Queereaders discussion

Romance novels

Have you read any of the novels mentioned in the article?

If you enjoy romances, what type do you prefer (historical, contemporary, thriller, etc.)

Discuss any and all types of romances here.

I've read The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith. I really enjoyed that book actually, and count it among my favorites. It's very reminiscent of Lolita and is quite notably in lgbtq fiction. The romance between the two starts out more like an obsession than anything else, but it ends up being cute in its own way. A definite good read.

That's the only one on the list I've read. And I don't know if I prefer a particular kind of romance - its more that i like to find novel characters and situations. The same goes for author - male or female doesn't really matter (though I find males write better male fiction and females better female... but duh!).

It's not on the list, and I'm not sure what genre of GLBTQ fiction you're most interested in, but you might also want to take a look at Tipping the Velvet, it's another one of my favorites.

I've read Vincent Virga's Gaywyck and Vadriel Vail. Both are such fun!

I read a review of Scott & Scott today and I may start reading their romances.

I have wanted to try gaywyck! I will put it on my list of to reads. I have trouble with gay romances as most of the characters I don't tend to relate to very well. They are usually very young and super buff club kids and they really don't speak to me at all. I would probably prefer more of a regular romance.

I have read some straight romances as well for readers advisory for work. I guess I tend to go for the mystery with a little bit of romance thrown in. Do you remember Victoria Holt? Hers were good, sweeping romance with some wonderful gothic terror.

I remember reading Gordon Merrick in high school. And there are some good ones out there for teens. I like David Levitan and Brent Hartinger.

Good topic!

I want to read Tipping the Velvet - I watched Affinity (the movie) and it was most excellent. I would also, of course, like to read the book. Affinity was everything I love - mystery, suspense, romance, betrayal - you know, the good stuff.

I read the first two Gordon Merrick novels when I was in high school. It was a bit odd - I remember enjoying them as period pieces, but the characters didn't have much depth. I don't think the author intended the characters to be vapid, but it was more the writing style - Merrick didn't really deal with the emotions of the characters "I did this, he did that, we rolled around..." Romance for me is all about the emotions and a little about the "action".

Much to my mother's dismay, I went on a "traditional romance" reading spree - stealing all her Johanna Lyndsey novels and reading them. It was extra fun as a 13 to 15 year old to sneak away to read my mother's steamy romance. I also borrowed my parents inappropriate magazines - but they didn't know about that, so don't tell them.

My most recent read was My Fair Captain - total trash and I loved it. A science fiction gay romance novel set on a planet that chooses to live in the Regency period. Loved it.

Scott wrote: "My most recent read was My Fair Captain - total trash and I loved it. A science fiction gay romance novel set on a planet that chooses to live in the Regency period. Loved it..."

I haven't read that one yet, Scott. Have you read her With/Without werewolf series? Very light, fun, and sexy.

With Love
Without Reservations
With Caution

Sharon wrote: "I've read The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith. I really enjoyed that book actually, a..."

I want to read The Price of Salt and Tipping the Velvet. Since I read a lot of SF/fantasy and horror, I tend to enjoy romances that contain those elements. Jesse Hajicek's The God Eaters is a wonderful gay fantasy/romance with a western feel. Sharon Shinn writes rich, descriptive and very satisfying sci/fantasy romances. Historicals can be fun, as long as they are well-researched and believable.

Tangle, edited by Nicole Kimberling, is a wonderful collection of gay SF/fantasy stories with a dash of romance. Looking forward to Tangle Girls!

Doug wrote: "I have trouble with gay romances as most of the characters I don't tend to relate to very well. They are usually very young and super buff club kids and they really don't speak to me at all..."


Doug, I think J.L. Langley's Ranch series may feature older guys.

The Tin Star
The Broken H

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/boo...

This was in the NY Times a few days ago.

I just read The God in Flight.

Nicely written but not convincing: written by a (probably) straight woman, and it reads like slash.

Maybe I'm not the best judge, as romance isn't my genre.



The God in Flight

There seem to be a slew of gay romances written by straight women. I wonder how they are? I might try and read the Tin Star. I will let you know.

They vary in quality, Doug. Many are available as e-books through fictionwise.com; Loose-ID, Samhain, allromanceebooks.com. There are other e-book publishers I can't think of right now. Generally, they are fast, fun and sexy reads. Good to pass time if you need something undemanding, not good if you're looking for more substantial literature.

Why do Women Write M/M Fiction

Very good article, thank you for finding it Nancy.

Glad you enjoyed it. I came across it while I was looking for more m/m romances to add to my shelf.

I'm not a big romance reader either, Kate. Once I discovered m/m romances a couple of years ago, it made me realize even more how traditional romance novels emphasize stereotypes and portray unbalanced relationships between men and women. The emotional manipulation and formulaic plots can get tiring in large doses.

M/M romances also suffer from poor quality and formulaic plots, but there's something exciting about two very hot men getting it on without all the emotional baggage and drama of heterosexual relationships.

Since many m/m romances are written by straight women, I've often wondered if their portrayal of gay male relationships is accurate.

I've read few m/m romances written by men. One I really enjoyed is Lola Dances by Victor J. Banis.

Nancy - I have not read any of Langley's other works, but I plan to eventually. There is a sequel to My Fair Captain I am saving for the beach sometime...but I like to read it in print and it hasn't been published in print yet...hopefully soon.

Doug wrote: "I have trouble with gay romances as most of the characters I don't tend to relate to very well. They are usually very young and super buff club kids and they really don't speak to me ..."

I think this problem exists in traditional romances as well. Perhaps romance readers prefer escaping into the lives of the young and perfect to forget about their own average lives.

There are very few romances with differently abled characters. Two I can think of are Blind Curve by Annie Solomon, a traditional romantic thriller, and Mexican Heat, by Laura Baumbach, a gay erotic thriller. Both books deal with blindness.

I think this is why I love books from England. For some reason, books and TV, they really have average looking people. You can have a detective that is overweight, or a cop that is not that pretty but good at her job. Everyday folks making it through. But I can see how some people are looking for that glamorous fabulous life that is magical but unrealistic. I guess I just like the realism.

Scott wrote: "Nancy - I have not read any of Langley's other works, but I plan to eventually. There is a sequel to My Fair Captain I am saving for the beach sometime...but I like to read it in print and it hasn..."

All my m/m romances are in e-format except for The Protector, which was only available in print at the time I bought it. I prefer print also, but somehow feel it is wasteful to spend so much money on smutty romances. lol!

I'll admit that the folks in the books that I write aren't exactly hurting in the 'looks' department, but I do my best to make sure they are flawed in other ways. I personally dont want to read about perfect people, doing perfect things...however I do like a happy ending and little escapeism. I think there's enough crap in the real world at the moment.

Doug, you might try Josh Lanyon's Adrien English Novels. It's a contemporary mystery/romance series and the characters are older, thirties/fourties. You can get them in paperback or as e-books. I'll place links below:
E-Books:
http://www.loose-id.com/SearchResult....
paperback:
http://www.mlrpress.com/ShowAuthorBoo...

Scott:
"I read the first two Gordon Merrick novels when I was in high school."

I did too!!! I did enjoy them at the time and still do. I bought Peter and Charlie's trilogy just recently again. They were my first M/M romance.

I haven't read those yet. My first was Patricia Nell Warren's The Front Runner.

I just checked out The Front Runner. It looks really good. Did you like it?

Yes, I loved it. I don't think I've cried so much reading a book before or since. At some point I'll have to read it again so I can read the sequels.

Oh sweet!! I just ordered it from PBS. Sequels?! I love sequels!

Oooh, I have credits there. I should check if the sequels are available.

Harlan's Race
Billy's Boy

Well I think, which you probably know by now since I took a bit to reply, that this was the only book available. I didn't click on the other books on the list. They were just in red so I knew they weren't on the site.

I was going to add the sequels to my wish list, but I think I'll try the library instead. They have a good selection of LGBT titles.

I was able to get a copy of Harlan's Race too from PBS. I'll try to bump them up in my tbr and if you haven't found them yet, I'll send them to you. :)

Take your time, Collette! I still have lots to read. Thanks for the offer. :)

LOL! It's like telling a contractor that you aren't in a hurry for something, Nancy. Don't ever do that!
My tbr pile is embarrassingly large so if I don't bump them up, I maybe never get to them. I make a genre list and pick my books to read ahead of time so I think I'll add gay fiction to the mix (not erotica but fiction) since I'm finding some great new authors around here. That way they will get read sooner. :)

You're just as bad as I am. :)

Oh you have no idea. This site is a killer for me! PBS started it and this place is just egging on my obsession. lol Oh well. I guess there are worse habits!

I have added about four more to my list today.. and I have 23 items on my library card. I never let it get that high! Luckily, I can always return the ones I don't like, or rereserve the ones I don't get to in time.

I am a HUGE fan of M/M romances. I read them almost exclusively, which is funny considering up until about 2 or 3 years ago, I wanted to read nothing but historical romances. I've come a LONG way since those days.

There are a few reasons I read this genre.
One is I got so frusterated with the way women are portrayed in a romance/erotic novel. They usually have this TSTL thing going on, and that drives me completely insane. I happened to pick up Something More by Amanda Young,which is a M/M/F menaged based book. (now I am not a menage fan) Once I started reading it, I became more interested in the two heroes relationship together than the relationship they developed with the female.
Needless to say a pandora's box was opened. :)

I started off with the Heaven Sent series by Jet Mykles and I have never looked back. Thank god!

I am friends with a female author of this genre. She has told me more than once that she writes this genre because she loves to read this genre. So she prefers to write what she loves.

sorry if mentioned before but has anyone read A Home at the End of the World A Novel - i guess you could say that was a kind of a 'bromance' that crossed the line but Bobbie was my first time falling head over heels for a fictional character i think, i loved him

I haven't read any of Michael Cunningham's books yet. Did manage to pick up The Hours for 50 cents at a library sale.

All this talk about 'bromance' is reminding me of a very closeted gay man I used to work with, oh about 25 years ago. He was very interested in politics and ran for various local offices. As our friendship developed, he asked me to accompany him to political events and made me swear I wouldn't tell a soul he was gay. His secret was safe with me. :)

I quickly grew tired of attending these events since they were very politically conservative and the food was lousy. When I was going to suggest he find someone else to go with or better yet, go alone, he told me he really enjoyed my company and valued our friendship. Then he said it would be a great idea for us to get married. That way we could have the best of all worlds - he could remain in the closet while I'm at his side during political functions, his busybody neighbors won't ask while he's still single, and we could have our separate lives while living under the same roof.

It was the first time a gay man ever proposed to me.

Oh wow Nancy! That must have been an interesting relationship. You were a total trouper! Just the mention of political events makes me yawn. lol z

I'll have to give Cunningham a look. :) Thanks for the rec!

Nancy wrote: "I haven't read any of Michael Cunningham's books yet. Did manage to pick up The Hours for 50 cents at a library sale.

All this talk about 'bromance' is reminding me of a very close..."

but not the last? lol

interesting story - you have to read the Hours by the way , its possibly my favourite book

Political events bore me too...that's one of many reasons why we weren't compatible. :D

The first (and last) time, Jon. lol!

Is The Hours your favorite Cunningham book, or one of your all-time favorites?

It's one of my favorites in general!

favourite of all books Nancy - definately top 5 favourite books ever, and its not too long so have got a gorgeous hardback version to re read someday as the one i read was library. Ive got specimen days on the shelf to read.

Daisiemae wrote: "I am a HUGE fan of M/M romances. I read them almost exclusively, which is funny considering up until about 2 or 3 years ago, I wanted to read nothing but historical romances. I've come a LONG way..."

I am a fan of m/m romances too, but I don't think I could have a steady diet of them, or any genre for that matter. I get bored too easily.

Even though I read my first gay romance when I was in my 20's, I only fairly recently discovered there were publishing companies devoted solely to this genre.

What is TSTL?

ooh i see the hours is up for group discussion!

Jon, we had a book discussion last month, but it wasn't very successful, so we haven't started another one. I'm just randomly adding books to the home page that we've read or talked about so it doesn't look so naked.

TSTL means too stupid to live...lol

Excerpt from Laura Baumbach's A Bit of Rough:

http://www.arkwolf.com/LauraBaumbach/...

and one from Kimberly Gardner's The Shape of a Heart:

http://www.kimberlygardner.com/home/p...

Anyone wanna recommend some of those cheesy romance/erotica novels like J.L. Langley writes?

Here's a few I enjoyed:

Wicked Game by Jade Falconer
A Bit of Rough by Laura Baumbach
The Other Side by Shawn Lane
Savior by Jade Falconer
Male of the Species by Kate Steele

I'm so in love with gay romance novels. Its becoming a guilty pleasure. They are quick and easy reads. I haven't read any that are overly sappy. I also love the eroticism of them as well.