Roar Cat Reads

Tag: Romance

  • My 6 Favorite LGBTQ+ Books Read in 2025 (so far)

    My 6 Favorite LGBTQ+ Books Read in 2025 (so far)

    Whether you’re a fan of romance, fantasy, contemporary fiction, or historical fiction, I’ve got a book recommendation for you! These are my six favorite queer books that I’ve read (not released) so far this year.

    My 6 Favorite LGBTQ+ Books Read in 2025 (so far)

    The Atlas Six

    by Olivie Blake
    Fantasy, 376 pages

    Set in a version of the present day where magic exists and is treated as interchangeable with science, this book’s plot (good) is vastly overshadowed by its worldbuilding (incredible) and character studies (phenomenal). With six protagonists offering chapters from their unique POVs, I was overwhelmed by Blake’s ability to create such morally complex and interesting characters. I would have read 1,000 pages of their inner lives and motivations, and am, in fact, off to read the sequel immediately!

    Book Outlet Canada

    Rough Trade

    by Katrina Carrasco
    Historical fiction, 384 pages

    Unlike anything I’ve read before, this historical novel centers oppressed narratives with working class smugglers in 1880 Tacoma, Washington who are female, or gay, or gender non-conforming. There are no “good” or “bad” characters here, only complicated people trying to get a little bit more than they have and realizing what they’ll do in order to accomplish their goals. Absolutely fascinating!

    Book Outlet Canada

    Here We Go Again

    by Alison Cochrun
    Contemporary romance, 368 pages

    I adore a romance novel with enough meat to make me cry, and this succeeds easily by circling the spicy romance of the childhood-friends-turned-rivals around their mutual love of their dying teacher and father-figure. This book is queer family at its absolute best, with a road trip that brings out the best and worst in each person. Logan and Rosemary are believably annoyed with each other AND in love with each other, and this is the exact dynamic I like in a romance.

    Book Outlet Canada

    Solomon’s Crown

    by Natasha Siegel
    Historical romance, 368 pages

    I am a huge fan of Eleanor of Aquitaine, and I long for historical romance novels set outside of the English Regency era, so this book was absolutely what I was looking for! Who wouldn’t want to read about feuding kings in the 1100s falling in love with each other? This is historical-lite, since Richard the Lionheart and King Philip of France did not actually fall in love (probably), but I loved the conflict between choosing between what is best for their countries and what is best for their hearts, swoon!

    Book Outlet Canada

    The Guncle Abroad

    by Steven Rowley
    Contemporary fiction, 320 pages

    Steven Rowley has quickly become a must-read author for me. This sequel (that can easily be read as a standalone) captures the same humor, depth, and care as its precursor, The Guncle. This time the focus is on the complications and joys of love rather than grief, and the addition of European travels and wedding hijinks makes this possibly even more fun to me!? Seems impossible, but there you go. If you love a feel-good story with real heart and depth, you’ve got to read Rowley’s novels!

    Book Outlet Canada

    Company of Liars

    by Karen Maitland
    Historical fiction, 576 pages

    This novel about a group of people traveling across England in the 1300s to avoid the plague is The Canterbury Tales meets And Then There Was One. It is a fascinating glimpse into the superstitions of the time, and most impressively, Maitland slowly draws you into the world so that by the end, I found myself as superstitious as the characters I had judged at the beginning. It is incredibly immersive, but that does include some pretty harrowing scenes as well, so take the content warnings seriously!

    CW: Anti-Semitism, homophobia, period-accurate violence

    Book Outlet Canada

    What are your favorite books that you’ve read so far in 2025? Share them in the comments and let me know if I should read them too!

  • Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake

    Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake

    Genre | Contemporary Fiction Romance
    Page #s | 400
    Publishing Date | November 2022

    For Astrid Parker, failure is unacceptable. Ever since she broke up with her fiancé a year ago, she’s been focused on her career–her friends might say she’s obsessed, but she knows she’s just driven. When Pru Everwood asks her to be the designer for the Everwood Inn’s renovation, which will be featured on a popular HGTV show, Innside America, Astrid is thrilled. Not only will the project distract her from her failed engagement and help her struggling business, but her perpetually displeased mother might finally give her a nod of approval. 

    However, Astrid never planned on Jordan Everwood, Pru’s granddaughter and the lead carpenter for the renovation, who despises every modern design decision Astrid makes. Jordan is determined to preserve the history of her family’s inn, particularly as the rest of her life is in shambles. When that determination turns into some light sabotage to ruffle Astrid’s perfect little feathers, the showrunners ask them to play up the tension. But somewhere along the way, their dislike for each other evolves into something quite different, and Astrid must decide what success truly means. Is she going to pursue the life that she’s expected to lead or the one that she wants?

    Goodreads

    I am so glad that Blake turned her Delilah Green Doesn’t Care success into a romance novel series about a gaggle of queer friends finding love in the Pacific Northwest. Choosing Astrid (Delilah’s seemingly straight, uptight foil) as the protagonist for the second book was, in my opinion, inspired! So much about this book was designed especially for me:

    • A perfectly put together woman who is one bad day away from falling apart…and finding freedom in failure.
    • A late-in-life queer discovery
    • Enemies to lovers trope

    For someone else, the setting being an HGTV-equivalent project would also be on that list. Basically, this is a good time! I loved it!

    Astrid and Jordan have great chemistry throughout, whether they’re arguing about design choices or navigating their budding attraction toward each other. Blake does such a good job of creating fully realized characters, and showing how Astrid and Jordan’s past relationships affected their fears and insecurities going into a new one was handled really well.

    One of my biggest gripes with romance novels is that the Final Twist that attempts to break up the new lovers before Love Saves the Day often feels like a soulless plot device that’s only there because it’s “supposed” to be. Although I felt shades of that in the “villain” of this book, I mostly found the conflict believable and, most importantly, plot relevant! It developed the characters further and led to a reunion that actually felt earned and better than what had existed before.

    Who Do I Recommend This Book To?

    If you’re looking for a fun, light-hearted, spicy romance novel, you MUST put Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail on your TBR list.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

    A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

    Genre | Historical Fiction Romance
    Page #s | 480
    Publishing Date | May 2022

    When Viola Caroll was presumed dead at Waterloo she took the opportunity to live, at last, as herself. But freedom does not come without a price, and Viola paid for hers with the loss of her wealth, her title, and her closest companion, Justin de Vere, the Duke of Gracewood.

    Only when their families reconnect, years after the war, does Viola learn how deep that loss truly was. Shattered without her, Gracewood has retreated so far into grief that Viola barely recognises her old friend in the lonely, brooding man he has become.

    As Viola strives to bring Gracewood back to himself, fresh desires give new names to old feelings. Feelings that would have been impossible once and may be impossible still, but which Viola cannot deny. Even if they cost her everything, all over again.

    Goodreads

    I confess that I was confused and intrigued by the idea of a trans romance Regency novel – although I know trans people have always existed, I had no conception for what that might might have looked like before the modern era. A Lady for a Duke, while being delightfully anachronistic in some ways, provided a realistic picture of the path a trans woman might have taken. Namely, using their assumed death in war as an opportunity to present themselves to society as their true gender.

    I loved 90% of this book. The dialogue sparkles, the characters are unique and quirky, and the romance is positively sizzling. I am a huge friends to lovers fan, and adding in the drama of an assumed death made it all the richer. I also appreciated that revelations and “betrayals” were dealt with fairly quickly; I didn’t have to sit around for ages thinking: “Just TALK to each other already!” These were emotionally mature characters, and for that I am grateful. I also loved the diversity of queer characters, and I’m crossing my fingers that there will be a sequel that focuses on one of them.

    What about that 10% that I didn’t enjoy? The end of the book went in a weird direction, to my mind. The book didn’t need a villain, and if it did, having one in the B plot show up at the end in comically evil fashion fell too flat and too late. It killed my buzz as the story was wrapping up, which sucks! But writing this a couple weeks after finishing the novel, I can say that this part has mostly left my mind and the parts that stick out are the sweet and spicy moments that populate the majority of the book.

    Who Do I Recommend This Book To?

    Romance readers, A Lady for a Duke is for you if you like friends to lovers and a bit of anachronistic sparkle to your Regency reads.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

    She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

    Genre | Fantasy
    Page #s | 416
    Publishing Date | July 2021

    Mulan meets The Song of Achilles; an accomplished, poetic debut of war and destiny, sweeping across an epic alternate China.

    “I refuse to be nothing…”

    In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness…

    In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.

    When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother’s identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.

    After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule, Zhu uses takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother’s abandoned greatness.

    Goodreads

    She Who Became the Sun is a fantasy-lite historical fiction that centers gender and ambition against the backdrop of rebellions and war. It is utterly engrossing, drawing readers into the world’s poverty and desperation immediately. Zhu grows up as the only girl left in a starving peasant village, and her uselessness is shoved in her face by everyone all the time. When an opportunity to remake herself as her favored brother comes along, Zhu takes it, and all the world is affected.

    This is a book about gender that goes far deeper than the Mulan comparison frequently thrown around. Yes, Zhu pretends to be a man to enter a monastery and later join the army. But her relation to her femaleness and maleness is very fluid and is hugely impacted by situation. Similarly, another significant character is the eunuch Ouyang. He resents his forced gender presentation, the result of violence in his childhood, but it shapes who he is and how he moves through the world nonetheless. Zhu and Ouyang shatter the gender dichotomy and, while they’re at it, turn sexuality up and down and all around as well. I don’t think it would be incorrect to label Zhu as a sex-positive asexual, which was amazing to see!

    The story of She Who Became the Sun covers over a decade, so this is the kind of fantasy book that rewards investment and shows repercussions of long ago actions. I’m torn on using the label of fantasy, however. There are a couple fantastical elements – the reveal of the divine right to rule, ghosts – but they are very rare and would better be labeled fantasy-lite.

    Lastly, I adored the Buddhist influence on the book. Zhu spends her formative years as a monk and reckons with her growing ambition through that lens. It was fascinating to see the Chosen One narrative filtered through a perspective that desire creates suffering…so how much suffering is Zhu willing to create in her desire to be someone meaningful?

    Who Do I Recommend This Book To?

    Give She Who Became the Sun to any reader who loves a deep, gritty dive into character studies and war, especially if they appreciate a uniquely gendered perspective.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

    The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

    Genre | YA Contemporary Fiction
    Page #s | 304
    Publishing Date | June 2021

    Fifteen-year-old Spencer Harris is a proud nerd, an awesome big brother and a Messi-in-training. He’s also transgender. After transitioning at his old school leads to a year of bullying, Spencer gets a fresh start at Oakley, the most liberal private school in Ohio. 

    At Oakley, Spencer seems to have it all: more accepting classmates, a decent shot at a starting position on the boy’s soccer team, great new friends, and maybe even something more than friendship with one of his teammates. The problem is, no one at Oakley knows Spencer is trans – he’s passing. 

    So when a discriminatory law forces Spencer’s coach to bench him after he discovers the ‘F’ on Spencer’s birth certificate, Spencer has to make a choice: cheer his team on from the sidelines or publicly fight for his right to play, even if it means coming out to everyone – including the guy he’s falling for.

    Goodreads

    The Passing Playbook is a super cute story about a teen boy wrestling with the decision to pass or to live openly as trans in a high school regardless of consequences. He’s going to play soccer and fall in love along the way, so if that sounds fun to you, you’re probably going to love this sweet, quick read!

    This book wants to be an enemies-to-lovers romance, but the animosity between Spencer and Justice at the beginning feels forced and uncharacteristically rude. Once that is dropped and they’re allowed to play out a friends-to-lovers romance, it’s so much better. This is a relationship between a closeted trans boy and a closeted Christian boy – it doesn’t need the added drama. For the majority of the book, their relationship is sweet, tentative, and full of emotion…just what I love to see!

    I always find it necessary to point out when queer characters are already out to their supportive family, and this is one of those books. But there’s an added dimension here that I really liked where Spencer’s parents have fully supported his transition but are still very fearful of allowing him to live an out-and-proud life. This felt very realistic, and it was a nuanced familial dynamic that I appreciated seeing.

    Teen boys are hit or miss for me in YA books, so I was delighted to read a book about a soccer team full of boys who are very sweet and supportive of queer people. The fact that the GSA club at the school is less supportive of trans students was poignant and telling.

    Who Do I Recommend This Book To?

    The Passing Playbook is a cute YA romance with a healthy dose of soccer – read accordingly!

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • Twelfth Moon by Halli Starling

    Twelfth Moon by Halli Starling

    Genre |Romance Novella
    Page #s | 134
    Publishing Date | December 2021

    Elsie’s a small town with a lot of heart. Isn’t that how most small town romance stories begin? But this isn’t any love story. These five stories cross paths and connections, age, gender, sexuality, and different kinds of relationships. Stories like that of Harriet, the owner of Twelfth Moon perfumery and adopted mother to her nephew, Nu. Harriet always figured she’d be single for the rest of her life, but Dela Atwater appearing in her shop one blustery autumn day sparks something within her. A bit of romance and longing she’d long thought buried. 

    And what about Nu, Harriet’s nephew? He’s quickly falling for Miles, who works in the coffee shop next door to Twelfth Moon. The shop is owned by Miles’s brother, Jones, who has his own ideas about sex and lust and romance (or lack thereof). Across town, Maeve is learning how to exist as a widower but when they meet Evie, a spark is lit. And Yuri, Nu’s best friend, is anxiously awaiting the holidays so he can see his girlfriend, Beckett, once more. 

    It’s about hope and joy and queer love in so many shapes and forms, from the author of the dark fantasy/romance novel Wilderwood (“…will shatter readers’ expectations with its bewitching complexities…” – The BookLife Prize).

    Goodreads

    Twelfth Moon is a novella of five intersecting romances set in a small town queer utopia. It is a quintessential comfort read with a handy table of contents that informs readers what pairings to expect as well as where a story falls on a “sweet to smut” scale. Starling shines in her diverse characters and diverse relationships, and I especially loved how often the romantic stars were older women.

    Every shade of the rainbow is represented here! I was most surprised to see a polyamorous non-monogomous pairing celebrated; because this is a romance novel, I was cringing, half expecting them to realize their love for each other would make them want to be only with each other. No! They stay true to their values and preferences while having a great time together.

    Undoubtedly my favorite story was of a widow grieving her dead partner and connecting with someone and feeling romantic sparks for the first time in years. It is a sweet story that acknowledges the importance of honoring relationships while also being open to something new. It also doesn’t push characters into situations that wouldn’t make sense outside of a romance novel. Instead, we get to see a connection form and be happy for her to have found someone else that GETS her in the same way her partner once did.

    Basically, we should all be so lucky as to live in Elsie. Starling has said we might get more from this setting, and I am ready for it!

    Who Do I Recommend This Book To?

    Gift Twelfth Moon to your friend who wants a queer pick-me-up that can be read during their commute.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

    A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

    Genre | Fantasy Historical Romance
    Page #s | 377
    Publishing Date | November 2021

    Red White & Royal Blue meets Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell in debut author Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light, featuring an Edwardian England full of magic, contracts, and conspiracies. 

    Robin Blyth has more than enough bother in his life. He’s struggling to be a good older brother, a responsible employer, and the harried baronet of a seat gutted by his late parents’ excesses. When an administrative mistake sees him named the civil service liaison to a hidden magical society, he discovers what’s been operating beneath the unextraordinary reality he’s always known.

    Now Robin must contend with the beauty and danger of magic, an excruciating deadly curse, and the alarming visions of the future that come with it—not to mention Edwin Courcey, his cold and prickly counterpart in the magical bureaucracy, who clearly wishes Robin were anyone and anywhere else.

    Robin’s predecessor has disappeared, and the mystery of what happened to him reveals unsettling truths about the very oldest stories they’ve been told about the land they live on and what binds it. Thrown together and facing unexpected dangers, Robin and Edwin discover a plot that threatens every magician in the British Isles—and a secret that more than one person has already died to keep.

    Goodreads

    What a glorious age we live in! A Marvellous Light is the highest quality of fanfiction in published format, and my teenaged self cannot believe that 1) it happened, and 2) to great commercial success. In the publishing industry, there tends to be a strict differentiation of genre. Fanfic is where people can play, and A Marvellous Light brings all that is best about this quality, revelling in fantasy, romance, and historical fiction at the same time.

    This is a gay love story from start to finish, but it’s also a magical MacGuffin mystery (try saying that five times fast). The magic system in this book is really fun and unique, and I loved the different ways it could be used by those with more or less magical power. The stakes feel genuinely high straight from the start, which is a big reason why this book was a page turner for me.

    The other reason is, well, the romance! I love a good jock/nerd pairing with extrovert/introvert layers, and Edwin and Robin are fabulous together. They admire each other’s differences, worry that these differences will keep them apart, then realize they are stronger together because of their differences. Swoon! And just honestly, give me a thousand characters where they love books more than people…well, okay, maybe ONE person is better than books.

    A last note: although this book is focused on men during a historical time period when men were the focus, there are some awesome female side characters who seem to be set up as main players in future books. I also really loved the fact that our heroes kept realizing that the women around them were doing awesome things, but men just weren’t paying attention. I can’t wait for more of this in the sequel which, if the cover is anything to go by, will center on an f/f pairing!

    Who Do I Recommend This Book To?

    Give A Marvellous Light to your fanfic-reading friend who really needs to look at something other than a computer screen.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • The Better to Kiss You With by Michelle Osgood

    The Better to Kiss You With by Michelle Osgood

    Genre | Fantasy Romance
    Page #s | 182
    Publishing Date | April 2016

    In the rare moments when Deanna Scott isn’t working as the moderator for Wolf’s Run, an online werewolf role-playing game, she wanders the local forest trails with her golden retriever, Arthur, and daydreams about Jaime, the attractive, enigmatic woman who lives upstairs. As Wolf Run’s ‘den mother,’ Deanna is accustomed to petty online drama. But when threats from an antagonistic player escalate, Deanna wonders if her awesome online job could be riskier than she d ever imagined and if her new girlfriend knows more about this community than she had realized.

    Goodreads

    The Better to Kiss You With is a fun lesbian romance with great characters and exactly the right amount of “Yes, there are werewolves, but it isn’t melodramatic.” Let’s be honest, it’s hard to begin anywhere other than werewolves, once you know they’re going to be in a romance novel. For starters, and this would have been very important information to me before reading – there is no sex between human and werewolf!

    Instead, we get a really cute story of two lesbians meeting in their building’s hallway, going on sweet dates and having hot sex. There are semi-dramatic, semi-tongue in cheek hints that one of them may be a werewolf, but the actual reveal leans much more into a protective metaphor than a sexy metaphor. And I cannot stress this enough – the characters are all a little embarrassed to find themselves in a werewolf story. Like, they realize it’s weird, and they’re going to talk about all of the repercussions that would naturally come up, but it’s going to be with humor and teasing.

    The other aspect of the werewolf thing is that Deanna runs a role-playing game server based on werewolves in Vancouver (sign me up!), and she winds up dealing with an internet troll – er, werewolf – who is an online predator AND actual predator. This metaphor worked for me so well! I also loved Osgood’s takedown of this guy, as she refuses to give him the dignity of being hot or skillful. He’s just a violent a$$hole that needs to be taken care of.

    I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how much I loved Deanna’s relationships outside of girlfriend Jaime, by which I mean with her dog and her best friend. They are fully realized characters who are equally meaningful to her safety and well-being. While I love a good all-encompassing romance, I worry about characters whose sense of self wholly depends on a significant other.

    Who Do I Recommend This Book To?

    The Better to Kiss You With is the book to give to your sapphic friend who wants a fun, quick, sexy read!

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • Wilderwood by Halli Starling

    Wilderwood by Halli Starling

    Genre | Fantasy / Romance
    Page #s | 256
    Publishing Date | August 2021

    “They say we are born, not made, as vampires. Created vampires are feral, ruthless killers who desire blood above all else. Those who are born into this fate have better control and thus are civilized. That we are only brutal if we choose to be. And so because we have free will, we are more like the humans and the other creatures with souls. I have never once felt human, or like anything else. I know what I am, and it is because of that feeling, and because of the marks on my flesh, that I stand steadfast in my cause.”

    Wilderwood is a haven for those who have been cast out of “proper” society: academics, artists, the eccentrics and undesirous. It is also home to other kind and having weres, mages, and even an ancient griffin living amongst mortals just isn’t done.

    Except in Wilderwood.

    Octavia Wilder cares for those who live in the town her ancestor built and when a feral vampire threatens the peace, she partners with the Ranger who has brought word of the threat.

    Ranger Roderick Arman hunts Corbin Luther, the feral vampire who killed his partner two years ago. When Luther’s trail leads him to the odd little town of Wilderwood, he quickly realizes there’s more to the town – and his hunt – than expected.

    Ranger Bellemy Eislen disappeared two years ago when what was to be a quick trip to the Faelands on behalf of the Rangers went entirely wrong. Trapped in another realm, they tirelessly sought a way back to their world. And to Wilderwood and Octavia.

    The three of them must fight to save Wilderwood from an invasion from another realm and protect the town from the Faelands Queen.

    Wilderwood is a fantasy/romance book with some violent and sexual elements. The story features a polyamorous, queer romance between three consenting adults.

    Goodreads

    If you’ve ever read a book and rolled your eyes at the developing love triangle, thinking, “Why don’t they just bone each other?” then boy, is this the book for you! It was so refreshing to see three competent adults deal with their attraction to each other with communication, a priority for their partner’s happiness, and an openness to new experiences.

    Although Wilderwood is set in the “1800’s,” it’s first and foremost a fantasy, with all the word’s implications. If you have to handwave away a linguistic anachronism here or a modern concept there, well, get used to it. There are vampires and encroaching fey worlds; realism is not the point here.

    You know what’s also not realistic? How horny everyone gets in the most horrific situations! I have a feeling that my opinion is only revealing how rarely I read erotica, because these people sure got turned on at the most inopportune times. The sex scenes were good fun, but I couldn’t help wishing that they would like, rest before the big battle or just have an anxious sulk….This is probably why no one is writing a book about my life.

    The highlight of this book for me was how unapologetically queer it is. There is a trans character whose pronouns are immediately respected by all, gay love between side characters, and the aforementioned polyamory between magical beings of all genders. It was so nice to see diverse relationships play out with no mention of their diversity. This is my favorite part of fantasy – showing the world as we want it to be (though I would prefer mine with a LOT fewer melted cows).

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole

    Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole

    Genre | Contemporary Romance
    Page #s | 106
    Publishing Date | January 2019

    Alyssa Cole returns with a fun, sexy romance novella in the Reluctant Royals series!

    While her boss the prince was busy wooing his betrothed, Likotsi had her own love affair after swiping right on a dating app. But her romance had ended in heartbreak, and now, back in NYC again, she’s determined to rediscover her joy–so of course she runs into the woman who broke her heart.

    When Likotsi and Fabiola meet again on a stalled subway train months later, Fab asks for just one cup of tea. Likotsi, hoping to know why she was unceremoniously dumped, agrees. Tea and food soon leads to them exploring the city together, and their past, with Fab slowly revealing why she let Likotsi go, and both of them wondering if they can turn this second chance into a happily ever after.

    Goodreads

    Once Ghosted, Twice Shy is the bite-sized romance you want to sink into on a rainy day. It’s a sweet story about two women who are given a second chance to get things right, told in present day with flashbacks to their initial meeting. There isn’t much of a mystery here, but it’s satisfying to learn what happened and how they got to the place of hurt in which we first find them.

    Likotsi and Fabiola are queer black women who are on opposite ends of the class spectrum. While Likotsi works for the prince of a Wakanda-esque country, while Fabiola dreams of being a jewelry entrepreneur and deals with the repercussions of the American immigrant system. They come from different perspectives but share a love of fashion, exploration, and each other.

    I’m a sucker for this kind of story. They originally met with the explicit intention of hooking up, but couldn’t resist Their Feelings and the desire for a deeper connection. There is a lot of unnecessary miscommunication (or actual lack of communication entirely), but they get there in the end.

    Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

    Once Ghost, Twice Shy is a great little romance to boost spirits on a boring afternoon.

    Rating: 3 out of 5.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

    Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

    Genre | Contemporary Fiction
    Page #s | 427
    Publishing Date | July 2020

    Luc O’Donnell is tangentially–and reluctantly–famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he’s never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad’s making a comeback, Luc’s back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything.

    To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship…and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He’s a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he’s never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened.

    But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that’s when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don’t ever want to let them go.

    Goodreads

    This is probably the worst way to start a book review, but honestly, just go read Spotlight on Stories‘ review of Boyfriend Material instead! It was her review that inspired me to read the book, and after I finished, all I could think was, “Yup, Chelsea was right!”

    Boyfriend Material is a thoroughly entertaining book, but I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily good. It revels in its own cleverness, and the quirks of the world and its characters strain credulity. Everyone here is dialed up to eleven, and it’s kind of exhausting.

    But what everyone is here for is the romance, so let’s get into what truly matters: is the spark between Luc and Oliver believable? Well…I guess? Let’s be clear. We’re living in a glorious age of fake dating queer stories, and I am predisposed to adore any story with this trope. And this has a good set up, since the two men knew each other previously, were attracted to each other, but mistakenly assumed the other was not into them. However, there were so many points along the way when I couldn’t support them being together. Luc is a fun character, and I love him, but I do NOT understand why Oliver had a crush on him, and he probably shouldn’t have put up with Luc’s terrible behaviour.

    In an effort to even the playing ground (I assume), Oliver becomes the terrible communicator and ridiculous drama llama for the last 50 pages. Although the cause is believable, it is totally out of character for him and felt like an excuse to throw a final obstacle into their path.

    All of that is pretty bad, I guess, but I did read the 427-page book in two days, so I do kind of recommend it? It’s good frivolous fun, and if that’s what you’re looking for, I say give it a go!

    Rating: 3 out of 5.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

    Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

    Talia Hibbert returns with another charming romantic comedy about a young woman who agrees to fake date her friend after a video of him “rescuing” her from their office building goes viral…

    Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits—someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom.

    When brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and ex-rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Now half the internet is shipping #DrRugbae—and Zaf is begging Dani to play along. Turns out, his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity. Lying to help children? Who on earth would refuse?

    Dani’s plan is simple: fake a relationship in public, seduce Zaf behind the scenes. The trouble is, grumpy Zaf’s secretly a hopeless romantic—and he’s determined to corrupt Dani’s stone-cold realism. Before long, he’s tackling her fears into the dirt. But the former sports star has issues of his own, and the walls around his heart are as thick as his… um, thighs.

    Suddenly, the easy lay Dani dreamed of is more complex than her thesis. Has her wish backfired? Is her focus being tested? Or is the universe just waiting for her to take a hint?

    Goodreads

    A thoroughly enjoyable friends-to-lovers romance novel with a fake dating plot! Be still, my fanfic heart. With sparkling dialogue, diverse characters, and meaningful relationships beyond the romantic, Take a Hint, Dani Brown is a great read.

    I don’t read romance novels all that often. Every time I do, I wonder why this is; they are so fun! Every one of its 320 pages flew by. Dani Brown is a fabulous lead – she is a confident black woman who practices witchcraft in honor of her grandmother and has sworn off romance because it hurts her heart…sorry, because she doesn’t have time for that nonsense! The book shares her perspective with Zafir Ansari, a Middle Eastern man whose career as a rugby player was cut short after a mental breakdown following a tragic family accident.

    This is classic opposites attract with all of the sparks this usually entails, but with the added bonus of genuine complementarity. When Zafir is anxious, Dani steps in to support him or divert attention. When Dani works too late, Zafir shows up with food and a gentle reminder to sleep. They respect each other’s differences and allow themselves to be changed by each other – so sweet!

    With a fake dating plot, of course this story is a bit ridiculous, and that is what makes it fun. There’s just enough miscommunication to keep things interesting, but not so much that everything would be fixed if they just had one conversation. Importantly, the miscommunication is usually internal. Dani truly believes she’s bad at romance and should avoid it, and Zaf truly believes he will be happy with a sex buddy without strings. They have to confront themselves before they can confront each other.

    As much as I loved Dani and Zaf with their snarky conversations and sizzling chemistry, I loved that each of them had family and friends who were equally interesting. I love a romance where the leads remember other people still exist!

    What Makes This Book Queer?

    Dani is a bisexual woman who has dated men and women. The story opens with her processing the breakup of her ex-girlfriend, who wanted something serious despite agreeing to only sex. In a really lovely, slightly spoilery, moment towards the end of the book, Dani circles back around to this ex to have a conversation about what they experience together.

    I love a bisexual woman confidently owning her sexuality while in a heterosexual relationship. And I love a man who is totally okay with her bisexuality. They are both A++ characters, and this bisexual lady would like to date them both!

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

    Find more books nominated for Lambda Literary Awards reviewed here!

  • We Fell in Love Through D&D

    We Fell in Love Through D&D

    When I (Tricia) first moved to Vancouver, I was 30 and interested in making friends through something that had always intrigued me: Dungeons & Dragons. I grew up in a conservative Christian circle that never really went hard on the Satanic Panic movement of the 80s and 90s, but why risk it, you know? Even when I was older and no longer scared of imagination games with friends summoning actual demons, I didn’t find myself with friends who wanted to play. But then I moved to a new city, and I was determined to create the social group that I had always dreamed of.

    I joined a Meetup group for nerdy ladies in Vancouver and wrote a post saying that I wanted to join a D&D group – was anyone else interested? Rachel was one of the first people to reply. We set up a time to meet in person (also with Anne, who still plays D&D with us – hi, Anne!) at the Stormcrow Tavern on Commercial, RIP. I won’t say that it was love at first sight, but looking back on this origin story, I’m struck by how we were already working together to get things done.

    In September 2019, our group of four nerdy ladies got together to play our first D&D session. Rachel DMed, despite having only played D&D one time before, and together we made our way through our first one-shot. I was in love – both with D&D and increasingly, with Rachel. I was in the story for chaos and pet monsters, so I stole an egg from the giant snake we killed and dropped it into a magic potion we later found. Rachel went along with every twist I threw her way, and the adventure ended with my halfling rogue holding a cracking egg….Zink the Mood Ring Snake was born!

    For a few months, we played our way through the beginner’s Phandalin plot, but our creativity soon demanded more. I suggested that we work on creating our own dungeon, and okay, yes. It was also a shameless attempt to hang out with her one to one. It worked.

    We made Glowtopia, a dungeon that quickly became too convoluted. The underground dwarven adventure park soon turned into multiple levels with escaped dragon hatchlings, a hidden gnome society (with an overt Twilight Edward/Bella/Jacob subplot, oh my god), and a minecart ride gone wild. We only ran it once, but what was a D&D failsure was a relationship success. We could work together, navigating conflict and opposing creative ideas. We discovered that Rachel was better at the worldbuilding and I was better at character depth and relationships. We found the places where we complemented each other.

    It took an entire year for us to start dating, but I believe that time of friendship, nerdiness, and creative partnership set us up for success. We had already had our first fights, since we are both stubborn and competitive and cling to our ideas. But we had learned to value each other’s skills, and to prioritize communication with the goal of compromising. And most importantly, our relationship was built on FUN.

    Through D&D, we got to be ridiculous with each other. Stupid voices and monster screeches meant we didn’t have to pretend to be cool in front of each other. We ate snacks and drank wine and got incredibly silly, both in our times alone and with friends around the D&D map. We learned about each others’ interests, and Rachel in particular is the absolute BEST at giving D&D gifts (get you a girlfriend who writes an entire pirate campaign for you!).

    Once we finally started dating, we found ourselves in the best position in the world: Both DMs, both players, we could create and play in each other’s worlds every week. Rachel is still running the aforementioned pirate campaign (in which I play a nonbinary hadozee), and I run a Curse of Strahd campaign (in which she plays Ireena Kolyana). We help each other work through sticky DM situations and we share fun D&D merch or ideas we find online. It is a blast.

    I cannot recommend this highly enough. Date your DM. It’s a really good time.