wants is to settle down with a guy with a kid, so can't he stop thinking about handsome single dad Haru. And why can't he stop looking at pictures of Prince Magnificence and his stupid symmetrical face? And why does he keep running into both of them? Grayson feels he's found his home in the role of Prince Magnificence, but he's more likely to run from love than seek it out. Until he meets Haru, that is. Christmas is complicated by Grayson's role being featured in a special Christmas celebration. Not only that, but his feelings for Haru, and his possible rival Cillian keep on growing. Maybe it's time to stop hiding who he really is? -- The Good, the Bad and the Dad is a sweet MMM romance featuring a single father, a rogue and a trans prince with a heart of gold. No cheating, just the tentative first steps into polyamory.

Word Count: Click here to reveal93300 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Silya comes into her own, but will she be enough? Silya finally has everything she always wanted: She's the Hencha Queen, head of the Temple, and is mastering her newfound talents. So why does the world pick now to fall apart? Her once-nemesis Raven is off riding dragons, and their mutual friend (and her ex) Aik is nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, a new threat menaces the Heartland from the East. If she can't convince a reluctant city council to prepare for the worst, she may lose everything—and everyone—she's ever cared about. As Silya wields her abilities, dry wit, and sheer determination to save her city, she's joined by Raven and his new friends, just as a dark storm threatens to sweep them all away. Will their aid help tip the scales? And will she and Raven finally find out what happened to Aik? Forget messy. Things just got apocalyptic.

Word Count: Click here to reveal276413 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Seven unforgettable men: Gristle… Tough and hard to swallow, he’s an embittered former soldier who has absolutely buried his own humanity Wynn… A young Welsh pony trainer with a wicked sense of humor and an abiding love for a much older man Tristus… The Man of Sorrow, Gristle’s first love and a would-be acolyte of the man who will one day become a saint Xan… A scatter-foot who follows only his thirst for the open road and his lust for desirable men Dub… A scholar-warrior with a shrouded past who stands at the right hand of Ireland’s High King Fergus… That same king’s bad-boy son—a drunk and a miscreant with designs on his father’s wise man, and on that man’s own attractive brother Oisean… An innocent wilding trying to survive in a different new world, one of hidden evil and not-so-hidden desire Seven unusual men meet and interact in one way or another during a dozen or so years of turbulent adventure in the badass time of St. Patrick. One critic has described the novels as “gay sexual journeys that are powerful—and absolutely breathtaking.” The novels may be read as stand-alones. But the men’s stories are linked in a way that brings passion to higher and higher levels. As you read, I think you will want to experience the entire series as a crescendo of grief and joy and self-discovery.

Word Count: Click here to reveal21855 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: I was a child when enemies destroyed our clan.  My mother escaped and raised me in secret. Without my fathers' blood, she aged and died. Now I am the last head of Clan Lună. My enemies think I am dead, my clan is scattered to the winds, and I am just coming into my powers. I will claim my birthright, rebuild my clan, and destroy our enemies. I'm just going to need a bit of help. Luckily I know where to find it. A hot team of human mercenaries specializing in security is looking for their next job. They're exactly what I need. Now I just need to convince them to believe me, keep my secrets, and rain hell on my enemies. And if Lună is still watching out for me, maybe I'll finally get laid. The Last Lady of Lună is a slow burn paranormal romance and the first in a series about Natalia of the Lună vampires, her five mates, and the future they will build together. Contains FF, MM, and FMF relationships. No AI.

Word Count: Click here to reveal97,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Nathan doesn’t know how to stop dwelling on the failures and tragedies that have plagued him since the last time we saw him at the end of The Mayor of Oak Street, a twenty-one-year-old happily in the arms of the handsome young doctor he had pined for since he was twelve. Many years later, what could mend Nathan’s heart after the latest tragedy and stop his deep dives into the past? Another handsome young doctor? Or would someone in the medical field do? After a chance meeting with ER nurse, Mateo, a lot of Nathan’s reminiscing is now devoted to that encounter and how it made him feel. Will he seize the day or continue wallowing in the past, having lunch with his best girlfriend from high school, and writing poetry? Nathan has lived through and had a personal connection to many of the crises that have plagued the LBGTQ+ community in the last forty years: the Up Stairs Lounge fire in New Orleans, the assassination of Harvey Milk, and the AIDS epidemic. He has lived in foreign countries, traveled the globe, and had lovers on every continent, all the while with a disease that people once thought was a death sentence. There are moments he is convinced that Mateo is the reward to all his suffering and loss, that his whole life led him to this great love. At other times, he’s so frustrated with Mateo, he’s ready to run as far away as he can get. Mateo, for his part, must take care of his ailing mother while he works full time in the emergency room. The practical aspects of starting a new relationship are challenging to say the least. The Long Journey to You is both a moving romance and a lesson in survival.

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Summary: We’d shared a forever love. The kind they write stories about. A once in a lifetime chance at something special. For fourteen years Davis was my world. We were growing old together, fifties and counting. Then it was all ripped away in the blink of an eye. We’d told each other everything, or so I thought. But secrets have a way of bubbling to the surface and it turned out Davis kept a few of his own. Hidden laptops, clandestine meetings, cryptic emails. The husband I’d believed in was a lie. Or was he? I have to find out. And Madigan Church is right there to help me. A complicated man. A man I wasn’t expecting. An attraction I can’t deny. Confusing. Challenging. Madigan makes me feel things I’m not ready for. Want things I don’t deserve. Not now. Maybe not ever again. But with every step into the twisted mystery, the danger escalates. Neither of us is safe. Not from the truth, and not from what’s growing between us. Because we aren’t the only ones on the hunt. Somewhere amongst my late husband’s secrets is something worth stealing, maybe even worth killing for. And time is running out. Author’s note: This story features the death of a spouse who is not a main character. ‘The Meaning of You’ is the first book in a romantic suspense series following the same couple. There are no cliffhangers.

Word Count: Click here to reveal112000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: I broke the rules and fell in love with my best friend. Newsflash—he didn’t feel the same. I had to stand by and watch him fall for someone else. Moving on hasn’t been easy since we all live and work on the same high country sheep station, but I’m finally getting there. I’m building a new life, a new set of dreams, planning a different future, just me and my dogs. The last thing I need is Luke Nichols, the sexy, enigmatic, ex-husband of my nemesis, filling my head with a laundry list of cravings. Talk about complicated. Luke is only in Mackenzie Country for a few months and I’m not about to put my heart on the line again just for a little fun. But the more I’m around Luke, the harder it is to remember exactly why Luke and I are a bad idea, the worst idea. Things between us are about to go nuclear. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe we can keep it simple. Maybe I can satisfy my cravings and hold on to my heart. And maybe pigs can fly.

Word Count: Click here to reveal81671 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Mike Bryant meets the man of his dreams, but Officer Jason Lynch, the handsome cop who responded to his call, is in a dangerous line of work. The two men must navigate Jason’s grief over the death of his former lover, and the craziness of Mike’s estranged family. When Mike Bryant’s truck goes missing, Seattle Police Officer Jason Lynch responds to the call. Mutual interest builds steadily into a strong relationship until Jason is nearly killed in the line of duty. The two men grapple with the memory of Jason’s former lover and Mike’s imminent entry into college. The risks associated with Mike's job force Jason to confront his feelings and Mike’s disapproving cousin, but secrets from Mike’s past surface, threatening to tear them apart for good. Though the first in the series, the Rain City Tales can be read in any order.

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

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Non Binary, Pansexual, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: On tour with The Rade, music’s-out-and-proud glam rock darlings, drummer Wren is having the time of their life. That is, until their worst knocker-fae nightmare suddenly happens: They’re sucked off stage and into a witch’s summoning circle mid-show. A powerful binding keeps them from leaving their enthraller’s side, and the annoyingly hot witch claims it’s all just a mistake. But since when has a human ever passed up the chance to use fairy magic for their own financial gain? August Minotte should’ve been trained as a hereditary witch, but instead he was forbidden to use the grimoires his infamous grandmother left him. The Minottes lost a huge fortune for mysterious reasons, and now Augie’s barely keeping his head—and his dwindling family—above water. When he finds a spell to get back their lost riches, he’s just desperate enough to use it. Then the spell summons and enthralls a beautiful, spicy fairy rockstar instead delivering a long-lost pile of money. They’ll both have to face their families’ dark histories to set Wren free. Then, and only then, they can think about acting on all this pent-up attraction that’s driving them both absolutely wild.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Once, Tarjiaan was the sixth prince of war-tossed Meradon. His dreams were captaining his own ship with the man he loved beside him, until a devastating attack leaves him the only surviving prince and heir to the throne. Fifteen years later, to finally end the war with the Empire, all Tarjiaan has to do is marry the Emperor's granddaughter. Once, Daanir knew that his place in Tarjiaan's heart was assured, until the battle where his prince nearly died. To save Tarjiaan, Daanir unleashes his unsuspected magic. The power saved his prince, but the cost was his place at Tarjiaan's side. Fifteen years later, they are reunited… on the day of Tarjiaan's wedding. Once, Nika was the lowest slave in the Imperial Palace. Then she was told that as the bastard daughter of the Prince, she would be marrying Tarjiaan, the so-called Butcher of Meradon. She expects a monster, and instead finds a man willing to fight the world for her before he even knows her name. Together, Tarjiaan, Daanir and Nika must navigate a course through a storm of treachery, betrayal, and heartbreak in an attempt to end an endless war. But there's an unseen threat is lurking below the waves, and the battle is much closer to home than any of them expected.

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

Character Identities: Information not available

Summary: It’s been months since Seth Byrne’s boyfriend ghosted him. Seth is still angry, but he’s worried too, because when Andrew Keller disappeared, he completely disappeared. Disconnected phone. Empty apartment. Abrupt departure from his job. Gone. Until tonight. Just as Seth is beginning to move on, Andrew shows up at his door with a story so wild it has to be fake… except he’s armed with a stack of evidence proving he’s telling the truth. And the truth is that everything Seth knew about Andrew is a lie. Detective Brandon Gaines was supposed to be Andrew Keller for the rest of his life. After being marked for death by the white supremacist cops he tried to bring down, he was put into witness protection. When a chain of events returns him to his old identity, Brandon doesn’t know who he is anymore. Now he’s caught between two identities that don’t fit, and nothing in his world makes sense… except the way he feels about the man he left behind. Is it even possible to rekindle their relationship when Seth knows nothing about Brandon? He understands why Brandon had to lie, but that doesn’t change the fact that the man in front of him is a stranger. Where do they even start? But as they struggle to bridge the gap between them, they may have much bigger problems. Because there are people who do know who Brandon is. And they haven’t forgotten why they drove him into witness protection in the first place. The Truth in My Lies is a standalone gay romantic suspense novel.

Word Count: Click here to reveal85700 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: War brews among vampires. Facing extinction at the hands of an ancient one, the Vampire Council plods along with a secret strategy. Jaret Bachmann, both vampire and witch, fears the Council elders move too slowly. He has the power to assist them in defeating their enemy, but the longer they keep him at arm’s length the more defiant he becomes. He’s already pushing the boundaries to assert his will when tragedy strikes, devastating him and compelling him to become even more rebellious. A young vampire alone in the world, Jaret struggles to find his true self and discover how he wants to spend the remainder of his eternal life, even as the vampire war intensifies and the rogue vampire strikes again. To compound his problems, he’s faced with the allure of a hot renegade vampire, not sure if he is friend or foe. Who will win the war, and where will Jaret’s soul-searching lead him? Find out in The Vampire’s War.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Kaleo Lakeford skyrocketed in the entertainment industry during his first year of university. 15 years later, he is a retired entertainer. Married for ten years with a 7-year-old daughter, he finds himself divorced and a single parent after his wife was caught in a string of public affairs. Devastated and trying to put the crumbs of his and his daughter’s life back together, he decides to take a break from the cameras and media for the holiday season and takes his daughter to his childhood home that he hasn’t set foot in since before he got married ten years prior. Destin Ashwell left university his first year to take care of his sick mother. With no education, he fought to provide for her for six years until she passed away from her illness. The bank seized their home, and he was living in his car when Lilah Lakeford finds him and brings him home. With her help, he finishes school and rebuilds his life, both of them leaning on each other as replacements for his dead mother and her estranged relationship with her son, Kaleo. At 33-years-old Kaleo will come home this holiday season to repair the fences around the rocky relationship he has with his mother, put the building blocks of his and his daughter’s life back together, and unravel past misunderstandings and misconceptions of his old schoolmate Destin, all while trying to keep the holiday cheer turned up for his 7-year-old daughter. Will Kaleo find the life he’s been waiting for all along back home? Or will his walls send him back to the only life he’s known for the past 15 years? This is a winter holidays story about a family healing with holiday traditions and cheer to warm the heart. This story comes with a single dad, one-sided dislike to friends to lovers, second chance on first crushes, unrequited love, mutual pining, past misunderstandings, learning to communicate, hurt/comfort, and healing from an emotionally and physically abusive marriage. But it’s also paired with colorful holiday adventures, the joys of a child, along with undeniable chemistry and sizzling heat while learning to love again. A found family, and a reconnected and put back together family.

Word Count: Click here to reveal47700 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: How long can you lie to your mate? Boris Gifford is one lucky wolf! A few months ago, he found his mate, which is a blessing. There is just one problem. Simon is human, and in his excitement, Boris might have charged right at him in his wolf form, scaring him half to death. Since then, he’s worked himself into Simon and his son’s lives, using food as bribes. But Simon doesn’t trust easily, and he’s very protective of his son. The more time that passes, the more worried Boris gets. He has to tell Simon the truth, but Simon doesn’t believe in anything supernatural, he’s terrified of wolves, and he doesn't believe in soulmates. Boris knows he has to come clean, but what if Simon rejects him when he realizes what he is?

Word Count: Click here to reveal72,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Westing House stood as a testament to the passage of time. Nestled in a quiet, overgrown garden, its once-stately facade bore scars of age. Faded paint peeled off in delicate layers, revealing weathered wood beneath. The roof, adorned with timeworn shingles, was pitted and sunken from years of elemental exposure. For Alex, Westing House represents a new beginning. Eighteen years old and fresh from a cruel and uncaring foster system, he’s suffered plenty of setbacks in his short life. But a job as the caretaker for a dilapidated historic house is the perfect opportunity for him to start anew. To get some money in his pocket and have a place to call his own, even if it’s just for a year. His tentative hopefulness is shattered by the arrival of several creepy messages and presents from someone who signs themselves only as “X.” This person knows everything about Alex, and they want it all—all his deepest, darkest secrets. His body. His heart. When the messages shift from uncomfortably romantic to menacing, where will Alex turn? He’s lucky to have Gabe in his life. A tall, handsome firefighter with the Emberford FD, he sweeps into Alex’s world just in time to catch wind of the monster that haunts Westing House. Gabe is strong, brave, and fiercely protective. But it may be the case that even Gabe can’t save Alex from the entity that wants Alex all to themselves… on pain of death. Will Gabe be able to save Alex from the faceless evil that pursues him? Or will their love go up in flames, along with Alex’s sanity? THOSE WHO FAVOR FIRE is a terrifying dark romance with adult themes. Readers should be warned of scenes containing graphic violence and peril. Discretion is advised.

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

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

Summary: There are vipers in Arajon, from the Valley to the Bronze. Grace Harrington, the Dowager Archon of Arajon, is approaching her first anniversary on the throne she claimed following the death of her husband, slain at her own hands. But her position is so precarious that even the unwelcome presence of the former assassin Nathaniel Morgenstern, watching over her at her father’s behest, cannot protect her from her enemies. The city’s press has turned against her, the Bronze is rallying behind Odessa White, and her last hope of support from the Druids has gone up in smoke. The lies are adding up. A coup is coming for Grace, and she is running out of people in the city to trust…

Word Count: Click here to reveal49258 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Love is like honey—you might get stung, but the rewards are sweet, and they stick to you. Firefighter Shane Ward seeks solace in a new life as a beekeeper, embracing the rhythms of farm life while grieving the tragic loss of his husband. His attraction to his two kind bosses makes Shane wonder if he’s ready to take a chance on love again.   Dante Sarcletti pours his energy into the farm he owns with his partner, Emmett Simpson, while Emmett manages the business side. The demands of running the farm has stolen the spark from their relationship. What begins as a no-strings fling with their new farmhand grows into something unexpected.   As summer unfolds, their bond strengthens. When a sudden wildfire threatens everything they hold dear, Shane must face the trauma he’s fled. When they confront the reality of love and loss, can Shane, Dante, and Emmett protect what they’ve built together before everything goes up in flames?   Throuple Honey is a heartfelt, stand-alone romance that beautifully weaves together themes of love, healing, and connection, proving that true love can rise from the ashes.

Word Count: Click here to reveal98,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: "I'm coming back to take what's mine, and you better not get in my fucking way." Richard Mason  Addiction and anger issues are causing the ex-mafioso CEO sleepless nights. Self-control is on a knife-edge, not helped by the return of his sultry ex, Pagan. Only being dominated helps ease his troubled mind. Tino Santini-Mason Richard’s beautiful, cross-dressing husband is slowly falling in love - with Pagan’s man. He believes he has a polyamorous solution for both couples to fulfil their desires, IF he can keep Richard under control. Pagan Sandhurst She’s back! This curvy domestic goddess is determined to have it all. Loyal to her family, yet her friendship with Tino brings mischief, mayhem and sexual hijinks. Marcus Sandhurst Outwardly a stern doctor, Marcus secretly craves Richard’s brutal punishments. His love for Pagan and Tino can only end in one mighty crash which will affect them all. Third and final book in the Switchblade Romance series can be read as a standalone dark romance.

Word Count: Click here to reveal52108 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay, Non Binary, Questioning, Pansexual, Straight, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: Do you crave science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories with a dash of the erotic and romantic, featuring transmasculine leads? Welcome to TRANSLITERATION. The top surgeon whose price is free—with an asterisk. Loving a machine that cannot love you back. A world where suicide has become the accepted norm. Medical science in an age where curatives are only for the rich. The ultimate gift that cannot save a failing marriage. Trying to keep a normal routine during societal collapse. A strange water creature that preys upon pity to transform its victim into its ideal mate. A dystopian state in which sexual reproduction is a crime. An unusual marriage proposal presented to a young lord. A nonbinary Regent who realizes the dragon is the least of their nation's problems. In this collection of fifteen speculative short stories, Reis Asher seeks to explore past, present, future, and alternate worlds through the lens of transmasculinity. Sometimes bright and optimistic, other times rooted in a deep cynicism about society, TRANSLITERATION examines our hopes, our fears, and our flaws.