Novellas

Nate Pederowski is about as far down as he can go when he’s tipped to a job as a singer in a speakeasy. Dishonorably discharged for being queer, broke and homeless during the Great Depression, Nate is embittered and lonely. The club’s handsome owner, Rick Bellevue, and his sister Corinna are wowed by Nate’s voice and offer him the job.

But the Starlight Lounge is much more than an ordinary supper club, and Rick and his sister much more than just the owners. It’s not ’til Nate gets caught up in a gangster’s plot that he discovers just what secrets they’re hiding. Nate’s life is going to change in ways he can scarcely imagine, let alone believe.

2nd Edition
First Edition published by Dreamspinner Press, 2010, in the Myths and Magic: Legends of Love anthology.

Read more...

What happens when a powerful connection forms between two damaged strangers?

Found injured by the side of a road, Bill Ward suffers from retrograde amnesia. Having no recollection of his past, he feels like a nobody. Romance is definitely not an option for a nobody. Jazz singer and piano player Johnny Desmond, on the other hand, is emotionally dead from the ultimate betrayal. But from the moment their eyes meet, there’s no fighting it, and with their friends’ encouragement, Bill and Johnny decide to get to know each other.

Bill’s memories are hovering at the edge of his mind, tormenting him with fear and doubts about what he has to offer. Johnny also has a past—one that could endanger his life. It might have been love at first sight, but it will take courage and commitment to see it through to love that lasts forever.

Read more...

Housekeeper Mark Sintorella (Sinders) works diligently at a resort hotel while designing clothes anonymously, hoping to get into fashion school. Then his carefully planned life is upended with the arrival of Ashton Armitage, son of the fifth richest man in America—and the most beautiful guy Mark has ever seen. Ash must find a wife or he’ll lose his grandfather’s inheritance, and he settles on Bitsy Fanderel. But secretly Ash is gay, and the guy who cleans the fireplaces sets his heart ablaze.

Further stirring the pot is the little elf of a man, Carstairs Pennymaker, who has Mark wearing his own designs and masquerading as a girl to impress the fashion investors in the hotel. When the clock strikes twelve, two beautiful princesses line up for the wedding—but one isn’t a woman. Will the slipper fit? Only Mr. Pennymaker knows for sure.

Read more...

William’s task is clear: catch the blackmailer. William Richmond is an earl, a father, a country gentleman… and a former spy. Catching the blackmailer should be simple, but when William finds a beautiful, injured young man on the beach, unfamiliar desires surge. He is determined to focus on the task and resist temptation—resist Daniel, or his carefully constructed illusions will crumble, exposing his lies to the world… and himself.

Daniel’s question is simple: Should he trust William? Daniel has secrets: his identity, his past, how and why he washed up on the shore… and more. With revelations of espionage, blackmail, and the arrival of William’s colleagues, the danger of exposure grows. Daniel’s instincts tell him that William is a decent man, a man of honor, but his instincts have been wrong before. As the attraction grows, so does Daniel’s desire to confess, but if he’s wrong, he risks everything—his secrets, his freedom, and his heart.

Read more...

Bull rider Trey Stuart voluntarily ties himself onto the back of a 1,500-pound animal for fun and money. But however tough he is in the ring, Trey is too scared to take a chance on love, especially when the man he wants is star rider Smoke Carter. Trey and Smoke have been hooking up for years, but Trey denies there’s anything serious going on between them.

Joining them at the gay rodeo are their friends Dolly and Alex. Wanting the same happiness for their friends, the two women try to convince Trey that Smoke is just as interested in him. While Trey works to help Dolly succeed in covering her first bull, another man tries to come between him and Smoke. When Smoke challenges Trey to cowboy up, he has to decide if the ride is worth the risk.

Read more...

Stopping to offer help one sultry summer night, Mason James is unprepared for the change that this simple act of kindness will bring. After giving an old man a ride home, Mason discovers a new, magical, and even dangerous world he cannot hope to understand. But he also finds Luc Toussaint and is intoxicated at first sight... and even the secret Luc protects won’t be enough to keep Mason away from the truth of his heritage and their love.

2nd Edition
First Edition published by Dreamspinner Press, 2010.

Read more...

Cinder, a poor and beautiful young man who designs clothing, makeup, and hair for his stepmother and stepsisters, offers his clothing and slippers to a naked stranger in the woods, who turns out to be none other than Prince Charming. Follow Cinder and Prince Charming in this twist on the classic Cinderella tale as they discover their inner strengths and find their very own happily ever after.

Enjoy The Naked Prince and three other reimagined tales from Fairyland, each with a unique spin on stories we all know and love, including The Golden Rule, where eighteen-year-old Gideon Golden, after being thrown out of his home in Fairyland by his homophobic parents, breaks into the cottage of three burly men on Bear Mountain.

In Whatever Happened To…?, friction ensues between a celebrity with a growing appendage and a reporter who has a thing for giants.

And in Ice Cold, young Gaelen must save his love, Kieran, after a handsome but evil prince freezes Kieran’s heart and bewitches him into being the prince’s slave.

Read more...

Charlie Ryder has a colorful past, painful memories, and an embarrassing secret. After three years working for Leo Foster’s construction company, Charlie’s worst fears are realized, and Leo finds out what Charlie has worked so hard to hide. When Leo meets the revelation with absolute love and acceptance, Leo has to trust that Charlie’s love isn’t just gratitude, and Charlie has to learn to trust again, period. It’s going to take a lot of work for these two men to get any closer.

Read more...

To prove to his annoying older brother that he’s a man, well-to-do sculptor Rupert Pemberton tries to repair his broken toilet. But he has no knack for practical tools and no know-how. After a flood of biblical proportions, he has no choice but to call for help.

A gorgeous hunk of a plumber named Paul Cooper shows up at Rupert’s doorstep with a ready toolbox and a sexy smile. With Paul at his side, Rupert realizes he wants more than a quick fix. After a couple of cozy dates and a few bouts of steamy sex, Rupert wonders how he can keep Paul around for good.

Read more...

Sequel to I'll Still Be There
Unfinished Business: Book Two

Jess Early and Eli Dunn, owners of Ruth’s Haven Bed and Breakfast, love married life. Every jealousy bump and insecure thought is just another expected growing pain. But with Jess redefining his relationship with his best friend and ex-fiancée Cassie and Eli’s friend Travis staying with the guys while going through marital problems of his own, things haven’t been feeling quite right between them.

Not to forget, the home’s ghostly previous owners, Clay Bailey and Silas Denton, still reside in their former bedroom and delight in making their presence known—including invading Travis’s dreams in an attempt to help. They give Travis a vivid glimpse of their adventurous trip to Paris in the early 1960s and some insight about his marriage.

With tensions mounting, Eli’s father suffers a heart attack. Now Jess and Eli must remain strong and at the same time confront their evolving feelings. The young couple’s struggles become a lesson in the true meanings of love, loyalty and marriage.

Read more...

High school grad Morgan Breck is riding out his last summer at home before he goes off to pursue the course of study his parents want him to take—at a college they want him to attend. His days are boring and lonely until a construction crew arrives to build a house across the street.

One of the workers is the sexy Sparrow Smith, and he quickly catches Morgan’s eye. Morgan is surprised to discover he and Sparrow share a mutual attraction; one that leads to smoking hot sex, the kind that leaves the room sweltering.

The guys’ friends-with-benefits relationship soon grows into something more, and Morgan realizes he can’t live without Sparrow. But summer’s end is rapidly approaching, and his parents are determined he leave for college, which will take him hundreds of miles away from the man he’s falling in love with.

Standing up to his parents has never been easy. In fact, Morgan’s never done it before. Ever. Morgan must work up the courage to voice his needs, or he’ll have no choice but to let Sparrow go.

Read more...

A Novella in the Delectable Series

Thom Kennedy Leyton returns to San Francisco to take up the reins of Graze, one of the city’s best restaurants, years after he lost his job when his innovative new set of recipes was stolen. Thom’s loss of self-esteem eventually caused his boyfriend, Blake Warner, to end their relationship, sending Thom into a deep depression.

Now, cured of fifty excess pounds and any attraction to Blake, Thom’s back in town. Blake catches him off guard when he visits Graze several days in a row, and Thom lets himself get caught up in Blake’s allure, despite knowing better.

Thom juggles a renewed relationship with Blake, a Christmas visit from his parents, and an important holiday menu based on a Twelve Days of Christmas theme. When an old acquaintance reveals that Blake knows more about the theft of the recipes than he lets on, Thom doesn’t know whom to trust. But the truth isn’t quite that simple, and Thom won’t be able to decide if Blake deserves a place in his life until he learns exactly what happened years ago.

Read more...

A freak blizzard strands flight attendant Andy Weston at LaGuardia Airport on Thanksgiving. Tabloid reports about Hollywood It couple Devin Delaney and Cristina Marino breaking up in spectacular fashion keep Andy sane. And then Devin Delaney himself turns up at the gate Andy is working. Against all odds—and because there’s nothing else to do—Andy and Devin begin to talk, immediately connect, and, after Devin confesses the real reason he broke up with Cristina, have a magical night together snowed in at the airport. But the magic ends when Devin boards his flight home the next morning, and Andy assumes it’s over.

Then Devin turns up on his doorstep. Andy is game for a clandestine affair at first—who could turn down one of the hottest men on the planet? But he soon grows tired of being shoved in Devin’s closet. As Christmas approaches, it’s clear that this will never work unless Devin is willing to make some big changes. Devin has a holiday surprise in store—but will it be enough?

Read more...

Mangrove Stories

Everyone in Mangrove, Florida, knows Fire Chief Essien Dodd is a saint. He took care of his ex-wife until she died, is raising his teenage daughter alone, and is the kind of man who pulls kittens from trees. All in all, the man’s a catch. But Roark Hammond has sworn off getting involved with a man who’s been hurt before because he can’t guarantee he won’t hurt his prospective love again. If only he could get Essien out of his mind long enough to focus on anyone, or anything, else.

Strong emotions are in play. Essien is lonely but determined to focus on Ivy; Ivy wants her father to have a new life so much that, to his horror, she’s trying to find him a man; and Roark is so scared of the present and past, he won’t allow himself to commit. To have any chance of sleeping ’til sunrise and greeting each new day together, Essien and Roark will have to rethink how they’re living their lives and focus on what’s most important.

Read more...

Bobby and Paolo’s Holiday Stories: Book One

Bobby McGrath’s Christmas trip to the beautiful Italian island of Capri to meet his eccentric extended family offers stunning views—none more stunning than his third cousin, Paolo Mascobello, a real stocking stuffer. As the two young men embark on a relationship, Bobby, a driven law student, learns to relax and bask under the old Italian moon, and Paolo realizes there’s more to life than a frolic on the beach. For the two to find everlasting amore, Paolo must overcome his fear of commitment and learn to follow his dreams, and Bobby must get his wish for happily ever after.

Read more...

The Seattle Chronicles

Levi can remember the exact moment the projection of his life changed entirely, from homeless dropout to college graduate. It was the day he found Jamie Donovan standing on his front porch—the boy Levi had secretly drooled over from afar would become the best friend he secretly drooled over up close.

When Levi gets a full ride scholarship but Jamie doesn’t, Jamie becomes an exotic dancer to help pay his tuition. Watching Jamie perform is pure torture for Levi, and hiding how he really feels starts to take its toll. And when the hot new guy from his Econ class hits on him, Levi has to decide just how long he’s going to stay devoted to his straight best friend.

Read more...

Brick Colton has been hired to kill Santa Claus—or at least the kindhearted accountant playing Santa for the kids in an orphanage. Brick grew up in an orphanage himself, but that isn’t the only thing bothering him about the contract on Robin Marvington’s life. The details don’t add up, and it’s looking more and more like someone has set Robin up. As Brick investigates, Robin brings some much-needed cheer into his life, the light in Robin’s soul reaching something in Brick’s dark one. But all of that will end if they can’t find the person who wants Robin dead.

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2015 Advent Calendar package "Sleigh Ride".

Read more...

Buch 1 in der Serie - im Feuer

Dirk Krause ist ein Mistkerl wie er im Buche steht. Er macht sich selbst das Leben zur Hölle und jeden in seiner Umgebung unglücklich. Als er während eines Brandeinsatzes verletzt wird, ist er sogar zum Krankenhauspersonal unausstehlich, und natürlich ist er niemanden aus seiner Einheit wichtig genug, um ihn zu besuchen.

Lee Stockton ist das neueste Mitglied auf der Feuerwache, das den undankbaren Job aufgebrummt bekommt, Dirk einen Blumenstrauß von den Jungs vorbeizubringen. Zu Dirks Überraschung durchschaut Lee ihn sofort und lässt sich nicht vergraulen. Lee ist fest entschlossen, Dirk zu helfen, diese Arschloch-Attitüde aufzugeben und nicht alle von sich zu stoßen. Als ihre Streitereien schließlich im Bett enden, stellt sich die Frage, ob dieses Feuerwerk über einer möglichen Beziehung erstrahlt oder am Ende nur Asche zurückbleibt.

Read more...