elementarymydear's Reviews (967)

 Reputation was one of my top books of 2021, so I was SO excited to see Lex Croucher had another Regency coming-of-age story coming out. And it did not disappoint!!

Our lead, Edith (known as Eddie), is an aspiring writer, who has never quite fit in with her peers. You can’t help but root for her the whole way through, even though you wish you could drag her out of her story and give her some sound advice before shoving her back in there to hopefully make better choices the second time around.

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Although this is a romance, it is Eddie’s own story that takes centre-stage, as she – for want of a better phrase – finds herself and her identity. As with Reputation we have a great cast of supporting characters too, and the way they write diversity in a historically accurate way while still celebrating the joy of diversity is something very rare indeed.

I won’t spoil the ending here but just know that it’s absolutely perfect, tying everything up very neatly and satisfyingly and giving us a sense of the wider world outside this group of characters. While the majority of the action takes place in one house on one island, the action never felt confined from the wider world of the story, but more like it was going to have an even bigger impact when those two worlds collided.

It’s definitely true to say that if you like Bridgerton you’ll like Infamous, but I think it’s more true to say that Infamous provides all the things you’re missing Bridgerton. I’m hoping that Croucher’s books mark a turning point in our approach to historical fiction, where we acknowledge that people throughout history were just as messy and chaotic as we are and that’s great!

Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a copy for review. All opinions are my own. 

 This is a must-have for any young queer historical fiction fans. There’s a wonderful variety, both in the stories themselves and the people they represent. It was great to see stories from across the LGBTQ community, including trans, asexual, and gender fluid characters, and settings that ranged from the middle ages to the new millennium (which, as a 90s baby, I object to as historical fiction!).

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Most of the stories followed a similar format: two boys/two girls meet; neither of them know any queer people so feel alone; realise they fancy each other; story ends with a kiss. The collection is prevented from becoming too repetitive though with a few dotted throughout that have completely different storylines. My personal favourite was Every Shade of Red by Elliot Wake, which retold the Robin Hood legend and broke my heart along the way. All of the little touches and details were so well-done, it felt like I was watching a well-crafted blockbuster movie rather than reading a short story. Another favourite was The Secret Life of a Teenage Boy by Alex Sanchez. It started out as a getting-together story, but resolved beautifully into a coming-of-age tale about family.

A great collection to either dip in and out of or read cover to cover, I dare anyone to read this and not find at least one story that resonates deeply with you.

Thank you to the publishers for sending me a free copy for review. All opinions are my own. 

 

This was a lovely romance, with the added dynamics of being two/three romances in one. It’s a real page turner, and it’s obvious from the get-go how well-matched the characters are.

This is the second ‘Love at Knockdown’ book I’ve read, and it felt much more immersed in the wider world. It was really great to get to know the other characters a bit more, and all of the main characters had really nice individual storylines as well as the romantic ones.

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If anything, I wish it had been a little bit longer, a bit more of a slow-burn. Especially given the circumstances under which Noelle and Allie meet (no spoilers!), I would have enjoyed a slightly longer journey to get to the end.

Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.