Books like 'The Mayor and the Mystery Man'
Readers who enjoyed The Mayor and the Mystery Man by A.J. Truman also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary gay romance funny friends to lovers single-father queer found-family queer-awakening bisexual fake relationship
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You & Me by Tal Bauer
A single dads, friends-to-lovers, bi awakening MM Romance.We're a puzzle made of two pieces.Landon Larsen is the envy of all the dads in Last Waters, Texas. He's cool, confident, and put together. He and his son—the high school's all-star quarterback—have the perfect father-son relationship. He’s such a Super Dad, it's almost sickening...Categorized as:
bisexual friends to lovers angst mature couple anal sex single-father hurt-comfort small town -
![The Long and Winding Road by T.J. Klune]()
The Long and Winding Road by T.J. Klune
Sequel to The Art of Breathing Family is not always defined by blood. It’s defined by those who make us whole—those who make us who we are. And here, at the end, Bear and Otter will be tested like they’ve never been before. There’s a knock at the door from a little girl who has nowhere else to go. There’s a phone ringing, bringing news they do not expect... -
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![Until You by Briar Prescott]()
Until You by Briar Prescott
I’m the first one to tell you I have issues.Trust issues.Family issues.Probably a few others I haven’t discovered yet.Which is why I prefer to keep my life as simple and uncomplicated as possible.Until him.Blake McAdams barrels into my life and refuses to leave...Categorized as:
friends to lovers angst first-person-pov nerdy-hero sunny hero sweet-hero queer hurt-comfort -
![10 Ways to Accidentally Fall in Love by Emmy Sanders]()
10 Ways to Accidentally Fall in Love by Emmy Sanders
Wingman 101: Make him fall head over heels in love. BradWhat’s a straight guy to do when he accidentally goes on a date with his brand new gym-bro? Offer to be the best wingman ever, of course! It’s foolproof.Joey needs a man? I’ll find him one.He wants someone who looks, well, kind of like me? No problem!Not into watersports? I’ve got him covered...Categorized as:
queer-awakening friends to lovers queer found-family bisexual sweet-hero anal sex sunny hero -
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![Beautifully Unexpected by Lily Morton]()
Beautifully Unexpected by Lily Morton
Sometimes love comes when you least expect or want it.Magnus Carlsen is determined to grow old disgracefully. At fifty-two, he doesn’t believe in keeping anything. Men, sofas, books—everything gets jettisoned, eventually. He’s divided his life into happy compartments. A successful trial lawyer, he spends his days lecturing jurors, exasperating judges, and striding arrogantly around courtrooms...Categorized as:
mature couple friends to lovers dual-pov sunny hero forced proximity queer first-person-pov m-m -
![Oz by Lily Morton]()
Oz by Lily Morton
What happens when temporary becomes forever? Oz Gallagher does not do relationships well. Bored and jobless after another disastrous hook up, he decides to leave London for a temporary job in the wilds of Cornwall. Surely managing a stately home on a country estate will be easier than navigating the detritus of his relationships at home...Categorized as:
bisexual friends to lovers forced proximity small town sunny hero working class hero dual-pov queer -
![Marrying Mr. Majestic by Lucy Lennox]()
Marrying Mr. Majestic by Lucy Lennox
I’ve made myself into many things over the years. A Yale graduate. A brilliant corporate strategist. A city boy. And, though no one outside my inner circle knows it, a billionaire. One thing I never expected to be? Accidentally married to a straight, small-town cowboy named Waylon, the pride and joy of… *checks notes*... Majestic, Wyoming...Categorized as:
queer fake relationship queer-awakening small town sunny hero male-pov dual-pov first-person-pov -
![The End Zone by Riley Hart]()
The End Zone by Riley Hart
JeremySeeing my best friend West, happy with his fiancé opened my eyes to things I’ve been missing in my own marriage. My divorce, which was amicable, followed. Strangely, at West’s wedding, I find myself confiding in Darren, the straight, confirmed bachelor and star quarterback of the Atlanta Lightning...Categorized as:
friends to lovers bisexual queer queer-awakening angst mature couple caretaking hurt-comfort -
![Bear, Otter, and the Kid by T.J. Klune]()
Bear, Otter, and the Kid by T.J. Klune
Three years ago, Bear McKenna’s mother took off for parts unknown with her new boyfriend, leaving Bear to raise his six-year-old brother Tyson, aka the Kid. Somehow they’ve muddled through, but since he’s totally devoted to the Kid, Bear isn’t actually doing much living—with a few exceptions, he’s retreated from the world, and he’s mostly okay with that. Until Otter comes home...Categorized as:
friends to lovers angst single-father bisexual working class hero male-pov queer found-family -
![Until I Saw You by Dianna Roman]()
Until I Saw You by Dianna Roman
An MM romance story of survival, healing, and finding the courage to love.Harper Reid has no money and nowhere to go, but he can't spend one more day under the same roof as his abusive boyfriend. Desperate to start fresh, he takes on a special case through the caregiver agency that contracts him...Categorized as:
hurt-comfort friends to lovers dual-pov angst forced proximity caretaking sweet-hero sunny hero -
![Nailed by K.M. Neuhold]()
Nailed by K.M. Neuhold
My new neighbor is a total tool.He hated me from the second he laid eyes on me, and I don’t have the first clue why… But, if he wants to hate me, I’m happy to give him a few reasons: mowing the lawn at dawn on the weekend, leaving garbage cans in front of his driveway, renting a petting zoo for my backyard...making a list of ways to drive him crazy is half the fun...Categorized as:
working class hero forced proximity queer found-family dual-pov sunny hero cold hero small town -
![Davo by N.R. Walker]()
Davo by N.R. Walker
When Fergus Galloway takes on a research trip to a tiny mining town in the far Western Australian outback, he’s as far from Sydney as he can get. Which is entirely the point. He arrives in Pannalego totally unprepared for the baking heat, unprepared for the people who call it home, unprepared for the craziness and the laughs... -
![Here Comes My Man by Lauren Blakely]()
Here Comes My Man by Lauren Blakely
A red-hot, enemies-to-lovers, fake boyfriend, second chance romance, and the conclusion to the Hopelessly Bromantic Duet!Let me just say this -- fake dating the cocky movie star was not my idea. Especially since he’s my former roomie and, gulp, my secret ex.But my agent tells me I have no choice since I’m ridiculously overdue with turning in the next big blockbuster love story to my publisher...Categorized as:
angst forced proximity queer friends to lovers fake relationship dual-pov m-m contemporary -
![Drilled by K.M. Neuhold]()
Drilled by K.M. Neuhold
A month in a remote cabin with the last man I ever expected to see again? I can’t decide if I should punch him or drill him. It might end up being both.After more than a decade, the last person I expected to see walk into the Four Bears Construction offices as a new hire was Ridge.He was my first crush, and my first heartbreak when he started dating my sister...Categorized as:
friends to lovers forced proximity first-person-pov queer found-family small town male-pov dual-pov -
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![Sem by Cora Rose]()
Sem by Cora Rose
Sometimes your dream guy isn’t who you think he is. Sem has been stalking me for months. He shows up everywhere I am and lurks in the background, his eyes always on me. I don’t understand his fascination with me, but he won’t leave me alone. He’s definitely not my type. He’s too big, too reckless, and too feral...Categorized as:
bisexual possessive hero anal sex sunny hero queer-awakening angst dual-pov caretaking -
![Deal Maker by Lily Morton]()
Deal Maker by Lily Morton
Sometimes your mouth makes deals that your heart can’t honour. Jude is a highly successful model, but a very reluctant one. His life is full of casual hook-ups with pretty men in glamorous locations, but it’s still empty. However, circumstances decreed a long time ago that this was his path, so he’s resolutely stayed on it and accepted his fate with good grace...Categorized as:
single-father dual-pov bisexual forced proximity queer friends to lovers hurt-comfort sunny hero -
![Fools by Lucy Lennox, May Archer]()
Fools by Lucy Lennox, May Archer
Tucker Wright’s Clues for Life:What’s a 4-letter word for an utterly oblivious, totally commitment-phobic, heartbreakingly gorgeous man with a pet pig named Bernadette? That’d be D-U-N-N, as in Dunn Johnson, my very best pal and fishing buddy since I moved to Licking Thicket...Categorized as:
friends to lovers nerdy-hero dual-pov small town queer queer-awakening anal sex forced proximity -
![How to Be a Movie Star by T.J. Klune]()
How to Be a Movie Star by T.J. Klune
Sequel to How to Be a Normal PersonA How to Be Novel Josiah Erickson wants to be a movie star. The problem with that is so does half of Los Angeles. But he’s on his way, what with memorable roles as a TV show background cadaver and a guy in a commercial for herpes medication. All he needs is his big break...Categorized as:
friends to lovers sunny hero forced proximity queer found-family m-m contemporary humor -
![The Unlikely Heir by Jax Calder]()
The Unlikely Heir by Jax Calder
What happens when the Prince of Wales falls in love with the Prime Minister?My boring life working in an insurance call center in sunny California just took an unexpected turn. Thanks to my misbehaving relatives, I’ve leapt from obscurity to royalty as the new heir to the British throne.But my welcome in England is about as warm as the weather... -
![Sober Dope & Sundays by Nordika Night]()
Sober Dope & Sundays by Nordika Night
WHEN ZERO WILLPOWER MEETS AN IRON WILL...Who goes to rehab eight times? Gage does. As a recovering addict fresh out of rehab, moving back in with his mom and starting over in his hometown isn't part of his life goals, but Gage needs all the support he can get. Lost and a little unsure of himself, Gage meets his new sponsor. A sponsor whose son is the perfect sober companion...Categorized as:
queer hurt-comfort friends to lovers bisexual forced proximity found-family dual-pov angst -
![Hopelessly Bromantic by Lauren Blakely]()
Hopelessly Bromantic by Lauren Blakely
A sexy, passionate, utterly addictive, roomies-to-lovers MM romance from #1 NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely!Look, when I met the sexy, witty Brit on the streets of London last night, I had no idea who he was. He was just that hot guy I wanted to have a drink with so I asked him out for my first evening in town. One thing almost led to another... -
![Liars by Lucy Lennox, May Archer]()
Liars by Lucy Lennox, May Archer
Parrish Partridge’s True Facts:There’s nothing hotter than a tall, gruff, bewildered, tattooed mountain of a man cuddling a sweet, orphaned baby, so you can tell yourself that you’ll resist him...But that’s a lie...Categorized as:
friends to lovers nerdy-hero single-father small town queer found-family angst caretaking -
![Holiday Heart Strings by N.R. Walker]()
Holiday Heart Strings by N.R. Walker
Hartbridge Christmas Series - Book FourEnglishman Braithe Branson arrives in Hartbridge, Montana, to take on a brief substitute kindergarten teacher position. His introduction to the sleepy town is being pulled over for speeding. Not an ideal start, but at least the deputy was cute.Colson Price takes being a deputy very seriously. After all, his job is all he has...Categorized as:
hurt-comfort queer caretaking anal sex found-family small town sweet-hero sunny hero -
![Knock Knock by Nordika Night]()
Knock Knock by Nordika Night
When life comes knocking, can they go from nothing to something?After a lifetime of having each other’s backs, meddling in their brother’s lives, and keeping their families going, Nate and Xavi don’t know what to do with all this… freedom.For the first time ever, they have no one to watch out for...Categorized as:
friends to lovers hurt-comfort dual-pov anal sex sunny hero first-person-pov small town queer -
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![The Sunny Side by Lily Morton]()
The Sunny Side by Lily Morton
Jonas Durand is successful, rich, and controlled. He owns a prestigious modelling agency and has the world at his fingertips, but a turbulent childhood has taught him to be focused and never deviate from a plan.Dean Jacobs threatens that stance. He’s one of the world’s most sought-after supermodels, but he’s also laidback and lighthearted and free in a way that Jonas has never quite managed...Categorized as:
friends to lovers forced proximity bisexual angst single-father queer found-family m-m -
![The Amazing Alpha Tau Self-Improvement Project by Lisa Henry, Sarah Honey]()
The Amazing Alpha Tau Self-Improvement Project by Lisa Henry, Sarah Honey
Dalton Beauregard has a plan, and it involves acing all his exams, making the Dean's List every year he's at Lassiter College, and going to med school and becoming a doctor.Marty O'Brien has a plan too. His is to improve his life by emulating those around him. He's going to need a study plan, a tutor, and... a boyfriend?Dalton can't believe he's even considering this. It's utterly ridiculous...Categorized as:
friends to lovers bisexual queer queer-awakening sunny hero sweet-hero male-pov first-person-pov -
![Felix by Emmy Sanders]()
Felix by Emmy Sanders
What more could an exhibitionist want than a willing voyeur right next door? EmilI like being watched. I’m not ashamed of it, nor my job at Elite 8 Studios where fans know me as Felix. But when my newest costar turns out to be the very same neighbor I’ve been giving private shows to through the window, I’m thrown for a loop...Categorized as:
found-family queer exhibitionism anal sex nerdy-hero sweet-hero friends to lovers first-person-pov -
![You Are Cordially Invited by Jay Hogan]()
You Are Cordially Invited by Jay Hogan
There’s a wedding in the air at Auckland Med, but Reuben wonders if they’ll survive the stress long enough to say, ‘I do’. Cam is directing the entire operation with his combat eyeliner in place, whilst the wedding party is doing its best to ignore him. The pressure is mounting and the cracks are beginning to show.There’s a bachelor party to survive.The paparazzi to outrun...Categorized as:
queer male-pov dual-pov first-person-pov sweet-hero sunny hero found-family hurt-comfort -
![On the Run by May Archer]()
On the Run by May Archer
I was supposed to be partying with a bunch of celebrities in paradise this week, okay?But then I made one teeny, tiny error in judgement before leaving New York, and suddenly the paparazzi expected me to give a command performance as “the other man” in their straight celebrity “outing” of the week.Um, no, precious. So much no...Categorized as:
queer fake relationship small town sunny hero sweet-hero working class hero male-pov dual-pov -
![Dear Mr. Brody by A.M. Johnson]()
Dear Mr. Brody by A.M. Johnson
Parker,I never meant for any of this to happen, to fall for you. It doesn't matter that we're both adults, or how much we want this to work. The college policy is clear. I can't see a way around this without one of us getting hurt. If I would’ve known who you were when we met online, I would have never pursued a relationship...Categorized as:
bisexual single-father queer found-family queer-awakening male-pov dual-pov first-person-pov -
![Rent: Paid in Full by Jesse H. Reign]()
Rent: Paid in Full by Jesse H. Reign
“You have something I want. Something I’ll happily buy…or rent.”As if my life doesn’t suck enough already, my insufferable new roommate, Miller MacAvoy, seems determined to make things weird. He watches me all the time, grinning at me like a beautiful idiot, eyes boring holes into me every time I turn my back on him.It’s the last thing I need. Things haven’t been going well...Categorized as:
forced proximity dual-pov queer-awakening bisexual cold hero queer anal sex first-person-pov -
![Pretty Obsessed by J.R. Gray]()
Pretty Obsessed by J.R. Gray
Emory KerWho makes out with a random guy at a club while someone else is giving him head? Not me—that's who. I'd never even hooked up with a stranger. Welp, now I had. If you could call what I'd done hooking up. But it was so much more intimate than a hook-up. I'd tasted his lips as someone else made him come. He'd gasped into my mouth...Categorized as:
anal sex possessive hero queer sweet-hero angst queer-awakening bisexual found-family -
![Turkeys by Lucy Lennox, May Arhcer]()
Turkeys by Lucy Lennox, May Arhcer
Hunter Jackson’s Sage Advice for a Happy ThanksgivingWhen your turkey-thieving, town-abandoning, former childhood friend reappears in Licking Thicket after fifteen long years, looking like a snack and smelling like all your favorite treats put together, it might be tempting to, well, dig in.Don’t...Categorized as:
friends to lovers queer anal sex small town working class hero male-pov dual-pov first-person-pov -
![The Geek Who Saved Christmas by Annabeth Albert]()
The Geek Who Saved Christmas by Annabeth Albert
His grumpy neighbor needs some holiday sunshine…Gideon Holiday is the perfect neighbor. Need a cup of sugar? Spare folding chair? Extra batteries? He’s always ready to help. And he’s waited years for his hot, grumpy, silver fox neighbor, Paul, to need him. For anything...Categorized as:
friends to lovers anal sex small town queer found-family silver-fox nerdy-hero cold hero -
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![Stick Shift by K.M. Neuhold]()
Stick Shift by K.M. Neuhold
Is it possible my straight best friend had a sudden stick shift?I made peace with my hopeless crush on my straight best friend, Journey, years ago. It helps that he’s never in the country long and our relationship consists of sporadic texts and video chats at odd hours.Now Journey is back. Back in the country, in my space, sharing my bed, and something is changing between us...Categorized as:
friends to lovers forced proximity queer queer-awakening bisexual anal sex male-pov dual-pov -
![Ranger by K.M. Neuhold, Nora Phoenix]()
Ranger by K.M. Neuhold, Nora Phoenix
I’ve been living under storm clouds since my honorable discharge, but Julian’s the sun.I’ve tried everything to deal with my PTSD from yoga to sunning my butthole, but nothing seemed to help.So when my brother suggests a therapy dog, I figure I don’t have anything to lose... -
![You Can Count On Me by Fae Quin]()
You Can Count On Me by Fae Quin
They say you should love thy neighbor, but I don’t think they meant it the way I want to love mine.Miles “Rooster” Johnson: As a young single-dad with a teaching job, I haven’t had much opportunity to date. My son is my entire world, and though I would love to have a partner and someone to count on, the passing years have shown that it’s just not in the cards for me... -
![Fandom by Eden Finley]()
Fandom by Eden Finley
DENVEREveryone remembers the night the boy band Eleven broke up. Hearts shattered around the world, including my own.I made a mistake, and I’ve been avoiding bandmate Mason Nash ever since.At first it was hard, but eighteen months ago, he made it easier by leaving Hollywood and disappearing.When Eleven reunion talks start, I’m against it completely...Categorized as:
friends to lovers bisexual queer queer-awakening angst found-family male-pov first-person-pov -
![On Board by Jay Hogan]()
On Board by Jay Hogan
Leroy Madden is in trouble. Big, handsome, Fox Carmody trouble.Leroy has buried his attraction to the enigmatic fisherman in irritation and pointless bickering, keeping Fox at a safe distance. But with the troublesome man now living in Leroy’s house, it’s becoming impossible for Leroy to keep his true feelings hidden, or the fact that Leroy maybe isn’t so straight, after all...Categorized as:
forced proximity bisexual cold hero working class hero angst small town queer queer-awakening -
![Dare You by Ella Frank, Brooke Blaine]()
Dare You by Ella Frank, Brooke Blaine
From Ella Frank’s Prime Time series and Brooke Blaine’s South Haven series comes an explosive spin-off of both worlds. Sebastian “Bash” Vogel, the magnetic, cross-dressing CEO of AnaVoge, has long been a lone island when it comes to his personal life. Self-assured and playful, he’s never left wanting for suitors—but Bash isn’t looking for something permanent...Categorized as:
bisexual friends to lovers queer queer-awakening angst sunny hero sweet-hero working class hero -
![Easy Does It by K.M. Neuhold]()
Easy Does It by K.M. Neuhold
I've never shied away from the hard things in life. But falling in love with Lux… EASY has never felt so good. Most of the guys on Palm Island call me the token straight guy. The truth is, I'm not so much straight as I'm just… nothing. Asexual, demi, the label doesn't make much of a difference to me...Categorized as:
friends to lovers queer found-family dual-pov male-pov sunny hero anal sex small town -
![Method Acting by N.R. Walker]()
Method Acting by N.R. Walker
Chase SoriaEvery budding actor knows acting is a difficult gig. There will be grueling auditions and punishing rejections. If you’re lucky, there’ll be roles that pay the bills and even roles that won’t.Roles we don’t believe in.But that’s what acting is—acting as if we do believe in them.So when the semester’s production project is announced and I’m cast as one of the leads, I’m ecstatic... -
![Pick Me by May Archer]()
Pick Me by May Archer
The job at Sunday Orchard was supposed to be temporary.A chance to gain some work experience. To have some fun. To get away from my overprotective brothers. To maybe, possibly encounter some lumberjacks in their natural habitat before moving on to the dream career that awaited me in the city.I had not expected to be welcomed into a family of gorgeous and weirdly efficient lumberjack-types myself...Categorized as:
forced proximity queer found-family anal sex small town sunny hero cold hero sweet-hero -
![Between the Pipes by J.J. Mulder, Ivanna Nashkolna]()
Between the Pipes by J.J. Mulder, Ivanna Nashkolna
Nico Mackenzie is angry and argumentative— in every way, he is the exact opposite of NHL goaltender Anthony Lawson. Thrown together for a summer of coaching college hockey at South Carolina University, Anthony makes every effort to be friendly; Nico, on the other hand, seems intent on being infuriating and keeping the other man at arm’s length...Categorized as:
queer forced proximity sunny hero cold hero queer-awakening male-pov dual-pov first-person-pov -
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![Fakers with Benefits by Willow Dixon]()
Fakers with Benefits by Willow Dixon
Just when I think my life can’t get any weirder, a mysterious stranger comes to the club and offers me a crap-ton of cash to pose as his boyfriend for ninety days.The job sounds simple enough. Evan is as rich as he is hot, and he says he doesn’t expect anything from me other than my acting skills. If we can pull it off and fool his friends and family, he gets his inheritance... -
![Try by Ella Frank]()
Try by Ella Frank
Try – verb: to make an attempt or effort to do something or in this case…someone. Sex. Logan Mitchell loves it, and ever since he realized his raw sexual appeal at a young age, he has had no problem using it to his advantage. Men and women alike fall into his bed—after all, Logan is not one to discriminate... -
![Boyfriend Goals by Riley Hart]()
Boyfriend Goals by Riley Hart
MiloUnusual. Quirky. Different. I’ve heard it all. I’ve accepted I’m not for everyone. Maybe not anyone.When I find out I inherited a bookstore and apartment on a small East Coast island, I jump at the chance for a new life.Turns out, I’ve also inherited a sexy, tattooed guy who not only rents the space next to my store for his tattoo parlor but my apartment too... -
![The Remarkable Lover by Maya Jean]()
The Remarkable Lover by Maya Jean
JacksonDreams collapse in the blink of an eye, I know that better than anyone after losing my career as an athlete. Now I spend my days giving people pleasure for pay and playing with stocks. Most of my friends have settled in Clay Springs, Florida. A sleepy little town that moves slower than molasses...Categorized as:
found-family hurt-comfort friends to lovers queer small town sunny hero nerdy-hero dual-pov -
![Headstrong by Eden Finley]()
Headstrong by Eden Finley
A straight guy gives gay hookup tips to a virgin. What could go wrong? When I first met Whit, I couldn’t get away from him fast enough. He’s a hockey player, and I hate everything to do with the sport that once broke my heart.But I can’t help feeling sorry for the guy. He’s newly out and desperate to meet someone, but his eagerness seems to scare potential hook-ups away...Categorized as:
friends to lovers bisexual cold hero anal sex dual-pov sunny hero first-person-pov queer -
![The Fireman and the Flirt by A.J. Truman]()
The Fireman and the Flirt by A.J. Truman
Is it in bad taste to sleep with a client? Asking for a friend…In high school, Derek ruled the school with his fellow hockey players, while I fantasized from afar. He only knew me as his little brother’s shy friend who, thanks to one vicious rumor from a former flame, had garnered a reputation as the school freak...Categorized as:
single-father found-family exhibitionism queer curvy-hero bisexual anal sex forced proximity
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