Books like 'Lay Your Sleeping Head'
Readers who enjoyed Lay Your Sleeping Head by Michael Nava & Michael Hames-García also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical romance mystery lgbtq mlm crime noir dark insta-love
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The Emperor's Bone Palace by Hailey Turner
Rated: 4.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEvery heart is meant to break.THE NAMELESS. As a warden, Soren’s duty is to guard against the dead, but he was never trained to guard against his heart. Drawn into a web of Solarian politics, Soren finds himself at the center of a storm of his own making, unwilling to break free if it means losing the man he loves... -
![Murder Book by Marshall Thornton]()
Murder Book by Marshall Thornton
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn the second of the Boystown mysteries to be a finalist for the Lambda Award, it’s fall 1982 and Chicago is gripped by panic after five people die from poisoned Tylenol capsules. Amid the chaos, the Bughouse Slasher takes his eighth victim, this time striking close to private investigator Nick Nowak. With the Chicago Police Department stretched to its limit, Nick takes matters into his own hands... -
![Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher]()
Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsPiper is a lich-doctor, a physician who works among the dead, determining causes of death for the city guard's investigations. It's a peaceful, if solitary profession…until the day when he's called to the river to examine the latest in a series of mysterious bodies, mangled by some unknown force.Galen is a paladin of a dead god, lost to holiness and no longer entirely sane... -
![From the Ashes by Marshall Thornton]()
From the Ashes by Marshall Thornton
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt’s winter 1984. Private Investigator Nick Nowak has allowed his life to fall to pieces: He’s stopped taking cases, given up his apartment and taken a job as a bartender at a sleazy joint tucked under the El. All he wants to do is stay hidden and lick his wounds after the death of his lover, Detective Bert Harker... -
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![Carved in Bone by Michael Nava]()
Carved in Bone by Michael Nava
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWas Bill Ryan's death an accident? Henry Rios has his doubts.The first new Henry Rios novel in 20 years from six-time Lambda Literary award winner Michael Nava is a brilliantly plotted mystery that weaves together the gripping story of two gay men against the backdrop of 1980s San Francisco as the tsunami of AIDS bears down upon the city... -
![Precious Jules by C.J. Bishop]()
Precious Jules by C.J. Bishop
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA Gangster Cowboy Novella They will bring him home...by any means necessary. When Adrian's 4 y/o nephew, Jules, is abducted by Adrian's brother Tazz - leader of a motorcycle gang - it is up to Clint and the boys to get him back, by any means necessary... -
![Sleepless in Southampton by Chasity Bowlin]()
Sleepless in Southampton by Chasity Bowlin
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEvery touch brings with it a world of temptation. Eventually, there is a point of no return. Miss Sophia Upchurch is not having a good day. Her employer is dead, she’s been robbed, she’s now stranded in a strange city, and the handsome man she’d met on the stage, the man she’d flirted with, is no longer simply Mr. Henry Meredith, a possible suitor... -
![The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles]()
The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsBridgerton meets Poldark in this sweeping LGBTQIA+ Regency romance from award-winning author KJ CharlesAbandoned by his father as a small child, Sir Gareth Inglis has grown up prickly, cold, and well-used to disappointment. Even so, he longs for a connection, falling headfirst into a passionate anonymous affair that's over almost as quickly as it began... -
![Belle by Lesley Pearse]()
Belle by Lesley Pearse
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsLondon 1910 Fifteen year-old Belle has lived in a brothel in Seven Dials all her life, with no understanding of what happens in the rooms upstairs. But her innocence is shattered when she witnesses the murder of one of the girls and, subsequently snatched from the streets by the killer, she is sold into prostitution in Paris... -
![The Lies That Bind by Marshall Thornton]()
The Lies That Bind by Marshall Thornton
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe eighth book of the best-selling Boystown Mystery Series begins with a phone call in the middle of the night. Private investigator Nick Nowak is pulled into the troubled world of freelance journalist, and all around pain-in-the-ass, Christian Baylor. When Christian can’t stop lying about the corpse in his bathroom things slip slowly out of control... -
![Bloodlines by Marshall Thornton]()
Bloodlines by Marshall Thornton
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn the latest book in the Boystown Mystery series, Private Investigator Nick Nowak finds himself simultaneously working two cases for his new client, law firm Cooke, Babcock and Lackerby. A suburban dentist has just been convicted of murdering her adulterous husband, Nick is asked to interview witnesses for the penalty phase of the trial—and possibly find the dead man’s mistress... -
![Can't Help Falling in Love with an Alien by Chloe Archer]()
Can't Help Falling in Love with an Alien by Chloe Archer
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsRiverWorking for the Alliance is a sci-fi nerd’s dream–aka mine–come true. I’ve even won the heart of my grumpy-sexy alien boyfriend. Nothing can bring me down, baby. I’m walking on freaking sunshine! Except now one of Kai’s douchey AF exes decides to turn up like a bad case of crabs. I don’t trust him one bit. But I’ve got even bigger problems to worry about... -
![Josh Lanyon Collected Novellas #1 by Josh Lanyon]()
Josh Lanyon Collected Novellas #1 by Josh Lanyon
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn Dangerous Ground a casino robbery finds government agents Taylor and Will playing a game of cat-and-mouse with remorseless killers in the wilderness of California's High Sierras. Snowball in Hell introduces police detective Lt. Matthew Spain and reporter Nathan Doyle, men thrown together by murder. But, in post-WWII Los Angeles consequences of their attraction are serious, even for good guys... -
![Fade Out by Marshall Thornton]()
Fade Out by Marshall Thornton
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Lambda Award-winning Boystown Mystery series comes to a close with Boystown 13: Fade Out. When a box containing a woman’s corpse shows up at his doorstep, Private Investigator Nick Nowak finds himself accused of murder. The police are convinced it’s Rita Lindquist—a woman who once shot Nick. Their case is thin, but they and the state’s attorney are determined to prosecute him... -
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![A Time For Secrets by Marshall Thornton]()
A Time For Secrets by Marshall Thornton
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn the first full-length novel of the Boystown series, it’s late summer 1982 and private detective Nick Nowak is asked to find a retired gentleman’s long lost lover. Instead, he finds himself embroiled in a decades old murder connected to the man who wants tobe Chicago’s next mayor... -
![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... -
![Golden Terrace, Vol. 2 by Cang Wu Bin Bai, 苍梧宾白]()
Golden Terrace, Vol. 2 by Cang Wu Bin Bai, 苍梧宾白
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAs the bond between Fu Shen and Yan Xiaohan deepens, the looming threat above the empire of Great Zhou remains omnipresent. After the settlement of the Kuangshan Academy case, Yan Xiaohan accompanies Prince Qi southward to Jingchu. However, an unexpected storm traps Prince Qi’s party inside a mysterious temple and leads Yan Xiaohan into a hidden lion’s den... -
![Late Fees by Marshall Thornton]()
Late Fees by Marshall Thornton
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt’s Thanksgiving, 1992 and Noah Valentine is late picking his mother up from the airport. When he arrives he discovers that she’s made a friend on the flight whose also waiting for her son. When women’s son doesn’t show up, they eventually take the woman home for breakfast with neighbor’s Marc and Louis... -
![Murmuration by T.J. Klune]()
Murmuration by T.J. Klune
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the small mountain town of Amorea, it’s stretching toward autumn of 1954. The memories of a world at war are fading in the face of a prosperous future. Doors are left unlocked at night, and neighbors are always there to give each other a helping hand. The people here know certain things as fact: Amorea is the best little town there is. The only good Commie is a dead Commie... -
![The Jackal’s House by Anna Butler]()
The Jackal’s House by Anna Butler
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSequel to The Gilded ScarabSomething is stalking the Aegyptian night and endangering the archaeologists excavating the mysterious temple ruins in Abydos. But is it a vengeful ancient spirit or a very modern conspiracy…... -
![Fairs' Point by Melissa Scott]()
Fairs' Point by Melissa Scott
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDuring Dog Moon, the chief entertainment in the great city of Astreiant, for nobles and commons alike, is the basket-terrier races at New Fair. This year, with spectacularly bad timing, the massive and suspicious bankruptcy of a young nobleman has convulsed the city, leading to suicides, widespread loss of employment, and inconvenient new laws around the universal practice of betting on the races... -
![Hidden Treasures by Marshall Thornton]()
Hidden Treasures by Marshall Thornton
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt’s about a dress. A valuable blue sequined dress worn by a famed actress in a film from the 1940s. For some reason everyone thinks video storeowner Noah Valentine has it. Which might not be a big deal except that it’s connected to the murder of a prominent Hollywood costumer.In the second of the Pinx Video Mysteries, Noah attempts to solve the mystery of the dress... -
![All Lessons Learned: A classic mystery romance by Charlie Cochrane]()
All Lessons Learned: A classic mystery romance by Charlie Cochrane
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“A sparkling, intelligent series, not to be missed” – The Historical Novel Society The Great War is over. Freed from a prisoner of war camp and back at St. Bride’s College, Orlando Coppersmith is discovering what those years have cost.... All he holds dear—including his beloved Jonty Stewart, lost in combat... -
![The Anarchists' Club by Alex Reeve]()
The Anarchists' Club by Alex Reeve
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt's been a year since Leo Stanhope lost the woman he loved, and came closing to losing his own life. Now, more than ever, he is determined to keep his head down and stay safe, without risking those he holds dear... -
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![Just a Little Seduction by Merry Farmer]()
Just a Little Seduction by Merry Farmer
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDavid Wirth has made it his life’s work to fight for the rights of those who cannot defend themselves and to navigate England’s choppy legal waters for fellow members of The Brotherhood. Tracking down the three villainous noblemen, including a powerful duke, who have masterminded a child kidnapping ring promises to be the pinnacle of his career seeking justice for the helpless... -
![Dusk's Devotion by V.L. Locey]()
Dusk's Devotion by V.L. Locey
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCan love warm the hearts of two enemies facing the wrath of a Wyoming winter storm?Kyle Abbott is slowly discovering that being midway through his thirties and being married to your job isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. There has to be more to life than random hookups, horses, and cattle... -
![A Shimmer in the Night by Kelley York]()
A Shimmer in the Night by Kelley York
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBenjamin Prichard has spent much of his life feeling like an outsider. Growing up, his odd behaviour and visions of ghosts left him isolated, not to mention being the child of an immigrant mother and an absent father. Benjamin walks the line between not being Chinese enough for one community, and not English enough for the other.Whisperwood School for Boys changes everything... -
![The Man Who Loved Cole Flores by K.A. Merikan]()
The Man Who Loved Cole Flores by K.A. Merikan
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsYou want revenge? Dig two graves.Ten years ago, a vicious gang called the Gotham Boys descended on a homestead in the mountains like a pack of wolves, leaving nothing behind but death and destruction.Ned O’Leary was the only one to survive the ordeal.He lost hope for revenge long ago, but its flame erupts in his heart when the gang is spotted again... -
![Saffron Alley by A.J. Demas]()
Saffron Alley by A.J. Demas
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA month ago, eunuch sword-dancer and spy Varazda collided with ex-soldier Damiskos at a seaside villa during a dizzying week of intrigue, assassinations, and a fake love affair that—maybe—turned real. Now Varazda is back home in Boukos, at the center of a family and community he dearly loves, and Damiskos is coming to visit.Things aren’t going according to plan...Categorized as:
crime lgbtq mlm 21st-century adult alternate-history alternate-universe ancient-civilization -
![Two Nick Nowak Novellas by Marshall Thornton]()
Two Nick Nowak Novellas by Marshall Thornton
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn the two novellas that make up the third book in the popular Boystown Mysteries private Investigator Nick Nowak works two challenging cases and grapples with an even more challenging personal life. In Little Boy Boom, Nick’s car explodes when a thief attempts to steal it... -
![The Burning Plain by Michael Nava]()
The Burning Plain by Michael Nava
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGay Mexican American lawyer Henry Rios has fought bigotry and prejudice, battled alcoholism, and watched his lover die from AIDS. In The Burning Plain, he's wrongly accused of murder after a male prostitute he spent an evening with is savagely murdered... -
![Howtown by Michael Nava]()
Howtown by Michael Nava
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWinner of six Lambda Literary awards, the Henry Rios mystery series is iconic and Michael Nava has been hailed by the New York Times as "one of our best" crime writers. Upon its original publication, the Los Angeles Times said of Howtown and its author: "Nava's mysteries are faithful to the conventions of the genre, but they are set apart by their insight, compassion, and sense of social justice. -
![The Hidden Law by Michael Nava]()
The Hidden Law by Michael Nava
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWinner of six Lambda Literary awards, the Henry Rios mystery series is iconic. In The Hidden Law, Rios delves deeply into his Latino identity as he defends a young man charged with assassinating a prominent Los Angeles Latino politician... -
![Lessons in Power by Charlie Cochrane]()
Lessons in Power by Charlie Cochrane
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe ghosts of the past will shape your future. Unless you fight them. Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Book 4 Cambridge, 1907 After settling in their new home, Cambridge dons Orlando Coppersmith and Jonty Stewart are looking forward to nothing more exciting than teaching their students and playing rugby... -
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![How Goes The World? by K.J. Charles]()
How Goes The World? by K.J. Charles
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe 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... -
![Unseen by Jordan L. Hawk]()
Unseen by Jordan L. Hawk
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsLibrarian Sebastian Rath and his lover Vesper Rune are tasked with seeking and containing the evil Books of the Bound. But one of the Books has been freed from its prison—and is in the hands of a killer.As more bodies turn up, Sebastian finds himself tempted to use forbidden magic to locate the Book and stop the murderer... -
![Into the Dying Light by Katy Rose Pool]()
Into the Dying Light by Katy Rose Pool
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn the jaw-dropping conclusion to the Age of Darkness trilogy, hearts will shatter, cities will fall, and a god will rise. "Solidifies Katy Rose Pool's status as one of the best fantasy writers of the 21st century."—Popsugar on As the Shadow RisesFollowing the destruction of the City of Mercy, an ancient god has been resurrected and sealed inside Beru's body... -
![Always Believe in Love by Maureen Driscoll]()
Always Believe in Love by Maureen Driscoll
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the author of the Kellington series of Regency romances, comes the fourth book in the Emerson saga. Nicholas Chilcott is the Earl of Layton, though his biological father was actually the late Earl of Ridgeway. When Nick's cousin Simon challenges him for the title, Nick must travel to the coastal village of Weymouth to uncover secrets from the past... -
![To Trust Man On His Oath by K.J. Charles]()
To Trust Man On His Oath by K.J. Charles
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA Will Darling Adventures interlude.Set a week after the ending of The Sugared Game (so containsmild spoilers for that book)... -
![Death in the Spires by K.J. Charles]()
Death in the Spires by K.J. Charles
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe newspapers called us the Seven Wonders. We were a group of friends, that’s all, and then Toby died. Was killed. Murdered. 1905. A decade after the grisly murder of Oxford student Toby Feynsham, the case remains hauntingly unsolved. For Jeremy Kite, the crime not only stole his best friend, it destroyed his whole life... -
![Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen]()
Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNew York, 1919. His career as a concert pianist ended by a war injury, Sutton Albright returns to college, only to be expelled after an affair with a teacher. Unable to face his family, he heads to New York with no plans and little money–only a desire to call his life his own.Jack Bailey’s life has changed as well... -
![Masters in This Hall by K.J. Charles]()
Masters in This Hall by K.J. Charles
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJohn Garland was in love: now he's in disgrace. He's jobless, alone, and determined to avenge himself on the thief who ruined his life. All he wants for Christmas is to see Barnaby Littimer in gaol.Barnaby has secured a job running the extravagant traditional Christmas at a rich man's country house. John intends to thwart whatever he's up to... -
![My Dearest Holmes by Rohase Piercy]()
My Dearest Holmes by Rohase Piercy
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratings"The accounts of these cases are too bound up with events in my personal life which, although they may provide a plausible commentary to much of my dealings with Mr Sherlock Holmes, can never be public while he or I remain alive... -
![The Custom of the Army by Diana Gabaldon]()
The Custom of the Army by Diana Gabaldon
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsNote: Previously included in the anthology Warriors.Diana 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... -
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![Point of Sighs by Melissa Scott]()
Point of Sighs by Melissa Scott
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAutumn downpours soak the city of Astreiant and cast a gloomy pall over its streets, while storms at sea have delayed merchant ships bearing important cargoes from distant lands. For Philip Eslingen, whose stars are bad for water, the season adds damp misery to the complications of organizing the new and controversial City Guard... -
![Innocence & Carnality by J. Alan Veerkamp]()
Innocence & Carnality by J. Alan Veerkamp
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings(Please note: This is a re-release with no additional content added.) Innocence is his only currency. The gilded cage of propriety where Nathan grew up as a member of the Deilian aristocracy became a true prison when, at fifteen, his homosexuality came to light and created a terrible scandal... -
![One Night in Boukos by A.J. Demas]()
One Night in Boukos by A.J. Demas
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOn a night when the whole city is looking for love, two foreigners find it in the last place they expected.The famous Psobion festival is about to begin in the city of Boukos, and the ambassador from Zash has gone missing. Marzana, captain of the embassy guard, and Bedar, the ambassador’s long-suffering secretary, hunt for him through the streets and taverns and brothels of Boukos... -
![A Hymn in the Silence by Kelley York, Joel Leslie]()
A Hymn in the Silence by Kelley York, Joel Leslie
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSince graduating from Whisperwood School for Boys, William has found a sense of normalcy in his life with James. He has a steady (albeit secret) relationship, a home, and a job—even if it doesn’t pay the greatest. Nevermind that he lacks James’ reckless bravery when it comes to dealing with spirits; he does his best and it hasn’t killed him thus far... -
![Aleksey's Kingdom by John Wiltshire]()
Aleksey's Kingdom by John Wiltshire
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA Royal Affair: Book Two Doctor Nikolai Hartmann escaped the Hesse-Davian dungeons. He fled civilized Europe to come to the vast wilderness of the New World, where he carved out a home in which he could love openly and without censure—Aleksey’s Kingdom. However, there is an irritating green-eyed, dark-haired flaw in his new paradise... -
![Just a Little Temptation by Merry Farmer]()
Just a Little Temptation by Merry Farmer
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAs the owner of an orphanage in a poor neighborhood of London, Stephen Siddel has the weight of the world, not to mention the care of tender souls, on his shoulders. He is a devoted father to dozens of children and an upstanding member of the community, in spite of his rivalry with the local nuns...
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