Crunchy leaf season is here and we have the perfect books to accompany it. Dive into everything from fantasy to romance with our list of queer stories, all releasing this October!
Kicking off October on the 1st, enjoy The Stars Inside Us by Kristy Gardner, a queer sci-fi, horror, and dystopian book featuring sapphic, pansexual, bisexual, and neurodivergent representation. This one is the third book in the The Broken Stars series. Catch our interview with Kristy coming on the 10th!
She’ll burn it to the ground…
The ashes have settled since Calay’s harrowing escape back to Earth, but the threat from the Others–and humanity itself–hasn’t. After surviving devastating losses and impossible choices, Calay drags herself to the doorstep of the one place she never wanted to return: The Resistance.
Forced to trust hidden motives and questionable loyalties, Calay intimately knows the only way they survive, is together. But as she dives deeper into alien territory, her new reality is even more alarming than she could have anticipated. A permawinter has settled over the planet. A strange new league of mutations has emerged amongst the Others. And despite her best efforts, past decisions come back to haunt Calay–taunt her.
It doesn’t take long for her plans to go horribly wrong. Her terror is compounded when she realizes she’s not only trapped with the enemy–a group that would gladly kill her if they knew her secrets–but that she’s actually started to care for them; especially Briar, the tea-loving, open-hearted woman who makes Calay feel like home.
In these final dying days, stars collide and the darkness within ignites. The world’s future is in Calay’s hands and she must decide what’s more important: saving herself, or saving what makes us human.
Hopeful and devastating, The Stars Inside Us is the third and final volume in Kristy Gardner’s enthralling queer sci-fi series, The Broken Stars.
Also on the 1st comes Dori Lumpkin's Antenora. This horror promises lesbian, queer, and questioning characters, as well as representation for those who grew up queer in the south, or queer in fundamentalist Christian communities.
Antenora: Dante’s ninth circle of hell reserved for traitors to their country.
What really happened to Nora Willet? The religious community of Bethel, Alabama can’t agree on the truth. They always said she was trouble. Later, they said she was possessed. Maybe she lost her mind, killing three people and injuring many others.
In a part confessional, part plea for Nora to come home, Nora’s childhood friend Abigail Barnes tells of another girl’s gruesome eighteenth birthday, of the time Nora may have fully revived a snake, of the intimacy of their private encounters at the lakeside, of Nora’s deliverance ceremony. Where, Abigail wonders, is Nora now?
In this tender and horrific debut, religious dogmatism sniffs out two girls whose innocent affections threaten an entire town and way of life, making one a traitor to a homeland in which only Abigail and Nora know the bittersweet truth. A homeland in which Nora can only say, “There’s a snake speaking to me, Abby-girl.”
We HIGHLY recommend Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi. We're talking all about this cosy romantasy in tomorrow's episode with the author themself, so don't miss it! This one releases on the 1st and features a bi FMC.
A kitchen witch with a penchant for baking and a (literally) cursed love life meets someone who's worth breaking a hex for in this sweet and spicy debut romance.
As a skilled kitchen witch, Dina Whitlock knows her way around a pastry recipe. In fact, she runs her very own London café serving magic-infused pastries for her loyal customers. But only a select few friends know about her magical abilities or the hex that has plagued her love life. It’s hard to fall in love when your partner is guaranteed to have a string of bad luck the second they start to have feelings for you.
Scott Mason is back from traveling the world and is excited to begin his new job as a curator at the British Museum. After leaving London to heal from a brutal breakup two years ago, Scott only now realizes how much he missed out on. Now that his best friend’s wedding is right around the corner, Scott is determined to be the most amazing best man ever, but he doesn’t expect to be bewitched by the maid of honor, who also happens to be the owner of his new favorite café and, more surprisingly, a witch?!
After a weekend in the countryside full of peculiar hedge mazes, palm readings by candlelight, and a midnight Halloween ritual, there’s no denying the chemistry between them. But there’s just one problem: The hex still holds, and Dina knows that Scott is in danger. In the past, she’s always cut her losses, but this time is different. Scott could be the one. Will Dina be able to undo the hex, before it’s too late?
Get your Halloween on with October's Ocean by Delaine Coppock, which also releases on the 1st and follows a young adult story featuring pansexual and bisexual characters.
Halloween on Jute Island is like a walking, talking costume parade. That's probably why Seth didn't notice her at first.
The old black dress, wild hair and accent didn't exactly stand out in October. But there is something about Peggy that draws Seth in. He hadn't felt anything but empty since Colin died, but suddenly he feels curious. And who is this new boy in town with ocean eyes that Seth can't look away from?
As the waves of loss threaten to pull Seth under, his love of music and his new friends might just lead him back to shore.
The Summer I Turned Pretty meets Outlander in this beautiful story of teenage love, loss and friendship.
'Tis the season for some erotic horror from Dorian Valentine. He Who Bleeds features gay and trans characters and releases on the 1st!
London. 1874.
Religious devotion was a learned skill, and even the most pious of men have felt the tug of The Devil’s influence. Lord Aurélien Saint-Orlant found he was no exception, always toeing the line between being a true god-fearing man and a barbaric sinner who reveled in hedonism.
This monotonous life of his changes when his world crashes down around him and wolves in sheep's clothing are revealed, leading Aurélien to discover his true origins. As one of many devilspawns, he is locked in a contract with a greedy human who uses him to commit unorthodox killings among the upper echelon. When his contract is partially broken, Aurélien finds himself whole again, and his desire to create his macabre art only grows.
The spawn seeks retribution and craves the freedom to create his art in utter peace. With the help of his incubus lover, Lord Aurélien Saint-Orlant will paint the streets red with that human’s gore.
On the 4th comes Caroline Lavoie's Devil by the Tail, a paranormal YA with a bi MC, lesbian love interest, and an Indigenous cast.
In a small town in the Rockies, a mountain looms: the Devil’s Tail. According to local lore, a wicked trickster haunts its slopes, and whoever glimpses it is cursed to lose someone they love.
Alex refuses to believe she’s been cursed. She only ever saw the beast in her nightmares. Even if it’s real, it can’t hurt her because she doesn’t let anyone get too close to her heart. That is, until Amka moves to town. In no time, Alex’s carefully built walls begin to crumble.
But what if Alex’s fear of loss is a curse of its own? There are a hundred ways to die on the Devil’s Tail, but only one way to break the curse. The path is treacherous, and the beast is waiting.
Haunt Your Heart Out on the 8th! Amber Roberts's new romcom features pan and bi protagonists and a cosy setting. Read our interview with the author to find out more!
A dashing ghost hunter and the bookseller who made up the ghosts he’s chasing wind up entangled in more ways than one in this steamy contemporary romance from the author of Text Appeal, perfect for fans of Ashley Poston and Chloe Liese.
Homebody Lex McCall loves her sleepy Vermont town and quiet bookstore job. After her family, friends, and exes all moved away to seek futures elsewhere, Lex set one rule: no dating tourists, newcomers, or anyone else who is bound to leave her behind. When the bookshop owner, eager to off-load the supposedly haunted building, offers to sell the store to Lex at an unbeatable price, Lex jumps at the chance to further put down roots.
Then handsome stranger James stops by the bookstore. Lex assumes he’s just another tourist passing through, but it turns out he’s part of a ghost-hunting documentary crew that’s looking into the many “verified” ghost stories in town. Lex can’t resist getting involved—especially because these so-called ghosts are actually made-up stories from Haunted Happenings, her hobby vlog from a decade prior. Worried her ghost-faking secret will get out and ruin her chance to buy the store, she tampers with the ghosthunters’ research and skews the results. After all, James’s stay is only temporary, and her career dreams come first.
But as they spend more time together, Lex realizes she’s falling for James. Worse, there’s more at stake than her simply being found out and losing his affection: his mission isn’t as frivolous as it seems, and her interference may cost him much more than a spooky story.
This not-quite ghost story is sure to delight Gilmore Girls fans and anyone who loves flirty romances with a little extra spirit.
Erin Branch's contemporary romance Di-Curious also releases on the 8th and includes lesbian, bisexual, non-binary, ADHD, autism, and anxiety rep!
June lives the glamorous lifestyle of a mid-level Dungeons and Dragons influencer: broke in her parents' basement. Although June's internet-famous avatar has her life together, June is a people-pleasing mess on the inside. When she needs a D&D group for a lucrative opportunity, her celebrity group disinvites her, and she has to lean on her old friends.
But Nova, June’s former BFF, gives her the cold shoulder while flirting with her character during their game sessions. June is determined to figure out why. Turns out getting closer to Nova is awakening new, confusing feelings in June, feelings she tried to ignore years ago and can't anymore.
Di-Curious is a contemporary sapphic romance (with a hint of cozy fantasy) and an ode to queer geek culture.
On the 12th, read To Become A Flower by CEON for speculative fiction with an ace MC.
After suffering from a traumatic event, Mouna decides its time to leave her small town and the judgement within it.
She journeys to another town where she makes her first friend, buys a home, struggles with memory loss and blackouts.
What will she do if she ever remembers the events of her childhood?
Susan J. Morris's Strange Beasts releases on the 15th. This gothic historical fantasy includes a puzzle-box mystery, a bi heroine, and a sapphic romance.
"Such an absolute joy to read. Highly recommended."–TJ Klune, New York Times bestselling author of The House in the Cerulean Sea
In this fresh-yet-familiar gothic tale―part historical fantasy, part puzzle-box mystery―the worlds of Dracula and Sherlock Holmes collide in a thrilling exploration of feminine power.
At the dawn of the twentieth century in Paris, Samantha Harker, daughter of Dracula’s killer, works as a researcher for the Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena. But no one realizes how abnormal she is. Sam is a channel into the minds of monsters: a power that could help her solve the gruesome deaths plaguing turn-of-the-century Paris―or have her thrown into an asylum.
Sam finds herself assigned to a case with Dr. Helena Moriarty, daughter of the criminal mastermind and famed nemesis of Sherlock Holmes and a notorious detective whom no one wants to work with on account of her previous partners’ mysterious murders. Ranging from the elite clubs of Paris to the dark underbelly of the catacombs, their investigation sweeps them into a race to stop a beast from its killing rampage, as Hel and Sam are pitted against men, monsters, and even each other. But beneath their tenuous trust, an unmistakable attraction brews. Is trusting Hel the key to solving the murder, or is Sam yet another pawn in Hel’s game?
You can expect more romantasy on the 15th, this time with Lisa Tirreno's Prince of Fortune.
Red, White & Royal Blue meets A Darker Shade of Magic in this swoony debut young adult romantic fantasy following a magical young prince and a noble seer who fall in love in the midst of war and intrigue.
Shy Prince Edmund will be a great king one it has been Seen again and again. With rare magic giving him dominion over the nation’s plants and weather, Edmund feels a great deal of pressure to live up to his nation’s many expectations, including making a perfect diplomatic alliance through marriage. That is, until he meets Lord Aubrey Ainsley.
Charming, romantic, and politically insignificant, Aubrey is a Seer, but not even he could have predicted catching the eye of Edmund, the Prince of Fortune—nor that the anxious prince who talks to plants more than people could feel so right for him. Aubrey’s dream-visions have been full of battle, not love, but to say that Prince Edmund has captured his fancy would be a grand understatement.
As the two become more and more intertwined, the nation of Saben falls under attack. War and dark sorcery loom on the horizon. To save their homeland, Edmund and Aubrey must resist the outside forces seeking to drive them apart and find the power within themselves to create a future for Saben—and each other—they never could have imagined.
Alex McKenna and the Academy of Souls by Vicki-Ann Bush is a paranormal YA with a trans teen boy out on the 15th.
No dark entities shall pass through this shield, as I will it...so shall it be.
Alex McKenna’s plans for a couple of supernatural-free days are interrupted by an ominous visit from the ghost of seven-year-old Haven.
The little girl needs his help and he’s willing to risk his life to save her after-life. Despite his great-grandmother’s warning, he chooses to cross the bridge between the living and the dead to assist her. The trip lands Alex and his girlfriend at a high school known as the Academy of Souls. The ghostly campus for dead teens is a safe place for those who are unable to complete their after-life journey. There they meet Ophelia, Haven’s older sister, who has been searching for her for more than a century.
To reunite the sisters, Alex must cross the treacherous terrain of the in-between realm known as the Underworld, and rescue Haven from the clutches of the Soul Gatherer. A demonic spirit who feeds off of the souls of children.
Could this be Alex’s last case or will he keep his promise to Haven and save her soul before it's too late?
We are so excited to read Merlina Garance's dark, mysterious romance, Motherly Stones, on the 17th, featuring bi and a-spec representation!
Rish and Toni have been friends almost all their lives – despite Rish’s life long crush on her. When one day, Toni shows up excited to have been appointed to appraise the abandoned castle on Paicrich Island, off the coast by which Rish lives, he has a bad feeling and offers to go with her.
Little did they expect the castle to have a life of its own…
Fancy a Beauty and the Beast retelling? In the Eye of the Beholder by Beverly Anne Michel is an ace x ace romance with disability rep and a plus-size MC, out on the 20th.
In a modern Beauty and the Beast retelling Beau Nicholls is a freelance photographer. She finds herself in need of a temporary job to pay the bills. In desperation, she takes a housekeeping position for a disabled recluse. The recluse in question, Felix Astor, does not want her help, but his cousin hires her anyway.
They quickly discover they don’t get along very well.
Felix has a dark past filled with both physical and mental scars. He struggles to let people close to him. Beau was raised by a mother who didn’t understand her and a father who didn’t really try. She doesn’t know how to let anyone but her friends close to her. They must learn to trust and love.
On the 21st, Alli Temple releases Only Mostly Dead, an urban fantasy featuring a lesbian heroine and a genderless grim reaper... Yes please!
No one tells you how much paperwork there is after you die.
I expected to wake up on a cloud where angels played harps and fed me grapes. Instead, I’m a ghost stuck in suburban Toronto. The only ones who can see me are a part-time psychic and an unemployed grim reaper.
Turns out the business of dying is a train wreck. But if there was ever a girl boss who could get it back on track, it’s me. All I need is a little help from my new roommates, whether they want to be involved or not.
Nothing at Afterlife Incorporated moves quickly and if I don’t find a way out soon there won’t be anything left of me to cross over. They say death can be easy, but being only mostly dead sucks.
Only Mostly Dead is the first installment in the Afterlife Incorporated urban fantasy trilogy. It features a slow—so slow—burn romance that may take several books to resolve. Be patient. Death is coming…eventually.
If non-fiction is more your style, The Life and Death of Ryan White: AIDS and Inequality in America by Paul Renfro is sure to be a moving biography. This one releases on the 22nd.
In the 1980s, as HIV/AIDS ravaged queer communities and communities of color in the United States and beyond, a straight white teenager named Ryan White emerged as the face of the epidemic. Diagnosed with hemophilia at birth, Ryan contracted HIV through contaminated blood products. In 1985, he became a household name after he was barred from attending his Indiana middle school. As Ryan appeared on nightly news broadcasts and graced the covers of popular magazines, he was embraced by music icons and well-known athletes, achieving a curious kind of stardom. Analyzing his struggle and celebrity, Paul M. Renfro’s powerful biography grapples with the contested meanings of Ryan’s life, death, and afterlives.
As Renfro argues, Ryan’s fight to attend school forced the American public to reckon with prevailing misconceptions about the AIDS epidemic. Yet his story also reinforced the hierarchies at the heart of the AIDS crisis. Because the "innocent" Ryan had contracted HIV "through no fault of his own," as many put it, his story was sometimes used to blame presumably "guilty" populations for spreading the virus. Reexamining Ryan’s story through this lens, Renfro reveals how the consequences of this stigma continue to pervade policy and cultural understandings of HIV/AIDS today.
Also on the 22nd, you can grab The Cradle of Eternal Night by Ladz (illustrated by Pom Poison), which promises a sapphic romantasy horror.
In a land lit only by the counterfeit warmth of magical technology, the Kler prays for the return of the sun, the moons, and the stars. Ceaseless night and the beasts lurking in the darkness keep the congregation within the Kolebka Wiecznej Nocy trapped in mirthless vigil. Their towns remain quiet as graveyards as they wait for day to come again. What no one knows about this ceaseless night is that the Kler themselves can end it. But they haven’t, and they won’t.
Long ago, the Kler banished the sun worshipers, but a heretical sect made the journey back to the land of darkness. Now, only one remains carrying their purpose heavy on her shoulders: a maverick technomancer named Basia. She alone will bring back the light, or no one will.
Armed with naught but her own cleverness and a sword imbued with sun-embraced charms, she searches for the Kler’s secrets and finds herself in Tawerna. With the Kler on her heels, she infiltrates a private feast and catches Hanka, a docile bard, in the middle of planning her own escape into the world beyond. Hanka wants nothing to do with the heretical outsider until she discovers that her purpose aligns with the darkness buried inside herself. Hanka knows the secrets the Kler keeps, and she knows just where to go to expose their lies.
With only each other and their heretical magic to rely on, Basia and Hanka face the eternal night and wonder, are they truly enough to bring light back to the world?
We ADORED reading Wendy Martin's MM graphic novel, Castle Swimmer, Vol. 1. Grab it on the 22nd and be sure to catch our guest podcast episode with the author the following day!
In the gorgeous first installment of the hit Webtoon series Castle Swimmer, two young mermen reject their destinies and embark on an epic adventure full of romance and danger, featuring exclusive bonus material.
From the moment Kappa tumbles into existence on the ocean floor, his life’s purpose is already decided for him: He is the Beacon, a light to all sea creatures, and destined to fulfill their many prophesies. In high demand and under immense pressure, Kappa quickly realizes that fame and glory are small compensation for a life of predetermined self-sacrifice.
Unable to resist the call of destiny due to a magical yellow cord that appears from his chest and pulls him inexorably to any sea creatures he swims by, Kappa ultimately finds himself drawn to the Shark kingdom, where he is immediately imprisoned. The Sharks’ prophecy states that the curse maiming their people will only be lifted once their prince, Siren, kills the Beacon. But when Prince Siren decides to defy fate and help Kappa escape, Kappa realizes that there might be more to life than fulfilling endless prophesies, leading to a raucous adventure as big and unpredictable as the ocean itself—and a romance that nobody could have predicted.
Episodes 1-19 of Webtoon's Castle Swimmer Season 1 is collected in this stunning graphic novel, which also includes a never-before-seen bonus chapter featuring Kappa and Siren.
Kara Jorgensen is back on the 29th with The Reanimator's Remains (The Reanimator Mysteries #3), the third book in this MM paranormal, historical romance series featuring gay MCs, an autistic MC, and an MC with ADHD.
An autistic necromancer, his undead love, and a covenant that must be broken.
Oliver Barlow never knew what happened to his parents. With a note from his mother as his only lead, Oliver had given up hope of ever learning the truth. But when the dead start rising in the town of Aldorhaven, Oliver jumps at the chance to take the case if it means he can investigate the last place his parents were seen alive.
Felipe Galvan would like to be anywhere but Aldorhaven. Between protecting Oliver and Gwen, dealing with distrustful townsfolk, and an unexpected letter from his estranged parents, Felipe is already stretched thin. But when he is suddenly plagued by whispers from the woods and nightmares from his past, Felipe fears he is only one misstep away from becoming the monster he was meant to be.
Far more sinister things than the dead lurk in Aldorhaven’s woods. A centuries old bargain has been broken, and the only thing that can satisfy it is Oliver’s blood. Together, Oliver, Felipe, and Gwen must finish what Oliver’s parents started, or they too will be ensnared by their devil’s bargain.
More cosy romantasy, anyone? Guns & Scones by Darcia G. Laucerica is out on the 31st.
In a city ruled by six magic-wielding mafia families, Arawn Stant has just been appointed head of his neighborhood after his father´s abilities disappear. He now has to take care of his neighbors and the businesses they run, as well as keep corrupt cops away.
But his main concern is not disappointing his niece at the upcoming bake sale. The problem is... Arawn could burn water.
He must learn to bake before the weekend arrives. It´s a good thing a bakery just opened in the newly acquired area in his payroll. And it doesn´t hurt that the owner, Alejandra, is terribly cute.
Also on our radar
This Dark Paradise by Erin Luken | out on the 1st | YA fantasy | bi MC, lesbian LI, ace rep
Make My Wish Come True by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick | out on the 1st | YA sapphic romcom
The Forbidden Book by Sacha Lamb | out on the 1st | YA historical with a lesbian genderqueer Jewish MC
Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee | out on the 15th | achillean YA romantasy
It Gets Better... Except When It Gets Worse: And Other Unsolicited Truths I Wish Someone Had Told Me by Nicole Maines | out on the 15th | coming-of-age memoir by a trans actress
Long Time Gone by Hannah Martian | out on the 15th | mystery | sapphic romance
Metal From Heaven by August Clarke | out on the 22nd | lesbian fantasy
Under the Mistletoe With You by Lizzie Huxley-Jones | out on the 24th | achillean romance
Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake | out on the 29th | sapphic romcom
She Followed the Moon Back to Herself by Amanda Lovelace | out on the 29th | poetry by a sapphic author
To Wield the Darkest Night by Beau Van Dalen | out on the 31st | trans MC, achillean fantasy romance
Once Upon a Dark October by Jessie Thomas | out on the 31st | sapphic fantasy romance
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