When something is perfect, it sets itself up to be destroyed, and for everything gained, something is lost. Since Dryden was young, his mother taught him about balance. While she weaves jewelry to sell at the marketplace, Dryden learns how every unspoiled gem begs to be damaged, just like the universe corrects every misfortune. But with age and experience, Dryden begins to see the cracks in his mother’s naïve view of life. If she is wrong about balance, she might be wrong about the supposed beast in the woods. Dryden ventures into the forbidden, where a handsome hunter named Otto saves him from a deranged fox and seduces him. But like so much else, Otto has an unseen side, and if Dryden wants to regain his freedom and break Otto’s spell, he’ll have to answer three riddles in three days. With the help of his mother’s stories and the fox who once threatened him, Dryden must beat the monster and restore balance to his world. But it will come at a cost.

When Oliver meets a really cute elf while out Live Action Role Playing, he thinks he's found the Sam to his Frodo. He tries to find out more about Oakenshire the Elf, but comes up with nothing. When summer vacation forces the LARPing group to take a break, Oliver throws himself into his upcoming play, where he is one of the main leads. There he meets a new person to captivate his attention: Avery. She's smart, funny, and into all the same things that Oliver is into, even LARPing. As their friendship progresses, Oliver begins to notice the similarities the young woman has to Oakenshire the Elf. It could be his final chance to see his elf again—or another case of mistaken identity that will leave Oliver fumbling with pronouns, excuses, and hurt feelings.

Craig is a man adrift, never quite feeling like he belongs or like he's as successful and settled as those around him—especially his lovers, Alan, an art professor he met while in college, and Sybil, who tutored him throughout his Italian class. When Alan goes to Rome life becomes even shakier and the only grounding point becomes the corkboard of memories Craig creates for the three of them.By the time Alan returns, Craig isn't certain how his relationships will change—especially when Alan starts to fall for Sybil, bringing two pieces of his world completely together and leaving Craig worried it will create a world that has no place for him.

Eli and Jay have known one another since they were children. Their life on the Star Belt government reserve in Saskatchewan isn't great, but the people—like Tantoo, Eli's grandmother, Jay's sisters and grandmother Buffy—have always made life tolerable.Until the day Jay kisses Eli, only to be rejected, and a moment of misunderstanding drives the two friends apart for years. When tragedy strikes, Eli wonders if the event will be enough to draw the two together once more.

Julian is tired of living a hoax and resolves to come out as transgender. As relationships change, he realizes why kids still believe in Santa: sometimes it's easier than accepting the truth.

Chaz, a vampire hiding in plain sight on the Toronto police force, and Sully, a sex worker who is more than meets the eye, pursue a serial killer through New Canadiana's supernatural underground.

Jason Flores and his son move to the Yukon, where Jason meets Pete, a First Nations and Inuit man. But Jason's job at a big oil company and Pete's environmentalism become a point of contention.

After a reunion concert for their favourite band, Curtis and Adrian remember all the things that used to keep them together before they met their wives and had kids. When Adrian's conversation suddenly turns sexual, Curtis isn't quite sure how to proceed. Their past together is long gone, but the unrequited feelings still remain. Curtis and his wife have always gone by the rule of look, but don't touch, so talking, he figures, is okay.As their conversations grow in frequency and intensity, Curtis starts to wonder more and more about what might have been with Adrian and what it could be now. Curtis still loves his wife, his family and their life together, which he thinks leave him with no happy options for anyone's future...

When a new patron at the library catches Tyler's sights, she doesn't expect the encounter to turn into much. But when she realizes that Josh Dubsky, a PhD student at the local university, is translating a poem from a prior civilization, she's even more intrigued.As Tyler works with Josh to translate the poem and find references for a lost world, she also excavates her own history through her grandmother's stories about society, painting with black market materials, and her own synesthesia. As the two start a romance, Tyler finds her world changing even more. When Josh's academic friends, his work schedule, and the weight of history becomes too much, Tyler closes her eyes and imagines a future that she pulls from the dark.

Nick Fraser is a true romantic. He wants the guy instead of the girl, but other than that, he wants everything his favorite rom-coms depict: the courtship, the passionate first kiss, the fairy-tale wedding. But after breaking up with the love of his life, Nick wonders if anything fairy-tale will ever happen for him.Then he meets Katie, who's just like a rom-com heroine. She's sharp, funny, sweet, and as into music and punk culture as Nick is. What's more, he's incredibly attracted to her — even though she's a woman. Nick has never considered that he might be bisexual, but his feelings for Katie are definitely real.When Katie reveals that she's transgender, Nick starts to see how much he doesn't understand about the world, queer identity, and himself. He is hopelessly in love with Katie, but this isn't a fairy tale, and Nick's friends and family may not accept his new relationship. If he wants it all, he has to have the courage to make his fantasy a reality.

Hans longs to be accepted by his academic peers. When he discovers a cure for the ongoing zombie crisis, he thinks he's finally achieved that goal—only to be stripped of his rank and unceremoniously tossed out on the streets.With nowhere else to turn, Hans, his wife, and her lover Joan look for solutions in other areas, cobbling together a lab and supplies by scrounging the back alleys of London. The only thing they lack is a body to experiment on.When the body of a young man shows up, it's almost too good to be true. Hans has only thirteen hours to work, but he's determined to prove himself. The clock is ticking, and nothing is ever as easy as it seems...

The week before an important philosophy conference, Kenneth is struggling to finish both the last chapter of his book and the paper he's writing for the event. His efforts are thwarted by a leaky faucet—and his life as a whole is turned upside down by the plumber who shows up to fix it.