It’s that time of year again people. The time where we, the voracious and obsessive readers of LGBTQ romance, look back and reflect on what an amazing year of books it’s been. If you’re anything like us then you’re already compiling your 2019 “To Read” list, but first, let’s share some of our favourite books from the year just gone.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be posting our top reads of the year. Please feel free to tell us your own favourites, or simply comment on our choices.

One commenter from each of these posts will win a $5 store credit with Dreamspinner Press.

CHERYL

In the Name of Love by Edward Kendrick

This is a story of a stalker and his prey. It’s chilling and convincing with an amazing depth to even the supporting characters. The lead character is truly evil, and we get to see this even more because part of the story is written from his perspective. If you like to walk on the dark side, this is one for you.

Undone by R. Phoenix and Morgan Noel

I’m not usually caught by fantasy, but this one is rooted in the real world. Kolt is one of my favourite characters of the year. He’s part sexy incubus and part spoiled child. He hisses and spits but at his heart he’s a frightened soul who just wants to be free and to be loved. The story was a little clumsy to begin with but once I got into it I couldn’t put it down.

Wheels and Heels by Jaime Samms

This was a sweet and uncomplicated book that I read in one sitting because it caught me so much. Ira is an exotic dancer and sculptor of nude male fairies. That’s enough in itself to recommend the book. Add in a sweet, hairy biker and it’s a must read.

 

Guarding His Melody by Victoria Sue

I’m not sure how to describe this book, but all I can say is that I loved everything about it. Basically, it’s about a deaf musician, his bodyguard and his evil father, set against a background of a world where some people are born with “enhancements”. I haven’t read any of the other books so I can’t speak with any certainty about the situation with the enhanced but it’s clear they’re not popular.

 

Hex and Candy by Ashlyn Kane

Loved this book to heck. It’s complex and nuanced and you have to read it to get any kind of feel for it but at it’s heart it’s about a man who’s effectively been cock blocked by his ex – literally. He can’t even flirt with another man, let alone go any further. In desperation he comes to a curse-breaker who happens to work in a candy shop and knows a bit about magic. These characters were so real they felt familiar. Their interaction with each other and the other characters is fluid and they’re a joy to spend the journey with.

 

Life at the Death House by Sean E. D. Kerr

Not a fun book, but an important one and an absolutely excellent read. 17 year old Tyler comes to a house which takes care of children who are HIV positive. He’s angry and bitter and frightened, especially when he discovers he’s left it too long to get help and his HIV has become full-blown AIDS. With the clock ticking, he finally lets down his walls and begins to grow. The rest of his life and death have a profound effect on everyone around him and all of their stories will blow you away. For all that it could be a gloomy book, it’s really not. It’s very uplifting and hopeful.

 

Love Spell by Mia Kerick

I can’t even…. Chance Cezar is a force to be reckoned with. I just can’t describe him. He’s about as in-your-face as it’s possible to get, but the bluff and bluster hides a soft center and a pain that he hides from everyone, even himself. When he and his bestie find a magazine that lists Ten Scientifically Proven Ways To Make A Man Fall In Love With You he tries to win the heart of the sweet but clueless Jazz, who gets more and more confused as the book progresses. This book is over the top, crazy, full of the most cray-cray but adorbs language and made me laugh, cry and really think about some deep shit.

My Crunchy Life by Mia Kerick

This was my favourite book of the year, so it deserves a few more sentences. The first line of the blurb, apart from being the thing that drew me in is a pretty good introduction to the whole book

“John Lennon fought for world peace, but sixteen-year-old hippie hopeful Kale Oswald’s only made it as far as tie-dying his t-shirts with organic grape juice.”

This pretty much sums up Kale’s approach to life as a hippie. His carefully crafted and cared for dreads are only the start of Kale’s hopelessly idealistic and clueless attempts at embracing the Crunchy lifestyle. His journey toward self-realization only truly begins when he joins a local human rights organization, where he meets Julian.

Julian is snarky, funny, sometimes arrogant (*snort*), sometimes insecure and always yearning to be her true self. Julian is “the boy who tried to off himself”, the “faggot”, the “she-he” the butt of so many cruel comments and actions. Yet she truly is the strongest character in the book. Julian is relentless in her determination to become Julia. No, not become, to be allowed to be Julia. The struggle is a hard one, and not made any easier by the appearance of Kale. She figures him out pretty quickly, but it takes longer to figure out what that actually means for her.

To be fair, Kale does, very quickly, identify certain shortcomings in himself, but it takes longer to realize just how self-absorbed he is and what the consequences are.

 

Soul Searching by AJ Rose

This is my second favourite book of the year. It’s basically about three friends, two of whom are in love with each other but won’t acknowledge it, who decide to investigate the weird goings on at their house. The results are explosive, surprising and chilling. I can’t say enough good things about it. It’s a romance, a mystery, a horror, all wrapped up in a damn good story.

To Be Honest (#lovehim #3) by S M James

A road trip with a difference. Three friends and a spare decide to travel across the country looking for someone who may or may not exist. Angus is in love with Scotty whom he has met only online and will give him no information about himself. He completely misses the fact that love is a lot closer than he things. He’s so sure that his best friend Tyler is straight that he misses so many clues if Sherlock Holmes had ever lived he’d be whirling in his grave. This was a complex book with a lot of emotional depth. I yelled at the screen and hugged a teddy bear. So many feels.