Friday, May 30, 2025

Love is All, Volume 8 by Gabbi Grey, Xio Axelrod, JR Grey, A.D. Ellis, et al. (charity anthology, ADULT titles) Spotlight

 



Love Is All 

ADULT titles

Volume 8

 

 

Synopsis

This limited-edition anthology features fifteen swoon-worthy novellas and short stories by award-winning and bestselling authors, including A.D. Ellis, Carrie Ann Ryan, Connor Peterson, Gabbi Grey, Jodi Payne, J.R. Gray, Lee Blair, M.A. Wardell, Piper Malone, R.L. Merrill, Skylar M. Cates & Rinda Elliott, Sophia Soames, Susan Scott Shelley & Chantal Mer, Tara Conrad, and Xio Axelrod.

All proceeds from the anthology will benefit an organization dedicated to defending LGBTQIA+ rights.

Love Is All: Volume 8 is only available for a limited time.

Add it to Goodreads

 

 

Buy links

 

Universal Link

Amazon US

B&N

KOBO

Apple


 

Bios

(note from ELF: Sorry about the caps in the bio descriptions, I have some kind of hiccup going on!)


Xio Axelrod

Xio Axelrod is a USA Today bestselling author of different flavours of contemporary romance. She also writes what she likes to call strange, twisted tales. Xio grew up in the music industry and began recording at a young age. When she isn’t writing stories, she can be found in the studio, writing songs, or performing on international stages (under a different, no-so-secret name). She lives in Philadelphia with one full-time husband and several part-time cats.

 

Gabbi Grey

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

 

Chantal Mer

Chantal Mer never set out to write books. Yet here she is, and she’s having a blast. Happily ever afters for everyone make her heart sing.

​When she’s not writing, Chantal can be found walking her adorable dog, going to musical theater with her daughter, observing the night sky with her husband and his telescope, and learning about the latest advances in video games with her son. Give her a book and a glass of wine and she’s in her happy place. Chantal lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband, two teens, her sweet pup, Miss Toffee and her big orange tabby, Simba.

 

JR Grey

Gray is a cynical Chicago native, who drinks coffee all day, barely sleeps, and is a little too fashion obsessed. He writes romance sprinkled with kink, and hot as hell, dark and angsty characters because everyone deserves a happily ever after. Gray uses He/Him pronouns.

 

Jodi Payne

Jodi Payne takes herself way too seriously and has been known to randomly break out in song. Her queer MCs are imperfect but genuine, stubborn but likable, often kinky, and frequently their own worst enemies. They are characters you can't help but fall in love with while they stumble along the path to their happily ever after. For those looking to get on her good side, Jodi's addictions include lattes, a nice cabernet and tequila any way you pour it.

 

Lee Blair

Lee Blair is a queer author and screenwriter from Oregon who writes low-angst, LGBTQIA2S+ contemporary romance full of sweet, steam, fun, and laughs. She's constantly amused by the antics of her two ginger cats, spends too much time daydreaming about her next trip to Scotland, and considers starting hobbies its own hobby. Much like buying books and reading books are separate hobbies.

 

Piper Malone

Piper Malone’s award-winning novels enchant readers with heartfelt, authentic romances. Her stories include a cast of unforgettable characters in a variety of romantic pairings. With snappy one-liners and witty banter, Piper wants her readers to laugh, swoon, and enjoy a well-deserved vacation.

 

Susan Scott Shelley

USA TODAY bestselling author Susan Scott Shelley writes romance with heat and heart that celebrates love without limits. She enjoys watching hockey, training for her next run, reading romance novels, and binging episodes of her favorite British TV shows. A city girl who likes being out in nature as often as possible, she has yet to meet a plant she hasn’t wanted to take home and she really wants a pet crow.

 

Tara Conrad

Tara Conrad is the author behind dark, seductive love stories that burn with passion and power. Her novels dive deep into the shadows of desire, blending emotional intensity with morally gray characters, high-stakes drama, and gripping plots that refuse to let go. Known for her hauntingly beautiful prose and unforgettable love stories, Tara crafts romances where obsession, betrayal, and devotion collide, leaving readers breathless from the first page to the last.

 

Tara’s married to her soulmate and Dominant, George. They are about to celebrate their 30th anniversary and are more in love today than yesterday. George encouraged Tara to start writing, and with each passing day, she’s more thankful for his insistence that she tell her stories and his partnership on this journey. There’s no one else in this world she’d ever want by her side. He is her happily ever after.

 

A.D. Ellis

A.D. Ellis is an Indiana girl, born and raised. She spends much of her time in central Indiana as a teacher in the inner city of Indianapolis, being a mom to two amazing teens, and wondering how she and her husband of nearly two decades haven't driven each other insane yet. A lot of her time is also devoted to phone call avoidance and her hatred of cooking.
She loves chocolate, wine, pizza, and naps along with reading and writing romance. These loves don't leave much time for housework, much to the chagrin of her husband. Who would pick cleaning the house over a nap or a good book? She uses any extra time to increase her fluency in sarcasm.
A.D. uses she/they pronouns.

 

R.L. Merrill

Whether she’s writing contemporary romance featuring quirky, queer, and relatable characters or diving deep into the supernatural to give readers a shiver, R.L. Merrill loves creating compelling stories that will stay with readers long after closing the book. Ro writes inclusive romance for the Happily Ever After collective, contributes paranormal hilarity to Robyn Peterman’s Magic and Mayhem Universe, and pens horror-inspired tales and music reviews for HorrorAddicts.net. A mom, wife, daughter, and former educator, you can find her rocking out in her Bronco with Great Dane pup Velma, being terrorized by feline twins Dracula and Frankenstein, or headbanging at a rock show near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area! Stay Tuned for more…

 

Skylar M. Cates

Skylar M. Cates loves a good romance. She is happy to drink coffee, curl up with a good book, and not move all day. Her novels feature strong and passionate men. Skylar loves to craft stories where realistic characters are challenged with emotional situations. Although lately the laundry room is the farthest place she has visited, Skylar loves to chat with folks from all around the globe.

 

Sophia Soames

Sophia Soames is a Scandinavian, UK based, Author of contemporary MM romance. She writes stories of everyday people with kids and families living real life fairytales.

 

Carrie Ann Ryan

Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, paranormal, and young adult romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Talon Pack, Promise Me, and Elements of Five series, which have sold millions of books worldwide. She's the winner of a RT Book of the Year and a Prism Award in her genres. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over one hundred novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not losing herself in her emotional and action-packed worlds, she’s reading as much as she can while wrangling her clowder of cats who have more followers than she does.

 

Connor Peterson

Connor Peterson is a USA Today bestselling author of LGBTQ+ urban fantasy and dark, paranormal romance, local to the Philadelphia, PA area. The madman behind Deathspell and Temptation in Neon, Connor has also contributed to the story cycle Red Phone Box - published by Ghostwoods Books - and the anthology Nocturnal Embers - published by Crimson Melodies Publishing. He is also an active participant in the Philadelphia writing community,

 

MA Wardell

Writing as M.A. Wardell, Lambda Literary Award nominee Matt writes spicy queer rom-coms.​

His goal is to tell adult gay love stories with a diverse representation of flawed and damaged characters who find healing through love.

Matt loves rom-coms and has always wished for better representation, so he's writing the stories he wishes existed. The queer men in his stories are flawed and messy. Helping them find their HEA is Matt's passion.

 

Rinda Elliott

I write in many genres, always with a love story in the mix. That love story can be M/F, M/M, M/M/F and more. I tend to read more M/M than anything else, so that’s what I mostly write. I’m also an AVID reader, collector of music, and love cozy games!

While all of my books are romantic and sexy, most lean toward erotic. For adult books that are just sexy, there are my Beri O’Dell books and if you’re looking for sweeter, but still sexy, there’s the young adult trilogy I wrote for Harlequin Teen. All of the others? Expect some heat because I love it. I also love unusual stories and credit growing up in a family of curious life-lovers who moved all over the country. Books and movies full of fantasy, science fiction and romance kept us amused, especially in some of the stranger places. For years, I tried to separate my darker side with my humorous and romantic one. I published short fiction, but things really started happening when I gave in and mixed it up. I have several ongoing series, both contemporary romantic suspense and paranormal. You can find out about them in the links above and to the right. When not lost in fiction, I love making wine, collecting music, gaming and spending time with my husband and two children.

 


Featured story: 

Too Much in Love to Care 

Gabbi Grey

Stephanie

I've been in love with Taryn from the moment she climbed out of her tow truck to rescue me and my broken-down car. She’s strong, fearless, and damn beautiful to boot. I have the rings, she said yes, now all I need is to get her to the altar. But our respective brothers, Cooper and Lachlan, seem determined to wreck our wedding.

 

Taryn

Helping stranded motorists is my superpower, and rescuing Stephanie turned my world upside down. Loving her is the easiest thing in the world. Managing to get married while our brothers fight like cats and dogs is a whole other thing. I can't decide if I want to elope, or to lock the guys in a bathroom together till they learn how to get along. It's worse than a six-car pileup, trying to make this wedding and this blended family work out. So will we manage to merge our families seamlessly or are our brothers destined to be enemies forever?

 

Too Much in Love to Care is a 10k short story about a classic engagement, crazy wedding planning, two headstrong brothers, and a lesbian wedding to remember.

 

 

Excerpt 

 

Cooper grinned as he dug into his chicken. “You know, this is pretty good.”

“You were expecting rubber chicken?” I arched an eyebrow.

“Well…”

“Given what Mom and Dad paid, I’d hoped it would be top-notch food.”

“Well, you’re in luck.” He buttered his roll and then put a huge chunk on his asparagus.

“Would you like some vegetables with your butter?” Lachlan frowned.

Cooper grinned and offered a little wave of…pleasure? Teasing?

I couldn’t figure it out.

Lachlan scowled.

Then bent down to rub his shin.

He glared at Taryn before clearly realizing Cooper and I were watching the entire byplay.

Cooper chuckled. “Bested by a girl.”

“Hush.” I hissed at him. “Don’t ever let Taryn hear you say that.”

“She gets my humor. So what’s for dessert?”

I narrowed my eyes. He knew we were having chocolate mousse or apple crumble. Wedding cakes were, as far as I was concerned, overrated. Plus, we had a couple of guests with dietary restrictions—better to give two simple choices that most people could enjoy at least one of. “Cooper—”

“I just, uh, need to stretch my legs. I promise I’ll be back.” He rose, offered a sheepish smile, and headed for the door.

What the hell?

Lachlan rose and headed toward the back of the hall.

Just beyond those doors were the washrooms.

I turned to Taryn.

She shrugged.

We engaged our parents in a discussion about our excitement over our honeymoon.

Dinner plates were cleared.

Still no sign of either man.

 


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