July just started, and that means that it’s time for a new book deal. This month there will be 2, but this first one is totally free! Be sure to check out all of these sexy, free MM romance books and short stories, and leave reviews for any you end up reading. The sale is only on until the end of July, so be sure to check them out now!

Free MM Romance Books & Short Stories

Click here to read Salvation by Stella Rainbows now!

I am like 2 chapters away from finishing this story and I am loving it! Both characters are totally adorable (even though Val tries to think of himself as tough) and I love the representation of PTSD and working through trauma! Here’s the synopsis:

Dell: Nothing was worse than getting turned into a monster by the one person who was never supposed to harm you. I couldn’t remember a time when I hadn’t been a monster, and I’d given up hope of ever being anything else.

Then Valerio showed up, and he told me things could be different. That he knew what real monsters looked like, and I could help him hunt them down.

Valerio: I’d never met a monster who was less monster-like than Dell. So what if he needed to eat human flesh to survive? I could offer him a five-course meal and clean the world of some filth in one go. I was determined to show him how different he was from true monsters, if only so he’d stop starving himself. He was kind and innocent, the complete opposite of what monsters were.

Salvation is an MM monster x supernatural romance featuring a wendigo who hates what he is until his mate shows him otherwise, a vampire who revels in his bloodlust, and a romance that is slow to spark, but blazing once it’s lit.

Warning: While Salvation includes the usual dose of Stella Rainbow sweetness, it features a wendigo and a vampire with very particular eating habits, so be advised about the…mess that might entail. TW: Mention of physical & sexual abuse against background characters, past parental abuse.

Click here to read Salvation by Stella Rainbows now!

So I feel like I need to come clean about something. I haven’t been writing. I’ve wanted to, in theory, but things have been rough lately. I’m struggling physically, emotionally, and mentally, and I’m not sure how to break out of this funk. I’ve started therapy, but we’re still in the early ‘getting to know you’ stages, so we’ll have to see how it goes.

I’m also potentially losing my health insurance for a bit. I filled out the renewal paperwork wrong and, based off the wrong info I gave, they determined that I am no longer eligible. I appealed, but we are moving at the speed of overworked government employees, so it’s just a waiting game.

On top of that, I still don’t have my tooth fixed because my dentist quit and I’m trying to find a new one. Plus my girlfriend is moving and it needs to be dome super quick (like in a couple week’s time) so I’ll be helping with that too.

I’m not giving up on writing, not by any means. But if I don’t release another book before 2024, know that it’s not for lack of trying! I am still very excited about Depths of Desire (aka Gay Mermen Book 1) and I truly do think that it is shaping up to be my best so far. But if I want it to be the best that I can make it, I’m going to have to be gentle with myself during the writing process. Thank you all for joining me on this journey!

Check this out~! June is Pride month in America and I’m soooo happy to be included in this MM Pride Reads – Dark Version promo! 3 of my books are on there, but there are over 40 books to choose from, at least 30 of which are free or free on Kindle Unlimited! What are you waiting for? The sale is only on until the end of June, so be sure to check them out now!

MM Pride Reads ~Dark~ Books Sale

Click here to read A Place for Alistair by Caleb Marks

I know I’ve recced Caleb Marks before, but what can I say? I love his style! I haven’t touched this one yet, but I totally plan to! It sounds extra hot and steamy, just what we need for the summer, right?

Alistair Simmons and his college buddies are determined to hold on to their rented house until they graduate college. The exasperatingly alluring Finn Roberts is in charge of handling the repairs. Alistair must get creative to convince Finn to stop the house from going on the market.

My long-time friend, Grey, has me getting the properties of his recent late father in Saltwater Cove ready to sell. I couldn’t say no since Grey helped me out so much with my messy divorce.This one property, though—the one with the college kids—is going to be a headache.

Our first scheduled meeting turns south when one kid, er, the twenty-four-year-old, Alistair, shows up late. I have a soft spot for him, though. Going for his MFA, I know he won’t find a cheaper place to rent. Yet this house needs a total overhaul. And didn’t I mention he’s drop dead gorgeous?

From the moment I gazed into his sea-green eyes, I knew I was in trouble. But he’s too young for me, not to mention, he’s my boss’ tenant. I don’t even want to imagine the turmoil our relationship would bring to my son’s life. His grandparents, who have visitation rights, are just looking for an excuse to get full custody.

But I can’t deny my feelings for him anymore. With each passing week, it’s heating up…This property, and Alistair, just may be too hot to handle!

A Place for Alistair is a small town, age gap, off-limits, alpha, college M/M romance that happens over the summer months. You’ll find hot, steamy moments and intimate encounters with a HEA ending to love.

Click here to read A Place for Alistair by Caleb Marks

Ok, that’s it for my recs. But now I want some recs from you! You know what I write, so you know what I’m into, but I want to share in what you love too. So here are some questions – you can answer as many or as few as you like by simply leaving a  reply on this blog post, or you can send your answers to ryder@ryderocox.com

1. What are your all-time favorite queer romance books? What do you love about them?

2. What sub-genres and tropes do you read most?

3. What are your favorite types of characters in romance?

4. What are your favorite of all the ‘required’ beats in romance? Are they all necessary in every story for you? (In case you’re unsure what those beats are, they are typically: The Meet cute, No Way Can I Date Them!, Getting Together, The Breakup, The Dark Night of the Soul/Crisis, and then a Happily Ever After)

That’s all I can think of for questions, but if you have anything else to add, go for it! I’d rather think of you as a friend than just a subscriber or fan, so let’s talk about something we both enjoy!

No new questions this week in my NGL, but if you want to send me a question for a future update, feel free to hit reply to this email. Or, if you want to send anonymously, you can use my NGL link – https://ngl.link/authorryderocox

For now, I’ll just give a general update, I think. It’s officially summer, so I’m excited to go out more. I am going to try to go to my first Pride this year with my girlfriend (she’s doing great by the way! Thanks for all the sweet inquiries about her!). We also started working on our garden plot together with my boyfriend and we’ve almost got all the weeds removed. Fingers crossed we’ll get it done this week and we can start planting some veggies! Do you garden? What sorts of things do you grow?

My high school bestie is getting married at the start of June and I’m standing up in the wedding. Hopefully I’ll get back into the swing of writing once that’s all over with. I’ll be sure to send pictures with the next update (June 14)!

Still fighting with publishers to get my prizes here for the 100 subscribers celebration, and now I’m almost to 400! That’s fine, I’ll just multiply the prize pool by 4 lol 

Until then, if you’ve got something you’d like to see me do here, or even if you want to share something you’ve made with my followers, let me know by replying to this email!  And if you’re looking for my latest and upcoming books, check out this page on my site!

Hey Ryders, and welcome again to all the new faces. This week has been garbage! (Taxes) but I’m happy to say that I am right on schedule for releasing The New Normal! My mailing list followers got this update as an email on Wednesday, so if you’re looking for the latest up-to-date announcements and celebrations from me, be sure to join here!

This week’s updates include a cover reveal, an opportunity to become a beta reader, a link to a bunch of free gay books, and some words of encouragement for you all, so be sure to read all the way to the end.

And as always, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or drop me an email if you have any questions, suggestions, or just wanna talk about my cat-children. They love you already, I promise! But first….

The sequel to Discovery and the second book in the Inheritance series is scheduled to come out May 3rd. It’s called The New Normal, and it takes place a couple weeks after the end of Discovery.

The New Normal is still accepting beta readers too, so if you want a free early access copy just hit reply! I will send you a google document just for you where you can read and leave your comments. I’d need your comments by April 30th to give me time to implement them into the story. And once the book is out, I can send you an e-book copy as well!

It’s about 15K words, so shouldn’t take too long to read through, so if you’re interested in giving it a read and leaving your feedback on what needs to be improved, I’d love to have you on the beta reader and/or ARC team! Simply drop me an email at ryder@ryderocox.com

Here’s the summary:

After finding Troy naked and locked in a secret room of their new home, Theo and Jun must work to acclimate to their new life together. They help Troy adjust to being a free man again, and Troy even finds himself enjoying the dominant role on occasion. Much to his surprise, Theo craves to submit to both he and Jun.

But a surprise visit from two men that Theo only barely remembers turns their whole world upside down. Jun knows what they’re here for, and it kindles a rage inside him that he hasn’t felt for a very long time. He is determined to keep his lovers safe, even if it means going against a promise he made to Theo.

Trigger/Content warnings – this story includes:
-explicit, kinky, gay male sex
-double penetration
-mentions/memories of kidnapping/imprisonment/human trafficking
-mentions/memories of abuse
-mentions/memories of brainwashing
-HFN/Happy for now ending

Ryders, check this out~! This month’s gay book promo is 100% Free! My ‘to be read’ list will never stop growing if I keep doing these group promos LMAO (not complaining btw, I love it!). Let me know which ones you get and how much you liked them. I love getting book recs from you!

Free LGBT Romances

I added an entire new page to my site with plenty of ways you can support me and independent authors like me without having to spend a dime! The graphic above shows the basics, but this page has a more in-depth description of how to do each one and why each one helps – https://ryderocox.com/best-free-ways-to-support-indie-authors/

No new questions this week in my NGL, but if you want to send me a question to answer in the future, feel free to send me an email or leave a comment. Or, if you want to send anonymously, you can use my NGL link – https://ngl.link/authorryderocox

I do want to share something with you this week though – don’t compare yourself to anyone else. This is the same picture of me side by side. The one on the left is the original, taken after my crown fell out. I have no front tooth right now haha. Part of my bad week, but I digress.

On the right picture, I used a free photo editing app on my phone. The app fixed my tooth, fixed the dark shadows under my eyes, gave me eye makeup and eyelashes, even made my hair look less faded. So yeah, don’t compare yourself to anyone else, because you are seeing their best and comparing it with your every day, or even your worst. Just be you. Be kind to you. And watch yourself grow.

Another bit of advice that I’ve been trying to internalize – growth is not linear. There will be setbacks, there will be bad days, there will be days when you make no or even negative progress. But if you keep working at it, you will get there!

That’s it for this week, but I’ve decided on how to celebrate having over 100 subscribers on my list. After The New Normal is out, I’ll be running a giveaway! Keep your eyes on your inbox! 

My Books