Romance

If you love cozy mysteries and want gay protagonists who are smart, funny, and refreshingly drama-free, Charlie Cochrane's got you covered. The Best Corpse for the Job and Jury of One are charming, well-plotted, and spice-free—but they deliver exactly what they promise: a damn good time.

A haunted Victorian. A boy worth the risk. And a ghost that won't let them go. Paul Michael Winters' The Haunting Between Us is the tender, spooky YA romance that fifteen-year-old me needed—and today's queer teens deserve.

Levi and Dominic hunt a serial killer through the neon-soaked streets of Vegas, and Kingsbridge nails the sense of place. The mystery kept me hooked, the romance worked, but after five books I was ready for some variety—in the plot and the bedroom. A fun, escapist thriller that could've been outstanding at three books instead of five.

Big, bookish, emotionally complicated—Will Darling is everything. The third book in KJ Charles's 1920s espionage series delivers the best mystery, the sharpest banter, and a romance that knows the difference between taking your clothes off and actually letting someone in. Murder, mayhem, and a buff guy who runs a bookshop. What more do you want?

Will Darling and Kim Secretan are back for another round of blackmail, conspiracy, and the kind of yearning that makes you want to throw the book across the room (in a good way). If you loved Slippery Creatures, this 1920s adventure deepens everything that worked—and sets up a finale you won't want to miss.

V.E. Schwab wrote a vampire book that cares more about longing than blood. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil follows three queer women across centuries making fascinating mistakes. A gorgeous slow burn with beautiful prose and characters who feel achingly real.

Carys Davies' "Clear" delivers an achingly beautiful gay love story set against 1843 Scotland's Highland Clearances. A minister sent to evict a man falls for him instead—stunning prose, earned intimacy, perfect ending.

When rich trouble-maker Tennal gets forcibly conscripted into the military, he's supposed to have his mind controlled by dutiful soldier Surit. But Surit refuses—setting up a slow-burn romance that questions consent, autonomy, and what it means to choose each other.

In 1950s Paris, American expatriate David finds himself torn between his fiancée Hella and his passionate relationship with Giovanni. Baldwin's luminous prose captures a man struggling with desire, shame, and the cost of living authentically.

The South by Tash Aw isn't a will-they-won't-they story—it's about the texture of desire and what happens when private longing collides with public crisis. Though set during Malaysia's 1997 financial collapse, for Jay, the real revolution is internal. The way he and Chuan move around each other—the dialogue, the small decisions, the moments of connection—all of it rang completely true.

M.L. Rio's If We Were Villains brings gorgeous Shakespeare integration and compelling queer romance, but loses momentum in its second half. A C+ dark academia read that promises more than it delivers.

Taylor Jenkins Reid's Atmosphere serves up 1980s NASA drama with hidden love, scientific ambition, and the authentic weight of staying closeted among the stars.

A steamy, soft-edged sports romance that delivers warmth and heart, Him goes down easy—but never quite digs into the stakes beneath the surface.

A quietly radical novel of gay awakening, Maurice finds tenderness in unexpected places and dares to imagine a love that doesn’t have to end in silence.

A sharp, funny, and big-hearted rom-com about a theater kid chasing the fantasy of love, The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King shines brightest when it lets its drama king grow beyond the script he’s written for himself.