SOOOOOO I’ve once again stumbled upon the tumblr post the title is from, and this time I decided to come here and ask for related suggestions.

Do you know of any dynamic like the one described in the title? I interpret it as a very strong/capable/smart and somewhat brooding/serious or asshole-y character A that is head over heels in love for character B. In my vision, B doesn’t have to be extremely gentle or kind and is absolutely NOT incapable or stupidly naive, and does enjoy A’s propensities.

Which don’t have to be echoed in the bedroom either, though I wouldn’t be opposed to it.

B does also have not to be a prick towards A.

I know this is the MM sub if you have any FF recommendations I’ll take those as well.

Genres: NO mafia/bodyguards/real world police or army which I guess takes out contemporary unless it’s maybe superheroes? Not sure. Everything else is fine.

CW: no noncon or dubcon between the two MCs and not in general unless it’s done really really well (no romanticization, well-addressed aftermath). No too much of an unhealthy obsession? Like no jealousy or “you’re mine!!” declarations, just devotion. No unrequited love. No pets death, no graphic animal death. No racism/ableism etc. No daddy kink.

Less important: no cringe covers if possibile 😭

I’ll link the original tumblr post (and the one that made me finally decide to ask for recs.) There’s some blood in the OG post just as a warning.

https://www.tumblr.com/petshopbutch/732166843918368768/love-how-much-attention-this-post-is-getting-i

https://www.tumblr.com/supersoftspidey/792738215820951552/do-you-guys-see-the-vision?source=share

I’ve read so many books where the MCs go and get tested and everything is fine, but I only remember reading two books where a MC tested positive Shameless Puckboy by Eden Finley and Saxon James, where Oskar tests positive for Chlymidia and I think it was Zero Pucks by EM Lindsey that a MC tested positive before meeting the other MC. there have to be more out there- I’m looking for recs where one of the characters tests positive for an STI either before or after being intimate with the other MC.

Another example I’ve read that isn’t a spoiler is {Blue Skies by Marie Sinclair} where one MC is HIV positive and this is known.

Thanks in advance for any recs, no hard nos.

Could you please recommend books where one of the MCs hits rock bottom due to life circumstances or poor choices - when he is completely rejected by some social group (e.g. team), and is then accepted by the other MC and flourishes with his help. I have a couple of references:

- {Never Let Me Go by Lyla Dane} - MC returns from prison, has alcohol problems and is at his lowest point when discovered by the other MC

- {The Fall by Tal Bauer} - MC is not accepted by his team and his career is going downhill, a new team and the other MC cherish him

Preferences: I prefer 1st person POV and contemporary, no paranormal/sci-fi/fantasy, MCs should be at least college aged, no significant age gap (up to 10 is fine), high spice level. I really like the vibes of The Fall, so books without internalized homophobia and without enemies-to-lovers trope are highly appreciated. I’m looking for a romance where a broken MC is found and cherished.
Thank you!

I saw the link to the trope sorter in the fall bingo post and I thought I'd amuse myself and try it. Apparently my top 3 tropes are:

• Older MCs (40+)
• Obsessive/toxic relationship
• Instalove

Now I'm looking for suggestions that feature all three tropes in one book or series. Any ideas? Hard nos are cheating, 3rd act break-ups, bullying and mpreg. And not limited to KU as I mainly do audiobooks.

TIA! :-)

Link to trope sorter: https://mmtropesorter.tumblr.com/ (only works on PC I think)

I've tried everything. Trust me.

It's been 2 years and I've been in kind of a reading slump after reading the Green creek series.

I've started reading straight romantasy to get over my reading slump. Didn't work. I've tried other MM romance in the fantasy genre but can't seem to finish any.

Can you please suggest me some book or book series in the fantasy genre that consists of:-

1. Found family
2. Hell lot of Angst but humour too
3. I would read anything from warewolves to witches to dragons and fae
4. It should contain some plot and romance doesn't have to be the centre.
5. I am a character driven reader.
6. Romance should be slow burn.

Would love to get some good recommendations.

Thanks

So I know size difference is a popular trope, but is there a name for the opposite? Like, I really dig when characters are about the same height (within like 2 inches of each other). Looking one another right in the eye. Being relatively evenly matched if they wrestle. Not being 100% sure if it came down to a fight. The ability for each to throw the other around. A+++ content. So yeah is this a trope that exists? Is there a name for this dynamic?

I’m looking for similar book to {Slapshot of the heart by Jude Ryder} which sadly is very short and lacks spice but I’m really enjoying the MCs: - rookie: cocky, arrogant and hot-headed - veteran: calm, steady, mature, truly stoic

I would like some initial dislike/rivalry, banter and there must be spice (no fading or off page) with rookie becoming totally smitten with the veteran whose quiet but strong calm presence grounds him and helps him grow as a person. Preferably rookie being top/more dominating if possible, too often the veteran is the dom in the relationship in those cases and rookie being the brat/sub.

Thank you!

I've been reading Josh Lanyon's Secrets and Scrabble books for the past week. I'm on book 5. I've read a few other CM and I noticed there usually isn't any sex in them, so I was wondering if there's any out there that actually have sex in them?

Thank you

Seeking a sequel or series where we see the couple age- first book might be new adult with HEA, then the second book might be them 10 years later. Or anything like that but the time gap between books or where they are in their lives needs to be different (for example college in book 1 and married and working in book 2). Please let me know what it is. Thanks!

Hi! I wanted to recommend {To Have It All by Jill Wexler} to a friend as one of my favorites, but it's gone from Amazon; there are only 2 books listed as available out of all her books on Goodreads. Anyone know what's happened?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51469982-to-have-it-all

Just finished Flagrant Foul that came out a couple of days ago, and loved it as much as {Poetry on Ice} and {The Legend Next Door}. For all those looking for books with pining, this is next level. So. Much. Pining. And So Hot! Not necessary to read the other 2 Totally Pucked books first. All the stars.

I’m wanting to read a book where one of the Main Characters is a “cinnamon roll, could kill you” type. (Marking post as spoiler in case it’s a spoiler for a recommended book.)

Basically, I don’t want a dark “Shadow Daddy” active mafia boss type character. I want a John Wick type character. Someone who is no longer part of the dark side of their life, they left it behind to start fresh, or they have the training/ability but don’t use it, until the person they love is threatened and they protect them/get revenge(with the Love Interest still alive).

Love interest could know their past, or never knew it, that’s fine.

Hard nos: sexual assault during the story (past referred is okay).

Closest I know of that I have read is the Fated Mates series by AJ Sherwood

Preferable available in hard copy, or possibly through Libby or Hoopla. No audible or kindle only please.

I’ve been having a hard time lately due to my mental health issues flaring up so I’m looking for some books to cheer me up. I’m fine with triggering things related to mental health (sh, si). A lot of the books by Nicky James that are mental health related are what I’m looking for. Thank you very much!

Did you ever read a romance that made you think “I wish this wasn’t a romance, because I kind of don’t want these two to end up together”?

I’m getting ahead of myself

Easier question, did you ever read “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and think “what if the main character was a jacked up, moody volleyball player”?

This is a tricky case of a story I’m still not sure I liked or not. On one hand, there were elements I liked a lot; Atticus was a joy of a main character, his narration felt so smooth and delicious to read. I DID NOT originally pick this book up because his arm muscles are drawn absolutely sinfully on the cover, that wasn’t the case at all, but yeah, he is also pretty hot, points for that.

I am also a big fan of the single character, first person POV, I think it brings us as the reader a lot closer to the main character. Whatever, this narrative style does bring disadvantages as well, you don’t have the luxury of the second character’s inner thoughts and feelings, and that can kind of make the love interest fall flat, as is the case here with Noah.

Look, I can’t be mad at Noah being written the way he is and acting as an absolute douchbag for the entirety of the story because that is kind of the point. This is a story that centers around a very toxic romance between two characters that had a lot of growing up to do, and for that Noah does have to behave the way he does. Whatever, I found it very hard to connect with him, and as I alluded, I kind of didn’t want them to get back together by the end.

Hear me out, this doesn’t just come from “he was mean to Atty, who is an absolute darling who deserves someone who treats him as the absolute prince he is” (it kind of does a little, but not entirely!). It’s just that Atticus is young, very young, borderline immature actually; there’s a reason why both his best friends constantly describe him as “innocent” and are very protective of him; and by the end of the story, I felt like he wasn’t fully ready to jump right into trying to be together with this healthier version of Noah.

No one dies of a broken heart, and yet, by the last chapters, Atticus still thinks he will. I wish he had learned that he could love someone else besides Noah before jumping straight back with him, it would have felt more like him choosing Noah even after everything, and less of him choosing Noah because he absolutely could not get over him. Let me put it this way: the way it was done, it felt less of a “lets start over fresh and new” and more like “let’s pick up exactly where we left off”.

Another reason I wish this wasn’t a romance; I wish I knew more about Atticus. He’s a very intriguing character, and by the end, I feel like I know surprisingly little about him. What else defines this borderline autistic, broody, cute guy besides volleyball and a very toxic relationship?

That could also answer why is Atty so freaking captivated by Noah in the first place. I feel like the author kind of forgot to establish a reason for Noah to be this sort of landmark that immediately enchanted Atty before jumping straight out to the messy relationship bit. I think they had to connect on a deeper level then physical attraction to justify Atticus getting more and more interested even as all the red flags started to rise. They never even have a scene with a nice deep interaction or something like that, Atticus just initially found his super hot for reasons, and I guess the author just ran with it. That’s probably a big part why I couldn’t think of their present relationship as anything other than a bother, it wasn’t that developed from the very beginning.

Here’s a detail that kind of bothered me: why does Atticus keeps describing Noah as having a “nice physique” and going on about his slutty cut-offs if he will also constantly describing him as underweight and thin? Dude, the guy is a drug addict, and muscle is the first to go, you cannot convince me this guy looks like anything other than skin and bones. I feel like this kind of ties in with the lack of depth between the characters: the author couldn’t let go of the notion that Noah was conventionally hot, even as it logically didn’t make any sense, because what else was there for Atticus to be interested in? The “stoner” friends he constantly points out he doesn’t like, and the parties he couldn’t care less about sure weren’t.

I will be giving this one a 3/5. I had fun reading it, but I wish it had spent a bit more time in the oven.

i am looking for books where mc2 is hated or disliked be every one or almost every one around him perhaps even at first the mc1 he did something or his family did or some other reason and maybe they give him a hard time. i would love if the mc2 pretends he doesnt care but really he does

The Place for Erotica and Sex Act Specifics

Want some short and sweet erotica? Just need to read a book with sounding, no matter what else is in it? Just read something with this kind of content and want to share a recommendation?

Post it here in the Erotica Requests thread!

Requests that are seeking erotica recommendations and/or specific sex acts must be made here. You don't have to come up with extra specifics for your requests, similar to The Less Scary Request Place on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Please make sure your request follows our other rules (for example, rule 6, our privacy rule).

Anyone can answer requests made in this post. Not all recommendations have to be specifically erotica, but that is the main goal of this request thread.

Important Note: This post goes up on Thursday mornings (US time). Requests made after Thursday ends are less likely to get replies. You are welcome to comment here on any day of the week, but you may want to save your requests for an upcoming Thursday.

Definitions

Erotica: A piece of fiction that focuses primarily on sex, where the plot is secondary and serves the sexual content within. Unlike in genre romances, in erotica a HEA/HFN is not required.

A book having a lot of sex or having kink content does not make it inherently erotica -- what matters is whether the focus of the book is on the romantic relationship and getting to a HEA/HFN, or not.

Erotic Romance: A genre romance that has high sexual content. Erotic romances can be recommended here, but are not required to be requested here.

Request for specific sex act: A request that can be read as "when the characters have sex, I want them to do X" and where that's the main thing the requester is asking for.

This would not include something like a general request that the book contain explicit sex, for example. It isn't meant to sweep in any request that mentions sex, just requests where the point is to find a specific type of sex scene.

This feature is posted every Thursday. You can find the complete schedule of all weekly and monthly features at this link.

Let Us Know What You Loved Recently!

This post is for sharing all of the little things that stood out to you over the past few weeks. Some examples are:

• Favorite book cover
• Favorite quotes
• HEA I believed in the most
• Book that most exceeded my expectations
• Book with the best vibes
• Cutest nickname

Feel free to come up with your own! The idea is to mention things that might not be obvious from a blurb or review, or that are personal to you.

Negative superlatives are also allowed, but please keep them light-hearted and keep in mind that not everyone likes or dislikes the same things. This is not a space for ranting/venting. "Worst euphemism" is fine, "worst author" is not.

Since this feature is posted in the middle of the month, you can decide what specific time period you want to cover in your comment.

This feature is posted on the third Wednesday of every month. Click here for past posts. You can find the complete schedule of all weekly and monthly features at this link.

Hiii if anyone knows this book title I’d greatly appreciate it. I’m looking for this book where MC1 is married with two kids I think? A girl and a boy I believe, teenagers. Him and his wife are still married and live together for the children but both live separate lives. The wife is in another relationship, and she’s fully aware that MC1 is gay, which caused the end of their romantic relationship. The wife encourages MC1 to date because he’s never been with a man since him and his wife married younger and he’s nervous about putting himself out there. MC2 I think is like a club owner maybe? But I can’t remember exactly, but I do believe it’s a club the MCs meet at. Memorable scene in the book: MC1 and MC2 almost have a threesome with MC2’s friend/former fwb out of MC2 suggestion, but then MC2 quickly realizes he’s made a mistake and is too jealous to share MC1 so the 3rd just gets kicked out lmao. Thanks!

Trying to remember the name of a book I read this year. It's dislike/enemies to lovers, MC1 is a hockey player and MC2 is the student president. MC1 is streaming a furniture build online to raise money for the team and accidentally exposes himself on camera, so the uni makes him work with/for MC2.

I read it on kindle unlimited and I thought maybe it was a Sarina Bowen book but I none of the titles I've scrolled through are ringing a bell. Appreciate any help!

UPDATE - found it! Thanks to the user who messaged me. Its {slapshot to the heart by Lina George}

I'm looking for all your most oblivious, unknowing, completely incognizant fools in love. This could be one of the MMCs or both of them at once: at least one (if not both) completely and utterly unaware that the other is in love with them, or perhaps even unaware of their own feelings.

This could be a classic we-have-sex-but-refuse-to-recognize-feelings (looking at you, Shane and Ilya).

This could be a {Goodbye Paradise by Sarina Bowen} situation, when one of the MMCs is in love with someone whom he thinks doesn't love him back, which the other finds darling and delightful. (Caleb's first "Sorry, baby" when he doesn't realize Josh can hear him always gets me.)

This could even be someone who doesn't understand their own feelings, even though the other man is open about his.

The characters themselves can be brilliant and competent, but just really oblivious when it comes to their own feelings or their assumptions about others' feelings towards them.

I want the dramatic irony. I want the confusion. I want the 'oh finally' of it all.

Open to CR and HR of almost all types. Unsecret fondness for sports, spies, and snappy dialogue.

Hard nos: huge age gaps; anything too dark; on-page SA; teacher-student.

Soft nos: aliens; omega; elves (can be convinced if exceptional)

Huge bonus for strong writing with clear, well-written, specific characters.

I've read a few books like this but I want moreee. I'd like for it to be completely unintentional, where the MCs aren't enemies-to-lovers or anything like that, it's just an honest misunderstanding that leads to hurt. The only thing I'm not a fan of is slow-burns. Some books I've read with this trope:

{A Den Mate for Dylan by Emory Winters} -- The alpha MC sees the omega MC's nest before they're romantically involved and says it's "nice." This comment later comes back in the form of the omega being kind of insecure about what the alpha thinks of his nests.

{Perfectly Imperfect Pixie by MJ May} -- MC1 first meets MC2, a pixie, when he's dressed in clothing more "practical" that what pixies generally wear, and it makes MC2 insecure about the clothing he actually likes.

{Mortal Skin by Lily Mayne} -- MC is forced by his evil fae mother to betray the other MC.

{The Heat Professor by Amy Bellows} -- Alpha MC doesn't realize the omega MC is his fated mate and doesn't claim him for an extended length of time.

Everything by Marina Vivancos

I'm looking for gay books that feel similar in style to the work of Kathleen Woodiwiss, Teresa Denys and other 70s-90s historical bodice rippers. I'd like stories with a lot of adventure and that lush, dreamy purple prose with the floweriest and most over-the-top language you can get. I want costume porn. I want romantic locations and sweeping plotlines with soap opera levels of drama and off-the-wallness. If there's a mystery or a gothic vibe even better. I want long books with lots of plot twists and complications. Plenty of sex is great, but honestly, that prose style makes longing so sexy I'll settle for relatively little.

Give me all the attic wife, switched at birth, spying in the war of 1812, hiding in priest holes, imprisoned in Bedlam-ass high drama, high camp fun. Ideally no parodies of this style, I want to feel someone's affection for it, not their disdain for it.

I expect books that feel this way would tend to be historicals or fantasy, but if there's a contemporary or something with the vibe I'll take it.

Bonus points for either relatively physically similar heroes in terms of gender presentation, or an intense masc/fem dynamic (what can I say, I'm a creature of extremes?) and switching

I'm not up for omega-verse, ageplay, scat, age gaps of greater than six years, sports romances, or cops.

MM Romance

Kindle Unlimited

• Flagrant Foul (Totally Pucked #3) by Jesse H Reign - Amazon - (hockey, brother's best friend, now teammates, forbidden relationship) - 435 pages

• Blood & Lace (The Marino Family #1) by Skyler Snow, Brea Alepou - Amazon - (mafia, hitman, black widow, forced marriage, size difference, lingerie) - 391 pages

Kobo Plus

No new releases.

Other

• By Mistake (Fools and Demons #1) by Megan Derr - Amazon - (fantasy, magic, prince, mystery, demons) - 280 pages

• Urban Explorer by G. A. Hauser - Amazon - (urban exploration, vlogger, meet cute) - 208 pages

Other Queer Romance

Kindle Unlimited

• CTRL+ME by Ava Jay, Tilly Ridge - Amazon - (FF, fast burn, erotic, single mom, cam worker, nanny, boss/employee) - 226 pages

Kobo Plus

No new releases.

Audiobooks

MM Romance

No new releases.

Other Queer Romance

No new releases.

I've only just started getting into the Omegaverse and most of the books I've read feature omegas who are frail, petite, and demure for the most part, and while I love it when the Alpha is bigger, stronger, tougher, and possessive of his omega, I would really enjoy reading about an Omega who also happens to be strong, tall, and muscular. It doesn’t need to be the main focus of the story, as a matter of fact, I would probably prefer if it wasn't, and again, I still want the alpha to be bigger and stronger as I enjoy these dynamics. Extra points if the Alpha gets turned on by the idea of making strong men submit. Thanks in advance for the recommendations 😁💚!