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Stranger in a Foreign Land (Dreamspun Desires #61)
by Michael MurphyAfter an accident stole his memory, the only home American businessman Patrick knows is Bangkok. He recovers under the tender ministrations of Jack, an Australian ex-pat who works nights at a pineapple cannery. Together they search for clues to Patrick’s identity, but without success. Soon that forgotten past seems less and less important as Jack and Patrick—now known as Buddy—build a new life together. But the past comes crashing in when Patrick’s brother travels to Thailand looking for him… and demands Patrick return to Los Angeles, away from Jack and the only world familiar to him. The attention also causes trouble for Jack, and to make their way back to each other, Patrick will need to find not only himself, but Jack as well, before everything is lost….
Swan Song for an Ugly Duckling
by Michael MurphyAaron and Josh come from extraordinarily different backgrounds in small town America. Aaron is the only child of a fundamentalist preacher who fears and condemns the ways of the world outside their community. Josh is a jock who can only seem to express the feelings Aaron stirs in him by tormenting Aaron about how he looks and dresses. But one day, Josh's world is turned upside down by a simple sentence spoken by Aaron, and he decides to get closer to Aaron. Aaron assumes it is a new form of torture, but Josh persists: first a ride home, then talking with Aaron while he does his afternoon farm chores. Then Josh persuades Aaron's father to let him participate in a scholastic event out of town one weekend. Josh pays a huge price for Aaron to attend, but that one weekend persuades Aaron to get free of his parents and attend college. College doesn't solve all their problems, though. Josh is horrified when a senior on campus seduces Aaron. He can't believe Aaron has always been gay and he missed it--and missed getting to be Aaron's first. But when Aaron finds out his boyfriend isn't faithful, things go from tense to worse.
The President's Husband
by Michael MurphyWhen an assassin's bullet strikes his predecessor, Grayson Alexander becomes the first openly gay President of the United States and his husband, David Hammond, becomes the first openly gay First Husband. With their world turned upside down, David relies on his career as a medical school professor and ER doctor to keep him grounded. But his decision to keep working ruffles feathers from day one. Gray throws himself into learning everything he needs to know to be President, especially a liberal president surrounded by a conservative cabinet and staff. Even though he puts in outrageous hours working and traveling seven days a week month after month, he's happy. But David has trouble coping with Gray's new job requirements. He can't help but feel abandoned by his husband of ten years. When Gray asks for his help with a public-health crisis, David obliges, but he is furious about what happens once the emergency passes. When they learn that the President's staff has manipulated them both, they wonder if their relationship can survive the White House.
Walls That Divide
by Michael MurphySparks fly at first sight when Darrin Smith meets Luis Garcia, an IT consultant hired by Darrin's father to install new computer equipment and software. Unfortunately, Melissa, a rebuffed and embittered office manager, sees Darrin as her ticket to a comfortable future and finds his interest in Luis a threat. Though she sets out to sabotage their chance for a relationship, their love is stronger than the obstacles she throws their way. Life is looking up for Darrin and Luis until Melissa's manipulating gets Luis arrested and deported to Costa Rica. But there's one major flaw in her scheming: Luis was born in California, has never set foot on Costa Rican soil, and doesn't even speak Spanish. For their love to survive, Darrin must move heaven and earth to follow and find Luis before it's too late. A Bittersweet Dreams title: It's an unfortunate truth: love doesn't always conquer all. Regardless of its strength, sometimes fate intervenes, tragedy strikes, or forces conspire against it. These stories of romance do not offer a traditional happy ending, but the strong and enduring love will still touch your heart and maybe move you to tears.
When Dachshunds Ruled the Serengeti
by Michael MurphyPhillip and José, newly minted Ivy League roommates, couldn't be more different. Phillip is an only child from a wealthy New York City family. José is the oldest of nine children of Mexican migrant workers. He has only known rural life in the Southern US--though he was born in California, his family moved from state to state, following the crops across the country. Phillip comes to school with every electronic gadget known to man. José arrives with the clothes on his back, a paperback he pulled from the trash in a bus station, and a notebook and pencil. They both need to adapt to their new environment and, in the process, quickly become fond of each other despite their differences. As their fondness grows into love, their world is turned upside down when they are charged with caring for José's eight younger siblings. To Phillip, sharing José is not easy. To José, caring for his siblings is his most important responsibility, even more so than his education. If his relationship with Phillip is to survive, they have to bridge the gap between two very different worlds.
You Can't Go Home Again
by Michael MurphyIn work and in love, life has taught seasoned police officer Jack that closeness only leads to pain. But Jack is wracked with guilt when his rookie partner Kevin is shot during an undercover assignment and dies in his arms. Why didn't he take the time to get to know the rookie a little? At the funeral, Jack takes a liking to Kevin's brother, Devin. But Jack knows making a connection can cause more hurt, and living on opposite coasts is an added obstacle. With his brother dead, Devin feels a responsibility to Kevin's pregnant widow, Marie. He packs up and moves east, only to have Marie, outraged that he's put his life on hold, slam the door in his face. Devin turns to the only other person he knows in town. As much as it goes against his philosophies on life, Jack takes him in without hesitation. Their tentative exploration into romance is interrupted when Devin is mistaken for his dead brother and taken captive. Just as Jack opens his heart, reality slams into him. But he can't lose anyone else. More than the need to simply save a captive drives Jack to find Devin and bring him home.
Goldenboy (Henry Rios #2)
by Michael NavaIn his latest case, Henry Rios may have something few defense attorneys ever experience: a truly innocent client<P> It's a cause Henry Rios can't resist: defending a young gay man on trial for killing the coworker who threatened to out him. <P> Jim Pears is charged with first-degree murder; Pears says he's innocent but the evidence is damning. Pears was found covered in the victim's blood and with the murder weapon in his hand. But nothing about the People v. Jim Pears is what it seems.Rios is asked to join the case because he knows first-hand the pressures and threats that come with being gay in 1980s California. In the midst of one of the most complex trials of his career, Rios meets and falls in love with Josh Mandel, the prosecutor's star witness. For this defense attorney, fighting for justice has never been more personal. And the stakes are no less than life and death.<P> Goldenboy is the second book in the Henry Rios mystery series, which also includes The Little Death and Howtown.
Howtown
by Michael NavaA controversial case brings lawyer Henry Rios back home to Oakland--and into the sights of a stone-cold killerIt's been almost a decade since Henry Rios has seen his sister, Elena. A troubled family history has left them both with unhappy memories. But his visit with his sister isn't the reunion he imagined. As Rios comes to terms with the results of his partner's HIV test, Elena asks him to defend Paul Windsor, someone they grew up with--who has a history of pedophilia and has just been charged with murder after his fingerprints were found at a crime scene.The victim, who peddled child pornography, was tortured before he was bludgeoned to death in a motel room. The investigation takes Rios back to his old neighborhood and down a twisting trail of blackmail, jealousy, and tainted love. Forced to confront his demons, he'll face off with some hard truths about himself--and with a merciless killer.Howtown is the third book in the Henry Rios mystery series, which also includes The Little Death and Goldenboy.
Rag and Bone (Henry Rios Mystery #7)
by Michael NavaIn Michael Nava’s final Henry Rios mystery, the gay Latino lawyer faces his most daunting personal and professional challenges as he comes to terms with his past—and a cache of family secretsHenry Rios was dead for fifty-seven seconds when he suffered a heart attack in the courtroom. While he recovers, his sister, Elena, stays with him at the hospital, and they begin to repair their strained relationship, finally airing their thoughts and regrets about their childhood in an abusive home. But Elena has an extra surprise for Rios: Thirty years ago, when she was in college, she had a baby and gave her up for adoption. The girl, Vicky, grew up in foster homes, but now seeks out Elena for help escaping an abusive husband. Despite Elena and Rios’s efforts, Vicky returns to her husband—but not long after, he’s shot dead in a motel room and Vicky claims to have blown him away. Rios doesn’t believe her confession, though, and finds evidence that suggests she’s innocent. Rios’s search for the facts leads him into a thicket of secrets and lies. As he fights for a niece he never knew he had, he must also combat the ever-present shadow of his own mortality and the truth about his past. A possible judgeship and the beginning of a new love give him hope for the future in this stellar conclusion to the acclaimed Henry Rios series, about love, loss, and the enduring power of family. Rag and Bone is the seventh book in the Henry Rios mystery series, which begins with The Little Death and Goldenboy.
The Burning Plain
by Michael NavaAttorney Henry Rios fights for his freedom and his own life when a homophobic serial killer targets gay men in Los AngelesDefense attorney Henry Rios knows how the system can be weighted against you . . . especially if you're gay. His worst nightmare becomes a reality when a man he had been on a date with the night before is slain. Relentlessly pursued by a homophobic Los Angeles Police Department cop, Rios goes from prime suspect to target when more gay men are savagely murdered. The victims all suffer the same fate: They're beaten to death, with a hate message carved into their bodies, and they're dumped in an alley.Rios must break through a conspiracy of silence that reaches to the highest levels of Los Angeles politics and Hollywood power. And the closer he gets to the truth, the closer he gets to becoming an enraged killer's next victim. The Burning Plain is the sixth book in the Henry Rios mystery series, which begins with The Little Death and Goldenboy.
The Death of Friends
by Michael NavaWhen a judge leading a double life is murdered, Henry Rios comes to the controversial defense of the prime suspectChris Chandler, a long-married and closeted California state superior court judge, has been found dead in his chambers--beaten to death with his recent Judge of the Year award. When his young lover, Zack Bowen, is arrested, Henry Rios takes on Bowen's defense. For Rios, who has kept Judge Chandler's secret since law school, it means going up against a closed community--including Chandler's angry wife and son--to defend a man he believes innocent. Then Bowen vanishes.As Rios copes with the loss of a friend, and the impending death of his lover, Josh, he finds himself front and center in a case that becomes a test of his own moral courage.The Death of Friends is the fifth book in the Henry Rios mystery series, which begins with The Little Death and Goldenboy.
The Hidden Law
by Michael NavaThe fourth novel in Michael Nava's award-winning series takes Henry Rios back to his roots when he defends a Latino teenager accused of murderState senator and mayoral hopeful Gus Peña has been gunned down in the parking lot of a restaurant in East Los Angeles. When Chicano teen and ex-gang member Michael Ruiz is arrested for the murder, Henry Rios takes the case. It's a tough road: As Rios endures a painful break-up with his HIV-positive partner, Josh, Ruiz refuses to help Rios in his defense. But Rios finds inconsistencies in the kid's story, and is sure Ruiz is covering for the real killer.Peña had a lot of enemies. As Rios tries to build the case for a different killer, he descends into the dark underbelly of Los Angeles--a hotbed of vice and corruption. Caught between his powerful connection to both suspect and victim, Rios races to prevent a terrible failure of justice.The Hidden Law is the fourth book in the Henry Rios mystery series, which begins with The Little Death and Goldenboy.
The Little Death
by Michael NavaIn the first book of the acclaimed Henry Rios series, a lawyer doggedly pursues a murder investigation into the lions' den of San Francisco's moneyed eliteA burnt-out public defender battling alcoholism, Henry Rios has reached a crossroads in his life. While interviewing his former lover Hugh Paris in jail, Rios goes through the motions, but notices that Paris is far more polished and well off than the usual suspects arrested for drug possession. Paris is mysteriously bailed out--but a few weeks later, he turns up on Rios's doorstep. Skittish and paranoid, he admits to using heroin and says he's afraid that his wealthy grandfather wants to murder him.Rios tries to help Paris get clean, but when Paris is found dead of an apparent heroin overdose, Rios is the only one who considers foul play. Determined to find Paris's killer, Rios knocks on San Francisco's most gilded doors, where he discovers a family tainted by jealousy, greed, and hate. They've been warped by a fortune someone's willing to kill--and kill again--to possess.At once an atmospheric noir mystery and a scathing indictment of a legal system caught in the maws of escalating corruption, The Little Death chronicles one man's struggle to achieve true justice for all.The Little Death is the first book in the Henry Rios mystery series, which also includes Goldenboy and Howtown.
Thom Gunn: A Cool Queer Life
by Michael NottA no-holds-barred biography of the great poet and sexual rebel, who could “give the dead a voice, make them sing” (Hilton Als, The New Yorker). Thom Gunn was not a confessional poet, and he withheld much, but inseparable from his rigorous, formal poetry was a ravenous, acute experience of life and death. Raised in Kent, England, and educated at Cambridge, Gunn found a home in San Francisco, where he documented the city’s queerness, the hippie mentality (and drug use) of the sixties, and the tragedy and catastrophic impact of the AIDS crisis in the eighties and beyond. As Jeremy Lybarger wrote in The New Republic, the author of Moly and The Man with Night Sweats was “an agile poet who renovated tradition to accommodate the rude litter of modernity.” Thom Gunn: A Cool Queer Life chronicles, for the first time, the largely undocumented life of this revolutionary poet. Michael Nott, a coeditor of The Letters of Thom Gunn, draws on letters, diaries, notebooks, interviews, and Gunn’s poetry to create a portrait as vital as the man himself. Nott writes with insight and intimacy about the great sweep of Gunn’s life: his traditional childhood in England; his mother’s suicide; the mind-opening education he received at Cambridge, reading Shakespeare and John Donne; his decades in San Francisco and with his life partner, Mike Kitay; and his visceral experience of sex, drugs, and loss. Thom Gunn: A Cool Queer Life is a long-awaited, landmark study of one of England and America’s most innovative poets.
Black and Queer on Campus
by Michael P. JeffriesAn inside look at Black LGBTQ college students and their experiences Black and Queer on Campus offers an inside look at what life is like for LGBTQ college students on campuses across the United States. Michael P. Jeffries shows that Black and queer college students often struggle to find safe spaces and a sense of belonging when they arrive on campus at both predominantly white institutions and historically black colleges and universities. Many report that in predominantly white queer social spaces, they feel unwelcome and pressured to temper their criticisms of racism amongst their white peers. Conversely, in predominantly straight Black social spaces, they feel ignored or pressured to minimize their queer identity in order to be accepted. This fraught dynamic has an impact on Black LGBTQ students in higher education, as they experience different forms of marginalization at the intersection of their race, gender, and sexuality.Drawing on interviews with students from over a dozen colleges, Jeffries provides a new, much-needed perspective on the specific challenges Black LGBTQ students face and the ways they overcome them. We learn through these intimate portraits that despite the gains of the LGBTQ rights movement, many of the most harmful stereotypes and threats to black queer safety continue to haunt this generation of students. We also learn how students build queer identities. The traditional narrative of “coming out” does not fit most of these students, rather, Jeffries describes a more gradual transition to queer acceptance and pride.Black and Queer on Campus sheds light on the oft-hidden lives of Black LGBTQ students, and how educational institutions can better serve them. It also highlights the quiet beauty and joy of Black queer social life, and the bonds of friendship that sustain the students and fuel their imagination.
A Model Romance
by Michael P. ThomasWhen Bridger Bradford chases the wrong guy to South Korea, he falls in love ... with his fantasies about Kai, a model whose handsome mug is splashed across every subway station and bus shelter in the country.Kai has a big career and big money, but what he really wants is a shot at big, blond Bridger, who can't believe his luck when the man of his dreams seemingly walks out of the stack of souvenir magazines and right up to him in his favorite San Francisco bar.
Chad vs. the Holiday Hoopla
by Michael P. ThomasIf Chad is reticent to drop in on Dr. Fortescue's big annual holiday bash without a date, imagine his horror when he arrives to discover the party revolves around a city-wide scavenger hunt with a two-to-a-team policy stricter than Noah’s. Worse, his efforts to pair up with his hunky doctor crush are thwarted, and he winds up being assigned the doofus with an elbow in the punch bowl as a partner.It turns out scavenger hunts are hard -- were they really supposed to dognap the doctor's neighbor's dachshund and carry it around the mall all night? But running around with Jarek is easy. And kinda fun.Even with help from an unsuspecting celebrity and Santa’s sexiest elf, it’s starting to look like a participation trophy might be the best they can hope for prize-wise, but Chad starts to wonder if losing alongside Jarek might not be its own kind of win.
Crazy Like Fox
by Michael P. ThomasFox McHardy leads a charmed life. Puget Sound penthouse, gorgeous boyfriend, jet-setting job -- everything he’s ever wanted, he’s gotten, including the heck out of the small Iowa town he grew up in. Even the trip he takes to Miami to surprise his boyfriend Jeremy is something of a long-shot wish fulfilled.Until he arrives in South Florida.Once things start to unravel, they do so with alarming speed, and he finds himself riding shotgun in a rented convertible with his new sworn enemy faster than he can say, “I want my old life back.”During an unscheduled stop on the cross-country road trip From Hell, Fox passes up a perfectly good opportunity to keep his mouth shut and finds himself planning the town’s first legal gay wedding -- his own, to a man he’s pretty sure he should hate. But someone needs to set a positive example for the queer and questioning youth in this corner of Middle America and, after creatively arranging certain of the facts of his life more attractively, he is proud to offer himself up as a role model.Small Town, USA, steps up; the grooms are widely celebrated, and generous offers of food, flowers, and picture-perfect venues pour in. The only real challenge will be keeping the lies straight and the truth under wraps until they can get out of town.
Dude Mama
by Michael P. ThomasWhen button-down biracial lawmaker Cassidy Uematsu meets hardscrabble fry cook Buford “Jax” Jackson, it’s lust at first sight. They’re only too happy to jump into the sack, and when Jax loses his condom mid-getting-to-know-you, Cassidy urges him forward, damn the consequences. What’s the worst that can happen?After a couple weeks of morning sickness and a few months gaining weight, Cassidy learns an unfathomable secret about the men in his family that he’s pretty sure he was happier not knowing. Jax is a fan of Cassidy’s rapidly rounding belly, and of the sexy “Dude Mama” roleplay it inspires.But the night he feels a kick inside Cassidy’s growing belly, Jax hightails it, certain at least one of them has lost his damn mind. A pregnant dude? That’s impossible. As the ninth month since the condom mishap approaches, Cassidy sure hopes he’s right.
First Flight Out (The Mile High Club #1)
by Michael P. ThomasJesse Cisneros and his best buddy Tanner fly for Mile High Airlines, which is every bit as classy as it sounds. When Dr. Willis rings his call light on a flight from New York to Denver, Jesse is so taken with the good doctor’s looks and charm, he forgets all about the inflight medical crisis that prompted him to call for a flight attendant in the first place. Willis is handsome. Willis is helpful. And wouldn’t you know it? Willis is someone else’s husband.Jesse can hardly believe his luck when their paths cross again on the patio of a popular gay bar. It’s been nine months, and Willis has been busy: now he’s single, he’s out, and he’sveryinterested in getting to know Jesse better. It all seems too good to be true! And you know what they say about that ...
Heat Wave: Colorado Springs
by Michael P. ThomasJust when barbecue boss Spencer Worthington is convinced nothing in the world could be hotter than Colorado Springs this summer, along comes Ethan, sizzling ribs with his dad at a rival booth. Just looking at him makes Spencer sweat, and when Ethan’s dad reveals himself to be a homophobic heckler, Spencer’s temper flares. Conflict erupts, and a passerby proposes a civilized solution: a reality TV cook-off -- such as the one she happens to produce -- to settle the score. May the best meat win.Seeing an opportunity to win a cash prizeandEthan, Spencer signs on. But when his secret sauce goes missing at the height of the competition, all signs point to sabotage, and he neglects to look before he leaps to conclusions. Now the money and Ethan are both on the line, but how can Spencer keep his cool in this heat?
Honey, I'm Home (Hot Flash)
by Michael P. ThomasLoving Ruben Pacheco is easy. He's sweet, he's supportive, he keeps the bills paid and plenty of food on the table. Loving living with Ruben's parents presents more of a challenge. They're critical, overbearing, and openly rooting for Gabe to go home so Ruben might crawl back into the closet.Gabe’s in love, but he’s getting annoyed -- Ruben's great and all, but is he worth all the hassle?Note: This short story was originally published in the charity collection, Love Is Proud.
Hot Shots
by Michael P. ThomasSince he first laid eyes on Michael Phelps as a teenager, young Beau has longed to be an Olympian; the better to sleep with as many other Olympians as possible. Too bad he's a flop at every sport he tries.An offhand reference by his European mother reveals a family connection to the world of competitive shooting, and a quick -- if not wholly truthful -- email nets Beau an invitation to Luxembourg to train with Marcel, a dashing rifle champion. He jumps at the chance, and, when he learns they aren't actually related, at the champ.Sparks fly, but Beau’s never exactly been what you’d call a one-man man. Will Beau’s smoldering desire for Marcel burn hot enough to keep the torch of his Olympic dreams aflame?
I Brake for Christmas
by Michael P. ThomasUnassuming music major Brent Callahan has the crush of a lifetime on frat boy George Cortner. When the opportunity to offer George a ride home for the holidays crops up, Brent has to dig deep for the nerve to seize it. He’d been planning on hanging around campus for Christmas, but George doesn’t need to know that.They’re on the road before Brent’s even sure he’ll be able to keep his hands to himself with George in such close quarters. Not that George has asked him to ...
Isle Be Home for Christmas
by Michael P. ThomasWith no job and no boyfriend, Justin sees no reason to make a big deal out of Christmas this year, so he plunks down his severance pay on a cottage in the Caribbean and jets away for some Me Time. Not that he'd mind a little Us Time, you understand, but the handsome young islanders of his acquaintance are all friendly, fun, and straight as they come. He sure didn't leave San Diego looking for any middle-aged American gym jock, but when one washes up at his favorite local watering hole, Justin discovers there are worse ways to dance the night away. Too bad the sexy stranger is on a cruise and the next port is calling.When he spies the ship still in port while he tends to his Christmas Eve hangover, Justin knows he must manage his expectations. Just because the ship's still here doesn't mean the guy will come ashore, and so what if they do cross paths again? Did they really connect as Justin thinks he remembers, or is that just the beer filling in the blanks? He invents an errand, throws on some clothes, and heads for the dock, figuring there's one way to find out.