Books like 'Initiation'

Readers who enjoyed Initiation by Maris Black also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

contemporary  gay romance  anal sex  queer

  • Marcus & Reagan: Rojo, TX by Cee Bowerman

    Marcus & Reagan: Rojo, TX by Cee Bowerman

    Rated: 4.77 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Marcus and Reagan have been part of the Texas Knights, Texas Kings, and Tempest family for more than thirty years. They’ve weathered ups and downs and raised their children surrounded by family that may not share their blood but share their hearts. Come to Rojo with Cee Bowerman and attend the wedding we’ve all been waiting for...
  • Therapy Game, Vol. 2 by Meguru Hinohara, 日ノ原 巡

    Therapy Game, Vol. 2 by Meguru Hinohara, 日ノ原 巡

    Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Shizuma finds out about Minato’s plan—and subsequent wager—to seduce and then dump him. But when he rushes to Minato's apartment, an unknown man opens the door! Meanwhile, Minato is stuck wavering between his ever-deepening feelings for Shizuma and his deep-seated fear of falling in love...
    Categorized as:
    queer  contemporary  m-m  length-short
  • Sponsored links
  • Every Breath After by Jessie Walker

    Every Breath After by Jessie Walker

    Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    He would never be mine. Official Cover + Blurb coming soon. *Every Breath After will be a full-length, emotional, MM rockstar romance novel. While this book will focus on a new couple, it is not considered a stand-alone. This series is meant to be read in order, beginning with the Duet: Where There's A Will (#1) and If There's A Way (#2)...
    Categorized as:
    queer  m-m  contemporary  friends to lovers
  • Junjo Romantica, Volume 07 by Shungiku Nakamura

    Junjo Romantica, Volume 07 by Shungiku Nakamura

    Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    Miyagi finally gets over his obsession with his late high school teacher by confessing his love for Shinobu in front of her grave. When it comes time for Shinobu to choose which college to go to, his feelings seem to be swaying his decisions too strongly - even for Miyagi's liking...
  • Censored Soul by Anne Malcom

    Censored Soul by Anne Malcom

    Rated: 4.78 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 2 of 5
    Behind closed doors [?] · 9 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...
  • Snow Fairy by Tomo Serizawa, 芹澤知

    Snow Fairy by Tomo Serizawa, 芹澤知

    Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    When Hokkaido-born Haruki meets animal photographer Akihito and finds out his accommodations have fallen through, he offers his home as a shelter for the winter. A city slicker, Akihito is smart, charming, and a smooth conversationalist; the polar opposite of country boy Haruki. Despite their differences, Akihito wants to close the gap between the two of them, before the snow thaws in the spring...
  • Junjo Romantica, Volume 06 by Shungiku Nakamura

    Junjo Romantica, Volume 06 by Shungiku Nakamura

    Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    It's the day of the award ceremony for Usami, but Usami's older brother, Haruhiko, can't keep his hands off Misaki. First an endless shipment of strawberries, then a "kidnapping" as Haruhiko drags Misaki off to his rich estate and locks him up! Meanwhile, a dramatic misunderstanding spooks Shinobu into leaving for Australia...
  • All In With Him by Lauren Blakely

    All In With Him by Lauren Blakely

    Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 13 ratings
    Once upon a time all I needed was baseball, friends and extracurricular activities. Then everything changed when Declan Steele stormed into my life and upended all my priorities with his heart, his love, his passion.So my next five-year plan will include this new ground rule—Love big...
  • Dirty Laundry by Rhys Ford

    Dirty Laundry by Rhys Ford

    Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    For ex-cop turned private investigator Cole McGinnis, each day brings a new challenge. Too bad most of them involve pain and death. Claudia, his office manager and surrogate mother, is still recovering from a gunshot, and Cole’s closeted boyfriend, Kim Jae-Min, suddenly finds his teenaged sister dumped in his lap...
  • Salad Days  (Manhua) by Jing ShuiBian, Tang LiuZang

    Salad Days (Manhua) by Jing ShuiBian, Tang LiuZang

    Rated: 4.65 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    This is the story between a young innocent ballet boy and a passionate, determined boxing boy. The two met at the children's palace, and since then, they have grown up together supporting each other. May there be hardships, may there be obstacles, yet they never stopped pursuing their dreams. The beauty of the salad days is the sweat from the hard work and the bonding of friendship...
    Categorized as:
    queer  m-m  contemporary  length-medium
  • You Are Cordially Invited by Jay Hogan

    You Are Cordially Invited by Jay Hogan

    Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    There’s a wedding in the air at Auckland Med, but Reuben wonders if they’ll survive the stress long enough to say, ‘I do’. Cam is directing the entire operation with his combat eyeliner in place, whilst the wedding party is doing its best to ignore him. The pressure is mounting and the cracks are beginning to show.There’s a bachelor party to survive.The paparazzi to outrun...
    Categorized as:
    queer  m-m  contemporary  sports  length-medium
  • Red Dirt Heart Imago by N.R. Walker

    Red Dirt Heart Imago by N.R. Walker

    Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    When Charlie Sutton’s neighbour Greg is notified by the Queensland government that they intend to run a pipeline through his property, Charlie vows to help him fight it. Then Travis remembers seeing butterflies at the creek near their joining fence line - the same butterflies they couldn’t find in any Australian butterfly book...
    Categorized as:
    queer  m-m  contemporary  cowboys  length-novella
  • Call Me By Your Name - Screenplay by James Ivory, André Aciman

    Call Me By Your Name - Screenplay by James Ivory, André Aciman

    Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    In Northern Italy in 1983, seventeen-year-old Elio begins a relationship with visiting Oliver, his father's research assistant, with whom he bonds over his emerging sexuality, their Jewish heritage, and the beguiling Italian landscape...
    Categorized as:
    queer  contemporary  m-m  bisexual  length-novella
  • Therapy Game Restart, Vol. 1 by Meguru Hinohara, 日ノ原 巡

    Therapy Game Restart, Vol. 1 by Meguru Hinohara, 日ノ原 巡

    Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Sparks continue to fly in this Therapy Game sequel where Shizuma and Minato learn to navigate commitment—in both work and love!From a forgotten one-night stand to a plan for revenge, Shizuma and Minato have been through it all. But now that they’re officially a couple, new challenges await, and their fledgling relationship must learn to soar!Shizuma and Minato are officially a couple...
    Categorized as:
    queer  contemporary  m-m  length-short
  • Ruined by April Wilson

    Ruined by April Wilson

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Finally! Sam and Cooper's long-awaited story is here... a second chance gay romance, with a guaranteed HEA. Sam... Coming out of the closet was easy. Falling in love with a man twice my age was not. Cooper grew up old-school, hiding his true self. He may be the love of my life, but I can’t be his dirty little secret any longer. He needs to man up and claim me if he wants to keep me...
  • Therapy Game, Vol. 1 by Meguru Hinohara, 日ノ原 巡

    Therapy Game, Vol. 1 by Meguru Hinohara, 日ノ原 巡

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    Sparks fly in this spinoff of Secret XXX featuring Shouhei’s older brother Shizuma and Mito’s younger brother Minato after a drunken fling!Shizuma only drank that night to forget his heartbreak. He didn’t intend to also forget Minato, the one-night stand who soothed his broken heart...
    Categorized as:
    queer  contemporary  m-m  length-short
  • Junjo Romantica, Volume 11 by Shungiku Nakamura

    Junjo Romantica, Volume 11 by Shungiku Nakamura

    Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Misaki just can't catch a break when it comes to the Usami family. Just when he thinks he escaped one mess, he falls right into another one...
    Categorized as:
    queer  m-m  contemporary  humor  length-short
  • Junjo Romantica 03 by Shungiku Nakamura

    Junjo Romantica 03 by Shungiku Nakamura

    Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
    · 15 ratings
    Misaki wohnt beim Bestsellerautor Usami und kann seine Gefühle für ihn nicht länger leugnen. Eines Nachts rutscht ihm sogar der Satz "Ich glaube, ich liebe dich!" heraus...
  • Dirty Secret by Rhys Ford

    Dirty Secret by Rhys Ford

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 17 ratings
    Loving Kim Jae-Min isn’t always easy: Jae is gun-shy about being openly homosexual. Ex-cop turned private investigator Cole McGinnis doesn’t know any other way to be. Still, he understands where Jae is coming from. Traditional Korean men aren’t gay—at least not usually where people can see them. But Cole can’t spend too much time unraveling his boyfriend’s issues. He has a job to do...
  • The Unforgettable Hookup by Jax Calder

    The Unforgettable Hookup by Jax Calder

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 15 ratings
    Sam’s story…One night. That’s all it was supposed to be.I can’t believe my luck when the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever seen propositions me in a bar, looking for his first-ever one-night stand.No names. No strings. Just pure fun.I’m more than happy to oblige.But after our incredible night together, I can’t stop thinking about him. Unfortunately, I have no way to track him down...
  • Rookie by Eddie Cleveland

    Rookie by Eddie Cleveland

    Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
    · 7 ratings
    * Although part of a series, you will enjoy it as a standalone as well!Rookie is everything you love in an MM first time gay romance. A journey of self-discovery, the undeniable sparks with the man who makes him question everything, the moment of realization, the secret relationship, and coming out...
  • Studious by Leslie McAdam

    Studious by Leslie McAdam

    Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 11 ratings
    After a disastrous high school game of spin the bottle, I gave up trying to get a boyfriend and spent my time studying instead. Now I’m twenty-four, and I’m not only a virgin, I haven’t even been kissed.When I meet Danny, a handsome legal hotshot, he catches my eye. Right before I trip on flat ground. Ugh.He’s got a massive … reputation...
  • Obsessed by Sloane Kennedy

    Obsessed by Sloane Kennedy

    Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    I wanted him from the moment I laid eyes on him and from that point on, the question wasn’t if I’d have him but when…Thirty-five-year-old Matias de la Vega is good at one thing and one thing only...
  • Scratch the Surface by Mary Calmes

    Scratch the Surface by Mary Calmes

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 15 ratings
    Sometimes things look one way, but when you scratch the surface, there’s more than meets the eye.Jeremiah Wolfe has always done what was necessary to survive. On top of working two jobs, he’s going to school to become a social worker so he can give kids the help he never got when his mother left years ago. When a rare night off finds him with the chance to make a quick buck, he jumps on it...
  • As I Am by E.M. Leya, Sara York

    As I Am by E.M. Leya, Sara York

    Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    Kyle has struggled to protect his brother from the darkest things in life, but in doing so, they've lived on the streets, making a life for themselves away from those who would hurt them. It's taken years, but life is starting to look up for Ky. Still, he finds it hard to quit working the streets and the easy money it brings. Carson has everything he could want in life...
    Categorized as:
    anal sex  queer  m-m  contemporary  rockstars
  • A Fighting Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion

    A Fighting Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Army Ranger Slater Cassidy has a very special – very sexy – target in his sights. Meeting gorgeous, smart, uber-snarky Casper Kennedy was the highlight of Slater’s last trip home to New York. The soldier in him carefully plans his conquest. Unfortunately, Casper’s wearing some seriously strong armor and Slater’s charm offensives bounce right off...
  • Secrets & Lies by Brooke Blaine, Ella Frank

    Secrets & Lies by Brooke Blaine, Ella Frank

    Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 17 ratings
    I wasn’t supposed to want him. The bronzed god lying by my pool in tight shorts that left little to the imagination. But I was only human, and with the temptation constantly within reach, it was only a matter of time before I could no longer resist.It was wrong. I knew that.He was my son’s best friend.But even worse ... I was his teacher...
  • Requited by Jesse H. Reign

    Requited by Jesse H. Reign

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 7 ratings
    If you've read Unrequited, and have been left longing for more of Andy and West's story - you are in luck. Requited tells the story of roommates and best friends Andy Montgomery and West Baxter from West's perspective. It is a sweeping story of friendship that turns into longing that can't be ignored...
  • A Working Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion

    A Working Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Matthew Hawke’s professional life is soaring as high the powerful bird of prey whose image is inked on his back. He’s at the top of his game as the owner of an advertising agency that is scooping up prime accounts like a mighty hawk wrapping its talons around an unfortunate ground rodent. Yes, work is good. Too bad his love life has more in common with the dying rodent than the triumphant hawk...
  • Lost In The Crowd by E.M. Leya

    Lost In The Crowd by E.M. Leya

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    Jared Watson has everything a person could dream of having. He's the hottest country music sensation to hit the charts in years. He travels the world doing what he loves, but something is missing. No matter where he goes, security follows. His manager is always calling or on his case, and no matter where he goes, fans are hounding him for autographs...
  • Camera Shy by E.M. Leya, Sara York

    Camera Shy by E.M. Leya, Sara York

    Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    Trust is earned, but sometimes we form walls around ourselves to protect us from the pain, keeping others from getting close, and shielding us from the darkness that lurks around us. Charles has faced the worst of that darkness. Living on the streets from eleven years old, he learned to survive by trusting no one...
  • Unconditional Love by Andrew Grey

    Unconditional Love by Andrew Grey

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    "A Seven Days Story" Can a person's life change in just one day? How about seven? Donald Pottier and Jason Greene are barely more than boys when they meet on Chincoteague Island, Virginia. A day of crabbing soon turns them from strangers to friends, then to something more, but the boys' time is limited: at the end of the summer, Jay will leave Don and the island behind...
    Categorized as:
    anal sex  queer  contemporary  m-m  angst  length-short
  • Side Character: A Masters of Romance Prequel by Emma Alcott

    Side Character: A Masters of Romance Prequel by Emma Alcott

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Sawyer Jonathan Aston has an extremely suckable… ahem. We’re talking eight inches of girthy perfection. Two-thirds of a foot of succulent man-meat. A true cornucopia of carnal delights. And tonight, that ahem is going to make my mouth feel like a Tokyo subway car at rush hour. We’re talking crowded. Crammed. Absolutely stuffed...
  • The Ballerino and the Biker by Rebecca James

    The Ballerino and the Biker by Rebecca James

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 8 ratings
    Most of his young life, Morgan Wentworth has dreamed of becoming a principal dancer in a prestigious corps de ballet. After years studying the art in Milan, Morgan comes home to New York City to apprentice with the Manhattan Ballet Company only to be hit by the unexpected death of his older brother, Jake...
  • Cherish by Tere Michaels

    Cherish by Tere Michaels

    Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Several years after the end of Duty & Devotion, Matt and Evan are living quietly in their Brooklyn home with the twins, Danny and Elizabeth. The older girls - Katie and Miranda - are off at college, Evan is about to be promoted to captain and things are calm. Briefly. Evan accidently learns that Miranda has a new boyfriend and is talking marriage after just three months of dating...
  • After Ben by Con Riley

    After Ben by Con Riley

    Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    "Seattle Stories: Book One" A year after the sudden death of his longtime partner, Ben, Theo Anderson is still grieving. The last thing he's looking for is a new lover. But as Theo soon discovers, sometimes life has other plans...
  • A Betting Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion

    A Betting Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion

    Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    How bad could one harmless bet be? Kent Samson is about to find out. Raised in Alabama, Kent has hidden his past and now loves his life as a big time ad exec for a prestigious advertising company in New York. But when he makes a bet with his best friend, Blaine, Kent is thrown for a loop—for Kent has to make the next person to walk through the door fall in love with him...
  • Ballsy by Sean Ashcroft

    Ballsy by Sean Ashcroft

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 12 ratings
    When he arrives back in LA after ten years away, the last thing Sam expects is to end up being roped into pretending to be with the man he’d left behind for the sake of a magazine article. After a near-death experience that left him scarred and changed, all he wants to do is lick his wounds and live quietly for a while...
  • Artistic Appeal by Andrew Grey

    Artistic Appeal by Andrew Grey

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Brian Watson knows close friends Gerald Young and Dieter Krumpf have an ulterior motive when they invite him to their Christmas party. Brian has taken over the case to secure the return of the famous painting called The Woman in Blue to Dieter, but they don’t want Brian to be all work and no play. They intend to set him up with a friend, but he’s not who catches Brian’s eye...
    Categorized as:
    anal sex  queer  contemporary  m-m  length-short
  • Behind Bars by Alana Henry

    Behind Bars by Alana Henry

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Arrested for a crime he didn't commit, eighteen year old Riley Parker is forced to carry out his sentence in prison. He expects a cold, hard life, filled with danger and uncertainty. What he doesn't expect is his cell mate Nathaniel Greyson...
  • Legal Artistry by Andrew Grey

    Legal Artistry by Andrew Grey

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Years ago, Dieter Krumpf’s grandmother died and left him everything, including a photo album containing pictures of the art collection she left behind when her family fled the Nazis. Now, Dieter is calling on the services of a lawyer, Gerald Young, to determine whether his family’s legacy might be returned to him...
    Categorized as:
    anal sex  queer  contemporary  m-m  length-short
  • Artistic Pursuits by Andrew Grey

    Artistic Pursuits by Andrew Grey

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Frank Jennings is an FBI agent looking for redemption. Leslie Carlton is an Interpol agent looking for a thief. Attraction flares from the moment they meet on a case searching for a stolen triptych of unique Tiffany windows, but after a single night of stunning passion, Leslie is called back to London to continue his search there...
  • Stuck in Oz by Andrew Grey

    Stuck in Oz by Andrew Grey

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Tales from Kansas When Jeremy and Petey’s mother died, their house was taken to pay the debts she left behind, leaving them homeless. Afraid Petey will be put in foster care, they have no one to turn to but their Uncle Milt, so they pack up Jeremy’s beat-up car and leave San Diego for Wamego, Kansas...
  • Dual Hostilities by Kate Hawthorne

    Dual Hostilities by Kate Hawthorne

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 6 ratings
    Two men. One weekend. No limits... My name is Foster Golden and I'm looking for a man with a strong hand and a shitty moral compass. I wasn't expecting to ring in the new year with Sage, a man I already know and hate, but I think he might be able to give me exactly the kind of pain I'm looking for.Please review the content warning at the start of the story for any potential triggers...
  • Flipping the Script by Willow Dixon

    Flipping the Script by Willow Dixon

    Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 5 of 5
    Explicit and plentiful [?] · 15 ratings
    JesseAfter years of working my butt off, I’m finally living the life I always wanted. I have a job I love, friends who’ve become family, and I’m enjoying the freedom of being single.Then Sebastian, my childhood rival, moves back to town and my perfect life is thrown into chaos. We’ve always hated each other, but now there’s something else between us...
  • The Nothingness of Ben by Brad Boney

    The Nothingness of Ben by Brad Boney

    Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 17 ratings
    Ben Walsh is well on his way to becoming one of Manhattan’s top litigators, with a gorgeous boyfriend and friends on the A-list. His life is perfect until he gets a phone call that brings it all crashing down: a car accident takes his parents, and now he must return to Austin to raise three teenage brothers he barely knows...
  • Paris A to Z by Marie Sexton

    Paris A to Z by Marie Sexton

    Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Sequel to The Letter Z. Zach Mitchell and his lover Angelo Green are headed to Paris (along with their Coda friends Matt and Jared) to attend Jon and Cole's wedding. Matt will have to face Jared's former lover, and Angelo will have to spend an entire week with Zach's ex-boyfriend...
  • Through These Eyes by N.R. Walker

    Through These Eyes by N.R. Walker

    Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    Six months after we last met Carter Reece and Isaac Brannigan, they're still very much in love. Moving in together, moving forward, life for these two is great until some life changing events occur. Isaac has a frightening setback and Carter's world starts to unravel. Things become even more complicated and start to change for both men when Isaac’s new colleague enters the picture...
  • The Bromance Zone by Lauren Blakely

    The Bromance Zone by Lauren Blakely

    Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 16 ratings
    Two great friends. One road trip. And eight inches …... of snow that night at the cabin.If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. Friends don't bang friends.I want my friends to stay in my life, especially that flirty, clever, outgoing best friend of mine.It's a damn good thing Owen and I made a pact in college to never ever sleep together, or else I'd be tempted...
  • Crunch Time by Andrew Grey

    Crunch Time by Andrew Grey

    Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    When George Higgins agrees to help a soon-to-be-former professional football player rehearse for a guest appearance on a talk show, he doesn't expect anything to come of it. To his surprise, Darren White shows up on time and actually makes an effort to learn from George. But Darren has definite problems; he can barely read and sounds awful when he speaks...
Fantastic book recommendations by romance book lovers for romance book lovers.
Find out more about romance.io.


Get recommendations by genres & tropes

Use the romance book finder to mix and match over 100 content keywords to find the books that match your preferences

romance book finder

Looking for more inspiration? Enter another book title to get more suggestions on what to read next.


Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.