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“A Victorian queer love story that will have you giggling and blushing… This book is full of charm and low-stakes adventure, just the warm and soft romance many of us are looking for.”—NPR
An NPR Best Book of 2024 • Named a Best Romance of the Year by The New York Times and Parade
A delightfully queer Victorian love story, featuring a boldly brash trans hero, the beguiling botanist who captures his heart, and a buoyant bicycle race by the British seaside — from the author of The Duke Undone.
Former painter and unreformed rake Kit Griffith is forging a new life in Cornwall, choosing freedom over an identity that didn't fit. He knew that leaving his Sisterhood of women artists might mean forfeiting artistic community forever. He didn’t realize he would lose his ability to paint altogether. Luckily, he has other talents. Why not devote himself to selling bicycles and trysting with the holidaymakers?
Enter Muriel Pendrake, the feisty New-York-bound botanist who has come to St. Ives to commission Kit for illustrations of British seaweeds. Kit shouldn’t accept Muriel’s offer, but he must enlist her help to prove to an all-male cycling club that women can ride as well as men. And she won't agree unless he gives her what she wants. Maybe that's exactly the challenge he needs.
As Kit and Muriel spend their days cycling together, their desire begins to burn with the heat of the summer sun. But are they pedaling toward something impossible? The past is bound to catch up to them, and at the season’s end, their paths will diverge. With only their hearts as guides, Kit and Muriel must decide if they’re willing to race into the unknown for the adventure of a lifetime.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
June 18, 2024 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593826034
- File size: 380715 KB
- Duration: 13:13:08
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from April 1, 2024
Muriel Pendrake, a cis female botanist, and Kit Griffith, a trans male cyclist, battle Victorian sexism and their own feelings in this sparkling romance from Lowell (Artfully Yours). Muriel visits St. Ives, Cornwall, with her best friend, Dr. James Raleigh, to collect algae specimens for an upcoming lecture and hopefully commission an elusive painter whose work she saw at a friend’s house to illustrate them. After Kit nearly runs Muriel over on his bicycle, Muriel’s shocked to learn that he is the lapsed painter she’s been looking for. Kit has abandoned art since transitioning, but he’ll take the job if Muriel will first help him win an ill-conceived wager against a misogynistic rival who claims women can’t be cyclists. Muriel agrees—but Kit will need to teach her how to ride. As the pair bond, they also help each other to heal from past hurts: Muriel’s late husband was emotionally abusive and Kit’s best friend rejected him after he came out to her. Lowell confronts Victorian attitudes around sex, gender, and love head on, resulting in some darker moments, but the tender, supportive, and joyful dynamic that emerges between Kit and Muriel keeps things heartfelt and hopeful. It’s not just that their love story offsets the sadder moments; the sadder moments make their love story all the more beautiful. This is a triumph. Agent: Tara Gelsomino, One Track Literary. -
Ros Watt's narration highlights all the charm of this queer historical romance. Kit Griffith is a bicycle shop owner--and a dashing rake. He's left his old life behind, in which he belonged to a sisterhood of women artists, and is building a new one in Cornwall. There he's approached by the indefatigable Muriel Pendrake, a botanist who is keen to have him illustrate her upcoming lecture. Watt conveys the lively conversations with their rounded British accent, shifting smoothly between Muriel's bright voice and Kit's deeper pitch. When Kit challenges an all-male cycle club to a race around Cornwall, Muriel volunteers to prove women are just as capable as men. Watt's warm voice conveys the adventure and blossoming romance as Kit and Muriel cycle the coastline together. E.E.C. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine -
September 13, 2024
Painter Kit Griffith is building a new life in Cornwall, having left his past as a woman behind. When New York botanist Muriel Pendrake tries to hire him to help illustrate seaweeds for an upcoming lecture, Kit agrees under the condition that she help him win a wager and prove that women can ride bikes too. The two soon embark on a coastal bike trip. As they cycle, they grow closer together and help each other heal from past wounds. Lowell (Artfully Yours) offers a touching queer romance set in 18th-century England. Ros Watt narrates Kit and Muriel as they set out on the adventure of a lifetime, break down barriers, and bravely choose to love. Though occasionally steamy, this slow-burn romance brims with quiet tenderness and regard. Listeners will likely appreciate the author's note, providing historical context into societal attitudes toward queerness and expressing her desire to see her own relationship reflected within the genre. VERDICT A touching and poignant queer romance, recommended for fans of Alexis Hall's Something Spectacular.--Elyssa Everling
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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