The Risa Cruise Collection

Book one:

Heartbroken art student Noel Underwood isn’t looking for anything serious when he hits the club looking for a distraction. But a reckless encounter with Luca Karvelas—an older tattoo artist with nowhere else to go—quickly turns into an arrangement neither of them can walk away from.

Fresh off a separation from his wife, Luca has spent his life burying parts of himself he never wanted to face. Getting involved with a man nearly a decade younger is a bad idea; moving in together is even worse. But the fierce, prickly boy he’s made his roommate makes him feel comfortable in his own skin for the first time in years. Noel has demons of his own. Beneath the sharp edges and a wildly self-destructive streak is a desperate and vulnerable need to be loved. With Luca, he feels whole in a way he never has before, and together, their chemistry is impossible to ignore. But when the past comes crashing back into their lives and old patterns resurface, Luca is forced to make a choice—one that could cost him the only person who’s ever really seen him.

SUCKER LOVE is a soft D/s, hurt/comfort MM romance centering BPD representation and brimming with angst, drama, and messy desire.

Book Two:

Months ago, Luca walked away from Noel. Now he’d do anything to get him back.

But making things right is impossible when the love of his life has blocked his number, moved apartments, and vanished from every corner of Luca’s life. Still, Luca can’t let go. He haunts the places they used to visit together, hoping for one more chance to face the boy he hurt so badly.

Noel isn’t doing well—but he’s trying. He’s going to therapy, keeping up with his new job, and learning how to survive on his own, no matter how badly it hurts. And the worst part? He’s still hopelessly in love with the man who crushed his heart.

When Noel agrees to take a heartbroken friend out for the night, the last thing he expects is for the evening to end in disaster. But at the club, Noel comes face-to-face not with Luca, but another ghost from his past.

And in a single moment, the fragile life he’s rebuilt begins to crack apart all over again.

SWALLOW is a heartfelt MM romance about fighting for happiness and finding solace in a second-chance. Featuring a very hard-won HEA, it is the second book in the Sugar Pill Duet and should be read after SUCKER LOVE.

Book Three: Wish we were here

One car. Two strangers. Thirteen hundred miles. What could go wrong? When Ash rolls into town with a backpack full of cash and a bullet wound, the last thing he’s looking for is a connection. All he needs is a ride south, fast. Enter Sam: a young man struggling with his identity, freshly dumped by the girlfriend he drove up the coast to visit. He doesn’t know a thing about the gorgeous stranger begging him for a ride back to Miami, but when Ash offers to cover all expenses, it's hard to say no. What starts as convenience turns into late-night confessions, shared hotel beds, and feelings neither of them are prepared to name. As they rack up the miles, casual recklessness turns into something intimate and real. But Ash is lying—about who he is, what he’s done and why. And when his secrets catch up with them both, it’ll put their fragile new connection to the test.

WISH WE WERE HERE is a whirlwind strangers-to-lovers MM romance set against the grungy backdrop of the mid-90s. Featuring a bisexual awakening and a guaranteed HEA, it’s a standalone love story shaped by tender nostalgia.

Book Four: To the end

True love is never transactional.

In the winter of 1994, twenty-nine-year-old Jamie Hollis is left reeling when he inherits a fortune in the wake of his estranged father's death. On the way home from the funeral, he spies a young hustler on a frozen street corner...and makes an impulsive decision.

Ben Greer is surviving one night at a time. At twenty-four, he’s bitter, burnt out, and barely scraping by on the streets of Providence. With no family to speak of and bearing the scars of liaisons gone wrong, he’s long since stopped believing in happy endings.

Their arrangement is supposed to be simple: Jamie wants exclusivity, and the money's too good for Ben to refuse. But as the weeks pass, what begins as transactional gives way to unexpected intimacy. Beyond Ben’s barbed defenses is someone Jamie is desperate to protect, and beneath Jamie’s isolation is the first person Ben’s trusted in years.

But when Jamie is dragged back into old family drama he once thought he escaped, Ben will have to decide what matters more to him: money...or love?

TO THE END is a class gap MM romance set against the nostalgic backdrop of the mid-90s. Serving as a prequel to WISH WE WERE HERE, TO THE END features a cast of familiar faces and a poignant HFN.

The ultimate in Risa Cruises' Love on Rewind series,, featuring two signed paperbacks, six Safe-for-work art prints and four stickers.

Book One: Wish we were here

One car. Two strangers. Thirteen hundred miles. What could go wrong? When Ash rolls into town with a backpack full of cash and a bullet wound, the last thing he’s looking for is a connection. All he needs is a ride south, fast. Enter Sam: a young man struggling with his identity, freshly dumped by the girlfriend he drove up the coast to visit. He doesn’t know a thing about the gorgeous stranger begging him for a ride back to Miami, but when Ash offers to cover all expenses, it's hard to say no. What starts as convenience turns into late-night confessions, shared hotel beds, and feelings neither of them are prepared to name. As they rack up the miles, casual recklessness turns into something intimate and real. But Ash is lying—about who he is, what he’s done and why. And when his secrets catch up with them both, it’ll put their fragile new connection to the test.

WISH WE WERE HERE is a whirlwind strangers-to-lovers MM romance set against the grungy backdrop of the mid-90s. Featuring a bisexual awakening and a guaranteed HEA, it’s a standalone love story shaped by tender nostalgia.

Book two: To the end

True love is never transactional.

In the winter of 1994, twenty-nine-year-old Jamie Hollis is left reeling when he inherits a fortune in the wake of his estranged father's death. On the way home from the funeral, he spies a young hustler on a frozen street corner...and makes an impulsive decision.

Ben Greer is surviving one night at a time. At twenty-four, he’s bitter, burnt out, and barely scraping by on the streets of Providence. With no family to speak of and bearing the scars of liaisons gone wrong, he’s long since stopped believing in happy endings.

Their arrangement is supposed to be simple: Jamie wants exclusivity, and the money's too good for Ben to refuse. But as the weeks pass, what begins as transactional gives way to unexpected intimacy. Beyond Ben’s barbed defenses is someone Jamie is desperate to protect, and beneath Jamie’s isolation is the first person Ben’s trusted in years.

But when Jamie is dragged back into old family drama he once thought he escaped, Ben will have to decide what matters more to him: money...or love?

TO THE END is a class gap MM romance set against the nostalgic backdrop of the mid-90s. Serving as a prequel to WISH WE WERE HERE, TO THE END features a cast of familiar faces and a poignant HFN.

Book one:

Heartbroken art student Noel Underwood isn’t looking for anything serious when he hits the club looking for a distraction. But a reckless encounter with Luca Karvelas—an older tattoo artist with nowhere else to go—quickly turns into an arrangement neither of them can walk away from.

Fresh off a separation from his wife, Luca has spent his life burying parts of himself he never wanted to face. Getting involved with a man nearly a decade younger is a bad idea; moving in together is even worse. But the fierce, prickly boy he’s made his roommate makes him feel comfortable in his own skin for the first time in years. Noel has demons of his own. Beneath the sharp edges and a wildly self-destructive streak is a desperate and vulnerable need to be loved. With Luca, he feels whole in a way he never has before, and together, their chemistry is impossible to ignore. But when the past comes crashing back into their lives and old patterns resurface, Luca is forced to make a choice—one that could cost him the only person who’s ever really seen him.

SUCKER LOVE is a soft D/s, hurt/comfort MM romance centering BPD representation and brimming with angst, drama, and messy desire.

Book Two:

Months ago, Luca walked away from Noel. Now he’d do anything to get him back.

But making things right is impossible when the love of his life has blocked his number, moved apartments, and vanished from every corner of Luca’s life. Still, Luca can’t let go. He haunts the places they used to visit together, hoping for one more chance to face the boy he hurt so badly.

Noel isn’t doing well—but he’s trying. He’s going to therapy, keeping up with his new job, and learning how to survive on his own, no matter how badly it hurts. And the worst part? He’s still hopelessly in love with the man who crushed his heart.

When Noel agrees to take a heartbroken friend out for the night, the last thing he expects is for the evening to end in disaster. But at the club, Noel comes face-to-face not with Luca, but another ghost from his past.

And in a single moment, the fragile life he’s rebuilt begins to crack apart all over again.

SWALLOW is a heartfelt MM romance about fighting for happiness and finding solace in a second-chance. Featuring a very hard-won HEA, it is the second book in the Sugar Pill Duet and should be read after SUCKER LOVE.

True love is never transactional.

In the winter of 1994, twenty-nine-year-old Jamie Hollis is left reeling when he inherits a fortune in the wake of his estranged father's death. On the way home from the funeral, he spies a young hustler on a frozen street corner...and makes an impulsive decision.

Ben Greer is surviving one night at a time. At twenty-four, he’s bitter, burnt out, and barely scraping by on the streets of Providence. With no family to speak of and bearing the scars of liaisons gone wrong, he’s long since stopped believing in happy endings.

Their arrangement is supposed to be simple: Jamie wants exclusivity, and the money's too good for Ben to refuse. But as the weeks pass, what begins as transactional gives way to unexpected intimacy. Beyond Ben’s barbed defenses is someone Jamie is desperate to protect, and beneath Jamie’s isolation is the first person Ben’s trusted in years.

But when Jamie is dragged back into old family drama he once thought he escaped, Ben will have to decide what matters more to him: money...or love?

TO THE END is a class gap MM romance set against the nostalgic backdrop of the mid-90s. Serving as a prequel to WISH WE WERE HERE, TO THE END features a cast of familiar faces and a poignant HFN.

Heartbroken art student Noel Underwood isn’t looking for anything serious when he hits the club looking for a distraction. But a reckless encounter with Luca Karvelas—an older tattoo artist with nowhere else to go—quickly turns into an arrangement neither of them can walk away from.

Fresh off a separation from his wife, Luca has spent his life burying parts of himself he never wanted to face. Getting involved with a man nearly a decade younger is a bad idea; moving in together is even worse. But the fierce, prickly boy he’s made his roommate makes him feel comfortable in his own skin for the first time in years.

Noel has demons of his own. Beneath the sharp edges and a wildly self-destructive streak is a desperate and vulnerable need to be loved. With Luca, he feels whole in a way he never has before, and together, their chemistry is impossible to ignore.

But when the past comes crashing back into their lives and old patterns resurface, Luca is forced to make a choice—one that could cost him the only person who’s ever really seen him.

SUCKER LOVE is a soft D/s, hurt/comfort MM romance centering BPD representation and brimming with angst, drama, and messy desire. 

Months ago, Luca walked away from Noel. Now he’d do anything to get him back.

But making things right is impossible when the love of his life has blocked his number, moved apartments, and vanished from every corner of Luca’s life. Still, Luca can’t let go. He haunts the places they used to visit together, hoping for one more chance to face the boy he hurt so badly.

Noel isn’t doing well—but he’s trying. He’s going to therapy, keeping up with his new job, and learning how to survive on his own, no matter how badly it hurts. And the worst part? He’s still hopelessly in love with the man who crushed his heart.

When Noel agrees to take a heartbroken friend out for the night, the last thing he expects is for the evening to end in disaster. But at the club, Noel comes face-to-face not with Luca, but another ghost from his past.

And in a single moment, the fragile life he’s rebuilt begins to crack apart all over again.

SWALLOW is a heartfelt MM romance about fighting for happiness and finding solace in a second-chance. Featuring a very hard-won HEA, it is the second book in the Sugar Pill Duet and should be read after SUCKER LOVE.

One car. Two strangers. Thirteen hundred miles. What could go wrong?

When Ash rolls into town with a backpack full of cash and a bullet wound, the last thing he’s looking for is a connection. All he needs is a ride south, fast.

Enter Sam: a young man struggling with his identity, freshly dumped by the girlfriend he drove up the coast to visit. He doesn’t know a thing about the gorgeous stranger begging him for a ride back to Miami, but when Ash offers to cover all expenses, it's hard to say no.

What starts as convenience turns into late-night confessions, shared hotel beds, and feelings neither of them are prepared to name. As they rack up the miles, casual recklessness turns into something intimate and real.

But Ash is lying—about who he is, what he’s done and why. And when his secrets catch up with them both, it’ll put their fragile new connection to the test.

WISH WE WERE HERE is a whirlwind strangers-to-lovers MM romance set against the grungy backdrop of the mid-90s. Featuring a bisexual awakening and a guaranteed HEA, it’s a standalone love story shaped by tender nostalgia.