Women who love men who love men: The appeal of M/M
"Do people actually read that?"
Whenever we tell someone about writing M/M romance (or Male/Male, to the uninitiated), that's nearly always their first response. "Do people actually read that? Just gay men then? What, women? Straight women? Why?"
To put it simply, a lot of women like men. A lot of women like stories// about men, even if they're not attracted to them. In M/M romance, the men happen to fall in love with each other and sometimes have explicit sex, but the fundamental dynamic isn't that much different than mainstream media, in which stories about men also predominate. Think about your favorite buddy comedies, your favorite brothers-in-arms war stories ... basically any narrative where the relationships between men are front and center, and then add a romantic/sexual component to that same intense relationship.
M/M romance is a relatively new genre, but the idea of taking a platonic compelling relationship between men and bringing in the romance aspect is as old as ... well, I'm not sure how old it is! Nowadays, we call it "slash," which is a genre of fan fiction where you write sometimes-dirty sometimes-romantic stories about male characters from your favorite franchises in relationships with each other. It gets its name because the way to label it is by putting a slash between the two character's names: Kirk/Spock, Holmes/Watson, Doctor/Jack ... well, you get the point.
Gay romance (written by and for gay men) as a genre has some overlap in readers and authors with M/M, but M/M is unique in its origins and in the fact that its audience and authors are largely women, just like traditional mainstream romance. Because it's a new genre, it's a little less structured and allows for a little more fluidity. The same tropes of brooding billionaires and heroic firefighters and soft-spoken cowboys exist in both genres, but they move more flexibly from story to story in M/M. Whereas the romance you can buy on the grocery store shelves has its recognizable imprints and subgenres, there are really only two rules for M/M: no cheating, and the HEA is still paramount.
This fluidity allows for a lot of creativity while still being just as satisfying for its devoted readers as mainstream romance. You've got contemporary and suspense, sci-fi and fantasy, vigorous historicals and unpredictable mysteries, deep angst and light comedy, all blurring together and taking new shapes. Sex content can go from sweet chaste kisses right through to ultra-explicit BDSM fantasies. Men of all sexualities, ethnicities and backgrounds have their stories told. For a while, the No. 1 M/M romance book was K.A. Mitchell's But My Boyfriend Is ..., which featured a black hero prominently on the cover. Whereas in traditional romance interracial relationships generally fall into their own genre, men of all races and ethnicities can be featured in mainstream M/M.
Most important, though, M/M romance normalizes gay relationships and reflects lived realities that have often been censored and ignored by mainstream media. This isn't to say that M/M is particularly realistic. Like straight romance, it runs the spectrum from gritty realism to the furthest flights of fantasy. At its worst, it can be stereotypical and insulting. But there's so much of it, and in such diversity — from picket-fence minivan-driving dads in Portland to wereleopard prostitute harems on Pluto — that it gets plenty of stuff right along with the wrong. And for its queer writers and readers of all genders, it represents a welcome change, a change that says relationships of all stripes can have their happily-ever-afters.
Thinking of trying out some M/M? Here are some recommendations to get you started:
From Violetta
• Fall into the Sun by Val Kovalin. A thoughtful and mature contemporary.
• Under the Hill series by Alex Beecroft. Fantastic prose style that rivals the best of urban fantasy, true epic with unbounded imagination.
• Hot Head by Damon Suede. Totally over-the-top, sexy, hilarious and heartwarming.
From Heidi
• The Island by Lisa Henry. Dark thriller/romance with compelling leads, lots of drama and danger.
• Frat Boy and Toppy by Anne Tenino. Funny, lighthearted, sexy, the gay equivalent of a romcom movie in a pitch-perfect college setting.
• Scrap Metal by Harper Fox. Stunning prose, breathtakingly set in Scotland, with a heartrending ensemble cast.
Fan favorites
• Cut and Run series by Abigail Roux. A super popular series that takes the well-trod and well-loved road of having agents partnered on a case fall for one another, combining our love of buddy cop bro-comedy with our love of will-they-won't-they police procedural sexual tension. Beloved for its sex and banter.
• Adrien English series by Josh Lanyon. A whodunit with a gay twist by an author who specializes in the combo of mystery and M/M where the romance isn't always the absolute center of the story.
• Faith & Fidelity by Tere Michaels. A classic gay-for-you with two super-masculine straight men whose powerful friendship develops into a love story. With no explicit sex and lots of angst, it's a great "intro" book.
Violetta Vane has a cinematic imagination, lots of opinions and writes multicultural M/M and more. Visit her online at ViolettaVane.com. Heidi Belleau is a former history teacher who now writes M/M romance and erotica in a plethora of subgenres. Visit her online at HeidiBelleau.com. Heidi and Violetta's newest release, Mark of the Gladiator, is part of the Warriors of Rome collection from Riptide Publishing and became available Monday (Nov. 26).