Books Tagged With what - sex - no sex

Word Count: Click here to reveal43000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Three of E.J. Russell’s short and sweet opposites-attract holiday rom-coms together in one collection! The Probability of Mistletoe An awkward geek on a mission, a determined extrovert with a plan, interfering female relatives of various sizes, and a statistically improbable amount of mistletoe. When software engineer Keith Trainor decides to start his own company, he knows exactly who he wants as his partner: Parker Mulvaney, his best friend from high school. But in the ten years since graduation, their contact has dwindled to nothing, and it’s all Keith’s fault. If he hadn’t tried to kiss Parker under the mistletoe at the winter formal their senior year, Parker wouldn’t have bolted. At their ten-year reunion, Keith intends to do everything in his geeky power to make amends. Parker should have known that scheduling the reunion the day before Christmas Eve was a recipe for a headache of monster proportions. But when Keith sends a text that he’ll be attending, the evening doesn’t look so bleak. Can an unnecessary makeover, a nostalgic breakfast, an abortive shopping trip, and dance invitations with only a 50 percent success rate culminate in a long-overdue first kiss? An Everyday Hero A fish-out-of-water geek (who still manages to get a bit soggy), a stand-up blue-collar guy (who can't see his own worth), unexpected additions to the holiday festivities (some less welcome than others), and more than one serious discussion about the true meaning of the word hero. When Adam Tyler's sister announced she was pregnant, Adam decided to move from Portland, Oregon, to Phoenix, Arizona, to fully embrace the uncle experience. However, he didn't count on the move being delayed until three days before Christmas--and three days before his sister's due date. And he definitely didn't count on finding a scorpion in his bedroom. Cue the panicked calls to exterminators. Garrett Strong doesn't consider himself at all remarkable--his ex certainly didn't think so--and Garrett's pest-control business is circling the drain. Although Adam is his first new client in months, that isn't the only reason Garrett goes above and beyond for him. He feels a real connection to the younger man and intends to do everything in his power to make sure Adam feels safe and welcome in Phoenix--venomous intruders notwithstanding. A Swants Soiree Crafting catastrophes, suggestive sweaters, and an awkward introvert who meets his extroverted match. Software engineer Brent Levine has always struggled with the life part of work-life balance, but to hold on to his new job, he’ll have to embrace his employer’s dreaded “staff enrichment” events. This year’s annual ugly holiday sweater party will strain his ambition to remain inconspicuous: everyone has to wear their sweaters upside down and converted into pants—aka “swants.” At six foot eight, Brent has a hard enough time finding clothes that fit him the right way up. And while he’s an ace at coding, when it comes to handcrafts, he’s definitely at the far left end of the bell curve. Luckily he encounters seriously cute theater costumer Jonathan at the Goodwill Outlet. Jonathan offers Brent both an acceptably ugly sweater and his expertise in swants conversion. Attraction sparks on Brent’s side, but how can Jonathan be interested in a nerdy geek like him?

Word Count: Click here to reveal7700 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A lion sleeps in the hearts of brave men. When Prince Theodorin refuses to wed the general's youngest son because he loves another, he is trapped on a cursed island. He spends his days trying to escape, his nights listening to his lover’s soothing voice echoing through the forest. His attempts to escape only lead back to where he started… until an encounter with a lion reveals a crack in the illusion. Theo has to believe, or he may never find his way home.   ___________________________ Previously appeared in Wilde City Press' Bedtime Stories anthology

Word Count: Click here to reveal16,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Countdown to Daddies - Countdown, book 1 ~~Matteo and Gabe have everything they could ever want out of life, except a family of their own. When Gabe's bossy twin sister offers to be their surrogate, it's too good to turn down. But with his sister running the show, the new dads-to-be begin to wonder if they're going to survive the nine-month countdown.~~

Word Count: Click here to reveal39000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Frost scion, Jacob Serac, recognizes something is wrong in his relationship with his crystal partner, Devyn Risher. Things go wrong when he abducts Devyn for a weekend getaway. After contacting a reindeer agent from the Cheimon Patrol Division, the situation darkens and alerts to even more problems. The truth emerges along with adventures, mishaps, and chaos. Jacob, Devyn, and the Cheimon try to save their home and lives from the looming dark magic disaster. Can all this happen during Winter Solstice? It’s the highlight of the North Pole Dimension’s year. Can Jacob and Devyn heal their relationship and seal the cracks in Jacob’s crystal heart?

Word Count: Click here to reveal26000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary:   Wilderness tour guide, Patrick Morgan, wakes to discover Harlan Quinn—the man he’d invited home for the night—has left, with no traces of his presence. Disconcerting as that might be, Patrick is shocked when the police turn up a week later, demanding to know Harlan’s whereabouts. He’s an ex-patrol officer, accused of manslaughter. Harlan Quinn is desperate. Not only has he been dismissed from the Space Patrol, on a charge he strongly denies, but now he is on the run.   He can’t find a legitimate job. With no money and no prospects, what’s left? When Patrick’s tour group is caught up in a kidnapping plot, the last person he expects to run into is Harlan. With everything he knows, can Patrick dare to trust him?

Word Count: Click here to reveal54750 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: DOA becomes BRB when this client goes MIA… When I agreed to accompany my selkie boyfriend on a private boat trip, I didn’t realize the invitation included a swim. In the Pacific. In November. Naked. And I certainly didn’t expect to have our swim derailed the instant I got in the water—holy crap, that’s c-c-cold—by a literal boatload of selkie clan leaders. Climbing out of the water in front of them—did I mention naked? Yeah, way to make a brilliant first impression. Then things get worse: I get served. Not in the metaphorical sense, either. Nope, I’m being sued. By Death. Well, not Death precisely, but an Ankou—a Celtic psychopomp who escorts the departed to their final destinations. This guy is miffed that his workload has increased exponentially, which he blames on my actions in Sheol on an earlier case. I’m not about to take the heat when eons of shady demon shenanigans finally come home to roost, but here at Quest Investigations, we aid any and all supernatural folk in need—especially if they’ll drop their specious lawsuits against the agency’s lone human. When the Ankou skips out on us, though, all hell breaks loose. Because without anyone to lead them on, the dearly departed become nearly departed and stick around to party hearty. Now it’s not just the selkie leaders complicating my love life—it’s the ex-living as well. And when one of the ex-living decides not to remain ex? Things get really complicated, not to mention deadly. Dammit. Death on Denial is the fourth in the Quest Investigations M/M mystery series, a spinoff of E.J. Russell’s Mythmatched paranormal rom-com story world. It contains no on-page sex or violence, and although there is a romantic subplot, it is not a romance. The series is best read in order.

Word Count: Click here to reveal5618 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary:

Gavin and Matthew just want to get home to enjoy Christmas Eve in their safe, warm apartment. Should they walk or take a cab? But will either option do the trick when Victor, suffering from his holiday blahs, is determined to undermine this happy twosome at every turn?

Years ago, Victor made the unfortunate mistake of coming out to his family on Christmas. Why couldn’t he have picked a random summer day? Can Victor’s husband Bryan pull him out of his gloomy mood in order to give the popular Gavin and Matthew the merry Christmas they deserve?

Keywords: writer with holiday blahs/blues killing off characters...or not, Christmas, fun sweaters, short story, supportive family

Word Count: Click here to reveal7440 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Brett, one of the few survivors of Sandman’s Dream, infecting most of humanity, is secretly in love with his best friend, Ivan. When Ivan becomes infected, will Brett be forced to abandon him to the Dream, or will he fight for one he loves?

Word Count: Click here to reveal99594 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: When Detective George Donovan and his eccentric partner, Detective Andi Hayes, need a break from their gruesome job, a hike seems like just the thing. Unfortunately, the job catches up with them when they find three dead men in a lake. When the promising clues dry up, George and Andi turn once more to Andi’s “gift”—but this time things aren’t so easy. Andi’s mysterious talents are growing stronger, making it harder to block out the barrage of information and taking a toll on his physical and mental health. The cryptic clues his informants offer are even more bizarre than the case itself. And the more they discover about the victims, the more uncomfortable the investigation becomes. Torn between catching a killer and serving justice, between George’s career and Andi’s sanity, the detectives have their work cut out for them if they’re going to solve these murders.

Word Count: Click here to reveal85,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: All Keiron wants is a quiet life. Fat chance with a boyfriend like Bren. But if he thought Bren complicated his life, that was nothing compared to the complications that begin when he opens the door to what he thinks is a naked boy claiming to be his slave. Draven is a fairy with his sights set on the handsome human who keeps a wild place in the garden for fairies. When Draven slips through a fairy gate into the city, he sets in motion a series of events that binds him to Keiron forever, and just might be the end of him. While Draven explores Keiron’s world with wide-eyed wonder, Keiron does everything he can to keep Draven’s at bay, until the only way to save Draven and bring him home is to step into a world that should exist only in children stories.

Word Count: Click here to reveal81385 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Austin and Del were the love of each other’s life for two decades--until a drunk driver took Austin away. In his grief, Del leaves his job and pushes away most of his friends. Austin would want him to go on living, but how can he when Austin is gone? In an effort to help, Del's friend Remy books them an afternoon at a local cat cafe. There, Del bonds with Charlie, a senior cat who wears sweaters to cover his lost fur, and Lochlan, a human who volunteers at the cafe. On impulse, Del signs up to volunteer there too. Over time, with the friendship of Lochlan, Charlie, and the rest of the resident cats, Del starts to pick up his pieces and create a life without Austin. As Del and Lochlan’s friendship deepens and Lochlan shares his deepest secret, Del realizes he's falling for the other man. He's finally living again, but can he let himself love again? This book has a main character who has lost his life partner and depicts his grieving process. It is not a romance, but has romantic elements and a hopeful ending. The story includes discussions of child abuse and child death, suicide, and homophobia and transphobia. But it also includes an adorable cat who wears sweaters.

Word Count: Click here to reveal50750 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Something’s definitely fishy about this case… On my last stakeout for Quest Investigations, I nearly got clotheslined by a grove of angry dryads. I expected my bosses to reprimand me, but instead they handed me my first solo assignment. Me! Matt Steinitz, the only human on the Quest roster! Okay, so the mission isn’t exactly demanding. Obviously, the bosses wanted to give me something they think I can’t screw up. I’m determined to show them what I can do, however, so I dive right in with no complaints. At first glance, it looks as simple as baiting a hook: A selkie’s almost-ex-husband is vandalizing his boat with unwanted deliveries of deceased sea life. All I have to do is document the scene, tell the ex to cease and desist, and present the bill for property damages. Boom. Mission accomplished, another Quest success, and as a bonus, I get to keep my job. But then things get…complicated. Suspicious undercurrents muddy up my oh-so-easy case. Nothing is as clear as it should be. And the biggest complication? My inappropriate attraction to the client, who may not be as blameless as he claims. Turns out those dead herrings aren’t the only things that stink about this situation. Dammit.   Five Dead Herrings is the first in the Quest Investigations M/M paranormal mystery series, a spinoff of E.J. Russell’s Mythmatched paranormal rom-com story world. It contains no on-page sex or violence, and although there is a romantic subplot, it is not a romance.

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

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

Summary: When the eligible Eddy Hawkstone enlists Jack Merrit's services to recover a stolen book, it seems like a straightforward task. However, the clues lead Jack into the turbulent world of the music hall, where he uncovers the unnerving tale of his father's death at the feet of Marie Lloyd. Desperate to prove himself to his mentor, Jimmy Wright, Jack finds himself entangled in a web of sexual temptation, loyalty, and fraternal bonds, all while grappling with his emotions for Larkin Chase. To triumph, Jack must confront the shadows of his past and embrace the realities of the present. The path is fraught with danger and self-discovery and leads him to a twisting theatrical climax worthy of a melodrama. Follow the Van is the third book in the Delamere Files series. The books should be read in order.

Word Count: Click here to reveal30,228 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Everything about thirty-five-year-old Stone Acres hardware store owner Frank McCord is old-fashioned -- from his bow tie and overalls to the way he happily makes house calls. He dreams of lasting romance, true love, and marriage. Frank’s ancestors have run the store and been mainstays in the small California town for over a century. While genial Frank upholds tradition and earns the respect of friends and neighbors, he fears he’s too dull and old to attract a husband. Maybe it’s time to break out of his mold. Then handsome thirty-six-year-old electronic games designer Christopher Darling and his fifteen-year-old son, Henry, come into his life. Christopher has everything Frank could want in a potential partner: charm, kindness, and compatibility. Also, he’s a terrific father to Henry. When their Stone Acres home turns out to be uninhabitable, Frank offers the Darlings temporary lodging in his ancestral farmhouse, where he and his tenant Emil reside. Since Emil thinks Frank is his, sparks fly. Suddenly, Frank’s monotonous life promises to explode with love and change him forever.

Rainbow Award Honorable Mention book.

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

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

Summary: Let me get this straight. You’re making a programme about haunted houses and you don’t believe in ghosts? Cash-strapped artist Adam Price is the owner of Greystones Hall, an ancient manor house he shares with a plethora of ghosts. He adores the place, but life is a constant battle to pay the bills and he’s lonely, too, following the death of his beloved grandfather two years earlier. Lonely, that is, until the Ghosts Galore crew offer to film an episode at Greystones Hall. Adam’s a bit dubious about letting them loose in his home, but allows himself to be persuaded by the fee they’ll be paying him. Led by handsome producer Carl, dotty medium Stella and pleasant-but-nondescript historian Guy, they fill the house with wiring, cameras, lights and people. But when filming starts, things soon go wrong. The crew turn out to be using dodgy tricks. Carl refuses to believe in ghosts in spite of all the evidence to the contrary. And Stella stirs up a new and malevolent spirit, more dangerous than any that have been known at Greystones Hall before, who seems to have a violent dislike of Adam’s art. As Carl and Stella disappear and the local vicar is powerless to help, Adam turns to Guy—who has a secret of his own—for help. Together they must solve a centuries-old mystery involving lost paintings, a priest hole, and a death that might have caused all the negative energy in the house. But that’s not all the pair discover, on a night of adventure that also brings unexpected romance...

Word Count: Click here to reveal47000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealAce, Bisexual, Genderfluid, Genderqueer, Non Binary (Click here to hide)

Summary: In the middle of a training trip, Keeska's shuttle navigation fails and strands Keeska on Earth—alone, no way to contact home, and with no chance of help from the locals...until one does. When Eric starts leaving food in front of an abandoned storefront in the crappy strip mall by his house, he thought he was helping a dog or a homeless kid. He gets the shock of his life when he discovers an alien instead. Not sure what else to do, especially with the alien bleeding and in shock, Eric realizes he's about to have an unusual houseguest. But as Keeska's health improves, they both forget that Keeska should probably be finding a way home. As they grow increasingly close, they are forced to figure out the answers to questions they never thought would have to be asked...

Word Count: Click here to reveal12800 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: One snowy evening, a car wreck in front of his toy store triggers terrible memories for Jake. Suddenly, he is in the midst of another winter storm—and another accident, one that not everyone walked away from. When he returns to the present, Jake is on the ground, being watched over by a guardian angel in the form of a kind man named Eli. Eli is no stranger to panic attacks and PTSD, and he’s happy to help Jake get home—where the weather forces him to remain for the night. For Jake, it could be the first step toward a life free from fear and loneliness. This is a second edition. No significant changes have been made from the first edition.

Word Count: Click here to reveal3700 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: London, 1898 Streetwalker Cath plies her trade behind respectable houses in Victorian London, alongside close friend and fellow streetwalker, Ben. When an ugly encounter puts them on the wrong side of the law, she and Ben must choose between risking their hearts— or their lives.

Word Count: Click here to reveal5,000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay, Genderfluid, Genderqueer, Non Binary, Questioning (Click here to hide)

Summary: Harmony Ink Press is delighted and honored to showcase the short fiction of some of the best up-and-coming authors working in the LGBT genre. The stories in this third volume of Harmonious Hearts represent the winners of our Young Author Challenge—a group of talented writers between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one. The stories in this anthology are as diverse as their creators and range from the speculative to snapshots of everyday life for people growing up in a society in flux. They confront many issues facing young adults, and they celebrate the joys of this sometimes rocky period of transition: friendship, loyalty, first love, and learning to feel comfortable in one’s own skin. These experiences are universal, and thanks to the courage and talent of authors such as these, young people of all gender identities, expressions, and orientations are starting to see themselves included. Everyone deserves a story that speaks to them, and in these pages, they’ll find that story. Dani Anderson—To Lauren Nick Anthony—Scrapyard Sunsets Hilda Friday—A Progression of Love Arbour Ames—You Saw Blue Chloe Smith—Plenty of Fish Caleb Andrews—I Am Logan Sarah Caulfield—Make Mad the Guilty Xoe Juliani—Loving You Through the Years Irene Grant—Jordan and A.J. Latitude Brown—Equinox Anika Olivo—Melodimensional Frisk Gillespie—Ten Words

Word Count: Click here to reveal52900 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Havesskadi has won the Rainbow Award for Best Asexual Debut Book (2018-2019), and second place in the Best Asexual Book (Asexual – Contemporary, Fantasy and Paranormal Romance & Romantic Comedy | 2018-2019) category. The red dragon is hunting her own. Up in the icy peaks of the northern mountains, Orsie Havesskadi spends his days hiding from her, but eventually he is found and his dragon magic stolen. Cursed to wander the lands as a mortal unless he recovers his magic before twenty-four rising crescents have passed, Orsie embarks on an arduous journey. Spurred by the whispers in his mind, his quest takes him to a castle hidden deep in a forest. Arkeva Flitz, a skilled garrison archer, discovers an abandoned castle in the woods. Trapped there, he spends his days with his two companions, one cruel, the other soothing. One day, a young man arrives at his gates, and soon they are confined by heavy snowfalls and in danger from what slumbers in the shadows of the castle.