A Lady for All Seasons: Review
By: Del Speeler
Edited By: Caelin Sullivan
Diving into T.J. Alexander’s latest queer historical romance.
Historical romance is really having a moment and T. J. Alexander is right in the middle of it. Their first title in the genre, A Gentleman’s Gentleman, found its audience with people who love Bridgerton and maybe wished that it was more overtly queer. Their second and upcoming historical romance title, A Lady for All Seasons, is no doubt going to resonate with historical romance lovers and queer readers alike.
A Lady for All Seasons follows Verbena Montrose, a lady in waiting who is running out of time to find a match and save her family from financial ruin. Around the time that she begins to think that all hope is lost, she hears a rumor about one of her dear friends (who is a queer man), Etienne, that inspires her to hatch a plan. If they both marry, knowing that neither of them want a traditional marriage, it will save their reputations and their family names. That is, until Flora Witcombe comes along. Verbena discovers that Flora has published a poem alluding to the sham marriage arrangement between her and Etienne. Verbena makes it her mission to track Flora down and legitimize her plan to marry Etienne, as to prevent the ruse from becoming a rumor. Flora is instantly charmed by Verbena and has a secret as well, which is that she is actually William Forsyth, a novelist and son from a minor noble family. William, despite his better judgement, attempts to woo Verbena while also befriending her as Flora. Verbena, facing two suitors and trying to discern if her and Flora are more than friends, learns that sometimes, in order to be truly happy, one must think beyond the boxes reinforced by society.
It is safe to say that I absolutely adored this book. I was fortunate to have received an early copy of T.J. Alexander’s previous title, A Gentleman’s Gentleman, and was so happy to have been approved for an early copy of this as well. The character that resonated with me most was Flora/William. Towards the end of the novel, he adopts the new name Willa, as a combination of his two names, representing both sides of him simultaneously. As someone who exists beyond the gender binary myself, I found this to be lovely and such a sweet and tender way to explore genderqueerness.
Another aspect of this book that I found to be incredibly touching was the found family aspect. At the end of the novel, Verbena and Willa join forces with Etienne and his partner Miles, and the four of them reside together in Miles’ family home. This serves as a place where anyone who wishes to live free of the constraints of society may do so, and can express themselves however they choose. Found family is often one of my favorite parts of queer stories because so many of us find our chosen family later in life. Whether that is because we have been cast aside by family or because we seek people who understand us in a way our parents never could, we form new familial relationships on our own terms.
A Lady for All Seasons is an incredibly heartwarming tale of queer love, self-acceptance, and what it means to live authentically and boldly. This book hits shelves on March 10th so be sure to add it to your TBR if you haven’t already. You won’t be disappointed, I promise!