Tag: contemporary

Drag Queens, Emo Teens & Big Dreams

Drag Queens, Emo Teens & Big Dreams

Muscles and Mascara #1

Dylan James

For Corbin, his secret double-life as a drag queen is the escape he needs from his oppressive life as the son in a hyper-masculine family. But that escape comes to an end when his older brother finds out his secret.

Corbin has two secrets.

The first secret is that he’s gay. He’s known it for a while now and six months ago he met a cute guy and they’ve been dating ever since. But he can’t tell anyone. His father is like a one-man Marine recruitment poster and has made every effort to raise Corbin to be an alpha male. If he finds out Corbin is gay, he’ll forbid Corbin from seeing his boyfriend, dooming the relationship to an unhappy end.

The second secret is that he’s a drag queen. On Sundays he heads to the queer café and dons his best dress, wig, and heels, and becomes Misty Rain, putting on a captivating show to an adoring crowd. While coming out as gay would lead to a crack-down from his Dad, the punishment for putting on a dress and heels would be ten times worse—he’d be shipped off to military school and there’d be absolutely no hope for Corbin and his love.

So far, Corbin has managed to keep his secrets.

But when his older brother comes home while on leave from the Marines, he happens to catch the drag show featuring Corbin—and he spots his brother right away.

Corbin’s perfectly structured life and his big dreams are all about to come crashing down.

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Click here for Dylan James's Deep Desires Press page.

Drag Queens, Emo Teens & Big Dreams is published by Deep Hearts YA, the young adult imprint of Deep Desires Press. For more information on Deep Hearts YA, please click here to visit the website.

Dying Before Living

Dying Before Living

Chris Bedell

Cameron wants nothing more than to just be left alone and live his life without being considered a freak. Ryder intrudes on that loneliness and, unexpectedly, Cameron is okay with it. But as secrets unravel and people start dying, Cameron must use his greatest secret to save himself—and risk everything in the process.

Cameron is alive.

That’s a big deal considering he had died of a genetic disease and then been put in cold storage until science could fix him and bring him back to life. But being a once-dead teen is nowhere near as much fun as one might expect. He gets no privacy because everyone knows who he is. He sometimes wonders about mortality and what happens—or what doesn’t happen—in the afterlife.

And then there’s his strange, newfound ability to make objects levitate and move if he just focuses his attention on them.

So when Ryder hits on him, the last thing Cameron wants in this world is to enter into a relationship.

When Cameron’s grandmother is murdered in broad daylight, he soon discovers her secret—his grandmother, who worked at the biotech company that revived him, was secretly communicating with the media and about to leak confidential files. Grappling with the overwhelming pressures of life and death, the nosy media, and the rising crime rate in his town, Cameron starts using those secret powers of his to get a sense of justice and order into his world. And try as he might to avoid it, he soon falls for Ryder.

But nothing is easy. Especially when Cameron uncovers the secret his grandmother wanted to leak about her boss...and it gets messy with that boss being Ryder’s father.

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Click here for Chris Bedell's Deep Desires Press page.

Dying Before Living is published by Deep Hearts YA, the young adult imprint of Deep Desires Press. For more information on Deep Hearts YA, please click here to visit the website.

The Mixtape to My Life

The Mixtape to My Life

Jake Martinez

Justin Ortega doesn’t just make mixtapes, he lives them.

Justin Ortega might as well be starring in his very own coming-of-age 80s movie. If only he could find his dream boy to pull up in front of his house in a red convertible and sweep him off his feet, already! At seventeen years young, he isn’t quite Mexican enough for his South Texas town; isn’t manly enough for his father; can sometimes be too much of a smart mouth for his mother; and as for the other kids at school—let’s just say he’d be cast as the quiet nerd with a heart of gold…and an ear for music.

The one solace Justin has is his love of 80s hair metal bands, which he listens to on his beloved Sony Walkman. The songs, lyrics, and melody keep him just sane enough to escape the pressures of school and help navigate the hurdles life brings. Especially with the doozy this year is shaping up to be. Not only does he have to try out for a captain position which is rightfully his, but his best friend has found a new girlfriend, leaving Justin to fend for himself in a school where he’s mostly known as simply Coconut.

Enter Dominic Mendoza. Sweet, funny, and a blast from his past, the hunky football player has moved in next door. Justin could never forget how Dominic protected him in the eighth grade, nor the way Dominic made him feel, then…and now.

Except, this isn’t a movie. Confusion, friendship, and love won’t guarantee a happy ending unless Justin can learn to accept himself for who he truly is. Hair bands and all.

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Click here for Jake Martinez's Deep Desires Press page.
The Mixtape to My Life is published by Deep Hearts YA, the young adult imprint of Deep Desires Press. For more information on Deep Hearts YA, please click here to visit the website.

I’ll See You Again

I'll See You Again

Chris Bedell

A fling with the person Cyrus hates most offers him a welcome distraction from his mother’s battle with cancer.

It’s the start of his senior year, and Cyrus should be worried about college applications, procrastinating on homework, and staying up past his bedtime. And he does, until his mother’s cancer returns.

To make matters worse, Nico Valentine—the person Cyrus hates most—insists on being his friend. Carefree, flirtatious, and spontaneous, Nico is everything Cyrus’s childhood never allowed him to be. When their English teacher offers Cyrus extra credit to tutor Nico, Cyrus knows he shouldn’t accept. He could use the distraction, though.

A fling soon ensues, and Cyrus realizes they have more in common than he thought. What is more, Nico is the first person who seems to get him and who is there no matter what. But, if Cyrus wants his romance with Nico to turn into something real, he’ll have to do something he’s never done before—be vulnerable with another person.

Adam Silvera’s HISTORY IS ALL YOU LEFT ME meets Rachel Lynn Solomon’s YOU’LL MISS ME WHEN I’M GONE in this tale of heartbreak and second chances.

Content Advisory:
This novel contains discussions and scenes of self-harm and suicide ideation.

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Click here for Chris Bedell's Deep Desires Press page.
I'll See You Again is published by Deep Hearts YA, the young adult imprint of Deep Desires Press. For more information on Deep Hearts YA, please click here to visit the website.

Gay Love and Other Christmas Magic

Gay Love and Other Christmas Magic

Jordan and Benjamin Forever #2

Dylan James

Can Christmas magic reunite two sets of young lovers before the night is over?

It’s been six months since Benjamin finally came out and publicly declared his love for his long-time best friend Jordan. And in those six months, so much has changed. They’ve both moved out, living in the university dorms, and they’re both overloaded with homework.

Although heading home on separate flights for the holiday, they still plan to spend this Christmas—their first as a couple—together, making up for the months of limited boyfriend time. But, when the snowstorm of the century hits New York City, Benjamin is stranded at the airport, with Jordan trapped at school. Unable to get in contact with each other, this very special first Christmas seems destined to be the worst one ever.

While Jordan is devastated, believing Benjamin to have already left the state, Benjamin is determined to get back to the dorms and into the arms of his boyfriend. The perilous trek through New York City is beset with obstacles all along the way, and he worries he’ll never make it back to Jordan. Yet, a little Christmas magic, and help from a few strangers, teach Benjamin not only is the impossible within reach, but that his relationship with Jordan is the best Christmas present of all.

This very special holiday follow-up to the bestselling Gay Love and Other Fairy Tales is a heartwarming journey that uncovers the true meaning of Christmas.

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Click here for Dylan James's Deep Desires Press page.
Gay Love and Other Christmas Magic is published by Deep Hearts YA, the young adult imprint of Deep Desires Press. For more information on Deep Hearts YA, please click here to visit the website.

Deathly Desires

Deathly Desires

Chris Bedell

17-year-old Cody’s biggest problem isn’t his relationship with a grim reaper so he can get over a past unrequited crush. It’s his “I Know What You Did Last Summer” like situation him and his friends are trying to solve before they die themselves.

I know what you did last spring…

When 17-year-old Cody's unrequited crush, Mason, is killed by his friend Veronica, he helps her successfully cover up the murder. That is until the start of their Junior Year, when everyone involved receives a menacing note from someone who knows what they did.

The blackmail about Mason’s death quickly escalates to stalking, arson, and attempted murder. Cody and his friends must discover who found them out before they get killed themselves. And fast.

Noah has an altogether different secret. He’s a grim reaper, escorting people to the afterlife when they die. When his path collides with Cody, a spark soon forms between them. But whether they can make their relationship work is a different question. If Cody and Noah want a real chance at love, they’re going to have to be honest with each other about everything they’ve been hiding from the world.

If you like your PRETTY LITTLE LIARS with a hefty dose of Tara Sim’s TIMEKEEPER, Deathly Desires is the book for you.

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Click here for Chris Bedell's Deep Desires Press page.
Deathly Desires is published by Deep Hearts YA, the young adult imprint of Deep Desires Press. For more information on Deep Hearts YA, please click here to visit the website.

The Line of Succession 3: Interregnum

The Line of Succession 3: Interregnum

Harry F. Rey

Chaos rules an empty throne.

The Queen remains steadfastly in a coma. James is adjusting to his life as prince regent, helped by new eye-candy Samuel, while Andrew faces up to the reality of working for the opposition—James’ twin sister Alexandra. Andrew and James now find themselves on opposite sides of the war of succession.

With Alexandra’s bombshell article due to shock the monarchy to its core, she must seek out political allies to take the throne while keeping her restless husband Faisal in check. But the establishment is fighting back, and they’ll use even the most diabolical means to ensure James will produce an heir.

The powerful forces behind Operation Rex face a greater threat—Lizzie’s plans to expose the monarchy’s deadliest secrets to the world. Her pact with the IRA may finally avenge her parents’ murder… and truly enthrone a reign of chaos during this interregnum.

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Casting Couch

Casting Couch

Slave to Beauty #3

Tim Bartholomew

Catapulted out of his comfort zone and into the torrid atmosphere of a Moscow film studio, can a guileless and irresistible young man escape erotic possibilities with a clear conscience, or must he risk everything?

When artless Cambridge academic Andrew Billingham is beguiled into playing the handsome prince in a Russian TV commercial, he and gorgeous wife Bryony decide it’s too good an opportunity to miss.

Filming in the stifling heat of a Moscow summer, however, irresistible Andrew is accosted by studio folk—men and women alike— who jostle for his sexual favors. The evident adoration of Emilia he would reciprocate, were he single; director Jonny’s advances he would find not unappealing, were he gay; although, Bryony did allow her husband carte blanche should he find himself desiring another.

Conflicted between keeping his conscience clear and his urges to cave in to the many erotic possibilities presented, it’s only when Andrew’s private anxieties take on a more public dimension that he begins to wonder whether alluring make-up artist Emilia is all she pretends to be. There is, after all, political unrest in Russia—and Emilia seems closer to it than Andrew ever expected.

The tumultuous final instalment of the Slave to Beauty series where a good man does battle with the twin demons of disloyalty and temptation.

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You Belong To Me

You Belong To Me

Hells Vipers #1

Britt Collins

It’s hard to resist a bad man with a good heart…even if he’s the Road Captain for a Motorcycle Club on a deadly mission.

The Hells Vipers Motorcycle club has a rat. Someone is giving out personal information to a rival club, and the rivalry has turned deadly. Not only are club members being targeted, their families are in the crosshairs as well.

Nuke, the Road Captain for the Hells Vipers, has a reputation for being a little crazy. At 6'3", he's a blond, tattooed, muscular fighting machine and a force to be reckoned with. He does what he wants when he wants, and he only wants two things at the moment: to find the snitch and possess Jasmine's heart, body and soul.

Jasmine Simmons is an African-American nurse who gets caught up in the chaotic world of the Hells Vipers after doing a friend a favor. She's never met anyone like Nuke before, and she can’t help but find him irresistible. When the threats against the club take aim at her, though, she realizes she might be in way over her head. Is it too late to run, or is she already in too deep?

If you couldn’t get enough of the Reaper’s Motorcycle Club, You Belong to Me should be next on your list.

You Belong to Me was previously published by the same title, under the name Jordan Abbott, and has been re-released.

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Blissful Surrender

Blissful Surrender: Running From The Shadow

Shadow of the Leopard

M.C. Fields

An MMA fighter brazenly pursues her reluctant instructor, not realizing he possesses a dark, destructive power.

Justin is a Mixed Martial Arts instructor who has been enlisted by the ruling Mohawk Matriarchs to help protect the most vulnerable women in their community. Since then he has devoted his life to empowering women.

Marie is a free-spirited aircraft mechanic determined to live life to the fullest. And she’s Justin’s student.

Justin is the best martial arts instructor Marie has ever had. He is also the subject of her raunchy sexual fantasies. Unfettered by the traditional roles of women in society, she’s unafraid to show Justin what she wants, but he’s having none of it.

After Justin saves her from being attacked, Marie realizes her feelings go deeper than sexual attraction alone. She knows that Justin is reluctant to have sex with a student but pursues him brazenly nonetheless. But she doesn’t know that Justin is guarded for another reason: he is able to call up the Shadow of the Leopard, a mysterious force that once led him to kill two cops.

As the attraction between them intensifies, Justin is forced to make a decision: keep walking the tightrope he is on, or surrender to Marie and risk putting the school in jeopardy or even worse….

Blissful Surrender is a 31,000-word novella.

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