Gifts of Spring

by Shira Glassman

Rosamund is miserable and lonely, on the run from a foreign king and queen because she wouldn't help them scheme against each other. A dashing knife juggler whose physical skills complement her magical prowess might be the right man to make her feel alive again.

Historical fantasy romance with a trans heroine, Jewish hero, and Bavarian setting

Originally published in Queerly Loving vol. 1

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, LGBT, Fantasy Romance, Fiction, Queer, Short Stories

27 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 20, 2017

About the author

Shira Glassman is a bisexual Jewish violinist passionately inspired by German and French opera and Agatha Christie novels.

She lives in north central Florida, where the alligators are mostly harmless because they're too lazy to be bothered.

A note on my reviewing style: I read lots of books, but writing reviews is work and I only really do them to endorse books that I enjoyed enough to signal boost. That's why my reviews are mostly positive. It's not that I like every book ever :P

Reviews

[Jadey (the Bookish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

So incredibly lovely. Shira Glassman spins a spellbinding story between a trans mage on the run and a knife-throwing acrobat that will leave you with a smile on your face in just 27 pages. If you're looking for a short romance to pass half an hour or so of your time with, I wholeheartedly recommend this.

[Allie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the other novella I read by Glassman (Knit One, Girl Two) so I was prepared to love Gifts of Spring too, but this was just not for me. Fantastical, which isn't super my favorite, but I could get over that if it told a great story. Unfortunately it felt too short for any real plot development, and things like motivations were kind of throwaways. This happened then that other similar thing happened then fade-to-black-the-end before the romance even really took off.

[Raz · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars

[Cece · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gifts of Spring is a fantasy romance short story between a trans female mage on the run and a Jewish street performer/acrobat, which I read after seeing Talia Hibbert recommend it here on Goodreads. It has lovely bones: mysterious protagonists, an unusual historic Bavarian setting, and a wonderful fairy tale atmosphere. However, it also felt a little underdeveloped. I found myself wishing that it had done less but gone deeper or it took more time to linger over its stronger ingredients, like the heroine’s backstory and the couple’s warmly instantaneous attraction.

[Nicole Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

This is a really beautiful short story that's a really sweet romance between a trans heroine who's a mage, and a Jewish hero who's a street performer. It's a historical fantasy, and it's just really sweet and tender, and beautifully written. I really recommend it if you want something lovely and short! I definitely wanted a little bit more but I really enjoyed it. The author has some sapphic books as well so I'm definitely gonna check those out too!

[Anna Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was sweet, the characters were interesting and the setting was very nice—I just wish it hadn't been this short! I feel like there wasn't enough time to build up the chemistry between the two characters. Also, there is more than enough material here for a novella and I'd totally read more about Elias and Rosamund.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was sooooo dang cute 🥺

Gifts of Spring is a super sweet novella following a meet cute between a transwoman mage and an acrobat, and their afternoon spent getting into hijinks around town and falling for each other. I wish this were longer, I’m dying to see more of this world!

[Danielle (reading)]

Historical fantasy romance with a trans heroine and a Jewish hero!!🤩

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this story! It just wish it was longer - I would love to read more about Rosamund and Elias!

[Hannah]

"What was safety if she was miserable -- if she did not live?"

Short and sweet

[Venli · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters seem interesting but this one just felt too brief to feel any connection with.

[Eleanor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reads like a poorly written Wattpad fic.

[Lassarina Aoibhell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, sweet queer romance story.

[Anna Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute, short romance story with a trans woman mage and a man who is a Jewish acrobat/street performer. They have nice banter and I wish the story was longer!