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Secrets
Baxter’s never felt so helpless before. He’s watched over the last few months as his partner’s health got worse and worse. Logan doesn’t eat. He doesn’t sleep. And Baxter can’t begin to figure out what to do with the terror he sees in Logan’s eyes.
Finally convincing Logan to go on vacation, Baxter is committed to using the time wisely. He knows Logan loves him; he’s not worried about anything like that. But something is going on and he’s determined to get to the bottom of whatever it is. He’s got to find out what secrets Logan is harboring before it does irreparable damage and Baxter loses the most important thing in his life. But when Logan begs Baxter to go to a hotel without him and Baxter refuses, he gets his wish. It isn’t anything Baxter is prepared to face, though, and when he finds his own life hanging in the balance, love is put to the ultimate test.
Dear Author,
I love him so much and I hate to watch as he slowly drives himself to the point of exhaustion. Being a lawyer is a stressful job, I get that, but in most cases he just forgets to eat. My cooking can easy fix the problem; after all, he is not dating a chief of 2 star restaurant for nothing. This time is different. He barely eats or sleeps, and if he manages to fall under he wakes up screaming. When asked about it, he constantly says “I’m fine, sweetheart”. But I can’t help but worry. He was always loving and supportive. When I hit a rock bottom, he helped me get through it. So now is my turn. The last straw was when he got into a full bloody panic attack right in front of me. Now every time I close my eyes, I still see his face so frightened and vulnerable. After insisting and pleading, he finally agreed to go on long overdue vacation. Maybe a change of scenery will help calm his mind and, if I am very optimistic, finally trust me enough to tell me what caused all of it.
Photo Description:
Two men are on a beach, one carrying the other. Both are barefoot, in shorts and T-shirts, the one face we can see is happy and smiling.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
Finally convincing Logan to go on vacation, Baxter is committed to using the time wisely. He knows Logan loves him; he’s not worried about anything like that. But something is going on and he’s determined to get to the bottom of whatever it is. He’s got to find out what secrets Logan is harboring before it does irreparable damage and Baxter loses the most important thing in his life. But when Logan begs Baxter to go to a hotel without him and Baxter refuses, he gets his wish. It isn’t anything Baxter is prepared to face, though, and when he finds his own life hanging in the balance, love is put to the ultimate test.
Dear Author,
I love him so much and I hate to watch as he slowly drives himself to the point of exhaustion. Being a lawyer is a stressful job, I get that, but in most cases he just forgets to eat. My cooking can easy fix the problem; after all, he is not dating a chief of 2 star restaurant for nothing. This time is different. He barely eats or sleeps, and if he manages to fall under he wakes up screaming. When asked about it, he constantly says “I’m fine, sweetheart”. But I can’t help but worry. He was always loving and supportive. When I hit a rock bottom, he helped me get through it. So now is my turn. The last straw was when he got into a full bloody panic attack right in front of me. Now every time I close my eyes, I still see his face so frightened and vulnerable. After insisting and pleading, he finally agreed to go on long overdue vacation. Maybe a change of scenery will help calm his mind and, if I am very optimistic, finally trust me enough to tell me what caused all of it.
Photo Description:
Two men are on a beach, one carrying the other. Both are barefoot, in shorts and T-shirts, the one face we can see is happy and smiling.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
54 pages, ebook
First published July 5, 2015
93 people want to read
About the author
Grace R. Duncan
34 books251 followersGrace Duncan grew up with a wild imagination. She told stories from an early age - many of which got her into trouble. Eventually, she learned to channel that imagination into less troublesome areas, including fanfiction, which is what has led her to writing male/male erotica.
A gypsy in her own right, Grace has lived all over the United States. She has currently set up camp in East Texas with her husband and children - both the human and furry kind.
As one of those rare creatures who loves research, Grace can get lost for hours on the internet, reading up on any number of strange and different topics. She can also be found writing fanfiction, reading fantasy, crime, suspense, romance and other erotica or even dabbling in art.
A gypsy in her own right, Grace has lived all over the United States. She has currently set up camp in East Texas with her husband and children - both the human and furry kind.
As one of those rare creatures who loves research, Grace can get lost for hours on the internet, reading up on any number of strange and different topics. She can also be found writing fanfiction, reading fantasy, crime, suspense, romance and other erotica or even dabbling in art.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 5, 2015
Different take on established couples with this shifter story. Where finding out what's wrong really is a life changing event.
Thanks to the author for taking part in the MM Group's 2015 DRitC event, Love is an Open Road
Thanks to the author for taking part in the MM Group's 2015 DRitC event, Love is an Open Road
August 21, 2015
this was a well-written tale. short yet complete in itself and i would not have it any other way. it was also fast-paced, sweet and romantic. the intimate scenes were hot enough and one particular detail made a lot of sense. how could other writers have missed this or failed to mention it? i was glad Grace R. Duncan pointed it out. you have to read the story to find out what it was yourself!
October 11, 2015
I love gay werewolf romances. This isn't a spoiler because the story is tagged "shifters," The tag was the spoiler for me because I knew the "secret" going in.
Here, we have slight variations on the genre, including the rule driving the conflict. It was fun to hear the wolf's voice as well as the human's.
Here, we have slight variations on the genre, including the rule driving the conflict. It was fun to hear the wolf's voice as well as the human's.
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July 16, 2015Thank you for this story.
July 6, 2015
Very good. Logan and Baxter are an endearing committed couple experiencing a rough patch in their relationship. Baxter is determined to discover why his man hasn't been eating or sleeping at home. A planned vacation reveals Logan's secret, but consequences force Baxter to make a life-altering decision.
The best part of this story was Baxter's change, how the wolf drew him out, its not something that
is often portrayed in stories and was done very well.
The best part of this story was Baxter's change, how the wolf drew him out, its not something that
is often portrayed in stories and was done very well.
May 16, 2016
I think Grace did a great job with this prompt. It's always nice to get to read an established couple dealing with a new struggle and making it through. The first part of the "secret" Logan is keeping is revealed very early, so the drive of the plot is what the protagonists do about it, and that's quite a fun ride. They have to deal with a hard choice and life threatening situation. As I read Secrets, I was frustrated with the situation that put their lives in danger, because the (semi)antagonists' reasoning wasn't brilliant. But hey, they're antagonists, what do you expect?) What really got me was Baxter and Logan's devotion to each other. It's clear how much they love each other by their actions as well as their words. Also, there's some hot sex in this story as well, which is always a plus for me!
I would definitely like to see more of Baxter and Logan if the author chooses to write more - how do they adjust after the plot of this story? This is a novella (and a free one written for the MM Romance community, at that) so I didn't expect a long read, and think a lot of goodness was packed into a novella-length story. I'm grateful Grace participated in the event and wrote such an engrossing story!
Note: This story does not take place in the same universe as Grace's upcoming Forbes Mates Series. I thought people might want to know that, since those books also feature wolf shifters, but the way the world works is different.
I would definitely like to see more of Baxter and Logan if the author chooses to write more - how do they adjust after the plot of this story? This is a novella (and a free one written for the MM Romance community, at that) so I didn't expect a long read, and think a lot of goodness was packed into a novella-length story. I'm grateful Grace participated in the event and wrote such an engrossing story!
Note: This story does not take place in the same universe as Grace's upcoming Forbes Mates Series. I thought people might want to know that, since those books also feature wolf shifters, but the way the world works is different.
July 7, 2015
Baxter has no idea what is going on with his loving partner. But Logan has been acting very weird lately for the past few months, staying ‘at the office’ all night long. He knows he isn’t cheating on him. They are both very much in love. So, Logan and Baxter go on vacation and Baxter hopes Logan will finally come clean with what is going on. He is building a list that keeps getting worse. Then Logan asks him to leave for the night, alone. Baxter is not having that. Soon, Baxter finds out the truth as his morphs right in front of him. Sadly, that is where the problems truly begin. There are consequences for a human seeing a shifter and knowing about them and none of them are that great.
I would have loved to see an epilogue with them both.
I would have loved to see an epilogue with them both.
August 29, 2015
I liked the different than usual angle to the shifter story. But the MCs acceptance of their situation came way too fast.That said, the scenes how both MCs put up a strong front for the sake of their partner while actually being terrified where very well done. The same is true for the scene picturing Logan's anguish while his partner/mate/soon to be husband is dying (almost).
I loved the internal conversations between human and wolf. Very well done and rather funny.
Another niggle I had - controlling the wolf, we learn, is a matter of time and it seemed very unlikely that Logan could keep the wolf at bay when the wolf's mate was dying. Also, that Baxter could immediately communicate with his wolf.
I loved the internal conversations between human and wolf. Very well done and rather funny.
Another niggle I had - controlling the wolf, we learn, is a matter of time and it seemed very unlikely that Logan could keep the wolf at bay when the wolf's mate was dying. Also, that Baxter could immediately communicate with his wolf.
October 13, 2015
Things I liked: the connection and love between the MCs was great. The emotions just before the big event were very heart felt, I even felt me eyes start to moisten. The sex was hot.
Things I didn't like: That law was a bit stupid, didn't really make much sense why that would include someone's mate. They seemed to take it very well to begin with, which I found a little weird (the emotions did come out in the end which was good). And I'm still not sure how I feel about the split personality thing with your wolf.
No epilogue but still a great HEA!!
Things I didn't like: That law was a bit stupid, didn't really make much sense why that would include someone's mate. They seemed to take it very well to begin with, which I found a little weird (the emotions did come out in the end which was good). And I'm still not sure how I feel about the split personality thing with your wolf.
No epilogue but still a great HEA!!
dnf
July 16, 2015Thanks to the author for participating and offering this freebie
Didn't get far enough into the story to rate it. It's a shifter story and I really couldn't get to grips with the dual-personality between the wolf and human, it felt strange and off-putting to me, probably wont bother most.
Didn't get far enough into the story to rate it. It's a shifter story and I really couldn't get to grips with the dual-personality between the wolf and human, it felt strange and off-putting to me, probably wont bother most.
July 5, 2015
3.5 stars
July 6, 2015
made me cry like a baby T_T
July 7, 2015
A short, but lovely, and loving, romance. I would love to know about Baxter and Logan.
March 10, 2016
Shifters! Yay!
June 8, 2018
Not bad for a short fast read. Logan and Baxter are an established loving couple so Baxter becomes increasingly concerned when Logan starts acting strange and won’t say whats wrong. The big reveal comes early when Logan accidentally shifts in front of Baxter. I was fine with the storyline up to that point. From there it seemed to contrived and rushed. Baxter doesn’t really freak out at the revelation and is even quite calm about it. But then the alpha of the local pack shows up at their door and when told that Baxter is aware of Logan’s status, they are given a “Sophie’s Choice” type of ultimatum; be killed outright (but humanely) for being a human with knowledge of the shifters, or be bitten and be changed (or die painfully in the process). Again, Baxter comes across as being incredibly level-headed and calm. And of course, we all know the outcome since this is a love story not a tragedy. This would have been better if it was a bit longer with some more world building and perhaps a full sequence of lawyer Logan successfully (or not) challenging the wolf laws that require humans with knowledge of shifters be killed or changed.
April 3, 2019
I like the way the author portrayed the "wolf" and "man" here. Interesting viewpoint!
October 7, 2015
Secrets was written for the M/M Romance Group's 2015 Love is an Open Road event. The MCs are Baxter and Logan and this is told in alternating third person povs.
Baxter and Logan are an established couple but they are going through some difficult times. Logan has kept secrets from Baxter so that Baxter's imagination is running wild. But Logan's secret is much wilder than Baxter could ever imagine.
They end up with more difficulties once the secret is out.
What I would have liked was to have had the author explain this: Anyway, that's the issue I wish was explained in the story but wasn't. Maybe the author will feel like writing a second story at some point.
This was a fast, east read. Very low angst and hit the spot for a light read. I give it 4 Stars
Baxter and Logan are an established couple but they are going through some difficult times. Logan has kept secrets from Baxter so that Baxter's imagination is running wild. But Logan's secret is much wilder than Baxter could ever imagine.
They end up with more difficulties once the secret is out.
What I would have liked was to have had the author explain this: Anyway, that's the issue I wish was explained in the story but wasn't. Maybe the author will feel like writing a second story at some point.
This was a fast, east read. Very low angst and hit the spot for a light read. I give it 4 Stars
Want to read
July 16, 2015
Offered for FREE from the M/M Romance Group's Love Is An Open Road event. Thank you too all the amazing authors who participated!
Intriguing premise despite being a pre-existing couple
May 7, 2016
This book is incredibly sweet and I just freaking loved how the story went throughout the book. I kinda wish there was an epilogue though. Overall, a great book indeed.
July 16, 2015
3.5 - I really liked this story. I would love to read more about these two. Nice interpretation of the photo and the story letter. Thank you Grace R. Duncan for donating your story, your time and your talent.
August 23, 2015
I've read a lot of shifter books and this one felt so much different in a good way. The shifter world felt fresh and new to me and made me want to learn more about the Siletz Pack and how Logan and Baxter handled being back at home planning their wedding and getting to know their wolves.
July 6, 2015
3.5 Stars
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July 18, 2015dnf so I won't rate it
August 31, 2015
Cute. A little too perfect at times but it's a short story. I was really irritated how they took their non-choice in stride. I'd have been way more angry. I liked it though.
September 15, 2015
A very different take on a shifter story, but I really liked it. I was on the edge of my seat for awhile. Thankfully I got my HEA.
July 3, 2021
A sweet little story, I liked how the wolfy side was portrayed.
October 2, 2015
2.5 stars.
July 9, 2015
4.5 only because I wanted more, but I didn't want to ding the rating for it. Great story!
August 10, 2015
Cute "new" shifter romance.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews