15 of the Best Queer SFF Romance Books

Velasin never wanted a political marriage to a woman. He was mostly happy living in a city with male partners, even if their country’s laws and customs closeted him. But when the visiting envoy who was sent to settle the marriage contract and collect Vel finds out he prefers men, the unmarried brother in the family, Caethari, is presented as an option. Now the two will have to figure out if their unexpected marriage of convenience can work, especially since assassins appear to wait around every corner. Certainly take heed of the content warnings, but Meadows handles them all with the appropriate level of care.

Content warnings: rape, suicidal ideation, homophobia, abusive ex-partner, abusive parent, and self-harm

There’s been a murder on this cruise ship and it is up to Maud and Violet to fall in love…I mean, solve the murder. After learning of her brother’s magical exploits, Maud is ready for adventure to come her way on board a ship bound from the British Isles to New York. She did not expect to meet magician, actress, and beauty Violet who is far more interesting than she first appears. They will have to rely on each other though if they want to solve the murder and magical conspiracy before they make it to shore in this queer historical fantasy romance.

Content warnings: torture, past child abuse

A demisexual king and a bisexual werewolf lord fall for each other in the heart of Brittany. Bisclavret was a noble knight who had to shift into a wolf during the full moon, but when he is betrayed by those closest to him, he is cursed to live as a wolf. Luckily, he comes upon the scholarly king, Andreas, who sees the wolf’s kind eyes and decides to trust the threatening beast and help him find a way to break his curse. This retelling of Marie de France’s “Bisclavret” is so excellent. As a medievalist who studies Marie and a lover of paranormal romances, I cannot recommend this book more.

Helen fights for her own hand in a tournament where marriage to her is tied to winning the role of Ares on the ruling council of the city of Olympus. Achilles and Patroclus knew becoming Ares would be difficult, but between Achilles’s martial prowess, Patroclus’s ability to discern probabilities, and their long-time partnership, they thought they had a shot. With Helen in the mix, nothing is as straightforward as they hoped and neither of them can resist her singular charm. This polyamorous romance has it all: tournaments, caring relationships, only one bed, and assassins. What more could you want?

Content warnings: abusive parent, assault, abusive ex-partner, miscarriage

When a werewolf boy moves into town, he meets his neighbor who smells like pinecones and epic and awesome. Ox never expected to get much in his life after his dad left him and his mom behind, but he found a job with a mechanic and a few people who proved his dad wrong. When Joe and the Bennetts move next door, he gets a new best friend and a mysterious but lovable family in one go. But all good things cannot remain unchanging, as a threat to the Bennetts creeps into Green Creek and breaks them all apart. If you are looking for a friends-to-lovers queer werewolf romance, this is the book for you. I promise you will not be able to stop once you’ve started, so get ready to read the whole series.

Content warnings: kidnapping, torture, death of a loved one, past child abuse

Sometimes love comes when you least expect it. Like when you are at work killing vampires and get captured, only to find yourself in the company of a kind vampire who has been trapped for far longer. Noah is a vampire hunter, but even he knows Jordan deserves to be free, so when he escapes, he takes the vampire home with him. Now, Jordan has time to understand his vampirism and asexuality in peace, but when his new vampire support group friends start disappearing, he turns to Noah for help. Noah not only has to deal with a difficult office that isn’t accommodating of him being autistic, but also must uncover his coworker’s new plot to harm innocent vampires while hiding his relationship with Jordan from them. They certainly have a bloody problem on their hands.

Content warnings: kidnapping, abusive ex-partner

Beatrice is the youngest member of San Francisco’s Avada Jupiter Crime Fighting Squad who studies the supernatural byproducts of the interdimensional portals that opened up. She may be a bisexual legend who works as a bookseller and supernatural researcher, but she wants to use her emotional manipulation abilities to fight crime. So, when a mysterious voice gives Bea information on the next demonic attack, she gets Sam’s help. He is her fiercest academic rival, her best friend, and the love of her life. Together they might be able to save the world.

Content warning: racism

The ’80s were a strange time, but this version of the ’80s is about to get stranger. One day, the sun went down on a coastal Californian town in 1982, and it never came back up again. Soon after, the people began to change, and childhood best friends Sho Asawa and Naoki Okubo are not exempt. They thought if they could just escape together, things would be better, but when monsters and myths rest in the darkness, escape feels impossible. Xen is Cole McCade’s pen name, and fans of his writing will not be disappointed with the first book in this slow-burn best friends–to-lovers queer paranormal romance series that manages to be dark, haunting, and sweet all at once.

Content warnings: racism, past child abuse, and body horror

This sapphic vampire new adult romance novel is deliciously bloody and the start of a series you do not want to miss. Ginger is a straight-A student who never considered joining a sorority in college, but when she gets introduced to a mysterious sisterhood on campus, she cannot resist them. Camillia is bound by blood to serve six bloodthirsty demons with her sisterhood as their immortal queen, but even she can fall for fresh blood. Now, Ginger and Camillia are dealing with a forbidden love that might change both their lives forever.

In this queernorm space opera, Tennalhin, a rich socialite who can read minds, is non-consensually conscripted into military service by his aunt and paired with Lieutenant Surit, a duty-bound soldier who can manipulate others. It is against the law to force someone to permanently sync up with a stranger, and it is unheard of for it to happen between a civilian and a low-level officer, but it is happening anyway. Tennal and Surit decide to trust each other, fake a sync, and find a way out of their tricky situation together. But the chaotic flirt and stoic soldier will have to do their best if they want to survive a plot far bigger than either could imagine.

Content warnings: death of a loved one, self-destructive thoughts