Books Tagged With what - condition - ptsd

Word Count: Click here to reveal105360 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A man recovering from a traumatic event. His partner supporting him the best he can. An agent called back into the field by an old enemy. A case in Detroit requires the onsite attention of FBI Special Agent Aaron Pearce. Men are being murdered, notes left behind that reference Pearce, inviting him back to the city. But Pearce doesn’t want to leave his boyfriend, Mark Beecher, who is still recovering from their terrifying trip to Barbados. Surely someone else can track down this killer. Mark Beecher tells Pearce what the man already knows: this case is too personal, and Pearce has to leave him and return to Detroit. Regretfully, Pearce leaves, and Mark works on becoming more comfortable with himself and his memories, making progress every day. Which means, when the stakes in Pearce’s case become even more personal for him, Mark has to decide whether it’s better for him to stay in Washington, D.C., or be with Pearce in Detroit.

Word Count: Click here to reveal34190 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Two broken men. One chance at love. A connection neither can deny. And a claiming they both need. Cooper Jackson served his country honorably; he came home damaged but determined. In the blink of an eye, he went from soldier to bartender, back home slinging drinks at his family’s bar. He expects quiet, solitude, the same bar regulars he’s known since childhood, and for his grandfather to be all up in his business. What he doesn’t expect is to be dumbstruck when the mountain-man version of Adonis, aka Gage Holloway, walks into his bar. And he certainly doesn’t expect their obvious instant connection. But when Gage denies that connection and all but ignores him, Cooper makes it his mission to tame this surly mountain man. And as a former Army Ranger, Cooper is no stranger to difficult missions… or difficult men. Gage Holloway moved to Fire Mountain to escape his past—the job he never wanted, the family that never understood him, and the crushing guilt and grief of his former life. He ruins everything (and everyone) he touches, so now he just wants to be left alone where he can’t hurt anyone else. He nurses a drink at the local bar most nights sat alone in a secluded booth, so he can feel like he’s still part of the world without actually engaging it. He was fine on his own until a blond-haired, brown-eyed temptation in the form of the most beautiful man he’s ever seen upends his carefully-crafted, solitary existence. But there’s a reason Gage avoids human connection, and he’s not about to let Cooper Jackson make him forget… even if that’s the one thing his heart most wants.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: High school senior Neil Darrien is a budding musical theater star. He has it all—a beautiful girlfriend Melissa Watt, a scholarship at a prestigious musical theater school, and a new friend Zane Jeffrey, the boy who has just come to town and immediately lands a spot in the school show choir. Neil is jealous of Zane at first, but they soon become fast friends. Neil harbors a deep dark secret. If it comes out, he is sure that it will destroy his future. But as he gets deeper and deeper into Melissa’s church, he sees a situation that he is sure he needs to fix, but if he does, his secret may come out. Meanwhile, his relationship with Melissa becomes rocky, and Neil finds he may be drawn to Zane in a way that is more than friendship.

Word Count: Click here to reveal79802 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: What if those who stand by you are the ones who betray you? France, 1944 Sometimes the most desperate struggles take place far from the battlefield, and what happens in secret can change the course of history. Victory is close at hand, but freedom remains frustratingly just beyond the grasp of German physicist Dr Kristopher Lehrer, Resistance fighter Michel, and the remaining members of the team sent by the Allies—Captain Matt Bryant, Sergeant Ken Lowe, and Dr Zhou Liang—as they fight to keep the atomic plans from the Nazis. The team reaches France and connects with members of Michel’s French Resistance cell in Normandy. Allied troops are poised to liberate France, and rescue is supposedly at hand. However, Kristopher is no longer sure the information he carries in his memory is safe with either side. When Standartenführer Holm and his men finally catch up with their prey, the team is left with few options. With a traitor in their midst, who can they trust? Kristopher must become something he is not in order to save the man he loves. Death is biding his time, and sacrifices must be made for any of them to have the futures they want. Author’s note: This is the second edition of Comes a Horseman. The first edition was released by another publishing house.  This story has been re-edited, and uses UK spelling to reflect its setting.

Word Count: Click here to reveal96,122 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealDemisexual, Gay, Non Binary, Pansexual, Polyamorous, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: When it rains, it pours. And right now, it’s a freaking monsoon.   Bjorn:   After my parents' deaths, I devoted myself to raising my younger siblings. It meant growing up fast, but I had to keep the family together. Romantic relationships weren’t a priority. My siblings had to come first.   It takes my near-death experience for me to reprioritize yet again. I need to stop meddling in my siblings’ lives and focus on me. Only, I’m not sure I remember how. Then Kaino Nieminen and Xander Neilsen walk out of my past and into my hospital room, and maybe, just maybe, the universe is finally cutting me a break.    Xander:   I live to fill eager students’ minds with the wonder that is Dickens and Austen, to debate the merits of Shelley, and dive into the scandalous roots of the Bronte sisters’ novels. Woe betide the graduate student who doesn’t find English Literature fascinating. I have no patience for unenthusiastic students, or issues letting them know. I’ve been called sharp-tongued, defensive, and dramatic. Traits of many main characters in my beloved classic novels, so I take it as a compliment. Though it doesn’t win friends and influence students. Or Deans in the English department. Or romantic partners.   Except for Bjorn Osouf. Our fleeting but passionate relationship burns in my memory, like the glowing embers of Manderley. When the fool plays hero and almost gets himself killed, I take it as my sign to reconnect. As expected, there’s still a spark between us. What I don’t anticipate is the imminently fascinating Kaino Nieminen, or my inconvenient attraction to them.   Kaino:   Making personal connections is a challenge. I’m no introvert, but I need time to really get to know someone, to trust them, before they’re a friend. As a non-binary, touch-averse, demisexual, it takes even longer for anything romantic to develop, and believe me, most people aren’t that patient.    Only one person has cared to try. And when he almost dies, it’s the shove I need to reconnect. Before I know it, I’m in Bjorn Osouf’s hospital room, and the instant reconnection has me eager to give things one more try. Then Xander Neilsen walks in and throws a wrench into my plan. ​   Complete Me is a low-angst, MMX, opposites attract, second chance contemporary LGBTQ+ romance about unexpected connections, being more than two halves of a whole, and finding the perfect fit, even if it’s not quite as expected. It contains lots of dad jokes, no cheating, and has a guaranteed happily ever after.

Word Count: Click here to reveal51,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: What happens when an autistic firefighter and his paramedic boyfriend share a thirst for true crime? Osian Garey and Dannel Ortea live together in a colourful flat in Covent Garden. They run a podcast and throw themselves wholeheartedly into Cosplay, video games, and musical theatre.  This year, they’re all fired up to attend their annual convention with a group of first responders. When Osian finds a paramedic friend murdered in the middle of the crowded venue, the police immediately turn their attention to him. They have one question on their mind. Is he the first witness on the scene or the killer? As the mystery unfolds, Osian has to face the trauma of his last job as a paramedic. Somewhere in those memories, a killer waits to exact revenge. They’ll have to prove Osian’s innocence and fight for their own survival when the killer puts them both in their sights.

Word Count: Click here to reveal68000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: James Morgan, lead guitarist for the rock band Eden, seems to have it all. That is, until Theo, Eden’s lead singer and James’s secret lover, violently betrays him, sending James into a deep depression and cutting their current tour and the band’s life short. Kieran Jackson, the lead vocalist for the less successful band Lost and Found, is at his wits’ end. At thirty-three, he never dreamed he’d still be opening for bands comprised of twentysomethings. When Eden pulls out of the last few shows of their summer tour, Kieran returns home burned out and heartbroken. Over a year later, James, Phil, and David of Eden decide to reform under a different name with Kieran as their new vocalist. James, never having forgotten his single interaction with Kieran, nor the only time he ever listened to him perform, knows Kieran’s the best choice. James is still closeted—and skittish after his last relationship—and one fumbling, drunken kiss threatens to undo everything he’s worked so hard to rebuild, as well as the cover he’s fought to maintain. Can James overcome his past, confront his demons, and reclaim his former fame? Or will he and the newly formed True North remain in Eden’s shadow forever? Can he finally find comfort in who he is, accept his past, and reopen his heart? Or will the memories of Theo’s betrayal and the subsequent fallout dash any hope of finding—and trusting—love again? Trigger warning: this book contains explicit rape, as well as one failed suicide attempt by a main character.

Word Count: Click here to reveal52000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: With the help of technomage and hacker Theo, rare snake shifter Robbie escaped his mother and clan, who planned to use him as breeding stock. While still working to break through the conditioning and mind control of his past, Robbie is enjoying exploring a new relationship with the worldlier Theo. But their fight isn’t over yet. A trip to his aunt’s house for Thanksgiving is highjacked by political intrigue, leaving the couple wondering who their friends really are. They cannot help but be drawn into larger plots while trying to find justice for Robbie at his mother’s trial. When clan rivalries turn deadly, they’ll need their allies—and each other—more than ever.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: A mysterious garden... an enigmatic man... but are either of them real? Recovering from a bombing in 1990s Belfast, British soldier Nat Brook is sent to remote army rehab unit Frogmorton Towers to recuperate. At first he’s lonely and depressed, but then he finds the remnants of a once-beautiful garden, meets the enigmatic Richie, and begins to fall in love. Gradually, though, he realises there’s something odd about Frogmorton. He can rarely find the same place twice, and Richie proves every bit as elusive as the Chinese pagoda or the Scottish glen. Nat begins to question his own sanity, because if the garden is imaginary, what does that make the man he loves? Faced with the shocking truth, Nat must decide whether to stay with the army - even though that means hiding his sexuality - or find acceptance elsewhere.

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

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

Summary: Will the truth bring them together, or tear them apart? When a battered shifter rescued from a lifetime of trauma ends up as the top tiger’s mate, Declan is faced with possible war. With his nephew safe, and a new mate to secure, he should be focused on them. Instead he’s facing a challenge that will end up changing everything, or his death. Sean grew up in a cage never dreaming of freedom, until the chance to save another brings him into the light. Now he’s met a man he can’t imagine living without. Only they both face a trial neither of them may survive. Can love give them the strength to win? This is Book One in the series and while the MCs do receive their happy ending, there is an overall story arc which must be read in order to enjoy the story. Each book will feature its own main couple. Content advisory warning: off page non-con, violence, child abuse, and PTSD.

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

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

Summary: In AD 107, after a grueling campaign against Rome's fierce enemy, the kingdom of Dacia, Gaius Fabius returns home in triumph. With the bloody battles over, the commander of the Lucky IV Legion now craves life's simple pleasures: leisurely soaks in fragrant baths, over-flowing cups of wine, and a long holiday at his seaside villa to savor his pleasure slaves. On a whim, he purchases a spirited young Dacian captive and unwittingly sparks a fresh outbreak of the Dacian war; an intimate struggle between two sworn enemies with love and honor at stake. Allerix survived the wars against Rome, but now he is a sex slave rather than a victor. Worse, the handsome general who led the destruction of his people now commands his body. When escape appears impossible, Alle struggles to find a way to preserve his dignity and exact vengeance upon the hated Romans. Revenge will be his, that is, if he doesn't lose his heart to his lusty Roman master. Dominus is a plot-packed erotic m/m historical fantasy that transports readers back to ancient Rome during the reign of the Emperor Trajan (98-117). This is the first of four books in an alternate history saga—a tumultuous journey filled with forbidden love, humor, sex, friendship, political intrigue, deception and murder.

Word Count: Click here to reveal77000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Rich Cody joined the U.S. Marshals to hunt down bad guys, not babysit witnesses. Orders are orders, though, and now he’s protecting a hacker with ties to the Albanian and Sicilian mobs. It’s just another exciting day in WITSEC. Leotrim Nicolosi was born into a world of crime and bloodshed. When that bloodshed hits too close to home, taking down Leo’s boyfriend—the son of a notorious mob boss—Leo is determined to destroy the Grimaldi family. He’s got evidence that will send every last Grimaldi to prison, he’s got the family’s wealth in an electronic chokehold, and he’s got a vendetta that can only be settled with the blood of the man who killed his lover. When a routine transfer to a safehouse goes horribly wrong, Rich and Leo narrowly escape with their lives. With the Marshals compromised and Leo being framed for murder, he and Rich are on the run from criminals and law enforcement alike. They have no one to trust except each other, and nowhere to go that their enemies can’t reach. And the only way out might mean making a deal with the Devil. This novel is approximately 77,000 words.

Word Count: Click here to reveal43087 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Not all limits can be negotiated. The Edge is reaching a major milestone. After ten years in business together, Doms Joe Dexter and Heath Anders are planning a celebration and new beginnings. But even the best-laid plans can be thrown off course. When Olly, Joe’s beloved sub, gets caught up in a hostage situation involving Special Forces soldiers, PTSD and blood diamonds, a party is the last thing on Joe’s mind. He hates the lack of control, and the thought of losing Olly takes him close to the edge. Joe is not the only one reassessing his priorities. Olly needs Joe’s strength more than ever. He feels safe only in Joe’s arms or in his bondage. Can Joe and Olly find sanctuary in each other or will their latest adventure drive them apart? Reader Advisory: This book contains a hostage situation and scenes of violence. 

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Only weeks after witnessing the massacre of nearly half his pack, Quinn Boucher is finding his footing as a guard to the U.S. Anax, ruler of all werewolves in the country. But flashbacks to the killings, and to the extreme abuse he suffered before joining the pack, plague Quinn. And a vital piece of his life is missing: his mate Malachi. From the moment they met in Nova Scotia, Quinn knew he and the older man were destined for each other. But Malachi is unwilling to accept Quinn as his, and his rejection cuts Quinn deeply. At 130 years old, Malachi Powers has spent decades grieving the two human men who shared their lives with him and each other. The last thing he wants is a mate, especially one over a century younger than him. But Malachi can't deny the attraction he feels to Quinn, a pull that isn't merely fate. When Quinn returns to Nova Scotia at the request of the Canadian Anax, Malachi, against his human side's better judgment, gives in to desire and claims Quinn as his mate and, at Quinn's request, his to command. As the walls between Malachi and Quinn crumble and their connection deepens, they're caught in the crossfire of a conspiracy against the Canadian Anax. As a guard, Quinn has pledged to protect the Anax. As Quinn's mate and the one to whom Quinn chooses to belong, Malachi has sworn to protect Quinn at any cost. With threats coming at them from all sides, will their chance at forever end before it truly begins? This book includes discussions of past sexual assault and depictions of grief and mourning. There is a large age gap between the main characters (over 100 years...werewolves live a long time!) It also includes consensual commanding of a character and an adult character being called "boy." This book is set in the Real Werewolves Don’t Eat Meat universe but is not a direct part of that series.

Word Count: Click here to reveal154223 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Quiet. That's how he likes life, no drama to clean up... Tai Xen-Vorsy leads a straightforward life: work, time at the local clubs where shapeshifters like him can play without fear, and the comforts of home with a cat that's more than half attitude. After breaking up with his last submissive, he's even taking a break from Dom duties. Meeting Gates changes everything, and when Tai's childhood home is destroyed, his simple life goes up in flames. The Callensdale haven was his refuge as an orphan, a hideaway that saved his life. Now it's time to return the favour. Bringing in the Fluff Brigade Brotherhood would make all the difference... if he could just get them back together. Tai won't give up—he's not that kind of unicorn. But can he reunite the brotherhood and keep his new relationship with Gates kindled at the same time?   The darkness is dragging him into the shadows, one case at a time... Helping others is all Gates Colfaethe wants to do, being mostly unicorn shifter with a splash of Faerie. But years as an agent on trafficking cases leave him fearing just how far he'll lose himself in the job before he burns out completely. A random hookup with Tai might be the very change he needs. A new Dom means new rules and the chance to create safe distance from work—until his worlds collide in a twist Gates should leave well enough alone. What he knows is bad enough, but running headlong into danger could kill him.   Horn & Haven is an MM+ romance series featuring a found family of unicorn shifters brought together by tragic circumstances. Friends out to save a magical world in trouble. Family fighting to protect those they love. Lovers falling for the kinkiest unicorns this side of their universe... Welcome to the Fluff Brigade Brotherhood.

Word Count: Click here to reveal32850 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary:

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

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

Summary: Sonny Lakes has found a home with Abe Ellis in Sweetshade, a small town as calm and inviting as the name suggests. But even places like that can hide sinister secrets and dangerous threats. After facing down Sonny’s stalker and coming to terms with their need to work on better communication, they seem to have settled into the domestic bliss they’ve both been craving. But just as Sonny is about to return to the medical field and pursue his dreams, he gets enmeshed in an all-too-familiar nightmare, upending any sense of stability he had. Their hard-won peace robbed from them, Abe fights to keep Sonny on the path toward the career he’s always wanted. Abe is willing to do whatever it takes, but his increasingly risky deceit not only threatens their relationship, but his own life yet again. Can Sonny and Abe find their way through the fire once more and learn to dance in the rain? Warning: school shooting, gun violence, PTSD

Word Count: Click here to reveal13,900 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Some memories are better forgotten. Jules can’t remember his past; he only knows here and now. Oddly, being an amnesiac doesn’t even bother him much until he turns around one evening and finds a guy following him. The guy, Rae, is an old friend who’s come back to the city to help Jules regain his memory—or so he claims. Getting to know Rae sparks new life in Jules … but also gives him a distinctly bad feeling that recovering his lost memories could put them both in mortal danger. Flashpoint is a 13.9K word paranormal mystery MM romance short story. It features an amnesiac who’s trying to figure out what the heck happened to him, a public-school teacher who knows more than he’s saying, mysterious happenings that desperately need unraveling, and a hard-won HEA both guys deserve. (Then again, does ‘ever after’ really have to mean ‘the end’ ...?)

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: (Jimmy) I fell for my best friend. Shifters like us have mates. If I didn't know better, I'd swear he was mine, but Savi's feelings for me? Purely platonic. I need to find a way to fall out of love with him. Because losing him? Not an option. Who would have thought a trip to the zoo would be the start of my forever? At just five years old I knew that the cute kitty in the cage was meant to be mine…my best friend, my person, MY Kiki. At sixteen, I prayed to every deity known in the human world that he would be my mate. At nineteen, I left. Now?  Our lives will never be the same.   (Savi) We should be planning the best summer ever, instead, I’m learning how to live without my best friend for the first time since he and his family rescued me from my terrible foster “parents” when I was a kid. Jimmy, my best friend, my person, up and left me for 6 whole months! One hundred eighty-two and a half-ish days. Maybe forever. It’s only a matter of time before Jimmy finds his mate and our separation is permanent. If only I was that mate. Because it’s only a matter of time before he can’t deny anymore that he needs more than me. He needs a mate. Something I’m not, something I can never be. Shouldn’t be. For anyone, but especially not for Jimmy LaFleur. For All Eternity : Destinies Entwined is an ongoing M/M Best Friends to Lovers, Paranormal, Kindle Vella Romance serial. It contains multiple points of view, but the main bulk of the story and main focus is on these best friends and their path to their eternity. For All Eternity : Destinies Entwined features an autistic main character, traumatic pasts, horses, and lots and lots of cuddling. Oh, yeah, and Blood Play (eventually!) The friendship these two have is nothing ordinary! Note: Heat level of 3 is indicative of the heat in the story thus far, not the entire story, which will be a 5.

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

Character Identities: Information not available

Summary: England 1193 Civil war threatens as battle-scarred knight Henry de Grey returns from the Crusades. King Richard languishes in captivity, a prisoner of the Holy Roman Emperor. Traitors to the crown pit Henry and his friends against dangerous and unknown enemies. Loyalties will be tested, families torn apart. Friend or foe? It is hard to tell one from the other. The king’s brother John and his allies plot to usurp Richard’s throne. With the knights Sir Stephan and Sir Robin, Henry fights for king and country. But he must keep his feelings for Sir Stephan l’Aigle secret. Sure as arrow or sword, their forbidden love could destroy him.