#i just finished princes gambit

[leynaeithnea]

The emotions Im feeling right now

[obxfiles]

reading buddy!

[tschulijulesjulie]

its always a religious experience to exchange an old taylor swift song with its new taylors version on an old playlist

[onlytruepain]

So I just finished Prince's Gambit and I had to draw them before I continue to book 3...

[hushed-chorus]

2024 Reading Roundup (Featuring Fable)

Hi folks, thank you for the tags @alexalexinii, @noblecorgi, @artsyunderstudy, @prettygoododds, @ileadacharmedlife, @nausikaaa, @rimeswithpurple, @confused-bi-queer, @monbons, @emeryhall!

My 2024 in fandom has been quiet punctuated by disorientating ups and downs. (I've finished writing... zero fics! I have... three WIPs! Oh my.) So instead I'm gonna talk about my reading, with a little help from Fable stats and Fable Wrapped

I was on course for reading maybe 30 books this year (quite a drop to the 150 or so a year before Simon Snow). But after longingly (and guiltily) looking at my TBR list, I decided to challenge myself to read 30 books in November.

I read 26, but it did what I hoped - reignited that love for reading.

Then, after much prodding, I joined Fable. Basically it's Goodreads but prettier and with a better social feed. I have fallen in love. The graphics in this post come from Fable.

"Bookish identity crisis" indeed. Fable, this chaotic reading is all just me, thank you very much.

My favourite books of the year are Penance by Eliza Clark, A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske and Prince's Gambit by C.S. Pacat

Fable Wrapped shamed me for both being too niche and for riding the hype train. Ain't no pleasing some people. (Piranesi by Susanna Clarke was a re-read and is one of my favourite books of all time, READREADREAD.)

Ok ok, so rather than let this become swamped with fable graphics, I'll drift to an end.

Next year, I'm aiming to read 52 books again. My reading will include a mix of queer romance, dark/horror fiction, narrative nonfiction, Cornish history and SFF. I'll definitely keep using Fable - it feels like such a natural evolution of Goodreads - and get the most out of all its functions, such as by joining a book club. If I feel bold, I may even host a book club towards the end of the year. I'd like to host one for When The Tides Held The Moon by Vanessa Kelly.

I'd be delighted if anyone wanted to join me over there. If you do, let's follow each other!

[balioc]

BALIOC'S READING LIST, 2024 EDITION

This list counts only published books, consumed in published-book format, that I read for the first time and finished. No rereads, nothing abandoned halfway through, no Internet detritus of any kind, etc. Also no children’s picture books.

(There were still so many children's picture books.)

(I've relaxed my standards a bit for this year. I've counted two graphic novels, and one text so short that it's basically just an illustrated short story. This doesn't particularly feel like cheating, and it doesn't seem to be lowering my standards generally. Next year, I may decide to count texts read on the Internet, so long as they're genuinely substantive in some way; we'll see.)

The Pilgrim of Hate, Ellis Peters

Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East, Amanda H. Podany

An Excellent Mystery, Ellis Peters

Moon Dark Smile, Tessa Gratton

The Raven in the Foregate, Ellis Peters

Demon Daughter, Lois McMaster Bujold

The Rose Rent, Ellis Peters

Bea Wolf, Zach Weinersmith

The Saint of Bright Doors, Vajra Chandasekera

The Hermit of Eyton Forest, Ellis Peters

Warlock, Oakley Hall

The Confession of Brother Haluin, Ellis Peters

The Heretic's Apprentice, Ellis Peters

Of Ghosts and Goblins, Lafcadio Hearn

The Potter's Field, Ellis Peters

Golden Hill, Francis Spufford

The Summer of the Danes, Ellis Peters

The Holy Thief, Ellis Peters

Ducks: Two Years In the Oil Sands, Kate Beaton

The Uncommon Reader, Alan Bennett

Brother Cadfael's Penance, Ellis Peters

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, Brandon Sanderson

Ballet Shoes, Noel Streatfeild

Emma, Jane Austen

Lyorn, Stephen Brust

Magus: The Art of Magic From Faustus to Agrippa, Anthony Grafton

The Tainted Cup, Robert Jackson Bennett

Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History, Bill Schutt

The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz, Russell Hoban

The Familiar, Leigh Bardugo

Unraveller, Frances Hardinge

Pilgermann, Russell Hoban

Breaking Hel, Miles Cameron

The Emperor's Sword, Christian Cameron

Ink Blood Sister Scribe, Emma Törzs

Out of Tales: Or, January, Meg Moseman

Chinese Buddhism: A Thematic History, Chün-fang Yü

Tress of the Emerald Sea, Brandon Sanderson

Intelligence: All That Matters, Stuart Ritchie

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Patrick Süskind

Ninefox Gambit, Yoon Ha Lee

Prince of the Godborn, Geraldine Harris

Children of the Wind, Geraldine Harris

The Dead Kingdom, Geraldine Harris

The Seventh Gate, Geraldine Harris

The Night Parade of 100 Demons, Marie Brennan

The Game of 100 Candles, Marie Brennan

The Market of 100 Fortunes, Marie Brennan

Aztecs: An Interpretation, Inga Clendinnen

Sand, Wolfgang Herrndorf

The Wood at Midwinter, Susanna Clarke

The Chains of the Earth, David Mealing

Plausible works of improving nonfiction consumed in 2024: 7

Balioc's Choice Award, Fiction Division: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Patrick Süskind

>>>> Honorable Mention: Warlock, Oakley Hall

Balioc's Choice Award, Nonfiction Division: Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East, Amanda H. Podany

>>>> Honorable Mention: Chinese Buddhism: A Thematic History, Chün-fang Yü

The Celephaïs Award for Mythopoesy With Which I Would Have Been Absolutely Obsessed Had I Read It As a Teenager, and, Let's Be Honest, It's Not Like I'm Not Obsessed Now: the Seven Citadels books by Geraldine Harris [Prince of the Godborn, Children of the Wind, The Dead Kingdom, The Seventh Gate]

The Emerald Champion's Award for "I've Cared About This Setting Since I Was Twelve and This Story Can't Possibly Be Canon, Oh Shit, There Was a Total Reboot and Now You're One of the People In Charge of the Canon?!": Marie Brennan's L5R novels [Night Parade of 100 Demons, Game of 100 Candles, Market of 100 Fortunes]

The Pepsi-Cola Award for "We Have Brandon Sanderson At Home": the Ascension Cycle books by David Mealing [Chains of the Earth, plus two earlier books read in previous years]

The Dumott Schunard Award for Advanced Queerness In the Field of Metaphysics, No Seriously, You Did Not Know That Fantasy Worldbuilding Could Be So Fundamentally Queer: Moon Dark Smile by Tessa Gratton

The Glandeco-Angelinian Award for Real Goddamn Outsider Art Made By a Real Goddamn Outsider Artist Who Is Definitely Thinking Thoughts That Stretch Beyond Your Trifling Mundane World: Out of Tales: Or, January by Meg Moseman

**********

This year was a lot better than it looks. I swear.

...the numbers are real bad, I know. 52 is the absolute bottom edge of "respectable" for a year's total-books-read count, for me, and no fewer than 11 of those were part of the same silly historical-mystery series. 7 is well below the absolute bottom edge of "respectable" for the nonfiction count.

But, given how shamefully little reading there was overall, there was a surprising amount of serious high-quality stuff with lasting value. Chinese Buddhism, Aztecs, and Weavers, Scribes, and Kings are all exactly what I want nonfiction tomes to be: each one left me with a sense that I understood a particular chunk of the world much better than I had before. I think any one of those three probably caused me to feel more educated than some entire years' worth of nonfiction reading. And on the fiction front, there was just a lot of excellence. Books like Pilgermann and The Saint of Bright Doors are flawed but also possessed of genuine literary greatness. Books like Of Ghosts and Goblins and the Seven Citadels novels are light-weight, but light-weight in the way that a faerie-gossamer cloak is light-weight; they possess genuine beauty that moves them into the realm of the transcendent. Even the usual genre-fiction filler stuff had a lot of semiprecious gems.

I'm still alarmingly bad at getting any reading at all done when I'm working on a serious writing project. I should figure out what I can do about that. Possibly it's time to bite the bullet and start listening to audiobooks when I drive.

[tiredtxmblrvet]

Fic Rec Friday

Thanks again to @mediumgayitalian for the idea!

Below are 5 fics I've enjoyed this past week/recently.

IT'S A SCREAM, BABY! by @rosyredlipstick

https://archiveofourown.org/works/45360994

Summary:

It’s June 1984, Prince is at the top of the charts, and Nico di Angelo has spent the last three weeks scratching at mosquito bites and herding around a group of elementary school kids—and somehow it’s been the best summer of his life. - “Welcome to Camp Crystal Lake!” Jason yelled over, ever-polite.

--

Okay I'm back with another Rosy rec. When I tell you this story literally captured me within the first paragraph and held me in a vice grip the entire time. I literally started the beginning and went "now this is how you start a story" and then couldn't put it down. This is a horror/slasher AU, but none of the major characters die! It's a love letter to a lot of horror films, so if you're in to that sort of thing, I'd totally recommend. Or if you're like me and don't really watch horror, I'd still recommend because it's that good. Also once again Will and Nico's dynamic is top tier in this fic, and I really love Will's POV.

The Other "Heroes" by SirOliverSurface

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29528811

Summary:

Percy Jackson had seen weird before. Swimming in the River Styx to gain invincibility to fight the Titan lord of time was "weird". Getting your memory wiped by the goddess of marriage and family in a gambit to unite Greek and Roman demigods was "weird". Having a spiritual attachment to blue food was... well... completely understandable, no matter how much Leo joked about it. But this? This is "weird".

When a battle goes wrong, and magic goes wild, the son of Poseidon and Hero of Olympus finds himself dumped in a world that seems strangely familiar. The Greek Gods are still around, the old myths were really true, all seems well. But one thing has changed: the people he's come to love. And it doesn't take long for him to figure out that these new faces all miss someone else, too; Hero of Olympus, and daughter of Poseidon, Percie Jackson.

--

This is Percabeth centric, with Solangelo as a side ship, but this story is so good. Granted, I'm only about 150k in, but the writing has captivated me, and the adventure our heroes go on is fascinating to me. Plus I just love the "other" versions of all the heroes. Will I ever be able to finish it? Maybe in 2 years, but hey! It's my go-to fall back on fic when I'm running out of things to read. (It's 1.2 million words!)

August by CordeliaRose

https://archiveofourown.org/works/49031647

Summary:

Somehow, Nico's life only gets more confusing after he defeats a primordial Goddess.

Will Solace accounts for about 90% of that confusion.

(A journey through August, and all its ups and downs.)

--

I just had to rec this story, as I am about to re-read it only a couple of weeks after finishing it the first time because it's just that good. This follows the rest of August after the end of BoO, and the way Will and Nico's relationship develops is just absolutely stunning. Also Nico and Will are autistic coded in this story and it just makes me beyond happy.

peach tea by ghosttotheparty

https://archiveofourown.org/works/48987730

Summary:

He sits up after a moment, but Nico doesn’t let go of his fingers, so he lifts the arm that’s awkward between them and sets it behind Nico, leaning back to rest on it. Nico just looks at the tapestry.

Will brushes his thumb over the side of Nico’s hand gently. His skin is soft. Nico’s fingers tighten on Will’s. It kind of feels like neither of them wants to move. Will doesn’t mind.

or; Will falls in love with the new kid.

--

I love the way ghosttotheparty writes intimacy, just, warm, soft, fragile moments that have such a wonderful air to them. I'm not usually one for high school AU's, but I love their characterization of Will and Nico so much that I just had to try this story, and I'm so glad I did. There's a particular scene where Will helps Nico down from a panic attack, and it just made me want to cry it was so well done. Just a lovely story.

Safe (better keep that thought to yourself) by @buoyantsaturn

https://archiveofourown.org/works/42721455

Summary:

Nico figured he was probably overprepared, but it was better to be safe than sorry, especially when leaving his child with some guy he barely knew and a kid he’d never met.

God, he hoped Will wasn’t some kind of psychopath. 

--

I'm back again with another one of CJ's lovely works. I'd been looking for a cute Parent!Nico and Parent!Will kidfic, and this story absolutely delivers. The way that both Will and Nico stumble around each other is so endearing in this story, and their kids are JUST the cutest!! I absolutely recommend this story.

--

Okay that's all! I'll probably keep doing this until I run out of fics to recommend. Have a good friday lovelies!

[eklaize]

*actively restraining myself from looking through your blog until I've finished the series so I won't spoil myself*

Have you done art for the scene in Prince's Gambit when laurant used the earing to disguise himself as a slave? I was imagining your artstyle throughout that entire setpiece.

I have not actually! It's a fun scene though, I just didn't have a strong idea on how to draw it yet. Especially because I like the "he's expensive" part the most.

[sheyshen]

With 2025 approaching and being almost done with my current book I was debating which to start next. I have kinda a variety of books I haven't read yet so I was wondering, which do you all recommend reading once I'm finished with Holy Hell?

The rest that didn't fit on the poll but are up for recommendations as well are under the cut:

-Jasmine Throne -Bonds of Brass -Bluebird -So this is Ever After -Chronicles of Aesirium -Song of Blood and Stone -Stormlight Archive -Gilded Ones -Gates of Mars -Stronger than You Know -Lost Legio IX -Legends and Lattes -Mistborn -Son of the Storm -The Other Merlin

and the good old catching up on an ongoing series: -Dragonlance -Mass Effect -Halo -Witcher -Assassin's Creed

[silviakundera]

TLI 23-25: The way what causes her death is A'Yin staying behind in the Immortal Realm, saying that Jin will believe her. And it's actually not foolish, necessarily. It's a quasi suicidal move but I don't think she makes it in ignorance. It's a reckless gambit that she isn't as confident about as she claims.

She has been trying to test him multiple times, to 'prove' that he does still care. She says on the surface that she accepts that his past promises mean nothing. But the writing has been clear that she can't let go in her heart. It reminds me of poor damaged LTG in AJTL - he can claim to have learned but he keeps circling back to his obsession with the 1 central figure in his life who represents love to him, familial and otherwise. At least LTG still has An state to live for, to hold him to the world. A'Yin puts it all on the line because with Daze Mountain gone, she NEEDS to prove this bond still exists. She's willing to risk torture and death for the chance to know her most precious person, father & brother & lover combined in some unholy amalgamation, is still hers above all. When she finally gives up on him, it's unsurprising and in-character that she no longer fights to live.

The tragedy is compounded for the audience because we can see how important she is to Jiu, who used to have ulterior motives but has since transformed into a faithful companion who would set aside rules, order, and the world's good opinion to defend her. She has the fox prince & eagle princess as true loving friends to live for, even if Jin does not prize their ties the same. But just like LTG in AJTL, she is too fixated on this one totem of family & affection.

In AJTL, murder mommy & daddy attack that psychosexual complex at the root and to their credit, they carry that dumb boy over the finish line with 4 bloody hands. But because this isn't Xanxia, there are no second chances.

In The Last Immortal, it leads to A'Yin's doom. A portion of her as memories lives on in the reborn Phoenix Queen, but assumably the messy, twisted sentiments about Jin as the one who raised her & defined for her what love is, have been... if not fully extinguished... at least blunted & dispersed amid the rest of her essense and identity. So maybe this new self can find a happy ending.

[khofiecloud]

Books I want to read during this academic year

Fiction:

The sword of Kaigen by M. L. Wang

The poppy war trilogy by R.F Kuang

The gilded ones trilogy by Namina Forna

My year of rest of relaxation

The picture of Dorian gray by Oscar Wilde

The queen’s gambit by Walter Tevis

The giver by Louis Lowry

Alice in wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Just kids by Patti Smith

Little women by Louisa May Alcott

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

And then there were none by Agatha Christie

The alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Tram 83 by Fiston Nasser Mwanza Mujila

The War of Buttons by Louis Pergaud

The Stranger by Albert Camus

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Nonfiction:

A brief history of time by Stephen Hawking

The art of war by Sun Tzu

Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin

Rise of the Rocket Girls by Nathalia Holt

The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

I know why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

It's a lot of books, but one of my goals this year is to is to read and finish more books. If you like this list and have any recs to share, please comment them.

[liraleinil]

So. I finished reading the Captive Prince trilogy in three days (just the novels, not the short stories) and I am feeling a lot of things, but mostly I'm feeling vaguely frustrated. It's hard to articulate how I feel. I enjoyed the books while I was reading them, even though some parts made me cringe. But that's not the problem.

The problem is the Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett. I feel like at least some people who liked the Captive Prince books would love Dunnett but I've found that recommending the books rarely sticks. 

If you're expecting an epic gay romance, you won't find it in Lymond. But a lot of the other elements in the Captive Prince series are there, along with great writing, a complex cast of characters, and plots and ploys abound. I don't read much historical fiction, but Dunnett was so good, it sucked me completely in, despite knowing very little of the history and setting. (Not so different from reading fantasy, really.) 

Anyway! Spoiler warnings for all the Captive Prince novels and the Lymond Chronicles, though it's less explicit for the latter.

Let's get the obvious thing out of the way. My favourite book series is the Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett, six historical fiction novels set in the 1500s, spanning from Scotland to Europe to Turkey to France, featuring a blond-haired, blue-eyed, minor Scottish nobleman known as Francis Crawford of Lymond. I'm sure other people have pointed out the similarity between the two series and the characters Laurent and Lymond and there has been analysis by people much more eloquent than me. 

I started reading Captive Prince one afternoon and finished it before midnight. I went on to read Prince's Gambit simply because Laurent was acting so Lymond-like that I had to find out what he was up to. I immediately suspected he knew who Damen was from the start because that's the sort of annoying leaps of logic Lymond makes, with his cornflower blue eyes glittering with malice — that's how similar they are.

I'm not one of those people who can't enjoy a book because something like it has already been done before. I'm always looking for books that could bring me back to that same kind of excitement I found when I first read the Lymond Chronicles. One of the reasons I picked up Captive Prince was because of the comparisons made to Lymond.

It's just that I feel a bit cheated that, despite all the similarities, I don't think it would be easy to get people to read the Lymond Chronicles after getting into Captive Prince. It's too dense, too full of historical references, too many quotes in too many languages. Too clever. 

Who knows whether the parallels in the two series were intentional or not. At the start of the first book, The Game of Kings, Lymond gets drunk before he goes off to rob his mother, Sybilla, and set her castle on fire. Here's part of his conversation with her. You can see why everyone around him wants to stab him. He's more loquacious than Laurent, at any rate.

Yes, he even has an older brother. Lymond goes and antagonises Richard almost immediately after this. I think that was the point where I started wondering, This is the man we're supposed to get behind? Quite the antihero, Francis Crawford of Lymond. 

There are other things. They don't play the same part or advance the narrative the same way in both stories, but the fact that they are there just … I'm not even sure what to say. Imitation is the best form of flattery? There are disguises with hilarious consequences, trials where every single piece of evidence is disputed, exhilarating chases over the rooftops of Paris, whips and whipping posts, royal hunts that don't end well, ridiculous acrobatics on horses, babies of indeterminate parentage, your favourite characters ending up dead, Will Scott's mix of hero worship and wanting to strangle Lymond at the same time, and Jerott (I don't even know where we should toss Jerott). 

Sometimes it's just a line, and I end up raising an eyebrow at it because it sounds so Dunnett. I'm not disparaging Pacat here; as I said earlier, I'm frustrated, because I feel more people should enjoy the Lymond Chronicles and Dunnett's writing, but they're not going to, because Dunnett was too clever and made the books too dense and witty and difficult.

If you do start The Game of Kings, though, I ask you to try to get at least to page 100 or so before giving up. That was where I decided that yes, this was definitely worth the effort. 

I don't suppose I'm making much sense, but apparently I feel so strongly about this that I need to make a Tumblr post in an otherwise empty account. Go me.

PS: I liked Megan Whalen Turner's Queen's Thief series as well, though the first book is, uh, somewhat disappointing? I don't know if I had too high expectations or what. I loved the later books, though. For some reason, I still haven't read the last book in the series. I suppose I should remedy that.

[gottalovethegeeks]

Just finished Prince's Gambit for the second time and what the absolute fuck.

I don't remember ✨️crying✨️ this much the first time?????

Someone help, I'm going through it 👌

Anyway, read Captive Prince. It's so fun and not an emotional roller-coaster AT ALL I promise!!

[birdhousemp3]

hiii .. enjoying the thg posting as per usual u should always be thg posting yayyy! um but also.. any capri thoughts? 😋 round two capri thoughts..? 😇😋

hehe okiiiee well I finished prince’s gambit this morning which is my favorite of the threeee 💕💕 I love seeing how laurent and damen compliment each other and the slow reluctant trust they begin to share sighhhhh the little adventures they go on.. damen’s quiet obsession with laurent speaking Akielon ughhh need fic recs just abt that

and laurent 😵‍💫😵‍💫 laurent…. he’s soooo dear to me. every time damen likens him to smth predatory or poisonous my heart swells

[jeanmoreaux]

okay so not to alarm you but prince's gambit has rewired my brain

like objectively i admit this series is dark and gross and yada yada yada all the caveats, i get it....but also i'm gonna be so honest i was expecting worse? like more specifically between damen and laurent. like the world itself is crude and terrible but everybody made it seem like it was this insane relationship that leaned into the sex slavery part and i'm just so compelled by the fact that as characters, both damen and laurent are overall....pretty decent people. like sure they have slaves, they kill people sure, but they don't abuse each other to the same extent like i see in a lot of toxic ships and that's soooo fascinating. (especially because i'm still waiting on laurent's reasoning for his celibacy! what is he hiding!!!) the reason the ship works so well is that starts as enemies to allies first and they do shockingly treat each other with as much consent as they're able most of the time. and in book two especially there's just so much less horror than in book one.

i think it was uncomfortable to adjust to the world itself because of obvious reasons but i think the political intrigue of book two is SO interesting and compelling and yeah i'll say it, i fucking love stories where the enemies end up becoming the only people they can trust - and the REASON IS they are BOTH TRYING TO DO GOOD! which is again so andreil coded, although it's for sure in a different way. my other favorite character archetype is the bad guy who is actually doing good underneath he just never corrects anyone because it's easier and better strategically to be bad!!! (me reading this: oh okay so it's a rhysand thing isn't it) like sure laurent is a bitch but he's literally giving aaron warner

i'll admit i am slightly terrified of what will happen when laurent finds out who damen actually is but i am LIVING for these bonding moments where they keep saving each other's life like DAMN i'm into that shit

anyway. i've fallen into the deep end and i fear i'll be stuck here for a while but hey, it's fun. i feel like i should be more ashamed of enjoying it BUT it's fun.

i know you already finished kings rising by now and i know i already screamed sufficiently in the dms (<3) BUT i just need to post this because your reactions in any shape and form are priceless to me. like YEAH it isn’t as bad as some people make it out to be. like you mentioned in some other tags on your blog, for a series that people claim is about focused on sex slavery (which it is not lol) there is a lot of consent happening. also like. the gross and disturbing stuff mostly happens in book one (after that it’s getting much tamer (still heavy and disturbing things happening but to a different extent) and it’s mostly just established things playing out and the main dynamic shifts so so much from where it started and in book three you understand why things unraveled and happened the way they did in book one. and by then everything has changed and the person they used to hate is their focal point and the only person they can actually trust. and the loyalty and devotion are well-earned and bone deep on both sides. it’s just soooo *head in hands* 🧎‍♀️and just to have it said, with an ounce of critical thinking you can see that there are points being made—shocking and “problematic” things in this story do have a point to exist in the story. it’s actually a story that at its core much more about love and forgiveness and overcoming your past than anything else. people either get it or they don’t.

and i know you understand now when i said they are andreil coded in a distinct way in the sense that their dynamics resembles them but they both resemble them as individuals as well but also they are completely different from neil and andrew and ahhhhh it makes me feel insane but You Know.

[dvar-trek]

Romance Roundup: Part 1

this summer, after succumbing to my knitting injuries, i fell into a romance novel rabbit-hole. they are like candy for me. they're low-effort, fun, a quick source of joy, and keep me from endlessly scrolling jpost for israel news. also i can usually finish one in a day or two. so all in all, i ended up reading a total of 90 romance/kissing books.

the stats:

84 queer

13 novella-length

4 that i really feel i gave a fair shot but didn't finish

the top 7 (in no particular order):

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland- a fantasy book wherein the prince and his sworn bodyguard fall in love. some light (as in dangerous but not overly complex) political intrigue. plenty of world-building, but the author doesn't ever bore you with explanations you don't want. the writing is a little clumsy at times, but in spite of myself i found this book and the characters so utterly charming.

Enlightenment Trilogy (Provoked, Beguiled, and Enlightened) by Joanna Chambers- takes place in regency-late georgian scotland. two men who are dedicated to their respectable (but very different) lives. in order to keep what's important to them, they each plan to go through life just having anonymous, one-off encounters with other men, and needless to say, they upend that for one another. features radical politics, arguments about what matters in life, george iv's visit to scotland, and confronting your past. i thought about this extensively, but i simply do not think i can describe the plot in a way that will be helpful. you are just going to have to trust me. a linked short story and bonus-epilogue-novella are also availble on the author's website.

10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall- man sort of accidentally fakes amnesia to keep his asshole boss from firing everyone. only they end up sort of falling for each other for real. modern setting, funny and sad, and the kind of slow-burn romance that makes your chest hurt. it does take place over christmas, but not in a fluffy, christmassy way. like, even i, America's Number One Christmas Hater, who would never have touched it had i known about the christmas element going in, found it to be completely tolerable amount of christmas, and a thoroughly enjoyable book. i read everything on my top 7 list multiple times, but this is one that really rewards your second read-through.

Captive Prince Trilogy (Captive Prince, Prince's Gambit, and Kings Rising) by C.S. Pacat- fantasy setting wherein a prince is kidnapped and enslaved in an enemy realm, and eventually has to ally with his cruel captor in order to save his own kingdom. plenty of political maneuvering, military skirmishes, court intrigue, and secret night mission shenanigans (with disguises). another chest-aching slow burn that rewards multiple read-throughs. there's also a linked short story collection, The Summer Palace, which includes a bonus epilogue.

A Rulebook for Restless Rogues (book 2 in Lucky Lovers of London) by Jess Everlee- victorian-era romance, featuring drag, lifelong best friends, and some of the best (hottest) sex scenes on this list. the proprietor of an underground gentlemen's club for queer men fights to keep his club open and his people safe, both from the law and from the volatile aristocrat who owns the place. he also definitely doesn't have feelings for his best friend. anymore. probably.

England World (Think of England, and prequel Proper English) by KJ Charles- two excellent books; one a houseparty/treason investigation and one a houseparty turned murder mystery. as everyone knows, it's extremely dangerous to attend a houseparty while single, because you will fall hopelessly in love, but you will also be in mortal peril. i am. too fucking feral about these characters to say anything useful. i am completely aware that this does nothing to help my case, but i cannot help it. i am unable to be normal about them, even in the effort to convince people to read these books. also please note that even though the covers are. quite bad. the writing is excellent and well-researched. also also, there's a bonus epilogue on the author's website, featuring additional sex, good jokes, and bad poetry.

An Unnatural Vice (book 2 in Sins of the City) by KJ Charles- the whole trilogy is worth reading (in order!) but this is definitely the strongest of the 3, and i found it to be the most compelling of the romances. a victorian-era mystery/suspense series, featuring an inheritance plot, murders in the fog, and fake séances. a "spiritualist" who defrauds the wealthy and the investigative jouranlist determined to expose his tricks find themselves hate-fucking, running from murderers, arguing about class politics, and both saving and upending each others' lives.

honorable mention:

Sailor's Delight by Rose Lerner- #1 brain-rewiring book of the year. 1813 sailing master in the british royal navy and his naval agent fall in love. the book takes place over 1 week of shore leave (which coincides with the high holy days), although they have known each other (and known that they can never be together) for almost a decade. uh. listen. this book is both fun and well-researched, but it is not, like, Good™. there is a shirtless man on the cover and there's not even any fucking in the book. the main characters are named Elie and Augie which is completely unsexy. BUT. they changed my brain chemistry and i've plotted out their entire lives in my head from the moment they met and i'm fucking feral about them.

romance roundup part 2