u/epicsevenmyths

Many years ago, I used to get embarrassed admitting that I listened to audiobooks because I was heavily gaslit into believing they didn’t count as reading. Thankfully, I’ve evolved because now I can confidently say I am a HUGE audiobook fan.

Sometimes I’ll even get the audio version of books I’ve already read if I know the narration and voice acting are going to be amazing. I love experiencing a book I already know in a completely different way.

One thing I do a lot is go through the backlist of narrators I really like and listen to their other work, even if it’s a book I normally wouldn’t have picked up on my own. Sometimes hearing someone else perform the characters instead of hearing my own voice in my head completely changes the feeling of a book for me.

I don’t know if a lot of people have this problem, but I cannot for the life of me imagine voices or accents when I’m reading. I can picture the characters just fine, but what are they supposed to sound like? No idea. Sometimes I don’t mind that, but when I listen to the audiobook and finally hear the characters come to life, it adds something to the experience that I just don’t get when I’m reading it myself.

My favorite narrators are:

Nick J. Russo. I swear he can do almost any accent and somehow make every one sound authentic and distinct. His narration in {Inside by Nicky James} and {When All the World Sleeps by Lisa Henry} are two of my more recent favorites from him. Top tier!!

Jacob Morgan. Sooooo soothing and expressive. Literally my number one. Words cannot explain it.

Teddy Hamilton. For some reason, his voice took me a little while to get used to at first, but now he’s an automatic listen for me. I will literally listen to anything Teddy Hamilton narrates.

Shane East!!! Hello?? Do I even need to explain? 😅

Zachary Johnson and Greg Tremblay are up there for me too. If I see either of their names attached to an audiobook, I already know I’m probably going to have a good time.

Now I want to know who everyone else loves. Who are your favorite audiobook narrators, and what’s your favorite book they’ve narrated? I’m always looking for more!

I have the PERFECT book for you‼️

I’m a little hesitant even saying this because, since joining this subreddit, I’ve realized both of these books get some pretty mixed opinions. And it always seems like those of us who prefer RK’s MM couples over the MF ones get a little side eyed for it lol. But if what you loved was the actual dynamic and story those books gave you, then please, please, PLEASE read {Never Let Me Go by Lyla Dane}. I cannot stress this enough.

I stumbled across this book completely by accident and almost skipped it because of the horrible cover. But I’ve since learned that a questionable cover is sometimes a five star read in disguise. Thank God I gave it a chance because this book ruined me in the best possible way. The push and pull of GOF, the absolutely unhinged x dominant dynamic of KTV, and the painfully fucked up history behind everything that somehow has you feeling for a character you should absolutely hate. I DEVOURED it!

And it absolutely destrooooooys me that this book isn’t getting the attention it deserves. Like how are more people not talking about this???

And I’m not saying it’s exactly the same because it isn’t. What would be the fun in that, right? But it definitely scratched that VERY specific itch I’d been trying to find in another book, and I genuinely wasn’t expecting it to.

I MUST warn you though, it put me in a slump. That’s how good it was. Nothing I picked up afterward was hitting the same and for a minute there I genuinely thought I was screwed 😂

Thankfully, I read enough MM that eventually something managed to pull me out of it. And then, because apparently I’m a gluttonous whore for emotional torture, I went right back and reread Never Let Me Go.

So yeah.

This is your next read. I’m deciding for you.

Okay… I’m here searching for books with a very particular scene or dynamic, and I don’t even know what to call it lol.

Are there any really SLOW BURN romances where one MC has been pining for the other MC for so long, and it’s so painfully one sided, that he eventually just breaks down in front of him and admits everything? Like he’s reached the point where he genuinely cannot keep it to himself anymore, even though he’s spent all this time believing the other MC doesn’t feel the same way, or that even if he did, they could never actually be together.

And I mean PINING. I want him trying to live with these feelings for this person while fully believing he can’t have him. Maybe there’s something actually keeping them apart, or making the relationship feel impossible or forbidden. Family, circumstances, their history, other relationships, whatever. Just something that gives him a real reason to think wanting this person is something he has to keep to himself.

I basically want all of that to build until it becomes too much and he finally breaks. Maybe it comes out during an argument, maybe he’s hurt, maybe the other MC keeps pushing him to explain what’s wrong, I don’t really care how it happens. I just want that moment where all the pining and frustration finally spills out and the other MC is standing there realizing, (Oh shit. He’s in love with me)

I’d prefer friends to lovers or ex friends to lovers because I feel like all that history would make the eventual breakdown hurt so much more, but it’s definitely not a requirement. Enemies to lovers could work really well with this too, and so could forbidden romance if there are actual factors making them believe being together isn’t an option.

might be grasping at straws asking for something this specific, but hey, if I don’t ask, I’ll never find it 😭

I didn’t really want to make this post, but after spending the last few days trying to find a sports romance, (my favorite subgenre by the way) I started wondering how hockey became so dominant in the first place.

Because seriously, why hockey?

It feels like every time I go looking for sports romance lately, it’s hockey, hockey, hockey. The books being advertised are hockey. Kindle Unlimited keeps recommending hockey. New releases seem flooded with hockey. Even when I come across posts asking for sports romance recommendations, I see the same hockey books being recommended over and over again.

And I’ll admit, I’m getting tired of it.

This isn’t me saying hockey romance is bad or that people need to stop reading it. I love reading about hot guys who occasionally fall in love and beat the shit out of each other as much as the next person. I understand why the setting works for romance. Butttt what I don’t understand is how hockey became so overwhelmingly popular that sometimes it feels like sports romance has become synonymous with hockey romance.

There are so many other sports out there. Football, basketball, baseball, soccer, boxing, MMA, swimming, tennis, rugby, racing, volleyball, and plenty more. There are also some amazing sports romances involving those sports that I rarely see talked about because hockey seems to take up so much of the conversation.

And sometimes I don’t even know what I want to read until I come across it. Maybe there’s a romance about some random sport I’ve never heard of or never thought to look for, and I read the synopsis and think, wait, this actually sounds good. I want to be able to stumble across books like that.

But when hockey is constantly being pushed to the front, those books get buried. There could be so many books I never would’ve found otherwise that I’d probably love, but I’ll never know they exist because of the overexposure of the same sport over and over again.

And I mean… let’s be honest with ourselves. Most of us probably aren’t picking up sports romance solely because we desperately need to read about the sport. We’re there for the romance, the characters, the chemistry, and whatever messy drama these men are about to get themselves into. Enemies to lovers, rivals to lovers, teammates, forbidden romance, bi awakenings, secret relationships, competition, jealousy, all of that can work with practically any sport.

Which is why I’m curious about what hockey has that made it take off in MM romance specifically.

Because another thing I’ve noticed is that sometimes the hockey itself isn’t even written particularly well. There are books where the sport feels more like a backdrop for the romance, which is perfectly fine, but then that makes me wonder even more why hockey continues to be the default setting when the same romance could happen around another sport.

And I think that’s where my hockey fatigue is coming from. It’s not that I never want to read another hockey romance again. I just want MORE VARIETY. I want other sports to get the same energy. I want to search for sports romance and actually have to choose between different sports instead of scrolling through twenty hockey books that’s all about the same storyline and premise.

Not to mention the flood of AI books and mass produced stories recycling similar concepts and characters, which has made finding those hidden gems even more frustrating. Between that and the sheer amount of hockey romance being promoted, browsing Amazon or Kindle Unlimited for sports romance has started to feel like digging through the same thing over and over again.

Sometimes a girl just wants to branch out.

So I’m genuinely curious, especially from people who read a lot of sports romance. Why do you think hockey became the sport that dominates the subgenre?

I’m not the only one right?

I’ve been making my way through the Straight Guys series, and while I do find the books fun, most of them have ended up being around 2 to 3 stars for me. I think it mostly comes down to the writing style just not being for me. I like the dynamics and the situations these men get themselves into, but I never end up getting as invested in the characters or relationships as I want to.

So now I’m wondering if there are any other series with a similar vibe? Give me the straight guys who are very sure they’re straight until one specific man comes along and makes them realize it’s not all black and white out there. The stubborn alpha types, the assholes, the homophobes getting humbled, the possessiveness, the denial, the (this absolutely does not mean I like men) while doing the gayest thing imaginable. I eat it up every time lol.

The closest I’ve found is Cora Rose’s Our Exception series, which I genuinely did not expect to love as much as I did. I started the first book randomly one night and somehow consumed all three in two days. I was OBSESSED. I’ve found that a few of her other books outside of that series have the same kind of dynamic I’m looking for too, but unfortunately I’ve already read those. I also love how interconnected her books are and getting to see characters pop up again outside of their own stories.

Basically, I want another series I can completely sink into. I still want the chaos, denial, possessiveness, sexuality crises, questionable decisions and all that good stuff, but I also want genuinely good writing, a solid plot, and characters and relationships with enough depth that I actually get attached to them. I want to be invested, not just entertained.

I prefer longer series because there’s nothing better than realizing I have ten more books ahead of me when I’m already hooked, but it definitely doesn’t have to be long.

Please tell me there’s another series out there waiting to consume my life 😭

…but not like serial-killer-ish?

Allow me to explain lol.

I’m looking for a darker MM romance where one of the MCs is a little crazy, but not in the “I’ll kill everyone you know if you don’t choose me” kind of way.

I mean crazy as in hopelessly, pathetically, maybe a little unhealthily in love with the other MC. Dark and troubled, emotionally fucked up, and so down bad for this man that it’s almost embarrassing. Maybe obsessive or possessive, maybe convinced he can’t have him, but not an actual murderous psychopath.

Bonus points if the love interest is more straight and narrow. A genuinely decent, relatively good hearted guy who would never picture himself with someone like that, and maybe doesn’t even realize how far gone the other MC is for him at first.

Soooo basically…”You’re too good for me, I shouldn’t want you, I can’t have you, but I’m completely fucking gone over you anyway” ??

Does anyone know books with this dynamic? I just want the crazy to come from being painfully, hopelessly in love rather than the I’ll wear your skin as a coat type of crazy 😅

The only book I’ve read that is KINDA like this is {Heart by Jesse H Reign} which I absolutely loved!!

I’ve just finished rereading {The Tragedy of Felix and Jake by J Daniels}, and I desperately need recommendations for other angsty books like this.

I loved the pacing, the characters, and especially the journey from friendship, through all their struggles, to eventually falling in love. I also absolutely adored the side characters. They made the story and relationships feel so much more real, especially alongside the heavier topics like addiction, sexuality, and complicated family dynamics.

Ugh, I just need more books that will put me through it emotionally but still give me characters and relationships I can genuinely get attached to.

Historical and PNR aren’t really my thing, so contemporary only, please! I’m open to pretty much anything else.

Any recs would be appreciated. Thanks!

I’m looking for books with really well done redemption arcs.

One thing I’ve realized is that I don’t want books where everyone just says the MC used to be a horrible person. I want to actually see it. I want to see the mistakes he made, the people he hurt, and why earning forgiveness feels almost impossible. I also want the romance to grow naturally alongside that journey. I don’t mind if the love interest is the very person he hurt, as long as the forgiveness and the relationship both feel earned.

I’m open to bully romance, but it doesn’t have to be. Hurt/comfort and high angst are definitely my thing. I also love when the story takes the time to explore who he is and how he ended up becoming that person, instead of treating his past like a few throwaway lines.

I’ve read {Never Let Me Go by Lyla Dane} and {Out of Nowhere} by Roan Parrish, and they’ve left me wanting more stories with really satisfying redemption arcs.

I’d love any recommendations that made you completely rethink and fall in love with a character you thought you’d absolutely hate.

No PNR. Contemporary only, please. Other than that, I don’t have any other preferences.

II used to use this amazing app called Kaguya for book recommendations, and it was hands down the best at recommending books that weren’t the same titles everyone talks about.
Unfortunately, it’s gone now, and I’ve been trying to find a good replacement ever since.
What apps or platforms do you use for high-quality book recommendations besides Reddit?

I’ve tried Goodreads, but I just can’t get into it. The layout feels pretty basic, and I struggle to find recommendations that really fit my tastes. I mostly use it to read reviews because they’re easy to access, but I’d love an app that not only helps me keep track of my reading but also gives genuinely good, personalized recommendations including lesser known books.

I spend way too much time thinking about and talking about MM books, so I figured why not create a place where we can all do it together?
This community is full of passionate readers with strong opinions, endless recommendations, and an impressive ability to defend their favorite books, so I thought it’d be fun to turn all of that into a series of games.

🏆 Welcome to the MM Olympics! 🏆

Every day we’ll have a different event. Some days we’ll vote, some days we’ll debate, and other days we’ll have to make choices that can be quite questionable. The goal isn’t to find one definitive best book or couple. It’s to have fun, spark discussions, discover new reads, and connect with other people who love romance just as much as you do.

With that said…

🥇DAY ONE

THE TOXIC TRIALS 🚩

Debating the fictional men we’d absolutely avoid in real life. (Contemporary Edition)

Every Olympic event has its own standard for victory and greatness. Today, we’re throwing conventional standards out the window.

Your role is to nominate one MMC you believe deserves to compete in the Toxic Trials.

Tell us who he is…
What book he’s from…
And, most importantly, make your case…

What exactly earns him a place in this trial?

At the end, we’ll see which competitors receive the most support… and who walks away with the gold medal for being the biggest king of questionable decisions.

So I’m looking for exactly what the title says. 😊

I feel like I rarely see sports romances with POC main characters recommended, which is kind of crazy when you think about it. Sports romance is one of my favorite romance subgenres, and I’d love to read more books with diverse casts.

I’m open to any sport, any pairing, and I don’t really have any hard no’s. Bonus points if it’s part of a series because I love having something to binge, but standalones are welcome too!
Hit me with your absolute best recs! :)

This might be a little too specific, but I’m shooting my shot 😭

Does anyone know of any reverse harem books where the FMC is originally from a world like ours, where the omegaverse doesn’t exist, nobody knows what alphas, betas, or omegas are, and she’s lived a completely normal life, and then somehow gets transported to, trapped in, or otherwise ends up in a completely different universe where the omegaverse is real?

I’d love it if she’s just as confused as the reader at first, having to learn about pack dynamics, heats, scents, bonds, and everything else from scratch. Bonus points if she ends up attracting an established pack (or eventually forms one with the MMCs).

I know this is incredibly niche, so even if you know of something that’s just close to this, I’d love the recommendation :)

So, this is it.

After finishing my last 5 star read Never let me go by Lyla Dane, I’ve been told time and time again to jump into the will and way duet. That it will crush me in more ways than one and I am ready to make my dive.

I’m only 20% in and I can already tell this will crush my soul and drag it through the trenches before the goods start flowing in.

Without spoiling it, is there anything that you wish you knew before jumping into these books?

I am loving it so far and I can tell I will be beating myself up for not starting this sooner. I was warned!. I will also be updating once I finish to see if it will live up to the hype everyone said it would.

I’ve been on a 4 month slump and I’m ready to jump back into reading. I honestly feel so annoyed that I haven’t been able to find a book enough to stick through it. Everything I’ve picked up goes straight to DNF and I don’t know why. I just need a variety of books that I can hopefully get consumed by.

I love plot heavy books as well as equal amounts of romance. I typically like my RH with MM. But this isn’t about just what I like, I’m looking to branch out and see what else is out there.

Please give me some recommendations :)

Does anyone know of any other book series similar or that gives the vibes of Legacy of Gods? I’ll be honest and say that out of the entire series as well as the other connected books from RK other series, out of all of them, I’ve only enjoyed a handful of them. But LOG is my fav out of her entire catalogue and I’d like to capture the feeling I got when I started it.

The dark college romance vibes with powerful families, mafia and royalty connections. But if also like to know if there are any series that are like LOG but has a mix of MM within the series as well. GOR, GOF and KTV is my fav of her entire works and I’ve just been hunting for something that makes me get the same twisted, conflicted and cushiest feelings again.

Please help a girl out :)

So I’ve only really started diving into the Harry Potter universe over the past month, which feels a little ridiculous considering I’ve been an avid reader and fanfic lover for years. But I guess it’s never too late to fall down a new rabbit hole, right?

The reason I’m here is because I’ve recently started getting into the Marauders era, and honestly, I’m already overwhelmed by how much there is. I have no idea where to begin. One thing I do know is that I’ve become really fascinated by the Black brothers and their tragic relationship. Regulus in particular has completely captured my attention. The problem is that after doing some digging, I realized there’s not actually a lot of canon information about him.

Which, of course, led me straight to fanfiction.

I’ve been browsing AO3, but there’s such a massive amount of fic that I genuinely don’t know where to start. I’d love to read some Jegulus fanfiction, especially since that seems to be one of the most popular pairings involving Regulus.

If anyone would be willing to share their favorite Jegulus fics, I’d really appreciate it. I tend to prefer longer stories, and for now I’d like to stick fairly close to the traditional Harry Potter/Marauders setting rather than alternate universes. I’m still pretty new to all of this, so I’m trying not to overwhelm myself too much. Other than that, I’m open to anything.

Please help a newcomer out!

Does anyone ever think about Begins Youth?

I finished watching it today and was in absolute tears and went online to see if the show is as loved as I think it is.

Imagine my surprise when I rarely see any videos about it. Granted it was released a while ago and it’s not any easily accessible streaming platform but wow, I’m shocked at the scarce content this series has gotten.

I loved these characters and felt their pain. It felt like I was genuinely watching BTS themselves through the way the actors conveys the members personalities and the humor.

Why isn’t it talked about as much anymore? Did people not like it?

It’s been almost two and a half months since I’ve read a book. This has been what feels like the WORST slump I’ve ever experienced. I fear I’m loosing the love for reading and anything I pick up just doesn’t pique my interest.

I’m a little terrified because I love reading and my life feels a little bland if I’m not swept up in a really good book.

I’ve mentioned this for the millionth time on here already but the last books I read back to back were {Never Let me go by Lyla Dane}, {When all the world sleeps by Lisa Henry} and {Inside by Nicky James}, and they were all 5 star reads to me. I had a feeling it was just too good to be true to be on that high of a binge but here I am crawling back to you, begging, pleading for your angstiest, hardest, gut wrenching books!

What I loved most about these were that they were painful with the right dose of comfort. I cried and felt for the characters and I need that feeling again.

So please, help a girl out. I’m begging 🫩

Any rec is appreciated.

I genuinely want to know if anyone else has been feeling this way, because I feel like I’m losing my mind a little.

Why does it seem like the majority of books being written right now are so narrow when it comes to world building? And I’m not just talking about fantasy or paranormal, I mean contemporary too. I’ve read a handful of books this year and it honestly feels like the craft of writing is slowly dying.

What’s really getting to me is how unrealistic and flat the characters have become. Everyone looks the same, works the same jobs, wants the same things. Even the tropes feel like they’re just being scooped out of the same pot and reheated over and over again. I get that it sells, I do, but it’s so disheartening.

Like, you pick up a contemporary sports romance set in Chicago centered around football or basketball and not one character, not a side character, not a background friend or neighbor or family member, is Black or Latino or any other person of color? I mean that’s not just lazy, it’s unrealistic and becoming laughable at this point.

And don’t even get me started on the enemies to lovers recycling going on right now. Slapping that label on a rushed, surface level conflict and calling it a trope is not it. The tension isn’t there, the history isn’t there, nothing hits the way it should.

Unless you specifically go looking for diversity in characters and concepts, it’s never just naturally there. That alone says a lot.

I haven’t felt this checked out from reading since I first got back into books in 2018. Is anyone else feeling this or is it just me?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

As always, I’m still out here hunting for hidden gems because I know they exist, waiting somewhere to pull me completely into their world.