J.A. Rock

Things have been rocky lately for brat Jayk and his dominant partner Amon. Jayk, a college dropout, recently returned to school, while Amon, the HR director at a major financial firm, faces pressure at work. Their D/s partnership suffers as Jayk deals with his stress by acting out, and Amon deals with his by cracking down. When Jayk and Amon wake one morning to find they’ve switched bodies, each is determined to prove he can handle his partner’s life for a day. But as the chaos builds, their swap proves more confusing, enlightening--and sexier--than they’d anticipated.

What humans want from the Silver Planet is water. What they find is a race of humanoids who are sentient, but as emotionless and serene as the plants and placid lakes they tend. B, captain of the mission, doesn't believe that the "Silvers" are intelligent, and lets his crew experiment on them. But then he bonds with Imms, who seems different from the others-interested in learning, intrigued by human feelings. And B realizes that capturing, studying, and killing this planet's natives has done incalculable damage. When a fire aboard B's ship kills most of the crew and endangers Imms, B decides to take him back to Earth. But the simplicity of the Silver Planet doesn't follow them. Imms learns the full spectrum of human emotions, including a love B is frightened to return, and a mistrust of the bureaucracy that wants to treat Imms like a test subject, even if they have to eliminate B to do it.

Thirty people. Two hours. Only the strong will survive. When Riddle decides to put on a slave hunt, the Subs Club is on board. Tops hunting bottoms in the woods with paintball guns? Yes. Captives strung up on whipping posts, at the mercy of their captors? Hell yes. But on the morning of the hunt, nothing’s going according to plan. Miles and Drix are at odds over Miles’s reluctance to move in together. Dave is determined to show up D, who thinks Dave won’t last two minutes in the woods. Gould finds himself torn between obeying his master’s orders and living out a longtime fantasy. And Kamen inadvertently becomes a double agent when he aligns himself with two different parties. By the end of the hunt, alliances will be forged and broken, loyalties will be tested, relationships will be strengthened…and someone will barrel roll. Narrated by ten different characters, Slave Hunt tells the story of two hours in the woods that will change everyone forever. Or at least, remind them that love is the greatest victory of all.

Welcome (back) to Christmas Valley. Where it’s Christmas every. F@$#ing. Day. It’s your typical Hallmark movie plot: my big-city boyfriend dumped me, so my adorable five-year-old daughters and I moved back to my hometown just in time for Christmas. I guess the magic of the holiday is going to show me what I really wanted all along, or something. But on Hallmark, people aren’t usually mainlining their mother’s Xanax. Or stealing the last available Peachblossom Pony Pal from their hot doctor because they have to give their kids the best Christmas ever. And when they run into their high school sweetheart, they don’t usually face the gulf of lies that exists between Cass Sullivan and me. Oh yeah, and their hometown isn’t located directly up Christmas’s butthole. I left Christmas Valley because I couldn’t listen to one more carol or look at one more tinsel-wrapped streetlamp. But moving to Boston meant leaving Cass, and that has always been my one regret. I mean, I also regret the box of Franzia in my closet, being publicly dumped, agreeing to take tap dancing lessons with my mom, and the fact that I can’t seem to open my mouth without a little white lie popping out. But mostly Cass. When I need someone to play Santa for my girls’ favorite Christmas tradition, Cass steps in. Suddenly, I’m falling for him like we’re seventeen again. Can we put aside two decades’ worth of baggage and give each other a second chance? Can he help me build a life in Christmas Valley? And has he really been banging our former geometry teacher? Only Christmastime will tell. If the holidays don’t kill me first.

A year after the body swap that let brat Jayk and his dom, Amon, experience each other’s lives for a day, the pair is ready to be married in a small, stress-free ceremony. Things are going smoothly until they meet Jennifer and Ron Gaines-Brake—a quarrelsome couple with a laundry list of troubles whose wedding is at the same venue. When Jayk and Amon are drawn into the other couple’s drama, their own doubts and fears about marriage start to surface. And when they accidentally switch bodies with Jennifer and Ron the day before the wedding, their simple, stress-free celebration starts looking more and more like a nightmare. As the couples attempt to deal with each other’s families, secrets, and last minute wedding preparations, things spiral out of control. Add to the mix a missing cat, a vigilant police officer, an intimidating dildo, and a cake like no other, and it’s anybody’s guess whether the weekend will end in bells or bedlam.

Daniel Whitlock is terrified of going to sleep. And rightly so: he sleepwalks, with no awareness or memory of his actions. Including burning down Kenny Cooper's house-with Kenny inside it-after Kenny brutally beat him for being gay. Back in the tiny town of Logan after serving his prison sentence, Daniel isolates himself in a cabin in the woods and chains himself to his bed at night. Like the rest of Logan, local cop Joe Belman doesn't believe Daniel's absurd defense. But when Bel saves Daniel from a retaliatory fire, he discovers that Daniel might not be what everyone thinks: killer, liar, tweaker, freak. Bel agrees to control Daniel at night-for the sake of the other townsfolk. Daniel's fascinating, but Bel's not going there. Yet as he's drawn further into Daniel's dark world, Bel finds that he likes being in charge. And submitting to Bel gives Daniel the only peace he's ever known. But Daniel's demons won't leave him alone, and he'll need Bel's help to slay them once and for all-assuming Bel is willing to risk everything to stand by him.

Something wicked this way comes. FBI Agent Ryan “Mac” McGuinness and con man Henry Page are on the run again. This time they’re headed back to where it all began: Altona, Indiana. Population: some goats. Henry’s not happy about lying low at the McGuinness family farm, but they’ve got nowhere else to go. While Mac fights to clear his name and Henry struggles with whose side he’s really on, a ghost from the past threatens to destroy everything. And those aren’t the only storms on the radar. Cut off from both sides of the law, Mac and Henry must rely on their tenuous partnership to survive. If Henry can convince himself to let Mac see the man behind the disguises, they’ll stand a chance of beating the forces that conspire against them. The course of true love never did run smooth, but for the two of them, it might be their only hope.

Harvey Novak loves living in Christmas Falls. He loves his job running the Festival Museum too, except when it means he has to deal with his ex, who’s putting together the town’s newest tourist brochures. There are a lot of things Harvey is willing to do for Christmas Falls, but playing nice with the guy who cheated on him isn’t one of them. When a real-life Christmas mystery falls into Harvey’s lap, it offers the perfect distraction. And the guy with the mystery is pretty distracting too. Sterling van Ruyven has come to Christmas Falls to look for his long-lost uncle, and enlists Harvey’s help to track him down. It’s all business—if there’s an extra van Ruyven heir out there somewhere, Sterling needs to know about it. He isn’t expecting to actually enjoy spending time in this ridiculous Christmas-themed town with the cute guy from the museum. Their fun flirtation turns into a holiday fling, but that’s all it can ever be. Harvey’s heart belongs in Christmas Falls, and Sterling hasn’t found his yet. But maybe Christmas is the time for miracles after all.

Niamh Hunter has a teeny, tiny problem. If hosting the first ever Heartcore Yoga Retreat at her Summit Springs studio is about opening as many hearts and minds as possible, well, she’s got plenty to open–because sign-ups are out of control. Maybe she should have capped attendance. Or rented a bigger space. Or researched event organizing before, you know, organizing an event. But an open heart and positive attitude have gotten Niamh this far in life. Surely they’ll get her through what might end up being the Fyre Festival of yoga retreats. Visiting marketing consultant Jordan Kowalczyk owes a friend a favor, which is why she agrees to a consultation with Niamh. But Niamh’s situation is way above Jordan’s paygrade. Maybe Niamh thinks she’s being cute with her scatterbrained, crunchy-granola approach to life. With her smelly–but always well-dressed–bulldog, Beau Brummell. With her…okay, she is kind of cute. But Jordan doesn’t want her chakras opened, thanks. Besides, Jordan’s not an event planner, and marketing this retreat is the one thing Niamh’s done well. Way, way too well. With mere weeks until the retreat, Jordan agrees against her better judgment to assist. What she doesn’t count on is developing feelings for Niamh. As she helps Niamh buckle down, she finds herself opening up–and discovers what’s been missing from her life for too long. But when Jordan’s family threatens her new relationship, she must decide whether to leave Summit Springs in the rearview mirror, or whether she and Niamh have built something worth fighting for.

New York Times bestselling author Carl Weber has won over readers and critics alike with his smart, sexy, page-turning tales of family drama. Now he delivers his most powerful novel yet—an explosive story about an esteemed church family with a whole lot of repenting to do. . . Bishop T.K. Wilson, popular pastor of the largest African American church in Queens, New York, has decided to run for borough president. But his family values platform is on shaky ground. In public, his wife and two children are a shining example of respectability. Yet privately, the Wilson kids are giving in to the same temptations as any other young adults. And their parents have no idea what’s going on behind closed doors—including the closed doors of the church offices. As the bishop’s son, Dante Wilson is treated like royalty, and his good looks cause the congregation’s young women to think—and act on—some very impure thoughts. Personable and smart, he’s expected to assume his father’s position one day. The problem is, Dante wants to be a lawyer, and that’s not the only secret he’s keeping. He’s also met the woman of his dreams—who happens to be his parents’ worst nightmare. But Dante isn’t the only one who’s about to test his parents’ faith… Dante’s younger sister, Donna, is as sweet as they come, yet she isn’t exactly the virginal princess her beloved daddy thinks she is. And thanks to her suspicious, ambitious, not to mention meddling, mother, he’s about to find that out—and more. To add insult to injury, Donna’s transgressions involve another man of God. And that’s only the beginning. Just as the Pandora’s box of unwelcome surprises seems empty, it turns out that even Bishop Wilson has some skeletons in his closet—the kind that could cost him everything. Now all the Wilsons will have to face their demons…and discover what family values are really about.

Smart, shy Prescott sophomore Brandon Mills is working hard to overcome his troubled past and be normal. Life at Prescott, and in his fraternity, Phi Sigma Kappa, is good. With the help of his friends Mark and Deacon, Brandon is slowly coming out of his shell. When he accidentally drenches a freshman in orange soda, though, he faces something he’s not ready for: a boy crushing on him. Alex Kekoa pledges Phi Sig because it has everything he wants--a house full of nerds who won’t tease him for being smart, a dog, and Brandon Mills. Brandon is just the type of guy Alex needs to help fulfill his college ambition: losing his virginity. Except Alex doesn’t know that Brandon can’t stand to touch or be touched. When Alex and Brandon are drafted onto the Phi Sig Academic Challenge team, they start spending time together. If there’s anyone who can help Brandon discover it feels good to touch and kiss, maybe it’s klutzy Alex with his cute glasses and his dinosaur obsession. But as the competition--and their relationship--heats up, Alex’s determination not to die a virgin clashes with Brandon’s vow of lifelong celibacy, forcing them to examine what’s truly important to each of them about love.

In a future where live sex shows abound to keep a jaded population entertained, dancer Bode Martin falls for the brilliant and unstable Kilroy Ballast, who molds Bode into the star attraction of his erotic circus, the Grand Ballast. Drugged beyond any real feeling, Bode trades freedom and his once considerable pride for an illusion of tenderness—until he inadvertently rescues a young man from a rival show, and together they flee to an eccentric town in the west where love still means something. Valen’s not an easy man to know, and Bode shed his romantic notions under Kilroy’s brutal employ. Yet their growing bond becomes a strange and dangerous salvation as they attempt to overthrow the shadows of their pasts and wade together through a world of regret, uncertainty, beauty, and terror. But Kilroy won't let Bode go so easily. Long ago, Bode was responsible for the loss of something Kilroy held dear, and he still owes Kilroy a debt. As the three men battle toward a tangled destiny, Bode must decide if his love for Valen is worth fighting for—or if he was and always will be a pawn in the story Kilroy Ballast will never stop telling.

"Special Agent Ryan "Mac" McGuinness is having a rough week. Not only is he on a new diet, but he's also been tasked with keeping Henry Page--the world's most irritating witness--alive. Which is tough when Mac's a breath away from killing the Shakespeare-quoting, ethically-challenged, egg-obsessed Henry himself. Unless killing isn't really what Mac wants to do to him. Con man Henry Page prefers to keep his distance from the law-- though he wouldn't mind getting a little closer to uptight, handsome Agent McGuinness. As the sole witness to a mob hit, Henry's a valuable asset to the FBI. But he's got his own agenda, and it doesn't involve testifying. When evidence surfaces of a mole in the FBI office, Mac and Henry are forced to go into hiding. Holed up in a fishing cabin, they're surprised to discover that their feelings run more than skin deep. But as the mob closes in, Henry has to make his escape. And Mac has to decide how far he's willing to go to keep Henry by his side"--Back cover

Introverted college student Lane Moredock is in a bad place. His mother has been arrested for securities fraud, his father is on the run, and everyone, including the SEC, suspects Lane knows where the missing millions are. Lane, with no money and nowhere to live, makes a desperate deal that lands him in trouble and leaves him unwilling to trust a so-called Dom again. Photographer Derek Fields lost money to the Moredocks, and is as sure as anyone that Lane is guilty despite his claims. A chance meeting with Lane shows him there might be something more to the young man than arrogance and privilege, and Derek wonders if Lane might be just what he's been looking for: a sub with the potential to be a life partner. As Lane slowly begins to open up to Derek and explore his needs as a submissive, the investigation closes tighter around him. Lane might be everything that Derek wants, but first Derek needs to trust that Lane is innocent-and Lane needs to trust Derek with the truth.

On the day of his forty-first birthday, an Israeli secret agent encounters a beautiful young English woman. He immediately recognizes her as the woman he has been searching for all his life, the one he has loved forever. Though they have never met, he is certain that she is an essential part of his life’s destiny. Using all the tricks of his trade and his network of contacts, he takes control of her existence without ever revealing his identity. Alexander Abramov’s desperate, dangerous love for a woman half his age consumes everything in its path: time, distance, and rival suitors. Only his own story, of a life conditioned by isolation, distrust, and murder, can explain his devastating manipulation of the woman he professes to love. Four lives are entwined in this intricate story of a solitary man driven from one side of Europe to the other by his obsession. Riveting and full of suspense, as in the best spy-story tradition, Minotaur is also a highly inventive and original literary novel. Tammuz is a skilled writer whose commanding style makes of Alexander Abramov’s story a moving allegory of every man’s search for love. From the paperback cover.

Jack's Stories Prequel The Arizona Territory was a dangerous place, but gunslinger Jake Redman was half-Apache and all man--more than a match for the wilderness. Sarah Conway was something else again. She was every inch an Eastern lady, yet she was determined to make Lone Bluff her home. Jake was annoyed to find himself playing guardian angel to this tantalizing innocent--even more disgusted to find he liked it. Little did he suspect that beneath Sarah's ladylike demeanor beat the heart of a frontier woman ant that her body yearned for his hard embrace, her heart for his words of love .. . .

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Asa and his longtime partner, Javier, are looking forward to a cozy, kinky Christmas together. But when Asa discovers his coworker Drew has nowhere to go for the holidays, he invites Drew home for dinner. His motives aren’t entirely pure: Asa and Javier are both dominant, and occasionally arrange one night stands with submissives. Asa’s been hot for Drew for months, even though he has no proof Drew is kinky. Drew has wanted Asa since the day they met. Drew would never come between Asa and his partner, but that doesn’t stop him from fantasizing about Asa doing filthy, painful, incredible things to him. He accepts Asa’s dinner invitation reluctantly, not eager to witness Asa and Javier’s domestic bliss firsthand. When Javier discovers Drew’s profile on a BDSM site shortly before Drew’s arrival, the game changes. A bold proposition leads to Asa and Jav sharing a night of play and passion with a dinner guest who’s nowhere near as innocent as he looks. But as their not-so-silent night progresses, all three find themselves on shaky ground. Can they keep this arrangement no strings attached? Or is there a way for each man to get what he really wants for Christmas?

Mark Cooper is angry, homesick, and about to take his stepdad’s dubious advice and rush Prescott College’s biggest party fraternity, Alpha Delta Phi. Greek life is as foreign to Aussie transplant Mark as Pennsylvania’s snowstorms and bear sightings. So, when the fraternity extends Mark a bid, Mark vows to get himself kicked out by the end of pledge period. But then he’s drawn into Alpha Delt’s feud with a neighboring fraternity. Studious Deacon Holt is disappointed to learn Mark’s pledging Alpha Delt, his fraternity Phi Sigma Kappa’s sworn enemy. Mark is too beautiful for Deacon to pass up an invitation for sex, but beyond sex, Deacon’s not sure. He wants a relationship, but a difficult family situation prevents him from pursuing anything beyond his studies. Mark and Deacon’s affair heats up as the war between their fraternities escalates. They explore kinks they didn’t know they had while keeping their liaison a secret from their brothers. But what Romeo and Juliet didn’t teach these star-crossed lovers is how to move beyond sex and into a place where they share more than a bed. That’s something they’ll have to figure out on their own—if the friction between their houses, and between Mark and America, doesn’t tear them apart.