April 2014 New Releases

[Kaje]

This is for YA books with significant LGBT content released in April 2014 - anyone can post books here (author or not.) If the book is on Goodreads please link it (and maybe show us the cover.) If you read it, feel free to add a short comment or synopsis. Consider also adding the book to our group bookshelf.

Thanks for helping to keep our group up to date.

[Kim]

Moon at Nine, by Deborah Ellis


The Age, by Nancy Lee


The Summer I Wasn't Me, by Jessica Verdi


What We Hide, by Marthe Jocelyn


Far from You, by Tess Sharpe


Great, by Sara Benincasa


The Balance, by Neal Wooten
(This one's probably more for older teens.)

[Rainbowheart]

Haha, Kim, you beat me to it! More efficient than the way I was mentioning them one by one.

I'm super excited for these, especially Moon at Nine, Summer I Wasn't Me, and What We Hide.

[Kaje]

I appreciate everyone working on these threads - it's a great resource to have.

[Kim]

I very well may have missed some, because I was just making sure to share the applicable titles from my own to-read list!

I have an ARC of Moon at Nine that I'll probably start after I finish the Coda sequel.

[Rainbowheart]

Awesome, I will be interested to hear your opinion on Coda and Moon at Nine.

[Rainbowheart]

There is also Darkbound by Scott Tracey.

Due out April 8th, published by Flux.



"Malcolm has seven days to unravel a twenty year old mystery, find a body, capture a killer and keep a demon at arm's length.

No one hates being a witch quite like Malcolm. But if there's one thing worse than being a witch, it's being a Moonset witch. There are very few things in his life that he can control, and after a fight with his siblings, he's losing his grip on what he's got left.

A creature as old as Hamelin has crept out of the Abyss, and its siren song has infected the teenagers of Carrow Mill compelling them, at first, to simply be swept away in love. But love soon turns dangerous, as passion turns to violence and an army of sociopaths is born.

The Pied Piper isn't just a story, and he's got his eyes set on Malcolm, promising a life of freedom from magic and the shackles of the Moonset bond. As Carrow Mill burns, Malcolm must make the hardest choice of his life: family? Or freedom?"

Queer content not obvious from summary, but this sequel has some LGBT characters. Someone told me minor characters, but if this is the same Malcolm from the first book in the series, then it actually has a gay MC.

[K]

Released 3rd April 2014 by Harmony Ink Press
Us Three by Mia Kerick

In his junior year at a public high school, sweet, bright Casey Minton’s biggest worry isn’t being gay. Keeping from being too badly bullied by his so-called friends, a group of girls called the Queen Bees, is more pressing. Nate De Marco has no friends, his tough home life having taken its toll on his reputation, but he’s determined to get through high school. Zander Zane’s story is different: he’s popular, a jock. Zander knows he’s gay, but fellow students don’t, and he’d like to keep it that way.

No one expects much when these three are grouped together for a class project, yet in the process the boys discover each other’s talents and traits, and a new bond forms. But what if Nate, Zander, and Casey fall in love—each with the other and all three together? Not only gay but also a threesome, for them high school becomes infinitely more complicated and maybe even dangerous. To survive and keep their love alive, they must find their individual strengths and courage and stand together, honest and united. If they can do that, they might prevail against the Queen Bees and a student body frightened into silence—and even against their own crippling fears

[K]

Releasing in April by Bold Stroke Books
The Balance by Neal Wooten

In a dystopian future, life hangs in the balance.

Piri is a nineteen-year-old boy who lives in a technological metropolis that rises above the clouds. But when an accident drops him out of the city, everything changes. At first terrified by the atrocious reality of life on the surface, including surviving gruesome creatures known as Scavs, Piri is soon mesmerized by the bond they have for one another. He also comes to understand his own feelings for Niko, the boy who rescued him.

In the end, Piri chooses love over comfort. But things are never as they seem. When he discovers just how far the city dwellers will go to maintain control, and the horrific truth behind an ancient and secret alliance, he will do everything he can to protect his new family—and disrupt the balance.

[Rainbowheart]

There is also This Side of Salvation by Jeri Smith-Ready

Released April 1st, published by Simon Pulse



"Everyone mourns differently. When his older brother was killed, David got angry. As in, fist-meets-someone-else’s-face furious. But his parents? They got religious. David’s still figuring out his relationship with a higher power, but there’s one thing he does know for sure: The closer he gets to new-girl Bailey, the better, brighter, happier, more he feels.

Then his parents start cutting all their worldly ties to prepare for the Rush, the divine moment when the faithful will be whisked off to Heaven…and they want David to do the same. David’s torn. There’s a big difference between living in the moment and giving up his best friend, varsity baseball, and Bailey—especially Bailey—in hope of salvation.

But when he comes home late from prom, and late for the Rush, to find that his parents have vanished, David is in more trouble than he ever could have imagined..."

Queer content not obvious from summary, but the MC's best friend Kane is gay and has a boyfriend.

[Teresa]

This sounds interesting. Are you looking for reviews? If so, I would be interested to read and review it for you.

Teresa

[Rainbowheart]

Hi Teresa, I'm not the author of the book I just mentioned, but it was just released and should be available in bookstores and libraries.

[K]

Released 10th April by Harmony Ink Press

Breaking Free by Winter Page


Raimi Carter is finally a girl, just like she always knew she was meant to be. At a new school where nobody knows she’s had gender reassignment surgery, she hopes to finally live the normal life she’s longed for, happy in her own skin.

Life is great until she discovers a dangerous bully is blackmailing head cheerleader, Clare Strickland, threatening to reveal her secret: she’s gay. As Raimi fights to free Clare from his clutches, the two girls move beyond friendship. But secrets from their pasts and their own fears of coming out tear them apart—maybe forever. Baring their souls to each other could cost them everything. For two girls trapped and desperately in love, only strength, courage, and trust in each other will help them break free and claim their future

[Teresa]

Cool! I can't wait to read this.

Teresa

[Rainbowheart]

There is also Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira.

Released April 1st, published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux



"It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May did. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to people like Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger, and more; though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating new friendships, falling in love for the first time, learning to live with her splintering family. And, finally, about the abuse she suffered while May was supposed to be looking out for her. Only then, once Laurel has written down the truth about what happened to herself, can she truly begin to accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was; lovely and amazing and deeply flawed; can she begin to discover her own path."

Queer content not obvious from summary, but two characters are either lesbian or bi and coming to terms with their attraction to each other.

[Rainbowheart]

There is also Breakfast Served Anytime by Sarah Combs.

Released April 8th, published by Candlewick Press



"A coming-of-age debut evokes the bittersweet joys and pangs of finding independence in one unforgettable summer away at "geek camp." When Gloria sets out to spend the summer before her senior year at a camp for gifted and talented students, she doesn’t know quite what to expect. Fresh from the heartache of losing her grandmother and missing her best friend, Gloria resolves to make the best of her new circumstances. But some things are proving to be more challenging than she expected. Like the series of mysterious clues left by a certain Professor X before he even shows up to teach his class, Secrets of the Written Word. Or the very sweet, but very conservative, roommate whose coal-industry family champions mountaintop removal. Not to mention the obnoxious Mason, who dresses like the Mad Hatter and immediately gets on Gloria’s nerves — but somehow won’t escape her thoughts. Beautifully told by debut author Sarah Combs, this honest and touching story of growing up is imbued with the serene atmosphere of Kentucky’s natural landscape."

Queer content not obvious from summary, but one of the MC's friends at camp is a lesbian.

[Patricia]

Thanks, Kaje! My April release is Awesome Justice

Straight-A student, Austin Justice, is only four weeks away from graduating high school. But after being outed as gay, he’s harassed by his classmates. When he's suspended from school for fighting back, Austin has had enough. He goes to live with his sister, a college student working in a summer theater program. Pulled into the world of dark theaters, dingy costume shops, and free-thinking actors, Austin realizes that his whole life has been a dull performance. For the first time, he lives life unscripted, allowing himself to follow his heart and learning that love can overcome fear even in the most difficult circumstances.

[K]

Releasing 24th April from Harmony Ink Press
Hunters by A.M. Burns

Bigfoot hunters prowl the forests of Cripple Creek, Colorado. That doesn't sit well with Thom Woodmen—a Bigfoot—albeit the runt of his family. Being the smallest has advantages; Thom, in disguise, gets to attend high school, and he’s not expected to accomplish much in life. All that changes when he comes across a distressed human in the forest.

Ben Steele is new to Cripple Creek High School, and after a harrowing experience in the woods near his new home, he quickly falls in with Thom Woodmen and his circle of friends. So what if they like to hang out with nature? Ben’s got nothing better to do. Trouble is, Ben can't seem to stay out of it—trouble, that is.

However, in saving young Ben's life, Thom inadvertently kick-starts a bonding process that’ll change both their lives forever. With the support of family and friends, Thom learns to accept bonding with the human boy. But with the danger overrunning Cripple Creek lately, Thom may be cut down before he can confess his secret and his love.