Historical - 20th Century Genre

Word Count: Click here to reveal35000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: What started as a vacation for Stiles Long, Michael O’Leary, and Lizzie Ferguson, soon turns to murder? Aboard the ocean liner, the Mauretania, every luxury is at their fingertips. Sumptuous food, comfortable staterooms, dancing, card games, and anything else your first class heart can expire too. What the trio did not expect was a face from a past assignment to follow them on their cruise. James Stark was the lowest of men. A blackmailer with a heart of ice. But who hated him enough to kill him? The list of suspects all circle around the same dining room table, including Stiles, Michael, and Lizzie. They have less than two days before they dock in Liverpool to find the killer. If they don’t, he’ll walk off the boat Scott-free. Nights of romance, declaring love, dancing in the ballroom, playing cards, a storm that nearly takes the life of one of our trio, and a murderer among them, all makes for an adventure on the deep sea.

Word Count: Click here to reveal51,180 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Elvis impersonators, art-fueled lust, forbidden longings, hot women, unexpected love, rekindled flames, magic, all these and more populate the pages of DESIRE. Meet thieves and goddesses, activists and actors, ex-spies and tourists in this spicy collection of 11 tales of sensual lesbian erotica by author Emily L. Byrne. Table of Contents: Viva Las Vegas The Further Adventures of Miss Scarlet Summer Stock Spoonbridge and Cherry An Evening in Estelí A Room with a View Treehugger Diplomacy The Old Spies Club Heart’s Thief The Goddess Within

Word Count: Click here to reveal98659 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary:   Many obstacles stand in Warrick Synclaire’s way. A baronet’s son, he’s in love with his best friend, Thomas Smythe. Same-sex love is illegal in early 20^th century England. To complicate things, Warrick is heading for Canada, while Thomas is destined for the military college at Sandhurst. Warrick isn’t sure he can bear the separation. The day before Warrick leaves, Thomas persuades him to see a fortuneteller. The old gypsy woman’s warnings don’t scare Warrick, but another gypsy, Nicolae, intrigues, arouses, and terrifies him. Later that evening, Nicolae breaks into Warrick’s bedchamber, bedding then biting him. But Warrick convinces himself it was just a bad dream and sails off to Canada to start a new life. There Warrick renews his acquaintance with Fox Sullivan, who he first met during the war. Soon the two become lovers, but for Warrick, the relationship is purely physical. Thomas still owns his heart. When he can no longer bear their separation, Warrick returns to his ancestral home in Kent, determined to reunite with Thomas, who now has a lover of his own. But the encounter with Nicolae changed Warrick considerably. Every full moon he turns into a ravenous creature, which seems able to rule his life even during daylight hours. Determined to win over Warrick, Fox sells his medical practice and heads for England. But will he be too late to save the man he loves?  

Word Count: Click here to reveal80000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Shortlisted for the 2024 Lambda Literary Award in Gay Romance. Shortlisted for the 2024 Midwest Book Award for Fantasy/Scifi. A graduate student and an archivist fight a god. Fall, 1969. Ulysses Lenkov should be working on his dissertation. Instead, he's caught up in the troubles of ghosts and hapless magic users. But when his clients start vanishing, he worries there's something afoot that’s worse than an unavenged death. The last word on the victim's lips? Dionysus. Sam Sterling just moved back to Madison and is already embroiled in a family crisis. But his peaceful days as an archivist come to an end when the magnetic, mistrustful Ulysses turns up with a warning. There's a god coming, and it's coming for Sam. As the two men's lives grow ever more intertwined, they face harrowing demon attacks, family secrets, and the race to a solution that doesn't end in heartbreak and death. As the solstice draws near, so does a deadly showdown that threatens both Sam and the city itself. Dionysus in Wisconsin is the first in a new series of urban fantasy/historical M/M romances set in Madison, WI in the late 1960s/early 1970s. It doesn't end on a cliffhanger and can be read as a stand-alone.

Word Count: Click here to reveal127000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: From the deserts of North Africa to the dark forests in the Third Reich, Tommy Haupner, together with his American lover, Henry "Shorty" Reiter, lead their team in a daring mission to rescue a gifted young savant from Nazi Germany's T4 euthanasia program. They are forced to flee in a stolen bus in the dead of night across enemy territory with a precious cargo of 24 handicapped children destined for extermination. In a supreme effort to save their charges and to avoid capture and execution themselves, they mount the most daring and dangerous rescue mission possible, the results of which almost end in disaster. This third book in The Seventh of December series is an action-packed wartime adventure set in the early months of 1942. Stolen aircraft, kidnapped senior Nazi officials, doctors of death and bloody revenge massacres, all of which are intertwined with the love of a helpless, rescued child. Farewell, My Boy, deals with not only the frailty of men's hearts, but the truth that even the bravest are not exempt from the pain of loss, even when it is for a greater good.

Word Count: Click here to reveal341222 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: In six novels, a slow-burn but hot gay romance topped with intrigue and humor, set in 1920s Ireland. Save @70% on the box set… Michael McCree meets Simon Hart. Fisticuffs fly. And before Simon knows what’s happened, he’s gained a new flat-mate, a new business partner, and a wanna-be lover. It’s the “wanna-be” that drives every novel, from first to last. It takes Michael over 300,000 words to earn forgiveness for his steam-locomotive seduction of Simon, and it takes Simon almost that long to fully appreciate what the damn fellow did. ~Heart to Hart: A roustabout with a secret falls arse-over-bollocks for a surly, angry PI. Together, they solve a mystery but start their own, much deeper one. ~Sparring with Shadows:  A man fights his inner demons while confronting his horny flat-mate, a determined swordsman, and a dangerous criminal. ~To the Bone: A pesky newcomer burrows like a tick between the two PIs even as they struggle to fight crime and to understand each other’s most secret desires. ~Thin as Smoke: Hollow-chested Dashiell Hammett stands between Michael and Simon like a blunt revolver, and his presence in a Mafia hunt threatens to dead-end their edgy relationship. ~Masters of Cane: Even Simon is surprised at the true meaning of “cane master” in this novel of sex, crime, and punishment. ~Into a Crack: Michael and Simon’s arch-nemesis slips out of a staunch prison and into a crack. Their job is to bring a pitiless enemy to justice, or die in the attempt. ~gay  ~erotic romance  ~mystery  ~humor  ~action-adventure  ~forced-proximity  ~ 1920s Ireland  ~New box set of 6 full novels

Word Count: Click here to reveal84845 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: James Trevalyan, from a long line of men who served the Crown with their gift of a voice with compelling power, kept that tradition going while he loved and lived with Jeremy Waters. When Jeremy died in James's arms while they were on holiday in Rome, he resolved to live without love. But Jamie, his son from his brief marriage to an American; Pamela, his beloved little sister, caught in a loveless marriage to a cold, cruel man; and Tanner, his clever and handsome agent in a long-term undercover mission keep him connected to life and love. But will he finally realize that he and Tanner are meant for each other? And will Tanner be able to keep himself safe from the mobsters who don't know his identity but still want him silent because of his knowledge of their evil?  

Word Count: Click here to reveal59357 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Gay retro with a twist Two unlikely men meet in 1923 Ireland. Michael McCree seems to be a newspaperman, running from a past in Boston. He’s a lover of men and a drinker of whiskey, and yet one with some surprising depths and one huge secret. Simon Hart is a surly, angry, altogether closeted and touch-me-not fellow, a Cambridge-educated private investigator whose business partner has been murdered. He meets Michael in a newspaper shop when turning in an obit notice. They clash. Fisticuffs fly. And before Simon knows what’s happened, he’s gained a new flat-mate, a new business partner, and a wanna-be lover. It’s the “wanna-be” that drives the present story…and all that follow. First of the 5 Gaslight Mystery novels.

Word Count: Click here to reveal72000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Soulmates across time. A sacrifice that could keep them apart forever. In present day, near the village of Ornes, France, Devon works on his master's thesis in history as he fantasizes about meeting a WWI American Doughboy. In 1916, during the Battle of Ornes, Stanley is a young soldier facing the horrors of the battlefield. Mourning the death of his friends from enemy fire, Stanley volunteers to bring the message for retreat so he can save everyone else in his battalion. While on his mission, mustard gas surrounds Stanley and though he thinks he is dying, he finds himself in a peaceful green meadow where he literally trips over Devon. Devon doesn't believe Stanley is who he says he is, a soldier from WWI. But a powerful attraction grows between them, and if Stanley is truly a visitor from the past, then he is Devon's dream come true. The problem is, Stanley's soul wants to finish his mission, and time keeps yanking him back to relive his fateful last morning over and over, even as his heart and body long to stay with Devon. Will Stanley have to choose between Devon and saving his battalion? Will time betray their love, leaving each alone? A male/male time travel romance, complete with hurt/comfort, French coffee, warm blankets, fireplace kisses, the angst of separation, and true love across time.

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 reveal55689 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Gay retro with a twist For PIs Michael McCree and Simon Hart, life has become…if not humdrum, then unusually calm. Routine cases, daily training with their band of back-street urchins, the incessant games of sex and innuendo—all of it takes on a keener edge when they learn that an arch enemy has somehow slipped through a crack in Ireland’s Old Chokey Prison. Instead of quietly leaving the country, their implacable opponent is out for blood…namely, the blood of two sleuths named Michael and Simon. The enemy is desperate, and greedy too. Some of the the ones fighting alongside the PIs are excellent, some are rather good, and a few are outright dishonest. Nothing stirs their imagination and, um, base instincts like raw danger. Both men find themselves sliding into more than one crack in the Roaring Twenties city of Dun Linden as they alternately evade and pursue, duck and dodge, parry and thrust—starting in the bedroom of their own Victorian flat.  

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 reveal112566 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: David Knight has been plagued by dreams his entire life, only to have all memory of them vanish when he awakens. Now the dreams are coming with more frequency, and they seem to be drawing him to the Amazon. A scientist with a PhD in ichthyology and a dedication to learning all he can about lungfish, whose existence dates back to the Devonian era, David is determined to see what the Amazon holds. His hopes seem about to be answered when Dr. Carlos Avila contacts him. It seems the Brazilian archeologist discovered the remains of a previously undiscovered species on a tributary of the Amazon, and he’d like nothing better than for David to join the expedition to see if more of the creature can be found. Of course David leaps at the opportunity and flies to Pesadelo Bay to join the mismatched team. Once there, he discovers not only does Dr. Avila have his own agenda, but a former conquest as well as a friend who’d saved his life years before are part of the team and are engaged to be married. Meanwhile, the need to sail up the Amazon to find what… or who… is calling him there has become more and more pressing, and David must decide which is the most important—learning what Dr. Avila really is searching for or finding the answer to his dreams?

Word Count: Click here to reveal84000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: It's Good? to be Home Lazarus Lenkov has been a civilian for almost two months, and it's going great. Sure, he's working at an art gallery instead of flying planes. Sure, his brother is preoccupied with his new husband, his sister is busy with her new baby, and he's plagued by nightmares and his malfunctioning foresight. But there are good things, too. He's got a new car. And just today, he got hit over the head with a bottle and then stitched up by a cute neurologist. Who then rejected his advances, but you can't have everything. Eli Sobel has never met anyone quite like Laz. He's smart and handsome in a scruffy way. He's also a mess. From the first time they meet, it's clear that Laz needs someone to take care of him, even heal him. And while Eli's a doctor, he's not interested in taking on any patients in his personal life. But Laz is funny and generous, and Eli can't help but get drawn into the investigation surrounding the attack he stitched the man up from. There's bad magic afoot, though neither of them quite understands it. From a similar crime at a Minneapolis art gallery to dead bodies in Edina, Minnesota, each step of the inquiry seems to pull the two of them closer together. But when they finally uncover the surprising motives that tie the events together, will they be able to move past their history into an uncertain future together? Lazarus, Home from the War is the fourth book in the Wisconsin Gothic series. It contains some spoilers for Troth, but can be read as a stand-alone.

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: Click here to reveal53000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: England, 1910 Monty, along with his best friend Bishop, investigates an odd seal-like creature swimming in Manchester Lake. The pair soon realize they've found a selkie when the magnificent animal transforms into the most gorgeous man either of them has ever seen. Determined to discover the origins of the mystical man, they bundle him into Bishop's brand-new electric automobile and whisk him off to London. There they find a host of distractions: a tastefully debauched house party hosted by silver-tongued aristocrats, and a queerly European-inspired novelty called the night club. Both are filled with a cast of characters sometimes amusing and sometimes frightening. And as the night unfolds, Monty comes face-to-face with ghoulish agents of the occult as well as revelations from the past. Most surprisingly of all, Monty finds himself falling for the beautiful creature from the lake, who seems equally interested in him. Can he really find himself in love with a man he has only just met? Or do they have a deeper connection which goes much further back? And what does it all have to do with the memories of his trip to Paris three years prior? The mystery of the selkie from Manchester Lake is only the beginning, and before their adventure is finished Monty will see the culmination of long suppressed secrets explode in a firestorm of magic and passion!

Word Count: Click here to reveal56715 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Gay retro with a twist There is something evil afoot in the growing city of Dun Linden, Ireland (1924) where private dicks Michael McCree and Simon Hart have a PI agency. No one has hired them this time, as they find their neighbors and their own tiny spy network in grave danger from a group of thieves who would rather slit a throat than pick an honest pocket; and an old nemesis who has a score to settle with both of them. When the peril grows too grave for two men to handle, they call on a few trusted friends and some unusual weaponry to help in a case where they are outnumbered—but never outwitted. The always-edgy partnership of the two investigators also undergoes some twists and turns …of fate and canes alike. Even Simon is surprised to discover the true masters of cane in this novel of sex, crime, and punishment. The fifth Gaslight Mystery novel

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

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

Summary: The Philippines, 1946 After being discharged from the Marines, John Buchanan is offered a position as overseer for plantation owner Ignacio Saenz. The offer is unexpected, considering he knows nothing about coconut farming, but the presence of Mount Mayon, an active volcano within sight of the property, tips the scales in Ignacio’s favor. Finally, John has a chance to put his lifelong passion for vulcanology into practice. Gregorio Delgado, the current overseer, takes exception to this turn of events. He views John as an interloper and Ignacio’s offer as a thinly disguised excuse to marry off one of his six daughters. What neither of them expects is the powerful physical attraction that simmers between them. Could John be a kindred spirit, or is he just using Gregorio for his knowledge of farming to ingratiate himself with his potential father-in-law? As John and Gregorio begin a tour of the haciendas, John discovers he has far more in common with his new acquaintance than he thought possible. Torn between honor and desire, John struggles to define who he is and what Gregorio could mean to him. Like the unpredictable volcano, equal parts beauty and danger, Gregorio becomes an obsession that could erupt at any minute and destroy them both.      

Word Count: Click here to reveal65600 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Ollie Boyd enjoys Jack Finley's company, likes to make him laugh, and wants to work with him...and maybe something more than that. It sure is confusing to have these feelings for another guy, and in the homophobic 1950s, it's not really safe. Jack Finley finds time for Ollie, sure, but he's just humoring a friend. He's a tough private eye. He's certainly not indulging secretly in a crush, no matter how attractive or charming Ollie might be. Jack's smart and careful, and he's been around the block. It's hard enough to be who he is without taking on extra trouble. But now Jack needs some help, after a botched Good Samaritan act leaves him broken in body and spirit. Ollie wants to be the one who's there for him. He also wants to figure out these feelings—even if they mean he's in pretty deep trouble. A whole lot of bumps in the road—including blackmail and murder—might take these two down more dangerous streets than they'd guess...together.   65,600 words

Word Count: Click here to reveal47,349 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: All the Honorable St. John Ashford ever wanted was his father’s love, but if he can’t have that, he’ll settle for being noticed. In an effort to do that, St. John sets his sights on Andrew Dorincourt, a man for whom the Viscount has nothing but disdain. Surely this will draw his father’s attention? Unfortunately, while Andrew seems willing to date him, he appears entirely disinterested in anything else. St. John knows it’s just a matter of time before all his plans going up in smoke, especially when Andrew becomes attracted to an exotic young man he rescued from Malossini’s House of Oddities. Robin Dorincourt is something of a playboy who enjoys nothing so much as flitting from one boyfriend to another. He doesn’t poach, though, and when he finds himself attracted to St. John Ashford, he does what he can to keep a healthy distance between them, using taunts and teasing. It’s difficult, until he realizes his brother is in love with someone else. Robin’s path toward St. John is clear, and he makes his move. But is his path as clear as he imagines? St. John might be as attracted to Robin as Robin is to him, but he’ll be damned if he allows himself to be passed from one brother to the other as if he’s nothing more than a poor second choice. Now it remains is for Robin to persuade St. John he’s no one’s second choice.