Books Tagged With when - period - 1980s

Word Count: Click here to reveal98000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Six Dark Noir stories from Bill Kieffer's Aesop's World (anthropomorphic people) appear in this collection. Four of these stories are previously unpublished.

• Shepard (previously unpublished): It’s post Prohibition New Amsterdam and the world is full of conspiracies, syndicates, and crackpot cults. Cops have to be tough. Shepard is as hard headed and as hard hearted as they come. He has just one soft spot, an impossible love for Lynne Black, now married to a childhood friend. When Lynne calls to say her youngest boy was kidnapped, he drops everything to get the boy back. The boy that should have been his.
• Brooklyn Blackie and the Dudeless Dude Ranch (previously unpublished): Blake Black is a former beat cop who also happens to be a cunning linguist with a lot of baggage. He goes to Las Vegas in search of a missing woman. Between public sex acts and fighting with his ex partner, the Wolf-Dog hybrid realizes the woman he's been chasing is more than likely dead and not a woman...
• Brooklyn Blackie and the Rainbow in the Dark (unpublished): When a Dragon is fatally shot on his office steps, Brooklyn Blackie has to work with a Terrier detective that "heard things" about the Wolf-Dog and believes Blackie might be a vigilante. Despite his homophobia and (justified) suspicions of Blackie, he keeps the Hybrid close to keep an eye on him and take full advantage of his polyglot skills. This story explores the religion of the Chromatics.
• Brooklyn Blackie and the Unappetizing Menu (Inhuman Acts, 2015): Out of funds, and ready to take an insurance job rather than starve, Brooklyn Blackie visits his closest Reptilian friend, Dice, to boost his spirits. Instead, he finds a tenement building of full of dead Repts, supposedly frozen to death. No one will believe that it was murder but the weirdo tenement owner. The Warm Blooded police force want to keep the case open only long enough for the coroner to sign the paperwork. But everything turns on a loose piece of coal, leading the Wolf-Dog down a darker path than simple murder, leading him down a world where cannibals wear tuxedos and dine in the darkest shadows.
• Brooklyn Blackie and the Reverse Badger Game (unpublished, mature): Things are looking up for the bisexual Wolf-Dog and he's ready to start a life with his Otter and his Bitch. The Otter is mobbed up, but, he has an exit plan that will keep them all safe. And the first step is gang-raping Brooklyn Blackie to prove to his crew who the top dog really is.
• Unbalanced Scales (Roar 7, 2016): Rap stars like St. George and Dr. Ice are on the cusp of making millions in record deals... and if they don't kill each other first, it might be the start of a new dynasty.

Word Count: Click here to reveal80,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Arizona started a new life when his birth daddy, Gaston Bondurant, found him living with a foster family and facing criminal charges for assaulting his abusive stepfather. Plucked from the squalor of rural Acadiana, Arizona was thrust into New Orleans high society and an elite New England boarding school. Home for the summer, Arizona sets out to find his younger brothers and sister, who were scattered to different places when their family was torn apart. Along the way, he reunites with his tenth grade sweetheart, Preston Montclair, who still holds a torch for him. But Arizona is struggling to figure out the man he’s supposed to be. He’s got an obligation to his daddy, who wants to mold him as his heir, but he’s also got a responsibility to his wayward siblings. It feels like he’s swimming against the rapids, trying to do both while figuring out if he belongs with his boyhood love or an educated man who can help him with his dream of being a famous writer.

Word Count: Click here to reveal3787 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Sara the horse trainer intended to spend a weekend in the Arizona wilderness with her horse. When a beautiful young woman with a problem shows up, her plans go awry. But Sara's not complaining...

Word Count: Click here to reveal78000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Ex-necromancer Frank Hope risked his life to help his demon lover Kasimir return to his homeland, a dimension humans call Hell and Kasimir calls the Eternal Realm—a beautiful medievalesque land. Now, because Kasimir is the heir apparent to a vast, wealthy kingdom, the two live in luxury in a palace by the sea. But darkness haunts them. Necromancers, humans sworn to capture and slay demons for Earth’s energy corporations to use as fuel, continue to strike the Eternal Realm. Strife between the Eternals’ kingdoms grows as well. When war breaks out with a neighboring land, Frank and Kasimir are forced to make hard choices that threaten their relationship—and even their lives. Is their love truly meant to be? Will the universe that once smiled upon them turn against them? This is the final book in the Love Songs for Lost Worlds trilogy and combines elements of fantasy, paranormal, and gay romance within the framework of an alternate 1980s world. Explicit sex, violence, suicide attempt, sexual assault

Word Count: Click here to reveal63000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: For Jacob and Daniel, two young gay men aboard a Navy ship in WWII, the risks were high. Not just the risks of injury and death from Japanese planes and submarines, but the risk of discovery, of discharge, imprisonment or worse. Only a special kind of love was worth taking that chance. But from the moment Daniel met Jacob's eyes across a battle-scarred deck, he knew he had to try. Being together required figuring out what it meant to be gay and in love with another man, in an era when they could be jailed or committed for admitting the desires of their hearts. On a ship at war, their relationship was measured in stolen moments and rare days of precious leave, with no guarantees there would be a tomorrow. And if they survived the war, they would need even more luck to keep their love alive through all the years to come. 63,300 words This story was written for a photo and story request letter as part of the Goodreads M/M Romance Group Love is Always Write event. This is a free download in ebook. The audio book, narrated by Kaleo Griffith, is Whispersync'd to the free book on Amazon.

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

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

Summary: It’s 1985, but different.... Frank Hope is a troubled high school senior. Being gay in a small Texas town in the eighties is hard enough, but Frank’s also fighting to win back his ex-boyfriend, trying to graduate while hating school, and struggling to care for his sick mom. Despite his cynical nature, he tries to remain, well, hopeful. Everything he desires seems beyond his reach—until a newfound ability promises financial success and prestige. But success always comes with a price. What is Frank willing to sacrifice? Kasimir is—humans would call Kasimir a demon. Kasimir’s people refer to themselves as the Eternals, who are engaged in a centuries’ long conflict with the mortals from another world. But Kasimir, sensitive and idealistic, can’t hate humans because he fell in love with a human boy named Frank while watching him through an interdimensional window when they were children. Now, as a priest scholar specializing in the study of humans, he’s set on finding his old crush. However, his boy has grown into something feared by all beings of the Eternal Realm. Taking place in an alternative 1985 where demon essence fuels everything from mopeds to the space shuttle, this story of star-crossed lovers combines elements of fantasy and dystopian genres with gay romance while weaving together themes of surviving past trauma, breaking obsessions, and the transformative power of love. Warning: period homophobia, hate speech, suicidal ideation, past suicide, explicit language, sex, violence, child abuse, drug abuse, smoking

Word Count: Click here to reveal15300 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: When Jack ended up at college in a small town in the middle of the Iowa cornfields, September 1981, he figured it would at least be better than being home. He had no idea how his life would change, in that time and place. Sean was a townie, on the opposite side of the town-and-gown divide, but attraction knows no boundaries. And when personal tragedy brought them together, it was the beginning of something extraordinary. 15,300 words. This story was written for the Goodreads M/M Romance Group Hot Summer Days event. It is a free download.  

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 reveal77,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: It’s 1984, and fifteen-year-old Arizona is doing his best to take care of his younger brothers and sister while their daddy drives a truck cross-country and spends his paycheck on booze and gambling. In small town southeastern Louisiana, his family is known as the lowest of the low, and they say it’s on account of a family curse that’s so ugly, no one would dare speak of it. Then Arizona’s daddy loses his job, and things go from bad to worse. He baits Arizona into a fight, and their brawl results in him and his brothers and sister being split up by Social Services. Arizona is determined to make a better man of himself and take care of his siblings, but he’s up against a world controlled by adults, small town prejudices, and unfathomable family secrets that will change everything he thought he knew about himself.

Word Count: Click here to reveal226000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Albert Sterne, forensics expert with the FBI, is so obnoxious on the surface that no one bothers digging deeper. When he's sent to Colorado to investigate what turns out to be the work of a serial killer he encounters Special Agent Fletcher Ash and they end up reluctantly joining forces to unravel the case. It's only a matter of duty, though; it can't be more, because Albert doesn't do friendship - and he certainly doesn't do love!

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: "Ed couldn't help it. In the days that followed, he couldn't get the new mailman out of his mind. From the time he had broken up with Cathy Carroll after high school graduation and had devoted himself exclusively to the pursuit of those whose body parts matched his own, Ed had had an image in his mind, a full-blown mental picture of the perfect guy. That first day, when the new mailman dropped a handful of bills into Ed's mailbox, Ed knew he had found him." Told with warmth, humor, and optimism, The Handyman's Dream is a story for everyone who has ever had a fantasy about the perfect mate. Ed Stephens is a small town handyman. He also happens to be gay and lonely. Ed is practical enough to realize that finding a man in Porterfield, Indiana -- population nine thousand -- is unlikely, so he's shocked and amazed when the man of his dreams suddenly begins delivering his mail each day. Suspecting Fate has lent him a helping hand, Ed schemes to meet the mailman, Rick Benton -- hard-working and responsible -- who has moved to Porterfield to lend a helping hand to his sister, a single parent. Rick, it turns out, is gay and lonely as well. When Ed and Rick meet the attraction is spontaneous and mutual, and soon loneliness is forgotten in the joy of falling in love. As their relationship grows and deepens, they find themselves dealing with the same situations every couple faces: the reactions of friends and families, job responsibilities, and whether their love is a strong enough foundation for a long-term relationship. Ed and Rick, though, have another problem to cope with as well -- whether a small, Indiana town is the best place for two men to build a life together in the early 1980's. With a soundtrack of timeless pop classics, the story of Ed and Rick is a heart-warming journey from that special first kiss to the golden moment when one couple realizes their love is strong enough to endure any and all hardships. Gay or straight, you'll enjoy the ride

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Information not available

Summary:

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: “Sometimes the hardest part of my job is dealing with human cruelty and its aftermath. It’s almost always instigated by fear. I wonder if we will ever evolve out of that instinct.” Pastor Phil Sturgis in The Handyman’s Summer By the late spring of 1987, Handyman Ed Stephens and his life partner Rick Benton are anticipating a lazy, peaceful, even boring summer. Things do not go as planned as Ed and Rick suddenly find themselves embroiled in mystery, scandal, surprises, and a lesson in both the kindness and cruelty of people. When local bag lady, Evie Fountain, suddenly dies of a stroke, Ed and Rick become interested in her rundown house. Evie’s house turns out to be shrouded not only with overgrown bushes, but also in secrecy. Ed and Rick are drawn into the murky legend of the official town character, determined to discover the truth underneath the rumors that have circulated throughout Porterfield, Indiana, for almost thirty years. When a personal journal is found in the house, they become immersed in a shameful story of small town bigotry and its tragic results. There is plenty of other activity to keep Ed and Rick busy over the summer. Neal Soames, the gay teenager they have been mentoring, graduates high school and suddenly gets cold feet about going away to college. He moves into Penfield Manor while Ed and Rick try to convince him leaving Porterfield is in his best interests. Ed’s friend, Dr. Paul Klarn, calls Ed for help when one of his patients is an unidentified victim of a queer-bashing. Ed and Rick decide to take this young man in as well, creating, as their friend Gordy calls it, “Uncle Ed’s Home for Wayward Homos.” Ed’s mother, Norma, also stirs up drama when she involves Ed in her troubles with the local garden club. Ed develops a scheme to turn the tables on a pushy, obnoxious woman who is determined to run the club in her own best interests. Norma will have another surprise for Ed before the summer is out. “Expect the unexpected,” Norma tells him. Muriel Weisberg, self-proclaimed vision-impaired bitch goddess, is on the scene as well throughout the summer, providing much needed comic relief for Ed. She uses her new role as a columnist for the local newspaper to solve problems, spout her sometimes unconventional wisdom, and to assist in the mystery of Evie’s house. As always, Ed supplies a soundtrack of both oldies and current hits to help him cope with this busy season, one that will, in some ways, change the lives of Ed and his beloved Rick forever. Join these two gallant men as they continue to create an oasis of freedom and acceptance in an otherwise narrow-minded world. Together, hand in hand, still in love, Ed and Rick move triumphantly forward, ready to take on the world.

Word Count: Click here to reveal97,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Nathan doesn’t know how to stop dwelling on the failures and tragedies that have plagued him since the last time we saw him at the end of The Mayor of Oak Street, a twenty-one-year-old happily in the arms of the handsome young doctor he had pined for since he was twelve. Many years later, what could mend Nathan’s heart after the latest tragedy and stop his deep dives into the past? Another handsome young doctor? Or would someone in the medical field do? After a chance meeting with ER nurse, Mateo, a lot of Nathan’s reminiscing is now devoted to that encounter and how it made him feel. Will he seize the day or continue wallowing in the past, having lunch with his best girlfriend from high school, and writing poetry? Nathan has lived through and had a personal connection to many of the crises that have plagued the LBGTQ+ community in the last forty years: the Up Stairs Lounge fire in New Orleans, the assassination of Harvey Milk, and the AIDS epidemic. He has lived in foreign countries, traveled the globe, and had lovers on every continent, all the while with a disease that people once thought was a death sentence. There are moments he is convinced that Mateo is the reward to all his suffering and loss, that his whole life led him to this great love. At other times, he’s so frustrated with Mateo, he’s ready to run as far away as he can get. Mateo, for his part, must take care of his ailing mother while he works full time in the emergency room. The practical aspects of starting a new relationship are challenging to say the least. The Long Journey to You is both a moving romance and a lesson in survival.

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

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

Summary: Falling in love is easy, but staying in love... In a 1980’s alternate universe, ex-Necromancer Frank Hope quit his job at a corporation that slays demons for fuel to be with his onetime demon familiar, Kasimir. Now the lovers are being pursued by Frank’s ex-colleagues, a host of demons, and Demon Hunters. Frank and Kasimir must do everything they can to escape, but will their budding relationship survive the struggle? Determined, prickly Frank is trying to protect his lover, Kasimir, from Demon Hunters and Necromancers while rescuing his mother, who is suffering from dementia. At the same time, he battles doubts about his and Kasimir’s relationship. Will it last? Will he screw it up like he seems to do everything else? Does an ex-villain like him even deserve happiness? Kind, gentle Kasimir is an Eternal, called a demon by every human on Earth except his beloved Frank. Being far from home and chased by people who would kill him and use his essence for fuel is only bearable because he is with his lover. Everything seems to be against them, but his and Frank’s fated love for each other is unshakable. Or is it? This is the second book of the Love Songs for Lost Worlds Trilogy. It weaves paranormal gay romance with themes of redemption and true love.