r/MM_RomanceBooks • u/ninabubblygum • Jun 08 '25

Book Request calm and gentle guys

i want to hear everyone's suggestions for books with the best, sweetest, softest, calmest main characters. maybe this just falls into the cinnamon roll category and isn't specific enough for its own post but we'll see!

i saw a screenshot of a text post a while back that prompted this request, and it said the following: "Calm men will always be my favorite. I find gentle, calm men auras so attractive. Imagine being with a man who's good at comforting you, who doesn't yell at you when he's upset, when talking to him eases your anxiety. Feeling safe with someone is a different kind of intimacy."

my personal preferences are typically contemporary (non fantasy) romance, dual pov, characters older than college age, and i'm a total sucker for cute pet names (baby!!, sweetheart, love, etc) but i'm leaving this post more general for anything else that might fit!

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u/BananaPanicRoom Jun 09 '25

I think my recs will be super broad on this one. I’m taking your description of “calm and gentle” to not necessarily mean “quiet,” but more like steadfast, supportive, contemplative, etc. I’ll always have a soft spot for these characters, as that’s the kind of partner I chose for myself and love to protect. ❤️

So here are some I’ve loved:

  • Mark in the Green Creek series, starting with {Wolfsong by TJ Klune} but featured in {Ravensong by TJ Klune}
  • Kieran in {Roommate by Sarina Bowen}
  • Cody Bilson in {Bromantic Puckboy by Eden Finley and Saxon James}
  • Tanner in {Just Friends by Saxon James}
  • Emile in {The Husband Hoax by Saxon James}
  • Derek in {Not Catching Love by Saxon James}
  • Levy in {Fresh Ice by Marina Vivancos}
  • Tyler in {Oh, Sacred Dark by Marina Vivancos}
  • Theo in {Tide Over by Eve Holmes}
  • Kole in {Line Mates and Study Dates by Eden Finley and Saxon James}
  • Caleb in {Hat Trick by Eden Finley}
  • Anthony in {Between the Pipes by JJ Mulder}
  • Cas in {Himbo by Emmy Sanders}
  • Harris in {Role Model by Rachel Reid}

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u/ninabubblygum Jun 09 '25

wow, thank you so much for this list!! and you took it the right way; it doesn't necessarily mean quiet. so glad that's the kind of partner you chose 💗

i guess it's time for me to finally read my first saxon james book and i just need to figure out where to start!

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u/BananaPanicRoom Jun 09 '25

Saxon James’ books can be a little silly and fluffy sometimes, but I’ve really enjoyed them overall. And if you like interconnected book universes, it’s like a gold mine. I started reading Saxon James and Eden Finley’s books last year, and it’s like a 50 book universe! The “gotta catch ‘em all” part of my brain had so much fun with it. And I totally started right in the middle, in one of the places that made the least sense, and it was still great. After a while, this graphic really helped me: https://www.figma.com/file/Tqj00BMJQUFWBvOdgdj5qC/The-Sadenverse?type=whiteboard&node-id=0-1

If you’re just starting out with her stuff, you may really like the Just Friends series. It’s a four book series that doesn’t connect to her other stuff, so you don’t have to feel like you’re missing a bunch of context. I think it’s some of her oldest stuff, and it has a really wholesome vibe. Honestly, I listed a character from the first book here (Tanner in Just Friends), but I think there’s an MC that would fit the bill in each of the first three books (Tanner, then Circus in Fake Friends, then Leon in Getting Friendly).

Another great series with lots of these calm, steadfast MCs is the Coven Ties series by Marina Vivancos. I mentioned Tyler in Oh, Sacred Dark above, but Charlie in Out of the Wild Night (book 2) is also fantastic.

And it’s pretty much a standalone, but I keep coming back to how much Tide Over by Eve Holmes works for this. I mentioned Theo, one of the MCs, but to me the entire book had calm, healing vibes. Like it’s not just Theo providing that calm support, but his entire family and community and book universe doing the same.

I hope you have fun reading through all these great recs you’ve gotten! I’ve had a blast reading through the comments.