Celebrate Pride With 2026 LGBTQ+ Historical Fiction

A zookeeper in 1960s Cuba risks everything for love in a country where homosexuality is branded as “counterrevolutionary.” From Cuba to exile in London and Miami, the complex lives of Felix and his family begin to come together as the people around him put together the pieces of the puzzle of his life. How do we hurt those we love? And how can we understand the people who shaped us long after they are gone?

Vanessa Riley’s latest novel is perfect for fans of: pirates of the caribbean and our flag means deathand is based on the real-life 17th-century pirate Jacott Delehaye, the mixed-race daughter of a wealthy Tortuga tavern owner who dreams of a life at sea. In Haiti, he dresses as a man and calls himself Jack. She soon realizes that she is not the only one living under another identity at sea, as she befriends other disguised women and falls in love with a beautiful courtesan. But as more and more pirates turn to the slave trade to accumulate wealth, Jaquot turns away from his old life and fights for everyone to have the same freedom as him.

In this reconsideration, the great gatsbya teenager looking for a new start at a prestigious all-boys school in Harlem learns that the school that was supposed to be integrated has all the same problems he had hoped to leave in Oklahoma. Nick’s writing begins to reveal dangerous secrets behind the school, and his growing feelings for the founder’s charismatic son Jay only complicate matters further. Together, they must decide whether to stay in this fight, even if it means running away from the consequences forever.

In the wake of his wife’s death, Ignacio drowns in memories of the past, leaving his daughter to fend for herself. He spends his days watching telenovelas, smoking cigarettes, wearing a blonde wig, and remembering the man he once loved. However, coming out of Ignacio’s troubled past, Mamadora Electric assumes the role of Valentina’s mother, even as she worries that Ignacio’s dark thoughts have unleashed a curse on them all. This is a story of growth and fall, by the author of. tropical fever.

release date: June 23, 2026

Suffolk, 1937, a young woman returns to her homeland for one last visit before attending Oxford University. Only her best friend Joanie knows that this is not the actual plan. Instead, they plan to elope to London to live as lovers and escape the claustrophobic society they have known. However, when their plan is discovered, Margaret’s estranged father takes her away into the forest. There, a mysterious power begins to awaken in Margaret. She wakes up covered in dirt and scratches. Is this the same curse that took her mother away, or could this be the one that finally allows Margaret to find something close to the love she’s always wanted?

release date: September 15, 2026

What is this? another the great gatsby Retelling? Honestly, these could be a whole post on their own. And maybe it will…but for now, enjoy Stoker Prize winner Gwendoline Christe’s dark take on the classic. Daisy Buchanan’s daughter Mel encounters the ghost of her mother in the 1950s and must delve into her family’s past to discover whether her mother’s death was just a horrific tragedy or an actual murder.