Category Archives: Contemporary

Auctioned by Cara Dee

Auctioned by Cara Dee

Gray Nolan’s biggest problem in life was the torch he carried for his closeted coach. He was just another happy-go-lucky dude, a college student and hockey player when his ordinary existence was interrupted, and he became a human trafficking statistic. He and seven other young men were taken aboard a luxurious yacht where they were to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Gray was beaten, shattered, and almost defeated by the time his buyer stepped out of the shadows in a swirl of his own cigarette .. Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Human & sex trafficking
  • Rape mentioned
  • Drug use (smoking)
  • Kidnapping

Life of Bliss by Erin McLellan

Life of Bliss by Erin McLellan

Todd McGower and Victor Consuelos do not like each other. They can’t have a conversation without insults flying, and Victor seems to get off on pushing Todd’s buttons. The fact that their antagonism always leads to explosive sex . . . well, that’s their little secret. Victor has a secret of his own. His full-blown crush on Todd is ruining his sex life. He hasn’t looked at anyone else in months, and he’s too hung up on Todd to find a date to his cousin’s wedding. In a moment of weakness after a heart-stopping night together, Todd… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Panic attack
  • Alcohol consumption

Life on Pause by Erin McLellan

Life on Pause by Erin McLellan

Niles Longfellow is a nerd, and not the trendy type of nerd, either. He wears a historically accurate homesteader costume to work every day, has a total of one friend, and doesn’t know how to talk to guys. So when he gets a flat tire and the hottest hipster ever stops to help him, all Niles can think is that he’s wearing his stupid cowboy getup. Normally, Niles feels invisible to other men, but he’d take that invisibility any day over Rusty Adams seeing him in suede and fringe. Rusty moved to Bison Hills to help his sister raise her daughter, and nothing is… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Parent in assisted living due to a stroke
  • Death of a father, off-page
  • Death of mother from brain cancer recounted
  • Bullying recounted

Coach’s Challenge by Avon Gale

Coach’s Challenge by Avon Gale

It’s been decades since blackmail forced Troy Callahan to retire from playing professional hockey, and he’s built a successful career behind the bench. When he’s offered the opportunity to coach the Asheville Ravens—the most hated team in the ECHL—he’s convinced that his no-nonsense attitude is just what the team needs to put their focus back on hockey. But Troy is disheartened when he finds out the Ravens have signed Shane North, a player known for his aggression—especially when Shane’s rough good looks have Troy thinking inappropriate thoughts about a player… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Threats of outing
  • Blackmail

Weight of the World by Riley Hart and Devon McCormack

Weight of the World by Riley Hart and Devon McCormack

Zack lost his job, his apartment, and his hope, which is why he ends up on the roof of a high rise, certain that one final step will solve his problems. But a mysterious stranger named Rob happens to be on the roof that night too. He talks Zack down, convincing him there’s still hope left in the world. Zack thinks maybe he’s right, which is why he’s shocked when he turns on the news the next morning to find out Rob jumped himself. Disturbed and confused, he searches for answers, starting with Rob’s brother Tommy Rayburn. It’s been Tommy’s job to take care of his brother… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Suicide & suicidal ideation

Bad Blood by Ashlynn Mills

Bad Blood by Ashlynn Mills

Mateo: I never wanted to marry Santiago, and I never wanted to be stuck with his familia. Though, it seems I have no choice in the matter. Being a son of a Mexican drug lord within the Cartel means I’m limited to what choices I can actually make. It’s now the day of my engagement party and I’ve decided to get a breath of fresh air–for what might be the last time I can truly do so. Only, my trip puts me in the path of a stranger who might change everything. Gabriel: I hate the Jeventinos for what they did to mi familiar. One by one, I swear to take the all down. They will feel every bit… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Gun violence
  • Explosions
  • Kidnapping

Loose Cannon by Sidney Bell

Loose Cannon by Sidney Bell

Released after five years in the system for assault, streetwise Edgar-Allen Church is ready to leave the past behind and finally look to his future. In need of a place to crash, he’s leaning on Miller Quinn. A patient, solidly masculine pillar of strength and support, Miller has always been there for him—except in the one way Church has wanted the most. With his staunchly conservative upbringing, Miller has been playing it straight his whole life. Now with Church so close again, it’s getting harder to keep his denial intact. As they fumble their way back to friendship after… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia
  • Murder
  • Torture

Heart Ripper by KA Merikan

Heart Ripper by K.A. Merikan

David. Catholic. Gay. Set on keeping his purity ring. Raja. Biker. Manwhore. Never refuses a bet. David has always tried to be the best son his parents could dream of. Always at church on Sunday. Always eager to help with the garden. Always trying his best at school. Prim, proper, innocent, and kind. But deep inside of him, there is a yearning planted by the devil himself, and when a cocky, foul-mouthed biker pulls him a step too far, David doesn’t fall into the abyss. He leaps. Raja is all he’s ever dreamed of, yet didn’t dare voice. Older, dangerous, a wall of muscle with a grip so… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Homomisia
  • Outing
  • Conversion therapy recounted
  • Organised crime (motorcycle gang)

Broken Bride by Stella Gray

Broken Bride by Stella Gray

My father was always a gambling man. Unfortunately, he never could pick winners. When the wolves closed in, he chose himself, like always. He traded his freedom… for mine. He forced me to marry. Now Dante Bellanti owns my body. I’m just another possession for a man who already has too much. So I won’t let him have my heart. But you know what they say about gambling. The house always wins. And I’m at the mercy of the Bellantis…

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Arranged marriage
  • Alcoholism mentioned
  • Blackmail

Prince of Killers by Layla Reyne

Prince of Killers by Layla Reyne

No indiscriminate killing. No collateral damage. No unvetted targets. These are the rules Hawes Madigan lives by. Rules that make being Fog City’s Prince of Killers bearable. Soon, he’ll be king—of an organization of assassins— and the crown has never felt heavier. Until the mysterious Dante Perry swaggers into his life. Dante looks like a rock god and carries himself like one too, all loose-limbed and casually confident. He also carries a concealed weapon, a private investigator’s license, and a message for the prince. Someone inside Hawes’s organization is out to kill the future king… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia
  • Human trafficking mentioned
  • Paedophilia & child sexual abuse mentioned
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Drugging
  • Overdose mentioned
  • Grandparent in hospice care for Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Death of a parent recounted*
  • Death of a grandfather
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Explosion

*Context : The protagonist made the decision to take his parents off of life support.