#lulu reads the lady's guide to celestial mechanics

[libraryleopard]

Adult historical romance set in early 19th-century England

A young woman who worked as an assistant for her recently-deceased astronomer father and aspires to become a recognized astronomer herself is hired by a widowed countess to translate a French scientific text and sparks fly between the two of them

In addition to romance, one lead grapples with historical sexism in scientific fields and exclusion from historically male academic spaces while the other recovers from her marriage to her abusive, domineering husband and tries to find her own passion and goals in life now that she’s a widow

Exploration of science vs. the arts and whether there’s truly a divide between the two

Embroidery and astronomy

In addition to the initial falling-in-love section of the romantic arc, the two women also have to navigate being in a long-term relationship that can’t be validated in the eyes of society and how to find satisfaction and community

Both characters have a lot of individual growth outside of the romance, which I liked

Lesbian main character, bisexual main character, F/F romance

#this was good! #first full-length sapphic historical romance i read #would definitely like to continue the series #also it's plenty sexy as well as having good character growth #i really wish there was an author's note though! #i want to know the inspirations for astronomy and embroidery stuff #the lady's guide to celestial mechanics #2022 reads #books #lulu speaks #lulu reads the lady's guide to celestial mechanics #feminine pursuits #lulu reads feminine pursuits #olivia waite

[libraryleopard]

Adult historical romance between a vampire and his secretary 

Set in mid-1700s England

Exceedingly slow-burn romance focused on the growing connection between the two protagonists

A Lot of pining

Explorations of consent and power (employer/employee, vampire/human)

Mostly a character-focused romance, but also has some interesting supernatural lore interspersed throughout

Gay main character with ADHD & autistic, gay main character

Deals with period-typical homophobia and internalized homophobia but has a happy ending

#i am very fond of henry (the vampire) #he works in publishing! he's 500 years old! he cares a lot about people! he's very touch-starved #this is reallyyyyyyyyyyyyyy slow-burn btw #i wouldn't have minded seeing more of them in an actual relationship personally #since i recently read lady's guide to celestial mechanics and liked that aspect #heart of stone #johannes t evans #2022 reads #lulu reads heart of stone #books #lulu speaks #lulu reads