For Part I, click here.
So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole (YA)
Hearts Forged in Dragon Fire by Erica Hollis (YA)
Dragonfall by LR Lam
Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
After the Dragons by Cynthia Zhang
Exclusive Cover Reveal: Together in a Broken World by Paul Michael Winters
Today on the site I’m delighted to reveal the cover of Together in a Broken World by Paul Michael Winters, a YA post-apocalyptic adventure romance releasing May 21, 2024 by NineStar Press that looks to be perfect for fans of All That’s Left in the World. Here’s the story:
Two boys fall in love in a deadly world, but it’s the secrets they keep that might kill them.
Seventeen-year-old Zach was visiting his uncle in a small Montana town when a mysterious illness ripped through the world. Most died, but those who survived the Infection became mindless killers, spreading the disease with a single scratch. Now, a year later, civilization lies in ruins, and Zach is the town’s sole survivor. Desperately lonely, he longs to return to his family in Seattle, but his fears hold him captive.
Eighteen-year-old Aiden is on a critical mission for the covert Scientific Collective, delivering vials whose contents could cure the Infection. Tortured by his boyfriend’s death, he welcomes the risks of the perilous journey. When a militia attacks Aiden, he flees to Zach’s town.
The boys escape together and soon form a bond as they comfort each other in this desolate and broken world. The farther they travel, the more their affection grows, as do the forces pulling them apart. But their greatest threats are the secrets they keep. Zach hides details of his uncle’s death, and Aiden conceals the vials’ sinister origins. In order to survive, they’ll have to confront the truths that could tear their love apart.
And here’s the epic cover, illustrated by Micah Epstein!
Buy it: Amazon | Ninestar Press
Paul Michael Winters is a lifelong creative writer whose life is filled with queer joy. His passion is to spread that joy through storytelling and writing books where you might not typically see queer characters. His books feature queer people living their best lives where their queerness is an aspect of their personality but doesn’t dominate the story. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his husband and two tuxedo kitties and might have a slight addiction to reading gay romance. But it’s not a problem. He could stop any time he wanted. Honestly.
Fave Five: Queer Fae Fiction
Shatterproof by Xen
Broken Wings by L.-J. Baker
The Faerie Hounds of York by Arden Powell
The Fae Queen’s Captive by Sierra Simone
Close Quarter by Anna Zabo
Bonus: This is all Adult fiction, but you can find YA titles here, plus The Halfling Saga by Melissa Blair and The Absinthe Underground by Jamie Pacton
Exclusive Cover Reveal: The Rules of Royalty by Cale Dietrich
I’ve been a fan of this author’s since way back when, so I’m delighted to reveal the cover of Cale Dietrich’s upcoming YA romance, “a gay YA spin on The Princess Diaries” entitled The Rules of Royalty, releasing December 10, 2024 from Wednesday Books! Here’s the story:
Two princes from neighboring countries fall into a whirlwind romance in this sparkling spin on The Princess Diaries by Cale Dietrich.
Jamie Johnson has never been the centre of attention, and he’s perfectly okay with that. His entire world unravels as a hidden truth emerges: he’s the heir to the throne of Mitanor, a sun-drenched southern European country. When an invitation to spend the summer in his father’s palace arrives, Jamie gets a chance to learn more about the man he never thought he’d meet – and what it means to be royalty.
Meanwhile, in a northern European kingdom known for its cold climate and stoic royals, Erik Lindström, the spare prince, grapples with the upcoming marriage of his golden-boy elder brother. With the country’s spotlight trained on his family more than ever, Erik feels sidelined and tightly controlled. So when he receives an offer to tutor the newly found American prince in the ways of royalty, he accepts without hesitation.
At a magnificent summer palace, Erik guides Jamie through the intricacies of royal etiquette, politics, and history. What neither prince anticipates is the connection that sparks between them—one that challenges both of their futures. Now each must make a choice: follow their hearts, or the time-honored royal path where crown and country reigns supreme, no matter the personal cost.
And here’s the gorgeous cover, illustrated by Petra Braun and designed by Olga Grlic!
Fave Five: M/M Hockey Romance
Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei (YA)
Gravity and The Rest of the Story by Tal Bauer
On the Board by Anna Zabo and L.A. Witt
Penalty Box by Ari Baran
Scoring Chances by Avon Gale
Exclusive Cover Reveal: Pathways: Chronicles of Tuvana by Elaine Tipping
Today on the site I’m thrilled to announce and reveal the cover for Pathways: Chronicles of Tuvana by Elaine Tipping, a fantasy graphic novel currently serialized as a webcomic on Tapas and releasing in print for the first time (with updated art!) from Dark Horse Books on September 3*, 2024! Here’s the story:
Follow a cast of heroes from all walks of life as they lead the charge to stop an ancient empire bent on world domination in this queer YA graphic novel!
An archaeological dig backed by all four countries of Tuvana is meant to shed light on the past while uniting the countries under a similar goal, despite their differences. However, the project takes a sudden dark turn after an unexpected discovery. Communications are lost, family members are missing, there are strange changes in the land and unexpected climate irregularities–all threatening to unravel the tenuous ties that have kept Tuvana at peace for so long.
A clever princess, a set of royal twins with two very different personalities, a patient guard looking after an inquisitive scholar, a powerful and mysterious loving couple, and a fun-having street brawler are all pulled slowly from their very different paths through life as they each stumble across parts of a puzzle that, once assembled, could change–or destroy–the future of their world forever.
One volume collecting the first nine chapters of Pathways: Chronicles of Tuvana!
In the words of creator Elaine Tipping: “Pathways is a high fantasy adventure, with a dash of sci-fi and a bunch of dragons, for fans of Ghibli and Critical Role!’”
And here’s the gorgeous cover by author/illustrator Elaine Tipping!
Buy it!
*September 4th, for comic shops
Fave Five: Historical F/F Romance
Feminine Pursuits and Hen Fever by Olivia Waite
Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban
The Spinsters of Inverley by Jane Walsh
That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole
A Little Light Mischief by Cat Sebastian
Bonus: For cozy mystery/romance mashup, check out Proper English by KJ Charles
Double Bonus: These are all realistic fiction, but for historical fantasy, try Heather Rose Jones’s Alpennia series
New Release Spotlight: Just Happy to Be Here by Naomi Kanakia
Kanakia is the queen of blunt, honest writing, and perhaps nowhere is that more evident than in her first novel starring a trans girl, Just Happy to Be Here, which released on January 2nd from HarperTeen and stars Tara, who grapples with all sorts of issues at her fancy school. (Spoiler: one is a crush, and it is adorable.) I happen to have blurbed this one officially, so I’ll just share that here: “Kanakia’s razor-sharp candor, insight, and nuance make her one of YA’s most fascinating and relevant authors. Just Happy to Be Here is an absolute and necessary game-changer.”
Tara just wants to be treated like any other girl at Ainsley Academy.
That is, judged on her merits—not on her transness. But there’s no road map for being the first trans girl at an all-girls school. And when she tries to join the Sibyls, an old-fashioned Ainsley sisterhood complete with code names and special privileges, she’s thrust into the center of a larger argument about what girlhood means and whether the club should exist at all.
Being the figurehead of a movement isn’t something Tara’s interested in. She’d rather read old speeches and hang out with the Sibyls who are on her side—especially Felicity, a new friend she thinks could turn into something more. Then the club’s sponsor, a famous alumna, attacks her in the media and turns the selection process into a spectacle.
Tara’s always found comfort in the power of other peoples’ words. But when it comes time to fight for herself, will she be able to find her own voice?
New Releases: January 2024
Today’s post is sponsored by Beverly Gandara and What Did You Know and Who Did You Tell, out now!
When Did You Know and Who Did You Tell? LGBTQAI+/Biographies
Interviews with 25 diverse LGBTQAI+ Role Models
How would you cope if your family rejected you, your religion abandoned you and society labeled you an outcast? Read the Inspirational, heartfelt coming-out stories by 25 LGBTQAI+ role models from the ages of 21-80 who journeyed from strength to strength to become their authentic selves.
Buy it: Amazon
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The Curse of Eelgrass Bog by Mary Averling (2nd)
Nothing about Kess Pedrock’s life is normal. Not her home (she lives in her family’s Unnatural History Museum), not her interests (hunting for megafauna fossils and skeletons), and not her best friend (a talking demon’s head in a jar named Shrunken Jim).
But things get even stranger than usual when Kess meets Lilou Starling, the new girl in town. Lilou comes to Kess for help breaking a mysterious curse—and the only clue she has leads straight into the center of Eelgrass Bog. Everyone knows the bog is full of witches, demons, and possibly worse, but Kess and Lilou are determined not to let that stop them. As they investigate the mystery and uncover long-buried secrets, Kess begins to realize that the curse might hit closer to home than she’d ever expected, and she’ll have to summon all her courage to find a way to break it before it’s too late.
December 2023 Book Deals
Adult Fiction
‘s THE FORTUNATE FALL, a lost classic of queer cyberpunk, following a human “camera” as she uncovers a historical atrocity—and the memories and desires that have been stolen from her, to Kerri Buckley at Dreamscape Media, for simultaneous publication with the new Tor Essentials edition in August 2024, by Lauren Bajek at Liza Dawson Associates.