A Shore Thing

Description

A delightfully queer Victorian love story, featuring a boldly brash trans hero, the beguiling botanist who captures his heart, and a buoyant bicycle race by the British seaside — from the author of The Duke Undone.

Former painter and unreformed rake Kit Griffith is forging a new life in Cornwall, choosing freedom over an identity that didn’t fit. He knew that leaving his Sisterhood of women artists might mean forfeiting artistic community forever. He didn’t realize he would lose his ability to paint altogether. Luckily, he has other talents. Why not devote himself to selling bicycles and trysting with the holidaymakers?

Enter Muriel Pendrake, the feisty New-York-bound botanist who has come to St. Ives to commission Kit for illustrations of British seaweeds. Kit shouldn’t accept Muriel’s offer, but he must enlist her help to prove to an all-male cycling club that women can ride as well as men. And she won’t agree unless he gives her what she wants. Maybe that’s exactly the challenge he needs.

As Kit and Muriel spend their days cycling together, their desire begins to burn with the heat of the summer sun. But are they pedaling toward something impossible? The past is bound to catch up to them, and at the season’s end, their paths will diverge. With only their hearts as guides, Kit and Muriel must decide if they’re willing to race into the unknown for the adventure of a lifetime.”With sparkling wit and a captivating love story, A Shore Thing is a delightful escape to the Cornish seaside with characters I rooted for and desperately wanted to befriend. Lowell is at the top of her game with this gorgeous queer historical romance.”
—Mae Marvel, author of Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous

Praise for the novels of Joanna Lowell

“I loved The Duke Undone and so will my readers!”
—Eloisa James, New York Times bestselling author of My Last Duchess

“Lushly dark, riddled with secrets, and seductive….Lowell’s writing oozes a sense of place. [The] sense of authenticity never falters, making this the most Victorian of romance novels.”
—Entertainment Weekly

“A beautiful blend of seductive suspense and heart-tugging romance that I could not put down. Romance fans should make room for this author on their keeper shelves!”
—Lyssa Kay Adams, USA Today bestselling author of Crazy, Stupid Bromance
 
“Compelling and exquisitely crafted, The Runaway Duchess is a beautiful romance that enchants from the very first page. Lowell’s wit, sumptuous imagery, and vivid, endearing characters combine to make this a swooningly gorgeous read. Highly recommended.”
—India Holton, Author of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels

“Joanna Lowell’s skillful storytelling and dazzling characters create one of the most exciting new voices in historical romance today.”
—Julia London, New York Times bestselling author of A Princess by Christmas
 
“A charming romance with an atypical heroine and a to-die-for (and hot!) hero in this unique tale of a duke and a struggling artist in Victorian London.”
—Jennifer Ashley, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Mackenzie Bride

“I really loved this book—in fact, I couldn’t put it down. It’s a fabulous feast of a story that plunges you into the Victorian era with all its levels and complications — into the art world and among aristocrats and slum-dwellers. There’s tension, adventure, derring-do, a fight against corruption on several levels, a rich cast of characters and a hero and heroine to admire and cheer for. All in all, a rich and heartwarming historical romance. Highly recommended.”
—Anne Gracie, National bestselling author of The Rake’s Daughter

“Lowell’s finely wrought characters don’t have it easy when it comes to navigating restrictive Victorian society, but even their most outrageous actions ring true. Readers will be swept away by this entrancing, intelligent romance.”
—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“It’s a lush, sensual and outstanding romance that makes the heart ache in the very best way.”
—BookPage (Starred Review)

“Impeccably researched, Lowell’s latest emphasizes justice. This love story tackles weighty issues but remains suspenseful and spellbinding.”
—Library Journal (Starred Review)

“A delight…readers are rewarded with multidimensional characters and an unusual and engrossing love story.”
—Booklist

“Lowell’s prose is vivid and evocative, and issues such as class inequity, women’s rights, and alcohol addiction complement the intense on-page evolution of the love story…those looking for a happy-ever-after for complex and passionate characters will be very satisfied here. A new voice in historical romance that will keep readers riveted.”
—KirkusJoanna Lowell lives among the fig trees in North Carolina, where she teaches in the English department at Wake Forest University. When she’s not writing historical romance, she writes collections and novels as Joanna Ruocco. Those books include Dan, Another Governess / The Least Blacksmith, The Week, and Field Glass, co-authored with Joanna Howard.Reader’s Guide
A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell
Discussion Questions:

1.   Muriel and Kit live happily ever after, but even happily ever afters require emotional work, compromise, and encounters with various obstacles. In your opinion, what are the biggest relationship challenges Kit and Muriel will face as they build a home together in New York? Are these challenges mainly societal or interpersonal? How can they be overcome?

2.   Suffragists were big fans of bicycles. Susan B. Anthony said of bicycling, “I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world.” What new freedoms did bicycles open for women? Why did Deighton insist that penny-farthings were superior to safeties? What do you think it would have taken for men like him to accept women bicycling?

3.   Today we tend to think that sexual desire defines a person’s identity: a man attracted to other men is a gay man; a person attracted to people of all genders is pansexual. Sexologists in this period were just inventing the opposing concepts of homosexuality and heterosexuality, along with the idea that sexual orientation was an unchangeable part of the self. Muriel’s attraction to Kit and experience with the sapphists lead her to wonder if she should start thinking differently about herself. Is her desire defined by attraction to a particular gender, and does that matter? What about Ponsonby’s?

4.   As a trans person living in a period when hormones and surgical interventions were not available to make his body more congruent with his gender, Kit relied on binding, packing, clothing, and other material (rather than medical) methods of living his gender in the world. Across the span of trans and queer history, these methods have been (and continue to be) far more prevalent than hormones and surgery. While trans and nonbinary people are often singled out for consciously performing their genders and modifying their bodies, feminists have long called attention to ways in which all people, whether consciously or not, use clothing, makeup, exercise, and other techniques to embody their genders. What strategies have you used to embody your gender? How have they changed over the course of your life?

5.   How do the non-trans characters in the book embody their genders? How do you see them struggling against the limits of Victorian gender norms?

6.   Kit’s conflict with Deighton and Deighton’s father goes beyond disagreements about bicycles, into the meaning of masculinity itself. As Kit spends more time in all-male spaces, he finds he doesn’t like most of what he sees. What do you notice him objecting to? Although his life would have been easier if he was assigned male from birth, Kit reflects that he is grateful for his experience of female socialization. Why?

7.   Deighton and his father also fight with each other over the meaning of masculinity, although they seem to agree that it involves dominating others. Can masculinity exist outside of domination? What alternative models of manhood do you see in the book, and in the real world?

8.   Muriel loves her work and is proud of her self-sufficiency. What struggles has she faced as a female botanist, seeking to make a career for herself with, and separate from, Esme? How has she confronted them?

9.   Muriel has felt lonely for much of her life. How has she internalized the emotional damage from her relationship with Esme and the death of her mother? What strategies has she used to keep herself safe? What is it about Kit that allows her to let down some of the walls she has built? Do you think there are some boundaries that are important to retain, even within intimate relationships?

10. Both the sapphists and the women artists in the book have created Sisterhoods to respond to specific social challenges. What similarities and differences do you see in the forces that brought each group together? Under what circumstances might all-women spaces still serve an important purpose? How can trans and nonbinary folks also find mutual support under the exclusions of patriarchy?

11.  Blackmail was a common threat faced by wealthy gay men in Britain, particularly after the passage of the 1885 Criminal Law Amendment Act. Before you learned of the source of James’s stress, what did you imagine it might be? What do you think of James’s story arc? Do you think he and Ponsonby have a future together?

12. Romance novels have increasingly centered female pleasure, focusing on women’s orgasms, consent and communication, and a broader range of sexual acts. Do you think social norms around what does and does not count as “actual sex” have similarly evolved? How might this differ in queer and straight relationships?US

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