Continuing with the Queer Love theme, I wanted to highlight and talk about Trans books that are so often not highlighted. Every year the Trans Rights Readathon is a great way for me to receive recommendations of various books under the Trans identity that I want to make space for: both in my owned book collection, but also in bookish spaces.
In the list below, you’ll find both books that I have read and enjoyed, as well as books that are on my list to read. There is another book that has been loosely announced but I cannot find online outside of Patreon, therefore, it is not included in the below listing.
Trans books I’ve read and enjoyed:
Chef's Choice by TJ Alexander
Series: Chef's Kiss #2
Published by Simon and Schuster on May 30, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / LGBTQ+ / General, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Pages: 336
GoodreadsA 2024 Lambda Literary Award Finalist
“Urgent and intimate.” —The New York Times Book Review
A fake dating arrangement turns to real love in this deliciously delightful queer rom-com from the author of the sweetly satisfying Chef’s Kiss.
When Luna O’Shea is unceremoniously fired from her frustrating office job, she tries to count her blessings: she’s a proud trans woman who has plenty of friends, a wonderful roommate, and a good life in New York City. But blessings don’t pay the bills.
Enter Jean-Pierre, a laissez-faire trans man and the heir to a huge culinary empire—which he’ll only inherit if he can jump through all the hoops his celebrity chef grandfather has placed in his path. First hoop: he needs a girlfriend, a role that Luna is happy to play…for the right price. She’s got rent to pay, after all! Second hoop: they both need to learn how to cook a series of elaborate, world-renowned family recipes to prove that Jean-Pierre is a worthy heir. Admittedly, Luna doesn’t even know how to crack an egg, but she’s not going to let that—or any pesky feelings for Jean-Pierre—stop her.
Another swoon-worthy and heartwarming queer love story from a charming new voice in romance.
Not So Best Wishes by Clio Evans
Series: Warts & Claws Inc. #2
Published by Amazon Digital Services LLC - Kdp on September 19, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Erotica / General
Pages: 188
GoodreadsIt's just another Monster Monday...
Lora expected many things to happen- but sparks flying between her, the new HR agent, and her manticore coworker wasn't one of them.
Mich is a handsome manticore who goes into rut after a fateful encounter with Lora and Cinder. Cinder is the new sexy HR agent with secrets they can't keep for long.
The office environment starts to get hot as these three fall into an affair they can't stop. Love and heat are in the air, but as the corporate enemy starts to emerge, everything changes for monsters and witches alike.
Can Lora, Mich, and Cinder make it to the weekend without losing their newfound love and jobs?
This story contains the following:
- SPICY Monster Office Romance
- Fated Mates
- BDSM
- Stapling
- Nonbinary Representation
- Evil HR overlords
- and more;)
The Warts & Claws Inc series is a spicy monster romance series following an evil HR department vs. the office. Each book will have a different relationship dynamic, inappropriate use of office supplies, creatures finding love, and more. Follow Clio Evans on Instagram, Facebook, or Tiktok to stay up to date on monster related shenanigans.
Drag Me Up by R. M. Virtues
Series: Gods of Hunger #1
Published by Strange Hungers Publishing on March 6, 2021
Genres: Fiction / Erotica / General, Fiction / Romance / Fantasy, Fiction / Romance / General
Pages: 276
GoodreadsThey say he's a myth...
And Hades prefers it that way. He may do all the work, and Zeus may get all the credit, but at least it allows Hades to preserve the one thing he truly cares to have: his solitude. The mere mention of the Wraith of Khaos Falls is enough to keep order, and he is rarely forced to leave the shadows of Casino Asphodel.
She belongs in the spotlight...
And Persephone clawed her way out of Demeter's shadow to reach it. Now she's lead in Calliope's Cirque production but not without great cost, and there is not enough money in the world to pay off the debt accrued for the simple mistake of trusting Zeus. Though it's easier to ignore the bars when she still has room to fly.
Landing a residency at the legendary Casino Asphodel is everything she trained for. Meeting a man she'd been convinced didn't exist? She could never be prepared for that. Hades isn't prepared for her either, but it's soon evident they're a force when together. He gives her a soft place to land, and she makes him want to reach for the stars. But when Zeus ups the stakes, they must be willing to go all in, even if it means coming down from the sky. Or stepping into the light.
They Were Roommates by Dawn Cutler-Tran
Published by Dawn Cutler-Tran on November 2, 2023
Genres: Fiction / LGBTQ+ / Gay, Fiction / Romance / LGBTQ+ / Gay
Pages: 232
GoodreadsDive into the captivating Not so Normative world with this exciting prequel, featuring Frankie and Diego.
Being the fun-loving, good time not a long time guy was going great for Frankie until he met the ruggedly handsome yet aloof Diego. At first, he thought meeting Diego could be the start to his enemies-to-lovers romance - except he doesn't do romance. After Diego opens up to him about being trans, they become fast friends and eventually decide to open a business together. Frankie is sure he can be a mature business partner, but does that mean that's all they can ever be?
Diego has spent a long time working towards becoming the man he is today, but he still has a long way to go, and a lot of goals he wants to achieve. The last thing he needs is the class flirt distracting him. But when Frankie proves to be a lot more than he seems, kind, intelligent and impossible to shake, Diego wonders if he can settle for starting a business together and just being roommates. What could possibly go wrong?
They Were Roommates is a cute MM romance that celebrates the rich diversity of trans-masculine, gay, demi, and omni characters. Explore the sweet and spicy moments these two roommates share as they open an inclusive cafe and form an affirming queer community together.
Sunset Springs by Kacen Callender
Published by Audible Originals on June 3, 2021
Genres: Fiction / LGBTQ+ / General, Fiction / Romance / General, Fiction / Romance / LGBTQ+ / Transgender
GoodreadsNo job, no money, no love - and to make things worse, 27-year-old Charlie has no choice but to leave New York City and move in with his mom in his isolated and conservative hometown of Sunset Springs.
Home isn’t a comfortable place for Charlie. One of very few Black residents and the only trans person around town that he knows of, this will be Charlie’s first time back in Sunset Springs since he transitioned. He expects confusion and maybe even hostility. He definitely does not expect Jackson Ford.
Jack was the brooding yet beloved football star at their high school, but now, he’s an outsider after coming out as gay. When Charlie and Jackson fall for each other in a swift and surprising romance, Charlie has to decide if he’s willing to exchange his old dreams for a new one.
Sunset Springs is an audio novella about finding courage to allow unexpected change, even at the risk of a broken heart.
Trans books on my TBR:
Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander
Published by Simon and Schuster on December 5, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / LGBTQ+ / General, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Pages: 352
GoodreadsA trans man returns to his Florida hometown for Christmas after his career goes up in flames, only to cross paths with his high school ex in this charming rom-com about family and second chances from the author of the “delectable” (Time) Chef’s Kiss.
Eli Ward hasn’t been back to his suffocating hometown of New Port Stephen, Florida, in ages. Post-transition and sober, he’s a completely different person from the one who left years ago. But when a scandal threatens his career as a TV writer and comedian, he has no choice but to return home for the holidays. He can only hope he’ll survive his boisterous, loving, but often misguided family and hide the fact that his dream of comedy success has become a nightmare.
Just when he thinks this trip couldn’t get any worse, Eli bumps into his high school ex, Nick Wu, who’s somehow hotter than ever. Divorced and in his forties, Nick’s world revolves around his father, his daughter, and his job. But even a busy life can’t keep him from being intrigued by the reappearance of Eli.
Against the backdrop of one weird Floridian Christmas, the two must decide whether to leave the past in the past…or move on together.
Prince of the Sorrows by Kellen Graves
Series: Rowan Blood #1
Published by Kellen Graves on March 31, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / General, Fiction / LGBTQ+ / Gay
Pages: 359
Goodreads"Without an academic endorsement to make him valuable to the high fey, Saffron will be sent back through the veil to the human world. The place he was traded from as a changeling-baby, and a place he is terrified of. And while getting an endorsement shouldn't be impossible, it's hindered by the fact his literacy is self-taught, using books stolen off of Morrígan Academy's campus of high fey students. When mistaken identity leads to Saffron learning the true name of brooding, self-centered, high fey Prince Cylvan, what begins as a risk of losing his life (or his tongue) becomes an opportunity to earn the future he wants. In exchange for an endorsement, he and Cylvan form a geis where Saffron agrees to find a spell to strip power from Cylvan's true name. While Prince Cylvan doesn't know Saffron can barely read, Saffron is determined to meet his end of the deal in order to remain in Alfidel or, maybe, just to remain by Cylvan's side, as affections grow stronger every night they spend alone in the library together. But as other human servants soon fall victim to a beast known only as "the wolf", Saffron realizes he has embroiled himself in a manipulative reach for power like he never anticipated and even Prince Cylvan cannot be trusted. Between the wolf, uncovering forbidden magic, and his growing feelings for the prince, Saffron will have to decide which is most important to him his endorsement, the lives of his friends, or the prince's life and wellbeing."-- Back cover.
Keep Me Close by R. M. Virtues
Series: Gods of Hunger #2
Published by Strange Hungers Publishing on July 30, 2021
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / General, Fiction / Fantasy / Romance, Fiction / Romance / General, Fiction / Romance / Suspense
Pages: 348
GoodreadsShe is the closest thing Khaos Falls has to a goddess...
And Aphrodite is feared and worshipped in equal measure. She has dedicated her life to being a savior for the lost regardless of the risk, but when unknown enemies nearly assassinate her in her own club, she realizes her reckless vigilante tactics won't cut it anymore.
He is the furthest thing Khaos Falls has from a hero...
In fact, Hephaestus is who you call when all the heroes have fallen. Still, he is the best at what he does, strengthening the city's weaknesses and keeping his feelings out of it. When tasked with Aphrodite's personal security, it's easy for him to detach himself from their mutual disdain. Until disdain is no longer the only thing he feels for her.
With their enemies elusive and snakes in their midst, good hearts and sharp wit may not be enough. But he made a vow, and he will keep it. Even if it means turning newfound feelings into newfound strengths and using them as a weapon to protect her.
This book contains the following:
on page violence, explicit sex, rough sex, daddy kink, consensual sex work, physical violence, attempted murder, on page death, conversations around and about human trafficking (no sexual assault or violence within this topic on page, but the MCs are up against traffickers and so conversations surrounding trafficking are present), guns, knives, bombs, ableist language (addressed on page).
The Prospects by KT Hoffman
Published by Random House Publishing Group on April 9, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / LGBTQ+ / Transgender, Fiction / Romance / Sports
Pages: 384
Goodreads“A queer sports romance and a triumphant debut . . . a heartstring-pulling tale of two minor-league baseball rivals who realize they play much better together.”—Elle, The Best (and Most Anticipated) Romance Books of 2024, So Far
“I completely adored it.”—Casey McQuiston, author of Red, White & Royal BlueMinor leagues. Major chemistry.
Hope is familiar territory for Gene Ionescu. He has always loved baseball, a sport made for underdogs and optimists like him. He also loves his team, the minor league Beaverton Beavers, and, for the most part, he loves the career he’s built. As the first openly trans player in professional baseball, Gene has nearly everything he’s ever let himself dream of—that is, until Luis Estrada, Gene’s former teammate and current rival, gets traded to the Beavers, destroying the careful equilibrium of Gene’s life.
Gene and Luis can’t manage a civil conversation off the field or a competent play on it, but in the close confines of dugout benches and roadie buses, they begrudgingly rediscover a comfortable rhythm. As the two grow closer, the tension between them turns electric, and their chemistry spills past the confines of the stadium. For every tight double play they execute, there’s also a glance at summer-tan shoulders or a secret shared, each one a breathless moment of possibility that ignites in Gene the visceral, terrifying kind of desire he’s never allowed himself. Soon, Gene has to reconcile the quiet, minor-league-sized life he used to find fulfilling with the major-league dreams Luis inspires.
This triumphant debut romance reveals what’s possible when we allow ourselves to want something enough to swing for the fences.
