Guest post written by The Odds of You author Kate Dramis
Kate Dramis is a bestselling author of romance and fantasy, including the # 2 Sunday Times hit, The Curse of Saints. Kate finds joy in tormenting her readers with slow-burn romances filled with whip-smart banter. The Odds of You, Kate’s debut contemporary romance, came to her while she was funneling horrible airline coffee on her way to Comic Con. Alas, there was no hot passenger to flirt with. When she’s not filling her Notes app with her next book idea, you can find her impulse booking her next travel adventure or snuggling with her dogs and cat at home in Atlanta.
About The Odds of You: Guaranteed to resonate with fans of The Idea of Youand Notting Hill, The Odds of Youis an irresistible opposites-attract rom-com about the most statistically improbable of love stories. Out 6 January and available to preorder here in the UK and here in the US.
I’ll be honest – narrowing down a list of LGBTQ+ romance books to just five and saying they’re the “top” is a virtually impossible task.
There are SO MANY incredible queer romance books, with more announced every week, and it just fills my little bisexual heart with so much joy. It goes without saying that our community deserves to have our stories told – to see ourselves on the page, flawed and messy and whole and in love and happy.
So, yeah. Writing this list was pretty damn impossible. BUT! I want to share with you five queer romance books that have had a personal impact on me. I hope you love them as much as I do!
Last First Kiss by Julian Winters
Julian Winters is one of the greatest romance writers of our time, which means every book he writes is absolute gold, and this one might be my absolute favorite. I legitimately have the dedication saved in my phone.
Last First Kiss follows Jordan Carter, an event planner for 24 Carter Gold. He’s gearing up to plan the wedding of his career when who walks through the door as best man? Jamie Peters – his cousin’s best friend and Jordan’s first kiss from 10 years ago. They might have almost had a repeat kiss just last year, too. That is until Jamie made it clear he’s not the one for Jordan to be with while he’s figuring himself out.
Last First Kiss is a heartfelt second chance romance that’s rife with self discovery. The highlight? Jordan doesn’t just find the love of his life… he finds himself, too.
It’s a stellar book, and especially touching for those who perhaps took a little longer to figure themselves out (or are still on the journey). It’s an excellent reminder that there is no timeline to learning yourself.
The Honey Witch by Sydney Shields
I got my start as an author in the Romantasy genre, and one of my all-time favorite queer Romantasies is The Honeywitch by Sydney Shields.
When Marigold is approached by her grandmother, who offers to train her as the next Honey Witch, Marigold immediately accepts and is whisked away to the tiny isle of Innisfree. But her newfound magic and independence comes with a price: No one can fall in love with the Honey Witch.
Enter Lottie, a notoriously grumpy skeptic who doesn’t believe in magic. Marigold is intent on proving her magic is real, but starts to feel far more for Lottie than she bargained for during the process.
The Honey Witch is cozy and whimsical and swoony, set in a queernormative world with a grumpy/sunshine love story between Lottie and Marigold that will have you kicking your feet and squealing into your pillow.
Nearlywed by Nicolas DiDomizio
If there’s a romance book that’s written for those who love love, it’s Nearlywed by Nicolas DiDomizio. Ray and his fiancé Kip shouldn’t work. Ray is a chaotic millennial writer who’s been oversharing his every thought on the internet since he was a teenager; Kip is a pragmatic Gen X medical doctor who values stability and privacy in his personal life above all else.
But the pair has been madly in love ever since they were brought together six years ago in a meet-cute straight out of a romcom, and are set to get married in a few months. But when Ray convinces Kip to join him for an early honeymoon at a famous lux resort in Ray’s coastal New England hometown, things go awry.
The result is an achingly tender romance that reflects on internalized homophobia, marriage, and, of course, love.
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll want to order lobster swag (trust me, it’ll make sense after you read it). Most of all, you’ll never forget the way you felt when Ray and Kip defy the odds time and time again.
Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings
I love books that make me laugh out loud and cry. Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings is one of those books for me.
It’s a sexy, sapphic, opposites-attract romance between Opal, who wins the lottery and (impulsively) buys a flower farm in Ashville, NC with her winnings, and Pepper, who swears she’s the rightful owner of said farm.
The unlikely pair strike up an agreement of co-habitation—butting heads at every single turn.
I was OBSESSED with the romantic tension. I saw myself in Opal in so many ways, specifically her neurodivergence and how she masks with her bubbly personality. I loved the way she loved Pepper so fearlessly, and how Pepper loved her so fully in return.
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
If you know me at all, then it’ll come as no surprise to you that my favorite books of all time is Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston – so much so that I try to bring it up on every single panel I’m on, like a self-made bingo.
When Alex Claremont-Diaz, the first son of the United States, maybe, sort of, kind of causes an international incident with his sworn enemy, Prince Henry (a literal prince of England), he and Henry are forced to stage a truce for damage control. What at first begins as a fake friendship grows deeper than either Alex or Henry could have imagined – something that could derail Alex’s mother’s reelection and upend both nations.
There’s so much to say about this brilliant book that it’s impossible to summarize why I love it in just a few lines. I’ve never related to a character as much as I relate to Alex, from his undiagnosed ADHD to his bi awakening to his fears of being too much.
It’s also the book that helped me come out to my mom. And it’s the book that encouraged me to write The Odds of You, my debut contemporary romance, in the hopes that I could help readers feel as touched as I do every time I crack open this book.
As you can imagine, it holds a very special place in my heart.
