Kirjahaku

Together for the first time, twelve short stories of male/male gay erotic romance from award-winning author JL Merrow. Ranging from gritty to giddy, all feature two men finding their happy ever after -- or at least for now -- with a dash of the author's trademark humour. Read about boys from the wrong side of town, boys from the right side of town, and boys from a town you really wouldn't want to live in. Meet a rent boy with a secret, a very earthly version of Cupid, and men with a definite tinge of the supernatural. Opposites attract, wishes come true, and old enemies find forgiveness in this variety pack of eight contemporary stories and four paranormal tales that's a perfect introduction to the writing of a very British author. Contains the stories: Love Found on LindisfarneFree RideLight the FireDead ShotStronger Where it CountsJack in the GreenA Ghoul Like YouBatteries Not IncludedMaking it PayTrick or TreatGood BreedingA Pint of Beer, a Bag of Chips, and Thou

The bigger they come, the harder they fall ... in love. Cambridge academic Larry Morton takes one, alcohol-glazed look at the huge, tattooed man looming in a dark alley, and assumes he's done for. Moments later he finds himself disarmed -- literally and figuratively. Next morning, he can't rest until he's apologised to the man who turned out to be more gentle than giant. Larry's intrigued to find there's more to Al Fletcher than meets the eye; he possesses a natural artistic talent that shines through untutored technique. Unfortunately, no one else seems to see the sensitive soul beneath Al's imposing, scarred, undeniably sexy exterior. Least of all Larry's class-conscious family, who would like nothing better than to split up this mismatched pair. It's deliciously physical, but also much more -- which makes Larry's next task so daunting. Not just convincing his colleagues, friends, and family that their relationship is more than skin deep. It's convincing Al.

London Underground worker Mal Thomas is staying in Porthkennack to recover from a traumatic experience. Getting more bad news from home is the last straw--until big, blond museum curator Jory Roscarrock steps up to offer some comfort. As a doctor of English literature, Jory should be in a prestigious post at a top university. But a youthful indiscretion led him to abandon academia to come back to his hometown, Porthkennack, and the controlling family he's never really felt a part of. He's delighted to find a kindred spirit in Mal. But Jory's family hurt Mal's best friend deeply, and while Jory is desperate to repair the damage, his own mistakes threaten to keep him and Mal apart. Meanwhile, Mal is torn between his feelings for Jory and his duty to his friend--and his fears that a failed relationship could be more than his shattered confidence can take. Jory must convince Mal it's worth risking everything for their love.

Old flames can leave a nasty burn. It's been six months since plumber Tom Paretski was hit by a shocking revelation about his family, and he's been avoiding dealing with it ever since. His lover, PI Phil Morrison, wants Tom to dig deeper into his history and try to develop his psychic talent for finding things, but Tom's not nearly so keen. Just as he decides to bite the bullet, though, worse problems crawl out of the woodwork. Young Devil's Dyke barmaid Marianne has an ex, Grant Carey, who won't accept that things are over between them, and he's ruthless in dealing with anyone who gets in his way. When Carey threatens an old friend of theirs, Phil and Tom step in to help--but that makes them targets themselves. What with his uncertainty about Phil's motives, Tom's family doing their best to drive a wedge between them, and the uncovering of an ugly incident in Phil's past, Tom's not sure who he can trust--and the body he finds in the pub cellar isn't the only thing that stinks. Publisher's note: This is a lightly edited reprint of a previously published novel.

Death is what happens while you're making other plans . . . The last thing newly engaged plumber Tom Paretski needs is to stumble over another dead body. He's got enough on his mind already as the reality of his impending marriage sinks in. Not only is his family situation complicated, but his heroism at a pub fire has made him a local celebrity, and now everyone knows about his psychic talents--and wants a piece of them. Hired to recover a missing necklace, Tom and his fiancE, private investigator Phil Morrison, find themselves trying to unmask a killer. And there's no shortage of suspects, including the local bishop. As Tom and Phil try to uncover the truth, they're pulled in all directions by the conflicting pressures of their families and their own desires. But the murderer they're up against is a ruthless schemer who won't baulk at killing again. If Tom and Phil don't watch out, their love--and all their plans for the future--could be blown down like a house of straw. Publisher's note: This is a lightly edited reprint of a previously published novel.

Tom Paretski, plumber with a talent for finding hidden things, and his private investigator fiancE Phil Morrison have been hired to locate a runaway husband, Jonathan Parrot. The job seems simple enough--until their quarry turns up dead in a canal, and a photofit of Tom's face is splashed all over the news, making him chief suspect. The widow, petite ex-porn star Lilah Lovett, is convinced her husband was killed by his gay lover, but Tom and Phil aren't so sure. Worried they may have precipitated Jonathan's death, they're determined to find the real killer. But with a web of incestuous ties linking the suspects, it's hard to know who to trust. Especially when a second victim dies a gruesome death. Meanwhile, with their wedding looming and them sharing a house now, Tom's worried it may all be too much, too fast. The last thing he needs are the mixed messages Phil seems to be sending out. They'll need to get back on the same track if they want to make it to their honeymoon together--and alive.

Bran Roscarrock has been living in the closet all his life. As heir to an expansive family legacy in the town of Porthkennack, old-fashioned ideals of respectability and duty were drummed into him since childhood, and he's never dared to live--or love--openly. Sam Ferreira, an old friend of Bran's brother, Jory, is a disgraced academic desperate to leave his dead-end job. When Jory asks him to take over as curator of a planned exhibition on Edward of Woodstock, the fourteenth-century Black Prince, Sam leaps at the chance to do what he loves and make a fresh start. But Bran's funding the exhibition, and though sparks fly between the two men, they're not all happy ones. Bran idolises Prince Edward as a hero, while Sam's determined to present a balanced picture. With neither of them prepared to give ground, a hundred years of war seems all too possible. And if Bran finds out about Sam's past, his future may not be bright, and their budding romance may be lost to history.

Customer service has never been this personal. Robin Christopher, beleaguered retail worker, isn't having an easy November. His boss is raising stress levels planning a Black Friday to end all Black Fridays, his family doesn't understand him, and his best friend thinks his new crush is a hallucination brought on by watching too many episodes of Doctor Who. Archie Levine dresses in Victorian style and divides his time between caring for his young son and creating weird and wacky steampunk gadgets from bits of old junk--when he's not looking after his mum and trying to keep on good terms with his ex. The last thing he's got time for is a relationship, but the flustered young man he met while disembowelling a fridge is proving very tempting. When his mum's social conscience is roused by a local store with a cavalier attitude to the homeless, former rough sleeper Archie shares her anger. Little does he know that Robin works for that same store. When Archie finds out he's sleeping with the enemy, things could cut up very rough indeed.

A match made in heaven-but the honeymoon from hell.Plumber Tom Paretski and his newly wedded husband, PI Phil Morrison, plan to enjoy their honeymoon in Italy to the full. It should be the start of a wonderful future together. But when Wayne-Phil's ex-best mate and Tom's former bully-turns up unexpectedly at their hotel, issues from their schooldays threaten to derail the fun. Tom may no longer bear a grudge against Phil for past injuries, but Wayne's another matter-or is he?Wayne seems determined to make friends, but Tom's struggling to forgive and forget. To add to his confusion, cryptic messages from home spark the question: Are he and Phil really as in tune as he thought? Tom's not the first man Phil made a commitment to, and that marriage turned sour sooner rather than later.It shouldn't surprise them when death explodes onto the scene in shocking fashion, and their honeymoon turns into a murder investigation. When the group of locals Wayne had been meeting with turn their attention to Tom's psychic abilities, he and Phil will need to pull together to figure out what's going on-or risk this trip being the last they'll ever take.

When even friends look like strangers, how will he ever find love?Corin Ferriman was left face blind by the car crash that killed his ex. Even people he's known for years are unrecognisable to him. Running from his guilt and new-found social anxiety, he's moved to Glastonbury, where he knows no one-or does he? Repeated sightings of a mysterious figure leave him terrified that his ghosts have followed him.Tattoo artist Adam Merchant left Glastonbury at sixteen, escaping from his emotionally distant mother to the father who'd left them seven years previously. Now, at twenty-five, he's come home to bring his family back together. But in a cruel twist of fate, his mother dies before he can talk to her, leaving him haunted-perhaps literally-by her memory and his unanswered questions.When Corin and Adam meet again after an eerie first encounter, Adam lays siege to the walls Corin's built around himself, which start to crumble. But there are ghosts haunting them both, and while Adam longs for a connection beyond the veil, Corin's guilt leaves him in angry denial that there could be anything after death. With the liminal festival of Samhain fast approaching, neither man is sure what's real and what's just a trick of the mind-or maybe something worse.

When lightning strikes twice, you might get burned.Zig's trying to build a life for himself after falling in with the wrong crowd in his teens. When his no-good dad threatens to force him back into crime, he runs all the way to Glastonbury. He's just hoping his former sweetheart-whom he's always remembered as the one good man he knows-won't slam the door in his face.Si-Scratch to his mates-is blindsided when his gorgeous ex turns up on his doorstep looking better than ever. Although Si's still nursing a broken heart six years after breaking up with Zig over his lifestyle, he welcomes him back into his life, no questions asked. He's determined not to let him back into his heart, though; Si's learned that lesson.Before, Si was the na ve youngster and Zig the worldly jack-the-lad. Now, Si's grown into his confidence as well as his muscles, while Zig's had to face some harsh truths about himself. Despite their doubts, and those of Si's mates, they're drawn back to one another. But Zig's dad has a score to settle that could ruin their second chance-and their lives-forever.**See this title's page on RiptidePublishing.com for content warnings.**