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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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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780593549735
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780593549735
- File size: 2260 KB
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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. -
May 1, 2024
In the process of moving from London to Cornwall, Kit Griffith may have left his old life as Kate Holroyd behind him, but Kit also seems to have left any artistic ability he possessed. So when New York botanist Muriel Pendrake tries to hire him to paint a series of seaweed paintings she needs for a lecture, Kit initially declines the commission. However, after Kit makes an impulsive wager with a rival cyclist to the effect that bicycling is not a single gender sport, he subsequently makes a deal with Muriel. If Muriel agrees to compete as part of his team in the bicycle race, Kit will help her with her artistic needs. Lowell displays a deft hand when it comes to exploring passion, be it a passion for art, a passion for cycling, or a passion for someone who loves you for the person you wish to be. Richly imbued with a bracing wit and suffused with an abundance of bold sensuality, Lowell's exquisitely composed Victorian-set historical featuring a trans character is a work of beauty and a joy forever.COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Starred review from June 14, 2024
A bicycle race around Victorian Cornwall provides a unique backdrop for a cute queer love story in Lowell's (Artfully Yours) latest historical romance. Widowed botanist Muriel Pendrake travels to Cornwall to find an artist to paint her seaweed specimens for an upcoming lecture. While there, the rakish up-and-coming artist Kit Griffith crashes into her life--literally. The pair make a deal: Kit will paint the seaweeds, despite experiencing a creative block, if Muriel will accompany him on bicycle around Cornwall to prove that women can ride too. As they ride around the countryside, their relationship begins to blossom amid their escapades, but Kit's identity as a trans man and Muriel's rapidly approaching departure to New York make their romance seem impossible. Lowell, in consultation with her partner, has done an excellent job considering how Kit might see and describe himself, since language and views around gender identity have changed since 1888. VERDICT This unique take on the romantic road trip trope is sure to delight historical romance readers, especially those looking for charming queer stories.--Jenny Kobiela-Mondor
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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