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It utilized to beryllium that erstwhile idiosyncratic said “romance novels,” those 2 words conjured up images of wide marketplace paperbacks displaying illustrations of consecutive achromatic couples from a vaguely humanities clip play clutching astatine each other. These days, romance novels person expanded from the classic clinch covers, and we’re seeing loads of diverseness erstwhile it comes to characters, clip periods, and settings successful romance. Most notably, the past 5 years person seen an detonation of queer romance successful accepted publishing, and that’s truly encouraging, adjacent if my insatiable sensation keeps demanding MORE.
While it’s existent that uncovering queer (particularly f/f) romance novels isn’t arsenic hard arsenic it utilized to be, it’s absorbing to enactment that determination are acold much modern queer romances than humanities queer romances, peculiarly successful accepted romance publishing. I person immoderate thoughts connected wherefore that mightiness be, though nary of it is peculiarly scientific. Historical romance takes a spot of probe (even erstwhile you’re playing accelerated and escaped with humanities detail). Real instances of queer happily ever afters aren’t arsenic mainstream oregon easy accessible, due to the fact that past has obscured a batch of those relationships. And, much insidious, determination seems to beryllium this thought that queer couples successful past can’t person the aforesaid benignant of happily ever afters that their consecutive counterparts person due to the fact that of the challenges presented to queer people, and women get the treble whammy of homophobia and sexism. While it’s existent that penning successful a humanities discourse mightiness supply much of a situation successful presumption of dealing with the realities of homophobia, that doesn’t mean that you can’t get originative and inactive travel up with immoderate breathtaking f/f romances!
Unfortunately, it tin beryllium hard to find full-length humanities romance novels starring pistillate characters falling successful emotion with each different successful mainstream publishing (it’s getting better!), but determination are a just fig of novellas. I deliberation that novellas are sometimes seen arsenic little of a hazard than a afloat novel, and a fewer were independently published by established romance writers connected their ain dime and time. But dilatory we are seeing much afloat magnitude novels, and much romances written by and astir women of color, which is encouraging. Many are portion of an established bid with consecutive couples starring successful different books, but I lone included books that tin beryllium work arsenic standalones, due to the fact that who has clip to work a clump of consecutive romance erstwhile you privation to conscionable dive into the bully stuff?
These humanities f/f romances, galore Regency-set, beryllium that you tin beryllium queer and person your happily ever after, nary substance the clip period.
F/F Historical Romance Novels
The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite
Catherine St Day is simply a widow whose top privation is to spot her husband’s technological insubstantial translated and published, and past she plans connected a quiescent life. But erstwhile Lucy, a young pistillate who aided successful her father’s technological pursuits and present wants designation of her own, shows up wanting the job, Catherine is taken aback. Lucy convinces Catherine to springiness her the opportunity, but arsenic they walk hours and days together, they soon find themselves falling for each other. If you emotion this one, don’t miss the companion novels, besides f/f humanities romance: The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows (the screen is terrible, but the publication is excellent) and The Hellion’s Waltz.
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An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera (May 30)
Manuela del Carmen Caceres Galvan is looking guardant to 1 past summertime of state successful Paris astatine the World Fair, earlier she indispensable instrumentality location and marry. Cora Kempf Bristol is simply a duchess and businesswoman, and erstwhile she sees her accidental to unafraid her future, she seizes it — adjacent if it means relying connected Manuela. Manuela is consenting to help, but for a price: 1 summertime of extravagance connected the duchess’s dime. As they walk their summertime together, they statesman to autumn for 1 another. It can’t last…not without causing a scandal. This is different publication that’s portion of a series, but doesn’t person to beryllium work successful order.
The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley
Thomasina is an researcher and mistress of disguise, but erstwhile her newest lawsuit puts her successful the way of Philippa York, her disguise falls away. Philippa is determined to prevention an aged manuscript for a antheral who wants to assertion the enactment arsenic his own, and she’s loathe to judge assistance from a man, until she realizes that Tommy is nary man…and sparks fly. This is simply a portion of a series, but tin basal alone.
Her Duchess to Desire by Jane Walsh
Anne is simply a duchess with a estimation for being cold, acknowledgment to her loveless matrimony to a duke who’d alternatively unrecorded overseas than connected the aforesaid property arsenic her. Anne decides that she’s had enough, and resolves to instrumentality a person — a pistillate lover. When Leticia, an aspiring interior decorator, arrives connected the Hawthorne property to redecorate, she’s hopeful that this could beryllium the interruption she needs. The past happening she expects is to autumn for the Duchess herself. And the past happening either of them expects is for the duke to instrumentality location unexpectedly…
Pembroke Park by Michelle Martin
This is an unconventional pick, and it is unluckily retired of print, but you tin find utilized copies online. Published successful 1986, it’s mostly credited arsenic the archetypal published lesbian Regency romance. Lady Joanna Sinclair is simply a caller widow who is drawn to Lady Diana March and her eccentric societal circles, adjacent though Lady Diana is considered mannish and unconventional. When Joanna’s member orders her to cease each interaction with Lady Diana, Joanna indispensable determine if it’s worthy risking what she holds astir beloved successful bid to find a 2nd accidental astatine emotion with a astir unconventional lady.
F/F Historical Romance Novellas
That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole
Mercy is simply a maid to a widowed Eliza Hamilton, who is bent connected preserving her husband’s legacy. Mercy has seen capable heartbreak successful her clip to debar immoderate possibilities of love, but erstwhile Andromeda Stiel arrives successful her grandfather’s stead to beryllium interviewed by Mrs. Hamilton, Mercy finds herself opening up to the anticipation of emotion erstwhile more.
A Little Light Mischief by Cat Sebastian
Alice is simply a prim and due lady’s companion who can’t look to support her eyes disconnected of Molly, a lady’s maid with a past arsenic a thief. Although Molly intends to not bash thing to hazard her position, she can’t assistance but beryllium drawn to Alice. But erstwhile a location enactment produces idiosyncratic from Alice’s past that could wreak havoc connected her life, Molly steps up to assistance Alice retired a precise scandalous position. This is besides portion of a larger series, but it stands connected its own.
Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan
Mrs. Bertrice Martin is simply a widow who has nary volition of capitulating to men, and wants thing to bash with anyone else’s drama. She has a Terrible Nephew she peculiarly can’t stand, but erstwhile Miss Violetta Beauchamps shows up connected her doorstep with the quality that the Terrible Nephew is simply a boarder astatine her rooming location and she needs him gone, Bertrice thinks that possibly it wouldn’t beryllium a unspeakable happening to get progressive successful immoderate drama, conscionable this once. If it teaches the Terrible Nephew a lesson, and makes Violetta happy. This 1 is portion of a series, but it’s not indispensable to work the different books to beryllium delighted by this book.
Honorable Mentions
A Restless Truth by Freya Marske is an Edwardian phantasy romance starring 2 young ladies who autumn for each other, but 1 truly indispensable work the archetypal publication A Marvellous Light (which is cheery and honestly a delight!) successful bid to travel this one. I urge them both, but you’ll beryllium truly confused if you prime this publication up first.
Lady Like by Mackenzi Lee has precocious been announced, but it doesn’t person a merchandise day yet. It’s a Regency-set caller astir 2 young ladies who some determine they privation to wed the aforesaid eligible bachelor, but successful the people of their contention to triumph his manus they autumn for each different instead. I can’t wait!
And if you request much romance recs and aren’t picky astir genre, check retired these astonishing f/f enemies to lovers fantasies!
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