A Bluestocking's Guide to Decadence
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Love can make even the most buttoned-up bluestocking come undone…
London, 1885
A lesbian in a lavender marriage, Jo Smith cuts a dashing figure in pin-striped trousers, working in her bookshop and keeping impolite company. But her hard-earned stability is about to be upended thanks to her husband’s pregnant paramour, who needs medical attention that no reputable doctor will provide.
Enter Dr. Emily Clarke, a tantalizing bluestocking working at a quaint village hospital outside the city. Emily has reservations about getting mixed up in Jo’s scandalous arrangement, but her flustered, heart-racing response to Jo has her agreeing to help despite herself.
There’s a world of difference between Jo’s community of underground clubs and sapphic societies and Emily’s respectable suburbs. Perhaps it’s a gap that even fervent desire can’t bridge.
But for those bold enough to take the risk, who knows what delicious adventures might be in store…
Lucky Lovers of London
Book 1: The Gentleman's Book of Vices
Book 2: A Rulebook for Restless Rogues
Book 3: A Bluestocking's Guide to Decadence
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Everlee's solid third Lucky Lovers of London queer Victorian romance (after A Rulebook for Restless Rogues) balances an upbeat and erotic love story with the realities of life in 1880s England. Primly ambitious social reformer Dr. Emily Clarke has dedicated her life to the healing arts, only to be forced to do twice as much work as her male colleagues for inadequate pay. Meanwhile, louche lesbian Jo Smith leads a comfortable if decadent working-class life—until she learns her platonic husband's paramour, Vanessa, is pregnant. A search for a doctor who will oversee Vanessa's high-risk pregnancy without judgment leads them to Emily, who is loath to pursue obstetrics after her own mother died in childbirth. Still, her values won't allow her to turn Vanessa away—nor can she resist her intense attraction to Jo. Obstacles abound for these two women, but most are either easily surmounted or rationally discussed, leaving a satisfying amount of conflict, and the focus on community and mutual aid is especially timely. Emily, Jo, and their motley companions will win over Everlee's established fans and new readers alike.
