Hello friends! I had planned for my first ‘real’ blog post to be a regular review, but in light of recent events I’ve decided to change course. Since we’re all relegated to our homes for the foreseeable future, I’ve instead decided to do a round up of book recs for this period of social distancing. Because many people are also going to struggle financially through this crisis, I’ve also elected to focus primarily on low cost ebooks and those you read with a Kindle Unlimited subscription (or free trial), so you can read some awesome books over these next few weeks without breaking the bank!
Without further ado, let’s get to the books!
1. The Sting of Victory (Fallen Gods #1) by SD Simper
Genre: “Dark Fantasy Lesbian Romance”
Themes/Tropes: Thawing the Ice Queen/Taming the Beast, Swords & Sorcery, Opposites Attract, May/December Romance
LGBT Rep? Yes! The main protagonist of the series is sapphic. There’s also an f/f relationship that features prominently.
Content Warnings (CW): Pet/Animal Death, Unhealthy/Dysfunctional Relationship
Synopsis: “When faced with monstrosity, become the greater monster. The sting of victory will fade with time.”
Haunted by a history of horror and abuse, Flowridia, a witch with a tender heart, finds a second chance in the home of her kingdom’s royal family. With employment comes friendship, and perhaps she has finally found a place to belong—until she catches the eye of Lady Ayla Darkleaf, a woman with enticing grace and a predatory smile. The corrupt world of politics consumes her, and Flowridia falls into a toxic love affair surely doomed for heartbreak. Yet when Ayla’s legacy as a monster unfolds, Flowridia sees only the tender soul hiding beneath.
An ancient deity returns, hell-bent on restoring the world to its natural order, and Flowridia’s kingdom is tasked to stop him. Caught in the ensuing clash of gods, her loyalties will be tempted at every turn—by family, by fate, and by the woman whose claws grip her heart.
What I Like/Love About It: This is the rec that keeps on giving! There are currently three books from the Fallen Gods series available on KU, and the author has revealed that there are three more coming! Simper has created a complex, immersive world for the series and that’s not even touching on the well developed characters or the complicated, fucked up unhealthy relationship you can’t help but ship anyway. However, there’s a reason Simper added “A Dark Fantasy Lesbian Romance” subheading to the title – the novel and series do get pretty dark at times – but it’s absolutely worth reading if you can handle a little dysfunction.
Bonus: If you’d rather stick to happier books (or if you just love mermaids), you can pre-order Fate of Stars, the first book in Simper’s upcoming sapphic mermaid trilogy here! I was a beta reader for this one, so I can absolutely vouch for its quality. Can’t wait til May for sapphic mermaids? Check out Beneath the Dark Moon, a short story prequel to the series that I did the cover design for!
2. Remember, November (From the Ashes of Victory #1) by Cameron Darrow
Genre: Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Action/Adventure
Themes/Tropes: Witches, Opposites Attract, Strong Female Leads, Romantic Subplot, Coming Out
LGBT Rep? Yes, but not overtly. One of the main characters, Millie, is a closeted lesbian who is secretly in love with one of her fellow witches. It’s also worth noting that the author handles the topic of homophobia in the 20th century well.
Content Warnings (CW): Suicide, Forced Psychiatric Institutionalization, explicit description of lobotomies
Synopsis:
Britain may have won the First World War, but the witches of ADAM lost.
Now an embarrassment, the Allied Directorate for Alternative Means is to be disbanded and its witches scattered, their lives overturned and shattered once again. Presented with a final chance to keep their budding coven together, it will take more than magic for them to succeed.
When Millie Brown’s best friend goes missing from the program, she must track her down and bring her home before she’s hunted down by a government that no longer wants anything to do with witchcraft. If that weren’t enough, if Millie fails, not only will ADAM be disbanded, but the beguiling witch Elise will be sent back to France. Fearing that as much as her own feelings for Elise, Millie will have to look within herself to find the truth of her magic and hold together that which is most important to her or lose it all.
And a young woman known only as November wakes up on Christmas morning in an empty grave with no memory of who she is or why she can do impossible things. With no memory of her past, she must struggle to find out just who she was and why it has come back to try to kill her. The sudden manifestation of a power she can’t understand and barely control makes it all the more urgent, for the sake of everyone around her as much as herself.
What I Like/Love About It: Remember, November is a unique, magical realism take on a bygone era (the late 1910’s, post-World War I) with great characters and a complex plotline laced with mysteries I really enjoyed unravelling. Darrow’s prose was a genuine pleasure to read, and I liked that the witches of ADAM aren’t overtly powerful from the get go – in fact, at the start of the book their sole talent is creating “witchlights” (tiny balls of light) out of thin air. I absolutely loved seeing the magic using protagonists learn and nurture their powers throughout the course of the book.
3. Safe Passage (Black Flag #1) by Rachel Ford
Genre: Sci-Fi/Speculative, Action/Adventure, Lesbian Fiction
Themes/Tropes: Heist, Space Pirates
LGBT Rep? Yep! Kay (the main protagonist) is bisexual, and her love interest is a lesbian.
Content Warnings (CW): Some Biphobia
Synopsis: Go big or go home. For privateer Captain Magdalene Landon, it’s all about going big. For Kay Ellis, it’s about getting home. Together, they’re about to architect the most daring heist in the galaxy.
Kay knows too much. She knows it’s a matter of time before a Conglomerate hitman finds her. She’s desperate for safe passage back to Union space.
Then Magdalene shows up, promising a way home in exchange for that information. It’s a risky bet, but Kay is out of options. So she strikes a deal: the heist of the century for her freedom.
Kay is playing a dangerous game, and she knows it. She’s made herself Enemy Number One of the Conglomerate. She’s relying on privateers for her safety. It’s a fool’s game. But the worst part is, her fool’s heart is starting to warm to the enigmatic captain. And that’s a risk for which she hadn’t planned.
What I Like/Love About It: Safe Passage is an entertaining science fiction lesfic novel with lots of action (including a heist!) and an enemies to lovers romance plotline. There is a little more angst than necessary in the latter half of the book, but the good really outweighs the bad here. Overall, Safe Passage is a fun story that works great for an afternoon of escapism!
4. Among the Hollow by Roman Ankenbrandt
Genre: Historical/Myth & Legend Fantasy
Themes/Tropes: Heist, Space Pirates
LGBT Rep? Yep! Though Among the Hollow doesn’t really include any romance subplots, the main character, Sevila, is definitely not straight!
Content Warnings (CW): It’s honestly been so long since I’ve read this that I can’t recall any – sorry!
Synopsis:
An empire steeped in cutthroat politics and black magic wavers upon the knife’s edge of civil war. The empress has been overthrown, and her only remaining heir taken into the custody of her killers, leaving the empire divided between the old imperial family and the zealous general who has seized the capital.
Meanwhile Aurel, a disemboded soul with no memory of their former self, must forge an uneasy pact with Sevila, a mysterious traveller from across the southern sands. In the hunt for Aurel’s body, strange alliances form and dark secrets emerge, threatening to plunge the empire into a crisis far greater than they could imagine.
What I Like/Love About It: Among the Hollow is unique in that it’s a high fantasy novel set in a world that couldn’t be further from your typical Euro-centric, Lord of the Rings-esque fantasy setting, which I love. Also, the primary magic system is necromancy! I am literally always here for necromancy. That aside, Ankenbrandt is an incredibly talented writer who will pull you in and not allow you to come up for air until you’ve consumed the entire story in one sitting, which makes this novel a very good choice for quarantine, especially if you’re looking for something to read that’s more plot than relationship centered!
As an added bonus, the author created this masterpost on Tumblr that links to all of the comics, illustrations, and other content they’ve created for the novel!
5. The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics (Feminine Pursuits #1) by Olivia Waite
Genre: Historical Fiction/Lesbian Romance
Themes/Tropes: Rich Girl/Poor Girl, May/December (technically, though age gap is small), Breaking the Glass Ceiling, Coming Out
LGBT Rep? Yes! Both of the romantic leads are WLW, with allusions to other sapphic characters/relationships.
Content Warnings (CW): None that I can think of!
Synopsis:
As Lucy Muchelney watches her ex-lover’s sham of a wedding, she wishes herself anywhere else. It isn’t until she finds a letter from the Countess of Moth, looking for someone to translate a groundbreaking French astronomy text, that she knows where to go. Showing up at the Countess’ London home, she hoped to find a challenge, not a woman who takes her breath away.
Catherine St Day looks forward to a quiet widowhood once her late husband’s scientific legacy is fulfilled. She expected to hand off the translation and wash her hands of the project—instead, she is intrigued by the young woman who turns up at her door, begging to be allowed to do the work, and she agrees to let Lucy stay. But as Catherine finds herself longing for Lucy, everything she believes about herself and her life is tested.
While Lucy spends her days interpreting the complicated French text, she spends her nights falling in love with the alluring Catherine. But sabotage and old wounds threaten to sever the threads that bind them. Can Lucy and Catherine find the strength to stay together or are they doomed to be star-crossed lovers?
What I Like/Love About It: I’m typically not a big fan of historical fiction or straight up romance novels. Celestial Mechanics is both, but I was really glad I decided to give it a chance anyway. This is a fairly quick and easy read if you’re in the mood for something light hearted and steamy.
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