Books like 'Desert Sons'

Readers who enjoyed Desert Sons by Mark Kendrick also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  romance  mlm  lgbtq  coming-of-age  realistic  friends-to-lovers

  • Censored Soul by Anne Malcom

    Censored Soul by Anne Malcom

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    I give myself to strangers. When I'm on stage, and when I'm off it. Whether it's throngs of screaming fans or just one man, it's always outsiders. People who don't know me. Not the real me. It's easier, because then it's not so obvious that there is no real me. Just layers of lies. Then I'm peeled back to the nerve. Showing the world my ugly. Everyone sees me for what I am...
  • Messy Ink by Ali Lyda

    Messy Ink by Ali Lyda

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Dane Chris is a great doctor, but he can’t heal me… I learned to look out for myself on the streets and in juvie. I’ve cleaned up my act, but it doesn’t mean that I’m about to start trusting a guy to stick around. Especially not a clean cut doctor like Chris. No wonder I ended things between us the first time around. I’m sure it’s for the best...
  • You Are Not Me by Leta Blake

    You Are Not Me by Leta Blake

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Follow Peter into the summer following his senior year to face new beginnings, new friends, and old baggage. After a tumultuous final year of high school, Peter Mandel needs a break. It's the summer of 1991, and his secret relationship with his ‘best friend’ Adam Algedi is put on hold as Adam goes away to Italy for the summer...
  • Jem and Tean: Guys Gone Wild by Gregory Ashe

    Jem and Tean: Guys Gone Wild by Gregory Ashe

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Jem and Tean: Guys Gone Wild is a collection of short stories. It includes the following:“First Dates”A prequel to The Lamb and the Lion books, this short story shows Jem and Tean as they are set up on blind dates—with disastrous results.“Cheap Seats”Jem and Tean go to the movies. Jem insists it’s an epic bromance date. Tean insists they’re just casual acquaintances...
  • Pride High : Book 1 - Red by Jay Bell

    Pride High : Book 1 - Red by Jay Bell

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    What’s it like being a teenager in the 90s? Let’s ask the characters of Pride High:Anthony Cullen: My life would be perfect, if I wasn’t in the closet. And in love with my straight best friend. Do you think he’ll ever notice me?Omar Jafari: Dude! I’m flunking out of most of my classes, but you know what really matters? A girl talked to me...
  • The Long Run by James Acker

    The Long Run by James Acker

    Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    Two track and field athletes find an unexpected but powerful love in this unapologetically blunt and unforgettably real YA debut. Sebastian Villeda is over it. Over his rep. Over his bros. Over being "Bash the Flash," fastest sprinter in South Jersey. His dad is gone, his mom is dead, and his stepfather is clueless. Bash has no idea what he wants out of life. Until he meets Sandro...
  • Unexpected Dreams by Isabelle Peterson

    Unexpected Dreams by Isabelle Peterson

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Divorce is a big change... But there are bigger ones. A few months after his divorce and may failed blind dates, Greg Fairchild met Tanner Williams. What started out as a good friendship unexpectedly turned into something that Greg didn't know what do with...attraction. Why would he be attracted to a man? He had been a ladies man back in the day...
  • Handmade Holidays by 'Nathan Burgoine

    Handmade Holidays by 'Nathan Burgoine

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    At nineteen, Nick is alone for the holidays and facing reality: this is how it will be from now on. Refusing to give up completely, Nick buys a Christmas tree, and then realizes he has no ornaments. A bare tree and an empty apartment aren’t a great start, but a visit from his friend Haruto is just the ticket to get him through this first, worst, Christmas...
  • Blooming by Sean Ashcroft

    Blooming by Sean Ashcroft

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Instagram crush. Instant fling.The last thing amateur food photographer Milo expects to find in the sleepy town of Otter Bay is the cute boy he’s been crushing on from Instagram. He’s in town to help his pregnant sister, not to look for a fling, but his best friend is right—it’s been so long since he got laid that they’ll be reissuing his v-card any day now...
  • Maddie by Annabella Michaels

    Maddie by Annabella Michaels

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    After witnessing firsthand just how dirty and underhanded a life in politics can be, Maddie Vanderhorne steps off the campaign trail to follow his passion. Starting his own event planning business is the best decision Maddie’s ever made, quickly winning over his clients with his vibrant and outgoing personality...
  • A Little Christmas: Terrence by J.P. Sayle

    A Little Christmas: Terrence by J.P. Sayle

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Terrence only wants one gift for Christmas: Warner. The discovery of Terrence’s secret leaves him vulnerable when his father goes missing in action. Ill-equipped to deal with the fall-out, Terrence’s world comes crashing down on him. Then Warner steps in to help. Warner secretly craves to reveal what he hides beneath the tough exterior to Terrence after stumbling over the secret the boy hides...
  • Sheets by Sareyen

    Sheets by Sareyen

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    [BxB] Waking up next to someone after having a little too much to drink was no new, riveting story in this day and age. Waking up next to another boy, when you were also a boy, was a little more interesting, but still nothing to write home about. But waking up in Nico Beckett's sheets?To Wesley, it was a nightmare come to life...
  • 过门 - Guomen by Priest

    过门 - Guomen by Priest

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” -Matthew 7:14Guomen, 過門/过门, meaning marriage in Chinese. If explained literally, it means going past the gates/door-a reference to the Bible(see above).“Through the Strait Gates”: to me, it’s the best way to explain it.The gate’s narrow, the road small for them...
  • Let’s Bi Curious by Romeo Alexander

    Let’s Bi Curious by Romeo Alexander

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Dalton: It was just a kiss! I didn’t mean anything by it. We’ve always been close, but I’ve barely shown an interest in anyone, and Zane’s only ever chased women. We know what’s what and where we belong. Zane was the one who said we should do it again…just to check…and wow! Now everything’s changing, and it’s great…but it’s terrifying...
  • Finding Their Balance by M.Q. Barber

    Finding Their Balance by M.Q. Barber

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Three’s the naughtiest kind of crowd. Getting to the one-year mark is hard enough in a relationship between two lovers. For three, just getting through the day can be half the battle. Between Alice’s headstrong insistence on pushing her sexual limits and Jay’s need to confront an abusive former lover, Henry has his hands full keeping both his partners safe and happy...
  • Chasing Fate by Mia Monroe

    Chasing Fate by Mia Monroe

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Hooking up with your friend is a totally acceptable way to pass the time until your soulmate shows up. Right?I’m on a mission - happily ever after or bust. I just know my handsome, successful, bearded prince is out there waiting for me to find him. I’ve had my cards read a million times. This is my destiny...
  • Fancy Free by Mia Monroe

    Fancy Free by Mia Monroe

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    The last thing I need is a curious straight guy sniffing around me. So why is he so hard to resist?My life is everything I ever wanted - by design. Being one of the nation’s most sought after wedding planners has led to a life of traveling to glamorous locations, bumping elbows with the rich and famous, and sampling every handsome hunk the world has to offer...
  • Operation Makeover by D.J. Jamison

    Operation Makeover by D.J. Jamison

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Will a makeover bring his fantasy to life or lead him to a love he never saw coming? As a professional X-ray tech, Ridley has come a long way from the geeky kid Jace took under his wing in high school. Not that his best friend has noticed. Tired of pining, Ridley decides to show Jace what he’s missing...
  • Henry Hamlet's Heart by Rhiannon Wilde

    Henry Hamlet's Heart by Rhiannon Wilde

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    A sparkling queer YA romance set in Brisbane, Henry Hamlet’s Heart follows one guy and his sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking journey to love.Henry Hamlet doesn’t know what he wants after school ends. It’s his last semester of year twelve and all he’s sure of is his uncanny ability to make situations awkward. Luckily, he can always hide behind his enigmatic best friend, Len...
  • My Ride, I Love You by Patrick Rangimant

    My Ride, I Love You by Patrick Rangimant

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    This is a love story of Mork, who is a motorcycle taxi driver in Bangkok, and Tawan, a junior internal medicine resident doctor in the university hospital. Seems like they both have a small chance to meet, let alone the falling in love, but it did happen...
  • Forever Man by A.J. DeWall

    Forever Man by A.J. DeWall

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    A bond forged in Catholic school, an unspoken attraction that outlasts years of separation and other relationships. Ren and Cole never acted on that thing that always bubbled beneath the surface of their friendship, not until a chance encounter in a Santa Fe bar and a song that would tip the scales forced them to confront their feelings...
  • The Love Song by Kay Simone

    The Love Song by Kay Simone

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    How can you trust a second chance with the love of your life?Casey has never met anyone like Grant: smart, mysterious, and utterly alone.Grant walks through Casey’s life like a ghost, showing up in the middle of their senior year with no explanation, no history, and no interest in knowing anyone. Casey has plenty of friends, supportive parents to pay for college, and a solid future ahead of him...
  • Jericho Candelario's Gay Debut by R. Cooper

    Jericho Candelario's Gay Debut by R. Cooper

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Jerry Candelario, known as Potts to almost everyone, has spent his entire adult life focused on raising his siblings and his niece. But the home he fought hard to make feels empty since everyone has grown up and moved out, and his precious baby niece is now a teen with a life of her own...
  • Breaking the Record by Raleigh Ruebins

    Breaking the Record by Raleigh Ruebins

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    “When will I see him again? And why do I want to so badly?” Ben Lakeland owns a failing record store in small-town Welling, New York, and it's the last place he wants to be. Everything used to be easy: watching football with his frat buddies, drinking beer, and being popular in school. But at 24 years old, everyone else seems to have grown up but Ben...
  • Room for Recovery by D.J. Jamison

    Room for Recovery by D.J. Jamison

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    New Edition found hereBeau James isn't out, but he's not fooling anyone. When he's cornered by two bullies, he's rescued by none other than the broody Wade Ritter, who he's crushed on from afar. Despite their family connection, Wade has resisted all of Beau's attempts at friendship -- until now. His protective streak gives Beau an opportunity to get past Wade's prickly exterior...
  • Paint Eater by Marina Vivancos

    Paint Eater by Marina Vivancos

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Jay knows that starting up a friends-with-benefits relationship with Logan is a mistake. After all, this is the guy who rejected him in high-school. And Jay hasn’t been pining, okay? He’s just…easily invested. Jay doesn’t need Logan’s approval anymore—he’s happy at his tattoo apprenticeship, with his wild adventures in the city, painting graffiti in the sad and dark places that need it...
  • Afterglow by Phil Stamper

    Afterglow by Phil Stamper

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    After a summer of life-changing, these four friends are finally ready for senior year.Gabriel is thrilled to create his school's first LGBTQ+ advocacy group, but his long-distance relationship is fading from summer love to something else... Heath feels secure for the first time in years, but with his future riding on a baseball scholarship, each pitch triggers his anxiety..
  • Couture Crush by Charlie Novak

    Couture Crush by Charlie Novak

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Beau Barrett is about to become Alt. Bride’s first male cover model, but what about his own fairy-tale ending?When Beau Barrett arrives to shoot for alternative bridal magazine, Alt. Bride, the last person he expects to see is Cash, his long-lost childhood best friend. The spark between them is instant, but with Beau’s calendar splitting at the seams, he’s not convinced a relationship is possible...
  • Pacies and Photographs by Della Cain

    Pacies and Photographs by Della Cain

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Stepping out from behind the camera isn’t as easy as it seems. Dax needs cash, and he needs it now since his roommate has moved away without notice. Dax has a week to either make up the difference or break his lease. Both options are out of his price range...
  • Beautiful Rhythm by Zarah Detand

    Beautiful Rhythm by Zarah Detand

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    When life gives you a sprained wrist and a hot new neighbor, make it the best summer of your life. As a successful concert pianist with three million Spotify listeners to his name, Oliver Taylor has it all figured out. He’s got his piano, his routines, and a small but close group of friends even if he doesn’t see them as much as he’d like. Love? No, thanks—he’s just fine without a girl on his arm...
  • King of the Mountain by Aiden Ainslie

    King of the Mountain by Aiden Ainslie

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    American cycling sensation and heartthrob Clifford Du Frey is riding the wave of success. Brand Du Frey is a multi-million-dollar business, and during the Tour de France, Clifford is mobbed by fans wherever he goes. The superstar must focus on winning the Tour de France and maintaining the image of the athletic hetero alpha male at all costs.But Clifford has a secret...
  • Glitter by Ayla Starr

    Glitter by Ayla Starr

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    I kept tripping over my feet, tripping over my words, and eventually gave up talking all together. You continued to smile anyway...
  • Between Perfect and Real by Ray Stoeve

    Between Perfect and Real by Ray Stoeve

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    A moving YA debut about a trans boy finding his voice—and himselfDean Foster knows he’s a trans guy. He’s watched enough YouTube videos and done enough questioning to be sure. But everyone at his high school thinks he’s a lesbian—including his girlfriend, Zoe, and his theater director, who just cast him as a “nontraditional” Romeo...
  • Obvious by R.G. Alexander

    Obvious by R.G. Alexander

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    From New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author R.G. Alexander, Book 10 in the Finn Factor Series! Could he be more Obvious? Matthew Finn is about to find out. He’s got a crush and a prickly pickle of a problem, but with a little help from his newfound family, he’ll convince Oliver “Legs” Garcia that he's the real thing...
  • A Mark on My Soul by Jordon Greene

    A Mark on My Soul by Jordon Greene

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Noah Andrews hates to lie, but that′s exactly what his life is. One big lie.At least that′s how he feels as a nerdy, closeted, gay high school senior in a suburban North Carolina town.But after months of fretting and hiding behind his quotes, Noah finally does it. He comes out to the world, and realizes he had nothing to fear after all...
  • Into This World We're Thrown by Mark Kendrick

    Into This World We're Thrown by Mark Kendrick

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    “While Desert Sons deftly handles the difficult and sometimes dangerous coming out process of young lovers Ryan and Scott, the sequel finds that lingering tensions remain, while new challenges continue to surface. Infidelity, jealousy, town gossip, and buried feelings threaten to destroy their relationship. Worse yet, the threat of violence looms constantly in their lives...
  • Barefoot in the City of Broken Dreams by Brent Hartinger

    Barefoot in the City of Broken Dreams by Brent Hartinger

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    “There was no way moving to Los Angeles was going to make me give up my soul. After all, I’d already seen all the movies about Hollywood. I knew how things worked.” Twenty-four year-old Russel Middebrook and his boyfriend have moved to Los Angeles so Russel can try to make it as a screenwriter...
  • Top Shelf by Allison Temple

    Top Shelf by Allison Temple

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Martin is a ghost. Well, not really, but he might as well be. Job gone, home gone, self-respect gone, and no one even seems to notice. The only person who really sees him is Seb, the artist who lives above the used bookstore. Seb haunts the edges of Seacroft in search of beauty...
  • Rescue by Sean Ashcroft

    Rescue by Sean Ashcroft

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    “No one’s ever pretended to date me before.” Twenty-seven-year-old virgin Nolan has always struggled to get a date--until his cousin tries to embarrass him by buying one at auction. Wildlife sanctuary veterinarian Finn is gorgeous and kind, exactly the sort of man Nolan’s always wanted...
  • Here's to You, Zeb Pike by Johanna Parkhurst

    Here's to You, Zeb Pike by Johanna Parkhurst

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Fact: When Zebulon Pike attempted to climb what is now known as Pikes Peak, he got stuck in waist-deep snow and had to turn back.That's the last thing Dusty Porter learns in his Colorado history class before appendicitis ruins his life...
  • Senior Year by John H. Ames

    Senior Year by John H. Ames

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    And you thought last year was full of drama, suspense and romance? You ain’t seen nothing yet! After a summer of love, hard work and…ahem…cohabitation, Nick and John are beginning their senior year. However, putting the memory of last year’s turbulent events at Elite High behind them proves harder than ever. Mysterious notes begin to appear inside John’s locker...
  • The Hidden Life by Erin Noelle

    The Hidden Life by Erin Noelle

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    ***NOTE TO READER: This is a supplemental novella to the full-length novel, The Perfect Life, and should not be read as a standalone.*** I had a hidden life. To everyone on the outside, I was Seth Andrews, best friend to Colin Cassidy - the superstar quarterback of the New England Patriots, and infamous playboy. To anyone looking in, my life was what others only dreamed of...
  • Curious by Seth King

    Curious by Seth King

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    An all-new, full-length story spun from the world of Seth King's bestselling Straight series Two best friends. One week in paradise. One pact that goes explosively off the rails..
  • The Rock Star's Guide to Getting Your Man by Ashlyn Kane

    The Rock Star's Guide to Getting Your Man by Ashlyn Kane

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    When Jeff Pine rents a cabin in the hometown he’s been avoiding for fifteen years, he just wants some time away from his rock 'n roll world to figure out his life. Instead he runs into his former BFF—and the inspiration for dozens of love songs—on the first day.Facepalm.Park naturalist Carter Rhodes is a cinnamon roll dressed like a lumberjack...
  • Learn The Rules: Rough Love Parts 1-5 by Leighton Greene

    Learn The Rules: Rough Love Parts 1-5 by Leighton Greene

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Learn the Rules contains the first five parts of the Rough Love series, collected in one book for the first time.1. Bound by HimBenjamin Ballard always assumed he was straight - in every way possible. They invented the term 'vanilla' to describe him...
  • The B-Side by B. Harmony

    The B-Side by B. Harmony

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Will we have our own love song, or will this just be another broken-hearted ballad? ChanceWhen I read the roommate wanted ad, I thought my sister was encouraging me to live with an insane person.Turns out, he isn’t insane, just sexy and one-hundred percent my type. Living with him will be the ultimate test of my self-control...
  • Just a Kiss by R. Cayden

    Just a Kiss by R. Cayden

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Geeky friends to tattooed loversI have a secret: I’m in love with my best friend.Rafael is a brilliant artist and a lovable weirdo.I’ve been pining for him for years, but when he starts an apprenticeship as a tattoo artist, my longing spikes.My best friend finds a new side to himself, more confidence, and it makes me fall in love all over again.The problem is Rafael doesn’t do relationships...
  • Dreidels & Do-Overs by Kim Fielding

    Dreidels & Do-Overs by Kim Fielding

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Caleb Stern was the high school hotshot, but a bad attitude and poor decisions led to years of misery. Now he’s trying to do better, and a job on the cleaning crew at a holiday craft fair could be a new beginning. What he didn’t expect was that his new start might be tangled up with ties from long ago.Jasper Adams left an unfulfilling career and unsupportive boyfriend to follow his dreams...
  • Darkhearts by James L. Sutter

    Darkhearts by James L. Sutter

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Perfect for fans of Red, White, & Royal Blue and Perks of Being a Wallflower, Darkhearts is a hilarious, heartfelt novel about fame, romance, and what happens when the two collide.When David quit his band, he missed his shot at fame...
  • Whiskey Dreams by Sam E. Kraemer

    Whiskey Dreams by Sam E. Kraemer

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    He’s got rhythm while his new man’s got a record. Will history destroy their ballad, or can two beautiful souls sing in tune?Country music star Kelso Ray Anderson found the passion he craved in his songs. Rejected by his religious family because of his sexual orientation, he regrets his painful visit home just before a massive European tour...
Desert Sons by Mark Kendrick
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