7 Reads for Pride Month

LGBTQ representation has come a long way in recent years and that means no longer having to settle for sad bury your gays story arcs and reading a ten book series solely for the tertiary lesbian character who never gets to find love. Now we get cozy mysteries, YA novels, fantasy, literary fiction, and sometimes even a love story fit for the Hallmark Channel.

The Language of Love and Loss by Bart Yates

Noah York is scraping by trying to make a living as an artist when he gets the news that he must go back home and care for his ailing mother. Forced to face the demons of his past: his fraught relationship with his mother; J.D., his ex-boyfriend, who is now happily married; and family secrets his mother had kept hidden until now. Noah will have to decide if he wants the life he is living and how he will need to change in order to grow.

Renovated to Death by Frank Anthony Polito

Peter Penwell and JP Broadway make the perfect couple, both in romance and at work. Riding high on the success of their hit home renovation show, Domestic Partners, it all threatens to come crashing down when one of the homeowners of an upcoming episode is found dead. Can Peter and JP find the killer and save their show? And, bring some closure to the victim’s family and ensure justice is served of course…

For Her Consideration by Amy Spalding

A devastating breakup three years ago has left Nina Rice scared to open up, eschewing real relationships for the occasional hookup and leaving her writing dreams behind in exchange for a career ghost-writing and managing celebrity’s emails, she has found herself in a rut. Enter Ari Fox, the hot young actress picking up Oscar buzz. When the two meet for work sparks fly and things become decidedly more personal. But can they make this new love work, or will the bright lights of tinsel town burn out their flame fast and bright?

In the Event of Love by Courtney Kae

When a work fauxpas sends event planner Morgan Ross retreating back to the place she swore she’d never return, her idyllic hometown of Fern Falls, she is determined to save her reputation and get out. If only doing so didn’t mean she had to spend all her time with Rachel Reed. She and Rachel had been best friends, and once almost more, until they had a falling out and Morgan fled to Los Angeles. Now she’s back and must plan her greatest fundraiser ever to help save Rachel’s family’s tree farm. Sprinkled with holiday magic, this rom-com will have you believing in love and the holiday spirit.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain

Forced retirement gives a long serving postman a new lease on life, when he takes a step back and realizes that his cat may be his best friend and he’s never shared his true self with anyone in his small town. Determined to make a change Albert begins open himself up; do new things; find George, the one who got away; and start truly living.

The Scapegracers by H.A. Clarke

As a lesbian and a witch, Sideways Pike has always felt like an outsider at school, so when three popular girls pay her to cast a spell at their party she never thinks it will end with her joining the group. Forming a tight knit coven at first they feel invincible, but with witch hunters nipping at their heels and Sideways acclimating to the interpersonal challenges of a new friend group their bond will be tested. Atmospheric and brimming with the magic of friendship and the magic of…magic, this riveting novel will leave readers wanting more, good thing there’s a sequel.

The Nightland Express by J.M. Lee

When bright, brash Jessamine Murphy finds a recruitment poster for the Pony Express, her tomboy heart skips a beat: not only for adventure, but for the chance to track down her wayward father in California. Eager to reunite her fractured family, Jessamine cuts her hair, dons a pair of trousers, and steps into the world as Jesse. Along with a fellow rider, Jesse transports unusual cargo along an unusual route: the Nightland Express. The Nightland Express is more than a mail route—it traces the border between the mortal world and a vibrant, magical land just beyond. And both realms hover on the precipice of disaster.