I have quite a few author friends and they’re all so talented they make me feel like I have the creativity of a sack of potatoes most days. But that’s a good thing. They inspire me to writer deeper, more meaningful stories.
In the wake of the events in Orlando, my first instinct was to reach for my loved ones– to tell them that they are dear to me, that my life wouldn’t be the same without them in it. My second instinct was to write as furiously as my wrist would allow because in all of this madness, the one thing that remains a guiding point for me is love.
But even as I write up a storm– the typing and editing will come later– I also reached for the stories of others because I needed that emotional reassurance that love overcomes adversity.
Should you be inclined to reach for a story where the outside forces of the world blow and howl at the door but love sits like a brick house on a firm foundation, weathering the storm, I would recommend the following:
The Spare and the Heir by Jenn LeBlanc
Genre: Gay Erotic Historical Romance (but it’s not that easy so click the link for more info)
Thorne Magnus Calder, heir to the Duke of St. Cyr, has been betrayed by his own heart.
Watching the man he loves court the lovely Lady Alain was a pain so visceral he quit London for India, but when Calder receives word that Quinn and Celeste are married…It’s a vow Calder refuses to break.
All Calder wanted was to put some distance between them and investigate the machinations of a group intent on establishing a skin trade in the heart of London. He didn’t expect to be taken captive by a ghost.
Lord Quintin Wyntor’s heart has always belonged to Calder but a relationship with another man is a crime neither is willing to face and recent scrutiny only complicates their relationship. The strain drives a wedge between them—the physical manifestation of which effects his everyday life.
As a man of honor, Quinn marries the very woman who drove the last wedge between he and his lover in order to save her. He never anticipated she would hand him the key to his own freedom.
When Lady Alain forces Quinn to accept that his love for Calder cannot be denied, Quinn realizes that the risks they’ll face together may not be as dangerous as their desolation as they attempt to survive apart.
As Quinn chases Calder to India one thing is certain—Quinn will not return to England without the man he loves.
If they can conquer their differences, together their little triumvirate may be given the grace to survive.
Big, Bad Billionaire by Saranna DeWylde
Genre: Sexy Paranormal Romance
Blake Woolven is the bad boy CEO of Woolven Industries, but he’s badder than the luscious, BBW Randi Rutger would’ve guessed. After Woolven took down her father’s company and devoured it like a shaking rabbit, she’s determined to get close to him and make all the Woolvens pay for destroying her father. Blake knows Randi’s agenda, but the wolf inside him will do anything to have her. Even expose the Woolven family secret. When Randi sees Blake and his brothers shed their skins beneath the moon, she’s terrified. But it’s just what she needed to bring him low—that and the silver nitrate plasma gun her father designed. With her loyalties torn, Randi must choose between avenging her father and the big bad wolf who clawed his way into her heart.
Be Not Afraid by Alyssa ColeGenre: Revolutionary War Romance (novella-length)
Elijah Sutton is no fool, despite his love of a country that enslaves people like him. When he’s offered land, livestock, and—most importantly—his freedom if he fights in his Patriot owner’s stead, Elijah believes he’ll soon have everything he ever wanted…and then he meets Kate.
The Crown has promised freedom to slaves who escape their Patriot masters and join the British side, and Kate intends to take them up on it. She’s eager to leave America—and the painful memories it holds for her—far behind…and then she meets Elijah.
Their attraction is undeniable, but their goals couldn’t be further apart. When Elijah is captured by the British while helping Kate, they’re thrown into close proximity and forced to choose between their hopes for the future and their hearts.
Anne Gaston 