Category Archives: Romance

Sorry, Bro by Taleen Voskuni

When Nar’s non-Armenian boyfriend gets down on one knee and proposes to her in front of a room full of drunk San Francisco tech boys, she realizes it’s time to find someone who shares her idea of romance. Enter her mother: armed with plenty of mom-guilt and a spreadsheet of Facebook-stalked Armenian men, she convinces Nar to attend Explore Armenia, a month-long series of events in the city. But it’s not the mom-approved playboy doctor or wealthy engineer who catches her eye—it’s Erebuni, a woman as equally immersed in the witchy arts as she is in… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Homophobia & biphobia and coming out themes
  • Alcoholism
  • Death of a parent in a car accident recounted

Our Ex’s Wedding by Taleen Voskuni

Ani Avakian was supposed to be the Bay Area’s premier Armenian wedding planner by now. But after a huge blow to her business, she’s determined to redeem herself by taking on the biggest job of her career: a wedding for an indie movie star. The wedding is set at a stunning Armenian-owned winery, and Ani is eager to connect with the owner, who she’ll be working closely with. But then she actually meets him. Sure, Raffi is ridiculously hot and charming, but he’s also insufferably smug. Though the real gut punch comes when Ani meets the happy couple—because the act… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Financial difficulties discussed (credit card debt)

Thirty Love by Tom Vellner

American tennis star Leo Chambers is determined to win the US Open by 30, the age when many players feel retirement looming. He’s just a year away from that dreaded birthday, but he can’t find his focus—considering he hasn’t told anyone he’s gay, he’s clashing with his strict coach (who also happens to be his dad), and he still can’t figure out how to beat his longtime nemesis on tour, Gabe Montoya, who, well, hits different. Gabe is playing better than ever, and Leo can’t seem to escape him—and maybe he doesn’t want to escape him. Leo’s other obstacle is… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Homophobia & outing

Don’t Breathe a Word by Jordyn Taylor

Present Day: Eva has never felt like she belonged… not in her own family or with her friends in New York City, and certainly not at a fancy boarding school like Hardwick Preparatory Academy. So when she is invited to join the Fives, an elite secret society, she jumps at the opportunity to finally be a part of something. But what if the Fives are about more than just having the best parties and receiving special privileges from the school? What if they are also responsible for keeping some of Hardwick’s biggest secrets buried? 1962: There is only one reason why Connie would volu… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Homophobia
  • Claustrophobia and fear of nuclear warfare discussed
  • Bullying & hazing

See You at the Summit by Jordyn Taylor

Simone Whittaker has spent the first three decades of her life pretending to be straight. But when the girl she never dared call her girlfriend walks away, she decides she’s done living in fear. Her uptight parents don’t take the news well, but a viral coming-out post and a new job at Toronto’s Rainbow Museum offer a fresh start—and a crash course in queer adulthood. That is, until her first day of work, when Simone ruins a project designed by Ryan Foley—the museum’s gruff and annoyingly hot carpenter—earning her the top spot on his enemies list. When they’re forced to take a work trip to the Whistler Pride and Ski Festival together, Simone… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Biphobia & homophobia
  • Infidelity recounted (secondary characters)
  • Suicidal ideation mentioned

Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Erica and Laure meet on the steps of the Sacré-Coeur in Paris, 1978. Erica is a student, relishing her first summer abroad before beginning university at home in England. Laure is studying for her PhD at the Sorbonne, drinking and smoking far too much, and sleeping with a married woman. The moment the two women meet, the spark is undeniable, but their encounter turns into far more than a summer of love. It is the beginning of a relationship that will define their lives and every decision they have yet to make. Erica and Laure’s love story spans decades, marriage, children… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Death of a friend from AIDS

The Open Era by Edward Schmit

Recently-turned-pro tennis player Austin Hardy has been out since high school and it’s never been a big deal. That is, until he becomes the first openly gay man to compete in a Grand Slam. Suddenly, being gay is a huge deal, with headlines to prove it. Unprepared for this new spotlight, Austin’s anxiety disorder hits a breaking point, and he trips and falls at practice. Right next to the very attractive, very talented, and probably straight Diego Cruz, ranked World #2. The two players start a friendship off the court. But between their flirty banter, mixed signals, and brewing rivalry,… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Anxiety & panic attacks (protagonist, on-page)

Charming Puckboy by Eden Finley and Saxon James

It doesn’t matter that I was the number one draft pick in the NHL or that I’m projected to be the next great generational player, because none of it is enough to impress my childhood crush back in my hometown. Sam used to mock me for being like a Disney Princess with my uncanny knack for finding animals in need. And being home in Colorado for the summer, I’m bound to run into him now that he runs the animal shelter where I used to volunteer. Where I used to try to get his attention every chance I had. He never noticed me then, at least not in the way I wanted. But if… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Homophobia & outing
  • Alcohol consumption

Our Rogue Fates by Sarah Glenn Marsh

When he isn’t training as a Warden to become half the hero his father was, Griff Sayer is in the business of breaking hearts all across the town of Mayfair, although that slows down after settling in with his current boyfriend. Griff’s ex–best friend, Mal Pryce, meanwhile, is in business with whatever or whoever puts good money in his hands. Now in their mid-twenties, Griff and Mal have only exchanged scathing looks and carefully barbed jabs since the fight that sent them their separate ways years ago. But all that begins to change when an attack Mal plotted for his shady… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Alcoholism (protagonist) & alcohol consumption (on-page)

How to Fake It in Society by K.J. Charles

It is 1821 and Nicolas-Marc, Comte de Valois de La Motte is making a splash in London Society. The son of Jeanne de Valois de La Motte, infamous for stealing a priceless diamond necklace meant for Marie Antoinette, Nico hopes to restore his wronged mother’s reputation, if only he can raise the funds. But he must operate with great secrecy, because the Bourbon dynasty murdered his mother, and he fears for his life. At least, that’s what he tells Titus Pilcrow. Titus was a simple shopkeeper, making and selling artists’ paints, when he found himself suddenly married to an immense… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Period-typical homophobia & classism
  • Gun violence
  • Bullying