Books like 'Crossed Sticks'
Readers who enjoyed Crossed Sticks by Ryan Taylor & Joshua Harwood also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary gay romance dark romance hockey hurt-comfort sports queer angst friends to lovers found-family
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A Charm of Finches by Suanne Laqueur
“I swear. Give me one more chance and I will make the most of it.”Ex-escort Javier Landes is asking for his third chance at love. And the third time is the charm. He meets an art therapist named Steffen Finch and what starts as casual deepens into a passionate relationship—everything Jav has ever wanted, and everything he fears losing. Stef’s business card reads Curator & Sailor... -
![The Rational Faculty by Gregory Ashe]()
The Rational Faculty by Gregory Ashe
Three months have passed since Emery Hazard and John-Henry Somerset faced a madman and lived to tell about it. Three months have passed since Emery Hazard resigned from his job as a detective. Three months can be too long and too short, all at the same time. On Halloween, a professor at the local college is murdered in his apartment, in front of dozens of witnesses. Then the killer disappears... -
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![Crossing Arizona by Bree Wiley]()
Crossing Arizona by Bree Wiley
He was my home when I had nowhere else to go.XedMatty's the only person who ever mattered to me. Since we were seven years old, he's been my rock, my anchor, and the light guiding me to safety when the world got too dark.Then Hannah was born, and she became the glue holding us in place. It wasn’t perfect, but it was ours—a life we built with our together...Categorized as:
queer sports friends to lovers hurt-comfort found-family friends-benefits angst contemporary -
![Relative Justice by Gregory Ashe]()
Relative Justice by Gregory Ashe
An impossible son. An impossible murder. The honeymoon is definitely over. When Emery Hazard and his husband, John-Henry Somerset, arrive home from their honeymoon, they’re shocked (understatement of the year) to find a boy waiting for them on their doorstep. Colt, fifteen and eager to pick a fight, claims to be Hazard’s son... -
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![Ex Meridian by A.E. Via]()
Ex Meridian by A.E. Via
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsPolice Lieutenants, God and Day are under intense pressure from the chief to take back control of Atlanta’s streets. The last thing their task force needs is a pair of trained killers in town with a personal score to settle... -
![Cult of Personality by Cole McCade]()
Cult of Personality by Cole McCade
ABOUT THIS EPISODE "He pushed me." Three words turn a suspected suicide into an unsettling murder, pointing to a killer whose methods and motives threaten to expose buried memories of Seong-Jae's past... -
![Triangulation by Gregory Ashe]()
Triangulation by Gregory Ashe
After a recent case with a treacherous client, North and Shaw are ready to go back to work building Borealis Investigations. They’re also ready to go back to dodging their feelings for each other, with neither man ready to deal with the powerful emotions the Matty Fennmore case stirred up... -
![Domesticated Beast by Onley James]()
Domesticated Beast by Onley James
JAVIER DE LA FUENTE is a criminal, an ex-con with a long line of offenses, atoning for his sins by rescuing abused animals and advocating for child victims. But that doesn’t mean he’s a saint. Javier learned years ago that what’s right and what’s legal aren’t always the same thing. BOWIE BAKER is a ballet dancer, a soloist doing his best to get ahead in his LA dance company... -
![Anti-Valentine by T. Ashleigh, Ashlyn Drewek]()
Anti-Valentine by T. Ashleigh, Ashlyn Drewek
This Valentine’s Day…the bad boys come out to play…Get ready for an anti-Valentine to remember in this limited release M/M romance anthology. Sixteen authors have come together to bring you a collection of brand-new short stories with a combination of dark, enemies to lovers, and bully themes...Categorized as:
sports friends to lovers angst queer m-m from hate to love contemporary age difference -
![Final Orders by Gregory Ashe]()
Final Orders by Gregory Ashe
An embattled author. Fanatical parents. A son who can’t stay out of trouble. It’s the last one that’ll probably kill him.When Emery Hazard gets drawn into a brawl at a monthly school board meeting, he knows he’s in trouble; his husband, John-Henry Somerset, is chief of police, and they’re already under enough scrutiny as they try to finalize their foster son’s permanency plan... -
![Backdraft by Cole McCade]()
Backdraft by Cole McCade
ABOUT THIS EPISODE When a 911 call goes wrong and a young man goes missing, it falls to Malcolm and Seong-Jae to investigate the responding officers when Internal Affairs' internal politics leave the case compromised and the officers aren't willing to talk... -
![Fracture by Jocelynn Drake, Rinda Elliott]()
Fracture by Jocelynn Drake, Rinda Elliott
After three years, Snow and Jude’s relationship is still passionate and strong. They’re getting ready for a romantic vacation at home when Jude receives a horrifying call no one wants to receive. His youngest brother was found barely clinging to life. While Jude’s family is rallying around Jordan, Jude is determined to find out what happened to him... -
![Olive Juice by T.J. Klune]()
Olive Juice by T.J. Klune
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsIt begins with a message that David cannot ignore:I want to see you.He agrees, and on a cold winter’s night, David and Phillip will come together to sift through the wreckage of the memory of a life no longer lived.David is burdened, carrying with him the heavy guilt of the past six years upon his shoulders.Phillip offers redemption... -
![17 Black and 29 Red by Richard Rider]()
17 Black and 29 Red by Richard Rider
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsSecond part in the Stockholm Syndrome trilogy:Some mistakes are too enormous and some people are too stubborn for anything to work except running away, but the world is never as big as you need it to be and eventually you can't help circling back to where you started... -
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![The Air That I Breathe by Cara Dee]()
The Air That I Breathe by Cara Dee
The Game Series, Book 3.5 “In that moment, I stopped caring about right and wrong.” The only thing that stood between us were the boundaries set by others, by society, by our parents. But together we could knock them down. Together, we could find freedom and live life on our own terms. Screw the rest of the world. He was all that mattered. He was the air that I breathed... -
![Home by Cara Dee]()
Home by Cara Dee
For as long as I can remember, I've only had one goal: survival. It's what I know. There is no future beyond making it through another night and getting my hands on as much money as possible, by any means necessary. Pride and dignity are things I can't afford. It's been the worst year yet—and not because I live on the streets. That's nothing compared to being separated from my little girl... -
![All We Are by Jessie Walker]()
All We Are by Jessie Walker
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsPride.Will and Waylon have been through hell and back—more than once. But they’re still standing, still loving each other, still embracing their found family. And that’s something Will is stupidly proud of. He’s happier than he’s ever been, and more in love than he ever thought possible. He just hopes he can find a way to make Waylon believe in them as much as he does.Pride... -
![Forgive Me Father by Garrett Leigh]()
Forgive Me Father by Garrett Leigh
Expect: a sizzling hurt/comfort MM romance with a damaged chaplain and a dark-souled enforcer with a tender-hearted secret.“I gave my darkest secrets to a man who doesn’t exist.”Embry"...you don’t understand.”Mateo lowered himself to sit, still vibrating with the need to fix me, the way he always did. “Then tell me. Explain it like I’m the simplest idiot you’ve ever met.”I can’t... -
![The Tin Box by Kim Fielding]()
The Tin Box by Kim Fielding
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWilliam Lyon's past forced him to become someone he isn't. Conflicted and unable to maintain the charade, he separates from his wife and takes a job as caretaker at a former mental hospital. Jelley’s Valley State Insane Asylum was the largest mental hospital in California for well over a century, but it now stands empty... -
![WTF by Cambria Hebert]()
WTF by Cambria Hebert
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsI don’t do commitment. And though I swing both ways, I don’t do men either.It’s too messy, too stressful, and just asking for trouble.I’d rather shine bright like the sun than drown in the rain, so I adopt a pounce-and-bounce lifestyle for which my sparkling charm keeps me from being hated.When I show up in Sweden for a semester abroad, I expect a roomie. What I don’t expect is Lars... -
![Wicked Games by Willow Dixon]()
Wicked Games by Willow Dixon
KillianI hate obscure school rules. Especially the one that says siblings have to room together after a tragedy. Now I’m stuck sharing my dorm with my stepbrother, and I have no idea how either of us is going to make it to the end of the school year without offing the other... -
![Forbidden Titan by E.V. Olsen]()
Forbidden Titan by E.V. Olsen
"The devil wears many faces. Today, he wore the one I've been running from for five years."Five years spent running, reinventing myself at every turn, until my stepbrother finally caught up to me.Zach Knight is cold, dangerous, and determined to make me pay for almost destroying his hockey career. But beneath that icy exterior burns something far more intense than revenge... -
![Midnight Target by Elle Kennedy]()
Midnight Target by Elle Kennedy
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Score and Midnight Revenge... Four years ago, Cate’s entire life changed when she discovered she was the daughter of a supersoldier. But Jim Morgan’s overprotectiveness has pushed her away. These days, she’s working as a freelance photographer and living the dangerous life Jim never wanted for her... -
![Crashing Hearts by K.A. Knight]()
Crashing Hearts by K.A. Knight
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsPine Valley is a school that’s both rich in history and legacy, and it’s once more opening its doors to another year of students.Skylar Warren owns the streets of Pine Valley and everybody in it. From cars to people, there is nothing he wants that he can’t get—until now...Categorized as:
sports found-family queer grumpy sunshine from hate to love dark mystery contemporary -
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![Garron Park: Special Edition by Nordika Night]()
Garron Park: Special Edition by Nordika Night
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 34 ratings*This is the same book with the same content as Garron Park [the original] but with special edition formatting and illustrated cover.*Garron Park, where hope dies and no one ever gets ahead. Until… When Devon Sawyer desperately searches for his brother in the middle of the night, beaten and broken, he finds Maddox Kane instead... -
![Stalked But Not Afraid by Nicole Dykes]()
Stalked But Not Afraid by Nicole Dykes
RomanHe’s an influencer—whatever that means. He’s also stunningly beautiful with a feisty attitude I can’t deny intrigues me.But more importantly, he’s in trouble.I’m not like my brother. Except for being a cop, I don’t strive to save the entire world.However, I find myself compelled to save him.If he’ll calm down and just let me.BrooksHe’s everything I despise. He’s a cop...Categorized as:
angst queer found-family m-m from hate to love suspense forced proximity contemporary -
![Happy Krampus Xmas & The Meet Not Cute: Two Xmas Novellas by Paulina Ian-Kane]()
Happy Krampus Xmas & The Meet Not Cute: Two Xmas Novellas by Paulina Ian-Kane
-Happy Krampus XmasHappy Krampus Day!Krampus who? Santa’s evil brother, duh.The horned demon sort of cursed me, and I need to find a way to appease him.Otherwise, I won’t be able to proceed with my donor initiation: blood, torture, death, screams—not in that order.All I need is to follow my three-step groveling plan... -
![Rogue Launch by Cara Dee]()
Rogue Launch by Cara Dee
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsThe Renegades #1 Romantic Suspense Enemies to Lovers Action MM“We will find you, darling. Stay strong. We will find you.”This was exactly what Elliott Jones needed. A nice barbecue with family and friends. The moving trucks were parked outside his new ranch, and he was ready to start fresh. Again. Despite the regrets he lived with, he tried to focus on the good things in life... -
![Chip's Forever Daddy by Sammi Cee]()
Chip's Forever Daddy by Sammi Cee
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsChip’s had a good example of a Daddy—and the absolute worst. Ollie’s determined to give him the best…forever. If Chip didn’t have bad luck, he’d have no luck at all. All he’s ever wanted is a man to see him, truly hear him, and love him. Ollie is the definition of protective, with the muscle to back it up...Categorized as:
queer hurt-comfort found-family friends to lovers m-m contemporary age difference daddy-kink -
![Safe by Taylor McNiff]()
Safe by Taylor McNiff
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA sex trafficking victim and a police officer walk into a gas station... it sounds like a sick joke. Or maybe, just maybe, it'll be the best thing to ever happen to them. Huxley "Huck" Scott just wants a damn cup of coffee. He has too much to deal with already between his demotion to patrol officer, his struggle with his sobriety, and his lingering survivor's guilt... -
![Reigniting Chase by Jeanne St. James]()
Reigniting Chase by Jeanne St. James
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsAn unexpected collaboration between two authors that’s hot enough to spark a fire... ChaseAfter an excruciating loss, I’m desperate for a fresh start.Away from the painful memories.Away from everyone I know and anyone who knows my story.That’s how I end up in Eagle’s Landing, Pennsylvania... -
![Shattered Pieces by K.M. Neuhold]()
Shattered Pieces by K.M. Neuhold
“I was sure my heart had withered away years ago, but then you smiled at me, and I felt it beat again.” ~Gage Years ago, I fell in love with my best friend’s little brother. Then, he took his own life, leaving me shattered and unable to piece my heart back together. I’ve been a zombie for nine long years...Categorized as:
friends to lovers queer m-m contemporary tearjerkers tortured hero dark length-short -
![How Much for a Broken Heart? by R.J. Scott]()
How Much for a Broken Heart? by R.J. Scott
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen the game turns deadly for a SEAL and his Ranger, love becomes the most dangerous mission of all.In a single devastating morning, August's life crumbles. His covert assignment derails disastrously as the family he's meant to safeguard falls prey to the ruthless Cooper River cartel... -
![Unquiet by Melanie Hansen]()
Unquiet by Melanie Hansen
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsLoren Smith has been in love with Eliot Devlin almost his entire life. During their turbulent childhood and teen years, Loren didn’t always understand Eliot, and sometimes he could be a challenge, but Eliot was the only one to ever truly ease Loren’s deep loneliness and accept him... -
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![Deliverance by Garrett Leigh]()
Deliverance by Garrett Leigh
Banished gangster Benito Martell is living on the edge. An explosive hook-up in a club gifts him the relief he craves, but nothing about his life is ever so simple. Complications abound, and before long, he’s falling for the only man who can save his family from eviction.Recovering addict Mickey Larwood has worked hard to leave his past behind... -
![A Love Song for the Sad Man in the White Coat by Roe Horvat]()
A Love Song for the Sad Man in the White Coat by Roe Horvat
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsSimon had always expected love to feel different than this. Whether it was his Catholic upbringing or the poetry he'd read - Simon had thought that true love would be uplifting, fulfilling, that it would give a meaning to his loitering, and add joy to his leisure. But not this kind of love. This love was a flesh-eating monster, sharp-clawed and evil-eyed, ravishing his mind with medieval cruelty... -
![Home Then by A.E. Jensen]()
Home Then by A.E. Jensen
ColtonAfter being in the army for more than 20 years, Colton returns to his home town in Nebraska. His estranged uncle has offered him a job at his auto shop. With nothing to his name, he hopes to start over and build some sort of life. Preferably a quiet life where he doesn’t have to deal with the rest of the world...Categorized as:
friends to lovers hurt-comfort queer found-family contemporary m-m military mental illness -
![Nightingale by Laura Lascarso]()
Nightingale by Laura Lascarso
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsAn accountant and an assassin set off on a homicidal mission to avenge the wrongs of the past…Since the moment we met as children at Saint Bernadine’s School for Boys, Julien has held my heart hostage. Now, he’s a ruthless and cunning assassin, known to many only by his code name Nightingale, and I am again at his mercy when he forces me to accompany him on his next hit... -
![Hide and Seek by Willow Dixon]()
Hide and Seek by Willow Dixon
JaxIt was supposed to be an easy keep an eye on Myles until I’m sure he’s not a threat to us, then forget he exists and go back to living my life.But there’s something different about him. Something that speaks to my dark side and turns an easy job into an obsession. I want things from him I’ve never wanted before, and the more I watch him, the more I’m sure he wants them too... -
![Remember Me by Avril Ashton]()
Remember Me by Avril Ashton
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTheirs was a connection that began and ended in the shadows. Secret moments. Missed opportunities and what-ifs. Wanting more than what they had, but grateful with the bits of happiness they snatched.A bullet stole it away, setting two men adrift. One waiting in the darkness for light to shine once again... -
![Saving Sparrow by C.P. Harris]()
Saving Sparrow by C.P. Harris
A missing husband.A deadly storm.A stranger he shouldn’t trust.Miguel Ramirez was living his happily ever after with husbands Quentin and Elliott when tragedy struck. He’s left reeling after waking up in a hospital bed to find both his husbands gone—but only one is missing...Categorized as:
friends to lovers hurt-comfort found-family queer angst m-m-m spanking height-difference -
![White Rabbit, Part I by Cole McCade]()
White Rabbit, Part I by Cole McCade
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA tense standoff with Sila uncovers more than Seong-Jae ever wanted to know about the strings Sila's pulled in his past. The pain he's caused. The deaths he's responsible for.And he may be responsible for yet one more, as Sila uses his own life as a bargaining chip to keep Malcolm and Seong-Jae at bay... -
![Make Me Soar by K.C. Wells]()
Make Me Soar by K.C. Wells
Collars and Cuffs: Book Six Anyone who frequents Collars & Cuffs knows Dorian Forrester is built for pain, including Dorian himself. But everyone has it wrong. For six years, Dorian’s chased a feeling that remains tantalizingly out of his reach. Unteachable, Dorian can take anything and everything a Dom can throw at him. Still, it’s not enough. Dorian needs… something more... -
![Boxed In by Rachel Haimowitz, Heidi Belleau]()
Boxed In by Rachel Haimowitz, Heidi Belleau
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn the exciting final season of the Flesh Cartel . . .With the help of the FBI, Mat Carmichael has let himself be re-taken by the Flesh Cartel. Objective? Rescue his brother, exact revenge, and destroy the entire organization from the inside... -
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![Nevermore by A.K. Graves]()
Nevermore by A.K. Graves
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsWhen Leonor died, she didn’t see a light.There were no angels, no pearly gates.She didn’t see anything at all, just a cold, dark void.But she did hear music…Leonor heard her music, the music she made with The Ravens, and she was glad it was waiting for her in the end.Until everything went eerily silent, and she was pulled from the afterlife and thrown into the life after... -
![Hazardous by Charity Parkerson]()
Hazardous by Charity Parkerson
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsWulf and Beau have nothing in common. There’s no reason for them to see each other at all. So why can’t they stay away? Wulf’s friend married Beau’s brother. That’s it. They have no other common ground. Wulf isn’t certain they even like each other. They have nothing to talk about when Wulf finds himself on Beau’s couch. Neither of them calls or sends texts between unexpected visits... -
![Independence Day by Rachel Haimowitz, Heidi Belleau]()
Independence Day by Rachel Haimowitz, Heidi Belleau
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMat and Douglas’s time as Nikolai’s wards is finally drawing to a close. Though torn apart by Nikolai’s machinations, their fates are still inextricably entwined: they’ve been sold to the same cruel master, and are united in their desire to go home... -
![Signs of Life by Melanie Hansen]()
Signs of Life by Melanie Hansen
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSuccessful lawyer Jeremy Speer has it all—a loving husband, a beautiful home, and a cherished dream that’s about to become reality. He’s learned not to take happiness for granted, meeting the challenges of life and love head-on with unwavering commitment and fierce devotion. A series of tragic events leave Jeremy shattered, adrift on a sea of unimaginable pain... -
![Custody Battles by Gregory Ashe]()
Custody Battles by Gregory Ashe
Some parents would die for their children. Others will do a whole lot worse.Emery Hazard and his husband, John-Henry Somerset, are settling into their new normal—at home, with the latest addition to their family, and at work, as Somers adapts to his new role and Hazard manages his expanding agency. The only thing Hazard is worried about is getting through dinner with his in-laws... -
![Black Lies by K.A. Merikan]()
Black Lies by K.A. Merikan
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 11 ratings"That man is not your fairytale ending." Griffith has spent two of the most amazing years with his boyfriend Mark, who is undoubtedly The One. Mark is everything Griffith could want in a man. Sexy, kind, always there for him, showering him with gifts and anticipating his needs...
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