Books like 'Punk Dunk Love'
Readers who enjoyed Punk Dunk Love by Kiki Wren Carlson also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical gay romance 20th century angst bisexual m-f forbidden love friends-benefits love triangle cheating
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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...Categorized as:
20th century bisexual queer anal sex forbidden love secret-relationship tortured hero angst -
We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian
Casey McQuiston meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in this mid-century romdram about a scrappy reporter and a newspaper mogul's son--perfect for Newsies shippers. 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...Categorized as:
20th century bisexual secret-relationship tortured hero angst queer forbidden love anal sex -
You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian
An emotional, slow-burn, grumpy/sunshine, queer mid-century romance for fans of Evvie Drake Starts Over, about grief and found family, between the new star shortstop stuck in a batting slump and the reporter assigned to (reluctantly) cover his first season—set in the same universe as We Could Be So Good.The 1960 baseball season is shaping up to be the worst year of Eddie O’Leary’s life...Categorized as:
20th century forbidden love secret-relationship anal sex queer tortured hero historical m-m -
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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A Kingdom by the Sea by Anna Green
The final volume of The Heart Rate of a Mouse trilogy.In November 1978, over a year has passed since music icon Ryan Ross announced his retirement from the public eye. He is far from being forgotten, however, as his musical influence can be heard whenever Brendon Roscoe starts singing on the radio. As the frontman of the upcoming band His Side, Brendon was famously discovered by Ross... -
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...Categorized as:
20th century bisexual queer anal sex forbidden love secret-relationship angst tortured hero -
Over the Tracks by Anna Green
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 24 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... -
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 angst forbidden love queer historical contemporary m-m forced proximity -
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... -
Into Deep Waters by Kaje Harper
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 30 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... -
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... -
The Ruin of a Rake by Cat Sebastian
Rogue. Libertine. Rake. Lord Courtenay has been called many things and has never much cared. But after the publication of a salacious novel supposedly based on his exploits, he finds himself shunned from society. Unable to see his nephew, he is willing to do anything to improve his reputation, even if that means spending time with the most proper man in London... -
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...Categorized as:
20th century bisexual forbidden love tortured hero queer friends-benefits anal sex angst -
Lie With Me by Philippe Besson
The award-winning, internationally bestselling novel about a love affair between two teenage boys in a provincial high school in 1984 France, brilliantly translated by acclaimed writer and actress Molly Ringwald. While passing through the village where he grew up, the narrator, Philippe, chances upon a young man who bears a striking resemblance to his first love, Thomas... -
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The Men From Echo Creek by N.R. Walker
In the winter of 1882, a boy from the mountains has to prove himself a man.When Albie Bramwell’s father died, he was left with two thousand hectares of mountain to farm, and little help to run it. Abandoned by all but two of his workers, the whole town of Alpine Falls called him too young to run the farm alone.Young, yes. At just nineteen, he was determined to prove them wrong... -
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)... -
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... -
Alcott Hall by Emily Rath
The Lady has an offer. The Vicar has a Confession.Lady Madeline Blair is on a mission. Her eccentric late aunt left her a small fortune with one condition: to claim it, Madeline must marry by New Year’s Eve…which is now only three weeks away! When she receives an invitation to spend Christmas at Alcott Hall, she sees this as the perfect chance to snag herself an unsuspecting beau... -
These Old Lies by Larrie Barton
A second chance at love for two men who fought together in the trenches of WWI. Class, ideals and prejudice drove them apart, but now, in the safety of peacetime, an illicit gay relationship has its own joys and risks. 1916, Northern France. Corporal Charlie Villiers breaks the monotony of the trenches by having sex with whoever is willing, including the posh Lieutenant Ned Pinsent...Categorized as:
20th century bisexual forbidden love friends-benefits secret-relationship queer anal sex historical -
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 -
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... -
His Grace, The Duke by Emily Rath
His Grace, The Duke is book two in the SECOND SONS series. It is a steamy reverse harem romance set in the Regency era. Perfect for fans of Austen and Bridgerton who don’t want to settle for just one handsome suitor.You’re cordially invited to the wedding of His Grace, the Duke of NorlandJames Corbin, Viscount Finchley, has two goals. First, guarantee his brother gets married... -
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... -
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... -
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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... -
Skybound by Aleksandr Voinov
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsGermany, 1945. The Third Reich is on its knees as Allied forces bomb Berlin to break the last resistance. Yet on an airfield near Berlin, the battle is far from over for a young mechanic, Felix, who’s attached to a squadron of fighter pilots. He’s especially attached to fighter ace Baldur Vogt, a man he admires and secretly loves... -
The Absolutist by John Boyne
September 1919:20 year-old Tristan Sadler takes a train from London to Norwich to deliver some letters to Marian Bancroft. Tristan fought alongside Marian’s brother Will during the Great War but in 1917, Will laid down his guns on the battlefield, declared himself a conscientious objector and was shot as a traitor, an act which has brought shame and dishonour on the Bancroft family...Categorized as:
20th century angst forbidden love queer friends-benefits secret-relationship war historical -
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:
angst 20th century queer friends to lovers m-m new adult second chances contemporary -
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
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... -
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... -
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... -
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... -
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... -
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Hidden Treasures by Marshall Thornton
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsIt’s about a dress. A valuable blue sequined dress worn by a famed actress in a film from the 1940s. For some reason everyone thinks video storeowner Noah Valentine has it. Which might not be a big deal except that it’s connected to the murder of a prominent Hollywood costumer.In the second of the Pinx Video Mysteries, Noah attempts to solve the mystery of the dress... -
Just a Little Heartache by Merry Farmer
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 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... -
The Shield and Axe by M.K. Robert
Since the day I was born, my whole life has been decided for me. I’m nothing but a Saxon bargaining token, a political tool for my father. The Norsemen invaded our lands and burned villages to the ground, killing men, women and children alike. My hand in marriage was an exchange for peace. However, the seemingly impossible choice of who to wed is mine to make... -
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
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... -
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 -
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... -
Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots by Cat Sebastian
New York City, 1973Daniel Cabot doesn’t really know what he’s doing with his life. He’s lost faith in himself, his future, and maybe the world. The only things he knows that he cares about are the garden in the empty lot next to his crumbling East Village apartment building and his best friend.Alex Savchenko has always known that he’s…difficult. Prickly, maybe, if you’re feeling generous...Categorized as:
20th century friends-benefits queer anal sex bisexual historical friends to lovers m-m -
One Glimpse by Lydia Gastrell
For years Sir Samuel Shaw has secretly lusted after the handsome and popular Lord John Darnish, a man known for his good humor, expert riding prowess, and very female mistress. Certain that John is an unattainable fantasy, Sam is shaken when an accidental discovery reveals John might not be as unattainable as he once thought... -
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... -
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Broken Blades by Aleksandr Voinov, L.A. Witt
Rainbow Award Winner 2016 “Best Gay Book” They only had one night together—a stolen interlude at the 1936 Olympics. After Mark Driscoll challenged Armin Truchsess von Kardenberg to a good-natured fencing match, there was no resisting each other... -
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:
angst queer forbidden love anal sex tortured hero historical class difference forced proximity -
His Lordship's Return by Samantha SoRelle
For Dominick and Alfie, it feels like they've only just settled into life at Balcarres House when an urgent letter from an old friend has them racing back to London. However, they're not returning to Alfie's swirling ton of money and nobility, but to the dark underside of the city that Dominick knows all too well... -
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... -
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... -
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...
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