Finding Forever Series by Marie Sinclair

Young love, a snow storm, and a chance to say "I love you" for the first time. Ry loves Cart. Cart loves Ry. But neither one is ready to say it. A winter’s walk might help them take the next step. As seniors in college, they’re looking forward to a future with each other. The only problem is Ry’s in the closet because his conservative parents won’t accept him as gay, and Cart isn’t sure about a relationship with someone who won’t even hold his hand in public... moreYoung love, a snow storm, and a chance to say "I love you" for the first time. Ry loves Cart. Cart loves Ry. But neither one is ready to say it. A winter’s walk might help them take the next step. As seniors in college, they’re looking forward to a future with each other. The only problem is Ry’s in the closet because his conservative parents won’t accept him as gay, and Cart isn’t sure about a relationship with someone who won’t even hold his hand in public. When a snow storm cancels classes, Cart and Ry take a walk and go to a friend’s house for a party, while the words "I love you" dance on their tongues. A secret snow garden, ballroom dancing lessons, the lure of the annual Winter’s Ball, and some winter loving conspire to make this a day they will remember forever. This 25,000-word novella is a stand-alone prequel to A Kind of Forever, Book One in the Finding Forever series. less

Ry and Cart were inseparable in college: two innocent kids in love who thought they could take on the world. But when a photograph of the two of them at an LGBTQ protest outed Ry to his conservative family, his parents forced him to leave college and convinced Cart their relationship was something Ry regretted. Twelve years later, they’re given a second chance. Since they last saw each other, Cart has moved on. Sort of... moreRy and Cart were inseparable in college: two innocent kids in love who thought they could take on the world. But when a photograph of the two of them at an LGBTQ protest outed Ry to his conservative family, his parents forced him to leave college and convinced Cart their relationship was something Ry regretted. Twelve years later, they’re given a second chance. Since they last saw each other, Cart has moved on. Sort of. He relocated to San Francisco, became a human-rights lawyer, and fell in love again and got married, only to lose his husband to cancer. Still reeling from the loss, he’s devoted himself to the struggling LGBTQ youth center his late husband founded. Then Ry joins the law firm where Cart works. The moment they see each other, Cart can tell Ry’s changed. Gone is the sensuous and enthusiastic lover Cart remembers, and in his place is a man who looks at Cart with disgust. The last thing Cart needs is having to figure out what’s going on with his former lover, but he can’t ignore the strong emotions resurfacing between them. When Ry returned to his hometown of San Francisco, he knew being near his parents again was going to be a challenge. For twelve years, they’ve been manipulating him with threats of being disinherited and losing his trust fund. It worked when he was younger, getting him to leave college and agree to conversion therapy in the hopes of getting away and returning to Cart. But the camp caused him so much trauma, he can’t even look at another man without experiencing a panic attack. Now his goal is to beat his parents at their own game by pretending to be the dutiful, straight son they want. Two more years, and he’ll succeed. Then he sees Cart again and realizes what really matters to him. He just needs to find a way for Cart to realize it too. Trigger Warnings: This book contains references to attempted suicide, conversion therapy, depression, and self-harm, as well as depictions of PTSD and panic attacks. less

First times. First loves. The perfect summer romance. Maybe. Jake only exchanged a handful of words with his college roommate’s incredibly hot best friend, but he can't stop thinking about Micah. When his roommate invites Jake to visit for the final month of summer break, Jake jumps at the chance to escape being home with his alcoholic father and figure out why Micah seems different from all the guys he's ever hooked up with... moreFirst times. First loves. The perfect summer romance. Maybe. Jake only exchanged a handful of words with his college roommate’s incredibly hot best friend, but he can't stop thinking about Micah. When his roommate invites Jake to visit for the final month of summer break, Jake jumps at the chance to escape being home with his alcoholic father and figure out why Micah seems different from all the guys he's ever hooked up with. Micah’s surprised to see Jake show up on Long Island, but a month around the guy he's been crushing on is a dream come true. Even better, Jake seems to return his interest. Despite repeated warnings that Jake isn’t a relationship kind of guy, Micah knows he’s falling hard. He wants Jake to be his first for everything. Now the only question is whether Jake wants those things too. Nothing Like a Summer Romance is a 45,000-word prequel to Nothing Like Forever, book two in the Finding Forever Series. less

Theirs should have been the swooniest of love-at-first sight stories, but from the beginning, nothing about Micah and Jake resembled a fairy tale. Friendship, relationship, whatever-the-hell-ship, Micah is certain of only three things. One, their connection is unlike any he’s had with anyone else. Two, Jake is not his boyfriend. Because the one time he used that word, Jake broke his heart. And three, no matter how far the distance, however long the silences, Jake will always be there for him... moreTheirs should have been the swooniest of love-at-first sight stories, but from the beginning, nothing about Micah and Jake resembled a fairy tale. Friendship, relationship, whatever-the-hell-ship, Micah is certain of only three things. One, their connection is unlike any he’s had with anyone else. Two, Jake is not his boyfriend. Because the one time he used that word, Jake broke his heart. And three, no matter how far the distance, however long the silences, Jake will always be there for him. Ever since Jake’s college days, he has stuck to iron-clad rules about hook-ups. No overnights. No repeats. No exceptions. Micah is the only one who’s made him break those rules, an anomaly he finds endlessly intriguing and frustrating. No matter how often they trip over each other’s boundaries, Jake can’t deny something always brings them back together. And it isn’t just that Micah is the sexiest, most passionate man he’s ever met. It’s something buried deeper—and that scares the hell out of him. Note: More than friends with benefits but less than partners, Micah and Jake figure it out on a twenty-year journey chronicled in Nothing Like Forever. It’s a slow-burn soulmates story with an unconventional, on-again-off-again relationship, pining from afar and up close, consensual non-monogamy (off page), hot reconnection sex (on page), aromantic awakening, and a unique HEA. Also, drag shows. Content Warning: this book contains references to alcoholism and dementia. less

Forever After was a 2023 finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in Gay Romance. After a fire destroys his apartment, Diego has no choice but to move in with the person least likely to welcome him with open arms: Alex, the recently divorced, presumably straight guy who didn’t take kindly to Diego hitting on him at a friend’s wedding. Unfortunately, Alex can’t exactly complain about the living arrangements. After his wife cheated, he moved across the country to San Francisco to start over... moreForever After was a 2023 finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in Gay Romance. After a fire destroys his apartment, Diego has no choice but to move in with the person least likely to welcome him with open arms: Alex, the recently divorced, presumably straight guy who didn’t take kindly to Diego hitting on him at a friend’s wedding. Unfortunately, Alex can’t exactly complain about the living arrangements. After his wife cheated, he moved across the country to San Francisco to start over. The place he’s living belongs to a friend, so when Jake also offers Diego a room, Alex needs to figure out how to deal with the exceptionally hot, sex-positive, queer youth counselor whose gaydar has picked up that Alex isn’t as straight as everyone thinks he is. Forced to live in the same house, Alex and Diego are about as combustible as fire and gasoline. But when Alex’s thirteen-year-old comes out as trans masc and moves into the house with them, Alex begins to see another side of Diego, and Diego realizes this sullen, complicated man has a heart of gold that’s been stomped on a few too many times. Once the walls start to come down, Alex and Diego realize they have a lot in common. Not to mention an attraction that blazes hotter the more they get to know each other. Forever After is an enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, bi-awakening story. It is Book Three in the Finding Forever series but can be read as a stand-alone novel. Please use the Look Inside feature to read the book’s trigger warning. less