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Gay men reveal the queer romance novels with the best explicit scenes

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The library is … thirsty!

When one guy asked for “a good gay romance novel with some good not safe for work scenes” in a recent Reddit thread, fellow bibliophiles suggested more reading material than a gay could get through in a year. (Especially if these books’ protagonists are, indeed, as “wank-worthy.”)

Here’s an abridged version of the thread, but be sure to see the full post at r/AskGayMen… and be ready for your reading glasses to get all fogged up!

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“The Red Dirt Heart series by N.R. Walker. Lots of NSFW parts. … It’s about a rancher and a ranch hand in the Australian Outback.”

“Alexis Hall is a very prominent gay romance author with very steamy sex scenes in a lot of his books. I have read Boyfriend Material, and at first, I was a little put off by the writing style, but after the first few chapters, I was hooked.”

“Holding the Man [by Timothy Conigrave] is a romantic autobiography set during the start of the AIDS crisis. It does have steamy scenes, and one interesting thing is that the narrator actually admits when he is being a d*ck.”

“The Song of Achilles [by Madeline Miller].”

“All of TJ Klune’s books are written well, and most have very NSFW content. The [Tales of Verania] series starts with The Lightning-Struck Heart. … Terry Audette has a few, but I love The Good Doctor. It needs a good editor and an ending. Look for his original version and not the newer version [that] edited out much of the story.”

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“The Captive Prince series by C.S. Pacat is fantastic. The sex scenes aren’t the most graphic I’ve ever read, but they’re among the most erotic. (There is a bit of a wait for them, but you won’t regret it.) Way less of a masc/fem dynamic than in a lot of more fetishized tropes, too. You just get to see the [main characters’] masculinities presented in different ways. Hardcore rec.

“Also anything by KJ Charles. She’s pretty thoughtful about characterizations, and her [main characters] are wank-worthy. (Lol, trust me.) My favorites of hers are the Will Darling Adventures series (mystery/romance with some spy shenanigans thrown in), Band Sinister (for something softer), and The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting (for something a bit on the lighter side). Her Sins of the Cities series is great too. For standalones, I recently read—and loved—A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske (historical fantasy-ish). There’s a sex scene (which I won’t spoil) that turned me on so f*ckng much, lol. Like, seriously, wow.”

“Hot Head by Damon Suede. Such a great book. The love story is so good and the sex scenes are hot as hell! If you like audiobooks, listen to Charlie David’s narration. He knocks it out of the park.”

“Jay Bell is great for contemporary romance, starting with Something Like Summer (and the whole series).”

“At Swim, Two Boys [by Jamie O’Neill]. It’s fantastic, probably my most formative gay read. Very sexy as well.”

“Anything by Harry F. Rey, and in particular, the Line of Succession series is amazing—gay romance and by a gay man!”

“I loved The High King’s Golden Tongue by Megan Derr (if you’re into fantasy). For sci-fi, I would recommend The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer. For modern YA, I would say Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert.”

“All That’s Left in the World [by Erik J. Brown]. It’s romance apocalypse. Please read, omg, it’s on Audible, and there’s voice acting.”

“Say My Name Boy is written by the gay author T. Brian Loos, who is known for his gay BDSM short stories with a lot of NSFW scenes. Another book he wrote is The Island of Men, a gay fantasy romance. Or Breeding Camp of No Return—it’s about two men who are in an interesting relationship.”

“A lot of E. Lynn Harris books have a good mix of NSFW scenes and day-to-day dynamics, if you want to read from a Black gay perspective. It even includes romances between straight and bi men, too.”

“I cant believe no one has said Alan Hollinghurst. He’s proper literature and award-winning, and the sex scenes are delightfully smutty. I don’t know if they classify as ‘romance novels’ but steamy gay lit thats 100% from a gay man’s perspective. The Line of Beauty is a great starting point.”

“I’m a sucker for a lot of K.C. Wells’ stuff. The Collars and Cuffs series, First, Step by Step. It might be corny and basic, but I enjoy that, so [shrug emoji]. I also loved Him by Ellen Kennedy [and Sarina Bowen], No Such Thing by A.M. Arthur.”

“If you’re into paranormal/supernatural romance, I can’t recommend Charlie Adhara’s Big Bad Wolf series. It’s so wonderfully well-written, the characters feel real and genuine, and the mystery/suspense plot keeps you on your toes the whole time.”

“For sci-fi: Dark Space by Lisa Henry. The naughty bits were extra hot for me because of the bond between the lovers. They had, like, a Vulcan mind meld thing going on that was very sexy.”

“In the Absence of Men and Lie With Me, both by Philippe Besson. They are French novels wonderfully translated to English. They are really lyrical and beautifully done. A recent good beach read would be Bath Haus by P.J. Vernon. It’s contemporary, suspenseful, and largely based in Georgetown, D.C.”

“Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski. It’s a gay fiction set in the times of PRL (communist) government in Poland.”

“I’m reading I Was an Alien Cat Toy [by Ann Somerville]. He means sex toy. I’ve read it twice.”

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