Books Tagged With what - element - court hearing

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 reveal65,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Wild and uninhibited, Johnny gives the performance of a lifetime every time he gets up on the stage. He's been doing it for so long that the nights have blurred into an endless series of shows, parties, and partners, none of which make him truly happy anymore. For all he's been able to accomplish, the one thing he's never done before was fall in love. Until now. Sudden, swift and unexpected, it's something he's ill equipped to handle, especially when the person he's fallen for isn't even a hundred percent certain he's into guys. It's more like he's dipping his toes into the pool with Johnny as his very eager, very willing partner. Only now that they've reached a point where Johnny's feeling are involved, he's not sure if his heart can handle living in limbo until Draven makes his decision.

Word Count: Click here to reveal95,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: "We have his sisters. Involve your catamite, and they will die before the shortest day." A kidnapping, a threat and a deadly showdown force Lord Clearwater and his coachman, Andrej, on a secret mission to save two innocent girls. But where are they? The clue to the location is wrapped up in a Tennyson poem, and time is fast running out. Left at Clearwater House to crack the code, James finds himself with another ominous responsibility when Inspector Adelaide makes an arrest. With his master missing, it falls to the footman to crack the code, fight a court case, and save Archer's reputation. With only three days to find the answers, all evidence points to a location known only to Tennyson himself, and an enemy thought dead. But what if James is wrong? An interconnected double mystery, Fallen Splendour is the fourth in the Clearwater Mysteries series. The books are best read in order.

Word Count: Click here to reveal103000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: It began with a man sobbing in the night. When he is robbed by a fare, London cabman, Jack Merrit, thinks his life is over, but then he meets the dashing writer of social observations, Larkin Chase, a man in search of love. Larkin sees the chance for Jack to earn a twenty-pound reward. All Jack has to do is identify the pair of crooks that robbed him, but the crooks are part of a notorious East End gang who know no boundaries when silencing a witness. Despite the possibilities Larkin offers, Jack’s world begins to crumble. He must either deny or allow his unnatural desire and decide if he is to see justice done and win his reward. But when an equally dashing young detective arrives on the scene, Jack's life becomes even more complicated. Finding a Way is the first of a new series of thrilling Victorian mysteries. If you enjoyed the Clearwater Mysteries and Larkspur Mysteries, you'll love this book. There is no need to read them first.

Word Count: Click here to reveal104000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: “The greatest gift one man may give another is his trust.” Barbary Fleet, 1890. Standing stones, messages written in symbols, and the language of the deaf. It falls to Lord Clearwater to unlock the mystery of Dalston Blaze and his deaf friend, Joe Tanner, two young men arrested for committing ‘unnatural offences’ at the Hackney workhouse. Dalston hopes for a prison sentence. It’s the only way to save his life. Instead, he is bailed to the Larkspur Academy on Lord Clearwater’s Cornish estate, where there is only one rule: honesty above all else. For Dalston, this means confronting his past, learning to trust, and admitting his secrets. Joe is the key, but Joe is missing, and his location is locked deep inside a memory seen in sign language, and clouded by eighteen years of workhouse life. If Dalston remains silent, the immoral workhouse master and his sadistic schoolteacher will continue to inflict pain and suffering on all inmates of the Hackney workhouse. If he tells the truth, he and Joe will die. The Guardians of the Poor is a combination of mystery, adventure and male romance, set in 1890. It draws on first-hand accounts of workhouse life at the time and is the first of a new series of mysteries set in the Clearwater world. The Larkspur Mysteries Beginning in 1890, The Larkspur Mysteries follow on from The Clearwater Mysteries series of 11 novels. It’s not necessary to have read the Clearwater books before you embark on the Larkspur series. However, if you enjoy mystery, romance, adventure and a mix of historical fact and fiction, then begin the journey with ‘Deviant Desire.’ (Or the non-mystery prequel, ‘Banyak & Fecks.’) Lord Clearwater has created a unique academy for disadvantaged young men. The Larkspur Academy is, ‘A non-academic institution with the aim to provide deserving men the opportunity to expand talent, horizons and knowledge for the betterment of the underprivileged and general society.’ It’s not a school. There are no lessons, no teachers, no schoolboys and no rules. The series exists in the established Clearwater world of the late 1800’s where homosexuality is a crime everywhere but on Clearwater’s country estate in Cornwall. The series is ongoing. Each story involves male bonding, bromance, friendship and love. Mystery, adventure and a little comedy play their parts, and every story is inspired by true events from the past.

Word Count: Click here to reveal62000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Award-winning novel, His Captain: A wounded hero... A mysterious healer... A secret enemy hell-bent on their destruction... Physicians proclaim Captain Reginald (Reggie) St. Clair will never walk again. Injured from a cannon misfire, he retreats to the Scottish Highlands. In the remote castle where he spent his youth, he will escape pity and ridicule from society and his family. And maybe, just maybe, he'll gain strength from the happy memories ghosting through the old stone walls. Johnnie Sloan, a healer with a mysterious past, expects to mend Captain St. Clair’s injured body as well as his broken spirit. He does not intend to fall in love. Just when Reggie thinks life might be worthwhile again, a secret enemy accuses him of a crime. Not only is Reggie’s freedom at stake, scandal threatens Johnnie's safety as well. Can the captain and the healer, with his underworld connections, defeat censure and betrayal to find happiness together? Award-winning novel His Captain, is the first book in the Scottish Crime Romance series by Stephanie Lake, and is part of the Regency Lords world. For romance, intrigue, and deliciously ruthless characters, dive into this exciting series today! “Stephanie Lake gives us appealing characters, fun storylines, and crisp prose. I especially enjoy the skill she uses with her historical settings. Her stories are perfect when I need an escape from the here and now.” – Kim Fielding, Award-winning author of The Bureau series."

Word Count: Click here to reveal105K (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealAce, Gay, Non Binary, Questioning, Polyamorous, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: Longtime friends Jackson Riley and Juliette (aka Jules) Baxter are committed to fulfilling their first year of business at their breakfast café, but trouble is brewing again in their personal lives. Jack and Reese Baxter are in a committed relationship -- or are they? Jack's not so certain given Reese's continued reluctance to come out of the closet. Jules has ended her polyamorous relationships, but she's juggling her romantic attraction to two café staff members - a man and a woman. Jules's parents split in their support of the cafe, and Reese's mother is making a big stink as well. When more details of Jack's secret past rise from the ashes, everything is thrown in turmoil. Will they all survive to celebrate?

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Music, Rehab and Recovery Tad faces many of life's obstacles as the drummer of the rock and punk band, Surf Sons. And who he ends up with or where he lands has never mattered. The only thing he takes serious is the music. But he's starting to outgrow the hard rocking and partying lifestyle. Much to his surprise Tad needs more in his life. Then Keegan Ross entered his life, slowly sneaking under his skin. The musical prodigy, hoping to land a record deal, has an amazing music career ahead of him. Tad's afraid he'll only drag Keegan down, but he can't deny how Keegan makes him feel. Loved. Tad's recovery is challenging enough but adding his heart to the mix makes things more complicated. Will Keegan and music be enough to help Tad change his life, or will he break both their hearts? #music #secrets #rehab #lifelessons Love on the Line, Book 3 Note: Love on the Line books can be read in any order.

Word Count: Click here to reveal95376 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary:   They’d been through it all and emerged victorious. Now they stood on the very brink of a whole new life bursting with possibilities and renewed hope for the future. Colin will take the bar exam and begin his promising career as an Assistant Commonwealth Attorney for the city of Charlottesville. Joshua receives his second Ph.D. and adds Forensic Psychologist to his list of achievements. What could possibly go wrong?   And then: Three students are abducted from the University of Virginia campus. All three are recovered alive but have been sexually assaulted and brutally beaten. From his new position as Assistant Commonwealth Attorney, Colin partners with both campus and city police in a combined task force determined to solve these horrific crimes and put the perpetrator behind bars. But can they succeed before the ‘campus abductor’ strikes again?   The abusive and volatile husband of one of Joshua’s patients threatens his life. Suddenly Joshua is under siege as he is stalked both at work and at home by an unstable assailant.   Entangled in both these life-threatening situations, Colin struggles to protect both the university he loves and the man he adores. But...   “Oh god, Josh, my sweet love, if anything’s happened to you...” his voice trailed off, unable to voice the unthinkable.   “NO! Joshua’s mind shrieked. I can’t give up! I won’t give up! Colin will come! He’ll come!”   Warning: This novel discusses sensitive material which may be distressing to some readers. Relevant Law explores themes of abduction, physical violence, and non-graphic sexual assault.    

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 reveal89539 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Parker Rice breaks into handsome attorney Anthony Swifson’s estate expecting an easy take. When he finds the attorney behind him while his fingers clutch a set of rings in a jewelry box, he fully expects to go to jail. The abusive home Parker returns to late each night to hide from his mother’s boyfriend, Earl Primack, offers no sanctuary from the train wreck of his life. At twenty, he has no future. The deal he’s been forced to accept from the attorney turns out to be the turnaround he never conceived he could hope for. Unfortunately, Earl comes calling to the Swifson home. Anthony Swifson has a mountain on his plate. His ex-wife Claire leaves for a visit to her sister and cancer testing, taking their young son Gray with her. Expecting a couple months of quiet, Anthony’s world is turned upside down with the arrival of his new project – the thief in the night, Parker Rice. Both men must confront the pain of their past and give their unexpected attraction a chance to develop.

Word Count: Click here to reveal93,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Not long after their move into Blackstone, married couple Mitch and Buck begin to witness strange sightings of shadowy figures, physical manifestations and inexplicable events taking place in the former Sheppard family estate nestled in the Northern Poconos of Pennsylvania. Through séances, they learn from the spirit of Jedidiah Sheppard that he has not been able to cross over into the afterlife because the truth behind his sudden disappearance in 1965 has never been solved. During this journey, Mitch and Buck and an eccentric psychic, Gladys Munch aka Madame Fortunesta, encounter interference from the spirit of a Lenape medicine man, Mesingwe Medeu, who protects Jedidiah’s spirit. Mitch and Buck eventually realize that they must find Jedidiah’s remains and let the authorities discover through modern detective work the evidence needed to try and convict the murderer. But is it too late for Jedidiah’s spirit to find eternal peace?

Word Count: Click here to reveal82000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Does a bear shift in the woods? Well, partially. That was what got grizzly shifter Ted Farnsworth into trouble. He wasn’t trying to break the Secrecy Pact. He just wants people to see the real him. So he signs up with the mate-matching service Supernatural Selection — which guarantees marriage to a perfect partner. Not only will Ted never be lonely again, but once his new beaver shifter husband arrives, they’ll build Ted’s dream wilderness retreat together. Win-win. Quentin Bertrand-Harrington, scion of an incubus dynasty, has abstained from sex since nearly killing his last lover. When his family declares it’s time for him to marry, Quentin decides the only way not to murder his partner is to pick someone who’s already dead. Supernatural Selection finds him the ideal vampire, and Quentin signs the marriage agreement sight unseen. But a mix-up at Supernatural Selection contracts Quentin with Ted. What’s Ted supposed to do with an art historian who knows more about salad forks than screwdrivers? And how can Quentin resist Ted’s mouthwatering life force? Yet as they work together to untangle their inconvenient union, they begin to wonder if their unexpected match might be perfect after all.

Word Count: Click here to reveal55,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary:

Emmaline's twin brother, Spencer, has been found dead at a party. The police say Spencer drowned, but Emmaline doesn't believe it. She wants the truth, and when she finds it she wants revenge. Harley and Reed, are Spencer's best friends, they want to help Emmaline find the truth, but they also want Emmaline. As the trio seek out answers they discover an unconventional love, a love that works for them. This is a N/A book, with M/M scenes and group sex. Not suitable for under 18. It is dark and has some major triggers.

Word Count: Click here to reveal139,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Follow the burgeoning love of two teens during the worst year of their lives. Irish-born Declan David de Quirke II is the son of two ambassadors, one Irish and one American. He is ‘out’ to his parents but to no one else. French-born Jean Isidore de Sauveterre is also the son of two ambassadors, one Catalan and one Parisian. His four half brothers have been told to cure him of his homosexuality. Both teens have lost a parent in a London car bombing. Declan and Isidore meet at the beginning of their senior year at a private academy in the United States. Declan is immediately smitten with Isidore and becomes his knight in shining armor. Isidore wants to keep what is left of his sanity and needs Declan’s love to do it. One is beaten, one is drugged, one is nearly raped, one has been raped. They are harassed by professors and police, and have fights at school, but none of it compares to running for their lives. When the headmaster’s popular son attempts suicide and someone tries to assassinate Declan’s mother, they are thrown headlong into chaos, betrayal, conspiracy, allegations of sexual coercion, even murder. And one of them carries a secret that may get them killed.

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

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

Summary: March 1891. A parliamentary committee arrives at Larkspur Hall to assess Lord Clearwater’s suitability to become an earl. Prince Albert Victor will announce their decision at a society dinner on Archer’s thirty-second birthday. However, the MP with the authority to advance Archer to the title is the same man who caused Edward Hyde never to speak again. When the parliamentarians arrive to inspect the Larkspur Academy, Edward comes face to face with the man he had arrested for making unnatural advances. A man who was never tried for his crime. Silas Hawkins and the academy men band together to ensure Edward sees justice done while protecting Lord Clearwater’s reputation and each other. Using their skills in chemistry, physics and deception, they embark on a game of secrets and subterfuge where the unspoken causes the loudest outcry. “The quiet ones have the loudest voice. Them as say most by speaking in silence.” Fiona Hawkins, 1881 Speaking in Silence is the fifth book in the Larkspur Mysteries series, and touches on themes of victimisation and suicide. Like all books in the series, it is inspired by actual events from the late 1800s. With themes of friendship, bromance, male love and revenge, the story is more of a ‘how dunnit?’ than a ‘who dunnit?’ and like all of Jackson’s mysteries, contains humour, while mixing fact with fiction.

Word Count: Click here to reveal110,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary:

Θάρρος. Thárros. Greek. Meaning courage Courage. n. /ˈkərij/ 1. The ability to do something that frightens one. 2. Strength in the face of fear, pain, or grief.

High school senior Michael Sattler leads a charmed life. Almost.He has great friends, parents who love him just the way he is, and he was a champion hurdler until someone took out his knee when they kidnapped his boyfriend. Yet, Michael is determined to make the USATF tryouts in spite of his injuries.

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.

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

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

Summary: A group of strangers meets at Ragazzi, an Italian restaurant, for a cooking lesson that will change them all. They quickly become intertwined in each other's lives, and a bit of magic touches each of them. Meet Dave, the consultant who lost his partner; Matteo and Diego, the couple who run the restaurant; recently-widowed Carmelina; Marcos, a web designer getting too old for hook-ups; Ben, a trans author writing the Great American Novel; teenager Marissa, kicked out for being bi; and Sam and Brad, a May-September couple who would never have gotten together without a little magic of their own. Everyone in the River City has a secret, and sooner or later secrets always come out. The watercolor on the cover was painted by Valentyna Shpara and is used with permission. Find her on Etsy under ValrArt.

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

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

Summary: A group of strangers meets at Ragazzi, an Italian restaurant, for a cooking lesson that will change them all. They quickly become intertwined in each other's lives, and a bit of magic touches each of them. Meet Dave, the consultant who lost his partner; Matteo and Diego, the couple who run the restaurant; recently-widowed Carmelina; Marcos, a web designer getting too old for hook-ups; Ben, a trans author writing the Great American Novel; teenager Marissa, kicked out for being bi; and Sam and Brad, a May-September couple who would never have gotten together without a little magic of their own. Everyone in the River City has a secret, and sooner or later secrets always come out. Narrated by Michael Lysan.