#BookCouplesChallenge Day 17

Today’s Book Couple Challenge is LGBTQ

I have not read many books with main characters being homosexual or transgendre. Side characters plenty but main characters no. I guess it’s not my favorite genre and yet the two books I’ve read with main characters being either homosexual or bisexual are among the most beautiful and powerful books I’ve read!

So today ladies and gents I want to introduce you to two exceptional books packed with intense feelings.

Ox and Joe in Wolfong by TJ Klune

Here is an excerpt of what I wrote about the book (whole review on the blog)

“This book is about love in all its complexities and variations. The love of a mother for his child, the love of a young Ox for his mom wanting to care for her because he was the man now that his Daddy left them.
It was the love of non-blood related brothers with Rico, Chris, Tanner and Gordo at Gordo’s garage. A love and connection between hard working guys so deep they had each other’s back when things went south. They helped a slower Ox with schoolwork.
It was the love of an adopted family: The Bennets. So tight with each other, needing to touch the members of their “pack”. Ready to do anything to ease the suffering of one of them. Ready to move to help little Joe recover after the horror that happened to him.
It was the love of friendship, the love of lovers…

If love could have a name it would be Ox.

Ox so big, too slow always feeling inadequate, not enough but holding everyone together because he simply was Ox. He was different. He was more.
Always helping and caring and putting others before him. And he broke my heart at least a hundred times (go see the quotes in the second part if you want to understand why).

This book is also about healing someone. When Joe saw Ox for the first time it was like the world had colors once more. Joe felt safe, alive because Ox smelled like “all candy canes and pinecones and epic and awesome” and then it was like “kaboom”. Joe was ten and Ox was sixteen when they met. Joe was like a little tornado and held onto Ox like you would hold a life raft.
And when Gordo gave Ox a job, when the Bennet welcomed Ox in their family he began healing as well.

It’s also about being a man. What does truly being an Alpha mean.

It’s about many things really….

TJ Klune writing is exceptional.
With short sentences he says so much and can convey so many feelings. I never would have believed I would love a M/M romance so much and yet I consider this book one of the best books I’ve ever read.”

Favorite quote:

“My daddy had told me once that people were gonna give me shit all my life. The monster had told Joe that his family didn’t want him anymore. We’d have to live with that, those things that were whispered in our ears. Maybe we’d never be free of those shadows. Not completely.
But we’d still fight like hell.
And maybe that’s all that mattered.”
― T.J. Klune, Wolfsong

GOODREADS  AMAZON

Javier and Stefen (Jav and Finch) in A Charm of Finches by Suanne Laqueur

I guess you all know by now that this book is my favorite for 2017…

Here is (again) an excerpt of what I wrote quotes included:

“Stefen Finch “Stef” is a Curator & Sailor. He is the therapist helping Geno to start anew and he is truly brilliant. Read below as I will gush aplenty about him but first their love story because you already know from the synopsis that there will be a love story.

Jav and Stef’s love story was just …moving.

I never thought I would read something as romantic as this budding romance. This seduction dance when you’re at the beginning of something great but too shy to hope and sometimes clumsy.

They are big men for God’s sake so why am I sighing as if I was witnessing Prince Charming kissing Sleeping Beauty???? Oh yes that’s right because when Suanne writes things like this:

Stef hesitated.

“You want to come in?” Still leaning on the steering wheel, Jav looked at him. His eyes shining under the strong brows, fringed with thick lashes. “Maybe someday,” he said. His full lips parted in that shy smile, and Stef’s own heart curled inward, hiding behind his ribs, just as bashful.”

Of course you will swoon!
But it’s more than swoon worthy. It’s deep, it’s solid (no, no take your mind out of the gutter…or maybe not 😉 ) it’s healing, it’s…

I could not say it better than what’s in the synopsis about Jav, Stef and Geno:

“Over the course of a year, Jav, Stef and Geno form an unexpected and unconventional triangle, revealing how men make love in times of war and how love is a great wisdom made up of small understandings.”

I would just like to say: READ.THAT.DAMN.BOOK!!!!!

GOODREADS  AMAZON

As you can see this is a short list but made of outstanding books. What are your LGBTQ couples? Help me grow my TBR with other brilliant books!

Thanks for reading!