We thought it would be fun to do a little something in recognition of Pride Month here at Rockstarlit BookAsylum. So, I went through and picked books that I had enjoyed that had some LGBTQ content, and matched the pride flag to the dominate color of the covers, with varying degrees of luck.
I tried to find only books I had read but sadly, yellow, orange, and green, are not go-to choices for book covers and I had to pad out my list with a few choices off my TBR.
Self-pub/Indie and the Small Publisher houses, are really wonderful for having content that you wouldn’t normally find in a traditionally published book and there is a rabbit hole of choices you can jump down if you start looking. The big pubs are starting to sit-up and take notice though and we are seeing more and more content every year.
The book titles are linked to the book’s Goodreads page!
RED
The Bastard from Fairyland by Phil Parker
Robin and Oisin, are a big part of this story; they share a past and their relationship was a highlight for me because you can feel the history between them during their scenes together. I loved these characters and I rooted hard for them to reconcile their love.

The world’s sea levels have risen and washed civilisation away. Survival is a constant compromise, made worse when the Fae invade; a cruel and sadistic race eager to turn humanity into slaves. Robin Goodfellow is an elite Fae warrior with a long life steeped in blood and his loyalty rewarded by betrayal. Now he lives among humans, growing bitter and lonely, and wants no part in the war.
But Robin holds the key to victory for the Fae, the man who betrayed him demands his help and he’s brought Robin’s ex-lover along to ensure his cooperation. Trapped in the middle of the conflict and despised by both sides, Robin races across a flooded English landscape to rescue the two children who can help him make a difference.
What he doesn’t know is that powerful members of the Fae are manipulating him to succumb to his psychotic alter-ego, Puck, who’s ready to cause even more bloodshed.
Will of the Wanderer by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman
This is an oldie! Not only was it a series that didn’t take place in the much-done western setting, but it was also one of the first fantasy books that I can remember reading that had an LGBT character. Cool world, magic, and God’s… my favorite of Weiss and Hickman’s collaborations.

Since time began, twenty Gods have ruled the universe. Though each god possessed different abilities, each was all-powerful within his realm. Now one of the Gods has upset the balance of power, leaving the others scrambling for control in the new order…
Here is the epic tale of the Great War of the Gods—and the proud people upon whom the fate of the world depends. When the God of the desert, Akhran the Wanderer, declares that two clans must band together despite their centuries-old rivalry, their first response is outrage. But they are a devout people and so reluctantly bow to his bidding.
Enemies from birth, the headstrong Prince Khardan and impetuous Princess Zohra must unite in marriage to stop Quar, the God of Reality, Greed, and Law, from enslaving their people.
But can Khardan and Zohra keep from betraying each other? Can their two peoples maintain their fragile alliance until the long-awaited flowering of the legendary Rose of the Prophet?
Against the powerful legions of the evil Amir, Khardan and Zohra fight to save the desert people—a fight unexpectedly joined by an exiled wizard named Matthew and the mysterious powers of his alien land.

ORANGE
After the Crown by K.B. Wagers
This is the second book in The Indranan War series. I haven’t had a chance to get to this book and I’m working on the assumption that Hail’s bodyguards who were a fair part of the first book in this series, are still around for this one. Behind the Throne was a super fun book and I do plan on finishing this series. Maybe, it can be my Series Slashing September read (depending on how SPFBO goes).

The adrenaline-fueled, Star Wars-style sequel to Behind the Throne, a new space adventure series from author K.B. Wagers.
Former gunrunner-turned-Empress Hail Bristol was dragged back to her home planet to fill her rightful position in the palace. With her sisters and parents murdered, the Indranan empire is on the brink of war. Hail must quickly make alliances with nearby worlds if she has any hope of surviving her rule.
When peace talks turn violent and Hail realizes she’s been betrayed, she must rely on her old gunrunning ways to get out of trouble. With help from an old boss and some surprising new allies, she must risk everything to save her world.
The Indranan War
Behind the Throne
After the Crown
Not Your Side Kick by C.B. Lee
I’m not even sure where I first heard about this book but the bright illustrated/comic style cover kept my attention and I’ve always been a pushover for superhero stories. The summary of this one gave me Sky High or Zoom vibes which is totally my kind of fun. I’m looking forward to giving this one a shot.

Welcome to Andover… where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef-up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship—only it turns out to be for the town’s most heinous supervillain. On the upside, she gets to work with her longtime secret crush, Abby, who Jess thinks may have a secret of her own. Then there’s the budding attraction to her fellow intern, the mysterious “M,” who never seems to be in the same place as Abby. But what starts as a fun way to spite her superhero parents takes a sudden and dangerous turn when she uncovers a plot larger than heroes and villains altogether.

YELLOW
A Demon in the Desert by Ashe Armstrong
So technically we don’t know Grimluck is Bi until later, but this series has all kind of content from Grim’s mom being non-binary, to a multitude of other side and main LGBTQ characters throughout the books. The author, Ashe Armstrong, tells me that book three is the most appropriate choice for content – which features several genderqueer, and a bisexual polyamorous dwarf triad. (It’s pretty handy when you can get it straight from the authors mouth.)
This is a fun weird west series that has gotten better and better as it goes, it’s worth checking out! Also, as a side-note I am using the original cover, it’s classic and it fits my flag but the new cover is pretty damned cool.
Read Jen’s review of book 3 in the series

Grimluk is an orc with one purpose: hunting demons.
The Wastelands mining town of Greenreach Bluffs is deteriorating: with each passing day its inhabitants grow more fearful and paranoid, plagued by…something. They suffer nightmares and hallucinations, there are murders at the mine; the community is on the brink of madness and ruin and, as events escalate, realization dawns: the town has a demon problem. Two attempts at hunting it down fail, Greenreach Bluffs is at breaking point…and then Grimluk the Orc strides in out of the Wastes to answer their call for salvation.
Contains strong violence and language as well as disturbing concepts.
The Thousand Names by Django Wexler
Arguably this cover could be called more green than yellow, but I couldn’t make a list of books with LGBTQ characters, without including my favorite character ever – Winter. I even wrote a haiku about her once upon a time (if I could have found it, I would have included it). This series is one I am hoping to get back to soon, it’s well-loved and I enjoyed the first book a ton.

Enter an epic fantasy world that echoes with the thunder of muskets and the clang of steel—but where the real battle is against a subtle and sinister magic….
Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, commander of one of the Vordanai empire’s colonial garrisons, was resigned to serving out his days in a sleepy, remote outpost. But that was before a rebellion upended his life. And once the powder smoke settled, he was left in charge of a demoralized force clinging tenuously to a small fortress at the edge of the desert.
To flee from her past, Winter Ihernglass masqueraded as a man and enlisted as a ranker in the Vordanai Colonials, hoping only to avoid notice. But when chance sees her promoted to command, she must win the hearts of her men and lead them into battle against impossible odds.
The fates of both these soldiers and all the men they lead depend on the newly arrived Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich, who has been sent by the ailing king to restore order. His military genius seems to know no bounds, and under his command, Marcus and Winter can feel the tide turning. But their allegiance will be tested as they begin to suspect that the enigmatic Janus’s ambitions extend beyond the battlefield and into the realm of the supernatural—a realm with the power to ignite a meteoric rise, reshape the known world, and change the lives of everyone in its path.
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