I (20M) stopped reading around middle school, but I started reading manga after high school, which coincided with getting into anime. My favourite genre is romance; I really like the cute and fluffy types. I realised that I should probably start reading proper books, but when I perused the romance section of my library and book store, I found that most books were for a female audience. Their premise either featured a female lead, or a plot that focused on the female character, and almost all of them were written by a female author. And the few that I found also seemed to focus on the female character more (I base this based on whether the beginning of the description focused on the male or female character).
I really want to read a romance book focused on the male character's perspective and for a male audience rather than a female one. While I don't read a lot, I have heard through the grape vine what a lot of romance for women is like, and I don't want to risk a book I'm reading to turn out to be something like that. I know that I am being very reductive with women's reading habits, but some of the most popular romance book to movies were the Twilight and 50 Shades books, and those types of books I really want to avoid at all cost.
I would also like the story to be focused on the characters together for most if not all the way through, and they are adults rather than high-schoolers (since a lot of manga and anime are based on the opposite). And the story also focuses on something beyond just the characters, giving them interesting challenges while allowing for them to grow. I would also like there to be cute and fluffy moments as well. Some of my favourite manga/anime similar to what I am looking for are 365 Days to the Wedding and I Have a Crush at Work. The former is about a pair of office workers that pretend to get married to avoid being transferred at their workplace, and the later is about a couple (and later another couple) that date in secret while experiencing the challenges of work and supporting each other. While neither of them is strictly for a male audience, they both have interesting characters and a male lead that is not just hot like Edward Cullen or Christian Grey.
by Infinitydude314
6 Comments
Are you looking for straight romances only?
I think there’s room the genre for you to write what you would like to read.
If you’re open to queer stories there are great male authors writing mm and queer romances. Casey Morales has a series called Nashville Spicy and one called Heartsttings of Honor that cover a wide assortment of male characters-mechanics, postmen. Teachers, dog trainer, baseball players…. All this heat and humor. His “semi autobiographical” series Raised By Wolves was also excellent.
T Kingfishers Saint of Steel books are popular with male readers. Dual POV, awesome side characters, fascinating world. First is Paladins Grace.
It’s not really from the male’s perspective, but you might enjoy Jane Austen. I know a lot of men who really enjoyed them for both the romantic aspect and the male characterization. You could start with Pride and Prejudice but I also think you would really like Persuasion, as it involves a different type of plot.
Villains and Virtues focuses on the male character. It has a really strong voice and tongue in cheek humor, kinda campy in the best way. It reminds me of the princess bride kinda
Oh also mages of the wheel its third person and focuses on both male & female character
Then Kushiel’s dart series has a spinoff from jocelin’s perspective
If your okay with male male romance I highly recommend the song of Achilles by Madeleine miller, it’s a retelling of the story of Achilles from his companions eyes and it was a really good book.