26 Highly Anticipated LGBTQ+ Romance Novels Releasing In 2022

Wrap yourself up in a rainbow blanket, and bring yourself some joy in the new year!

1. Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly

Forever

Release date: January 18

What it's about: It's a new season of cooking reality show Chef's Special, and newly divorced Dahlia Woodson and newly out-as-nonbinary London Parker are both there to win. But when they get distracted by their fierce mutual attraction and have to face the fact that only one can be there for the long haul, it calls into question whether these rivals in the kitchen can have a future outside of it. This debut is delicious in every way, and as a bonus fun fact, Kelly's also been publishing a queer romance novella series called Moonlighters, kicking off with the f/nb Sing Anyway.

Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

2. D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins

Carina Adores

Release date: January 25

What it's about: Kris and D'Vaughn have great reasons to get married, but none of them have to do with actually being in love. For D'Vaughn, it's an opportunity to finally come out to her mom. For Kris, doing it on a reality show called Instant I Do is the perfect way to level up her fame. The whole thing is just six weeks, which is no time at all to lie to everyone you know, plan a sham wedding, beat out the other contestants, and...whoops, maybe fall in love?

Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

3. Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

Avon

Release date: February 1

What it's about: Bellefleur's third novel with the Written in the Stars passes the mic to Margot, who's feeling significant fifth wheel vibes lately, despite having no intention of striking up a serious relationship herself. But when she comes across her first love, Olivia, who's getting her post-divorce fresh start in Seattle, it confuses everything, especially when Margot provides Olivia with a much-needed place to crash. Can Margot open herself up to the girl who already shattered her once?

Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

4. I'm So (Not) Over You by Kosoko Jackson

Avon

Release date: February 22

What it's about: Kian's ex broke up with him months ago, but when Hudson comes crawling back, it isn't with his heart in his hands, but with a request: He wants Kian to pose as his boyfriend, just while his parents are in town. But of course, that fully backfires when they end up as wedding dates, though Kian's not mad about it; it's an extremely high-profile event that'll bring him closer to the perfect names to bolster his journalism career. But when feelings start to overshadow the fakeness, Kian has to decide just how far he can let this fauxmance go. Second-chance romance and fake dating? Yes, please!

Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

5. Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake

Berkley Books

Release date: February 22

What it's about: Blake's smart and sexy first foray into adult after years of publishing gorgeous Sapphic middle grade and young adult follows Delilah Green back to a hometown that barely gets to call itself that. Having lost both her parents at a young age, Delilah spent her childhood at the mercy of her stepmother, Isabel, and now they've brought her back to photograph her own stepsister, Astrid's, wedding events, which means spending time with all the girls she was more than happy to leave behind when she turned 18...including Claire Sutherland. But the gorgeous, divorced single mom is a whole lot sweeter and more fun than Delilah remembers, and suddenly being stuck in Bright Falls doesn't seem so bad...

Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

6. Chef's Kiss by Jarrett Melendez, illustrated by Danica Brine, colored by Hank Jones, and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Oni Press

Release date: March 22

What it's about: All recent grad Ben wants is to be able to put his English major to work, but when he finds himself shut out of every writing and publishing job imaginable, he has no choice but to grab the first opening he can. Working at a restaurant wasn't the plan, but the more Ben polishes his culinary skills and the harder he falls for one of the chefs, the more he thinks he might have found a future in the last place he ever expected.

Buy it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

7. Going Public by Hudson Lin

Carina Press / Via carinapress.com

Release date: March 29

What it's about: Following up Hard Sell in the Jade Harbour Capital series, Lin's back with another sexy office romance, this time starring Raymond Chao, an operating partner who's landed himself in legal trouble. Along for the task of helping him dig his way out is his assistant, Elvin, who's been secretly infatuated with his boss for years. The long nights are definitely leading to progress in the romance department, but if they can't figure things out professionally, they may be over before they can begin.

Get it from your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

8. The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann

Berkely Books

Release date: April 12

What it's about: Joy is 30, ace, and head-over-heels for her best friend, but he doesn't know to know that last part. Or maybe he does, because he suddenly thinks he's found the love of his life, and this vacation he asks Joy to take with him may be her very last chance. But while away with Malcolm, she meets Fox, and suddenly she's experiencing a life where she's the romantic focus. And OK, yes, maybe things between her and Fox are just for show to help Malcolm see what he's missing, but...what if those feelings aren't so fake after all? Kann's made her name in great ace rep in YA, and it's a joy (pun partially intended) to see her branching out here.

Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

9. No Rings Attached by Rachel Lacey

Montlake

Release date: April 12

What it's about: Bookseller Lia only lied about having a girlfriend to get her mom off her back, but with her brother's wedding approaching, now she has no choice but to make good on the story. Thanks to her best friend, she gets an intro to Grace, who's recently moved to London, the very same city in which the wedding will be happening, and agrees to be Lia's date. But one disaster after another (only one bed!) makes it a weekend full of awkwardness, especially when it comes time to say goodbye and they realize they're not at all ready to do that.

Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

10. Book Boyfriend by Kris Ripper

Carina Adores

Release date: April 26

What it's about: PK is, in no particular order, an editorial assistant, an aspiring author, and in love with his best friend, Art. When Art moves in with him and still shows zero romantic interest, PK hits his tipping point, channeling all his love and lust into his fiction...which suddenly blows up, with fictional Art proving himself to be the most beloved new book boyfriend on shelves. Seeing how perfect they are on paper, PK's determined to give it one last shot, but if he can't stick the ending, he may lose both his best friend and his chance at love.

Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

11. Love, Hate & Clickbait by Liz Bowery

Mira Books

Release date: April 26

What it's about: When rival political staffers Thom and Clay are photographed fighting, they're both stunned to see the picture go viral...and that it looks like they're kissing. Of course, spectators are into it, and so's the governor, who asks them to play along in an effort to secure the liberal vote. And so, with gritted teeth, they do, but the harder their boundaries are pushed in public, the more they fall away in private...

Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

12. Never Been Kissed by Timothy Janovsky

Sourcebooks

Release date: May 3

What it's about: To All the Boys I've Loved Before goes grown-up and gay in this new adult debut about a guy named Wren whose determination to land his first kiss has him emailing all his old crushes on the eve of his birthday. Of course, regret sets in almost immediately, but when he gets closer to Derick and they find themselves working together on a project to save Derick's drive-in, Wren realizes putting himself on the line may have been worth it after all.

Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

13. Chef's Kiss by TJ Alexander

Atria Books

Release date: May 3

What it's about: Simone loves her job as a pastry expert, until it, like so many things, requires a pivot to video. Definitely not her skill, and her editor-in-chief knows it, which is why she gets paired up with annoyingly cheerful kitchen manager and newly viral homebrewing sensation Ray Lyton. It's a match made in sunshine-grump hell, until Simone finds herself craving that warmth...and facing a choice between her career and heart when Ray comes out as nonbinary to lackluster support.

Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

14. Queerly Beloved by Susie Dumond

Dial Press

Release date: May 3

What it's about: When semi-closeted baker Amy finally meets a woman she wants to pursue, her friends are thrilled, hoping it means their perpetually people-pleasing buddy will finally get out of her own way. But then what should've been a one-off gig as a bridesmaid-for-hire has Amy finding a new career path, one that pushes her people-pleasing tendencies to the extreme, threatening to ruin her chance at happiness with Charley.

Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

15. A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

Forever

Release date: May 24

What it's about: When Viola "died" at Waterloo, she gave up everything — including her wealth, title, and best friend, the Duke of Gracewood — to finally get the chance to live as herself. But she wasn't the only one feeling a deep loss. When she learns that Gracewood has sunk into a deep depression at the presumption of her death, she'll do anything she can to help. But all that comforting forces her to confront some very real feelings that may or may not still be forbidden now that she's living as her true self.

Fun fact: this isn't even Hall's first historical romance slated for 2022; Something Fabulous, a gay rom-com about a duke who's betrothed to a woman but in love with her twin brother, beats it to publication on January 25.

Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

16. You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

Atria

Release date: May 24

What it's about: Five years after the death of her husband, Feyi is still in mourning, but she'd like not to be. And so she finds the perfect guy to break her back into dating and sex, but she isn't prepared for the way things spiral from her introduction to his friend group. From there, it's a blink until she's spending the summer at the the island home of a wealthy celebrity chef, and experiencing sizzling and forbidden chemistry with a man (who is, like Feyi, bisexual) who both makes her feel alive and respects her connection to the dead. But with no easy path forward for them, they'll both have to consider what they're prepared to sacrifice for an uncertain romantic future. Emezi once again absolutely slays a new-for-them genre, with tenderhearted characters and an immaculate balance of realistic dialogue and lyrical prose.

Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

17. The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian

Avon

Release date: June 7

What it's about: It's hard to sum up the plot better than Sebastian herself has done with "Two disaster bisexuals doing their worst in 1750s England" (and really, what says "buy me" better than that?) but let's try. Marian's just tied up a criminal, shot her husband, and then went right back to said criminal, Rob, for help in fleeing the scene of the crime. (Despite the fact that he's blackmailing her.) Together, they go on the run in a wild romp, until Rob's past catches up with him and forces them both to consider where and how this adventure ends.

Get it from Amazon or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

18. The Romance Recipe by Ruby Barrett

BuzzFeed

Release date: June 28

What it's about: When Amy hires Sophie to work in her restaurant, she's hoping the latter's reality show fame will provide a revival of sorts, but all Sophie wants is took; she's not in this business to flash her face all over social media as a living advertisement. Working for Amy is irritating enough, especially when Sophie realizes she's attracted to her boss. But when a foodie TV show offers the perfect opportunity, the two will have to work together to achieve both their dreams, and maybe find a new one in the process.

Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

19. Ben and Beatriz by Katalina Gamarra

Graydon House / Via Publisher

Release date: August 2

What it's about: Shakesqueer lovers rejoice! This debut reimagines Much Ado About Nothing in the present day with a pansexual Latina heroine named Beatriz Herrera, who finds herself spending what should be an absolutely insufferable week at wealthy Ben Montgomery's Cape Cod mansion. But somehow it isn't, because buried underneath all that white privilege is a value set Beatriz never expected, and the more time they spend together, the more she understands why she hooked up with him once upon a time. And why maybe, just maybe, she'd like to do it again.

Get it from Amazon or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

20. Husband Material by Alexis Hall

Sourcebooks

Release date: August 2

What it's about: The sequel to Hall's hit Boyfriend Material sees Luc and Oliver at a crossroads. After all the mess it took to get them where they are, they're finally feeling settled, only to see everyone around them taking the next step. With Luc feeling the pressure to tie the knot, he's going to figure out how to propose one way or another, because losing Oliver is not an option.

Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

21. In the Event of Love by Courtney Kae

Kensington Publishing Corporation

Release date: August 30

What it's about: When an unfortunate disaster threatens to tank Morgan's burgeoning publicity career, she'll have to do whatever she can to rescue it, even if it means taking on an event in the small hometown she never wanted to see again. To make matters worse, Rachel, the girl who broke her heart after their first and only kiss, is still in Fern Falls, and she's all grown up into a sexy lumberjane. But Rachel's family's tree farm needs help, and Morgan's the perfect person to provide it, especially since throwing the world's greatest fundraiser is exactly how she can show that she's still on top of her publicist game. But how invested is too invested to get into a town, and maybe even a girl, she's fully planning on leaving behind? This debut may be releasing in the summer, but it'll be living rent-free in your brain all through the snow, especially as you pray for it to get picked up as a Hallmark movie.

Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

22. The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish

Sourcebooks / Via Publisher

Release date: September 6

What it's about: What if The Holiday were super gay? That's the premise behind Parrish's latest, which sees lesbian Greta getting a break from small-town Maine when she swaps houses with Truman, who desperately wants out of New Orleans after discovering his boyfriend is not only married but a father. It's the vacation of a lifetime for each of them, providing exactly what they needed. But what happens when this dream ends and it's back to post-New Year's reality?

Get it from Amazon or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

23. You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky

Sourcebooks / Via Publisher

Release date: October 4

What it's about: Yes, you're reading that right ―Janovsky's debuting this year with not one but two gay romance novels, and this one's perfect for the holiday season, especially all the grinches out there. When privileged Matthew Prince lands himself in hot water and gets shipped off to his grandparents' small town while his parents fix their new PR nightmare, he's less than thrilled with his festive new surroundings. Eager to get out faster, he takes on the task of helming a charity gala, along with the maddeningly sexy and unflappable Hector Martinez. Faced with small-town cheer, party planning, and all that hotness, even grinchy Matthew just might be powerless to resist...

Get it from Amazon or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

24. Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner

St. Martin's Griffin

Release date: October 11

What it's about: Wilsner proves their serious romance range with a sophomore that laughs in the slow-burning face of their debut by kicking off with a hookup that'll have you fanning your face for days. Said hookup happens between Cassie, a college senior, and Erin, a hot older woman she picks up at a bar...whom Cassie quickly learns is one of her best friends's moms. Thus begins the delicate dance of keeping that night a secret and giving into the hottest chemistry either of them has ever experienced, made even more challenging by the fact that they're spending an entire break together. Can they say goodbye when vacation ends, or it there something here that cannot be denied, no matter what it costs?

Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.

25. Season of Love by Helena Greer

BuzzFeed

Release date: October 11

What it's about: Bi, Jewish, free-spirited Miriam Blum is not exactly the first person to come to mind when you think of tree farm owners. But when her aunt leaves one to her, she becomes just that, forced to figure out how to help it survive the encroaching developers. At least she's not alone, not with the hot butch farm manager on the case as well...

Add it on Goodreads.

26. Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun

Atria Books

Release date: November 1

What it's about: Cochrun switches it up from her fantastic The Charm Offensive with a Sapphic holiday romance about a struggling bisexual artist who falls for her boss's lesbian sister while pretending to be his fiancé over Christmas. The Yuletide is about to get very, very gay.

Add it on Goodreads.