A Bloomy Head

A Bloomy Head by J. Winifred Butterworth, 289 pages

Newly widowed Kate has just been forced back into her family home with a passel of adult siblings when her brother returns from the war with an injured army surgeon in tow. Between fighting to keep the family farm, recovering from her late husband's abuse, and nursing the surgeon, Thomas, back to health, Kate somehow manages to begin a cheesemaking business, which she hopes will help keep things afloat until as the farm becomes self-sustaining. What Kate doesn't count on is falling in love with Thomas, or finding beheaded bodies on the farm. Yet both those things occur, and both complicate Kate's life immensely.

This is an intriguing mix of mystery, romance, and cheesemaking, and it's hard to put down. I appreciated the historical details and delicacy in portraying Thomas as a trans man, as well as Kate's previous abusive relationship. Were there perhaps a few too many elements to juggle? Oh definitely. But it was still fun!

A Rare Find

A Rare Find by Joanna Lowell, 368 pages

Stuck at a crumbling manor with her father and sisters, Elfreda doesn't have any friends or acceptable hobbies, which might explain the lack of friends in rigid Edwardian England. Instead, Elfreda's passions lie in archaeology, specifically in her quest to find proof of a Viking army camp near her family's property. As she digs one day, she discovers that her neighborly nemesis, Georgie, has returned from London to lark about the countryside for a while. Elfreda is equally annoyed with and grudgingly charmed by Georgie's laissez faire attitude and self-confidence, and soon a relationship of attraction and curiosity blossoms, much to their mutual consternation.

The idea of a romance heroine trying to buck gender norms and make a name for herself in a male-dominated society isn't by any means a new one, so that element of this book doesn't really forge anything new in the genre. However, there aren't a whole heck of a lot of nonbinary leads in historical romance novels, so that element is a bit fresher (though it's also done in a somewhat clunky way). An enjoyable enemies-to-lovers tale, but nothing to write home about.

The Mistress Experience

The Mistress Experience by Scarlett Peckham, 360 pages

Normally, renowned courtesan Thaïs Magdalene chooses just one "suitor" a week and never beds the same man twice. But to raise money for an institute to help educate and employ women, she decides to auction off her services for an entire month, the titular "mistress experience." While she thinks a rakish former suitor has won, when she arrives at his home, she discovers that he was a front for the quiet, and not-yet-sexually-liberated Lord Alistair Eden, who wants to learn how to please a woman before he enters the marriage mart. As you can imagine, much learning ensues, though so do a lot of feelings that Thaïs has previously stopped herself from feeling.

I'm not normally much of a fan of historical romance, but I enjoyed the first book in this series, The Rakess (which gender-swapped the rake trope in excellent fashion), and thought I'd give this one a whirl. While it was OK, it wasn't my favorite by any means, and something about the "hey, you paid for this" vibe struck me as off. Wasn't the worst romance I've read this year though. Read it if your favorite Van Halen song is "Hot for Teacher."

The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes

 The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian (2022, 350 pages)

A continuation of The Queer Principles of Kit Webb, this book focuses on two new characters. Kit's friend Rob started out as Marian's captive (or was she his captive?), but decides to help her hide from the public view after the heist in the first book.

Loved the casual queer representation, I also like the unique characters (loved reading about a aggressive woman who knows what wants in a romance!). Their banter is entertaining and it's a sweet story, more relaxed than the first book. It's cute watching this little family form!

★★★★☆

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb

 The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian (2021, 352 pages)

Queer romance, 18th century England, and a criminal element led me to pick up this book and it delivered.

Kit Webb mostly gave up his life of Robin Hood-esque crime after an injury and opened up a coffee shop in London. He's a little grumpy, but is happy with his new life.

Percy suspects his days as a lord are coming to an end, if a certain secret about his lord father are to be publicized. All Percy wants from him now is a book and enough money to care for himself and his childhood bestie (who is also his father's new young bride), Marian.

Neither Percy nor Marian are prepared to take this on,  so they reach out of Kit for help. Kit is reluctant to help the royal family that he despises, but finds this heist might be just what he needs.

Great queer romance with both comedy and drama bits. Wasn't too predictable and has funny characters that I genuinely want to read more about.

The ending of this book continues almost flawlessly into the sequel, The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes which is another queer romance but with a different couple (whom you meet in this book, but this is a continuation/beginning of their story!).

★★★★☆
 

Ana María and the Fox

 Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa, 341 pages.

Ana María Luna Valdés is the daughter of an important Mexican politician, and her father's strict control has made her terrified of being anything less than the perfect daughter. But when she and her sisters have to flee Mexico for London during the French occupation by Napoleon III, Ana María experiences a modicum of freedom for the first time, and finally gets to decide what she wants for herself. One of the things she wants for herself is Gideon Fox, a young abolitionist and member of the house of commons from humble beginnings. However, Ana María is still engaged to a man her father chose for her, and being associated would hurt both of them politically, so instead they have to dance around each other for months until circumstances force desperate measures.

This book was, unfortunately for me, not quite what I was expecting. I was expecting something that leaned more historical fiction, but this book felt much more Regency romance (despite technically being a Victorian setting). The first sentence of the blurb also reads "a marriage of convenience between a Mexican heiress and a shrewd London politician makes for a scandalous Victorian bargain," which while technically true is also very misleading. The "marriage of convenience" comes very near the end of the book when they are both fully aware they are in love, and is not in fact particularly scandalous. I personally found myself a little bored with this book, but the characters were solid, and I suspect people who are actually fans of the historical romance genre might really like it.