I hope everyone is doing well. I’m catching up on reviewing some books I read this weekend. I’ve been reading I Shall Never Fall in Love for a few weeks, but I just got the last push to finish it doing some Book Roast sprints. The book perfectly matches Brigerton fans who want a little more queerness in their Regency romance.
Synopsis
With Bridgerton and The Prince and the Dressmaker vibes, this book is perfect for any queer graphic novel fans. In this book, two friends discover their feelings for one another and find a space in their world for their love and identity.
George has major problems and its not just the fact that they’ve just inherited their father’s failing estate. They have feelings for their best friend Eleanor, feelings that have grown more complicated as they have grown older. They also prefer wearing men’s clothing and secretly dress in it whenever they can, and such a thing could lead to ruining the family name.
Eleanor has always wanted to do everything just right. This includes falling in love. However, she’s never met a boy she’s interested in. Instead, she’d rather spend time with her friend George and her beloved cousin Charlotte. However when an available suitor comes to town and begins threating her friendships, she has to think more on what she might truly want.
Charlotte is Eleanor’s cousin. Her life is quite different from Eleanor’s because she is the daughter of a former slave and a white British man. While Eleanor wants her to marry into the gentry, her cousin doesn’t see how people treat them differently. Instead Charlotte wants a simple life with one of the farmers on George’s land.
Can all of them find their own way to happily ever after? Or will social conventions or their own hangups be too much to overcome?
Review
Fans of Jane Austen are certainly going to recognize shades of Emma in some of the subplots. While I’m not huge on Jane Austen, no shade just not my jam. I can get at least a few of the Austen references throughout the novel. This novel is witty and smart and backs itself up with real research on the social issues of the time.
I love the characters especially Charlotte who I think is the smartest of the three. She wants to make her own way in the world and doesn’t want to be seen as a prize to be won or be with a man who thinks of her as less than because she’s black. It was interesting to see her cross class romance and I found her parents and their relationship to be adorable.
George is my second favorite they are a great example of what a historical trans person might have been like, backed up by extensive research I find their plot to find themselves within society and find themselves an authentic relationship.
While I know Elenor serves her place, especially as someone with Emma like motivations, I found her to be a bit of an airhead. While I enjoyed her relationship with George at the end, I couldn’t get over the feeling they could have done better. Perhaps she serves a good purpose to show people who don’t realize they are queer at first a mirror in fiction.
Overall this is another five star piece, from the art, to the historical research, to the strength of the character arcs, especially George’s. I’d love to read more from this author in the future.
Amazon: I Shall Never Fall In Love
About the Author
Hari Conner is an author, illustrator and big nerd based in the UK. Hari is the creator of the multi-award-winning fantasy graphic novel series Finding Home, the artist for the official Adventure Zone game, and a powerful archfey warlock on the weekends.
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