Books Tagged With what - topic - secret

Word Count: Click here to reveal84000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: The Birthmark Murders (MM mystery with slow-burn sparks) Step into a world where secrets smoulder between the lines and truth hides behind the curtain. A famous father’s death. A city of secrets. A son who won’t let go. A play that refuses to stay on the stage. When Mikael—a half-Finnish New Zealander—returns to Finland to probe his father’s supposed suicide, nothing adds up. With reluctant new friend Pekka Wall, a sharp-tongued editor-translator, and a local misfit at his side, the stunning Mikael slips into Finland’s eccentric underbelly. In nightless summer, the light hides more than it reveals; silence is a blade; the past refuses burial. As layers of performance, paranoia, and betrayal peel back, the real challenge isn’t catching a killer—it’s facing the truth. Darkly funny and emotionally charged, The Birthmark Murders blends satire with sorrow, theatre with obsession, and a distinctly Finnish atmosphere you’ll feel in your bones. It launches a new pair of gay sleuths—Pekka Wall & Tuomas Ylivire—who crackle with wit and chemistry… even as the body count rises. For Queer Romance Ink readers MM mystery / crime with slow-burn attraction and banter Reluctant partners → found family vibes Queer leads front and center, no tragedy porn Atmospheric Nordic summer, theatre & literary satire Tone: darkly comic, emotionally satisfying, hopeful ending for the sleuths If you love smart, stylish queer mysteries with bite and heart—start The Birthmark Murders today. Grab your copy and meet your next favorite duo.

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

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

Summary: Berlin 1933: When the parties stop...the dying begins SHORT LISTED FOR 2023 MYSTERY LAMMY AWARD The city that’s been a beacon of liberation during the 1920s is about to become a city of deadly oppression. BBC foreign correspondent Simon Sampson risks his life in a bid to save thousands of gay men from the growing Nazi threat. This is the second in the Simon Sampson mystery series. The first, A Death in Bloomsbury, was hailed as ‘a good old-fashioned John Buchan-esque mystery reworked for the twenty-first century’. Simon moves to Berlin where he meets British author Christopher Isherwood and his lover Heinz. He’s also reunited with his banter-partner Florence Miles, better known to her friends as Bill. She’s recruited him into the British intelligence services and he’s got the task of hunting down communist spies. But when Simon is ordered to spy on an old college friend, his loyalties are brought into question. Who are his real enemies? And how much can he trust his masters?

Word Count: Click here to reveal311000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Everyone has secrets… but some are fatal. 1932, London. Late one December night Simon Sampson stumbles across the body of a woman in an alleyway. Her death is linked to a plot by right-wing extremists to assassinate the King on Christmas Day. Simon resolves to do his patriotic duty and unmask the traitors. But Simon Sampson lives a double life. Not only is he a highly respected BBC radio announcer, but he’s also a man who loves men, and as such must live a secret life. His investigation risks revealing his other life and with that imprisonment under Britain’s draconian homophobic laws of the time. He faces a stark choice: his loyalty to the King or his freedom. This is the first in a new series from award-winning author David C. Dawson. A richly atmospheric novel set in the shadowy world of 1930s London, where secrets are commonplace, and no one is quite who they seem.

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

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

Summary: It all started with a lie… Hugo needs to get married. His family’s prospects have been dwindling since the death of his father, and he has to make a good match to save his mother and two younger brothers. He just doesn’t expect his mother to sink all his hopes with a single lie. My son can spin straw into gold! Now, the queen might execute him over such nonsense. However, Prince Everand has better, sweeter plans for him. Can Hugo really win the heart of a prince? Not to mention survive kidnappings, dungeons, wolves, and the plotting of a possibly mad king out for revenge? Hugo will need more than magic to protect his prince and keep his head. But nothing can make him give up his chance at happily ever after. A Heart of Gold and Glass is a retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale with a few magical twists and turns that will leave you swooning over Hugo and his precious prince Everand.

Word Count: Click here to reveal37,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Sheriff Avery O’Rourke has tried to obey his strict Christian faith and lead a “normal” life. In 1923 in a rural East Texas town, “normal” means heterosexual. A cholera outbreak has made Avery a young widower, so he is married to his job. When a murder investigation forces him to confront his truth, will he finally be able to accept being gay? Veterinarian Garland Sands has returned from Europe to take over his father’s practice. Struggling with shellshock (PTSD) and heartbroken by the suicide of his French lover, he resigns himself to a quiet, solitary life as a country vet. But the murder of the town doctor brings the sheriff to Garland’s doorstep looking for help with the investigation. Seeing Avery awakens dormant feelings. Can he love a man who hates what he is? This isn’t the lavish 1920s of The Great Gatsby. This is the flip side of that coin—rural East Texas. No electricity. No indoor plumbing. No flappers. In 1923, the timber barons have left and racism, homophobia, and sexism thrive. A Little Sin is a realistic mystery with unlikely heroes and a timeless romance between lovers caught in a world where their love is forbidden. This book contains steamy sex scenes and is intended for adults only.

Word Count: Click here to reveal20043 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A New F/F Fantasy Romance from the author of Cynthia and Eve. Book 1 of 'The Fae Souls'. When I first arrived at the mansion, I couldn't remember anything. My name, how I'd got there or who the people were around me. I knew I was a woman, and the pink dress and brown ankle boots I wore felt vaguely familiar, but nothing more. It wasn't long before I was told my name was Celina. I was given a suite to stay in and encouraged to prepare for the mysterious Prince Eldran's masquerade party. I found everything I needed in my suite, other than the answers I sought. Fragments of memory hinted at dark experiences, at love and loss, but there was no context and I was uncertain about my history and what the future might hold for me. A stranger at the time, Sorcha found me alone as I sought solace in an empty room. I discovered she too had missing memories, and in her I found a person to talk to. A friend and more, but did we have a chance? A Masquerade in Time is a romantic novella of just over 20,000 words, which contains strong steamy content and language.  

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 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 reveal67000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A tale set in Stuart England, where the king’s life depends on his most loyal of subjects. Anthony Redbourn, Earl of Crofton, delights in his reputation as a charming rogue. Life is never quiet at the court of King James I, especially with his good friend and secret lover, Sebastian Hewel, by his side. As an actor with the celebrated King’s Men, Sebastian has his own admirers, but neither man has eyes for anyone else. When a plot against His Majesty is uncovered it threatens Anthony and Sebastian’s charmed lives, and they are dragged into the political intrigue and the race to save the king from danger. Fear that a traitor is linked to the King's Men leaves Sebastian and Anthony with no choice but to stage a very public dissolution of their friendship, so Anthony can be free to be the patron of a new rising actor, and Sebastian can be the prodigy of another noble. It is a dangerous game they are playing to expose the plotters and still find a way to meet in secret, as Anthony is adamant that they will not sacrifice the love they have fought so hard to win. They will do whatever it takes to protect the king’s life, and their commitment to each other.

Word Count: Click here to reveal44945 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Eos is after her wings and Kenner’s mate, Como, holds the key to finding them. Como brings his dreams to life on canvas. His art has mentally protected him most of his life and now Kenner wants to take over that job. How can Como open up and explain everything to his mate when he doesn’t understand most of it himself? Como knows he must try, but fear has always ruled him and right now he's fearing he might lose Kenner before he could even claim him. Kenner knew Como was a gifted artist. However, he also knew he had hidden secrets that if not told could mean both their lives. Kenner needed to gain Como’s trust before it was too late because if Eos got her hands on those wings it would mean the lives of all Shifters on Haven and around the world.

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

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

Summary: Politics taught him restraint. Love taught him who he would destroy. Lornyc Reagalos is judged a naïve young High Lord of Katraman: too young, too soft, too inexperienced to wield the power of his bloodline. His marriage to Methian is dismissed as nothing more than political convenience, a cold alliance meant to stabilise borders rather than ignite devotion. His rivals believe him harmless. They are catastrophically wrong. When Methian is kidnapped and vanishes without a trace, Lornyc’s composure shatters. Panic claws through him, his magic spirals out of control, and every restraint he has ever learned begins to fracture. There is no limit to what he will do to bring Methian home, and no mercy left for those who stand in his way. Taken beyond his world, Methian learns the truth. The Valen believe he is a dimensional aberration, the son of one of their own, stolen into the wrong reality. Stripped of everything familiar, Methian clings to a single, unyielding certainty. He will return to Lornyc. But bloodlines hide more than ancestry. Beneath the mage city of Beher, Lornyc uncovers an ancient magical barrier that has shackled the Reagalos for centuries. The revelation gives him the power to tear worlds open and reclaim Methian, but at a terrible cost. Can Lornyc control his fury, or will he unleash destruction so complete it could rip both himself and reality apart? Avarice  Reagalos Book Three is a high-stakes gay romantasy of buried secrets, volatile magic, and a love forged through separation. Where devotion becomes defiance, rescue becomes rebellion, and choosing each other may be the most dangerous act of all.

Word Count: Click here to reveal121000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A child’s memory. A journey’s end. Lance doesn’t remember the time before Ulfr found him. It’s a dark pit in his mind that he avoids at all costs. And yet, despite his best efforts, pieces start to fall, and echoes from the past begin to ring. However, he has little time to comprehend their meaning, since the Captain of the Imperial Army herself has come to collect him and bring him to the capital city of the Nifdem Empire. Whisked away to the gilded streets and glittering court of the Hill of Tarran, and then to the snowy reaches of Swenen, Lance and Gust will learn the answers to questions they’ve had from the start. And be forced to acknowledge their roles in the survival of the empire and the ripple effects of their actions. But such knowledge can come at a steep price. As allies and enemies begin to step from the shadows, Lance will learn the truth of his past and the price of his redemption, and all the pain that comes with them. While Gust will have to decide what he’s willing to sacrifice to safeguard the one he loves.

Word Count: Click here to reveal70000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: As far as rock star Gareth Kendrick, the last true bard in Faerie, is concerned, the only good Unseelie is . . . well . . . there’s no such thing. Two centuries ago, an Unseelie lord abducted Gareth’s human lover, Niall, and Gareth has neither forgotten nor forgiven. Niall O’Tierney, half-human son of the Unseelie King, had never lost a wager until the day he swore to rid the Seelie court of its bard. That bet cost him everything: his freedom, his family—and his heart. When he’s suddenly face-to-face with Gareth at the ceremony to join the Seelie and Unseelie realms, Niall does the only thing inhumanly possible: he fakes amnesia. Not his finest hour, perhaps, but he never revealed his Unseelie heritage, and to tell the truth now would be to risk Gareth’s revulsion—far harder to bear than two hundred years of imprisonment. Then a new threat to Gareth’s life arises, and he and Niall stage a mad escape into the Outer World, only to discover the fate of all fae resting on their shoulders. But before they can save the realm, they have to tackle something really tough: mending their own broken relationship.

Word Count: Click here to reveal26,550 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: How can they get together with a monster in their way? The warrior-priest. Gossamer wants true love. But his faery godmonster, a gigantic, winged, two-headed beast named Puff-puff, is determined to keep him "safe"--even from a broken heart. The necromancer. Pox is a sexy fugitive. An exiled aristocrat, his ego is as big as a dragon's maw. He has no time for love. Still, that brawny Gossamer might make a fine manservant. **This gay romantic comedy contains four graphic, sexually explicit scenes and is intended for adults only. (It also contains crude humor, a love story, and a big scary monster.) This collector's edition features a brand new cover, improved formatting, and the first chapter of the second book in the Chainmail and Velvet series!

Word Count: Click here to reveal77816 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Ray Cortez returned to Seattle after fourteen years to help his pregnant best friend and her partner. He meets another fireman at his station, and is immediately attracted to blond Viking, but Ray doesn’t date straight or closeted guys. Leif Ramsey has spent the last year trying to figure out how to come out to his mother and macho firefighter brother, terrified he’ll lose them. With Ray’s no-closeted-men policy, Leif takes the risk. When a fire at Ray’s childhood home ignites past trauma and threatens their growing trust, can Ray and Leif survive the heat, or will their relationship go up in smoke?

Word Count: Click here to reveal100500 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealAce, Genderqueer, Non Binary, Pansexual, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: For Ress, survival is a complicated nightmare. Caught between two masters on different sides of the law, his life is falling apart one bad decision at a time. All he wants is to be is a good person, a loyal family man, and a successful metalsmith—a dream he can never obtain while he works for the Shar-denn, the violent gang that plagues the republic of Kattal. To make matters worse, he works as an informant for the High Council. He scrapes through both jobs waiting for his last breath. As the Shar-denn motto says: the only way out is dead. No stranger to living complicated decisions, Adren is caught between worlds of cir own. As the child of a Shar-denn faction boss, cir life is a conflicted tangle of expectation and duty. When cir family is arrested, Adren manages to escape, but nowhere is safe. Desperate and on the run, Adren is determined to punish Ress for turning in cir family. No one who betrays the gang can live. Ress must pay the price, even if Adren has to go against everything ce is.

Word Count: Click here to reveal104,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary:

Word Count: Click here to reveal102000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Prince Shey is missing. Erya royal guard Adrian Westergren is “forced” to team up with amorous but annoying dragon Haru to find the lost prince as a favor to the queen of Caspagir. Adrian was confident Prince Shey had gone off to pout while his ex-boyfriend Rayne got married. What he found was a twisted conspiracy deep in the heart of Damardor, in which innocent people were being stolen off the streets and disappeared permanently. There’s a good chance they’ve kidnapped Prince Shey too, along with something much more dangerous. Nightmares are about to be unleashed that the world has not experienced in centuries. Adrian and Haru are in a race against time to save Shey, while Adrian fights to protect his heart from a dragon he wants more than anything in the world. Broken Prince of Ice is the first book in the Forgotten Gods trilogy. This spin-off from the Godstone Saga will include hidden royalty, gods, magic, secrets, danger, angst, forbidden romance, slow-burn romance, friend to lovers, two romantic couples, and a furious fight to keep the world from burning.

Word Count: Click here to reveal45873 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: This is book 1 of the Eternal Flames series, Centuries ago the Phoenix and Dragons were a force no one could penetrate. They fought together, mated together, and worked side by side, and then all that changed. The children of the leaders were dead and war had practically destroyed them all. The fighting stopped and they both went their separate ways. Daytona was the Captain of the Crystal fire department. He loved his small town and he loved his job. However, what none of the small town knew was that he was also a dragon. Crystal was a small location just outside Denver, and it was also the home to the Phoenix. He had lived amongst them for years, hiding his scent, until the day came that he could no longer keep his secret. When a fire claims his mother's life, Ethan rushes home. Having your mother being a victim of an arson is not something he was prepared to face, but discovering he wouldn't have to do it alone, should have been a relief. The thing is...that relief came in the form of a dragon, and the town believes that his mate is the cause of all the fires around town. When the arsonist strikes close to home, Day knows he must clear his name and find the culprit that is now trying to kill his mate.

Word Count: Click here to reveal160,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: AN ALL-IN-ONE COLLECTION! 3 BOOKS IN ONE VOLUME! Scandalous, sinister, suspicious, the Cane's Inlet Mystery series is a tour-de-force tale of two families, one secret, and, ultimately, one man's discovery of his own true self. For Noah Sanders, the story of his birth comes as a surprise to him, and it's as devastating as it is secretive. A web of lies that goes back over one hundred years could reveal a truth Noah doesn’t want to know. Who stole him at birth, and why did his family not come searching for him? Contains the stories: Scandalous Lies: A secret rocks Noah Sanders' life, sending him back to a coastal town he never knew, one in which he may have been stolen from. Sinister Motives: When another murder shocks the coastal village of Cane's Inlet, Noah realizes what's happening no longer concerns only himself. With a mystery dating back to the village's founding, no one is safe. Suspicious Truths: Noah Sanders is forced to make a decision that will change everything he's strived for since arriving in Cane's Inlet, one that jeopardizes not just his relationship with his family, but with his lover.