22 Dreamy Romance Novels Featuring LGBTQ+ Main Characters

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead. And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead. But even in death, he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days. Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.

In 17th-century Paris, Baroness Marie Catherine wishes to hide how unhappy she is in her marriage, and the pleasures she seeks outside of it. At the center of her freedom: Victoire Rose de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Conti, the androgynous, self-assured countess who steals Marie Catherine’s heart and becomes her lover. But when a shocking and unexpected murder occurs, Marie Catherine must escape. And what she discovers is the dark underbelly of a city full of people who have secrets they would kill to keep.

On his first day at Valentine Academy for Boys, Charlie’s carefully crafted plan to hide his identity as the school’s only trans student is set in motion. Only to be immediately destroyed. Charlie has been assigned Jasper Grimes, the boy who broke Charlie’s heart the year before he transitioned, as his roommate. Except, Jasper doesn’t recognize Charlie. Charlie has one shot at freedom, but only if he helps Jasper write love letters on behalf of their fellow students. Long nights spent discussing deep romantic feelings with Jasper? Surely, no unintended consequences will arise…

Sneha has an entry-level corporate job that, grueling as it may be, is the key that unlocks every door: she can pick up the tab at dinner with her new friend Tig, get her college buddy Thom hired alongside her, and send money to her parents back in India. She soon develops a burning crush on Marina, a beautiful dancer who always seems just out of reach. Sneha struggles to be truly close and open with anybody. It’s then that Tig begins to draw up a radical solution to their problems, hoping to save them all.

The notoriously eccentric Lord Christopher Eden prefers to live far from prying eyes. But his life is upended when he receives word that, according to his late father’s will, he must find a wife by the end of the Season if he intends to keep his family’s fortune. Enter James Harding, Christopher’s new, distractingly handsome valet. After a rocky start, the two strike up a fragile friendship…a friendship that threatens to shatter under the looming shadow of Christopher’s impending nuptials—and the secrets both men are keeping.

Emily has a perfect life: a townhouse in the Upper East Side, two healthy children, and a loving husband. But the truth is more complicated: Emily’s marriage is in trouble, and she’s still nursing a heartbreak from long ago. When Emily runs into her high school girlfriend at a cocktail party, that heartbreak comes roaring back. But Gen Hall is no longer the kid Emily loved in her youth. Instead, Gen is now a famous Olympic athlete. Should Emily risk her children, her privacy, and the fragile peace she has found to be with a woman she loved long ago?

When Delilah Green’s estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into photographing her wedding, Delilah finds herself back in the godforsaken town that she used to call home. She plans to breeze in and out, but then she sees Claire Sutherland, one of Astrid’s stuck-up besties, and decides that maybe there’s some fun to be had in Bright Falls, after all. When they’re forced together during a gauntlet of wedding preparations—including a plot to save Astrid from her horrible fiancé—Claire isn’t sure she has the strength to resist Delilah’s charms.

When Cassie Klein goes to an off-campus bar to escape her school’s Family Weekend, she isn’t looking for a hookup—it just happens. But then the next morning rolls around and her friend drags her along to meet her mom—the hot, older woman Cassie slept with. What should have been a one-time fling quickly proves impossible to ignore, and soon Cassie and Erin are sneaking around. Worst of all, they start to realize they have something real. But is being honest about the love between them worth the cost?

When Viola Carroll was presumed dead at Waterloo she took the opportunity to live, at last, as herself. But freedom does not come without a price, and Viola paid for hers with the loss of her wealth, her title, and her closest companion, Justin de Vere, the Duke of Gracewood. Shattered without her, Gracewood has retreated so far into grief that Viola barely recognizes her old friend. As Viola strives to bring Gracewood back to himself, fresh desires give new names to old feelings. Feelings that may cost her everything, all over again.

Dev has always believed in fairy tales. So it’s no wonder then that he’s spent his career crafting them on the reality dating show Ever After. But then the show casts disgraced Charlie Winshaw as its star. Charlie doesn’t believe in true love, and only agreed to the show to rehabilitate his image. As Dev fights to get Charlie to connect with the contestants, they begin to open up to each other, and Charlie realizes he has better chemistry with Dev than with any of his female co-stars. But in order to find happily ever after, they’ll have to reconsider whose love story gets told.

Nick Russo has worked his way from a rough Brooklyn neighborhood to a reporting job at one of the city’s biggest newspapers. But the late 1950s are a hostile time for gay men, and Nick knows that he can’t let anyone into his life. Andy Fleming’s newspaper-tycoon father wants him to take over the family business. He agrees to work for a year in the newsroom, knowing he’ll make an ass of himself and hate every second of it. Except, Nick Russo keeps rescuing Andy. Their unlikely friendship soon sharpens into feelings they can’t deny. 

Sir Gareth Inglis longs for a connection, falling headfirst into a passionate anonymous affair that’s over almost as quickly as it began. Joss Doomsday has run the Doomsday smuggling clan since he was a boy. His family is his life…which is why when Gareth testifies against his sister, Joss acts fast, blackmailing Gareth with the secret of their relationship to force him to recant. Their reunion is anything but happy and the path forward is anything but smooth, yet neither can stay away. 

Nazeli “Ellie” Gregorian enjoys the prestige of her tech marketing job but is sick of the condescending tech bros she’s forced to work with. When Ellie’s parents ask her to attend a food packaging conference in Chicago to help promote their company, she’s eager for a brief change. At the conference, she meets Vanya. But their meet-cute is cut short when Ellie’s parents recognize Vanya as the daughter of their greatest rival. Ellie and Vanya must compete against each all while their feelings for each other heat to sizzling temps.

Holden James’ chance to audition for his favorite game show should have been a moment of triumph. Instead, he’s recently dumped, destroying the minibar in a Los Angeles hotel room. But at least the hotel service is sublime. It even comes with a sexy concierge who arrives at the door with pizza. Maybe their chemistry is enough to convince the show’s casting directors that they’re a real couple. All they’d have to do is crush the competition, win the huge cash prize and all of Holden’s problems will be fixed. 

Yeeran is a warrior in the elven army and has known nothing but violence her whole life. Her sister, Lettle, is trying to make a living as a diviner, seeking prophecies of a better future. When a fatal mistake leads to Yeeran’s exile from the Elven lands, they are both forced into the terrifying wilderness beyond their borders. There they encounter the impossible: the fae court. The fae haven’t been seen for a millennium. But now Yeeran and Lettle are thrust into their seductive world—torn between their loyalty to each other, their elven homeland, and their hearts.

In the year 4 BCE, an ambitious courtier is called upon to seduce the young emperor—but quickly discovers they are both ruled by blood, sex, and intrigue. In 1740, a lonely innkeeper agrees to help a mysterious visitor procure a rare medicine, only to unleash an otherworldly terror instead. And in present-day Los Angeles, a college student meets a beautiful stranger and cannot shake the feeling they’ve met before. Across these seemingly unrelated timelines, two men are reborn, lifetime after lifetime. As their many lives intertwine, they begin to realize the power of their undying love.

Kris Zavala is right on the cusp of really making it as an influencer, so a stint on reality TV is the perfect chance to elevate her brand. D’Vaughn Miller is just trying to break out of her shell. All they have to do is convince their friends and family they’re getting married in six weeks. If anyone guesses they’re not for real, they’re out. But, a reality show isn’t the best place to create a solid foundation, and their fake wedding might just derail their relationship before it even starts.

Thirty, flirty, and asexual Joy is secretly in love with her best friend Malcolm, but she’s never been brave enough to say so. When he unexpectedly announces that he’s met the love of his life—she’s heartbroken. Malcolm invites her on a weekend getaway, and Joy decides it’s her last chance to show him exactly what he’s overlooking. But maybe Joy is the one missing something—or someone—and his name is Fox. He proposes they pretend to fall for each other on the weekend trip to make Malcolm jealous. But could Fox be the romantic partner she’s always deserved?

Young baronet Robin Blyth has been appointed parliamentary liaison to a secret magical society. If it weren’t for this administrative error, he’d never have discovered the incredible magic underlying his world. Cursed by mysterious attackers and plagued by visions, Robin becomes determined to drag answers from his missing predecessor—but he’ll need the help of Edwin Courcey, his hostile magical-society counterpart. Unwillingly thrown together, Robin and Edwin will discover a plot that threatens every magician in the British Isles.

Winning the lottery has ruined Opal Devlin’s life. She’s bombarded by people knocking at her door for a handout. Opal decides to protect herself by putting almost all her new money into buying flower farm in Asheville, North Carolina while she uses the cabin on the property to start her painting business. But her plans for isolation go awry when an angry (albeit gorgeous) Pepper Smith is waiting for her at her new farm. Pepper states she’s the rightful owner of Thistle and Bloom Farms, and isn’t moving out. Can these opposites both live out their dreams and plant roots? 

After clawing her way to the top of the charts with her webcomic, Noah Blue’s secured a full-time position at a comic company re-launching their cult classic comic: Queen Leisah. There’s nowhere to go but up—as soon as she gets one person out of her way. Sage Montgomery was promised full creative control over Leisah. Instead, she got a shared credit with the one artist who’s been breathing down her neck since college. Sage and Noah have to work as a team—or, at least appear to work as a team. But that’s easy in comparison to resisting their feelings for each other.

When smart-mouthed Vanessa Lerner joins the high school basketball team Julie Parker coaches, Julie’s ready for the challenge. What she’s not ready for is Vanessa’s new foster parent, Elle Cochrane—former University of Tennessee basketball star. Soon Julie persuades Elle to step into the unfilled position of assistant coach for the year. The gig might be a way to become closer to Vanessa—and to spend more time with Julie. But as the basketball season progresses, and lines grow increasingly blurred, Julie and Elle must decide to join the game—or retreat to the sidelines.