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A review by mxsallybend
Flowers and Flourishing by Kara Jorgensen
4.0
My first thought upon finishing Flowers and Flourishing was that this is a Victorian paranormal romance about gender . . . but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that's too narrow a definition. It's better described as a story about roles and expectations, of which gender and sexuality are just a part.
Louisa and Felipe are lifelong friends in a marriage of convenience, one that covers for the fact that she’s a lesbian and he’s a gay man, roles that society was not prepared to accept in the Victorian era. Agatha, on the other hand, is a bisexual transwoman, embodying roles of gender and sexuality deemed unacceptable in polite Victorian society.
The Paranormal Society for which Felipe and Agatha work cannot fathom that Louisa could have value on her own, so they pressure her to work alongside her husband – and to do so for free! Speaking of work, Agatha also doesn’t measure up to the Society’s professional expectations, so they’re burning out her magic by forcing her into situations for which she’s not suitable.
Taking the issue a layer deeper, both Louisa and Agatha question their own roles and expectations, judging themselves against the opinions of people around them. They’re so used to disguising their roles to fit expectations that it takes days of mutual flirting for either to realize their mutual attraction. Ironically, just as they’re coming to acknowledge it, Louisa takes a bold step that would allow them to deny expectations and live out their own roles, but Agatha panics and retreats because she can’t yet accept that her role is worth playing.
Wrapped up in all of that, of course, is a wonderful friendship-turned-romance that makes you genuinely feel for the characters. Kara Jorgensen defines their thoughts and emotions so well, you can’t help but feel drawn to them, finding yourself invested in the magic of romance. It’s a story that manages to be bold, confrontational, sweet, sad, and sensual, with a lovely thrill of erotic discovery that’s wonderfully sensitive to Agatha as a transwoman. Kara is always a delight, and this is a perfect entry into her fictional worlds.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2024/01/02/book-review-flowers-and-flourishing-by-kara-jorgensen-paranormal-romance/
Louisa and Felipe are lifelong friends in a marriage of convenience, one that covers for the fact that she’s a lesbian and he’s a gay man, roles that society was not prepared to accept in the Victorian era. Agatha, on the other hand, is a bisexual transwoman, embodying roles of gender and sexuality deemed unacceptable in polite Victorian society.
The Paranormal Society for which Felipe and Agatha work cannot fathom that Louisa could have value on her own, so they pressure her to work alongside her husband – and to do so for free! Speaking of work, Agatha also doesn’t measure up to the Society’s professional expectations, so they’re burning out her magic by forcing her into situations for which she’s not suitable.
Taking the issue a layer deeper, both Louisa and Agatha question their own roles and expectations, judging themselves against the opinions of people around them. They’re so used to disguising their roles to fit expectations that it takes days of mutual flirting for either to realize their mutual attraction. Ironically, just as they’re coming to acknowledge it, Louisa takes a bold step that would allow them to deny expectations and live out their own roles, but Agatha panics and retreats because she can’t yet accept that her role is worth playing.
Wrapped up in all of that, of course, is a wonderful friendship-turned-romance that makes you genuinely feel for the characters. Kara Jorgensen defines their thoughts and emotions so well, you can’t help but feel drawn to them, finding yourself invested in the magic of romance. It’s a story that manages to be bold, confrontational, sweet, sad, and sensual, with a lovely thrill of erotic discovery that’s wonderfully sensitive to Agatha as a transwoman. Kara is always a delight, and this is a perfect entry into her fictional worlds.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2024/01/02/book-review-flowers-and-flourishing-by-kara-jorgensen-paranormal-romance/