Books Tagged With what - emotion - survivor guilt

Word Count: Click here to reveal79000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Micah Kennedy has lived with PTSD for years. He is an expert at hiding his struggles behind the quick wit and snark that is very much a part of his makeup. His need to keep a promise to a dying comrade feeds his nightmares and invades his dreams—until that promise brings him military K-9 Delta. Hawk McKinnon has spent most of his life kicking trouble’s ass in every hotspot around the globe. Now his sniper hasn’t returned from a CIA sanctioned mission in Pakistan and all bets are off. When Hawk comes calling looking for help, Micah doesn’t hesitate and jumps at the chance to repay a debt. A mission that will set him on a path to the one thing he never knew he was looking for: love! Creed Erikson cursed the betrayal that caused his capture and vowed vengeance on those responsible. He knew Hawk was coming for him—he never doubted it for a second—but Micah Kennedy and Delta? They threw him for a loop. Can Micah embrace his destiny, believe in the strengths of the bond of the triad that the fates have created or will he refuse to believe that he too deserves a happily ever after? Micah's Promise is part of the Delta Force - Team Panther Series. While it can be read as a standalone... to ensure maximum enjoyment, it is best read in series order.

Word Count: Click here to reveal10921 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Motorcycle shop owner Ben Makowski offers a three-day class for new riders. When he finds out one of his students doesn’t even like motorcycles, he’s irritated but drawn to the man at the same time. Though he can clearly see the new student is dealing with something difficult, Ben sets out to get to know what that might be and if he can help in any way. Writer Angus Winter’s publisher has insisted he learn about motorcycles for an upcoming book, which is the last thing he wants to do. His fear of motorcycles stems from a tragedy in his past. But something about his sexy new teacher makes him want to open up to the man. Can Angus trust Ben with the burden he’s carried for so long?

Word Count: Click here to reveal63,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: My name is Chrissy Wychling. I’m a divorced clothes designer and tailor in my mid-thirties. I've recently made a momentous decision and moved from Kent to the Yorkshire Dales to start a new business selling wedding dresses for larger brides. I didn't come to this new place looking for love, or even a relationship, but then I met Beth, and a whole new world of possibilities beckoned. My name is Beth Nethering. My family has farmed this land for hundreds of years. As a child, I dreamed of getting away, and I did. I went to university, found a great job, got married, and had a child. I had my life mapped out then, ten years ago, everything changed. I made some tough decisions. I moved back to the family farm with my daughter then I set about rescuing the place. Now, we milk sheep not cows, we have glamping pods for tourists, and I've just rented the barn to Chrissy who sells wedding dresses. Me, I'm more used to wearing dungarees and wellies. I’m surprised but strangely flattered when Chrissy flirts with me. It's only a bit of fun, isn't it?

Word Count: Click here to reveal150,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: After the cruel rejection from their families, Oliver and Jack brave the dangers they left behind to return to London, where they take up residence at the Three Cripples. The bedsit they share is small and riddled with bed bugs, but what does that matter when there is always cool beer on tap and the diversions of London are spread out before them? While Jack returns to picking pockets, Oliver works in the tavern, and struggles against the endless tide of dirt and the loss of everything he thought he stood for. Amidst their happiness and plans for future contentment, Workmaster Chalenheim kidnaps them, sexually assaults Jack, and leaves them both for dead. Will Oliver and Jack’s love for each other prove stronger than hate? On The Isle of Dogs is the fifth book in Christina E. Pilz’s Oliver & Jack gay historical romance series. If you enjoy stories about forbidden love battling against the dark forces that want to tear them apart, then you’ll enjoy this tale, so pick up a copy today!

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Alpha werewolf Eli Hammond returns from a fishing trip to discover a nasty surprise—five members of his pack murdered and the rest missing. He needs help locating and rescuing his pack mates, but the supernatural council in Asheville, North Carolina, turns him away. Except for one man. As they work together, Eli is stunned—and not especially thrilled—to discover half-elf Arden Gilmarin is his destined mate. But as Arden and his friends struggle to help Eli in his quest, Eli surrenders to the demands of his body—and his heart. They’ll need to bond together, because the forces opposing them are stronger and more sinister than anyone predicted. The evil has its sights set on Arden, and if Eli wants to save his mate and the people he is entrusted with protecting, he’s in for the fight of his life.

Word Count: Click here to reveal60869 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Storms pass and, in their wake, new beginnings can be found. Talented young artist Jonty Trelawn paints the sea as self-inflicted punishment. For almost a year he has hidden away from life, survivor’s guilt consuming him, but the time has come to move on. He conceives the idea of a charity art auction in support of the local lifeboat station and the men and women who saved his life. He hopes the tribute to his family will release him from the sea’s invisible chains. Carpenter Jed Curnow is bound to the water in a different way. As deputy coxswain of the Govenek, the local lifeboat, his world revolves around the close-knit crew. He thinks nothing of risking his life to save others. Saving Jonty is less dangerous but just as important to him. He wants nothing more than to give Jonty the love and security he needs. Jed’s dominant personality calls to Jonty’s more submissive nature but will he ever allow himself to be happy? It’s up to Jed and his best friend Marmite to help Jonty put his tragic past behind him and live for the future.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: All his working life, Kurt lived in a world of secrets. Those secrets killed his best friend, Nick. One secret, though, will tear his world apart – the one he’s keeping from himself. December, 1988: For Kurt Nash, CIA operative, a trip to Pemberton in Australia’s south-west to scatter Nick’s ashes should have been routine, except for the guilt plaguing him, and the trauma of the events that nearly killed him as well. When he encounters Lucy, Nick’s fiancée, returned to celebrate Christmas with her brother, Don, Kurt realises the time has come to tell Nick’s story. But Kurt will discover that opening up can be like lighting a fire in a forest. After all, when a forest fire burns, it is hard to predict what will catch and which direction it will turn. But as Kurt begins to find himself hidden under all the layers of secrets, will his growing friendship with Don and Lucy be enough to enable him to deal with those secrets? Will he be strong enough to come to terms with what he has been hiding from himself?

Word Count: Click here to reveal142000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Hank Schatz One of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made is joining the Army right out of high school. The second—knowing when it’s time to leave. There’s got to be something more to life than living a lie, and its high time I rid myself of the burden once and for all. I’ve hidden my true self from my family—birth and Army—and it’s made me hard hearted. I need to live for me and ignore people’s ideas of who I should be. Without a hint of what to do next, I say goodbye to my old life and head home to Missouri. How to start that new life, though, I’m not sure. The one goal I plan to pursue is finding someone to fill my days and nights because I don’t want to be lonely anymore. Reed Bayless My job as a special education teacher in Missouri is incredibly fulfilling. The kids are amazing, and their parents are supportive. The only hitch in my life plan is that I haven’t found the right guy to settle down with. It hasn’t escaped my notice that I’m too old to hop from bed to bed. I want a stable relationship with one man, and I refuse to settle for anything less. Unexpectedly, at the Christmas Eve service at my local Lutheran church, I find myself off-balance by a gorgeous man. I see a sadness about him that makes me want to hold him in my arms until his hurts are healed, but I doubt that’s anywhere on the Army ranger’s radar. Between Ranger Hank, and his dog, Cosmo, I want things I imagine to be impossible. Or are they? This work of fiction is approximately 142,000 words in length and doesn’t end in a cliffhanger. It is the first book in the series entitled, “The Lonely Heroes Series.”

Word Count: Click here to reveal107000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Note: These erotic novels were originally published with Samhain Publishing through my pen name, Dani Worth. Only the cover has changed. The content is the same. KITHRA (The Kithran Regenesis Volume 1) Lux Moyans likes piloting missions for The Company–exploring new galaxies, searching for the next precious metal. When her second-in-command, Kol Frega, informs her they’ve been ordered to Kithra, she’s furious. A year grounded on an uninhabitable planet? But the ship–the one Kol designed–is the only one that can withstand the planet’s gases…and Lux is one of the few pilots who can navigate the debris fields caused by the explosions that killed most of the planet’s inhabitants. Kol and a Kithran survivor will be her only company on planet. When they pick up Egan Lothbrun, Lux knows there will be trouble. Already something is brewing with Kol and her attraction to both men would be a problem with anyone else. But Lux doesn’t do exclusives. Or so she thought. And when she learns Kol and Egan share a painful past, she realizes getting Kithra livable won’t be her only challenge. Keeping her heart intact might be harder. REPLICANT (The Kithran Regenesis, Volume 2) Jarana Gothbrun is the best Tracker in the galaxies, famous for tagging Replicants—the elusive shape-shifting aliens who can take on humanoid forms once they have someone’s DNA. For Jarana, it’s personal. A Replicant kidnapped her right before massive explosions destroyed her world. Grief made her hard and a thirst for revenge has fueled her every move since. Her current job? Bag two Replicant escapees from a high-security prison planet. Unfortunately, one of them is in deep hiding on Kithra. That means returning to her destroyed planet and facing the loss of everyone she loved. When Jarana uses an untested device to force the well-loved Maska’s shift to his native form, it puts him in grave danger. It also pisses off everyone in the small, growing community working to rebuild Kithra. Her plan for a quick exit is ruined and not only does she have to deal with angry former friends, she also has to fight her attraction to both Maska and Erik, a man with his own issues because he had no idea his fiancé is actually a man. CATALYST (The Kithran Regenesis, Volume 3) Vala Gorun’s family was off planet when Kithra exploded. Although she’s back home helping with the rebuild, something she saw all those years ago still haunts her. So she hires a Tracker to find the human man she once loved—the one who betrayed her in the worst possible way. Jackson Canfield can’t afford to be found. Not now, when his revenge is almost complete. Unfortunately, instead of the Tracker on his trail, his hired guns grab Vala and a young Gwinarian man instead. Trapped on a pirate vessel with Bastian, a ridiculously attractive but younger man, Vala has more than enough to occupy her. When the pirates leave them as unwilling guests of the very man she’d driven crazy with her teen crush all those years ago, Vala learns Jackson is not who she thought he was. And now the three must work together to reveal the truth behind Kithra’s destruction—if they can control the explosive passion that erupts between them.

Word Count: Click here to reveal81000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Someone has it out for Rialto.  Ian Banner is loving his hectic life. He’s newly married, ready to start a family, and opening a new restaurant. All his dreams are coming true. The last thing he needs is a problem with his restaurant. But when one attack after another comes, he grows convinced he has another enemy. Ian tries to handle things by himself, but his friends are soon drawn in when the attacks become violent. That’s when Ian realizes the target isn’t Rialto. It’s him. Rialto is the final installment in the Unbreakable Bonds series and features sexy times, Daciana snuggles, overprotective family, fire, and of course, code names.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: For the record, putting the Sousa clan to sleep for five hundred years is not Amaru’s fault. At least he’s found his two, count ‘em two sexy, hunky, adorable, overprotective dragon mates because of it, and they’ll help him wake up his clan. So why. Are his mates. AVOIDING HIM? Especially Luka. This should not be as hard as they’re making it. What’re the proper tools to fix relationship problems? Is it screwdrivers? Tags: Chaos thine name is Amaru, one keeper is not sufficient, hence triad, lost clans, malfunctioning magic, confused dragons, the whole enchilada, 500 years is one hell of a power nap, zipper are awesome, Ravi has twins, pray, relationships are work, hope is too, who needs sleep when there is nookie, don’t touch the screwdrivers, all unattended electronics will be taken apart, breaking traditions, dragon cuddles are the best cuddles

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Fact: Six years ago, former Force Recon Marine Roman Walsh made the biggest mistake of his life and chose duty to his country over love. Fact: He was an idiot. Now the one he loves is missing, and Roman has only one thing on his mind. Get him back alive. Fact: He will risk everything, even his position at Red Squadron do it or die trying! Fact: Lucifer Brady has never stopped loving the idiot who ripped out his heart and stomped it into the ground. Fact: When a contract job in the Middle East goes to hell in a handbasket, he never expected Roman to break every rule in the book to be the one to rescue him. Can he trust that Roman won’t walk away again? Fact: His heart tells him to fight with everything that he is to keep the one who makes his heart soar. When lines are crossed and the world explodes around them, to survive, these two battle hardened warriors must trust in the one thing they swore they would never believe in again—love. They are about to find out, when the battle stops, passion reigns.

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

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

Summary: Denial helped Diego survive childhood trauma, but if he wants a future with Beck, he must embrace the heritage he left behind. Eager to escape the shadows of a tragic loss, Diego walks away from the heritage his abuela offers. Right or wrong, he gambles and fights for a new and uncomplicated life. With his best friend at his side, Diego doesn’t want to push the boundaries of their friendship. He’s lost enough and doesn’t want to lose Beck, too. When he finally admits he’s been in love with Beck for years, their relationship takes a happy turn. But peace is easily shattered, as he’s learned all too well, and this time it’s ruined by the arrival of a mysterious package and dangerous men hell bent on violence. Memories of a dead brother and an untouchable drug lord inevitably rise to the surface. Diego dreads the idea that the man he loves is mired in the world Diego tried to escape. But Beck’s secrets aren’t so simple, and neither is the world in which Diego has been living… Tags: deny-deny-deny-deny, Diego does a lot of that, sometimes posturing works and other times it doesn’t, the bat actually gets used, secret love of lacy things, Diego will do anything to protect his family, fire alarm in the bedroom, everybody has secrets, friends to lovers, hidden supernatural world, pining, a villain you want to personally topple, single POV, urban fantasy, no cliffhanger, HFN ending.

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

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

Summary: Haunted by his years at war, Boston paramedic Gael Dominic spends his time saving other people’s lives. An empty house, a single friend, and living at work, Gael is not content with his existence, but he’s close. Gael was expecting his overnight shift on Thanksgiving to be the same as always—manic crowds, heart attacks...until catastrophe strikes, and Boston’s streets run with blood. On the run from an abusive and politically powerful father, Silas has been on the cold, mean streets of Boston for days, injured, hungry and alone. When he wakes up in the middle of a nightmare, he expects to die in the same alley he was calling home. Brought together by tragedy, Silas and Gael can’t resist their attraction. Gael may have saved Silas, but it’s his alleyway angel who brings Gael back to life. As Christmas approaches, Silas and Gael learn how to love, despite their pasts. And as Silas' past closes in, Gael learns the greatest gift he could ever give isn't something bought in a store, but freely given from the heart.

Word Count: Click here to reveal20586 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: In late spring of 1944, Jack Harris has returned from the Battle for Rome and is back in Cheltenham, struggling with coming to terms with his wartime injury and the pangs of first love for fellow soldier, Tim. Staying with his devoted uncles, Stanley and Walter, above the grocer’s shop on Cheltenham High Street gives Jack some thinking time. He slowly realises that change isn’t necessarily bad and that hope might be on the horizon. But there are still many challenges to cope with. Will his reservations and worries about his burgeoning relationship with Tim be proven correct? Or will these two young men overcome their own doubts and family pressure to be together?  

Word Count: Click here to reveal65000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Trading his glorious merfolk hair for human legs was supposed to be the hard part. Surviving falling in love with an absolute disaster of a pirate captain is another story entirely. Silverfin has spent ages secretly stalking his favorite pirate. Not in a creepy way, but a deeply romantic, “watching him dramatically brood through portholes at midnight” kind of way. Captain Hawk is everything Silverfin has ever wanted: terrifying in battle, devastatingly handsome, tragically heartbroken, and unfortunately, entirely, human. When Hawk’s inner darkness drives him to throw himself into the sea, Silverfin does the only reasonable thing a merman can do. He rescues the drowning captain, steals a single, unconscious kiss, and strikes a bargain with a sea goddess to trade his glorious merfolk hair for a pair of human legs. Stranded aboard the Orca under the sharp, extremely suspicious eye of the man he’s hopelessly obsessed with, Silverfin constructs a flawless plan: win Hawk’s heart, deliver him a legendary treasure galleon, and definitely do not reveal he’s secretly a creature of the deep. Unfortunately, Hawk is a self-destructive menace with a death wish, and the crew thinks Silverfin is completely unhinged. His only ally is his ex-mermaid sister, but she’s got her hands full navigating her own chaotic romance with her feisty red-headed lady-love. To top it all off, Silverfin might have technically cheated the sea goddess out of her end of the deal... and she is definitely coming to collect. Yet, the wrath of the ocean is nothing compared to the fragility of Hawk’s heart. Beneath the armor of swagger and rum, Hawk is still bound to the memory of the man he lost. As their profound connection deepens into something undeniably real, Silverfin faces an impossible choice. He has to convince Hawk to finally leave his grief at the bottom of the sea, all while knowing that if his own hidden identity is exposed, the fragile trust they've built will shatter forever. Silverfin: The Little MerSir is a queer pirate romantasy filled with found family chaos, hidden identities, sea magic, hurt and comfort, emotional healing, bonus sapphic romance, high-seas adventure, possessive yearning, explicit heat, and one extremely judgmental crab. Perfect for fans of the witty, queer and maritime energy of Cat Sebastian and the intense emotional healing and explicit spice of K.J. Charles.

Word Count: Click here to reveal41861 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Alone in Japan, Finni is struggling against the constant distrust, avoidance, and xenophobia he experiences every day. He misses home. He misses his family. Nightmares come all too frequently because of the stress, and well, Christmas is just not Christmas in Japan. Not how he understands it. Distressed by how miserable Finni is, his roommate, Mamoru, offers to be Finni's family for Christmas. Little does he know how much one agreement would change everything between them, because both of them kept secrets neither ever dreamed were true. 2015 Rainbow Awards, Honorable Mention & Finalist - Best Gay Fantasy

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Click here to revealAce, Bisexual, Demisexual, Genderfluid, Non Binary, Pansexual, Polyamorous, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: When desperate criminals find an easy target in the autistic neurosurgeon Kieran Sung, the young doctor is soon at the mercy of a local Irish mob boss with perverse desires. Despite suffering a life-altering event at his hands, rescue finds him with relative quickness. Circumstances pull him unwillingly into a situation that brings his world crashing down, destroying the carefully laid routines and structure he desires. Kieran needs to find a new way of living, but he’s unsure how. He discovers comfort in ways he never imagined, within sensations of pressure and binding, something he has indulged all his life despite his mentor’s warnings that it is abnormal. Taking the hand of a childhood friend who desires nothing else but to help him, Kieran realizes his heart aches for more in his life. He looks around him for the first time, seeing the world in new ways that his upbringing prohibited him from doing. Circumstances bind him to a tattoo artist named Varick Jaeger, an actor named Carmine DeAngelo, and a bartender named Devan Sullivan. With this unlikely trio, Kieran must learn how to handle the upheaval in a life he now sees desperately needs change. Stolen Innocence, part one of the Doctor’s Training Trilogy, is a story of healing that examines D/s culture, the complexities of polyamory, and how people often deal with mental and physical trauma. Follow Kieran, Devan, Varick, Carmine, and the rest of their pack as they navigate a world that rarely accepts people who do not fit in with expectations.

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

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

Summary: A life in hock. Seven years ago, Logan Conner and his legend tripper college roommate stumbled into the middle of a ghost war. Logan escaped. Trent did not. Guilt has driven Logan to hunt for answers ever since—not only for why Trent was trapped, but how to return and save him. On the verge of abandoning the search as hopeless, Logan discovers the solution at last thanks to folklorist Riley Morrel, the man he never expected to fall in love with, and the man he’d do anything to keep safe, including leaving him behind. A life on hold. When Logan disappeared in a puff of motorcycle exhaust, Riley’s life took a nosedive. After dropping out of school, he’s not entirely sure it’s not still diving. Sure, he has a job—one that’d send his thesis advisor screaming. Still, there are perks to his gig as the researcher for paranormal investigation show Haunted to the Max: He’s in the ideal position to propose projects for the team to tackle. Like their latest episode in Portland, for instance, where Logan just happens to be bartending. If nothing else, confronting the big jerk will give Riley some closure. A life’s last hour. But as the two men take tentative steps toward each other again, they begin to realize that their relationship, the shoot, and Logan’s quest to free Trent are hopelessly entangled with one tragic day at the riverside, over a century and a half in the past. And when the smoke finally clears? Not everyone will walk away.   Stumptown Spirits is a second-chance, opposites-attract, supernatural suspense romance featuring a TV show one step past jumping the shark, a narcissistic TV personality, a craven ex-ghost, annoying bosses, interfering (but well-meaning) friends, personal redemption, and, of course, an HEA. Note: This book was previously published. It has been lightly revised and re-edited, but the story remains the same.

Word Count: Click here to reveal9000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: I’ll die for you—or with you. When Madan swore a sword oath to Serrai at eight years old, he never imagined it would shape the course of his life. As they grew to manhood and took their places as king and general, Madan’s love for Serrai burned—deep, devoted, and unwavering. Serrai never spoke his love aloud, but his heart held the same fierce devotion. Quietly, he swore his own oath: to die with Madan, no matter the cost. But when a battlefield death shatters their oaths, both men must fight for a future that doesn’t tear them apart forever. Sword Oath, the first book in the Shades series, is an m/m fantasy adventure short story which proves that love can win an argument with fate.