LGBTQ+ Books Releasing July 2025

July is set to introduce some scorching romances, epic fantasies, and chilling horrors from emerging and well-loved queer authors! Add these much-anticipated upcoming novels to your TBRs and beach bags this summer.

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On the 1st, enjoy Thrill of the Chase by Kathryn Nolan, a sapphic bi4bi adventure romance.

When rivals Harper and Eve are forced to team up on a high-stakes treasure hunt, sparks fly, secrets unravel, and the biggest prize might just be their hearts.

Reporter Harper Hendrix is chasing a career-making story—and the legendary Blackburn Diamonds are her ticket to the top. She’s smart, ambitious, and definitely not distracted by the infuriatingly hot antiques salvager standing in her way.

Eve Bardot has spent years searching for the diamonds, and she’s not about to let a pesky, too-charming reporter ruin her shot. But when rival treasure hunters close in, Eve and Harper strike an uneasy truce to track down the prize together.

Their partnership? Purely strategic. The bickering? Nonstop. The chemistry? A complete disaster.

As clues pile up and tension turns explosive, Harper and Eve must decide what’s more the hunt…or falling for each other.

And follow it up with Claire Highton-Stevenson's newest sapphic contemporary romance, Catching Carrie.

Running from relationships isn’t so simple when Love is in hot pursuit.

Carrie Darwin doesn’t do commitment. During the day, she helps women maximize their pleasure at the sex toy store she manages, and at night she seeks out her own satisfaction through a series of hot and casual liaisons. But when she meets a bold and breathtaking blonde who’s new in town, the night they share may be hot, but the feelings that ignite are not casual. Unnervingly intense, maybe. But not casual.

Taylor Price goes after what she wants. Whether it’s in her career as a physiotherapist for a winning women’s football team or her love life, she’s not afraid to fight for happiness. Scaling Carrie’s emotional walls to capture her heart could be Taylor’s biggest challenge yet and also her sweetest victory…if it doesn’t prove to be her deepest heartache first.

Passion-fueled encounters and intimate moments draw them closer and closer together. Will their connection lead to disaster or a true love worth chasing?

Fans of sexy, confident heroines with tender hearts will swoon for Catching Carrie: a steamy and satisfying one-night-to-forever sapphic romance.

If you prefer achillean historical fantasy, the third book in the Roaring Twenties Magic series, Viscounts and Villainy, by Allie Therin releases on the same day!

Don’t miss the conclusion to this spin-off series from Allie Therin’s acclaimed Magic in Manhattan universe!

Love redeemed them, but the past isn’t done with them yet.

New York, 1925

For jaded Lord Fine—Wesley, to the friends he’s surprised he now has—falling into his lover Sebastian’s world of magic and intrigue has changed everything. But when a plot to destroy magic is linked to Wesley’s own aristocratic world, he’s determined to root it out—especially when it threatens newly vulnerable Sebastian.

Sebastian will never regret sacrificing his magic to save Wesley’s life, even if life without magic is challenging and sometimes dangerous. But now he faces the biggest danger infiltrating Wesley’s viscount circles to find a villain, without magic to protect them, because Sebastian’s magic is gone forever…isn’t it?

Joined by old friends, Wesley and Sebastian follow the clues from New York’s speakeasies, across the ocean to England, and finally to a duke’s country estate. Always one step behind, they must race against time to stop those responsible and end the threat to the world, and magic, once and for all.

Pick up The Original by Nell Stevens for an extra dose of the queer historical genre.

In a grand English country house in 1899, an aspiring art forger must unravel whether the man claiming to be her long-lost cousin is an impostor.

An unwanted guest of her uncle’s family since childhood, Grace has grown up on the periphery of a once-great household. She has unusual predilections: for painting, particularly forgery; for deception; for other girls. Her life is altered when a letter arrives from the South Atlantic. The writer claims to be her cousin Charles, long presumed dead at sea. When he returns, a rift emerges between family members who claim he is an imposter and Grace’s aunt, who insists he is her son. Grace, whose intimate knowledge of fakes is her own closely guarded secret, is forced to decide who to believe and who to pretend to believe. In deciphering the truth about her cousin, she comes to understand other truths: how money is found and lost, and who deserves to be rich; what family means to queer people; and the value of authenticity, in art and in love.

Or hop back into present-day with Crash Test by Amy James, an achillean sports romance releasing on the 1st.

Formula 1 meets Red, White, & Royal Blue in this contemporary romance in which an F1 phenom battling for the championship is sent spinning after his secret love is involved in a massive crash.

Twenty-four-year-old Formula 1 driver Travis Keeping is halfway through an incredible racing season, with the championship well within his sights. But when a massive crash in Formula 2 leaves driver Jacob Nichols in critical condition, Travis’s world is flipped upside down. No one knows, but he and Jacob have been dating for almost a year.

Now the only boy he’s ever loved is clinging to life, his F1 team can’t understand why his performance is faltering, and he’s locked in a cold war with Jacob’s parents, who want him as far away from their son as humanly possible. Travis is sure everything will get better when Jacob wakes up, but he soon realizes he’s underestimated Jacob’s parents’ influence on their son.

As the F1 season barrels on, Travis and Jacob find themselves alone and miserable on opposite sides of the globe. But with some new friends by their sides, both drivers will be pushed outside of their comfort zones and onto a journey of self-discovery—one that just might lead them back to each other in the end.

Seven Days in Tokyo by José Daniel Alvior also promises an achillean romance.

Two strangers meet in Manhattan and spend a perfect night together. In Tokyo, they have seven days to see if that one night might mean something more.

Landon’s living alone in Tokyo as a British ‘expat’, Louie’s visiting while he anxiously waits for approval on his US visa. Against the backdrop of a misty Tokyo Spring, their precious time together is spent wandering into side streets and coffee shops, sharing unmade beds and plates of food. But as the days tick by, Louie’s expectations start to overtake reality and he falls too deeply for a life that’s not yet his.

Breathtakingly tender, Seven Days in Tokyo is an astonishing debut about the intricacies of desire and a search for belonging. It is a lyrical, immersive portrait of how some things, however beautiful and profound, are destined to be as short-lived as the cherry blossoms.

Hot Girls with Balls by Benedict Nguyen is a satire featuring trans rep out on the 1st.

In this outrageous and deeply serious satire, two star indoor volleyball players juggle unspoken jealousies in their off-court romance ahead of their rival teams’ first rematch in a year

Six is 6’7”, scheming to rejoin the starting lineup, and barely checks her phone. Green is 6’1”, always building her brand, and secretly jealous of her more famous girlfriend. Together, they’re going where no Asian American trans woman has gone before: the men’s pro indoor volleyball league. Our hot girls with balls just thought playing with the boys would spare them some controversy . . . haha.

Besides playing for rival teams, they’re also lovers tending to their relationship between away games, time zones, and their weekly Instagraph live show. Soon, they’ll reunite for the championship tournament, the first to accommodate in-person fans since the COVIS pandemic struck the world a year ago. Just as they enter an airtight bro bubble of the world’s best, they’re faced with a public crisis that necessitates an indisputably humiliating task: make a public statement online.

Can Green stock up enough clout for her post-ball future? Can Six girlboss her team’s seniority politics? Can they both take a timeout to just grieve? Their rabid fans and horny haters await their next move. We’re all just desperate for a whiff of the feminine sweaty energy that makes that ball thwack with such spectacular force.

YA fantasy readers will love Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone out on the 1st.

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.

Sapphic YA rom-com Call Your Boyfriend by Olivia A. Cole and Ashley Woodfolk is also out at the beginning of the month.

She Gets the Girl meets Bottoms in this fun and flirty young adult sapphic rom-com about two teens who want revenge on the flaky popular girl they’re both crushing on.

Cynical but sensitive Beau Carl is on a mission. She needs to know if ultra-popular Maia Moon—the girl she’s been secretly hooking up with for months—really has feelings for her. But when she shows up at the last big party of the year before prom, she sees Maia about to kiss someone else.

Sweet, inexperienced Charm Montgomery is the “someone else.” And she’s ecstatic that she’s been reading Maia’s flirty behavior in their tutoring sessions correctly. But when the kiss is interrupted and Maia accepts an elaborate promposal from her douchey, popular boyfriend just a few days later, both Maia and Beau end up heartbroken.

There’s only one thing for them to do—get her back. And the only way to do that is for Beau to tutor Charm on how she can get their former crush to fall for her so hard that Maia will dump her ex…and then get dumped for once.

As their plan starts working, Beau and Charm grow closer too, in a way neither expected. But are either of them ready to let go of their scheme to take a chance on something a little sweeter—and scarier—than revenge?

Cosy sapphic YA fantasy, anyone? Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe by C.B. Lee is also expected on the 1st.

A geeky overachiever determined to save the world through science and a troublemaking chosen one lashing out against her destiny meet and fall in love in a magical coffeeshop as their two very different universes begin to collide in Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe, C.B. Lee's fun, sapphic, cozy fantasy YA romance.

When Brenda’s internet goes out right before an important scholarship deadline, she stumbles right into Kat’s family’s coffeeshop. Brenda is swept away by cool, confident Kat, who actually cares about Brenda’s 19-step plan to save the world through science. Meanwhile, Kat can’t stop thinking about Brenda, who is smart, passionate, and doesn’t seem to care that Kat is the prophesized Chosen One.

The only problem? Kat and Brenda are from different universes. Like need-to-find-a-portal-to-go-on-a-second-date different universes.

As their universes collide and things spiral out of control, can a girl who is determined to save the world find love with a girl determined to outrun her destiny?

On the 3rd comes A Kiss of Hammer and Flame by Amy de la Force, a romantasy from a bi author.

An immortal bound in darkness. A shattered empire at war. And a blacksmith whose heart could tip the scales of fate.

When young blacksmith Cahra is commissioned to forge a sword, she uses her imagination to design a symbol. But this symbol invokes an age-old prophecy and awakens Hael – an immortal with the power to shape or shatter worlds – sealed away in a chamber deep in Hael’stromia, the lost capital at the heart of a civil war between three kingdoms.

Now hunted for the sword, Cahra must flee with the very stranger who commissioned it. But what does she truly know about the handsome and charming noble, Terryl?

On the run through the darkly magical Wilds, Cahra is drawn ever closer to Hael, who visits and beguiles her in dreams. With tyrant kings vying to capture Hael and wield him as a weapon, she alone stands between Hael and their deadly ambitions. Will Cahra risk everything to free him in time to save the empire?

A sizzling, action-packed romantasy, perfect for fans of The North Wind, Throne of Glass and The Book of Azrael.

On the 7th, grab Claire Barner's Moonrising for a sci-fi romance with pansexual and achillean rep.

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?

We ADORED sapphic fantasy graphic novel Muted, Vol. 1 by Miranda Mundt, out on the 8th!

A summoning ritual gone awry kicks off a lush, witchy graphic novel series with joyful streaks of found family and polyamorous sapphic romance—in this first volume of the hit Webtoon coming-of-age story, now with bonus content.

It has been thirteen years since the mysterious fire at the Severin family manor that killed Camille’s mother and twin sister, and the last thing Camille wants to do is return to her old home deep in the swamps of Louisiana. But she doesn’t have a choice. Deeply ingrained family tradition and Matriarch Athalie—Camille’s coldhearted aunt and head of the Severin household—demand it.

When the time comes for Camille to perform the demon-summoning blood ritual that every prospective matriarch in her family must complete, she is fearful of making a mistake. No matter how hard she tries to be a witch worthy of the Severin name, nothing is ever good enough for her aunt. Camille has practiced and practiced, but instead of the beat of demonic wings or the snap of talons, her blood calls forth evergreen vines and leaves. Terrified, she flees into the swamps.

But her failed ritual gives her something precious: time away from Aunt Athalie. Time to spend with her beloved familiar Toben and kindly cousin Silvia. And—unbeknownst to her—time to fall in love, discover the truth of her magic, reunite with long lost family, work through her grief, and solve the mystery of who killed her mother and sister.

Complete with an exclusive bonus chapter, this first volume includes episodes 1-27 of the greatly successful Webtoon webcomic Muted.

Also on the 8th, Windlass by Anna Burke brings a new sapphic Seal Cove romance.

Helping animals for a living? ✔

Having the best friends in the world? ✔

Falling in love with one of those friends? Um . . . ✔

Stevie has everything she wants, except the one thing that matters most: her friend and roommate, Angie. But the shadows of Angie’s past have a long reach, and even though everyone in the small town of Seal Cove knows Stevie and Angie have been in love for years, none of that matters if Angie herself isn’t willing to take the risk.

Risk, as far as Angie is concerned, equals loss. She once risked everything by telling the truth–and that ended badly. Very badly. Friendship is the only thing that has ever worked out for her. She can’t afford to lose Stevie–even at the expense of her own happiness.

However, when their other roommates move out of the house, each finds it harder and harder to resist their feelings. Angie must decide if the scars of her past will dictate her future, and Stevie will need to accept that sometimes, people need to save themselves.

Or indulge in an epic fantasy featuring sword-wielding queer women with Sara Omer's The Gryphon King.

The first in a stunning Southwest Asian-inspired epic fantasy trilogy brimming with morally ambiguous characters, terrifying ghouls and deadly monsters.

Combining cut-throat dynastic politics with expansive worldbuilding and slow-burning romance, this book is perfect for fans of Godkiller and Samantha Shannon.

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.

Achillean fantasy The Lavender Blade by E.L. Deards also releases on the 8th.

Colton and Lucian make a living conning the desperate with fake exorcisms—Lucian is the charm, Colton the trick, and together, they’ve turned deception into survival. Their work is dangerous, their romance even riskier, but they’ve always found a way to stay ahead.

Until Lucian is truly possessed.

A powerful demon takes hold, twisting his body into something unnatural, horrific, wrong—and no priest, no con, no desperate lie can fix it. With time running out and Lucian slipping further away, Colton has no choice but to learn real magic, break every rule, and attempt the impossible.

Because if he fails, Lucian won’t just be lost. He’ll be something else entirely.

Taste the Love with a sapphic romance by Karelia Stetz-Waters and Fay Stetz-Waters on the 15th.

Six years ago, eco-chef Alice Sullivan and her culinary-school rival almost gave into the burning tension between them. But those kisses? Just the heat of competition boiling over. Sullivan never expected to see Kia after graduation . . . until Kia crashes back into her life with a plan to buy Sullivan’s beloved Portland greenspace.

Kia has worked hard building her social media empire as the big-hearted glitter-bomb queen of the food-truck scene. Now she’s one step away from opening a foodie utopia for underrepresented culinary talents. But Kia’s plans catch the attention of a bulldozer-happy food conglomerate, and now both Kia and Sullivan’s dreams are on the line. When a legal loophole turns out to be the only way to save what they each love most, they’re left with one option: pull off a very public fake marriage to obtain the deed to the land and keep their old rivalry under control.

As the line between fake and real love blurs, can Kia and Sullivan set aside their differences and find the perfect recipe for happily ever after?

If you'd rather read a lesbian thriller, No Body No Crime by Tess Sharpe releases on the 15th.

Murder either bonds you or breaks you.

Rural PI Mel Tillman knows this well. She's seen her fair share of bloody cases and botched cover-ups. But killing with someone? That is a different kind of mess all together, and Mel's got real experience with it.

No one's heard from Toby Dunne since Chloe Harper's sweet sixteen party--because the birthday girl and sixteen-year-old Mel buried him so deep in the backwoods, no one's ever finding him. Mel loses little sleep over it--Toby had been terrorizing them.

What she does lose sleep over is Chloe, the girl with whom she survived that horrible night in the woods. Chloe, the girl she fell in love with. Chloe, the girl who disappeared and hasn't been seen in more than six years.

Tasked with locating Chloe by her family, Mel can't resist the call of a good chase, or finding the one who got away with her heart (and with murder). When Mel finds an armed and vigilant Chloe living off-grid in a highly booby-trapped patch of Canadian wilderness, she realizes that Chloe had been expecting someone other than her ex to come looking for her. The thing that's kept Chloe going for years is that she's kept Mel safe by running. Now, the truth must come out as they run for their lives once again.

Because when they buried Toby Dunne in the backwoods, they buried something else, too. Something Toby took. And the powerful family he stole it from? They'll do anything to get it back..

Or dive into dystopian YA novel Climate of Chaos by Cassandra Newbould on the same day.

An exhilarating dystopian YA recalling The Last of Us and Divergent—Climate Of Chaos is a hard-hitting survival story featuring a disabled protagonist that explores the chilling effects of climate change and medical debt.

In dystopic Seattle, storms have devastated Earth’s population, a new virus is spreading, and the privileged live inside domes controlled by Aegis Corp. Healthcare is earned by hours accrued working in Aegis’s pharmaceutical factories. If you run short on hours, you’re sent to the Harvest House for debt collection—a place few return from in one piece.

After a storm killed seventeen-year old Fox LaRosa’s parents and left her disabled, Fox and her younger sister Rabbit join their fugitive aunt’s mercenary group Still-Alive. Their mission is to restore the imbalance of medical access for post-storm survivors.

But when a med supply heist goes south, Rabbit is taken captive, and Still-Alive refuses to rescue her. Fox must choose between duty and family, and leaves home to infiltrate Aegis’ interior domes where Rabbit is being held hostage. The more Fox learns about life in the domes, though, the more she realizes Still-Alive isn’t as altruistic as they claim. In a world where everyone is out for themselves, Fox must rely on those she trusts least in order to reunite with her sister and expose both Aegis and Still-Alive for who they really are.

This “Hunger Games for the next generation” read stars a disabled protagonist and explores the devastating potential of climate change left un-checked and the all-too-real consequences of outrageously expensive health insurance affecting millions today.

Ann McMan brings queer romance Switch on the 15th.

Two-time Lambda Literary Award-winning author Ann McMan introduces readers to Isobel Lebrun, a quick-witted accidental train conductor whose love life always leaves her at the wrong station.

What happens when you’re looking for love and all your best friends are romance readers?

Cue a clown car of ill-fated first dates that read more like failed first drafts of romantic fiction tropes than aspiring hunts for the love of her life.

Assistant Conductor, Izzy Lebrun, spends her days riding the rails of The Green Mountain Zephyr between her home in Philadelphia and the end of the line in St. Alban’s, Vermont. Beleaguered Izzy walks a tightrope—desperately trying to achieve a work-life balance between a job that pays the bills, and her dogged determination to finish her graduate degree so she can finally get a job that keeps her rooted in one place.

All she wants is to earn her Ph.D., get a damn cat, and find the love of her life.

Is that too much to ask?

We follow Izzy through her sometimes disastrous, sometimes implausible, but always hilarious journey through a maze of failed dates and epically bad one-night stands. Will Izzy ever get her ticket punched for a HEA or is this the end of the line for her?

We can't wait for Fanning the Flames (Vector City Supers Book 2) by Kelly Farmer, a sapphic superhero romance with lesbian and pan characters out on the 22nd.

Joan and Sadie’s romance continues in the next installment of the Vector City Supers trilogy.

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.

Also on the 22nd comes Necessary Fiction by Eloghosa Osunde, literary fiction that explores cross-generational queer life in Nigeria.

What makes a family? How is it defined and by whom? Is freedom for everyone?

In Necessary Fiction, Eloghosa Osunde poses these provocative questions and many more while exploring the paths and dreams, hopes and fears of more than two dozen characters who are staking out lives for themselves in contemporary Nigeria.

Across Lagos, one of Africa’s largest urban areas and one of the world’s most dynamic cities, Osunde’s characters seek out love for self and their chosen partners, even as they risk ruining relationships with parents, spouses, family, and friends. As the novel unfolds, a rolling cast emerges: vibrantly active, stubbornly alive, brazenly flawed. These characters grapple with desire, fear, time, death, and God, forming and breaking unexpected connections; in the process unveiling how they know each other, have loved each other, and had their hearts broken in that pursuit.

As they work to establish themselves in the city’s lively worlds of art, music, entertainment, and creative commerce, we meet their collective and individual attempts to reckon with the necessary fiction they carry for survival.

And Red Rabbit Ghost by Jen Julian offers horror with an achillean MC on the same day.

An impulsive young outcast confronts his small town’s dark secrets in this atmospheric and haunting debut horror novel from brilliant new voice Jen Julian.

The town of Blacknot is not what it appears, and a place on its desolate edge known only as The Night House is calling...

What remains of Jesse’s mother can fit inside an old jerky tin. Photos, postcards, a single, worn-out bracelet. But nothing that can explain why she was found dead eighteen years earlier on the bank of a river, her infant son left wailing by her side. When Jesse starts to receive anonymous messages promising him answers, he returns home to the regressive town of Blacknot, North Carolina so that his lifelong obsession can finally be laid to rest.

But Jesse’s investigation is stirring up trouble with the locals, including his well-armed ex-boyfriend and the mysterious daughter of a local businessman, each with their own inscrutable agendas. They will soon find that this backwater town holds a power more volatile than any of them could have imagined, and that the answers they seek might be better left buried.

Also check out YA sci-fi Sky on Fire by E.K. Johnston!

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.

On the 24th, catch up with Josie Jaffrey's QuickSilver series with A Quick Study, a sapphic dark fantasy featuring bisexual rep.

A covenant in blood can never be broken.

In the aftermath of the Casting, Kulika and Quick are both irrevocably changed: Quick by Kulika's blood, and Kulika by her love for Quick.

Under normal circumstances they might be celebrating, but not only is Quick struggling to control her powers, she's also sworn to Bartholomew and his crew by a blood covenant she cannot break. With Kulika bound to Quick, and Quick bound to Bartholomew, they're both detained at Bartholomew's pleasure for the foreseeable future.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Kulika's mission is an abject failure. The person she came to South Carolina to find has simply vanished, which means no cure for the fatal poison that's killing her new master. Soon she'll have no master at all, and no home to return to.

That'll work out just fine for Bartholomew. With Quick's life in his hands, he has all the leverage he needs to force Kulika back to his side.

Kulika is left with a terrible decision: surrender herself to Bartholomew's covenant, or die trying to free Quick from his control. If Quick's ever going to learn how to use her powers, then she'd better do it, well, quick.

A Quick Study is the second book in Josie Jaffrey’s QuickSilver series, a sapphic dark fantasy series set in Charleston, South Carolina.

Do You Know What You’re Worth, Bombshell Jones? by RJ Martin is an adventure romance with lesbian, butch/femme, and disability rep out on the 25th.

She released the safety on her pistol. “This is me flirting. Hands above your head.”

Space pirate Bombshell Jones has a price on her head the size of Jupiter, and bounty hunter Knockout means to collect it.

(Those are aliases, but who would ask the most dangerous women in the galaxy for their real names?)

When a heist goes sideways and Bombshell’s bounty skyrockets, Bombshell seems perfectly happy to be chased across the stars, leaving a trail of wreckage in her wake.

Small Bombshell is smart, willing to blow up a spaceship even if she’s on it, and exactly Knockout’s type.

Do You Know What You’re Worth, Bombshell Jones? is a fast-paced enemies-to-lovers adventure romance with a little kink and a lot of explosions that crosses This is How You Lose the Time War and Cowboy Bebop.

Nicole Leland's Against an Alpine Sky releases on the 28th, promising a fantasy romance between two acespec characters.

Stone has no heart…or does it?

Talos is an artist, a naturalist, and a lithander—a person carved of stone. He lives with his brother but spends his days wandering the mountains and observing the natural world, not realizing how lonely he is.

Maëlle is a human woman dreading her arranged marriage to a nobleman. While she doesn’t like her betrothed, she’s convinced herself it’s her duty to tolerate him.

When Maëlle receives devastating personal news that makes her situation with her fiancé unsafe, she flees on her owl gryphon to the mountains—and into Talos’s life. As the gentle stone man and the strong, vibrant woman discover truths about themselves and each other, they feel the budding promise of something new, something bigger and more lasting than the mountains. But to embrace their happiness together, they’ll need to overcome Maëlle’s obligations, the censure of Talos’s brother, and most importantly, their own insecurities.

J.R. Dawson's highly anticipated sapphic fantasy, The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World, releases on the 29th!

The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World is a powerful and poignant contemporary Queer fantasy perfect for fans of Hadestown and Under the Whispering Door.

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.

Discover a new science fantasy series on the 29th with Mia Tsai's The Memory Hunters!

Inception meets Indiana Jones in this propulsive fungal science fantasy following a headstrong academic and her equally stubborn bodyguard as they unearth an ancient secret that rocks the foundations of their society—and challenges their unspoken love for one another.

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 wants to do research for the Museum of Human Memory. . . and to avoid the public eye.

Valerian IV's twin 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 that diverges from official history, only 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 days.

As Vale becomes increasingly entangled in Key’s obsessive drive for answers, the women uncover a shattering discovery—and a devastating betrayal. Key and Vale can remain complicit, or they can jeopardize everything for the truth.

Either way, Key is becoming consumed by the past in more ways than one, and time is running out.

Stephanie Wambugu's literary novel, Lonely Crowds, is expected on the 29th.

Luster meets The Idiot in this riveting debut novel about a volatile friendship between two outsiders who escape their bleak childhoods and enter the glamorous early '90s art world in New York City, where only one of them can make it.

Ruth, an only child of recent immigrants to New England, lives in an emotionally cold home and attends the local Catholic girl’s school on a scholarship. Maria, a beautiful orphan whose Panamanian mother dies by suicide and is taken care of by an ill, unloving aunt, is one of the only other students attending the school on a scholarship. Ruth is drawn forcefully into Maria’s orbit, and they fall into an easy, yet intense, friendship. Her devotion to her charming and bright new friend opens up her previously sheltered world.

While Maria, charismatic and aware of her ability to influence others, eases into her full self, embracing her sexuality and her desire to be an artist, Ruth is mostly content to follow her around: to college and then into the early-nineties art world of New York City. There, ambition and competition threaten to rupture their friendship, while strong and unspoken forces pull them together over the years. Whereas Maria finds early success in New York City as an artist, Ruth stumbles along the fringes of the art world, pulled toward a quieter life of work and marriage. As their lives converge and diverge, they meet in one final and fateful confrontation.

Ruth and Maria's decades-long friendship interrogates the nature of intimacy, desire, class and time. What does it mean to be an artist and to be true to oneself? What does it mean to give up on an obsession? Marking the arrival of a sensational new literary talent, Lonely Crowds challenges us to reckon honestly with our own ambitions and the lives we hope to lead.

Anita Kelly is set to make this a Donut Summer on the 29th.

Anita Kelly delivers their YA debut—a sweet and satisfying queer romance about two teens who fall for each other while trying to save the local donut shop where they’re working for the summer.

“Relaxing” and “getting a tan” may be on most teens’ summer to-do lists, but for chronically freckled and deeply anxious Penny Dexter? Not a chance. Socking money away for college? Of course. Babysitting her siblings? Sure. Becoming a climate scientist and saving the world? She wishes.

At least she can tackle the tuition money with the seasonal gig she landed at Delicious Donuts. But when she finds out that her genderqueer nemesis, Mateo della Penna, will also be working behind the counter, Penny’s summer of mindless labor instantly vanishes before her eyes. Mateo is ridiculous and artsy, and their favorite kind of donut is Boston Crème (gross!). But the duo’s two-and-a-half-year feud will have to take a backseat when the donut shop is threatened by a corporate takeover.

As their small town faces big pressure, and anxiety threatens everything Penny’s worked for, there’s still one person who remains by her side. And though their taste in donuts is questionable, Mateo’s presence manages to keep Penny calm and focused. Could it be that Penny’s found the perfect, most infuriating person to change the world with?

Gothic horror novel The Needfire by M.K. Hardy hits shelves on the 31st, featuring a lesbian romance.

Norah Mackenzie is flirting with disaster in her native city of Glasgow. Her late father’s financial ruin combined with the implosion of a complicated – and unconventional – relationship drives her to arrange a marriage to a rich laird, hoping to solve all her problems in one fell swoop. She relocates to the north coast of Scotland to begin her new life at his remote estate. She expects a period of adjustment, but nothing can prepare her for what she finds in the house on the cliff.

Her new husband is distant and melancholy, his housekeeper watches her with haunted eyes from the shadowed rooms, and the land itself seems to be telling her stories of violence and smoke. As weeks pass and reality itself seems to unravel, Norah must make what alliances she can in order to uncover the secret behind Corrain House’s unrest before it all comes tumbling down around her.

THE NEEDFIRE is an adult speculative gothic novel that combines the historical flavour and sapphic yearning of Sarah Waters with the creeping dread of MEXICAN GOTHIC. Written from a uniquely Scottish perspective, it explores the aftermath of the Highland Clearances, giving a voice to those exploited and overlooked in this tumultuous period of history – including the land itself.

Also on the 31st, expect Em Rowene's Fractured Magic, an epic M/M fantasy.

To Leandros Nochdvor, Egil was the greatest hero the world had ever seen. It had nothing to do with the man’s accomplishments, the past he overcame, or even the lives he saved. It was simply this: Egil taught Leandros how to live, and then he taught Leandros how to love. And then Leandros lost him.

Years later, when Leandros’ uncle the king is abducted by a strange woman wielding stranger magic, Leandros asks himself what Egil would do and gathers dangerous allies to rescue his king. On the journey, they encounter forgotten magic, old gods, and the dead returned to life. But as Leandros’ allies add innocents to the mounting list of casualties, he begins to question who the true villains are. The foe they face at the end confirms his fears: it’s Egil, back from the dead. Against such a powerful enemy, how could Leandros win?

Against the man he once loved, why would he want to? And if this noble hero stands in his way, which of them is right?

Spiralling by Cal Speet also comes Swords & Sapphics-recommended if you enjoy hilarious gay contemporary literature!

'Oh, by the way, Gabe. I know what happened with Seamus! Everybody at Kiss does.'

How did Mitchell know any details about my breakup? I felt my jaw tense. Why did everybody at the third most popular bar in The Village also know? Did Seamus tell them? My heart rate switched from a pulse to a vibration, and my limbs stiffened. Were they all talking about it and laughing at me? Did they, for some reason, now hate me?

Gabriel is at rock a scandalous break-up with his wannabe poet ex-boyfriend, followed by a sudden sacking, and he’s spiralling. Thank God for his best friends, Tasha and Evie, who are committed to pulling him out of his depression hole and back into the world of work and dating. But suddenly there are new problems. How can he convince DiscreetHung from Grindr to go on a real-life date with him? Could the gorgeous man in the Post Office be The One? And why is Tasha’s boyfriend, Scott, trying to get between her and Gabe?

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