I love reading MM romances that have a setting outside the US. You can learn so much about a different culture, even from a fiction book. It’s like traveling there, but through a story.

I remember books I read as a kid that took place elsewhere and how wonderful it was to see different customs, different sounds and smells. If the writer was good, this whole new world would come alive, so real you could taste it…

So, I asked the readers in my FB group Nora’s Nook what their favorite MM romances were with a setting outside the US. Here’s their top 5:

1. Red Dirt Heart series – N.R. Walker

This was my personal favorite as well. This series takes place in the Australian outback on a farm, a ranch, the Americans would say. It’s got everything you’d expect from a setting like that (red dirt, snakes, wombats, kangaroos, unforgiving nature, and more), plus an epic romance. Red Dirt Heart is one of my all-time favorite series.

2. Collars & Cuffs series – K.C. Wells and Parker Williams

For an authentic British setting in Manchester and a wonderful storyline set in a BSDM club, read the Collars & Cuffs series. Well-written, emotional, and sexy with some wonderful kink. Perfect combination.

3. Housemate series – Jay Northcote

Another series set in Britain, which is not surprising as the author is British. The Housemate series focuses on university students in various situations, including a cam boy, an escort, and more. Most books are a shorter novel, perfect to blaze through!

4. Mixed Messages series – Lily Morton

The Mixed Messages series combines perfect British snark with an authentic setting, partly in London but also in the British countryside and even the occasional Mediterranean island. The first book in the series, Rule Breaker, is legit one of the funniest books I’ve ever read.

5. Imago series – N.R. Walker

The author is Australian, so it makes sense for her books to be set there, but she makes the setting in Tasmania come alive in Imago. A nerdy butterfly-expert meets a park ranger as American would call it, and their romance has all the feels.

Other books and series that were mentioned were Unwritten Law by Eden Finley (which I haven’t read yet, but I assume has a setting in Australia), Felix and the Prince by Lucy Lennox (which is a special case because it includes a made-up kingdom in Europe, kind of like Monaco), some of the books in the Straight Guy series by Alessandra Hazard (settings in both the UK and Russia), and most of Renae Kaye’s books, including a favorite of mine, The Shearing Gun (set in Australia).

Any books with a setting outside the US you would add to this list?