AAR

[Acorn]

[Trish B]

If you like them very erotic you may want to check out Madelynne Ellis's late Georgian-set A Gentleman's Wager published by Virgin/Black Lace. I haven't read it myself, but have read exceprts on her website (and they are hot!). The story surrounds a lady who falls for a gentleman but finds herself competing for his affections with another man. The story seems to continue with the author's most recent release Phantasmagoria. I haven't yet decided if it's something I want to read, but I'm leaning toward "yes" . The tone seems rather angst-y with lots of jealousy and bitchiness between the woman and the gay guy. To the point that I think the hero sometimes just wants to run away from both of them!

Jane Lockwood's The Forbidden Shores has a menage relationship between two men and a woman, but the hero is a rather reluctant participant and only does it for the woman.

[Suzanna]

One I enjoyed very much is "Street lavender" by Chris Hunt. It's a Victorian-set novel which follows the main character from boyhood through
ups and downs to true love. Willie is very refreshing in that although he has to keep his sexuality discreet, he's not at all angst-ridden. The book has a very good period feeling - the characters act like Victorians, not politically-correct moderns.

It's an oldish English book (1986), so may be hard to find. There is a sequel (N for Narcissus) which isn't as good, but still enjoyable. "Mignon" is set in Elizabethan times, but I didn't really care for the main character.

[dipperdocus]

[sssspro]

Trish, I forgot about Forbidden Shores....that was an interesting book.

[Elaine S]

Red, Red Rose by Marjorie Farrell has a secondary character who is gay. This is a well written Regency novel and here is what I commented when I reviewed it elsewhere:

"[The hero] is sent to a rather typical English public (eg private) school. It is here that the future circumstances of his life are set in motion and also where he meets, as a teenager, the boys who will have a large role in his adult life. It is at this point that Marjorie Farrell is to be highly congratulated. For, she has portrayed the naive and not so naive homosexuality that has for centuries been part of the English single sex public school system. She has done this sympathetically and very realistically. She has far exceeded the efforts of Emma Holly here in portraying sympathetically a homosexual man in another time frame - something most authors would never attempt and could probably never get "right". The Marquess of Wimborne is a lovely man and the friendship between him and Val, despite their differences, is exquistely portrayed. Lord Stanton, a sadistic man, probably bisexual is also well done and the conflicts the three deal with in the novel are wonderfully drawn."

IMO, this book is a real buried treasure.

[Maysa]

You might have already read this and it's not really a romance, but in Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay Sam Clay is gay and throughout the book he slowly comes to terms with his sexuality. It takes place in New York before, during, and after WWII.

[LFL]

I thought of another book. Time Without End by Linda Lael Miller. The hero is a bisexual vampire.

[Vellorine]

[Natalie]

The only one I can think about is "Gabriel's Woman" by Robin Schone. He did it for a living thought so it's not clear whether he actually enjoyed it or not.

[NYerInLondon]

Try Through a Glass Darkly: A Novel by Karleen Koen. I read this book a long time ago and I think the hero is gay (or bi). Please note that it is not a romance.

[blossom]

More a historical fiction, I found The Brethren: Raised by Wolves by W.A. Hoffman very interesting.

It is the story of a young(gay) nobleman who decides to pursue his own fortune, but is pulled back into the family business by his father and is sent to take over the family interests in the Caribean. He becomes immersed in the pirate culture of the region.

This story was interesting on so many levels...historically, emotionally, sexually/sexuality, family relations, culturally etc...however it can also be very disturbing in parts.

Check out the reviews on Amazon, and incidentally if you see a review by Jem or Jem Jem ( can't remember which), check out his/her recommendations.

[Gwen G]

If anyone out there lives near Brooklyn, NY - Ann Herrenden, author of "Phyllida" has a book signing at the Barnes and Noble in Park Slope next week. I think it is May 6th at 7pm. I'm not sure of the date.

The movie version of "Maurice" is a favorite of mine. Hugh Grant plays one of the leads and it is a lovely movie. Its a Merchant /Ivory film and came out right after "A Room with A View".

I wanted to recommend two books that aren't novels but memoirs. They are by Paul Monette. One which I'll never forget is called "Becoming A Man: Half A Life Story". It won the National Book Award and was both powerful and touching. It's the story of growing up a Gay man and his search for a romantic partner and a place in the world.
It was written in the 90s and he wrote another book about living with AIDs called "Borrowed Time" that was excellent, also. He died of AIDs and I'm sorry he didn't live long enough to see many of the strides made by the Gay community - I don't think he lived long enough to see Gay people get married.

[Acorn]

Thanks for the new suggestions. I'm off to look them up. ETA: I've just ordered BECOMING A MAN.

[Susan/DC]