Books like 'After Hours at Dooryard Books'
Readers who enjoyed After Hours at Dooryard Books by Cat Sebastian also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical gay romance queer 20th century boss & employee age difference slow burn office found-family working class hero
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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... -
![A Kingdom by the Sea by Anna Green]()
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... -
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![Twist and Shout by Gabriel (AO3), Standbyme]()
Twist and Shout by Gabriel (AO3), Standbyme
Destiel Fanfic. What 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 angst forced proximity working class hero queer historical m-m forbidden love -
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![Into Deep Waters by Kaje Harper]()
Into Deep Waters by Kaje Harper
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 32 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...Categorized as:
war friends to lovers mature couple queer queer-awakening 20th century m-m forbidden love -
![The Men From Echo Creek by N.R. Walker]()
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... -
![The Sea Ain't Mine Alone by C.L. Beaumont]()
The Sea Ain't Mine Alone by C.L. Beaumont
For James Campbell, winning the 1976 International Surf Competition is the ticket to his future. It's his chance to finally reclaim his life, move on from the war, and make a living doing the only thing that keeps him from walking away from it all...Categorized as:
20th century angst age difference slow burn friends to lovers tortured hero queer sweet-hero -
![Seven Summer Nights by Harper Fox]()
Seven Summer Nights by Harper Fox
It’s 1946, and the dust of World War Two has just begun to settle. When famous archaeologist Rufus Denby returns to London, his life and reputation are as devastated as the city around him. He’s used to the most glamorous of excavations, but can’t turn down the offer of a job in rural Sussex. It’s a refuge, and the only means left to him of scraping a living...Categorized as:
friends to lovers war 20th century queer sweet-hero tortured hero hurt-comfort mature couple -
![The Ruin of a Rake by Cat Sebastian]()
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...Categorized as:
forced proximity queer age difference class difference nerdy-hero tortured hero caretaking angst -
![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...Categorized as:
angst secret-relationship mature couple queer 20th century slow burn tortured hero nerdy-hero -
![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 contains. mild spoilers for that book). -
![Unmade by Cara Dee]()
Unmade by Cara Dee
The Hillcroft Group #2 • MM • Age Gap • Action • Military Romance • Hurt/Comfort • Healing/Loss. Part of becoming a private military contractor was learning how to profile people. Me: Leighton Watts. Lonely as hell. A coward. An orphan. Twenty-four years old. Desperate to belong somewhere. Felt dead most of the time. Too much of a chicken to reach out to the family I never knew... -
![These Old Lies by Larrie Barton]()
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... -
![Touch Within the Abyss by Moyori Mori]()
Touch Within the Abyss by Moyori Mori
Hitman who can’t kill x Blind young man. A salvation that melts loneliness away. The tender, romantic love story of two lonely hearts, masterfully told with amazing artistic talent. The debut work of an incredibly talented newcomer! “When you’ll get to know the real me… you will be disappointed. ”. Chinatsu, a hitman, meets his destiny again. His name is Kasumi...Categorized as:
queer friends to lovers forced proximity sweet-hero contemporary m-m historical bad boys -
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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...Categorized as:
angst friends to lovers queer historical m-m length-long audiobook explicit-plentiful -
![Until the End of Time by Nicky James]()
Until the End of Time by Nicky James
Being 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 secret-relationship queer class difference angst historical from hate to love m-m -
![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... -
![Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian]()
Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian
A jaded spy and a shell shocked country doctor team up to solve a murder in postwar England. James Sommers returned from the war with his nerves in tatters. All he wants is to retreat to the quiet village of his childhood and enjoy the boring, predictable life of a country doctor... -
![Skybound by Aleksandr Voinov]()
Skybound by Aleksandr Voinov
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 19 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... -
![Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Anaïs Flogny]()
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Anaïs Flogny
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA gripping and lushly illustrated tale of love and lies set between 1930s Chicago and New York’s criminal underworld, perfect for fans of manga like Banana Fish and readers of graphic novels like Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me who are looking for adult LGBTQIA+ fiction. Chicago, 1930. Jules Tivoli is a penniless Italian immigrant doing odd jobs to make ends meet... -
![Brethren by W.A. Hoffman]()
Brethren by W.A. Hoffman
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 15 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... -
![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... -
![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... -
![Resilience on Canvas by Logan Sage Adams]()
Resilience on Canvas by Logan Sage Adams
Robert Davis, a prideful man with a fiery temper, has been taking care of his family and their farm since long before the onset of the Great Depression. But when the once-fertile land of Guymon begins blowing away, Robert knows he has to lighten his burden somehow. Desperate, he tries to marry his sister off to the son of one of the most fortunate families in town...Categorized as:
20th century queer slow burn sweet-hero secret-relationship angst caretaking forced proximity -
![The Charioteer by Mary Renault]()
The Charioteer by Mary Renault
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 34 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... -
![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... -
![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... -
![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... -
![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... -
![Mr Warren's Profession by Sebastian Nothwell]()
Mr Warren's Profession by Sebastian Nothwell
Lindsey Althorp, the only son of a wealthy baronet, has never worked a day in his life. Aubrey Warren was born in a workhouse and hasn’t stopped working since. When Lindsey wins a textile mill in a game of cards, he falls at first sight for the assistant clerk, Aubrey. Lindsey is certain that Aubrey is the Achilles to his Patroclus, the David to his Jonathan... -
![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... -
![The Last Kiss by Sally Malcolm]()
The Last Kiss by Sally Malcolm
A tender and triumphant story of forbidden love in the aftermath of war. When Captain Ashleigh Arthur Dalton went to war in 1914, he never expected to fall in love. Yet over three long years at the front, his dashing batman, Private West, became his reason for fighting—and his reason for living. But Ash’s war ends in catastrophe...Categorized as:
friends to lovers angst war secret-relationship queer 20th century class difference caretaking -
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![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... -
![Broken Blades by Aleksandr Voinov, L.A. Witt]()
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]()
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... -
![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... -
![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 found-family m-m historical f-f disabilities and marks length-medium -
![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... -
![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. -
![Putting on the Ritz by Joe Keenan]()
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![Eleventh Hour by Elin Gregory]()
Eleventh Hour by Elin Gregory
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 9 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'... -
![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:
angst boss & employee secret-relationship slow burn forced proximity queer historical m-m -
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![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... -
![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 Barry. Piano 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... -
![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... -
![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... -
![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...
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