#seducing the sedgwick

[bookbaran]

After I bought a bunch of Cat Sebastian audiobooks from audible, chirp had a sale on It Takes Two to Tumble. So now all I need for my yearly Cat Sebastian listen is A Gentleman Never Keeps Score, which is, weirdly, the only one that ever has a wait list at the library.

[whimsicalmeerkat]

First Line Game

@dear-massacre tagged me for this awhile ago, but I’m a slacker. The idea is to post the first line from the last ten fics you posted and see if there’s a trend. I can’t decide on just 10 of my battleship fics and they all have the same date, so you get lines from all of them. I’m not sure if I should apologize or say you’re welcome.

Mostly random no-pressure tags: @definitively-different-drivel @thotpuppy @mswhich @calenlily @armanya

@mirrorthoughts @renmackree @eevylynn

1. just the way they want it, Perilous Courts - Tavia Lark, Corin Marcel/Audric Sandry, Explicit, No Archive Warnings, 2,230 words

Audric pulls Corin behind him up the stairs to his bedroom at the top of one of the tree towers of Sandrelle

2. monsters that walk the earth, Teen Wolf, Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski, Teen, No Archive Warnings, 1,231 words

"Are you OK?" Derek asks Stiles after he's chased the rest of the pack out of his house.

3. with the monsters that talk, Teen Wolf, Derek Hale/Peter Hale, Mature, No Archive Warnings, 1,204 words

Peter grits his teeth and stares at his sister, the queen

4. to mend a broken heart, Teen Wolf, Derek Hale/Peter Hale, Explicit, Non-Con, Underage, 4,454 words

“That's right, darling.”

5. let’s explore together, Community of Species World - Louisa Masters, Percy Caraway/Brandt Draco, Explicit, No Archive Warnings, 1,505 words

"I haven't been able to explore Earth since I was a young dragon," Brandt says, finishing up what was a very slick PowerPoint presentation.

6. I would raze the earth to save you, Teen Wolf, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Teen, No Archive Warnings, 505 words

"Derek!"

7. preparing for a ritual, Teen Wolf, Derek Hale/Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Mature, No Archive Warnings, 420 words

"Are you sure this is how we get power for the ritual?" Stiles says, twisting from where he's sitting in the front seat of Derek's Camaro to squint suspiciously at Peter.

8. a most fitting end, Seducing the Sedgwicks - Cat Sebastian, Teen, No Archive Warnings, 477 words

Sir Humphrey Easterbrook finishes his barely passable meal and sits back with a sigh

9. at the break of day, Black Jewels - Anne Bishop, Daemon Sadi/Lucivar Yaslana, Mature, No Archive Warnings, 734 words

Lucivar stands on his balcony and stretches his wings, loving the way the sun feels on them

10. to be restored, Teen Wolf, Derek Hale/Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Mature, Underage, 9,136 words

It starts three days after Derek kills Peter.

11. stumble & a stutter, Teen Wolf, Derek Hale/Laura Hale, Derek Hale, Stiles Stilinski, Teen, No Archive Warnings, 1,412 words

“I wish I could just go back and stop the fire and everything that’s happened since then,” Derek says, fisting his hands in his hair as the sound of Peter slamming the door on the way out of their their latest fight.

12. the devil gave me a crooked start, Teen Wolf, Derek Hale/Peter Hale, Explicit, No Archive Warnings, 658 words

Derek looks up from his book, startled, as the door to the loft slams open.

13. let me be more than enough, Teen Wolf, Derek Hale/Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Explicit, Underage, 484 words

“Oh fuck.”

14. calm my fears and show me grace, Teen Wolf, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Teen, No Archive Warnings, 711 words

Derek decides he and Stiles should probably at least investigate the cloud of sex berry bush smoke, a sentence that is so absurd Derek can't believe he even has to think it.

15. Companion?, Original Work, Dragon/Human sacrificed to dragon, Gen, No Archive Warnings, 505 words

Jerrick is nervous.

16. high heels in the morning, Perilous Courts - Tavia Lark, Kazia Dire/Lucien Vaire, Explicit, No Archive Warnings, 2,330 words

Lucien walks into the throne room, gesturing for his drasguard to stay at the door.

17. all these saints are watching me, Perilous Courts - Tavia Lark, Kazia Dire/Lucien Vaire, Gen, No Archive Warnings, 916 words

Kazia is pinning the final strands of hair into place in the elaborate arrangement on his head.

18. dreaming as we ran, Ghostly Guardians - Louisa Masters, Ewan/Josh, Teen, No Archive Warnings, 1,143 words

"Yes ma'am, the ghosts are free to leave if they wish," Josh says patiently.

19. ain’t no grave gonna hold my body down, Teen Wolf, Derek Hale/Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Teen, Chose Not to Warn, 1,643 words

Stiles' Jeep hits something solid that seems to come from nowhere and Derek has a moment to think fuck, the trolls found us'before something else slams into the side and sends them flipping over, no, not just flipping—they're rolling over, across the road, and into the trees.

20. wolf like me, Teen Wolf, Derek Hale/Laura Hale, Mature, No Archive Warnings, 1,036 words

Laura jumps when Derek flings open the door of their apartment, then kicks it closed as soon as he's cleared the doorway

21. why not both?, Teen Wolf, Derek Hale/Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Explicit, No Archive Warnings, 738 words

Stiles fidgets as Derek and Peter stare him down.

That’s all! I hope you enjoyed this and check out some of the stories!

[xslytherclawx-writes]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Seducing the Sedgwicks - Cat Sebastian Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Martin Easterbrook/Will Sedgwick Characters: Martin Easterbrook, Will Sedgwick, Daisy Tanner, Lady Bermondsey, Ben Sedgwick, Hartley Sedgwick Additional Tags: Weddings, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Battleship Exchange 2024 Summary:

It’s a crisp autumn day, and Martin is having a bit of a crisis.

[betterbooksandthings]

"Searching for the best romance book series to devour can be a difficult task. There are so many authors with deep catalogs. You want to be sure you are starting a series that will deliver each time. Luckily, I’ve done all the hard work for you. Here are 25 of the best romance book series for you to read immediately.

As a bit of background, romance takes an interconnecting universe approach to book series. While there are plenty of standalone romance books, many authors write series where each book focuses on a different couple. Sometimes the books go through a family until each member has a partner. Other times the books jump through a friend group or workplace. Nevertheless, romance trains readers to find the background characters in an initial book that they ship in a featured book. These webs of love support romance readers who like inhabiting familiar worlds. I, for one, enjoy the ability to get to know characters from prior books even better."

[a-kind-of-merry-war]

can you recommend your favourite queer historical/fantasy novels or series for me?? desperate for some new books to read 🙏

Anon I'm so mad, I had a couple of rec lists floating around but what do you know, tumblr has eaten them!! So I'm putting together a new one for you. I should pin this somewhere really.

Queer historical romances

Anything by Cat Sebastian. Seriously. Anything. My personal favourite series is "Seducing the Sedgwicks", and her two most recent 50s-set books are both exceptional.

Equally, anything by KJ Charles. Again, they're all brilliant, so it doesn't really matter where you start. I really liked Band Sinister.

Olivia Waite does lovely f/f historical romances. I really enjoyed The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics.

Sebastian Nothwell (hello @nothwell) writes brilliant historical romances (and also has a couple of fantasy romances too). Planning a re-read of some of his when I've actually got time 😅

Solomon's Crown by Natasha Siegel, loved this one a lot

The Gentleman's Book of Vices by Jess Everlee (there's a f/f sequel coming out soon!)

Queer fantasy romance

I am utterly obsessed with A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows. I loved it. It's like it was crafted just for me. Also, the sequel just came out!

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland, SO indulgent and tropey and fun, I had a blast reading it. (hello @ariaste). Also, Alexandra's next book is about to come out - it's called Running Close to the Wind and its about PIRATES. YES.

The Last Binding series by Freya Marske. Absolute best of the best. Everyone loves them.

(See also, Swordcrossed, also by Freya Marske, coming out later this year)

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh. Short, sweet, and engrossing. Finishing this book is like stepping into sunlight for the first time after being lost in the woods for hours.

Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. It's a classic for a reason.

Queer fantasy/sci-fi with romantic elements, but isn't a straight-up romance

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune. I cried.

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree, extremely cosy domestic fantasy in the traditional D&D style, about an orc who sets up a coffee shop.

A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock. Frankenstein-style horror but with queer people and plants. More horror than fantasty, tbh.

Our Hideous Progeny by C E McGill (waving at @c-e-mcgill) is classic gothic horror/sci-fi, but this one is Frankenstein but with dinosaurs. And queer people. Very light background romance. Loved it.

OH WAIT ETA: What Manner of Man by @stjohnstarling - not sure if this fits your needs as its more horror romance than anything else, but its basically "dracula, but gay", and it's very good.

[erlie]

Replying "publicly", in case someone else is interested too! @mokolat

And I am more than happy to share my book recs!

Concerning historical M/M, anything by KJ Charles is good, but I recently enjoyed these: Band Sinister Slippery Creatures Both Doomsday books Cat Sebastian is also always reliable: The Queer Principles of Kit Webb We Could Be So Good All of the Seducing the Sedgwicks series

Also some other authors: A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske (this has magic in the mix) The Scottish Boy by Alex de Campi

All these books contain adult themes or straight up smut. They also have some period typical homophobia, but it is never particularly heavy and I can't remember any slurs being flung around, with the exception of "The Scottish Boy". It is heaviest of the bunch and I wouldn't categorize it as a romance book, but it is SO GOOD.

Also, none of these authors believe in Bury Your Gays or some such, so happy endings for all!

Let me know if you want or need some other recs!

[mxmaneater]

How do you see Gortash as queer coded?

Oh, it would be my genuine delight to explain.

Alright, so I have several lines of reasoning, so I’ll start with the low-hanging fruit first.  

Gortash’s obsession with his appearance

Okay, so we all know about Gortash’s eccentricities when it comes to the way he looks.  He wears an ostentatious villain coat, bedecked with golden bits and bobs, matching pants, and a matching shirt (that he wears provocatively low and can’t seem to ever lace properly).  He also clearly styles his hair, which given its length, takes a non-significant amount of time each morning. 

Now.  Am I saying these things on their own make him queer?  No, of course not.  The assumption that gay men take more care with their appearance is a stereotype, though I would argue that there is a subset of people for which this is true.  However, stereotypes also form the context for which we interpret characters and situations, and that social context is very real (even in cases when a stereotype is not), which is why I don’t discount these details either.  

Additionally, when it comes to the Netherstone, Gortash could have easily stuck it in the middle of a suit of armor like Ketheric and called it a day.  But as a politician (and someone who likely doesn’t see a lot of combat), I get that a suit of armor wouldn’t be his first choice.  Nonetheless, the option he goes with (and presumably takes the time and effort to craft and construct himself) is the pair of gauntlets, which are essentially ornate jewelry.  Jewelry that’s functional and dangerous, yes - but also needlessly beautiful.  And he really only needed one of them, but - again - his attention to detail with appearances drove him to build a matching set to become part of his Signature Look. 

Cool.  So let’s move on to:

Gortash’s political career

Alright, so I like to view Faerun as a fairly equitable place in terms of gender distribution in positions of power (at least compared to reality).  From what I can find on forgotten realms sources, it seems like the Council of Four was composed of 2 men and 2 women (at least until Stelmane is murdered); therefore, I think it’s not a stretch to assume that power is pretty evenly divided.  Great - love that for Baldur’s Gate.  Which it was true out here as well.

Even still, that means that 50% of the high-ranking government officials and patriars that Gortash is charming and manipulating as part of his rise to power are men.  As a devout follower of the God of Tyranny, I find it hard to believe that he would just pass up on the opportunity to use sex as a form of manipulation with men, when we have canon evidence that he uses this tactic to gain power with women (hello Lady Jannath).  Why would he - someone who views ascending in power as a holy mission - suddenly be squeamish when it comes to seducing (both literally and metaphorically) the other 50% of his targets?  

Also, like I mentioned earlier, although Faerun may be a veritable gender utopia, the social contexts that influence us in reality don’t suddenly go away when we boot up bg3.  The writers of the game as well as the consumers - us - are very much bound by the social contexts within which we operate, meaning that certain character traits can be queer-coded for us, even if they wouldn’t necessarily look that way to someone who lives in the world of the game (if they suddenly became sentient and engaged in discourse).  

What does that mean?  Okay, so we live in a society that is highly patriarchal and run by men (read: politicians as well as all other highly influential positions of power).  Within these circles, men are forced into “compulsory relationships” with other men (because remember, women don’t hold the clout they desire, and therefore don’t matter) in order to exert and obtain power; relationships such as “male friendship, mentorship, admiring identification, bureaucratic subordination, and heterosexual rivalry” (Sedgwick, Epistemology of the Closet) characterize these spaces.  Now, as Sedgwick - one of the mainstays of queer literary theory - explains, men enter into these “male homosocial” relationships because they must if they wish to gain power and ascend the ranks; however, the very necessity of these close, male relationships (to the exclusion of, or in superiority to relationships with women) also puts men in the dangerous social position of making it easy to become too close with other men and therefore jeopardizing their access to the very power they sought.  This is the foundation of her argument about forces that keep men in the proverbial “closet.” 

Okay.  So back to Gortash.  Gortash is not driven by fear of stepping over that line - he seems utterly unbothered by professing his connections to whoever he views as influential, regardless of gender (see: default Durge, which I’ll get to later).  He is not scared of stepping beyond this larger, societal “closet” that most men get defensive about in order to protect their relative power.  Sure Faerun is less homophobic than our reality, but again, the coding of these characters doesn’t change drastically based on the in-game setting, because it is ultimately people in our reality who are interpreting and interacting with the game and its characters.  

Also, I make a distinction between Gortash being “queer-coded” and not “gay-coded”; if anything, examples from the game would have me characterize Gortash as bisexual - if he even conceives of sex as an identity factor and not just a means of gaining power over someone, which is a big assumption.  I definitely view him as someone who thinks more along the lines of the latter - and wouldn’t it benefit him, in that case, to be an equal-opportunity manipulator?

This is getting long, so I’ll jump to my final point: 

Gortash’s devotion to the Dark Urge

Whether you read the past relationship between Gortash and the Dark Urge as sexual/romantic or purely a business dealing, the fact remains that Durge is the one character Gortash views as his equal.  And yes, you can customize Durge’s appearance and gender, etc, but the default origin character is male, so a certain amount of “canon”, I believe, can assume at least the possibility of a male Durge.  Gortash - the Chosen of Bane, who loves nothing more than domineering over others - wants to willingly share his Empire with Durge, once he’s conquered the city; that is not a level of devotion that you could expect Gortash to hold for anyone but his “nearest and dearest.”  

And from the letters you can find, it’s apparent that Gortash specifically sought Durge out - tempting him with information about Bhaalist artifacts that had been “stolen” and displayed in a museum in order to form a connection.  This, combined with his desperation to regain Durge as a partner in Act 3 (to the point he’s weirdly forgiving of insult and refusal), offer queer subtext, if not text-text, confirming his particular interest in Durge as a person.  After all, he only “tolerates” Orin, who, despite her own eccentricities, is only trying to accomplish the will of Bhaal, just like Durge presumably was as well.  In fact, most of the characters dismiss Orin as just some “crazy bitch”, which I find hard to believe isn’t rooted, at least partially, in sexism - especially since people forgive Durge very easily for similar crimes.  (I could write my own dissertation about Orin, but I’ll save that for another time).  

In conclusion, there is enough queer-coding between Gortash’s appearance, habits, career, known manipulation tactics, and special relationship with the Dark Urge to at least make the case that he isn’t super straight.  Even without the letter in which he wrote his penpal Franc that he loved him for bringing “wet, slithering malice” into the world.

[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.

[dvar-trek]

Romance Roundup: Part 2

the full list:

loved | liked | okay | didn't like

 ●Captive Prince Trilogy by C.S. Pacat     ○Captive Prince     ○Prince's Gambit     ○Kings Rising     ○The Summer Palace  ●Whyborne and Griffin Series by Jordan L. Hawk (there are like 11 of these in total, but this is as far as i got. this is not the only reason i stopped, but this series does contain a sex scene wherein sliding back the foreskin is described as "peeling". and i just. i simply don't think you should peel a dick. i don't think it's good for them.)     ○Widdershins     ○Eidolon     ○Threshold  ●Sweet Disorder by Rose Lerner  ●Sailor's Delight by Rose Lerner  ●Something Human by A.J. Demas  ●Doomsday Books by KJ Charles     ○The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen     ○A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel

 ●Old Bridge Inn Series by Annick Trent     ○Beck and Call     ○The Oak and the Ash  ●10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall  ●Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall (okay, listen, the first chapter hits you with a high concentration of cringe, and is therefore difficult to read. but the cringe concentration lessens considerably as you go along, and this ended up being one of my faves.)  ●Husband Material by Alexis Hall (again with the cringe, but it's not a strong enough book otherwise to make up for it, imo. the first book stands up great without having to bother with the sequel)  ●The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn  ●Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn     ○The Duke and I     ○The Viscount Who Loved Me (there are six more of these, but i simply couldn't go on)

 ●The Mystery of Nevermore by C.S. Poe  ●Turner Series by Cat Sebastian     ○The Soldier's Scoundrel     ○The Lawrence Browne Affair     ○The Ruin of a Rake     ○A Little Light Mischief  ●The Last Binding by Freya Marske (these are kissing books, but i didn't like the actual romances so much as the. like. plot.)     ○A Marvellous Light     ○A Restless Truth     ○A Power Unbound  ●Lucky Lovers of London by Jess Everlee     ○The Gentleman's Book of Vices     ○A Rulebook for Restless Rogues  ●A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland  ●His Heart's Obsession by Alex Beecroft  ●Seducing the Sedgwicks by Cat Sebastian     ○It Takes Two to Tumble     ○A Gentleman Never Keeps Score     ○Two Rogues Make a Right  ●Hard Sell by Hudson Lin  ●Green Men World by KJ Charles     ○The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal (can be read as a stand-alone. is also not really a romance, per-se, although they sure do fuck. more like if shelock holmes had been a ghost-hunter, and watson had told us about all the sex they were having)     ○Spectred Isle (n.b. this was meant to be the first book in a series that is on hold indefinitely, though i enjoyed it plenty on its own)

 ●Winterbourne series by Joanna Chambers (there's one more novella in this series but none of my libraries has it)     ○Introducing Mr. Winterbourne     ○Mr. Winterbourne's Christmas     ○The First Snow of Winter  ●The Vicar and the Rake by Annabelle Greene  ●The Gentleman and the Spy by Neil S. Plakcy  ●The Lord and the Frenchman by Neil S. Plakcy  ●Unfit to Print by KJ Charles  ●Brook Street by Ava March  ●Enlightenment Trilogy by Joanna Chambers     ○Provoked     ○Beguiled     ○Enlightened     ○The Bequest (epilogue novella)  ●Unnatural by Joanna Chambers  ●Restored by Joanna Chambers  ●Society of Gentlemen by KJ Charles (another one where the whole series is worthwhile for the story, even if i didn't love all of the romances. the characters are endearing and there's an excellent little series epilogue availble on the author's website)     ○The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh (prequel novella)     ○A Fashionable Indulgence     ○A Seditious Affair     ○A Gentleman's Position

 ●Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall  ●Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian  ●The Missing Page by Cat Sebastian  ●Sins of the Cities by KJ Charles     ○An Unseen Attraction     ○An Unnatural Vice     ○An Unsuitable Heir  ●Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston  ●Bright Falls series by Ashley Herring Blake (I'm still on a waitlist for the third book, which just came out)     ○Delilah Green Doesn't Care     ○Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail  ●Fake it 'til You Make Out by Isla Olsen  ●The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite  ●The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite  ●The Lilywhite Boys by KJ Charles     ○The Rat-Catcher's Daugher (prequel novella)     ○Any Old Diamonds     ○Guilded Cage     ○Masters in this Hall (sequel novella)  ●England World by KJ Charles     ○Proper English     ○Think of England  ●Will Darling Adventures by KJ Charles     ○Slippery Creatures     ○The Sugared Game     ○Subtle Blood

 ●The Lady's Secret by Joanna Chambers  ●A Charm of Magpies series by KJ Charles     ○The Magpie Lord     ○A Case of Possession     ○Flight of Magpies  ●Other KJ Charles book linked to the Magpies world     ○A Queer Trade     ○Rag and Bone     ○Jackdaw  ●Wanted, A Gentleman by KJ Charles  ●The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles  ●A Thief in the Night by KJ Charles (novella linked to Gentle Art)  ●Band Sinister by KJ Charles  ●Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian  ●A Duke in Disguise by Cat Sebastian

romance roundup part 1

[maaarine]

The Tragedy of Heterosexuality (Jane Ward, 2020)

“Women’s sexual disinterest triggers not only anger in men but also a kind of heteropatriarchal melancholy: a sexual loss that is difficult for straight men to mourn because it is perceived to be unnatural and shameful, a denial of men’s very birthright as men.

As seduction coaches made clear in their interviews with me, this heteromasculine shame—and the limited number of spaces in which men believe they can express it without judgment—produced a demand for new forms of repair.

Pickup-artist subculture, seduction coaches, incel communities, and Men Going Their Own Way emerged as popular homosocial sites of heterosexual repair, spaces in which the much-ignored misogyny paradox—how do you seduce women if you hate women?—could be addressed out in the open. (…)

In this way, the seduction industry sells straight men the opportunity to participate in a global homosociality, in which access to sex with white women becomes the foundation of cross-racial and cross-national solidarity and “love” among men.

As if taken right from the pages of Eve Sedgwick’s analysis of what she famously termed the “erotic triangle,” wherein sex with women serves to strengthen the bonds of men, Nawaz described in his interview how he learned to love other men by witnessing their success seducing hot women:

“He [a fellow Rockstar student] grabbed this one girl, who was just so smoking hot. . . . I had this huge gush of jealously flow through me. . . . I think that was the first time I caught it when it was happening.

Instead of focusing on him and the girl, I started focusing on what I had with a Rockstar fellow of mine I had spent the last seven weeks with.

And all the memories of us having fun in Budapest and Mykonos and all throughout Vegas came to my mind.

And from a place of jealously, I quickly went to a place of “I hope he bangs this chick tonight because she’s smoking hot. That would be really good for him, and if he could do it, that would just make me so happy.”

And I wasn’t just saying this. I actually felt it. . . . At that moment . . . my love for him was bigger than any form of jealousy I could have.”

In Nawaz’s narrative, as in many of the stories that men tell about their personal transformations in the seduction community, the romance lies not in the relationships men have with women—which are described in more transactional terms (the win/win)—but in the relationships they have with one another.”

[not100bees]

can i get some fun book recs? just whatever

Okay, well I'm just going to pick some of my favorites from just sort of a random assortment. The house of the spirits absolutely phenomenal. Spinning silver is a delightful fantasy novel. If you're more into romance, I love cat Sebastian very dearly but I think seducing the sedgwicks is great especially it takes two to tumble. I'm not good at recommendations.

[bookbaran]

Ok, I realized that Alfie appears in both The Turners and Seducing the Sedgwicks and so they must take place in the same world. But I somehow managed to miss until this listen through that Norton is also in both series.

[iammistressofmyfate]

tag game

Thanks for the tag @mychemicalrachel 😘

current time: 12:22pm

current activity: sitting at my laptop and considering writing

currently thinking about: what I will write

current favorite song: Million Dollar Secret by Lucius

currently reading: Two Rogues Make a Right: Seducing the Sedgwicks by Cat Sebastian

currently watching: nothing at the moment

current favorite character: Prince Henry George Edward James Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor 👑

current wips: Pynch sex shop AU, Pynch Arranged Marriage AU, Pynch 50 States fic, and some hurt/comfort Firstprince

Tagging @lizpaige @zephfair @annaofaza @bavariansugarcookie @your-void-senpai There's no pressure to do this and if you weren't tagged but wanna do this, by all means!! 💕

[theavidindoorswoman]

Pride Romance Recs

Started working on that possible series of book recs for Pride Month and it turns out that figuring out how to organize it was harder than I thought. I have favorite tropes that I tend to stick to but I also love a good series that spans multiple tropes and breaking things up by trope started to makes a little less sense. I still haven’t decided on structure but I’ll start with historicals, because that’s a trope that I don’t seek out that often. For titles that are part of series, be aware that I haven’t necessarily read the full series.

Historical:

1. Seducing the Sedgwicks by Cat Sebastian

      - It Takes Two to Tumble

      - A Gentleman Never Keeps Score

      - Two Rogues Make a Right

2. Peter Cabot Gets Lost (The Cabots book 1) by Cat Sebastian

3. The Lords of Bucknall Club Series by Lisa Henry & J.A. Rock

     - A Sanctuary for Soulden

     - A Case for Christmas

     - A Husband for Hartwell

4. Burning Season by Rachel Ember (part of The Wild Ones series)

[xslytherclawx-writes]

Fandom Promotional Post: Seducing the Sedgwicks - Cat Sebastian

Media: book series

Approx length: 3 books at about 250-300 pages each (+2 short stories from Cat's newsletter, if you'd like to include them)

Where to find it: The books are available most places books are sold, but check Cat Sebastian's website for specific buy links. The short stories are iirc still available for free by signing up for Cat Sebastian's newsletter (link on the main page of her website).

What is it, in summary?: Seducing the Sedgwicks is an M/M Regency romance novel series by Cat Sebastian. My nominations generally focus on the second two books: A Gentleman Never Keeps Score, about a gentleman and a bartender who exact revenge on a horrible dead man, and Two Rogues Make a Right, which features a former sailor who kidnaps his (nobleman) childhood best friend to nurse him back to health in the countryside.

What do you love about it?: Short of "everything"? I am the world’s biggest sucker for friends to lovers, and I read Two Rogues Make a Right twice within a week of its release because I just love it so much. I love Martin and Will and how they interact with each other and their trauma and their shitty fathers and bad upbringings. I love how prickly Martin is (and the teasing affection he has for Will!), and how soft and caring Will is. Their entire book was pretty much hurt/comfort and I loved it. As for A Gentleman Never Keeps Score, I ADORE Hartley as a character. How he convinces himself he doesn't care about people, and then does the most to help others. And Sam! Who feels so damaged by his past, but he's so good and kind and does all of this to help a friend! I love them both tbh! The first book (It Takes Two to Tumble) is also lovely. It's a Regency M/M spin on The Sound of Music - featuring hellion children, a strict sea captain, and a vicar who loves animals. It's probably the most idyllic and least complicated of the three, but it is the first in the series (and I think the first Cat Sebastian) I read, so I have a soft spot for it.

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): Book 1 (It Takes Two to Tumble): past parental neglect, MC who deals with internalized shame of his dyslexia, explicit sex, secondary character with an illness similar to MS, period typical ableist attitudes regarding a disabled woman’s marriageability Book 2 (A Gentleman Never Keeps Score): past sexual abuse of a minor, explicit consensual sex, one MC is Black and experiences racism from a law enforcement officer Book 3 (Two Rogues Make A Right): addiction, chronic illness, PTSD, emotional abuse of child by parent, past parental neglect, past sexual abuse of minor (off page, before story begins), explicit consensual sex For the shorts, there isn't anything that isn't above.

[natreads]

The Seducing the Sedgwicks series by Cat Sebastian brought me so much joy during the end of summer beginning of autumn period! I finally own the whole series so it's time to gush about it a bit.

The series follows three brothers in the beginning of the 1800s, all three of them queer and trying to navigate life during a time where it's less than ideal for them to not be interested in women and only women. The first book follows Ben, a vicar, who falls for Captain Phillip who returns home after Ben gets assigned to help take care of his three children. The other two books follow Ben's brothers, Hartley and Will. Alongside Ben and Phillip's story there is an underlaying plot regarding Ben's family and their relation to another family, past trauma and manipulation, which gets explored more throughout the series. I won't say too much so not to spoil anything, but it's very well done and ties the story together well in the end of the last book. I adore seeing characters we know appear in the other books, giving it all more of a natural course. It's both about found family and about blood, about being accepted for who you are and how you're worthy of love. It's also about past trauma. Not much gets displayed on page, but a lot is implied and therefore I do recommend reading the trigger warnings.

My absolute favorite was the second book. I love it, I love it, I love it. I love how it discusses consent, class, found family. Don't get me wrong, the other two books were great, but nothing beats Hartley's story. It's forever nestled in my heart now.