Hello, it's me again! With some lovely Regency Recs bent on inclusion. 

In the spirit of @inmyownlittlecorner, kicking off her Regency Rep. Challenge, I have an author recommendation for you this month, who writes representation into all of her historical romances. Cat Sebastian has a slew of works attached to her name, most of which handle queer romances throughout different points in history. But it isn’t just smut.  I mean yes, they are exceptionally steamy.  But Sebastian addresses many other issues of the time in her works that give these stories a rich storyline as well. In addition to the romance piece of it, Sebastian incorporates differences of class, fighting against misogyny and racism, and living with disability into all of these works I’m about to list below. 

A few that I recently read that take place in Regency Era are part of a trilogy entitled: Seducing the Sedgwicks. Three brothers, three lovers, three extremely unique and feel good stories.

The first book, It Takes Two to Tumble, follows Benedict Sedgwick, who is an all around amicable vicar. Ben somehow ends up as a part time tutor for Captain Philip Darce’s children after they chase governess after governess away. Captain Philip Darce is grieving when he returns from sea. A surly widower who struggles to reconnect with his children, Philip finds himself drawn to Ben, first by his open and understanding ear and then…by much more. This is a classic grump/sunshine dynamic. And I really loved that in addition to the romance, this one also had a lot of good family feels to it. And it's also important to mention that there is dyslexia representation in this one as well. 

The second book in this series is titled, A Gentleman Never Keeps Score, features “disgraced” gentleman Hartley Sedgwick, who hardly leaves his house, which serves as a reminder of the fortune he feels rather dirty about. Enter the dreadful-at-thievery Sam Fox, who tries to break into Harley's home and rescue a scandalous painting of his soon-to-be sister-in-law. When Sam is caught in the act by Hartley, the two of them seem curious of one another, then curiosity blossoms into something far deeper and far more meaningful than either one of them could have ever imagined. This book was increasingly dark when compared to its predecessor. It deals with homophobia, trauma from past sexual abuse (happens off page, but is referenced several times), and racism. The fact that Sebastian is willing to confront these issues and use them as a way to further develop these characters and their relationship made this story absolutely tender and lovely to me.   

And finally, we have Two Rogues Make a Right. This is the purest novel of this series, in my opinion. Will Sedgwick and Martin Easterbrook have been friends forever, despite their class differences and despite the neverending feud between their families. When Will returns from being discharged from the navy looking for Martin, he finds him imprisoned in his family attic and essentially left to die. Will takes it upon himself to rescue and then care for his lifelong friend during his time of need. While this story doesn’t have as quick of a plot as the prior two (it’s definitely a slow burn), it definitely has quite a bit to unpack. Martin has a chronic illness and Will suffers from PTSD as a result of his brutal treatment in the navy. Together they manage to care for and make life better for each other through realizing their love for one another.  

Of course, these stories are so much more than the parts I’ve reduced them to in these quick summaries. But one thing I like about Sebastian’s writing is that she writes historical romance with inclusion in mind. Again, she has a whole host of queer, historical romance novels to her name, these were just the more recent ones I read that also fell into the Regency Era. 

Anyone else enjoy historical romance? Let’s talk about some favorites!

 Courtney