NOW OUT in Audiobook! M4M

My trilogy of #lovestories, M4M, is now available in audiobook, narrated by the amazing Wes Landry. Listen to a sample and pick up your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Audible-M4M/dp/B0CZV1GJZT

"If you like stories set very much in today’s world, if you’re curious about the effect cyberspace and all the various types of social media can have on someone’s life, and if you’re looking for a read that is emotional, realistic, and carefully hopeful, then you will probably like this collection as much as I do. It’s a fantastic look at today’s dating world and a touching story about one man’s road to happiness – bumps and all."
(Rainbow Book Reviews)

ABOUT THE BOOK

Finding and keeping love can be a challenge in the modern world of blogging, social media, and online dating, as one man will learn in this trilogy.

VGL Male Seeks Same

Poor Ethan Schwartz. At forty-two, he’s alone, his bed is empty, and his HDTV is overworked. He’s tried bars and other places where gay men are supposed to find each other, but it never works out. Maybe he should get a cat?

But his life is about to change…

NEG UB2

Poor Ethan. He’s received the most shocking news a gay man can get—he’s HIV positive. Until today his life was perfect, with a job he loves and Brian, who could be “the one.” The one to complete him and fill his lonely life with laughter, hot sex, and romance.

But Ethan’s in for another shock. Could Brian have infected him?

STATUS UPDATES

Alone again, Ethan wonders if life is worth living, even with a cat. When an old nemesis sends a Facebook friend request, Ethan is suspicious but intrigued. It seems this old acquaintance has turned his life around, and the changes might hold the key to Ethan getting a new lease on life… and love.

NOW OUT: My Latest Thriller, Beautiful Monster

#suspense #thriller #horror

Get ready for a twisted journey into nightmare...

You can now dive into my latest #novel, BEAUTIFUL MONSTER! Order your copy today at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CYBRM24X or from JMS Books: https://www.jms-books.com/rick-r-reed-c-224_245/beautiful-monster-p-5044.html or from any digital bookstore, including Kobo, Barnes & Nobel, and more.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Hank Donner-Varian yearns for something beyond his perfect, but routine marriage. Forbidden fantasy beckons until a chance encounter with the enigmatic and devastatingly sexy Abbott Lowery turns curiosity into a dangerous obsession.

Hank’s unaware of the sinister depths beneath Lowery's facade. When Hank's flirtation spirals into nightmare, he's thrust into a world of horror orchestrated by a man who once embodied his deepest desires.

In a heart-pounding race against time, Beautiful Monster immerses readers in a gripping tale of passion, deception, and survival. Can Hank navigate the treacherous maze of obsession and deceit before it's too late? Or will the irresistible stranger prove to be Hank's downfall, plunging him into a nightmare from which escape is impossible?

BEAUTIFUL MONSTER is a suspenseful thriller with a touch of romance. Get it today from your favorite ebook retailer!

https://getbook.at/Beautiful-Monster

Now Out in Audiobook HUSBAND HUNTERS

Excited that my #romanticcomedy, HUSBAND HUNTERS, is NOW OUT in #audiobook! Narrated by the talented Wes Landry, the book is a fun take on:

* reality TV,
* the perils of dating,
* and the idea that the one you've always been looking for just might be hiding in plain sight.
BUY: https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Husband-Hunters/dp/B0CXBT592X

ABOUT THE BOOK

You never know where the love of your life might turn up.
When Matt Connelly suggests to his best buddy Cody Mook that they head to downtown Seattle to audition for the gay reality TV show Husband Hunters, both agree the experience might be a lark and a chance to grab their fifteen minutes of fame.

What they don't know is that the show, modeled after HGTV's House Hunters, will open doors of longing neither expected. For Matt, the secret love he has long harbored for Cody might be thrust into the spotlight. Cody might realize his search for his perfect-forever-man extends no farther than the man who's always been at his side.

Husband Hunters promises laughter, tears, and, just maybe, a happy ever after. Will Cody and Matt's story be one of best-friends-to-lovers -- or an outright disaster?
#ownvoices #mmromancenovel

Jeffrey Dahmer and Me

 

Ryan Murphy's #Dahmer series saddened, outraged, and depressed me, but also uplifted me and in awe of the reverence and respect with which it treated the families of the victims and the ineptitude of law enforcement (who could have prevented some of these deaths had they not been blatantly racist and homophobic).

I agree that no one needs to watch stuff like this if it disturbs them or simply isn't their cup of tea. But I believe there are benefits to understanding the human condition, both light and dark, and media that allows us a glimpse into the shadows can help us understand ourselves and each other better, because we're all composed of both darkness and light.

For me, it's an aid in my writing about real people in my work (who sometimes happen to be killers).

Overall, I thought the series was, in the end, a testimony to love, redemption, and perseverance.

For more about the case--and my spin on it--check out THE MAN FROM MILWAUKEE, my award-winning take on how a closeted young man, filled with self-loathing, becomes obsessed with the killer at the time of his arrest in the summer of 1991: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08C26Z5TM (also available in audiobook, paperback, and an Italian edition).

ABOUT THE BOOK

2021 Rainbow Awards Winner
* Best Gay Book of the Year
* Best Gay Mystery/Thriller

It's the summer of 1991 and serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer has been arrested. His monstrous crimes inspire dread around the globe. But not so much for Emory Hughes, a closeted young man in Chicago who sees in the cannibal killer a kindred spirit, someone who fights against the dark side of his own nature, as Emory does. He reaches out to Dahmer in prison via letters.

The letters become an escape—from Emory's mother dying from AIDS, from his uncaring sister, from his dead-end job in downtown Chicago, but most of all, from his own self-hatred.

Dahmer isn't Emory's only lifeline as he begins a tentative relationship with Tyler Kay. He falls for him and, just like Dahmer, wonders how he can get Tyler to stay. Emory's desire for love leads him to confront his own grip on reality. For Tyler, the threat of the mild-mannered Emory seems inconsequential, but not taking the threat seriously is at his own peril.

Can Emory discover the roots of his own madness before it's too late and he finds himself following in the footsteps of the man from Milwaukee?

NEW AND NOTABLE: D.B. and Me by Rob Rosen

 My friend, Rob Rosen has a new book out and it sounds wonderful. I can't wait to read it!

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the gripping tale of D.B. and Me, the enigmatic hijacker D.B. Cooper parachutes into the unknown with $200,000 in ransom money, but little does he know that his daring escape is just the beginning of an unforeseen journey filled with mystery, suspense, and steamy romance.

D.B., now Tim, finds himself along the banks of the Columbia River attempting to fade into the shadows. However, fate has other plans when he encounters Adam, a charismatic stranger who’s also in hiding. The air becomes charged with anticipation as the two men become entangled in a mysterious dance, each harboring secrets that could shatter the fragile equilibrium they've quickly established.

Tim's initial plans to vanish into the vast expanse of Canada are abruptly put on hold as the magnetic pull of Adam draws him into a world where passion and danger collide. As their connection deepens while they wander through the snow-covered forests of the Pacific Northwest, so does the labyrinth of unanswered questions surrounding their pasts. The suspense thickens with every stolen glance, every shared secret, as Tim and Adam navigate a love affair shadowed by the lingering echoes of several daring crimes, all against the backdrop of the Vietnam War.

As the story unfolds, readers are taken on a heart-pounding journey through a landscape of intrigue, where the line between right and wrong blurs, and the boundaries of love are tested. Will Tim's past catch up with him, will Adam’s, or will they find a way to rewrite the narrative that destiny has penned for them?

D.B. and Me is a riveting exploration of love in the face of danger, a tale where passion and suspense interweave, leaving readers breathless and eagerly turning each page to unravel the secrets hidden within the folds of this captivating romance. Will Tim find redemption or be swallowed by the sadness of his past? And what about Adam and his troubled family and the ever-nagging reminders of a horrible war that still plague him? Dive into the depths of mystery and desire in this thrilling novel that will keep you on the edge until the very end.

Click here to get your copy.

NOW OUT! HERE COMES THE SUN A Poignant Vampire Tale

 

Very proud of my haunting story about a vampire on the cusp of an important decision...

In the ethereal stillness of a desert mountaintop, Asa Beck, a timeless figure bound by the chains of immortality, grapples with the weight of his existence. The impending sunrise paints the horizon with hues of amber and gold, signaling both beauty and an inevitable reckoning for this centuries-old vampire.

As Asa perches on the precipice of his eternal twilight, he confronts a past etched with torment and shadows—a legacy of immortality that bears the scars of a life lived in perpetual darkness. The origin of his immortal curse emerges like a haunting melody, weaving through his thoughts—a twisted path that seduced him into embracing the shadows within, while a relentless thirst clawed at the fabric of his soul.

Yet amid this bleak tapestry, a bittersweet ember glows—the memory of a forbidden love. In the vast expanse of his endless night, there existed one soul that dared to intertwine with his. A human heart that beat in synchrony with his own, a beacon of light that briefly illuminated the abyss of his existence.

With the impending sunrise heralding an existential crossroad, Asa's mind wanders to the pivotal choice that awaits him. Does he continue his existence as a creature of the night, forever haunted by the echoes of his past and the insatiable hunger that defines him? Or does he yearn for redemption, seeking solace in the eternal slumber that awaits with the breaking dawn?

As the first rays of light crest the horizon, casting elongated shadows upon the desolate landscape, Asa Beck, the wanderer cursed with immortality, stands at the nexus of decision. His fate, eternal and uncertain, hangs in the balance—a pivotal moment that will define the trajectory of his timeless existence.

In this tale of eternal struggle and poignant love, Asa Beck's journey transcends the realms of mortality and immortality. It delves into the depths of the human spirit, exploring the haunting beauty of love against the backdrop of an endless night—a saga that echoes the universal quest for purpose and redemption in the face of eternity.

Grab yours and read by the light of the sun:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQRLW3GQ

Homeless for the Holidays--My Two Christmas Stories

 

In the mood for a little holiday poignancy? I have two tales that just might bring a tear or two to your eye....

AN OPEN WINDOW

BLURB
Two men. One Christmas Eve that changes the courses of both their lives.

Henry’s homeless and only wants a warm place to sleep on the coldest night of the year. A forgotten open window in a darkened house entices Henry inside with the promise of warmth and comfort. He knows it’s bad, but he promises himself he’ll be out before the owner wakes on Christmas morning. Except he oversleeps and the homeowner, Jim, discovers a bearded stranger sawing logs under his dining room table. When the shock and the drama that ensues dies down, Henry and Jim discover that they might have found, quite unexpectedly, the Christmas miracle they’d both been longing for—love and home.

Divine Magazine said:

REVIEW
An Open Window is told retrospectively, which is a tactic that works really well for this short because Reed focuses the reader's attention on Henry and Jim's meeting.

Reed poignantly highlights the plight of homeless people at Christmas and immediately we only feel sympathy for Henry rather than judging him for his choice to enter the open window in someone else's home. I think our emotions are intensified by the fact that Henry thinks about being found frozen on Christmas morning with a mixture of "terror and relief".

Another man who is alone on this Christmas Eve is Jim, who has had a lucky, if upsetting, escape from a man who could not give him the love he deserved. Every reader knows that Christmas is a time to be spent with loved ones and for that reason, we feel compassion for Jim, who feels that "he might never celebrate the holiday again".

Reed brings these two men together unconventionally but beautifully and I adore the fact that Reed is able to capture the Christmas spirit of goodwill in An Open Window. I turned the final page and was left with all the right warm and fuzzy feelings.

An Open Window may only be 21 pages but it is a story perfectly formed!


BUY 
JMS Books

Amazon Kindle

AND... 
MATCHES

I've always loved the darkly beautiful fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen. "Matches" is my gay take on "The Little Match Girl".

BLURB
Christmas Eve should be a night filled with magic and love. But for Anderson, down on his luck and homeless in Chicago's frigid chill, it's a fight for survival. Whether he's sleeping on the el, or holed up in an abandoned car, all he really has are his memories to keep him warm-memories of a time when he loved a man named Welk and the world was perfect. When Anderson finds a book of discarded matches on the sidewalk, he pockets them. Later, trying to keep the cold at bay hunkered down in a church entryway, Anderson discovers the matches are the key to bringing his memories of Welk, happiness, and security to life. Within their flames, visions dance-and perhaps a reunion with the man he loved most.

BUY for .99 on Amazon Kindle (FREE for Kindle Unlimited Readers)