Xio Axelrod

Seven bestselling and award-winning authors bring you brand new stories celebrating love is love! All proceeds from the sale of the anthology will be donated to the Marsha P. Johnson Institute Featuring: Custard and Kisses by Sophia Soames What happens when your life falls apart and you end up in a random pub in town, gasping for enough alcohol to erase your entire existence? Joshua Carmichael of course ends up in the wrong pub, the one with a snowflake of a bartender who instead of getting him drunk, sits down and serves him up a nice British cup of tea. Not that the snowflake is a flake of any sorts. He’s just your random drag queen loving muscle bear with more tattoos than should be legal, piercings everywhere and a smile that makes Joshua Carmichael melt. Not that an ugly straight bloke like Joshua has any interest in someone like Ru. He’s never even watched Ru Paul’s Dragrace, or made pasta from scratch, or had an interest in men. Joshua Carmichael should have known better than to stay. But he didn’t, and this is the story of how a random act of kindness can turn into something unexpected. ~ Falling Faster by Susan Scott Shelley For Ty Allen, a trip to Los Angeles for a comic book collectors convention with his friends is the perfect place for the Buffalo based artist to hunt down rare issues for his collection, and take a much needed break. When he falls onto a display table, taking it down with him, and is saved from bodily injury by a man dressed as a popular comic book character, the trip takes an intriguing turn. One look into the dark eyes and sexy smile of the masked man with the lightning fast reflexes, and Ty wants to learn more. Rock musician Craig Simms spends his spare time in a mask and a cape, bringing happiness to sick children in LA through his foundation. When he dives in to rescue Ty from a close call with the concrete floor, he ends up wrapped around the cutest guy he’s ever seen. As they work together to clean up his wrecked display, he’s drawn to Ty’s friendly, sweet nature, and doesn't want their interaction to end. A whirlwind weekend of chemistry and connection has them free falling into something bigger than they'd anticipated. Ty is like a perfect melody for Craig’s weary heart, and for Ty, Craig shifts every experience from muted tones to vibrant hues. But when the weekend ends, does what happens at the comic convention stay at the comic convention, or can they find a way to fit into each other's universes? ~ Hands Off by Connor Peterson Scott Andrews and Travis Shaw have been working together for over a decade. Their job isn't traditional, and neither is their lifestyle: both are vampire hunters, traveling from town to town together whenever a mission calls their name. In the interim, though, something's been happening between them, bringing the bisexual Scott to a reckoning with his feelings for Travis. The burden of falling for a straight guy is difficult enough. When the vampire they're hunting presents himself as an alternative, though, even Travis has to confront his feelings for Scottt, or risk losing a chance with the best friend he's ever had. ~ I Want More by R.L. Merrill Hotshot music producer Morrison Jones has been hired to record a comeback album for legendary metal god Aldous Archer, and Archer insists Morrison work with his former best friend turned nemesis. Leland Elliott swore he’d never step foot onstage with Morrison ever again, but time—and being stuck in a studio together for a week—has a way of healing wounds. Will the stars align for the former bandmates? Welcome to Bolder Breed Studios. ~ The Start of Something New by Megan Hart At a wedding, you’re supposed to hook up with the bridesmaid…right? When beachtown local Stevie meets out-of-towner Tessa, sparks fly – but Tessa’s got more than the car trouble that brought her to Stevie’s auto garage in the first place. She’s in town for a wedding, and all the craziness that goes with it. A simple date shouldn’t be so hard to make, but with Tessa under obligation to handle all the last minute wedding disasters, it seems that it will be time for her to head back home before she and Stevie even get to have dinner together. A broken-down car turns out to be more than a disaster for both of them – forced to stay at least a little bit longer, can Tessa take the chance with Stevie she’s been wanting to try since the first moment they met? ~ Pole Kisses by Wendy Gold Royce loves her work as an accountant and hates bachelorette parties, so when her bride- to-be best friend drags her away from the office for her pole dancing bachelorette party, Royce didn’t expect to like it. But the athleticism and the sexy instructor keep her coming back for more. With each class, Royce grows more comfortable in her skin. With her newfound confidence, can Royce learn to win over the instructor and to master the tricky pole moves? Hera has only wanted one thing in life—to own a pole fitness studio. She feels like she’s got it made with her funky apartment just blocks away, a job that she loves, and only herself to answer to. But her studio is bleeding money and might have to shut its doors for good. But she’s no quitter, and there’s no way she’ll go back to dancing in the clubs, no matter what it takes. She needs to stop getting distracted by her beautiful new student and focus on keeping her business afloat. Too bad that beautiful student might be just what she needs. When Hera finds out Royce s a wiz with numbers, the women to concoct a plan to save the studio, but will it work? Or will their attraction burn them both before the studio can be saved? ~ To Build a Home by Xio Axelrod Frankie Llewellyn was never a big fan of love songs. They always seemed so unrealistic, all those unchained melodies and sunshine-filled cloudy days written by fools in love. When he suddenly finds himself living in a nineties power ballad, Frankie wonders if maybe those fools were onto something all along. One night he was spinning dark wave during his DJ shift at WKMP, lamenting the end of the latest in a string of mediocre relationships, and the next he was tumbling head-over-heels into an Elton John anthem. John Burton is every sappy lyric come to life. Frankie wants to hold his hand, call him “angel” in the morning, and give him every beat of his heart. It’s a little sickening how in love he is. Less than six months into the relationship, they’re moving in together. And despite how easy it is to be with Johnny, Frankie can’t help but to worry. His track record isn’t the best, and they’re really just getting to know each other. It’s too soon, right? Maybe? Frankie has no idea what he’s doing. He’s never felt like this before, and he’s afraid. Can he really pull off a happily-ever-after? He’s going to try, even if it kills him. Because if Frankie knows anything, it’s that a life without John Burton would be nothing worth singing about. ***

They say the road to stardom is paved with broken dreams. Growing up, Antonia "Toni" Bennett's guitar was her only companion...until she met Sebastian Quick. Seb was a little older, a lot wiser, and he became Toni's way out, promising they'd escape their small town together. Then Seb turned eighteen and split without looking back. Now, Toni B is all grown up and making a name for herself in Philadelphia's indie rock scene. When a friend suggests she try out for the hottest new band in the country, she decides to take a chance. She's in for a surprise when one of the decision-makers turns out to be none other than Seb. Toni can handle it. No problem. Or it wouldn't be if Seb didn't still hold a piece of her heart, not to mention the key to her future.

All her life, Kayla heard the same Don't be so loud. Don't act so wild. Don't take up so much space. Now she's the beating heart of an up-and-coming rock band…and the whole world is going to know her name. Once upon a time, the pressure to be the perfect daughter nearly broke Kayla Whitman. Desperate to find an outlet away from her controlling mother, she picked up a pair of drumsticks, forever altering the rhythm of her life. Since then, she's been determined to make her own way, finding her home with her bandmates even as she fights to keep her past and her present firmly separate. Things were simple enough when the Lillys were playing local gigs at dive bars, but now they're on their first official tour―and all Kayla can see are warning signs. Desperate to escape the worry churning inside her, Kayla finds solace in quiet tour bus driver Ty Baldwin…and discovers in him a kindred spirit like no one she's ever met before. Their connection is immediate and intense, but when increasing scrutiny from the press threatens to destroy Ty's newfound peace and Kayla's carefully guarded secrets, Kayla's forced to make an impossible pursue her dream and risk destroying everyone around her? Or give in and lose the chance of ever becoming the person she's always known she could be.

Blake Dillon isn’t exactly living the dream. She longs to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps and make a difference in the world as a journalist. Unfortunately, her current job has her paying-off hotel staff for celebrity gossip. Tasked with shadowing a film star for an in-depth profile, Blake sees it as a chance to finally prove her worth. She never expected the interview to reconnect her with her old college crush. Oliver Benjamin agrees to move to Los Angeles to work as the executive assistant to his best friend, a rising star. He hopes it will give him some direction. However, he soon discovers the only difference between being a frat boy and a Hollywood heartthrob is the amount of free stuff and the level of media attention. Ollie spends most of his time putting out fires, leaving little time for anything else. When Blake is sent to chronicle their lives, he finds himself face-to-face with the one that got away. Blake and Ollie are smart enough to recognize the signs—there are enough sparks between them to melt glass—but they agree to put a lid on it until the article is finished. Much easier said than done when they’re forced to spend more time together than apart. There’s more going on than a simple interview, but they’re both professionals. They must resist temptation or risk unraveling both their lives. “Xio Axelrod writes compelling, emotional stories that keep me engaged to the very last page. Simply put, her books rock!” NYT Bestselling Author, Jennifer Probst “Xio Axelrod consistently delivers the kind of story that will make your heart sing.” USA Today Bestselling author of The Boyfriend Project, Farrah Rochon "Xio Axelrod's writing is like music--sensual, sweet, and utterly powerful. With captivating connections, swoony scenes, and characters so vivid you'll swear they're real, you'll be putting Axelrod's stories on repeat, trust me." USA Today Bestselling Author, Sierra Simone