ship

Dear #bookstodon,

I would like to read adult queer romance. And by ”adult” I don’t mean smut but actual ADULT characters, preferably closer to 50 than 30, and to my danmei peeps: no, immortal cultivation masters don’t count.

(This stems from several reels where people rec romantasy/romance books with ”older FML” and the FMC is like 27. *sigh*)

So. Rec me your favorites!

Boosts appreciated.

Jan 26 at 4:27pmWeb
Show threadAnthologyJan 26

@shipperslist I have a series to rec! The lays of the hearth fire series by Victoria Goddard. A bureaucrat can't imagine retiring and leaving the man under the role of "emperor of the world" alone in that position. The man who is the emperor gets to become himself as a person again. They love each other very much. The bureaucrat, Cliopher, is asexual. Together they define what their relationship will include and mean to them.

I have a very casually written thread recommending it here: https://blorbo.social/@apprendere/115878229352212671

Show threadErosdiscordiaJan 26
@apprendere @shipperslist Hey, that one! Yeah, it's great.
Show threadshipJan 26
@apprendere Ohh I've had the first book on my TBR list for AGES, so I better bump it up on my queue!
Show threadkitJan 27
@apprendere
This I have to read again. Though as much for the sea as the adults in the room.
@shipperslist
Show threadSusan CalvinFeb 1
@apprendere @shipperslist I read the first one as fast as possible and plowed straight into the next. Thanks !
Show threadAnthologyFeb 1
@Susan_calvin I'm happy you're enjoying them!
Show threadL. A. (they/them)Jan 26
@shipperslist Its a novella, but The Four Profound Weaves by R. B. Lemberg was a great story about two older queer adults and their relationships, romantic and not. It is a fantasy with an interesting story told from two points of view.
Show threadshipJan 26
@Llamacalamity This both sounds interesting AND is available in my library! Thanks!
Show threadL. A. (they/them)Jan 27
@shipperslist Nice!
Show threadshipFeb 28
@Llamacalamity I read it and I LOVED IT!! Thank you for the rec! 💜
Show threadL. A. (they/them)Feb 28
@shipperslist That's great! Seems like they are a relatively unknown author, so I'm glad to get the word out a little
Show threadshipFeb 28
@Llamacalamity I have another Birdverse book waiting for me at the library because I want MORE
Show threadArtemisJan 26

@shipperslist haha.
Romantasy: if you're not a coming of age story, you're old

*Eye roll*

Show threadshipJan 26
@Artemis201 I've been reading coming of age stories for the past, eh, 25 years... time for something else (especially considering I'm old enough to be the MOTHER of those coming-of-age MCs...)
Show threadArtemisJan 26
@shipperslist have you read The Adventures of Amina al Sirafi?
It's fantastic! The protagonist is an older muslim woman who retired from a life of piracy when she became a mom. Of course that kind of career has a way of not being done with you, even when you're done with it.
It's fantasy action adventure, not romantasy, but boy does the MC have a history with men.
Show threadshipJan 27
@Artemis201 it's on my list, yes!
Show threadStarSlothJan 26
@shipperslist Celia Lake has several books that might work. The Albion series as a whole is a mix of all ages, but trending older, and a reasonable mix of straight/queer, abled/disabled, etc.
Claiming the tower, slightly younger f/f (37 and 43yo I think), great as a standalone.
Best Foot Forward (m/m) is also great, a bit older (the only drawback is that that's two established characters and you might get more out of it already knowing them, but it can absolutely be read as a standalone).
Show threadshipJan 26
@silhelm thank you! I put them on my list.
Show threadCourtJan 26
@shipperslist the House in the cerulean sea by T.J. Klune!
Show threadshipJan 26
@mathsciwhy already read, but thank you!
Show threadErosdiscordiaJan 26
@shipperslist If you are up for gut-wrenching and beautiful, there's TJ Klune's "We Burned So Bright."

Also maybe try things from Freya Marske and T Kingfisher. "The Reanimator's Heart", Kara Jorgensen. Maybe "This is How You Lose the Time War."

"The Man Who Fell In Love With the Moon" by Tom Spanbauer is an absolute smorgasbord of problematic stuff, but another of those gut-wrenchingly beautiful books that stay with you. The MC is a gay man in his 20's, but all the close surrounding characters are older and that really sets the tone, and it's a magical realist semi-fantasy set in 1890s (?) Idaho. CW for all the things.

I've heard good reviews of Amy Rae Durreson's books and that some have older MCs, but I haven't tried her work out yet. Same with K J Charles.

Edit: probably should mention that these swerve towards fantasy-with-romance rather than modern here-and-now romance, just because that is more what I've personally been into. If that's not helpful, then apologies in advance!
Show threadshipJan 26

@valentine I'm slightly hesitant about TJ Klune now...I've read several of his works and not really into the questionable choices he's made in his stories. But yes, he's one option.

T. Kingfisher's Nettle & Bone is waiting for me as an audiobook, I'll write your other suggestions down, too!

Show threadErosdiscordiaJan 26
@shipperslist That's valid, TJ Klune is one of those "you love them or you don't" authors. I was also thinking you might look into the Whyborne and Griffon series by Jordan Hawk? It's Victorian middle-aged male detectives with romance as part of the story. Hope you find something you like in any case! I know how looking for just the right book can be a bit of a search. 🤞​
Show threadNaomi TJan 26

@shipperslist Cathy Yardley’s Role Playing has a demisexual/biromantic lead; both MCs are late 40s.

I second the rec for KJ Charles, though I don’t think all of her characters meet your age range for this request (can’t think of any that are coming-of-age, but there are at least a few leads in their 20s).

Nora Phoenix has an m/m series about a friend group that meets up again around their 20-year hs reunion; I enjoyed those but maybe would be a bit less enthusiastic about recommending them?

Show threadNaomi TJan 26
@shipperslist Also, I don’t recall their ages, but the leads in Cat Sebastian’s books Hither, Page and The Missing Page read as not super young. (And I would recommend nearly all of her books in general.)
Show threadNaomi TJan 26
@shipperslist If you don’t mind single-parent books, Jayce Ellis’s Learned Behaviors and Learned Reactions might fit (though the leads might be mid/late 30s rather than older).
Show threadNaomi TJan 26
@shipperslist Oh, and the leads in Ari Baran’s Home Ice Advantage are in their 40s, IIRC.
Show threadshipJan 27
@enting Thanks!
Show threadsauc3Jan 27

@shipperslist

I am a pretty big fan of @WeirdWriter who I believe fits your request. Here is his website, https://sightlessscribbles.com

He's also on the fediverse but according to his page, taking a break from social media right now. At any rate, he is one I would definitely recommend checking out!

Sightless Scribbles

A fabulously gay blind author.

Show threadkimuJan 27
@shipperslist excellent thread, thanks for starting it! Just added a bunch of books to my library holds!
Show threadAshe Dryden 🙆🏼‍♀️🐈🐈‍⬛Jan 27
@shipperslist have you been recommended Mrs Martin’s Incomparable Adventure yet? https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/c2675481-33f6-4501-94e2-cd88d57e7a61
Show threadshipJan 27
@Ashedryden no! This sounds delightful, thank you!
Show threadJosh GramsJan 27

@shipperslist Clare Ashton's Discovering Nicola - two empty-nester women, both in their 50s. Their families have been sort of connected for a while, both of them being a confidante to the other's adult daughter that the mother doesn't see eye-to-eye with.

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books has a review: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/discovering-nicola-by-clare-ashton/

The first two books in the series are their daughters, so those are young-people-protagonists.

Discovering Nicola by Clare Ashton - Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Show threadErotic Mythology ✊Jan 27
@shipperslist I have a story loosely planned out that hasn't been written yet about a same sex allo/ace romance with characters in their 40s. I haven't spent much time writing it because it's probably a bit of a niche appeal and because it's outside of what I usually write (erotica) but if there is interest in a story like that I might push it up in priority?
Show threadMax Maass Jan 27
@shipperslist you are probably already aware of „the house at the cerulean sea“ and the other books by that same artist? It’s fantasy books, but with a strong queer love story inside, and the protagonists are adults.
Show threadshipJan 27
@hacksilon I've read several TJ Klune's books and while I enjoyed them, I'm slightly hesitant to read more because I'm not exactly convinced by his choice of themes (and where he takes them from).
Show threadRaisinJan 27
@shipperslist Paladin's Hope is a romantasy with two men, one late 30s, maybe one in his 40s? it's book 3 of at least 4 paladin romances, all from the same order. they're really well written, though the 4th is oddly the best, and not queer.
Show threadmiraculous enbybugJan 28
@shipperslist
What does FML and FMC mean?? Female main character maybe for the latter?
Show threadshipJan 29
@melunaka FML= female lead, FMC = female main character