Let's Get Things Perfectly Queer, I Can't Even Think Straight

In June, we received so many LGBTQ romance suggestions that we were dizzy with the possibilities. These stories didn’t fit our original LGBTQ homework assignment, but now we share those alternative stories that our book friends recommended with pride. These 12 romances offer a little bit of every sub-genre a LGBTQ reader can desire.

Beneath The Stain by Amy Lane

Anne Cain / Via amzn.to

If music makes your heart sing then the boys of Outbreak Monkey want to make your heart rock out! However, the heart of our hero may beat to a new tune when the man who sees him at rock bottom gives him more that just a leg up.

“This story made me smile, this story made my heart ache, this story made me feel the power of love and this story will stick with me for a long time to come! Ms Lane’s ability to put MacKey’s feelings, his head space into words truly speaks to the depth of her talent. Warning you will cry, warning your heart will be touched, warning you may suffer a book hangover!"

- Puck Mom

Published 10/17/2014

Black Iris by Leah Raeder

Leah Raeder/Atria / Via amzn.to

College is a place of new beginnings for our heroine. However, when your past won’t let you get on with your new journey, sometimes you just have to kick it in the balls.

“This book is intense and gets under your skin. It's also unexpected, exploring everything from mental illness to sexuality and what it means to explore sexual labels. It's a suspense novel that looks at the darkness in your mind, yet it is also a beautiful love story.

“Two girls, cherry-mouthed, glitter-lashed, our skin luminous with moonlight and sweat, making out beneath pennants that still shivered with the afternoon's boy bravado. If only you bastards could see me now."

- Little Lamb Reader

Published 04/28/2015

Perfect Imperfections: A Rock Star Contemporary Gay Romance by Cardeno C.

Jay Aheer / Via amzn.to

The life and times of an international rock god is not always as it seems. When our hero meets up with a bartender out on the road, an understanding of needs is reached. However, neither one had love written into their final bow.

“It’s the perfect rock star GFY story. Jeremy is sweet, but naive and becomes Reg's friend before they fall in love.”

- All The Colors

Published 05/06/2015

Different People by Orland Outland (Brad Vance)

Orland Outland / Via amzn.to

This story is of family and the ties that bind. What happens when two families with different socio-beliefs have sons who have a friendship deeper than just neighborhood friends? This story is a long look at the intertwining lives through a journey of two such men.

“An honest, insightful and loving recap of twenty years in the lives of two men.”

- VAS

Published 07/13/2015

Night’s Templar (Vampire Queen series) by Joey W Hill

W. Scott Hill / Via amzn.to

Do your reading preferences lean towards the paranormal? Vampires and fairies will do their best magic to bring you an intriguing reading experience in this tale. In this title, our readers loved getting their creatures featured in a world of intrigue.

“I loved this book. Actually I love all of Joey's books but this one was the sweetest story ever. Of all of the vampires Lord Uthe is that he is the least dominant of all. The relationship that develops between him and Lord Keldwyn shows how love can break the barriers between racial, political, and international boundaries.”

- KitKat

Published 10/31/2015

The Great Turning by Lesli Richardson

Lesli Richardson / Via amzn.to

If futuristic, dystopian or sci-fi make your little book loving heart take flight, then this series will make you lift off in delight. Our readers loved the combination of assassins and hunters who search for happiness… or die trying.

“It doesn’t matter what genre Lesli Richardson writes in or what name she writes under. All of her stories are great and some are just awesome. Her people feel real like someone you might know, not CEO Billionaire Alphas. There is violence and sex but it’s not too graphic. There is romance and intrigue. It’s a full length story that is not a cliffhanger even though it is part of a trilogy. The story is well paced and you won’t want to put it down”

- KitKat

Published 01/19/2016

The Hardest Goodbyes (The McLendon Family Saga) by D.L. Roan

D.L. Roan / Via amzn.to

Soldier vs. Spy, set in the Cold War. Are things really all that cold where it counts for our heroes? If you love historical based stories then this may have you brushing the dust off your eReader.

“This is the author's first M/M novel but you wouldn't know. It's a beautiful and emotional tale of love that is enduring, unbreakable and everlasting, surviving the trials and test of time. Although part of a series it can be read as a standalone.”

- Andrea Apple

Published 06/01/2016

PresLocke series by Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine

Jay Aheer / Via amzn.to

A sexy smolder that stares down each day you pass by on Hollywood Blvd… Yeah, you may want to watch where you are driving as it might be an unexpected speed bump. If TMZ and Entertainment Tonight are counted as your ‘must watch’ TV shows, you do not want to pass up this series.

“These two guys, oof. I loved both series these men appeared in—and I begged for a book for them each. To get not one, not two, but three TOGETHER? Perfection. It's absolutely seamless, the way Ace and Dylan meet, love, live. They have to face life head on, and they do it while being crazy sexy and hilarious to boot.”

- Snarky Aussie

“Lots of happy sex and fun story with just enough tension to keep it interesting. Besides the evil mother finally gets put in her place in the final book.”

- Cinder-elle

“These two authors together are dynamite. This trilogy never lost pace and keeps the reader engaged. Loving, funny and touching—you can’t NOT root for their HEA. And a definite ‘must have’ in audiobook.”

- My Own Bookshelves

Book One Published 07/10/2016

Unforgiven by Ruth Clampett

Jada D’Lee / Via amzn.to

Best friends and college roommates who seemed to know each other inside and out. However, an unexpected visit to their dorm room turns everything they thought they knew on its head.

“A beautiful, powerful and very emotionally charged tale of true love conquering all. A wonderful M/M debut from this author.”

- Andrea Apple

Published 03/09/2017

Sunlight by Seth King

Seth King / Via amzn.to

The back drop of the Deep South sets the scene for this heartbreaking tale. These two men—who carry a lifelong friendship—are both yearning for an easier journey, and their story touched our book friends.

“It's real. The characters, the emotions, the context... touch the very heart of the reader.”

- PinProm

“Mr King weaves his words masterfully so that the reader not only understands but feels the pull that he can't answer. Although it wasn't the ending I wanted, it was the best possible ending to have.  If you are looking for something that is about love and the possible impossibility of it, this is the brilliant short read you are looking for.”

- My Own Bookshelves

Published 05/03/2017

Hello Forever by Sarina Bowen

Sarina Bowen / Via amzn.to

Maybe your hoop dreams aren’t about sinking that three pointer, but are instead about the one that escaped before play was done. Six years later, these boys have a chance to win it all.

“Hello Forever truly is one of the most captivating M/M books I've read. It was a one-sitting read for me—I just didn't want to stop until I knew that Cax & Axel were going to be okay... and together. *Sigh* Now I want to read it all over again.”

- Not A Bored Panda

Published 07/14/2017

A Little Bit Like Love (South Haven series) by Brooke Blaine

Hang Le / Via amzn.to

Finding true love is a bit like discovering the perfect art piece that takes your breath away. A painting is worth a thousand words unless it breaks you into a million pieces. Walk away shattered and then determined to be a brash playboy, our hero comes face to face to the one who may have stolen his heart.

"I loved everything about this book. The cover. The blurb. The author. And the words inside… oh, the words inside were simply beautiful. I was completely and utterly charmed by A Little Bit Like Love, and what I feel for it is not a little, it’s a lot like love.”

- Snarky Aussie

"I will admit that the blurb had me impatiently waiting for release day. The moment it hit my eReader I started and was instantly captivated by these two characters. They kept me engaged with their second chance that even when tension would occur, I still had a hopeful heart. There is so MUCH to love about this story."

- My Own Bookshelves

Published 07/27/2017

We’ve Emptied Our Pot of Golden Book Finds

giphy.com / Via giphy.com

Our book friends have a given you a widely colorful collection of LGBTQ romance, but that doesn’t mean we covered them all. It’s time to spread the love and share with pride your favorite LGBTQ romances in the comments!