#mr. warren's profession

[wordingg]

Is it literally the last day of the year? yes. did i really wait until the absolute last day to make my 'year in reading' post? yes. will anyone care? absolutely not.

THIS YEAR WAS A GOOD YEAR FOR READING! I read exactly 100 books this year (wow such a nice round number). My top genre this year was fantasy (65 books), followed by LGBTQIA (50 books), and coming in third is romance (32 books). Of the books I read 58% were digital, 37% were print, and a measly 5% were audio (sorry audiobooks).

My favorite books that I read this year!!! (in no particular order)

His Secret Illuminations/His Sacred Incantations by Scarlett Gale. It really feels like the author of this duology took all my preferences, kinks, and favorite tropes, threw them in a blender, and hit 'fuck it up'. These books have role reversal, religious guilt/oppression, a high fantasy setting, a plot that revolves around toppling the powers that be and standing up for yourself, plus! PLUS! a muscle mommy. Like, shut. Just shut up okay.

Mr. Warren's Profession by Sebastian Nothwell. I'd like to list every one of Sebastian Nothwell's books, because I think I've read almost all of them this year, but that would be messy so I picked my favorite one. It's a gay regency romance with a wet cat/golden retriever couple, including a former sex worker, love reaching across divisions of class, and discourse on industrial revolution era factories and union busting. Like, just take my money okay? No more words need to be said.

True Love Bites by Joy Demorra. Is it the werewolf/vampire romance? Is it the alternate Victorian England setting? Or is it the triumphant subversion of every tired awful romance trope that I hate? Honestly, any of these would have made this book a big hit with me, but the combination of all three really put it over the top. This is such a lovely book and I am gnawing on the bars of my enclosure waiting for the next one.

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle. I'm really sad that I have waited this long to read Mr. Tingle's traditionally published books, because this book slam dunked my ass. After I finished it I just sort of laid on the floor for a bit and let my five year old use my ribs as a trampoline. I love the protagonist of this book so much. She was so rich and vibrant, flawed but also perfect. She felt real to me, you know? And then to layer that with a story about religious guilt and oppression (I really don't want to find out this is a new thing with me), disturbing imagery, and a quest to do the right thing and help strangers? Yeah, I'm in. You got me. You got me good, Mr. Tingle.

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow. I went into this book knowing almost nothing about it, but it absolutely grabbed me by the throat within the first few chapters. It's very hard to describe, but I'm going to give it a try. Imagine that Alice in Wonderland was real and also it happened in the American South. Now, imagine that after Alice came back to reality, she put a curse on her hometown which allowed creatures from Wonderland to come through and just like murder your grandma occasionally. Now, it's modern times, but your small town is under the dark clouds of both a generations old curse and an evil corporate overlord and you're just an angry homeless girl who's more likely to bite than to say thank you and somehow you've got to save your brother from both the curse and the corporation. Oh yeah and there's a hot bisexual guy living in a sentient house who sort of has a thing for you, but in a slouching goth boy way. There. There, I think I did it.

Honorable Mentions (also in no particular order): - The Husky and His White Cat Shizun by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou (Xianxia version of "if this burn goes any slower, I'm gonna lock you both in a closet, oh wait nevermind we've already tried that multiple times.") - Born of Scourge by S. Jean (WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE SAD? LOOK AT THIS LITTLE GUY! LOOK AT HIM! HE WAS BORN ALREADY TRAUMATIZED!) - Delicious In Dungeon by Ryoko Kui (I only read one manga series this year and this was it. It more than earned it's spot.) - Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell (if you thought this book was bad, you're wrong. I'm sorry. I called Mother Theresa in hell and she agreed with me. yeah, you're wrong.) - All About Lust by Gong Lyong Kim (I believe that this is what art school is like for everyone until it's proven otherwise.)

What books did you guys read this year? Did you guys read any of these books (please shout at me about them I'll shout back)? Got any good recs?

[beastliness]

CO-SIGNING THESE TAGS ✍️ (via @stjohnstarling)

to which I'd like to add: if you're a fan of period fiction who finds that modern historical romance always suffers by comparison to the real thing (due to lack of detail and overall verisimilitude) this is the guy you've been looking for

To connect these disparate dots into a cohesive narrative, consider backing the Mr Warren's Profession audiobook Kickstarter.

[dozydawn]

robert perdziola

[chiropteracupola]

Poverty, poverty knock / Keeping one eye on the clock / I know I can guttle, when I hear my shuttle / Go poverty, poverty knock...

...so I read @nothwell's novel 'mr warren's profession' at approximately light speed the other day and felt like drawing some of the cast.

[aurorawest]

Reading update

Light Up the Lamp by Kit Oliver - 5/5 stars

Kit Oliver can do no wrong, I guess. I figured I'd like this one a lot given that I loved her other two novels, but hockey books usually aren't five star reads for me. Along comes this book! Unrelentingly lovely, and even though I knew it was going to have an HEA, I still found myself worried that Gil wasn't going to figure shit out.

The Faerie Hounds of York by Arden Powell - 5/5 stars

Gorgeous book that read like a dreamy, dark fairy tale. The first book by Arden Powell I read was really funny, and this was like the complete opposite. Powell has range! This one is sad, but still has a happy ending. If you like Emily Tesh's Greenhollow Duology, I highly recommend this one. They're definitely in the same vein.

Deosil by Jordan L Hawk - 4.75/5 stars

I was SO SAD to get to the end of this series. Whyborne, Griffin, Christine, Iskander, Persephone, Maggie, Niles...I could go on, I love them all. It's hard to say good-bye but they all got a wonderful ending.

The Inside Edge by Ashlyn Kane - 3/5 stars

The Taste of Desert Green by Kim Fielding - 4.25/5 stars

Your Lonely Nights Are Over by Adam Sass - 1/5 stars

Crushed Ice by Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James - 4/5 stars

Roustabout by Morgan Brice - 3/5 stars

Prince in Disguise by Tavia Lark - 5/5 stars

Loved this one just as much as the first in the series. I expected the Draskorans to be...idk, like stereotype fantasy barbarians, so it was extremely refreshing that they weren't.

Old Time Religion by EH Lupton - 5/5 stars

Ahhhhhhhh I love this series!! I really really enjoyed the first book, and I loved this one even more. Really good, really original. I can't recommend this one and Dionysus in Wisconsin enough!

A Thief and a Gentleman by Arden Powell - 3.5/5 stars

The Devil to Pay by Katie Daysh - 4.75/5 stars

If you like Patrick O'Brian but find yourself thinking, surely this could be more gay? Then Katie Daysh's books are for you. This is the second in the series and I was delighted to learn yesterday from her newsletter that she's working on the third, because I definitely am not ready for the series to end! The first book was from Nightingale's POV (there might have been some bits from Courtney's POV? But not many), and this one is entirely from Courtney's. Courtney and Nightingale didn't actually get to spend much time together in this one so I hope they catch more of a break in book 3.

Lord of Eternal Night by Ben Alderson - DNF at pg 6

The Engineer by CS Poe - 4/5 stars

The Larks Still Bravely Singing by Aster Glenn Gray - 5/5 stars

If you're not reading Aster Glenn Gray yet, why not? Why not??? Seriously, if you like Cat Sebastian, PLEASE give Aster Glenn Gray a try. I have yet to read a book by the woman that isn't gorgeous. This book is set right at the tail end of WWI and into the interwar period and is about two young English men who were injured and invalided out of the army. They're both disabled (Robert, the POV character, is missing a leg, and David is missing a hand) and have PTSD.

Also recommended if you like KJ Charles's Will Darling Adventures trilogy. The Larks Still Bravely Singing is just straight historical romance, not romantic suspense, but it deals with similar themes.

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S Jae-Jones - DNF at pg 24

Mr Warren's Profession by Sebastian Nothwell - 4.75/5 stars

LOVED this book. I think it's the only historical romance I've read that uses the Industrial Revolution so heavily in the plot, which I really enjoyed. Plus, gorgeous cover.

Honey Mead Murder by Dahlia Donovan - DNF at pg 5

A Market of Dreams and Destiny by Trip Galey - 3.25/5 stars

String Theory by Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James - 3.75/5 stars

One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny - 5/5 stars

I honestly don't know why, when I received this book in like, November, I didn't immediately put it on the top of my TBR pile. I knew I was going to love it; I was super excited to get my copy. Every time I've shuffled my TBR (like, my actual physical TBR...it's a whole thing...it's actually been mistaken for my full book collection but haha no that's just 200 books I haven't read yet sitting on my stairs...), I've lamented that it's not closer to the top. And then I realized, this is literally my TBR and my own weird fake rules that I've made up about it, so I can actually just pull it from the stack and read it now. So I did!

And yeah, I loved it. So much. Raff and Penn will probably live rent free in my mind forever, not to mention Ash and Lily. I loved the medieval setting (another setting you don't see much in queer historical romance!) and how it really felt like a different world than ours. Plus I'm a sucker for road trip romances. And daddy issues. And horrific scars.

And ugh, the training scenes. The sexual tension. The PINING. Masterfully done. Chef's kiss.

Also we're going to find out who Oliver was, right? RIGHT??? And what happened to Penn's brother?

Out of Touch by Michael Sarais - DNF at pg 7

The Long Call by Ann Cleeves - 4.25/5 stars

Always enjoy a mystery that's well-paced and well-written. I've never actually read anything by Ann Cleeves but I'm going to pick up the rest of this series.

The Death I Gave Him by Em X Liu - DNF at pg 284

[noahhawthorneauthor]

Some of my favorite books, and some I'd like to read ! 🏳️‍🌈📚

[iseeitiseetheisland]

Adam Driver (with Sally Hawkins, Cherry Jones, Edward Hibbert, Mark Harelik and Daniel Goldfarb) at the opening night after party of Mrs. Warren's Profession, 2010

-Broadway.com via @adamdriverarchv

[mashmouths]

why does every shaw scholar need to ride freud's dick so hard :/ cannot find a single article that talks about mrs. warren's profession without freudian analysis, and all the feminist critiques just talk about how shaw's plays don't live up to his feminist philosophies

[nothwell]

Mr Warren's Profession is a gay Victorian cross-class romance featuring hurt/comfort and a happily-ever-after.

Lindsey Althorp, the only son of a wealthy baronet, has never worked a day in his life. Aubrey Warren was born in a workhouse and hasn’t stopped working since.

When Lindsey wins a textile mill in a game of cards, he falls at first sight for the assistant clerk, Aubrey. Lindsey is certain that Aubrey is the Achilles to his Patroclus, the David to his Jonathan. Yet Aubrey, unaccustomed to affection, refuses to be a kept man—though he isn’t immune to Lindsey’s considerable charm.

Buoyed by Lindsey’s optimism and fuelled by Aubrey’s industry, the two men strive to overcome the class gulf between them. But a horrific accident reveals a betrayal that threatens to tear them apart forever.

Amazon • Apple Books • Barnes & Noble • Bookshop.org • Everand • itch.io • Kobo • Overdrive • Smashwords • World of Books

[dozydawn]

robert perdziola

[nothwell]

#nothwell I assure you that michael sheen is pretty enough to be #Aubrey Warren

we've found him at last!

Michael Sheen as Robbie Ross (Wilde, 1997)

[a-kind-of-merry-war]

I've already shouted about these on Instagram, but I just finished reading these three books (Mr Warren's Profession, Hold Fast and Oak King Holly King) by Sebastian Nothwell (@nothwell) and aaaaaah I really enjoyed them.

I would definitely recommend if you're a fan of Hartswood or other queer historicals (like Cat Sebastian, KJ Charles etc). Oak King Holly King is a romantasy, set part in the human world and part in the fae world. All the characters are super engaging, and I couldn't put them down - I just kept on reading 😅

[rowan-blood]

Book Recommendations

Kellen Graves

Prince of the Sorrows (Rowan Blood, #1) Lord of Silver Ashes (Rowan Blood, #2) Herald of the Witch’s Mark (Rowan Blood #3) The Fox and the Dryad

K.J. Charles

The Smuggler and the Warlord (A Charm of Magpies, #0.5) The Magpie Lord (A Charm of Magpies, #1) Interlude with Tattoos (A Charm of Magpies, #1.5) A Case of Possession (A Charm of Magpies, #2) A Case of Spirits (A Charm of Magpies, #2.5 Flight of Magpies (A Charm of Magpies, #3) Feast of Stephen (A Charm of Magpies, #3.5) Five For Heaven (A Charm of Magpies, #3.6) Jackdaw (A Charm of Magpies, #4) Rag and Bone (A Charm of Magpies, #5) A Queer Trade (A Charm of Magpies, #5.5) The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal Butterflies (The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal, #2) Remnant: A Caldwell & Feximal/Whyborne & Griffin Mystery (The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal, #3; Whyborne & Griffin, #3.5) Proper English (England World, #1) Think of England (England World, #2) Song for a Viking (England World, #2.1) A Fashionable Indulgence (Society of Gentlemen, #1) A Seditious Affair (Society of Gentlemen, #2) A Gentleman’s Position (Society of Gentlemen, #3) Wanted, A Gentleman An Unseen Attraction (Sins of the Cities, #1) An Unnatural Vice (Sins of the Cities, #2) An Unsuitable Heir (Sins of the Cities, #3) Spectred Isle (Green Men, #1) The Henchmen of Zenda Unfit to Print Band Sinister The Rat-Catcher’s Daughter (Lilywhite Boys, #0.5) Any Old Diamonds (Lilywhite Boys, #1) Gilded Cage (Lilywhite Boys, #2) Masters in This Hall (Lilywhite Boys, #3) Slippery Creatures (The Will Darling Adventures, #1) The Sugared Game (The Will Darling Adventures, #2) Subtle Blood (The Will Darling Adventures, #3) The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen (The Doomsday Books, #1) A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel (The Doomsday Books, #2) A Thief in the Night

A.J. Demas

One Night in Boukos Something Human Sword Dance (Sword Dance, #1) Saffron Alley (Sword Dance, #2) Strong Wine (Sword Dance, #3) Honey and Pepper (When in Pheme, #1)

C.S. Pacat

Captive Prince (Captive Prince, #1) Captive Prince: Volume Two (Captive Prince, #2) Kings Rising (Captive Prince, #3) Dark Rise (Dark Rise, #1) Dark Heir (Dark Rise, #2)

Joanna Chambers

Provoked (Enlightenment, #1) Beguiled (Enlightenment, #2) Enlightened (Enlightenment, #3) Unnatural (Enlightenment, #4) Restored (Enlightenment, #5) Gentleman Wolf (Capital Wolves Duet, #1) Master Wolf (Capital Wolves Duet, #2)

Tamara Allen

Downtime Whistling in the Dark The Only Gold If It Ain’t Love The Road to Silver Plume (Secret Service #1) Playing the Ace (Secret Service #2) Invitation to the Dance

Harper Fox

Brothers of the Wild North Sea Once Upon a Haunted Moor (Tyack & Frayne #1) Tinsel Fish (Tyack & Frayne #2) Don’t Let Go (Tyack & Frayne #3) Kitto (Tyack & Frayne #4) Guardians of the Haunted Moor (Tyack & Frayne #5) Third Solstice (Tyack & Frayne #6) Preacher, Prophet, Beast (Tyack & Frayne #7) Out

Sebastian Nothwell

Mr Warren’s Profession (Aubrey & Lindsey, #1) Throw His Heart Over (Aubrey & Lindsey, #2) Hold Fast Oak King Holly King

Lydia Gastrell

One Indulgence (Indulgence #1) One Glimpse (Indulgence, #2)

Hale Ginn

Lord of the White Hell, Book 1 (Lord of the White Hell, #1) Lord of the White Hell, Book 2 (Lord of the White Hell, #2)

Adella J. Harris

The Marquess of Gorsewall Manor (After the Swan’s Nest, #1) The Earl of Klesamor Hall (After the Swan’s Nest, #2)

Cat Sebastian

The Soldier’s Scoundrel (The Turners, #1) The Lawrence Browne Affair (The Turners, #2) The Ruin of a Rake (The Turners, #3) It Takes Two to Tumble (Seducing the Sedgwicks, #1) A Gentleman Never Keeps Score (Seducing the Sedgwicks, #2) Two Rogues Make a Right (Seducing the Sedgwicks, #3)

Lily Morton

The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings (Black and Blue #1) The Quiet House (Black and Blue #2) Something Wicked (Black and Blue #3) Merry Measure The Cuckoo's Call

Freya Marske

A Marvellous Light (The Last Binding #1) A Restless Truth (The Last Binding #2)

Other Authors

The Devil Lancer by Astrid Amara The Reluctant Berserker by Alex Beecroft The Scottish Boy by Alex de Campi Catalina Blues by Marlo York The Rake, the Rogue and the Roué by Eric Alan Westfall The Gladiator’s Master by Fae Sutherland The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller When Skies Have Fallen by Debbie McGowan Nova Praetorian by N.R. Walker The Reanimator's Heart (The Reanimator Mysteries #1) by Kara Jorgensen One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny

(last update 2024/06/14)

I would appreciate your recommendations if you enjoy one or more books from this list.

[nothwell]

i am trying!!!

Ever since starting to publish romance novels I’ve been checking out the romance books at the thrift store specifically for the clinch covers, as a reference for what I might want to do with my own books.

As a culture we mocked these to extinction but I think we were just afraid of their power. The modern clinch revival still hasn't reached the heady heights of what they were doing in the 80s! The vintage covers can be really quite explicit. These ones in particular were steamy enough they had to be hidden on an inner flap.

[heavenboy09]

Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To You

The Unsual But Incrediblely Talented Actor Of The Star Wars 🌟 Saga Since 2015

Driver was born on November 19, 1983, in San Diego, California, the son of Nancy Wright (née Needham), a paralegal, and Joe Douglas Driver.

He is an American actor. Recognized for his collaborations with auteur filmmakers, he is the recipient of various accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award.

He made his Broadway debut in Mrs. Warren's Profession (2010) and subsequently appeared in Man and Boy (2011). He rose to prominence with a supporting role in the HBO series Girls (2012–2017), for which he received three consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations. He began his film career in supporting roles in Lincoln (2012), Frances Ha (2012) and Inside Llewyn Davis (2013). He won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for a leading role in Hungry Hearts (2014).

He gained wider recognition for playing Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy (2015–2019). He played a poet in Paterson (2016), and had supporting roles in the religious epic Silence (2016) and the heist comedy Logan Lucky (2017). In 2019, he returned to the stage in the Broadway revival of Burn This, for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. He garnered consecutive Academy Award nominations: Best Supporting Actor for BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Best Actor for Marriage Story (2019). He has since starred in Ridley Scott's 2021 period films The Last Duel and House of Gucci, and played Enzo Ferrari in the biopic Ferrari (2023).

Driver is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He is also the founder of Arts in the Armed Forces, a non-profit that provides free arts programming to American active-duty service members, veterans, military support staff, and their families worldwide.

Please Wish This Sith Warrior Now Turned Jedi Actor Of The Star Wars Future Sequels Of The Star Wars Saga, A Very Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

You Know Him

You Seen Him

& He Certainly Has A Unique Way of Acting That Looks Exactly The Same. But It Works For Him.

The 1 & The Only

MR. ADAM DOUGLAS DRIVER AKA BEN SOLO AKA KYLO REN OF THE STAR WARS SAGA FRANCHISE

#AdamDriver #StarWars #KyloRen