Books Tagged With who – description – abuse survivor

Word Count: Click here to reveal170,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: In 1846 London, Oliver Twist has one desire: to own a bookshop and live a simple, middle-class life as far as possible from his workhouse-shadowed past. One thing stands in his way, Jack Dawkins--The Artful Dodger--who's just returned to London and wants to reconnect. Jack's visits cause Oliver nothing but trouble with his master, but he finds himself drawn, time and again, to their shared past, Jack's unguarded honesty, and those bright, green eyes. Oliver craves respectability, and doesn't think he will find it with a forbidden love. Can Jack convince Oliver that having one doesn't mean losing the other? Fagin’s Boy: The Further Particulars of a Parish Boy's Progress is the first book in Christina E. Pilz’s Oliver & Jack series, a gay historical romance. If you like Dickensian characters who fall in love in spite of themselves, and beautiful flowering romance occurring in all the wrong places,  then you’ll love Fagin’s Boy, so pick up a copy today!

Word Count: Click here to reveal85000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Genderqueer, Non Binary (Click here to hide)

Summary: At the annual Global Lijun Alliance conference in Tokyo, Tally Bastille makes the first impulsive decision of his life. Others perceive his uktena-the enormous legendary serpent that's his dual-spirit-as a threat, which makes him all too aware that he frightens fellow lijun. But an encounter with a passionate, obviously-not-straight otter lijun one evening convinces Tally that he's found his Em'halafi, his destined match. Tally is determined to barrel through all obstacles to make the match happen, including the otter's conservative, traditional family. Trained as a Satislit—a bride son—Haru Tanaka chafes at the strict boundaries set around their life. They rebel against their clan's constant attempts to force an arranged match and wish desperately for someone who will love them. At the conference, Haru is horrified to learn their family has accepted an offer for them, one too lucrative for the clan to refuse. Not only has the Urusar sold Haru to a stranger, but the lijun is also a giant snake and one who believes in the tired old superstitions regarding Em'halafi. Threatened with banishment if they refuse, Haru has no choice but to marry the wealthy American serpent. Back in Tally's home in Wisconsin, Haru and Tally must navigate both the widening gulf between them as they realize how much they've misunderstood about each other and the tricky politics of the lijun clan Tally leads. Murder, intrigue, and increasing hostility threaten to tear apart the little town of Wadiswan and the arranged marriage they've barely managed to begin.

Word Count: Click here to reveal83563 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Former Marine and full time big brother, Bull Connor spends his days helping those in need of a second chance and his nights fighting the inner demons that won’t let go. During a routine tow he comes face to face with the only person who refuses to need him and the one man he wishes would. As a throw away, Ian Jones is used to being alternately overlooked or ridiculed but hasn’t given up on the idea that with just one chance he could turn it all around. Rescued by the one person who neither overlooks nor ridicules him, he longs to be seen as more than just a man in need. Ian isn’t pining for the family he’s never known but when they descend, unwanted and uninvited, Bull must prove that he’s the man who will protect Ian’s long neglected heart by sharing the demons that torment his wounded soul. Authors Note: This book contains references to past abuse. Kindle Unlimited: For A Reason's enrollment in KU will expire February 6, 2017

Word Count: Information not available

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

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

Word Count: Click here to reveal117000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Owyn had learned one lesson early – no one wanted him. Then he discovered that he was the Fireborn, and in an instant went from nameless slave to one of the most important people in the world. One of the most sought after. And one of the most hunted. Faced with a tantalizing link to his own unknown past, and the growing fear that the promised haven may be nothing more than a pretty trap, Owyn must learn to stand on his own in a race against treachery and time. He has to uncover the truth…. A truth that might destroy his hopes for a future.

Word Count: Click here to reveal92000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A tragic secret. A trial of pain. Gust holds a secret close to his heart, and it festers like an infected wound. While part of him wants to tell Lance so they can deal with it together, he fears what it will do to his friend. The last thing he wants to do is hurt the man he is falling in love with. And it never seems the right time as they pursue Ulfr’s warriors and elude hunting parties of royal soldiers. Lance wants nothing more than to confess his love and undying loyalty to Gust. But he fears rejection. He has Gust’s friendship and dares not ask for more. He’s not yet a man worthy to ask for more. And as he continues on his self-imposed mission to cut down Ulfr’s warriors, he begins to wonder if he will ever find the redemption he so fiercely seeks. When word of a new Scourge reaches them, their journey brings them to the war-ravaged kingdom of Grekenus. It is there that Lance is forced to face the actions of his past, and once again his life hangs in the balance. Now it is only Gust who can defend him against those thirsty for blood… and to Lance himself.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: A product of his past, Black spends half his time saving lives and the other half taking them. Every day, a hard choice must be made and he’s the man to make it. Long ago, he vowed to never love again; one-night stands with a willing body was all he ever needed. But along came Quill, and Black’s life is irrevocably changed. He never expects something as simple as Quill’s persistence to alter the way he not only sees the world, but how he lives it. Quill has bad taste in men and equally horrible luck. Growing up wasn’t easy, surviving is even harder. When his past and present collide, he’s convinced he’ll finally witness his own destruction. But when an unlikely antihero steps in to protect him, his life is turned on its head. He’s spent months flirting with the man of his dreams and hoping he’d take notice. But it turns out, being on Black’s radar isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and his idea of protection varies greatly from Quill’s. Unknowingly sharing the same goal—burying their own pasts deeper than the fires of hell can reach—they’re both unaware that jumping into that fire will do more than ignite their feelings, it could lead to their own demise. Will Black and Quill be consumed by the flames, or from these ashes, will they find their own happily ever after?

Word Count: Click here to reveal85445 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: At 130 years old, lone Nova Scotian werewolf Malachi Powers never intended to find a mate, until fate sent him Quinn Boucher, a much younger man. Now, after only a few months, Malachi can't imagine his life without Quinn. But when Quinn returns to Nova Scotia, Malachi learns that the man who belongs to him has been keeping a secret--something Malachi cannot allow. At 22, Quinn Boucher has been through more trauma than most people survive in a lifetime. Although he is healing, lately his nightmares have worsened. After he lashes out during a flashback, his employer sends him to Nova Scotia to rest with Malachi at the home of Anax Silas Creighton, ruler of the Canadian werewolves. Face to face with his mate, the man he calls Sire, Quinn can no longer hide the truth. As Quinn battles his demons with Malachi by his side, a new threat faces them. Silas's newest guard, Andy, has malevolent intentions against Silas--and the rest of the werewolves of Canada. Only Quinn, with his clairvoyant abilities, can see what Andy truly is and the magic the other man wields, and only Quinn is left to fight when Andy takes control of Malachi, Silas, and the other guards. But to save his mate and the others, Quinn must first defeat the worst of his buried memories--memories now fueled by Andy's power. This book includes intense descriptions of flashbacks to abuse and sexual assault, harsh language including one use of the F-slur against a gay man, depictions of PTSD, and on-page unaliving of an evil werewolf. The main characters' relationship includes a VERY large age gap (over a century; werewolves live a long time!) and one character consensually commanding the other.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Family. Christmas. Old ghosts. Or comfort, joy and new beginnings? When it comes to the holidays, Jack and Gareth are poles apart. Just the prospect of a big celebration brings Jack sleepless nights and painful memories. Add two rescued teenagers, an upcoming trial, and an unexpected discovery, and Jack is convinced he’ll screw up his second chance with Gareth. Because Gareth loves the holidays. For him, they’re all about new beginnings and family he's chosen for himself, while Jack’s past has only taught him to fight and protect. Jack wants Gareth, the boys, a new life. He just never guessed that the fight for what he always wanted would rage in the most dangerous of battlefields: the back of his head. The books of the Power of Zero series are available from my store, all retailers, Kobo Plus, and libraries. Also available as part of a bundle. Please check my store for additional links.

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Information not available

Summary: A brutal war left Volos Perun with physical and emotional scars and with a reputation as a hero. Now he’s a soldier stationed at the palace, desiring Prince Berhanu while receiving only loathing in return. But when Berhanu foolishly refuses the king’s request to let Volos accompany him on a peace mission to the neighboring country, Berhanu is kidnapped and brutalized. Now Volos must risk his life as he works to save Berhanu and help his country avoid another devastating war.

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

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

Summary: While the other members of glam rock sensation The Rade indulge in public affairs and flirtations, bass player and soulful lyricist John has kept himself to himself. He's had no end of offers, seeing as he's the heart of the band (and stacked like a brick wall), but since losing his mortal lover, no one has sparked his interest. After all, to a centuries-old shapeshifter-fae, most people's lives are just too short for him to risk his heart on them. Then he meets someone who captures his attention as well as his long-buried protective instincts. Venkat, a shy but brilliantly talented energy vampire and classical violinist, is just coming off a triumphant US tour. He and John bond immediately over their love of music and blossoming mutual attraction. But Venkat has a past, one that seems to give his fae manager Red an unbreakable hold on Venkat's violin and life. And Red isn't above using it to keep him isolated and under his power. John and Venkat know the future could be theirs. But the road to freedom will lead directly through the darkest places in both their pasts.

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Click here to revealAce, Bisexual, Pansexual, Straight (Click here to hide)

Summary: Still reeling from his final encounter with the Elders, Matthias finally reaches the promised safety of Haven. There, he is met with suspicion and accusations, learning too late that the new world he’s entered is built on as many illusions and lies as the world he’s left behind, and that the safe home he’s been searching for isn’t safe after all. When all the illusions come crashing down, and Matthias barely escapes with his life and his friends, he finds himself going back to the start—and finds himself one step closer to the truth.

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

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

Summary: A baby’s laughter. A mind uncaged. Lance is known as Scourge, the warrior in the black armor, the dog of the warlord Ulfr Blackwolf. He was just a boy when Ulfr found him and molded him into the perfect weapon. He slaughters and pillages on command, merciless and numb, devoid of emotions. Then a baby girl laughs at him during a raid. And everything changes. When Gust, a talented healer, is out deer hunting and stumbles across a magnificent horse bearing a mortally wounded rider, he has no idea that his life is about to change forever. Gust applies all his skills to his patient, determined to save the rider’s life, and is rewarded when the man opens his eyes. As friendship, and more, bloom between warrior and healer, so does the danger over the horizon. Ulfr has not forgotten, and Lance must take his first steps on the long road to redemption.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: In one tragic night Steven loses everything: his lover, his dreams, and his sight, but he gains the compassionate, caring dominant he has always longed for. He starts to rebuild with Nick, a fellow survivor of the tragedy, and together they discover new heights of love and ecstasy, and the real magic they can create together. Nick must teach Steven not only how to have a healthy and consensual BDSM relationship, but how to navigate the ways of magic. You see, Nick is secretly a mage, and the longer they're together, the more obvious it becomes that Steven is one, too. But as Steven begins to wield his new--and terrifyingly strong--powers, he draws the attention of evil beyond our world. The ancient enemies of the faerie courts have banded together under a cruel, calculating leader, and Steven is the only one standing in his way. Only Steven can defeat this threat... And he doesn't have the first clue where to start.

Word Count: Click here to reveal55000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A rowdy superstar in danger. His resentful new guardian. It’s hate at first sight until love takes an unexpected encore.   Closeted actor Owen fears failure and betrayal. So after he’s stabbed by a crazy fan, the movie studio offers a hunky bodyguard for protection. Suspicious that the ripped security man is just a gossip-seeking plant, he pushes back at his bulging biceps, ignoring the chemistry.   Newly retired SEAL Jamal is having a hard time adjusting to civilian life. Reluctantly taking a Hollywood job for a bad boy with tight abs, he’s sure the star is simply paranoid. But when he discovers the sexy celebrity is in serious jeopardy, he doesn’t hesitate to jump into action mode.   As the peril hits closer to home, Owen finds himself falling for the handsome hero fighting for his life. And as the threats intensify, Jamal fears he might lose the man he has come to love.   Will Owen and Jamal go down in a catastrophic climax, or will they star in their own happy ending?   Hollywood Lighting is the red-hot first book in the Bodyguards M/M contemporary romance series. If you like tortured heroes, intense predicaments, and steamy affairs, then you’ll adore J. V. Speyer’s tale of LGBT passion.   Buy Hollywood Lighting to let desire take centerstage today!

Word Count: Click here to reveal34000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: In 1920, a werewolf attack changed Malachi Powers’s life forever. Now, a decade later, Malachi lives near Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, as a lone wolf, avoiding humans and other werewolves alike. Two young men, Roger and Jonathan, arrive on the beach below Malachi’s cottage with a boat full of illegal hooch. Captivated by his unexpected visitors, Malachi wants them to stay. But bringing the men into his life would mean letting them in on his secret—and endangering his heart. Once again, Malachi’s life is changing. Forever. This book includes a scene in which the main character spies, without consent, on two people having sex. It also contains references to past sexual assault and underage male prostitution.

Word Count: Click here to reveal50049 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Sooner or later, something, or someone, has to break. Tyr Blackstone is a bodyguard for hire assigned to protect the nephew of a wealthy businessman. He’s prepared to babysit a spoiled rich kid but instead finds himself guarding a young man held virtual prisoner. Milo Forbes wants nothing more than to escape his brutal uncle’s clutches but is trapped. If he runs, his uncle will withdraw funding for his brother Matthew’s care. On his twenty-third birthday, Milo will inherit a vast fortune, but his uncle has been plotting for years to prevent that happening. As the date approaches, his uncle sets in motion a set of plans designed to destroy Milo’s mental stability. Tyr, tasked by his mysterious employer with keeping an eye on Milo’s uncle as well as his charge, soon realises that Warren Forbes is evil, concealing his greed for wealth beneath a veneer of concern for Milo’s wellbeing. Forced proximity with a fragile young man means Tyr’s growing feelings for Milo are tempered by guilt. His need for control and Milo’s willingness to submit are thrown into stark relief by their circumstances. Can Milo survive the trauma his uncle has subjected him to, accept his found family and find his happily ever after?   Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of violence, and of abusive punishment.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Drugs. Bullies. Kidnappers. And Jack's second chance at happiness is under threat. Jack wants to enjoy his new life, but he can't catch a break. A perfect day out turns into three months undercover. A bully threatens Nico and Daniel. And returning a favour leads him into a trap. Jack has never refused his help, but he never had anything that mattered to him, either. Now he must change his priorities, or the family he's making for himself and his growing relationship with Gareth will fall to the demands made on him. The books of the Power of Zero series are vailable from my store, all retailers, Kobo Plus, and libraries. Also available as part of a bundle. Please check my store for additional links.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: In a respectable neighbourhood, on the top floor of a beautiful house, crouches the Succubus; by design, and by temperament, she is all that men crave and fear. To the wealthy and privileged men of London, the Succubus is a test they must pass to gain access to the House of Sable Locks, the most exclusive brothel in town. However, to William, a wealthy young man born and raised in India, she is the very essence of his desires. William is recovering from the loss of everything he knows and loves when he first meets the Succubus. With great care she tears him apart... and he falls in love again. But their idyll cannot last: there is a killer loose in London, and the darkness of William's past is about to collide with the terror of his present. Based on the story "The Succubus" from the acclaimed erotic steampunk anthology Like Clockwork, HOUSE OF SABLE LOCKS lets us enter the mysterious brothel readers previously only had a glimpse of.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: In a world where a werecat virus has changed society, Roan McKichan, a born infected and ex-cop, works as a private detective trying to solve crimes involving other infecteds. The murder of a former cop draws Roan into an odd case where an unidentifiable species of cat appears to be showing an unusual level of intelligence. He juggles that with trying to find a missing teenage boy, who, unbeknownst to his parents, was “cat” obsessed. And when someone is brutally murdering infecteds, Eli Winters, leader of the Church of the Divine Transformation, hires Roan to find the killer before he closes in on Eli. Working the crimes will lead Roan through a maze of hate, personal grudges, and mortal danger. With help from his tiger-strain infected partner, Paris Lehane, he does his best to survive in a world that hates and fears their kind… and occasionally worships them.