reviews, releases and recommendations of LGBT media
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!
On a whim, I decided to start a whole new style of rec post on this blog. I’ve done a few of these on my own blog before, so I figured why not transfer the idea over to this one! Here’s how it goes: I pick (or you suggest—feel free to leave any requests in comments!) a popular book or series, think of a bunch of tropes, themes or character archtypes in that book/series, and rec books which also fit those tropes, themes and archetypes. And in this case, they’re all gay!
The first of these posts is going to be about the big fantasy monster that is Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time. Fourteen books long, it’s one you would be excused of being intimidated by. If you have read it, however, and are looking for similar(ish) books, then this post is for you! So let’s get going.
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.)
When I told Charlotte that I want to make a rec list for LGBT romance books, she told me to only include “actually romantic ones”. If I knew what she meant. And I did! I really did.
So that’s what you can expect here: 10 romance books with pining turned up to the absolute maximum, and ones where you can almost physically feel the love the characters have for one another. You’ll probably gonna cry, but you can thank me later!
A lot of those 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.)
If you’re a fan of middle grade literature, then surely you must have been eagerly anticipating Michelle Mohrweis’s debut The Trouble With Robots, which is out in just five days time (!!!!) (still time to preorder, in case you were wondering). And if you are, boy do we have an exciting post for you today—an interview with the author themself! So get yourself a cup of [insert beverage of choice] and have a read!
And don’t forget that you can follow Michelle on twitter too!
Running out of ideas for rec posts as I am (which, let me be clear, is a hint for you guys to maybe offer some ideas of what you want to see), I returned to an old stalwart on this blog: sapphic fantasy! Obviously, I’ve already done two parts to this post but I’ve (finally) reached the point where I’m minorly struggling to find 20 books I would highly recommend. Guess that just means I need to go and read some more… But anyway! Check out the 20 I’ve decided to rec this time.
As ever, all of the previous posts (including those two other fantasy posts) can be found here.
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.)
Today, quite by accident, marks exactly 2 years and 1 month since we posted a sapphic YA fantasy list. Obviously, this means it’s time to post an achillean equivalent. So, after much head scratching (and a few faves sadly left out (for now)), here it is! And, of course, Anna’s sapphic YA fantasy list can be found here should you want to check that out at the same time.
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.)
If you’re a fan of historical mysteries, then trust us when we say this isn’t one you’ll want to miss out on. Marketed as Knives Out meets Carol, that alone should pique your interest sufficiently. But if, for some unknown reason, that hasn’t worked, check out our review to find out why Lavender House should be right up there on your TBR!
And don’t forget, you can follow Lev on twitter.
A delicious story from a new voice in suspense, Lev AC Rosen’s Lavender House is Knives Out with a queer historical twist.
Lavender House, 1952: the family seat of recently deceased matriarch Irene Lamontaine, head of the famous Lamontaine soap empire. Irene’s recipes for her signature scents are a well guarded secret—but it’s not the only one behind these gates. This estate offers a unique freedom, where none of the residents or staff hide who they are. But to keep their secret, they’ve needed to keep others out. And now they’re worried they’re keeping a murderer in.
Irene’s widow hires Evander Mills to uncover the truth behind her mysterious death. Andy, recently fired from the San Francisco police after being caught in a raid on a gay bar, is happy to accept—his calendar is wide open. And his secret is the kind of secret the Lamontaines understand.
Andy had never imagined a world like Lavender House. He’s seduced by the safety and freedom found behind its gates, where a queer family lives honestly and openly. But that honesty doesn’t extend to everything, and he quickly finds himself a pawn in a family game of old money, subterfuge, and jealousy—and Irene’s death is only the beginning.
When your existence is a crime, everything you do is criminal, and the gates of Lavender House can’t lock out the real world forever. Running a soap empire can be a dirty business.
Lev A. C. Rosen
Rep: gay mc, Mexican lesbian side character, lesbian side character, gay side characters, Jewish bi side character
CWs: suicidal thoughts, murder, homophobic slurs, homophobic violence (ch. 10)
Release: 18th October 2022
This month’s music post comes courtesy of my (Charlotte, not Anna’s) computer, as Anna’s has decided that enough is enough, and it’s going on strike. (By which I mean, it’s broken and in the midst of repairs.) So, in the interests of not delaying this post any longer, I stepped in, under Anna’s close supervision. Here, as ever, you will find their playlist of releases for the month, and 10 of their favourites.
Want more music? Try all of Anna’s previous monthly posts right here!
By popular demand (also known as two people requested this same topic when I asked for rec list ideas a couple of days ago), today I’m returning to my sapphic book rec posts with a genre I haven’t touched upon at all before. That’s right! One month out from spooky season proper, I’m finally giving you some sapphic paranormal and horror recs! A full 20 of them! (Little disclaimer, there are a few on here I’ve not read, but most of them I have.) So sit yourselves down, and find something to read.
As ever, all the other sapphic posts I’ve done can be found here.
A lot of those 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.)
Our first interview this month is with an author whose most recent book released just last week! If you’re a fan of slowburning family mysteries, then Kelly J. Ford’s Real Bad Things is a book you should be checking out. In the meantime, though, sit yourselves down and have a read of our interview with Kelly, just to whet your appetite.
And don’t forget that you can follow Kelly on twitter too!
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Contract Season was one of both of ours most anticipated reads of the year. We both loved Season’s Change, and expected to love Contract Season just as much. And guess what? We did! So, if you’re looking for a great romance to devour over the next few days, let us put forward this one. Need more convincing, though? Check out our review below.
And don’t forget, you can follow Cait on twitter.
A heartbroken hockey player and an up-and-coming country music star fake it for the cameras (or do they?) in Cait Nary’s delightfully sexy new novel.
Brody Kellerman has a plan. First, become the best defenseman in professional hockey. Second, get over his ex-boyfriend so he can focus on his game. Hooking up with the singer at his buddy’s wedding was the perfect solution, but it was never meant to be more than a one-night stand.
Seamus Murry has never planned a thing in his life, including hooking up with a smoking-hot hockey player. Being ghosted sucks, but at least one good thing came from it—the breakout hit song of the summer. Now he’s one of country music’s brightest stars, but one slipup—or in this case, video—might cost him his career.
When their video goes viral, Brody and Seamus agree to fake a relationship. But soon it’s impossible to remember what is real and what’s pretend, and although Brody has no intention of falling for freewheeling Seamus’s charm…life doesn’t always go according to plan.
Cait Nary
Rep: gay mcs
Release: 6th September 2022
We’ve finally hit the end of (the northern hemisphere’s) summer (and hopefully the heat!) and it’s time to start thinking about curling up in the cold with a blanket and a book! In the meantime, though, here’s a little wrap up, courtesy of the one working laptop we have between us. So, if any of Anna’s entries are a little incomplete, I do apologise.
P.S. if you’re able and willing to help Anna out a bit with their computer repairs, their ko-fi can be found here.
In the Event of Love is only one of my favourite reads of the year, so I’m incredibly excited that finally everyone else can get to read it (that’s a hint. Don’t wait around). If, however, for some inexplicable and foolish reason, you’re on the fence about it, let this review serve to convince you otherwise.
And don’t forget, you can follow Courtney on twitter.
Morgan Ross can plan world-class events, but she didn’t plan on returning to the hometown that broke her heart seven years ago—and re-discovering the girl of her dreams . . .
With her career as a Los Angeles event planner imploding after a tabloid blowup, Morgan Ross isn’t headed home for the holidays so much as in strategic retreat. Breathtaking mountain vistas, quirky townsfolk, and charming small businesses aside, her hometown of Fern Falls is built of one heartbreak on top of another . . .
Take her one-time best friend turned crush, Rachel Reed. The memory of their perfect, doomed first kiss is still fresh as new-fallen snow. Way fresher than the freezing mud Morgan ends up sprawled in on her very first day back, only to be hauled out via Rachel’s sexy new lumberjane muscles acquired from running her family tree farm.
When Morgan discovers that the Reeds’ struggling tree farm is the only thing standing between Fern Falls and corporate greed destroying the whole town’s livelihood, she decides she can put heartbreak aside to save the farm by planning her best fundraiser yet. She has all the inspiration for a spectacular event: delicious vanilla lattes, acoustic guitars under majestic pines, a cozy barn surrounded by brilliant stars. But she and Rachel will ABSOLUTELY NOT have a heartwarming holiday happy ending. That would be as unprofessional as it is unlikely. Right?
Courtney Kae
Rep: bi mc, bi li, f/f, gay side character, bi side character, East Asian trans side character
Release: 30th August 2022
