Here we are, in November, and I’m in denial. Have I thought about Thanksgiving dinner or my holiday gift purchasing? Of course not. Because it just doesn’t seem possible that somehow nearly a whole year blew past while I was busy doing...stuff, I guess. Who the heck knows anymore. I’m sure it involved The Day Job, continuing to finely tune my tea snobbery and books, because of course books.  Which brings us to the latest crop of unusual historicals that have caught my eye. Here’s what’s hitting my wishlist for November:

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Last year we shared all of Ninestar's queer holiday novellas, so let's do it again!

Behind These Doors is unlike any other historical romance I've read. Perhaps there are dozens of polyam feminist Edwardian romances out there, but I'm missing out if so.  It would be easy to say that the romantic arc follows Lucien and Aubrey, two men from different classes who begin a relationship in the book, but it's also a bit of a Marriage in Trouble romance, with a strained relationship between an existing triad. It's a complicated book, with lots of moving pieces and complex relationships, but Lucens handles it with nuance, grace, and gorgeous prose.

This book was magic and if I knew exactly why, maybe I could find more books that hit the same spot so perfectly. At the same time, I can identify the layers of why it works and why I love it so much. The real magic might be that it gave me reading back.*

The Christmas season, which starts in October in the world of publishing, is packed with romance novels. But sometimes you see one that makes you go "GIVE ME NOW," even if you've got twenty on your TBR already. Adriana Herrera's upcoming f/f romance novella, Mangos and Mistletoe, is that book.

Melissa Blue’s latest novella, Grumpy Jake, is as fun and appealing as its bright cover. In this light-hearted enemies to lovers romance Jake, a handsome but gruff White single father has gotten off on the wrong foot with his son Jayden’s Black Kindergarten teacher. Bailey has heard way too much about Jake’s dating misadventures thanks to the faculty’s breathless gossip mill. Despite her undeniable attraction to the tattooed nurse, Bailey does not want to be his next conquest. Deeply wary, the usually warm and effusive Bailey succeeds at freezing out the seemingly bad-boy playboy until they are trapped together in an elevator and she discovers his playfully disarming self-deprecating sense of humor and Jake is enchanted by her frankness.

I was really excited about this book because I am an Olivia Waite fangirl. I love her column on the Seattle Review of Books, and she’s one of the people I recommend heavily in my work at the library. So when I saw she was coming out with a queer historical with science ladies, I knew I should take a chance on it. And I’m happy I did! The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics is a delight. I read it at a time when I was super stressed out and needed some relief during Big Life Stuff, and Catherine and Lucy’s story was like a warm, safe weighted blanket at the end of the day.

When they're not creating entirely new worlds, fantasy authors love to play with different historical time periods. Remember when steampunk was all the rage? Renaissance Italy? Okay, that last one is just a dream of mine, but roll with it.

It's been a while since we did this! Two months, eeep. Anyway, here are short reviews of Hard Chrome, These Witches Don't Burn, Blitzed, and The Bromance Book Club.

Today we're super excited to share a guest post and cover reveal from Suleikha Snyder. We've been holding this secret for a little while now, but it's felt like months. We can't wait for you to see it!