Last year, I wrote 30 posts about queer books I've read and enjoyed. This year, I'm doing that again.
In the past twelve months, I've read almost exclusively queer romance novels, so my recs are going to be a whole lot of those. Today, I bring you Ari Baran.
Ari Baran has written two books, with another two on the way. Their two current books are both set in Philly, focusing on a fictional NHL team in their rebuilding phase. Book one, Game Misconduct, follows my favorite chaos gremlin, Mike, and an older rival defenseman from the Pittsburgh team, Danny. Mike is a bundle of nerves, anger, and yearning stuck far far into the closet. He runs into Danny during the off season in an alley and it’s quite the interaction. Book two, Delay of Game, follows two other players from the Philly team: the captain and one of the star forwards. Idiots to lovers at its finest.
Baran does a fantastic job with mental health rep, realistic characters with all the feels and none of the emotional intelligence, and super hot spice. I really enjoy their writing, and Game Misconduct was one of the first hockey books I read when I swan-dived into the genre. The next book, Home Ice Advantage, comes out July 16th, and I’m eagerly awaiting its publication.
Remember folks, read queer all year.