(no subject)

[skygiants]

Speaking of queer romance, I was reminded yesterday that I have been meaning for some time now to write up Jeannelle M. Ferreira's The Covert Captain: Or, A Marriage of Equals, which is that rarest and most prized of beasts, LESBIAN REGENCY ROMANCE. Have I ever before read a good one (outside of fanfic?) I can't remember having done so!

The premise: Captain Nathaniel Fleming comes home from Waterloo to spend a holiday with his commanding officer and best friend, Major Sherbourne, and soon falls for Sherbourne's spinster sister Harriet. But of course Captain Fleming has A SECRET and from the genre categorization I bet you can all guess what it is!

The expected complications ensue, as well as some unexpected complications, but all turns out well -- including, to my great relief, Captain Fleming's ride-or-die friendship with Major Sherbourne, which honestly stressed me out WAY more than the romance did. I was fairly sure everything was going to end fine with Harriet, but the war flashbacks developing Fleming and Sherbourne's backstory were some of the most compelling parts of the book and it was very important to me that they ended up OK!

I will note that the style is quite distinct from what one generally sees in romance novels these days -- much more lyrical and elliptical, much less time in the characters' heads -- which may be a bug or a feature depending on your tastes.

Also, gender stuff is always complicated when writing about historical eras that don't have the same range of language available to encompass different queer identities that we do now, but iirc the authorial word is that this is a Book About People Who Today Would Probably Self-Identify As Lesbians and that Books About People Who Today Would Probably Self-Identify As Trans Or Genderqueer are likely to come in future.

Comments

[raven]

I will note that the style is quite distinct from what one generally sees in romance novels these days -- much more lyrical and elliptical, much less time in the characters' heads -- which may be a bug or a feature depending on your tastes.

thank GOD. I loved this one as an antidote to the usual Let Me Think About My Feelings For Twenty Fucking Pages.

(Iona is a goddamn reactionary news at eleven)

[skygiants]

I found it like 80% refreshing and 20% mildly disconcerting when an emotional beat I expected got skipped over, but it did make SUCH a nice change from "let each protagonist take half each chapter to explain to themselves why they're feeling and doing what they're doing."

[alias_sqbr]

*adds to to-read pile*

[skygiants]

I hope you enjoy it! :D

[aurumcalendula]

I LOVE The Covert Captain! (and this also reminds me I need to get around to reading Pembroke Park)

[skygiants]

I have not heard of Pembroke Park but if you mention it in the same beat as Covert Captain it is likely to be relevant to my interests ... tell me more? :D

[aurumcalendula]

Michelle Martin's Pembroke Park was published in 1986 and was billed the first lesbian Regency romance novel (I'm not sure if that's true or not). It's supposed to be fairly good.

[sovay]

iirc the authorial word is that this is a Book About People Who Today Would Probably Self-Identify As Lesbians and that Books About People Who Today Would Probably Self-Identify As Trans Or Genderqueer are likely to come in future.

Having just been speaking with the author: this is true.

(I love this book.)

[skygiants]

It was either in a comment on your DW or on Tumblr that I remembered seeing that, I just couldn't remember where!

(I am very glad I finally remembered to write it up! I read it while traveling for work and then got flattened by other responsibilities before I had a chance in the moment.)

[lokifan]

This sounds fabulous! And I like romance, but, yes, less time in the characters' heads sounds like a good palate-cleanser haha.

Have you read any Penelope Friday? She does lesbian Regency.

[skygiants]

I have read no Penelope Friday! Has she written anything in particular that you would recommend?

[lokifan]

Petticoats and Promises is the one I've read. It's good - not amazing, but I can be a bit of a hard sell on friends-to-lovers and definitely good enough to earn a rec for someone specifically looking for Regency romance!

The author was working on another lesbian Regency, something longer & more complex and digging into colonialism, but I can't find it so maybe it didn't happen...

[aurumcalendula]

The Sisterhood, maybe?

[lokifan]

That's it!

[izilen]

This was a Whole Ride and I wish to yell about it sometime.