Cocky Series by Sean Ashcroft

“I’m having a little trouble coming up with the right words here, so I’ll be blunt. I want you to pretend to date me.” Faking a relationship with an injured hockey player had never been on Eliot’s to-do list, but when he’s sent by his editor to interview the newly-out hockey legend Danny Harper, he gets a little more than he bargained for. Eliot has been stuck writing a fashion and grooming column that no one reads since he started at Cocky—a men’s lifestyle magazine—a year ago... more“I’m having a little trouble coming up with the right words here, so I’ll be blunt. I want you to pretend to date me.” Faking a relationship with an injured hockey player had never been on Eliot’s to-do list, but when he’s sent by his editor to interview the newly-out hockey legend Danny Harper, he gets a little more than he bargained for. Eliot has been stuck writing a fashion and grooming column that no one reads since he started at Cocky—a men’s lifestyle magazine—a year ago. Desperate to prove himself, he takes the assignment to interview Harper, even though he couldn’t hold a hockey stick the right way up in an emergency. Danny turns out to be nothing like he expected—a lonely man who’s missed out on a lot by being in the closet, rather than the overconfident jock Eliot expects him to be. As much as he resists it, Eliot finds himself drawn to the other man. When Danny proposes they fake a relationship to improve his image, Eliot jumps at the chance—not only does he need the money, but his curiosity about Danny demands to be satisfied. With Danny struggling to get through the season on a busted knee and Eliot digging up the story that could make his own career, can the two of them bring themselves to admit their real feelings and find their happy ending? Cocky is a standalone gay romance with a HEA and no cliffhanger. It does, however, contain peppermint lip balm, platonic(ish) bed-sharing, explicit sex scenes, hockey-related injuries, and several five a.m. starts. less

When he arrives back in LA after ten years away, the last thing Sam expects is to end up being roped into pretending to be with the man he’d left behind for the sake of a magazine article. After a near-death experience that left him scarred and changed, all he wants to do is lick his wounds and live quietly for a while. But how is he supposed to resist the pull of one last adventure with the love of his life? Seeing Sam again is the last thing Ben needs... moreWhen he arrives back in LA after ten years away, the last thing Sam expects is to end up being roped into pretending to be with the man he’d left behind for the sake of a magazine article. After a near-death experience that left him scarred and changed, all he wants to do is lick his wounds and live quietly for a while. But how is he supposed to resist the pull of one last adventure with the love of his life? Seeing Sam again is the last thing Ben needs. With his last chance to prove that Ballsy is a viable project on the line, he hasn’t got time for anything else. All the same, he can’t bring himself to ignore Sam when he shows up unannounced. When the opportunity to spend the weekend undercover with him at a couples’ retreat comes up, he jumps at it, hoping that this will be the second chance he’s always secretly wanted. As if facing their feelings for each other after so long wasn’t hard enough, Ben unexpectedly stumbles across the story that will save Ballsy while at the retreat. Will he still have time to repair his relationship with Sam? Or will both men’s doubts and fears get in the way of their happily ever after? Ballsy is a standalone gay romance which takes place in the same world as Cocky, and follows Ben’s story. It has a HEA and no cliffhanger. It does, however, contain a basket full of lubricant, rock climbing, awful-smelling massage oil, explicit sex scenes, and the bad guy getting busted. less