I started this audiobook on a whim after seeing it in @librofm’s ALCs this month (thank you for my free copy!), and it was surprisingly enjoyable! I dip my toes into romance every now and again, and I do love fantasy, but it’s very rare for me to read a romantasy novel. Since it was gay and had mermaids, I feel like this was a nice choice to ease me in! You can tell there’s a lot of research gone into the historical aspect as well, and I loved the sideshow setting with the most wholesome found family. There is enough inclusion of deeper topics to keep me from growing tired of surface level romance, such as racism, ableism and homophobia, but it’s not a tragic story. These elements are woven in seamlessly, acknowledging them within the historical context but we still get a lovely happy ending for our queers 🥰

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There was one aspect of the book I wanted a teeny bit more info on, but perhaps we’re being set up for a sequel!