I’m thrilled to share an excerpt from Charming Scottish Bastard, the latest installment in the Under the Kilt series by the amazing Melissa Blue!
This rom com series is extremely glommable, full of heat, heart, and humor, and I am so excited there is a new book out today. You can read this as a stand alone, or you can start with book one. If you are looking for fluff to sink into during this…
In 2019 I got back into reading YA, after a year of reading almost none. This post lists my favorite new to me young adult fiction that I read in 2019, organized by trope. (Not all of them were published in 2019, of course.) It definitely shows my bias towards contemporary romance and particularly queer and trans YA, but there is a smattering of YA without romance, sports YA, speculative fiction, and graphic novels. I link to reviews where I have written them; and also where I have only posted trigger warnings, so you can easily find those.
I’m listing rep at the end of my descriptions. If you spot something incorrect, please do feel free to let me know. Also, I am not intending to out anyone; I get author info from the web and the book bio. If an author would like me to remove any info listed, please do let me know. I want to note that I use the word fat as a neutral descriptor when listing rep, and use the word queer when a character or author identify that way or when I am unclear about their identity but know they fall under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella.
For folks looking for books with no on-the-page sex, I am putting three asterisks*** at the end of the description. For ones I listened to on audiobook, I’m including the narrator’s names.
Note: All links to Amazon will be affiliate ones. If you buy through those links, I will make a small amount of money on that sale (which I plan to use to buy more books to review), but it will not add any to the cost of your product. It comes out of the company’s profits.
Graphic Novels
Check, Please by Ngozi Ukazu (2018 contemporary m/m romance graphic novel)*** I enjoyed this so much! It was utterly delightful. It centers the most adorable gay boy hockey player ever. He figure skates! He bakes pies! He has a crush on the captain of the team! He is new to college, and new to college hockey, and so completely charming that I fell really hard for him. It’s more a story about his experiences playing hockey in his first two years of college, but there is a romance plotline that was really sweet. (Rep: Gay white man MC. Nigerian American woman author.)
Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu (2019 paranormal f/enby romance graphic novel)*** I adored this cozy second chance romance between childhood friends who reunite as older teens. I loved the feel of the art, so cozy with muted colors. All this glorious witchiness and magic school and magical experimentation. (Rep: Chinese-American, Deaf, queer Jewish girl MC. Chinese-American non-binary survivor MC. Lebanese American woman author. Asian American illustrator.)
Great Jewish Representation
It’s a Whole Spiel ed by Katherine Locke (2019 anthology) I loved this anthology. My favorite stories were by Katherine Locke, Hannah Moskowitz, Rachel Lynn Solomon, Dahlia Adler, Nova Ren Suma and Laura Silverman. (Rep: Jewish MCs. Jewish authors. For more info see review.)
Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz, read by Amy Melissa Bentley (2019 YA contemporary m/f romance novel) Some of the best chronic illness & chronic pain rep I’ve ever read. So resonant with my own experience in so many ways, for the spoonie stuff & also just in its NY Jewishness. Also, a really lovely swoony m/f YA romance with a bisexual hero! I especially love the audio & highly recommend you read it that way. The performance is great & the feels are more inescapable that way, I think. (Rep: Jewish white bisexual heroine with arthritis. Jewish white bisexual hero with chronic illness. Jewish white lesbian woman author with chronic illness.)
Kissing Ezra Holtz (and Other Things I Did for Science) by Briana R Shrum (2019 YA contemporary m/f romance novel) I loved this enemies to lovers romance; I loved how queer and Jewish it was, and how much it engages with complex issues around imagining a future and being framed as a slut. The casual inclusion of trans and non-binary secondary characters made me especially happy. (Rep: Jewish Sephardic bisexual teen girl MC who I read as having ADHD. Jewish white teen boy love interest. Many white queer, trans and non-binary secondary characters. Jewish white queer woman author.)
Meet Cute Romance
Truly, Madly, Royally by Debbie Rigaud (2019 YA contemporary m/f romance novel)*** A lovely YA modern royals romance with an awesome Black heroine who meet-cutes with a prince, accidentally. It was completely delightful and had a seriously awesome heroine who I adored to pieces. The hero was just gone over her and how competent she was, and I love those kinds of romances. (Rep: Black woman MC. White man MC. Black woman author.)
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver (2019 YA contemporary enby/m romance novel)*** I’d been looking forward to reading this for a very long time, and it gave me so many feels. The book felt rather bleak, partly because it was so full of trauma. It feels like a book that was written for non-binary readers instead of cis readers, which I especially appreciate, and the romance subplot was sweet. (White enby MC. Queer white boy love interest. White enby author.)
Movies and Angst
This is Kind of An Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender (2018 contemporary YA m/m romance) I really liked the bi representation in this story, so much. It was full of angst and push pull and so much was fraught and the MC was supremely frustrating in his inertia and not communicating or taking action, but all of that felt so real, and resonant. As a friends to lovers romance, it doesn’t follow a traditional arc, but I didn’t mind that. (Rep: Bisexual Black teen boy MC. Latinx Hard of Hearing queer teen boy love interest. Queer white secondary characters. Black queer trans author.)
Now a Major Motion Picture by Cori McCarthy (2018 contemporary m/f YA romance novel) I enjoyed this rather angsty YA centering a teen girl with deeply neglectful parents that push her to take over parenting her younger brother, who gets stuck traveling with him to visit the fan-filled set of a movie based on her grandmother’s fantasy series. She’s an anti-fan, who falls for a fan playing one of the main characters, and their romance arc is lovely. (Rep: Demisexual white woman MC with trauma. White man love interest. Queer white woman secondary character. Irish-Lebanese American queer non-binary author.)
Queerest of the Queer
What Makes You Beautiful by Bridget Liang (2019 YA contemporary m/f romance novel with a trans girl lead)*** I enjoyed this YA that’s mostly about a teenager exploring gender and sexual identity but also has a sweet friends to lovers romance in it. It’s got a bit of a complex gender journey depicted, which is rare to find in YA, and I really appreciated that about it. (Biracial Chinese American trans girl MC. Many white queer secondary characters. Mixed race, queer, transfeminine, neurodiverse, disabled, fat author.)
You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan (2016 contemporary YA novel) I asked on Twitter for book recs that centered queer friendship, and this was one of the first I got. It was beautiful, and perfect for June, as it centers Pride week. And it was very much about friendship, old and new, and about being afraid you are not enough, about change and getting your heart broken and fear of success and falling in love. It gave me so many feelings and I completely adored it. (Rep: Lesbian white girl MC. Gay white boy MC. Lesbian white woman author. Gay white Jewish man author.)
Not Your Backup by CB Lee (2019 YA fantasy novel)*** This is the third installment in a queer YA superhero series that I adore, and I think it might be my favorite. It has a lovely aroace questioning arc that runs parallel to the resist the corrupt government arc, and resolves to a queerplatonic relationship with the person who started out as the MC’s boyfriend. It’s about friendship, identity, finding your place in activist movement, and it’s such a hopeful book to have right now in 2019. (Rep: Latinx aroace questioning teen girl MC. Black trans teen boy secondary character. Chinese-Vietnamese biracial bisexual girl secondary character. Queer white girl secondary character. Chinese-Vietnamese biracial bisexual woman author.)
Sports YA
Photo cover depicts a close up of an Indian American fat teen girl who is laughing with her eyes closed. She has colored dust in blue, red, and yellow on her face, is weating sunglasses in her hair. The title is to her right, white letters on a purple background: THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT SWEETIE. The author;s name is across the bottom: SANDHYA MENON
Home and Away by Candice Montgomery (2018 contemporary YA m/f romance) I fell super hard for the MC, and was swept along for the ride as she tries to sort out what to do about all this new information she now has about her family that has been kept from her for years. I loved the way she insists on going through her own process, makes completely reckless decisions that felt exactly right for her, and I was really into this as a sports YA, on top of all the other things it was. The romance had me worried for her the whole time, but the way she threw herself into it felt so real, and the arc really worked. I could not put this down stayed up way too late to finish reading it. (Rep: Black girl MC. Bisexual white boy love interest. Black non-binary author.)
There’s Something About Sweetie by Sandyha Menon (2019 contemporary YA m/f romance novel)*** I loved this book so much. It hit on every level for me: engaging characters, swoony romance that I was rooting for hard, awesome friendships that were really important to the story and the MCs, extremely well paced and well-plotted, unputdownable, with this glorious fat rep that made me incredibly happy. (Rep: Fat Indian American teen girl MC. Indian American teen boy MC. Indian American woman author.)
Fave YA I read in 2019
In 2019 I got back into reading YA, after a year of reading almost none. This post lists my favorite new to me young adult fiction that I read in 2019, organized by trope.
Here is my TBR for #Transathon 2020, which is hosted by @transathon on Twitter. You can enter for giveaways by filling out this form. I’m indicating the books I want to read on audio with an (A). As usual, I’m selecting multiple options for each challenge, because I’m a mood reader and it makes it easier for me to succeed.
Note: All links to Amazon will be affiliate ones. If you buy through those links, I will make a small amount of money on that sale (which I plan to use to buy more books to review), but it will not add any to the cost of your product. It comes out of the company’s profits.
When Xan proposed a guest post about novels with polyamory and kink, I was initially stumped. I just… couldn’t really think of many. But I knew I had a few on my book list so I went scrolling through so see what I had on my shelves that I had forgotten.
The truth is, I had forgotten a surprising amount, but most of it was rightly forgotten. Polyamory and kink are both…
Note: This review is part of the Blog Tour for Just Like That. It includes an excerpt at the end.
Content warnings for review: This review references MCs with anxiety, depression, trauma, and suicidal ideation, but does not describe these things in detail.
This is one of the first books released in Carina’s new Adoresline, which is focused on contemporary…
At the beginning of 2018, I made a list of my favorite romances with queer disabled MCs. Given that post doesn’t have most of the awesome books I read in the last two years, I thought I’d start a new tradition, much like my lists of favorite fat representation (2017, 2018, 2019). This is the list of my favorite disability representation that I read in 2018-2019. After this, I intend to do yearly posts.
This post lists my favorite books with disability representation that I read in 2018-2019, organized by trope. (Not all of them were published in 2018-2019, of course.) It definitely shows my bias towards contemporary romance, but there is a smattering of paranormal romance, young adult fiction and speculative fiction as well. I’m including rereads as well as new reads.
I’m unabashedly listing multiple titles by the same author, when they were my fave for disability rep. I link to reviews where I have written them; and also where I have only posted trigger warnings, so you can easily find those.
I’m listing rep at the end of my descriptions. If you spot something incorrect, please do feel free to let me know. Also, I am not intending to out anyone; I get author info from the web and the book bio. If an author would like me to remove any info listed, please do let me know. I want to note that I use the word fat as a neutral descriptor when listing rep, and use the word queer when a character or author identify that way or when I am unclear about their identity but know they fall under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella.
For folks looking for books with no on-the-page sex, I am putting three asterisks*** at the end of the description. For ones I listened to on audiobook, I’m including the narrator’s names.
Note: All links to Amazon will be affiliate ones. If you buy through those links, I will make a small amount of money on that sale (which I plan to use to buy more books to review), but it will not add any to the cost of your product. It comes out of the company’s profits.
Activist Romance
Illustrated cartoon style cover depicting a fat white woman in a black dress who looks irritated, and a white man in a sweater and tie who is smiling, on a blue background. The title TEACH ME in pink type seems to be connecting the characters, almost arm in arm with them. The authors name OLIVIA DADE is across the top in white.
Teach Me by Olivia Dade (2019 contemporary m/f romance novel) I adored this so much and highly recommend it! It’s so full of heart, has lovely complex characters who I fell hard for, & unfolds in this beautiful way that was such a joy to read. This is one of my favorite romances I’ve read so far this year; the characterization is beautiful, it’s unputdownable, the fat rep is lovely, and I loved the way the hero really saw and respected the heroine’s emotional armor. It has an extremely satisfying resolution and it resonated so much with my own experiences as a teacher. The relationships with secondary characters are just wonderful, and I really appreciated the way it approached the trauma histories of the MCs. (Rep: Older fat white woman MC with trauma. Older white man with trauma. Fat white woman author.)
Rend by Roan Parrish, read by Greg Boudreaux (2018 contemporary m/m romance novel) Rend was a particularly intense read for me, it wrecked me big time, and the audio performance was brilliant. I fell so hard for the MC, he really resonated. The trauma rep cut so close to bone for me, and I liked that it mostly focused on what it was like to be a survivor, years after the trauma, how it can shape you. I liked that it was a couple on the rocks story, because that was the only way to get an arc that felt real with these particular characters, where I would believe in the happy ending. This is one of those books I know I will return to, again and again. (Rep: Gay white MC with PTSD. Gay white man MC. Jewish white woman author.)
Angst, Angst and More Angst
Untouchable by Talia Hibbert (contemporary m/f romance novel) I fell so hard for the heroine of this single dad/nanny romance. Fell for her and felt for her, and loved watching their romance unfold. Untouchable is one of my most favorite books of Hibbert’s, and the depression representation is wonderful. (Rep: Fat Black autistic bi heroine with depression. White hero with depression. Autistic Black Anglo-Romani disabled queer author.)
A Tiny Piece of Something Greater by Jude Sierra (contemporary m/m romance) I fell hard for Reid, felt so much with him in this story, which centers a young man in recovery from mental health crisis, and the way he finds love amidst the turmoil of trying to find solid ground again. (Rep: Latinx queer man MC. White queer man MC with cyclothymia. Latinx Bi-ro, demi/ace author.)
Raze by Roan Parrish (2019 contemporary m/m romance novel) So I just want to say that yet again Roan Parrish wrote a book that grabs my heart & gives me so many feelings. I feel all tender and protective of this book, which has more quiet angst, a slower pace, and is less action oriented, but grabbed hold of me hard and felt like a super intense story to read. I don’t really have words yet for this one, but I loved it. This kind of addiction representation–where the addict has many years of sobriety–is unusual, and I was really grateful for it. (Rep: Bi white man MC with addiction. Queer white man MC with trauma. Queer white secondary characters. White woman author.)
Artist MC
An illustrated cover with a small illustration of a fat Black woman in a short blue skirt, red tank top, and glasses, with a gray cat standing next to her. She has her arm around a thin white man in jeans, a white t shirt and leather jacket. The title takes up most of the cover, in red: GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN. with the author’s name in blue across the bottom: TALIA HIBBERT. Blue curly arrows are around the title.
Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (2019 contemporary m/f romance novel) This is in my top three favorite 2019 romance novels. I adore everything about it, from the slow evolution of the romance arc to the characters to the wonderful fat rep, spoonie rep, and chronic pain rep. It’s full of humor, heat, and heart and is gorgeously written, perfectly paced, and extremely satisfying. In fact, this isn’t just a 2019 fave, it is an all time top ten favorite romance for me. (Rep: Fat Black heroine with fibromyalgia. White hero with PTSD. Black Anglo-Romani autistic queer disabled woman author.)
Ghost by Robin Covington (contemporary m/m romance novella) is a tropetastic whirlwind that is tightly plotted and a whole lot of fun to read. I cared about the MCs, and wanted them to figure out how to be together. It was deliciously geeky (focused on comics), and the characterization was fairly complex. I liked the “one night stand in the past, now you have blown your shot” trope, it worked well, as did the workaholic daddy issues angst. I was uncomfortable a couple moments in the story, with regard to the way the characters were racialized, as a white reader. The disability rep resonated for me. (Rep: Native American trauma survivor disabled (has essential tremor) gay man MC. Biracial Korean American-Irish American bisexual man MC. Native American woman author.)
Bringing the Heat
Adonis Line by Dakota Gray (2019 contemporary m/f erotic romance novel) This book is one of my most favorite romances with a trauma survivor MC, ever. It holds the reality of survivorship beautifully, and actively refuses the kind of trauma porn, rescue dynamics and hurt/comfort dynamics that are rampant in the romance genre when it comes to survivor characters. It’s also just…a really stellar romance. Gorgeously complex characters, great use of forced proximity and road trip tropes, a romance arc that unfolded in these really lovely spirals that were so satisfying. The pacing in this story was so damn good, I could not put it down. This book contains some really fucking brilliant use of sex scenes to explore character and move plot. A master class at doing that, truly. I had some concerns about the disability representation regarding the hero, but I think it’s worth reading for the trauma rep alone. (Rep: Black woman MC with PTSD. Disabled Black man MC with depression. Black woman author.)
Undone by the Ex Con by Talia Hibbert (contemporary m/f romance novel) I love Talia Hibbert’s writing, the way she does incidental fat rep, the way she engages with the complexities of class and trauma, the swooniness in her romances, and of course, the gorgeous heat and chemistry. This is one of my faves, & they were hard to pare down. The heroine’s arc is all about coming to terms w/accepting her diabetes, and as a diabetic reader, I really appreciated this kind of rep. (Rep: Fat Black woman MC with diabetes. Bisexual white man MC with PTSD. Black, Anglo-Romani, disabled autistic queer woman author.)
Enemies to Lovers
A photo cover depicting a bare chested white man facing away from the camera, on a bachground of white daisies. We mostly see his muscular back and the fact that he is bearded. The title WORK FOR IT is in yellow across his back. The authors name TALIA HIBBERT is across the bottom.
Clean Breaks by Ruby Lang (contemporary m/f romance novel) Tough guarded heroine who is feeling her way into the life she wants after her cancer goes into remission reconnects with her brothers best friend from childhood who treated her badly as a kid, and romance sparks. I liked how he lets her be where she’s at, even if that means she’s angry or breaks social expectations, how he appreciates her armor. (Rep: Chinese American heroine with cancer. Taiwanese American hero. Asian American author.)
Making Up by Lucy Parker (contemporary m/f romance novel) It was just lovely to read a romance that had such a nuanced portrayal of trauma recovery and gave a trauma survivor a love interest that really held and respected Trix where she was, supported her autonomy, saw her strength while also being gentle with her vulnerability. It made me feel hopeful, as a trauma survivor reader. (Rep: Black British hero with a knee injury and anxiety. White heroine with PTSD. White woman author.)
The Art of French Kissing by Brianna R Shrum (contemporary m/f YA romance novel) I loved this YA hate to love romance centered around a cooking competition for a scholarship to culinary school. It was engaging, complex, and funny. It had characters I fell hard for, and it made me feel so many things. (Rep: Japanese American queer boy MC with anxiety. Jewish white girl MC. Queer Jewish white woman author.)
Work for It by Talia Hibbert (2019 contemporary m/m romance novel) I loved this angsty romance so so much. I fell really hard for both of the MCs and their arcs gave me so many feels. The depression representation is really resonant for me. (Rep: Black man MC with depression. Fat white man MC that I read as autistic. Black Anglo-Romani autistic queer disabled woman author.)
Established Relationship:
Team Phison Forever by Chace Verity (2019 contemporary m/m romance novella) This story spoke to my estranged-from-family queer heart. It was substantially more angsty than book 1, and a romance about staying together instead of getting together. One that’s told from the POV of a sunshine character who is not feeling so sunny, because he’s dealing with complex familial dynamics and depression. Tyson grabbed hold of my heart, hard. I felt so deeply for him, connected with him. (Rep: Fat bisexual white man MC with depression and trauma. Older white gay man MC. Non-binary white queer author.)
Merrily Ever After by Jenny Holiday (contemp m/f romance novella) This was my favorite book so far in the Bridesmaids Behaving Badly series. I loved the way the central couple work to resolve the conflict in the story, and really appreciated the endometriosis representation. (Rep: White heroine with endometriosis. White trauma survivor hero. White woman author.)
Foodie Books
Soft on Soft by Mina Waheed (contemporary f/f romance novella)*** A lovely, lighthearted swoony low-heat fluffy romance that was comforting to read. This is a romance between two fat queer women of color, and it has fat representation that made me happy. I appreciated the demisexual rep and the anxiety rep as well, and loved the way they were both so gone for each other, and kind to each other. (Rep: Middle Eastern Muslim anxious fat pansexual woman MC. Black extroverted fat demisexual woman MC. Middle Eastern Muslim queer author.)
Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault (fantasy novel) This novel takes the classic romance trope of enemies to lovers and reframes it for a non-romantic relationship, and it does that superbly. I loved it so much, so many aspects of the representation resonated for me, and it left me feeling so hopeful! I appreciated the asthma rep in particular. (Rep: Demisexual biromantic white woman MC with asthma. Fat genderfluid bigender allosexual aromantic white MC. White arospec asexual demigirl author.)***
Counterpoint by Anna Zabo (contemporary m/m romance novel) I absolutely loved this meet-cute BDSM romance between a programmer and a rock star who is really also a geek too. The BDSM was gorgeous, their arcs were so compelling, and I fell really hard for both heroes, was so grateful to see a careful, caring, vulnerable dominant character in particular. And of course, it begins with lemon pie. The anxiety rep was really resonant. (Rep: Pansexual white man MC. Gay white man MC with anxiety. Bi/pan non-binary white author.)
Geeky MCs
Trade Me by Courtney Milan (contemporary m/f romance novel) I loved the audio for this, the performances were wonderful. I always appreciate Sean Crisden and Xe Sands blew me away. It was also just really lovely to get to immerse myself in one of my most favorite romances ever in audio. Many of my fave indie romances have not had audio, so I’m not even used to searching to see if it’s available. It was lovely to see this one in the Audible romance package. This book was just as wonderful the fourth time around. I love Tina so much, and it has this lovely humor, a huge heart, and is incredibly gripping. (Rep: White man MC with an ED. Chinese American immigrant woman MC with trauma. Secondary character with addiction. Chinese American immigrant secondary characters. Bisexual hapa woman author.)
Play It Again by Aidan Wayne, read by Sean Crisden (2019 contemporary m/m romance novel)*** This hit the mark for me with the online relationship and online content creator aspect, and was pretty satisfying on the long distance relationship piece as well. It’s not a completely light story, I wouldn’t exactly call it fluff, as Sam’s arc has trauma elements woven into it pretty strongly, but it’s got a fairly light adorableness to the romantic relationship aspect that was exactly what I needed on a rough day. I especially appreciated the way Dovid and Sam negotiated around sex. Sam is not sex repulsed; he’s also not really interested in sex, and Dovid carefully draws him out when he gets a soft yes for sex, in a way that I really liked. (Bisexual Jewish white blind man MC. Homoromantic white ace man trauma survivor MC with social anxiety. Non-binary white author.)
Can’t Escape Love by Alyssa Cole (2019 contemporary m/f romance novella) This has wonderful disability representation, is delightfully geeky, and I fell really hard for both of the MCs. The cover is wonderful, the book was funny and heartwarming and deeply engaging. I’m glad to have read this, twice, in March. (Rep: Black disabled woman MC. Vietnamese American autistic man MC. Black woman author.)
Holiday Stories
Learning Curves by Ceillie Simkiss (contemporary f/f novella)*** This is an NA college-set holiday romance and it has incidental disability rep. I really enjoyed the way the characters moved from meet cute to best friends to dating. It was a lovely arc, and this is definitely a satisfying Christmas romance, with family gathering, a mistletoe moment, and lots of foodie moments. (Rep: Fat Puerto Rican lesbian woman MC with anxiety. Panromantic asexual white woman MC with ADHD. Panromantic asexual white woman author with ADHD and anxiety.)
The Remaking of Corbin Wale by Roan Parrish, read by Chris Chambers (2017 contemporary fantasy m/m romance novel) A beautiful rather angsty retelling of Practical Magic, with so much baking, a lovely Chanukah feast, a light touch of magic, and characters that stole my heart and gave me so many feels. The heat is a deliciously slow burn in this story. I especially appreciated the autistic artist MC, and the kink, and also the dogs. I highly recommend the audio. (Rep: Queer autistic white man MC. Queer white man MC. White woman author.)
Christmas at the Wellands by Liz Jacobs (contemporary m/m romance novella) This is a beautifully rendered rather intense and angsty romance between two BFFs/college roommates, one of whom is in recovery from psych crisis and dealing with grief, who goes home with his BFF for Christmas. This made me decide to read the author’s backlist. (Rep: Black gay man MC with depression. Bisexual white man MC. White woman author.)
Kink Fiction
His Cocky Cellist by Cole McCade (contemporary m/m romance novel) This D/s romance blew me away. It’s easily one of my most favorite kink romances ever, with beautifully complex characterization, a deeply compelling arc, and gorgeous language. I highly recommend it. (Rep: Bisexual white man with chronic illness. Moroccan-American femme gay man with chronic pain. Native AmeriBlAsian POC demibisexual queer man author.)
Tactical Submission by Ada Maria Soto (contemporary polyamorous m/m romance novel) Wow this was just as good to reread. The pacing of this story really works well for me, as do the deep characterization and the dual POVs. The writing is just so damn good. It made me feel less alone, in so many ways it just quietly held so much of who I am, and that’s exactly what I went into this reread looking for. (Rep: Bisexual white man MC. Gay white man MC with PTSD. Mexican American author with dysgraphia and phonological dyslexia.)
Whip, Stir and Serve by Caitlyn Frost and Henry Drake (contemporary m/enby romance novelette) Amazing short contemporary kink meet-cute romance centering an autistic bisexual demigirl submissive MC with anxiety and a careful, sweet, very hot dominant man MC who makes cinnamon rolls. Hot realistic BDSM scene full of consent. (Rep: Autistic bisexual white demi-girl MC with anxiety. Chubby white man love interest. Autistic white bisexual non-binary demi-girl author with anxiety. Autistic white man author.)
Meet Cute
Relationship Goals by Christina C. Jones (contemporary m/f romance novella) One of the best examples of chronic illness rep I have read in a romance. I fell really hard for both the MCs, & for the author’s writing. I have been checking out her backlist and will continue to do so for a while, as it’s very long! (Rep: Black trauma survivor heroine. Black hero with sickle cell disease. Black woman author.)
A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole (contemporary m/f romance novel) I loved this book so much. I think it’s my favorite by Cole, and I love so much of her work, so that is really saying something. Such a gorgeous romance arc, and Portia has my heart. I especially love her self acceptance arc around her ADHD. (Rep: Black heroine with ADHD. Chilean-Scottish biracial hero. Black woman author with ADHD.)
The State of Grace by Rachael Lucas (contemporary YA novel) This book feels like it does something different from the other books I’ve read with autistic MCs, like its a deeper POV and feels very real and also like the book lets Grace be as autistic as she is, in a way that feels new to me, without making it about her autism. The romance has a light presence, and a lovely arc. (Rep: Autistic white girl MC. Autistic white woman author.)***
A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert (contemporary m/f romance) This is a gorgeous, complex, tightly plotted, deeply characterized, super swoony, neighbors-to-lovers romance. It has a tremendous heart, and is both full of angst and full of humor in a way that feels very balanced. I loved the fat rep in this, like I have all of Hibbert’s books. But what blew me away was the autism rep, which resonated so deep for me. And the depiction of trauma (the heroine is a survivor of intimate partner violence and stalking) felt spot-on accurate. (Rep: Fat Black British trauma survivor autistic heroine. White man hero. Autistic Black Anglo-Romani disabled queer author.)
Musician MC
Three-Part Harmony by Holley Trent (2019 contemporary m/m/f romance novel) I loved this so much, really enjoyed watching the complexity of these relationships unfold, and the ways each character was a catalyst for the others. This is a beautiful, unforgettable, polyamorous romance, and I’m already rereading it on audio. (Rep: Autistic queer white man MC. Bi white man MC. White woman MC. Black woman author.)
Syncopation by Anna Zabo (contemporary m/m novel) Intensely riveting, complex characterization, so well written! This is one of my most favorite musician romances because of how central music was in the story, and because the writing about the music was incredibly gorgeous and resonant. This book has one of my favorite depictions of a D/s relationship that I’ve ever read; it gets at the ways D/s can build you up and create intimacy and be a positive force in your life, a source of strength as you deal with chaos. I had trouble with some bits of the aromantic representation, but really liked other aspects of it; I discuss this in my review. (Rep: Gay white man trauma survivor MC with synesthesia, former sex worker. Pansexual aromantic white man MC, former sex worker. Bi/pan white non-binary author.)
Riven by Roan Parrish (contemporary m/m romance novel) One of the most striking things about Riven is how much it’s about music, and how composing, performing, and collaborating on music is deeply central and gorgeously, compellingly portrayed. Riven is hands down one of my favorite romances I read in 2018 (and 2019), and an m/m romance I will return to again and again. I loved it on audio in particular, the performances were spectacular. (Rep: Gay white MC with addiction. Gay white MC who I read as neuroatypical. White woman author.)
Roadtrip Romance
Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai (2020 contemporary m/f romance novel) This bodyguard/protectee romance has the twist of her not actually being in danger, but feeling scared and triggered by going viral and running away with her bodyguard to try to find a way to deal with the situation. I appreciated the trauma rep, the very slow burn, the friendships and complex family dynamics, and fell really hard for the heroine and the hero both. (Rep: Biracial Thai American heroine with PTSD. Biracial Desi-Mexican American hero with PTSD. Desi woman author.)
The Demon Prince by Ann Aguirre. (paranormal m/f romance novel) I was blown away by this intense, lovely, angsty romance with MCs that try to keep things casual but just really can’t, in a fraught warlike situation. They have such chemistry, and I loved the femdom D/s dynamic and the menage scene. (Rep: Bi white man MC with chronic illness and PTSD, Demisexual biromantic autistic white woman MC. White woman author.)
Romantic Suspense
Human Enough by ES Yu (2019 paranormal m/m romance novella) I appreciated the ownvoices autism representation in this vampire hunter/vampire romance, especially when it came to facing ableism in the workplace. This jumped back and forth through time in a way that I had a bit of trouble following, and emphasized the suspense plot over the romance, but I did really like this couple together, and appreciated the gray ace vampire love interest. (Rep: Chinese American autistic pansexual man MC. Homoromantic gray ace white man love interest. Chinese American neurodivergent ace spec aro spec queer author.)
The Witness by Nora Roberts (contemporary m/f romantic suspense) This is one of my go to longish comfort rereads, but I fell in love with the audiobook. For me the heart of this is a strong, complex, flawed autistic heroine that I adore, and her amazing relationship with her dog. It’s never named on the page, but the heroine resonates so deeply for me as an autistic reader, and I love that she is unabashedly herself and doesn’t even try to pass as NT. That said, there are definitely issues with this book, especially in how it represents trauma, intimate partner violence and addiction. (Rep: White heroine that I read as autistic, who also has PTSD. White hero. White woman author.)
Shifter Romance
The Coyote’s Cowboy by Holley Trent (paranormal m/f romance novella) This shifter romance packs an intense punch. Witnessing these two neuroatypical MCs (one with ADHD, one with PTSD) who both feel alienated from other people connecting and being sweet to each other as they try to extricate themselves from folks who were trying to control them gave me so many feelings. This is an intense whirlwind ride of a romance that I could not put down. (Rep: Black heroine with PTSD. Hero with ADHD. Black woman author.)
Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu (2019 paranormal f/enby romance graphic novel)*** I adored this cozy second chance romance between childhood friends who reunite as older teens. I loved the feel of the art, so cozy with muted colors. All this glorious witchiness and magic school and magical experimentation. (Rep: Chinese-American, Deaf, queer Jewish MC. Chinese-American non-binary survivor MC. Lebanese American woman author. Asian American illustrator.)
Speculative Fiction
Four-Point Affective Calibration by Bogi Takács (SF short story) This short story about immigration and emotions and talking to aliens blew me away. (Autistic non-binary white immigrant MC. Neutrally gendered Hungarian Jewish white autistic author.)***
Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi (2013 space opera) I really enjoyed this reread. I especially appreciate the representation of chronic pain in this story, and the way the MC has a romance with the ship. I also really liked how complex and fraught her relationship with her sister was, and the way she endeavored to find a way to be herself while grappling with deeply imbalanced power dynamics. I didn’t really like her other romance arc, even moreso than on first read. (Rep: Black queer woman MC with a chronic pain condition. Queer white woman love interest. Japanese American autistic polyamorous ace-spec bi queer woman author with fibromyalgia and PTSD.)
An Unexpected Invitation by Ceillie Simkiss (2019 fantasy novelette)*** This is a magical quest kind of tale, that centers an aroace witch who is trying to find an accessible way to get to the wedding of chosen family, despite her motion sickness. It centers a range of platonic relationships, and has some fun moments of magical problem solving. My favorite bit was when the witch’s bisexual fae BFF gives her a beautiful present; it really held the way friendships can be deeply emotional and important, and I loved that. (Rep: Aroace white woman MC with motion sickness. Panromantic asexual white woman author with ADHD and anxiety.)
Tattoo Artist MC
Invitation to the Blues by Roan Parrish (contemporary m/m romance novel) Still not sure I have words to adequately describe this gorgeously rendered, deeply characterized, utterly heart-wrenching, deliciously queer, simply beautiful romance. Except to say its one of the best books I read in 2018, and my new fave by this author. (Rep: Queer white man MC with depression and PTSD who I read as autistic. Gay Black man love interest. White woman author.)
New Ink On Life by Jennie Davids (2019 contemporary f/f romance novel) This romance between a tattoo show owner and her new apprentice (who she inherited from her own mentor) was really compelling; I could not put it down. The MCs communicate so much through tattoos, build their relationship and trust that way; it’s lovely to witness. I enjoyed Cassie’s personal arc around being less focused on pleasing people. (Rep: Queer femme white woman MC cancer survivor. Queer butch white woman MC. White woman author.)
Workplace Relationship
Beginner’s Luck by Kate Clayborn, read by Carly Robins and Will Damron (2018 contemporary m/f romance novel) This has so much in it that I enjoyed! I liked all the disabled characters in it, really resonated with the neurodivergent hero, loved all the stuff about fixing up the house, and felt the representation of ACOA issues was just spot-on. The heroine is delightfully geeky about her job in the lab. I really enjoyed rereading this on audiobook; it was just as lovely the second time around and the performances were great. (Rep: Trauma survivor white heroine. White hero with ADHD. White woman author.)
His Quiet Agent by Ada Maria Soto (contemporary m/m romance novella) This contemporary romance between two ace spec spies has this wonderful measured pace to it that soothes me, perhaps because its told from the POV of a demisexual MC, and centers a new relationship. (Rep: Biromantic demisexual white man MC. Asexual white man MC who I read as autistic. Mexican American woman author with dysgraphia and phonological dyslexia.)***
Love on My Mind by Tracey Livesay (contemporary m/f romance novel) This is a very well paced, deeply characterized compelling romance. It has a rained in trope, and it manages the idea of preparing an autistic character to do a public presentation in a way that I found pretty respectful; I’ve read versions of that kind of plot that are intensely ableist and this doesn’t read that way. The autistic MC faces ableism, but is mostly moving from a place of self acceptance, and I like the depiction of his friendships. I struggled with the way this leaned towards autism voice in his POV, but it was subtle enough that I was pretty okay with it. This has an Aspie hero (named on the page) who didn’t resonate much with my own experience of being Aspie. (Rep: Autistic white hero. Black woman heroine. Black woman author.)
YA Romance
Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz, read by Amy Melissa Bentley (2019 YA contemporary m/f romance novel) Some of the best chronic illness & chronic pain rep I’ve ever read. So resonant with my own experience in so many ways, for the spoonie stuff & also just in its NY Jewishness. Also, a really lovely swoony m/f YA romance with a bisexual hero! I especially love the audio & highly recommend you read it that way. The performance is great & the feels are more inescapable that way, I think. (Rep: Jewish bisexual white heroine with arthritis. Jewish bisexual white hero with chronic illness. Jewish lesbian white woman author with chronic illness.)
This is Kind of An Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender (2018 contemporary YA m/m romance) I really liked the bi representation in this story, so much. It was full of angst and push pull and so much was fraught and the MC was supremely frustrating in his inertia and not communicating or taking action, but all of that felt so real, and resonant. As a friends to lovers romance, it doesn’t follow a traditional arc, but I didn’t mind that. (Rep: Bisexual Black teen boy MC. Latinx Hard of Hearing queer teen boy love interest. Queer secondary characters. Black queer trans author.)
Disability Rep I Published in 2018-2019:
Nine of Swords, Reversed by Xan West (CWs here) (genderfluid/genderfluid romance novelette) This contemporary fantasy romance novelette centers two Jewish fat disabled genderfluid mages sorting out the issues in their D/s relationship. It is very much about the intersections of disability, gender, trauma and D/s, and while it definitely has some angst, it’s also rather cozy and heartwarming, in the ways the central characters treat each other and work to mend their relationship. (Rep: Fat autistic Jewish white disabled queer genderfluid MC with arthritis and PTSD. Fat Jewish white queer genderfluid love interest with chronic migraines, chronic back pain, PTSD and depression. Jewish white fat autistic disabled queer demiromantic demigraysexual stone butch genderqueer author with arthritis, chronic migraines, chronic back pain and PTSD.)
Their Troublesome Crush by Xan West (CWs here) (contemporary m/f romance novella with a trans man hero)** This cute foodie kinky polyamorous metamours to lovers romance centers a demiromantic autistic fat Jewish trans man named Ernest. Ernest is bouncy, caring, careful, and, well…earnest. Out of all my autistic characters so far, he masks the least. Ernest loves cooking, showtunes and service based submission and he’s writing a musical with his autistic BFF Judith. He spends much of the book trying to figure out if he has a crush on Nora and isn’t quite sure what that would mean, as he’s never been into a cis person before. The fat rep is mostly incidental, but you get glimpses of the way the characters fatness impacts their lives and perspectives woven through the book. (Rep: Fat autistic demiromantic pansexual queer Jewish white trans man MC with PTSD. Older queer fat disabled femme Jewish white cis woman love interest with PTSD and diabetes. Jewish white fat autistic disabled queer demiromantic demigraysexual stone butch genderqueer author with arthritis and PTSD.)
Eight Kinky Nights by Xan West (me! CWs here) (2019 contemporary polyamorous Chanukah f/f erotic romance novel) Angsty foodie best friends/roommates to lovers romance with kink lessons and a sex pact around keeping things casual. The fat representation is integrated into the story, and part of one of the MCs arcs is around setting boundaries in and recovering from her relationship with her fatphobic mother. (Rep: Jewish white autistic older gray ace queer fat femme woman MC with depression and PTSD. Jewish white autistic older pansexual fat stone butch woman MC with arthritis and PTSD. Jewish white autistic disabled fat queer demiromantic demigraysexual stone butch genderqueer author with arthritis and PTSD.)
Trying Submission by Xan West (printed in Best Lesbian Erotica of the Year Vol 3 CWs here) (2019 contemporary f/f erotica short story with a trans woman MC) This erotica story centers a fat autistic femme trans lesbian woman trying out submission for the first time with another fat femme lesbian, a member of her leather family who she trusts. It’s D/s focused, and sex is off the table from the start. It also shows her going non-verbal during both negotiations and play, and them finding ways to continue to communicate and ensure consent. (Rep: Latinx autistic queer fat femme trans woman MC with fibro and PTSD. Black queer fat femme sex worker MC. Jewish white autistic disabled fat queer stone butch genderqueer author with chronic pain and PTSD.)
Crave by Xan West (printed in Best Lesbian Erotica of the Year Vol 4. CWs here) (2019 contemporary f/f erotica short story) This short erotica story centers an older fat butch/butch couple in a D/s relationship, where the submissive character is tall and supersize, and the dominant MC is midsize and shorter. It depicts SM as an act of service, and mostly centers rough body play and trampling, and does not include sex. The fat representation is mostly incidental, but there is some discussion of the joy the dominant character takes in dominating someone taller and fatter and more physically strong. (Rep: Older fat stone butch autistic white woman MC. Older fat disabled butch white woman love interest. Jewish white fat autistic disabled queer stone butch genderqueer author.)
An excerpt from Shocking Violet, my queer kinky polyamorous romance novel WIP, free on my website. This erotica excerpt shows Jax and Violet’s first D/s scene. It also shows some things I rarely see in BDSM romance: beginning with BDSM play where sex is off the table, a dominant checking in with himself before play to be sure he is up for it, a survivor making it clear she doesn’t want her partner to try to fix her trauma, survivors talking openly about the risk of being triggered by play, an autistic submissive going non-verbal during play. (Rep: Jewish white autistic queer fat femme woman MC with endometriosis and PTSD. Jewish white autistic queer fat stone butch genderqueer MC with chronic migraines and PTSD. Jewish white autistic disabled fat queer demiromantic demigraysexual stone butch genderqueer author with chronic migraines, endometriosis and PTSD.)
On my TBR for 2020
Young Adult & Middle Grade
Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro
Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
Defying Doomsday ed by Tsana Dolichva
Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig
Get A Grip, Vivy Cohen! by Sarah Kapit
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman
Halfway Normal by Barbara Dee
Imagine Us Happy by Jennifer Wu
It’s My Life by Stacie Ramey
Leia: Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray
Love from A to Z by SK Ali
Lovely Dark and Deep by Justina Chen
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X Stork
Me and Sam-Sam Handle the Apocalypse by Susan Vaught
On the Edge of Gone by Corrine Duyvis
Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal by Anna Whateley
Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller
The Someday Birds by Sally J Pia
Tarnished Are the Stars-Rosiee Thor
This Is What It Feels Like by Rebecca Barrow
Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens by Marieke Nijkamp
Who Put this Song On? by Morgan Parker
You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P! by Alex Gino
Adult Romance
Abroad by Liz Jacobs (m/m)
All in the Family by Q. Kelly (f/f)
At War with a Broken Heart by Dahlia Donovan (m/m/m)
Autumn by Cole McCade (m/m)
Best of Luck by Kate Clayborn (m/f)
Change of Address by Jordan S. Brock (m/m)
The Doctor’s Discretion by EE Ottoman (m/m with trans man lead)
Empty Net by Avon Gale (m/m)
Everything Changes by Melanie Hansen (m/m)
Fitting In by Robin Roseau (f/f)
Getting Schooled by Christina C Jones (m/f)
Ghost Dance by Catherine Gayle (m/f)
Heart’s Master by Elizabeth Schecter (m/m)
His Two Leading Men by Aidan Wayne (m/m/m)
House of Cards by Garrett Leigh (m/m)
Just Physical by Jae (f/f)
The Little Library by Kim Fielding (m/m)
Loud and Clear by Aidan Wayne (m/m)
Making a Comeback by Julie Blair (f/f)
Matzah Ball Surprise by Laura Brown (m/f)
Misfits by Garrett Leigh (m/m/m)
Mr. Hotshot CEO by Jackie Lau (m/f)
Once Upon a Bride by Jenny Holiday (m/f)
Once Upon A Marquess by Courtney Milan (m/f)
Permanent Ink by Piper Vaughn & Avon Gale (m/m)
Playing Doctor by Cathy Yardley (m/f)
Puppy Love by Lucy Gilmore (m/f)
Racing into Love by Noah Steele (m/m)
A Rational Arrangement by L. Rowyn (m/m/f)
Resilient Heart by Annabeth Albert (m/m)
The Rules of Love by Cara Malone (f/f)
Screaming Down Splitsville by Kayla Bashe (f/f)
Second Position by Katherine Locke (m/f)
Signs of Attraction by Laura Brown (m/f)
Sometimes It Storms by Cole McCade (m/f)
Soul to Keep by Garrett Leigh (m/m)
Sweet Disorder by Rose Lerner (m/f)
Think of England by KJ Charles (m/m)
Tied Up by Sionna Fox (m/f)
To Stand in the Light by Kayla Bashe (f/enby)
Whiteout by Adriana Anders (m/f)
What We Want by Eliott Griffen (m/m)
Speculative Fiction
Failure to Communicate by Kaia Sønderby
Holding Onto Day by EH Timms
The Lifeline Signal by RoAnna Sylver
No More Heroes by Michelle Kan
The Outside by Ada Hoffman
Secondhand Origin Stories by Lee Blauersouth
So You Want to be a Robot and Other Stories by A Merc Rustad
Snake Eyes by Hillary Monahan
Stake Sauce by RoAnna Sylver
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
Fave Disability Rep I Read in 2018-2019
At the beginning of 2018, I made a list of my favorite romances with queer disabled MCs…
A few years ago, I started talking about queer science fiction and fantasy on social media and had an idea. People like pictures and visuals can be a great way of both conveying information and of getting people to share a post. So why not use that to hype queer books?
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(Side note –you can age these by the use of the pink lesbian flag, which was probably still the dominant one when I made these back in 2017).
I downloaded a bunch of covers of queer science fiction and fantasy books I’d read, created a template in Photoshop and shared these for Pride Month in 2017. People really liked them. The flags offer a quick way of seeing what sort of representation the story has and the snippet of text from the back cover gives you a taste of what the story’s about.
Fast-forward to 2019. I’ve got close to a hundred of these sitting in a folder and it’s gotten too much for Twitter threads. At the same time, I was building a new website for a college class and wondering if I could build some sort of gallery to show all of these.
But there were limitations with the original pictures. They were good for social media sharing – quick, condensed information with visual appeal – but there’s a lot they don’t convey and from an accessibility standing, I’d need text versions of the pictures anyway. So what if people could click on the picture and get taken to a page with greater information on the book, such as the summary, trigger warnings, and types of representation, including whether the protagonist was multiply marginalized. It was the logical next step to have all that information tagged and included in a search and filter system so if someone wanted say, books with black gay protagonists, they could easily find books that met that criteria. My goal was something akin to Claudie Arseneault’s Aro and Ace Database but more visual.
I ended up scrapping the pride flags and going with just the covers, creating in late June 2019 the Queer SFF Book Database.
The search and filter system lets you specify the queer identity of the protagonist, the gender pairing of any romantic relationships, intersectional identities including race and disability, whether the book is YA or adult, the length of the book, the subgenre, and a collection of miscellaneous tags. The miscellaneous tags have everything from “authors of color” to “world without homophobia” to information on romantic and sexual content as well as queer tragedy.
Over the last year, I’ve continued to regularly add books to the database (it now contains over 250 books!) as well as adding more information about the individual books and improving the tagging and filtering system. You can now search books by year of publication and whether they’ve been nominated for awards in addition to some more categories for intersectional identities to help readers find SFF with queer protagonists who are over 40, parents, fat, or other categories. Recently, I’ve been trying to make it a better resource for librarians and booksellers so they can help get their patrons and customers the books they’re seeking.
Of course, problems arose. The most obvious one is how to deal with problematic books, especially when not everyone agrees what makes good representation. I handle this by linking to reviews from queer readers, particularly ones that are multiply marginalized and #ownvoices ones. This often involves linking to negative reviews, although I try to find reviews that are taking specifically about aspects of representation and not just writing style, pacing, etc (this goes for positive reviews as well). If you want to see how complicated these conversations can get, just look at the entry for The Traitor Baru Cormorant! In other cases, such as with some high-profile transphobic authors, I’ve decided to deprioritize books, where I’ll only add them after I’ve gone through and added all the books by authors who don’t go on transphobic rants on the internet. Since I’ve got a list of over two hundred more books to add and more are being published every year… it’s unlikely they’ll get added any time soon.
My including a book in the database isn’t an endorsement of the book. Most of the time, I haven’t even read the books I add. Even if I were to try, that would only steer the database towards my own reading preferences, which I already worry happens. Most of my information on the books I add comes from reviewers or submitted entries from other readers.
At the end of the day, my biggest hope for the Queer SFF Book Database is that it reaches the readers who believe that queer science fiction and fantasy doesn’t exist or have no idea just how many stories are out there! I still use social media and visuals to publicize queer SFF, but now I link to the database, both so readers can get more information on the book and to give them a new tool for discovering stories. I want everyone to be able to find the representation they’re seeking.
About Sarah Waites
Sarah Waites can be found on Twitter as @coolcurrybooks, where she is constantly talking about queer books and diversity in adult science fiction and fantasy. In 2019, she created the Queer SFF Book Database to showcase the marvelously queer books in science fiction and fantasy. She’s also a former book blogger and a recent Columbia Publishing course graduate pursuing a career in publishing. Currently, she’s running a freelance book design business with a specialty on LGBTQ+ books and covers.
This post gives a list of my favorite books I read in May 2020. Which are not very many, because I had a pretty big reading slump in May.
This list definitely shows my bias towards contemporary romance, but also includes paranormal romance, and fantasy YA. I am putting the audiobooks in a separate category. I link to reviews where I have written them; and also where I have only posted trigger warnings, so you can easily find those. If I have not yet reviewed, I am using affiliate links to Amazon. If you buy through those links, I will make a small amount of money on that sale (which I plan to use to buy more books to review), but it will not add any to the cost of your product. It comes out of the company’s profits.
I’m listing rep at the end of my descriptions. If you spot something incorrect, please do feel free to let me know. Also, I am not intending to out anyone; I get author info from the web and the book bio. If an author would like me to remove any info listed, please do let me know. I want to note that I use the word fat as a neutral descriptor when listing rep, and use the word queer when a character or author identify that way or when I am unclear about their identity but know they fall under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella.
For folks looking for stories with no on-the-page sex, I am putting three asterisks*** at the end of the description.
New reads
I did some reading for a post on musician romances in May; a few of my fave reads were Geek with the Cat Tattoo by Theresa Weir, Appassionata by Emma Barry, Love’s Serenade by Sheryl Lister, The Companion Contract by Solace Ames, and The Love Song of Sawyer Bell by Avon Gale.
Meet Cute
The Girl Next Door by Chelsea M Cameron (2020 contemp f/f romance novel) This is a small town neighbors to lovers slow burn romance, and despite the darkness in Jude’s central arc, it’s fairly light in tone and rather cozy in it’s approach. If you have enjoyed other f/f contemporary romances by Cameron, chances are that you will also like this one, which has the added bonus of a very adorable dog. It’s very rooted in it’s Maine small town setting, which felt like a real strength to me, particularly as the author is from Maine. (Rep: Lesbian white woman heroine. Lesbian white woman trauma survivor heroine. Queer white non-binary author.)
Pregnant by the Playboy by Jackie Lau (2020 contemp m/f romance novel) I really enjoyed this meet cute high heat romance with an accidental pregnancy. It’s on the sexier end of Lau’s work, and really delivers heat-wise, has these really lovely tender moments of care between the MCs, and is replete with wonderful food details, like I have come to expect from Lau’s work. This really hit the spot, when I was in a big reading slump, and I’m glad for it. (Rep: Chinese Canadian MCs. Chinese Canadian woman author.)
Yes, And… by Ruby Lang, in the collection He’s Come Undone (2020 contemporary m/f romance novella) I really enjoyed this rather angsty romance, and especially appreciated the conflict and the way each of the characters were at a crossroads and were choosing to change their own lives. I love Lang’s work, and this one has a particular place in my heart because it lets the characters really feel sad, and bleak, and is about watching them slowly get to a place where they have a bit of hope. (Rep: Asian American hero. White heroine. Asian American woman author.)
Non-Fiction
Sobriety exposed how I treated my past partners. I’m ready to date again, but do I even deserve to find love? in Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse by Kai Cheng Thom
Loving Stacey Park Milbern: A Remembrance by Alice Wong
#StaceyTaughtUs Syllabus: Work by Stacey Park Milbern curated by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha and Alice Wong
For Marginalized People in Georgia, The Fight for Survival Continues by Da’Shaun Harrison
Workplace Romance
Office Hours by Katrina Jackson (2020 contemporary m/f romance novel) I really enjoyed this low conflict, low angst, workplace romance between a sociology professor who is trying to get tenure and a history professor who has been crushing on her for months. They have lovely chemistry, and there is so much heart in this story to balance the heat. I really liked how realistic it felt in it’s portrayal of what it’s like to be a professor of color; the details of that experience added a lot of depth to the story. (Black woman heroine. Latinx man hero. Black queer womsm author.)
Unraveled by Olivia Dade, in the collection He’s Come Undone (2020 contemporary m/f romance novella) I adored this m/f romance between two teachers to bits. I fell for the heroine right alongside the hero, and loved witnessing him becoming completely unraveled for her. There is some really lovely fat representation here; I really liked seeing the fat heroine through the hero’s eyes, and the language used to describe her. The heroine is amazing and I wish I could be her friend. I loved all the geeky bits about teaching, as a former teacher; it was a joy to read about skilled teaching. It was nice to have a non-binary student included with basically no fanfare; it feels good to have folks with genders like mine as part of the worlds that authors create. I really enjoyed the burn of his attraction for her, the murder dioramas, and the humor in general. This was a joy to read, and I was glad that it was low conflict and low angst. (Rep: Fat white woman MC. White man trauma survivor MC. Fat white woman author.)
Rereads
Smoke Signals by Meredith Katz (2018 paranormal m/m romance novella) This is an old fave that I did a comfort reread of when nothing else was working. I enjoyed it as much the second time round, with the grumpy dragon love interest, the geekiness, and the way the MC holds his ground and sets clear boundaries. (Rep: White gay man MC. White bisexual man love interest. White lesbian woman author.)
Audio Books & Podcasts
Audiobooks:
Considering Kate by Nora Roberts read by Christina Traister (2001 contemporary m/f romance novel) This is a single parent romance set in a small town, where a successful ballerina quits dancing and moves back home to start a dance school. The hero is the contractor she hires to refurbish the building she buys for the school, and he has a little boy and a contentious relationship with his own family to navigate, isn’t sure he wants to pursue a romance. She pursues him, and is very persistent about it, in a way that felt iffy to me. This is a comfort reread I do on audio when almost nothing will suit, and it definitely has it’s problems, including the iffy consent, and the exoticization of the heroine’s Ukrainian family and Russian former boss.
Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce read by the author with Full Cast Audio (1992 fantasy YA novel) This is a comfort reread for me on audio, and it is a dearly beloved book about a girl who has a way with animals that turns out to be magic, and how she begins learning more about her magic as she finds a new home and friends after losing everything. It definitely has it’s problems; the whole series has issues with racism and the development of a teacher/student romance that I personally find disturbing and cannot read the last book because of it. But this book as a stand alone often works when no other book will, so I keep returning to it.
June TBR (I likely won’t get to all of these, but it’s nice to have goals.)
Group Reads/Buddy Reads
A Boy Called Cin by Cecil Wilde
Pink Slip by Katrina Jackson
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
ARCs to Read
Better Than People by Roan Parrish
The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon
Just Like That by Cole McCade
Starbreaker by Amanda Bouchet
Cinrak the Dapper by AJ Fitzwater
Bring Her On by Chelsea M Cameron
Every Reason We Shouldn’t by Sara Fujimora
The Four Profound Weaves by RB Lemberg
From the Dark We Came by J Emery
Not That Kind of a Guy by Andie J Christopher
A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee
Starcrossed by Allie Therin
#ConSaborReadingChallenge
What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera (A)
By Any Means Necessary by Candice Montgomery
Color Me In by Natasha Diaz (also an ARC)
Like Water by Rebecca Podos (A)
The Superheroes Union: Dynama by Ruth Diaz
And Everything Nice by Ada Maria Soto
Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro
Hate Crush by Angelina M Lopez (also an ARC)
#RomBkBingo
Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin (also an ARC)
His Cocky Cellist by Cole McCade
Agnes Moor’s Wild Knight by Alyssa Cole
Chasing Mindy by Carla de Guzman
Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi (library)
Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali (library)
Fake It Till You Break It by Jenn P Nguyen (library)
The Love and Lies of Ruksana Ali by Sabina Khan (library)
Epistolary Romances
Hold Me by Courtney Milan (A)
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
Relationship Goals by Christina C Jones
What I Like About You by Marissa Kanter
Contour by Meg Harding
Text2Lovers by K Webster
Rock Courtship by Nalini Singh
Way Down Deep by Charlotte Stein and Cara McKenna
For fun
Whiteout by Adriana Anders (library)
Mrs Mix Up by Candace Harper (KU)
Slay by Brittney Morris (library)
Everything’s Better With You by Lucy Eden (KU)
Total Bravery by Piper J Drake (library)
Bedding the Enemy by LaQuette
Siren Radio by Jessica Nelson Hardy
The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow (A)
The Beast by Katee Robert
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert (A)
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus (A)
Oops! by Alexandra Warren
Best Reads May 2020
This post gives a list of my favorite books I read in May 2020. Which are not very many, because I had a pretty big reading slump in May.
Here are some books I’m excited about that are coming out June 2020-August 2020.
Disclosure: All links to Amazon will be affiliate ones. If you buy through those links, I will make a small amount of money on that sale (which I plan to use to buy books to review), but it will not add any to the cost of your product. It comes out of the company’s profits.
June Releases
Marrying His Runaway Heiress by Therese Beharrie (June 1) This looks like tropetastic fun, and it’s by one of my favorite romance authors.
Queen of Coin & Whispers by Helen Corcoran (June 1) Court intrigue, ownvoices lesbian demisexual MC, sign me up!
Where We Go From Here by Lucas Rocha (June 2) A YA novel about three gay young adults in Brazil whose lives become intertwined in the face of HIV.
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson (June 2) Rivals for prom queen fall for each other!
My Summer of Love and Misfortune by Lindsay Wong (June 2) A Chinese-American teen is thrust into the world of Beijing high society when she is sent away to spend the summer in China.
Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert (June 2) Enemies to lovers set at a gaming competition, yes please.
Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon (June 2) This pocket book deconstructs, demystifies, and reimagines the gender binary, and it’s by one of my favorite non-binary poets.
A Song Below Water by Bethany C Morrow (June 2) About two best friends discovering their magical identities against the challenges of today’s racism and sexism.
Thunder Run by Daniel Jose Older (June 2) This is the third installment of the Dactyl Hill Squad books!
Claim the Dragon by AC Arthur (June 8) I hear great things about this dragon shifter romance series, enjoy the author’s contemporary work, and this cover grabbed me.
The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon (June 9) Three women are catfished by the same man and become friends, creating a pact to support each other to follow their own dreams and give up dating for six months.
The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smith (June 9) I’ve heard really wonderful things about this YA f/f romance.
Roughing It (June 9) A hockey romance anthology centering the same team, with novellas by different authors. I’m especially excited for Stacey Agdern’s story.
Bottle Rocket by Erin McLellan (June 15) A second chance romance, a sexy to-do list, femdom dynamic, sign me up now.
The Unconquered City by KA Doore (June 16) The final volume in this fantasy assassin YA series.
The Circus Rose by Betsy Cornwell (June 16) A queer YA retelling of Snow White and Rose Red with a circus and a bear and battling religious extremists.
I’ll Be the One by Lyla Lee (June 16) A fat girl dancer joins a reality show competing to become the next K-Pop star!
What My Body Craves by India T Norfleet (June 17) This m/f romance centers a personal chef who takes a job working for a grumpy romance author. It looks like a lot of fun!
One Wicked Lick from the Drummer by Ainslie Paton (June 18) The third installment in a series I’m enjoying.
40-Love by Olivia Dade (June 18) I’m so excited for this next book from Dade, which promises to have a fat woman MC, an age gap, and sexy banter. Look at that gorgeous cover!
Finding Joy by Adriana Herrera (June 22) This department store romance promises to be both steamy and swoony.
My Eyes are Up Here by Laura Zimmerman (June 23) This YA centers a teen girl whose very large breasts make life rather difficult, who just wishes people would see her as a whole person.
The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho (June 23) A wuxia fantasy novella that sounds wonderful.
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert (June 23) I’ve been excited about this romance forever, and I’m so glad it’s finally coming out!
Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena (June 23) Really excited for this fantasy YA, which I won an ARC of from Goodreads!
Two Rogues Make A Right by Cat Sebastian (June 23) A low conflict rather angsty sounding m/m historical romance.
Hate Crush by Angelina M Lopez (June 30) The next book in a series whose debut blew me away. Really looking forward to this.
The September Project by Denise M Jones (June 30) Faux reality show, second chance romance, this looks like a lot of fun.
Love at First Fight by Sandyha Menon (June 30) This Valentine’s day themed volume revisits the couples in Menon’s Dimple and Rishi series!
In the Role of Brie Hutchens by Nicole Melleby (June 30) This f/f romance YA centers a soap opera super fan who wants to be in the school play.
Love, Creekwood by Becky Albertalli (June 30) We get one more book with our fave characters, and I’m looking forward to it.
Disability Visability: First Person Stories from the Twenty-first Century ed by Alice Wong (June 30) I’ve heard amazing things about this anthology.
Just Like That by Cole McCade (June 30) Coworkers at a private boys school, by one of my most favorite romance authors, yes please.
July Releases
Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone (July 7) An eighth grader starts a podcast to protest the unfair dress code enforcement at her middle school and sparks a rebellion.
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London (July 7) A plus size fashion blogger agrees to star in a dating reality show.
Cinderella is Dead by Kaylynn Bayron (July 7) Girls team up to overthrow the kingdom.
All These Monsters by Amy Tintera (July 7) A girl joins a monster fighting squad and learns about the complexity of identifying who exactly is monstrous.
His Beauty by Sabrina Dare (July 7) This m/f erotic retelling of Beauty and the Beast is written by one of my favorite m/m romance authors, under a new pen name, and I’m excited for it!
The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert (July 7) An all in one day YA romance centering around a voter rights activist heroine spending all day trying to ensure the hero’s vote actually gets counted.
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall (July 7) This fake dating m/m romance looks like the kind of romp I need these days.
Lead Me Back by CD Reiss (July 7) This fake relationship rock star romance looks like a lot of fun.
Muse Squad: The Cassandra Curse by Chantel Acevedo (July 7) The first in a middle grade fantasy duology about a Cuban American girl who discovers that she’s one of the nine Muses of Greek mythology.
Not Your All American Girl by Wendy Wan-Long Shang and Madeline Rosenberg (July 7) The half Jewish Chinese American heroine of this 80s set middle grade book grapples with racism in the casting of the school play.
Faith: Taking Flight by Julie Murphy (July 7) The first in a two book origin story of the fat queer superhero!
Andre by Jayce Ellis (July 13) Who can resist a one night stand, oops you’re my new boss scenario?
A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee (July 14) In this rom com, her one night stand turns out to be the food critic that ruined everything and now wants to help her save her bakery.
The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune (July 14) A queer coming-of-age story about a fanboy with ADHD and the heroes he loves.
Running by Natalia Sylvester (July 14) When fifteen-year-old Cuban American Mariana Ruiz’s father runs for president, Mari starts to see him with new eyes.
Keep My Heart in San Francisco by Amelia Diane Coombs (July 14) Ex best friends team up to try to save her family’s bowling alley.
The Fell of Dark by Caleb Roehrig (July 14) Gay vampire YA, sign me up.
Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson (July 21) Assassin heroine, alternate history exploring the Underground Railroad, and by an author whose work I’ve loved.
The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez by Adrianna Cuevas (July 21) Nestor has been keeping a secret: he can talk to animals. When animals begin to disappear, he realizes that he needs to defeat the local witch who is feeding off of them.
More than Maybe by Erin Hahn (July 21) This YA centering teens deeply invested in music who are crushing on each other online and trying to ignore their attraction sounds right up my alley.
10 Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandyha Menon (July 21) This YA romance by one of my favorite authors has a fake dating trope and an activist heroine.
High Heat by Annabeth Albert (July 27) Smoke jumper hero dealing with injuries works together with his neighbor to rehome a stray dog, falls for him of course.
Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynne Solomon (July 28) A YA romantic comedy about two rival overachievers whose relationship completely transforms over the course of twenty-four hours.
Things Hoped For by Chencia C Higgins (July 28) A stud/femme meet cute f/f romance with a musician MC by an author whose work I’ve enjoyed, yes please.
The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite (July 28) Historical f/f romance between a bee-keeper and a woman running a printing business.
Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha (July 28) Mercenary librarian meets super soldier, the latest Kit Rocha novel, sign me up.
Hairpin Curves by Elia Winters (July 28) Frenemies to lovers f/f roadtrip romance!
I Kissed Alice by Anna Birch (July 28) Enemies to lovers f/f YA romcom with rival MCs who unknowingly are also online collaborators.
Sweetest in the Gale by Olivia Dade (July 30) Three romance novellas set in a world I adore by one of my favorite authors, yes please.
Kinship and Kindness by Kara Jorgensen (July 31) Secrets and power struggles among werewolves are at the center of this m/m romance with a trans man MC.
Polyamory and Kink by Jess Mahler (July 31) I’m excited to read this non-fiction book about navigating polyamorous kinky relationships.
August Releases
The Immortal City by May Peterson (Aug 3) I’m excited for this fantasy quest oriented romance, the second in a series where I enjoyed book 1.
Glorious Day by Skye Kilean (Aug 3) Sci fi bodyguard/princess f/f romance.
Guillotine by Eduardo C Corral (Aug 4) Looking forward to this collection of poems by one of my favorite contemporary poets.
Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything (Aug 4) A genre-bending YA novel about a Mexican American teen who discovers profound connections between immigration, folklore, and alien life.
You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria (Aug 4) A rom com set in the world of telenovelas, by one of my favorite romance authors, sign me up.
Cattywampus by Ash Von Otterloo (Aug 4) Kids from rival witching families (one of whom is intersex) practice forbidden hexes and unwittingly unleash a horde of zombie ancestors. They must work together if they want to reverse the spell in time.
A Map to the Sun by Sloane Leong (Aug 4) This YA centers two girls on a basketball team together, and it looks wonderful.
I’m Not a Girl by Maddox Lyons (Aug 4) This loosely autobiogtraphical picture book centers a trans boy coming out.
Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julia Abe (Aug 4) A middle-grade fantasy adventure, about a young witch whose pinch of magic just might be more than enough.
Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From by Jennifer De Leon (Aug 4) A Latinx teen girl tries to fit in at her new nearly all-white school, but when racism ramps up and family secrets come out, she decides to take a stand.
More Than Just a Pretty Face by Syed M Masood (Aug 4) A YA forced proximity m/f romantic comedy about falling in love, familial expectations, and being a Renaissance Man.
Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Meija (Aug 4) A scientifically minded girl must grapple with a magical portal bringing myths and legends into her reality, including La Llorona, in order to save her friend.
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi (Aug 4) I’ve heard amazing things about this third novel by an author whose work is just brilliant.
Loathe at First Sight by Suzanne Park (Aug 4) The heroine of this geeky romance works in the video game industry and grapples with a ton of misogyny on the job. Her romance is with someone at work, and she has to weigh the risks of pursuing it in that kind of environment.
Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim (Aug 4) Magical realist romance set in Paris, centering a woman who can see the future in tea leaves.
Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar (Aug 11) This contemporary fantasy YA debut inspired by Hindu mythology and it looks amazing.
A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqui & Laura Shovan (Aug 11) In this middle grade novel, a Pakistani American and a white Jewish girl meet when they take a South Asian cooking class, and slowly build a friendship as they plan to create a cross cultural dish to win a spot on a local food show.
Trade Deadline by Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn (Aug 17) The third book in this queer hockey romance series; I’ve been waiting for this to come out for a long time!\
Dominion: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora edited by Zelda Knight and Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki (Aug 17) I’ve heard such great things about this anthology!
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko (Aug 18) This YA fantasy centers a girl who seeks out a place on the prince’s council at the urging of the woman who raised her, and who intends her to assassinate the prince after gaining his trust. What path will she choose for herself?
Six Angry Girls by Adrienne Kisner (Aug 18) A story of mock trial, feminism, and the inherent power found in a pair of knitting needles, this YA looks awesome.
The Legal Affair by Nisha Sharma (Aug 18) I feel like I’ve been anticipating this romance forever. I love guarded prickly powerful competent heroines so much.
Isaiah Dunn is My Hero by Kelly J Baptist (Aug 18) A middle grade novel about a ten year old boy who discovers a love of poetry after finding his late father’s journal.
Would I Lie to a Duke by Eva Leigh (Aug 25) Yes I will gladly read pretty much all the femdom romance I can get my hands on.
Now That I’ve Found You by Kristina Forest (Aug 25) Following in the footsteps of her überfamous grandma, eighteen-year-old Evie Jones is poised to be Hollywood’s next big star. That is until a close friend’s betrayal leads to her being blacklisted …
Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khoram (Aug 25) I’m excited for this companion novel, in which Darius begins questioning everything he thought he wanted…and deserves.
Like Lovers Do by Tracey Livesay (Aug 25) This fake relationship romance looks fun.
Ink and Ice by Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese (Aug 25) Forced proximity m/m ice skating romance by two of my fave romance authors, yes please.
Ironspark by CM McGuire (Aug 25) A teen outcast must work together with new friends to keep her family and town safe from murderous Fae while also dealing with panic attacks, family issues, and a lesbian love triangle.
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger (Aug 25) I have been so excited for this book for a very long time and it’s almost here! Ace protagonist! Ownvoices Lipan Apache representation! Speculative fiction woven through contemporary life! I need this book.
Better Than People by Roan Parrish (Aug 25) Dogs, dogs, and more dogs. Plus a new m/m romance by an autobuy author whose work I consistently adore.
Summer 2020 Books I’m Anticipating
Here are some books I’m excited about that are coming out June 2020-August 2020. Disclosure: All links to Amazon will be affiliate ones.
Content warning: This post references abuse, harassment and racism.
I want to acknowledge that I have had ties to Taylor B Barton/Taylor Brooke/Brooklyn Ray, that were made in good faith, based on what I knew at the time. I now have more information about the ways authors (and particularly authors of color) have been harmed by them, which included racism, harassment and abuse. (Thanks so much to…
I am Corey Alexander. I am a white queer polyamorous transgender stone butch. I am a New York Jew who moved to Oakland so that I could build a life with other fat disabled queers who care about interdependence and access intimacy.I am invested in a concept of sex positivity that honors desire, multiplicity and complexity, embodied wholeness, critical analysis, and self determination.I am often changing, and often a catalyst for change. I value being caring, careful, intentional and present in my connections and life choices. I recognize that nonconsensual violence is common in all communities, am committed to fighting oppression and recognizing privilege, and am invested in endeavoring to only enact power in a deeply consensual and conscious manner.I teach classes on kink, sex, relationships and anti-oppression activism..I write queer kink erotica under the name Xan West.
bi-gray said: Do you know of any books featuring stone characters (people who will touch their partner(s) but don’t want to be touched themselves) other than Stone Butch Blues? Any genders or orientations are fine.
Hmm I don’t recall any but @tgstonebutch would definitely be the expert here (and may even have...
I’m thrilled to share an excerpt from Charming Scottish Bastard, the latest installment in the Under the Kilt series by the amazing Melissa Blue!
Illustrated cartoon style cover depicting a fat white woman in a black dress who looks irritated, and a white man in a sweater and tie who is smiling, on a blue background. The title TEACH ME in pink type seems to be connecting the characters, almost arm in arm with them. The authors name OLIVIA DADE is across the top in white. 
An illustrated cover with a small illustration of a fat Black woman in a short blue skirt, red tank top, and glasses, with a gray cat standing next to her. She has her arm around a thin white man in jeans, a white t shirt and leather jacket. The title takes up most of the cover, in red: GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN. with the author’s name in blue across the bottom: TALIA HIBBERT. Blue curly arrows are around the title. 
A photo cover depicting a bare chested white man facing away from the camera, on a bachground of white daisies. We mostly see his muscular back and the fact that he is bearded. The title WORK FOR IT is in yellow across his back. The authors name TALIA HIBBERT is across the bottom.
Sarah Waites can be found on Twitter as @coolcurrybooks, where she is constantly talking about queer books and diversity in adult science fiction and fantasy. In 2019, she created the Queer SFF Book Database to showcase the marvelously queer books in science fiction and fantasy. She’s also a former book blogger and a recent Columbia Publishing course graduate pursuing a career in publishing. Currently, she’s running a freelance book design business with a specialty on LGBTQ+ books and covers.
