A Lady for All Seasons

by T.J. Alexander, Ian Slater (Narrator)

From the acclaimed author of Chef's Kiss and A Gentleman's Gentleman comes a riotous Regency romp, featuring a charming and unforgettable bigender lead.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single noblewoman who has lost her fortune (no thanks to her father’s terrible business dealings) must be in need (not want) of a husband.

It’s the end of the 1820 London season, King George III is dead, and there are no suitable suitors in sight. Beautiful, cunning, formerly wealthy Verbena Montrose must devise a new plan to secure a position for herself and save her odious family from abject poverty. Fortunately, what she lacks in a dowry, she makes up for in the currency of gossip. 

When she hears an alarming rumor about her very dear, very queer friend Etienne that could put him at risk of ruin (or worse), she comes to his aid with a proposal—for a marriage of convenience, that is. But when Verbena discovers that a mysterious poet by the name of Flora Witcombe has been gaining popularity and publishing poems that hint she is onto their scheme, Verbena has no choice but to pretend to be a poet herself to confront her in a local salon. And—unexpectedly—be charmed by her.

Flora agrees to rectify the issue she’s caused, not least of all because she’s terrified by and smitten with Verbena in equal measure. After all, she holds a secret of her she is also William Forsyth, a struggling fiction writer and fifth son of a minor noble family. And if circumstances don’t allow Flora to woo Verbena, perhaps William will. Faced with two suitors and a fiancé, Verbena, who has always had to know everything about everyone to survive in society, may need to learn more about herself to discover whether true happiness actually lies outside of society’s constraints.

Genres: Romance, Historical Fiction, LGBT, Queer, Historical, Historical Romance, Fiction

Audiobook

First published March 10, 2026

About the author

TJ Alexander is a Lambda Literary Award winner and USA Today bestseller who writes trans and nonbinary love stories. Originally from Florida, they received their MA in writing and publishing from Emerson College in Boston. They live in New York City with their wife, cats, and various houseplants.

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trying to dual lavender marriage your (unbeknownst to you) genderfluid friend with no such luck because they are in love with you.

Or alternatively: fall in love with someone who has a propensity to hoard gossip and live for the macabre while on an artist retreat in Wales with a bunch of queer people (including Lord Byron who’s just here for the drama).

As your resident historical romance reader I am always on the hunt for new authors or ones pushing the mold in what this genre has to offer. TJ Alexander is here to answer my prayers with their upcoming historical romance, A Lady for All Seasons--featuring an unabashedly queer regency romance between a heroine with a penchant for collecting gossip, and a genderfluid lead trying to make their name as a poet and novelist.

It goes a little like this: Verbena needs a husband. Verbena convinces her queer friend Étienne to engage in a marriage of convenience. A local poet publishes a verse that hints she knows of their plan. Verbena confronts said poet, Flora Witcombe, only to develop feelings for her. But Flora is also William Forsyth, a gothic novelist struggling to make his name. Utterly in love with Verbena, they attempt to win her affections as both William and Flora before time runs out and she chooses the convenience of marriage to Étienne. Also Lord Byron is there (can’t state this enough).

A Lady for All Seasons is an astonishing historical romance juxtaposing the societal expectations of 19th century England with endless possibility and startling moments of queer joy. Encapsulated in winsome promenades, picnics, confessions by candlelight, Lord Byron’s constant presence, and a queer retreat in Wales, A Lady for All Seasons is delightful queer chaos wrapped up in a regency era bow. In their latest historical, TJ Alexander examines the queer lives and loves of this time, with an insightful look into the genderfluid identity. Part of what makes genderfluidity in this time period so interesting—and a driving force of tension in this romance, is the stark gender roles forcing Flora/William into two distinct sides. It makes for an anxious ridden journey where Flora and William are both trying to win Verbena’s affections and they are unable to unite for fear of exposure. Alexander does a fabulous job balancing this reality with moments of community, clarity, and heart. An unforgettable journey and a romance for always!

thank you to emily at penguin random house for sending me an advance review copy.

Bookstagram | Blog

[T.J. Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one's for the she/hers, the he/shes, and anyone who has ever been annoyed by Lord Byron. So, you know. Pretty much everyone.

[Nenia Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A LADY FOR ALL SEASONS is for anyone who read Jane Austen's Emma and thought, "Give me that, but make it GAY." Verbena is a force to be reckoned with in English society, but beneath all her fire and bluster, she knows she needs to make a match. She also knows that she's not particularly attracted to men (just women, actually, although she's in denial about this). When she finds out one of her new friends, a French tailor named Etienne, is gay, it appears as if the perfect solution has fallen into her lap: she can have a lavender marriage, get her parents off her back, and NOT sleep with her husband!

Then she finds a Lady Whistledown-esque poem that appears to be mocking her and Etienne. She marches right down to the little artsy-fartsy club where said poet is known to hang out, and comes face to face with Flora, who she is-- oh no-- attracted to. But she has no idea that Flora is hiding something too. Sometimes Flora, when she's in a certain mood, is also William Forsyth, male gothic novelist.

When I first picked up this book, I mistakenly assumed it was sapphic. It is not. It is a pansexual awakening x gender fluid romance, and it's quite wonderfully done. I also liked T.J. Alexander's choice to be vague about Flora/William's gender, as the vocabulary to describe one's gender was much more limited in Regency times. While LADY FOR ALL SEASONS lacks the urgency of A GENTLEMAN'S GENTLEMAN, which reminded me of Cecilia Grant's angsty social commentary laden romances, this light and fluffy romance feels more like a Tessa Dare "this is my happy place" book.

I hope the author and the publisher continue this series. I love queer regency romance.

Thanks to the author/publisher for the review copy!

3.5 stars

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you plan a two week long artist retreat in a countryside manor owned by two lesbians in order to woo the woman you love who is currently working towards an engament with a very gay man to save herself from destitution, but she only knows you as her dear lady friend the poetress and not the amateur novelist, youngest son of a small nobleman. So you plan to attend the retreat to steal her away from her fiancée, who just so happens to have an obvious crush on the Scottish lord related to one of the lesbian home owners. But your love ruins this entire plan by inviting you (her poetress friend) to come with, not knowing you’re already attending as the novelist! So you’re trying to woo her as the novelist while still keeping up appearances as the poetress, and it’s sort of working. But now she’s now telling you (the poetress) that she wants to set you up with a fiancée as well for protection. And of course she chooses the novelist (YOU) to be your said financée

THIS IS WHY I SUPPORT QUEER STORIES. Because where else could you get such a messy entertaining grand-sweeping romance?? Gays make the miscommunication trope so much more enjoyable. It’s like a Shakespeare comedy but with more lavender marriages

[alyssa✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

god i love queer historical romance

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the ending was unnecessarily elaborate but I continue to love the way this author plays with Regency romance and queerness.

Also I will never get over bathing machines. W the actual F, England.

30 Books in 30 Days—2026
Book 3/30

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5, rounded up for mostly fun. Similar to A Gentleman’s Gentleman, I like the premise/idea more than the execution of it. All the characters were fun, & I did like the way gender was played with, especially with the William/Flora situation. However: I do not love farce, & there was definitely a lot of farcical episodes especially in the middle, requiring quick changes of clothes, etc. Not my fave. Also there was my classic bugaboo of no one actually talking when talking would certainly not be the end of the world. 🙄 however, the ending is perhaps very convenient but I will allow it, I learned about bathing machines (truly insane, look it up), & the sprinkling of Lord Byron was also fun. I do appreciate what TJ Alexander is trying to do with these!!

[Juniper L.H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel a lot. It was creative and original; I don’t believe that I have read a novel that had a plot quite like it before. I enjoyed the setting and found it to be well done, and the plotline had a few nice twists and turns that kept things interesting. The cast of characters, both main and side, were well developed and I enjoyed them all.

The plot was intricate enough that it was compelling, yet simple enough that it wasn’t convoluted or confusing. There was quite the tangled web, but it was built relatively organically step by step such that it was easy to follow.

Though this was “historical” fiction, I have no idea whatsoever about its historical accuracy and I do not care. I liked it, the worldbuilding was consistent, and that was good enough for me.

[SJARR ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun and unique story!
I have read quite a few regency romances, many of them having LGBTQ+ themes, but none quite like this one.

Verbena needs to help her family financially, which leads her in search of a husband.
She proposes a marriage of convenice with a friend of hers, but not before she finds herself falling in love with a woman she has recently met, Flora.
Verbena and Flora get on great- and quickly grow closer and closer to one another.
But, there is a secret among them. Flora is sometimes William.
They must jepordize everything to tell Verbena the truth and attempt to court her.

When i started reading this i was having a really hard time getting into it.
Partially because it has kind of a slow start. Partially just because I was tired.
But once i got into it, I really got into it.

I was actually aching for the truth to come out.
The going back and fourth from Flora to William to keep Verbena from finding out? Oh my goodness.
I was getting real anxiety from this. I was pleading for nothing to go wrong.

I love the romance in this!!
They are so good together. The SUPPORT? The UNDERSTANDING? The RESPECT?
Stop. (actually, do not stop.)

I was so patiently (impatiently) waiting for them to get together. It felt like forever.
This was quite a short book, but the buildup? Everlasting.
So very worth it in the end.

Thank you to Netgalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, and author T.J Alexander for providing me with the eARC of “A Lady for all Seasons”, in exchange for my honest review!
Publication date: March 10th, 2025

[Aster · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my rare full five stars romance read of the year but it's fully deserved since I've stayed up too late because I was reading.

A Lady for All Seasons was so fun and entertaining and I couldn't put it down for fear of enjoying it less if I finished it on my morning train.

I knew of this sapphic book's future existence when reading a Gentleman's Gentleman so I was looking at any woman who appeared to know which would star in the sequel and I'm glad it was Verbena for she became such a strong protagonist. She's smart, she's desperate, she's a victim of abuse, she's a shameless liar, she gets her way, she's a (probably? but I will fight TJ Alexander on the fact thats how she reads) acespec lesbian.

This book is a traditional comedy of errors and miscommunication but in that case the miscommunication is justified by a fear of transphobia and homophobia from all other participants. First you have Verbena from an impoverished fa.uly trying desperately to find her husband when she makes a lavender arrangement with Etienne, respected tailor from the first book, who's moved up by society. Meanwhile, a certain Scottish lord can make for an appealing pretendant but his interest is thoroughly into Etienne. When a famous society poetess writes an embarrassing poem, Verbena makes friends with the intriguing Flora and the attraction is mutual. But Flora knows she can only court Verbena as her man half, the novelist William. My dear reader this is where we end up in a mess where every woman is being paired up with a man when everyone is gay.

Also Lord Byron is here.

It's not without conflict as Verbena tends to lie to both half of the only person who could recognise her lies and yet loves her too much.

As opposed to a recent sapphic Regency romance I've read I always respect and love how TJ Alexander talks about class narratives where it's there, not dismissed, talked over and not of touch or paternalistic.
I've seen TJ Alexander describe it as sapphic-ish and I really hope it's not because they assume sapphic audiences would be hostile to William/Flora/[redacted]'s birth assignment or the fact that she hasn't shed her masculine identity. There are plenty of genderfluid lesbians with lesbian lovers.

[Kayla T (kaylabobayla) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow wow wow! TJ Alexander is sequel writing royalty, and on my auto buy list when it comes to queer friendly romances!

(Edit to add this is a spoiler free review, but wanted to say this was a wonderful exploration of gender identity!)

Though this is a sequel, it could easily be enjoyed as a standalone. However, the references and hints at the 1st novel were thoroughly enjoyable!

This was a true to form slow burn regency era romance. Chock full of nuanced gossiping, scandalous affairs, historical figures and romps. And a masquerade! I loved watching these characters navigate the harsh world of the ton while finding their authentic selves. Ruinous rumors and using words as a weapon, and the arts!

Know that this really revolves around found family, but miscommunication tropes abound. I’m usually not a fan of miscommunication, however this was executed in a way that I didn’t find frustrating as it truly did further the story. The reveals had me tearing up several times!

In the past I’ve struggled with the verbiage and prose of regency era novels, but not in this case. This was exceedingly easy to consume, and I couldn’t put this down! Thank you to TJ Alexander, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

[brewdy_reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.25⭐️ rounded up

Thank you @ireadvintage + @tjalexandernyc for the ARC + @prhaudio for ALC ♡

https://www.instagram.com/p/DWG5S4Okd-l/

👉🏽 Read if you love: Bridgerton, Emma, or Much Ado About Nothing!

This was such a fun regency romance! It is technically the second in an interconnected standalone series. A Gentleman’s Gentleman was the first, but this installment is my favorite.

Verbena Montrose, our FMC, reminded me of Jane Austen’s Emma, with her flair for meddling, trying to set up everyone around her to allow them to “rise” in the eyes of society. Even if they don’t want to be led there 😆

It was also reminiscent of a Shakespearean comedy with the caricatures and mistaken identity themes. Lord Byron provides comic relief as a side character throughout the book. The use of humor & witty banter was a balm, balancing serious topics.

The meat of the story is about identity and Lady Flora (a gossip columnist not unlike Lady Whistledown)… who is also William Forsythe. Both are vying for Verbena’s affection, disguised of course, but Verbena is set on marrying Etienne, a gay tailor who is in love with Miles, another bachelor. 🤣 let the chaos ensue!

🏳️‍⚧️ This is the first genderfluid character I’ve read about, and I appreciated that perspective and the care with which TJ wrote Willa’s character. I did want Verbena to come to her senses earlier but that’s part of the fun.

Spice level 🌶️ there is one explicit romantical chapter toward the end of the book, but majority is slow burn.

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||။‌‌‌‌‌|• 🎧 Ian Slater did so many different voices including multiple European accents and I felt were the perfect fit to the role. I recommend audio!

[Ella Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know to express how beautifully and wondrously queer this book is. The amount of times I squealed, "Girl, ur GAY!" out loud while reading...

[Althea ☾]

pfft the way i searched this to add to my tbr and it was already there

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off as a 5-star read but as the plot went on I started to get really disappointed by the “conflict.” There was zero reason, none, NADA, that the characters couldn't have lavender marriaged their way into a happy ending instead of the angsting about nothing because HOW IS WHAT HAPPENED ANY DIFFERENT? HOW???? Perhaps the worst, WORST part of all this is that neither of our main characters does ANYTHING to solve the conflict. The solution falls into their lap from a secondary character. SERIOUSLY??? It's just so hollow to me. Why would you do that? Why would you have your characters passively get handed what they want? (And the solution is pretty much what one character suggested the entire time just with the tiniest twist. LIKE. ARGH.)

[Nev · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very charming queer historical romance featuring characters figuring out how to live happily and authentically within society's rigid structures. All of the characters here were so fascinating. I loved seeing how they supported one another and how they were able to express their queerness or transness together, especially in a time where they don't have the labels we do in modern society.

My one complaint about this book is the same one I had about A Gentleman's Gentleman, it takes way too long for all the characters to be on the same page about their identities. I wanted to be able to see a bit more time of them actually, fully being together. But what was present was great, and the steamy scene was excellent!

Overall I'd definitely recommend this for people who enjoy queer/trans historical romances with strong characters and an emphasis on community.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Eloise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well well well, I didn't expect to enjoy this one THIS much.
There’s something incredibly comforting about reading trans and non binary characters in historical fiction, and I truly think TJ Alexander does it best.
One one hand, A Lady For All Seasons is a genuinely fun read, and on the other, it’s beautifully emotional and layered. It delves into a thoughtful queer awakening (sapphic lead) and a trans (bigender lead) character learning to truly live as themself.
At its heart, this book is about finding the courage to exist outside society’s rules.
It's pure queer & trans joy at its best.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25⭐️

This was definitely a fun concept for a novel. I LOVED the idea behind the plot! I'm a sucker for Queer Historical Romance; especially one that follows this secret- identity-switch-up trope situation so this book was made for me. I enjoyed those aspects quite and bit and really liked both the main and side characters a lot. Overall, I had a fun time reading this and am glad I didn't DNF it.

However, I had a lot of issues with the book. The main thing was how pointlessly angsty it was. The main conflict in this story had almost no stakes. It's hard to explain without spoiling but it was an easily remedied problem that ended up being..easily remedied (and in like the worst way too! I really don't undertand why they didn't go with the better alternative???). On top of that, the conflict was repeated constantly. We just kept having the same argument over and over! Almost every romantic scene had a looming shadow above it as you waited for the same negative conversation to happen again. Which painted the romance (that was already insta-lust/love) in a very dreary and unromantic way. Because of this the book felt incredibly long and drawn out, which sucks as it had such promise.

I'm for sure going to give this author another shot as I really did enjoy the idea of the book and the writting style but this one in particular felt like it needed more to it.

[Angela Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first historical romance by TJ Alexander! I had read one of their contemporary romance books before (Chef’s Kiss) and enjoyed so was excited to dive into their interpretation of historical romance. TJ delivered, with sensitivity and care shown for the protagonists as both Verbena and Flora found ways to be authentic to themselves. I admit I was a little distracted by the presence of actual human Lord Byron as a relatively central figure throughout the book, but ultimately loved the ending!

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Angela Verry · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful, chaotic mess of romance! 💖
This book revolves around a love triangle... or maybe a love polygon? 😂 (At some point there were so many people involved that "triangle" didn't seem quite accurate anymore!)

I absolutely loved the relationship drama, misunderstandings, and romantic chaos. The best part was watching the women refuse to sit back and simply accept what life handed them. They fought for what they wanted, challenged expectations, and made choices that shaped their own futures. 👏✨

If you enjoy romance, strong female and LGBTQ+ characters, plenty of drama, and a tangled web of relationships that keeps you turning pages, this one is worth picking up! ❤️📚🍿

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for the entertaining chaos alone! 😆💕

[Annaka · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not so sure about this one, team. There were parts that I really enjoyed—Flora/William’s character in particular. TJ Alexander writes historical romance that really leans on the fantasy; this is not a bad thing, it just requires a healthy suspension of disbelief. The same was true of A Gentleman’s Gentleman (though to a slightly lesser extent), which worked quite well.

Unfortunately, something about this book just really pissed me off, and I think it was Verbena. At first her gossip-mongering and social-climbing was very enjoyable, but it tipped from fun into aggravating as the book went on. This climaxes in the scene in the bathing machine, where Verbena is completely uninterested in listening to anything Flora has to say. If that was just presented as a character flaw would have been completely fine. Unfortunately, we’ve also been told that Verbena is very socially aware and also clever, so it makes zero sense that she would be so hung up on matchmaking Flora and William when a) William is so obviously pursuing Verbena and b) she has no reason to believe that William would be down for her consensual lesbian cuckcolding plan.

I’m also unclear on why Verbena is so unwilling to even talk to Etienne about changing their arrangement once she becomes more aware of Flora/William’s situation and her feelings for them. We’re told that half of the reason for their marriage is that Etienne needs cover for his gayness, but like... does he? Historically sure, but in the context of this world—where one of our main characters has a house explicitly full of queer staff and the rest of them are all very understanding artist types—I'm not convinced. (Maybe because of his meteoric societal rise... but that’s a whole other can of worms.)

All of this culminates in a scene where Etienne ends up fake-married to Flora and Verbena gets fake-married to the Scottish lord that Etienne is in love with and they all eff off to the highlands to live in queer bliss. Which is all fine and dandy but like... why aren’t Verbena and William getting married for real??? Since they can do that??? Easily??? And no, marriage is not required for a HEA and especially not a queer one, but in this context is just feels bizarre that they don’t even talk about it once the Verbena/Etienne wedding is off. (And, honestly, I feel like that should have been talking about it more before the Verbena/Etienne wedding was off, since it would have solved all of their problems, minus Etienne’s dubiously homosexual reputation.)

Overall a confused read, but if you’re not annoyed by the same things I am, maybe one you will enjoy. Unfortunately, I didn’t.

[gracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always look forward to Alexander's releases because they're one of the authors I trust to always do trans and genderqueer characters justice, and this book is no different.

I loved the complexities of Willa's gender identity in the historical context of the book and I absolutely loved reading about both of them! Verbena was so funny and witty, I loved that she was such a driven, confident and conniving (lovingly) woman and a plus that she's bisexual. I'm always excited to see a bisexual out in the wild.

I have to admit I didn't read the blurb of this before requesting it on netgalley, I only saw T.J Alexander and didn't hesitate, so I was a bit confused as to where the story was going at first. When I got it though, it became such a quick fun read!

I got an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review<3

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.25 stars

This is a charming regency era romance that is unlike any historical romance I've read. Think love triangle but unbeknownst to you, you are being wooed by two halves of the same person (Flora and William). Add in a marriage of convenience to an entirely separate person (a gay man with his own romantic entanglement) and the love triangle starts to balloon into a love pentagon.

The romance is sweet but its development is pretty simple. Instead the tension comes from the plot and how logistically everyone can end up happy and whole, which did keep me invested.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: A Lady For All Seasons, by TJ Alexander
304 pages, Rated ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Lady For All Seasons was a fun historical romantic romp, and a delightful return to the characters from A Gentleman's Gentleman. I enjoyed Verbena as a character in that book and I was interested to see what her story would be in this sequel.

In summary: the beautiful Verbena Montrose must marry to save herself from poverty. What she lacks in a dowry, she makes up for in gossip. When she hears a rumor about her dear, queer friend Etienne that could ruin him, she proposes they marry for convenience. Enter Flora Witcombe, renowned poet, who unknowingly tangles herself in this scheme and becomes smitten with Verbena. But Flora has a secret of her own: that she is also William Forsyth, a struggling novelist and fifth son of a noble family. Perhaps if Flora cannot woo Verbena, William can?

I really enjoyed the character of Flora/William, and I wasn't so annoyed with Flora to be turned off by the book. I wasn't super into all of her meddling though and a lot of the conversations did hurt, especially because she was lying to Flora when William knew that, or vice versa, and we never really got any closure there. I enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters and how Flora/William's gender fluidity was handled, on the journey they were on, and how that was less of the issue at hand then other things in the end. I wasn't super crazy about how the ending got tied up as it did, though. I felt like the book built with a lot of angst and drama to then be tied off a bit too easily.

Also the will they/won't they did drag out for a long while that I personally was not satisfied with the level of romance we were given after the fact, but that is neither here nor there haha.

All-in-all, I did think that this was a fun book and did a good job of representing William/Flora's character (even if I disliked the name they chose for themselves in the end haha -- but also be more creative, you are a novelist/poet, you have it in you!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Vintage for providing me with the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Publication date: March 10, 2026

[gabymck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet, low steam. I liked the characters. Not a super swoony romance.

IMO Flora could have explained her identity to Verbena long before Verbena figured things out.

Audiobook: I may be the wrong person to say this. There was a single narrator for the story. They had to voice a Frenchman that was speaking British English with a French accent, a Scottish accent, and several British voices. Sometimes all that distracted me.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Miles lives in a fucking castle?!” 😂 Loved this queer regency romance🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a dual-identity book. While the hidden identity dragged on a little long here, I still found the switching between William and Flora scenes fun.

This was sweet, but overly angsty for my taste. I needed a bit more joy. Even when these two are together, they are carrying plenty of sadness to color their scenes. And while we get some happiness in the last chapter and the epilogue, I wanted much more. I'm not an angst-until-the-end reader.

This could drag a bit. The beginning was particularly boring and if I had been reading this for personal pleasure and not for bookclub, I would have considered DNFing. I'm glad I stuck with it because it got much better. Though all the relationships in this book were insta-lust, I appreciated the many queer identities represented. I enjoyed my time and listened to the audiobook in a couple of days.

[Kate | bookishkatelizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor Books, for an early copy of this title; all thoughts are my own.

I’ve read all of Alexander’s previous works except for Chef’s Choice and usually enjoy them. My favorites are Second Chances in New Port Stephens and A Gentleman’s Gentleman. They have an extensive range having written both contemporary and more recently, historical romances. I’ve had primarily positive experiences with their previous books and while this one wasn’t completely negative, it was just ok for me. Take my review lightly as the current Goodreads rating is 4.28.

The plot of this book is messy, lots of drama. Verbena Montrose decides to enter a lavender marriage with her friend Etienne. Etienne, a prominent London tailor, is rumored to have taken male lovers and Verbena needing a husband concludes the easiest solution is a marriage of convenience.

In the middle of these negotiations, Verbena confronts Flora, a female poet, who wrote damning gossip about their upcoming nuptials. Flora is immediately taken by Verbena’s boldness and becomes determined to befriend her. Flora is genderfluid and decides to use their other self, William, to try and court Verbena. It creates a love triangle of sorts as Flora is engaged to Etienne, begins to have feelings for Flora, notices her instant chemistry with William, all while William is becoming increasingly angry that Verbena will not pursue him.

There was just a lot going on and most of it could have been fixed with one conversation. I understand why Flora/ William felt unsure in confiding at first, but after Verbena had been accepting to Etienne and Flora, both queer characters, I don’t think they gave her enough credit. Contrarily, I became increasingly frustrated with Verbena. Everyone describes her as a bold problem solver, but she refuses to find a different answer. She doesn’t change her mind until Etienne calls off the wedding. I truly think she would have gone through marrying him had he not put a stop to it. Verbena and Flora/ William/ Willa essentially get a happy ending by default; it felt far less rewarding because the outcome was caused by Etienne’s bravery and not Verbena’s.

Will I read the next book by Alexander? 100%. Maybe this was a case of the right book, wrong time, but it just wasn’t something I was looking forward to picking up. It felt unnecessarily messy and the characters failed to show the growth I had been anticipating.

I would rate this 2.5-3 stars. I think Alexander does well writing in a historical voice; their ability to write both historical and contemporary is impressive. Unfortunately, I just didn't enjoy this one as much as I had hoped.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1820s London, the newly impoverished Verbena Montrose plans a marriage of convenience to her good friend Étienne who finds himself in need of a wife to stave off accusations of homosexuality. When a gossipy poem alludes to their plan, Verbena confronts the author, Flora Witcombe and the two ladies immediately feel an attraction between them.

This is a wonderful comedic romp through the queer history of the period with lots of direct inclusions and nods to real LGBTIQ history. The famously bisexual Lord Byron features, as do stand-ins for the Ladies of Llangollen (a lesbian couple who lived in Wales together*). There's also a major plot point around what we would refer to as gender fluidity and a transgender person.

Overall I would say this was a 4.5 star book, with a pip off because I thought the central drama was carried on too long considering how easy it was to resolve, but I'll raise it to 5 stars simply because of how much fun it was from a history point-of-view. It also has a rare sympathetic treatment of Lord Byron as well who does get a poignant moment of self-reflection that I'm not sure the real man was capable of.

* At the end of the book a pair of maids at a queer haven are named Sarah and Eleanor which were the first names of the Ladies of Llangollen. I'm sure there were other Easter eggs I missed, and anyone with an eye for history would have fun with this book.

[Jane (whatjanereads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had such high hopes for this because A gentleman’s gentleman was one of my top 10 favourite books of last year. Sadly it didn’t deliver in the end.

I really loved the idea behind this, Verbena desperately looking for a husband to get away from her terrible parents, making a deal with a fellow gay friend to save him from rumours (we love a good lavender marriage).
William/Flora was such an interesting character and a really sweet and kind person, I immediately loved them. I was so into this when I thought they’d hate each other and then became friends.
But I just didn’t feel the romance at all. Verbena is so hell bent on finding a partner for William and Flora, there didn’t seem to be any feelings coming from her towards them. The constant intrigue and lying made me roll my eyes and it was just overall too much drama going in circles for me.
When the initial conflict that rises again and again throughout the book (Verbena needs to marry, but is in love with Flora. Flora doesn’t want her to be married and also doesn’t want to marry anyone) is the solution in the end somehow (Verbena and Flora both pretend to be married to Etienne and his lover), I wanted to throw the book. I just didn’t see any difference in the end solution to what was suggested the whole book anyway. They could have simply had two wonderful lavender marriages without having to hide from society, but what do I know…

I kinda want a Lord Byron book now though, he was a ridiculous, silly man that would make a great MC!