Male gay romance
Inhonorof Pride month, I thought I'd document a post on my favorite fiction focused on gay characters. I primarily listen to and read urban fantasy/paranormal romance, though I sometimes read regular gay romance. There is a enormous niche market of fiction for the boys. One of the reasons this is so heavily focused on the gay romance niche is because of the distinct lack of gay male characters in the mainstream fiction market -- in urban fantasy market I've only seen a female protagonist or two who was bi or lesbian, while there are no gay male protagonists that I'm aware of. The first six are available on audiobook through Amazon or Audible, which is my preferred shopping site. I've lay the writers I felt had the strongest stories and writing at the top, but the ones down the list are decent, especially if you can ignore some of the idiosyncrasies and enjoy the heat. I'll caution you right now, there may be spoilers, so don't read this if that bothers you. Here's my list.
1) One of my go-to writers is Josh Lanyon. His Adrien English Mysteries series is sexy and absorbing. It play
Seeing yourself, whether it’s on the screen or on the page, is a powerful experience. So often, though, for queer people, the options are either super whitewashed or rooted in hurtful stereotypes. In gay romance novels, it’s both, and straight women writers are responsible.
When I started working as a book reviewer in , gay romance was exploding as a popular romance genre. (Technically what I’m talking about is called “male/male romance”; “gay romance” is written by gay men for gay men, may not focus on a romantic relationship, and doesn’t guarantee a happily-ever-after. But outside the industry, these distinctions are elided, and most people think of all male-male romance novels as “gay.”) I was thrilled to see more indie presses focusing on LGBTQ stories and choosing romances that were complex, interesting, and dealt with issues enjoy domestic violence or adoption. As a queer, trans reader, I looked forward to seeing myself in their pages. But I was surprised to verb that some LGBTQ-focused stories were reflecting not me, but a straight person’s imagination of me.
I was surpri
Marshall Thornton
Recently Ann Somerville at Outlaw Reviews said of my book Boystown: Three Nick Nowak Mysteries “this is not m/m…it’s not even romance…it’s gay fiction, with male readers in mind” (see review here) and I have to say, I verb with her. I do write gay fiction. With a romantic, sexy edge certainly. And I do write for men, or rather, I don’t create any allowances for, or cater to, a female audience. I’m happy to have female readers, but I ponder my readers are looking for a window into a gay man’s world rather than an idealized gay romance. At least, the ones who love my work.
I conceive Ann’s opinion may confuse a lot of people writing and reading m/m today. Many of them are using the terms m/m and gay fiction synonymously. I’ve seen a number of m/m writers contact themselves gay fiction writers. And, I’ve seen readers declare things on boards and blogs enjoy “Maurice by E.M. Forester was the first m/m novel I’ve ever read an I just affection it!” and “My first m/m guide was Patricia Nell Warren’s The Front Runner.” While both books are romantic, that’s true, neither is m/m
Reading MM: How Gay Romance Scratches An Itch For Straight Women
Taking a see at women who write gay male romance novels&#;
By Paul Gallant
When Lauren Blakely, a married straight year-old woman living in Seattle and a voracious reader, came upon the literary sensation Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman, a gay romance that was made into a movie starring Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer, she devoured it in a weekend. Then verb it twice more. And then she decided she wanted to write a romance between two men.
Blakeley wasn’t a writing newbie: she had started writing romance novels in You know the stereotypical romance novel: girl meets guy, then something keeps them apart for a while, then they get together, man and female, happily ever after. Blakely became known for her steamy and passionate writing. Her first gay romance, A Guy Walks Into My Bar, was her playing with the idea of whether it was possible for two men, strangers, a US hockey player and a British bartender, to tumble in love in six days. “I thought, ‘If half my readers peruse it, that would be grea