Historical Fiction

A bank clerk by day and a denizen of London's queer underworld by night, Selby Bigge talks his way into a millionaire's mansion and straight into a murder—one he has to solve without letting anyone discover what he is. A Queer Case is a whip-smart, fair-play whodunit with the wit of Coward, the bones of Christie, and a gloriously queer heart. It won the Lambda for a reason.

Joe Westmoreland's autofictional road novel follows a young gay man hitchhiking from Kansas City to New Orleans to San Francisco across the 70s and 80s—and walks straight into the AIDS crisis. The characters feel like actual people, not types, and the ending earns every tear it gets. An essential book about a generation we owe more attention than we give.

Edward Cahill's Disorderly Men follows three gay men in early-1960s New York whose lives are upended the night a vice cop walks into a Greenwich Village bar. Smart, propulsive, beautifully researched—and anchored by Danny, a working-class character whose slowly rising rage is one of the rarest, most satisfying things in gay fiction.

Big, burly, and terrified of being left—Patrick runs a Greenwich Village bookstore and keeps his heart carefully guarded. Then a mysterious drifter and a grieving friend show up, and everything changes. After Hours at Dooryard Books is a tender, beautifully observed story about finding people whose baggage fits with yours. Highly recommended.

Toby robs the wrong man and ends up working for him—what could go wrong? A Thief in the Night is a charming, tightly written novella that nails the romance but leaves the heist wanting more.

A charming, witty, beautifully rendered romance with two leads I'd follow anywhere. The mystery doesn't quite reach the heights of the character work, but I didn't mind. I was too busy being completely charmed.

A charming 1960s road trip romance with golden retriever Peter and prickly Caleb finding each other on the way to California. Strong character work and excellent vibes, but leans heavily on mood over momentum. A solid B.

Cat Sebastian's Page & Sommers series is cozy without being cloying—a smart blend of Christie-style mystery and heartfelt romance. Tightly written, emotionally satisfying, and anchored by two men with shared trauma learning to trust again.

Eddie's in a slump, Mark's drowning in grief, and neither of them is looking for love. But You Should Be So Lucky is a slow-burn romance that understands how life can surprise you when you've convinced yourself that part of your life is over. Warm, authentic, and worth the wait.

If you're looking for fun, magical, romantic historical fantasy with characters you'll want to spend time with and dialogue that'll make you smile, pick up The Magpie Lord. You'll be glad you did.

I'm a KJ Charles fan, so it pains me to say Unfit to Print feels underdeveloped. The romance lacks spark, the mystery fizzles, and the whole thing needed more time to breathe. A rare misfire from a usually reliable author.