(Please note, on this post, the Rafflecopter form is for the Event Grand Prize and you have to comment to be put into Megan’s prize draw for the fanastic MM Sci-Fi books – Nix)
I have been a fantasy junkie all my life, and when I am not writing LGBTQ fantasy then you can bet I’m reading it. I break it up now and again with contemporary, but fantasy is my absolute favorite. It’s a very small part of the romance genre, and even smaller part of LGBTQ, so I thought today I would try to share a few of the books I love. I mean to write just one list, but narrowing them down is hard so I went with two. One is fantasy, one is sci-fi (I also cheat in some places and list the series rather than just one book). These are all m/m (or m/m/m) because that is what dominates the genre right now, but hopefully the next time I do something like this I’ll have a broader range.
Onward!
Ten M/M Fantasy Favs
1. Battle of Will by Sasha L. Miller
Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope on the planet, and this book executes it so, so well. The slow burn of watching the two chars go from hate to love is perfect. The book also handles the war and politics without ever getting confusing or boring.
2. The Devil’s Fire by Sarah Bell
Still one of the best arranged marriage books around. I go through books fast, and forget a lot of them, but I remember this one despite not having read it for a couple of years (now must read it again, haha). The MC tore my heart out, he went through so much.
3. Shadow Hunt by Luisa Prieto and Jayson Taylor
A book I reread at least once a year, it takes things that usually put me off a book and makes them work. I love the MC, and how he handles everything thrown at him, especially the hot demon :3 Also the magic system is beautifully done and that is one of my main weaknesses
4. Memory of Scorpions series by Aleksandr Voinov
I recommend this series as loudly and often as I possibly can. I also harass the author with fair frequency and he’s kind enough to put up with me. I will drop everything to read these books, and have read them multiple times already. Everything about these books hooks me.
5. A Charm of Magpies series by KJ Charles
Another series that hits all my buttons. Hits a lot of buttons, these books have clicked with everyone since they were published. I eagerly await the third one. If you’re not normally a fantasy fan, this is a good series to start with.
6. The Eternal Dungeon by Dusk Peterson
This series takes very complicated ideas and executes them masterfully, but the subject matter is brutal. The very basic, grossly understated premise is prison guards who redeem prisoners through torture (mental, physical, all of it). I literally dropped everything for three days to read and re-read these books. I’ve never seen anyone handle the subject matter better.
7. The Greenwood series by Kay Berrisford
If you like stories of faeries, curses, mischief in the woods, and similar such lore, you can’t go wrong here. A beautiful blend of history and fantasy, and one of the books is about Robin Hood, in a unique way I’ve not seen anyone else do. A good blend of romance, fantasy, with a touch of tree sex :3
8. Dragon Slayer by Isabella Carter
Another good starting point for those who don’t read/don’t usually like fantasy. Forced marriage, misunderstandings, dragons, a beauty & the beast vibe … book has it all, and does it perfectly.
9. Irregulars by Nicole Kimberling, Josh Lanyon, Ginn Hale, and Astrid Amara
My sister lent me her copy of this and I almost didn’t give it back. Then I bought my own, and then my roommate bought her own. Whenever I need a pick-me-up, I read these stories. Beautiful, beautiful work by some of the best in the business.
10. A Companion to Wolves by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear
I love the world in this book, the culture of the wolves, the role the MC takes on and how he shakes things up with it. Another book I found impossible to put down. It’s technically a trilogy, but you can read the first one fine and stop there. Only thing to note is that dub-con is a key element, if that’s something that would trouble you.
Ten M/M Sci-fi Favs
1. Alpha Trine by Lexi Ander
Technically I love the whole series, but the second book isn’t out yet. My favorite part is Zeus and how much he loves/is part of the family that adopted him. The author also creates a truly diverse cast of aliens. The central relationship is a threesome, one of the most unique I’ve ever seen in any genre.
2. Storms and Stars by Neena Jaydon
A beautiful story about two enemies who crash on an uninhabited planet with no way home. I’ve read this story start to finish more times than I can honestly recall. If I had to pick a single favorite sci-fi book, it would be this one. If you’re not normally a sci-fi fan, this is a good one to try out.
3. Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts by Lyn Gala
Another book that puts a hell of a lot of effort into making aliens actual aliens, not just different kinds of humans. I liked the misunderstandings, how believable they were, how they were worked out, without histrionics and such.
4. Stowaway by Becky Black
This is a fun story, about a stowaway and the head of security for a cargo freighter. Another good one to read if you’re not normally into/have never read sci-fi. Technically it’s number two in a series, but they’re all stand-alone so it doesn’t matter.
5. Bitter Harvest by Kim Knox
This is a dystopia-type story, where the world was mostly destroyed and now everyone is in survival mode (and fighting against a threat I definitely never want to encounter). Also falls under the fuck-or-die trope, and does it really well. Not a genre I usually go for, but this book is a happy exception.
6. Signal to Noise by Talya Andor
Another ‘stranded on an empty planet’ type book, but in this case the stranded person are twin brothers. If incest bothers you, definitely steer clear. That being said, this book handles incest extremely well, as well as all the other components of the story.
7. One Constant by Dawn Kimberly Johnson
A time travel story, part of an entire collection of them released by Dreamspinner Press, and hands down my favorite. A very pretty story, there’s no other way to describe it, and the end is absolutely perfect. Another story where I’ve lost count how many times I’ve read it.
8. Outcast Mine by Jamie Craig
An interesting take on ‘pretend to be mine’ for the sake of survival. Also a unique take on prison, a setting I usually avoid b/c it’s so often prone to rape-heavy plots and those just aren’t my bag. I really liked the characters in this one, and how the whole story plays out.
9. Moro’s Price by M.C. Hana
This book has pretty much everything I usually avoid, and writes it in a way that I’m glad I took a chance. Every last bit of this book is exceptional, and pulls together a premise that could so easily have failed. It’s a bit of a rough story, so heed the warnings and possibly peruse reviews on goodreads.
10. Heroes & Villains by Harper Kingsley
Still my favorite superhero book. I like the style, I like even the heroes can be assholes, I like the way the main character moves from hero to villain, his reasons and how that affects his love interest. Most superhero stories seem to follow the same pattern, and this one drew me in because it didn’t.
A handful of these books are published by Less Than Three Press, of which I am co-owner. That means I can give them away 😀
EDIT – more books have been added to the giveaway by the lovely Aleksandr Voinov with the permission of Megan Derr. Scroll down to the list to see the ones that have been added (Thank You!) – Nix
Five ebooks to give away! First winner will get to pick from the five, second winner will get to pick from the remaining four, so on and so forth. The books are:
- Battle of Will by Sasha L. Miller
- Dragon Slayer by Isabella Carter
- Alpha Trine by Lexi Ander
- Signal to Noise by Talya Andor
- Heroes & Villains by Harper Kingsley
- Bundle of Scorpion and Lying with Scorpions by Aleksandr Voinov (contributed by the author)
Winners will be randomly drawn April 12th from the commenters on the post.
I hope everyone has a good week. Thanks for stopping by to peruse my lists!
Megan is a long time resident of LGBTQ romance and fantasy, and keeps herself busy reading, writing, and publishing it. She is often accused of fluff and nonsense. When she’s not involved in writing, she likes to cook, harass her cats, or watch movies (especially all things James Bond). She loves to hear from readers, and can be found all around the internet.
maderr.com | maderr.tumblr.com | meganaderr.blogspot.com | lessthanthreepress.com |meganaderr@gmail.com | @amasour
I’d love a chance to win one of these. Thanks!
aelnova@aol.com
Sci Fi books are amongst my most favoured books. Please count me in for the Giveaway.
ShirleyAnn@speakman40.freeserve.co.uk
It’s always fun to see books I haven’t read mixed with books I loved reading. Lists like Megan’s always increase the size of my bookshelf! ;p Please count me in for the giveaway!
Some of your favorites are some of mine too, but there are a lot of other books on this list that I’m going to have to try. Thanks for the chance to win! amaquilante(at)gmail(dot)com
I’ve read several of your recommendations – now I have to read the rest! Winning is always fun.
Thank you for this list – there are so many authors I’ve never read and Dragon Slayer sounds particularly good.
andreams2013@gmail.com
What a great post – I loved Devil’s Fire – I re-read it every couple years. I’ve added a good many of these books to my wish list. Thanks Megan for the chance at winning one of the 5 books you have chosen.
Oops – email just in case 🙂 lgrant1@san.rr.com
Oh man, I would love a chance to win one of these books. All of them sound fantastic!
Iamcaptainskye@aol.com
Definitely going to keep this list to pick off of! I love Megan’s books & I’ve read a few off the list and loved them. Wouldn’t mind an opportunity for another! 😀
Raelynnmarie at live dot/com
Want to try some new books!
Thank you for the recommendations.I’ve loved fantasy books since I first read The Lord of the Rings, long time ago. M/M books are just a new fancy for me, but I find the combination irresistible. I’ll make sure to add these books to my TBR list
Love these books. I have most, but I am definitely picking up the 3-4 I don’t have!
I love Megan’s books and have read and liked a lot some of those in the list. Getting the chance to read some more would be great 🙂
I have a couple of these, but most of them are new to me. I would love the opportunity to win one. I’m going to keep the list to check out the rest .
So many awesome books…and I have to agree…Alpha Trine is one of my go to Sci-fi! I love the world…it’s vast, creative, and captivating…I can’t WAIT for Striker!
I’m interested in this genre, have dipped my toe in over the years but these sound like they would be an awesome start to a collection! Thanks for the lists to get me started
I’ve been wanting to try some of these!
Would love to read the books in Megan’s reco/fave list.. And thank you, for the awesome giveaway as always! <3
I would love to win and btw I am purchasing some of these books from the list now.
Thanks for the great lists. They’ll be a great place to start as I expand my sci-fi/fantasy reading.
I would love a chance to win. Even if I don’t, I’ll be working my way through reading the ones I haven’t already. Thank you!
I’ve read a couple of the books on the lists but hadn’t heard about others, so thanks for adding some new names to my ‘check out’ list. 😀
And I love any and all contests, so count me in. mewalker10@gmail.com
Those are great lists – I have read most of them but a few are sitting on my Kindle neglected – time to bump them up the TBR!
I’ve read some of these but I’ve also just added a few to my TBR list.
amazing giveaway!
thanks for the chance
Sign me up for this great contest!
I have read a few on your list and now want to reread The Devil’s Fire again. It’s been a couple years since I’ve read it also. Thanks for the giveaway.
lincat56(at)hotmail(dot)com
I have read numerous M/M but none have been fantasy or Sci-Fi.
Well you are winner number three. Email me at derrm@lessthanthreepress.com and I’ll let you know the books left to pick from ^__^
Thank you, email sent.
TBR list just grew… a LOT *sigh*
I thought I was so well-versed in m/m, but there are a ton of books in the various top tens that I haven’t read!
These look so great. Some I know, others got added to the wish list!
I’m definitely going to have to add some of these to my pile. Thanks for the great list and information.
I’d love a chance to win these! Thank you! 🙂
I don’t know many of the books on the list. I’ll have to check them out.
penumbrareads(at)gmail(dot)com
would love to win! love the lt3books <3
-Kati
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