Briefly, A Delicious Life has been on my radar for years—a literary novel with a sapphic ghost main character? I’m listening. But it made its way to the top of my TBR after I read and loved Nell Stevens’s 2025 release, The Original. This one follows Blanca, who died when she was 14 years oldRead More
An Absorbing Fantasy Series Opener: To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
Dragons seem to be having a pop culture moment once again, whether it’s on your TV or on your bookshelf, as alluring shapeshifters or war steeds. In a crowded field, Moniquill Blackgoose’s To Shape a Dragon’s Breath holds its own as a unique take on classic fantasy tropes. Set in an alternate version of 1800s Massachusetts, theRead More
A Masterpiece of Lesbian Historical Fiction: The Original by Nell Stevens
As someone who read and loved Nell Stevens’s previous historical novel, Briefly, a Delicious Life (2022), I was eagerly anticipating her latest release, The Original (Norton, 2025), and it did not disappoint! Set primarily in England in 1899, Grace is the longtime ward of her uncle’s family on their once-grand estate. After her parents were sent to mental institutions,Read More
Curses, Forgeries, and Family Secrets: The Original by Nell Stevens Review
When Grace’s parents are institutionalized, she’s sent to live with her uncle’s family, where she’s looked at with suspicion. The family considers her an inconvenience at best: they think she’s strange and destined to go “mad,” like her parents. She mostly tries to stay out of the way. It doesn’t help that she has faceRead More
The Best Vampire Novel Since Interview with a Vampire: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab Review
In one of the most anticipated releases of 2025, V.E. Schwab crafts an entirely new sapphic vampire story. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil (Tor 2025) is the best vampire novel since Interview with the Vampire (1976). Set across three distinct timelines spanning almost five centuries and countless countries, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil follows three womenRead More
A Slow Burning Sapphic Historical Romance: Lighthouse Keeper by Eliza Lentzski
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! Historical sapphic romance—who knew that would be my “type”? Though it shouldn’t have been a huge shock, given that I love a good Western or a trek through the Alaskan Wilderness any day. I’ve noticed lately that some of my favorite historical fiction authorsRead More
A Steamy Lesbian Historical Romance in France: An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! “A person could live a lifetime in six weeks, Your Grace. Entire lives have been changed in less.” Picture this: it’s summer, your sunscreen is applied, and you’ve taken the day off to spend solo on the beach. You’ve already taken a dip inRead More
Queer Adventure, Romance and Revenge in the Wild West: Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens
Bookshop.org Affiliate Link This queer Western did not disappoint. I tore through this tale that is equal parts cowgirl adventure, gritty coming of age, steamy F/F romance, and revenge heist. This was a ride that only ramped up as I kept reading. If you’re looking for a getaway in these last weeks of summer, thisRead More
Rachel reviews Briefly, A Delicious Life by Nell Stevens
Amazon Affiliate Link | Bookshop.org Affiliate Link Nell Stevens’s debut novel, Briefly, A Delicious Life (2022), is a stunning historical novel about a centuries-old ghost who falls in love with one of history’s most infamous writers. The novel is told from the perspective of Blanca, a ghost who has been fourteen for hundreds of years by theRead More
Rachel reviews Devotion by Hannah Kent
From the highly acclaimed author of Burial Rites and The Good People comes Hannah Kent’s latest novel, Devotion (2021), a historical lesbian fiction set in 1830s Prussia that has quickly become one of my favourite reads of the year. Beginning in Prussia in 1836, the novel is the bildungsroman of Hanne, a fifteen-year-old girl who quickly finds herself pulled further andRead More