Books like 'In Balance with This Life'
Readers who enjoyed In Balance with This Life by Louise Blaydon also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical gay romance military 20th century queer
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A Kingdom by the Sea by Anna Green
Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe final volume of The Heart Rate of a Mouse trilogy.In November 1978, over a year has passed since music icon Ryan Ross announced his retirement from the public eye. He is far from being forgotten, however, as his musical influence can be heard whenever Brendon Roscoe starts singing on the radio. As the frontman of the upcoming band His Side, Brendon was famously discovered by Ross... -
![Into Deep Waters by Kaje Harper]()
Into Deep Waters by Kaje Harper
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFor Jacob and Daniel, two young gay men aboard a Navy ship in WWII, the risks were high. Not just the risks of injury and death from Japanese planes and submarines, but the risk of discovery, of discharge, imprisonment or worse. Only a special kind of love was worth taking that chance. But from the moment Daniel met Jacob's eyes across a battle-scarred deck, he knew he had to try... -
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![Song for a Viking by K.J. Charles]()
Song for a Viking by K.J. Charles
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 18 ratings‘Song for a Viking’ takes place during/just after the events of the last chapter of Think of England and will be of no use at all to anyone who hasn’t read that book. It is not a standalone. You will definitely get the most out of it if you remind yourself of Think of England’s last chapter before reading... -
![Chain Reaction by Nicole Edwards]()
Chain Reaction by Nicole Edwards
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Nicole Edwards comes the tenth installment in her Brantley Off the Books series.During the two years since they created the Off the Books Task Force, Brantley Walker and Reese Tavoularis have had their share of difficult cases, but their next one hits close to home. Too close... -
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![The Death of Friends by Michael Nava]()
The Death of Friends by Michael Nava
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWinner of six Lambda Literary awards, the Henry Rios mystery series is iconic. Originally published during the darkest years of the AIDS epidemic in the gay community, The Death of Friends received extraordinary praise both as a mystery and an eloquent work of witness... -
![Maurice by E.M. Forster]()
Maurice by E.M. Forster
Written in 1914 by the Nobel Prize–nominated author of Howard’s End, this intimate portrait of homosexual desire “seems as relevant as ever” (The Guardian). From early adolescence to his college years at Cambridge and into professional life at his father’s firm, Maurice Hall plays the part of the conventional Englishman... -
![To Trust Man On His Oath by K.J. Charles]()
To Trust Man On His Oath by K.J. Charles
A Will Darling Adventures interlude.Set a week after the ending of The Sugared Game (so containsmild spoilers for that book)... -
![The Missing Page by Cat Sebastian]()
The Missing Page by Cat Sebastian
England, 1948: Semi-retired spy Leo Page and country doctor James Sommers team up to solve a decades-old mystery.When James learns that an uncle he hasn’t heard from in ages has left him something in his will, he figures that the least he can do is head down to Cornwall for a weekend to honor the old man’s parting wishes... -
![How Goes The World? by K.J. Charles]()
How Goes The World? by K.J. Charles
The Positively Final Appearance: a two-part epilogue with Daniel and Archie at a house party and Kim and Will in a gentleman's club, because those are definitely settings that go well for them...Categorized as:
queer 20th century historical m-m mystery length-novella glimpses-kisses third-person-pov -
![Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski]()
Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski
Set in early 1980s Poland against the violent decline of communism, a tender and passionate story of first love between two young men who eventually find themselves on opposite sides of the political divide—a stunningly poetic and heartrending literary debut for fans of Andre Aciman, Garth Greenwell, and Alan Hollinghurst...Categorized as:
20th century queer new adult historical m-m contemporary open-door secret-relationship -
![An Affair for Aumont by J.A. Rock, Lisa Henry]()
An Affair for Aumont by J.A. Rock, Lisa Henry
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAll he wants is the love he lost.Four years ago, Louis-Charles Aumont, the Marquis de Montespan, chose duty over the man he loved. And then the man he loved chose death in service to England. Now, after finally cutting ties with his king, Aumont is living in a slum in Seven Dials–and intending to die there too... -
![Year of the Rat by Marshall Thornton]()
Year of the Rat by Marshall Thornton
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLong Beach, California 1996. Despite having little obvious experience, bartender Dom Reilly is hired as an investigator for the Freedom Agenda, a not-for-profit justice project. His first case involves a twelve-year-old homicide, in which a teenage girl was viciously murdered... -
![Eryx: A Spartan Tale by Jaclyn Osborn]()
Eryx: A Spartan Tale by Jaclyn Osborn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMy father once told me, above all else... Live and die for Sparta. Honor. Loyalty. Duty. These were the things that mattered most. And then Axios came into my life, teaching me other lessons: humility, brotherhood... love. There were moments when the brutal training stripped me of my humanity, where it turned me into a mindless beast of flesh and muscle set to destroy everything in my way... -
![A Sanctuary for Soulden by J.A. Rock, Lisa Henry]()
A Sanctuary for Soulden by J.A. Rock, Lisa Henry
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsHe wasn't meant for a quiet life.Philip Winthrop, Viscount Soulden, is a fop. An idle popinjay with nothing more on his mind than how to best knot his cravat. He definitely doesn’t spy against the French. Or arrange hasty weddings. Or occasionally commandeer the navy. And he certainly doesn’t seek out mortal danger in order to combat his pervasive ennui... -
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![Rag and Bone by Michael Nava]()
Rag and Bone by Michael Nava
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOne of the most highly acclaimed writers in the mystery genre "explores new emotional depths" in this last Henry Rios novel. The gay Mexican-American attorney, after the loss of his lover, must face his own mortality while recovering from a heart attack-and reach out to a family he didn't know he had... -
![A Soldier's Wish by N.R. Walker]()
A Soldier's Wish by N.R. Walker
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsThe Christmas Angel Book Five. The year is 1969... Gary Fairchild is proud to be a hippie college student, and he protests the Vietnam War because he believes in love and peace. To him, it isn't just a counterculture movement--it's a way of life. When tickets to the Aquarium Exposition--3 Days of Peace & Music, or Woodstock, as it was better known, go on sale, there's no way he isn't going... -
![夜畫帳 第三卷 by Byeonduck]()
夜畫帳 第三卷 by Byeonduck
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratings白羅謙一直以為自己是不得已才留在尹府。為了先生的官途，他才重拾春宮畫筆，甚至不惜委身尹勝浩，付出比他想像更多的代價。可被他寄託了所有的先生，卻似乎並不這麼想。比起對他呼來喚去動手動腳的尹少爺，先生那不經意間流露出的輕視，更傷人。他在尹勝浩帶給他的肉體歡愉之中漸漸沉淪，本以為這一切的本質都是傷害，可當隱隱感受到尹勝浩對他流露出的在意與占有慾時，少年越發感到迷惘……本書特色※韓國話題性耽美漫畫第三卷堂堂登場！※韓國Lezhin... -
![Skybound by Aleksandr Voinov]()
Skybound by Aleksandr Voinov
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsGermany, 1945. The Third Reich is on its knees as Allied forces bomb Berlin to break the last resistance. Yet on an airfield near Berlin, the battle is far from over for a young mechanic, Felix, who’s attached to a squadron of fighter pilots. He’s especially attached to fighter ace Baldur Vogt, a man he admires and secretly loves... -
![Alec by William di Canzio]()
Alec by William di Canzio
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsWilliam di Canzio's Alec, inspired by Maurice, E. M. Forster's secret novel of a happy same-sex love affair, tells the story of Alec Scudder, the gamekeeper Maurice Hall falls in love with in Forster's classic, published only after the author's death.Di Canzio follows their story past the end of Maurice to the front lines of battle in World War I and beyond... -
![Till Death Do Us Part by Tangstory]()
Till Death Do Us Part by Tangstory
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSet in early-20th century China, this story takes off in the port city of Tientsin (Tianjin) that is divided into lands called concessions and owned by several foreign powers. Shen Liangsheng is a charismatic and cunning playboy, a son of a rich businessman, who has profits as his top priority... -
![A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale]()
A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsIn the golden 1900s, Harry Cane, a shy, eligible gentleman of leisure is drawn from a life of quiet routine into courting and marrying Winnie, eldest daughter of the fatherless Wells clan, who are not quite as respectable as they would appear. They settle by the sea and have a daughter and conventional marriage does not seem such a tumultuous change after all... -
![Just a Little Heartache by Merry Farmer]()
Just a Little Heartache by Merry Farmer
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsLondon playwright Niall Cristofori stands on the verge of becoming one of the most celebrated authors of his generation with the highly-anticipated production of his latest work, Love’s Last Lesson. But Love has a few lessons left to teach Niall himself. He has never been able to get over his first love, the man who made his world come alive ten years ago, then left him heartbroken... -
![A Rose by Any Name by K.J. Charles]()
A Rose by Any Name by K.J. Charles
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsAn epilogue to The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting and A Thief in the Night... -
![Wanted, an Author by K.J. Charles]()
Wanted, an Author by K.J. Charles
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWanted, an Author is a 5000-word story set in 1807. It returns to the characters of Wanted, a Gentleman, and also introduces a character from KJ Charles' forthcoming novel, Band Sinister... -
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![The Absolutist by John Boyne]()
The Absolutist by John Boyne
September 1919:20 year-old Tristan Sadler takes a train from London to Norwich to deliver some letters to Marian Bancroft. Tristan fought alongside Marian’s brother Will during the Great War but in 1917, Will laid down his guns on the battlefield, declared himself a conscientious objector and was shot as a traitor, an act which has brought shame and dishonour on the Bancroft family... -
![Full Circle by Michael Thomas Ford]()
Full Circle by Michael Thomas Ford
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHistory professor Ned Brummel is living happily with his partner of twelve years in small-town Maine when he receives a phone call from his estranged friend--Jack--telling him that another friend--Andy--is very ill and possibly near death... -
![夜畫帳 第二卷 by Byeonduck, 蔡蕙璞]()
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![Eleventh Hour by Elin Gregory]()
Eleventh Hour by Elin Gregory
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBorrowed from the Secret Intelligence Service cipher department to assist Briers Allerdale - a field agent returning to 1920s London with news of a dangerous anarchist plot - Miles Siward moves into a 'couples only' boarding house, posing as Allerdale’s 'wife'... -
![When Skies Have Fallen (When Skies Have Fallen) by Debbie McGowan]()
When Skies Have Fallen (When Skies Have Fallen) by Debbie McGowan
For many in war-torn 1944, love blossoms in the dance hall, and airman Arty Clarke is no exception. He’s a thinker and a dreamer; however, it’s not the beautiful, talented dancer in his arms—his best friend Jean—who inspires his dreams. For when his gaze meets that of Technical Sergeant Jim Johnson, Arty dares to imagine a different dance... -
![Counterpoint: Dylan's Story by Ruth Sims]()
Counterpoint: Dylan's Story by Ruth Sims
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAt eighteen Dylan Rutledge has one music. He believes his destiny is to be the greatest composer of the rapidly approaching twentieth century. Only Laurence Northcliff, a young history master at The Venerable Bede School for Young Gentlemen, believes in Dylan’s talent and encourages his dream, not realizing Dylan is in love with him... -
![Midnight Flit by Elin Gregory]()
Midnight Flit by Elin Gregory
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMiles Siward and Briers Allerdale return for another thrilling Jazz Age adventure.“Silk stockings on expenses.” Miles’s aristocratic mother has information of importance to the British Government and he must escort her home from Bucharest immediately, but their plans go violently awry and Miles and Lady Siward find themselves on a train to Belgrade - where Miles’s lover is posted... -
![On a Lee Shore by Elin Gregory]()
On a Lee Shore by Elin Gregory
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratings“Give me a reason to let you live…” Beached after losing his ship and crew, and with England finally at peace, Lt Christopher Penrose will take whatever work he can get. A valet? Why not? Escorting an elderly diplomat to the Leeward Islands seems like an easy job, but when their ship is boarded by pirates, Kit’s world is turned upside down... -
![The General and the Horse-Lord by Sarah Black]()
The General and the Horse-Lord by Sarah Black
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratings2nd Edition The General and the Horse-Lord: Book One General John Mitchel and his favorite pilot, Gabriel Sanchez, served together as comrades and brothers-in-arms for more than twenty-five years. They followed the warrior’s path: honor first, and service, and the safety of the tribe. Their own needs for love and companionship were secondary to the mission... -
![Putting on the Ritz by Joe Keenan]()
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![Eleventh Hour by Elin Gregory]()
Eleventh Hour by Elin Gregory
Borrowed from the Secret Intelligence Service cipher department to assist Briers Allerdale - a field agent returning to 1920s London with news of a dangerous anarchist plot - Miles Siward moves into a 'couples only' boarding house, posing as Allerdale’s 'wife'...Categorized as:
20th century queer historical m-m mystery open-door forced proximity fake relationship -
![One Glimpse by Lydia Gastrell]()
One Glimpse by Lydia Gastrell
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsFor years Sir Samuel Shaw has secretly lusted after the handsome and popular Lord John Darnish, a man known for his good humor, expert riding prowess, and very female mistress. Certain that John is an unattainable fantasy, Sam is shaken when an accidental discovery reveals John might not be as unattainable as he once thought... -
![The Charioteer by Mary Renault]()
The Charioteer by Mary Renault
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAfter enduring an injury at Dunkirk during World War II, Laurie Odell is sent to a rural veterans’ hospital in England to convalesce. There he befriends the young, bright Andrew, a conscientious objector serving as an orderly. As they find solace and companionship together in the idyllic surroundings of the hospital, their friendship blooms into a discreet, chaste romance... -
![Bonds of Earth by G.N. Chevalier]()
Bonds of Earth by G.N. Chevalier
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsIn 1918, Michael McCready returned from the war with one goal: to lose himself in the pursuit of pleasure. Once a promising young medical student, Michael buried his dreams alongside the broken bodies of the men he could not save... -
![Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style by Paul Rudnick]()
Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style by Paul Rudnick
From the acclaimed writer Paul Rudnick, a riotously funny, perceptive, and life-affirming novel following the decades-long, rule-breaking romance between the son of one of American’s wealthiest families and a middle-class aspiring author.Devastatingly handsome and insanely rich, Farrell Covington is capable of anything and impossible to resist... -
![One More Soldier by Marie Sexton]()
One More Soldier by Marie Sexton
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsIt is 1963. Being gay is a sin against God. And twenty-eight year old mechanic Will meets Bran for the first time. Over the years a close bond forms between them despite the seventeen year age difference. Will teaches Bran to swim and helps him with homework. The years pass, Bran drops out of school and moves away. Then Bran comes home...Categorized as:
military queer friends to lovers contemporary tearjerkers historical m-m north-america -
![Just a Little Wickedness by Merry Farmer]()
Just a Little Wickedness by Merry Farmer
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsLord Alistair Bevan, Viscount Farnham, has the weight of the world on his shoulders. With his father’s health ailing, the time has come for him to find a wife, produce an heir, and do his duty. But Alistair knows a traditional life is not for him, especially when a chance meeting with valet Joseph Logan turns his world upside down. Joe Logan came to London in search of his missing sister, Lily... -
![The Brook Street Collection by Ava March]()
The Brook Street Collection by Ava March
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLondon, 1822 Regency London—where polite manners and spotless reputations reign supreme. Yet behind the closed doors of three elegant town houses along Brook Street, passion and lust rule as gentlemen dare to risk scandal by falling in love… In Thief , a lord intent on his first decadent night with a man finds love when he picks up a thief in a gambling hall... -
![To Love a Traitor by J.L. Merrow]()
To Love a Traitor by J.L. Merrow
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsWounds of the heart are the hardest to heal. Solicitor’s clerk George Johnson has a secret goal when he moves into a London boarding house in the winter of 1920: to find out if his fellow lodger, Matthew Connaught, was the wartime traitor who cost George’s adored older brother Hugh his life. Yet the more he gets to know his quarry, the more George loses sight of his mission -- and his heart... -
![The Impetuous Afflictions of Jonathan Wolfe by Charlie Cochet]()
The Impetuous Afflictions of Jonathan Wolfe by Charlie Cochet
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsEight years after leaving the deserts of Africa and the French Foreign Legion behind, Jonathan Wolfe has settled into life at Hawthorne Manor in the English countryside. Johnnie helps his adopted family run the manor and provide a safe, loving home for a new generation of “brats”: boys mistreated and discarded for their homosexuality—something all too familiar to Johnnie... -
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![Once a Gentleman by Eliot Grayson]()
Once a Gentleman by Eliot Grayson
Penniless, friendless, and with nowhere left to turn after his family’s ruin, Kit Hewlett can’t afford any more disasters. When a rakish, too-handsome gentleman—and Kit’s own clumsiness—cause him to lose his position as a bookshop clerk, Kit has no choice but to accept the gentleman’s offer of employment as his secretary...Categorized as:
military queer historical m-m from hate to love regency class difference length-medium -
![When Skies Have Fallen by Debbie McGowan]()
When Skies Have Fallen by Debbie McGowan
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFor many in war-torn 1944, love blossoms in the dance hall, and airman Arty Clarke is no exception. He’s a thinker and a dreamer; however, it’s not the beautiful, talented dancer in his arms—his best friend Jean—who inspires his dreams. For when his gaze meets that of Technical Sergeant Jim Johnson, Arty dares to imagine a different dance... -
![The Unexpected Heiress by Frank W. Butterfield]()
The Unexpected Heiress by Frank W. Butterfield
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMay 11, 1953The richest homosexual in San Francisco is a private investigator.Nick Williams lives in a modest bungalow with his fireman husband, a sweet fellow from Georgia by the name of Carter Jones.Nick's gem of a secretary, Marnie Wilson, is worried that Nick isn't working enough. She knits a lot.Jeffrey Klein, Esquire, is Nick's friend and lawyer... -
![The Custom of the Army by Diana Gabaldon]()
The Custom of the Army by Diana Gabaldon
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsDiana Gabaldon, bestselling author of the acclaimed Outlander series, weaves an engrossing tale of war, history, and suspense in this original novella—available exclusively as an eBook—featuring returning hero Lord John Grey. London, 1759. After a high society electric-eel party leads to a duel that ends badly, Lord John Grey feels the need to lie low for a while... -
![If It Ain't Love by Tamara Allen]()
If It Ain't Love by Tamara Allen
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the darkest days of the Great Depression, New York Times reporter Whit Stoddard has lost the heart to do his job and lives a lonely hand-to-mouth existence with little hope of recovery, until he meets Peter, a man in even greater need of new hope... -
![A Minor Inconvenience by Sarah Granger]()
A Minor Inconvenience by Sarah Granger
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDuty, honor, propriety…all fall in the face of love. Captain Hugh Fanshawe returned from the Peninsular War with a leg that no longer works properly, thanks to a French musket ball. Now his fight against Napoleon is reduced to quiet, lonely days compiling paperwork at Horse Guards headquarters...
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