Unexpected Love Series by Rayne Hawthorne, D.W. Michaels

Namid. I may not know where I come from, or who I am, but I’ve done my best to build a life for myself. I know a handful of people in town, I have a nice place to live, and I enjoy my job. I look just like everyone else. But I don’t feel like everyone else, because I feel…everything. The emotions of others get tangled with my own as they race through my heart and sink into my soul. They set my nerves on fire and rearrange my cells and spread across my skin until they consume me. Jayce... moreNamid. I may not know where I come from, or who I am, but I’ve done my best to build a life for myself. I know a handful of people in town, I have a nice place to live, and I enjoy my job. I look just like everyone else. But I don’t feel like everyone else, because I feel…everything. The emotions of others get tangled with my own as they race through my heart and sink into my soul. They set my nerves on fire and rearrange my cells and spread across my skin until they consume me. Jayce. I don’t know how to explain what it’s like to lose half of your soul, to fall into grief so dark and relentless that you lose yourself. That’s what it feels like I’ve lost. Half of my soul. I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to try to fill in the gaps. I don’t want to walk into rooms that are populated by memories. I don’t want to hear the voice of a ghost echoing in my head. When the eccentric, introverted man who was found on the side of the road without any memories a decade ago takes pity on me and offers his help, for some reason, I find myself unable to say no. Even though I don't know him, when he's standing by my side, for one brief moment, I forget to hurt. Beneath the Indigo Sky is a 75000 word, MM, slow burn, contemporary romance filled with angst, grief, found family, longing, forests, road trips, stargazing, sweet dates, and of course a HEA. There are also minor paranormal elements that are left deliberately open to reader interpretation. Unexpected Love. A Trilogy. current estimated release dates are. fall 2024 - spring 2025. This contemporary romance series will consist of three novels. Each book will follow a different couple, but there will be cameos/minor overlapping plots. They are meant to be read as a series rather than as stand alone books. While each couple will get a hard-earned HEA, there will be plenty of angst and heartbreak along the way. less

Ethan. I’ve been in love before. It's a fact that I cling to with frighteningly intense desperation as I try to convince myself that I’m normal. Ok, so I’ve only been in love once, but I know that for at least one brief, shining moment, the world and everything in it felt like magic. I know love exists. I know it does, because when I’m lying in bed alone at night, I can still feel it. I know deep in my soul that I’m capable of love. I have to be... moreEthan. I’ve been in love before. It's a fact that I cling to with frighteningly intense desperation as I try to convince myself that I’m normal. Ok, so I’ve only been in love once, but I know that for at least one brief, shining moment, the world and everything in it felt like magic. I know love exists. I know it does, because when I’m lying in bed alone at night, I can still feel it. I know deep in my soul that I’m capable of love. I have to be. I don’t know why I continue to subject my broken, hollowed out shell of a heart to the idea of falling in love again, but I don’t have it in me to quit just yet. I’ll give it one more try. One more attempt to build a real life for myself before giving up, because some part of me is still holding on to hope, no matter how dangerous that is. Blue. Love and romance aren't for me. When I was young and naïve I dreamed of them, just like everyone else I suppose. Then I fell in love, only to end up hurt. I fell in love again, only to get hurt again. Eventually, I learned my lesson. Love, romantic love at least, isn't usually real, and when it is, it never lasts. Every time I’ve fallen it’s been fast and hard, and every time I’ve ended up patching the broken, tattered pieces of my body and soul back together on my own. Love and I just aren’t compatible. So why can't I stop watching the beautiful auburn-haired man that's recently become a regular at the coffee shop? I know what the result of indulging this hormone induced fascination will be. I’ll end up hurt, and alone, and wondering yet again how something that once seemed so good could have gone so desperately wrong. The Embrace of Evergreen is a 90000 word, MM, slow burn, contemporary romance filled with loss, found family, longing, forest hikes, glass blowing, sweet road trips with only one bed, friends to lovers, demi-rep, quirky best friends, and of course a HEA. There is also just the tiniest bit of unexplained magic that is deliberately open to reader interpretation. Unexpected Love. A Trilogy. current estimated release dates are. fall 2024 - spring 2025. This contemporary romance series will consist of three novels. Each book will follow a different couple, but there will be cameos/minor overlapping plots. They are meant to be read as a series rather than as stand alone books. While each couple will get a hard-earned HEA, there will be plenty of angst and heartbreak along the way. As each couple is unique, the levels of angst vs. humor will vary with each book. less

Gabriel. I can do this. Lots of people have hookups rather than relationships. I mean, I’ve had them in the past, I just didn’t realize that’s what they were at the time. It’s not my fault that I assumed those encounters were going to turn into something more even though the men I was with didn’t end up feeling the same. Tonight, I’m not going to let myself fall into old patterns, and nothing is going to change my mind. I’m going to completely forget that I believe in love... moreGabriel. I can do this. Lots of people have hookups rather than relationships. I mean, I’ve had them in the past, I just didn’t realize that’s what they were at the time. It’s not my fault that I assumed those encounters were going to turn into something more even though the men I was with didn’t end up feeling the same. Tonight, I’m not going to let myself fall into old patterns, and nothing is going to change my mind. I’m going to completely forget that I believe in love. I have a job I enjoy, my performance art, and friends that would burn down the world for me - even if I do worry sometimes that one of these days they’ll finally leave me too. Tonight is the start of a new life and a new me. No prince charming required. Yep…I can do this. Liam. There was a time not all that long ago when I felt lost and out of control. Like the world surrounding me wasn’t real, and I wasn’t sure how to survive in it after all that I’d seen. These days, things are a bit better. I have my bakery where my work is repetitive and focused. One step after the other, the same steps as yesterday, the same steps tomorrow. It’s calm and consistent and ordered. I need that. Still, there are moments it’s not enough. That’s okay though, because when even the bakery won’t calm me, the water will. I’ve always felt a sense of peace when I’m near the water. I lose myself under the surface or sit and listen to the waves and wonder if my heart and mind will ever manage to settle. If I’m still capable of joy and love and peace. If I’ll ever really find a way to belong in this world. Or if memories and emotions will push and pull like the endless turning of the tide until the sharp edges of pain and loss that have shaped so much of my life are worn smooth and there is nothing left of me but a pebble tossed up on the shore. The Call of Azure is a 100000 word, MM, slow burn, contemporary romance filled with found family, mutual pining, snark and sass, fake swears, a feisty dog, soup, performance art, and of course a HEA. There is also just the tiniest bit of unexplained magic that is deliberately open to reader interpretation. Unexpected Love. A Trilogy. This contemporary romance series consists of three novels. Each book follows a different couple, but there are cameos/minor overlapping plots. They are meant to be read as a series rather than as stand alone books. While each couple gets a hard-earned HEA, there is plenty of angst and heartbreak along the way. As each couple is unique, the levels of angst vs. humor will vary with each book. less