Hi, historical fiction fans,
Who was able to enjoy the Solar Eclipse passing over parts of the Americas earlier this week? My hometown was actually in the path of totality, but I couldn’t get home for the weekend, so I was stuck with 98% totality. Still pretty good if you ask me! I probably should’ve gone with a celestial theme for the newsletter this week, but the new releases hit me over the head with LGBTQ historical fiction, so I decided to go with that instead.
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Bookish Goods
Sticker Pack from Papio Press
Get a whole set of beautiful, bookish stickers to decorate your planner, water bottle, laptop, or Kindle. $20
New Releases
Rough Trade by Katrina Carrasco (April 9, 2024)
In this sequel to The Best Bad Things, former Pinkerton detective Alma Rosales has set up shop in Tacoma. But when a handsome stranger begins asking too many questions about opium, she worries there’s a spy in her midst. And if Alma wants to protect her business — and her way of life here in Tacoma’s flourishing queer scene — she’ll have to root them out before they ruin everything.
A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland (April 9, 2024)
In this historical retelling of “The Selkie Wife,” a woman working as a midwife on the Canadian East Coast takes in a strange woman she finds about to give birth on the shore. The woman’s husband, her neighbor, seems nice enough at first, but soon she realizes things are not what they seem.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter
Riot Recommendations
When I noticed both of the new releases featured this week explore queer women and queer communities in historical settings, I thought it was a good opportunity to shout out a few more!
The Sons of El Rey by Alex Espinoza (June 11, 2024)
Generations of the Vega family face down forbidden love and family secrets, from the luchador El Rey Coyote to his son and grandson contending with his complicated legacy as they try to build their own lives. It’s the story of a family ready to fight for themselves and for each other.
City of Laughter by Temim Fruchter
In 18th century Ropshitz, a city known as the City of Laughter, a holy jester and a mysterious stranger set off a series of events that reverberate down through the generations to Shiva, who hopes a trip to Poland will help her connect to her family’s mysterious past. There, she finds answers to the questions about her grandmother no one will answer, but also even more uncertainty about what it means for her own life.
Escaping Mr. Rochester by L.L. McKinney
Jane Eyre is not content to marry Mr. Rochester in this reimagining of the classic Bronte novel. In fact, she’s extremely suspicious of him, with his secrets and mercurial moods — suspicions that are all too founded. Bertha, Rochester’s first wife, is locked away in the attic for refusing to share her inheritance. Their only chance of freedom lies outside of this mansion, but will they be able to find it before Mr. Rochester’s temper burns everything down?
That’s it for now, folks! Stay subscribed for more stories of yesteryear.
If you want to talk books, historical or otherwise, you can find me @rachelsbrittain on most social media, including Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy.
Right now, I’m reading Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue. What about you?