Books like 'Putting Down Roots'

Readers who enjoyed Putting Down Roots by Jem Wendel also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  gay romance  small town  hurt-comfort  queer  queer-awakening

  • Dirty Laundry by Rhys Ford

    Dirty Laundry by Rhys Ford

    Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars
    · 27 ratings
    For ex-cop turned private investigator Cole McGinnis, each day brings a new challenge. Too bad most of them involve pain and death. Claudia, his office manager and surrogate mother, is still recovering from a gunshot, and Cole’s closeted boyfriend, Kim Jae-Min, suddenly finds his teenaged sister dumped in his lap...
  • Jonty in Russia by Barbara Elsborg

    Jonty in Russia by Barbara Elsborg

    Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    When Devan, Best Boyfriend in the Entire World, books them a trip to Russia in February, Jonty’s excitement knows no bounds. There’s packing to do, plans to be made, and places to see.Armed with his smile and a handful of dubious Russian Phrases, Jonty is ready for the delights Vladivostok has to offer—the famous glass beach he’s dreamed about, ice skating on a frozen sea, and snow...
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  • Wheels Down by Beth Bolden

    Wheels Down by Beth Bolden

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Shaw isn’t his friend—until Ross discovers he’s so much more. Ross Stanton is having a bad week—a bad month—really, a bad year . But the last thing he wants, after the betrayal of his friend and business partner, is for anyone else to know just how much he’s fighting for survival...
  • Alone On the Water by MadLori

    Alone On the Water by MadLori

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Sherlock Holmes never expected to live a long life, but he never imagined that it would end like this. - 7725 WordsSorrow’s my body on the wavesSorrow’s a girl inside my caveI live in a city sorrow builtIt’s in my honey, it’s in my milkDon’t leave my half a heart alone on the waterCover me in rag and bone sympathyCause I don’t want to get over you...
  • Keeping Secrets by Alexa Land

    Keeping Secrets by Alexa Land

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    The truth can cost you everything. Twenty-six-year-old Beck Medina is convinced of that. He’s been abandoned by so many people over the course of his life, including most of his adopted family. Now he’s created a new family for himself at the resort he manages on Catalina Island. But they don’t know the whole truth about him...
  • A Foreign Love Affair by Ayano Yamane

    A Foreign Love Affair by Ayano Yamane

    Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 27 ratings
    Japanese yakuza clan heir Ranmaru just got married on a lavish cruise ship, but things aren't as they seem. The marriage is just for the appearances, and he ends up getting drunk and spending the night... not with his bride, but with the sexy ship captain! When the two men meet again in Italy, it is the start of a spectacular love story...
  • The Law of Miracles by K.C. Wells

    The Law of Miracles by K.C. Wells

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    The sequel to A Christmas Promise… Joshua Trant is doing his best to support his son Micah and Micah’s partner Greg as they approach the trial of Greg’s attackers. This was never going to be easy, especially as Greg wants them prosecuted for a hate crime, but County Attorney Alexander Rycliffe assures them he’ll do his utmost to make sure the perpetrators are held accountable for their actions...
  • Igniting His Flame by HJ Welch, Helen Juliet

    Igniting His Flame by HJ Welch, Helen Juliet

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Love makes us all braveDARIOAfter escaping my controlling ex-boyfriend and moving to Redwood Bay, I swear off men for good. The only company I need is my new rescue dog, Queenie. Meeting gorgeous firefighter Lochlan Bell at puppy training class doesn’t count because he’s straight, yet for some bizarre reason he’s decided to become my friend...
  • A Healing Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion

    A Healing Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    Dario Ramos thought he’d left the fighting behind in the war zone when a life-threatening injury sent him home. But a certain Irishman crossing his path everywhere he went convinced him that his biggest battle might be ahead. Tiernan Callahan is a bigoted jerk. Ramos finds himself constantly in the man’s orbit, even in a city as big as New York...
  • Hannah's Big Night by Mary Calmes

    Hannah's Big Night by Mary Calmes

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    A Jory and Sam Thanksgiving...
  • Love Directions by A.F. Zoelle

    Love Directions by A.F. Zoelle

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Elias ForthwrightHoroscopes always seemed a bit woo-woo to me, but I don't know how else to explain why it feels like the cosmic universe is pushing me in the direction of the mysterious North Easton, who miraculously comes into my life at just the right time. We’re nothing alike, but for the first time since my mom passed away, life is finally fun again thanks to him...
  • One by E.S. Carter

    One by E.S. Carter

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    One click. One perfect frame. That's all it takes to capture an eternal moment; although most people let them pass by without acknowledgement. I don't waste any. Not a single one. If I see something of beauty, I want to experience it, feel it and immortalise it. If I see someone of beauty, I want to taste them, worship them and memorise them...
  • Seeking Freedom: Interlocking Fragments IV by Michele Notaro, Sammi Cee

    Seeking Freedom: Interlocking Fragments IV by Michele Notaro, Sammi Cee

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Is it close proximity that has Jovany noticing Seth, or for the first time in his life, does he want a man? Jovany~When I check on the guy that helped with my case and realize he’s in a bad spot, I know I need to help him out. That’s how I find myself with two new roommates—Seth and the baby he’s in charge of...
  • Fancy Free by Mia Monroe

    Fancy Free by Mia Monroe

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    The last thing I need is a curious straight guy sniffing around me. So why is he so hard to resist?My life is everything I ever wanted - by design. Being one of the nation’s most sought after wedding planners has led to a life of traveling to glamorous locations, bumping elbows with the rich and famous, and sampling every handsome hunk the world has to offer...
  • Perfect by Jenny Wood

    Perfect by Jenny Wood

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Adoption is hard. Paperwork and more paperwork, lawyers and more lawyers and it seems like begging and choosing....all to get your heart broken when the expectant mother backs out. Not wanting to go through that again, or put Morgan through it again; they opted out. Unfortunately, the new guy didn't get the memo and they were chosen by expectant young mother, Haley...
  • Better Than Beginnings: A Better Than Good Short Story Collection by Lane Hayes

    Better Than Beginnings: A Better Than Good Short Story Collection by Lane Hayes

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Matt Sullivan knows he met someone special the night he spots the sexy man on the dance floor. However, he doesn’t know his life is about to change forever. First of all, Matt is straight. Okay, maybe not, but he doesn’t think falling in love and spending the rest of his life with a hotheaded, unapologetically fabulous diva is an option...
  • Somehow Finding Us (Second Chance Sinners) by Claudia Y. Burgoa

    Somehow Finding Us (Second Chance Sinners) by Claudia Y. Burgoa

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    USA Today Bestselling Author Claudia Burgoa brings you a MM romance full of angst and tragedy that might turn to hope in a redemption love story that’ll break your heart and mend it all over again. Emotional, endearing, and full of romancePeople think they know me. They only know what I allow them to see. I’ve learned to control the narrative.I have secrets...
  • When Stars Align by Denver Shaw

    When Stars Align by Denver Shaw

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    Scarred by the past. Terrified to love again. SavionOnce upon a time, my life was a fairytale. Engaged to a beautiful woman, we were planning our perfect future. Then, the sick act of an obsessed man ruined everything. Alone, disfigured, and betrayed, I fled to LA to focus on my work as a paleontologist.It was there I met Declan...
  • Delicious by Sierra Riley

    Delicious by Sierra Riley

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    “You’re exactly what I never knew I needed.” “I don’t have time for love.” Gavin Campbell has poured everything he has into starting up his bakery, Delicious...
  • Something New by Harper Logan

    Something New by Harper Logan

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    A marriage of convenience is one thing. But married to a straight guy? That’s a whole different story… Brooklyn Blackwell’s got a dissertation to finish and tenure to secure - the last thing he’s looking for is romance. But with his advisor’s charity on the brink of losing funding, Brooklyn’s got one shot at saving it...
  • Beautiful by Jason Collins

    Beautiful by Jason Collins

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    HARRISON:I think I’m falling for a gay guy.What started as a meeting about my sister’s wedding plans changed when our caterer walked in. A man has never stirred me like this—or made me wonder how his lips taste.The sparks with Morgan are undeniable.Friends with benefits should be a win-win for us both. But when the wedding day draws close, I’m drawing Morgan closer...
  • Dear Mona Lisa... by Claire Davis, Al Stewart

    Dear Mona Lisa... by Claire Davis, Al Stewart

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Tom; shy office clerk by day and drawer of foxes by night, wakes up one Monday knowing the most extraordinary week of his life is about to begin. In five days, a lifelong ‘secret’ will be made gloriously public—but will it mean losing the person he loves most?Getting married… It seems only yesterday Tom changed nappies and sang nursery rhymes to a laughing baby...
  • Restitution: A Love Story by Aubrey Cullens

    Restitution: A Love Story by Aubrey Cullens

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Nate Parker has spent the last few years imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. His wrongful conviction cost him his job, his fiancée, his reputation, and his hope for the future. His name has been cleared, but after everything he’s lost, he doesn’t know how to find his way back to the life that was taken from him. Parker Campbell is raising his 9-year-old niece, Emma, on his own...
  • Cort—Unbreakable by Felice Stevens

    Cort—Unbreakable by Felice Stevens

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Cort I spent years waiting for someone who never put me first. He took my love, took me for granted. Took my heart. Now I’m on my own. Living life my way. The crowd only sees my smile. Never my loneliness and pain. I need someone to need me. When I meet another lost soul my friends try to warn me. He’s a liar. A user. Homeless. Heartbroken. He’s all that and more...
  • Gin & Sin by Mia Monroe

    Gin & Sin by Mia Monroe

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Helping him explore his attraction to men was supposed to be no strings fun, not turn me into a whipped puppy dog, but here we are. The college twink scene is wearing on me. Sure, it works out for a no-commitment guy like myself, but the constant drama and faceless rotation of pretty boys in and out of my bed isn’t as exciting as it once was...
  • The Saint and the First-Time Sinner by Romeo Alexander

    The Saint and the First-Time Sinner by Romeo Alexander

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Gay natural caregiver meets arrogant first-time gay.My job isn’t easy but taking care of sick people in the comfort of their own homes is so worthwhile. I like to think I’m professional and know I’m good at what I do, regardless of the circumstances, the patient, or even their families. Maybe it’s because I’ve known loss in my own life, or maybe I was just made for the job...
  • Flare by Posy Roberts

    Flare by Posy Roberts

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Sequel to "Fusion". Hugo Thorson and Kevin Magnus are learning to live again after the death of Kevin's wife, Erin. They're doing everything they can to make a stable home for Kevin’s kids, but that stability is threatened when Kevin is served legal documents: Erin's parents want custody of Brooke and Finn...
  • Assistant Architect [助理建筑师] by Xi He Qing Ling, 羲和清零

    Assistant Architect [助理建筑师] by Xi He Qing Ling, 羲和清零

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    Zhang Siyi, a graduate student of architecture department went back from overseas seeking for work, he had a heated fight with his ex-girlfriend in a cafe. Angered, his ex-girlfriend was about to splash a cup of coffee in his direction but he managed to dodge it. As he stepped back, the misfortune was met by the handsome guy next table instead...
  • Til Death Do Us Part by Jenny Wood

    Til Death Do Us Part by Jenny Wood

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    Two weddings and a new guy! Kayson and Conner finally tie the knot! Because Kayson popped the question a whole ten minutes before Jody got the chance, his wedding is up first. It’s everything they both deserve; complete with Kingsley shenanigans! Jody and Cameron also get hitched in a much more Jody and Cameron kind of way...
  • The Other Daddy by Jason Collins

    The Other Daddy by Jason Collins

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    CADE:Romance is my job, but nothing prepared me for Adrian.When I developed the dating app Matched, I didn’t do it to meet men—especially since I’m straight. But when my sister sets me up on a blind date and I mistake Adrian for a woman’s name, I meet a guy who changes everything I know about myself. I land a second date, and the more we talk, the more I want to know him and his young son...
  • Copper Creek: A Sawyer's Ferry Novel by Cate Ashwood

    Copper Creek: A Sawyer's Ferry Novel by Cate Ashwood

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Frankie: My life sucks. After spending a year jobless and on the edge of becoming homeless, I’d officially reached a level of desperation that, even if I wasn’t completely broke, retail therapy couldn’t fix. While Sawyer’s Ferry, Alaska, is the last place on earth I’d ever want to visit, when my best friend, Holden, begs me to fly out and plan his wedding, I can’t say no...
    Categorized as:
    queer  queer-awakening  m-m  contemporary
  • Love Song by Christina Lee

    Love Song by Christina Lee

    Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 13 ratings
    Thirtysomething bandmates, Nolan Metcalf and Ellis Bloom, have been there for each other through thick and thin. So when a life-changing event sends Ellis to the safety of Nolan’s apartment, he’s grateful for the comfort his best friend provides. They’ve never done anything resembling cuddling and sleepovers before, but Ellis finds he needs it just the same...
  • Into the Light by Carter Quinn

    Into the Light by Carter Quinn

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Avery spent years in the blackness, fighting memories of abuse and feelings of self-loathing. His only sanctuary used to be his brother Sam, but after two years of intensive therapy and a long-term relationship with Noah, his world is a much brighter place. Things have changed in the year and a half since Avery and Noah confessed their love for each other...
  • Foolish Me by Tinnean

    Foolish Me by Tinnean

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    The Light in your Eyes: Book Two A Spy vs Spook Novel Giving up a life as rent boy Sweetcheeks for his lover, William Matheson, was an easy decision for Theo Bascopolis. But years of selling his body and the lingering pain from being thrown out by his father leave Theo worried that Wills, who’s always had his family’s acceptance, can’t truly love him...
  • Ache by Alison Hendricks

    Ache by Alison Hendricks

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    "You're what makes me whole." Doctor Wes Monroe is just looking for another one-night stand. When he takes a stranger home from the bar, he never expects to see the man again--and definitely not at the hospital he calls home. Kyle Harris is ready for a change. New town. New job. New person to mend his broken heart...
  • Fixer Upper by Jason Collins

    Fixer Upper by Jason Collins

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    KIP: Rule one of hiring a handyman: don’t fall in love with him. My new house needs some renovations, and I’ve got my eye on Ted. He’s a contractor from my support group with a hands-on approach and a million-dollar smile, and I’m thrilled when he agrees to help. As it turns out, this renovation isn’t the only thing he’s got in hand. Every time he’s around, I go weak in the knees...
  • This Isn't Me by T.A. McKay

    This Isn't Me by T.A. McKay

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Nathan Cooper thought he had everything in life worked out; his own company, a great best friend, and all the women he could want. That is until one night his whole outlook changed. One misunderstanding, a man instead of a woman, and just like that he was looking at guys like he never had before...
  • ‎Felix by R.J. Scott, Meredith Russell

    ‎Felix by R.J. Scott, Meredith Russell

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Hiring a fake boyfriend for a school reunion seems to be the only solution, but love was never part of the equation.Felix has enough on his plate looking out for his parents, let alone agreeing to being hired for a date with the friend of a friend. His instant attraction to the scatter-brained scientist has him making impulsive decisions he hopes he won’t regret...
  • Two Weeks and a Day by R.G. Alexander

    Two Weeks and a Day by R.G. Alexander

    Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    It’s either the beginning of a great porno or a disaster waiting to happen. That feeling when you’re a thirty-year-old gay virgin with a little OCD, nosy neighbors and a lot of awkward, secret fantasies revolving around your straight best friend? Yeah, that’s me right now...
  • His Adventurous Manny by Lorelei M. Hart

    His Adventurous Manny by Lorelei M. Hart

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Sometimes the best adventures are the ones you don’t plan.Alpha Antonio Ramos has spent the past decade traveling the world and filming his adventures for all to see. When his career comes to a screeching halt after a freak accident, Antonio is left unemployed and without purpose...
  • Pranked by J.J. Riley, Suki Gale

    Pranked by J.J. Riley, Suki Gale

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Jasper was finally home after several failed business ventures, realizing he was far too laid back for the corporate lifestyle. Living in Echo Bay again was not how he saw his life going and opening a bar was never in the plan. Despite that, he does his best to learn to appreciate what he has and works hard to make a life for himself...
  • Someday by Sierra Riley, Stella Starling

    Someday by Sierra Riley, Stella Starling

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 23 ratings
    “When you’re around, you’re all I can see” “Someday, my prince will come.”Danny is an artist, and he has the best job in the world. He gets to create beautiful things at the bakery his best friend owns. The only thing that would make life better is finding his own personal Prince Charming, but despite a life-long addiction to happily-ever-after, he doesn’t really hold out much hope for that...
  • A Pirate's Life for Me: Book Three by Tricia Owens

    A Pirate's Life for Me: Book Three by Tricia Owens

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    Lucas is deeply involved now with Adam and Tyler but are things too good to be true? He's still unsure of his place with the two pirates, torn between wanting to be serious with them and afraid he's being used as a tool to strengthen the men's relationship. The more he learns about Adam and Tyler, the greater his fears grow that all of this is temporary...
  • Don't Fall In Love With Me by Aiden Wilde

    Don't Fall In Love With Me by Aiden Wilde

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    EDDIE Everyone knew Max was a bad boy, but everyone fell for him all the same.When I returned back home to live, he said we should hang out a bit.And that's what we did, except we started to hang out a lot.Because now I was falling for Max, too. MAX No one has ever understood me like Eddie. I was so stoked when I heard he was coming back...
  • Saturated by B.L. Sparrow

    Saturated by B.L. Sparrow

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    Being a college athlete is hard. You and your twin brother having a 'no-sex' pact to remain closeted until your trust funds are released? Also hard. But when one of you is harboring a secret kink from the one person you can tell everything to, that makes things even harder...
  • Self-Love and Lingerie How to Love Your Coworker Vol. 2 by Rie Honjyou

    Self-Love and Lingerie How to Love Your Coworker Vol. 2 by Rie Honjyou

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    Haruta is introverted and always wears a bra to protect his sensitive nipples. What happens when his extroverted coworker figures out his secret and urges him to wear sexy lingerie..
  • Play With Me by Brittany Cournoyer

    Play With Me by Brittany Cournoyer

    Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Tattoos, fixing cars, and his saxophone. Those are the only things Stellan Abernathy cares about—being the tattooed auto mechanic by day and then the sultry saxophone player in a jazz band by night. But all that changes when a wide-eyed bartender captures his attention and refuses to let go. Now, instead of an audience, Stellan only wants to play for—and with—Foster...
  • The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese Vol. 1 by Setona Mizushiro

    The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese Vol. 1 by Setona Mizushiro

    Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    When Otomo Kyoichi's wife starts to suspect that her husband is cheating on her, she hires a private eye, Imagase, to investigate him. However, not only does Imagase know Kyoichi from college, but he's been nursing a crush on the man for years. Imagase gives Kyoichi an ultimatum: if Kyoichi wants to keep his cheating ways under wraps, then he has to give Imagase something in return...
  • Geek Tattoo by R. Cayden

    Geek Tattoo by R. Cayden

    Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    The relationship is fake, so why does his kiss feel so real?Stone is straight. That’s the first reason he can’t be my boyfriend.Straight tattoo artists with dark histories and sad eyes just aren’t meant for geeky guys like me.Even if he does have killer cheekbones…But when our lives get thrown together one day at the park, he proposes something surprising...
  • Spring Rains by R.J. Scott

    Spring Rains by R.J. Scott

    Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    When love is on the line, the only way to move forward is to challenge ghosts of the past and find a place to belong.High School Teacher Chris, an amputee since his teens, has wrestled with darkness and emerged victorious. He’s a pillar of strength in the classroom, deflecting his overbearing family by day and yearning for love by night...
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