Lou

This book felt a lot like The Secret History, but I enjoyed it much, much more. It involves murder, wealthy Oxford students, and gay pining. It's primarily a mystery, not a romance, but there is a romance subplot. Definitely read it!

This was my first Agatha Christie book, and I found it okay. The mystery was interesting and I liked that it was a classic "murder in a house" plot. The female characters were all bafflingly useless and don't feel like full human beings, which is the main reason I didn't love it. Poirot was a bit unlikable, but I'm willing to believe he's better in other books.

Absolutely peak KJ Charles. I devoured this book and my only complaint is that it ended. It'll make more sense if you've read the Charm of Magpies series (which I highly recommend), but can be read as a standalone too.

A cute little asexual romance between a trans woman music hall singer and a well meaning but awkward fence. A very enjoyable read, though as a trans person myself, I was a bit disappointed by the trans character. Not that there was anything wrong with her characterization per se, just that it lacked a more profound understanding of the trans experience. Miss Christiana felt pretty cookie-cutter, which surprised me since KJ Charles' gay male characters are all so diverse and fleshed out.

A fun Christmas romp by my favourite romance author with an associated Spotify playlist. The main characters were somewhat forgettable compared to her other books, but definetly still worth the read if you've read the Lilywhite Boys series. I liked how much historical research was clearly done for the victorian Christmas traditions.