A Shore Thing | 
#BookBracket2025 for August was easy! The tagged historical queer romance was by far by favourite in an otherwise meh reading month. If you like your historical romances with real, interesting historical details and context, with bonus feminist and trans characters, A Shore Thing is for you!
Martyr! was an easy win against the two it came up against though. Can't beat how beautiful the writing is.
pickA bright queer Victorian romance featuring bicycles, botany, redemption all over the place, and hilarious side characters. I loved this book! It is always fun finding a book that I can see my own relationship reflected in. I‘m also a sucker for enemies to lovers and redemption of antagonist characters. This book also has some really well done love scenes. #LGBTQIA #VictorianRomance #Botany #Bikes
pickThis is one of the best queer historical romances I've ever read, definitely the best trans historical romance I've come across. For all you queer history nerds who like real historical details and a strong sense of the time period but also adorable queer love and a wonderfully drawn trans man and cis woman character, this is for you. Those sex scenes!! 🔥🔥🔥 Plus, late 19th century bicycles, botany, and painting! Just lovely lovely lovely. 😍
#ReadingBracket2025 Romance update - first half of the year!
I had some great reads this last quarter, including the really fun and unique time loop romance Time and Time Again. But A Shore Thing is moving onto the next round. I can't get over its charm.
First Quarter Romance #ReadingBracket2025
The majority of my reads in March were romance, so it was tough to narrow down. But these two I read for the #TransRightsReadathon and really enjoyed them both. The tagged is moving on as my favorite for the quarter. (The bonus pick is The Dandelion and the Thistle btw, it's hard to read so tiny)
Decided to start this one on audio since none of my current listens were as cheery as I've been wanting
Loving it so far! The narrator does a lovely Irish accent for Muriel and I can't get enough of her and Kit's banter.
In the author's note, Lowell self-identifies as a cis-queer writer with a trans masculine historian partner, and used their experiences as a couple as well as archival research in writing this story
#TransRightsReadathon #TRR25
pickMacho bicycle jousting, trans joy, a super steamy bathtub scene, seaweed inspections—What a delight! This charming romp of a queer Victorian romance will have you cycling across the British seaside with an enterprising botanist and the rakish artist she needs to illustrate her upcoming lecture. This is what I love to have in a historical romance: tender and fun, smart and sexy, with utterly lovable characters and an enriching historical context!
