Can someone recommend me good romances? (not YA)

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TinyMouse

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Heya, I'm looking for some nice gay romances to read and I was hoping you guys could recommend me something? :)

Must have:
- happy ending!

What I like:
- no YA please
- fantasy elements are great, I wouldn't mind alternate universes, supernatural elements etc.
- I don't mind erotica in the least either, it's a plus!
- no girly characters, the last one I've tried had a protagonist literally say he looked like a woman, which made me come here for recommendations
- solid writing
- if the book doesn't focus on romance, then some real fun plot to surround it, but I'd like to hear of those too, why not
- i like both angsty stuff and comedy stuff very much!

Length doesn't matter, no specific theme requirements either, I'm generally not very picky, just looking for something fun to read and explore other romance types :)
 
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maceleon

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"Swordspoint" and "Fall of the Kings" by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman. Fantastic.
 

Viridian

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Pity this thread was buried with so few responses!

Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner series is a classic, but it focuses more on the fantasy elements than the romance. If you love rogues, sword fights, intrigue, magic, burglaries, disguises -- those kinds of things -- you'll like it.

It's the story of a young man (Alec) who saves the life of a brilliant thief (Seregil). Seregil is, publicly, a drunken lech and a minor noble, but secretly is the queen's most successful spy. Seregil takes Alec on as his apprentice: he teaches Alec how to fight, how to lie, how to steal, ect. Slowly, the two become close friends, then partners in crime, then lovers.

The romance aspect is really satisfying, though the two don't actually get together until the second book.
 

Roxxsmom

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Second the recommendation for the Nightrunner series. It's one of my favorite fantasy series, and the romantic arc between the two male characters (also a relatively rare example of a series where there's a couple who are quite decidedly together from the second book on, but the relationship stays interesting without the introduction of artificial drama, and fights, and break ups etc) is very satisfying. I'm always surprised how often it gets left off lists of recommended fantasy reads and how many fans of secondary world fantasy don't seem to have heard of it.

Jones and Bennett's Havemercy also has a male/male romantic arc in it. It's a fantasy novel, so the romantic plot is only part of the story, but it's definitely important to two of the four pov characters.
 
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Viridian

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Second the recommendation for the Nightrunner series. It's one of my favorite fantasy series, and the romantic arc between the two male characters (also a relatively rare example of a series where there's a couple who are quite decidedly together from the second book on, but the relationship stays interesting without the introduction of artificial drama, and fights, and break ups etc) is very satisfying.

That was one of the weirdest parts for me. It is, legitimately, the only series I've ever read where the romance stays interesting and relevant, but the romantic arc is never pointlessly stupid or melodramatic. They have problems and disagreements, but they face them like rational people.

I've lost my copy of the second book. Am hugely disappointed. The part where they kiss for the first time still makes me giddy.

Thinking on it more, I also enjoyed Nicole Kimberling's Heir of Starlight (and the sequel).

It's a fast-paced fantasy story with a winding, unexpected plot. It has a very modern setting -- there's cars (I think?) and t-shirts and such, but the city is divided into four courts and ruled by a king. The plot... ergh. I have no idea how to explain the plot.

It revolves around a sorcerer, Drake, who's quite powerful but refuses to align himself with any of the four courts. A courtier, Adam, is tasked with convincing Drake to help one of the courts. Drake becomes involved with Adam and, consequently, both of them accidentally become involved in a coup.

Sometimes it's hard to find a book that is satisfying both as a fantasy novel and a romance novel. This book was lovely. I was really impressed with Kimberling's world-building, her characters, her style, ect.
 

matokah

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A relatively quick (but full-length) read is "Static" by L.A. Witt. A friend of mine recommended it to me since he thought the gender identity aspect was interesting.

Basically, it's about a straight couple, one of whom is able to change genders at will and ultimately ends up getting stuck in one gender -- as his male identity that his boyfriend has no idea even exists.

It's definitely a work that has sex scenes in it, but appropriate to the overall storyline. The writing is a bit simplistic, but I found the story pretty enjoyable (this was a couple years ago that I read it).

Since the characters were already dating at the beginning of it, it's more of a light sci-fi genre (set in present day, as far as I can tell, with only the shifter element and the technology to inhibit the ability added in). And even though one of the characters initially starts off as female, I'd still say it qualifies as M/M lit, given some of the scenes later on.
 
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