mia

she/her 🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸 / books, books, books / "out of the forest I come with my flowers, singing, all alone" - Little Red Cap; Carol Ann Duffy / side blog of @aelstra

[thequeerbouquiniste]

Queer romance recs for the summer pt.2

we're deep into summer now, and living through heat wave after heat wave in a good portion of the world. i personally like to read books with a lighter mood during the summer, and i know others do, so here are a few queer romance recs that i think are perfect to read during the summer

(stay as safe as possible during heat waves, and check on your loved-ones and the people in your community if you can, particularly children, elderly people, pregnant people and people with medical conditions, who are more at risk!)

i did a first part a couple of years ago, which you'll find here

Imogen, Obviously, by Becky Albertalli. This is a super cute YA sapphic romance, that also talks in depth about identity, figuring out that you're queer, and queer people making you feel like you don't belong.

Mischief & Matchmaking series, by Emma R. Alban. A historical romance duology, with a sapphic pairing then an achillean one. I loved both equally, and the chemistry both between the pairing and between all the characters is great! It's very cosy, while still dealing with the usual themes of period-typical sexism and homophobia, and the yearning is on point.

Ten Things That Never Happened, by Alexis Hall. Alexis Hall's novels are always hilarious to me, and this one was no exception. It's cute and funny and relatable all at once, and the narrator in the audiobook version made it all the better.

The Fiancée Farce, by Alexandria Bellefleur. Sapphic fake-dating and saving indie bookstores from capitalists. Can't ask for more. It's lighthearted while dealing with some more serious themes, and a good read all around.

Star Shipped, by Cat Sebastian. Cat Sebastian dips into contemporary romance, and doesn't miss at all (as was to be expected, frankly). I loved this book, related quite a lot to the anxious main character, and found the romance delectable!

The Barden series, by Emma Denny. This is one of my favourite historical romance series, starring an achillean pairing, a sapphic pairing and finally a poly pairing. The cast of characters is incredible, each romance is swoon-worthy, and it's set in the Middle Ages!

[thequeerbouquiniste]

really love a book in which lesbians are everywhere and unashamed of it

[jordiipordii]

The idea of Nicky knowing the Twinyard’s go to ice cream orders is SO near & dear to my heart;

Just imagine you’re sat w your twin brother and you’re both having shitty days bcs #lingering childhood trauma and abuse & your sunshine-esque older cousin comes in who ALSO has his own issues and trauma he’s had to deal with but he’s done his absolute best to take good care of you all the same and he’s got the BIGGEST smile on his face just from the sight of you AND your fav ice cream cone like. omfg

[lorasx]

insane word choice and incredibly important for jean

[reallyfuckingsad]

my fav intimate thing The Last Binders do

Robin: his obsession with Edwin's fingers and they way he discribes his dancing and fidgeting while he reads

Edwin: acnowledging that he has a good handful of people who care about him mid book 3

Maud: the way she recalls the 3 kisses she's witnessed

Violet: sensually describing Maud's varicose veins, discribing her calves as, "lewd"

Alan: giving a "token wiggle" when hawthorne grabs him after his dart to the door

Jack: putting his arm around Maud and acting like an asshole to convince boat authorities they are sleeping together

Adelaide: when she waits for Edwin's permission to hug him

[thequeerbouquiniste]

really love a book in which lesbians are everywhere and unashamed of it

[kenzipenzi]

the trojans to jean

[jos10s-dufflebag]

Do you guys ever think that the reason Kevin isn’t a morning person is because for most of his life he only got 4 hours of sleep per day and now that he doesn’t need to follow the ravens strict schedule he jumps at the opportunity to sleep in, also not to mention waking up early also might remind him of the nest

[lorasx]

jean and jeremy are not even fully in love yet like sure they’re in the process of falling in love BUT imagine when they fully deeply truly fall in love to the point that no denial works anymore… like they’re already acting insane about each other,, what happens when they’re in LOVE love

[minyard-05]

the thing about seth gordon is that after he dies wymack tells neil "he was overdue for another attempt." matt and dan are both upset when it happens but they're not surprised. nobody expected seth gordon to live through his time at palmetto and the worst part is that he didn't but he could've. he called allison. he wanted to get better. he wanted to marry her. nobody ever thought he'd ever do it and seth didn't even get the chance to prove them wrong.

[franticvampirereads]

I really liked this one! It was angsty and a bit melodramatic in all the best ways. I loved Orok’s struggle with his religion and his mental health. I also loved that he fell head over heels for Bel the moment they met at a karaoke bar, it was really sweet and I loved that Bel was just as enamored with Orok from the moment they were asked to have a PR relationship. But I think the thing I liked the most about this book was that Orok was learning to be okay with wanting and doing things just for himself. Things like leaving the religion he grew up in, like falling in love with Bel, like being around his best friend in a healthy way, like going to therapy for his trauma. I just wanted to give them all hugs the entire time I was reading this book. All around this was a perfect blend of fun and angst for me and it’s getting four out of five stars 😊

2026 Reading Challenges:

Alphabet Challenge: F

[thequeerbouquiniste]

I saw that you do ARC reviews and wanted to ask if you’re currently open to indie ARC requests. Auspice & Animus is an adult cosmic urban fantasy with slow-burn why-choose/MMF romance, found family, morally grey immortals, ancient secrets, and socially anxious humour. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to send over the summary and more information. 🙂

Hi, I am usually open to indie ARC requests, but unfortunately I'm in a reading slump at the moment and thus not reading any ARCs or taking requests because the expectation to review the book afterwards tends to make my reading slump worse. Sorry about that, but thanks for reaching out, and I'll be checking out your book anyway!

[only-alter-idem]

thinking about how, when adam and blue were going out, they argued because adam didn’t talk to her about things

which is exactly why blue ends up with gansey, who calls her at ungodly hours just to talk about mundane shit, and adam “i don’t want to talk” parrish ends up with ronan “the fuck would i talk about” lynch

[thequeerbouquiniste]

Queer romance recs for the summer pt.3

I love reading more light-hearted romance books in the summer, and you may too, so here are some more queer romance recs that I think are perfect for the summer!

part 1 / part 2

Swordcrossed, by Freya Marske: adult mlm cosy fantasy & romance with arranged marriages and sword lessons, vivid and brilliant worldbuilding, and so so much yearning. one of my favourites.

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb, by Cat Sebastian. adult mlm historical romance with the motto "be gay do crime". cat sebastian never misses, honestly.

One Last Stop, by Casey McQuiston. i read this one last summer and it's now one of my favourite books ever. if you read red white and royal blue and loved it, you'll love this one even more. and if you didn't like rw&rb, you might still like this one! it's a sapphic kinda-time-travel romance that is absolutely adorable and has an amazingly vivid cast of characters

Not For the Faint of Heart, by Lex Croucher. incredibly cute and funny YA sapphic Robin Hood romance, set in medieval England. if you loved Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by the same author, you'll probably love this one too.

The Early Meets His Match, by T.J. Alexander: adult mlm historical romance with great trans rep (MC is a trans man), about identity and belonging and living as who you are even if the world doesn't want you to. beware of period-typical transphobia if that might be triggering to you, but it's a romance, so certified happy ending!

What Is This Feeling?, by Robby Weber. YA mlm romance about musical theater and finding out what you're going to make of your future when everyone pressures you to know who you'll be for your whole life by the time you're 18.

A Little Bit Country, by Brian D. Kennedy. adorable YA mlm romance about music and living your dreams and coming out. discusses homophobia and being in the closet in depth, but i thought it was very well done and the novel is incredibly wholesome!

Spell Bound, by F.T. Lukens. YA nb/m romance about two magic apprentices, except one isn't exactly supposed to be an apprentice... there's a lot of chaos and mischief and rebelling against the government's stupid rules.

Lucky Lovers of London series, by Jesse Everlee. one of my favourite series ever, each book manages to be even better than the last in my opinion. a set of adult historical romances, with three mlm pairings and a wlw pairing. it discusses period-typical homophobia and homophobic laws in depth, but remains fairly light-hearted!

[itspauarts]

pookies

[ariaste]

Today is the reveal of the cover for new edition of YIELD UNDER GREAT PERSUASION, coming out July 16th from Tor UK and October 6th from Tor Bramble!

YIELD is a cozy M/M romantasy about doing the hard, unlovely, backbreaking work of learning to love and forgive yourself so that you can accept the love of other people which has been waiting for you all along. Tags include: One-sided enemies-to-lovers, one-sided yearning and pining, grumpy/sunshine, your honor they're idiots, busybody gods, and plant magic.

SUMMARY:

Tam Becket has hated Lord Lyford since they were boys. The fact that he’s also been sleeping with the man for the last ten years is irrelevant. When they were both nine years old, Lyford smashed Tam’s entry into the village’s vegetable competition. Nearly twenty years later, Tam hasn’t forgiven him. Now Tam has reconciled himself to the fact that love and affection are for other people, that the gods won’t answer any of his prayers (not even the one about afflicting Lyford with a case of flesh-eating spiders to chew off his privates), and that life is inherently mundane, joyless, and drab. And then, the very last straw: Tam discovers that Lyford (of all people!) bears the divine favor of Angarat, the goddess Tam feels most betrayed and abandoned by. In his hurt and anger, Tam packs up and prepares to leave the village for good. Tam soon finds himself set on a quest for the most difficult of all possible prizes: Self care, forgiveness, a second chance... and somehow the unbelievably precious knowledge that there is at least one person who loves Tam for exactly who he is—and always has.

"Alongside the sexiness and absurdity (and the sexy absurdity) in Yield Under Great Persuasion is a tender, resonant story of second and third chances and being loved when we need it most and feel we deserve it least. Evocative, emotional, and endlessly entertaining." -Jules Arbeaux, author of Lord of the Empty Isles

"A hot cup of chocolate for the soul." --Book Riot Preorders should be available now wherever you buy your books, including Bookshop.org, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

(If your first question is "Where is the best place to get it?" check the FAQ page on my website!)

As an author, it is really hard to get the word out about books, so signal boosting would be immensely appreciated!

[ariaste]

Now that the kickstarter for THE WISDOM OF EMPERORS is over, I am back on promo for YIELD UNDER GREAT PERSUASION! Comes out in July in the UK/EU and October in the US!

[minyard-05]

"kevin's such a diva" yeah yeah but we are SLEEPING on this iconic ass seth line

[minyard-05]

"theres no way seth could score on andrew" seth had 3 years of collegiate exy experience by the time andrew joined the foxes, he had probably about 5 years playing experience before that, for most of which he genuinely gave a shit and committed to it enough to get himself signed to the maiden lineup of a D1 exy team. also, the year before neil joined, the foxes made it all the way to death matches in spring championships. andrew didn't play for most of that season, and kevin was still assistant coach, so seth was carrying most of that striker line.

yes andrew is a prodigy and really fucking good when he puts any effort into it, but he's not indestructible and he's not trained enough to be the best, yet. kevin's whole side of their deal is that he can get andrew there if he lets him. so yeah obv seth could score on him nobody made it to the foxes if they couldn't play