Books like 'Oh! You Pretty Things'
Readers who enjoyed Oh! You Pretty Things by Jane Hadley also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical gay romance queer 20th century love triangle friends to lovers menage found-family virgin hero
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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... -
![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:
friends to lovers love triangle queer 20th century contemporary m-m historical angst -
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![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... -
![Luke and Billy Finally Get a Clue by Cat Sebastian]()
Luke and Billy Finally Get a Clue by Cat Sebastian
North Carolina, 1953Billy Reardon’s spent the past five years trying and failing to keep his teammate Luke Novak at arm’s length—or at least a normal, friendly distance. Or, failing that, he’d like to not make a fool of himself... -
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![Eryx: A Spartan Tale by Jaclyn Osborn]()
Eryx: A Spartan Tale by Jaclyn Osborn
My father once told me, above all else... Live and die for Sparta. Honor. Loyalty. Duty. These were the things that mattered most. And then Axios came into my life, teaching me other lessons: humility, brotherhood... love. There were moments when the brutal training stripped me of my humanity, where it turned me into a mindless beast of flesh and muscle set to destroy everything in my way... -
![Rough Pages by Lev A.C. Rosen]()
Rough Pages by Lev A.C. Rosen
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsPrivate Detective Evander "Andy" Mills has been drawn back to the Lavender House estate for a missing person case. Pat, the family butler, has been volunteering for a book service, one that specializes in mailing queer books to a carefully guarded list of subscribers... -
![A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale]()
A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsIn the golden 1900s, Harry Cane, a shy, eligible gentleman of leisure is drawn from a life of quiet routine into courting and marrying Winnie, eldest daughter of the fatherless Wells clan, who are not quite as respectable as they would appear. They settle by the sea and have a daughter and conventional marriage does not seem such a tumultuous change after all... -
![夜畫帳 第三卷 by Byeonduck]()
夜畫帳 第三卷 by Byeonduck
白羅謙一直以為自己是不得已才留在尹府。為了先生的官途，他才重拾春宮畫筆，甚至不惜委身尹勝浩，付出比他想像更多的代價。可被他寄託了所有的先生，卻似乎並不這麼想。比起對他呼來喚去動手動腳的尹少爺，先生那不經意間流露出的輕視，更傷人。他在尹勝浩帶給他的肉體歡愉之中漸漸沉淪，本以為這一切的本質都是傷害，可當隱隱感受到尹勝浩對他流露出的在意與占有慾時，少年越發感到迷惘……本書特色※韓國話題性耽美漫畫第三卷堂堂登場！※韓國Lezhin... -
![Only You by Leta Blake]()
Only You by Leta Blake
Join Peter Mandel on his final steps to love in Only You, the highly-anticipated final book of Leta Blake's ’90s Coming of Age series.Despite the lingering wounds of his past relationship, Peter is ready to take a chance on finding a faithful love and embracing his true self.Peter and Daniel explore their connection despite Daniel's complicated home life...Categorized as:
friends to lovers 20th century queer m-m new adult second chances contemporary angst -
![A Mean Season by Marshall Thornton]()
A Mean Season by Marshall Thornton
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDom Reilly is back. In this follow up to Year of the Rat, Dom helps clear three men wrongly convicted of rape while also following a pet project—the twenty-year-old case of a man accused of killing his lover in 1976. Meanwhile, Dom gets wind that someone is looking for him. A private detective from Chicago... -
![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... -
![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... -
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![After Being Forced to Marry the Evil Star General by 顾三跃]()
After Being Forced to Marry the Evil Star General by 顾三跃
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsZhao Yelan was born as a criminal s*ave and was rescued by the Third Prince. After years of painstaking efforts to put him on the throne, Zhao Yelan became a sycophantic minister whom everyone detested, but he was actually given a marriage by that person to general Yan Mingting, the lone star of Tiansha.The general caused the death of his own father, his mother, his wife, and his dog... -
![Unspeakable Acts by Jackson Marsh]()
Unspeakable Acts by Jackson Marsh
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratings"Death will come da capo, suddenly silent, and you will not hear your final applause. Fail us, and you die." Blackmail, a death threat and an opera. The Clearwater Foundation is to be launched with a charity gala at the City Opera House where Archer's old friend, Cadwell Roxton, is to star. But Roxton has a dark secret... -
![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... -
![Summer Kitchen by E.J. Russell]()
Summer Kitchen by E.J. Russell
The foolproof recipe for personal redemption and perfect love... former rock musicianOne almost-MBA turned cooking school studentAdd two heaping spoonfuls (each) obligationregretAnd a dash (optional)Stir together small Vermont townSeason one large ginger catGarnish deserts (also desserts) Simmer for one entire summer before serving up a delicious (well-deserved) HEA... -
![When Skies Have Fallen by Debbie McGowan]()
When Skies Have Fallen by Debbie McGowan
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsFor 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... -
![Till Death Do Us Part by Tangstory]()
Till Death Do Us Part by Tangstory
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSet in early-20th century China, this story takes off in the port city of Tientsin (Tianjin) that is divided into lands called concessions and owned by several foreign powers. Shen Liangsheng is a charismatic and cunning playboy, a son of a rich businessman, who has profits as his top priority... -
![How Long Has This Been Going On? by Ethan Mordden]()
How Long Has This Been Going On? by Ethan Mordden
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsAn epic novel depicting the changing landscape of gay life in modern America--beginning in 1949 and moving to the present day. Among the many characters who populate this dazzling trip are a policeman who becomes a legendary porn star, an acid-tongued lesbian bar owner, and a drag queen who, readers eventually learn, is the novel's true narrator... -
![Walking Wounded by Lauren Gilley]()
Walking Wounded by Lauren Gilley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLuke always thought he’d grow up to be a famous author. He also thought nothing could ever damage his relationship with his childhood best friend, Hal. He thought a lot of things that proved to be untrue. Now he barely makes rent and proofreads articles at a New York gossip rag, dreaming about what-might-have-been. He’s not bitter about it. He’s not. And he certainly isn’t lonely... -
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![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 found-family m-m historical age difference f-f disabilities and marks 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... -
![By The Currawong's Call by Welton B. Marsland]()
By The Currawong's Call by Welton B. Marsland
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsA small town, a new arrival, and a love that is as undeniable as it is unlawful... Victoria, Australia, 1891 Anglican priest Matthew Ottenshaw receives his first posting in tiny Dinbratten, two days’ ride from his Melbourne home... -
![A Rose by Any Name by K.J. Charles]()
A Rose by Any Name by K.J. Charles
An epilogue to The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting and A Thief in the Night... -
![Butterfly by Michaela Grey]()
Butterfly by Michaela Grey
Felix Papillon is determined he'll never be hurt again. He may look like he has his life together from the outside-starting goalie for the Portland Seabirds, fancy car, adoring fans clamoring for his autograph-but he won't allow anyone to see the scars on his heart.When he meets Fisher Montgomery in the back of a dimly lit bar, the attraction is instant and mutual... -
![Putting on the Ritz by Joe Keenan]()
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![The Grand Deception of Benedict Blackmoor by Gaia Tate]()
The Grand Deception of Benedict Blackmoor by Gaia Tate
"Benedict Blackmoor was not in want of a wife…" With echoes of Bridgerton and Jane Austen's novels, this Steamy Gay M/M Romance is a daring, sparkling, twisted tale of love and deception set in a re-imagined Regency era.Benedict Blackmoor, a 24-year-old heir to a grand estate, faces an impossible ultimatum from his dying grandfather: find love or lose the family fortune to his younger brother... -
![The General and the Horse-Lord by Sarah Black]()
The General and the Horse-Lord by Sarah Black
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 11 ratings2nd Edition The General and the Horse-Lord: Book One General John Mitchel and his favorite pilot, Gabriel Sanchez, served together as comrades and brothers-in-arms for more than twenty-five years. They followed the warrior’s path: honor first, and service, and the safety of the tribe. Their own needs for love and companionship were secondary to the mission... -
![A Rulebook for Restless Rogues by Jess Everlee]()
A Rulebook for Restless Rogues by Jess Everlee
Jess Everlee follows up her sparkling debut The Gentleman's Book of Vices with this charming queer historical romp, in which two lifelong best friends find romance as they join forces to save the one place where they can truly be themselves. London, 1885 David Forester and Noah Clarke have been best friends since boarding school... -
![One More Soldier by Marie Sexton]()
One More Soldier by Marie Sexton
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsIt is 1963. Being gay is a sin against God. And twenty-eight year old mechanic Will meets Bran for the first time. Over the years a close bond forms between them despite the seventeen year age difference. Will teaches Bran to swim and helps him with homework. The years pass, Bran drops out of school and moves away. Then Bran comes home...Categorized as:
friends to lovers queer contemporary tearjerkers historical military m-m north-america -
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![He's Come Undone: A Romance Anthology by Adriana Herrera, Emma Barry]()
He's Come Undone: A Romance Anthology by Adriana Herrera, Emma Barry
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFor him, control is everything...until it shatters, and now he's come undone."Appasionata" by Emma BarryPiano technician Brennan Connelly lives to control details: the tension on a piano string or the compression of hammer felt. But he's never faced demands like those heaped on him by Kristy Kwong, the diva who's haunted his dreams for two decades...Categorized as:
20th century friends to lovers queer contemporary anthologies historical m-m forced proximity -
![Rebel by Sally Malcolm]()
Rebel by Sally Malcolm
Falling in love is just the beginning...Samuel Hutchinson has lived his whole life in Rosemont, Rhode Island. And as far as he’s concerned, his future is fixed: complete his legal training, marry a respectable woman, and settle down to raise a family.But Sam never counted on meeting Nathaniel Tanner... -
![Eleventh Hour by Elin Gregory]()
Eleventh Hour by Elin Gregory
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBorrowed from the Secret Intelligence Service cipher department to assist Briers Allerdale - a field agent returning to 1920s London with news of a dangerous anarchist plot - Miles Siward moves into a 'couples only' boarding house, posing as Allerdale’s 'wife'... -
![Gemini by Michel Tournier]()
Gemini by Michel Tournier
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJean and Paul are identical twins. Outsiders, even their parents, cannot tell them apart, and call them Jean-Paul. The mysterious bond between them excludes all others; they speak their own language; they are one perfectly harmonious unit; they are, in all innocence, lovers.For Paul, this unity is paradise, but as they grow up Jean rebels against it... -
![On Wings of Song by Anne Barwell]()
On Wings of Song by Anne Barwell
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA chance meeting they never forgot. Six years after meeting British soldier Aiden Foster during the Christmas Truce of 1914, Jochen Weber still finds himself thinking about Aiden, their shared conversation about literature, and Aiden’s beautiful singing voice. A visit to London gives Jochen the opportunity to search for Aiden, but he’s shocked at what he finds... -
![Games of Rome by J.P. Kenwood]()
Games of Rome by J.P. Kenwood
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSecond Place in the 2016 Rainbow Awards, Best Gay Historical.In this sequel to Dominus, Gaius Fabius Rufus, the victorious general of Rome’s brutal Dacian Wars, finds his loyalties and his affections pulled in different directions... -
![The Door Behind Us by John C. Houser]()
The Door Behind Us by John C. Houser
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsIt’s 1919, and Frank Huddleston has survived the battlefields of the Great War. A serious head injury has left him with amnesia so profound he must re-learn his name every morning from a note posted on the privy door. Gerald “Jersey" Rohn, joined the Army because he wanted to feel like a man, but he returned from the trenches minus a leg and with no goal for his life... -
![Man's World by Rupert Smith]()
Man's World by Rupert Smith
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsContrasting today’s blogs with diaries of the past, this novel follows two parallel narratives that are 50 years apart and vastly different, at least at first appearance. In modern-day London, Robert searches for fulfillment in a world of sex, drugs, designer clothes, and hip gay clubs, during which he records his experience on his blog... -
![The Thief of Peace by Jess Whitecroft]()
The Thief of Peace by Jess Whitecroft
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsShort on cash and in desperate need of patronage, Florentine artist Niccolò di Volpaia is thrilled when the head of the wealthy Albani family approaches him with an offer. He is less thrilled when he discovers that the offer has nothing to do with his artistic ability and everything to do with his reputation as a hard-drinking wastrel. Albani’s three legitimate sons are dead... -
![Comfort and Joy by Jim Grimsley]()
Comfort and Joy by Jim Grimsley
Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsFord McKinney leads a charmed life: he's a young doctor possessing good looks, good breeding, and money. He comes from an old Savannah family where his parents, attentive to his future, focus their energies on finding their son--their golden boy--a girl to marry... -
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![The Larks Still Bravely Singing by Aster Glenn Gray]()
The Larks Still Bravely Singing by Aster Glenn Gray
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Great War cost Robert his left leg and his first love.A shattering breakup leaves Robert convinced that he is a destructive force in romantic relationships. When he finds himself falling in love with David, an old friend from boarding school, he's sure that he shouldn’t confess his feelings... -
![Untethered by R.A. Thorn]()
Untethered by R.A. Thorn
Determined to help the war effort, Frankie Norris joins the US Air Force in 1943. Braving intimidating drill sergeants and unending marches, Frankie struggles to hide his secret—he’s queer. But having passed basic training, he’s not going to risk an undesirable discharge or any of his fellow recruits finding out... -
![The Brook Street Collection by Ava March]()
The Brook Street Collection by Ava March
Rated: 3.98 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLondon, 1822 Regency London—where polite manners and spotless reputations reign supreme. Yet behind the closed doors of three elegant town houses along Brook Street, passion and lust rule as gentlemen dare to risk scandal by falling in love… In Thief , a lord intent on his first decadent night with a man finds love when he picks up a thief in a gambling hall... -
![A Rose By Any Other Name by Charlie Cochet]()
A Rose By Any Other Name by Charlie Cochet
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsNights in the roaring city remind bright young things that life’s too short to take for granted. Tucked away in Times Square hides the Pantheon: a secret cabaret for wealthy gay men. Pretty young men in elaborate costumes and rouged lips are eager to please, and the champagne flows all night long. It’s a world of frivolity, fantasy, and debauchery... -
![Time and Tide by E.M. Lindsey]()
Time and Tide by E.M. Lindsey
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsSometimes the universe is chaos, and sometimes it’s kind. If we are meant to be together, we shall be.” It's 1897, and fresh from Oxford University, William Owens returns to Maryland to find his entire life planned for him. His law practice, his home, and his wife... -
![A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham]()
A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsMichael Cunningham’s celebrated novel is the story of two boyhood friends: Jonathan, lonely, introspective, and unsure of himself; and Bobby, hip, dark, and inarticulate. In New York after college, Bobby moves in with Jonathan and his roommate, Clare, a veteran of the city's erotic wars. Bobby and Clare fall in love, scuttling the plans of Jonathan, who is gay, to father Clare's child...
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