I’m delighted to have a guest post by Katie Hallahan to share with you today! She is the author of McKenna Ellerbeck, a contemporary fantasy series starting with The Twice-Sold Soul, which is described as a “queer fantasy romance set in a magical high school reunion” for “fans of Buffy and Charmed.” The second and newest book in her series, The Twice-Wanted Witch, is out in trade paperback and ebook today—and you can read more about some of her favorite recent fantasy books with bisexual and queer characters below!

About The Twice-Wanted Witch (McKenna Ellerbeck #2):

When secrets are what protect you, can the truth really set you free? 

It’s been six months since McKenna Ellerbeck killed her second Archdemon, saved Arcadia Commons, and earned a spot on the Witches Council.

Things should be good, right?

Instead she’s overworked, underpaid, disrespected by her fellow Council members, all while fighting demons on a regular basis and suffering through having her mother as a roommate. At least she has her friends–minus Bastien, her ex who told her to get the hell out of his life months ago.

When her friend Brooke is put on trial with the Council and may lose her magic, with Bastien reappearing to lead the charge, McKenna readily volunteers to represent Brooke. Then just when McKenna has hope there’s more to Bastien’s involvement and that they might reconcile, he goes missing, leaving a trail of clues and mystifying secrets: a strange new spell he’s working on with an unknown partner, a secret demon research project, a ring filled with corrupted magic, and a literal demon hiding in his closet.

With an epidemic of demon-induced blunt honesty sweeping the town, hints of another Archdemon making plans to invade, her mom’s mysterious and possibly criminal old flame showing up, time is running out for McKenna to find Bastien, figure out who’s keeping which secrets, how dangerous they are, and decide whose side she’s on: the powerless or the powerful.

Bisexual favs: Books with great bisexual and queer rep
By Katie Hallahan

It’s more clear than ever that books with representation of all identities are essential. Whether it’s centering people of color, queer identities, the gender spectrum, disability rep, or more, everyone deserves to be seen and deserves to be the hero. It’s arguably even better if this hero’s identity isn’t the focus of the book—it’s just a facet of their existence.

In fantasy, authors get to create those worlds and readers get to live in them for a while. And while we might not be able to conjure literal magic to the real world, maybe we can bring inspiration, hope, and empathy to it through these stories. In the spirit of that, here are some of my favorite recent books with bisexual and queer characters that are absolutely worth your time and a space on your TBR!

Back in a Spell (Thistle Grove Book 3) by Lana Harper. Kicking off in Payback’s a Witch with a John Tucker Must Die with witches plot, the Thistle Grove series is delightfully queer through and through. These modern fantasy romances are fun and compelling, and don’t just tackle magical shenanigans but grounded plots as well. Living up to familial expectations, recovering from heartbreak or other catastrophic mistakes, changing the narrative of your life and the world around you? Thistle Grove does it all. My personal favorite is Book 3, Back In a Spell, featuring the bi heroine Nina Blackmoore and her accidental but eye-opening and endearing romance with Morty, a non-binary bar owner who stumbles into the magical world he’s unknowingly been living in this whole time.

Behooved by M. Stevenson features an arranged marriage between two bisexual characters, Bianca and Aric. Unlike most arranged marriages, however, Bianca accidentally curses her new husband to turn into a horse during the day. Oops! The slow burn of their relationship is truly enjoyable. Starting from a place of grudgingly doing their duty, with neither trust nor love, Bianca and Aric’s tenuous relationship eventually blossoms because of the understanding and respect that forms between them. As a bonus, their world is a queer normative one, where all manner of relationships are accepted and welcomed. There are, of course, still villains and manipulators to confront and overcome, but it’s always nice when a character’s sexuality isn’t seen as part of the problem. This also has disability rep, as Aric is neurodivergent and Bianca has a chronic illness. Both of these significantly affect their daily lives and senses of self-worth, but are also sources of strength.

Six Wild Crowns (Queens of Elben Book 1) by Holly Race is a richly-detailed fantasy inspired by King Henry VIII and, more specifically, his six wives. What if Elben, the island kingdom Henry ruled over, was protected by magic? And what if the king needed to wed six wives, each connected to a specific region of Elben, to maintain his magical prowess and the barrier? Despite its historical inspiration, this, too, is a queernormative world. Dangerous politics and strict rules of inheritance may apply, but queer relationships, nonbinary gender identities, and even polyamorous marriages are all readily accepted. While this one isn’t a romance by genre, there’s plenty of romance in it, requited and not. The explorations of love, both romantic and platonic, between Seymour, Boleyn, and the other wives is core to this story and reinforces the truth that we are stronger together (and that the patriarchy is really only interested in protecting itself).

A Fae in Finance (How to Do Business in Faerie Book 1) by Juliet Brooks. If you’ve ever worked a crappy office job with a terrible boss and also like fantasy, I can’t recommend this enough! In this contemporary fantasy comedy, the real world has recently learned that the supernatural exists. Miri (a human) has a soul-sucking finance job with a boss so awful that when she gets stuck in the Fae realm, his only response is that since they have Wi-Fi, he expects her to immediately start working remotely. Miri is bisexual, though that’s only part of her story as she flirts with a few Fae, but mostly tries to struggle through dealing with her job, depression, and finding a way home. It’s not all bad though—she still has her adorable cat, Doctor Kitten, with her! This is one of those books where a character’s sexuality simply is without being a major part of the plot–proof that queer people have bad days at work and terrible bosses just like everyone else! Despite Miri’s existential and work crisis, her attempts to navigate the Fae world and teach them about humanity makes for some hilarious situational comedy.

Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai is also a workplace romance, of sorts. A contemporary fantasy romance with xianxia inspirations, it tells the story of Elle, errant descendant of a Chinese god of medicine, and Luc, a half-elf assassin bound by his true name to an employer he’d like to give notice to. Elle uses her magic to create powerful glyphs, which brings Luc into her orbit. When romance blooms between them, things get complicated with Luc’s employer and the family Elle left behind—some of whom are out for revenge. Though they are a straight-presenting couple, Luc is bisexual and a significant queer relationship in his past factors heavily into his arc. A unique, beautifully written story of family, love, obligation, and sacrifice.

Sargassa (Ex Romana, Book 1) by Sophie Burnham. What if the Roman Empire never fell, but continued to expand, even across the ocean? In this speculative novel set in the city of Sargassa, in a land we might call North America, the Roman Empire has been thriving for centuries. But when Selah Kleios inherits the role of Imperial Historian after her father’s assassination, she finds herself drawn into conspiracies, secrets, and the arms of her old flame, any one of which could undermine the Empire. Told from multiple points of view, the world of Ex Romana is brimming with queer characters. Some of them must hide their truths, while others embrace them, but everyone has something to learn about themselves, the privileges they may or may not have been taking for granted, and if the systems they’re living in are ones they still want to accept or not. The queerness of many of these characters is a large part of why they’re against the Empire’s status quo, though not the only reason, and it’s inspiring to read the story of so many who have been othered standing up to the system that wants to keep them down.

This, of course, is but a small taste of what’s out there for fantasy books with great queer representation. If you’re looking for more, here are some others I recommend checking out—including mine!

• The Twice-Sold Soul by Katie Hallahan
• The Twice-Wanted Witch by Katie Hallahan
• The Memory Hunters by Mia Tsai
• Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
• Prince of Fortune by Lisa Tirreno
• Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy
• Swordcrossed by Freya Marske

Katie Hallahan is a fantasy author who loves tabletop RPGs, vampire TV shows, corgis, dabbling in nail art, and pumpkin spice everything. She has designed award-winning narrative adventure games at Phoenix Online Studios, an indie game studio she co-founded. She lives with her husband and son in Boston, Massachusetts where, shockingly, she actually uses her blinker when making turns. Katie is on Instagram, Bluesky, and Twitter at @katiehal16, on her website at katiehal.com.