Artificial Heart
by T.A. Creech
In a future where the United States is slowly rebuilding itself, Omega Travis Danten is a big city cop sent to a seemingly desolate city on the edge of the Waste. This desert is full of undesirables, and it’s only a matter of time before they wreak havoc. But, Omegas are always assigned Alphas, and his new partner’s job is to protect him.<br><br>But SdAI Alpha Virgil is not at all amused with the partner who chose him. Travis is willful and naive to the dangers a homicide detective faces here, a…
A Simple Truth
by Jamie Craig
Shy and private, Charlie Labrecque has lived a lie for most of his adult life, choosing to marry a woman and father a child rather than come out of the closet. But now that he is divorced and sees his young son only half the year, he decides it is time to start being honest with himself. And his friends. Starting with his best friend, openly gay Bryce Hanson.<br><br>Bryce responds with his encouragement and promises to be Charlie's training wheels through the difficult transition. But now that b…
Mr. Clueless
by R.W. Clinger
Mark Landing has a very difficult job to carry out within the next week. As the leader of Plimpton’s Neighborhood Hero Award Committee (NHAC), Mark must obtain a vote from ten NHAC members to determine which of three candidates will land the monetary award.<br><br>While interviewing each candidate, Mark finds one of them, bar owner and part-time roofer Cane Mercer, steamy-attractive. Not only is Cane handsome and easy to talk to, he’s a hero. He rescued three children from an accidental house fi…
The Eroticist
by Wayne Mansfield
Life at the top is lonely. That is, until a hot Italian mechanic enters Duncan’s life. The attraction begins as Duncan watches Luca working on his vintage Rolls Royce. Bent over the engine in Duncan’s private garage, Luca is unaware he’s being observed.<br><br> Duncan is hooked. He can’t stop thinking about Luca, and decides to hire Luca as his chauffeur, as well as his mechanic. As time goes by, they grow closer. One of Duncan’s favourite things to do is take photos of Luca, which he hangs on t…
9 Willow Street
by Nell Iris
Heartbroken after the death of his beloved Nana, Hannes, the family outsider, finally allows himself to grieve. The legal battle over Nana’s quirky old house -- the only place he’s ever felt accepted and loved -- is over, and he moves in and finds a sense of peace.<br><br>... And a rabbit.<br><br>An adorable bunny with a huge personality moves in, too, and refuses to leave. Hannes instantly falls in love with the sweet animal who helps heal his heart. But one morning, Hannes’ view of the world c…
Married Ones
by Matthew J. Metzger
It's the summer break, and for the first time in his life, Mike would rather stay in the bloody classroom.<br><br>It's wedding season, and Mike is doomed to spend all summer sipping cheap champagne and pretending he likes tiny portions of posh food. From the passive-aggressive torment of Mike's mother-in-law to the insulting incredulity of his colleagues over what his mysterious husband actually looks like, Mike would voluntarily teach sex education to fourteen-year-olds for the rest of his life…
The Fool
by Gordon Phillips
Keith, single and in his thirties, is given a paid tarot reading session with a top psychic for his birthday. Unexpectedly, after the Lovers card is drawn, the reading produces four nines in a row, which the psychic says is a strong message from the universe. To find love, Keith must keep his eyes open for occurrences of nine.<br><br>On his way to meet up with his friend George, Keith meets George’s friend Zvika, someone he has always found unnerving. As Keith also gets to know Zvika, though, he…
On the Ragged Edge of the World
by Jamie Craig
Argenti agent Darren Sumner spent fifteen years hunting werewolves, but one night of betrayal sent him from his family of assassins into the arms of werewolf Aden Richter. Neither can deny their passion nor their hunger for the other, but as Darren tries to find his place in this new world, he wonders whether desire can be enough.<br><br>Rumors of an upcoming power struggle between the packs in Washington, DC, bring the question of Darren's role to the forefront. Is he Aden's partner and a leade…
Snowed In: Matt and Jens
by Gordon Phillips
Handsome detective Jens barely escapes with his life in the course of his work and has no choice but to land his damaged Cessna at an abandoned airport. Suffering from snow blindness and ill equipped to survive arctic conditions, he collapses at the entrance of an occupied building. Rescued and attended to by the sole occupant, Jens recovers, and is ready to unravel the mysteries surrounding his rescuer.<br><br>Maintenance worker Matt found escape from a world full of pain and rejection at the c…
Waking the Behr
by Pat Henshaw
When he sees entrepreneur Mitch O'Shea whirling around an empty building, contractor Ben Behr is enchanted. Even though his two brothers are gay, Ben always thought he was a ladies' man until he met Mitch.<br><br>Despite his feelings, Ben knows San Francisco native Mitch is totally out of his league. What could Ben possibly do to get out-and-proud Mitch to notice him?<br><br>Turns out Mitch is just as attracted to Ben. As they compete in car rallies, camp in the Sierra Nevada foothills, and tour…
Caleb's Choice
by Sarah Hadley Brook
Caleb Dodson has lived and breathed baseball most of his life. Playing in the Minor Leagues means he’s close to his dream of being in the Majors, and he doesn't want anything to mess that up. For now, that means keeping his attraction to men a secret. But when the new announcer arrives at the stadium, Caleb finds himself falling hard and fast.<br><br>Lucas Landry was hired as a news reporter for a local radio station, but instead he is thrown into the world of sports -- a place he's spent most o…
In the Land of Men
by Wayne Mansfield
In the years after the Final War, the Council of Women decide to secede from men. They create a world of their own away from men, where they can raise their children without fear. Once a year men may visit briefly to procreate. Boys are sent to the Land of Men when they reach puberty.<br><br>At eleven, Bergman was sent across the sea and placed with his fathers, Spencer and Harris. Years later, he meets Hastings at the Beach Festival, an annual event for young men. It’s love at first sight for B…
Down Memory Lane
by Wayne Mansfield
When Vincent takes shelter in a bookshop one stormy day, he happens upon a book of male nudes. One of them brings back memories of his first, and possibly greatest, love -- Daniel McClary. When a sales assistant tells him there’s a man who resembles the model in the picture that comes into the shop every week, Vincent wonders if it could be the same man who broke his heart twenty years ago.<br><br>He looks up Daniel’s Facebook page and is disappointed to discover Daniel is married and has two so…
Wrenching
by Deirdre O’Dare
Mal has not had an easy life. He’s struggled to overcome a lot of roadblocks and hardships as he built himself a life as a mechanic, despite a serious handicap. He’s admired rancher Dan from afar but never dreamed events would play out to land him in the amazing spot of being able to do a real service for his secret hero. Can he maintain his cool and a safe distance when they’re sharing a house and working to resolve a dangerous mystery?<br><br>Dan says he does not have employees but friends who…
Sunset at Pencarrow
by Lou Sylvre
Kiwi Nathaniel Dunn is in a fighting mood, but how does a man fight Wellington’s famous fog? In the last year, Nate’s lost his longtime lover to boredom and his ten-year job to the economy. Now he’s found a golden opportunity for employment where he can even use his artistic talent, but to get the job, he has to get to Christchurch today. Heavy fog means no flight, and the ticket agent is ignoring him to fawn over a beautiful but annoying, overly polite American man.<br><br>Rusty Beaumont can de…
Shaking the Sugar Tree
by Nick Wilgus
Wise-cracking Wiley Cantrell is loud and roaringly outrageous -- and he needs to be to keep his deeply religious neighbors and family in the Deep South at bay. A failed writer on food stamps, Wiley works a minimum wage job and barely manages to keep himself and his deaf son, Noah, more than a stone’s throw away from Dumpster-diving.<br><br>Noah was a meth baby and has the birth defects to prove it. He sees how lonely his father is and tries to help him find a boyfriend while Wiley struggles to h…
21 Smiles
by David Connor
Spring has sprung, and with it, smiley faces. When yellow crocuses bloom all over town in the shape of an emoji during April’s first warm days, reporter Nero Storm is sent out to discover their meaning and origin.<br><br>Nero has little to smile about himself, what with dysfunctional family drama and a tragic love life. The previous fall, it seemed as if he might have finally met the man of his dreams in dog daddy, ride share operator, and charity organizer Z. Though the two spent but ten mornin…
The Prince Who Never Smiled
by Pepper Espinoza
What could a humble peasant offer a lofty, but dour, crown prince?<br><br>Many years ago, in a kingdom far away, there lived a young prince. This prince was very handsome, and everybody in the kingdom loved him. The prince, being a good man, responded in kind and treated everybody fairly. But, much to his father’s confusion and his mother’s disappointment, there was one thing the prince would never do -- smile.<br><br>Finally, unable to tolerate his son’s dour expression any longer, the king sen…
Soldier Boy
by J.M. Snyder
In the jungles of Vietnam, First Lieutenant Stu Willis met Private Richmond Patterson and fell hard for the new recruit. Their brief romance burned bright, but the very war that brought them together finally tore them apart.<br><br>This isn't the happy-ever-after you're looking for, but it is one of the best stories I've written to date. So consider yourself warned.
Blue Awakenings
by Mel Bossa
It's been eleven years since Nick ran off with David for the West Coast. And though his life resembles a blue dream, after more than a decade of bar tending in resorts and cruise ships, Nick is finally thinking of heading home. First, he needs to go see about David in Vancouver ...<br><br>When he arrives, Nick finds a community of young men devastated by AIDS. Part of him wants to flee back to Montreal, but David is dying and Nick knows his place is by his best friend's side. In those four days …