#An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera

[betterbooksandthings]

"Radically reimagining queer joy is the project of the best queer historical romance books.

Historical research and fantasy are the founding pillars of historical romance. There are certain things about the past that any historical romance is willing to hand-wave away. In return, readers of the genre buy into that imagined past.

Queer historical romance is perhaps more radical in its approach. Not because it is less historically accurate than any other historical romance but because it works against the myth that queer people never existed in the past.

Patriarchy, Teleology, and Queer Historical Romance

Patriarchy and teleology undoubtedly work against queer historical romance. The teleological view of history is the idea that history works in a forward march of progress to a single unified goal. Teleology works against historical romance’s aim to humanize people from the past. The genre gives characters access to joy and agency that often feels anachronistic, especially to readers unfamiliar with the periods.

Pair teleology with a frankly overwhelming body of historians using patriarchal lenses to interpret history, and many dismiss all historical romance as entirely inaccurate. Not to mention, a general de-prioritization of joy and the humanization of people throughout history complicates the idea that everyone should view the past one way.

As historical romance books continue to include queer and BIPOC characters, arguments of historical inaccuracy continue to pile onto the genre. Queer historical romance rejects the claim, “In the before times, things were bad, everyone was horrible, and queer people or non-white people didn’t have power.”

So, while all historical fiction will include fiction by its genre category alone, diverse historical romance bears the brunt of historical inaccuracy claims.

What Makes a Great Queer Historical Romance?

So maybe it is unsurprising that I love queer historical romance quite so much. It’s radical, fun, engrossing, and sometimes downright silly.

Selecting just a dozen books to feature in this list was difficult, especially when so many queer historical romance authors have excellent backlists. If I were you, I would start with the twelve best queer historical romance books here and then go into each other’s backlist for an even better time."

[lgbtqreads]

Fave Five: Victorian F/F Romance

A Bluestocking’s Guide to Decadence by Jess Everlee A Long Time Dead by Samara Breger (PNR) Hen Fever by Olivia Waite Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan Bonus: While not technically Victorian itself, An Island Princess Stars a Scandal by Adriana Herrera is set in Paris during that era

[libraryleopard]

an island princess starts a scandal by adriana herrera (canary street press, 2023)

[pridepages]

🌈 Happy Pride! 🌈

Good things come in sets of sixes as I spotlight some of my favorite rainbow reads.

✨ Category is: Favorites Read in 2023✨

Learn more about them under the cut!

Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake (RomCom, Rep: F/F, lesbian, bisexual)

Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore (YA gay remix of The Great Gatsby, Rep: M/M, transmen, sapphic characters, BIPOC mcs)

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta (YA Scifi, Rep: F/F, bisexual, lesbian, BIPOC mcs)

Teacher of the Year by MA Wardell (Spicy/Sweet Romance, Rep: M/M, gay, unlabeled queer mc, BIPOC mc, neurodivergent mcs, ADHD mc, Jewish mc)

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli (YA coming out/romcom, Rep: F/F, bisexual, lesbian, nonbinary sc, Jewish mcs, BIPOC scs)

An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera (Historical Romance, F/F, lesbian, BIPOC mcs)

[the-final-sentence]

'We live happily ever after, princesa,' she answered instantly, her heart full of this wild, untamable love, and she believed ever word.

Adriana Herrera, from An Island Princess Starts a Scandal

[dhaaruni]

So excited to get into these two ARCs!

[overflowingshelf]

July 2024 Reading Recap

Well, August didn’t start off how I expected, which is why I’m a bit delayed in getting my recap up for July. Unfortunately, my cat Fox was unexpectedly hospitalized again last weekend with congestive heart failure, but she’s back home now with a new dose of meds to help keep that in check. But that’s putting her kidneys at higher risk as she also has kidney disease, so it’s a delicate balance. I…

[thebooklovebot]

REVIEW: An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera

PUBLISHER: Canary Street Press PUBLICATION DATE:May 30, 2023. GENRE: Romance / Historical Romance / LGBTQIA+ Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy in exchange of my honest opinion! I’m so happy I got the chance to read this book. I completely fell in love with The Leonas and their lovers. I fell in love with Adriana’s writing, I loved every second of reading…

[fahye]

your book reccomendations are always excellent, do you have any favorite queer romance authors? looking for the standard “trashy” romance vibes but with queer people if possible, thank you so much!

let's see! romance vibes but make it queer.

Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake (f/f contemp small town romance)

One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny (m/m medieval historical, fluff and identity shenanigans in a forest)

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner (f/f contemp 'oh shit I banged my roommate's hot mum')

basically anything by Alexis Hall but start with Boyfriend Material (m/m contemp romcom) or A Lady For A Duke (m/f regency with a trans heroine) for classic romance vibes

Teacher of the Year by M.A. Wardell (m/m contemp about a teacher and a student's dad) is extremely sweet

I can't imagine you've spent any time around my tumblr without hearing me yell READ EVERYTHING BY KJ CHARLES!! but today I will rec Any Old Diamonds (m/m historical, thief/aristocrat with HEIST SHENANIGANS)

For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes (m/f contemp with trans heroine and lots of kink) is scorching hot and heaps of fun

I have heard great things about An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera (f/f historical, SEX PACT WITH A DUCHESS) but my ordered copy hasn't arrived yet

ditto The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur (contemporary f/f celebrity marriage of convenience/fake dating), which I JUST got my paws on today and am excited to read

fuck it, Gaywyck by Vincent Virga was the first m/m gothic romance (1980!) and it's Truly The Most Gothic so if you like oldschool romances where the vibes are problematic but extremely delicious, check it out.

...and then read this great article by chels about Problematic Queer Books and why we need them

[bojanus]

Mid-Year Book Freak Out

Thank you for the tag @falliblefabrial, since my new years resolution this year was to read more, it's exciting to lay out some of my reading so far mid way through the year :D

Number of books you’ve read so far: 29

Best book you’ve read so far in 2024:

Though I've read several fantastic books, I'm gonna highlight Sex Bunker Apocalypse by Adam Brink here. It was among the first handful of books I picked up this year to start reading more, and its fast pace and pure commitment to its premise made it an engaging read. The setup is uniquely zany (three people bunker down in a sex shop during an apocalypse, and when they leave it the world has changed in fantastical ways), and it's executed with such heart and sincerity that I was invested from the first page to the final one.

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2024: 

I have a terrible habit of reading like, the mid-series or even final books of romance series without reading the first books, but thankfully they're usually designed for each book to stand on its own.

So far my favorite has been An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera, which is technically #2 in the Las Leonas trilogy. I discovered this year that I'm a sucker for historical romance, but was struggling to find a good execution of a sapphic historical romance until THIS book. The pairing is great, there's a delicious push and pull of the power dynamic since each have something the other wants, but it's also grounded in some real historical context of the lesbian scene in Paris. Lovable characters, real stakes, and tension that culminates in some decadent sex scenes!

New release you haven’t read yet but want to: 

I have Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban and A Blustocking's Guide to Decadence by Jess Everlee on some of my libby lists. I may or may not read them depending on library availability. Can you tell I'm trawling the "sapphic historical romance" tags? XD.

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year:

I'm not super plugged in to release schedules and such, so currently don't have anything in particular anticipated!

Biggest surprise favorite new author (debut or new to you): 

If you can believe it, I never read any Jane Austen until this year and I am now HOOKED. Pride & Prejudice, Emma, and Persuasion are the ones I've read so far, and each one continually delights me. Despite being written over 200 years ago, her characterizations, emotions, and social foibles are timeless. I remember in Emma there's a section towards the end where a woman excitedly reads a letter her crush sent her to a friend and I was like "!!!! That's literally just like today, like sending screenshots of texts in the groupchat!!!!" So even though I am no expert in some of the historical nuances, I find the characters and their interactions SO relatable they feel like something I could find today.

Newest fictional crush:

In The Salvation Gambit by Emily Skrutskie, there's a super hot lady who works in a forge carved out of a spaceship making weapons, and she's described SO cool and hot and competent and sweaty... Ahaha I drooled (honestly all the women in that book are hot)

Book that made you cry: 

Okay well let's be real I'll cry at almost any book, but I'll specify that I cried while reading Satisfaction Guaranteed by Karelia Stetz-Waters. It's an adult romance that felt very grounded, and there were some particular scenes about following your dreams and such that touched my heart (plus the beginning is a funeral! There are funny bits but there is also some sincere grief that got to me).

Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received): 

The Stars too Fondly by Emily Hamilton has a beautiful cover that matches the book very well.

Book that made you happy: 

The Gentleman's Gambit by Evie Dunmore was the first modern-written historical romance I read this year (I had read some Jane Austen prior, which is of course slightly different vibe), and revealed to me just how fun and engaging historical romance can be. I remember literally kicking my feet and giggling because I was so invested and delighted in how things played out.

What books do you need to read by the end of the year?: 

Well currently A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers just arrived on my libby, so I need to read that soon before the loan runs out. I also just ordered Endurance by Elaine Burns since I'm in a bit of a sapphic sci-fi mood, so once that's here I hope to read it. I also am pretty sure I need to finally read Murderbot at some point (it's the kind of thing where I've heard so many good things about it that I'm pretty sure I'll love it, but then once I've read it it'll be over ahaha so I keep "saving" it for later).

No pressure tags (if you want to ignore, I will not be offended): @lifeofmysteries, @3eggy5me, @meiioh, @avatar-masterofallfandoms, @musicallynerdy

[burins]

it's time for my big books of the year roundup! gonna do a separate post for graphic novels/comics bc there were simply soooo many of those this year. bolded are my particular favorites

JANUARY

The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability: For All of Us Who Live with Disabilities, Chronic Pain, and Illness by Cory Silverberg, Fran Odette, Miriam Kaufman (reread)

The World We Make by NK Jemisin

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (audio)

The Future Is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes and Mourning Songs by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal

FEBRUARY

The Librarian's Guide to Homelessness: An Empathy-Driven Approach to Solving Problems, Preventing Conflict, and Serving Everyone by Ryan Dowd

Libraries and Homelessness: An Action Guide by Julie Ann Winkelstein

Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane (audio)

MARCH

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo (audio)

The Stars Undying by Emery Robin (audio)

APRIL

Babel: An Arcane History by RF Kuang (audio)

Get Inside: Responsible Jail and Prison Library Service by Nicholas Higgins

MAY

The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K LeGuin (audio)

The Dispossessed by Ursula K LeGuin (audio)

How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler

Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food in America by Mayukh Sen (audio)

The Betrayals by Bridget Collins (audio)

Paper Bead Jewelry: Step-by-Step Instructions for 40+ Designs by Keiko Sakamoto

JUNE

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (audio)

Translation State by Ann Leckie

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

Happy Place by Emily Henry

An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera

JULY

Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life by Alice Wong (audio)

SEPTEMBER

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson 

The Sundial by Shirley Jackson (audio)

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan (audio)

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

NOVEMBER

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield (audio)

Palestinian Walks: Forays into a Vanishing Landscape by Raja Shehadeh (audio)

Where the Line Is Drawn: A Tale of Crossings, Friendships, and Fifty Years of Occupation in Israel-Palestine by Raja Shehadeh (audio)

DECEMBER

The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot by Robert Macfarlane (audio)

Kissinger's Shadow: The Long Reach of America's Most Controversial Statesman by Greg Grandin (audio)

Golda Slept Here by Suad Amiry

The Trial of Henry Kissinger by Christopher Hitchens

A Power Unbound by Freya Marske

below the cut, some writeups for my faves:

Wolf Hall - it's not news but Hilary Mantel is among the best to ever do characterization in just a few sentences

The Future Is Disabled - emerging from the rage & fear of being disabled during COVID lakshmi piepzna-samarasinha never lets us forget the joys of disabled community

Libraries and Homelessness - this is partly a spite pick bc i HATED ryan dowd’s book so much. this is an empathetic and practical guide to providing services to unhoused patrons that encourages community partnership, is full of examples, and isn’t miserably condescending!

Underland - i liked this so much i wrote a cave scene in timkon road trip fic. The texture of the prose is delicious!

The Stars Undying - i don’t actually know the story of antony and cleopatra very well but this was a very tasty space opera with messy messy characters

The Lathe of Heaven - still thinking about this 7 months later! Every year I read a LeGuin and it knocks me on my ass for the rest of the year. The opening scene is one of the best things I’ve ever read. (I liked The Dispossessed very very much but I loved Lathe.)

Mimicking of Known Successes - delightful noir-flavored scifi, great worldbuilding and equally great exes.

Some Desperate Glory - do you ever leave a cult against your will, and also you’re the worst girl in the world! This one is for all the clementine kesh fans. Breakneck.

The Haunting of Hill House - this was a great year for me to read books written 50+ years ago. I tweeted about it when i read it but ooghhghhgh this book is devastating. What if you got everything you ever wanted and finally felt at home and everyone called it evil.

Where the Line is Drawn - this was my second book by Shehadeh and it never shies away from the thorniness and hurt inherent in human relationships formed amidst occupation. Really, really excellent.

Kissinger’s Shadow - concisely unravels the ways Kissinger’s legacy shapes every part of US foreign policy you’ve ever heard of. Also really gets at the paranoid ouroboros of Kissinger’s personal philosophy.

Golda Slept Here - the legacy of several Palestinian houses, told through an eclectic mix of personal narratives, photographs, and occasional poetry. Funny and angry and heartbreaking.

[mermaidsirennikita]

Do you know characters from historical fiction who have unusal jobs?

I'm gonna go with this under a historical romance lens as I don't really read historical fiction much anymore :)

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller has a heroine who runs a hotel in Vienna! This book is so different and interesting in so many ways

Lady Charlotte in Grace Callaway's Lady Charlotte's Society of Angels series (Victorian Charlie's Angels) runs a detective agency lol

In Want of a Viscount by Lorraine Heath features an entrepreneur heroine! I don't know that it's like, her JOB JOB, but it's still there. The Notorious Lord Knightly, my favorite book in that same series, has a heroine who secretly writes an erotic memoir about her experiences with the hero, lol. It's like... Lady Whistledown if she slayed, and was less "DEAREST READER" and more "that fucking asshole Lord K touched my nipples in a garden and I think you all should know that"

(Lord K: OH MY GOD. I ONLY TOUCHED ONE PERSON'S NIPPLES IN A GARDEN.)

Prince of Broadway by Joanna Shupe features a heroine who wishes to be a casino owner. She's not there yet, but the book is about her getting there with the hero's help. Baron, an earlier Shupe book, has a heroine who's a fake psychic lmao

The heroines of Julie Anne Long's Lady Derring Takes a Lover and Angel in a Devil's Arms run a boarding house together--which in itself isn't a crazy job, but it's definitely not super common for ladies of their day and status (the titular Lady Derring was a countess before her husband died, and the other heroine was that husband's mistress). After Dark with the Duke, another book in that series, has an opera singer heroine.

The Postilion by S.M. LaViolette has a heroine who's disguised as a young man and does in fact work as a postilion (fancy horse helper). LaViolette has some other leads with interesting jobs... His Valet features a valet lead, which isn't THAT crazy (though I've never read a valet hero) but the character was assigned female at birth and is disguised as a man (she uses she/her pronouns by and large in private, but is clearly nonbinary). Aurelia features a heroine who draws nature sketches for a naturalist hero. If it counts because it's kinda under the table but still, Hyacinth has a heroine who disguises herself as a man and racks up cash by playing cards. The titular Melissa of Melissa and the Vicar runs a high class brothel.

Actually, When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare ALSO features a heroine with that same job.

S.M. LaViolette writes as Minerva Spencer as well, and she has a series about a string of heroines who are in a ladies' circuses. The Boxing Baroness features a lady boxer; The Dueling Duchess features a gunslinging duchess; and The Cutthroat Countess has a heroine who throws knives for a living.

A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera has a heroine who runs her family's rum business, and An Island Princess Starts a Scandal has an artist heroine and a business bitch heroine.

The Duke's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley has a lady reporter heroine, which is why she feels perfectly comfortable jumping into her ex-fiance's carriage and going "SOMEONE SENT ME PICTURES OF YOU NAKED".

The Lord I Left by Scarlett Peckham features a dominatrix heroine, and the recently released The Mistress Experience (excellent) has a famous courtesan heroine. The heroine of The Rakess is a famous writer and lady about town.

Lisa Kleypas has a couple of author heroines--Sara Fielding in Dreaming of You and Amanda in Suddenly You.

[lgbtqreads]

Happy Caribbean American Heritage Month

Happy Caribbean American Heritage Month! We’re celebrating as we do, with queer Caribbean fiction! Middle Grade Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender Being born during a hurricane is considered unlucky where twelve-year-old Caroline Murphy lives, and she has had her share of bad luck lately. She’s hated and bullied by everyone in her small school on St. Thomas of the US Virgin Islands. A spirit only…

[libraryleopard]

Adult historical F/F romance novel set in Belle Epoque France

Heiress Manuela comes to Paris for one more summer of freedom before her arranged marriage and enters into a contract with the infamously ruthless Duchess Cora–one summer of Cora's guidance through the carefree lesbian scene of the city in exchange for selling a parcel of family land that Cora needs for her business ventures

But as the two of them grow closer during their summer of art and scandal, Manuela and Cora must decide if it's worth risking their contract–and their reputations–for love

Afro-Dominican-Venezuelan lesbian main character; Chilean lesbian main character

[pridepages]

🏳️‍🌈 Titles read in April 2023🏳️‍⚧️

Ace of Spades by Fariddah Abike Lymidide

An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera

The Feeling of Falling in Love by Mason Deaver

The Problem with Perfect by Philip William Stover

[triviareads]

Hello, sorry to bother, can you recommend historicals where the hero or heroine play an instrument? Or even don't play but like music

Always Be My Duchess by Amalie Howard: Montcroix a cellist and there's an EXCELLENT scene where he's hard after watching Nève dance and he's trying to play his cello to exercise his frustrations but then she shows up and he proceeds to play her like a cello, vibrato and all.

Theory of Earls by Kathleen Ayers: Maggie plays the piano so stirringly that apparently it borders on wanton for her Victorian audience. The hero Tony is also a gifted pianist and this book features piano fingering, piano oral, and a ruination... on a piano.

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing A Rake by Sarah MacLean: Ralston is secretly a great pianist and he's playing very angstily when Callie sneaks into his house to request that he give her her first kiss.

Patience by Lisa Valdez: Both Matthew and Patience are cellists, I think they duet at some point, and there's a this super hot scene where she's in his lap with her legs spread and they're both playing his cello which leads to more.

Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas: Helen is an accomplished pianist and plays for Rhys in the prior book while he's recovering from his injuries and he's *entranced*. In Marrying Winterborne, Rhys also tries to bribe her into sleeping with him by offering to buy her a new piano. It does work. Kind of.

An Island Princess Starts A Scandal by Adriana Herrera: I mean, they must enjoy the opera enough for Cora to go down on Manuela in their private box during a performance.

In Which Winnie Halifax is Utterly Ruined by Alexandra Vasti: Ditto for Spencer and Winnie ^^

And if you wanna read about endearingly shitty musicians, there's always the Smythe-Smith Quartet series by Julia Quinn.

EDIT:

M is for Marquess by Grace Callaway: Thea and Tremont first meet after she plays the piano and he's super stirred by it and he later admits he wanted to take her on said piano.