#more edwin and robin

[fahye]

A Power Unbound

Secrets! Magic! Enemies to… something more? Jack Alston, Lord Hawthorn, would love a nice, safe, comfortable life. After the death of his twin sister, he thought he was done with magic for good. But with the threat of a dangerous ritual hanging over every magician in Britain, he’s drawn reluctantly back into that world. Now Jack is living in a bizarre puzzle-box of a magical London townhouse, helping an unlikely group of friends track down the final piece of the Last Contract before their enemies can do the same. And to make matters worse, they need the help of writer and thief Alan Ross. Cagey and argumentative, Alan is only in this for the money. The aristocratic Lord Hawthorn, with all his unearned power, is everything that Alan hates. And unfortunately, Alan happens to be everything that Jack wants in one gorgeous, infuriating package. When a plot to seize unimaginable power comes to a head at Cheetham Hall—Jack’s ancestral family estate, a land so old and bound in oaths that it’s grown a personality as prickly as its owner—Jack, Alan and their allies will become entangled in a night of champagne, secrets, and bloody sacrifice… and the foundations of magic in Britain will be torn up by the roots before the end.

Coming November 2023

PRE-ORDER: US

PRE-ORDER: UK

ADD ON GOODREADS

#a power unbound #the last binding #LOOK A PROPER PROMO POST #I'm so excited for this one lads #I truly think it's the best yet #it has #everything #more magic #more blood #more edwin and robin #more maud's aggressive brother collecting #two snarky assholes #extremely aghast to be falling in love #a heist #a courtroom drama scene #a fancy party #magical houses up the wazoo #SO much sex

[benevolenterrancy]

I started reading A Marvellous Light and I'm already deeply invested in this poor bastard just having THE worst first day of his new desk job.

#and then things only proceed to get worse from there #a marvellous light #robin blyth #edwin courcey #PLEASE don't pay attention to my actual like. character design or anything. i started this yesterday because this scene made me laugh #i had to exorcise it before i could continue reading #so hair and clothing do not match the time period very well #also i have now read SIGNIFICANTLY more and my mental image of them has evolved #but c'est la vie it will work for a quick GO READ THIS BOOK doodle #go read this book #i am in love i can barely put it down long enough to slap colour on this #my art

[sarahlizziewrites]

Him: what are you thinking?

Me (internally): You look like a Turner painting and I want to learn your textures with my fingertips. You are the most fascinating thing in this beautiful house. I'd like to introduce my fists to whoever taught you to stop talking about the things that interest you.

Me: ...oh, like. Nothing.

#robin blyth #edwin courcey #the last binding #a marvellous light #day 18 of this quote living rent free in my head #read this book please because I need more mutuals to be in this fandom

[kiwim7]

here take robin and edwin

ref used here!

#the last binding #a marvellous light #robin blyth #edwin courcey #robwin #my art #my scribbles #i might do the other novels romances as the other two pics in that ref #im using a lot of refs bc im literally just now getting started drawing and idk wtf im doing help #i hate this so much #take it and do not give it back!!!!!! >:( #i spent so much damn time on this stupid damn picture and i hated it the more i messed with it

[daveyfvckingjacobs]

not a single person cares but unfortunately I’m hyperfixated so that won’t stop me posting the last binding writing <33

basically I wanted to draw this concept, did not have the ability and remembered I’m also a writer and should write smaller things more <3

There’s an old house, out in the English countryside. It’s surrounded by sprawling land, dominated by creeping vines that infest cracks and dust that has settled into the air itself. There’s a beehive and a garden and a tree on a hill and something about those three things hangs in the air like a myth fighting desperately to not be forgotten.

The house belongs to someone. Someone who inherited it from someone else, who tries to look after it like it was looked after in days gone by but the house is large and the time for such manors long past. It’s a memory, a creature trapped in amber and if you listen closely, sometimes you can hear it’s heartbeat still.

The house has stories, like every good house does. Stories about frozen lakes and the way magic used to be and about faeries and bizarre things that can’t possibly be true. Names are attached to the stories, but they’re impersonal. Dusty words with nothing but the ghost of a breath and a laugh, if you’re still listening close enough.

The house has an attic. The attic holds life, the way it used to be. There’s a walking stick and some journals, books with faded scribbles down the margin, old waistcoats and shirts that have managed to survive for so long untouched. There’s a box in that attic too. A box that holds photographs and the someone who owns the house know will find them someday, sitting back on their heels in the old attic of an old house and maybe they’ll smile at what they see.

The first photograph might have been black and white once, but it’s faded to a sickly sort of yellow, edged with the brown of a bruise. It shows two young women in the middle of four men. It’s as impersonal as the names given to the stories. On turning it over, the someone will find a note written in a carefully swooping hand.

Sir R. Blyth, Mr E. Courcey, Miss M. Maud, Miss V. Debenham, Lord J. Hawthorn, Mr A. Ross, 1910

The names won’t mean very much. Each individual looks hardly different than the last, though the man identified as Sir R. Blyth has the same round face and twinkling eyes as the Miss M. Maud. Siblings perhaps, though it’s hard to think of such a thing existing so long ago. The man on the left - Mr A. Ross, according to the note - is an odd one out, with the way his clothes are patched and his grin slants. Mr E. Courcey is faded of colour, the Lord so stern he must not be a real person.

These aren’t real people, the someone will think as they brush their thumb over the faded image. Too stiff, too emotionless. They didn’t live and breath here, did they? They can’t have. Nothing but letters that form names and ink that forms faces.

The second photograph is different. It’s tucked into the bottom of the box, almost like it wants to remain unnoticed. It’s not different at first glance; still faded and bruised, taken at the same time as the first image but it’s different nonetheless.

The colourless man has more of a smile, the Sir R. Blyth gazing at him like he’s forgotten about the camera entirely. One arm loops around his waist where before a distinct gap existed between them. Next to them, Miss M. Blyth is pressing a kiss to the cheek of the other young woman, who’s mouth is open not in a smile but in a laugh, a hand fluttering over her chest. Next comes the unpleasant looking Lord, who’s mouth has been pulled up as though on a string. One of his hands rests on the shoulder of the Mr A. Ross - he in return is scowling up, arm raised mid swat but something about it lacks venom.

There’s writing on the back of this photograph too:

Robin and Edwin, Maud and Violet, Alan and Jack, 1910

Maybe they’re smiling at whoever took the picture. At a comment made or face pulled, the way you might encourage a smile from a child. There’s comfort in this image, trust, care and it breathes life into the coolness of the attic. It makes the someone think. About arms around waists and kisses on cheeks and the stories that got lost instead of told, hidden in the bottom of boxes at the back of attics.

There’s something sad about that, in a poetic way. Something close to tragic, but the stories don’t have just have names anymore. They have faces, have the hints of lives and if they can only be seen this way, in light filtered through a dusty attic window then the someone will hope that that’s good enough for them.

For the man called Robin, who must see the stars themselves in the one called Edwin. For the dimpled young Maud and the way the woman called Violet is laughing like she’s made up of scraps of the sun. For Alan - the odd one out - who scowls like he’s trying to decipher the way the moon is shining through the Lord with such a boyish name as Jack.

They’ll tuck the picture into their pocket and hope against hope that it’s good enough for them.

#names and how they change people is an Important concept to me #idk how to explain it but I like it a lot #have more stuff w it in the drafts <3 #tanner writes #a power unbound #a restless truth #a marvellous light #the last binding trilogy #the last binding #freya marske #fanfic #alan ross #edwin courcey #robin blyth #maud blyth #violet debenham #jack alston

[libraryleopard]

Adult historical romance with magic

Sequel to A Marvellous Light

Follows Maud Blythe, the younger sister of Robin from the first book

When the elderly witch Maud’s supposed to be escorting on a transatlantic trip is murdered for the priceless magical artifact she possessed, Maud finds herself hunting a mysterious murderer while trapped onboard a ship

When Maud joins forces with Violet Debenham, a scandalous aristocrat-turned-actress from a magician family, sparks fly between the two of them despite their precarious situation

Murder mystery with a strong romantic subplot (quite frankly the horniest book I read this year which is impressive given the number of romance novels I’ve read recently)

Advances the overall plot of the trilogy while introducing a lot of new characters

Fun locked-room-mystery vibes of the ship at sea

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

#this was honestly quite delightful to read #i think the setting of the boat for a murder mystery was superrrrr fun #also i enjoyed the romance! #it's kind of the opposite of robin and edwin in that they start hooking up and the develop feelings #and i think that is a delicious trope when done right #also lord hawthorn is in this more and is exceedingly long-suffering the whole time #the moments of humor in this are good too #like the pornography library #however SPOILERS #it was rude of this book to introduce elderly lesbian witches and make me sad over them dying :( #also i think violet's backstory should have been delved into a bit more personally #i really want the third book now since i have 100% spotted who it's going to be about #the last binding #a restless truth #books #2022 reads #lulu speaks #lulu reads #lulu reads the last binding #lulu reads a restless truth

[byronicbi]

Review for this one book saying "surprisingly queer", I need you to explain. Is it explicitly queer or is it some wishy-washy bromance because I was onboard until I read the words "magical ministry" and suddenly I'm going to need a lot more because gay Edwardians might not just cut it for me if we're gonna be talking about spells and magic in alternate England. It's far too close to a certain franchise I don't wish to think about.

#there's nothing wrong with the book per se i am enjoying the banter between robin and edward but every time i read the word spell #i lose one hit point. #i KNEW i'd had to clench my jaw through magical bureaucracy but i was thinking more along the lines of the FBC in Control #not the fucking Ministry of Goddamn Magic #i'm not gonna dnf it yet i'm gonna give it a chance because this is as close to my fucking interests as i can possibly get #without it being YA. not that there's anything wrong with YA i just want something different rn. #90% of my recent queer reads have been YA for the love of god #reading tag #*edwin. not edward.

[ming85]

A Marvellous Light promotional art, part of a series for Freya Marske/@fahye's stunning The Last Binding trilogy. See the ones for book 2 and 3 here!

My intend was 'how can I pour as much of my love for the arts and crafts movement in one painting'. It's what Robin would have wanted.

(Please also check out this perfect Edwin song that I listened to for weeks while painting.)

my The Last Binding tag for more of these two softies, and my art tag.

#the last binding #a marvellous light #freya marske #edwin courcey #robin blyth #my art

[delfiore]

hot summer nights

pairing: robin buckley x fem!reader

synopsis: summer, 1986. robin experiences an epic love when you come to stay at your aunt’s place in hawkins for the summer.

warning: mild violence, mentions of drugs, bullying, homophobia (ik ik big yawn but i promise it’s sO insignificant)

word count: 5.6k

a/n: i am so scared for vol. 2. this is me manifesting.

now playing:

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

The first time Robin saw you, you were sitting on a front porch of a house she biked past, smoking a cigarette. She was going to work then, and she thought it was really early to be smoking. She didn’t know who you were either; if you went to Hawkins High, she would know. You came up in her mind once in a while for the rest of the day.

You noticed her too. She was cute. It was hot that day, even for a summer’s day in Indiana, so you went inside as soon as you threw the roach on the floor and stomped on it.

The second time she saw you was at Family Video, when you came in to rent A Streetcar Named Desire. Most of the people coming in who rented that only wanted to watch Marlon Brando, it made Robin roll her eyes. The movie was so much more than that.

You barely spoke a word, only handed her the money before walking out and climbing into your red car.

The next time she saw you was at the grocery store when she was shopping for her mom. You were bent over in front of the fridge, sunglasses blocking your eyes, mouth parted with a lollipop hanging from your lips.

She didn’t know where the surge of confidence came from, maybe it was the mundanity of being in a grocery store surrounded by a lot of people who didn’t spare her a single glance. Maybe it was the fact that she needed to catch you. But she pushed her cart over to where you stood, and stopped a few feet in front of you.

“You should try this one.” She said, opening the fridge, and taking out a pint of mint chocolate ice cream. “This one’s my favorite.”

For the first time, you looked at her, really looked at her. She was really pretty, was what you concluded. You pushed your sunglasses down on the bridge of your nose.

“Thanks.” You accepted the pint.

The freckles on her cheeks complemented her skin beautifully, as she nodded and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Y/N.” You extended a hand.

“Robin Buckley.” She took your hand, and mentally cursed herself out. You introduced yourself with your first name only, maybe she should have done the same. “Are you new ‘round here? Can’t say I’ve seen you in school.”

Her heart leapt when your lips curved up into a smile. “I graduated this year. I’m staying here with my aunt for the summer.”

“Where are you from?”

“Missouri.”

“Cool.” Robin nodded, albeit a bit awkwardly. “Must be scorching over there too, right?”

“You bet.” You gave a smile.

You accompanied her for the rest of her grocery run, and it was only when she’d arrived home that she noticed that she was talking your ears off, and you only walked beside her and listened. Her spike of confidence didn’t win against her nerves this time.

Robin was holding a big bag of groceries by the time she stepped out of the store. She looked up at the scorching sun with a heavy sigh, dreading the tread back home.

“You got a ride?” You suddenly spoke up.

“Um, no. I was just gonna walk home.”

“I’ll take you home.” You gestured to the same red car she saw outside work, parked next to the entrance. “Come on.”

The car ride was mostly silent, except for the times she told you where to go. She couldn’t believe that just a few days ago you were all that was in her mind, and now she was in your car. Steve would make fun of her if she had told him. It was relief, then, that she hadn’t.

“Oh, you can just stop right here, that’s fine. Thanks for the ride.”

“My pleasure.” You said. “And thank you for recommending me the ice cream.”

“That’s not the same.” Robin shook her head, smiling.

“Sure it is.” You smiled again, as you pushed your shades down.

“Um . . . My mom is making dinner if you want to join us. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”

“Oh, no, that’s okay. I gotta get home to my aunt. Kinda promised her I’d be home tonight.”

She let out a small ‘oh’, as her palms started sweating. Maybe she was a bit disappointed because you were so enthusiastic about driving her home before, she just thought. Maybe she read your intentions wrong, maybe you were just being nice. Good god . . .

“But hey, we can hang out some time. You can show me what’s fun around Hawkins.”

“Yeah.” Robin replied, maybe a little too fast. “Yeah, that’d be cool. We can go bowling on Friday. Me and my friends go there all the time. Pick me up at 3?”

“Cool.” You nodded.

“Cool.”

You drove off with a ‘see you then’, as Robin watched the tail of your car disappear around the street corner. It was one thing to fantasize about someone from afar—as Robin has always done—but it was another that they were right in front of you, drove you home, and made plans to see you again soon.

Still, Robin was a smart girl, and she didn’t let this one interaction run away with her fantasies. You might not even like girls.

“She definitely like girls.” Steve emphasized, placing VHS tapes from a pile he had in his arms onto the stands.

“No—“ Robin groaned, and followed him. “You’re just saying that because I’m telling you about her. I mean—you say that to every girl I tell you about.”

“She went out of her way to drive you home from the grocery store? Uh, hello? That’s what I do when I’m trying to flirt.”

“Yeah, but it’s not the same.” Robin groaned exasperatedly into her hands and leaned dramatically against the shelf causing a couple of tapes to fall out of their perfected positions.

“Hey, watch it. The point is,” Steve said, “you just gotta take this chance and run with it, alright? It’s clear that she’s showing interest. What about that bowling thing on Friday?”

“About that . . . I kind of implied that it was going to be a group thing.” She grimaced at the deadpan her best friend gave her. “Please?”

Steve rolled his eyes, and continued shelving. “Fine.”

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

Robin was sweating profusely on Friday, partly because it must have been 100 degrees that day, but also because the thought of hanging out with you just make her knees go weak.

You pulled up to her front porch with the windows down, shades on like always, and another lollipop hanging from a million-dollar smile. She thought the sight of you must have been what those stupid love songs on the radio were all about.

She walked side-by-side with you into the bowling alley. You were so close that her hand almost grazed yours many times, and she resisted the urge to reach out and grab it.

Robin let out a sigh of relief when she saw her friends already digging into burgers and fries. She waved at them merrily, and beckoned you over.

“Guys, this is Y/N. She’s from out of town.” You nodded curtly as Robin spoke. “This is Steve, Eddie, Nancy, and Jonathan.”

“‘Sup.” Eddie waved.

You missed the teasing look Steve threw Robin’s way.

“Let’s play in pair.” Nancy suggested. “I’ll play with Jonathan. Steve, you with Robin. Eddie, why don’t you take Y/N?”

Robin’s stomach dropped, watching Eddie make his way over to you. You smirked, “Hope you’re good at bowling.”

She should have expected it, but maybe she didn’t, because there was no way anyone could look so good winning at bowling, but you did. You and Eddie ended up winning by three points, ahead of her and Steve.

You took the match ball, and when your ball knocked over all seven of the remaining pins.

“Yes!!” You exclaimed with a laugh, high-fiving Eddie enthusiastically.

She watched you with a small smile, the way you let loose so quickly, but also with envy that you didn’t do so with her.

“Good game.” You extended your hand to her. It was reminiscent of the first time she talked to you.

“Yeah, yeah.” She grumbled teasingly.

“C’mon, don’t be a sore loser.” You wrapped your arm around her shoulder as you walked back to the table.

Robin surrendered. There was no way she could stay angry at you for long.

Conversation ensued naturally, and though you didn’t talk a lot, everyone appreciated your input whenever you did.

“So, Y/N.” Jonathan spoke. “Where did you say you were from?”

“Iowa.” You said.

“Must be really quiet where you are to come all the way to Hawkins.” Steve chimed in.

“Wasn’t my choice. My aunt lives here,” you replied, “but it’s not all bad.”

She caught a glint in your eyes, as you leaned forwards to pick up your soda. The comment warmed her tummy, almost enough to make her overlook the lie.

“Today was fun.” You said, pulling the handbrake in front of her house.

“Yeah, it was.” The house was still. Normally, Mom and Dad should have been home by then, but the lights were all off.

“My parents won’t be home until, like, 9. Wanna order pizza?”

She half-expected you to decline, but you agreed and parked the car curbside.

“You can go upstairs. My room is the first one to the right. I’ll order for us and be right there. Pepperoni okay?”

You nodded and left for the stairs. It took Robin a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart before she took the phone off its hook.

Once she went up to her room, she found you crouched over her stack of fun things; books, magazines, movies, music. When you turned back around, there was a childlike, excited smile on your face..

"You read The Handmaid's Tale?" You held up her copy. "Sorry for going through your stuff, but it was on top of the pile."

"It's fine," Robin said. "Did you?"

"Only a little bit. I read as much as I could from the library. If my parents found this in my room, I'd be smoked."

"Oh. I guess it is pretty explicit." She took a seat next to you, watching you flip the book back and forth, committing every detail to memory.

"What do you think about it?"

"I think that . . ." Robin took a moment, wetting her lips. "a lot of people underestimate how realistic the story can be. I mean we can't pretend that women hold the same privileges as men, at least not in this country. Just look at the high school English curriculum. You'd be lucky to find even one novel written by a woman, and I think Mary Shelley should definitely be on there, but it's not."

"The one about the monster, huh?"

"So you've read that one too? Okay, yeah, Frankenstein is definitely my favorite book ever. It's so cleverly written and so rich, I could talk about it all day. And even though the Monster is the main antagonist, but maybe Dr. Frankenstein isn't such a victim after all, you know? People who make you out into the freak only to recoil and play the victim when you've had enough, they're the real monsters. And sometimes, I feel like the Monster, I feel like the freak."

You watched with an amused smile, and when she turned to look at you, it didn't falter. "Sorry, I was rambling." She chuckled nervously.

"Me too." You spoke.

"What?"

"I feel like the freak too, the outsider. Feels like I'm never going to fit in." You averted your eyes towards your lap. "For a time I tried, I really did, but that's not me. It's as they say: Why fit in if you can stand out, you know?"

"Yeah." Robin smiled, and suddenly realized you were so close, your leg was touching hers. She looked up and met your eyes which smiled back at her with unspoken kindness.

"Can I ask you something?" She said.

"Mmhm."

"Where are you really from?"

"Does it really matter?"

“I think it does, no?” Robin grimaced, hating the way your voice turned a bit snarky. “Especially when you’ve lied about it twice.”

“How do you know I was lying the first time?”

“So you did lie.”

You let out a quick laugh.

"Sorry."

"Stop apologizing." You laughed quietly, bumping your elbow against her. "I'm one to think that who you are is defined by what you do, not what you come from."

"Totally not what a serial killer would say." Robin chuckled.

You were so mysterious, yet a part of your charm came from it. Robin wasn't quite sure whether she wanted to know where you came from, because what if you're not all that she'd hoped to be? Besides, it's summer. It's not wrong to let loose and have a bit of fun.

"Totally." You smiled.

The doorbell rang. "Pizza's here."

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

You started to visit Robin at work almost every single day, to the point where she’d be watching the clock expectantly every few minutes until 4:30 when your red car would roll up to Family Video.

Weeks past since the bowling Friday, and Robin liked to think that she’s made a beautiful friendship blossom between you two. Steve often teased that you were joined at the hips, as every time he saw one, the other followed.

But Robin didn’t mind that, she just liked to be around you so much. You made her feel like she belonged the way no one except her best friend had ever had before. If her younger self could have seen how much you mean to her now, maybe she wouldn’t mind being a loner all through-out high school if it meant she would get you by the end of it.

Though she couldn’t ignore the blossoming feelings in her chest anymore. Subtle touches and lingering glances made her believe that there was something more than friendship, but maybe that was just the way you were with her, and but she couldn’t let herself be disappointed if there wasn’t.

“Looking for your Beauty?” Steve smirked behind the counter.

Narrowing her eyes at the older boy, she glanced at the clock again.

That’s weird, she thought. It was almost the end of her shift, yet you were still nowhere to be found.

“‘Kay, I’ll see you tomorrow.” She mumbled while shimmying out of her work uniform.

“You do know I’m your ride, right?” Steve called.

“I’ll walk home.”

“Hey, Robin. Robin!”

Shoving her hands into her pant pockets, she wondered whether she should make a detour to your aunt’s house. It was very unlike you to be late or not show up, and in fact this was the first time. Robin decided against it, telling herself that you might have just been busy, and forgot to call. Sometimes her neediness interfered with reason, and she hated it.

Walking further along the road, sweat already coating the back of her neck, she cursed when she saw a group of teenagers on the curb. But these weren’t just normal, stupid teenagers, these were Freddy G. and co., the ones that tormented her throughout high school. She wished that she had left with Steve now.

“Is that Buckley? Hey, Buckley!” Freddy called, before she could turn the other way.

“Hey, over here!” They surrounded her. “Good to see you’re still a loser.”

His friends started laughing like it was the funniest joke in the world. She felt tears building at the corners of her eyes. The insult itself was nothing, but it was reminiscent of the other insults they hurled at her in school, shoving her into lockers in the hallway that gave her bruises, taking her stuff and tossing them around like a game of monkey-in-the-middle.

“What’s wrong, you little crybaby? Aren’t you happy to see us too? What’ve you been up to?”

She used to think these bullies were nothing but stupid, and that she felt sorry for their nonexistent futures and stuck being Hawkins deadbeats, but one insult stuck with her, one that ridiculed her sexuality.

“Hey! I’m talking to you.” Freddy shoved her by the shoulder the way he usually did, and Robin froze in her spot.

“Hey, asshole!” She heard your voice, and the next thing she knew, Freddy was on the ground with a bloody nose.

“My nose! That bitch broke my fuckin’ nose!” He screeched on the ground, holding his face as blood poured from his fingers like a fountain.

“And I’m gonna break more if you don’t get the fuck out of here.” You gritted your teeth, and glared at the rest of them.

One particular boy was feeling brave, and swung at you, but you dodged him expertly before twisting his arm behind his back. He cried out in pain, as you tightened your grip.

“Let’s go!” One of them cried out, and hoisted Freddy up before running with their tails between their legs.

You let the boy go with a kick in his back, and he looked back at you with fright.

“Hey.” You said softly. “I’m so sorry I—“

She didn’t let you finish before she had wrap her arms around you, and buried her face into your neck.

The force made your stagger, but you soon settled into it, and held her back as soon as you heard the quiet sniffles coming from under you.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come by today. There was some stuff at home.” You cooed, and gently ran your fingers through her hair.

“It’s okay.” She said, a loud sniffle following right after.

“Those little shits bothered you in school too?” You held her hand tightly, wiping away her tears.

She nodded. “Okay,” you said. “Fuck them.”

Robin let out a quiet laugh, and gazed upon you as your hand glided along the skin under her eyes. Under the red sun, you glowed like an angel.

“There’s that pretty smile.” You poked her cheek. “Come on. Let’s go get ice cream. I’ll even get you two if you want.”

“I kinda want a Slurpee.”

“Okay,” you said, pulling onto her hand. “Whatever you want.”

Slurpees do wonders when it came to Robin. Two cherry Slurpees later, she was sitting next to you on the hood of your car as happy as a clam, chatting away about some movie she saw recently.

“It’s crazy that I love it so much. Maybe because I look at it and saw the high school experience I never had.”

“You wanna be locked up in detention?” You teased her.

“Noooo.” Robin whined. “I wish I had more friends. Maybe then I’d had gone to prom.”

She suddenly realized that this was the first person she admitted this to. If she told Steve about this, he would either tease her or say that prom didn’t matter, citing him be prom king. Maybe it was stupid, but she just wished she had experienced it herself, and made the judgment herself. Instead, when everyone was dolled up, she sat at home and watched Jeopardy! with her father.

“I didn’t go to prom either.” You shrugged. “Never had my slow dance.”

“Wanna do it now?”

“What?” You laughed. “We’re in a 7/11 parking lot.”

Grinning, she hopped down with a thud, and pulled you until you standing.

“This is stupid.“ You chuckled, and shook your head. She had let you wrap your arm around her shoulder, as she rested hers on your waist, holding your other hand firmly and swinging it up and down.

“I see you moving.” She teased.

You averted your gaze to the ground, but a budding laugh began to form in your throat. Soon the giggles turned into hearty bellows, as Robin’s movements grew more enthusiastic.

You couldn’t lie to yourself anymore, not with her so close to you that you could feel her warm breath on your cheek and each individual freckle that adorned her skin, the blue of her eyes unlike anything you’ve ever seen. And her lips, pink and plump, as you felt an invisible force pulling you to her.

Your eyes flickered between her eyes and lips. She was so close . . .

Neither of you heard the car coming until its headlights flung past. Robin instinctively jumped away from your grasp, just as the car completed its turn and stopped in front of a pump.

Robin suddenly felt afraid. Now her feelings were out there, and she knew you were smart enough to pick up on it. She expected you to pull away repulsed, and scream at her. Instead, you flashed her a warm smile, and felt for her hand.

"It's getting late. Should I take you home?" You said.

You drove her home in comfortable silence. Still, there was a lingering air between you two that made Robin shake her legs with anxiousness. Her anxiety dissipated when during a red light, you gently placed a hand on her thigh with a smile.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Robin said quietly.

“Yeah.” You nodded.

“Robin!”

“Oh, Christ.” She mumbled.

“You didn’t come home with Steve, I got so worried!” Her mother had always been fussy. She was the one suggesting that her bike be confiscated during the time Will Byers went missing, and also the cessation of all her fun. “Who’s this?”

“Hi.” You grinned, and waved from your seat.

“Mom, this is Y/N. Y/N, my mom.”

“Oh, Y/N! Are you hungry? You must join us for dinner.”

“Oh, that’s alright, ma’am. I’m okay—“

“No, I insist. Come on, kids. We were just about to set the table.”

Her parents let you pick where to sit at the table, and naturally you sat next to Robin. They asked you questions, and you could only answer as truthfully as you could.

“You play any instruments, Y/N?” Her dad asked.

“No, sir. But I’d love to learn drums.”

“I used to be a drummer back in the day. I even went on tour for a few months with a band that broke up a month after the tour ended.” He chuckled. “That’s where I met Robin’s mom. I saw her, in the crowd.”

“He made me learn the drums when I was little, but it was too loud and I hated it.” Robin giggled.

Her parents were everything you wished yours were. They were the type of people that would backpack across Europe, and made friends quick enough that they could sleepover at their house for a night, and then they’d be off again. You felt happy here, listening to Robin’s mom recount the day her parents met, then went on a roadtrip along the West Coast together.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” you said, “why’d you settle down here, in Hawkins?”

“Yeah, Mom and Dad. Why not somewhere off the coast of France? I’d be eating baguettes everyday.” Robin rested her chin on her hand with a pout.

“It’s as you said, we’re settled down.” Her father replied. “We want our daughter to have a nest to come home to, so she can discover the world for herself. Although, things haven’t been as tranquil as we’d hoped here.”

“But all that matters to us is this little rebel right here,” her mom reached over and ruffled Robin’s hair, as the girl scrunched her forehead in disdain, “is safe.”

You nodded. You felt the same. “The chicken’s great, Mrs. B.”

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

You haven’t been able to get Robin out of your mind ever since that day. It was innate. She had planted the seed in you, and the feelings only festered and grew the longer you spent around her.

Even the taste of your cigarette reminded you of her, of the day you first saw her, and everything that has happened since then. Except, the sky was clear like it was that day at the beginning of the summer.

"Storm's hitting soon." Aunt Louise said by the table. "I need you to get these out as soon as possible."

You took another hit from your cigarette and joined her. "All of them?"

Stopping in her tracks, Louise looked up at you. "All of them. Here's a list of our clients, and where to meet them."

"Jeez." You whistled. "These Hawkinians really do know how to party."

"Be careful." Your aunt said. "The cops have been extra paranoid with all the disappearances lately."

"I got this, Aunt Louise." You sighed, holding the ziplock bag up to the light. "But after this, I'm done, alright? Like we talked about."

"Is it because of that girl?"

You stayed silent.

"I'm not your parents, Y/N." Louise didn’t looked up. "And I know what young love looks like."

"We haven't done anything."

"But you will soon, right?" She smirked.

You chuckled quietly, and looked away. "I don't know if it's even worth it. What if she doesn't like who I am?"

Your aunt only gave you a playful glare before shaking her head, and resumed her counting.

The sky growled and flashed by the time you were on your last customer. It was much darker than it would normally be, and the wind chilled your bones. Your customer waited by the brick wall of down a dark alley, leaning against it with a foot propped against the wall behind him.

"Now isn't this interesting?"

You clenched your jaw and extended your hand.

"Suddenly not much of a talker anymore, huh?"

"Give me the money, asshat, and get out of here before I break your nose again." The first few raindrops had begun to fall, wetting your shoulders and arms.

"Uh, uh. You first." You wanted nothing more than to beat this kid up, but you'd be finished with Aunt Louise if you did. So you gave him the bag.

"Seems a bit light, isn't it?"

"It's ten grams."

Thunder. Then you felt heavy raindrops coming down faster and faster. Freddy scowled at the sky and sighed dramatically.

"Sorry. This isn't enough as promised, but I'll take it. You're welcome."

Your hands were bloody and shaking by the time you were done. The rain was pouring on you now, your knuckles burned from the constant bombardment. You never got the money from Freddy, and he never got the drugs from you. Louise had to take it or leave it.

You have never lost control like this before. It might have been something about his stupid face, the inconvenience of the coming storm, or the storm that was raging on inside you. In any case, you hated it. You hated it, and you just wanted to run away where no one could ever find you.

"Y/N?" You heard a voice call. You stopped in your tracks.

Robin was looking at you with this horrified look on her face. "Were you dealing drugs?"

You shoved the bag into your pockets and kept walking to where your car was.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" She called, pulling you back by your wrist. You stopped, but didn't turn around to face her.

"Were you dealing?" She repeated. No answer. "Do you beat up all of your clients?"

"No. Go home, Robin."

"No. No, y-you—" Her hair drooped over her face like a mop. "You've been lying all summer. You're a liar."

You were grateful for the rain because it masked the tears that were streaming down your cheeks. "You're right," you said, "maybe I am. But I don't want to lie anymore."

Within a quick swoop, you cupped her cheeks and kissed her deeply. The rain was still pouring down on you, and you would dread the cold that would follow it the next day. But you didn't care, because you knew—and all you cared to know—was Robin's warm lips against the cold.

When you pulled away, Robin's eyes fluttered open, raindrops catching onto her lashes for a split second, then she was kissing you again.

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

"Can you say something, please?" You mumbled. She had offered you a seat on her bed after giving you a towel, but you refused as you didn't want to wet her sheets.

"Where are you from? Really?" Robin pressed.

You took a breath. "Connecticut," you said, "Rockford, Connecticut."

“Why should I believe you?”

“Because,” you sighed, “I don’t know. You couldn’t care less where I’m from, really. I’ve felt more at home here than I have my entire life in Rockford.

My mom sent me here because she wanted me away from someone I was seeing, and she didn’t like that it was . . . a girl.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. She never liked me anyway, and I think it was just an excuse to send me away.” You rubbed your hands together. “Aunt Louise offered me to work for her—“

“Selling drugs.” Robin cut you off.

“I told her I’d quit after today.” You said. “I’ve saved up some money from my cut. Then I’m leaving.”

“Oh.” Robin should have expected it. This summer wasn’t going to last forever, but maybe she believed that it did. She wasn’t ready to lose you so soon. “Why don’t you stay here?”

“No.” There was a moment of hesitation that Robin liked to believed that you were considering it, but the finality of your tone shut it all down. “I can’t. I need to . . . I need to get away.”

“I think my parents know about us.”

You laughed quietly. “I figured. Just from the way that talked to me like I was apart of the family. You’re so lucky, Robin.”

“But you still wanna leave.”

You kneeled in front of her, taking her hands in her lap. “I need to find out who I am, Robin. It has nothing to do with you. This summer was the best I’ve had in my life, all ‘cause of you.”

She looked away, but you caught the tear sliding down her face. “Can you kiss me?”

You complied, capturing her lips in a soft embrace. Her cold fingers came up to cup your cheeks, making you sigh. She let you push her back towards the bed, your hands inching further south, shivers covering her legs.

Robin sniffled, and nuzzled into your neck above her. “I don’t want you to go.” Her voice cracked and breathy, and she suddenly felt so small in your arms.

“I’m right here.” You trailed slow kisses along her neck. “I’m here.”

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

The day you left, it was the hottest day recorded in Indiana that year.

You said goodbye to Aunt Louise with a hug, then slung your backpack over your shoulder and walked over to where Robin stood. She looked up, her eyes were glossy, but she was trying her hardest to conceal it. You smiled sadly.

Slowly, she reached into her pocket, and pulled out a bag of sweets, the brand of lollipops you were always munching. “Something for the road.”

The bag of lollipops folded over in your hand, and suddenly you felt like this was all a mistake. Watching Robin so sunken and down, as she picked at the loose thread at the hem of her shirt . . .

You wrapped your arms around her and squeezed. “Thank you,” you said softly, and kissed her cheek.

Robin stayed long after you had climbed into your red car, giving her one last glance through the mirror, and long after it disappeared around the corner at the end of the street.

The silence without you was deafening. The sun, yellow and glaring, mocking her.

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

New York City, 2004.

“We have one last question, coming from over here. Yes, please.”

“Hi, my name is Daphne. I was a huge fan of the novel, and I was wondering how you came up with the idea?”

The woman smiled gratefully, raising the microphone to her lips. “Thank you. I would say that this book is a semi-autobiographical recount of a particular summer I had at the end of high school. I see a lot of myself in our narrator, and the pure love she shared with Eden was something I’ve definitely felt once.”

“Where is the real Eden now?” Someone chimed in.

She chuckled. “That’s an answer for another Q&A session.” The crowd rumbled with chuckles.

The bookstore began to clear around five in the afternoon. She sighed, and mentally ticked off another date on her list of cities that she was going to visit to promote her book. Apparently she needed to get her word out there to sell it, said her publisher, who would have thought?

“Mind signing another copy?”

It was a voice she hadn’t heard in so long. Each cadence, each intonation, she had etched them into to remembrance, locked away in a box at the far corner of her memory.

It’s been so long, yet, your voice hasn’t changed.

“Did it really take you 18 years to find out who you are?” She smirked.

You only smiled, a beautiful and cheerful one. It was as if you were that teenager again back in ‘86. You were home.

“Hi, Robin.“

#robin buckley x reader #robin buckley imagines #robin buckley imagine #robin buckley x you #robin buckley angst #robin x reader

[melanielocke]

Book recommendations: queer adult fantasy romance

This is a relatively new genre. Before, pretty much all YA fantasy books are heavy on the romance, but that's becoming more popular in adult, creating fantasy romance as a genre. I read mostly queer fantasy romance. Unfortunately, there aren't many traditionally published ones yet, I think the top rowin the left picture is all of them (if there are any I didn't know of, please let met know). I've excluded sci-fi romance for this post (which is why Winter's Orbit isn't here).

In indie books, I think there are some more, but I'm not super familiar with the indie market. The bottom three in the left picture are all indie books that also come in paperback (many are ebook only and I don't have an ereader). Most of these books I have talked about before but not all of them.

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

This is a prince/bodyguard romance set in a kingdom inspired by the Ottoman empire. Kadou is the queen's younger brother, and after a mistake puts him in a bad situation with his sister and the body father of her child, he has to help her uncover a conspiracy to do with forged money.

He gets a new bodyguard, which in this case has both the task of being a guard and being a personal attendant. Evemer hates Kadou at first. He's very duty bound and thinks Kadou does not take his duties as prince seriously.

But they will have to trust each other if they want to get to the bottom of that forged money conspiracy.

Evemer is a very stoic guy. He doesn't talk much. He can go entire days only saying 'Yes, my prince' 'no, my prince' or simply 'my prince' when he tries to convey he is annoyed or disagrees.

Kadou has very well written anxiety, and deals with this in numerous ways, including at first drinking far too much wine to dull his fears. Evemer is at first very judgemental, but over time he comes to understand Kadou better.

There's lots of discussion of ethics in this book, partially to establish how a relationship between them could happen without there being a power imbalance because of it.

Also by this author: several self published books, in 2024 comes their next trad published book, Running Close to the Wind, which is a queer pirate book pitches as Our Flag Means Death x Six of Crows

A Marvellous Light & a Restless Truth by Freya Marske I've already talked about several time

And yet I'm going to do it again. I love the each book features a different couple structure and I'd love to see this more often. It's a great way to have many different major characters but also give all of them their moment to shine and have properly development instead of trying to balance three romances in the same book.

The overarching plot in the trilogy has to do with the conspiracy Robin and Edwin begin to uncover in the first book, something that threatens all magicians of england.

A Marvellous Light features a himbo x librarian m/m couple. They're the softest, sweetest couple of the three in the trilogy to be sure, and I'm planning to reread soon.

A Restless Truth features a sapphic rake x wallflower couple. They're both very chaotic, and I love Maud's energy, as well as the whole sexual awakening arc she has in here, which is so funny.

The third as of yet unpublished book is a Power Unbound, featuring a couple that I think is grump x sunshine but in a asshole x asshole way and it sounds like it's going to be amazing so definitely keep an eye out for that one coming November.

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

This is one I don't think I've talked about before. Before reading this, definitely check the content warnings. There's a pretty graphic rape scene very early in the book, as well as several moments of suicidal ideation. That said, this is a healing story, and the character this happens to is doing a lot better when the story ends.

Vel is a prince who ends up in an arranged marriage to a noble girl from a different kingdom. When his preference for men is revealed in a pretty awful way, his family is ready to disown him. But the envoy of his betrothed's family had a better idea, marry his former intended's brother instead.

But before Vel arrives at the castle of his betrothed, he is attacked and nearly killed by assassins who clearly do not want his marriage to take place.

When attacks keep happening after Vel and Cae have gotten married, they will have to rely on each other to figure out what's going.

I love queer arranged marriages in stories, like in Winter's Orbit, so I was super excited when I first found out about this book. This book ends with everything wrapped up, but there is a sequel coming out this December. Unfortunately, that's still pretty far away, but there has been a cover reveal and blurb. The sequel will feature the same main characters.

Then to the indie books

Prince of the Sorrows and Lord of Silver Ashes

These are the first two books in the Rowan Blood series, which the author intends to be an eight book series in total. But since it's an indie series and the author is a pretty fast writer, they come pretty fast after one another. The first one came out last March, and the second one October, and the author released a different book this February. The next book in this series is schedule for late spring somewhere.

This series is set in a fae world, with a parallel historical human world we don't see much of.

Saffron is a beantighe, which is a human servant who is raised in the fae world after his parents made a deal with the fae. His patron sends all these children back to the human world once they become too old, but Saffron wants nothing more to stay in the fae world. To do that, he'll need an academic endorsement from a fae so he can stay and study.

When he accidentally finds out the true name of prince Cylvan, the two strike a deal, Saffron will help him find a way to remove the power on his true name, and Cylvan will give Saffron an endorsement. The only problem is, Saffron has no clue what he's doing and barely taught himself to read.

In the meantime, beantighes are getting killed one after another by a mysterious person known as "the wolf" and it will be up to Saffron to stop the killer, because no one else will.

The first book ends on a cliffhanger, but the second is a bit more wrapped up so I'm not sure what's going to happen in the next book since there will definitely be more. Fortunately, the wait is not super long, but the release date and covers are released much later than for trad publishing

Last is the Fox & the Dryad by Kellen Graves

This book is set in the same world as the Rowan Blood series, but it is a standalone in the modern time period.

Briar is a ballet dancer, and while he enchants many people on the stage, he cannot get the attention of the one person they really want to notice them. So they strike a deal with a fae lady, if he can perform one perfect dance she'll make him the most enchanting thing on two legs. Of course, a dance is never perfect and now he's stuck dancing for the fae lady whenever she asks him too, despite him getting worn out and injured from it.

Malric is the son of said fae lady and used to be a dancer himself. All his siblings are artists and their mother abuses their talents to entertain people at her revels, all at their cost. Malric left, but he finds out his mother struck a deal with Briar, who is now his replacement. Malric wants to rescue Briar, and tries to help him posing as his new dance teacher in the human world as well as a mysterious masked fey lord at the revels. But then he starts developing feelings for Briar, and he has to ask himself if what he's doing is really helping him.

This book takes place a lot more in the human world than the main Rowan Blood series, which ballet playing a big role which I think was done really well. Briar is a masc enby and uses he/they pronouns, and use alters through the book. I think this is the author's best book so far and if you're not looking to get invested in a long unfinished series yet I would try this one first and maybe start Rowan Blood afterwards.

I'll probably do trans characters next as the Wicked Bargain has arrived and I'll start reading it tomorrow

@alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer @life-through-the-eyes-of @astriefer @justanormaldemon @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised @amchara @all-for-the-fanfiction @imsoftforthomastair @ddepressedbookworm @queenlilith43 @wagner-fell @cant-think-of-anything @laylax13s @tessherongraystairs @boredfangirl16 @artist-in-soul @beyondlifebeyonddeath @ikissedsmithparker

#a taste of gold and iron #alexandra rowland #a marvellous light #a restless truth #freya marske #a strange and stubborn endurance #foz meadows #prince of the sorrows #lord of silver ashes #the fox and the dryad #kellen graves

[fahye]

Hello! I just finished reading A Power Unbound, and firstly I wanted to tell you that I love this trilogy so, so much. I recommend A Marvellous Light to basically everyone I meet, and I was SO excited for this last book upon learning Ross and Hawthorn were the main couple. It did not disappoint!! I'd loved Hawthorn from his first scene in AML and him getting his own book and romance made me so happy. So THANK YOU for these wonderful characters and beautiful books, I'm very much looking forward to your future writing!

I did have a couple questions, if you had answers you're at all willing to share. Hawthorn stan that I am, I'm also fascinated by the drama that is Edwin/Hawthorn lmao, I think that sort of doomed relationship is so delicious. Have you written or would you ever write anything prequel-y about them? A short story or the like? If not, is there anything you brainstormed up about them that didn't make it into the books?

Secondly, do Edwin and Robin ever find out that Ross wrote the Roman books? Because that would be such a funny scene.

Thank you again, and thank you for answering the asks about this series you've gotten here, I love reading your responses and learning more about the books/your writing process :D

hello! thank you so much!

I'm skipping a few asks ahead in the queue to answer this one, because I think my answer will apply to (and hopefully anticipate) some other asks: if it's not in the books or any other Official Published Content, then I'm mostly not going to comment on events that happened offpage or may happen offpage in the future*.

as a fanwriter myself, and as an author who's made the decision to engage with readers on a predominantly fannish platform... I prefer not to come down all Word Of God and deny readers or fans the pleasure of coming up with their own answers. whether you intend to write fanfic about it or just happily develop your own headcanons: the text is out there, so it's yours now!

so the answers to 'what was edwin and jack's relationship like' and 'do edwin and robin ever find out about alan's books' are both: whatever you want it to be. whatever the next fanwriter wants it to be.

*the only exception to this is: yes, they all survive world war one, I'm not a monster

#ask replies #ironized

[myheartalivewrites]

(you are) the river of light (E rated, ~6k, A Marvellous Light)

Edwin is standing outside the house, at the bottom of the steps that lead up to the front door, sunlight dappled through the tendrils of wisteria that grow around the columns, patterning his body with leaves and hanging bunches of flowers, as if he was part of Sutton’s plant life.

His arms hang in front of his body, hands curled tightly around something that he holds out to Robin as soon as Robin is out of the motorcar: a small metal tin, decorated in dark blue enamel with a stained glass-like pattern of leaves and vines etched into the surface.

. . .

“What is it, Edwin? A present for me?”

—

Robin has some more ideas for what kind of fun they can have with the blue light spell. Edwin enthusiastically goes along with it. And then, as it is wont to do, magic makes its own choices and pushes them even further.

—

Part 2 of my little Robin and Edwin series is up! Featuring magical sex and a very special garden (and Robin being incredibly sappy about Edwin, as is his right). Also my first use of the tag magic lube, so there’s that. 🫣

Read it on ao3!

#river of light #my writing #the last binding fanfic #edwin courcey #robin blyth #a marvellous light #the last binding

[tartarusknight]

Robin’s platonic relationships always look like more

I’m a sucker for the idea that Robin and Eddie clock each other right away. Like their friendship would be awesome and Steve’s just like a confused puppy because he doesn’t know. But my favorite thing is the idea of nicknames between the pair. Like sure I love Eddie calling Steve pet names but I just think Robin and Eddie could have the weirdest nicknames for each other.

Eddie calling Robin, birdie, Buckles, Buckaroo, Buckwheat, Robin Hood, etc.

Robin calling Eddie, Ed, Edwin, Edward, Edgar, Monsoon, Maid Marian, etc.

Like Robin is the person confusing everyone to what Eddie’s full name. And people start to think their dating (Steve knows she isn’t but he’s just as lost at the sudden friendship (and so so jealous)). Neither talk about the rumors. 

And Robin is a firm believer that Steve’s annoyance at her and Eddie’s relationship is jealousy because he likes Eddie. Eddie thinks that Steve’s annoyed because he’s stealing his best friend. So they make a bet to see if they can figure it out. Which brings them to the next Hellfire meeting. She convinces Steve to make a character with her and they both join the next campaign. (She lets Eddie name her character Buckles. Eddie choses Stéphanos for Steve but Steve tells all the other people that “Just call me Steve, all my friends call me Steve.”)

They keep going and going on the campaign and as Steve flirts more and more with Eddie through the game, he starts to think he has a shot. Robin and him make a plan and finally him and Steve go out on a date. 

However the rumor is that Robin is dating both of them and most of the party believe it. Because Eddie and Steve will always sit next to each other and joke with one another. But then Robin will sit in either of their laps and put her leg in the other’s lap. The three of them are weirdly close. (Max sees Eddie and Steve making out multiple times but even she just thinks its a three person relationship.) 

And in the future when the three get a house together, no one thinks it’s weird. Only, Nancy is suddenly moving in with them as well. And suddenly it’s become a four-person relationship. No one comments on it, just silently gives their support because that’s what friends do. 

#stranger things #steddie headcanon #steddie #steve x eddie #ronance #robin x nancy #robin buckley #platonic stobin #robin and eddie #i wrote this instead of the actual story i'm working on

[daveyfvckingjacobs]

edwin might be a caricature of the english but I’m irish we support that in this house

#caption is /j btw promise #mostly #anyways I need lakeside shenanigans more than I need air tbh #they are so dear to me #edwin courcey #robin blyth #the last binding #the last binding trilogy #the last binding fanart #freya marske #tanner draws #a marvellous light #a power unbound

[markwatnae]

Rating: General Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Fandom: Last Binding Series - Freya Marske Relationships: Robin Blyth/Edwin Courcey, + more Summary: Adelaide was known to be extremely observant. So when she caught Edwin looking at her ring, at Robin’s ring, she took the situation into her own hands.

#the last binding #adelaide morrissey #robin blyth #edwin courcey #THEY GET MARRIED #markwatnae fic

[mediawhorefics]

hiii can you please recommend me some gay novels ? thank you in advance :)

hell ! yeah !

you didn't really specify what genre you're interested in beyond gay so i'm just gonna rec my favs and go wild with it. apologies, i've prob. recced these books before but *shrug*

edit: i added books that aren't novels cos i couldn't resist. ooops?

edit 2: i've taken gay to mean gay ~umbrella term~ and not gay mlm, hope that's alright x

under a read more cos i got carried away !

the raven cycle | maggie stiefvater | completed series | ya | fantasy | follows blue sargent, the daughter of a skilled psychic who augments her family's abilities, but has no psychic power of her own. she becomes friends with four boys from the local boarding school -- gansey, adam, ronan and noah -- when she meets gansey's ghost and learns the upcoming date of his death. gansey is obsessed with finding the sleeping welsh king, glendower. In his pursuit of the legend, he and his friends encounter all kinds of mysticism and danger in henrietta, virginia.

the dreamer trilogy | maggie stiefvater | completed trilogy | ya | fantasy | raven cycle sequel focusing on ronan's character.

the disasters | mk england | ya | sci fi | star trek vibes | found family | a band of space academy rejects are the only witness to a terrible crime/galaxy-wide conspiracy & are the only ones who can save the day. 

emry merlin series | robin schneider | incomplete trilogy | ya | fantasy | arthuriana | a knight's tale meets bbc merlin | years after her father’s, legendary court wizard merlin, disappearance, emry takes her far less talented twin brother’s place when he is summoned to camelot to train and become prince arthur’s right hand wizard. studying magic properly is everything she hoped for, but posing as her brother isn’t as easy as it seems. not to mention those sparks that are flying between her and arthur.

cemetery boys | aiden thomas | standalone -> a sequel is planned | ya | fantasy | trans rep | yadriel wants to prove himself as a brujo (and a man) to his family so, in secret, he performs the ritual meant to unlock his powers that his family has denied him access to. only problem, he’s accidentally summoned a ghost he didn’t mean to and the guy won’t leave. also his cousin vanished and his spirit is nowhere to be found.

the last binding series | freya marske | incomplete trilogy -> the third one is coming out in november | historical fantasy | alternative edwardian england | romance | each book focuses on a new queer pairing while following an overarching mystery | when an administrative mistake names robin blyth as a civil service liaison to a hidden magical society, he discovers what’s been operating beneath the unextraordinary reality he’s always known. a dangerous deadly curse awaits him as he navigates the magical bureaucracy with his standoffish counterpart edwin courcey.

the kingdoms | natasha pulley | standalone | historical fantasy | time travel | alternate history | 19th c. | 18th c. | joe tournier has amnesia. he remembers nothing prior to stepping off a train in londres, england, a french colony. his only clue, a century-old postcard of a lighthouse in scotland, illegally written in english rather than french and signed m.

the watchmaker of filigree street series | natasha pulley | completed duology | historial fantasy | 19th c. | sherlock holmes vibes | telegraphist thaniel receives a mysterious watch on his birthday whose pre-set alarm saves him from a terrorist bombing on scotland yard. since the bomb was made with clockwork parts and only the bomber could have known when to set the alarm, thaniel is sent by a detective investigating the bombing to live with the suspected watchmaker to figure out what’s going on.

the bedlam stacks | natasha pulley | standalone -> twofs references/characters but not part of the main storyline | historical fantasy | 19th c. | magical realism | merrick tremayne is called upon by the india office to go on a dangerous expedition deep in peru to fetch quinine (essential for the treatment of malaria) despite the debilitating injury that almost cost him a leg. every expedition before his has yielded no results apart from dead bodies, but merrick has family history deep in the country so he goes against his better judgement. there, he meets raphael, a priest surrounded by strange stories of disappearances, cursed woods and living stones, and who might hold the key to his family’s past.

the binding | bridget collins | standalone | historical fantasy | 19th c. | romance | in a world where books are dangerous objects containing people’s painful memories they want to get rid of, emmet farmer is sent to become an apprentice to the local bookbinder after he had some sort of mental collapse.

captive prince series | cs pacat | completed trilogy + some short stories | historical fantasy | romance | no magical elements | dark themes | major trigger warnings apply | prince damianos of akielos is sent as a pleasure slave to laurent of vere, prince of an enemy neighbouring kingdom, by his treacherous half-brother who wants the throne for himself. the court of vere is a pit of deception and lies and both princes must reluctantly ally with each other to gain rightful control of their respective kingdoms. only problem, damen killed laurent's older brother auguste in battle and must keep his true identity secret to protect himself from laurent's hatred of his brother's killer. which is only complicated by the growing feelings between them.

a taste of gold and iron | alexandra rowland | standalone | historical fantasy | romance | kadou, the shy prince of arasht, has no intention of wrestling for imperial control with his sister, the queen. yet he remains at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court - the father of the queen's new child. when a hunting party goes terribly awry and he finds himself under suspicion of attempted murder, kadou teams up with his new bodyguard, the coldly handsome evemer, to investigate a break-in at one of their guilds to salvage his reputation. but what appears to be a straightforward crime spirals into a complex counterfeiting operation, with a powerful enemy at its heart.

the house in the cerulean sea | tj klune | standalone | fantasy | romance | found family | 40 yo caseworker linus baker is given a special secret assignment to check out an orphanage of supposedly particularly dangerous magical children. linus has been a rule follower and someone who doesn’t want to rock the boat his whole life, but the children and their caretaker make him reconsider previously held beliefs.

under the whispering door | tj klune | standalone | fantasy | romance | found family | an unpleasant and selfish man in life, wallace price meets his reaper at his near-empty funeral and gets taken to a whimsical tea shop where he meets hugo, the ferryman whose job it is to help him move on and crossover into the afterlife. a task that becomes complicated as wallace starts developing feelings for hugo.

peter darling | austin chant | standalone | historical fantasy | romance | trans rep | peter pan retelling | ten years ago, peter pan left neverland to grow up, leaving behind his adolescent dreams of boyhood and resigning himself to life as wendy darling. growing up, however, has only made him realize how inescapable his identity as a man is.but when he returns to neverland, everything has changed: the lost boys have become men, and the war games they once played are now real and deadly. even more shocking is the attraction peter never knew he could feel for his old rival, captain hook—and the realization that he no longer knows which of them is the real villain.

the song of achilles | madeline miller | standalone | historical fantasy | mythology retelling | greek mythology | a classic ! | achilles' story, great love, and tragedy...

salt magic skin magic | lee welch | standalone | historical fantasy | 19th c | lord thornby has been trapped on his father’s estate by a strange curse for a year and when industrial magician john blake shows up, they must team up to investigate the mystery.

the secret lives of country gentlemen | kj charles | first in a series | historical romance | regency era | a shabby london clerk who inherits a grand house on the remote romney marsh is unexpectedly reunited with an old lover and gets unexpectedly thrown in the world of smugglers.

the will darling adventures | kj charles | completed trilogy | historical romance | 1920s | it’s the 1920s and tensions are rising along with hemlines. soldier-turned-bookseller will darling finds himself tangled up in spies and secret formulas, clubs and conspiracies, bbolsheviks, blackmail, and bright young things. and dubious aristocrat lord arthur ‘kim’ secretan is right in the middle of it all:  enigmatic, unreliable, and utterly irresistible.

the gentleman’s guide to vice and virtue | mackenzie lee | ya | historical romance | 18th c. | bisexual disaster nobility youth goes on his grand tour on europe with the best friend he has a crush on and his sister. nothing could possibly go wrong.

the seven husbands of evelyn hugo | taylor jenkins reid | historical romance | old hollywood | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | aging and reclusive hollywood movie icon evelyn hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. but when she chooses unknown magazine reporter monique grant for the job, no one is more astounded than monique herself. why her? why now?

the charm offensive | alison cochrun | standalone | contemporary romance | reality dating show producer dev has always believed in romance/fairy tales and he works tirelessly to ensure magical happy endings happen on his show, even though his own love life is a disaster. but when disgraced tech wunderkin charlie is cast as the lead of their next season, dev has his work cut out for him to transform charlie into a man the ladies on the show might want and the viewers might like. charlie is far from a prince charming but as they get closer and closer, dev starts realising he might want him for himself. uh oh.

i kissed shara wheeler | casey mcquiston | standalone | ya | contemporary romance | a month before graduation, chloe green’s academic rival shara kisses her before disappearing. now, chloe is on a hunt for answers alongside unlikely allies.

one last stop | casey mcquiston | standalon | contemporary romance | time travel | a 23-year-old realises her subway crush is displaced from 1970's brooklyn, and she must do everything in her power to help her - and try not to fall in love with the girl lost in time - before it's too late.

red, white, and royal blue | casey mcquiston | contemporary romance | new adult | alex, son of the us president, and british prince henry have to fake a pr friendship after a scandal at a royal wedding puts us-british relations at risk. only problem? they despise each other.

check please | ngozi ukazu | graphic novel | new adult | contemporary romance | coming of age | bitty, a southern ex-figure skater armed with a love of baking and a vlog joins his college’s hockey team and falls for his captain, the prodigal son of a famous nhl player whose own draft was derailed by an overdose of anxiety medication.

angels in america | tony kushner | theatre | aids | angels in america is the story of a gay man, prior alter, a 30-year-old New Yorker, whose lover, louis, abandons him when he falls ill with aids. transcendent forces—visions and angels—help transform Prior from a man dying of aids to a man living with aids. along the way, several romantic and platonic couples come apart, and the final social configuration of the play comprises a loose band of multi-generational, multiracial, queer friends.

the normal heart | larry kramer | theatre | aids | focuses on the rise of the hiv/aids epidemic in nyc between 1981 and 1984, as seen through the eyes of writer/activist ned weeks, the gay founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group.

love song to lavender menace | james ley | theatre | in 1982, two friends bob and sigrid opened their new radical lesbian, gay and feminist bookshop, 'lavender menace' on edinburgh's forth street. on the eve of the shop's 5th birthday, sales assistants paul and david take a look back at its origins, in this funny, moving play.

this is how you lose the time war | amal el-mohtar & max gladstone | sci fi | literary fiction | epistolary novel | time travel | an epistolary story told by two future beings, operatives on opposing sides of the "time war" tasked with ensuring that past events happen in ways that are amenable to their goals.

on earth we're briefly gorgeous | ocean vuong | literary fiction | epistolary novel | a letter from a vietnamese american son to his illiterate mother.

night sky and exit wounds | ocean vuong | poetry

time is a mother | ocean vuong | poetry

crush | richard siken | poetry

brokeback mountain | annie proulx | short story | two ranch hands, come together when they're working as sheepherder and camp tender one summer on a range above the tree line. at first, sharing an isolated tent, the attraction is casual, inevitable, but something deeper catches them that summer.

fighting proud: the untold story of the gay men who served in two world wars | stephen bourne | non-fiction | history | wwi | wwii

coming out under fire: the history of gay men and women in world war two | allan bérubé | non-fiction | history | wwii

fabulosa!: the story of polari, britain’s secret gay language | paul baker | non-fiction | history | linguistics | 19th c. | 20th c.

#books #book rec #queer lit