This book list gives you the best MM romance books worth reading. If you’re a fan of this must read romance category, check out my most favorite gay romance novels and add them to your TBR pile!
If you’re new to the gay romance novel genre and looking to check it out, these book recommendations will help you discover why it’s so popular.
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I personally have an absolute weakness when it comes to MM romance books.
I devour these stories and keep looking for more. So many great authors have written amazing gay romance novels and I’ve highlighted my favorites in this book list.
These romance books are not only the best MM romance books, but they are also books that feature great contemporary romance stories in a variety of romance book sub-categories and tropes.
So if you like rock star romance, college romance, sports romance, office romance, new adult romance and erotic romance, these MM romance books have you covered because they include these popular plot lines as well.
The Best MM Gay Romance Novels to Read Right Now:
Red, White & Royal Blue
by Casey McQuiston
When his mother became President of the United States, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal.
Handsome, charismatic, genius—his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House.
There’s only one problem: Alex has a beef with an actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex/Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.
Heads of the family and state and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: Stage a truce between the two rivals.
What at first begins as a fake, Instagrammable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined.
Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the presidential campaign and upend two nations.
It raises the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to ben? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through? How will history remember you?
There’s no question in my mind that Red, White and Royal Blue deserved to win Best Romance Book for the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards.
This book was special in so many ways, from the amazing writing, great characterization, original story line and intense romance between the First Son of the American President and a British prince.
This debut novel my McQuiston is one of the best romance novels of all time because I loved the connection between these two apparent opposites and the strength of their love to take on the media storm of the whole world.
If you’re going to read a gay romance novel – this is a must read! It also made my book list of the best enemies to lovers books in MM romance.
Find on Goodreads | Buy on Amazon | My Review
Halo
by Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine
Massive world tours. Over a hundred million albums sold. Groupies galore. Every day is a party for Viper and the guys of TBD, the biggest rock band in the world.
But it all comes to a screeching halt when the lead singer walks out of the studio one day and never comes back.
Ear-blistering vocals. Butchered lyrics. Fame chasers. After months of lackluster auditions, Viper, the lead guitarist and resident bad boy of the group, is ready to find solace in the bottom of a bottle.
Time’s running out and the pressure’s on to find a new singer, but it isn’t until an angel walks through the door that the band’s prayers are answered.
Charismatic. Talented. Magic behind the mic. Halo is everything they’ve been looking for.
With a voice to match his stunning good looks, it isn’t long before Viper’s taking notice. But there are several reasons this is a bad idea:
1. Interpersonal relationships in the band are discouraged 2. Viper has already broken rule #1—big mistake 3. Halo is straight
Too bad Viper’s body isn’t listening to his head—at least not the one on his shoulders. But you can’t fake chemistry, not onstage and certainly not off it, and Viper and Halo? They have it in spades.
As both men try to resist the fire blazing between them, and the band is forced to reinvent themselves, it’ll be a complicated rise back to the top.
But from the ashes of what was, something beautiful is born. Something better. And when the world finally sees Halo stretch his wings, they’ll discover what it’s like to fall for an angel.
When I started reading Halo, I’m not sure that I came up for air until I read the last word.
This book was so consuming and so completely HOT.
Yeah, you’d think a rock star romance is going to be pretty down and dirty but throw in an instant connection between the gay guitarist and the new lead singer who happens to be straight? WOW!
The chemistry between Halo and Viper was out of this world and the development of their relationship was captivating.
Without a doubt, you’ll be reading Viper and Angel, the next two books that complete this series, after finishing this MM gay romance novel.
Find on Goodreads | Buy on Amazon
Him
by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
They don’t play for the same team. Or do they?
Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation.
So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness.
Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship.
Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever.
Jamie has waited a long time for answers, but walks away with only more questions—can one night ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it?
When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend… and a big one to learn about himself.
Him is another gay romance novel to make my list of the best romance novels of all time!
Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy write an incredible friends to lovers story that reunites two friends years later after the one night things went a bit farther in their shared room at hockey camp.
Hockey camp is what reunites them again as coaches where they end up sharing a room once again.
I loved seeing Ryan’s struggle with the intense feelings he had for Jamie while not wanting to scare him off or get his heart broken. Though Jamie’s character was equally compelling in how he explored his feelings for Ryan.
The follow up book to this MM romance book, Us, is just as good and a must-read as well.
Find on Goodreads | Buy on Amazon
Of Sunlight and Stardust
by Riley Hart and Christina Lee
After his wife’s passing, Tanner Rowe takes a step toward making her last wish come true and buys the house with the dilapidated barn she’d been inexplicably drawn to in the picturesque Upper Peninsula.
But after a year, he still can’t get past his grief long enough to make the repairs he’d promised.
Recently out of prison, Cole Lachlan has little to his name. Homeless, broke, and without many options with a record, Cole heads to Red Bluff with hopes of a second chance.
There he meets Tanner, whose loneliness mirrors his own, and soon Cole is trading room and board for rebuilding the burned-out barn on Tanner’s property that hasn’t been touched in seventy years.
Turns out, the barn holds more secrets than either of them could have imagined. After unearthing a hidden journal from 1948, Cole and Tanner spend their evenings poring over the pages, reading about a young man pining after his best friend.
The deeper they delve into this forbidden affair from the past, the more Cole and Tanner’s own relationship shifts—from acquaintances to friends…to undeniable attraction.
But as they begin to deal with the newness of falling in love in the wake of Tanner’s loss and Cole’s past, they also become more determined to unravel the mystery of the young lovers who’ve captured their hearts, the rumors about the fire, and what really happened that fateful night.
I felt like I drifted into a different world when I began reading Of Sunlight and Star Dust.
A different, more quiet, more remote world on the farm where Tanner was grieving for his wife and where he hires Cole, the ex-con in need of a second chance.
But you also get sucked into the past, into a second love story that unfolded between two boys who used to live on that farm and who payed the price for their forbidden love.
This MM romance book was a beautiful, slow burn romance between two men who end up healing each other while they unravel the mystery and romance of two boys who once loved too.
Find on Goodreads | Buy on Amazon
Danger Zone
by Brooke Blaine and Ella Frank
They train to serve their country. They strive to be the best. But only a select few can be …The Elite
MATTEO MORGAN CALL SIGN: SOLO: Reckless, arrogant, and bold, Solo is as known in the U.S. Navy for his bad-boy reputation as he is for his skills as a fighter pilot. It’s a surprise to his peers, then, when he’s chosen to train and compete at the most prestigious naval aviation academy in the world.
MISSION RULES:1. Kick everyone’s butt. 2. Do whatever it takes to win. 3. Do your best to distract the competition. 4. Especially when that competition is a gorgeous blue-eyed perfectionist who makes your blood run hot.
GRANT HUGHES CALL SIGN: PANTHER: Disciplined, smart, and confident, Panther can’t afford not to play by the rules. As the son of a top Navy commander, all eyes are on him, and being anything less than number one is unacceptable.
MISSION RULES: 1. Keep it safe in the air. 2. Prove you’re more than Commander Hughes’s son. 3. No distractions. Stay focused. 4. Don’t fall for your competition—especially not the rebellious heartbreaker with lips made for sinning.
In the heat of the hot California sun, tempers flare and desires ignite as Solo and Panther try to resist their attraction while fighting to be number one.
With passion this intense, the question remains: Who’s going to come out on top?
Danger Zone is a must-read for anyone who loved the movie Top Gun and wants to read a new take on alpha pilots fighting it out in the skies.
Panther and Solo are fighter pilots in an elite training program, both vying for that number one spot – to be named the best of the best.
Neither will accept defeat and yet neither can seem to ignore their attraction to one another even if a gay relationship isn’t standard in the military.
This is a great, opposites attract romance with the added excitement of competition in a high stakes profession of alpha males.
Danger Zone does end on a cliffhanger and is part of a three-book series so get ready to hunker down for a few books once starting this gay romance novel. It too made my book list of the best enemies to lovers books in MM romance.
Find on Goodreads | Buy on Amazon
Strong Enough
by Melanie Harlow and David Romanov
I wasn’t looking for Derek Wolfe. I wasn’t looking for anybody. All I wanted was to start a new life in America. But when I found myself stranded here with no place to go, he came to my rescue, offering me a place to stay.
He’s smart, successful, and hot —I can barely sleep knowing he’s right down the hall. And when the chemistry between us ignites one night with fierce, fiery passion, it’s hard to deny there’s something real there.
But he does.
He says he was drunk. He says it was a one-time thing. He says he’s not into guys and what we did meant nothing.
He’s lying. Because it happened again, and again, and again. And it’s better every time.
I know we could be good together, and I want the chance to try, but I’m done hiding.
If he’s not strong enough to admit the truth, I’ll have to be strong enough to walk away.
Strong Enough is a gay romance novel where one character is clearly struggling with his feelings and acknowledgment that he’s attracted to another man.
Derek is in his late 30s and is ready to settle down and start a family but he realizes that he’s forcing the chemistry with his current girlfriend.
The chemistry however is undeniable with the 24-year-old man who is now staying in his home.
This was a great story looking at one man’s struggle to accept what’s true for him and to acknowledge that he can still have the family picture he always envisioned with someone who is the love of his life.
If you like an age difference and a bit of an identity crisis in your MM romance then this is the one to pick up. It’s also loosely based on the co-author’s life which I think is really neat.
Find on Goodreads | Buy on Amazon
Sticking to the Script
by Stella Weaver
Steven Thompson had a bad year.
A string of mean (the alarming kind, not the good kind), and crazy dating debacles combined with a boss who appears to be experiencing male-prenatal-psychosis means Steven’s stress levels are high.
They’re so high, he’s decided to quit dating and focus instead solely on his job. Until he meets Dr. Ken Miles.
Doctor Ken Miles is having a fantastic year. His hard work is paying off in a big way… professionally. But his social life? Not so much.
Until he meets Steven Thompson. Steven isn’t so sure about Dr. Miles, but Ken is one hundred percent certain about Mr. Thompson.
And even though both men know full well that the key to getting what you want out of life is hard work, they can’t seem to make them—together—work.
Will they ever get on the same page? Or just keep sticking to the same old script?
This is one of my favorite Smartypants Romance books.
It features the lovable Stephen Thompson who is having one heck of a craptastic year in dating. I mean this guy has not had the best luck in dating guys AT ALL so it’s only fair that he’s due to fall for a nice guy.
Only he didn’t envision that it would be stiff Dr. Ken Miles who for all intents and purposes is straight.
This was a great story of two people being attracted to one another but dealing with those beginning feelings of vulnerability – wondering if the other person is on the same page and actually returns one’s own developing feelings.
This is a great gay romance novel that develops from a growing friendship and really focuses on the importance of trust and honesty in a relationship.
Find on Goodreads | Buy on Amazon | My Review
Someday Someday
by Emma Scott
Max Kaufman was kicked out of his home as a teen and his life has been an uphill battle ever since.
From addiction and living on the streets, to recovery and putting himself through nursing school, he’s spent the last ten years rebuilding his shattered sense of self.
Now he’s taken a job as a private caretaker to Edward Marsh III, the president and CEO of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
Max soon learns Marsh’s multi-billion-dollar empire is a gold and diamond-encrusted web of secrets and lies.
The longer Max works and lives with the Marsh family, the tighter the secrets tangle around him. And his heart—that he’s worked so hard to protect—falls straight into the hands of the distant, cold, and beautiful son of a dynasty.
Silas Marsh is set to inherit the family fortune, but his father is determined his heir be the “perfect” son.
Before Silas can take over the company and end its shady business practices, he must prove himself worthy…and deny his true nature.
Silas must choose: stand up to his father by being true to himself and his undeniable feelings for Max. Or pretend to be someone he is not in order to inherit everything. Even if it means sacrificing his first chance at love.
Someday Someday was a more emotional MM romance read for me as it features two men who have suffered significant trauma in their pasts after their families found out that they were gay.
Years later as adults struggling to find their footing, Silas and Max meet at an NA meeting where the spark of their connection is undeniable.
Exploring this spark isn’t an easy road however as Max is no longer willing to hide that fact that he is gay but Silas has some severe consequences held over his head should his true feelings be made public.
This was a very moving romance between two men just looking to live lives true to who they really are.
It’s an opposites attract story that delves into serious topics such as addiction and PTSD as well and I can’t recommend it enough!
Find on Goodreads | Buy on Amazon | My Review
Top Secret
by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
LobsterShorts, 21 Jock. Secretly a science geek. Hot AF.
LobsterShorts: So. Here goes. For her birthday, my girlfriend wants…a threesome.
SinnerThree: Then you’ve come to the right hookup app. LobsterShorts: Have you done this sort of thing before? With another guy? SinnerThree: All the time. I’m an equal opportunity player. You?
LobsterShorts: [crickets!]
SinnerThree, 21 Finance major. Secretly a male dancer. Hot AF.
SinnerThree: Well, I’m down if you are. My life is kind of a mess right now. School, work, family stress. Oh, and I live next door to the most annoying dude in the world. I need the distraction. Are you sure you want this?
LobsterShorts: I might want it a little more than I’m willing to admit.
SinnerThree: Hey, nothing wrong with pushing your boundaries.
LobsterShorts: Tell that to my control-freak father. Anyway. What if it’s awkward?
SinnerThree: Then it’s awkward. It’s not like we’ll ever have to see each other again. Right? Just promise you won’t fall in love with me.
LobsterShorts: Now wouldn’t that be life-changing.
Top Secret starts off with an interesting proposition. To celebrate his girlfriend’s birthday, Keaton wants to give her what she’s always wanted – a threesome with another guy.
To fulfill her fantasy he starts messaging someone on a dating app which sparks new feelings he never thought he’d have, especially with another guy.
Only neither of the guys realize that they already know each other and are actually roommates in the same frat house.
This was an opposites attract love story between two people who at first couldn’t stand each other but soon find they can’t be apart.
This gay romance novel is another gem from Bowen and Kennedy and one I highly recommend. Find it also on my book list of the best enemies to lovers books in MM romance.
Find on Goodreads | Buy on Amazon
Want Me
by Neve Wilder
Two roommates. One calculus exam. A whole lot of extracurricular activity.
Nate: Living with four other guys, it’s bound to happen. Every guy’s been caught taking care of business at least once, right?
It shouldn’t be a big deal. But I don’t know Eric as well as my other roommates, and things are a little awkward now.
He’s a loner. A mystery. Quietly confident. Smart. Hot.
I’ve been happily subsisting on the typical frat guy diet of booze and sorority girls. But the way Eric looked at me that night? There was something there. Something that’s got me curious.
Something that’s stirring up feelings I thought I’d left behind for good. Something that’s making me think I’m not as straight as I thought I was.
I can’t get him off of my mind. I don’t think I want to. So when he offers to help me study for a midterm, I take him up on it.
It’s innocent. Probably. Maybe. There’s no way I could’ve known what it’d start.
Want Me was a MM romance that I just happen to pick up and ended up devouring in one sitting.
It’s an erotic romance set in college between two juniors, living in a house together and let me tell you this book was HOT.
Nate is taking a study break in his room and takes things in his own hands to provide some needed relief when his roommate, Eric, walks in on him catching him in the act but not necessarily looking away.
The next night when Eric helps Nate study for a calculus test, they take things to the next level thus launching quite the erotic romance as they explore their chemistry together.
These boys explored each other in every which way and hardly ever in a bed.
If exploration, exhibition and college romance are your catnip then you’ll definitely want to read this MM romance.
Find on Goodreads | Buy on Amazon
What is your favorite MM gay romance novel? Tell me your favorite in the comments below!
Related Lists:
- Gay Romance Novels: The Ultimate Guide
- The Best Enemies to Lovers Books in MM Romance
- 15 New Gay Romance Books Releasing in 2023
- Popular Lesbian Romance Books
- 15 New Lesbian Romance Books To Read in 2023
- Books Like Red, White and Royal Blue to Get Your Fix
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