#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

[mermaidsirennikita]

NOVEMBER 2024 LGBT+ ROMANCE RECS

It's always important to support diverse books, y'all. This isn't new.

But on a financial and outspoken level, it's going to be important in the coming days for Americans (and honestly, unfortunately, non-Americans too) to support queer (and BIPOC) books.

So, with no preamble.... And I do want to make clear, I'm a cis white woman (sexuality: God, I don't even know anymore)... Queer books I think you should try—

F/F:

Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring-Blake. Contemporary. CHRISTMAS. Charlotte heads to her best friend's house for the holidays, only to find that her best friend's sister brought HER best friend... Brighton, Charlotte's childhood sweetheart who left her at the altar years ago. Angst, lots of holiday dating, and hot hot sex ensue.

Seas and Greetings by Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy. Contemporary. Christmas-adjacent. A high-end influencer embarks on a brand cruise with a stern, super hot bodyguard. But someone is threatening to expose her secret... (not her bisexuality).

This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher. Fantasy. Years after their fearless leader is killed saving the world, a fgroup of heroes must come back together to... save the world again? Sort of? Two core romances, one of which is m/f and one of which is f/f—a nerdy witchy agoraphobic type comes back into play with the assassin she used to hook up with on previous quests.

Set the Record Straight by Hannah Bonam-Young. Contemporary. Christmas! A pair of friends do the classic fake dating thing when one of them needs a girlfriend for a work function and the other needs a girlfriend to show up her ex at a holiday get together. Bi awakening, very sweet, novella.

An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera. Historical. Latina and Afro-Latina leads. An heiress strikes a deal with an older businesswoman; she'll give the businesswoman the property she wants in exchange for an introduction and adventure in sapphic Paris before our girl has to marry a man. Truly excellent content.

The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton. Sci-fi. A scientist ends up accidentally launching herself and her friends into space, and their only help is the hologram of the ship's former captain, who mysteriously went missing with her entire crew years ago. Also, she's a hot ice queen.

A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland. Historical fantasy. A midwife helps a mysterious fisherman's wife give birth, only to find that the woman's origins may be more mystical than they seem. Spoiler alert: lesbian selkies. Also spoiler alert: Comeuppance for a shitty, shitty husband.

A Long Time Dead by Samara Breger. Historical paranormal. A sex worker is transformed into a vampire and enters into a looooong term sapphic love triangle with the villain of the novel and the uptight, persnickety mentor who's taken her in. Kinda like Interview with the Vampire, but hotter and gayer (yes) and way less of a sausage fest.

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall. Historical fantasy. A young debutante in a "Midsummer Night's Dream x Pride and Prejudice" type world ends up hexed and in a back and forth with a mysterious lady duke rumored to have committed at least two murders.

The Conquering of Tate the Pious by Sierra Simone. Historical. A medieval abbess has to defend her nunnery against the villainous lady conqueror who's come to town. "Defend" can mean many things, FYI.

The Fiancee Farce by Alexandra Bellefleur. Contemporary. A fun little fake dating inheritance game book, in which a cover model/heiress convinces a woman who's already been pretending that she's his girlfriend to quiet questions, to... You know. Fake being her fiancee. In a farce.

M/M

The Will Darling Adventures by KJ Charles. Trilogy, historical. A WWI vet gets entangled with capers and espionage, while falling for a former Bolshevik upper class danger man. SO FUN.

The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles. Historical. A romcom in which a prickly upper class man strikes a deal... of a carnal nature... after catching a fortune hunter trying to seduce his niece.

The Witch Walker Series by Charissa Weaks. Fantasy. Multiple romances, and the primary is M/F, but there are multiple POVs and a prominent, excellent, villain second chance romance between two men, both of whom have POVs. Additionally, the hero of the M/F romance has recently been revealed to be bi through the offshoot Tales from Tiressia. Yay!

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian. Historical. 1950s reporters begin as friends, then become roommates, then become... more than roommates.

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian. Historical. A baseball player on a rough streak and a grieving and snippy reporter following him around on the sports beat get entangled.

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian. Historical. A former highwayman-turned-cafe-owner agrees to mentor a dandy in the art of highwaymanery so that he can steal from his horrible father. Has deminisexual rep, as well as disability rep.

Glitterland by Alexis Hall. Contemporary. A bipolar down on his luck author hooks up with a working class club kid, then accidentally ends up in a relationship.

Saint by Sierra Simone. Contemporary. A monk ends up touring monasteries with his reporter ex-boyfriend. Lots of exploration of mental health here (and it's super hot).

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles. Historical. A new baronet moves to the marsh to care for his messy family, only to find out that one of the leading members the local organized crime family is that guy he used to anonymously hook up with.

The Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by KJ Charles. A veteran turned nobleman employs a secretary in order to help him hold on to his title (his family hates him) only to realize... that secretary... is hot.

Snow Place Like L.A. by Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy. Contemporary. Christmas-adjacent. A costume designer runs into the one who got away and is SUPER BITTER. But, you know. It's a time for forgiveness.

Mafia Target by Mila Finelli. Dark/mafia. An assassin after a prominent don's son gets obsessed in a different way, and their game of cat and mouse becomes something more.

Band Sinister by KJ Charles. Historical. A flustered young innocent ends up having to head over to the Dangerous House after his sister has to rest there following an injury. Finds out that the group of scoundrels there are both better and worse than he thought. Sendup to gothics!

Heated Rivalry and The Long Game by Rachel Reid. Hockey contemporary. A pair of connected books about the long-term relationship between two hockey rivals, which begins as a hookup situationship and turns into something more... One of my ultimates!

Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall. Historical. After the woman he proposes to runs away, a stuffy duke enlists her fabulous twin brother to help him catch her... Demi rep.

Trans and NB

The Prospects by KT Hoffman. Baseball contemporary. The first trans man in the league ends up on the same team as the guy who abandoned their friendship years ago—leading to a rivalry... which leads to another thing.

Rules for Ghosting by Shelly Jay Shore. Light paranormal. A ghost-seeing trans guy ends up having to return to helping with his family's funeral home... And falls for a volunteer... only that volunteer's husband is currently haunting him. Jewish rep.

Most Ardently by Gabriel Cole Navoa. Historical. YA. A Pride and Prejudice retelling in which we have Oliver Bennet, a trans boy trying his best, and Darcy, the dude he hates.

A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell. Historical. A widow ends up on a long distance bicycle race with a rakish former artist turned bicycle fiend, who happens to be trans. As a note, the author is married to a trans man who happens to be a queer historian!

Chef's Choice by TJ Alexander. Contemporary. A down on her luck woman agrees to pretend to date a Frenchman from a billionaire family as he embarks on an ancestral cooking challenge. Both leads are trans.

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall. Historical. After faking her death at Waterloo in order to transition, a woman ends up tending to her former best friend as he recovers from PTSD and a laudanum addiction. He doesn't recognize her at first. At first... Disability and addiction rep.

For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes. Contemporary. A trans woman hooks up with a stranger, only to discover he's just been hired as a higher-up with her company.

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston. Contemporary. Exes (one of whom has come out as NB since they broke up) end up on the same European food and wine tour years later, and agree to reestablish their friendship (dating back to childhood) in a competition to see who can hook up with the most people.

His Valet by S.M. LaViolette. Historical. An NB valet (uses she/her pronouns in respect to the era) pretends to be a man while infatuated with her boss. In order to have a few nights with him, they take up the identity of a mysterious widow... And it spirals BIG TIME from there.

Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian. Historical. A marquess believes his new best friend is a man—they're actually in disguise (uses she/her pronouns in respect to the era). After he discovers their true identity, the friendship yields to more...

Something Spectacular by Alexis Hall. Historical. A genderfluid dandy sets out to grudgingly help her ex seduce a castrato soprano... Only to capture their attention herself.

Queer Non-Monogamy (Everyone Is Together To Be Clear)

Triple Sec by TJ Alexander. Contemporary. Open poly triad romance. A bartender meets a sparkly lawyer, only to find out that the sparkly lawyer has an NB spouse. While our bartender dates the lawyer at first, she soon begins recognizing a tension between herself and her new girlfriend's prickly, aloof wife...

The New Camelot Trilogy by Sierra Simone. Dark contemporary, closed triad. A retelling of King Arthur set within the presidency. Super sexy, super angsty, suuuuper poly.

The Lyonesse Series by Sierra Simone (ongoing). Dark contemporary, closed triad (presumably). A retelling of Tristan and Isolde, in which a bodyguard falls for his boss, then is sent to collect said boss's fiancee... And the shit really hits the fan. Again, super hot, really intense.

The Thornchapel Series by Sierra Simone. Dark light paranormal. Closed(ish) triad with a secondary but prominent monogamous f/f romance. A group of childhood friends get back together just in time for a mysterious magic to begin wreaking havoc on the land... VERY dark academia with some pretty intense taboo (message me if concerned).

Consort of Fire and Queen of Dreams by Kit Rocha. Fantasy, closed triad. A princess sets out to marry a dragon shifter known for killing his previous spouses—except she, with the help of her handmaiden and lover, sets out to kill HIM.

Give Me More by Sara Cate. Contemporary, closed triad. A married couple and their best friend set out on a road trip together, only for things to become... blurred.

[triviareads]

do you have similar recommendations to the duke gets even? historical romances with feminist themes? thank you 🙏

Hi! Sorry for the delay especially considering you asked this last week, but yeah, here are some of the historicals I particularly enjoyed:

A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera: Luz Alana is a Dominican rum heiress who's not only an innovator in the field, but she also wants to expand distribution of her family's rum, except obviously she faces hurdles because, men. There's also a lot of discussion of exactly where wealthy Europeans' money was coming on, and the ties between the aristocracy and colonialism, slavery, and exploitation.

An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera: This sapphic romance did a really lovely job of showing that yes, queer people of color existed throughout history and particularly in Paris at this time. The book also makes a case for how intertwined capitalism and colonialism is, and by the end, Cora comes to the realization that maybe being one of the few women in a powerful position in a capitalist system isn't exactly the feminist win many still think it is.

A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke by Adriana Herrera (out 2/5/25): I have to give Adriana Herrera props for the level of medical research she must have done because this book REALLY gets into the nitty-gritty of how women suffered (and still suffer!) when they did not have access to proper medical care, and the extent to which the patriarchy (husbands, fathers, law enforcement, etc.) prevents women from having this access. The heroine Aurora is a Black woman of Dominican-Mexican descent; she's one of the few qualified female doctors of the time, and she's LITERALLY putting her life and body on the line to help these women by setting up an underground women's clinic.

A Rose Blooms in Brooklyn by Ginny Moore: Another historical dealing with reproductive rights except in the United States around the turn of the century. The hero runs a women's shelter and was widowed after his late wife died during childbirth because they did not have access to contraception. And his shelter is based out of the poorer areas of Brooklyn, you really see how working class women and immigrant women suffer from the lack of reproductive healthcare access.

The Counterfeit Scoundrel by Lorraine Heath: I really like the level of specificity Lorraine Heath offers in a lot of her romances when it comes to less-discussed aspects of women's rights. In England, divorce was extremely difficult for women specifically to obtain, and the hero has a lot of guilt over his own mother, so he helps women by pretending to have affairs with them, and that way, their husbands can divorce them for adultery, a process that would be MUCH easier than wives trying to find cause to divorce their husbands.

The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite: A quieter, more introspective sapphic romance that hits on some issues that are pretty prevalent to this day; It intertwines themes of women’s intellectual labor being rejected or undervalued, but then traditional women’s work is ALSO undervalued. Lucy’s contributions to the astronomy field are repeatedly devalued by male scientists or used without credit, and Catherine’s embroidery isn’t “high art” and therefore not worth notice or artistic approval. You really can't win with the patriarchy, basically.

Temptations of a Wallflower by Eva Leigh: If you're looking for something lighter that takes on themes of censorship, specifically censoring sexual content geared towards women. The heroine secretly writes erotica under a pen name and inadvertently educates women through her writing, and the hero is charged by his powerful father to bring her down without knowing her true identity.

I do think Liana De la Rosa's Luna Sisters series gets into the intersectionality of the feminist movement but overall has stronger anti-racist, anti-imperialist themes. The sisters are all undervalued by their father, who is a high-ranking official in President Juarez's government-in-exile, and Isabel especially wants to make something of herself and offers to spy for the exiled First Lady of Mexico in order to fight the French occupation of Mexico. Ana Maria on the other hand takes the classic but historically undervalued route of being something of a political hostess, but using her power to advocate for her husband's progressive policies and anti-slavery bill.

The Lady Charlotte's Society of Angels series by Grace Callaway: What I appreciate about this series is that the Society is willing to provide investigative services to women who are often turned away by male investigators and men in power. Also, there are significant subplots with multiple heroines who hide their jobs from their love interests because they're afraid they will make them stop. Ultimately, none of them do, which is actually quite progressive compared to the one Grace Callaway heroine from a previous gen who basically gave up her investigator ambitions after marriage.

There are a lot more historical romances that have more subtle feminist themes (ex: I was just thinking about Bed Me, Earl by Felicity Niven where the heroine realizes that none of the men in her life— her brother, her husband— bothered to tell her how shitty her husband's finances were before marrying him despite there being affection on BOTH their parts before marriage, but she's made to bear the brunt of those consequences anyway, and legally has no recourse or rights post-marriage. The nice thing is, the husband fully agrees to put his finances in her hands so she can fix them, and there is a rather hysterical "you're pulling out until our money situation is stable" sitch as a result) but I wanted to focus on ones that felt standout to me. I also have thoughts on historicals that use intersectionality as window dressing, basically, which you can read here.

[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

[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

[tsunflowers]

"an island princess starts a scandal" by adriana herrera has the kind of storyline you expect from a smutty historical romance. in 1889 paris, an aloof aristocrat who thinks only of power and business enters a contract with an artistic heiress whose family has lost their wealth, both claiming it's purely a business relationship but catching feelings. except they're both lesbians who were born in South America (one in Chile and one in the DR but she grew up in Venezuela). the discomfort and annoyance that I might feel with this kind of power difference between a man and a woman is mitigated by their shared minority status. plus almost anything is good if you change it from m/f to f/f. fact

there's quite a few sex scenes and they aren't bad. a little cringey in the way historical romance always is. like, too much use of the word "rump" for my taste. but it's good that the sex is between two women who are really intent on making each other cum. I feel like with het piv smut even if the woman is enjoying herself it sometimes just feels like she's along for the ride. since I always award a book a yippee for lesbian sex here's the yippee for this one

it's just a fun read. I don't consider myself a fan of historical romance bc it usually pisses me off but this was truly lesbian feminist historical romance. it gave me the chance to read something super dramatic and full of tropes from the genre and actually enjoy it