I am a genderfluid non-binary trans man. There, I said it! And I am proud to be trans and that I get live in a time where I get to read about trans people falling in love while living their authentic lives. In this time, when the world has gotten even more cruel towards people who are trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming, embracing trans romance books written by trans authors is more important now than ever.

Love in against an overwhelming tide of hate is resistance.

This is why I have listed 12 trans books for the trans rights readathon that you can read not only to help fundraise for trans organizations and mutual funds but to revel in trans joy.

1. Wishing You Well This Christmas by L.M. Juniper 

Some goodbyes are acts of love.

Nai has built a life that looks a home, children, and a carefully curated public persona followed by millions.

But what she hasn’t felt in years is love the way she remembers it.

On Christmas Eve, surrounded by warmth and noise, Nai is drawn back into memories of the woman she once loved and the future they never lived. As the night unfolds, she’s forced to confront the truth of what was lost and what may still be waiting beneath the surface.

An emotionally rich holiday short about chosen family, yearning, and the versions of ourselves that never entirely let go.

Perfect for readers who love light magic elements, second chances, and stories that stay with them long after the last page.

2. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.

When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle….

But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

3.  Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa

London, 1812. Oliver Bennet feels trapped. Not just by the endless corsets, petticoats and skirts he’s forced to wear on a daily basis, but also by society’s expectations. The world—and the vast majority of his family and friends—think Oliver is a girl named Elizabeth. He is therefore expected to mingle at balls wearing a pretty dress, entertain suitors regardless of his interest in them, and ultimately become someone’s wife.

But Oliver can’t bear the thought of such a fate. He finds solace in the few times he can sneak out of his family’s home and explore the city rightfully dressed as a young gentleman. It’s during one such excursion when Oliver becomes acquainted with Darcy, a sulky young man who had been rude to “Elizabeth” at a recent social function. But in the comfort of being out of the public eye, Oliver comes to find that Darcy is actually a sweet, intelligent boy with a warm heart. And not to mention incredibly attractive.

As Oliver is able to spend more time as his true self, often with Darcy, part of him dares begin to hope that his dream of love and life as a man to be possible. But suitors are growing bolder—and even threatening—and his mother is growing more desperate to see him settled into an engagement. Oliver will have to choose: Settle for safety, security, and a life of pretending to be something he’s not, or risk it all for a slim chance at freedom, love, and a life that can be truly, honestly his own.

4. Eye Tooth by Mars Alder

Adam is a trans art student who frequents an underground, illegal plasma donation center to pay for college expenses. His doctor, the too-pretty, androgynous Dr. Mede, offers him the deal of a lifetime: experimental surgery to help his failing heart for twenty-five grand, no strings attached.

It sounds too good to be true, but Adam is desperate to make ends meet and to get a shot at living a normal life.

He gets a lot more than he signed up for, though. As the aftereffects of the surgery send him into a spiral of lust, taboo urges, and surreal magic, Dr. Mede is nowhere to be found, and Adam falls into a cycle of obsession.

Will Adam survive his metamorphosis?

5. The Flowered Blade  by Taylor Hubbard

Crown Prince, the elf Silvyr Quilen is the family disappointment. His father, High King Keryth Quilen of Athowen, wanted a son to follow in his image. A warlord who rules with no regard for those around him and will do anything to maintain his power, the king finds Silvyr’s desire to spend his days in the flowers and libraries to be pathetic and useless.

Even so, Silvyr strives to receive his father’s approval. On a diplomatic journey to Xeatia, where he was meant to collect taxes and return with a report on their financial situation, Silvyr is suddenly forced to confront the consequences of his fathers actions when the Orcs of Ghizol attack his caravan.

Chief Brokil of the Ghizol Orcs has been tasked with leading and protecting his people. For years he sacrificed and waged war to ensure the people who voted for him to lead could live in peace. For that reason, the risk was worth the reward. With the approval of the Ghizol council of Elders, Brokil executes his plan: Kidnap the Prince of Athowen, Silvyr Quilen, and send their ultimatum to the King. Leave Ghizol alone, or have his heir be killed.

Keeping Silvyr as his ward, Brokil finds that while the prince was the most annoying person he’s ever met, he is also nothing like his father who carries the name Tyrant King. Absolutely bewildered and exhilarated, Silvyr and Brokil are forced to confront themselves and each other while the looming threat of Ghizol’s demands hang over them.

6. The Reanimator’s Heart by Kara Jorgenson

A reluctant necromancer, a man killed before his time, and the crime that brings them together.

Felipe Galvan’s life as an investigator for the Paranormal Society has been spent running into danger. Returning home from his latest case, Felipe struggles with the sudden quiet of his life until a mysterious death puts him in the path of the enigmatic Oliver Barlow.

Oliver has two secrets. One, he has been in love with the charming Felipe Galvan for years. Two, he is a necromancer, but to keep the sensible life he’s built as a medical examiner, he must hide his powers. That is until Oliver finds Felipe murdered and accidentally brings him back from the dead.

But Felipe refuses to die again until he and Oliver catch his killer. Together, Felipe and Oliver embark on an investigation to uncover a plot centuries in the making. As they close in on his killer, one thing is certain: if they don’t stop them, Felipe won’t be the last to die.

7. Where The Stars Are  by Micah Flowers

Masika Holt made peace with never seeing her best friend—and ex-lover—from high school ever again. She betrayed him, after all. But a change of heart puts her right on Aiden Zetrenne’s doorstep with hopes of atonement. Despite her mistakes, he accepts the apology with open arms and allows her to stay in his home.

Betwixt confronting their traumatizing pasts and forging a new path together, the pair must face new challenges and trials; many far beyond what either of them could anticipate. With danger and oppressors lurking at every corner, with Evil stalking their every step, will the couple make it out alive without getting more blood on their hands?

Where the Stars Are is a captivating, gut-wrenching and powerful debut novel exploring gender identity, love, and reconciliation.

 8. Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

9. The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas 

Only the most powerful and honorable will be chosen.

Teo, the seventeen-year-old trans son of the goddess of birds, isn’t worried. As a Jade, it’s unlikely he’ll be chosen to compete in the Trials, and even if his best friend Niya competes, she’s a born-and-bred Gold semidiós with unparalleled abilities.

But for the first time in over a century, Sol chooses not one, but two Jade competitors: Teo – and Xio, the thirteen-year-old child of the god of bad luck. With the odds stacked against them, Teo is determined to get himself and his friends through the trials unscathed – for fame, glory, and their own survival…

10. Sleep Study by Magnus Thorne

An insomniac begins having horrifying dreams after attending a sleep clinic.

11. The Calyx Charm by May Peterson

12. Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao

Starting over is hard. Falling for her gorgeous butch roommate might make it impossible.

When a tall, stunning butch protects Mira from her ex-boyfriend at the club—and offers her a safe place to stay—Mira should be relieved. Not flustered. She’s not into women.

Yet this tough electrician with curves for days makes Mira’s heart race like never before.

But Isabel, wounded by grief, forces Mira to keep her distance. Until Mira’s desperate to win a union election at work—and only Isabel has the experience to teach her how.

Soon they’re lingering over dinner, teasing each other as the apartment heats up. And Isabel is making her coffee every morning, hanging her shelves, giving her smoldering looks before bed…Just in time for the Trans Rights Readathon! Dive into 12 swoony romance novels by incredible trans authors.

But Mira can’t afford temptation. Not after living with her nightmare ex.

No matter how well Isabel takes care of her…or how much Isabel needs healing, too.

She can’t risk her freedom—or her heart.

Pin This