Dead ​Shot

Megan Derr - The ​Missing Butterfly
Cassidy ​Monarch had dreams-to sing, to be famous, to tour the world at the head of his own rock band. Then his parents were killed in a tragic accident, leaving him to raise his two siblings. Determined to hold on to what remained of his family, Cassidy settled into an ordinary life, his dreams of fame reduced to occasional nights of singing at karaoke dives. But his careful, ordinary life began to fray with his new job, and the beautiful, charming boss who reminds him of all the things he tried to stop wanting. Malcolm Osborne is a classic rags to riches story, a foster child who wound up with the perfect family and more money than he knows what to do with. He's wealthy, beautiful, successful, and completely miserable. Then he hires a new employee for his office, a young, hard-working man with a sadness in his eyes that Malcolm aches to banish, hoping that in doing so he will be rid of his own loneliness as well.

Jay Bell - Language ​Lessons
Love ​doesn't come easy. For Joey, he didn't care if it ever came at all. He was much too busy adding notches to his bedpost and preparing for life as an adult. But when a casual fling waxes nostalgic about the one that got away, Joey starts to wonder if he isn't missing something after all, if there really is something to be learned from the language of love.

Avril Ashton - Love ​the Sinner
Detective ​Gabriel Ashby has never looked twice at another man, yet the criminal across from him, the man he's interrogating, isn't like any other. Gabe can't deal with the sudden, intense need he has for one of NYPD's Most Wanted. Everyone close to Angelo Pagan ends up dead, with the smug gang leader standing amid the rubble. Gabe would love nothing more than to bust Angelo's ass and lock him up. So why is he seeing the bastard in his dreams at night? Angelo Pagan knows attraction to Gabe is suicide. He's resolute to ignore the chemistry...until a police raid goes wrong. He critically injures Gabe, changing the trajectory of both their lives. Now the two can't get close enough. They settle into a forbidden affair threatened by lies and betrayal, living on different sides of the law with no way of breaching the gap between them. With the authorities looking to make an example of Angelo, Gabe has to decide if it's really worth it to hate the sin but love the sinner.

Gabrielle Evans - Lipstick ​and Handguns
For ​three years after his lover left without a goodbye, the only people Detective Ryder Ward keeps close are his grandmother and his partner on the force. It's no wonder he's unprepared for the feelings Sidney Kessler awakens in him. Finding himself naked and chained to a wall, imprisoned and tortured, and then dumped in the murky harbor weren't high on Sidney's list of things to do. Nor was waking up in the hospital and feeling drawn to the brooding detective stalking about his room. Still, he can't help but feel safe around Ryder. Though reluctant to start a relationship with the vulnerable man, Ryder knows he's falling fast. He has a case to solve and a psycho to catch, though. He can't let his personal feelings stand in the way of his job, nor can he allow Sidney to become another body pulled from the bay.

Lorelei James - Long ​Hard Ride
Channing ​Kinkaid itches for a wild western adventure with an untamed man. Enter Colby McKay, bull rider, saddle bronc buster and calf roper. He knows he's found a woman who's up to the challenge of cutting loose. Intrigued by Channing's bold proposition to "horse around" on the road, Colby proposes sexual escapades not only in his bed, but in those of his two rodeo traveling partners. Can Channing give up total control? Especially when not all is as it seems with the sexy trio?

Avril Ashton - Sinner's ​Fall
Tommy ​Jankowski is hiding from a past he can’t escape and a man he can’t forget. With a new name and resolve, he settles in a small California town. It’s there he catches the eye of a predator. Fearing for his life, Tommy reaches out to his old boss for help. The man who shows up is the last person Tommy is prepared to face. Mateo Oliveros hasn’t forgiven himself for scaring Tommy so bad he took off running. When Mateo gets a call that Tommy is in danger, he doesn’t think twice before rushing to the rescue, but Tommy isn’t happy to see him. Mateo’s plan is to eliminate Tommy’s problem then walk away, but that’s getting harder and harder to do. The pull between them hasn’t disappeared, in fact, it burns hotter and brighter. With neither man willing to give in, they’re both headed for a fall. It’s only a matter of who goes first.

Avril Ashton - A ​Sinner Born
One ​man buried in secrets. Another still grieving the love he lost. Their worlds collide in a battle between memories, old and new, while trust hangs by a fragile thread. Syren Rua is at war. He battles painful childhood demons and his intense need for the first person who makes him feel. As Faro, Syren makes deals with the worst while taking the steps necessary to bring his family’s killer to justice. He isn’t one to indulge in selfish needs, but he’ll make the time in this instance. Syren has been watching Kane Ashby, craving the grieving man for his own. He’s always stayed away from temptation, but that’s about to change. Kane isn’t over the death of his long-time partner. He’s certainly not ready for a relationship, sexual or otherwise, but Syren isn’t a man who takes no for an answer. The unpredictable Syren offers nothing but secrets and brings with him memories so dark, they could wipe out any chance the two might ever have. Syren brings Kane’s heart back to life. But it is also Syren who could inflict the most damage.

Avril Ashton - Sinner, ​Savior
Gun ​runner Pablo Castillo has cemented his reputation in the gun trade as callous and cold-hearted. Personal feelings no longer matter, not with everyone out to make him a sacrifice on their way to the top. He remains untouchable, until a meeting with a rival gang leader and a new deal brings him face-to-face with temptation. Dev is the right hand to a sadistic bastard out for blood and glory. He hides his true feelings of distaste for his boss, not the least of his many secrets. He could’ve sworn those secrets were safe, but after meeting Pablo he’s not so sure. The two men come together in a heated affair neither can deny, battling themselves, each other and a deadly enemy bent on spilling blood. Pablo and Dev will have to stick together or walk away from a love neither man expected to find. The choice should be simple. It never is.

Yukio Takamura - Caged ​Slave
When ​Tsukasa meets a mysterious man in a hotel lobby, and ends up spending a maddening night of pleasure with him. Afterwards, he accepts to meet him again in the same room the following week, despite the fact he doesn't even know his name. As their secret encounters continue, he finds himself falling in love and is worried that it may not last. Simultaneously, he's scouted by a business-talent head-hunter and receives an interesting work offer. But when he goes to meet them... his new boss is none other than his secret lover!

Amanda Grace - No ​One Needs to Know
Sometimes, ​the cost of love is too steep Olivia's twin brother, Liam, has been her best friend her whole life. But when he starts dating, Olivia is left feeling alone, so she tries to drive away Liam's girlfriends in an effort to get her best friend back. But she meets her match in Zoey, Liam's latest fling. A call-it-like-she-sees-it kind of girl, Zoey sees right through Olivia's tricks. What starts as verbal sparring between the two changes into something different, however, as they share their deepest insecurities and learn they have a lot in common. Olivia falls for Zoey, believing her brother could never get serious with her. But when Liam confesses that he's in love with Zoey, Olivia has to decide who deserves happiness more: her brother or herself?

Scarlet Blackwell - Smashed ​Into Pieces
Sheriff ​Brandon Schofield is smitten by the new arrival in Clear Water Creek, Finn Austen. But Finn is living in the house by the lake where a murder took place and his story is no less unhappy than the previous occupant's. Finn is on the run from a violent past and he trusts no one. Brandon is desperate to break down his defences and win Finn's love and trust but time is running out and perhaps he can only protect Finn for so long.

Sarah Waters - Fingersmith
Fingersmith ​is the third slice of engrossing lesbian Victoriana from Sarah Waters. Although lighter and more melodramatic in tone than its predecessor Affinity, this hypnotic suspense novel is awash with all manner of gloomy Dickensian leitmotifs: pickpockets; orphans; grim prisons; lunatic asylums; „laughing villains” and, of course, „stolen fortunes and girls made out to be mad”. Oliver Twist (which is mentioned on the opening page), The Woman in White and The Prince and the Pauper all exert an influence on it but none overawe. Like Peter Ackroyd, Waters has an uncanny gift for inventive reconstruction. Divided into three parts, the tale is narrated by two orphaned girls whose lives are inextricably linked. It begins in a grimy thieves kitchen in Borough, South London with 17-year-old orphan Susan Trinder. She has been raised by Mrs Sucksby, a cockney Ma Baker, in a household of fingersmiths (pickpockets), coiners and burglars. One evening Richard „Gentleman” Rivers, a handsome confidence man, arrives. He has an elaborate scheme to defraud Maud Lilly, a wealthy heiress. If Sue will help him she'll get a share of the „shine”. Duly installed in the Lillys' country house as Maud's maid, Sue finds that her mistress is virtually a prisoner. Maud's eccentric Uncle Christopher, an obsessive collector of erotica (loosely modelled on Henry Spenser Ashbee) controls every aspect of her life. Slowly a curious intimacy develops between the two girls and as Gentleman's plans take shape, Sue begins to have doubts. The scheme is finally hatched but as Maud commences her narrative it suddenly becomes more than a tad difficult to tell quite who has double-crossed who. Waters' penchant for Byzantine plotting can get a bit exhausting but even at its densest moments–and remember this is smoggy London circa 1862–it remains mesmerising. A damning critique of Victorian moral and sexual hypocrisy, a gripping melodrama and a love story to boot, this book ingeniously reworks some truly classic themes.–Travis Elborough

Amber Kell - Considering ​Carlyle
Sometimes ​love is found in unexpected places. After months of secretly watching Master Carlyle, Ralph wishes the Dom would notice him. But why would he want a sub who is bigger and taller than him when there were so many delicate twinks begging for his whip? What Ralph doesn't understand is that Carlyle has watched the young sub and he not only wants him, but he plans to keep him.

Scarlet Blackwell - Don't ​Judge a Book...
Bookworm ​Rhys lives in the idyllic town of Hawks Bridge and spends his days working at the local library, his evenings quietly reading. He thinks it's all about books and even the occasional interruption 'real life' throws his way cannot change his beliefs. When car thief Darren arrives to do his community service, Rhys's world is turned upside down. Rhys thinks the man is uneducated, only to find him reading classics. He expects him to behave like the criminal he is, only Darren doesn't. While Rhys isn't exactly out and proud, Darren is in denial about his sexuality. They are wrong for each other on so many levels, yet rejection only makes the need greater...

Haruhi Tono - The ​Aristocrat and Desert Prince
When ​Takeyuki caught sight of the man's eyes, he gasped. He was being sucked in—into blue eyes that seemed scooped from the Mediterranean itself. With such willful and vibrant eyes fixed on him, Takeyuki didn't know what to say. All he could do was stare back, unable to wrest his gaze away from the man. In his young life, Takeyuki has never really known hardship. The youngest son of a wealthy family, he has never had any difficulty getting anything he desired. Now, though, Takeyuki is enjoying his last month of freedom before he begins working at his father’s import company in Tokyo, and he has decided to spend that time with his brother and his sister-in-law in Cassina, a small country in the Middle East. Little does Takeyuki know that his prideful manner will soon land him in hot water! In Cassina, some dangers are very real and some people are not who they seem. For example, who exactly is the charming, majestic man who won’t stop staring at Takeyuki during their flight to Cassina, and why do his blue eyes make Takeyuki feel like his chest will burst? The Aristocrat and the Desert Prince explores one boy's journey of self-discovery in the deserts of the Middle East, following him as he discovers his sensual side and finds true love while escaping his humdrum destiny.

Kim Dare - Gay ​Until Graduation
A ​gay man should know better than to get involved with a guy who is only gay until graduation, but Baxter's never been very good at saying no to Spencer... Stunning, dominant and cheerfully bi-sexual, Spenser's been screwing his way through both the male and female student population since he arrived at the university. Baxter is entirely gay, completely submissive and, by his own estimation at least, thoroughly average. He knows that being more than friend's with Spencer would be more trouble than it's worth. When a drunken Spencer decides that he's going to be gay until graduation Baxter doesn't pay much attention. But when his friend's attention suddenly focuses in on him, the guy he's had a crush on for months soon becomes far more dangerous to his peace of mind. Baxter knows he should say no to a relationship that will break his heart when they graduate, but he's never been very good at saying no to his friend - especially not when Spencer is offering him everything he's ever wanted.

Kim Dare - Gay ​Best Friend
What's ​a straight man to do when he can't stop fantasising about dominating his gay best friend? Should he resist temptation or simply give in and enjoy? Carlton's not gay. He knows that, because he's checked. Internet gay porn does nothing for him. Checking out guys who he's pretty sure any genuinely gay man would find hot as hell doesn't even raise a flicker of interest inside him. He wouldn't mind being gay, but all the available evidence says he's as straight as they come. So why the hell can't he stop imagining himself tying up his gay best friend? Carlton knows Bryce better than he's ever known any other man. He's all hard edges and even harder attitude, all sarcastic quips and uncertain temper. He might be gay, but he's not the kind of guy who'd let another man push him around. He's not the sort of man who'd humour someone who can't even decide which way he swings either. And he's sure as hell not the type to submit to anyone. Or is he? Carlton's got lots of questions. It's time for him to find some answers...

Amy Jo Cousins - Five ​Dates
Helping ​his sister Lucy raise her kid has put Devin’s love life on hold. When he loses a bet to her and the penalty is to go out on five dates with men she’s chosen from Guys4Guys.com, he thinks that’s bad enough. Finding out she used a thirteen-year-old picture of him to score a date with a young guy who looks like a rock star? Epically bad. Jay thought he wanted to fall for an older man. But his last boyfriend left him feeling humiliated and determined to stick to guys his own age. When he realizes he’s been conned into a date with exactly the kind of man he’s sworn to avoid, he’s ready to walk away on the spot. Only Devin’s swift apologies convince Jay to accept dinner to make up for the deception. “The date doesn’t count for the bet unless you get a goodnight kiss.” After one not-a-date dinner with Jay, Devin isn’t worried about his sister’s rules. He just wishes he could convince Jay to go out with him for real. Jay wants no part of Devin, but Devin wants every part of Jay . . . so he asks Jay to help update his look for the rest of his dates. But once Jay’s made Devin over into the perfect date, will he be able to let him go?

Kim Dare - Gay ​Like You
Cody's ​more than happy to have sex, he may even be willing to offer his submission, but experience has taught him that's as far as he can go as a gay man. Tristan disagrees Tristan has being gay all worked out rather nicely. His biggest problem with his sexuality is his mother's persistent attempts to find a nice young man to marry him off to. And even that doesn't seem like such a terrible thing when he arrives to have dinner with his parents and finds Cody sitting at the table. Homosexuality isn't working out quite so well for Cody. As far as he can see, Tristan's appearance in his life is unlikely to make things any better. Nice guys rarely stay nice for long and dominants have a way of turning into complete psychos if he lets his guard down. Cody needs to walk away before Tristan tempts him into wanting the sort of happiness he knows he can't have. Tristan needs to stop him.

Eli Easton - Blame ​It On The Mistletoe
When ​physics grad student Fielding Monroe and skirt-chaser and football player Mick Colman become college housemates, they’re both in for a whole new education. Mick looks out for the absent-minded genius, and he helps Fielding clean up his appearance and discover all the silly pleasures his strict upbringing as a child prodigy denied him. They become best friends. It’s all well and good until they run into a cheerleader who calls Mick the ‘best kisser on campus.’ Fielding has never been kissed, and he decides Mick and only Mick can teach him how it’s done. After all, the physics department’s Christmas party is coming up with its dreaded mistletoe. Fielding wants to impress his peers and look cool for once in his life. The thing about Fielding is, once he locks onto an idea, it’s almost impossible to get him to change his mind. And he just doesn't understand why his straight best friend would have a problem providing a little demonstration. Mick knows kissing is a dangerous game. If he gives in, it would take a miracle for the thing not to turn into a disaster. Then again, if the kissing lessons get out of hand they can always blame it on the mistletoe.