Best MM Romance Novels of 2019
MM Romance novels make up many of my favorite reads this year. So much so that I felt they were deserving of their own post.
The world of gay romance is quite expansive. It has all the tropes you’d find in a m/f romance novels and layered with tension and angst that can only be found in a same-sex relationship.
These stories engaging and compelling stories will have you invested in seeing these characters fight their demons and find their happily ever after together.
This is important because, as someone who reads pretty much exclusively romance, one of the complaints I hear from people most often is that every book is the same, there’s no variety. That’s not wrong, romance novels tell the story of people falling in love and conclude with a happy ending. The thing is, there are so many ways to fall in love and even more barriers standing in the way of that love. LGBT romance novels share a different story than you tend to see in more mainstream MF titles.
If you have yet to experience the amazingness that is gay romance novels, I would suggest you start now. I highly recommend every single book on this list.
The best part is that you can find pretty much every romantic trope you could possibly desire MM Romance. No matter what you’re looking for, I can almost guarantee you’ll be able to find whatever you fancy the MM romance category.
The Best MM Romance Novels of 2019
*** Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to read ARC copies of Someday, Someday and Heated Rivalry.
Gay Romance Highlights
One of the things I constantly find myself complaining about is when authors tell me something and expect me to believe it. I find myself tempted to leave a review of just three words SHOW, DON’T TELL.
Which is why I know it’s not enough for me to simply tell you these are the best MM romance novels of the year. I’m going to tell you why and hope you love them as much as I do. This list is in no particular order
Someday, Someday by Emma Scott
I so rarely gush and run around recommending a book to everyone I encounter. But this book was everything and was by far the best book I’ve read in a long time. It conquered themes addiction, conversion therapy, youth homelessness, depression, familial abandonment, ailing parents, the opiate epidemic, sex work, PTSD… and even featured a secondary character with aspergers. It dealt with a lot and it dealt with it all in away that felt compassionate, realistic and complete.
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Their Boy by Cara Dee
Smoking hot and oh-so naughty, this book was probably my biggest surprise of the year. It’s the second book in her series The Game. I adored book one Top Priority which highlighted one of the most unlikely couples I’ve ever encountered. To be honest, had I not been so invested in Colt and Lucas from book one, I would have passed on this because I don’t usually enjoy menage books. But, I was hooked from the first book, and well, look at the tattoos on the cover and tell me you’re going to be able to walk away from this one. Overall, I’m so glad I read it! This book was hot as heck and dealt with themes of grief, learning to love yourself and letting go of the past.
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
By now you probably all know how much I love hockey players. If you don’t I have an amazing list of MM Hockey Romance Novels for you to check out. Shane and Ilya’s story stole my heart. I’m not sure there’s ever been a couple I wanted to find their happily ever after as much as I did for these two. The book ends with a satisfying happy for now but I can promise you won’t look at hockey the same way after reading this. The best part? We get to meet them again in book three of the series Tough Guy which will be released in January.
Worship by Ella James
This book is hot as heck and will probably leave you flushed and fanning yourself with your kindle. I don’t want to spoil anything, but you will fall in love with the characters and find yourself incredibly invested in seeing their relationship succeed. This book shows the impact of religion on sexuality and how utterly devastating it can be when someone is unable to come out and be themselves. Fair warning, the book ends on a cliffhanger and you will no doubt be rushing to order Adore, the second book in this duet Adore as soon as you finish the last page.
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Arctic Sun by Annabeth Albert
One of my biggest regrets is how long I put off reading this book and the series in general. Don’t laugh, this might be the most ridiculous reason I’ve ever passed on the opportunity to read a book. These three books in this series were released in the April, June and September, they’re set in Alaska where it’s cold and there’s snow. Winters are cold and miserable AF where I live in Northern Saskatchewan and as a general rule, I don’t read about winter when there’s no snow on the ground! So I read the entire series on the first weekend I spent snowed in this winter.
Anyway Arctic Sun is the first book of the and features two characters that seem very different on the surface. But when you get down to it, they both have the best of intentions and more in common than they think. This book deals with themes of addictions and eating disorders both of which were handled with the level of understanding and compassion I know you all expect when I recommend a book.
Game On by Riley Hart and Devon McCormack
This is the fifth book in the Fever Falls series and while each book is amazing and features the same group of characters, each book can be read as a stand alone. This book showcase one guy who doesn’t have time for relationships and another who doesn’t do casual. The relationship really should work, but I so wanted them both to be happy. This book is a case study in letting go of the past, getting over insecurities and letting go of past heart breaks.
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited.
The Last Text by Alice Winters
This book features a couple who meets in what I would consider one of the worst ways imaginable. Can you imagine sending a text to you deceased lover and having someone respond?! I think death is something that makes us incredibly uncomfortable. As a society, we struggle to cope and we struggle to help others cope. As sad as this entire book made me, it makes me really happy to see such difficult topics being realistically and honestly conquered in fiction.
Before you jump into this one, let me quickly warn you that some parts aren’t pretty. Some are brutally raw and honest and show how grief and losing someone we love can impact our life even years later.
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Bio-Mechanical by E.M. Lindsey
The fourth book in the Irons and Works series. This is one of the few series that realities of living with a disabilities and facing the stigma associated with it. I would recommend reading all 6 books in the series, while they can absolutely be read on their own, they are even better together as you won’t have to worry about missing out on any of the subtle story lines and recurring characters.
This particular book resonated with me because it featured a man who is trying to let go of the baggage caused by a deeply religious childhood. Through the story we watch him learn to be more accepting of himself and his desires and let go of the threats and consequences that have weighed on him for most of his life.
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Unscripted by J.R. Gray
This is very muchly a slow burn best friends to lovers story featuring a celebrity. While celebrities aren’t typically my book-boyfriends of choice, the blurb had me hooked. I love it when books tackle the tough topics, the things we’re uncomfortable talking about and this book did just that with depression, divorce and the long and sometimes difficult process of creating your own happiness and learning to love yourself.
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Top Secret by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
When this author duo comes out with an MM romance novel, I drop everything I’m reading buy the book and lose myself in the pages. Their Him duet, published back in 2015 is probably in my the top 5 stories I’ve EVER read (you probably wouldn’t believe how many I’ve read over the years).
As with most books these authors write, this one had me laughing out loud and smiling like a maniac which is quite a refreshing change from some of the heavier books on this list. It was a quick light read and the perfect way to spend a rainy weekend.
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Jude by Garrett Leigh
The third book in a series of stand alone novels called Lucky. I know, I know this book list only has 12 books but you’ve probably already added at least 30 to your to-read list. Believe me I’m aware of the struggle, but every single book on this list is amazing!
This book features Isha, who is divorced and closeted. I’m not sure what it is that makes those characters so darn hard to resist, I eagerly devour ever book I see with this story line. This was a bit of a slow burn and also included a man who owns a reptile shop which is probably one of the most unique careers my book-boyfriend has ever had. This was a quick read with just enough angst to keep you turning the pages eager to find out what happens next.
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
This was another book I didn’t really plan to read, because I don’t really like the cover. Before you judge me, let me remind you all that I have always never denied my tendency to read books for the cover models and cartoons just don’t do it for me. But, the hype. It seemed every book blogger to ever blog was talking about this book and well, the FOMO was real. Plus, enemies to lovers and secret relationships are two of my favorite tropes, so after reading a few reviews I had to get my hands on this book.
I will say it was very deserving of all the hype surrounding it. I grabbed my cup of coffee and started reading, before I knew it hours had passed, my coffee was cold and the book was done. The characters were relatable and compelling (quite a feat considering we’re dealing with the first son and the Prince of Wales) and I would have been happy to sit and read another 400 pages about them.
Want More?
I have a Romance Reading Challenge Every week features a different romantic trope! Doesn’t that sound fun?
Perhaps you would prefer to read my favorite transgender romance novels or my most anticipated new releases of 2020?
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Let’s Talk
What were your favorite MM Romance reads this year? Did I miss any amazing stories? Tell me in the comments, I’m always looking for more recommendations.
