GUEST POST: Romance Novels Recs

my beautiful, wonderful partner posesses three things in particular: 1. their wits, 2. love for romance novels, which i do not read or understand, and 3. complete lack of social media or online presence. i think it's a crime to keep their good thoughts and insight from people, so i asked them to jot down some recs. (i also have trouble remembering all the books they like and have so this is also my cheat sheet.) without further ado:

Hello! This is Con’s partner, making a guest appearance on this webbed site. So, if you are forming a parasocial relationship with Con or otherwise gathering data, here is one more data point for you.

Con has asked me to write a piece for them about romance novels, because I quite like reading them and Con apparently has a hard time keeping track of what I enjoy and, crucially, what I have already read. In this post, I will list several of my favourite books and authors. I will also describe what I like in romance novels, since I am evidently the objective arbiter of good taste.

Things I like in romance novels:

1. I read mostly or exclusively queer/trans romance novels.

This is because I am both queer and trans. I also find that heterosexual romance novels can be… a little bland sometimes? Often, it feels like the characters (and sometimes the author) view men and women as different species who simply can never understand each other, or communicate. This can lead to thin plots or easily fixed misunderstandings. Think “I saw him post a pic on Instagram hugging another woman! OMG! I had better be made for 200 pages before he finally tells me that’s his cousin”. There is some good straight romance out there, but it’s not for me.

Good contemporary queer romances I’ve read:

And I will especially recommend Delilah Green Doesn’t Care and Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake. They are some sexy, delightful contemporary f/f romances with characters and relationships that feel very real. I am very excited for the third book, which is coming out soon.

2. I adore a period piece.

I got my start in reading romance with KJ Charles’ book Band Sinister (a gay m/m regency romance) in 2020, right at the start of the pandemic. I then whipped through her back catalog over the next several months in and out of quarantine. Period romances remain my favorite reads to this day. Starting in 2020 is I think a big part of why; reading a period romance takes you out of the modern world and takes you to a new place and time. It helps me to avoid thinking my way out of the plot. And most of all, it’s just plain fun to get lost in a world of big plots, bigger dresses and a different social context.

Here’s a great post from KJ Charles speaking on queer historical romance and the question of who gets a happy ending: https://kjcharleswriter.com/2018/10/10/historical-romance-who-gets-hea/

Good historical romance I’ve read:

3. I love romance novels with disabled protagonists!

You see, I am disabled and I like to see people like me in my books. I also love it when people write disabled characters thoughtfully and with intent. Here are some books with disabled characters that I absolutely love. (If you saw these recommended above, no you didn’t)

4. I like romance novels with fantastical elements.

Some fantasy or sci/fi with my romance? Don’t mind if I do!

5. Finally, I like romance with intersectional elements.

I like my romance characters to come from diverse cultural backgrounds, and to be representative of real people. This can be romances featuring people of colour, people from religious minorities, as well as romances featuring fat protagonists. To put it quite simply, there is SO MUCH content featuring straight, cis, skinny, WASPy characters and I am so tired of it. Give me something interesting! Give me something that represents my world and the people in it, who are mostly not skinny, cis, straight and white.

Books with leads of colour that I really enjoyed:

This concludes the list for now. It is purely personal and deeply subjective, so if you value different things, I love that for you! There is a book for every reader and a reader for every book. I would also be happy for any recommendations for queer romance, especially queer romance featuring BIPOC leads or period romances not listed here.

thanks partner! i don't know how you, the reader, would send along your suggestions, perhaps with carrier pigeon, perhaps through me. feel free to leave a comment through my guestbook.

last updated: 11/02/2024