#i've heard good things about giora shorr and she did not disappoint

[fictionadventurer]

Imaginary Books Recs: Congratulations! You've been granted further ILL access to the Coregean Library. Shall we start with Ardour and Introspection? An early nineteenth-century romance that was a favorite of, of all people, Delclis.

Ardour and Introspection by Giora Shorr

Emina Verden has a passion for plants that her loving father is more than willing to let her pursue, but after his death and her mother's remarriage to a fashionable baronet, Emina is thrown into a high-society world where she is expected to attend balls and concerts and dinner parties while enduring the company of Vivana, her over-exuberant stepsister. As Emina struggles to find a place in this new family--and a moment of peace--a friendship with a young scholar unexpectedly blossoms into something that makes this new world worth exploring. But Vivana is the one who catches his eye--and, perhaps, his heart. Will Vivana keep Emina from her one chance at happiness? Is it possible for the stepsisters to overcome this rivalry, or will it tear them apart forever?

#imaginary book recs #answered asks #the blackberry bushes #isfjmel-phleg #i must once again fall at your feet in gratitude for the interlibrary loan opportunities #coregean literature is a whole new world of delights #i've heard good things about giora shorr and she did not disappoint #just the kind of thing i love #thought tbh a good chunk of my initial interest was curiosity over the fact that this was among king delclis' favorites #not at all the kind of thing i'd expect from him #or so i thought #then i read two (2) pages of this book and was like 'oh i understand' #the plant thing alone would have drawn him in #(though i'd love to know his thoughts about how accurate the science was) #and then the life parallels! #though i see a bit of irony in his love of the book vs his life choices #though of course i don't know enough about the historical details to make very specific comments