Books Tagged With what - concept - acceptance

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

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

Summary: On a casual walk along the Cornish Coast, Pineapple “Motts” Mottley stumbles upon a body and a perilous new murder case in the second novel in the Motts Cold Case Mystery series. As spring rolls into summer, Motts settles into her cottage. She’s enjoying a daily stroll when a body in the sea destroys her peace and quiet. It brings yet another mystery for her to solve. How does a woman who vanished from Polperro three years prior wind up battered by waves? Motts is drawn into the investigation despite her best attempts. She finds a family in turmoil and loads of suspects. With no easy answers, she tumbles further into chaos and ever closer to danger. Can Motts find the killer before she’s the one put on ice? Will she survive a bone-chilling brush with death?

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

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

Summary: Lila Hamilton is thrilled to be joining the Pittsburgh Bearcats, the League’s latest expansion team. She’s rehabbed from her knee injury and ready for a fresh start in a new city. But did Pittsburgh have to sign Sabrina McAvoy? Lila’s played with and against Sabrina before. She’s hot and she’s exactly Lila’s type, but she’s also hockey royalty—her father was a generational talent, and her brother is a star in the men’s league. Players, coaches, and sports commentators fawn all over her because of her family name, and Sabrina shamelessly exploits that. Lila doesn’t care how attractive she is—no, thanks. But there’s more to Sabrina’s story than Lila realizes.

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

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

Summary: Autistic, asexual, and almost forty, Pineapple “Motts” Mottley flees London with her cat and turtle to a quaint cottage in Cornwall. She craves the peace of life in a small village. The dead body buried in her garden isn’t quite what she had in mind, though. Unable to resist her curiosity, she falls directly into a mess of trouble and runs head-first into the attractive detective inspector, Teo Herceg. She tries to balance her business with the investigation, but as the killer focuses on her, staying alive becomes trickier than advanced origami. Will Motts survive the onslaught of murderously bad luck? Can she solve the mystery before it all spins out of control and off a cliff?

Word Count: Click here to reveal20,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Aled is a gay man in a soldier's uniform. Unhappy with the turn his country is taking, Aled seizes the opportunity to enter a mysterious portal into the strange, primitive world of Thera. Finding himself trapped there, Aled discovers Marius, a man left to wander blindly in the wilderness. Surrounded by intrigue, Aled and Marius must find a way to trust each other, to save both themselves and Thera's Lady. Gay Romantic Sci-Fi Novella

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Kyle Morgan is about to set out of the journey of a lifetime. He's been chosen to live and work in the outer reaches of the Milky Way on a military base doing communications. Then he hears an alien transmission planning on destroying his ship. His life starts moving in directions he could never imagine. He is on the precipice of discovering who he really is and his place in this amazing universe. This is the first entry of the Precipice Series.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: In the second part of the Precipice series, Kyle Morgan is inexplicably returned by the alien race only to stumble upon a kidnapping plot. Why is everyone after Kyle and how could they think that Kyle can start a war? When will Kyle finally get back to his normal life or is all this becoming his new normal? This is the second book of a four part series, The Precipice Series.

Word Count: Click here to reveal36,050 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Vietnam War vet turned deep-sea treasure hunter Digger Sullivan scratches out a living, and this new commission is just another job—albeit an exciting one—off the Florida coast in 1977. But while exploring the area, Digger and his crew encounter one shark too many. Reef and his shark shifter clan are charged with protecting a vital, magical secret—two of four scrolls that, when brought together, could annihilate shifters across the world. But Reef can’t keep his head in the game around this intriguing diver, and it’s not long before Digger takes one of the scrolls topside. Reef now has two missions: seduce Digger and recapture the scroll. Despite his attraction to Digger, Reef’s priority must be reclaiming the scroll. For Digger’s part, he can’t keep his eyes off the flirty young man on his boat. While he doesn’t know what Reef could want with a scarred old vet, he’s not going to pass up an opportunity of pleasure. Unfortunately for Reef, he loses sight of his duty and all his plans go awry. Then Digger’s crew is captured by the very person who commissioned them, and Reef and his shark clan are the only things standing between them and death. Second Edition with revised and expanded text.

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

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

Summary: This is the story of two college professors who share an office and not much else – until the holiday season works its magic. Eric’s semester hasn’t been going all that well. Not only have renovations to the English Department’s physical space forced him to share an office with the department’s newest faculty member, Mike Kistler, his mother showed up at the beginning of the semester with all her worldly possessions and a U-Haul. It’s not that he doesn’t care for his mother, but she’s disruptive. She keeps wanting to honor traditions they never cared about when he was growing up, starting with the giant antique advent calendar she dragged over from her parents’ house in Hamburg. Eric has a solution, though. He might not have much interest in his mom’s traditions, but his irritating office mate does. He’ll bring Kistler over, and his mom will have someone who cares, and someone to speak German with, and Eric will be left alone to grade papers in peace. Mike is the rising star of the English Department. He’s worked damn hard to get from homeless teen to young PhD, he’s proud of his accomplishment, and he loves to give back. He likes his work. He could live without his office mate, who’s attractive but stuffier than an overfull burrito. He’s shocked when Eric invites him to help his mother celebrate Advent, but intrigued by the old traditions. And it’s been more than ten years since he’s had anything like a family to celebrate anything with, so he agrees. Moving from a cramped office to a family setting shifts things for Eric and Mike, and they start to see each other through different eyes. Can they find love, or will old family issues keep them apart forever?

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

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

Summary: Innocence wasn’t a personality flaw. Nicolas “Pure” Warner lived with the curse of a cute face and a terminal blush. He was waiting for his happily ever after. Yet he’d given up on finding his one. His partner and spotter wasn’t the type to settle down but he’d always been drawn to the other man. Pure decided he could live with that, but when powers outside their control took Raul away, Pure would stop at nothing to get Raul back even if that meant leaving the Trenton Security team behind. Touching the sun only left you burned. Raul Martinez was a brutal fighter. He’d worked freelance for several years at Trenton Security. There was one dark spot to the perfect job: Pure. The man was sweet and looking for forever. How did the damaged and unworthy ever hope to touch the sun without getting burned? And touching Pure would be a dream come true. When Pure endangers his freedom to save him, how could Raul convince his boy that letting him go was the only option? This title may contain triggering material for some readers.

Word Count: Click here to reveal30000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: When two small-town country dudes win the lottery, they finally find the courage to speak their truth. An unexpected adventure follows. Linwood "Woody" Robinson has a routine. He works for his baby brother in construction, buys three lottery tickets every week, and lusts after his best friend from high school. He's done the same thing for twenty years. Eddison "Eddie" Howard owns the only gas station in their small South Carolina town, sells lottery tickets, and lusts after his best friend from afar. They joke around but never speak their truth. He knows they're cowards but can't seem to find the courage to bridge the gulf between them. And then they win eighty million dollars. Life changes. They go from never talking about their feelings to facing the world together. Can anything pull them apart?

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

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

Summary: Raphael is no ordinary wolf shifter. Raphael knows he must be possessed by a demon. What else could explain the aggression, the physical, beastly transformations? To protect himself and others, his father locks him away. But when Raphael is nineteen, the demon gains full control and breaks free. Now Raphael is scared and desperate on the streets of El Paso, Texas, convinced he’s cursed. Then a stray cat enters his life and everything changes. Ahmes is a cat shifter and knows there’s something off about the young shifter he’s encountered. It soon becomes apparent that the young man doesn’t know what he is, and Ahmes is determined to help and care for him. But gaining the trust of not only the fearsome wolf but the scared young man will take all his persistence. Friendship, and the potential for more, grows between them as they travel to Haven, Montana—a town founded by shifters, for shifters, and home to a specialized counseling center, one that can help Raphael understand and accept who and what he truly is. If that wasn’t enough, on their trail is the last person either expected—Gregor Whitefield, the commander of the Knights of the Dawn, which is an organization bent on the eradication of shapeshifters. Gregor enjoys the thrill of the hunt, determined to collect the unique blood that is crucial to Arcas’s great plan. Raphael’s blood.

Word Count: Click here to reveal102,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: San Francisco’s legendary promise of acceptance draws Xander Peters to its streets like a rainbow beacon. Despite his parents’ cruel rejection after coming out to them, he is hopeful of the future awaiting him there. Entranced with the sights and sounds of the city he is blissfully unaware of the dangers lurking behind the friendly faces. Jamie Beck watches from the shadows of the bathhouse as a rowdy group of leather daddies try coercing the young twink inside. Unable to idly stand by while the men bait the naive teen, he steps into the crowd and rescues Xander from eminent danger. When Jamie offers Xander the spare bedroom in exchange for help with his ailing partner, he jumps at the opportunity. He’s won the lottery—free room and board in trade for a few hours each day of caretaking. However, the year is 1985 and the AIDS epidemic is relentless. Charles Greyson has a gift for making money. He is a successful lawyer and he harbors a secret. His newest client has a penchant for finding trouble and it’s his job to keep the young activist out of jail. Greyson recognizes his attraction to the young man, but he has a legal obligation to fulfill, and his interest in Xander only impedes his need to stay closeted. Over the course of three decades Remembrance and Renewal recounts the years AIDS savaged a generation. It is the story of one survivor’s journey toward the promise of love in a world left wary by the ravages of a pandemic.

Word Count: Click here to reveal57,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: The magic that was gifted to Prince Avery's family has always been a part of his life. When he was fifteen, that magic marked him as the heir to the throne. Ever since, he's known that someday that same magic will lead him to his true love and a magical bond that will tie them together. Avery knows that even magically destined love will still take work and love is always complicated, especially for a royal. He's prepared for some complications, like his destined bonded being politically challenging or a gender he's not romantically attracted to. He's not prepared for poachers, broken magic, and a surly but intriguing cat shifter that threatens to break his heart. Avery is convinced that the two of them can find their happily ever after, but Kael is hurting and resistant. How can Avery convince Kael to believe in the magic when Kael's own magic is so broken?

Word Count: Click here to reveal67000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Warlock Jack Webb is at Crofton Hall recovering from spell damage, and his siren heritage is doing him no favours. When he meets Chris, things start to improve, but no one seems to know who or what Chris is, including Chris. Their best guess is Chris is some sort of really old spectre, but he’s not a ghost or a djinn and somehow his energy is helping to heal Jack. But it’s not just Jack who’s changing. Chris is becoming more corporeal and beginning to remember his past, and why he was put in the jar. Chris is on a path to repentance that no one could have predicted and Jack won’t let him face his past or future on his own. Repentance is the third Dark Earl novel, including warlocks, elves, fae, strange things in jars, and two damaged souls healing together. Although the third novel, this story could be read as a standalone but best enjoyed as part of the series.

Word Count: Click here to reveal15000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Can a retired assassin be the savior his people need? How does a former assassin save his fellow humans from extinction? By allying them with mrrogs of course! But that’s easier said than done as humans are understandably distrustful and suspicious of sescurei, the official species of the InterGalactic community. Leopold must convince them that Mastrodai’s offer of alliance isn’t a trick, which means diplomacy, patience, and tenacity. Times like this make him grateful that he has two strong mates to lean on. And when it comes to understanding his own people, he’d be wise to follow Alex’s lead. Alex has been too long away from her family and is thrilled to see them again. But with reunions come old pressures, old doubts, and old wounds. She must negotiate who she was with who she is, while helping her mates and her colony come together with the shared goal of freedom. Mastrodai, meanwhile, finds himself in the minority for the first time in his life, and the constant hostility has him doubting the wisdom of their choices. But he’s devoted to his human mates and determined to see things through no matter the discomfort… or danger. Not everyone wants what Leopold and his mates have to give, and he needs to break through the resistance humans have built up after generations of degradation, humiliation, and fear. He must win his people’s trust, solve the riddle of his parents’ rings, and navigate the new complexities of his love life. Being an assassin was so much easier. Reader Discretion advised: PTSD, abusive family, a cult, MMF romance, dystopian.

Word Count: Click here to reveal475858 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Mikka and Nyx have known they were hyena mates for years. Due to circumstance they could never claim each other. When Mikka comes up missing, Nyx does everything he can to find his mate only to come up empty every time. When Mikka is returned, can Nyx get Mikka to believe that he still loves him and is still the alpha Nyx always knew him to be or will Mikka turn him away and leave him forever?

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Fitz Gaffney finally has some breathing room. His mother’s out of town, his piano coaches have backed off, and he’s spending his time in a music conservatory where he only has to be adequate for an entire year before all his responsibilities comes crashing back in again. Along with his new free time comes the realization that he’s lonely, but his first attempt to make new friends goes horribly awry. Fitz’s new — but possibly imaginary — friends, Evan and Serge want to help him find happiness. His used-to-be-step-brother Ari Scheffield wants to help him gain confidence and a little much-needed cool. His housekeeper Marguerite wants to keep fowl in the back yard for butchering because Duck confit is expensive and she has pillows to re-stuff. And his possible new boyfriend Garrett wants to prove he didn’t mean for their first date to end with Fitz lying unconscious in a Dumpster. All Fitz wants is someone to care about him, but suddenly there seems to be a glut. How’s a shy guy to know what’s real when he’s confronted by crazy ghosts, a less than truthful boyfriend, and relatives with hidden motives in Rhapsody For Piano and Ghost.

Word Count: Click here to reveal73039 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Kace Hallard leaves Sacramento, bound for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, something he and his father had always planned to do together. When his father realizes he won’t be able to make the trip, he makes Kace promise to go on his own. He takes off, not sure he’s up to the challenge. When he has mechanical trouble a few hours away from home, he questions his choice even more. Striker Johnson is just out buying lunch for the guys at the shop when he notices the handsome stranger in the parking lot checking over his Harley and looking confused. He approaches him and offers his help. The next few hours fly by, and Kace asks Striker to join him. It’s the trip of a lifetime for them both, one man looking to ease his grief, the other riding toward emotions he has no hope of controlling. One way or another they’ll have to decide if they ride together or separately, when life throws them one more curve.

Word Count: Click here to reveal29000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Herding cattle and drinking Australian beer aren’t pastimes that particularly appeal to an ‘indoor girl’ like Clara, but she’d be damned if she’d let her cheating ex-boyfriend have the vacation they were meant to share. So, to salvage some piece of her self-respect after a bad break-up, she finds herself riding a horse along the Oodnadatta Track for five days. When Clara arrives, she can’t help but feel an intense attraction to Evelyn, the drover who guides their group through the immensely unique landscape between Coober Pedy and the Anna Creek Station. Clara’s never been one for a no-strings-attached fling, but cowgirl Evie becomes increasingly difficult to resist. In combination with the exquisite outback, soulful horses, and overly cheerful tourists, Evie may just be exactly what Clara needs to escape her own pessimism.

Word Count: Click here to reveal38000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: RISE (noun / verb) Eight definitions to inspire writers around the world, and an unlimited number of possible stories to tell: 1) An upward slope or movement 2) A beginning or origin 3) An increase in amount or number 4) An angry reaction 5) To take up arms 6) To return from death 7) To become heartened or elated 8) To exert oneself to meet a challenge Rise features 300-word speculative flash fiction stories from across the rainbow spectrum, from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi.