Books Tagged With what - concept - family conflict

Word Count: Click here to reveal223000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Contract killers don’t retire. They don’t start over and they don’t live normal lives. Zane Cortese doesn’t care what the unspoken rules are and he breaks away from a life of murder to become a regular, law-abiding citizen. He settles down to do what he’s always loved—writing songs. So what if he lives on a remote mountain side, has no friends, and there are discreet cameras situated all over his property. Being normal isn’t as easy as it sounds. Zane’s struggle to be like everyone else is second only to his infatuation with the cowboy renting the cabin on his property. There is a list of logical and ethical reasons why he shouldn’t pursue a relationship with the arresting man—not that Zane knows how to have, you know, a relationship. Despite what he wants or is even ready for, his pushy agent arranges for him to meet a popular band. Needing the distraction, he agrees not knowing that before the night is over he will be caught in a web of schemes. One thing’s for certain, Zane doesn’t care if life is normal as long as he gets to keep the people that he’s quickly coming to love. Tags: medium burn, polyamorous, unusual paranormals, an assassin trying to be normal, an abandoned cowboy far from home, an old god looking out for his favorite person, one human struggling—or not—with discovering paranormal beings, said being striving to claim him in different ways, found family, blooded family, Scandinavian roots, Central American lore, oracles, Beowulf reimagined, dragons, all the world building

Word Count: Click here to reveal28153 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Heartbroken after the death of his beloved Nana, Hannes, the family outsider, finally allows himself to grieve. The legal battle over Nana’s quirky old house -- the only place he’s ever felt accepted and loved -- is over, and he moves in and finds a sense of peace. ... And a rabbit. An adorable bunny with a huge personality moves in, too, and refuses to leave. Hannes instantly falls in love with the sweet animal who helps heal his heart. But one morning, Hannes’ view of the world changes when the rabbit transforms into a man. A man named Mattis. After the initial shock, Hannes and Mattis discover a connection between them that runs deeper than it seems. Will their newfound feelings survive unraveling secrets and meddling families, and grow into something real? Something deep and everlasting?

Word Count: Click here to reveal69034 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Matthew Doner is starting over. After a five-year prison term that alters every aspect of his life, he receives a bequest from his aunt with the stipulation that he use the money to make things right. Breaking free of the long-standing role he's played and inspired by the few who support him, he decides to create a safe place where people like him can find purpose and start a new life. Julian Capeletti likes challenges. He is confident, brash, stubborn, and just what Matt needs. Desperate for work after a downturn of luck, he accepts the job to renovate Matt's crumbling building. Over the course of a year, romance simmers between them as they restore the house. But there's a bigger renovation that must take place in their hearts. To become better men, they need to learn to trust each other even with secrets and painful memories they fear may rip them apart.

Word Count: Click here to reveal71000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Two men. Too Many Secrets. But a Second Chance at Love. It’s the worst day of Liam’s life. His best friend, the Terengian prince Leo, is getting married. And Liam has to be the best man. What no one knows is that he's been in love with Leo since he was a teenager. But then suddenly there's Frederick. The bubbly Frenchman saves Liam from himself and an unexpected conversation leads to an hot encounter. When they run into each other again months later, the spark is still there. But even if their relationship can survive the distance between their countries, a massive family secret threatens to tear them apart.

Word Count: Click here to reveal33500 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: The Christmas Eve Dance six years ago was the scene of angry words and heartbreak. This Christmas, it’s time for forgiveness and second chances. Hunter Cavendish fled his hometown six years ago and has avoided returning ever since. Now an up-and-coming designer, he succumbs to family pressure and agrees to come home for Christmas. But the fates must be conspiring against him, because the very first person he runs into is Aaron McBride—the man he’s never been able to resist. The man who broke his heart. Aaron McBride loves his small town, loves the gift store he owns, and absolutely adores Christmas—it’s his favorite time of the year. That is, until this year. This year he’s forced to work alongside the infuriating and entitled Hunter Cavendish on the Christmas Eve Dance decorating committee. There’s no way he’s going to fall under the spell of his charms again—absolutely not. But the Christmas spirit weaves its magic, bringing the two of them together and providing the perfect opportunity for apologies, fresh starts, and falling in love again. So long as they can put the past behind them… A Christmas Reunion is a cute, feel-good holiday romance featuring enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, second chances, lots of Christmas sweetness, and a well-deserved happy ending.

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

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

Summary: There’s no glory in custodial work. That never bothered campus janitor Carl Gibson any. He worked hard—had to. His love life was a tragedy best not reopened and his only hope for the happiness he broadcast to the world was in two things: Halloween and the shrill, ever-demanding bark of his darling Lilah. But Halloween decorations were being displaced by Christmas already, and his precious pug? He could only hope she’d hold on a bit longer. Austin Edwards had failed his little boy. The most junior dining manager at the college, when everyone called out on Halloween, he got called in. The house lights were all dark. except one. A sparkling hope of legend at the college. For his boy’s sake, he hoped Carl was as crazy about Halloween as the stories said. When Carl filled his son’s empty bag with candy, Austin couldn’t help but wonder why such a wonderful man was so alone. He had to find out. With Christmas fast approaching, Carl and Austin tip-toe into dating. But they both have ghosts and memories to contend with. Can Austin be Carl’s Christmas vision? Or will Carl retreat, as he always has?

Word Count: Click here to reveal60000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul. ANSON: I was just a mercenary back from fighting the good fight overseas. I was on a quest for my father, my roots, looking for answers. Turk Blackburn, Bent Zealots MC Prez, ordered me on a fresh operation to prove myself, my guts, my valor. Infiltrate the Navajo Rez and find out who is claiming the Zealots’ turf, using kids to cook drugs. My partner is the famous badge slut, Ormond Tangier, known far and wide for his mad oral skills, his subservience to anyone in uniform. Mercenaries don’t wear badges, but my dominant side soon has me all over that seductive Spanish servant. A man may as well have a few laughs while on a fatal mission. Because these things never end pleasantly. ORMOND: I was flung into a life-or-death battle against the slimy Iceman, leader of a rival MC. Iceman is running all sorts of questionable ops on Bent Zealots land, and now Anson and I have to prove our street creds just to stake a claim in our own backyard. I’m a friend of cops, firemen, and soldiers alike, but suddenly I only want one man ordering me around. Anson Dineyazzie, macho half-breed hired gun, has stolen more than just my heart. This was never supposed to happen. ANSON: I swear I’m never falling for that service bottom Ormond. I’m accomplishing this op and going back to Afghanistan. But I have to wrest control of this Rez land from Iceman and the lethal hit man who has been trailing us. I’d bury anyone who got between me and Ormond. Does that mean I’m in love? God, I hope not. Don’t think I can take that again. Just need to get back onto the open road and blow the dust from my soul. Publisher’s warning: This book is not for the faint of heart. It contains scenes of gay sex, illegal doings, violence, mild BDSM, and forced seduction roleplay. There is no cliffhanger or cheating and there is a HEA.

Word Count: Click here to reveal21000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Ethan Carson can’t bring his father back, but he can give his widowed mom a perfect Christmas. He’s spent all his savings on her wish list and found an epic tree. But when he starts to decorate with the family heirlooms, he finds her favorite ornament, the one his father bought on their honeymoon, is broken. The last time glassblower, Nico Kazan celebrated Christmas his boyfriend died. He woke up in the hospital alone and guilt-ridden. When Ethan, the object of his secret crush, asks him to recreate a broken Murano ball, the last thing he wants is to recreate a symbol of love—not when he knows love doesn’t last. With Christmas orders coming in, only Ethan can convince Nico there’s more to life than money. And only the magic of Christmas can open a heart sealed up tight. It’ll take more than skill to recreate the Murano ball. It’ll take a Christmas miracle.

Word Count: Click here to reveal111200 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: After surviving ten years in prison, Cameron Pierce is attempting to put the past behind him. He tries to adjust to his newfound freedom with a place at the halfway house and a job. But one lesson he learned in prison keeps him guarded: hope is a dangerous thing. Hunter Donovan, Assistant State Attorney, is a man of justice who loves a challenge. After a lifetime of putting his career first, a milestone brings him to a harsh realization—he's lonely. Hunter's world changes when he meets Cam. The wary young man intrigues him and awakens a desire unlike anything he's ever experienced. When Cam's past resurfaces and threatens to rip them apart, their budding relationship is challenged and Cam's hope for a future begins to dim. These outside forces hunting Cam will stop at nothing to send him back to prison. But they'll have to get past Hunter first. ---------- NOTE: Word count: 111,200. This story is a romantic suspense/mystery novel and the second installment in The Men of Halfway House series. Although characters reappear from book one, this story can be read as a stand-alone.

Word Count: Click here to reveal145000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A story of healing and confronting demons… Detective Aidan Calloway is rock-solid strong. He's a man of justice—loyal to his friends, family, and job—even if it requires bending a law…or two. He shields himself behind an abrasive, fearless facade, until a phone call one night chips his armor and throws his perfectly planned, hollow life into a tailspin. Jessie Vega is the epitome of optimism. His carefully crafted attitude of hope and positivity protects him from a past filled with too much pain. When a ghost from a dark time resurfaces and nearly breaks him, he must tap into his inner strength or risk losing everything he's worked so hard to build. But Jessie can't do it alone. He must fight to break through Aidan's ironclad defenses to reveal the heart of the man hiding beneath the tough surface and mend his damaged spirit. Only then can they truly heal and become strong enough to battle the demons that haunt them and threaten their chance to finally be together. ---------- ***This book contains scenes and subject matter some readers may find distressing. It is only intended for adult readers.*** Word count: 145K Although part of a series and events from prior stories are referenced, this book can be read as a stand-alone.

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

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

Summary: Being an OIL (Onsite Inter-species Liaison) for the Interplanetary Multispecies Pact has never been an easy job. In fact it's a crap job when stuck on a backwater nowhere planet like Earth. But cobra Yervath Sissal Naganos manages. The demotion was swift and heavy-handed, but he'll climb back out of this hell eventually. Humans don't meet his social needs, so, yes, it's been lonely and he tells himself he likes the solitude. That is, until IMP sends him an irritating  new assistant he never asked for. Now his peace is well and truly disturbed and his paranoid diplomatic reflexes have reawakened. The worst part is the kid didn't have to be so cute.

Word Count: Click here to reveal80.5 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Starting all over again isn't easy, especially for pack alpha River. With his small band of followers and his half-human, half-omega mate by his side, he's left everything he knows for the wilderness. Tragedy brings the group to Cascade City, where rogue werewolves and humans both pose a threat to the pack. River isn't sure he can trust the humans anymore, and telling which rogues are dangerous and which are not is a difficult task. Foremost on the pack alpha’s mind is getting those in his charge to safety and after that rebuilding their pack. Beneath River’s worries lies an uncomfortable feeling that something isn't quite right with the pack's omegas.

Word Count: Click here to reveal53,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: “Orcs are the answer but what is the question?” Elias is a priest at the Temple of the Divine Sibyl. When he becomes lost in the woods after his brother’s hunting party abandons him, it’s just his luck that he’d stumble upon an angry orc caught in a trap. Unable to stomach the suffering of others, Elias throws self-preservation to the wind and frees the orc. Then Gurrkk—that’s a name?—ends up leading him to safety. Gurrkk finds himself rather smitten by the sweet, awkward human. He’s always been fascinated with his people’s sworn enemy, and now he has a life debt to fulfill to maintain his honor. Hiding an orc among the temple’s crypts wouldn’t have been Elias’s first choice but Gurrkk is stubborn about leaving. As they learn each other’s languages and spend more time together, Elias realizes they’ve become friends… and maybe more. And when the dying sibyl gives her last prophecy, Elias knows it wasn’t chance that brought them together, it was the gods. But why? This is a sweet, ace romance, so no sexy times, but plenty of snuggles and cuddles!

Word Count: Click here to reveal115,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Life hasn't been easy for Aeley since she arrested her brother, and her role as a political leader leaves her feeling isolated and lonely. Days before her brother's trial, she meets Lira, a quiet and modest scribe who makes Aeley want more than just a professional relationship. When she attends the trial and leaves with a marriage contract, Aeley doesn't know what to do. She must choose one of two brothers, marrying into a family she doesn't know. Then she discovers that Lira is part of the same family—a sister to Aeley's suitors and the family's disgrace. And not at all opposed to an intimate relationship. Except random acts of violence against her people test Aeley's ability as a leader, and a web of lies and deceit threaten not only her chance at happiness, but her life...

Word Count: Click here to reveal19000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Snow turns to sleet where monsters tread As the resident sorcerers, Toren and his family protect their village from monsters—like the one they trapped in the mountains decades ago. But on the eve of the annual midwinter festival, it’s not a monster but a sudden eruption at the springs that threatens their lives. With rescue spells failing and the danger of a second, more deadly eruption looming, Toren discovers that a monster responsible for his brother’s death holds the key to saving the village. When his family refuses to listen, Toren must make an impossible choice: risk their wrath by seeking the monster’s help, or lose everything his brother died to protect. ___________________________ 100 pages / 19,000 words - Novella Content notes are available in the book's front matter and on the author's website.

Word Count: Click here to reveal73000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: To stop a serial killer a detective will need to explore his own vices… Nathanial Bayard wants nothing more than to find the nobleman creating snuff pornography. If he fails, his career in the recently formed nobility taskforce will be over and as the youngest son he’ll be forced to obey his father and join the church. But a life of celibacy doesn’t appeal. Nathanial has never even kissed another man, fearing for his soul and his reputation. Jericho Fulbright has never lived a wholesome life. After behavior unbecoming he was discharged from the army and sent home in disgrace. His inventor and nouveau riche father refused to have anything to do with him, so Jericho turned to what he knew best: opium, gambling and sex. As the owner of the Jericho Rose, a club for gentlemen who like men, he enjoys a certain notoriety. Some would say he has a golden tongue, but the truth is a succubus lives within him feeding on souls. Once he needed her help, now she is a burden that keeps him from getting close to anyone. After the unfortunate death of a young noble man in Jericho’s bed, Nathanial is sent to investigate. He is scandalized and intrigued by Jericho, but soon realizes that Jericho could be exactly who he needs to help break the snuff case. Together they are drawn into a web of lies that will result in Jericho facing prison unless Nathanial can unmask the real creator of the snuff, a man with rank and privileges that reaches almost to the King.

Word Count: Click here to reveal120100 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Two men. One sweet dream of family and forever. Gabriel “Bull” del Toro loves his fast-paced globe-trotting job, but aches for an honest relationship and the trust that comes with it. After a few too many heartbreaks, he’s nearly given up hope of finding that special someone. Until Ben. Born deaf, Ben is used to working twice as hard for what he wants, but risking a newfound friendship on an impossible dream is scary. After all, there’s one lesson he’s learned: everything is temporary—freedom, friends, even family. Neither man expects the undeniable spark between them or for every moment together to fuel that connection. For the first time, a happily ever after is within reach, but they must trust that the dream of acceptance, family, and a place to call home is more than a sweet fantasy. It can be forever. ———— A Sweet Man is an interconnected standalone within The Men of Halfway House series. It is a story about the power of love, the meaning of family, and never giving up on a dream. It includes wounded hearts, an age-gap romance, and enough cake and sweetness to give you a toothache.

Word Count: Click here to reveal70,900 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Prince Colin of Sendorra would have been the spare instead of the heir if fate hadn’t intervened. Like his father and forefathers, Colin is expected to marry and father a child or his principality reverts to Spain at the time of his death. Filling the royal nursery with healthy babies seems easy enough until Princess Charlotte—his childhood friend and intended bride—breaks off their engagement. Nobel Prize winner—and powerful gray witch—Alain de Gris isn’t looking for love. Science and research have taken center stage for years until he walks into a club and lays eyes on Colin, thirteen years his junior. Bisexual by nature, Colin seeks to avoid another engagement repeat by shying away from a same-sex relationship. There are no acceptable alternatives to provide legitimate offspring if he follows his heart. But Colin can’t stay away from Alain and the witch finds him irresistible. Ignoring the absolutes isn’t easy when a legacy is in jeopardy. And while magic may offer a solution, it could also create more problems.

Word Count: Click here to reveal20000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Peter Warfield wanted a Christmas like none before. A celebration of putting the past behind them. Leaving Bradley Warfield and Moses Lee buried in the past. A new tradition of love and happiness for future generations. But, no one was cooperating. You are invited to celebrate the holidays with Peter, Sally and their daughter, Lily, at the Warfield Manor. There’s no murder to solve or a criminal to catch, but there are secrets to be revealed. Justin Warfield and Marcus Drummond are speaking or telling anyone else what is going on. Damien Fitzgerald and Robert Wyler have been out of the country but is that really the truth. Sally’s been trying to tell Peter something important for weeks but he’s so wrapped up in Christmas, she can’t get through to him. Catch up with the rest of the Warfield extended family: Richard Brooks, Daisy Lee and their son Alexander, Krystal Smith, Winnie, Michaels and all the rest. One thing’s for sure, it will be a Christmas the Warfield’s will never forget.

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

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

Summary: Having survived one nightmare of a relationship, Justin Tesh thought he'd left the worst behind when he put his ex Peter behind bars. But when his new lover, Russell Pine, explodes in a fit of alcohol-fueled rage, Justin finds himself frozen with a fear he thought he’d long since worked through. While older, more experienced Russ is anxious to put the incident behind them, avoiding personal issues never works, and for Justin, his fear is an open doorway to demons both he and Russ need to confront. Despite their histories of loss and pain, Russ has faith in the promise of their relationship. But if he can't heal the wound he's inflicted on his lover’s heart, he risks losing Justin forever to Peter’s legacy of brutality. This book was originally published by Dreamspinner Press with a different cover in March of 2015 and was included in The Chess Master Chronicles which compiled all three of the Sam's Cafe Romances into a single print volume.