Best Small Town M/M Romance Books
Here you can find the absolute best small town M/M romance books out there.
The guys in these books aren’t billionaires. They aren’t pop stars. They aren’t professional athletes or in the mafia.
Small-town romances are all about regular guys falling in love.
Think bonfires, Friday Night Lights, trailer parks, cowboys, fishermen, and single dads.
This is the really good stuff. Let’s jump in!
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The Best Small Town M/M Romance Books
Ellis
There’s a lot I’ve never told my best friend. The fact that I love him. That I miss him every day he’s gone. That, sometimes, I ache for him with a ferocity that leaves me breathless.
Lucky Buchanan tore into my life as a boy, wild and daring, my opposite in every way. He drew me in, stole my heart without trying. He hears me, even though I rarely speak a word. But I always knew this place wouldn’t be enough for my free-spirited friend. I knew he wasn’t mine to keep.
So why, when I finally try to get over him, does he sweep back into town? Why is he upset? Why is there tension between us for the first time in years?
I never saw a future where Lucky could be mine. But now, unless I want to lose my friend, I might not have a choice but to tell the truth. My heart belongs to him. It has from the start.
If only I knew how to hold onto a creature that’s meant to fly.
To Catch a Firefly has recently taken the M/M romance world by storm and for such good reason. This book is a work of art. It feels like reading poetry.
Emmy Sanders really knocked it out of the park with this small-town, friends-to-lovers romance.
Ellis, the real star of the show, is small town through and through. He and Lucky are pure magic together. Go read this book if you haven’t already.
Silas
I’m tired of feeling trapped in my life.
It’s just a never-ending cycle of trying to survive the day.
Luckily, I have Blaine to keep me entertained.
We’re enemies but despite him being everything I hate; I’m addicted to him and the things we do in the dark. Somehow, he’s crept his way under my skin, and I’m obsessed with the way he’s making me feel.
I don’t want to admit I’m falling for him—the golden boy—but he’s my perfect match in every way.
He gives me something I never thought I’d have and, even though we’re impossible, I won’t let anyone stand in the way of us.
Blaine
My life is suffocating me.
Perfect son, star athlete, ideal student. I’m overwhelmed—unraveling at the seams.
Until Silas flips my world on its axis.
My dirty little secret.
He’s my perfect escape from reality. I can let loose and feel good for a change. He makes me feel alive for the first time.
But he’ll always be someone I despise. He’s arrogant, the epitome of a bad boy and yet the longer we do this, the harder it’s becoming to ignore my growing feelings. He’s not what I expected, but he’s exactly what I need.
And now that I’ve had him, I refuse to let him go.
Silas and Blaine are complete opposites. The only thing they have in common is the small town they were both born into.
Naturally, their differences cause them to dislike each other. The passion these guys bring grows and transforms into a beautiful and loving relationship.
To put it simply, Hateful Love by T. Ashleigh and Addison Beck is really good. You can read more about it on my ever-expanding enemies to lovers M/M romance book list!
His broken bones could finally mend their broken bond…
Bull riding was the only thing that calmed the thrill-seeking, self-destructive beast inside of Calvin Craig. It allowed him to escape a small-minded town and the pain of his troubled youth, fleeing to bright lights and big city fame without looking back.
One trip on the horns of the wrong bull changed everything.
Cal is forced to come crawling back home for the first time in ten years, his body broken and riding days behind him. But not everyone is happy for the return of their local celebrity.
Eli Jackson was once the tall, dark, and sinful preacher’s son who had Cal wrapped around his little finger. Now the steely-eyed sheriff of Sweetwater, Eli is hell bent on running him right back out of town. He’s never forgiven Cal for the spectacular implosion of their relationship. Even though the lingering tension soon has them burning up the sheets, he refuses to be tamed.
Cal is surprised to find himself rising to a new challenge: breaking the bull that is Eli Jackson.
He might have run out of luck, but he’s not out of miracles… yet.
Eli and Cal are one of my favorite couples of all time.
Which is wild because second-chance M/M romance books aren’t typically my favorite. But, Parker St. John does it so right in Down Low.
As boys in a small town in the middle of nowhere, Eli and Cal were inseparable. Until they weren’t. This is the story of how they find love again.
The entire Down Home series hits the small-town romance nail on the head!
Kingston Wells
I like to party. To have a good time.
Life’s too short not to. I learned that when I lost my grandpa.
He told me to have fun while I can, and I intend to.
Although sometimes when you’re having a good time, you forget others may see you as irresponsible. And sometimes you screw up.
I’ve definitely screwed up a time or two.
But I’m still determined to have fun. And along the way, I’m hoping I’ll convince my best friend, Camden, to do the same.
He’s too serious. Too focused. Too busy taking care of everyone to just relax.
And that’s where I come in.
Camden Prescott
I may only be eighteen and a senior, but I have too much on my plate to be a kid.
Too many people depend on me, but I can handle it.
I have to handle it. My mom needs my help. My little sister needs me. And Kingston, my best friend in the world—yeah, he definitely needs me.
Because while he’s busy having fun, I’m busy cleaning up his messes along with everyone else’s.
It’s not all bad though. He’s there to make sure I occasionally have fun, and I’m there for him when he needs to take life seriously.
Because that’s what I am . . .
The Keeper.
Keeper is the sweetest small-town, sporty, friends-to-lovers romance.
I am a massive fan of the entire Kensley Panthers series from Nicole Dykes.
This book is all about Friday Night Lights and having fun before having to figure out adulthood. There is stress, self-discovery, and a lot of sweet moments.
Highly recommend!
Seizing his one chance to escape, Ethan Hosking leaves his violent ex-boyfriend, leaves his entire life, and walks into the path of a raging bushfire. Desperate to start over, a new man named Aubrey Hobbs walks out of the fire-ravaged forest, alive and alone. With no ID and no money, nothing but his grandfather’s telescope, he goes where the Southern Cross leads him.
Patrick Carney is the resident lighthouse keeper in Hadley Cove, a small town on the remote Kangaroo Island off the coast of South Australia. After the tragic death of his lover four years ago, he lives a solitary life; just him, a tabby cat, the Indian and Southern Oceans, and a whole lot of loneliness. He’s content with his life until a stranger shows up in town and turns Patrick’s head.
Patrick never expected to be interested in anyone else. Aubrey never expected to be happy. Between Aubrey’s love of the stars and Patrick’s love of the ocean, these two fragile hearts must navigate new waters. If they can weather the storm of their pasts, they could very well have a love that eclipses everything.
Galaxies and Oceans is a classic from N.R. Walker. This book is really her at her best.
I love the intrigue and suspense in this book. The layers make it something really special. The quintessential small town of Hadley Cove is so fun to read about as well.
A decent number of N.R. Walker’s books are set in Australian small towns and are outstanding reads. Another great example from her is On Davis Row. Highly, highly recommended.
Landon Larsen is the envy of all the dads in Last Waters, Texas. He’s cool, confident, and put together. He and his son—the high school’s all-star quarterback—have the perfect father-son relationship. He’s such a Super Dad, it’s almost sickening.
I’m not cool, or confident, and my relationship with my son couldn’t be worse. He’s barely speaking to me, and a year after my wife died, we’re both clinging to the wreckage of our family.
Landon’s son and mine are best friends and—of course—Landon is the football Team Dad. And though I know nothing about football, Landon convinces me to volunteer to be closer to my son. Volunteering might give him and me a chance to rebuild what’s broken between us. Now I’m spending all my free time with the team—and with Landon—and the more we’re together, the deeper our friendship grows. My son is opening up, too, little by little. I think I’m getting him back.
There’s just one giant problem.
I’m head over heels for Landon.
I’ve never been attracted to men in my life… until him. Landon draws me in without even trying, and the harder I fight this, the deeper I fall.
Crushing on my son’s best friend’s father must be my biggest parenting failure ever, but I can’t get enough of Landon. Falling for him puts each fragile moment I’ve rebuilt with my son at risk. What would he think if he knew I craved his best friend’s dad? I’m playing with fire, but I can’t turn off these feelings Landon has unlocked inside of me.
Of course, a guy like Landon could never fall for someone like me. It’s pointless to even imagine we could be something together.
So why did I just kiss him?
You & Me is easily one of my favorite books of all time. Any time I can make it fit onto a book list, I definitely will.
Last Waters is a Friday Night Lights small town with a ridiculously good football program. While the story doesn’t focus on characters that actually play football, there is plenty of it to be found in this book.
Tal Bauer really hits you in the feels with You & Me. I have never been more invested in a family’s dynamic than when reading this book.
Every single time I read this book I love it a little more.
A drifter since his teens, Jimmy Dorsett has no home and no hope. What he does have is a duffel bag, a lot of stories, and a junker car. Then one cold desert night he picks up a hitchhiker and ends up with something more: a letter from a dying man to the son he hasn’t seen in years.
On a quest to deliver the letter, Jimmy travels to Rattlesnake, a small town nestled in the foothills of the California Sierras. The centerpiece of the town is the Rattlesnake Inn, where the bartender is handsome former cowboy Shane Little. Sparks fly, and when Jimmy’s car gives up the ghost, Shane gets him a job as handyman at the inn.
Both within the community of Rattlesnake and in Shane’s arms, Jimmy finds an unaccustomed peace. But it can’t be a lasting thing. The open road continues to call, and surely Shane—a strong, proud man with a painful past and a difficult present—deserves better than a lying vagabond who can’t stay put for long.
Kim Fielding’s Rattlesnake is the perfect small-town read.
Jimmy and Shane have a powerful connection that makes this book so compelling. Jimmy is someone that you feel super compelled to root for.
This book is hard to put down once you get started, and even harder to let go of once you finish.
Give this one a read for an age-gap, cowboy-vibes read.
When Devon Sawyer desperately searches for his brother in the middle of the night, beaten and broken, he finds Maddox Kane instead. With his dad on his trail, he has no choice but to stand on his enemy’s doorstep and let Maddox help.
Maddox has never seen Devon this vulnerable. Living in Garron’s trailer park means families dole out discipline on the regular and violence is a part of life, but something about how far Jim Sawyer takes it this time has Maddox unnerved.
Rivals in motocross, work, and life itself, they’re forced to work together for one night. Perspectives change and their friction morphs into something unexpected.
Hatred turns to lust.
Tensions switch from hostile to aroused.
While their competitiveness remains, their dynamic shifts. Their acceptance is anything but graceful.
Two guys who come from nothing, with very little to look forward to, find themselves craving each other in new and fiery ways.
Reluctantly.
Trailer parks are basically small towns, right?
Garron Park by Nordika Night came smashing onto the M/M romance scene a year ago and has been a fan favorite ever since.
Devon and Maddox are not perfect for each other, but they do belong together. Their story is as rough around the edges as they are.
Read this one for a wild enemies-to-lovers, small-town romance.
ASHTON
If there’s one thing I know, it’s how to play the game…both on and off the field. If it hadn’t been for that one teenage slipup where I kissed Beau Campbell, I’d be able to keep fooling myself. Football is the one thing I use to distract myself from the truth, and when I screw-up and lose the game I love, I find myself right back in Fever Falls. And right back face-to-face with Cranky Campbell, who hates me even more than he did when we were kids. Whatever magic he held over me then is still there. As much as I fight it, I still want him. And I always get what I want…well, except with Beau, who constantly calls me on my crap. Why do I like that so much?
BEAU
I might’ve spent years watching Ash live out my dream—without the off-field antics and orgies with women, at least—but I’ve made a good life for myself. I’m a firefighter, and I coach my brother’s football team for those with developmental disabilities. But when Ash swings back into town armed with his monster ego and an arsenal of stupid nicknames, everyone is in awe of him. Nope, not me. I don’t care if our kiss years ago was responsible for my sexual awakening. I won’t fall for Ashton Carmichael. Though that resolution would be a whole lot easier if he wasn’t so tempting. Once he finds his way into my bed, I’m screwed—in more ways than one. But there’s more to Ash than meets the eye, buried beneath his ego, sarcasm and how we burn up the sheets together. Soon, it’s more than a game. We don’t just get each other fired up, we just might win each other’s hearts.
Too bad things are never that simple…
Riley Hart loves a good small-town romance book.
Fired Up is one of my favorites from her. This is not quite a second chance romance, but rather a story about reconnecting with your roots to find yourself.
I loved the growth for these characters, especially Ash.
Also, Beau is a firefighter. Always a plus!
Caelan James should’ve known better than to let a dating app set him up on a blind date.
Nothing in life was guaranteed-perfect, especially not guys, and most definitely not guys in the immediate vicinity of tiny O’Leary, New York. But then sexy Navy SEAL Ash Martin walked into Cal’s bakery, and made him wonder if fate might have cooked up something sweet for him after all.
Their connection was immediate, all-consuming, and definitely not vanilla… but could their perfect date last for more than just a night, or even a season?
May Archer knocks small-town love out the park. With her Love in O’Leary novellas series, we get my absolute favorite works of hers.
Each couple in the series is super sweet, but Cal and Ash are the absolute best!
The Sunday Brothers is another fantastic series that will scratch your small-town romance itch.
I hope you found this book list helpful!
If I missed any must-read, small-town M/M romances, let me know in the comments!
Hey, I’m Heather!
I read M/M romance books exclusively, and I help other readers find their next great M/M romance read.
