If my friends Charlotte and Hannah both recommend a book, which is also then recommended by KJ Charles and Felicia Davin, then I have to read it. I beIf my friends Charlotte and Hannah both recommend a book, which is also then recommended by KJ Charles and Felicia Davin, then I have to read it. I believe it’s the actual law.
And Show Girl by Alyson Greaves 100% delivers on the promises they made me. Here is a joyful, affirming and powerful fairytale about a trans woman discovering herself in the most unlikely and extraordinary way; finding queer community and sisterhood; and realising that she was in love with her best friend all along. It’s a story full of exuberant joy - and Alex, who narrates her story in a dry witty style that reminds me of Alexis Hall’s Ardy, is a delight to spend the pages with. Being along for the ride as she navigates her identity feels like a privilege.
If that makes the book sound like a lot of fun, it is. But this isn’t a frothy story - it’s also an honest and sometimes painful exploration of what it means to come out as trans in your late teens/early 20s (even in the unusual situation Alex finds herself in). We’re with Alex as she experiences doubt, uncertainty, disbelief, fear; as she tests out different ways of thinking about herself, and experiences the highs of gender euphoria and the low lows of dysphoria. Although the story holds Alex safe in a queer-friendly space, there are moments when Alyson Greaves lets transphobia and sexual harassment break through. Ultimately the circle of safety reseals around Alex, but there is definitely enough raw honesty to trouble the fairytale. There is also a lot of interesting stuff here about gendered behaviour and performance, as we see Alex learn how to look, act and respond to others as a woman. Her relationship with James, her boss and best friend, is fascinating - his behaviour skirts so close to problematic, so many times, and yet still feels real and earnest.
This feels like the kind of trans romance novel we need - written by a trans woman author; joyful but open about the limitations of joy (and the times when it’s impossible); practical and realistic but also fantastical; and quietly pushing boundaries. I’m really grateful to have read it....more
5* for the epistolary prologue and epilogue, which I could have read a whole novel of, and for Folie, who has ascended into my pantheon of Kinsale her5* for the epistolary prologue and epilogue, which I could have read a whole novel of, and for Folie, who has ascended into my pantheon of Kinsale heroines for services to witty repartee. Oh, and for the cameos by credulous Byron. Fewer stars to the problematic basis of most of the plot. The writing, as always, is impeccable. ...more
If you are interested in what Romance is and does as a genre, and in the ways it intersects with contemporary feminism, then you should read this bookIf you are interested in what Romance is and does as a genre, and in the ways it intersects with contemporary feminism, then you should read this book. Peckham's earlier self-published novels are amongst my favourites, and this - coming from mainstream published Avon - confirms that she is smart af. It's a ferocious, sad, and painful story, about a woman who snatches her own HEA from the jaws of systemic inequality, without, for a moment, suggesting that her personal happiness fixes the fundamental problems at the heart of her experience.
*This novel has multiple CWs, especially around maternity, loss of a child and loss of a spouse, which I recommend people check before proceeding. Also bear in mind that this is a dark and angsty novel, and it does have what could be seen as a cliffhanger, although not for the main couple. ...more
Talia Hibbert marries politics and social justice with a lot of delightful sofa boinking in this swift hot novella, which almost convinced me that I lTalia Hibbert marries politics and social justice with a lot of delightful sofa boinking in this swift hot novella, which almost convinced me that I like the best friend’s sister trope. She’s a great writer, who switches between humour and deep sentiment with ease. I was supposed to be reading one of her Ravenswood novels when I got side tracked by this, and it proved a perfect first course. ...more
A light, gentle but sexy f/f historical, about childhood friends who learn to understand the nature of their strong feelings for one another.
Sarah anA light, gentle but sexy f/f historical, about childhood friends who learn to understand the nature of their strong feelings for one another.
Sarah and Win were inseparable as teenagers but Win’s early marriage to Sarah’s cousin cooled their friendship. Now, nearly 10 years later, Win is widowed and has fallen back on Sarah’s family for support. Thrown together as adults they find themselves mutually captivated. But what do their feelings mean?
The historical elements of this are clunky, but they’re not particularly important to the plot and the central pairing is sweet. I liked the way Win and Sarah had to work out what they were feeling, in the absence of other queer relationships to model themselves on. ...more
Lady Sarah Frampton leads two lives: in one she is a notorious wallflower, boring to even the most desperate of suitors; in the other she is the authoLady Sarah Frampton leads two lives: in one she is a notorious wallflower, boring to even the most desperate of suitors; in the other she is the author of wildly successful erotic novels, known only to the world as The Lady of Dubious Quality.
Jeremy Cleland is vicar of a Devon village, the quiet sober third son of a highly successful politician. When his father calls him to London and gives him a job - to track down the Lady and stop her writing for the sake of England’s morals - he is horrified. But not for the reason his father thinks. For years he has denied his sexuality and personal desires, reading the Lady in secret. What will happen when he finds her?
I *adored* this book, so so much more than I expected. For one thing, it’s achingly good at describing desire and longing. When the book opens both Sarah and Jeremy are veterans of grappling with and suppressing their physical needs. They are strung so tight they are almost alienated from their own bodies. Eva Leigh captures this really well, and then uses the first half of the story to draw out their slow loosening. There are some classic scenes, but an especial favourite was when they accidentally find themselves at an erotic art show. Standing next to each other, thrumming with sexual tension, looking at sculptures and paintings that represent what they desperately want, but unable to acknowledge each other and unable to touch. *shivers* For another thing, the release when it does come is INCREDIBLY HOT but still delicate. There is some beautiful writing about how, for Sarah, finally experiencing the acts that she’s imagined and written so much about makes her real, gives her a body in the world.
More than anything this is a book about why writing about and reading about romance, sex and sexuality shouldn’t be a guilty pleasure. Sarah risks everything to publish her books, first because it’s a necessary act of self-acknowledgement, and second because she wants to liberate other people to express their own desire. This is a particularly salient theme for me at the moment, while I’m working to understand my sudden passion for reading exactly the kind of books Sarah writes. You wouldn’t have thought that a book could be steamy and reflective at the same time, but Temptation of a Wallflower manages it. I’ll definitely be reading the others in the series (this was the third and final book of a trilogy, which I didn’t realise when I started it, but it didn’t really seem to matter)....more
Molly Wilkins, familiar from her bit part in the first Turner book, returns here as a lady’s maid to Mrs. Wroxhall, reformed from her life of petty crMolly Wilkins, familiar from her bit part in the first Turner book, returns here as a lady’s maid to Mrs. Wroxhall, reformed from her life of petty crime. She’s thrown together with Alice, Mrs Wroxhall’s meek companion, and an undeniable attraction develops.
This was...fine. It has all of Cat Sebastian’s trademark lightness, and Alice and Molly are sweet, but it’s very slight, both in terms of length and of plotting. ...more
A retelling of Beauty and the Beast entirely from the perspective of the Beast, about which I felt decidedly meh. It was slow, sometimes torturously sA retelling of Beauty and the Beast entirely from the perspective of the Beast, about which I felt decidedly meh. It was slow, sometimes torturously so, and did very little that was new with the fairytale. The best parts in my opinion took place away from the main story, amongst the family Isabeau (Beauty) has left behind. Her sisters Marie and Claude at least have some actual character development. Otherwise its felt very staid and safe. ...more
A retelling of Beauty and the Beast with real teeth, that features a female lead with cerebral palsy who kicks ass. In so many ways it aced the thingsA retelling of Beauty and the Beast with real teeth, that features a female lead with cerebral palsy who kicks ass. In so many ways it aced the things that matter to me: dialogue, character development, motivations, relationships, friendships. It was subtle in all of these things, and particularly in the friendship between Rhen (the 'beast') and his Guard Commander, Grey. Which is why I largely forgave the fact that the plot stuttered a little, especially at the very end where there is a Big Reveal that feels entirely out of the blue and ridiculously coincidental. Often I struggle with YA for just this reason (also: because I find teenagers, generally, very annoying) and I was sorry that A Curse So Dark and Lonely fell into this trap right at the very last minute. But overall it was a compulsive read and I will almost certainly read the second one when it comes out next year. ...more
Three women in their mid-thirties navigate friendship, love, motherhood and their sexuality in Anna Hope’s third novel, set between the mid-1990s and Three women in their mid-thirties navigate friendship, love, motherhood and their sexuality in Anna Hope’s third novel, set between the mid-1990s and 2018. It was beautifully, carefully done - pristine, crisp and infinitely readable - but full of echoes of half a dozen novels I’ve read before, about the lives of women in the early 21st century. It was utterly and completely unsurprising. Which was a disappointment for me, given how much I loved both of Hope’s previous novels, Wake and The Ballroom. ...more
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