#E.L. Massey

[transbookoftheday]

Free from Falling by E.L. Massey

Justin “Matts” Matthews is good at a lot of things: Rubik’s Cubes, playing guitar, herding cattle, and most importantly for his career in the NHL, hockey. He’s not good at human interactions or social cues, especially when it comes to women. This deficiency is an annoyance rather than a problem, right up until he meets Sydney Warren. If it’s not love at first sight, it’s sure something close.

Sydney Warren, frontwoman for up-and-coming rock band Red Right Hand, is fierce, driven, and she doesn't do relationships. Being an out trans woman in the music industry is more than enough pressure—a romantic entanglement would be added stress she doesn’t need. A romantic entanglement with a professional hockey player who, to all accounts, is only just learning to be an ally is definitely not what she needs. And yet.

After a chance encounter, Matts and Sydney become unlikely friends. However, in the stolen moments of their busy schedules––late-night phone calls between NHL games and concert tour dates—they start to question if maybe “friendship” isn't so apt a description for whatever this is between them.

But can they overcome the outside pressures from family and media that would rather their relationship end before it has a chance to start?

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Characters, book, and author names under the cut

Bastián Silvano/Lore Garcia - Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore

Patrick Roman/Damien Bordeaux - All Hail The Underdogs by E.L. Massey

Mark Blackthorn/Cristina Mendoza-Rosales/Kieran - The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare

Beth Cassidy/Addy Hanlon - Dare Me by Megan Abbott

[zolus]

little drawing of alex and eli from e.l. massey's breakaway series. go read it :>

[zetecx]

Enjoying the last of the warm weather with ice coffee and a great book.

[bookstattoosandtea]

Release Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway: Like You’ve Nothing Left to Prove by E.L. Massey

Title: Like You’ve Nothing Left to Prove Series: Breakaway, Book Two Author: E.L. Massey Publisher: NineStar Press Release Date: 03/14/2023 Heat Level: 2 – Fade to Black Sex Pairing: Male/Male Length: 66200 Genre: Contemporary, contemporary, gay, interracial, new adult, sports, ice hockey, uni student, ice skating, professional athlete, physical disability, anxiety disorder, coming out, service…

[smile-dance-breathe]

reading a book and was like okay this author has definitely read check please! and then I found out it was actually originally check please! fanfiction

[duckprintspress]

Celebrate Trans Authors and Trans Characters this Transgender Awareness Week!

Happy Transgender Awareness Week everyone!! We asked our rec list contributors for their favorite books with trans characters or by trans authors, and the result is this list of 20 awesome books, all with trans characters (though some open to interpretation) and most by trans authors! This adds to the list of 11 books we did for Transgender Awareness Week last year. The contributors to this list are: Linnea Peterson, S. J. Ralston, Nina Waters and Shannon.

May the Best Man Win by Z.R. Ellor

Acting the Part by Z.R. Ellor

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey

Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa

An Accident of Stars by Foz Meadows

Dreadnought by April Daniels

The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist by Ben Barres

Fine: A Comic About Gender by Rhea Ewing

Deadendia: The Watcher’s Test by Hamish Steele

Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier & Val Wise

The Pirate and the Porcelain Girl by Emily Riesbeck

Kim & Kim by Magdalene Visaggio & Eva Cabrera

Submerged by Vita Ayala

Rules For Ghosting by Shelly Jay Shore

Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore

The Prospects by KT Hoffman

Brooms by Jasmine Walls

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

Free From Falling by E.L. Massey

What are your favorite books by trans authors and/or starring trans characters?

You can see all our favorite books with transgender characters by visiting our related shelf on Goodreads.

See a book you need to buy? Shop our affiliate shop on Bookshop.org to browse these and more books there!

Want to contribute to these lists? Patreon backers at all levels can join our Discord and become reccers with the Press!

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌈 Queer Books Coming Out in December 2024 🌈

Find these books and more here.

🌈 Good afternoon, my bookish bats! Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Happy reading!

❓What was the last queer book you read?

[ Release dates may have changed. ]

❤️ Sugar-Coated Kisses - Echo Lark 🧡 Christmas at Watson Memorial - Clara Ann Simons 💛 Warm-Blooded - J Greene 💚 It Takes Three To Tango - Jem Wendel 💙 The Black Curse - N.A. Moore 💜 Heavenly Tyrant - Xiran Jay Zhao ❤️ Encrypted Hearts - E.V. Bancroft 🧡 Dangerous Devotion - Robin Jo Margaret 💛 Sew in Love - Rhea Fox 💙 Saint - Chani Lynn Feener 💜 Her Ladyship's Christmas Companion - Theresa Meiningen 🌈 A Sky of Emerald Stars - A.K. Mulford

❤️ Inked in Blood and Memory - Allison Ivy 🧡 The Key - Jo Morgan Sloan 💛 Home Between Homes - Flynn Woods 💚 A Kiss for the Holidays - C.S. Autumn 💙 Loving the Linebacker - Amaya Knight 💜 Close to Home - Allisa Bahney ❤️ Christmas Shelter - Eva Gonzay & Julia C. Brown 🧡 This Isn't Everything You Are - J. Marie Rundquist 💛 Keep It in the Dark - Justin Arnold 💙 Santa & His Elf - Bink Cummings 💜 On the Subject of Kittens and Mittens - Katie Silverwings 🌈 Winter's Whisper - M Bonneau

❤️ Boyfriends - refrainbow 🧡 Innis Harbor - Patricia Evans 💛 A Complementary Connection - Eskay Kabba 💚 Point of Sighs - Melissa Scott 💙 Bind You by Blood - Shepard DiStasio 💜 The Resurrectionist - A. Rae Dunlap ❤️ Fractured Dreamer - A.K. Adler 🧡 The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou 💛 Becoming Disabled - Jan Doolittle Wilson 💙 A Caress of Water - Nico Silver 💜 How to Survive As a Villain 1 - Yi Yi Yi Yi 🌈 The Silent Concubine - Qiang Tang

❤️ Hadrian - Harlowe Savage 🧡 A Series of Rooms - A.J. Barlowe 💛 Inklings of Invisibility - S.L. Dove Cooper 💚 The Cobbler and His Elves - C.B. Wren 💙 A Nightclub for the Holidays - Arden Coutts 💜 Armor of Dusk - Jess Galaxie ❤️ Twisted Shadows - Allie Therin 🧡 A Deception of Courts - Ben Alderson 💛 Trial Run - Carsen Taite 💙 How to Flirt with a Witch - Tiana Warner 💜 Roughed Up - Kate Hawthorne 🌈 House of Crimson Curses - Ruby Roe

❤️ Sister Snake - Amanda Lee Koe 🧡 Roland Rogers Isn't Dead Yet - Samantha Allen 💛 The Rivals - Jane Pek 💚 Private Rites - Julia Armfield 💙 The Christmas Switch - Briar Prescott 💜 Ribbonwood - Ruby Landers ❤️ Shifting Lanes - Joanne Kwan 🧡 Twice-Spent Comet - Ziggy Schutz 💛 A Crush for the Holidays - E.L. Ough 💙 Resist - Lasairiona Lewis 💜 Free from Falling - E.L. Massey 🌈 The Legendary Master's Wife - Yin Ya

❤️ Tide Breaker's Curse - Ivy H. Marikova 🧡 Twist Her - Terri Ronald 💛 How to Fuck Like a Girl - Vera Blossom 💚 Dog Days of Christmas - Krystal Wolfgang & Kimberly Wolfgang 💙 Warmer, Colder - Alexia Onyx 💜 Salt in the Wind - Jenna Pine ❤️ What We Carry With Us - Joseff McKenneth Goodwin 🧡 Reinvention - Karol Yan 💛 Christmas Carols - Maxime Jaz 💙 I'm Not Your Pet - Fae Quin 💜 Something Extraordinary - Alexis Hall 🌈 I Might Be in Trouble - Daniel Aleman

❤️ Deck the Palms - Annabeth Albert 🧡 Don't Get It Twisted - Wren Taylor 💛 Ice & Sweet - Charlie Novak 💚 Speak EZ - Elle E. Ire 💙 The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish - Xue Shan Fei Hu 💜 Horns For Hell - Rafael Nicolás ❤️ Flamboyant Fictions - Ian Fleishman 🧡 Where the Heart Is - Jenni Simonis 💛 Sorry I Kissed Your Dad - Achilles King 💙 Merry Weihnachten - E.J. Noyes 💜 An Alpha for the Holidays - Emily Axon 🌈 The Blessed - Anne Shade

❤️ Our Sinful Love - Amy H. 🧡 Gambler's Conceit - Adara Wolf & R. Phoenix 💛 Fate and Flambe - Leena Metcalfe 💚 Figure You Out - Hannah Danielle & K.F. Starfell 💙 Amaranthine - Aricka Alexander 💜 Twisted Loyalties - Barbara J. Webb ❤️ Echoes of Us - Alex Cross 🧡 The Shadowbearer's Curse - Jasmyn Morning 💛 Too Many Beds - Various 💙 We Are the Beasts - Gigi Griffis 💜 Unspoken - N.N. Britt 🌈 Rainbows After Storms - Luka Kobachi

❤️ The Shutouts - Gabrielle Korn 🧡 Robin's Worlds - Rainie Oet & Mathias Ball 💛 What the Woods Took - Courtney Gould 💚 Rescue Me - N. Slater 💙 Seb & Ailin - Michele Notaro 💜 The International Love Story - Jonas Noelting ❤️ Waterlogged - Nance Sparks 🧡 The Guardians - Sheri Lewis Wohl 💛 The Changeling's Faerie Prince - K.D. Ellis 💙 Until at Dawn We Wake - Charlotte Dalwood 💜 How to Get a Life in Ten Dates - Jenny L. Howe 🌈 Hammajang Luck - Makana Yamamoto

❤️ The Rules of Royalty - Cale Dietrich 🧡 Tired of Waiting for Tomorrow - Allison K. Garcia 💛 One Last Run - Bryce Oakley 💚 Reckless Hearts - Jax Calder 💙 Christmissed - Blythe H. Warren 💜 How Could You - Ren Strapp ❤️ Blackened - Tyler Briggs 🧡 Gratification in Gluttony - Nik Knight 💛 The Mogul Meets Her Match - Julia Underwood 💙 How to Be Heard - Roxane Gay 💜 The Case of the Missing Maid - Rob Osler 🌈 Shades of Us - D.L. Sims

[queerliblib]

Hi. I'm looking for recs for angsty queer romances without smut, if you have any. Adult, not YA.

Hmm some of these may not quite meet your desired high angst levels but adult queer romances without smut can already be a bit sparse. They're a range from totally closed door, some fade-to-black, and a few with sex scenes that don’t go into any detail.

The Magic Between by Stephanie Hoyt (more on the sweeter side, implied sex only)

Boyfriend Material (fade to black/one not-detailed sex scene, angsty but still rom-com-ish)

Like Real People Do, by E.L. Massey (sweet, the angst is more around sport & mental health)

This is How You Lose the Time War (primarily sci-fi but with major romance subplot)

The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards (fantasy/mystery with romance, one brief sex scene)

Beowulf for Cretins by Ann McMan (fade-to-black, some angst)

A Tale of Two Florists (lower angst in the actual romance but characters are dealing with grief & other angst in their lives outside of it; closed door)

& some ace romances for bonus!

It’s Always Been You

My Heart to Find

How to be a Normal Person

Let’s Talk About Love

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Characters, book, and author names under the cut

Val Palafox/Cade McKenna - Venom and Vow by Anna-Marie & Elliott McLemore

Alex Price/Eli Rodriguez - Like Real People Do by E.L. Massey

Kiem Tegnar/Jainan nav Adessari - Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Viola Carroll/Justin de Vere - A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

[happygirl2oo2]

Queer Sports Romance Books Recs For Pride Month 🌈 (all are books I've either read or currently have on my own tbr list)

Hockey

Rookie Recovery (Bobcat Boys #1) by Jemma Croft and Lex Veia [mlm]

Vancouver Orcas interconnected series by Amy Aislin [mlm]

Hometown Hero (Whistleport Hockey #1) by Declan Rhodes [mlm]

Hockey Guys interconnected series by Sarina Bowen [mlm]

Prove It by Stephanie Hoyt [mlm]

Fake Boyfriend interconnected series by Eden Finley [mlm]

Caught off Guard by Catherine Cloud [mlm]

Chicago Thunder interconnected series by Jodi Oliver [mlm]

Don't Look Down (Best Laid Plans #1) by Jessica Ann [mlm]

Hockey Ever After interconnected series by Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James [mlm]

Love & Other Inconveniences by Catherine Cloud [mlm]

Time to Shine by Rachel Reid [mlm]

Relationship Goals interconnected series by Brigham Vaughn [mlm]

Light Up the Lamp by Kit Oliver [mlm]

Puckboys interconnected series by Eden Finley and Saxon James [mlm]

Hot Shot (Orlando Storm #1) by Marissa James [mlm]

Breakaway partially-interconnected series by E.L. Massey [mlm]

Delay of Game interconnected series by Hannah Henry [mlm]

Offsides interconnected series by J.J. Mulder [mlm]

Roughing (Portland Seabirds #1) by Michaela Grey [mlm]

Stick Side interconnected series by Amy Aislin [mlm]

Let's Do This (IFU Hockey #1) by Loren Leigh [mlm]

CU Hockey interconnected series by Eden Finley and Saxon James [mlm]

Back to Center (Mohegan U Hockey #2) by Ryan Taylor and Joshua Harwood [mlm]

Penalty Box interconnected series by Ari Baran [mlm]

Shenanigans (Brooklyn Hockey #6) by Sarina Bowen [m/f with a bi mc]

The Inside Edge by Ashlyn Kane [mlm]

Icebreaker by A. L. Graziadei [mlm]

Hockey Bois by A.L. Heard [mlm]

Three Is The Luckiest Number by Catherine Cloud [mlm]

Not Over You by Samantha Wayland [mlm]

Wake Up, Nat & Darcy by Kate Cochrane [wlw]

It's a Love/Skate Relationship by Carli J. Corson [wlw]

Off the Bench Duet Series by Kimberly Knight [mlm]

Twincerely Yours by Eden Finley [mlm]

Car Racing

Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery [mlm]

Lights Out Series interconnected series by various authors [mlm]

Fast Love (Fast Love #1) by Kerry Lockhart [wlw]

Driven By Passion (Gamble Racing #2) by Renee Dahlia [mlm]

Redline (Redline #1) by Emma Barlowe [mlm]

Furious by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos [wlw]

Bowling

The 7-10 Split by Karmen Lee [wlw]

Baseball 

The Prospects by KT Hoffman [mlm]

Batting Style by Louisa Masters [mlm]

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian [mlm]

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes by Danielle Dawsen [mlm]

Volleyball 

We Got the Beat by Jenna Miller [wlw]

Always More (Sports #1) by Nicole Pyland [wlw]

Roller derby

Mighty Millie Novak by Elizabeth Holden [wlw]

False Start by Santana Knox [wlw]

Basketball 

How You Get the Girl by Anita Kelly [wlw]

Love and Sportsball (Atlanta Cannons #1) by Meka James [wlw]

Zone Defense interconnected series by Becca Seymour [mlm]

Fencing

Fence comic series by C.S. Pacat and Joanna the Mad [mlm]

Football

One Last Play by E.B. Neal [mlm]

Coming Out on the Sidelines by Dev Hahn [wlw]

Forward Entry (Sydney Swallows #1) by Aurora Crane [mlm]

The Game (Charleston Condors #2) by Beth Bolden

Atlanta Lightning interconnected series by Riley Hart [mlm]

Fumbled Past (San Diego Seals #2) by Cecelia Storm [mlm]

Onside Kiss (Domingo #1) by Octavia Jensen [mlm]

You Started It (Fan Service Series #3) by Hinsel Meyer [mlm]

Tigers and Devils (Tigers and Devils #1) by Sean Kennedy [mlm]

Roosevelt College interconnected series by Christina Lee [mlm]

You & Me by Tal Bauer [mlm]

Crushing on the Quarterback by Baylin Crow [mlm]

Tennis

Deuce (Tennyson Bend #2) by P.T. Ambler [mlm]

Soccer

You Don't Have a Shot by Racquel Marie [wlw]

Everything for You (Bergman Brothers #5) by Chloe Liese [mlm]

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner [wlw]

Pull Me Under by Zarah Detand [mlm]

The Game Changer (Denver Defiant, #1) by Finley Chuva [wlw]

I Like Me Better by Robby Weber [mlm]

Finding a Keeper (Sports #4) by Nicole Pyland [wlw]

Don't Hate the Player by Shelby Elizabeth [mlm]

Endgame by Zoe Reed [wlw]

Hotshot by Clare Lydon [wlw]

Rugby

Attractive Forces by Jax Calder [mlm]

The Tighthead (Lincoln Knights #1) by Charlie Novak [mlm]

Softball

The Unexpected Dream (Sports #3) by Nicole Pyland [wlw]

Chess

Always the Almost by Edward Underhill [trans boy x boy]

Wrestling 

Alondra by Gina Femia [bisexual girl mc]

Lacrosse 

Catch and Cradle by Katia Rose [wlw]

Swimming

Tears in the Water Margherita Scialla [LGBTQ+]

Badminton

Shy by Ashish Rastogi [mlm]

[zolus]

[hagnoart]

So. I’ve read the Breakaway series by @xiaq (E.L. Massey) and I am in love and I NEEDED to draw Sydney… so here she is. You can read the fic here. I can’t wait to read the book once it's released and I too would fall in love with Matts and I too would fall in love with Sydney. @xiaq please feel free to tell me I picture her wrong + i know i need to add the tattoos etc, but I wasn’t sure where/what exactly they are plus this was a 1h sketch to unwind and yeah.

[missgeevious]

Five-Star Reads

I see folks all over social media giving their list of the best books they read in 2023. I decided to do mine here. If you read this and are inclined to post your own list, please tag or repost me so I can add your recs to my TBR. Because what good is a TBR unless it's so huge that you will literally never be able to read all of them? And if we're all reposting and adding to the list.... imagine how many recommendations that will be. *cackles with glee*

Secret Service by Tal Bauer. Listen. Just pack up all your belief and suspend the hell out of it. Then sit back and let this happen to you. It's a fun, sexy ride, and we will need to talk about that airplane scene afterward.

The Rest of the Story by Tal Bauer. If you are a fan of found family and hockey boyfriends, get on this book ASAP. I literally finished it and went back to page 1 to read it again.

Never Stay Gone by Tal Bauer. Look, I promise it's not all Tal Bauer books, but I can't not put this one on here too, ya'll. It's cowboys. And a murder mystery. And a second-chance romance. AND COWBOYS.

Melting by Sean Ashcroft. See? Not all Tal Bauer books. This is a low-angst, fluffy, hug of a novel. If you're looking for a comfort read, this is a great contender.

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid. This was a reread. We're not going to discuss the number of times I've reread it. If you haven't had the pleasure, you need to make it a priority. Enemies to lovers, hockey boyfriends, a hot Russian, and epic love story. Get reading.

Until I Saw You by Dianna Roman. A man who's recently lost his sight falls for his new caretaker, who has secrets of his own. Angsty hurt-comforty goodness of the first order.

The Seven of Spades series by Cordelia Kingsbridge. A detective and a bounty hunter chase a serial killer and each other. My reading group had a TIME as we tore these up, reading as fast as we could.

Like Real People Do by E.L. Massey. There are three books in this series so far and you are going to eat them up and ask for more. Cute. Sweet. Adorable. Funny. Heartfelt. Great banter. These are going to become your new comfort hyperfixation.

Please feel free to come yell at me here or in my DMs if you read any of these. I love when people love things I love. And I hope your 2024 is full of love and light.

[ben-learns-smth]

international day against queer hostility reading list recs

based on books I've read and books that are on my (physical) tbr. focused on nonfiction bc there were only like 6 non-queer fiction reads in the past 4 years and that's too long for a post. please add more, if you have more recs!

ENGLISH (different translations available for some)

None of the Above by Travis Alabanza

essays on being nonbinary. somewhat literary yet often down to earth writing style.

genderqueer by maia kobabe

graphic novel tracing the author's journey of self discovery regarding their genderqueer identity

ACE: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen

well researched essays based on interviews with and extensive research of different experiences of people on the asexual spectrum. it also includes a chapter on aromantic experiences

Rethinking Gender by Louie Läuger

if you're new to the idea of gender as a social construct/issues the trans and genderqueer community faces this is where to start! an introduction and guide to gender as a social construct, making space for different genderqueer identities and all of it with lovely illustrations that help guide understanding. offers prompts to question your own relation to gender (as in a social concept & as in your own gender identity)

To Be Seen. Queer Lives 1900-1950 by Karolina Kühn & Mirjam Zadoff

Before We Were Trans: A new History of Gender by Kit Heyam

Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding by Maia Kobabe

fiction recs based on my more recent reads & (physical) tbr

elatsoe by darcie little badger (aroace mc but it's not about elatsoe being aroace; 10/10 friendship rep)

breakaway series by e.l. massey (lots of deconstructing internalised queer hostility)

common bonds by roanna sylver, c.t. callahan, b.r. sanders & claudie aresneault (short stories about experiences of aromantic ppl)

all the things they said we couldn't have by t.c. oakes-monger (trans joy stories)

on a sunbeam by tillie walden (queers in space, cute lesbians & nonbinary people)

GERMAN (translations possibly available)

[un]sichtbar gemacht by katharina kroschel & annika baumgart

well researched essays on aromantic and asexual expieriences, history and facts. great place to start when new to the topic!

all die brennenden fragen by henri maximilian jakobs

all the (inappropriate) questions cisgender people tend to ask genderqueer and trans people answered from the perspective of a sarcastic trans man

gender-kram by louie läuger

german (and original) version of "rethinking gender", see above for a description. very helpful introduction, but also good for those who think they know everything (or themselves)

eine frau ist eine frau ist eine frau by phoenix kühnert

autobiographical essays on being a trans woman. sometimes emotional, sometimes snarky or sarcastic

ich bin linus: wie ich der mann wurde der ich immer schon war by linus giese

autobiographical essays on being a trans man. vulnerable, emotional and informative writing

freunde lieben by ole liebl

To Be Seen. Queer Lives 1900-1950 by Karolina Kühn & Mirjam Zadoff

fiction recs based on my more recent reads & (physical) tbr

wasteland by christian vogt & judith c. vogt (first german novel to use multiple sets of neutral pronouns and using a gender neutral/inclusive language, batshit ya/na dystopian sci fi fantasy but FUN)

paradiesische zustände by henri maximilian jakobs (a trans man reflects on his journey of self discovery. there's a lot of fries mentioned)

blutbuch by kim de l'horizon (literary work about a genderqueer persons reflection on their identity and family history)

[cheesecurdsgravyandfries]

And now, for something completely different…

For Christmas, @missgeevious gifted myself and a mutual friend each a copy of Like Real People Do by E.L. Massey. It’s YA, but I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that a) YA is for everyone but also b) YA is healing for those of us who didn’t have stories showing diversity of any sort growing up.

Anyway. Before I was even halfway finished, I ordered the second book in the series.

A line in the second book had had a chokehold on me ever since and today I put words to GDoc.

There’s virtually no ‘fandom’ for this book, which is funny since its roots are in fandom. And its author is active both on here and AO3, which makes me nervous about stepping out of bounds.

But, here it is. Rated explicit. All characters are 18+ in canon.