Books Tagged With potential trigger - traumatic past

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

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

Summary: When Orion joins an established coven of powerful mages he is unsure how he will fit into the group. The four elemental mages have had centuries to build both their powers and their relationships while Orion is little more than a stranger. As a light mage, Orion has the power to heal, but as he comes to know the other members of the coven, he learns that not all wounds are visible, and healing tortured souls and broken hearts isn’t as easy as fixing broken bones. Orion must bring them all together before they tear themselves apart. Only when the coven is strong will they be able to welcome the dark mage who will complete the circle and give them the power to defeat a mage who has waited centuries to exact revenge on the former members of his coven. READER ADVISORY: This story is a ménage and more story with emphasis on the more.

Word Count: Click here to reveal136000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: In a relationship that violates rules and expectations, Mayr and Tash have found their perfect match in each other. Despite their fears and difficult pasts, they hope for a shared future with security and a family. When Mayr's secret first love, Arieve, proposes they create that family with her, it seems dreams could become reality. But life is complicated, and so is the delicate balance between duty and love. While Mayr protects the Dahe family at all costs, Tash is determined to succeed as a priest. Both positions require sacrifice, forcing their relationship into painful choices. To make matters worse, criminals lurk in the shadows, seeking revenge on them and those they guard. The life they want risks losing everything—including Arieve and each other. Even if they can have it all, keeping it may take more than they can give.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Asher Strigodeus was tricked into vampiric immortality with the promise of saving his soulmate, Akakios. As he turned, his creator brutally murdered Akakios in front of him. After slaying his creator in retaliation, he took over the coven as their new leader and built it into the strongest and largest coven in the world for over twenty-five hundred years while he waited for his soulmate to be reborn. Cato Axton is a history professor who has suffered from night terrors his entire life. His dreams always consist of a past version of himself throughout history being brutally slain over the last twenty-five hundred years. Having always hoped his dreams are only dreams, he is forced to face the reality they were all past lives when he finds himself being rescued from a deadly situation by Asher. Before Asher can celebrate being reunited with his love, he learns the events of the past weren’t what they seemed, and he hadn’t destroyed the forces that separated them as thoroughly as he thought. Now they are caught between rejoicing in having found each other again, and a race against the enemies that are lurking in the shadows. Can they unravel the mysteries from the last twenty-five hundred years and uncover the real villain before history repeats itself? Or will their enemies manage to rip them apart again? This is the first of a two-novel MM HEA that originally started out as a campy vampire novel and turned into a soulmate journey that spans over twenty-five hundred years. There is sizzling heat, a completely besotted vampire, and an extremely strong human who is so much more than what meets the eye. These two novels are heavy angst/heavy fluff, hurt/comfort, validation/affirmation. Along with harrowing monsters full of violence, blood, torture, and devastating heartbreak.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Asher Strigodeus was tricked into vampiric immortality with the promise of saving his soulmate, Akakios. As he turned, his creator brutally murdered Akakios in front of him. After slaying his creator in retaliation, he took over the coven as their new leader and built it into the strongest and largest coven in the world for over twenty-five hundred years while he waited for his soulmate to be reborn. Cato Axton is a history professor who has suffered from night terrors his entire life. His dreams always consist of a past version of himself throughout history being brutally slain over the last twenty-five hundred years. Having always hoped his dreams are only dreams, he is forced to face the reality they were all past lives when he finds himself being rescued from a deadly situation by Asher. Before Asher can celebrate being reunited with his love, he learns the events of the past weren’t what they seemed, and he hadn’t destroyed the forces that separated them as thoroughly as he thought. Now they are caught between rejoicing in having found each other again, and a race against the enemies that are lurking in the shadows. Can they unravel the mysteries from the last twenty-five hundred years and uncover the real villain before history repeats itself? Or will their enemies manage to rip them apart again? This is the second of a two-novel MM HEA that originally started out as a campy vampire novel and turned into a soulmate journey that spans over twenty-five hundred years. There is sizzling heat, a completely besotted vampire, and an extremely strong human who is so much more than what meets the eye. These two novels are heavy angst/heavy fluff, hurt/comfort, validation/affirmation. Along with harrowing monsters full of violence, blood, torture, and devastating heartbreak. ***Disclaimer: This is not a standalone. It is a continuation from the first book and picks up exactly where the first book left off***

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

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

Summary: A werewolf with a death wish bargains with a hunter for salvation. Justin has spent several lifetimes atoning for the violent nature of his curse. A mindless angry beast several nights a month, he carries a burden of blood for past sins. Tired and lonely, he’s seeking an end to his torment. Vincent bears the curse, though only by half. A hybrid, he hunts those of his brethren who let their monsters take over. And he’s hell bent on destroying them all, until he's forced to deal with one who’s begging for peace. Except deliverance wears many guises. Their desire for redemption erupts in a fiery passion drawing them closer together.

Word Count: Click here to reveal30375 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Aidan Williamson has been plucked from his routine constable life to the harrowing existence of an undercover detective, damn near under the skirts of Her Majesty the Queen. His first two cases have taken him to places close to Balmoral Castle, where she and her retinue are set to stay for the summer.  This case is no different.  From a bothy—a stone hut—below Devil’s Point to Queen Vic’s old “Widow’s House,” the killing field seems to grow closer to home as the Queen’s holiday grows nearer. Now a hidden crime has been uncovered in the same place the royal party is set to visit soon. And Police Scotland is not amused. Enter Aidan, rookie dick, who’s struggling to confront his demons—and his angels too. Who’s the killer? A pillar of the local church…a couple of horny adolescents…a protective kinsman of the dead man’s wife…or the sweet widow herself? This time around, the edges are blurred more than ever, as mystery spills over into romance.

Word Count: Click here to reveal115000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Holden Russell let his job consume his life for too long, and it took his wife leaving for him to realize it’s time for a change. His marriage is over, but he’s determined to do right by his kids, starting with fewer hours at work and more with them. Except it’s no longer the kids competing with his job for his attention. It’s Holden competing for their attention… with their new live-in nanny. Their very hot male live-in nanny. Porter Blake never saw himself becoming a nanny, but okay. After burnout and PTSD drove him from his job as a paramedic, he’s desperate for something new, and it turns out the nanny gig isn’t so bad. The pay is decent, the stress is manageable, the kids are great, and their mom is cool. It’s the ex-husband he’s not so sure about. The situation is awkward enough when Porter and Holden are butting heads. When they find some common ground and their mutual attraction becomes too much to ignore, things are bound to get complicated. And unless they want Porter to lose his job, they’re going to have to fly under the ex-wife’s radar. Except secrets like this have a way of coming out… This standalone novel is approximately 115,000 words long.

Word Count: Click here to reveal46328 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: An innocent, natural soul is thrown together with a highly attractive but morally corrupt young man. What could possibly go wrong? STAG HEART tells the intertwined story of three men. ~A scholar-warrior seeking inner peace in an often brutal world. ~The bad boy son of a king who needs to learn to become a man. ~An innocent, a wilding whose soul stirs in rhythm with raw nature. These three are forced by circumstance to live and learn and finally survive together on Ireland’s sacred Hill of Tara, where mischief and mayhem lie hidden by ancient stones. An M/M historical romance fantasy-adventure set in The Iron Warrior novel universe.

Word Count: Click here to reveal32000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Can a rebel and a smuggler find a way to come together, when an entire universe conspires to keep them apart?   When rebel pilot Sahak escapes from a primitive holding cell on a distant mining colony, he doesn't expect to rescue an alien smuggler. He can't leave the man behind, either.   Azat has seen many things from humans, and none of them were kindness. He has no choice but to throw his lot in with the handsome rebel who bursts into his cell -- he can escape with Sahak, or he can wait for his own execution.   Neither of them is looking for love. When they find it, will it be enough to keep them together?

Word Count: Click here to reveal74000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: After two years together, Alex has been dreading the inevitable moment when Damon learns the truth: that Alex is a shifter, part of a small percentage of the population able to switch genders at will. Thanks to a forced implant, though, Alex is suddenly static—unable to shift—and male. Overnight, he’s out to a world that neither understands nor tolerates shifters . . . and to his heterosexual boyfriend. Damon is stunned to discover his girlfriend is a shifter, and scared to death of the dangers the implant poses to Alex’s health. He refuses to abandon Alex, but what about their relationship? Damon is straight, and with the implant both costly and dangerous to remove, Alex is stuck as a man. Stripped of half his identity and facing serious physical and social ramifications, Alex needs Damon more than ever, but he doesn’t see how they can get through this. Especially if he’s static forever. This book was previously published. Note: This book was written several years ago, and since that time, the author's understanding of gender identity has evolved. Were Static to be written today, it would include (for example) non-binary identities rather than a male/female binary.

Word Count: Click here to reveal45082 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Deep passion meets raw danger... Dirk Black, a fist-and-furious undercover cop, knows nothing about lighthouses—except, in his own words, they’re put up by angels to guide seagoing idiots. So when his Detective Inspector assigns him to a solve a murder committed at a lighthouse, the cop is forced to partner with a true expert, his lover Stephan Tavish. But his decision is one wrested from his gut-deep conviction that he—and the powers that be—are putting the man he loves in a verra dangerous position. In his beguiling way, Stephan is stronger and smarter than any man Dirk’s ever met. But he’s a recovering paraplegic. Can he help solve a mystery in the same kind of old stone-and-masonry tower that caused his crippling injury? Or is this, as the wag once said, deja vu all over again? Deep passion meets raw danger. Here’s another facet of the love story, and the surprising metamorphosis, of Dirk and Stephan. ~Gay  ~Erotic romance  ~Scotland setting  ~Mystery/suspense  ~Deep undercover ~Third novel of a trilogy

Word Count: Click here to reveal95800 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A year ago, Quinn Boucher was in his third year of university. He had plans. A life. And then in one night, it was all ripped away by violent werewolves who changed Quinn and held him captive for a month. Now, a year later, Quinn is healing. He has safety in the Massachusetts home of the U.S. Anax, ruler of all werewolves in the country. And he has the love and support of the older man fate brought into his life, his mate Malachi. But as the anniversary of his change passes, Quinn has no respite from his memories. If only Malachi wasn't so far away. At 130 years old, Malachi Powers never wanted a mate. Never wanted to command another. And then destiny gave him Quinn. Now, after six months, he can no longer imagine his life without the young man who obeys his word. When the U.S. Anax requests that Malachi come to spend Christmas with Quinn, Malachi accepts the offer. And when the Anax offers to allow Quinn to travel back to Nova Scotia to spend time with Malachi, both are thrilled. Staying at Malachi's winterized island cottage, Quinn and Malachi feel out how it will be when they are finally able to fully combine their lives. But the isolation, Quinn's memories and concerns about the Anax, and the impending full moon take their toll on both men. When Quinn's trauma gets the best of him and he runs, Malachi questions whether he can truly be the partner his young mate needs. Perhaps they would be better off living apart. This book includes a large age gap between main characters (over 100 years; werewolves live a long time); mention of and flashbacks to sexual trauma in a main character's past; depictions of PTSD; one main character consensually commanding the other; and mention of the off-page self-unaliving of a minor character. The book is set in the Real Werewolves Don't Eat Meat universe but is not a direct part of that series.

Word Count: Click here to reveal94,010 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Love, served straight up. Malcolm Elliott has been keeping secrets. Helping his mom through a financial crisis has nearly emptied his bank account and his kitchen cupboards, despite his thriving career with Corporate Equality Campaign. Malcolm is also bothered by his inability to tell the most important people in his life that he identifies as gray ace. Stuart Morgan has a secret of his own. Though years have passed since the tattooed chef fled the Mormon church in Utah for New York, he's never truly come to terms with the fetish that ruined that rigid but outwardly perfect life. Experience has also taught Stuart that keeping his love of lacy things under wraps is safer than telling the truth. After Malcom's boss, Carter, hires Stuart's restaurant to cater a gala fundraising event, the strait-laced Malcolm is thrown together with badass biker Stuart. Despite their differences and a couple of false starts, the men discover they work well together and a friendship quickly forms. As Malcolm's feelings for Stuart deepen, his sexuality awakens, but he remains tight-lipped about his problems. And though Stuart grows more and more attached to Malcolm, he remains fearful of confessing his fetish. When both of their secrets are finally exposed, they find themselves at a crossroads in which they must choose between playing it safe or finally coming clean to the person they love.

Word Count: Click here to reveal63000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: In the covert world of espionage, trust is a precious commodity with deadly consequences. Leading the Infiltration Tactical Unit, I’ve always relied on my instincts, careful planning, and my team. Now, hunted by the very agency I once served, I’m reluctantly forging an alliance with Ethan Wilder, a bear shifter whose gruff exterior belies a sharp intellect and unwavering loyalty. No matter where I turn, Wilder is there—infuriatingly competent, irresistibly attractive. Despite my reservations, I can’t ignore the undeniable connection between us. Nor the fact that we’re trapped in a cabin with just one bed. With the SICB tightening its grip, Ethan becomes not just an asset, but integral to helping me keep everything from falling apart; he’s also possibly our only hope of bringing down Hornell, our elusive nemesis. As our mission escalates, Ethan’s steadfast support stops me from imploding as the secrets of my past start to unravel, threatening everything I've fought to protect. Amidst looming danger, with my team beside me and Ethan at my back, I must confront the shadows before they consume us all. “Stronger Than Fate,” the fourth instalment of the Fangs & Felons series, delivers heart-pounding action, unexpected alliances, and a romance that defies the odds in a world where danger lurks at every turn. Trigger Warnings: scenes of torture, mention of past emotional abuse, discussion of mental illness

Word Count: Click here to reveal-= (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Only Jack would start a breakup-worthy argument in a hot tub! Jack Horwood. Vigilante, hacker, security specialist. Partner to Gareth Flynn. Adoptive father to their two teenage boys. Happily juggling long days and short nights. Gareth Flynn. Ex-army officer. Ace negotiator. Righter of wrongs. Away from home more often than he likes. When Jack treats Gareth to a romantic getaway, Sweden’s frigid peace gives them the break they both need. But Jack’s a trouble magnet and the next dead body is just a wild skidoo ride away. Can love, teamwork, and trust survive the troubles that follow them around? Can Jack save what’s become so important to him? Expect action, drama, and hot romance in book 4 of the Power of Zero series. 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.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Months have passed since Mystere left England in search of Joyeuse, leaving Douglas and Margaret behind, safe in behind ancient shields in a manor house in Sussex. Then Douglas is called away for an emergency, and disappears without a trace. A letter arrives, assuring Margaret that Douglas will be safe. A letter from Caedda, one embedded with spells meant to kill. Fearing for her husband, Margaret risks her own life and that of her child in a desperate attempt to summon Mystere, setting into motion a journey that will take them from Sussex to Aachen to the mountains of Austria, and to the long-hidden sword, Joyeuse. With all four swords once more in the world, the secrets they’ve been hiding will finally be revealed.

Word Count: Click here to reveal98000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A werewolf pack reels from the loss of five members, including the Alpha and Beta, at the teeth and claws of Canadian werewolves. Summoned by a frantic call from a young werewolf who survived the massacre, Anax Tobias Rogan, the highest-ranked wolf in the United States, heads to North Dakota to stabilize the pack. But the trip takes a toll on Tobias’s relationship with his mate, vegan werewolf Kyle Slidell. Fate put them together, but Kyle has chosen to part. A request from the Canadian Anax, Silas Creighton, gives Tobias an opportunity to rebuild things with Kyle: A road trip to Nova Scotia. As eager as Tobias to restore their relationship, Kyle agrees. With an international conflict to resolve, a traumatized young werewolf in tow, and multiple threats to his life, Tobias struggles to make time for his mate. And when unexpected enemies invade Silas’s island stronghold, Tobias and Kyle’s relationship isn’t the only thing that might come to an end. This book includes discussions of past sexual assault and physical child abuse, homophobia including a French Canadian homophobic slur, a child character living with cancer, and depictions of grief and mourning.

Word Count: Click here to reveal61450 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Choices have consequences. Sixteen-year-old TJ Shaw had to grow up fast as he is juggling the responsibilities of fatherhood, school, and being the top athlete while trying to maintain an active social life. Even though the relationship with his son’s mother is on shaky ground, other factors in his life are triggering him to make poor decisions. As TJ’s friendship with Seven Richardson blossoms, it has the potential to disrupt TJ’s world as he knows it. While TJ is dealing with his own horrible circumstances, his best friend, Elijah, is on the brink of disaster. Elijah McDaniel is going through a lot emotionally. Although his sexuality is no secret to those closest to him, it is his secret life that could potentially cause him great harm – mentally, physically, and socially. While he’s alienating the people who care for him, it is possible that a chance encounter could thrust Elijah into unfamiliar and very dangerous territory. What will cause TJ and Elijah’s relationship to be pushed to the point of no return? Will their friendship still stand once the dust settles? Join our friends in the first book of this spinoff series from Jaxon Grant’s Life of a College Bandsman, as our favorite sons, TJ and Elijah, come together to reveal their truths. And one thing to be true in this story – the truth will not be pretty.

Word Count: Click here to reveal79204 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: All werewolf Tobias Rogan ever wanted was to live a quiet life with his destined mate, vegan werewolf Kyle Slidell, in the smallest pack in the United States. The pack Tobias once ruled as its Alpha. He never wanted to be a leader, but fate keeps throwing him into the role, first as Alpha and now as Arkhon, the leader of the Northeast Region’s werewolves. And he isn’t done. The Anax, ruler of all werewolves in the United States, is threatening the very existence of their world and must be removed from the rank. Only Tobias is strong enough to challenge and defeat him. But the Anax knows Tobias’s intentions and co-opts one of Tobias’s employees, a human man who threatens Tobias with silver bullets. To save Tobias’s life, Kyle kills the man, a violation of shifter law. And when Tobias and Kyle travel to California for the annual gathering of all werewolf alphas and regional leaders in the country, the Anax’s men take Kyle into custody. Tobias has allies in his bid to defeat the Anax–but the Anax has Kyle’s life in his hands. With the fate of the country’s werewolves at stake, Tobias must choose: Save the world, or save his mate. This book was originally published in 2014. This version has been revised, re-edited, and expanded from the original. It contains on-page violence between humans and between werewolves, including the on-page death of a human; mention of gun violence; references to past abuse and sexual assault and threats of those things; and depictions of PTSD. This book was previously published in 2014. This edition has been moderately revised and re-edited and includes a newly-written ending.

Word Count: Click here to reveal182253 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A disgraced Scot...  A misplaced Quaker (3-novel box set) In this box set of three novels, two men meet in a travelers’ stop in Scotland and end up as trainer and student (Unkilted) before crossing the ocean together as sailors (Unbroken) and then hitting the road on horseback to discover America’s wild blue-ridged mountains (Frontier Highlanders: Unbound). At first their relationship is oil poured on water. Gregory MacGregor, who goes by the name Grier Black when the novel begins, is a Highland clansman and outlaw hiding from his tragic past. He distrusts strangers, but he hates Campbells and British “Sassenachs” even more. David Campbell (David Adamson), the son of a Philadelphia Quaker printer who’s been kidnapped by unscrupulous men, is a naive young man whom Grier dismisses as a weak bairn. Only when he begins to train David does he discover the hidden steel in the lad’s character…and under his trousers…and at last, unfortunately, his detestable last name. Each novel runs together like the Shee Waters, the burn where their romance begins, to form a whole. In Unkilted, Grier learns how to love. But his own melancholy nature gets in the way of happiness as he and David part in anguished misunderstanding. The central novel Unbroken recounts the sea adventures of these two would-be lovers—plus the harrowing story of Grier’s Uncle Iain and his own lost love. The final novel Frontier Highlanders: Unbound is about freedom, and about discovery—of a  frontier father, a rough and wild territory, complex people whose skin is not white, and their own honest needs.