reviews, releases and recommendations of LGBT media
Music keeping us all alive, like always and hopefully forever. So here you’re gonna learn about all the LGBT songs I know of from last month, you’re welcome! Below you will find 10 songs I want to highlight & the playlist of releases for the month at the very end of the post.
Want more music? Check out the previous monthly posts right here!
I don’t know about you, but I’m loving this growing trend of taking classics and/or events from history, making them gay, and setting them in space. (I say trend, but really so far it’s this book and Suzan Palumbo’s upcoming Countess.) If that sounds good to you—which it should—then let me urge you now to get your preorders in for The Stars Undying (US, UK, int’l) because trust me. You won’t regret it.
Before we start with the review though, don’t forget you can follow Emery on twitter too.
A spectacular space opera debut perfect for readers of Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice and Arkady Martine’s A Memory Called Empire, inspired by the lives and loves of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar.
Princess Altagracia has lost everything. After a bloody civil war, her twin sister has claimed not just the crown of their planet Szayet but the Pearl of its prophecy, a computer that contains the immortal soul of Szayet’s god. Stripped of her birthright, Gracia flees the planet—just as Matheus Ceirran, Commander of the interstellar Empire of Ceiao, arrives in deadly pursuit with his volatile lieutenant, Anita. When Gracia and Ceirran’s paths collide, Gracia sees an opportunity to win back her planet, her god, and her throne…if she can win the Commander and his right-hand officer over first.
But talking her way into Ceirran’s good graces, and his bed, is only the beginning. Dealing with the most powerful man in the galaxy is almost as dangerous as war, and Gracia is quickly torn between an alliance that fast becomes more than political and the wishes of the god—or machine—that whispers in her ear. For Szayet’s sake, and her own, Gracia will need to become more than a princess with a silver tongue. She will have to become a queen as history has never seen before—even if it breaks an empire.
Emery Robin
Rep: bi mcs, lesbian side character, nonbinary side character, gay side character
Release: 8th November 2022
I visited all the cemeteries in the city, as you’re wont to do on November 1st in this part of the world, so now it’s time to take a look at the last month! Of course, like always, Charlotte read more than me, no one is surprised by that, but you’ll also notice that I already started (re)watching Christmas movies. Yes, a new rec list is coming your way some day in December! (Because there’s one from last year, for those of you who want to get in the spirit early!)
If you’re looking for a new histrom to get excited about, then look no further than the upcoming One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny, releasing from Mills & Boon next year. You’ll sadly have to wait another 2 and a half months (or so) for this book, for which I have to apologise, but trust me when I say that it’s one you won’t want to miss out on. And this post will give you five reasons exactly why!
Before we start, don’t forget you can follow Emma on twitter too.
A love story worth fighting for…
Oxfordshire 1360
When Penn and Raff meet in Hartswood Forest the only truth they know of each other is a brief moonlit kiss they had shared previously. But Penn is escaping a life of cruelty, and an arranged marriage to a woman he has never seen. Raff is tracking the elusive missing groom of his sister to restore his family’s honour. Neither are looking for a travelling companion. Yet both men find themselves drawn to each other in ways neither imagined.
Unaware of their true identities they venture north together through Hartswood Forest. And, as their bond deepens, their fates become irrevocably entwined. But, with one escaping a life of duty and one tracking a fugitive, continued concealment threatens everything they know and trust in each other. So when secrets are finally revealed, and the consequences of their relationship become clear, both must decide what they will risk for the man they love.
Emma Denny
Rep: bi mc, gay mc, lesbian side characters
CWs:Â violence, implied child abuse
Release: 19th January 2023
Not the post we necessarily planned coming to you today, but a quick one we threw together at almost the last minute (haha blogging amirite?). If you’re a fan of historical fiction, then this is a list for you! Of course, it’s actually part two of the list (part one can be found here), but honestly, I’m a little happier with this one than the last, because I didn’t have to resort to histroms to fill in the gaps (which, let’s be clear, is not a bad thing, but I had a whole separate list for historical romances, as opposed to historical fiction which might or might not include romance). But anyways. I’ll not keep you waiting any longer for it!
A lot of these titles are available on Scribd, so if you want to check out that service but don’t have an account yet, use my invite code to get 2 months for free! (This also gives me one free month.)
Full disclosure at the start of this rec list: neither me nor Anna are the biggest fans of horror, so these recs are really, what we have found that we’ve either a. started and not finished (mostly me, this one), or b. managed to get through without being hidden behind a sofa. There’s a variety of horror here: things you might consider more conventionally horror, some slashers, some horror-comedies, and some more paranormal things. Hopefully, then, something for everyone.
I just want to note here, before we start, that I’ve tried to put accurate CWs in each of these entries. However, having failed to watch all of the recs on this list, inevitably some of them will be lacking. So I’ll be coming back to update those (or, if you’ve watched, feel free to let me know what to add there).
The other day, Anna posted books to read with the same vibes as Interview with the Vampire, on which you might have noticed, there were precious few actual vampires. That’s because this list was coming! Ten books featuring vampires—not all of them horror books—for your reading pleasure this spooky season. You can also find some more vampire recs (along with other spooky season stalwarts) in last year’s post!
A lot of these titles are available on Scribd, so if you want to check out that service but don’t have an account yet, use my invite code to get 2 months for free! (This also gives me one free month.)
I am, of course, talking about the 2022 AMC TV series. The masterpiece of modern television. The adaptation that (hopefully) has Anne Rice turning in her grave. If you’re wasting your Sundays on a different show, I don’t know how to help you…
For those of you who simply want more vampire stories, Charlotte will have a rec list soon has a rec list, don’t worry! But I’m here for vibes, and vibes alone. I’m here for the toxic, unhealthy relationships! (Though I did include a few vampire titles, as well, and because of that this list is actually longer than usually.)
And if you want more trans stories about vampires (like we all do!), I’ve been told you should keep an eye out for Danny Bryn & Rem Wigmore next year!
Histrom fans will have had The Gentleman’s Book of Vices on their radar for quite some while, I’m sure. Well, in little over 6 weeks, the wait will be over, but if that’s still (understandably) too long a wait, then we have the interview for you today! You can sate your curiosity and/or whet your appetite for this book right here, right now!
And don’t forget: for more information and snippets, you can follow Jess on instagram too!
You may remember a while back we tweeted a question into the void, about LGBT releases people were looking forward to for 2023 (as we have done for two years now). Well, if all those tweets seemed a little much to sort through, we’ve collated them here for easy viewing! All 128 books mentioned for you to scroll through. With some gorgeous covers to boot.
We did this last year and the year before too, if you remember, so you can check that out to see what was included then (also, some of the books in last year’s post have been pushed to 2023, as will, undoubtedly, several of this year’s post to next year. Even more to look forward to!). And of course, this post is a drop in the ocean compared to everything we know coming out next year, so make sure to keep an eye out for our releases posts so you don’t miss any!
Finally, a little key (bearing in mind that it’s a little hard to confirm exact rep so far out & some we think might be gay, but only based on an author’s previous output):
🧡 = sapphic rep
💛 = achillean rep
💙 = trans or nonbinary rep
💚 = other or unknown rep
If you haven’t heard about Extra Pages Press’s new Kickstarter, Sharp Wit and the Company of Women—link here because you will want it to hand when you finish reading this post, then we are here to change that today! If you like to see women wielding swords, if you like to see lesbians wielding swords, then this is the anthology for you. But don’t just take our word for it: the creators themselves are on our blog today to tell you exactly why you want this one (followed up by a few examples of the gorgeous art you can expect!). If you’re going to back this, however, please be aware the Kickstarter ends on 27th October at 5pm GMT.
Another month’s gone by, which means there’s a tone of new music to love! Always lean on the side of wonder, my guys. Especially if the wonders are one of your favourite artists releasing a new single after over a year…
Anyway, as ever, below you will find 10 songs I want to highlight & the playlist of releases for the month at the very end of the post.
Want more music? Check out the previous monthly posts right here!
Today’s the day! Seth Haddon’s debut novel is finally out! Yes, it’s the fantasy gay romance which starts out with a scene extremely (and on purpose) reminiscent of a marriage ceremony. So a book of our dreams, I dare say.
So get to know Seth a little bit better, before you order yourself a copy of Reforged!
And don’t forget that you can follow Seth on twitter too!
September was a weird month for us. Well, maybe mostly for me… My laptop broke (thanks to everyone who helped me out!), I had a work trip, I had a few out-of-town workshops for work… Not a lot of time to read. Meanwhile, Charlotte, in true fashion, was reading like there’s no tomorrow.
Most importantly, though, in September we hit our fourth (!) blogging anniversary!
Today’s essay is for all enjoyers of achillean fiction. (And for the writers of it.) It’s an honest look at the state of publishing today from a perspective of an older, gay writer. So a perspective we don’t get a lot of, but definitely need!
