LGBT stories that Affected Me/That I Love Part 2: Adult titles

This is the Part 2 of the podcast, which would be around the 40 min mark until the end of the podcast.


Also a general reminder; you can always check out Nonfiction & Biographies at your local library or book store for more information about the LGBTIQ+ community.

A nonfiction book that I read (and also met the author who was awesome & smart); is  Transgender Warriors.  It's a history book focused on non-gender conforming individuals throughout history.

In the Sandman comic series; the character of Death got 2 individual stories.  Time of your Life and High Cost of Living.
In High Cost of Living we meet a lesbian couple; and in Time of Your Life, we see them fully explored.  Basically one is a stay at home partner, denied any part of her lover's life because as the band she is in gets more and more popular she is forced further into the closet.  As the stay at home partner gets more depressed and feels more disposable; she encounters Death and ends up exploring a bit of the Other Verse (where the Eternals live)   This was a powerful story about love, fame, depression and so much more (Gaiman is a wizard of layered stories).   If you haven't read these, you really should.

I know I have mentioned this author, possibly this series before; but I am bringing it up here because while it IS published for adults, I know many who first read it as teens (myself included).  It isn't explicit, and Vanyel is actually a teen through all of the first book.  For me, it was the first time I really saw a main character, discovering himself, coming out (and yeah, magical stuff too); but most importantly...HE LIVED.  Too many books & movies in 80's & 90's only had LGBT characters in order to kill them off for their temerity to exist (and as penance for their sins?).  I was still trying to figure out who I was, and where I fell on the spectrum; but it was like a breath of fresh air to have a character's sexuality only be part of the journey not the entirety of the focus of the novel. 

Ok, first of all; please don't judge this book by the cover...it isn't pervy (though it is explicit).  Also, it is now on my list of all time fav romance novels ever (Seriously, I read it on Kindle Unlimited, then bought it, read it 2 more times, then bought Audible, listened to it twice).   Why is this such a touchstone?  Not sure, but I think it's mostly because despite the BDSM (which is present); the focus...the REASON for this book is that both characters are looking for something real (like the title says).  Laurie (Lawrence) is 37 and lonely.  He is tired of the superficiality of relationships, of feeling bereft since he lost his long time love 6 years ago and has since moved on.  Toby is 19, and frustrated with life.  He left university because he wasn't happy with that direction and he didn't really like school; but he doesn't know what to do with himself.  He is surrounded by people who all know where they are going, so he feels lost and stupid for not having a plan.  He is also mourning because the great grandfather who helped raise him is in hospice care (another factor in leaving university was to be able to spend more time with him).  The two meet at a private club that Toby snuck into and he gives Laurie a whole speech (Laurie approaches him & tells him this club might not be appropriate, he should leave until he's old enough); but Toby is furious at being told he isn't old enough to know who he is and what he wants, at least in his sex life; even if nowhere else. His talk about how you're supposed to just be 40 and a particular kind of person before you're "allowed" to choose what you like frustrates him because "what do you do until you're 40, that's like forever away".   The improbable May-Dec romance is told from both sides, and is raw and honest and touching and amazing (you can skip over the sex parts if you like); but really I wish I could be friends with them, see how they are doing....it just felt....real.   So good.
Still a terrible cover though.

Weatherspoon won some awards for this lesbian romance; but the reason I put it here is two-fold.  Firstly, it's honest and sweet; showing 2 college girls in different places (in all ways) meeting in a college class and falling in love.
Secondly, Weatherspoon has the one character (the titular Treasure) who works as an exotic dancer.  She doesn't fetishize it, just makes it a fact; and not a hidden one.  Treasure (aka Trisha) is from a disadvantaged family and this job is her way to earn money and get an education.  Her job can be used against her, people may think less of her for it; but SHE isn't ashamed of it, nor is Alexis, the girl she is falling for.  I love that Weatherspoon did that, and that alone would have put it on this list, but it is also a really good book (graphic sex scene alert though).

Yeah, I have talked about this series before, so this time going with All Things Near & Nigh; which is #2 in the Soulbound series.  I adore this whole series, but this book shows something else....Patrick is uncovering an illegal fighting ring, one that kidnaps and uses werecreatures in fights to the death...and is also tied to a drug ring (it's a magical drug made from vampire blood, very addictive).  Patrick allows himself to be taken captive in order to free some of the victims and it is planned to drug him, rape him and kill him on the alter of a Death God as a sacrifice.  He is drugged, and assaulted but before he is raped (or killed) another god rescues him and Jono (his werewolf boyfriend) finds him and helps him through as he gets the drug out of his system, and then deals with the after effects of the incident in his life.  There is more to the adventure, finding a dragon fledgling, fighting Aztec gods, and saving the NY subway from collapse; but what I loved what how Turner handled the assault between Patrick and Jono.  She didn't make it less scary "because at least he wasn't raped"; she allowed him to feel the rawness of the assault and provided him a partner who was just there, no pushing, just "I love you, go get therapy, I am here when you're ready".  Honestly, if every victim of assault had aftercare and support like this, the world would be a better place.  She also didn't allow any victim blaming in the story, no one questioning how he allowed it to happen; the only criticism he got was that everyone was worried for him when he made the decision to sacrifice himself to save the other survivors; that's it.  Yeah.  I love this series (available sadly only through Amazon as it's independently published); but worth the money and the audio is also very good.

This book made me ask; "why is there no one picking this up for Netflix or Starz or Amazon or something?"  Honestly, same for the series above; but this is like Ocean's 11 or Leverage.....but not.  So, main character is an assassin (thus the title); but he is a good one, he kills bad people; and he even sometimes goes out of his way when on a job to protect the helpless if he can (criminal with a heart of gold for sure).  So, the story starts with Ari having just finished a job, and also beaten up a pimp who was hurting a teen prostitute (he gave her the money & told her to find a new life); when he finds an 8 year old girl following him.  She is in bad shape, it is obvious she is abused and has been for awhile.  She asks how much it costs to hire him to "stop her stepfather from hurting her".  Ari sees red (honestly my heart broke at that moment); and asks how much she has, and takes her $2 in change and goes to her house.  He isn't sure he will really kill her stepfather, until the man offers to let him buy her for $500.....done, dead, over.   But he can't walk away from her...she brings up all his memories of foster care and a rough life; so he asks if she wants to be his daughter.  She asks if he will train her to be like Black Widow (the only female assassin she knows).  He agrees and done deal; except for filing all the paperwork (illegally of course).  So, now he has a daughter, a new life, a new home.....and he is trying to figure out how this all works.  Luckily he has 2 best friends, a hacker and a thief, who provide backup and care for both of them.  Then, they get a shot at a great job; to steal back a Monet for a NY museum.  Ari meets Carter and it is now doing the job and also navigating how a mercenary and an assassin can build trust and love.  I love this.  Winters sometimes goes very over the top; but this series has a more gentle humor and a more grounded cast of characters so it really feels like the perfect antihero tale.  I also love that a badass  assassin and a cynical mercenary can be gay.  It's not the focus, it just is...and it's awesome.

Rebel (415 Ink #1) is a more traditional romance novel, but with nontraditional characters.  Gus is a tattoo artist, and a member of a family that forged itself from the foster care system; in that they all were there and met and the oldest decided they were a family, and fought hard to make it so once they achieved majority.  Everyone in the family is on the LGBT spectrum, it's one of the things they bonded over (that and the general awfulness of their lives in foster care).  Gus has a lot of issues, but a drunken night with a girl yields an unexpected child, who is now 2 and Gus has to work on his issues in order to be a dad, and also maybe rekindle love with the one who broke his heart as a teen.  As I said this isn't a deep book, but it was different enough, though following typical romance structures to make it enjoyable.  It's only on Amazon, sometimes free with Kindle Unlimited, sometimes not; but worth a try for some widening of the horizons and not playing to gay tropes & preconceived notions.

Tell Me It's Real is a funny, sweet romance story; but it's in first person and Paul doesn't hesitate to say that he is not a god, just a regular guy working at an insurance company wishing he could find love.  Vince is the amazing, super sexy guy that chases him.  Paul cannot wrap his head around why THIS guy would like someone like him.  Klune does an amazing job of building Paul into a realistic person, I totally want to go hang with him.  Yeah, it's a fantasy romance, but it's so normal and regular and low key but also sweet and funny. 

Stalked by Shadows (Simply Crafty #1) is a cool ghost adventure, mixed with a romance.  Alexis (Alex), is a vet who saw some things never explained but combined with all the years of combat, messes him up.  He is now living with his twin brother in New Orleans trying to figure out his life.  He starts working at Simply Crafty, which is a small business that is part occult stuff (but cutesy) and part local art store.  On the side Micah (part owner and manager of the place) runs historical & ghost tours of the city.  Alex & Micah hit it off, but both are wary of moving too fast.  What I love about this series (only 2 so far), the creepy ghost stuff is intentionally left unexplained, Alex's PTSD issues are honestly explored and discussed, and Micah's former career as a porn worker is also frankly talked about; but not in a bad way.  Alex tells him when he meets him that he knows, but that his former career doesn't automatically mean he will have sex with anyone, and that Alex wants to be respectful.  The consent & respect & care in this series makes me love the author and the characters.  As a bonus, one of Micah's friends who works at the store is Sky, a female transgender tarot card reader; and she kind of likes Alex's twin brother.  Alex's brother kind of likes her back but he's a cop and an African American (albeit light skinned) and adding gay with a trans girlfriend is more than he is willing to try because he's afraid for his career and his life. This, just a side story, happening quietly alongside; discussions of race and gender fluidity but not in your face....just....part of life.   Also Alex is a geeky guy, and I'm a sucker for a cute nerd.  Someone buy the rights to this and make it a series so I can watch it please.

This is the same author as the above series; but totally different world; more of an urban fantasy environment where were creatures exist but kind of under the radar. Sebastian has lived with werewolves his whole life, since his mother abandoned him with the pack as an infant; but he isn't a wolf, he is a fox (technically a kitsune--Japanese magical shape shifter).  He is small and wiry not big and muscled like the wolves; but he really wants to fit in.  He falls into an abusive relationship and when he is nearly killed, he is discovered by another wolf who saves his life with a kiss (Sebastian pulls life force from him to heal so he can run)....but that kiss also sealed his fate as the "fated mate" for that wolf, Liam. 
A year later Sebastian runs into Liam who has been quietly building a life, waiting for his fated love to find him.  He is old (in this universe wolves are almost immortal) and is obviously bi or pan because he has had a variety of loves in his life, and he doesn't care that Sebastian is a guy or a fox or any of those things, he just wants to make Sebastian happy & build a pack and a home together.  Ok, this is a bit syrupy sounding but honestly the characters are well rounded, and there is suspense (former abusive lover won't let him go) and romance and magic.  This isn't a deep dive, but it is a sweet swim in the river of paranormal romance nonetheless.

 Romancing the Werewolf is a novella set in the universe of Carriger's Soulless series.  Biffy is a different sort of alpha and Professor Randolph Lyall is a very particular kind of beta; but not only will they figure out how to fix their new pack; but maybe also fall in love.

Imogene is a parlormaid, because she couldn't live with her family any longer, and they need the money.  Genevieve is a well known character from the Soulless series, and she is an inventor forced to work with the vampires for awhile; and when she meets Imogene sparks fly.  I had always like Genevieve's character and am so happy with this lovely novella to give her a romance and some more depth of character. 





That's it for now, next podcast is Kickass Females in Fiction.  I have the podcast out, should have the blog done by or before Sun.