Guest post written by You Won’t Forget Me author Mazey Eddings
Mazey Eddings is a bestselling author, dentist, and (most importantly) stage mom to her cats, Yaya and Zadie. She can most often be found reading romance novels under her weighted blanket and asking her husband to bring her snacks. She’s made it her personal mission in life to destigmatize mental health issues and write love stories for every brain. With roots in Ohio and Philadelphia, she now calls North Carolina home.
About You Won’t Forget Me: From USA Today bestselling author Mazey Eddings comes a dazzling sapphic romance about fame, friendship, and falling for the one person you were never meant to. Released June 9th 2026.
What a beautiful thing Pride Month is. It’s an entire month dedicated to acknowledging and celebrating love, identity, and sexuality in all its forms and flavors. It’s a pause in the middle of the year to uplift love and community. Pride is also a protest. It’s a radical declaration that everyone has a write to love whoever and however they want, to express themselves fully, and be told they are worthy, that they belong, that they are loved. In a time when queer folx rights to simply exist are under daily attack (as of writing this, there are 530 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the US being tracked by the ACLU) and our access to books telling queer stories are being threatened at an alarming rate through book bans and censorship, it is more crucial than ever to advocate for queer communities and uplift marginalized voices, and one joyful way to engage with that is by reading queer romance novels that celebrate love, identity, and happily-ever-afters for everyone. Below are six (out of many) of my most beloved queer romances that I think everyone should pick up.
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
Talia Hibbert is one of my all-time favorite romance authors, every page of her books making swoon or laugh or cry… or all three at once, but Dani Brown, in my humble opinion, is Hibbert’s best character. Dani is unapologetically brilliant, gorgeous, and emotionally removed. But nothing could’ve prepared her guarded heart for Zaf, the hopeless romantic that upends her cool, detached bubble. The bisexual and ADHD rep in this book was so beautifully done, and I guarantee this book will leave you giggling and kicking your feet
A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell
I cut my teeth on historical romances and it easily my most-read romance sub-genre, so I can safely say that Joanna Lowell is one of the best in the game. A Shore Thing is a tender, gentle, and decadent romance about Kit, a trans, unreformed rake who’s decision to leave a life that didn’t fit and embrace his true identity has also left him unable to paint/express himself creatively. No matter! He’ll spend his days selling bicycles and fooling around with Victorian vacationers at the shore. Enter Muriel, a firecracker of a woman that needs Kit’s artistic help. The pair strike up a deal and spend a summer of scorching intimacy and heart wrenching vulnerability.
The Queer Principals of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian
Some books I’ll borrow from the library, read the first two pages, then rush out and buy my own copy because I know it will be one that I’ll be re-reading over and over again. This is one of those books. Unfairly clever and hilarious, this book is essentially “be gay, do crimes, eat the rich, Georgian style,” and I find that very sexy. When Kit, a reluctantly retired highwayman, is solicited for a little thievery by a desperate aristocrat, he agrees to teach the highborn some tricks of the trade, and they both lose their hearts along the way. This book is not only enthralling and witty, but it takes a close look at dismantling systems of oppression and never shies away from discussions about wealth disparity, disabilities, and queer joy.
Finding Joy by Adriana Herrera
I’m not sure there could be a more fitting title for this perfect MM romance because it will leave you with the biggest smile on your face and the consuming rush that we all hope for from our romance novels. I think what makes Herrara an expert at her craft is her ability to layer her characters and make them so profoundly real and nuanced, which results in a queer love story that does not shy away from the difficulties the main characters face, especially Elias who has been forced into the closet for fear his family and community won’t accept him as a queer person, but these roadblocks to their happy ending are handled with so much care, it never feels like an element is added for the sake of drama but instead to show the power of love between two people and the freedom that comes with living honestly and proudly as your truest self.
Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti
If Alexandra Vasti writes it, I’ll be reading it, no questions asked. But a sapphic gothic historical romance by Alexandra Vasti? I actually do have a question: HOW DARE YOU WRITE THE BOOK OF MY DREAMS MS. VASTI?? Ladies in Hating is one of those books that had me hooked from the first page, and left me wanting to light my laptop on fire because the story and prose is that good. Rival authors Georgianna and Cat find themselves trapped in a spooky manor, and lots of moaning ensues (of the creepy and sensual variety because this book has range).
Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly
While this book was not technically marketed as a genre romance to my knowledge, it is perhaps one of the gayest books I’ve ever read filled to the brim with happy endings for all, and so it counts in my head and deserves a spot on any romance reader’s shelf. Greta & Valdin chronicles the antics of the queer, chaotic titular siblings as they navigate love, identity, and what it means to find fulfillment in life. This story has stuck with me for years, and every character in this story feels like family in a way I’ve never experienced from a book before. The choices Gret and Valdin make are messy and outrageous as they navigate adulthood, and their dialogue and observations are some of the funniest writing I’ve ever encountered.
