Books like 'The Venetian and the Rum Runner'
Readers who enjoyed The Venetian and the Rum Runner by L.A. Witt also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical gay romance 20th century suspense class difference slow burn mafia queer age difference forbidden love
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Subtle Blood by K.J. Charles
Will Darling is all right. His business is doing well, and so is his illicit relationship with Kim Secretan--disgraced aristocrat, ex-spy, amateur book-dealer. It’s starting to feel like he’s got his life under control.And then a brutal murder in a gentleman’s club plunges them back into the shadow world of crime, deception, and the power of privilege... -
![Twist and Shout by Gabriel (AO3), Standbyme]()
Twist and Shout by Gabriel (AO3), Standbyme
Destiel FanficWhat begins as a transforming love between Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak in the summer of 1965 quickly derails into something far more tumultuous when Dean is drafted in the Vietnam War. Though the two both voice their relationship is one where saying goodbye is never a real truth, their story becomes fraught with the tragedy of circumstance... -
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![The Sugared Game by K.J. Charles]()
The Sugared Game by K.J. Charles
It's been two months since Will Darling saw Kim Secretan, and he doesn't expect to see him again. What do a rough and ready soldier-turned-bookseller and a disgraced shady aristocrat have to do with each other anyway?But when Will encounters a face from the past in a disreputable nightclub, Kim turns up, as shifty, unreliable, and irresistible as ever... -
![An Exaltation of Larks by Suanne Laqueur]()
An Exaltation of Larks by Suanne Laqueur
September 11, 1973: Eleven-year-old Alejandro Penda watches from his apartment window as Santiago, Chile falls to a military coup, destroying his family and his childhood. Arriving alone in America, he’s taken in by the Larks: a prominent family in the town of Guelisten...Categorized as:
forbidden love queer 20th century tortured hero contemporary m-m historical friends to lovers -
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![Over the Tracks by Anna Green]()
Over the Tracks by Anna Green
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsThe first volume of The Heart Rate of a Mouse trilogy.In the summer of 1974, musician Ryan Ross embarks on an exhausting tour in support of his band's breakthrough album. He finds himself struggling to live up to the pressure and expectations of sudden fame in the chaos of endless shows and interviews... -
![Peter Cabot Gets Lost by Cat Sebastian]()
Peter Cabot Gets Lost by Cat Sebastian
Summer 1960:After years of scraping by, Caleb Murphy has graduated from college and is finally getting to start a new life. Except he suddenly has no way to get from Boston to Los Angeles. Then, to add to his misery, there's perfect, privileged Peter Cabot offering to drive him...Categorized as:
20th century super rich hero class difference queer secret-relationship m-m historical humor -
![Into Deep Waters by Kaje Harper]()
Into Deep Waters by Kaje Harper
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsFor Jacob and Daniel, two young gay men aboard a Navy ship in WWII, the risks were high. Not just the risks of injury and death from Japanese planes and submarines, but the risk of discovery, of discharge, imprisonment or worse. Only a special kind of love was worth taking that chance. But from the moment Daniel met Jacob's eyes across a battle-scarred deck, he knew he had to try... -
![The Missing Page by Cat Sebastian]()
The Missing Page by Cat Sebastian
England, 1948: Semi-retired spy Leo Page and country doctor James Sommers team up to solve a decades-old mystery.When James learns that an uncle he hasn’t heard from in ages has left him something in his will, he figures that the least he can do is head down to Cornwall for a weekend to honor the old man’s parting wishes...Categorized as:
suspense 20th century queer tortured hero class difference secret-relationship m-m mystery -
![Slippery Creatures by K.J. Charles]()
Slippery Creatures by K.J. Charles
Will Darling came back from the Great War with a few scars, a lot of medals, and no idea what to do next. Inheriting his uncle’s chaotic second-hand bookshop is a blessing...until strange visitors start making threats. First a criminal gang, then the War Office, both telling Will to give them the information they want, or else... -
![Names for the Dawn by C.L. Beaumont]()
Names for the Dawn by C.L. Beaumont
Seasoned Park Ranger Will Avery has found his home in the Denali wilderness, cherishing his solitary routines for the decade leading up to 1991. The trade-off that no one knows of his identity as a transgender man feels worth it for the comforting assurance he finds in the towering glaciers... -
![How Goes The World? by K.J. Charles]()
How Goes The World? by K.J. Charles
The Positively Final Appearance: a two-part epilogue with Daniel and Archie at a house party and Kim and Will in a gentleman's club, because those are definitely settings that go well for them...Categorized as:
queer 20th century class difference super rich hero historical m-m mystery length-novella -
![To Trust Man On His Oath by K.J. Charles]()
To Trust Man On His Oath by K.J. Charles
A Will Darling Adventures interlude.Set a week after the ending of The Sugared Game (so containsmild spoilers for that book)...Categorized as:
queer 20th century class difference super rich hero tortured hero historical m-m mystery -
![Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski]()
Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski
Set in early 1980s Poland against the violent decline of communism, a tender and passionate story of first love between two young men who eventually find themselves on opposite sides of the political divide—a stunningly poetic and heartrending literary debut for fans of Andre Aciman, Garth Greenwell, and Alan Hollinghurst...Categorized as:
20th century secret-relationship queer forbidden love new adult historical m-m lgbtqia hate -
![Song for a Viking by K.J. Charles]()
Song for a Viking by K.J. Charles
‘Song for a Viking’ takes place during/just after the events of the last chapter of Think of England and will be of no use at all to anyone who hasn’t read that book. It is not a standalone. You will definitely get the most out of it if you remind yourself of Think of England’s last chapter before reading...Categorized as:
queer 20th century class difference forbidden love super rich hero historical m-m mystery -
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![Chain Reaction by Nicole Edwards]()
Chain Reaction by Nicole Edwards
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Nicole Edwards comes the tenth installment in her Brantley Off the Books series.During the two years since they created the Off the Books Task Force, Brantley Walker and Reese Tavoularis have had their share of difficult cases, but their next one hits close to home. Too close... -
![RULE by Nicole Edwards]()
RULE by Nicole Edwards
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI’m known to the Hollywood elite as The Fixer. Others refer to me as a Sin Eater. Whatever they call me, people know my name. Some even talk about me as this mythical creature who can make miracles happen, provided those miracles are unethical and usually illegal. But I don’t have a unique skill set. I’m merely a man in possession of a broken moral compass.I won’t apologize for who I am... -
![Year of the Rat by Marshall Thornton]()
Year of the Rat by Marshall Thornton
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsLong Beach, California 1996. Despite having little obvious experience, bartender Dom Reilly is hired as an investigator for the Freedom Agenda, a not-for-profit justice project. His first case involves a twelve-year-old homicide, in which a teenage girl was viciously murdered... -
![The Bequest by Joanna Chambers]()
The Bequest by Joanna Chambers
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsDavid Lauriston and Lord Murdo Balfour have been living happily together for three years at the Laverock estate in Perthshire. But when some unexpected news arrives, Murdo must confront old demons he thought he’d put behind him forever. This story will be exclusively available to my newsletter... -
![A Case for Christmas by J.A. Rock, Lisa Henry]()
A Case for Christmas by J.A. Rock, Lisa Henry
He loves no-one and never will.Lord Christmas Gale is a genius and a misanthrope, and, quite to his disgust, adored by all of Society for his capacity to solve mysteries. When a man approaches him seeking help in locating a lost dog, Gale rebuffs him... -
![A Trail of Fire by Diana Gabaldon]()
A Trail of Fire by Diana Gabaldon
Four extraordinary stories featuring characters from the bestselling OUTLANDER series. In Lord John and the Plague of Zombies Lord John Grey is posted to Jamaica to assist the Governor as he faces a most unusual kind of uprising among the colony's slave population... -
![Restored by Joanna Chambers]()
Restored by Joanna Chambers
Eighteen years ago, Henry Asquith, Duke of Avesbury had to leave his kept lover, Kit Redford, in order to devote himself to raising his young family. Now, a lifetime later, his children are moving on and for the first time in years, Henry is alone...Categorized as:
class difference queer historical regency m-m second chances open-door length-medium -
![Hallum by Casey Morales]()
Hallum by Casey Morales
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCaptured or Killed? Only the War knows.Will Shaw and his friends are typical college students, enjoying dances and parties without much care for life beyond.When Thomas, a handsome Naval officer and newly arrived student, nearly stumbles into Will and his friends, Will's heart spins, though he doesn't understand why... -
![What a Duke Desires by Merry Farmer]()
What a Duke Desires by Merry Farmer
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsTo win a prize that will redeem his shattered reputation, the Duke of Burville must masquerade as a commoner…Wentworth Rawley might be a duke, but his title means nothing after he voted against his peers and in favor of the Reform Act…mere months after being caught in an extraordinarily compromising position with an older lover at a public party... -
![Until the End of Time by Nicky James]()
Until the End of Time by Nicky James
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsBeing a gay man in 1827, was not only frowned upon in England, but punishable by death. Magistrate Simon Stockley would know. He’d convicted men in his courtroom and sentenced them himself. Every time, it left a vile taste in his mouth because Simon was no different than the men whose lives he claimed... -
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![Maurice by E.M. Forster]()
Maurice by E.M. Forster
Written in 1914 by the Nobel Prize–nominated author of Howard’s End, this intimate portrait of homosexual desire “seems as relevant as ever” (The Guardian). From early adolescence to his college years at Cambridge and into professional life at his father’s firm, Maurice Hall plays the part of the conventional Englishman...Categorized as:
20th century queer class difference secret-relationship super rich hero historical m-m behind-doors -
![Crimson by Casey Morales]()
Crimson by Casey Morales
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 11 ratings(Alternate cover edition of ASIN B0CHHBZJ6C.) What if two Ivy League boys were dropped into a James Bond movie? Harvard University, 1941 Will Shaw and his friends are typical American students, still celebrating the end of the Depression and dreaming about a future filled with success. The war in Europe is far away and someone else's concern. Until it isn't... -
![An Honest Man by Ben Fergusson]()
An Honest Man by Ben Fergusson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn West Berlin in 1989, eighteen-year-old Ralf has just left school and is living a final golden summer with his three best friends. They spend their days swimming, smoking and daydreaming about the future, oblivious to the storm gathering on the other side of the Berlin Wall... -
![His Lordship's Master by Samantha SoRelle]()
His Lordship's Master by Samantha SoRelle
Still reeling from the horrific events in London, Alfie thinks Balcarres House, the seat of his earldom, will be just the place to recover. But unexplained noises in the night, figures that vanish into thin air, and ghostly tales of the infamous Wicked Master all make for a less-than-restful stay. When one of the household turns up dead, matters only get worse... -
![Hammer & Powder by Megan Derr]()
Hammer & Powder by Megan Derr
The Kingdom of Rinaha is all that stands between the violent, greedy Boorna and the rest of the continent, and they do so by way of their immense and heavily guarded Wall of Gamala, an enormous undertaking that runs the length of the southern end of the continent, standing strong for more than two hundred years... -
![Brethren by W.A. Hoffman]()
Brethren by W.A. Hoffman
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJohn Williams, the Viscount of Marsdale, libertine, duelist, dilettante, haphazard philanthropist and philosopher, is asked by his estranged father to start a plantation in Jamaica in 1667... -
![Midnight Flit by Elin Gregory]()
Midnight Flit by Elin Gregory
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsMiles Siward and Briers Allerdale return for another thrilling Jazz Age adventure.“Silk stockings on expenses.” Miles’s aristocratic mother has information of importance to the British Government and he must escort her home from Bucharest immediately, but their plans go violently awry and Miles and Lady Siward find themselves on a train to Belgrade - where Miles’s lover is posted... -
![A Scandal for Stratford by J.A. Rock, Lisa Henry]()
A Scandal for Stratford by J.A. Rock, Lisa Henry
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsHe has all he could ask for. James Lewis, the Earl of Stratford, has precisely what he wants: a quiet existence on his family estate, a thriving horse trade that leaves him plenty of time to work on the final volume of his anonymously published opus, The Maiden Diaries, and a deeply committed albeit unconventional relationship with his stablemaster, Harold Granger... -
![Deck the Halls in Secret Agents by Aster Glenn Gray]()
Deck the Halls in Secret Agents by Aster Glenn Gray
Christmas Eve, 1991. The Soviet Union is on the rocks, and so is George Douglass's career in espionage. Nonetheless, the American agent is wading through a blizzard on one last mission.But when George emerges from the snow at a supposedly abandoned chateau, it's lit up like a Christmas tree... -
![Home for Charlie by Minerva Howe]()
Home for Charlie by Minerva Howe
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCharlie Putnam loves his job at the Grand Springs hotel, not because he adores front desk work, but because he gets to meet all kinds of people, which he'd be too scared to do otherwise. He's also being allowed to redecorate some of the rooms... -
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![Will & Patrick Wake up Married Serial, Episodes 1-3 by Leta Blake, Alice Griffiths]()
Will & Patrick Wake up Married Serial, Episodes 1-3 by Leta Blake, Alice Griffiths
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsJoin the fun in this romantic comedy serial by best-selling author Leta Blake and newcomer Alice Griffiths! Episode One: Will & Patrick Wake Up Married After a drunken night of hot sex in Vegas, strangers Will Patterson and Dr. Patrick McCloud wake up married... -
![Jaxon by Ruby Raynes]()
Jaxon by Ruby Raynes
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsAlex: My life is going fine. Okay, it was going fine until I found myself both homeless—my trusty car Trixie on her last leg—and in need of a fake fiancé. What I don't expect is for Jaxon, my long-time crush and the owner of Ink Me, to come swooping in like a knight in shining armor... -
![A Sanctuary for Soulden by J.A. Rock, Lisa Henry]()
A Sanctuary for Soulden by J.A. Rock, Lisa Henry
He wasn't meant for a quiet life.Philip Winthrop, Viscount Soulden, is a fop. An idle popinjay with nothing more on his mind than how to best knot his cravat. He definitely doesn’t spy against the French. Or arrange hasty weddings. Or occasionally commandeer the navy. And he certainly doesn’t seek out mortal danger in order to combat his pervasive ennui...Categorized as:
class difference queer historical regency m-m length-medium explicit-open-door audiobook -
![Now and Then by William Corlett]()
Now and Then by William Corlett
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsNow. Christopher Metcalfe returns to his family home in Kent after the death of his father. Sorting through a box of memorabilia from his days at public school, Chris is suddenly confronted by the face that has haunted him for thirty years... -
![Separate Rooms by Pier Vittorio Tondelli]()
Separate Rooms by Pier Vittorio Tondelli
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsSoon to be a major film adaptation by Luca Guadagnino, Separate Rooms is a masterpiece of Italian literature, and a heartbreaking portrait of love, grief, and the daily realities of being a gay man in 1980s Europe.Thomas, a young German musician, is dying. His older boyfriend, a renowned Italian writer named Leo, finds it impossible to watch the slow and inevitable demise of his lover... -
![Dublin Bay by John Patrick]()
Dublin Bay by John Patrick
In 1939, the world tumbles toward war and the lives of two young men will be forever changed.James Brennan grew up in the poorest of Dublin’s tenements, turning adversity to advantage wherever he could. But he’s nearly a man now—with a good education at that—and wants more from life than what he can get as a day laborer, or following his father into the factory...Categorized as:
20th century class difference suspense forbidden love queer historical m-m insta-love -
![Night Drop by Marshall Thornton]()
Night Drop by Marshall Thornton
It’s 1992 and Los Angeles is burning. Noah Valentine, the owner of Pinx Video in Silver Lake, notices the fires have taken their toll on fellow shopkeeper Guy Peterson’s camera shop. After the riots end, he decides to stop by Guy’s to pick up his overdue videos, only to find Guy’s family dividing up his belongings... -
![Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style by Paul Rudnick]()
Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style by Paul Rudnick
From the acclaimed writer Paul Rudnick, a riotously funny, perceptive, and life-affirming novel following the decades-long, rule-breaking romance between the son of one of American’s wealthiest families and a middle-class aspiring author.Devastatingly handsome and insanely rich, Farrell Covington is capable of anything and impossible to resist... -
![When Skies Have Fallen (When Skies Have Fallen) by Debbie McGowan]()
When Skies Have Fallen (When Skies Have Fallen) by Debbie McGowan
For many in war-torn 1944, love blossoms in the dance hall, and airman Arty Clarke is no exception. He’s a thinker and a dreamer; however, it’s not the beautiful, talented dancer in his arms—his best friend Jean—who inspires his dreams. For when his gaze meets that of Technical Sergeant Jim Johnson, Arty dares to imagine a different dance...Categorized as:
secret-relationship queer military historical m-m length-medium open-door disabilities and marks -
![Uriel: Yule Lads Book Two by Macy Blake]()
Uriel: Yule Lads Book Two by Macy Blake
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHis holiday is about to go off-book…Uriel Lad is single all the way. He enjoys his quiet life in the small town of Mistletoe Falls, running Ornamentary Books and More. This holiday, though, Uriel’s Yule Lad magic is back, which means making mischief throughout the season. It should be a perfect Christmas, until his new friend Joe begs for help with a problem... -
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![The Servant and the Gentleman by Annabelle Greene]()
The Servant and the Gentleman by Annabelle Greene
A surly gentleman and his overworked clerk fake a relationship in this swoonworthy Regency romance from Annabelle Greene. William Hartley’s wealth and social standing often make up for his short temper, but they can’t cure his claustrophobia. He’d lost hope of finding help for it, until meeting Josiah Balfour...Categorized as:
class difference queer forbidden love tortured hero super rich hero historical forced proximity m-m -
![Flowers by Night by Lucy May Lennox]()
Flowers by Night by Lucy May Lennox
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA vivid, meticulously researched novel that depicts unconventional lives during the first half of the 19th century in Edo—the city that would become Tokyo—a city wracked by frequent natural disasters, but where one can find bawdy, thrilling entertainment of every kind...Categorized as:
queer age difference m-m historical f-f disabilities and marks found-family length-medium -
![Sweet Honesty by Joan Vassar]()
Sweet Honesty by Joan Vassar
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsAtlanta, Georgia, 1950–Michael can’t believe his eyes as he watches the man he loves marry a woman from the back row of Mount Zion Baptist Church. When the beautiful couple is pronounced man and wife, he leaves his home in Georgia for the chance of a better life in New York City.Alexander is just trying to exist in Queens, New York... -
![Middle Ground by Ursula Zilinsky]()
Middle Ground by Ursula Zilinsky
Two males meet in a Nazi labour camp: half-Jewish teenager Tyl von Pankow, saved from the gas-chambers by the influence of his Prussian grandfather, and Johannes von Svestrom, war-wounded veteran of the Afrika Korps, now sentenced by Hitler to a terrible command... -
![Putting on the Ritz by Joe Keenan]()
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![A Land So Wild by Elyssa Warkentin]()
A Land So Wild by Elyssa Warkentin
In 1845, the HMS Vanguard, under the command of Captain William Caulderson, departed England on a voyage of discovery to find a Northwest Passage through the perilous arctic waters separating the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It was never heard from again...Categorized as:
suspense forbidden love secret-relationship slow burn queer historical m-m victorian
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