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The Best M/M Romance Books Of All Time
Looking for the best M/M romance books of all time? Look no further! This list contains the absolute greatest hits of the M/M romance genre.
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If you are new to the M/M romance world, welcome! This is the perfect place to start. If you are a seasoned vet, then I hope to introduce you to your new favorite book.
Each book in this list is unique, but the one thing they have in common is that they are the best of the best. These are my five star reads in no particular order.
I will be constantly adding books to the list, so save this page to check back frequently! Enjoy! Just don’t stay up too late reading. 😘
Absolute Best M/M Romance Books Of All Time
You & Me – Summary
A single dads, friends-to-lovers, bi awakening MM Romance.
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.
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.
You & Me – My Thoughts
This book is everything! I laughed almost as much as I cried while reading it. These characters feel so real. The grit and the depth of emotion were everything. Landon and Luke are soul mates and being along for the journey of them falling in love feels like a privilege. I think I’ll go read this book one more time.
Him – Summary
Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.
Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever.
Jamie has waited a long time for answers, but walks away with only more questions—can one night of sex ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it? When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend…and a big one to learn about himself.
Him – My Thoughts
This is the book that started it all! With Him being the first M/M romance book that I ever read, it holds such a special place in my heart. Not only that, but it is a fantastic book. The writing here is superb. I have reread this book MANY times and it has yet to disappoint me.
For Real – Summary
Laurence Dalziel is worn down and washed up, and for him, the BDSM scene is all played out. Six years on from his last relationship, he’s pushing forty and tired of going through the motions of submission.
Then he meets Toby Finch. Nineteen years old. Fearless, fierce, and vulnerable. Everything Laurie can’t remember being.
Toby doesn’t know who he wants to be or what he wants to do. But he knows, with all the certainty of youth, that he wants Laurie. He wants him on his knees. He wants to make him hurt, he wants to make him beg, he wants to make him fall in love.
The problem is, while Laurie will surrender his body, he won’t surrender his heart. Because Toby is too young, too intense, too easy to hurt. And what they have—no matter how right it feels—can’t last. It can’t mean anything.
It can’t be real.
For Real – My Thoughts
This is the really good stuff. Yes, this book is full of BDSM, but please don’t let it scare you off! Alexis Hall pulls us along into Toby and Laurie’s relationship to a depth that makes you feel like you completely understand why they do what they do.
For Real feels so real and intense. I cannot recommend this book enough. And, yeah, it’s really hot.
Red Dirt Heart – Summary
Welcome to Sutton Station: One of the world’s largest working farms in the middle of Australia – where if the animals and heat don’t kill you first, your heart just might.
Charlie Sutton runs Sutton Station the only way he knows how; the way his father did before him. Determined to keep his head down and his heart in check, Charlie swears the red dirt that surrounds him – isolates him – runs through his veins.
American agronomy student Travis Craig arrives at Sutton Station to see how farmers make a living from one of the harshest environments on earth. But it’s not the barren, brutal and totally beautiful landscapes that capture him so completely, it’s the man with the red dirt heart.
Red Dirt Heart – My Thoughts
This Australian set Red Dirt Heart series is absolutely stunning. The first book in the series is my favorite, but, honestly, the entire series would get five stars from me. There is something so captivating about Charlie not wanting to fall in love so badly and then not having a choice.
The setting of a farm in the middle of Australia adds so much interest and excitement to the story. I loved learning so much about farming as I read. Which is not something I ever thought I would say. This is not a book, or series, to overlook!
Axios: A Spartan Tale – Summary
I am Axios of Sparta, and I was born to kill. At age seven, I left home to train with other boys where we were taught obedience, solidarity, military strategy, and how to withstand pain. My harsh upbringing stripped me of my weaknesses and forced me to become strong. Ruthless. But, I craved something greater—a life I could never have.
Against all odds, and the toughest training a warrior could endure, I found an unexpected love in the arms of a fellow Spartan. He was the very air I breathed and the water that sustained me. Fighting side by side with him, we were invincible. Where he went, I followed.
However, there was no place for love in Sparta. Feelings were for the weak. The only life for a Spartan was one of battle and brutality with no guarantee of tomorrow. In times of war, all men were put to the test, but the greatest challenge for us was not one of swords and spears, but of the heart.
Axios: A Spartan Tale – My Thoughts
This is such a unique book. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first started reading, but I quickly became enamored with Axios and his journey. This is one part love story and one part Spartan history lesson, but all parts heart.
This book is not an easy read. Your heart will break, but the result is a love story that will stick with you for a long, long time.
Soul Eater – Summary
Twenty years ago, monsters rose on earth and began a new age of civilization.
One where humans live in military-controlled, cramped and dirty cities along the coasts, and the majority of the United States is known as the Wastes. A lawless, desolate and dangerous place, teeming with monsters that have claimed the land for their own. Including Wyn the Soul Eater.
He appears every three years, making his way across the country and slaughtering humans randomly, sucking them dry until they’re nothing but husks. I’ve only been in the military for six months, but now I’m part of a unit tasked with trying to stop and capture him. And when I’m the only soldier out of hundreds that the Soul Eater leaves alive, I realize that… something about me has intrigued him.
But what is it? What could a twenty-three year old guy from the south, with no one and nothing in the world, have possibly done to capture the attention of a death monster with horns, blackened fingertips and a face hidden in the dark depths of his hood?
Soul Eater is the debut novel of Lily Mayne. It is the first in a planned post-apocalyptic fantasy series featuring monsters and human men falling in love. This m/m love story contains explicit content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains scenes of violence, but don’t worry—they get their happy ending.
Soul Eater – My Thoughts
This book is wild. The world building is nothing short of epic. There is plenty of excitement and action, but, more than that, you see that monsters come in all forms. What’s on the outside very rarely indicates the reality of who someone is.
Danny, the reluctant soldier, is one of the most endearing characters I’ve encountered. He and Wyn, the monster, were meant to be together. Their love truly transcends space, time, and reality. Wyn is…. unique as a monster, so this ends up being a pretty spicey book.
Down Low – Summary
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.
Down Low – My Thoughts
This is the sweetest cowboy second chance love story. Both Cal and Eli have had tough lives, but they have delt with them in very different ways. It is a clash of wills between the two men, and the heat was real. This is book one of the Down Home series. The entire series is spectacular and definitely worth your time!
Thrown Off the Ice – Summary
Mike knew he was making a mistake when he let the rookie climb into bed with him. He just didn’t know it’d be a mistake that would follow him for the rest of his life.
Thrown Off the Ice – My Thoughts
I have to start by saying that Taylor Fitzpatrick just may be my favorite author ever. I think she could write a phone book and I would happily gobble it up. That being said Thrown Off the Ice is a really tough read. There is major character death. I feel like you absolutely have to know that going in. I wouldn’t want to read a book not knowing.
The first night I read this book I didn’t sleep. Seriously. I started reading it at nine o’clock that night and I finished it around 2 AM (As any sane individual would.) Then, I proceeded to sob until it was time to get up at six o’clock the next morning. And I would do it again. When I think of a book that actually made me deeply feel something, I think of this one.
Liam and Mike are what dreams are made of. They are the epitome of a grumpy/sunshine couple, but they also belong together in a way that only Taylor Fitzpatrick could ever describe. This is a sports M/M romance, but it is so much more than that.
P.S. Please don’t let this horrendous cover dissuade you from reading this book!
Unhinged – Summary
Adam Mulvaney lives a double life. By day, he’s the spoiled youngest son of an eccentric billionaire. By night, he’s an unrepentant killer, one of seven psychopaths raised to right the wrongs of a justice system that keeps failing.
Noah Holt has spent years dreaming of vengeance for the death of his father, but when faced with his killer, he learns a daunting truth he can’t escape. His father was a monster.
Unable to ignore his own surfacing memories, Noah embarks on a quest to find the truth about his childhood with the help of an unlikely ally: the very person who murdered his father. Since their confrontation, Adam is obsessed with Noah, and he wants to help him uncover the answers he seeks, however dark they may be.
The two share a mutual attraction, but deep down, Noah knows Adam’s not like other boys. Adam can’t love. He wasn’t born that way. But he refuses to let Noah go, and Noah’s not sure he wants him to. Can Adam prove to Noah that passion, power, and protection are just as good as love?
Unhinged – My Thoughts
I love this one. It definitely falls higher on the dark and twisty scale then many of my other recommendations, but Onley James just does it so well. The first chapter of this book is amazing. The way that it builds your background knowledge while giving characterization while also being so freaking interesting and exciting makes it my favorite first chapter of any book ever. So far.
I also just love Adam and Noah. What they have together is really special. I think this could have very easily been a cheesy story, but it really reads as genuine to me. I really enjoy the concept that maybe love looks and feels different for different types of people.
This book does kick off the Necessary Evils series. I highly recommend the series, but not every book is a huge hit for me. I loved the first four books (Unhinged, Psycho, Moonstruck, and Headcase), but then the series kind of drops off for me. I will say the spin-off novella, Damaged, is also a fantastic read!
King of Thieves – Summary
We’re basically Romeo and Juliet. But dudes. And without all the dying.
Chad
Being VP of Sigma Beta Psi is wild. I get all the benefits of being in charge with hardly any of the responsibility. Parties, pranks, and frat politics—college life has never been sweeter. Until I meet Bailey Prince. He has the face of a goddamn angel. I don’t know where he came from or why I’m so obsessed. But I do know he’s a Kappa. And our houses have a rivalry that’s written into legend.
Bailey
At Rho Kappa Tau, I’m a legacy. It’s a lot of pressure, but I’ve always been responsible, never had that rebellious need to rock the boat, and I like it that way. But after a party at Sigma—the jock frat—I meet Chad Doomsen, and for the first time in my life I want to step outside my square. Our houses have always had a rivalry, but some of the guys seem to hate Chad specifically, and I don’t know why. He’s surprisingly sweet and kind. At least to me. I need to stay away. A relationship with Chad would be betraying the very legacy that brought me here. But I can’t help myself. And it seems, neither can he.
King of Thieves – My Thoughts
Typically, my vibe is dark and broody and deep. However, this book is not any of those things. At all. But, this book is just so much fun. I literally laughed out loud well over ten times reading King of Thieves. The characters are all very likeable and endearing. I felt like I was just smiling the entire time I read it.
This is the first book of the Frat Wars series. I can recommend all the books in the series, but I highly recommend the second book Masters of Mayhem. If possible, it is even more ridiculous and fun.
Oh, Sacred Dark – Summary
Tyler’s first priority is to protect his coven. Not because he’s the High Witch’s right-hand-man. Not because he was born a Dom. But because this is his home, and a protector is who he is.
When a new person is fostered by the coven, Tyler is immediately suspicious. Roman is a sub, sure, but his old coven is bad news. They’re all convicted of practicing Chaos Magic, so…why isn’t Roman?
Tyler is sure that Roman is up to no good. The sub refuses to integrate with the coven. Will avoid meals, barely leaves his room, doesn’t talk to anybody. There’s something wrong there, and Tyler won’t stop until he finds out what.
Turns out, there’s a lot more to Roman than meets the eye—a dark past that’s left scars he can’t even imagine. In the end, Roman might not be someone Tyler has to defend against…but someone he needs to protect.
Oh, Sacred Dark – My Thoughts
This is a book that I don’t think is getting enough attention. This could be due to the summary seeming kind of intimidating. However, it’s not all that wild once you jump in. Everyone is a Dom or a sub. Everyone needs to scene to be healthy. In addition to that, most people also have magical abilities of some type or another. The covens have nothing to do with vampires, but rather refer to the communities that individuals live and work in.
Once you understand the world, it is easy to just focus on, and fall for, Tyler and Roman. These two enemies slowly and realistically become lovers. Their journey is hard fought and compelling. Roman especially is easy to care about and cheer for. I highly recommend this one!
Heated Rivalry- Summary
Nothing interferes with pro hockey star Shane Hollander’s game. Now that he’s captain of the Montreal Voyageurs, he won’t let anything jeopardize that—definitely not the sexy rival he loves to hate.
Boston Bears captain Ilya Rozanov is everything Shane’s not. The self-proclaimed king of the ice, he’s as cocky as he is talented. No one can beat him—except Shane. Publicly, they’re enemies. Privately, they can’t stop touching each other.
The smart thing to do? Walk away, once a few secret hookups turn into a struggle to keep their relationship out of the press. The truth could ruin them both. But for Shane and Ilya, secrecy is soon no longer an option…
Heated Rivalry – My Thoughts
This is one of the greats. Right now, hockey M/M romance is really having a moment, and I am here for it! This is as good as it gets. This is not the first book in the Game Changers series, but you could never tell. This could easily be a stand alone. The entire series is pretty good, but this is truly the shining star. There is now a sequel out, The Long Game, that has solid five stars on Amazon, and it deserves each and every one.
Ilya is one of my favorite characters ever. He is incredibly callous, crude, and aggressive. Until he isn’t. Shane somehow reaches his heart, and it is pure magic on the page. You have to check this one out!
Captive Prince – Summary
Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos, but when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave.
Beautiful, manipulative and deadly, his new master Prince Laurent epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Veretian court, nothing is as it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country.
For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reason to hate him than anyone else…
Captive Prince – My Thoughts
I absolutely love the entire The Captive Prince series. This first book especially is outstanding. It is dark and gritty and disturbing and perfect. You can feel the vehement hatred that Damen has for Laurent when they first meet. That passion ignites and turns into the most epic love story. This book isn’t for everyone, but it is definitely for me.
Just a Bit Ruthless – Summary
Luke Whitford has always dreamed of meeting Mr. Right. A hopeless romantic at heart, he dreams of falling in love with a nice man, getting married, and having a bunch of adorable babies. The problem is, Luke has the propensity for being attracted to men who are anything but nice.
Roman Demidov, a homophobic, cynical billionaire who has a grudge against Luke’s father, is certainly not Mr. Right. Cold, manipulative, and ruthless, he’s not a nice man and he doesn’t pretend to be.
Luke is fully aware that Roman is all wrong for him. His attraction to the guy is just some sort of Stockholm syndrome; it must be. If life were a fairy tale, Roman would be the main villain, not the hero.
But even villains can fall in love. Or can they? The story of a boy who dreamed of Prince Charming and ended up falling for the Beast.
Just a Bit Ruthless – My Thoughts
I am a fan of the entire Straight Guys series. However, I can acknowledge that many of the books are controversial and, honestly, parts of the series are problematic. That being said, it is my job to share the books that I absolutely loved, and this is one of them.
You will notice I am not a huge mafia book person. For whatever reason, they don’t tend to do it for me (That being said, if you have an M/M mafia book that I have to read, let me know!). This is the closest thing you will find to a mobster book on this list.
This is the story of two people who should not be together finding out that they, regardless of what they want, are soul mates. This book brings the heat and the excitement. If you aren’t sure about this one, another book in the series that I recommend is Just a Bit Wrecked.
Power Play – Summary
A freak accident during the Stanley Cup Playoffs put an end to Max Ashford’s hockey career. Despite everything, Max gets back into the game he loves—only this time, behind the bench as an assistant coach of the Spartanburg Spitfires, the worst team in the entire league. But nothing prepares him for the shock when he learns the new head coach is Misha Samarin, the man who caused Max’s accident.
After spending years guilt ridden for his part in Max’s accident, Russian native Misha Samarin has no idea what to do when he’s confronted with Max’s presence. Max’s optimism plays havoc with Misha’s equilibrium—as does the fierce attraction that springs up between them.
Not only must they navigate Misha’s remorse and a past he’s spent a lifetime trying to forget, but also a sleazy GM who is determined to use their history as a marketing hook. But when an unwelcome visitor targets a player, Misha revisits his darkest days, and that might cost him and Max the beginning they’ve worked so hard to build.
Power Play – My Thoughts
This is such a good book! It should be a million times more popular than it is!
I love Misha so much. He is a brooding, grumpy Russian with a huge amount of guilt weighing him down. The entire time you read, you can’t help but be incredibly invested in his happiness.
That fact that it comes in the form of Max Ashford, a man whose career he ended, just adds to the complexity and depth of his story. Max is easy going and wears his heart on his sleeve. These two absolutely scorched up the pages together.
The Scoring Chances series by Avon Gale is hugely underrated. I just don’t see it getting the appreciation I think it deserves. I love every single book in the series. My favorite is Power Play, but you cannot go wrong with any of the books.
Five Dares – Summary
Andy Tyler has been the class daredevil since middle school. Over the years, he’s convinced his best friend, Jake Masterson, to perform some dangerous-looking stunts with him. But the dare they attempt on the night of their college graduation goes sideways. The firecrackers explode too soon and both of them end up with badly burned palms.
But hey, nothing gets the “terrible two-o” down for long, and they recuperate in style at Andy’s family cottage in Cape Cod. As the weeks go by, both Andy and Jake grow frustrated over the inability to use their hands for all sorts of daily activities—including getting off. So Andy begins a new series of dares that don’t just cross the friendship line, they obliterate it.
But what might be mere sexual relief to Andy is serious business to Jake, who only recently got over years of secret pining for his straight best friend. Inevitably, the burns heal, summer ends, and hearts are broken. To fix things, Andy will have to face the greatest dare of all.
Five Dares – My Thoughts
I love this one from Eli Easton! Jake and Andy are so freaking cute together. Jake has been in love with Andy for forever, but he doesn’t share his feelings with Andy because he is scared to ruin their friendship. Instead, he just goes along with every crazy idea that Andy has.
One of Andy’s ideas lands the two with no use of their hands for the entire summer. Whatever are two, young, sexually-frustrated guys going to do stuck with no use of their hands and only each other for company for months?! Another one of Andy’s crazy ideas is to have the two of them get off together. But only as bros of course.
Jake tries to resist at first so he doesn’t get his heart broken, but, as always, he gives in to Andy’s wild scheme. As the summer progresses, Jake falls even harder for Andy. Andy starts to feel confused about what the two of them are doing. The summer ends with the two men going in opposite directions with their lives. But, Eli Easton ties this one up beautifully.
The end of this book is sugary sweet perfection. I cannot recommend Five Dares enough!
The Daddy Arrangement – Summary
Someone once told me I give Daddy Issues a bad name. I laughed at the time, but since I found myself living with my dad’s best friend, Stuart Wiseman, it doesn’t feel all that funny anymore.
Living with him is a nightmare. He’s super pedantic about everything. He took one look at me and decided I need help with adulting, and he seems absolutely positive he’s the man for the job. He’s hellbent on improving me, scolding me about this and correcting me on that.
Obviously I don’t take it lying down, I give as good as I get.
Things come to a head one night and I find myself staring down the barrel of a thick, angry index finger pointed close to my face.
“You’re playing with fire, Boy, and you’re headed for leather.”
Every schema I’ve ever used to make sense of the world implodes.
I’m furious. I hate it. Fully hate it. Hate every single thing about it.
Except that I don’t – and that makes it worse. Way worse. Some stupid part of me loves it. Some even stupider part craves it.
Lucky for me, Stuart knows a Daddy’s boy when he sees one. He offers to discipline and take care of me, to do the hard parts of adulting for me until I get back on my feet. Obviously, it isn’t a relationship. He’s literally old enough to be my father. So no, it’s not a relationship. Get your mind out of the gutter. It’s an arrangement…A Daddy Arrangement.
And that’s all it will ever be.
Right?
The Daddy Arrangement – My Thoughts
If you are uncomfortable with Daddy kink, then this book is a big skip for you. But, if you are of the opinion that it’s one of the hottest kinks to exist (much like myself), then you are in the right place. This is Daddy/boy romance done so well.
I loved the build up to this book. Over the course of the first two books in The Situationship Series, Jesse H Reign has set up Gould as being such a Daddy’s boy. By the time we finally make it to his book, it makes so much sense for this to be something he needs.
The way that Jesse H Reign writes Stuart is genius. Everything that he says is genuine. He isn’t saying it to play a part or to pretend to be a Daddy. He believes in what he is doing and it is who he is inside and out. This makes the book so authentic and moving.
The way that Gould, or Elliot as Stuart would prefer, grows and matures and finds himself is beautiful.
The love between the two men is sweet. And hot. Incredibly hot. You can find my full review for The Daddy Arrangement here.
Is there anything missing from my list? Let me know in the comments below!
Hey, I’m Heather!
I read M/M romance books exclusively, and I help other readers find their next great M/M romance read.
