#al hess

[free-queer-books]

Em's Gator Club by Al Hess

The swingin’ cats of Boise don’t just come to the Gator Club for jazz and gin, but for what Emery Wilson offers in the back room. They deal in contramods—nanobot software and devices unobtainable through legal means. Though many dealers make their living from sex mods and dope injections, Em—who has hemiplegia and knows how it feels to have a disability—gives away innovative medical aids and prosthetics for cheap. But altruism is hurting their wallet. If they can’t come up with rent for the club by the fifth, the jive joint will close and Em will be out on the street. Enter Joe: a square with an urgent need to cure his addiction to a powerful new drug, and a wad of dough if Em can help. But commissioning a cure means Em will have to venture into the foul domain of a shady programmer, risking reputation and appetite. When commissioning the cure becomes more complicated—and dangerous—than first expected, Em will need to use wits, grit, and their own contramod to keep the club, and themselves, alive. This is a short story prequel to Mazarin Blues, the first book in the queer and cozy decopunk series, Hep Cats of Boise.

Promotion length: Permanently free

Markets available: Amazon, itch.io

Link to book: https://alhessbooks.itch.io/ems-gator-club

[transbookoftheday]

Shake Out the Ghosts by Al Hess

A beautifully funny and deeply moving contemporary queer romance with a magical twist, the perfect next read for fans of TJ Klune and Ashley Poston.

A brutal assault nine months ago left eccentric portrait artist Micah with facial scars and PTSD. He’s struggled to leave his apartment ever since, and he can’t let anyone in. Then his only sanctuary is disrupted by signs of a haunting.

Between the 80s synth pop and motivation messages scrawled on his bathroom mirror, Micah finds himself more charmed than frightened by who he believes to be Cosmo, the deceased previous resident of his apartment. But when Cosmo’s ghostly visits suddenly stop, Micah is determined to lure him back.

Meanwhile, sculpture artist Cosmo – dramatic, unconventional, and very much alive – is mourning his old self. His boyfriend’s a serial cheater, he’s continually passed over for a promotion at work, and he’s lost contact with his best friend. To make matters worse, his apartment is being haunted by the ghost of a bespectacled man with an eye socket of scars. It’s his last straw, and seeking a new start, Cosmo moves out.

In a chance meeting, Cosmo and Micah’s paths cross again, and tentative sparks fly. But the phantoms of their pasts still linger. In order to find a future where they can both be happy together, Micah and Cosmo need to confront their trauma once and for all.

[pagesandpothos]

Shake Out The Ghosts by Al Hess

Official Summary:

Left with PTSD and facial scars after an attack 9 months ago, eccentric portrait artist Micah finds the sanctuary of his home disrupted by signs of a haunting. Between 80’s synth pop and motivational messages scrawled on his bathroom mirror, Micah is more charmed than frightened by Cosmo, the deceased previous resident of his apartment. But when Cosmo’s ghost suddenly disappears, Micah’s determined to lure him back. Dramatic, unconventional and very much alive, sculpture artist Cosmo mourns his old self. His boyfriend’s a serial cheater, he’s continually passed over for a promotion at work, and he’s lost his best friend. To make matters worse, his apartment’s being haunted by a bespectacled man with an eye socket of scars. Seeking a new start, Cosmo moves out. In a chance meeting, Cosmo and Micah’s paths cross again, and tentative sparks fly. But the phantoms of their pasts still linger. To find a future where they can be happy together, they must confront their trauma once and for all.

My Thoughts:

I read Key Lime Sky by Al Hess in 2024 and really enjoyed it. I thought it was delightfully odd, and I still regularly think about how much I love that book's main character. Al Hess's latest book is a lot different, but I like it even more.

Micah's apartment is being haunted by a ghost who leaves supportive messages on his bathroom mirror. The ghost, a former resident named Cosmo, becomes an unlikely friend and support system for Micah as he recovers from a life-altering attack. When Micah finds Cosmo and discovers he's not actually a ghost, the two realize something stranger must be going on.

The storyline is a little paranormal and a little science fiction. It's character-focused with a romance, but there are also some intense scenes. This book does contain dark themes. As the summary suggests, Micah was previously assaulted in his home, and he's still living with the effects of that incredibly traumatizing event. Cosmo also has two relationships that are both toxic and unhealthy. Moments in these two relationships get frightening and even violent!

The story is ultimately hopeful and about healing from trauma. It has some truly wonderful messages about survivors of abuse; I was especially moved by the message about how blame is often unfairly placed on the victim, sometimes even by the victims themselves.

The romance is sweet and has some great representations (both are trans & Micah is asexual), but I was most invested in the individual characters' stories. Both Micah and Cosmo go through really moving growth arcs. The romance is a little cherry on top of the delicious sundae that is them slowly regaining agency in their own lives. There are some really great romantic moments, though. The last several chapters, in particular, have some truly beautiful moments that showcase how much these two have grown to love each other.

If you're looking for unique trans stories with lovely romances, be sure to give one of Al Hess's books a try. Shake Out The Ghosts is my new favorite by him, but every book I've read has been wonderful and filled with memorable characters. This book may not be for everyone due to the dark subject matter, but I enjoyed the characters, their romance, their friends, and their healing so much.

My Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 (4/5 stars)

Pages: 288 (Kindle Edition)

Tropes/Tags: Queer, Achillean, Romance, Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Trans Main Characters, Asexual Main Character, T4T Romance

Contains Depictions Of: Mentions of a previous physical assault (that may have been a hate crime!), PTSD, depression, anxiety (including panic attacks), violence, attempted sexual assault, some moments of death ideation, stalking, and vomiting.

Links: Storygraph | GoodReads | Pagebound | AlHessAuthor.com

Shake Out The Ghosts was released on March 17, 2026, and is available for purchase!

I received an advanced copy of this book for free, thanks to Netgalley and Angry Robot. The above are my honest feelings about the provided book.

[ See Everything I’ve Read in 2026 ]

[charliejaneanders]

Trans Subtext Can Be Powerful. Trans Characters Are Even Better

Award-winning author Charlie Jane Anders makes the case for direct representation.

Trans people used to look for reflections of ourselves in metaphors and subtexts — but now, a lot of us are realizing that it's way better when stories feature actual trans characters who get to live complicated lives. And you can even feature living, breathing trans characters alongside metaphors for transness. My latest, over in @them.

[phantomtomes]

👽 I didn't feel good so I had a little photoshoot with my book. Can confirm, I feel better now just being near this delightful thing. 👽

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Key Lime Sky

sci-fi, romance

an autistic pie blogger who’s struggling to make rent witnesses a UFO explode over xyr small town, and after posting about it xyr readers want xem to investigate

nobody else seems to remember or notice the weird things going on, except for a handsome bartender who helps xem investigate

and when people start disappearing, the landscape starts changing, and they’re unable to escape, they realise they’ll have to find the source and stop it before their town is consumed entirely

arc from netgalley, out August 13

[iambic-stan]

last book + last stethoscope, part 40

My green Eko Core 500 is doubling as Wicked merch with a pink chest piece cover and matches Al Hess' cozy sci-fi novel, Key Lime Sky. This is my second Al Hess read, after World Running Down last summer. It has some of the same pacing issues in my view, but is likewise too charming for me to be all that mad about it. Denver is known as "Professor Pie" to their neighbors in Muddy Gap, Wyoming because his claim to fame is a viral post on his blog critiquing...the quality of pies at various diners, of course. They feel alienated because their autism makes many forms of in-person social interaction difficult, but slightly less so when an actual alien beams down to Muddy Gap and many of its residents suddenly disappear. As xe is trying to piece together what's happening and what to do about it, they come across a new resident named Ezra, who's of course ruggedly handsome and has a questionable past. There's some insta-love, and some descriptions of sexual activity that made me, the ace reader, a little uncomfortable (it happens), but overall, it was a fun read.

Note: I edited my review to include multiple pronouns because the protagonist is nonbinary and comfortable with any, as they state in the book.

[readingtillmidnight]

Key Lime Sky by Al Hess

Release date: 13 August 2024

Genre: science fiction

Representation: trans, pansexual, non-binary, and queer rep; NB/M romance, autistic, non-binary, part-Indigenous American main character with visible stims and sensory sensitivities; plus size Latino love interest

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis

Driving home from a roadside diner, Denver witnesses a UFO explode directly over his tiny town of Muddy Gap. When he questions his neighbors, it appears that Denver is the only person to have seen anything – or to care that the residents’ strange behavior, as well as a shower of hail-that-isn’t-hail, might be evidence of something extraterrestrial. Being both non-binary and autistic, he’s convinced his reputation as the town eccentric is impeding his quest for answers. Frustrated, he documents the bizarre incidents on his failing pie blog, and his online popularity skyrockets. His readers want the truth, spurring him to get to the bottom of things.

The only person in town who takes him seriously is handsome bartender, Ezra. As the two investigate over pie and the possibility of romance, the alien presence does more than change the weather. People start disappearing. When Denver and Ezra make a run for it, the town refuses to let them leave. Reality is folding in on itself, and it’s suddenly a race against time to find the extraterrestrial source and destroy it before it consumes not only Muddy Gap but everything beyond. Denver’s always been more outsider than hero, but he’s determined to ensure that a world with Ezra – and with pie – still exists tomorrow.

Content warnings

violence, injury, gore

anxiety

on-page autistic meltdowns

fatphobia

ableism

parental drug addiction and verbal abuse

open door sex and sexual elements

hospitalization

alcohol use

mentions of racism, police, and jail time

also confinement/imprisonment

Review

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

This book was such a fun ride from start to finish. Denver's PoV is perfect for narrating this story, they are so interesting and observant and engaging, their perspective really makes this story.

This book is pretty fast-paced, but at the same time, the story didn't feel rushed at all! Like, I feel that everything was given enough Time and Space to be fully developed.

I think this book does a good job of balancing the romance with the main plot, without compromising on either aspect. I find that a lot of the time books about Mysteries™️ either focus on the plot and throw in the romance as a side plot, or focus on the romance with the mystery serving as a backdrop to the relationship. However, I feel that in this case, both the plot and romance are properly fleshed out, with both aspects being given equal weight in the narrative.

I loved Denver and Ezra's relationship so much!! The way their relationship develops as they meet and learn more about each other, and the way they do their best to support each other was so!!!

I also want to add that I liked how purposeful the author was with Denver and Ezra's sex scenes, in that it makes sense in the narrative and feels meaningful.

The plot was also really engaging. I'm not super into aliens, but it was fun to follow along as they try to unravel the mystery.

I want to rave about this book some more but I don't want to give everything away, so I will end it here. Anyways, this book is really good! Go read it!!

P. S. I am not a pie girlie BUT the pie descriptions sound so good. HOWEVER I am definitely a sandwich girl and I really want to try The Denver Sandwich.