Books Tagged With where - general - small town

Word Count: Click here to reveal8000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: One weekend away will change everything. At twenty-five, Jeff Wilder is dissatisfied with city life and unsure of his future direction. The only thing he really cares about is his monthly visit to his grandfather in the country. His exact opposite, Danny Amaro is an artist and a free spirit. He believes in taking chances and living life to the full. Over one weekend, Danny gives Jeff a glimpse of what life could be like if he opens himself to change. Can a new friend, shared passion, and marmalade, be the ingredients to set Jeff in a new direction? Note: This is a short story of approximately 8k words and is available free to Nic Starr’s newsletter subscribers. Click here to sign up and receive your FREE copy.

Word Count: Click here to reveal86000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Face to face with an old grudge. Riley Chase escaped the drama of Five Foxes High School when he went away to pursue his dreams of Broadway. After returning home to help a friend in need, now the only drama Riley can handle comes from his students on stage. But to keep drama club funds, Riley is forced to work with his old nemesis—the guy he’s hated since senior year. Colton Effing Landry. That old grudge is also smoking hot… Since his senior year a decade ago, Colton has tried to make amends for his past mistakes—lying for a homophobic bully first and foremost. He never thought he’d be back at the school with so many bad memories. Still, he needs the job. But Colton’s first day as Five Foxes High’s new girls’ JV coach hits him with bad news. Two of his athletic teams are on the chopping block due to budget cuts. And that’s where he finds Riley Chase. Riley Chase, the guy he had a crush on back during high school. The same Riley Chase whose last words to him during their senior year were I hate you. Not the way to kick off a new job. A stormy past could lead to a nightmare of a fall semester. Now they have to work together to raise the money to save their programs. It’s either that or let their kids down. Can Riley really trust the guy who betrayed him all those years ago? And can Colton prove to Riley he’s not the same dumb kid he was back in high school? Can hate really turn to love? Stupid Love is an enemies-to-lovers, contemporary gay romance novel featuring a nerdy English teacher and a hot jock coach with a little angst, some sensual heat, an HEA, and no cliff-hangers. It can be read as a stand-alone novel. Trigger warning: This book deals with the aftermath of a rape that happened ten years prior. No non-consensual sex happens during the story, and the previous rape is never described in any detail.

Word Count: Click here to reveal40000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A rockstar with a tainted reputation. A shy, sensitive farmer. A magical ten days on the seas of the South Pacific. Axel Zelman Stepping in to protect my younger brother was a no-brainer. Now I have to pay the consequences and repair my tarnished reputation. That means facing my demons and spending ten days at sea on a cruise ship. At least it’s for a good cause. Kyle Brown Thanks to my interfering family, I’m thrust into a world of extravagance and dazzling spectacle. I’d much rather be at home in the vineyard. That is, until I find an undeniable connection with a gorgeous, brooding passenger. Imagine my surprise when I find out he’s an award-winning performer. Why on earth would he want to spend time with me? It’s only a cruise, a bit of fun, not a life commitment, and as my brother said—we’re not here for a long time, but a good time—so I’m determined to enjoy the limited time we have. I just wish my heart got the message. Sun-Kissed is a sweet and sexy story where two worlds collide in an opposites attract, celebrity/ordinary guy, rockstar romance set amongst the fun and chaos of a Pride Cruise.

Word Count: Click here to reveal65,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: NEWLY REISSUED, WITH NEW COVER ART! At the shocking end of SINISTER MOTIVES, Noah Sanders was forced to make a decision that would change everything he’d strived for since arriving in the coastal paradise, one that jeopardized not just his relationship with his family, but with his lover. In Cane’s Inlet, located on a barrier peninsula along the Jersey Shore, the lucrative summer season is just two weeks away, with Hatcher’s Resort its most-desired attraction, including the newly opened Medusa Lounge. But drama ensued onboard the restored pirate ship, leaving Noah determined to leave Cane’s Inlet behind. A killer has another idea, and soon Noah knows there is no escape. Living behind enemy lines, Noah realizes he must finally confront Ginette and Emerson Hatcher about the truth he’s been hiding from them all these months. But then the killer strikes again, making Noah’s investigation even more personal. He uncovers a string of secrets that have been lost to the ocean floor for generations. Reaching deep into the past, Noah is in a race against time before the season begins. Needing to repair his relationship with Demetri if he’s ever to find happiness, Noah sets a chilling plan in motion. One which will have devastating consequences, but not before the final, shocking truth is revealed. SUSPICIOUS TRUTHS is the third part in a trilogy that will lay bare stories of the past, and in the end, no one will escape the web of deceit that has defined Cane's Inlet for more than one hundred years. Scandalous, sinister, suspicious, the Cane's Inlet Mystery is a tour-de-force tale of two families, one secret, and, ultimately, one man's discovery of his own true self.

Word Count: Click here to reveal64000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Dev has pined for his cousin's best friend for years, but no matter how hard he wishes, Clark sees him as nothing but a friend. And it's as a friend that Clark comes to him for help. Clark’s father is on the brink of losing his house and the fastest way to make a quick buck is to win the $10,000 prize in the inaugural Sweet to the Core apple baking contest. Only problem? He's never baked anything that hasn’t come out of a box. But Dev has. As a baker, he’s Clark’s best chance. For the first time, Dev has something Clark wants. Only problem? Dev needs the prize for himself. The only thing he wants—besides Clark—is to buy the local lighthouse where he last spent time with his parents before they died. Working together means opening a lot more than a barrel of apples, though. They may have found the recipe to love. But will Dev have to give up the only connection he has left to his parents in order to have it? Or will Clark let his father down? They can't both have everything. Or can they?

Word Count: Click here to reveal90,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: CASSIDY MARTIN is a country boy through and through. He loves his horses, his Lord of the Rings tourist business, and his isolated paradise at the foot of New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Not that everyone appreciates the seclusion he craves. Take his ex-wife for example. The sexy-as-hell guy on his latest tour might be whip-smart and push all of Cass’s buttons, but he’s about as country as a pair of Louboutins, and Cass has been there and done that. Broken heart with the T-shirt. STEFAN HAMILTON doesn’t do ‘outdoorsy’, he’s a city boy, born and bred. The closest Stef gets to the country is ‘Cowboy Night’ at his favourite Auckland gay bar even if the music makes Stef want to rip his hair out by the roots. But Stef is also a hardcore Lord of the Rings fanboy. So, when he gets the chance to go on a horse trek to the iconic film locations in the Southern Alps, he sucks up his fear of the gigantic animals and his allergy to camping for the chance to let his nerd flag fly. But when his mate pulls out at the last minute, Stef is left to negotiate the horses, the wrath of mother nature, and an inconvenient crush on the cowboy leading the tour. City meets country and the sparks fly.

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

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

Summary: Wars are fought on many fronts. A battle is raging across New Colorado Protectorate with both human and demonic players. Todd and Nick Ruger are sentries with an arsenal of talents and training to combat threats from a variety of enemies. Todd and Nick are given a mission to find and stop weapons smugglers by going undercover on the riverboat, Annabelle. These aren't typical arms dealers, they're demons and they're not afraid of a pair of sentries. The Rugers will have to use all their skills and their most powerful weapon, the bond between them, just to stay alive. Stopping the supply of illegal weapons turns to trying, and failing, to thwart an assassination. Todd and Nick have each other, but will they be able to keep their love intact?

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Thawed Out is an opposites attract, second chance romance featuring an established couple on the edge of divorce, a ferocious snow storm, precocious children and a healthy dose of holiday magic. Kiren knows there is a storm coming when he goes to the cabin to deliver divorce papers to his husband Flynn, but he doesn’t plan to stay long. He hates that it’s come to this, but they just can’t seem to do anything without arguing anymore. When he finds Flynn looking so skinny and unhappy, he ends up staying to talk. And maybe to try harder not to break up their family. Flynn knows Kiren is just as tired as he is. They both work hard. They both take care of their two kids. He doesn’t want to give up, but between his long hours and going to school, he always seems to be in trouble when gets home. Before they know it, they’re snowed in with nothing but time on their hands. The two of them decide that they don’t want to be frozen in the worst time of their married life. But can they work together to find the balance they need to start again?

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Larry always thought life had passed him by. At nearly fifty, his world is small and predictable: work, quiet evenings at home, and caring for his aging mother. Love—especially the kind he secretly suspects he wants—has never felt like something meant for him. But as his mother’s health declines, she gently pushes Larry to face the truth he’s avoided for decades: maybe it’s time he started living his own life. With encouragement from Jacques (BARISTA BREWED LOVE), the charming and slightly mischievous barista at his favorite coffee shop, Larry begins exploring the world in ways he never imagined. What starts with late-night marathons of Asian BL dramas soon leads him to an unexpected online community of fellow fans—men his own age who understand exactly what it means to fall a little behind life’s schedule. And that’s where he meets Sky. Kind, funny, and just as new to this journey as Larry is, Sky might be the first person to truly see him. Suddenly Larry finds himself experiencing everything he missed the first time around—awkward flirting, nervous first dates, and the thrilling, terrifying possibility of falling in love for the very first time. At forty-nine and three-quarters. The 49¾ Year Old Virgin is a heartfelt, funny, and deeply hopeful story about second chances, found family, and discovering that love doesn’t come with an expiration date. Sometimes life is just waiting for you to press play.

Word Count: Click here to reveal82400 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: In The Bachmann Family Secret, Jaret Bachmann travels with his family to his beloved grandfather’s funeral with a heavy heart and, more troubling, premonitions of something evil lurking at the Bachmann ancestral home. But no one believes that he sees ghosts, and no one else saw his grandfather’s ghost warning him to stay home except his dog, Darth. Grappling with his sexuality, a ghost that wants him out of the way, and the loss of his grandfather, Jaret must protect his family and come to terms with powers hidden deep within himself.

Word Count: Click here to reveal85,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Elias Doever, accused of being a warlock by the residents of the Village of Bedfordshire, Massachusetts in 1692, is executed via the “ducking chair” into a well of holy water. A force erupts from his chest, killing him and escaping the well. Three hundred years later, the force from the well, Beladon, contacts Dorian Leeves, a young man with supernatural abilities, and informs him that he possesses the same powers as Elias Doever. Dorian will accomplish his ascension into powers beyond his belief if he can re-unite the “three bloods” of Elias Doever, himself, and Beladon. However, the body was buried in secret unconsecrated ground. Dorian’s new love interest, Toby Blessing, creates complications for his quest to find the skeletal remains of Elias Doever for his ascension. Dorian must decide whether to abandon his ascension and power or embrace a life with Toby in the present day.

Word Count: Click here to reveal79964 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Eyck didn’t need anyone. Eyck lived a good life in South Galetsy. A respected blacksmith, he spent long days making swords for the Border War, and even though he ached by day’s end, the last thing he thought he needed was an apprentice. He had his work and his best friend, Pash, and that was fine. When Wex showed up on his stoop asking for work, Eyck agreed to take him on—no matter that Wex turned out to be prickly and secretive and an absolute bloody pain in the tail to work with. Well… mostly. Wex didn’t want anyone. Wex was tired of just scraping by. A freed slave and ex-convict, Wex was stubbornly determined not to let his breed caste or muteness stop him from carving out a decent life for himself. All he needed was a little help getting there. Words like “trust”, “love, or even “desire” weren’t part of Wex’s vocabulary, and he didn’t want them to be—those words could enslave just as easily as iron. He was using the blacksmith to learn a skill, nothing more. Problem was, Wex couldn’t get Eyck out of his head.

Word Count: Click here to reveal18000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: When Greer Colby is diagnosed with stage five leukemia, his friend, Howie, is devasted. At sixteen, it just doesn't seem fair. However, Greer is more concerned with making the most of the time he has left instead of being bitter and angry. So, what's a grieving boy supposed to do? Howie decides to be the best friend he can be. Unfortunately, seeing Greer's beautiful soul makes him start to think of Greer as more than just a friend. Is it wanton to fall in love with someone who is dying, or the most powerful act of selflessness ever? Join bestselling author Daniel Elijah Sanderfer for this beautiful and heart-wrenching story about friendship, love, and facing mortality.

Word Count: Click here to reveal28,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Every summer, Caedmon escapes to his Grandma Annie’s, seeking solace from the world. There, he discovers the meaning of hard work and finds comfort in the unwavering love of someone who treats him as her own. Meanwhile, Darby lives in seclusion. Heartbroken by a lost love, he retreats to the mountains of western North Carolina, hoping to heal from the life he left behind. Their lives intersect through a shared connection, and when they finally meet, they discover something extraordinary—a love worth fighting for. Over the course of a year, through hardships and the loss of someone dear, they create a life filled with beauty and hope. Experience one of Daniel Elijah Sanderfer’s most heartfelt love stories, set against the backdrop of a charming North Carolina town.

Word Count: Click here to reveal54000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Zeke Hanson hunts things in the night. He learned about hunting from his dad until his murder forced Zeke into foster care. Outgoing & with an easy charm, Zeke keeps his emotions safely hidden--especially his ever-deepening love for his foster brother/bestie, Ian. Ian Clark is a smart, intuitive young man with his own tragic past. He’s adored Zeke since their first night as roommates. Zeke's warmth and kindness made the foster home feel safe. Ian's platonic feelings for Zeke have grown into love and physical yearning. When their foster sister is murdered, Ian abandons his plans to attend community college & instead joins Zeke on his hunting travels. They can't stop human monsters, but they can fight supernatural ones. Hunting together & dealing with dangerous situations deepens their bond. Hiding their true feelings is nearly impossible, but the risk of rejection and abandonment is scarier than any monster. When Zeke’s life is at risk, Ian must make a choice. Will they admit their love or will it---and Zeke---perish?

Word Count: Click here to reveal36000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A stolen Christmas present brings together two strangers who long for hearth and home at the holidays.   It's mere days before Christmas when the gift Clayton intends to give to his nephew, an antique Bowie knife and hand-beaded sheath, is stolen. Clayton must track them down before Christmas morning. A lost & found ad is posted for the Christmas knife's safe return, bringing scammers crawling out of the woodwork who only want the reward. That is, until Clayton gets a call from a man named Kyle, who says he just wants to return the knife and sheath to Clayton, and he doesn't want the reward. Is it just another scam or can Clayton trust him? Clayton takes a risk and heads to Kyle's house to pick up the Christmas knife. Over the phone, Kyle's voice becomes Clayton's only beacon as he makes his way through a whiteout blizzard. After a long drive across the prairies during a raging, pre-Christmas winter storm, will Clayton find more than what he is looking for? Contemporary m/m romance, holiday blizzard, fireplace kisses, lost presents, long drives, family, contemporary, sweet, HEA.

Word Count: Click here to reveal167,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: The SIZZLING 3-Book Trilogy...all in one volume! Welcome to historic Eden, Pennsylvania, where old-world mansions and sprawling horse farms house the secrets of the wealthy Singleton family. For Chad Singleton, a gorgeous gay man who thought he’d left his complicated past behind, a surprise phone call draws him back to the family home, Edenwood. There he will face a series of challenges both personally and professionally, as he digs into the mystery of his hated father’s death. Filled with passion, drama, scandals and sex, Chad finds adversity as quickly as he discovers a reason to awaken his heart. Contains EDEN'S PAST, EDEN'S PRESENT, and EDEN'S FUTURE. In Eden, even the wealthy...especially the wealthy, die.      

Word Count: Click here to reveal151000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: At seventeen, Rick Albright left his home, his parents and even his old name, rather than pretend to be straight. But being on his own was hard. When his big brother Sam found him, and insisted on giving him a place to stay, he didn't resist too long. Living with Sam is better than fighting just to survive, but it's not easy to find his balance in a simple, small-town life, after his time on the streets. Travis Brinkerhoff finally managed to come out in college, his second year anyway. It was the one bright side to losing his baseball scholarship and jock status. But without money for tuition, second year came to an abrupt end. He's back in his small Minnesota hometown, and back in the closet. Travis feels like he's trying to fit into a life he's outgrown. If he's going to survive, he has to figure out a way to be his own man, maybe even have his own man, without losing the family he loves. When he left the Marines, Sam Albright wanted nothing more than to find his missing younger brother. Mission accomplished. Now he's got an independent, possibly traumatized, openly gay young man on his hands, a girlfriend in a war zone overseas, and parents he has to lie to in order to keep the peace. Keeping it all together won't be easy, but Sam has never backed away from a challenge. 145,000 words

Word Count: Click here to reveal21000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Jesse Calhoun met Devin Palmer five years ago, in front of a Christmas tree at a friend's party. It was Jesse's first holiday alone, away from home. Devin didn't have much of a home to go back to. They found a way to make the season brighter, together. Four years ago, Jesse brought Devin to his parents' house and came out to them. It wasn't all roses, but his family came around, and Devin has spent each holiday with the Calhouns since then. Jesse really loves sharing Christmas with his family, and sharing his family with Devin. So he isn't prepared to hear his mom say, “I don't want Devin to come to the house for Christmas Eve this year.” Suddenly it's not smooth sailing, keeping peace with the family he was born with. 20,000 words

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: One thing I know about Terry O’Connor—the man has complicated relationship written all over him, something I’ve avoided for pretty much forever. One thing I know about Terry’s hometown, Painted Bay—it’s a long, long way from my life as a Mackenzie Country veterinarian, and dedicated, carefree bachelor. All of which should be good news. No reason to look twice at the gorgeous man currently staying at Miller Station with his daughter. No reason to daydream about his soft lips, quirky sense of humour, sexy smile, or the way he blushes whenever he catches me staring which is far too often. No reason to second guess my future plans or reconsider the no-strings lifestyle I’ve worked hard to perfect. And absolutely no reason to feel disappointed that Terry is even less interested in a relationship than I am. I should be relieved. Then why can’t I stop thinking about him and how right it feels when we’re together? Why does my heart spin at the very mention of his name? And why does the thought of moving on without Terry and his daughter in my life feel like the loneliest decision in the world?