Books like 'Deck the Halls in Secret Agents'
Readers who enjoyed Deck the Halls in Secret Agents by Aster Glenn Gray also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical gay romance 20th century queer forced proximity anal sex christmas
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Twist and Shout by Gabriel (AO3), Standbyme
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsDestiel 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... -
![Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin]()
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
James Baldwin’s groundbreaking novel about love and the fear of love is set among the bohemian bars and nightclubs of 1950s Paris.In the 1950s Paris of American expatriates, liaisons, and violence, a young man finds himself caught between desire and conventional morality...Categorized as:
20th century forced proximity queer african-american historical contemporary m-m black-mc -
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![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... -
![Eryx: A Spartan Tale by Jaclyn Osborn]()
Eryx: A Spartan Tale by Jaclyn Osborn
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMy 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... -
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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... -
![The Death of Friends by Michael Nava]()
The Death of Friends by Michael Nava
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsWinner of six Lambda Literary awards, the Henry Rios mystery series is iconic. Originally published during the darkest years of the AIDS epidemic in the gay community, The Death of Friends received extraordinary praise both as a mystery and an eloquent work of witness... -
![Rough Pages by Lev A.C. Rosen]()
Rough Pages by Lev A.C. Rosen
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 14 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... -
![Rag and Bone by Michael Nava]()
Rag and Bone by Michael Nava
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsOne of the most highly acclaimed writers in the mystery genre "explores new emotional depths" in this last Henry Rios novel. The gay Mexican-American attorney, after the loss of his lover, must face his own mortality while recovering from a heart attack-and reach out to a family he didn't know he had... -
![The Charioteer by Mary Renault]()
The Charioteer by Mary Renault
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsAfter enduring an injury at Dunkirk during World War II, Laurie Odell is sent to a rural veterans’ hospital in England to convalesce. There he befriends the young, bright Andrew, a conscientious objector serving as an orderly. As they find solace and companionship together in the idyllic surroundings of the hospital, their friendship blooms into a discreet, chaste romance... -
![Year of the Rat by Marshall Thornton]()
Year of the Rat by Marshall Thornton
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 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... -
![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... -
![An Affair for Aumont by J.A. Rock, Lisa Henry]()
An Affair for Aumont by J.A. Rock, Lisa Henry
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsAll he wants is the love he lost.Four years ago, Louis-Charles Aumont, the Marquis de Montespan, chose duty over the man he loved. And then the man he loved chose death in service to England. Now, after finally cutting ties with his king, Aumont is living in a slum in Seven Dials–and intending to die there too... -
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![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...Categorized as:
forced proximity queer historical from hate to love m-m secret-relationship class difference -
![Alec by William di Canzio]()
Alec by William di Canzio
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsWilliam di Canzio's Alec, inspired by Maurice, E. M. Forster's secret novel of a happy same-sex love affair, tells the story of Alec Scudder, the gamekeeper Maurice Hall falls in love with in Forster's classic, published only after the author's death.Di Canzio follows their story past the end of Maurice to the front lines of battle in World War I and beyond... -
![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... -
![A Sanctuary for Soulden by J.A. Rock, Lisa Henry]()
A Sanctuary for Soulden by J.A. Rock, Lisa Henry
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHe 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... -
![Just a Little Heartache by Merry Farmer]()
Just a Little Heartache by Merry Farmer
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsLondon playwright Niall Cristofori stands on the verge of becoming one of the most celebrated authors of his generation with the highly-anticipated production of his latest work, Love’s Last Lesson. But Love has a few lessons left to teach Niall himself. He has never been able to get over his first love, the man who made his world come alive ten years ago, then left him heartbroken... -
![All Roads Lead to You by Courtney W. Dixon]()
All Roads Lead to You by Courtney W. Dixon
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsA 1980s Stepbrother Road Trip RomanceA road trip that turned into a journey. LoganNicholas Theodoropoulos had been my stepbrother since I was fourteen. Mom died when I was twelve, and I resented Dad remarrying so soon. Even worse, my stepbrother had grown into a gorgeous man. I hated looking at him, reminding me every day of what I could never have. No one knew I was gay and never would... -
![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... -
![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... -
![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... -
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![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... -
![Eleventh Hour by Elin Gregory]()
Eleventh Hour by Elin Gregory
Borrowed 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'... -
![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... -
![Midnight Flit by Elin Gregory]()
Midnight Flit by Elin Gregory
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 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... -
![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... -
![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... -
![Honeytrap by Aster Glenn Gray]()
Honeytrap by Aster Glenn Gray
At the height of the Cold War, a Soviet and an American agent fall in love.Soviet agent Gennady Matskevich is thrilled when he's assigned to work with American FBI agent Daniel Hawthorne. There’s just one catch: Gennady’s abusive boss wants him to honeytrap his American partner...Categorized as:
20th century anal sex forced proximity queer m-m historical mystery from hate to love -
![King's Man by Sally Malcolm]()
King's Man by Sally Malcolm
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsTwo weeks on the road together. Two weeks trapped in a carriage. Two weeks to win him back, or part with him forever…Had there been no war, Sam Hutchinson and Nate Tanner would have lived their lives together, as friends and secret lovers...Categorized as:
forced proximity queer anal sex historical regency m-m from hate to love length-short -
![Help Wanted by Marshall Thornton]()
Help Wanted by Marshall Thornton
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsIn the sixth Pinx Video Mystery, Noah is thrilled that it's been months and months since he's been involved in a murder... but then, the boys learn that Javier O'Shea (tall, dark and LAPD) has been arrested for theft of evidence. As the bodies pile up, they learn that Javier may, or may not, have run afoul of rogue cops at the notoriously corrupt Rampart Station... -
![Hammer & Powder by Megan Derr]()
Hammer & Powder by Megan Derr
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe 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... -
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![Just a Little Danger by Merry Farmer]()
Just a Little Danger by Merry Farmer
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsEverett Jewel is the hottest star the London stage has seen in a generation. He is brash, sensual, and sure of himself. Men and women throw themselves at his feet, and he laps up the attention. But all of Everett’s glittering star power hides his wounded heart. He has adoration, but he longs for a love that he doesn’t think he’s worthy of, due to his dark past... -
![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... -
![The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua [成化十四年] by Meng Xi Shi, 梦溪石]()
The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua [成化十四年] by Meng Xi Shi, 梦溪石
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsIt is the fourteenth year of Chenghua.As the harem has Imperial Consort Wan, the Western Depot has a Commander named Wang Zhi. Crown Prince Zhu Youcheng is merely eight years old—and no one knows if he will be able to reach adulthood without issue... -
![Full Circle by Michael Thomas Ford]()
Full Circle by Michael Thomas Ford
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsHistory professor Ned Brummel is living happily with his partner of twelve years in small-town Maine when he receives a phone call from his estranged friend--Jack--telling him that another friend--Andy--is very ill and possibly near death... -
![Putting on the Ritz by Joe Keenan]()
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![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... -
![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 forced proximity queer contemporary anthologies historical m-m sassy heroine -
![The Magician's Angel by Jordan L. Hawk]()
The Magician's Angel by Jordan L. Hawk
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsVaudeville stage magician Christopher Fiend lives for the spotlight. His chance at big time stardom awaits him in Chicago, the next stop on the circuit after the little town of Twelfth Junction. Edward Smith wants nothing to do with his family's theater. Until Christopher catches his eye on opening night, then treats him to a very special performance during intermission... -
![Forever Hold His Peace by Rebecca Cohen]()
Forever Hold His Peace by Rebecca Cohen
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsSebastian and Anthony face an uncertain future together when accusations of witchcraft and a traitor in their midst threaten everything they’ve fought for.Playing the role of his twin sister Bronwyn, the wife of Anthony Redbourn, Earl of Crofton, is not an easy task, but Sebastian does it willing for them to be together... -
![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'... -
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![Counterpoint: Dylan's Story by Ruth Sims]()
Counterpoint: Dylan's Story by Ruth Sims
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAt eighteen Dylan Rutledge has one music. He believes his destiny is to be the greatest composer of the rapidly approaching twentieth century. Only Laurence Northcliff, a young history master at The Venerable Bede School for Young Gentlemen, believes in Dylan’s talent and encourages his dream, not realizing Dylan is in love with him... -
![The Flight of the Heron by Historical Novel]()
The Flight of the Heron by Historical Novel
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDiving into the historical turmoil of the Jacobite Uprising, 'The Flight of the Heron' by Historical Novel is a captivating historical novel that skillfully weaves together the intricacies of politics, loyalty, and love during this tumultuous period... -
![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... -
![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 Oak and the Ash by Annick Trent]()
The Oak and the Ash by Annick Trent
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsA standalone M/M historical romanceRadical surgeon George Evans is called to the scene of a midnight duel between an earl and his cousin. Despite the strained atmosphere in the house, George finds he must stay and tend to the injured duellists. Fortunately, his sojourn is made more than bearable by the earl's quietly competent and oddly attractive valet, Noah Moorecott... -
![Thrown by Merry Farmer]()
Thrown by Merry Farmer
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsThe art of love is falling for your enemy without ruining everything… Ceramic artist Robbie Hawthorne is dedicated not only to his art, but to keeping the arts center and school housed at his family’s ancestral estate vibrant and flourishing...
![The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua [成化十四年] by Meng Xi Shi, 梦溪石](https://s3.amazonaws.com/romance.io/books/small/66d4b6954e4ad596216a9834.jpg)
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