Recent reading
Nov. 4th, 2021 11:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
luzulaUntil Death or England Do Us Part, by sanguinity
I don't know the canon for this (the Hornblower books) but the author kindly explained what I needed to know. And it was great fun! Basically, it is a tropey fake-married m/m adventure story about two English officers stuck in France during the Napoleonic wars. Obviously the gay marriage is ahistorical, but I don't see why one shouldn't have some alternate history fun despite that (revolutionary France did decriminalize sodomy, but there's a long way to go from that to gay marriage).
Spring Flowering, by Farah Mendlesohn (2017)
An f/f regency romance. The setting is detailed, which I appreciated, although it was also sometimes a bit "let me show you everything I know about early 19th century Birmingham! : D" Ann, the main character, has a childhood friend she shared kisses and caresses with, but the friend gets married and Ann's father dies, and Ann moves to her aunt and uncle's family. They're very supportive of her, including her choice not to get married and seek female companionship. The pairing which one thinks is endgame isn't actually, which I did appreciate! But the pairing which we get at the end doesn't get enough room to breathe--everything is just settled too quickly and easily between them, I think. The book is only 166 pages, too, so there was definitely room to write more. Still, if you're in the mood for "queer people being happy in historical times", this isn't a bad choice.
sanguinityI don't know the canon for this (the Hornblower books) but the author kindly explained what I needed to know. And it was great fun! Basically, it is a tropey fake-married m/m adventure story about two English officers stuck in France during the Napoleonic wars. Obviously the gay marriage is ahistorical, but I don't see why one shouldn't have some alternate history fun despite that (revolutionary France did decriminalize sodomy, but there's a long way to go from that to gay marriage).
Spring Flowering, by Farah Mendlesohn (2017)
An f/f regency romance. The setting is detailed, which I appreciated, although it was also sometimes a bit "let me show you everything I know about early 19th century Birmingham! : D" Ann, the main character, has a childhood friend she shared kisses and caresses with, but the friend gets married and Ann's father dies, and Ann moves to her aunt and uncle's family. They're very supportive of her, including her choice not to get married and seek female companionship. The pairing which one thinks is endgame isn't actually, which I did appreciate! But the pairing which we get at the end doesn't get enough room to breathe--everything is just settled too quickly and easily between them, I think. The book is only 166 pages, too, so there was definitely room to write more. Still, if you're in the mood for "queer people being happy in historical times", this isn't a bad choice.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-11-05 04:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-11-05 05:00 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-11-05 08:14 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-11-05 08:45 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-11-05 08:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-11-05 08:53 pm (UTC)Perhaps I should say about the Hornblower fic--I seem to recall you being sensitive to power imbalances. One of the officers is subordinate to the other while they're in the fake marriage, and I did feel a bit bad for him, though he does at the end get promoted so that they're equal.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-11-05 08:59 pm (UTC)