"The path to self-acceptance has always felt like an uphill battle for me.
It's hard not to feel that way when the most important people in my life decided long ago they can't accept me as I am, that they don't want a gay son, a feminine son, a boy who likes pretty things.
Caring for myself from a young age has come with a lot of hardships, but finding myself bruised, homeless, and sleeping in my car just about tops the list.
Fortunately, the person I least expect offers to take me in and share his home with me.
My boss, Dean, may be twenty years older and have a son my age, but he's still the sexiest man I've ever met. (Mechanics, amiright?) He's also incredibly sweet and thoughtful and apparently, quite protective of me. He may even be a bit possessive…
But best of all, he genuinely seems to like and accept me just as I am.
The only problem is that Dean is straight. And living with my very hot, very straight boss just might be the thing that kills me."
"I probably shouldn't be in the office of someone I don't know, filming content for my site, but I quite like the view it affords me, and I really like that leather chair.
I like it even more when the owner of the office turns out to be my grumpy, buttoned-up boss, and he catches me in the act. Literally.
He's not happy about it, but he doesn't leave, and I don't stop.
Suddenly, he's around all the time. Watching me. Taunting me. Teasing me.
It soon becomes a game. A game only we play.
We are opposites in every single way. He can never be seen with someone like me, and I will never be enough for him.
But the more we are around each other, the more I want to give him.
Maybe we can see where this leads if our hearts don't get broken first."
"There's something about our new landlord, Alec.
Something that I can't quite place. He seems familiar, but not. Like maybe I've seen him before. Sure, he's attractive, strictly objectively speaking. I'm not into dudes.
But he has this intense, piercing stare that I can't look away from. Eyes that make me feel like they can see right through me. Like he knows all my secrets.
I wish he would share them with me because sometimes I feel like I don't really know myself. But I do know one thing. I take my responsibilities to my family and friends very seriously.
When your best friend is gay, you learn to be the best straight wingman at the gay bar you can be. And if you happen to hook up with a guy once in a while... well, it doesn't really mean anything. It's just a good way to relax and unwind.
When it's Alec who turns up, ready and willing to help me 'relax,' I know it's a bad idea but I just can't resist. I tell myself just this once. It won't ever happen again.
Well, maybe just one more time..."
"The emo kid, the loner, the cynical wallflower with an attitude.
It's no secret that I've never quite fit in.But it's glaringly obvious now that I've moved to this Podunk small town that seems to run entirely on sugar, friendliness, and cheer. (And cows, an ungodly number of cows.) I hate it—this place where everyone knows everyone, and I'm still the outsider.
Who wants to fit in anyway? I've never really tried, never even thought I wanted to… until I met him.
Jimbob is living his best life out here, farming the fields of Kansas, well and truly happy. And I just don't get it. His charming smiles, playful winks, and easy-going attitude infuriate me, but I can't look away. He's like a bright, sunny day sweeping through my prickly hailstorm.
I'm so utterly confused because I've never felt this way before. There's just something about Jimbob that makes me want to try. Makes me want to belong. Makes me want to put down roots in the glow of his sunshine."
"I know most would probably describe me as a little uptight, unwilling to change, set in my ways…
The truth is, I just like my life the way it is—simple and predictable. I have everything I need—good friends, family close by, and the automotive business I've built from the ground up. I'm proud of the life I've made in this quiet, small town. Nothing needs to change.
At least, that's what I believed up until the day Damon Deveraux, a lively and bold little whirlwind of a man in lip gloss and short shorts, saunters into my life and changes everything. He captivates me with his bubbly charm and adorable clumsiness, and suddenly, we're fast friends, spending all our time together.
But I don't know what's happening to me. I'm just so confused. Because I've never fixated on another man's pouty lips before. I've never obsessed over the curve of another man's body. I've never desired the feel of another man curled up against me.
When I discover Damon's camboy site and—accidentally on purpose—subscribe to his live show, all bets are off. Because for the first time, I'm realizing that maybe the sweet, sassy boy next door is everything I never knew I needed."
"It's often said that everything is impossible until it's done.
While I've always known my infatuation with Cash and Ford was meant to remain an unfulfilled dream, I never really lost hope. Hope that the two men, twice my age, would ever see me as more than just a kid. As more than just their best friend's son.
I'm not a kid anymore, and at twenty-one, they're about to see that little meek and quiet Ben is old enough for many things. Old enough to finally attract their attention. And frankly, old enough to know better. To know that these stolen touches and lustful trysts behind closed doors could never really amount to more.
Because everything will crumble as soon as Cash, Ford, and my father find out what I've been up to. I've been keeping secrets from them all.
I can't possibly keep them both. I can't keep them at all. I know our love is impossible.
But, god help me, when has that ever stopped me?"
"I'll admit I've never had grandiose plans for my future.
I'm really more of a 'take it as it comes' sort of dude. But making minimum wage at a small-town sandwich shop wasn't exactly what I had in mind after college graduation either. It may not be an exciting life, but it isn't so bad. At least I have my amazing coworkers and friends who always try to make the workday fun.
Everyone, that is, except the new guy, Simon.
That guy is not fun. He's broody and silent, but I can tell that something interesting is brewing just under his surface. Day after day, I try to get his attention, try to coax him out of his shell. He won't even look at me, let alone talk. It's making me a little crazy if I'm honest.
I don't even know why I care—I'm not gay. But there's just something about him that draws me in. He's become this mystery that I need to unravel.
Until one night, I get a small peek behind Simon's mask—a shared kiss, just a minute in time, and then it's gone.
I don't even know what to think. All I know is I need more.
I want all the hidden parts of him.
I don't understand this obsession, this need.
And I'm afraid that there isn't much I wouldn't do for just a minute more."
"After my honorable discharge from the Marine Corps, it only made sense to put my skills to good use as a personal bodyguard.
The contracts keep me moving and traveling, and the money is good. All I've ever wanted was to make sure my mother and sister were taken care of after my father passed away. So when Anthony Costello, the notorious mob boss and my dad's ex-employer, asked me to take on a special job for his family, I couldn't say no.
But not even my six-year stint as an elite Marine could have prepared me for the hellscape that is being trapped in a secluded safe house with his son. Diablo Costello is a rude little chaos gremlin that lives to push all my buttons. I can't keep him safe if he's determined to fight me every step of the way. But I can see through the bratty facade. I know what Diablo needs. What he longs for. And God help me, I'm going to give it to him."
"I cannot stand Bennet Montgomery.
His rugged hotness knows no bounds, and his unwavering cheery disposition is maddening. How can someone be that happy all the time? His smile infuriates me.
I need to keep my distance from this man and all his Midwest charm. I have my camboy career to focus on, and I can't afford to get attached or bogged down with his nonsense.
When Bennet receives devastating news about his mother, his grief consumes him. I don't know what to make of this new sad side of Bennet. All I know is that his teary eyes infuriate me even more than his smile. I need to get his stupid smile back. So that's how I wind up accompanying him home to his tiny town in rural Kansas.
And let me tell you, this California boy is not cut out for a land where fruit salad has marshmallows, and you're just as likely to be eaten by a feral cow as you are to be chased down by an angry rooster. *Shudder*
The worst part is Bennet and I are forced to share one bed in a cramped trailer. As I try my hardest to comfort this man I can barely call a friend, I wonder if maybe that flutter in my chest isn't just heartburn. Maybe I can allow myself to get swept up in him... just for a bit. That is if a rogue tornado doesn't sweep me away first.
Becoming Bennet is a funny and sweet MM romance with forced proximity and only one bed."
"As a divorced man in my thirties with a throwaway job and very few friends, I admit that I've made a lot of bad decisions over the years.
Rounding out the top of that epic list was allowing my son's best friend, Quinn, to talk me into taking him on a two-week summer road trip... alone.
What was supposed to be quality father-son bonding time before Joshua went off to college has somehow transpired into a battle of wills between me and his nineteen-year-old best friend.
Quinn may be young, but he genuinely seems to enjoy spending time with me, something I've never experienced before, and it feels nice to finally have someone care. I mean, being friends with the kid wouldn't be so bad, right?
But Quinn suddenly seems hellbent on flirting with me, and the way he looks at me is anything but friendly. My will to stay away from this sweet, attractive, and persistent young man is waning. With the two of us alone in a camper in the wilds of Michigan… Christ, this is bad… very, very bad.
Waiting for You is a low-angst and spicy MM age-gap, son's best friend romance."
"Reed Ellis is absolutely gorgeous but a total newbie to camming, a virtual nobody in my world.
I should have just deleted his message request for a steamy, on-camera collaboration. Not everyone is cut out to be a camboy. But there's just something about him I couldn't resist.
He's timid and inexperienced, quiet and closed off, but his fumbling first times play out scorching hot for the cameras, and our videos together are an instant success.
I know I should just ride this out, sit back and watch the money roll in, and then move on.
But I can't. I'm intrigued by this brick wall of a man. I see glimpses of Reed hiding behind his silence, and he is struggling. He has secrets, someone he cares about that he's protecting. I make it my mission to get him to open up and let me in. What will it take to reach the elusive Reed?
Reaching Reed is a very steamy and sweet M/M romance about camboys and first love. It is the first standalone book in the Behind the Camera series."
"Colin
I've devoted my life to my son, always putting his needs first, and honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. Becoming a father was the best decision I've ever made, but hell, single parenting is difficult. I'm so tired of holding everything together.
I need a partner, someone to share my life with. I miss intimacy and passion. I want someone who will take charge and help me let go of all this control I cling to. But an endless string of bad dates and rejection has me feeling like maybe love will never come for me. Maybe a father is all I'm meant to be in this life.
Ethan
My next-door neighbor is infuriating. He's intelligent and flirty and just so bloody gorgeous. Why are Americans so cheerful and loud? I hate him. I could not hate him more.
What began as a reckless feud between competitive neighbors has somehow morphed into an attraction I can't ignore. I feel unhinged around him. I want Colin. I want him so badly it hurts.
But he has a kid—an inquisitive, bright little boy who is just as charming as his dad. And the hard truth is Colin can't afford to take a chance on me. I don't do commitment. Not anymore. Not since my ex. A stubborn, set-in-his-ways prat like me isn't cut out to be a father, right?
Colin is a funny and steamy MM romance that features a single father, enemies-to-lovers, and a HEA. It is the sixth standalone in the Unexpected series."
Join our community for the latest bookish news, reading recommendations, exclusive opening extracts, author events and competitions. It\'s all free. And enter a monthly draw to win a £50 Gift Card. See past winners here
