Over the past year, I have committed to diversifying my reading beyond the best sellers, and to seek out more diverse authors and storylines. I am focusing on including more Authors of Color, more stories surrounding a variety of cultures and religions, even more LGBTQ+ stories, and stories featuring characters with disabilities. Several times throughout each month, I’ll be featuring books or authors highlighting different experiences each time.

This time out, I’m spotlighting an author who has quickly become a favorite… Annabeth Albert. Annabeth writes steamy LGBTQ+ romances that feature strong, dynamic heroes. She lives in the Pacific Northwest and most of her books take place here in Oregon, so that certainly helps in making her a favorite, but it’s her characters and writing style that have really sucked me in.

The series that brought Ms. Albert to my attention is the Hot Shots series which follows a wildland fire team in the forests outside of Bend, Oregon. Each of the couples in the series, so far, have been amazing and utterly unique. And while the sex scenes are quite steamy, it’s the emotional scenes between the characters that really drew me in. All of the lead characters are LGBTQ+, with some lesser represented identities presented in lead roles, including a Pan lead in High Heat and a Demi lead in Feel the Fire.

I’ve picked up a few more books by Annabeth Albert and am excited to read them when I can. I’ve got the first book from her Out of Uniform series as well as her #gaymers series. And then I also picked up the Conventionally Yours, a New Adult romance whose sequel is coming soon. Most of her books are published through Harlequin’s Carina Press imprint, except the True Colors series, which is published by Sourcebooks Casablanca.

Hot Shots Series

Out of Uniform Series

#gaymers Series

True Colors Series

Vinos & Veritas Series

Shore Leave Series

Disclaimer: All bookcovers link to Goodreads. I am not an affiliate of this site and all thoughts and opinions are my own.