Coffee Boys Series by Becca Brant

James: Ryan's been my best friend since freshman year of college. We've always done everything together--including opening a queer-friendly coffee shop in the trendy St. Louis neighborhood of Maplewood. The shop was struggling as rents rose, but when a customer's random selfie caught me giving Ryan the kiss of the century, the whole internet tuned in. (And collectively lost their minds, as far as I can tell... moreJames: Ryan's been my best friend since freshman year of college. We've always done everything together--including opening a queer-friendly coffee shop in the trendy St. Louis neighborhood of Maplewood. The shop was struggling as rents rose, but when a customer's random selfie caught me giving Ryan the kiss of the century, the whole internet tuned in. (And collectively lost their minds, as far as I can tell.) I didn't mean anything by it, but now the world can't get enough of the Coffee Boyfriends, and business has never been better. No craze lasts forever--all we have to do is keep up the act until the internet gets distracted by something else. Then we can go back to being best friends. Piece of cake, right? So why can't I stop thinking about that kiss? Ryan: Yeah, I've had a crush on James since college--who can blame me? But someone as hot as him would never waste their time with too-skinny, too-short me. I'd made peace with that...right up until the internet started having a whole lot of feelings about him sticking his tongue down my throat. I'm having a lot of feelings about that, too. Very explicit feelings. I've been dreaming of James kissing me for years, but not like this--not when it's all just a publicity stunt. How pathetic am I, that I'd go along with this scheme just to get a taste of what it'd be like to be James's boyfriend? I just hope that between our obsessive fans, malfunctioning equipment, and bizarre new employees, I have a chance to enjoy it before he finds me out and puts a stop to it. Ingredients: each 66,000 word serving of Early Morning Mocha contains a stand-alone gay romance, two clueless best friends kissing, thousands of sex-crazed internet fans, frequent detailed accounts of man-on-man loving, a few dozen tacky t-shirts, and one very, very naughty dog. less

Evan: When the most mind-meltingly sexy guy I’ve ever seen walked into the LGBean & Tea, the coffee shop where I work, the second-to-last thing I expected was for him to start hitting on me. The very last thing I expected was for him to invite me to his hotel room for a no-strings-attached hookup. I probably should’ve said no, but instead I went with yes, yes, oh my god yes! Problem is, this no-strings-attached hookup is developing some serious strings. Or I am, anyway... moreEvan: When the most mind-meltingly sexy guy I’ve ever seen walked into the LGBean & Tea, the coffee shop where I work, the second-to-last thing I expected was for him to start hitting on me. The very last thing I expected was for him to invite me to his hotel room for a no-strings-attached hookup. I probably should’ve said no, but instead I went with yes, yes, oh my god yes! Problem is, this no-strings-attached hookup is developing some serious strings. Or I am, anyway. I want more than Will's amazing body--I want that sweet heart inside it, too. But Will’s only in town for a couple weeks, and worse--he’s definitely hiding something. So how do I convince the hottest fling of my life to open up and give me the other kind of happy ending before he leaves for good? Liam: After my last run-in with a too-obsessed fan, my director wanted me to keep a low profile while we shot the next blockbuster on location in St. Louis. I didn’t think a coffee run would put me in any danger, but then a gorgeous barista stole my heart…and other key parts of my anatomy. Oops. I never believed in love at first sight, but this is definitely more than simple lust. Trust doesn’t come easy, though, when one too many past hookups have turned into dangerous stalkers. I want to let Evan in, but what happens when he learns the truth? If he finds out that the guy he knows as Will is actually Hollywood sensation Liam Riley, he’ll never look at me the same way again. Be smart, my director says. Be careful. Believe me--I've tried. But Evan makes me want so much more than just a few hot nights together. And for a guy like this, I might be willing to risk everything. Ingredients: Each 60,000 word serving of Midday Macchiato contains a stand-alone gay romance, one incognito movie star, a healthy dose of coffee shop shenanigans, frequent detailed accounts of man-on-man loving, two dogs in flagrant violation of health codes, and one critical case of love at first…sight. Yeah, let’s go with sight. less

Vincent:  I guess I understand why everyone thinks I'm gay--I mean, I write gay romance novels for a living. But I've got my own reasons for doing what I do, and they don't have anything to do with a secret desire for "turgid love hammers." Well, there was that  one  time...but it was just research. It doesn't count. On top of the gay thing, my best friend Landon thinks my career makes me a modern-day Don Juan... moreVincent:  I guess I understand why everyone thinks I'm gay--I mean, I write gay romance novels for a living. But I've got my own reasons for doing what I do, and they don't have anything to do with a secret desire for "turgid love hammers." Well, there was that  one  time...but it was just research. It doesn't count. On top of the gay thing, my best friend Landon thinks my career makes me a modern-day Don Juan. When he demands I use my powers of the pen to help him woo Skye, the new guy at work, nothing can convince him otherwise. He might leave me alone if I give in, so let the wooing commence. The only problem? Skye's the guy I hooked up with last week. Yeah, I know. It's a long story. Skye:  So I'm a barista now. It sure beats telemarketing, but the LGBT-friendly coffee shop I'm working at is...quirky, to say the least. I've got to learn to mix drinks while also walking the shop dog, trying not to get blown up by local inventor and entrepreneur Felix, and dodging the advances of my coworker Landon, who is  so  not my type. And what's worse, it turns out the "straight" guy I hooked up with last week is a regular, so now I've got to do all this stuff while trying not to think about the way his body looks under those clothes, the way he said my name, the way his lips felt on my... Gotta be honest here, I'm not trying that hard not to think about it. Well, I managed to talk him into my bed once. I bet I can do it again. Ingredients: each 56,000 word serving of Afternoon Americano contains a stand-alone gay romance, one writer in denial, one barista who wants him anyway, three disastrous meet cutes, four even more disastrous business ideas, frequent detailed accounts of man-on-man loving, and more happy endings than you can shake a euphemism at. less