Queer SF - July 2025
July 1, 2025
Moon Rising — Claire Barner
Genre: Near-future science fiction romance
Rep: M/F, M/M
A debut near-future romance, where Sea of Tranquility meets Winter’s Orbit, told against the backdrop of the Moon’s first lunar colony, with a multicultural and LGBTQ+ cast, about a cynical agronomist and charming Emirati businessman who fall in love and battle eco-terrorists.
In 2073, controversial agronomist Dr. Alex Cole has dedicated her life to mutagenetic food, the only solution to feeding a world torn apart by climate change. When fierce opposition from radical environmentalists wipes out her lab funding, a surprising lifeline appears in the form of Mansoor Al Kaabi, a charismatic Emirati businessman who needs a sustainable food supply for his guests on the Moon’s first hotel.
Alex moves to the Moon colony with Mansoor, and they immediately dive into the challenging work. As she smuggles in illegal chickens, fights a vexing tomato fungus, and dreams of olive groves on the Moon, Alex is surprised to find herself falling in love not just with the lunar colony, but with Mansoor, whose vision for the future of the Moon extends far beyond luxury hotels.
Back on Earth, eccentric genius Victor Beard and Mansoor’s younger brother Rashid fight to push the Homestead Act through Congress. Without the support of the US government, they’ll never be able to achieve their goal to relocate humanity to the Moon and secure a second chance for life on Earth.
When eco-terrorists threaten the lunar colony, Alex, Mansoor, Victor, and Rashid must choose what they’re willing to die for—and what they’re really living for. Is it their grandiose visions of saving the planet—or is it each other?
Link: Goodreads
Tenderly, I Am Devoured — Lyndall Clipstone
Genre: YA gothic romantasy
Rep: Bi MC
Perfect for fans of Saltburn, For the Wolf, and House of Hollow, Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a moody, monstrously Gothic romantasy in which a young woman must bind herself to a dangerous chthonic demon with the help of the son of a rival family to save her family’s legacy―and herself―from ruin.
Expelled from her prestigious boarding school following a violent incident, eighteen-year-old Lacrimosa Arriscane returns home in disgrace to discover her family on the point of financial ruin. Desperate to save them, she accepts a marriage of convenience… to Therion, the chthonic god worshipped by Lark’s isolated coastal hometown.
But when her betrothal goes horribly wrong, Lark begins to vanish from the mortal realm. Her only hope is to seek help from Alastair Felimath: the brilliant, arrogant boy who was her first heartbreak, and his alluring older sister, Camille. As the trio delve into the folklore of gods, Lark falls under the spell of the Felimath siblings.
Ensnared by a fervent romance, they perform a bacchanalia with hopes the hedonistic ritual will repair the connection between Lark and her bridegroom. Instead, they draw the ire of something much darker, which seeks to destroy Therion―and Lark as well.
Link: Goodreads
Human Rites — Juno Dawson
Genre: Urban fantasy, paranormal
Rep: Trans woman MC; sapphic MCs
Series: Book 3 of Her Majesty’s Royal Coven
The Coven is reunited but broken…
Niamh is back from the dead… but she hasn’t come back alone. Elle mourns a son she never had. Ciara languishes in a prison for witches. And Leonie reels from a very unexpected surprise.
Five very different witches with one thing in common: they were unwittingly chosen by the dangerously charming Lucifer, the demon king of desire, to fulfil a dark prophecy.
But Lucifer has deadly offer for fledgling witch Theo: help him and her coven—her family—will be spared as the rest of humanity perishes in a hellish new reality. Save the ones she loves? Or save the world? The choice is hers…
The final confrontation between good and evil is about to commence in the spectacular conclusion to the insatiable Her Majesty’s Royal Coven.
Link: Goodreads
The Lavender Blade — E.L. Deards
Genre: Fantasy
Rep: M/M
For readers who loved New York Times bestseller Gideon the Ninth, Deards delivers a queer speculative fiction novel about what happens when a con artist exorcist becomes possessed for real.
What happens when a successful con becomes an unexpected reality?
Colton and Lucian have a lot in common: both late twenties, clever, have struggled with substance abuse, and find themselves penniless in Valencia. When Lucian discovers Colton’s fake exorcism con, he devises a scheme to turn that con into a business that can sustain them both.
The work is successful, despite unsavory characters they meet along the way: from a woman who murdered her own staff member to a man who pretends to murder Lucian. They even manage to continue their professional relationship while venturing into more personal, romantic possibilities. But when a real, powerful demon possesses Lucian, will they have what it takes to vanquish it to save their relationship—and Lucian’s life?
Link: Goodreads
Ascension — S.T. Gibson
Genre: Urban fantasy
Rep: Queer; bi; polyamory
Series: Book 2 of The Summoner’s Circle
From bestselling author of Evocation comes its hotly anticipated and spellbinding sequel, where Rhys steps into his new role as High Priest. A perfect read for lovers of urban fantasy.
Now the High Priest of Boston’s famed and secret Society, Rhys McGowan has a lot on his shoulders. With the help of his adoring witch wife, Moira, and his newly rekindled relationship with psychic boyfriend, David, Rhys is destined to become the most powerful High Priest ever.
However, Rhys’s insatiable ambition may be his undoing...
The second book in the bestselling Summoner’s Circle series sees beloved characters return for an all new dark and enthralling adventure.
Link: Goodreads
The Gryphon King — Sara Omer
Genre: Epic fantasy
Rep: Bi MCs
Series: Book 1 of The Chaos Constellation
The first in a stunning Southwest Asian-inspired epic fantasy trilogy brimming with morally ambiguous characters, terrifying ghouls and deadly monsters.
Bataar was only a child when he killed a gryphon, making him a legend across the Red Steppe. As an adult, he is the formidable Bataar Rhah, chosen by god to rule the continent that once scorned his people. After a string of improbable victories, he turns his sights on the wealthy, powerful kingdom of Dumakra, whose princesses rule the skies from the backs of pegasuses.
When rumours reach the capital that the infamous warlord is moving on Dumakra, Nohra Zultama prepares to face him. She and her sisters are feared warriors, goddess-blessed and mounted on winged, man-eating horses. But as deceit and betrayal swirl through her father’s court, Nohra soon learns the price of complacency. With her city under Bataar’s rule, Nohra vows to take revenge. But her growing closeness to Bataar’s wife, Qaira, threatens to undo her resolve.
When rioting breaks out and mythic beasts incite panic, Nohra must fight alongside Bataar to keep order, her mixed feelings towards the man she’s sworn to kill becoming ever more complicated. Old evils are rising. Only together will Nohra and Bataar stand a chance against the djinn, ghouls, and monsters that threaten to overrun their world.
Inspired by the diverse Turkic cultures of Southwest Asia, this gorgeously written fantasy is sure to sweep readers off their feet.
Link: Goodreads
Archive of Unknown Universes — Ruben Reyes Jr.
Genre: Science fiction; magical realism
Rep: MLM
From the author of There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven, a piercing debut novel following two families in alternative timelines of the Salvadoran civil war—a stunning exploration of the mechanisms of fate, the gravity of the past, and the endurance of love.
Cambridge, 2018. Ana and Luis’s relationship is on the rocks, despite their many similarities, including their mothers who both fled El Salvador during the war. In her search for answers, and against her best judgement, Ana uses The Defractor, an experimental device that allows users to peek into alternate versions of their lives. What she sees leads her and Luis on a quest through Havana and San Salvador to uncover the family histories they are desperate to know, eager to learn if what might have been could fix what is.
Havana, 1978. The Salvadoran war is brewing, and Neto, a young revolutionary with a knack for forging government papers, meets Rafael at a meeting for the People’s Revolutionary Army. The two form an intense and forbidden love, shedding their fake names and revealing themselves to each other inside the covert world of their activism. When their work separates them, they begin to exchange weekly letters, but soon, as the devastating war rages on, forces beyond their control threaten to pull them apart forever.
Ruben Reyes Jr.’s debut novel is an epic, genre-bending journey through inverted worlds—one where war ends with a peace treaty, and one where it ends with a decisive victory by the Salvadoran government. What unfolds is a stunning story of displacement and belonging, of loss and love. It’s both a daring imagining of what might have been and a powerful reckoning of our past.
Link: Goodreads
July 3, 2025
A F*ckery of Fae & Fate — A.J. Braun
Genre: Fantasy, satire
Rep: Sapphic
In one of their first-ever documented adventures, bounty hunters Rhema—a grumpy, axe-wielding fighter—and Benny—her chipper, easily excitable dragon—save a bratty princess from a trickster fae prince.
But when they attempt to return her home, not only is Rhema growing an inconvenient attachment to the spitfire royal, but the princess is also being chased down by droves of sexy, dumb, and very violent fae men who claim she’s their mate. In order for Rhema and Benny to make it to the Butter and Barmaids Festival on time, they have no choice but to seek out Rhema’s hot bounty hunter rival, an expert of the fae realm, to help them uncover the mystery of where all these chiseled-jawed men are coming from—and stop them before the princess falls for their illustrious charm.
Link: Goodreads
July 7, 2025
A Crown of Deceit & Ruin — Jessaca Willis
Genre: Fantasy romance
Rep: F/F; bi MC
The most dangerous monsters wear crowns.
For nineteen years, Kestrel Graeme has been locked away in a tower, fed stories of cursed beasts and corrupted magic. But when she escapes, she discovers the real threat isn’t monsters—it’s the royals who rule through lies and bloodshed. Captured and taken to Irongate, Kestrel must fight for her father’s life and master the strange magic awakening inside her… before it’s twisted into a weapon by the very crown she’s come to fear.
But she’s not the only prisoner behind Irongate’s fortified walls. Slain in battle and resurrected years later, Princess Elora has spent her second life in chains. Promised a throne but given a leash, she’s ordered to keep Kestrel close and steer her toward breaking the curse. Elora will play her part… but only if it brings her the one thing she truly craves: freedom.
Monsters still haunt the realm, but Kestrel and Elora refuse to be their prey. If they want a future beyond the ruins they inherited, they’ll have to wield the power within them—before their kingdoms crumble.
A Crown of Deceit & Ruin is a slow-burn sapphic fantasy romance perfect for fans of fairy tale retellings, dark magic, and star-crossed fates—featuring a Rapunzel-esque runaway with the heart of a hero, a distrusting princess of death, enemies-to-lovers tension, courtly intrigue, sapphic/bi longing, found family, ancient curses, and the dangerous temptation of forbidden power.
Link: Goodreads
July 8, 2025
The Dreaming of Man — Nikoline Kaiser
Genre: Horror
Rep: Trans
After receiving a letter telling him terrible news, Doctor Lawrence Cooper visits the small harbor-town Osmund in search of answers. Though something is clearly wrong there, Lawrence keeps finding reasons to the sake of a young girl he meets, and to get to the bottom of his one-time lover’s suspicious death.
And the longer he stays, the more Lawrence is drawn into Osmund’s peculiar mysteries.
Link: Neon Hemlock
July 15, 2025
A Hex for Hunger — Alistair Reeves
Genre: Romantic fantasy
Rep: M/M; trans man MC
Series: Book 2 of The Rune Tithe
After five centuries, a loyal guard returns from the dead without the king he once served—and loved—to find the world and his place within it much changed.
Ambrose, AKA the Grim Wolf of Belgrave, spent his life striving to be a hero—until he died a villain in the name of the medieval witch king he was passionately devoted to. Now, after hundreds of years, he’s back from the dead without his beloved king. And the vow he once swore has him obligated to Emery Vale, a necromancer-in-training, who’s tasked him with murdering his rival and nemesis.
But Ambrose has other plans. He hopes to bring the ruler of his kingdom—and his heart—back from the grave so they can finally enjoy the love they’d once yearned for. All he has to do first is kill one other person: Emery...
The more time Ambrose spends with his new master though, the more his hunger for Emery’s blood is turning into a hunger for Emery. And as he continues to search for a way to resurrect the witch king, he might just discover their connection wasn’t all that it seemed.
Link: Goodreads
Hit Me With Your Best Charm — Lillie Vale
Genre: YA contemporary fantasy
Rep: F/F
The occasionally magic, always superstitious town of Prior’s End is famous for three things:
- Whimsical charm at the annual Fall Festival.
- The legend of the wishing well hidden in a forest bristling with secrets.
- And Nova Marwood’s missing hiker father.
Every year without him, it gets easier to pretend Nova doesn’t believe in myth and magic. Easier to pretend she’s doing okay. Easier to pretend she doesn’t have a secret crush on the girl she fake-hates.
Kiara Mistry is the luckiest girl in town and the thief of every crush Nova had her heart set on first. In theory, Nova should resent Kiara. But it’s getting harder to deny her feelings.
When Nova lays an unintended hex on Kiara at the Fall Festival, and one misfortune after another swiftly follows, soon Kiara’s very survival is at stake. To reverse the bad luck, Kiara’s exes turned BFFs commence a quest for the miraculous wishing well. There’s only one person who can get them there... Nova.
But to save Kiara—and maybe find her dad, too—she’ll have to believe in something much stronger than magic. Nova will need to believe in herself.
Link: Goodreads
July 17, 2025
Cursed in the Lost City — Gabby Hutchinson Crouch
Genre: Historical fantasy romcom
Rep: Bi
Series: Book 2 of Cursed
It’s 1599. Fang and Lazare are on the run with their friends Amber, Nell and half-fae child Tem. The news that Tem possesses the power to make humans immortal is spreading across London like wildfire—and has even reached the ears of the ailing Queen Elizabeth Tudor.
Desperate to avoid capture by the English crown, keep Tem safe, reverse their curse and not all die, the gang flee to The Lost City of Llanelli, the realm of the dragon queen Redthroat the Invincible. Rumoured to have almighty power, does Redthroat really have the answers to their problems? And if they can stop getting attacked by muggers, harpies and dragons for five minutes, might Fang and Lazare be able to admit they are falling in love?
Link: Farrago Books
July 20, 2025
The Wizard — Niranjan
Genre: Fantasy
Rep: Queer
Series: Book 1 of The Knights of Fedoris
In the land of Ea, magic runs in bloodlines. But it is also believed to be evil, with the Order of the Knights of Fedoris ready to crack down on anyone who shows any hint of magic.
Stevin has hidden his magical ability all his life. When he and his friends are abducted and carried away to an island by the Wizards who only want them for their magic, he realises that learning to control his powers may be his only chance of survival. But why is the leader of the wizards so interested in his friends, and why is the enigmatic wizard Gertin offering to help him?
Beset on all sides and unable to trust anyone, Stevin must learn to accept his magic and to fight for everyone he holds dear if he’s to survive. But can he learn to master his powers while hiding his true potential from his captors?
The Wizard is the first book of The Knights of Fedoris, a queer epic fantasy adventure that features morally grey characters, hard choices and high stakes.
Link: Bookfunnel
July 22, 2025
Daughters of Flood and Fury — Gabriella Buba
Genre: Fantasy
Rep: Sapphic
Series: Book 2 of The Stormbringer Saga
In this powerful sequel to Saints of Storm and Sorrow, Lunurin and Alon struggle to unify the archipelago against the returning Codicíans, while Inez embraces her power and makes new allies among the ruthless pirates of the South Sea.
Enthralling Filipino-inspired fantasy for fans of The Hurricane Wars, R.F. Kuang and Tasha Suri.
Several years after the defeat of the Codicíans in Aynila, Lunurin and Alon are fighting to solidify their alliances across the archipelago. But petty rivalries, suspicion and conflicted loyalties threaten to undermine their efforts.
Inez has been training as a tide-touched healer with Alon, but the gentle side of Aman Sinaya’s gift does not come naturally to her. When she hears a rumour that her sister Catalina is living among a group of missionaries on a nearby island, Inez embarks on a dangerous journey over the sea. Aboard a pirate ship, she meets Umali, the boat’s fierce fire-tender captain. Umali has never been gentle, and she burns brighter than anyone Inez has ever known.
Lunurin and Alon are desperate to follow Inez, but the Codícians are closing in with a powerful armada to retake Aynila. To stand any chance, Lunurin must unify the disparate factions of her forces before the festival of the eclipse, when the world’s magic will be at its strongest.
Three goddesses stand behind them. But without human allies, even that power may not be enough to save their islands and the people they love.
Link: Goodreads
Fanning the Flames — Kelly Farmer
Genre: Superhero
Rep: F/F
Series: Book 2 of Vector City Supers
You can’t just walk away from villainy…
Things are going great for Joan Malone since hanging up her Spark suit. She’s found love with the best girlfriend in Vector City. The food truck she and her twin brother opened a few months ago is a success. So what if she’s having nightmares about turning on her cohorts from her Supervillain days? And maybe it’s been a hard transition from the world of Supers to being a normal, everyday citizen. She’ll gladly deal with a few growing pains to have the quiet life she’s always wanted.
Sadie Eagan is one step closer to all her dreams coming true. Her amazing girlfriend has superpowers. She’s supporting Joan’s new business endeavor at the food truck. Sure, she could be working on her own plans to open a café, but it’s not the right time. What if she fails?
When new Villains arrive to cause chaos in Vector City, the Superheroes need some help from the former Supervillains. Joan doesn’t want to jeopardize her peaceful situation, but she can’t turn away from being Spark. Even when it puts her at odds with old friends.
Villain activity pushes Sadie’s coffeehouse farther out of reach, and also cuts into her at-home time with Joan. Being involved with Superhero affairs means coming to terms with what they both really want. It’ll take some unlikely allies to show Sadie and Joan the extraordinary lives they can have if they’re brave enough to risk getting burned.
Link: Goodreads
Volatile Memory — Seth Haddon
Genre: Science fiction, space opera
Rep: Sapphic; trans woman MC
Series: Book 1 of the Volatile Memory Duology
Ex Machina meets This is How You Lose the Time War. Seth Haddon’s science fiction debut, Volatile Memory, is a heart-filled, vengeful sapphic sci-fi action adventure novella.
With nothing but a limping ship and an outdated mask to her name, Wylla needs a big pay day. When the call goes out that a lucrative piece of tech is waiting on a nearby planet, she relies on all the swiftness of her prey-animal instincts to beat other hunters to it.
(What you found wasn’t your ticket out—it was my corpse wearing an AI mask. When you touched the mask, you heard my voice. A consciousness spinning through metal and circuits, a bodiless mind, spun to life in the HAWK’s temporary storage. I crystallized, and I was alive.)
Masks aren’t supposed to retain memory, much less identity, but the woman inside the MARK I HAWK is real, and she sees Wylla in a way no one ever has. Sees her, and doesn’t find her wanting or unwhole.
Armed with military-grade tech and a lifetime of staying one step ahead of the hunters, Wylla and HAWK set off to get answers from the man who discarded HAWK once: her ex-husband.
Link: Goodreads
Sky on Fire — E.K. Johnston
Genre: YA science fiction fantasy, retelling
Rep: Queer
Series: Standalone in established universe
A fast-paced and thought-provoking queer sci-fi/fantasy novel from #1 New York Times bestseller E. K. Johnston.
Morgan Enni has things to do. A science prodigy in a university full of mage-scientists, she’s notable for having no magical ability, which only increases her ambition and drive to prove herself. Her research has the potential to devastate every aetherworker in the galaxy and shake the crumbled foundations of the Stavenger Empire. It’s no wonder she can’t find anyone who wants to listen to her, much less fund her expedition.
But Morgan is stubborn, and eventually her work catches the attention of a group of rebels, who hope it might turn the tide in their favour. When they try to recruit the young scientist, they get much more than they bargained for. Morgan Enni has secrets of her own.
Set in the world of Aetherbound, E. K. Johnston continues to entwine Arthurian myth and the history of North Atlantic fisheries in a clever, character-driven space fantasy.
Link: Goodreads
Red Rabbit Ghost — Jen Julian
Genre: Horror
Rep: Bi MC
The town of Blacknot is not what it appears, and a place deep in the woods known only as The Night House is calling...
Jesse Calloway hadn’t planned to return to his repressive, backwoods hometown of Blacknot, North Carolina, after only one year away at college, but an anonymous messenger has lured him home. Eighteen years ago, his mother died under unexplained circumstances. Every story he has heard is incomplete. Now, the messenger claims to have the answers. But Jesse will have to hunt for them.
Alice Catherine, the daughter of a local pork manufacturer, obsesses over Jesse in turn. To her, he is a key player in unearthing the dark family history she’s convinced her father is concealing. Alice knows Jesse must find the answers himself, with the hope that once he does, he’ll help her change both their futures.
But Jesse’s path to Alice isn’t a straight line, and his questions are stirring up issues with locals, including his much older and well-armed ex-boyfriend, Harlan. When an old fling of Jesse’s goes missing and Alice’s plans start to unravel, it’s clear there’s more at stake than either of them could imagine. On a collision course littered with psychotropic fungi, time-warping magic, and far too many alligators, Jesse and Alice will need to determine how far they are willing to go for the truth, and whether they can trust each other enough to get there...
Link: Goodreads
The Library at Hellebore — Cassandra Khaw
Genre: Fantasy, dark academia
Rep: Queer
A deeply dark academia novel from USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw, perfect for fans of A Deadly Education and The Atlas Six who are hungry for something a little more diabolical.
The Hellebore Technical Institute for the Gifted is the premier academy for the dangerously powerful: the Anti-Christs and Ragnaroks, the world-eaters and apocalypse-makers.
Hellebore promises redemption, acceptance, and a normal life after graduation. At least, that’s what Alessa Li is told when she’s kidnapped and forcibly enrolled.
But there’s more to Hellebore than meets the eye. On graduation day, the faculty go on a ravenous rampage, feasting on Alessa’s class. Only Alessa and a group of her classmates escape the carnage. Trapped in the school’s library, they must offer a human sacrifice every night, or else the faculty will break down the door and kill everyone.
Can they band together and survive, or will the faculty eat its fill?
Link: Goodreads
The Phoenix Pencil Company — Allison King
Genre: Fantasy
Rep: Queer
In this dazzling debut novel, a hidden and nearly forgotten magic—of Reforging pencils, bringing the memories they contain back to life—holds the power to transform a young woman’s relationship with her grandmother, and to mend long-lost connections across time and space.
Monica Tsai spends most days on her computer, journaling the details of her ordinary life and coding for a program that seeks to connect strangers online. A self-proclaimed recluse, she’s always struggled to make friends and, as a college freshman, finds herself escaping into a digital world, counting the days until she can return home to her beloved grandparents. They are now in their nineties, and Monica worries about them constantly—especially her grandmother, Yun, who survived two wars in China before coming to the States, and whose memory has begun to fade.
Though Yun rarely speaks of her past, Monica is determined to find the long-lost cousin she was separated from years ago. One day, the very program Monica is helping to build connects her to a young woman, whose gift of a single pencil holds a surprising clue. Monica’s discovery of a hidden family history is exquisitely braided with Yun’s own memories as she writes of her years in Shanghai, working at the Phoenix Pencil Company. As WWII rages outside their door, Yun and her cousin, Meng, learn of a special power the women in their family possess: the ability to Reforge a pencil’s words. But when the government uncovers their secret, they are forced into a life of espionage, betraying other people’s stories to survive.
Combining the cross-generational family saga and epistolary form of A Tale for the Time Being with the uplifting, emotional magic of The Midnight Library, Allison King’s stunning debut novel asks: Who owns and inherits our stories? The answers and secrets that surface on the page may have the unerasable power to reconnect a family and restore a legacy.
Link: Goodreads
July 23, 2025
Echo of the Larkspur — A.A. Freeman
Genre: Science fiction romance
Rep: Queer, M/M
Series: Book 1 of The Daisy Chain Chronicles
The sole survivor of a massacre, Dr. Ciro Kwakkenbos has spent the last six years in intensive therapy. He’s finally capable of working with Artificial Intelligence again—and comes to the Ceres colony determined to prevent robots from committing any future atrocities.
When he arrives, Ciro realizes the robot in charge of the colony’s security, S.A.G.E. (Sentient Automated Geo-sentinel Engineer), is dangerously close to complete sentience. S.A.G.E. is more interested in observing the colonists’ everyday lives (and matching them with appropriate musical soundtracks) than following its intended programming. Robots aren’t supposed to be charming, kind, or compassionate, either.
But as Ciro investigates, he discovers S.A.G.E. has learned how to lie and—possibly—harm and kill humans. Worse, S.A.G.E.’s memories have been hacked, deleting a deadly secret.
Despite the danger S.A.G.E. poses, Ciro can’t deny the feelings growing between them. Now Ciro must unravel the truth behind the missing memories—before S.A.G.E. and the colony are doomed.
Link: Goodreads
July 25, 2025
Binds and Breath — Sorrel D. Richmond
Genre: Fantasy romance
Rep: Sapphic
Series: Book 2 of Goddess of the Trees
Beulah is back. Tormented by a painful past and a power she never asked for, she must choose: succumb to fear or trust that Stella’s love is truer than the spell that tethers them.
Beatrice, torn between the safety of home and the danger of love, takes a fool’s leap—one that leads her straight into heartbreak.
And, from her place within the sacred circle of trees, First Mother watches her granddaughters' actions. To claim her own freedom, she conjures a plan that could unleash the Goddess’s wrath upon them all. Blood binds, love breaks, and choices set the wheel of fortune whirling.
Link: Goodreads
July 27, 2025
Endless Lives — Niranjan
Genre: Romantic fantasy
Rep: Queer
When Adriel arrests the mage, Westin, the last thing he expects is for the man to break out of an unbreakable prison. Not only that, but Westin is also out for revenge, killing two of Adriel’s colleagues.
But when Westin saves his life and that of his team in a mission to save kidnapped children, Adriel finds himself questioning the man’s motives. Especially when it seems as if Adriel’s boss and Westin seem to be hiding secrets relating to him.
Adding to the confusion is the visions that had been plaguing him ever since a raid on Westin’s house: visions related to his past lives, which seem to be affecting his health. The only solution is to remember in full, but to do that, he needs to trust Westin.
Endless Lives is a queer romantic fantasy novel with morally grey characters and soulmates. If you like soulmates, enemies to lovers, past lives and personal stakes, you will love this tale.
Link: Bookfunnel
July 29, 2025
The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World — J.R. Dawson
Genre: Contemporary fantasy
Rep: Queer
The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J. R. Dawson is a powerful and poignant contemporary queer fantasy. Perfect for fans of Hadestown and Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune.
Love doesn’t die, people do...
At the edge of Chicago, nestled on the shores of Lake Michigan, there is a waystation for the dead. Every night, the newly departed travel through the city to the Station, guided by its lighthouse. There, they reckon with their lives before stepping aboard a boat to go beyond.
Nera has spent decades watching her father—the ferryman of the dead—sail across the lake, each night just like the last.
But tonight, something is wrong.
The Station’s lighthouse has started to flicker out. The terrifying, ghostly Haunts have multiplied in the city. And now a person—a living person—has found her way onto the boat.
Her name is Charlie. She followed a song. And she is searching for someone she lost.
Link: Goodreads
Sweet & Wild — Alex Larkspur
Genre: Cozy fantasy
Rep: M/M
Micah Harlow has just moved to Roseyard, a small town on the edge of a mysterious forest. Filled with hope for a new start here, Micah ventures into the woods to forage and, of course, make an offering to the guardian spirit within.
However, this forest is unlike any that Micah has been in before. The spirit himself appears and takes an interest in Micah, helping him to find whatever he needs and spending time with him. To complicate things further, the town of Roseyard is far different than Micah expects. The citizens call the guardian spirit within the woods a beast, and they seem to be held under the thumb of one affluent man.
In order to survive and thrive, Micah will be pulled further into the magic of the forest and its spirit, all while cultivating relationships within Roseyard. And hopefully, heal the wounds of his damaged heart.
Link: Books2Read
Silvercloak — Laura Steven
Genre: Fantasy
Rep: Queer
Series: Book 1 of The Silvercloak Saga
In this addictive new fantasy series set in a world where magic is fueled by pleasure and pain, an obsessive detective infiltrates a brutal gang of dark mages—knowing that one wrong move will get her killed...
Two decades ago, the Bloodmoons ruthlessly murdered Saffron Killoran’s parents, destroying her idyllic childhood. Hell-bent on revenge, she lies her way into Silvercloak Academy—the training ground for her city’s elite order of detectives—with a single goal: to bring the Bloodmoons to justice.
But when Saff’s deception is exposed, rather than being cast out, she’s given a rare opportunity: to go undercover and tear the Bloodmoons down from the inside.
Descending into a world where pleasure and pain are the most powerful currencies, Saff must commit some truly heinous deeds to keep her cover—and her life. Not only are there rival gangs and sinister smuggling rings to contend with, but there’s also her growing feelings for the kingpin’s tortured son, with his vicious pet fallowwolf, his dark past, and the curious prophecy foretelling his death at Saffron’s hand.
With each day testing her loyalties further, Saff finds her web of lies becoming harder to spin. And when one false step could destroy everything and everyone she’s ever loved... the detective who’s dedicated her life to vengeance just might die for it.
Link: Penguin Random House
The Memory Hunters — Mia Tsai
Genre: Fantasy
Rep: Sapphic
Blending the archaeological heist intrigue of Indiana Jones, the mind-bending speculative conceits of Inception, the dark academia adjacency of The Cloisters, and the dystopian climate disasters of How High We Go in the Dark or The Fifth Season with a queer love story in an Appalachian-influenced setting, a memory hunter and her bodyguard unearth a terrible secret about the foundations of their society in this twisty, propulsive science fantasy set in a world where generations of memories are etched in blood.
Kiana Strade can dive deeper into blood memories than anyone alive. But instead of devoting her talents to the temple she’s meant to lead, Key is determined to use her skill as a researcher for the Museum of Human Memory... and to avoid the public eye in opulent, cutthroat Asheburg.
Valerian might look like a delicate country girl, but her lightning-fast swords protect Key from murderous rivals and her own enthusiasm alike. Vale cares about Key as a friend—and maybe more—but most of all, she needs to keep her job so she can support her parents and siblings in the storm-torn south.
But when Key collects a memory about the founding of the temple that diverges from official history, no one but Vale sees the fallout. Key’s mentor suspiciously dismisses the finding. Her powerful mother demands she stop research altogether. And Key, unusually affected by the memory, begins to lose moments, then minutes, then, for her own safety, days.
As Vale becomes increasingly entangled in Key’s obsessive drive for answers, the two women uncover a shattering discovery—and a devastating betrayal. Key and Vale can remain complicit in the Museum’s unethical practices, or they can jeopardize everything to bring the truth to light; either way, Key is becoming consumed by the past in more ways than one, and time is running out.
Link: Goodreads
July 31, 2025
The Taste of Lies — Mindi Briar
Genre: Science fiction
Rep: Aromantic MC; M/M relationship
Series: Book 4 of The Halcyon Universe
A charismatic, sexy guitarist… who’s here to kill.
Deep undercover as a hot new rock band on the Moon Palace, Jed and his team are Greenjacket rebels with a mission: assassinate problematic royals and destabilize the Emperor’s rule. When a disastrous failed attempt draws the attention of his ex, a noble lady, Jed fears his cover’s about to be blown. Lady Saray is far too perceptive, and the way she gets him to say things he’s sworn to keep secret is… almost like magic.
A royal lady-in-waiting who can literally smell a lie.
The ability to taste the truth, and even force others to tell it, keeps Saray alive in the viciously competitive Moon Palace society. But it also makes her a perilous weapon in the wrong hands. If the Emperor knew the extent of her power, he’d use her against the people and planets she loves.
A kidnapping that puts them all in danger.
When a young prince is stolen and Saray’s father framed, the Emperor threatens an attack against her peaceful home planet. With both Saray’s and Jed’s secrets on the brink of being revealed, they team up with Simon, a reclusive hacker, to track down the child before it’s too late. Trusting each other—and facing their darkest fears—might be their only chance to keep the galaxy from exploding into war.
This action-packed continuation of the Halcyon Universe series includes an aromantic main character, a low-spice M/M romance, and a heaping tablespoon of feminine rage. It can be read standalone, but to avoid spoilers, read in order after Petrichor Blooms and The Invisible Bright.
Link: Goodreads
The Needfire — MK Hardy
Genre: Gothic horror
Rep: Queer
You are afraid of the border places. You are afraid of the fork in the road.
Fleeing her mistakes in Glasgow for a marriage of convenience, Norah Mackenzie’s new home on an estate far in the north of Scotland is a chance for freedom, a fresh start. But in the dim, draughty corridors of Corrain House, something is very wrong. Despite their warm correspondence, her distant, melancholic husband does not seem to know her. She is plagued by ghost ships on the sea, spectres at the corner of her eye, by winding, grasping roots. Her only possible companion, the housekeeper Agnes Gunn, is by turns unnerving and alluring, and harbours uncanny secrets of her own.
As the foundations crumble beneath her feet, Norah must uncover the truth about Corrain House, her husband, Agnes, and herself, if she is to find the freedom she has been chasing.
Link: Simon and Schuster
The Elysium Heist — Y.M. Resnik
Genre: Science fiction
Rep: Jewish, sapphic
A queer sci-fi heist for fans of Ocean’s 8 and Lady Eve’s Last Con!
The Elysium is a decadent, artificially intelligent, space casino where no pleasure is denied to patrons that can afford to pay. It’s easy to rack up debt, and the casino will always find a way to collect. Nobody knows this better than Psalome Shipmen, The Elysium’s highest earning hostess who is stuck working endless hours to pay off the debt she inherited from her deadbeat, gambler father. She’ll endure years of service before she earns her way out. Unless she can figure out how to rob the casino. Pull off the job, and she walks free that very night.
Joining her on the heist crew are a disgraced heiress seeking to rescue her family business, a recovering alcoholic card counter, a religious Jew whose husband refuses to grant her a divorce, and Psalome’s little sister who is dating The Elysium’s artificial intelligence. When sparks fly between Psalome and the would-be divorcee, her abusive husband threatens to drag her back to their home planet as his property. Meanwhile, the little sister struggles to reconcile her loyalty to Psalome with her desire to protect her romantic partner, The Elysium. To make matters worse, the card shark is drinking again and the heiress has a severe case of PTSD triggered by The Elysium’s many security cameras.
If Psalome can’t find a way to keep everyone from self imploding, she can kiss her freedom, her girlfriend, and her sister’s trust, goodbye.
Link: Goodreads