• All Recommended,  Book Recs,  Literature

    Book Recs: Achillean YA Fantasy

    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.)

  • All Recommended,  Book Recs,  Literature

    Book Recs: Sapphic Paranormal/Horror Fiction

    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.)

  • All Reviews,  Literature

    ARC Review: In the Event of Love

    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?

    In the Event of Love

    Courtney Kae

    Goodreads

    Rep: bi mc, bi li, f/f, gay side character, bi side character, East Asian trans side character
    Release: 30th August 2022

  • All Recommended,  Book Recs,  Literature

    Book Recs: Dark Academia

    I have to start off today’s rec list with a little definition because, above all others, dark academia seems to be a genre that could mean absolutely anything. I mean, when I was researching for this list, someone had added Pride and Prejudice as dark academia to their recs. So, before we go anywhere, I’m going to lay out what I consider to be the hallmarks of dark academia (and thus, the criteria by which I’ve selected these recs).

    First and foremost, I think this is a genre that needs to be set in and around academia. I mean, it’s in the name! Thus, these books are set at university and/or other schools (or school-equivalents). Secondly, I think what makes this genre is the themes, that is those of obsession, possessiveness, unhealthy relationships and desire. There’s a certain headiness to the genre, where, while events may seem outlandish, while you’re reading you’re just as absorbed as the characters themselves. Oh, and there might be a little pinch of murder to spice it up.

    So, with luck, I’ve selected 10 books that fit this description. And hey! They are, as ever, all gay.

    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.)

  • All Releases,  Book Releases,  Literature

    Book Releases: Ownvoices Achillean Books of July-December 2022

    A list of achillean books written by achillean authors from second half of 2022. The term ‘ownvoices’ is used broadly, in the sense that some of those books feature gay protagonists & are written by bi authors, some are written by nonbinary achillean authors, etc. But none of them are written by women, straight or otherwise. And the term ‘achillean’ is used as a blanket label, so you will find here mlm books, but also mlnb books and books with achillean protagonists & no romance at all.

    There are no rainbow emojis this time, for obvious reasons, but there are plant emojis for nonbinary and/or trans authors.

    And hey, over time a lot of those titles will be 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.)

    See also: ownvoices achillean books of January-June 2022 & LGBT releases by rep
  • All Reviews,  Literature

    ARC Review: A Taste of Gold and Iron

    A Taste of Gold and Iron is a book we imagine you’ve been anticipating ever since it was announced, because we know we were! We’re a mere 3 weeks out from release now, so, without waffling on any further, let us give you a little taste of what you can expect in this review. (And, as ever, there’s a mix at the end too.)

    And don’t forget, you can follow Alex on twitter too.

    Kadou, the shy prince of Arasht, finds himself at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court—the body-father of the queen’s new child—in an altercation which results in his humiliation.

    To prove his loyalty to the queen, his sister, Kadou takes responsibility for the investigation of a break-in at one of their guilds, with the help of his newly appointed bodyguard, the coldly handsome Evemer, who seems to tolerate him at best. In Arasht, where princes can touch-taste precious metals with their fingers and myth runs side by side with history, counterfeiting is heresy, and the conspiracy they discover could cripple the kingdom’s financial standing and bring about its ruin.

    A Taste of Gold and Iron

    Alexandra Rowland

    Goodreads

    Rep: Turkish coded cast & setting, gay mc with depression and anxiety, bi mc, achillean side character, nonbinary side characters
    CWs: violence, panic attacks
    Release: 30th August 2022

  • All Recommended,  Book Recs,  Literature

    Book Recs: Twitter’s Favourite LGBT Romance Novels

    Once again, I have asked people on Twitter something and was overwhelmed with the responses. This time my question was: what are your 5 favourite LGBT romance novels? Almost fifty people replied! It’s amazing to see how much this community loves to hype up their favourite books!

    But it also means that I had to take some time to decide how to make this post. In the end I settled on dividing it into three parts: one for recommendations from me & Charlotte, one for books which were mentioned multiple times (some more than five times!), and one all the other hidden gems. I still ended up with close to 200 titles! (In each category, the books are in alphabetical order.)

    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.)

    💛 = sapphic rep (not necessarily an f/f relationship)
    💚 = achillean rep (not necessarily an m/m relationship)
    💙 = trans & nonbinary rep

    Related: Twitter’s Favourite Sapphic Books, LGBT Books & Trans Books
  • All Releases,  Book Releases,  Literature

    Book Releases: 2022 Sapphic Releases (July to December)

    If I could have seen into the future when making the schedule for this month, I would not have made myself do a massive post, thus requiring me to have my laptop running for hours, on the hottest day of the year. But, them’s the breaks, I suppose. And, let’s be real, it’s a very good post to make up for it! So let’s get cracking.

    Looking for January to June? Find it here!

    And hey, 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.)

  • All Releases,  Book Releases,  Literature

    Book Releases: July-December 2022 Books With Bi Protagonists

    It’s that time of the year! Here’s a lit of 90 books with bisexual and/or pansexual representation. Like all the posts from previous years, this one includes books where either a character actually uses the label or the text makes it abundantly clear that they’re bi/pan. (As you can imagine, not a lot of fantasy or historical books use modern labels.) I’m sure I missed plenty of books, so please do let me know of any you know!

    As always on this blog, the rainbow emoji indicates that the book is by an LGBT author. 🌈

    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.)

    Related: January-June 2022 Bi/Pan Books, January-June 2021 Bi/Pan Books, July-December 2021 Bi/Pan Books
  • All Reviews,  Literature

    ARC Review: Something Certain, Maybe

    On some level, I’m sure we’re all looking for a book that captures the highs, lows, and uncertainties of university life. It seems a fairly underrepresented age range in publishing, so I’m happy to be able to say that, if that’s what you’re on the lookout for, look no longer! I have one right here for you today. Take a read of our review and then get yourselves to a bookshop, because this book is out right now.

    And don’t forget, you can follow Sara on twitter.

    Rosie is ready for her life to begin, because nothing says new life like going to university. After years of waiting and working hard, she’s finally on the road that will secure her future.

    Except university turns out to be not what she hoped or imagined, and although she’s not exactly unhappy – really! – she might be a little bit worried that she doesn’t really like her course much. Or her flatmates. Or really… anything? But it’s normal to be homesick (right?) and everything will have settled in a month or two, and it’s totally fine that her friends seem so much happier than she is, and that the doctors don’t seem to know what’s wrong with her mother.

    But then she meets Jade, and everything starts to look a little brighter. At least, it does if she’s only looking at Jade. But is first love enough when everything else is falling apart?

    Something Certain, Maybe

    Sara Barnard

    Goodreads

    Rep: bi mc, British Iranian Spanish lesbian li
    CWs: mentions of past attempted suicide
    Release: 7th July 2022

  • All Releases,  Book Releases,  Literature

    Book Releases: Contemporary (July to December 2022)

    The end of June means a fresh lot of releases posts! You know the drill so far, I assume. We update each post with LGBT releases in each genre every month, and then, when we find more, we can come back and do so again! It’s a win for everyone I’m sure.

    In this post, you’ll find the collection of contemporary books that we know about from July to December of 2022!

    Looking for the other posts?

    Fantasy | Historical | Mystery/Thriller | Nonfiction | Paranormal/Horror | Poetry | Science Fiction

    Looking for January to June?

    Contemporary | Fantasy | Historical | Mystery/Thriller | Nonfiction | Paranormal/Horror | Poetry | Science Fiction

  • All Releases,  Book Releases,  Literature

    Book Releases: Historical (July to December 2022)

    The end of June means a fresh lot of releases posts! You know the drill so far, I assume. We update each post with LGBT releases in each genre every month, and then, when we find more, we can come back and do so again! It’s a win for everyone I’m sure.

    In this post, you’ll find the collection of historical books that we know about from July to December of 2022!

    Looking for the other posts?

    Contemporary | Fantasy | Mystery/Thriller | Nonfiction | Paranormal/Horror | Poetry | Science Fiction

    Looking for January to June?

    Contemporary | Fantasy | Historical | Mystery/Thriller | Nonfiction | Paranormal/Horror | Poetry | Science Fiction

  • All Releases,  Book Releases,  Literature

    Book Releases: Fantasy (July to December 2022)

    The end of June means a fresh lot of releases posts! You know the drill so far, I assume. We update each post with LGBT releases in each genre every month, and then, when we find more, we can come back and do so again! It’s a win for everyone I’m sure.

    In this post, you’ll find the collection of fantasy books that we know about from July to December of 2022!

    Looking for the other posts?

    Contemporary | Historical | Mystery/Thriller | Nonfiction | Paranormal/Horror | Poetry | Science Fiction

    Looking for January to June?

    Contemporary | Fantasy | Historical | Mystery/Thriller | Nonfiction | Paranormal/Horror | Poetry | Science Fiction

  • All Releases,  Book Releases,  Literature

    Book Releases: Mystery/Thriller (July to December 2022)

    The end of June means a fresh lot of releases posts! You know the drill so far, I assume. We update each post with LGBT releases in each genre every month, and then, when we find more, we can come back and do so again! It’s a win for everyone I’m sure.

    In this post, you’ll find the collection of mystery & thriller books that we know about from July to December of 2022!

    Looking for the other posts?

    Contemporary | Fantasy | Historical | Nonfiction | Paranormal/Horror | Poetry | Science Fiction

    Looking for January to June?

    Contemporary | Fantasy | Historical | Mystery/Thriller | Nonfiction | Paranormal/Horror | Poetry | Science Fiction

  • All Releases,  Book Releases,  Literature

    Book Releases: Nonfiction (July to December 2022)

    The end of June means a fresh lot of releases posts! You know the drill so far, I assume. We update each post with LGBT releases in each genre every month, and then, when we find more, we can come back and do so again! It’s a win for everyone I’m sure.

    In this post, you’ll find the collection of nonfiction books that we know about from July to December of 2022!

    Looking for the other posts?

    Contemporary | Fantasy | Historical | Mystery/Thriller | Paranormal/Horror | Poetry | Science Fiction

    Looking for January to June?

    Contemporary | Fantasy | Historical | Mystery/Thriller | Nonfiction | Paranormal/Horror | Poetry | Science Fiction