Books Tagged With potential trigger - traumatic past

Word Count: Click here to reveal17000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Caleb McDonnell lives his life online. A thirty-year-old fast food worker, he spends his time talking in an Internet world where his job and living conditions can't dictate his friendships. He's found acceptance, friendship, and even romance. But when an online friend is revealed as a fake, Caleb loses all sense of trust. To stave off the emotional collapse of his betrayal, Caleb leaves his online life behind and retreats into the monotony of his job. Nicodemus Rokos feels like his heart has been torn out. He knew Caleb would be hurt, but he'd hoped not to be shut out of his boyfriend's life. He can only hope Caleb still feels something when he shows up in person to reclaim what he's lost.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Cursed with immortality, John Zebedee has resigned himself to spending the rest of eternity alone. Then he discovers an escaped captive in his barn — the immortal heir to the Elven throne. Ethriel captures John’s heart, and gives him hope for the first time in a very long time. But Ethriel’s captors are hunting for him, and the rest of eternity may be closer than it seems.

Word Count: Click here to reveal114000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A Slow Burn Meet Cute! Baker. Wizard. God of Space and Time. Cupcake enthusiast. How long will it take to fan the flames and enrage this gentle phoenix? Start counting. What's a wounded and lonely little cinnamon roll to do? Stripped of his psychic powers, Calico Winghorse flees his homeworld and travels to 19th century Earth via his inter-dimensional portal. As a mixed-blood phoenix trapped in human form, he opens a bakery in the San Francisco Bay Area and quietly nurses his wounds. But the unique method of his arrival draws the unwanted attention of Infinity Corporation. Representing this angelic-run company is Agustin Chavez de la Cruz, the Demon Lord of California. Even though Agustin is IC's heir, he finds himself demoted from his duties to concentrate on his new assignment: take absolute control of Calico's portal. But Calico refuses to sell at any price. He is also very busy ensuring that the good people of the city are getting their fill of baked goods. Before Agustin can formulate a more gracious avenue of acquiring the gateway, the demanding head of IC interferes, further complicating matters. So as negotiations stumble along, Calico and Agustin come to realize they both want more than a stuffy business arrangement. However, due to Calico's injuries, the portal remains vulnerable to the darker forces that want it at any cost. Agustin will have to push both his angelic heritage, as well as his own psychic powers to the very limits to heal this sweet baker, who is also the portal world's God of Space and Time. The Demon Lord of California is the first book of an LGBTQ+ paranormal-fantasy series. You won't want to miss a first love found, hidden worlds, and a recovering workaholic grasping at his second chance. All centered around the control of an otherworldly portal. So curl up with your favorite beverage, and hang out with Cal and Gus for a while. You'll be happy you did!

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

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

Summary: Can a farmer still love the man who stole his horse, and broke his heart? What kind of relationship begins with a passive-aggressive bottle of wine? How's life treating Mac and Tony of Life Lessons, ten years later? Thirty short stories, ranging from flash fiction to 10,000 words, bring laughter and tears, triumph and heartbreak, and the quiet moments in between. And love, always love. Do you have ten minutes, or an hour, to spend with a story? Check out this collection, filled with a wide range of contemporary, paranormal, and fantasy stories to feed the gay-romance-loving soul. (Stories in this collection were originally published on Kaje's Facebook group.)

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Character Identities: Information not available

Summary: As the son of a wealthy man, Enitan Javed has spent his life frivolously—drinking, fighting, and making love. But after his father dies, Enitan is unjustly accused of murdering him and is given the harshest sentence possible. Judged irredeemable, he is banished to the Downs. As even young children know, nothing lives in the Downs except demons who delight in torturing the condemned. Brutalized by the men who transport him to his fate, Enitan has nothing left but his thirst for vengeance. His plummet to the Downs nearly kills him, and Enitan finds himself battered and helpless in a frightening, mysterious land. But many surprises await him there, including a strange man named Rig. And the realization that the demons he must face aren’t at all the ones he expected.

Word Count: Click here to reveal27000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: War is brewing between the Greenlands and the Summer Kingdom, despite the efforts of Lord Aidan and Prince Varion, who have been meeting in secret in an attempt to maintain peace. When war proves inevitable, Aidan offers Varion asylum, loathe to see the man he's come to care about become his enemy. But Varion refuses, sacrificing safety and his own desires to stay in the Summer Kingdom in order to protect his little brother from their ruthless father. The two men instead declare a blood oath to always protect each other, an oath that will see them through war, transformation, and a deadly curse…

Word Count: Click here to reveal25166 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: M/M erotica wrapped in mystery A solitary Irish detective and a reclusive Scottish academician…hardly a match made in heaven. Blond and dark, yin and yang, perhaps even angel and devil.  In fact, sometimes Thomas Fitzgerald wonders whether the mysterious Burns is a figment of his lonely nights, a creature evolved from an idealized portrait of the poet Robert Burns. Real or not, the university teacher-curator teams up with him to solve a murder involving a Celtic burial site in Dundee and a voice from Scotland’s bloody past. Join two unusual sleuths at the ancient mound called “The Dundee Law” as two men merge their talents, and more. Much more.

Word Count: Click here to reveal60,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: When I arrived at Prince Eldran’s estate, I had no memory of who I was or how I’d gotten there, but everything was prepared and waiting for me as though I’d been expected. As I struggled to piece together my past, I met Sorcha, whose memories were as fragmented as mine. We quickly became friends and our connection developed into one that I could only describe as magical. During the Prince’s glittering masquerade ball, I realised that I loved her deeply and I wanted to discover what it meant to share my life with her. Our love blossomed like the beautiful gardens that surrounded the estate, but something dark was brewing in the realm beyond the mansion. The fae had seemed a peaceable people, but there was much I’d forgotten and war has a way of opening your eyes to the truth. When it reached the shores of Prince Eldran’s enchanted island, Sorcha and I were forced to defend our home and fight for our lives. We’ve faced so much, but malevolent forces threaten to tear us apart and destroy the life we’ve built together. Only through an unimaginable sacrifice can we hope to survive and help our people… but with so much at stake, can we conquer our enemies and ensure a future for our love? Reader Note: This collection contains three novella-length F/F fantasy romance books (approximately 60,000 words total) featuring Sapphic love (the steamy and sweet kind), adult language, and unexpected danger. Two women, who will face any foe to keep their love intact and fight for their future, await you! 

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: Information not available

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

Summary: When the right space pilot walks into his bar, a desperate bartender uses all his wiles (and tentacles) to talk the man into business and his bed--but the spacer is still enslaved by his past and isn't sure he can deal with a two-armed lover, much less one with six. As the supply shipments stop coming, Teo Houdin needs all his tentacles to keep his waystation bar open. Facing a riot by thirsty miners stranded in the backwater of the galaxy, Teo helps a greenie space pilot buy a ship in return for a regular haul of liquor. But he longs for the courage to invite the enigmatic spacer to fill his lonely bed as well. Still smarting from his newly implanted navigational ports, Jimenez knows owning his own ship will prevent him from ever being bought and sold again. For a former slave, transporting cargo through the emptiness of space sounds like paradise, but after meeting the compassionate and sexy Teo, his heart feels empty, too. At the edge of the galaxy's spiral arm, can Teo convince Jimenez that the heart has its own tentacles and theirs should be entwined forever?

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Read Aidee Ladnier's 2016 Prism Award Winning novella The Klockwerk Kraken, paired for the first time with its sequel Spindrift Gifts and a special never before published epilogue. When the right space pilot walks into his bar, a desperate bartender uses all his wiles (and tentacles) to talk the man into business and his bed--but the spacer is still enslaved by his past and isn't sure he can deal with a two-armed lover, much less one with six. As the supply shipments stop coming, Teo Houdin needs all his tentacles to keep his waystation bar open. Facing a riot by thirsty miners stranded in the backwater of the galaxy, Teo helps a greenie space pilot buy a ship in return for a regular haul of liquor. But he longs for the courage to invite the enigmatic spacer to fill his lonely bed as well. Still smarting from his newly implanted navigational ports, Jimenez knows owning his own ship will prevent him from ever being bought and sold again. For a former slave, transporting cargo through the emptiness of space sounds like paradise, but after meeting the compassionate and sexy Teo, his heart feels empty, too. At the edge of the galaxy's spiral arm, can Teo convince Jimenez that the heart has its own tentacles and theirs should be entwined forever?

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

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

Summary: One dominant Marine. One troubled rugby player. The Sin Bin will never be the same. Gray Baird’s to-do list for the year includes starting a restaurant, claiming his submissive, and keeping his nosy friends out of his business. He has his work seriously cut out for him. Scottie Monk prides himself on bullying his way through problems—and sometimes even people. His life is spiralling out of his control, but he refuses to break. The last thing he expects is to find peace in the confines of submission. One man will try to tame a lion. One man will try to heal. And both men will have to join forces to deal with a toxic family and invasive paparazzi. The Lion Tamer is book six in Dahlia Donovan's international bestselling gay romance series, The Sin Bin. Each one features hot rugby players and the men who steal their hearts. ***It is recommended that readers have read at least The Royal Marine and The Unexpected Santa prior to reading The Lion Tamer

Word Count: Click here to reveal69,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Gabe’s life changed in a heartbeat when his husband died in a plane crash, leaving him a widower and a single dad to their newborn daughter. Two years later, he’s finally ready to return to his work as an artist. When a bright, attractive college grad named Matthew presents himself as a live-in caretaker for Isabela, Gabe thinks he’s the perfect fit. Matthew is more than the solution to Gabe’s childcare problems. The two men soon fall into bed together, and Gabe wonders if Matthew was heaven-sent to create the insta-family of his dreams. But behind Matthew’s irresistible exterior lurks a desperate soul who could plunge Gabe into the greatest nightmare of his life. Romeo Preminger’s Guilty Pleasures Editions are a hardcore thrill ride with sex, murder, mayhem, and high stakes drama.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Even love can die without trust. Angel’s brother, Isaac, has returned home, and the pair begins to make slow and awkward attempts back to each other. Learning how to be a brother to a grown man instead of a parental figure has Angel adjusting his behaviors and habits, and Isaac still remains a mystery. Was it merely entering adulthood that turned Isaac away from an overprotective Angel, or does Isaac carry a secret that will keep them from finally being a real family? Daniel Macavoy, Angel’s new apprentice, is torn between his bond with Angel and the grasping machinations of his father. Dealing with a traumatized apprentice with dangerous holes in his magical education, saving Daniel may be harder than Angel first thought—especially since the biggest problem is not revenge, but guilt. The one shining beacon in his life is Simeon, Elder vampire of Boston’s only Bloodclan. Four hundred years old and sexy as sin, Simeon is warrior and sage, patient and cunning. The strength Angel draws from Simeon’s devotion and the newborn mate-bond between them is steadfast and true…and the fount of death magic that animates the undead lord places Angel in the midst of a power struggle for control over himself, his lover, and his family. Through it all, Angel is beleaguered by the unwanted attention of a troll-hybrid, the adventures of a dragon in the city, and a serial killer has decided to hunt the back alleys and midnight streets of Boston. **72k words. Contains bonus short story at the end, "The Necromancer's Birthday Surprise", written for Crystal's Many Reviewers, March 2016. Book TWO in a series. Not standalone. **Contains male/male sexual content. Violence, gore, sex, vampires. A cute dragon and some snark. Okay, lots of snark.

Word Count: Click here to reveal85000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Every action has consequences. For a decade, Angel Salvatore has been the most powerful sorcerer and only necromancer in all the Northeast. Never one to ask permission nor apologies, he has acted with near impunity for years. Until now. The High Council of Sorcery has come to Boston, and Angel is their target. Charged with numerous violations of practitioner laws, his freedom and family are placed in jeopardy. If found guilty, Angel's apprentice Daniel will be imprisoned to serve out the remaining years of his apprenticeship. Isaac, his brother, is too vulnerable to be left unguarded, and Angel fears for his sanity and health. And Simeon, Elder vampire and Angel's mate refuses to see Angel convicted under the laws of the Council and his actions to keep Angel free threaten to start a war that could destroy their world. And Angel faces the severest of punishments—the castration of his gifts. The Council has never cared for the people of Boston, and Angel doubts their motives. They have come for some insidious reason, and it has nothing to do with upholding the law and everything to do with Angel. Dealing with an impending trial, a wayward ghost, and a graverobbing ring of thieves leaves Angel on the edge. He thinks he may have a handle on things until violence erupts across the city, and a stranger comes to town...a stranger with his own dark powers of necromancy. This is book 3 of a series, and the previous books should be read first for full enjoyment. Trigger Warnings are on the Copyright Page and can be seen using the Look Inside feature or by downloading a sample of this book. 85,000 words 340 pages Gay Urban Fantasy Romance

Word Count: Click here to reveal46000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Ario six-four-nine-one is an obsolete synth gigolo—especially when his latest trick proves to be his last in a brutal and horrifying way. But he's only a synth, it's not like he can really think and feel. No one will notice one more out of date synth tossed in the garbage. Except for Elias, homeless and lonely because he's not what his father—or the world—wants him to be, haunted by a tragedy for which he cannot forgive himself. When he finds a battered, broken, long-discontinued synth in a dumpster, he decides to repair the poor thing despite all the reasons he shouldn't. Then all those reasons come crashing down, and in order to save each other from a world that doesn't want either of them, Elias and Ario will have to sacrifice everything they hold dear: freedom, safety, and even themselves. Warning: contains graphic depictions of violence and sexual violence.

Word Count: Click here to reveal30500 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Leaving his life in New York City behind, 33 year old Ira Hughes has moved back into his childhood home to help care for his ailing father. His overbearing mother quickly guilts him into looking after her interests in the family curio shop. That means dealing with her business partner Colton McCabe, the bully who made Ira's teen years a living hell. Ira is now forced to confront painful memories from his past. As he watches his father fight for his life, and his relationship with his mother become even more strained, he begins to find unexpected comfort in his time with Colton. Could it be that Colton is not the high school horror he used to be? Is the bane of his youth now becoming the love of his life?

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: Click here to reveal160000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Levi Harris has never had a reason to stay on the straight and narrow. Nothing he does is ever good enough for his family, his teachers, his bosses, his drill instructors. He can’t do anything right, so why bother trying? Then he gets caught breaking and entering, and now he’s bound for prison. Or is he? Austin Caldwell isn’t thrilled about being burglarized, but when he finds himself face to face with the intruder, he sees himself in those terrified eyes. He knows more than most how much prison chews people up and spits them out. Maybe, just maybe, he can save Levi from that fate. It starts as an arrangement for Levi to work off his debt to Austin. As trust grows between them, so does an undeniable attraction. Especially as Austin begins to see untapped desires in Levi, and he begins to unlock a whole new world of sensuality for his submissive protégé. Levi’s in heaven. He’s finally wanted. He finally belongs. For the first time in his life, he has something to lose. All he has to do is stay out of trouble. And hope trouble doesn’t find him. The Right to Remain is a 150,000+ word standalone contemporary gay romance with a guaranteed happy ending. CW: criminal activity, brief mentions of past death of a child, brief mention of past suicide, incarceration.