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Behind These Doors

(Radical Proposals #1)

Jude Lucens (Goodreads Author)

4.11 · Rating details · 261 ratings · 96 reviews

Lucien Saxby is a journalist, writing for the society pages. The Honourable Aubrey Fanshawe, second son of an earl, is Society. They have nothing in common, until a casual encounter leads to a crisis.

Aubrey isn’t looking for love. He already has it, in his long-term clandestine relationship with Lord and Lady Hernedale. And Lucien is the last man Aubrey should want. He’s

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Kindle Edition, 449 pages

Published June 22nd 2018 by Greenwose Books (first published June 21st 2018)

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Lists with This Book

June 2018 MM Releases

115 books — 228 voters

Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan

Miss Dominguez's Christmas Kiss and Other Stories by Lydia San Andres

Queer historical romances written by authors of color

11 books — 2 voters

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· 261 ratings · 96 reviews

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Aug 02, 2018 K.J. Charles added it

Shelves: m-f, m-m, menage, edwardian, found-family

DISCLAIMER: I edited this.

A gently paced romance well grounded in the period setting, featuring a poly setup with a married couple plus one, where the plus one falls for another man as well. The dance that ensues is carefully delineated, and the pleasure is in seeing the complex negotiations of consent and power and intersections of sexuality, gender, and class across the tangled web of more than one three-way relationship. A really solid and unusual queer historical, satisfying for those who ...more

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Jul 05, 2019 Kaje Harper rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbtq, m-m, comfort-reread, favorites, historical, mmf, 20th-century

I really enjoyed this story of a gay journalist from humble origins, and a bisexual, polyamorous nobleman, working to fit a growing loving relationship into the minimal overlap of their lives in turn-of-the-century London.

The Honourable Aubrey Fanshawe has been in love with his best friend Rupert, Lord Hernedale, since they were boys at Eton. Rupert's wife and childhood friend Henrietta loves both of them, and although marrying Rupert was her logical choice to protect all their futures, the I really enjoyed this story of a gay journalist from humble origins, and a bisexual, polyamorous nobleman, working to fit a growing loving relationship into the minimal overlap of their lives in turn-of-the-century London.

The Honourable Aubrey Fanshawe has been in love with his best friend Rupert, Lord Hernedale, since they were boys at Eton. Rupert's wife and childhood friend Henrietta loves both of them, and although marrying Rupert was her logical choice to protect all their futures, the couple have as much as possible made a place for Aubrey in their life and when safe, their bed. Where they all enjoy each other, with Rupert at times watching, at times joining in.

Still, Aubrey is the one who has to get up out of that bed, leave the two people he loves, and go home in the dark and cold. Sometimes, despite the sweetness of their relationship, he is desperately lonely. And sometimes he has sex with other men, because he can't just march over there and demand room in that big bed.

Lucien is the son of a valet, and spent his childhood as servant-companion to a chronically ill nobleman. He could have done that forever, but service grated on him, and he left, first for the military and now to make his living as a journalist. He has an old friend whom he sometimes meets for quick sex, and he dallies with strangers in the parks that are known cruising grounds, but something in him yearns for a relationship that lasts longer than it takes to come, and that goes deeper than being pals with a happily married man who sometimes likes a tumble on the gay side.

Lucien has never wanted a relationship with an aristocrat, though. His parents' lives were spent at the whim of nobility, and his time in service to William, where a mask of friendship covers obligation, makes him leery of the upper class. He accepts and resents William's continued gifts and casual charities, as they smooth his life but make him itch. The last thing he wants is a man of money keeping him as a lover. But a night at a play brings him and Aubrey together, and that sweet, diffident, careful young man works his way under Lucien's guard. And nothing in his life will be simple again.

I really appreciated the historical grounding of this story, from the clothes and social mores, to the details of the women's suffrage movement and the strains of class differences. I also loved having strong female characters, an ace-spectrum character, and a polyamory where a new lover isn't a reason to devalue the old. The progression of the relationships felt realistic, and the obstacles valid. The ending wraps up a bit easily, with a couple of big obstacles swept away, but it was warm and sweet and didn't impose limits on love. I'm really looking forward to the next in the series. ...more

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Jun 19, 2018 Rachel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbtqiap-plus, own-to-read, m-m-historical-romance, kindle-unlimited, because-talia-said-so, favorites, menage, bi-visibility

5 Splendid Stars

Magnificent.

"Behind These Doors" is a multifaceted, complex, multilayered story which is, at its heart, a deeply tender romance between two men. The primary romance alone is exquisite, but the descriptive historical aspects of Edwardian society, the battle for women’s rights and the Women’s Suffrage Movement, and the inclusion of a polyamorous romance thread all make this an enthralling read.

Lucien Saxby is a working class journalist, writing for the society pages. The Honourable 5 Splendid Stars

Magnificent.

"Behind These Doors" is a multifaceted, complex, multilayered story which is, at its heart, a deeply tender romance between two men. The primary romance alone is exquisite, but the descriptive historical aspects of Edwardian society, the battle for women’s rights and the Women’s Suffrage Movement, and the inclusion of a polyamorous romance thread all make this an enthralling read.

Lucien Saxby is a working class journalist, writing for the society pages. The Honourable Aubrey Fanshawe, is the second son of an earl. He spends his leisure time writing, drawing, and playing the piano.

Even though Aubrey is “Society,” he is quite down-to-earth and relatable. Aubrey is a perfectionist and when talking about the writing process he states, “How to explain the terror of ‘starting something new’? Of the blank, passive page waiting for the miracle of creative genius to stir it to life?” And later he remarks, “Editors just didn’t understand the demands of Art. Or the crushing terror of putting one’s name—even if it was just a nom de plume—to work that would be sent into the world for critics to sneer at.”

Neither Lucien or Aubrey are looking for lasting love when they initially meet. Aubrey is in a long-term (clandestine) committed romantic and sexual relationship with his childhood friends Lord and Lady Hernedale. Lord Hernedale presents as possibly somewhere on the asexual spectrum, and it is refreshing to see that realistically portrayed in a romance. Lucien has an ongoing affectionate and sexual relationship with his friend Ben, a bisexual married working class man of color. (FYI Ben and his wife’s {both former streetwalkers} story is told in Lucen’s novella, Gutter Roses: A Radical Proposals Short Story).

This story is a queer historical romance that models a complex polycule romance, a connected network of non-monogamous relationships. I have yet to read another romance with such complex and realistically portrayed relationship dynamics as this story.

Be reassured that this story has a beautiful HEA. My sweet, sweet Aubrey is the shining star around which the other characters orbit. His views regarding romantic love have opened my mind and changed the way I think about love and romance. He explains, “I have a whole heart for everyone I love, every time.”

And now, I love all of these beautiful characters, too.

Available via KU.

Highly recommend!!
...more

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Jul 08, 2018 hedgehog rated it liked it

Shelves: victorian-edwardian, historical, poly-romance, read-in-2018

2.5* rounded up because poly + solid research.

Good:
- Everyone is poly! They make it work! \o/
- A character somewhere on the asexual spectrum! (Or that's how I read it; the modern terminology is of course never used.)
- I think this is the first time I've ever read a historical romance novel that had a character carry around a condom. Is that a weird thing to devote a whole bullet point to?
- The historical details are well researched, grounded to a specific time and place without going 2.5* rounded up because poly + solid research.

Good:
- Everyone is poly! They make it work! \o/
- A character somewhere on the asexual spectrum! (Or that's how I read it; the modern terminology is of course never used.)
- I think this is the first time I've ever read a historical romance novel that had a character carry around a condom. Is that a weird thing to devote a whole bullet point to?
- The historical details are well researched, grounded to a specific time and place without going overboard. The writing is confident and smooth.
- There's an upstairs/downstairs type of romance and the book doesn't shy away from the difficulties of crossing class.

Not so much:
- The sex scenes were a little flowery and generic. Please, no more weeping cocks (why are the cocks sad, whyfor do they weep).
- I didn't like the characters or root for the romances, particularly. Aubrey is a tiresome wet blanket, but halfway through I also tired of Lucien snapping at Aubrey for not being woke enough. Which, no, he's not, but somehow these exchanges turned into Lucien escalating an innocent remark, forcing Aubrey to grovel abjectly in apology, and then grandly pronouncing he won't understand, anyway. While I did appreciate not glossing over the class differences, if your entire relationship is built on repeated insistence that your partner is incapable of XYZ (with a dash of smugness that they're not as woke as you, the paragon of wokeness), their existence is repulsive to you, then maybe... don't... date them? I didn't get the vibe this was a lasting romance, despite all the protestations of love.
- That the characters bother to communicate with each other is great, and doubly so in the Henrietta/Aubrey/Rupert triad, where communication is of the utmost importance. But too much page space is devoted to these stilted conversations where everyone lays out their psychological underpinnings and everyone responds as appropriately as if they were reading off a therapist script for How To Be A Good Listener. At some point I'd like some of the character development to be shown or acted out, not just a bunch of talking heads.
- Man, that Ben/Cath thing came out of nowhere. Demanding that I care about him on equal footing with Aubrey was a failed sell when he was hardly in the book as his own character. [Edit: there's a prequel featuring Ben and Cath that I haven't read. In that case, my bad for not realizing I needed to have read another book before this one. I will say that that this novel does not stand well alone in respect to that plotline/those characters.]
- Slice-of-life is fine, but I didn't feel like anything happened. There's an RPF suffragette subplot that Lucien/Henrietta have a hand in, but it still feels kind of... unimportant to the characters? I started zoning out around three-fourths of the way through when it became clear nothing else was going to happen but more talking-as-plot-progression. This story could've been cut by a third and been just fine; there's nothing here that justifies 400+ pages. I understand there was a thematic thing going with the exploration of women's rights and how the characters were trapped by society's expectations etc., etc. But it wasn't terribly interesting, didn't come together in any cohesive way. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but it felt like there weren't any stakes, I guess? Not enough connective tissue. Something. ...more

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May 31, 2018 Lotta rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, histrom, edwardian, lgbtq, favourites-in-2018, poly, bisexual, politics, class-society, ace

Review the second, December 2018: This book is so lovely. I adore the language and emotions and the characters. I cried a little at the last scene with Cath and Lucien. Glad I decided to read again <3

Review the first, May 2018: Slight back story: I've been in a bit of a book slump lately, and have spent more time on audiobooks than on my kindle, partly because of time restraints and family obligations (like, I'm obligated to spend time with my family instead of on reading). Anyway, I started Review the second, December 2018: This book is so lovely. I adore the language and emotions and the characters. I cried a little at the last scene with Cath and Lucien. Glad I decided to read again <3

Review the first, May 2018: Slight back story: I've been in a bit of a book slump lately, and have spent more time on audiobooks than on my kindle, partly because of time restraints and family obligations (like, I'm obligated to spend time with my family instead of on reading). Anyway, I started this book and read the first chapter, and then I didn't have time/right mindframe to continue until a couple of days ago, when I decided to give it some time to really get into it. And I did! To the degree that I lay reading in bed until well after 1am just to finish.

It started out kind of slow for me, with lots of characters that I found difficult to keep apart initially. At around 28% I was convinced this was a clear 4 star read, really good. When I finished last night that had evolved into a five star, favourite book.

This book combines several things that I really like in books. Diverse characters, romance, politics, descriptions of class society and how it affects how people think and react and see one another, awareness of social and gender (in)equality, relationships that are negotiated and communicated, friendship, non-traditional identities and sexualities. But not that these things are lectured or preached, just people, going about their lives in ways that suit them.

I love how the characters learn different things from each other. Lucien brings his class awareness, Aubrey his thoughts on love and relationships, Miss Enfield the idea that women journalists might have other ambitions than society reporting. Lucien has more conservative views on things than Aubrey in some respects.

I love the way Aubrey's and Lucien's relationship grows and evolves, and how they from early on are so drawn and commited to each other, almost despite themselves, and how they are both unsure and insecure. It's wonderfully described.

At last a word on the sex. There isn't very much on page sex, but when it's there, it's good and emotional and not your run of the mill enter peg into slot until mutual, synchronised completion. It's relatable and real, at least to me. There is some quality dirty talk between Lucien and Aubrey, and the intimacy level is very high.

Full disclosure: I got this book as an ARC and am friendly with the author on SM. ...more

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Dec 07, 2019 David rated it liked it

This book was chosen to satisfy the ReadHarder prompt for "An historical romance by an AOC". Often smuttier than a chimney sweep just before his weekly bath, it proved to be well-researched. The writing is of a higher caliber than I was expecting, which is always a nice discovery, and the best of it is applied to descriptions of setting, atmosphere, and period costume and etiquette. The romantic dialogue and lovers' banter was less convincing; rather repetitive and somewhat stilted.

Despite ...more

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Jun 18, 2019 Wollstonecrafthomegirl rated it really liked it

This is worth reading. Saying that upfront again: this is worth reading. As historical romances go this is pretty damned impeccable on writing style, descriptions and sense of time and place. Lucens has got the chops for this game. As I said, this is worth reading.

So, why am I so focused on that central message (worth! reading!) right at the start?

Probably because my own feelings about this at the end of the book are, despite the fact that it is plainly a Good Book, muddled. Frankly, if some of ...more

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May 26, 2018 Emma rated it really liked it

I should start this off by saying I beta read this novel. That being said, Lucens has written a thought-provoking first book. The themes of upper-class vs lower-class have been explored in countless novels, but the juxtaposition of it here in both politics, with the discussions built around Women’s Suffrage and who benefits vs who suffers the initial cost, and personal relationships elevate it from what might have been a simple Upstairs/Downstairs story (even if Saxby is not actually a valet).

...more

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May 30, 2018 Allison rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, arc, 2018

This is a wonderfully quiet book that still manages to pack so much into the story, plus it's got great representation. At its heart it's a story about people finding their way to each other, just living life, and doing their utmost to be the best versions of themselves. But there's so much more happening here, from the women's suffragette movement to the changing roles of society and the ruling classes, down to the minutia of how even as you try your hardest you can still hurt those you love. ...more

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Dec 06, 2018 Helen Kord rated it liked it

Shelves: poly, historical, m-m, owns-a-paperback

This is such a hard book to review because I could write for hours about my quibbles with it and not be done, but I just don't have the energy. So here's as brief a review as i can. Spoilers will happen

* Our main couple, Lucien and Aubrey are... okay. They're okay. They keep arguing in circles and I'm not even that sure why they fall in love, but they're perfectly fine. I was more into them before the Thing happened (and don't worry, we'll get to the Thing) but the Thing completely sucked out ...more

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Aug 03, 2018 Ekollon rated it liked it

Shelves: kindle-unlimited, m-m, lgbtqia, historical, romance, suggested-library-physical-copy

I was, perhaps, too excited about this book coming out. So excited because the blurb sounded so good! And then I dove in, and . . . I didn't like it the way I wanted to.

First off, this is a polyamorous novel, but not the kind that I'm really into. Instead of everyone being involved with each other, we have branching off groups and subgroups. There's nothing wrong with this, but it's not my cup of tea. We also kind of have primary and secondary partners, although everyone in the book insists we ...more

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Oct 21, 2018 Amy Cousins added it

I finished Jude Lucens's Behind These Doors late last night (and read the tie-in short story today!) and I'm still thinking about it. This is a lovely book, deeply thoughtful about queer found families, all the many kinds of love, communicating across class and other barriers--where we can't even see how we're misreading situations and other people because we don't understand how our own ingrained assumptions skew our perspective--politics and women's rights, compassion and service. I also wish ...more

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Jul 25, 2018 Rafa Brewster added it

DNF at 70%. I thoroughly enjoyed it up to about halfway through but then the slow pace and repetitious nature of the book caught up with me in a major way. Things that were unique to that era at first impressed me as being well-researched, but then started to grate on me because they kept being repeated in unnecessary detail. I think the slow pace also allowed me too much time to question certain things about the two MCs behaviors. Even when certain things came to light, I couldn't look past the ...more

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Jul 21, 2018 Skye Kilaen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 0-genre-romance, fave-romance, bi-pan-characters-yay, romance-mf-queer-faves, romance-polyam-faves, romance-by-poc-faves, queer-romance-queer-author-faves

Gorgeous, lovely, wonderful polyamorous romance set in 1906 London. The main love story is between Aubrey Fanshawe, second son of an earl, and Lucien Saxby, working-class journalist. If you're a fan of historical romance that engages with feminism, class and power differences, political struggles, etc. (think K.J. Charles and Courtney Milan) then you should give this a try. I loved watching these two guys - and various other characters - work so hard to love each other, make mistakes, hurt Gorgeous, lovely, wonderful polyamorous romance set in 1906 London. The main love story is between Aubrey Fanshawe, second son of an earl, and Lucien Saxby, working-class journalist. If you're a fan of historical romance that engages with feminism, class and power differences, political struggles, etc. (think K.J. Charles and Courtney Milan) then you should give this a try. I loved watching these two guys - and various other characters - work so hard to love each other, make mistakes, hurt people they care about, apologize, and try to do better, and I loved how their stories were so carefully built within their historical setting. Lucens does an amazing job of having characters talk things out with each other, sometimes at length, while maintaining the character voices and the feeling of engaged conversation rather than people suddenly giving dramatic speeches.

I also appreciated the diversity here of various kinds. Aubrey is in a long-term committed romantic and sexual relationship with his childhood friends Lord and Lady Hernedale. Lord Hernedale is somewhere on the asexual spectrum, which doesn't bother his wife or Aubrey, but which sadly is a source of profound insecurity for him. Lucien has a casual ongoing sexual relationship with his friend Ben, a bisexual married working class man of color. Lucien has a wealthy acquaintance who has an unlabeled long-term disabling chronic illness. This is historical romance on the realistic end of the spectrum, not the fairy tales of balls and castles, and I am 100% here for it.

There's one minor tweak I would have wished for: a bit more of something to establish the meaningfulness of Ben to Lucien, to better support some of Lucien's personal-growth-related realizations about relationships late in the book. I originally also felt like Henrietta, Lady Hernedale, needed at least one more speaking appearance after various male characters have realized that her agency has been taken away. I needed that to feel like the book wasn't also overlooking her. EXCEPT after I finished writing this review, I read an interview with Jude Lucens on Corey's Book Corner that basically said this was a deliberate decision not to take more away from Hettie by having her story told through a man's eyes. The next book in the series will be hers. I am 100% happy with that.

I can't wait for Lucens to write 10 more books. No pressure though! Authors are not vending machines even when they're capable of making you cry. (Even when they introduce a fantastic lesbian reporter secondary character who needs her own book. Or a chronically ill nobleman who has huge growth potential. Just saying.)

Jude Lucens is a bi, demisexual, pagan woman of color. ...more

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Jul 12, 2018 Joyfully Jay added it

A Joyfully Jay review.

4.75 stars

With this story, I have managed to randomly bump into a book that ticked all the boxes I wanted ticked in a story about polyamory. It’s worth noting that Aubrey, Rupert, and Henrietta’s relationship is on display from page one and Lucens does a delightful job of detailing the dynamic of these three long-time lovers both in public and in private. The new relationship Aubrey finds himself developing with Lucien is then something new and separate from the one he ...more

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Jun 21, 2018 Ellie rated it really liked it

I haven't read many polyamorous romances but I quite enjoyed this one. It's a tender, emotional romance exploring a number of conflicts (along class lines, along making a polyam relationship work). There are lots and lots of historical details, which sometimes felt overwhelming. The romance unfolded at the background of the the Suffragette movement and the fight for the rights of women. This is a very character focused story about a bunch of people who are so very different from each other but ...more

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Jun 23, 2018 Line marked it as maybe

Shelves: 00-amazon, 00-have, 00-freebie

Free at Amazon.com right now: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B... :-)

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Jul 22, 2018 Rhode rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historic-fiction, 5-star-books

Admission: I beta-read this as it was being written and was one of several who begged the author to publish it. However, I paid for my copy of the final book.

For me, it’s the combination of all factors. Friendships and romances I can believe in, rich writing (if you love phrasing and wordplay, you’ll love this) and trustworthy historical details. It’s a lush novel you can dive into, feel embraced by and learn new things from.

For me it was also a relief from too many historical romances in which ...more

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Jul 14, 2018 Liewen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbtqia, favourites, historical-romances, historiques, 1900-1913, mighty-girl, england-and-englishmen, read-in-2018

Beware : this is a slow pacing novel.
But oh my, it was soooo enjoyable, with all the things I love in historicals : a thouroughly researched historical background having its full part in the plot, complex and three-dimensional characters, so very likable but fitting with their time period, a nice and polished writing.
4,5 stars for this good an solid HR.

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Jul 12, 2018 Freya Marske rated it really liked it

This will probably disappoint you if you're looking for something with a strong narrative impetus -- there was no clear tension or overarching plot structure dragging me through, so I kept comfortably putting it down and leaving it for a while before picking it up again -- but it happened to be exactly what I needed this week: a quiet, domestic, introspective, thoroughly romantic story about people having difficult conversations and falling in love. And the suffragette movement! And class ...more

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Mar 09, 2019 Taryn rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018-release, romance, fiction, poc-author

A polyamorous historical set in early 1900s London, with more complicated upper-class/lower-class drama than you can shake a stick at. Aubrey is already in a fulfilling but necessarily secret relationship with his old school friend and his wife, but when he meets Lucien, a journalist, he’s immediately intrigued. It takes a lot to negotiate how the various relationships will work, especially because the society of the time so strictly dictates what is and is not acceptable, but Aubrey is a ...more

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Jan 23, 2019 JD Crittendon rated it it was amazing

What Flaws We See In Others, We Harbors Ourselves!

The loves, likes and an antagonist are featured in the Lucien & Aubrey historical Edwardian romantic story. What well written tale with a historical look at class system, suffrage and morals of 1900s England.
There is so much to love, the well developed MCs, even the minor characters are well written. I enjoyed the intellectual debated regarding the have and the nots. The suffrage portions are well researched and the unusual relationships are ...more

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Sep 07, 2018 Maarja rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, historical

I loved this. The historical ambiance, with all the interesting social and political background, and a very enjoyable, though not easy romance between flawed, but sympathetic characters... What I especially enjoyed about this story was showing how a poly relationship could realistically work, even in those times - although it clearly requires a lot of communication. There were misunderstandings, but those were resolved by people actually talking to each other - one of my biggest pet peeves! I'm ...more

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Oct 16, 2018 Tori rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2018

This was really lovely to sink my teeth into. I'm not always in the mood to read about relationship negotiation, but when it's good it's real good. I love poly negotiations especially, so this was wonderful.

I also felt like this book did a good job navigating the line of showing how dangerous a gay relationship was at the time with giving me the happy ending I want.

I'll definitely check out more from this author.

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Jul 08, 2018 Sadie Forsythe rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle-lendable

4.5
This was really quite lovely. I wasn't actually surprised to love it, as I'd read the prequel Gutter Roses and truly enjoyed it. It was fun to see Ben and Cath pop up on occasion, but they're not the main characters here. That would be Lucien and Aubrey, two men from different worlds. Two men who couldn't be sweeter. They were adorable.

I do think that this is one of those books that I love the idea of, finish with a deep sigh and heartfelt "awww," so long as I don't think too deeply about ...more

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Jul 04, 2019 Sara Norja rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What a beautiful novel. I have never read such good, and accurate-to-me, polyamory rep, so this was a joy throughout. Nuanced, interesting characters with understandable motivations and histories that caused tension. The character relationships - the central focus - were explored in detail, and people's reactions and emotions felt real to me. I was overjoyed when Aubrey, Lucien, Henrietta and Rupert solved things by actually talking about them - and how even those conversations didn't magically ...more

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Jul 15, 2018 Gillian rated it it was amazing

4.5 stars

I have to admit that this quietly beautiful story left me feeling a bit bereft. Don't get me wrong, I adored the book, I just simply wasn't ready to let go of any of the characters. I think I fell a bit in love with each of them.

Lucien and Aubrey are divine, and despite all of Aubrey's legitimate concerns about getting involved with a journalist, I loved how he was able to let go of his defenses and let Lucien become an integral part of his life. Lucien too had to overcome his trust ...more

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Oct 28, 2019 Suzanne rated it it was amazing

What a gorgeous, lovely, heartfelt, political book.

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Jul 21, 2019 monika rated it liked it

Shelves: mm, poly-or-menage-or-open-relationship, bisexual, ace-demi, historical-fiction, lgbtq

2,75 rounded up

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

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Jul 08, 2019 Amazonaute rated it it was amazing

I upped this to 5 stars when I realised I was looking forward to rereading it.

This is pretty much what I want in a romance, emotionally speaking. Also, delightful nuanced characters.

It is also a good historical, no small feat.

I look forward to more books by this author.

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About Jude Lucens

Jude Lucens

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Jude writes historical romances about marginalised people affiliating and building family in the face of restrictive, often punitive, social norms. Her debut novel, Behind These Doors, is a 2019 Lambda Literary Awards finalist (Category: Bisexual Fiction).

For several years, she was a 1st Century Roman and Early Medieval re-enactor. Her primary focus was combat and target archery, and her ...more

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Behind These Doors

(Radical Proposals #1)

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