The Christmas Setup - a Gay Holiday (Christmas) Romance Where a Mom Tries to Set Up Her Grown Up Gay Son With the Guy He Crushed on Back in High School

Another movie I watched and really enjoyed over break was The Christmas Setup on Lifetime. 

Here's the synopsis:

New York lawyer Hugo (Ben Lewis) who heads to Milwaukee with his best friend Madelyn (Ellen Wong) to spend the holidays with his brother Aiden (Chad Connell) and his mom Kate (Fran Drescher), who is also in charge of the local Christmas celebrations. Ever the matchmaker, Kate arranges for Hugo to run into Patrick (Blake Lee), Hugo’s high school friend and secret crush, who has recently returned after a successful stint in Silicon Valley. As they enjoy the local holiday festivities together, Hugo and Patrick’s attraction to each other is undeniable and it looks as though Kate’s Santa-style matchmaking is a success. But as Hugo receives word of a big promotion requiring a move to London, he must decide what is most important to him.

And here's the trailer:

 

After a lifetime of watching hetero romance holiday movies, this was so cool and affirming - and really sweet!

Enjoy,
The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

This is Kind of an Epic Love Story - A Bi Teen Tries To Believe He, Too, Can Have A Rom-Com Worthy Romance

This is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kheryn Callender, a.k.a. Kacen Callender

Nathan Bird doesn’t believe in happy endings. Although he’s the ultimate film buff and an aspiring screenwriter, Nate’s seen the demise of too many relationships to believe that happy endings exist in real life.

Playing it safe to avoid a broken heart has been his MO ever since his father died and left his mom to unravel—but this strategy is not without fault. His best-friend-turned-girlfriend-turned-best-friend-again, Florence, is set on making sure Nate finds someone else. And in a twist that is rom-com-worthy, someone does come along: Oliver James Hernández, his childhood best friend.

After a painful mix-up when they were little, Nate finally has the chance to tell Ollie the truth about his feelings. But can Nate find the courage to pursue his own happily ever after?

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Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me - A Lesbian Teen Graphic Novel Wrong-Love Story

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki, Illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O'Connell

Laura Dean, the most popular girl in high school, was Frederica Riley's dream girl: charming, confident, and SO cute. There's just one problem: Laura Dean is maybe not the greatest girlfriend.

Reeling from her latest break up, Freddy's best friend, Doodle, introduces her to the Seek-Her, a mysterious medium, who leaves Freddy some cryptic parting words: break up with her. But Laura Dean keeps coming back, and as their relationship spirals further out of her control, Freddy has to wonder if it's really Laura Dean that's the problem. Maybe it's Freddy, who is rapidly losing her friends, including Doodle, who needs her now more than ever. Fortunately for Freddy, there are new friends, and the insight of advice columnists like Anna Vice to help her through being a teenager in love.

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Just Julian - the other side of the "Romeo For Real" Gay Teen Coming Out Story

Just Julian by Markus Harwood-Jones

After years of bullying at school, 19-year-old Julian is depressed. He sees a glimmer of hope after meeting the similarly out-of-place Romeo at a party and sharing a kiss with him. The only problem: Romeo has always identified as straight and he hangs out with a group of intolerant guys. But as the two begin to fall in love, Julian finds strength he never knew he had.

When Romeo’s old friends come after the couple, a vicious fight puts both Julian and Romeo in the hospital. The two boys decide to take a stand for their right for respect.

The companion novel to the author's "Romeo for Real." 

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Georgia Peaches And Other Forbidden Fruit - Will Joanna Break Her Promise Or Lose Out On Love? (A Lesbian Teen Romance)

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown

Joanna Gordon has been out and proud for years, but when her popular radio evangelist father remarries and decides to move all three of them from Atlanta to the more conservative Rome, Georgia, he asks Jo to do the impossible: to lie low for the rest of her senior year. And Jo reluctantly agrees.

Although it is (mostly) much easier for Jo to fit in as a straight girl, things get complicated when she meets Mary Carlson, the oh-so-tempting sister of her new friend at school. But Jo couldn't possibly think of breaking her promise to her dad. Even if she's starting to fall for the girl. Even if there's a chance Mary Carlson might be interested in her, too. Right?

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Twin Lives Twisted: Gay Romance and Some Swashbuckling Action

Twin Lives Twisted by Shannon Mulroy

Twin lives torn apart by murder and envy; twin lives blighted by slavery; twin lives lived in the shadow of the whip.

When Rekeir is given to Captain Terrahe, master of the merchant vessel Gold’s Confidence, he begins more than a sea voyage: his journey will take him from the depths of mankind’s depravity to the heights of love—the kind of passionate love that only two men can share.

House slave Reon is willed to Evari, a cold but thoughtful diplomat in the service of a foreign king. Will love light a spark between master and slave or are they doomed to sorrow when Reon is called to set right the injustice of his past?

For twin brothers Rekeir and Reon freedom is but a distant memory; enslaved since childhood they set out on a perilous path that will lead to liberty or death.

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Renfred's Masquerade: A Gay Teen Fantasy Romance

By Hayden Thorne

It's a world of magic.

Impossible dreams.

Masquerades.

And unrequited love.

Torn from his family and thrust into that world, 16 year old Nicola, a boy with a disability who thought he had to stop dreaming, has to solve the mystery of another teen's disappearance before time runs out. 


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Shadow Walkers - A Gay Teen Paranormal Thriller (and Romance!)

By Brent Hartinger

Here's Brent's rundown on what Shadow Walkers is about:

Zach lives with his grandparents on a remote island in Puget Sound in Washington State. With only his little brother, Gilbert, to keep him company, Zach feels cut off from the world. But when Gilbert is kidnapped, Zach tries the only thing he can think of to find him: astral projection. Soon, his spirit is soaring through the strange and boundless astral realm — a shadow place. While searching for his brother, Zach meets a boy named Emory, another astral traveler who's intriguing (and cute).

As Zach and Emory track the kidnappers from the astral realm, their bond grows, but each moment could be Gilbert's last. Even worse, there's a menacing, centuries-old creature in their midst that devours souls and possesses physical bodies. And it's hungry for Zach.

And here's a great video Brent made - not so much a "book trailer" as his own "Seven Reasons You Should Read Shadow Walkers:"





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