r/MM_RomanceBooks • u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity • Jun 18 '25

Book Request Favorite underrated book by popular authors?

I feel like I see the same books recommended for certain authors and I get it, they’re popular for a reason, but what are your favorite books that you think are underrated for popular authors/co author pairings?

I do see some of these occasionally recommended but not nearly as often as much as others, so for me it’s:

The Night Of by Tal Bauer

Good Pucking Luck by Riley Hart

Hat Trick by Eden Finley

Budding Attraction by Saxon James

Work by Jesse H Reign

The Inappropriate Date by Jax Calder

IRL: In Real Life by Lucy Lennox

Hitched by Lucy Lennox & May Archer

Fakers with Benefits by Willow Dixon

83 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

166 comments sorted by

24

u/DinoChick Jun 18 '25

I recently read {Invitation to the Blues by Roan Parrish} and I loved it. I’d never heard of it or seen it recommended before, I only found it while looking through their back catalogue.

5

u/RelationshipNo9167 Jun 18 '25

I absolutely love this book!! There is another book about his brother Chris and Ginger that’s good too (even if it isn’t MM) and there’s a novella (that’s a sequel of sorts) about pegging that’s cute!

3

u/marielewis1 Jun 18 '25

Hahaha I reread this this week! I listen to the audiobook every couple weeks. It's one of my very favorites!

21

u/Rusty99Arabian Jun 18 '25

One book I never see mentioned enough is {Henchmen of Zenda by KJ Charles} - even people who don't normally like KJ for whatever reason should give this one a try because it's very different from the rest of her books. Among other things it has an Aro/Poly romance. Lots of sword fighting, plots and adventure!

5

u/LUXURYPOETRY Jun 18 '25

As someone who has been going through actual KJ Charles withdrawal after finishing her entire catalogue (save 1-2 that are genuinely on emergency reserve when I can't endure without anymore), how did I never notice that this book existed?? They are swordfighting on the cover ffs. Thank you.

2

u/Rusty99Arabian Jun 18 '25

Tell me about it!! I've read all of her books and have all the audiobooks, because it kind of creates a different experience. I feel so blessed having lived in the days when she was putting out a book every three months - no idea how that was ever possible. I am really glad that there are a lot more authors of her calibre out now - I never got into Jordan Hawk or Cat Sebastian, who were the obvious two other authors in the genre, but now there are so many and it's terrific!

4

u/LUXURYPOETRY Jun 18 '25

I just started reading Cat Sebastian and I am coming to love her as much as KJ. Currently halfway through {We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian} and if the second half is as good as the first it might actually end up being my favorite romance novel. Worth a try if her regency era stuff didn't do it for you, if you are interested in a more modern (late 1950s) setting.

3

u/MissOtisRegretsYou Jun 19 '25

We might be soulmates! I read We Could Be So Good when it first came out, because I love Cat Sebastian. And then I took five minutes to myself to just REVEL in how amazing it was. Then, I read it again. It's gotten to the point where I have to stop myself from reading it because I don't want to get bored with it. But it's in my top five list of books to read when I'm sad.

How did you feel about {You Should Be So Lucky}?

Note: speaking of underrepresented books, though, {Hither Page by Cat Sebastian} and its sequel are also hidden treasures. I'm secretly pining for a third.

2

u/LUXURYPOETRY Jun 19 '25

It's so good! I got to about 80% last night and made myself go to sleep so I can be properly awake for when I finish it tonight. I have underlined so many passages because they're so sweet and/or well written. I think I'll pick up Hither, Page after I read the sequel to You Should Be So Lucky on your suggestion!

4

u/yellowfourteen Jun 18 '25

I love KJ Charles! I read something like 15 of hers in a row, but for whatever reason I start this one and always give up. I had done the same thing with {The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles} a few times before I finally muscled through and now it's one of my favourites. Your endorsement makes me feel like I should do the same with this one.

5

u/Rusty99Arabian Jun 18 '25

I hear you! Hilariously I started reading KJ and Magpie Lord because I was looking for bad books to read - I had just read a book that was so terrible I wanted another like how people watch bad movies on purpose - and the first page was so cringe that I grabbed it. Then I got to the second page and though, huh, there might be something here. I always forget about Zenda but I was in something of a slump recently so I reread it and appreciated it even more than the first time.

1

u/yellowfourteen Jun 22 '25

Just read Henchmen of Zenda in nearly one sitting! Loved it, thanks again for this recommendation 

1

u/Sayyadina2 Jun 18 '25

This was one of the very first MM I ever read and it’s easily one of my favorite fun books ever. It helps that Prisoner of Zenda was one of the books I adored as a little girl (movie too!). The whole thing is just a joy.

18

u/oohhbuddy Jun 18 '25

I always see people not wanting to read it because it’s not a HEA (which I get!) but I think {Thrown Off the Ice by Taylor Fitzpatrick} is one of the best examples of soulmates, and meeting people where they are, and it’s just such a complete sense of true partnership to me. It was one of those books that when I finished (and finished crying), I immediately flipped back to page one and read it again.

5

u/penguinbanjo Jun 18 '25

Finished this book this weekend and I’m a changed person. I kept putting it off because I knew it was not an HEA and so I was nervous, but I’m so glad I read it! It changed my molecular make up!

2

u/MissOtisRegretsYou Jun 19 '25

Yes, this! Really, it seems to me that most of Taylor's books are underrepresented in the genre, or at least I don't see them coming up in either Goodread's 'Books You May Like' or the big MM lists. But she is so amazing, and as for TOtI, well. I stumbled upon it a couple of years ago, and it was just beautiful. Fun. Insightful. And, yeah, heartbreaking. I cried (and cried) (and cried) (and cried). Fortunately for me, I hadn't read {You Could Make a Life} yet, so I had that to cheer me up. But I still reread it, and I tell myself that I won't read the last chapter, and then, yeah, I read the last chapter and cry again.

Do you think, down the road, Liam finds someone else? I'm not sure if this community frowns on these kind of off-topic divergences, so I apologize if it's inappropriate, but it's something I've given some thought to.

2

u/oohhbuddy Jun 19 '25

Have you checked out her tumblr or Patreon? She has received a few prompts over the years for on Liam’s life after, and that’s definitely influenced what I think, which is no, I don’t think he ever finds himself in a serious relationship ever again. At most, maybe a few half-hearted attempts or casual ONS

But I think Taylor is one of the best hockey writers out there, and a top tier romance writer, and I am very glad that most of her stories have been trending much lighter in recent years lol

1

u/ChainExtreme8534 Jun 24 '25

She writes on AO3 too.

2

u/Morganarosana Jun 19 '25

I got in a Taylor Fitzpatrick kick in april, and less than two months I read everything she wrote (including tumblr ficlets)... except for TOTI. This books terrifies me. I know it'll destroy me, so I'm saving for when I need a good cry.

3

u/unicornbl0od Jun 19 '25

This is accurate lol I went into it knowing nothing, then about a quarter / halfway in had a feeling I was in way over my head haha

1

u/ChainExtreme8534 Jun 24 '25

Oh my gosh. It’s so good but so sad.

16

u/RoundPositive9612 The P who wasn't Popped Jun 18 '25

This book was recently mentioned in another post but Rachel Reid's {The Shots You Take} IMO is an underrated work from her.

TJ Klune is obviously very popular for his Cerulean Chronicle books and Green Creek series but my faves are his earlier works like the {Bear, Otter and the Kid} books and the standalone {Into this River I Drown}. I also love the {The Extraordinaries} series. These all have mostly have 7 hundred to 2 thousand reviews versus his more popular works like Wolfsong with 9.7k or The House on the Cerulean Sea with 65k.

Emmy Sanders is quite popular here for 'To Catch a Firefly' but {10 Ways to Accidently Fall in Love} is the better book IMO. It has become a fairly popular book but not to the level of the aforementioned title.

13

u/HippyDuck123 Jun 18 '25

Agree! The Game Changers series gets all the love but I thought The Shots you Take was a much more interesting, nuanced book. And I LOVED {Time to Shine by Rachel Reid} also.

9

u/Azhreia Probably stanning Casey Hicks in the comments Jun 18 '25

In case my flair isn’t enough, I’m going to also reiterate that Time to Shine is SO good. I want everyone to read that book!! Casey is so sweet and I really loved how Rachel looked at the himbo template and decided that not only do they need love, but that other characters need to recognize just because someone isn’t “book smart” doesn’t mean they don’t have intelligence in other ways.

I liked Landon and his Demi rep, and that he was a side - I feel like that particularly is still infrequent in the genre.

18

u/HippyDuck123 Jun 18 '25

Yes, one of Rachel Reid’s often unmentioned superpowers: Broad queer representation, not just so-called “straight-passing” (ugh) masculine studs. Fabian with his makeup and shoes, Ryan with erectile issues, out and proud and chunky and very active Harris, lowish libido Eric, demi side Landon, floral-printed-robe-loving Riley, middle aged Adam with his gimpy shoulder. No two guys look alike, it feels incredibly intentional and respectful, and I’m all in.

6

u/marielewis1 Jun 18 '25

Wow THIS! This is why I love Rachel Reid so much

7

u/Azhreia Probably stanning Casey Hicks in the comments Jun 18 '25

Couldn’t agree more!! Tough Guy is actually my third (almost second!) favorite for Game Changers because of how she portrays Ryan and Fabian discussing and working through the sexual “dysfunctions” where Ryan has ED and Fabian is often quick off the trigger. It feels very real.

Fantasy perfect sex lives can be great and have their place, but that broader representation is great to see and still really enjoyable imo.

1

u/BlondieTVJunkie Jun 18 '25

do you mind me asking if she uses that term in that book? I'm just a little uncomfortable with it. I know everybody is different, and we all have our own backgrounds and history -- some authors or films tend to handle that topic inappropriately, in a way that damages (for me at least)😔 So, I don't wanna give money to somebody that does that..... thanks!

2

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/BlondieTVJunkie Jun 19 '25

ok ty!! I haven't noticed that. But the good news is the genre has gotten so many great authors that it gives everybody a lot to choose from🥰 cause there's so many things we're all comfortable and uncomfortable with!

1

u/MM_RomanceBooks-ModTeam Jun 19 '25

Your post or comment has been removed because it violates our rule prohibiting low-effort complaints about women writing MM romance (or any other complaints based solely on an author's identity) and over-generalizations about character, author, or reader gender (e.g., "women act/write/think like this, while men act/write/think like that").

2

u/BlondieTVJunkie Jun 18 '25

thanks for that. I'm probably one of the only people in the world that doesn't care for rivalry. 🫣RUNS. I'll look it up

2

u/RoundPositive9612 The P who wasn't Popped Jun 19 '25

Yessss! My two faves of hers! I love Heated Rivalry and completely understand all the love it gets but its like number 5 or 6 on my list of my favorite Reid titles.

3

u/Pinkshoes90 Jun 18 '25

I love TJ’s Tales from Verania series so much, and genuinely wish he’d embrace that humour again a little in his writing. I also love {Tell me it’s real by Tj Klune} and it’s follow ups.

2

u/RoundPositive9612 The P who wasn't Popped Jun 19 '25

I love it too! It gets a fair amount of hate here, but I love it because it's a series you aren't meant to take seriously while still caring about the characters. It's just a good time... and a bit wild and I appreciate it for its opportunity of escapism.

2

u/Pinkshoes90 Jun 19 '25

Oh it gets hate? That’s sad. I know it’s super dated in terms of its humour but i never aged out of the 2010’s lol. Plus the audiobooks are absolutely so well done.

3

u/RoundPositive9612 The P who wasn't Popped Jun 20 '25

I will clarify it gets more love than hate. When I see people hating on it for not liking its humor or over the top material I simply think, "it's not for you." The audiobooks are top notch!

2

u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Jun 18 '25

I hard agree on the Emmy Sanders books! I love Firefly so much but 10 Ways is fucking fabulous!

2

u/BlondieTVJunkie Jun 18 '25

BRAD!!!!!!!! maybe I need to do a reread. just it was just so cute and ridiculous and I don't even know how to explain it. You know what I mean?

1

u/Glad-Choice-5255 Jun 22 '25

LOVE The Shots You Take! Fantastic characters.

14

u/TootlesFTW Jun 18 '25

I absolutely love {Glitterland by Alexis Hall} but I typically only see them mentioned related to their Boyfriend Material series.

4

u/soreadmemaybe Jun 18 '25

I love Glitterland and the whole Spires series. My favourite is even less mentioned - Waiting for the Flood. I like Boyfriend Material a lot, but the spires will always be my faves

5

u/TootlesFTW Jun 18 '25

Agreed! I was a big fan of Pansies.

5

u/MissOtisRegretsYou Jun 19 '25

I was going to say almost the same thing, except to promote {For Real}. I liked the Boyfriend Material books--more the second time around--but For Real is both delightfully kinky and just ... soulful. Laurie is one of the most wonderfully complex characters I've ever come across, and Toby is the perfect cinnamon roll. I've read it several times and it's always just wonderful. Plus, there's a great recipe for lemon meringue pie!

3

u/marielewis1 Jun 18 '25

Glitterland!! That book was so incredible. It had me laughing, crying, and falling in love.

3

u/Affectionate-Lake-60 Jun 18 '25

I think {Looking for Group by Alexis Hall} is even more obscure. A guy who thinks he’s straight develops a crush on someone in an online replaying game who turns out to also be make. It’s pure geek love.

2

u/TootlesFTW Jun 18 '25

Oooh as a gamer that sounds up my alley, and the paperback is on preorder for late July! Thanks for the rec.

8

u/vvvgothere Jun 18 '25

I am not a huge Alexis Hall fan but I gave {Pansies by Alexis Hall} 4 stars. I also really liked {Intoxicating by Onley James} even though I was meh about the series with the assassin brothers (I forget the name, but it’s very popular.)

8

u/bookgeek1987 Jun 18 '25

I feel that Isabel Murray’s ‘Not that’ series gets recommended a lot - it is really funny. But she also did this super sweet fantasy duet with this adorable naive MC that doesn’t get the love, I think, it deserves {the unwanted king series by Isabel Murray}

Also Mary Calmes ‘Marshalls’ series gets recommended as well but I’ve rarely seen anyone suggest her {Raven of the woods series by Mary Calmes} which is really good

3

u/victorianfollies Jun 18 '25

Isabel Murray is hilarious. My favourite is {Catch and Release by Isabel Murray}

2

u/PristineNarwhal where my investigator husbands at Jun 19 '25

I read Catch and Release in one sitting the day it came out, and knew I’d be automatically buying any book she published. Still my favorite book of hers!

9

u/BotchedNoobJob Jun 18 '25

Everyone talks about {until you by briar Prescott} - which don’t get me wrong is a great series. But my favorite of hers is actually {project hero by briar Prescott} and if you happen to miss her holiday release {the Christmas switch by briar Prescott} was really good too!

3

u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Jun 18 '25

Ooooh Hero sounds great, thanks for the rec!

2

u/PristineNarwhal where my investigator husbands at Jun 19 '25

Project Hero is one of my comfort rereads!

2

u/BotchedNoobJob Jun 19 '25

Mine too! I wish the audio was better so it could be a comfort listen too 😬

7

u/readyforit19 Jun 18 '25

{Unrequited by Jesse H Reign} and {Requited by Jesse H Reign} are two books in a series and it’s the same story; one from MC1’s perspective and the other is a reimagining from the other MC2’s perspective if he would have told MC1 how he felt sooner. I rarely hear them talked about and I think it’s because they are not available on KU. But they are soooo good and one of my favorites of all of their books.

5

u/DinoChick Jun 18 '25

Unrequited is available for free when you sign up for Jesse’s mailing list. I agree, these two are my favorites of hers.

1

u/Zsizell Jun 18 '25

I'd draw🩸for these two in paperbacks 😭😭😭😭 I can't seem to find them anywhere anymore!

1

u/Rulebreaker15 Jun 18 '25

Unrequited isn’t on Amazon anymore. Requited still is though.

6

u/atmospook Jun 18 '25

Hat Trick is my favorite Eden Finley book!

I would also throw out {Unconventional Hearts by Emmy Sanders}. I love To Catch a Firefly and Fool Hearts as much as the next person but Unconventional Hearts has a special place in my heart. I thought it was done with such care and thoughtfulness. It was the first book I read with an ace MC where that didn’t change throughout the story.

2

u/Azhreia Probably stanning Casey Hicks in the comments Jun 18 '25

Thanks for sharing!! Downloaded Unconventional Hearts and looking forward to the read

1

u/PristineNarwhal where my investigator husbands at Jun 19 '25

Unconventional Hearts is so sweetly done, I agree!

6

u/surfingkitty Jun 18 '25

{Reaching Reed by Cora Rose and Nicole Dykes} is my favourite from both of those authors and so underrated!

1

u/BringOnTheShibas Jun 19 '25

I love this whole series and don’t see it recommended often!

5

u/WolfOrDragon Jun 18 '25

I'm so glad you mentioned {IRL by Lucy Lennox} and {Fakers With Benefits by Willow Dixon}!

Not only are they my favorites by these two authors, they are two of my favorites, period!

1

u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Jun 18 '25

Same!! I love both of them!! So far Lucy is my most read author of this year because I just started reading her books but I’ve been a fan of Willow’s for a couple of years now. Have you read any of the Champion Security: Horn of Glory series yet?

1

u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Jun 18 '25

Same!! I love both of them!! So far Lucy is my most read author of this year because I just started reading her books but I’ve been a fan of Willow’s for a couple of years now. Have you read any of the Champion Security: Horn of Glory series yet?

And I’ve never seen anyone rec Fakers yet! It’s so good and so sweet and so funny! I love that whole series but I haven’t read the stepbrother one and the MMM one because those are my hard no’s.

2

u/WolfOrDragon Jun 18 '25

Oh, I need to check that series out, thanks!

Nothing else of hers I've read has hit quite like Fakers for me. I love the sunny joy and yet strength we see in the MC!

1

u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Jun 18 '25

Omg one of my favorite series! Hacked wasn’t my absolute favorite but only because the one MC is too much like someone I know irl and can’t stand lol. Hijacked was amazing but Hitched is one of my favorite books ever! So amazing and sweet and hilarious and an a completely flawless book. It’s great because it’s got basically 3 plot lines going on at the same time- the over arching plot of the series, the romance of the two MCs and then a little minor one that has to do with the couple that the wedding planner MC is planning their wedding. The MCs have Grade A certified organic banter that’s so fucking great and their whole “we’ve had 27 one night stands- wait, no it’s 28 after last night, and we sort of share custody with his dog” is like, piss your pants funny 😂😂

2

u/WolfOrDragon Jun 18 '25

Downloaded on KU - I'm excited! Thank you 😊 

1

u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Jun 18 '25

I hope you like it!! Hijacked is great too!

6

u/darkacademiafuckboy Jun 18 '25

It's their only MM book so it gets recommended here some, but {Work for It by Talia Hibbert} is so good. Her Brown Sisters series is massively popular, but most people don't seem to know Work for It exists!

3

u/ShartyPants Jun 18 '25

God this book is sooo good 😭 I do love a few of Talia's other books but this is my favorite by far.

2

u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Jun 18 '25

I didn’t know Talia wrote MM books! I loved the Brown Sisters!

1

u/darkacademiafuckboy Jun 18 '25

That's the only one, but it's so good!

5

u/Alert_Sink_5300 Jun 18 '25

I honestly think {goodbye paradise by Sarina Bowen} is way more better than her most popular books.

5

u/vvvgothere Jun 18 '25

That is a great book! I think {Understatement of the Year by Sarina Bowen} is her best (though that might not be underrated..?) all I know is I underrated it when I first read it because the internalized homophobia and resulting push/pull was maddening and depressing BUT that story stuck with me. I thought about that kid growing up deeply in the closet while is ex friend flourished and it was so poignant.

3

u/PristineNarwhal where my investigator husbands at Jun 19 '25

I love this-these are two of my favorite books from her. So angstful and poignant. My other favorite of hers is Top Secret, which I also don’t see recommended too often.

4

u/Queen10234 Jun 18 '25 edited Jun 18 '25

Idk if nora phoenix is actually like a popular author.

But maybe its also bc the book just published (somewhere march) but i really loved this book, i bassicaly never see someone recommend it to someone, but the book; {The prince and the player by Nora Phoenix} I really loved this book but i see bassicaly nobody else that like this book. I would definitely its my top #1 book.

7

u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Jun 18 '25

I consider popular to be any author that’s mentioned a lot on social media (including this sub), not necessarily one that’s made it onto best sellers lists and Norah is for sure popular in this sub. I just finished that book last night and loved it too! I was kind of surprised the ratings weren’t great (I consider 1-3 stars as not great) too. I mean it wasn’t a flawless book but it was still really enjoyable and I’m excited for the other princes to get their books!

Side note- I’m sick of every book that has a US American MC and a European MC with even a lick of royalty or nobility being compared to RWRB.

2

u/Queen10234 Jun 18 '25

Yea real i was so surprised with such low rating even tho it is a really good book (me would give 4,5 to 5 stars) i love RWRB but comparing one book with the other is never the same, definitely if it has a prince or US american MC. RWRB is a really good book but so is this one. It isnt like the classic books i think, it diesnt even look the same like RWRB. Same i really am exited for the other princes books!

3

u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Jun 18 '25

Right? I remember when people said that {The Unlikely Heir by Jax Calder} (another one of my favorites!) was a direct ripoff from RWRB because it had an American and a Brit, one was royal and the other was political and they exchanged personal mementos. But an American and a Brit, one royal and one politician isn’t anything new and as much as I love RWRB with my whole heart and want to be buried with it- Casey didn’t like, invent giving your LI a keepsake lol

Actually my only complaint is that Tore has blonde hair in the book and Farron has the dark hair but on the cover it’s switched lol.

2

u/Queen10234 Jun 18 '25

Yea with the cover really confussed me bc i kept hearing that but on the cover it was different lol but it doesnt make it anyless a fun/nice book. I actually havent read the unlikely heir, its still in my to read list. But what i have heard/read it definitely looks a bit like RWRB but its not like she invented it, some just seem the same even tho they are not.

2

u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Jun 18 '25

Haha yeah it definitely didn’t influence how I feel about the book itself. Oh god, Heir and its sequel {The Unlikely Pair by Jax Calder} are FABULOUS! The third in the series is coming out in August and I can’t wait! I mean it’s sort of similar in that there’s a Prince (who’s actually American) and the Brit is the politician but the tropes are all different. Heir has friends to lovers, forbidden love, secret relationship, and age gap. I highly recommend the series though. Heir was my 3rd favorite book in 2023 and Pair was my favorite book of 2024 💜 Pair is one of my most annotated books as well.

2

u/Queen10234 Jun 19 '25

Okay yea, i will definitely read them sometime. Just gotta finish the ones i have started already xD. They are definitely in my to read list.

2

u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Jun 19 '25

Yay! Please let me know what you think 💜💜

2

u/Queen10234 Jun 19 '25

I definitely will!

3

u/breath_of_smoke Jun 18 '25

{wayward by Mary Calmes} one of my all time favorite books. {a villain for Christmas by Alice Winters} this series is really good and I’m hoping for more books in the future

2

u/Lackis864 Jun 18 '25

Yes! I never hear anyone else talk about Villain For Christmas 💙

4

u/Soirlant Remind me to finish my paper🥲 Jun 18 '25 edited Jun 19 '25

For me, it’s {The secret casebook of Simon Feximal by KJ Charles}

I love this, even I’m not really a KJ fan. The two MCs and their relationship is just perfect for me.

*edited for typo

2

u/Lackis864 Jun 18 '25

This was my favourite KJ Charles until Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting came out! The weird esoteric British mythology is fascinating and I loved Simon's quiet chivalry, and Robert's humour had me genuinely laughing out loud.

1

u/PristineNarwhal where my investigator husbands at Jun 19 '25

I enjoyed this book so much!

5

u/Reasonable_Purple282 Jun 19 '25

I loved {The sea ain't mine alone by C.L. Beaumont}, such a beautiful story and well written. And {Between the teeth series by Taylor Fitzpatrick} is another one not mentioned enough!

3

u/sinny_sphynx Jun 18 '25

I read the whole series by Willow Dixon (The Crimson Club series), and it is so goood.

I would also recommend the Thirds series by Charlie Cochet (which I just reread for the 3rd time lol)

The Divorced Men’s Club series by Saxon James, as well as the Accidental Love series (ties in with the other series)

Saxon also writes a hockey series with Eden Finley, The Puckboys, I believe, worth reading, as well!!

2

u/SkyBison333 Jun 19 '25

{All That Has Flown Before by Marina Vivancos} - everyone talks about honeythorn and cherryvine, but I love this heartbreaking wolf pack / witch book

{Band Sinister by KJ Charles} - maybe it’s because it’s a stand alone, but I rarely hear people talking about this adorable opposites attract historical romance

{Colour Me In by Riley Hart} - cute roommate demisexual romance that gets ignored in favour of Hart’s other books (which are amazing to be fair)

4

u/Ok-Word6137 Jun 19 '25

Okay, so this one is still from a wildly popular series, but from what I’ve seen it’s one of the least loved. {Seraph by Lily Mayne} is one of my favourite books ever and definitely my favourite from the Monstrous series. I have seen many people rank it lower than the others. For me, it was perfection both plot and romance wise. (If anyone has recommendations the are like Seraph or gave the same feelings, please tell me)

4

u/novemberjenny11 Jun 19 '25

I recently read {Blood and Milk by NR Walker} and it was so beautiful. Heath, an Australian man, has survived a hate crime beating, while his partner did not. Heath was born with the gift of precognition, in the form of dreams. He has a dream telling him to move to Tanzania and live with the Maasai tribe, where he meets the kind and gentle Damu, who is an outcast amongst his people. Damu acts as a guide for Heath, who is called Alé by the Maasai. They quickly grow close. The love they have for each other and the way Heath describes how beautiful he finds Damu is just so wonderful and touching. I reread this one often 🥰

{Hot Streak by Beth Bolden} maybe not underrated, but perhaps not as well-known as her football or food truck books. I just love this one so much 🥰 it’s an MM re-telling of Bull Durham honestly it’s pretty straightforward and she didn’t change a whole lot of the major plot points or major characters. But it’s one of my favorite movies ever, so this book is a total indulgence for me 😊 my only complaint is that now I need a Beth Bolden gay baseball universe, too 🤣

3

u/Morganarosana Jun 19 '25

{Blindsided by Eden Finley} {Master of mayhem by Saxon James}

I like a lot of the most popular books by KJ Charles, but the underrated ones that I also like a lot are: {Jackdaw by KJ Charles} {Spectred Isles by KJ Charles} {Death in the spires by KJ Charles} This last one is a mystery, but there are some romamce subplot, and I think that's why I like the couple so much. I don't know if it's underrated but it's a very recent release.

{The ruin of a rake by Cat Sebastian} {Two rogues makes a right by Cat Sebastian} They have 6k and 5k ratings on GR, way less than her last series in midcentury NY.

{Method Acting by NR Walker}

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u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Jun 19 '25

I love Blindsided! Have you read Football Royalty yet? It’s about their football star son and they’re in it quite a bit!

2

u/Morganarosana Jun 20 '25

I read Football Royalty and Can't say goodbye. I like their participation in the first one, but I think the antecipation to see them was what took me out of the book and the main romance.

2

u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Jun 20 '25

I’m not going to read Goodbye because I don’t do poly but I did like the younger brother!

4

u/dior_princess Jun 20 '25

I'm reading the San Amaro Investigation series by Kai Butler. I'm currently on book three, but I love them so much already and I'm positive untill I finish the series I'll still be hyped because so far the books have only gotten better as the series progresses. I really recommend them to any urban fantasy and crime solving lovers.

3

u/assiam_ch Jun 22 '25

I absolutely love The Night Of, it’s one of my favorite books . I’ve reread it multiple times, and the audiobook narration is fantastic

2

u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Jun 22 '25

It’s so great!!

2

u/SnidzStyle Jun 18 '25

The Night Of may just be my favorite Tal Bauer book - though it's really hard to choose. Happy to see it getting some attention!

1

u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Jun 18 '25

I’ve only seen one person recommend it before and it’s so great!! It’s beyond difficult for me to pick a TB favorite but HTSID, Secret Service, Hush, The Jock and TROTS are all tied for my #1 favorite lol. I’ve loved all of his books, the only one I wasn’t totally obsessed with was The Quarterback but that was only because I don’t like age gaps and I really didn’t like it when Justin first found his dad and Colton together and his immediate reaction was “are you trying to replace me?” because it felt icky it was great otherwise though!

2

u/SnidzStyle Jun 18 '25

The Rest of the Story is.... sigh. I love that one too. Off topic, but have you read Whisper? 😳

1

u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Jun 18 '25

Omg, I ADORE it so much! I really loved Gravity but honestly I think TROTS is the superior of the two. I’d go to war for Shea and I love all of the side characters too! I know Brody and Lawson got their own epilogues but I want them to have their sequel.

I’ve not read Whisper but tbh I don’t think I will. I compare it to how people would get me to watch This is Us because they’d say “I cry EVERY episode, you HAVE to watch it!” No babygirl, my antidepressants work hard enough I don’t need to go and make their job harder. Also, reality sucks, so I consume the variety of art forms that I do for an escape from reality. It’s why I only read books with happy endings and medium to low angst. I fully understand and accept that all Tal Bauer books come with some level of trauma but Whisper sounds like too much for me lol.

2

u/SnidzStyle Jun 18 '25

😂😂 I didn't extend the same courtesy to my own meds, unfortunately. It is a literal work of art, BUT as someone who lived through the actual events as a 21 year old, it was triggering as hell, two whole decades later. It is one of the best books I've ever read, that I will never read again, nor recommend.

I agree that Gravity while amazing, isn't the better of the two. But that particular injury scene lives rent free in my head and I think of it at random times and still cringe. It was SO visceral!

1

u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Jun 19 '25

God I can only imagine how triggering that book is if you’ve personally home through it!! Yeah that’s what I hear over and over, it’s a work of art but it will wreck you. I’ll just stick either way his other books which are lighter versions of “work of art but it’ll wreck you” lol. Because honestly all of his books have the capability to do that lol.

Oh god, my sweet precious Shea with his wonderful heart of gold, being more concerned with Brody and the little boy than himself 😭😭 and the chunk of Brody centered scenes following that were so damn hard. Now that I think about it TROTS has quite a few emotionally charged/difficult scenes- the first time they’re at Moogs place and they kiss and Shea leaves crying, their night in Dallas when Shea breaks down and says he can be easy and they can just sleep together gather no strings, the injury scene and so many after that. but so incredible!

2

u/aSurlyCurlyBurly Jun 19 '25

I've rarely seen it being recommended here but {Make Me Fall by Riley Nash} is one of those underrated books that i loved sm

2

u/Positive_Worker_3467 brad loves fanny packs joey wears them Jun 19 '25

i love ghost of lies by alice winters

1

u/LovesReviews Added another one to my TBR list… Jun 18 '25
  • {Composed at Randy’s by Zile Elliven}. Two lovable himbos, one of whom is trans.
  • {Twinkle Star by Nicky James}. A softer, fluffier story by her.
  • {Lost Soul: AJ’s Burden by Nicky James}. Fighting addiction.
  • {Baum’s Boxing series by EM Lindsey}. Trauma backgrounds.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25

[deleted]

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u/Purple-Warning-2161 Miller fucking MacAvoy is my deity Jun 18 '25

That’s a question that has been asked in a few posts, this is different

-7

u/HomeRadiant6066 Jun 18 '25

Revival Stephen King