Physical copy
Author: Alexis Hall
Viola Caroll was presumed dead at Waterloo when in fact was when she started to finally live – as her true self. It didn’t come cheap. She lost her title, her wealth, and worst of all, her best friend, the Duke of Gracewood, who thinks she’s perished in the war. When, years after the war, they reconnect through their families, she finally learns how truly her death has devastated the Duke. He is barely recognizable, lost in grief and PTSD. Viola will try to bring him back to his old self, but her feelings for him seemed impossible before and now they are unfathomable.
I quit reading hostoricals ages ago “for reasons” and it would take Bree @inloveandwords, Crystal @crystalsbookishlife and Steph @novelteacorner to make me pick up this one. It doesn’t hurt that it’s written by Alexis Hall either.
This book is utterly breathtaking. Delicately written, it’s ROMANCE at its best. A very character driven book, it takes you through this couple’s journey to love and acceptance and it’s a thing of beauty.
This is very different in tone from Boyfriend Material but it has everything you expect from a book written by AH – amazing characters, wit and wordsmanship. It is obvious that there have been transgendered people throughout history but this is the first time I see a historical romance featuring a trans character. Alexis Hall navigates through all the story with grace and tenderness, avoiding all pitfalls that could entrap him.
I went sort of blind into it – I knew it was a trangendered heroine in a historical. Period. I was blown away and saw myself tearing up several times. The epilogue is so beautiful and uplifting it had me bawling. I have to say I felt it was a little long, but at the same time, I can’t, for the life of me, say what could have been left out.
Highly recommend!
Rep: queer romance, transgendered heroine.
Possible triggers:
From the author: Some characters who knew Viola before her transition refer to her deadname or use male pronouns while speaking about her in retrospect, but in keeping with the conventions of the period this is in the form of surname and title.
Gracewood has a disability to which he and others refer using ableist language. There are some references to suicidal ideation, as well as references to drug and alcohol abuse
PTDS; kidnapping
