Rep: disabled MC * Second Chance by Jay Northcote Tropes/themes/secondary plot: adorable opposites-attract romance a character that deals with chronic illness on a daily basis, especially as his illness pertains to sex BDSM a strong sense of queer community and queer community. MCs: a somewhat grumpy recluse who has MS, which sometimes means his body does not act as he wants it to, and a super cheerful, open and not-at-all grumpy artist/hipster. Rep: gay MCs Gays of Our Lives by Kris Ripper Tropes/themes/secondary plot: sports romance lots of angst celebrity romance characters dealing with homophobia (from the public and in their families) a wonderful and heartwarming collection of friends and chosen family surrounding both MCs. MCs: a famous football player who’s spent his life in the closet and a mega football fan who is also kinda lonely and runs an independent film festival. Rep: neurodivergent MC * Tigers and Devils by Sean Kennedy
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Tropes/themes/secondary plot: opposites attract complex family dynamics a cast of secondary characters who are in turns lovely, annoying, endearing, and frustrating. MCs: a shy twenty-something with social anxiety who lives alone and works at a soda fountain and a loud, outgoing sort-of-hipster.
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Rep: gay MCs * Trouble and the Wallflower by Kade Boehme Tropes/themes/secondary plot: friends to lovers total hilarity a satisfying and authentic secondary cast of friends and family tasty homemade Italian food described in detail. MCs: two lifelong best friends and Brooklyn firefighters (who may or may not have been hiding their feelings for each other for years) who decide to work as models for a gay porn website because one of them is basically broke. Tropes/themes/secondary plot: fake marriage sports romance characters dealing with grief parenting secondary characters that matter to the plot. MCs: an NFL player, widower, and single dad raising his teenage son and a ballet dancer from Russia seeking asylum in the U.S. Rep: trans MC, bisexual MC His Convenient Husband by Robin Covington Tropes/themes/secondary plot: workplace romance the MC dealing with transphobia from coworkers (but not the love interest) some fun behind-the-scenes political campaign drama.
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Setting: the offices of a political campaign somewhere in contemporary America MCs: an intern at a political campaign, just out of college and stunned he’s landed his dream job, but also dealing with the stress of being out and trans in a not-very-supportive workplace and the somewhat prickly and uptight campaign strategist who actually ends up being super charming and kind. Rep: black genderqueer MC * Coffee Boy by austin chant Tropes/themes/secondary plot: workplace romance lots of food and cooking friends-to-lovers an age gap an interracial relationship characters dealing with grief. MCs: a restauranteur still mourning the death of his husband and the determined college graduate he hires as part of his staff reboot. Rep: bisexual, polyamorous MC Idlewild by jude sierra Tropes/themes/secondary plot: BDSM, polyamory, characters dealing with PTSD, lots of on-the-page sex (this one is definitely erotic romance). MCs: a gay SWAT commander who’s mostly in the closet about being kinky and submissive and a bisexual, polyamorous kinky doctor who works for the coroner’s office. Rep: disabled MC contemporary Gay Romance Novels Tactical Submission by ada maria soto Tropes/themes/secondary plot: enemies-to-lovers a mystery involving blackmail interesting and complicated family dynamics explorations of class differences and disability. Setting: Regency London and the English countryside MCs: a grumpy, unscrupulous, street-smart private eye (think: Olivia Pope in 1820s London) who grew up in the slums and despises nobility and a retired (and very proper) soldier who craves order and predicability. Rep: Indian, neurodivergent MC The Soldier’s Scoundrel by Cat sebastian
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Tropes/themes/secondary plot: a murder mystery a beautifully depicted tight-knit queer community some kink. MCs: a quiet boarding-house keeper and one of his lodgers, a taxonomist. Rep: black MC, trans MC An Unseen Attraction by K.J. Tropes/themes/secondary plot: an exciting and action-packed rescue of a hospital patient about to be committed to an asylum racism and transphobia in 1830s NYC.