fantasy – high & other world

Word Count: Click here to reveal53000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Bostel Rogell is one of the illusive Brethren, a brotherhood of the galaxies’ most lethal men. He’s also cocky, irreverent, foul-mouthed, flamboyant, and takes great delight in treating all the universe as if it were some grand joke. Thurus and Zyphra have lost everything. Their family, their friends, their clan – everything – except each other. Twin Hashani who are powerful healers, they join Ubutu Clan and prepare to rebuild their lives from the devastation of the old. When they meet their mate they think maybe life is looking up. Except he’s a royal jerk that isn’t interested in allowing them anywhere near his heart. They may look small and delicate enough they’d blow over in a stiff wind, but strength doesn’t always show on the outside. When it comes to claiming and protecting their mate, Thurus and Zyphra are up to the challenge. If you’re dealing with an arrogant, insufferable, gorgeous, sexy, mouth-watering, teasing, black-haired, blue-eyed, every-inch-a-man, male? Well, tough times call for tough actions and Bostel is going to find out he may have just met his match, or matches.

Word Count: Click here to reveal112,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Where does magic end and love begin? ​Oliver Evans spent his youth spinning one tall tale after another until it got him over his head in trouble. Now he has returned to his grandmother's cottage in Aberdaron, determined to put his past behind him and settle down. But the misty Llŷn Peninsula hides dangerous secrets and Olly is torn between the Longing, a powerful force driving him away from the only home he has ever known, and the growing conviction that the prince of his childhood make-believe is real and in need of Olly's help. There is more truth in Olly's stories than he realises. If he is to have any chance of righting past wrongs and rescuing his prince, Olly must navigate the truth in his old stories and discover the magic right in front of him. But Olly has a powerful enemy on the ​Llŷn, an ancient king who would like to end Olly's story-telling permanently. Written for the M/M Romance Groups 2015 Don't Read in the Closet event, Deep Magic was produced with the support and effort of members of the M/M Romance Group. You can find out more about the event and discover hundreds of other free stories here. Cover art produced by Bree Archer. Deep Magic does contain adult material.

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

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

Summary: Mango Ururoa has been an agent for the Kawana family since leaving the Temple of The Brethren as a young man. He does what has to be done to keep them safe, following orders without question. It’s a good life, and he lives it with honor, never wanting or expecting more. After fifty years of life, Hashani, cat-shifter, Shonto Galon is sick and tired of being alone. Especially after watching his newly-mated brother live in mated bliss for the past six months. The head of security for his clan is ready for a woman of his own and all the domesticity involved. While serving a mission, Mango gets caught between a rock and a hard place, and his actions lead him into serving a self-imposed debt of honor to Fael and Bonachi, friends of the Kawana family. While delivering members of Bonachi’s crew to a fellow clan’s ship, Mango meets Galon and the two realize immediately they’re mates. Surprise would be a mild term for what they experience. Mango had no intentions of ever taking a mate and Galon can’t understand why the Gods would pair him with another male. It’s not like he’s ever been attracted to one before. Life can be crazy, but sometimes you just have to go with the flow and hope for the best. And maybe, just maybe, the Gods knew what they were doing when they matched up two warriors who didn’t believe love would ever be written in their stars.

Word Count: Click here to reveal17700 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Following his principles will break two hearts. Forester Veld loses a piece of himself to mute baker Oren when they first meet, but Oren is vowed to Haram. When Haram is killed, Veld denies his heart to respect the mourning period. It’s the right thing to do. During Haram’s funeral, Oren proudly bares the brands that show the nature of their love; Haram owned him, heart and body. The elves pity Oren and think he’s broken. Veld has no intention of dishonouring Haram’s memory, but his death may not have been an accident. Only a forester can learn what the trees have seen. However, Oren’s independence is threatened, and if Veld does not offer what Oren needs, Oren may never be his to claim.

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

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

Summary: Prince Garrik is the Heir Presumptive of Altan, next in line to be crowned Wytch King. There’s only one problem: in order for Garrik to be crowned, he must possess Wytch power of his own, and thus far, whatever power Garrik might possess has shown no sign of awakening. As things stand, it is Garrik’s younger brother, Jaire — a dreamer completely unsuited to wear the crown — who will take the throne after their father. Concerned about the future of his kingdom, the Wytch King demands that Garrik’s power be forcibly awakened. Hoping to protect his brother from the burden of rule, Garrik allows the attempt — with disastrous results. Now, Garrik must learn to control the fiery dragon that rages within him before he destroys everything he loves. Wytch Master Ilya has been alone for years. Learning to control the icy beast slumbering within him has already cost him his family and his lover, and Ilya will never open himself up to that kind of pain again. Summoned to Altan to avert disaster if he can, Ilya has no intention of allowing anyone to thaw the ice in his heart. When he meets Prince Garrik, sparks fly, and Ilya finds himself fighting feelings he thought he'd buried, long ago. Can Garrik’s fire melt Ilya’s icy heart? Or will Ilya be forced to use his ice to quench the flames that burn within Garrik once and for all? (~65,000 words)

Word Count: Click here to reveal24000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: A prince without power In a land where magic is commonplace, Prince Llyskel has none. He can’t command spells, he has never been taught to fight, and as the fifth son of the King, he will never rule. Everyone believes he’s a weakling, most of all himself. Powerlessness is Llyskel’s problem—and his pleasure. In his secret fantasies, the prince dreams of nothing more than finding himself helpless at another man’s hands… particularly the hands of Captain Ariv of the Guards. Then Ariv makes Llyskel’s dream a reality, and as the powerless prince surrenders to the soldier’s desire, he finds his own true strength at last. But a web of royal politics is closing around Llyskel, threatening to tear him from his lover, and it will take all his newfound courage to escape… 24,000 words | 76 pages (pdf) contains five shaded black-and-white illustrations by Yana Goya

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

Summary: Once upon a time, there was Beauty and there was the Beast. The spinners of tales would have you believe these two fell in love and lived happily ever after. The spinners lied! The Beast was a shifter and Beauty became a huntress and founded a long line of huntresses aided by the power of silver magic. Kieran Belle is a descendant of the House of Beauty and a tracker who longs to live a life free of killing shifters. Aided by his father he escapes to college in Little Rock, Arkansas where he meets the boy of his dreams, Corwin Cooper. Corwin Cooper is a descendant of a clan of shifters, who has never shifted himself. Having finally decided to go to college, Corwin arrives and meets the mate his inner wolf cries out to claim for his own in Kieran Belle. Ancient prophecy says Kieran is destined to become the legendary Silver Hunter. Dark forces seek to derail prophecy and end the House of Beauty. Can a child of the shifter-hunting House of Beauty and a descendant of shifters find love and happiness or will dark forces and opposing heritage tear them apart?

Word Count: Click here to reveal95000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: The Demons of DunDegore is a full-on zombie invasion within a classic epic fantasy setting. Demons have stolen the Sword of Kassandra, using its powerful magics to raise an army of the undead. Few survive the initial assault. Tadgh Dooley, a 17 year old werecat, travels to the island of DunDegore with his companions to rescue an 8 year old boy, the son of his best friend. But the forces of darkness have plans for Tadgh: capture him and force him to use his reality-altering abilities to free the dark god they worship from his extra-dimensional prison. This is the second book in the series that acclaimed author Christoph Fischer has called “an accomplished piece of fantasy.”

Word Count: Click here to reveal15500 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Once Martel was a thieftaker, an honourable young man working an honourable profession with his father, keeping the city safe. Then came revolution and chaos. Now he’s alone and living as a bounty hunter, as low as he can fall. Rumour says the last of the overthrown royal family is hiding in the forest that borders Amaranth. Prince Joslyn would be a better prize than runaway slaves and murderers; the price on that boy’s head would make Martel for life, and give him a chance to rebuild his reputation. When he rides into the charcoal-burner’s clearing, he doesn’t find a depraved young aristocrat hiding out with his loyal servant. Rather, he finds a displaced old man doing the best he can with only a slave to help. A willing, beautiful, poorly trained slave. From their first encounter, Martel can’t keep his hands off the boy - and sees no reason to, when the master doesn’t care and the inexperienced boy is sullen and frightened and eager all at once. This is the last thing he was looking for - but can one hot night change the course of a life, of two lives...?

Word Count: Click here to reveal50000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Khy is a prisoner and a slave. His life consists of days of drudgery and nights of agony. He has no memory of anything else, yet he knows there must be more beyond the fog that shrouds his mind. When his Master is called away on urgent business and Khy is left alone, a moment of unexpected clarity has him running for freedom. Jaedin is done running, both from war in the north and from his lover’s tragic death. He’s settled in the tiny village of Rosefire, and has finally achieved an uneasy truce with his grief. Jaedin’s hard-won peace is shattered when he places himself between Khy and the band of brigands hunting him. During the scuffle, Khy panics and works the leythe to set loose a spell. When the dust settles, Khy has fled and Jaedin finds himself haunted by something far darker than his own past. In order to regain his peace—and his sanity—Jaedin sets off in search of the young man who has cursed him. What he finds threatens not only his own personal equilibrium, but the balance of the leythe itself. To protect the leythe, Khy must face his tormentor and fight to free himself from the man who considers him both pawn and prize. To protect the man he loves, he must do it alone. (~50,000 words) Note: Human Choices is a stand-alone story that takes place in the same world as Human Frailties, Human Strengths.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary:

Three hundred years ago, a group of heroes imprisoned a dark god and his lieutenants in a hell dimension known as the Void.

Word Count: Click here to reveal103000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: First I was a sorcerer. Then I was a hermit. For so long—for years that seemed to go on forever—I couldn't bear to be touched. I put up not just walls but whole stone bunkers to keep everyone out, emotionally, and physically as well. I was protected from people, from ghosts, from specters real and imagined. Sure, I was alone. But I felt safe. Only, after a while, I wasn't sure any longer whether a totally "safe" empty life was really worth living. Then Tobin came along. Out of the blue, out of my past, with a summons from the king that he wouldn't let me ignore. I tried to cling to my isolation, but he wouldn't give up on me. Tobin never believed in walls. This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love Has No Boundaries" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story. 103,000 words

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

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

Summary: What do a god in exile and a goth geek from Nowhere, Minnesota have in common? Not a damn thing. Ashnavayarian is a god in exile, condemned by the Dragon Mother to live as a lowly human. The only way to appease the goddess and earn back his place at her side is to learn compassion — or bypass her entirely by raising the power to break his exile. Tor MacAran is stuck in a dead-end job in a tiny town that’s barely on the map. He’s been alone and hurting all his life, and he’s about ready to end his pain by whatever means he can. When a Halloween encounter dumps Tor at Ash’s feet, the two men find themselves tied together by the Dragon Mother in a way that neither can escape. Can Tor teach Ash what it really means to be human? Or will Ash’s bid for freedom destroy Tor and plunge the Westlands into a war no one can win?

Word Count: Click here to reveal61500 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Jay should be a very happy slave boy. His new master is young, hot, affectionate, and no stricter than he needs to be. Also rich now, thanks to one night’s hectic gambling. But the man who lost all that money - and his slave boy too - wants his revenge. He wants everything back, including Jay, and he’ll do whatever it takes to achieve his goal. It’s dangerous to challenge so much wealth and influence, let alone to defeat them - and that’s only the start of the trouble for Jay and his master Jensen. Jay has a secret, that he’s kept hidden from all the men who’ve owned him. Now that’s going to lead him and his master too down strange roads in stranger company, and into deadly danger, eventually into Hell itself...

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Summary: Brute leads a lonely life in a world where magic is commonplace. He is seven and a half feet of ugly, and of disreputable descent. No one, including Brute, expects him to be more than a laborer. But heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and when he is maimed while rescuing a prince, Brute’s life changes abruptly. He is summoned to serve at the palace in Tellomer as a guard for a single prisoner. It sounds easy but turns out to be the challenge of his life. Rumors say the prisoner, Gray Leynham, is a witch and a traitor. What is certain is that he has spent years in misery: blind, chained, and rendered nearly mute by an extreme stutter. And he dreams of people’s deaths—dreams that come true. As Brute becomes accustomed to palace life and gets to know Gray, he discovers his own worth, first as a friend and a man and then as a lover. But Brute also learns heroes sometimes face difficult choices and that doing what is right can bring danger of its own.

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

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

Summary: On a drunken bet, Marc broke into Baron Thiviers’ mansion to steal something precious. Discovered and almost caught, he’s being hunted by the baron and his hounds when Finn, the runaway slave boy, saves his life. Marc claims possession of Finn, to redeem that foolish bet--what’s more precious than a beautiful boy? But his so-called friends reject him, and the baron comes after him relentlessly, so he takes the boy and flees again. Yet it’s Finn the baron can track, by means of renegade magic, and in the end, Finn has no choice. He runs from the new young master he’s come to love and confronts the chasing baron, sacrificing himself to save Marc’s life. Except that Marc too is in love, and so comes after his errant boy, throwing his own life into danger yet again.

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

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

Summary: Coryn is the rarest of mages, a young man with the gift of healing. A chance encounter with a sick slave on the road leads to love unimagined, a match for his gentle heart, and the two to a town riven with plague. It's too much for one inexperienced healer--but still, Coryn will break himself with trying and his new boy's heart in the process. What will it take to heal a healer's heart?