Publishers Weekly
10/30/2023
Alban debuts with an unabashedly fluffy sapphic romance set in 1850s London. Beth Demeroven’s newly widowed mother is anxious for her to find a successful match during her first season in society and save them from “dying in a hovel.” The available men are tedious, but Beth finds a friend in Lady Gwen Bertram. Despite it being Gwen’s fourth season without an engagement, her doting widowed father, the charming Lord Havenfort, puts no pressure on her, as he’s more interested in engaging her in fencing, chess, and political maneuvers to get the Matrimonial Causes Act, granting wives greater freedom to divorce their husbands, passed. Gwen and Beth discover that their parents were once involved and scheme to rekindle their old romance. If they marry, after all, it would save Beth from having to do so herself. As their matchmaking plays out, the women develop unexpected feelings for each other, realizing they want to be more than just friends. The people around them are encouraging about their connection despite the social mores of the time, and difficult topics like insolvency and spousal abuse show up as plot devices without real emotional resonance, keeping the tone light. For readers who want tenderness, not trauma, in their queer period fiction, this will hit the spot. Agent: Stacy Testa, Writers House. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
Emma R. Alban is a fresh, distinct new voice in the genre and her debut gives us all the top tier wit, spice, and swoons we love in a historical romance. One to watch!” — Evie Dunmore, USA Today bestselling author of Bringing Down the Duke
“Sweet, angsty, and ingeniously subversive, Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend will have you turning the pages and rooting for Beth and Gwen to finally get the happy-ever-after they both deserve. A delightfully refreshing historical romance!” — Amalie Howard, USA Today bestselling author
“Equal parts swoony, nail-bitingly emotional, and sizzling, Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend sweeps readers off their feet in a wholly new and exhilarating dance. With beautifully rendered setting, whip-smart banter, and a cast of characters that are so easy to love, Alban cements herself as an instant voice to watch in queer romance.” — Carlyn Greenwald, author of Sizzle Reel
“[A] witty, complex slow burn…. [that is] lightly spicy and remarkably intense…. A stunning Sapphic Victorian romance from an author to watch.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“With an engaging plot that offers a deft nod to The Parent Trap, Alban’s gracefully written and keenly witty romance debut perfectly encapsulates all the hunger, heartbreak, and hope involved in falling in love for the first time. The start to the Mischief & Matchmaking series is an absolute delight.” — Booklist (starred review)
"For readers who want tenderness, not trauma, in their queer period fiction, this will hit the spot." — Publishers Weekly
“Alban’s debut is a disarmingly sweet and well-written story that promises two romances for the price of one. This has wide appeal and is recommended for readers who enjoy sapphic stories, new-adult fiction, or historical romance.” — Library Journal
Library Journal
11/01/2023
DEBUT Two young women in Victorian London distract themselves from the marriage market by setting up their parents, with unexpected results. Miss Beth Demeroven must land a fiancé by the end of her first and only season, or she and her widowed mother will be without house or fortune. Despite the dire consequences hanging over her, Beth finds her new friendship with the dashing and high-spirited Gwen Havenfort far more interesting than hunting for a man. When Gwen suggests they try to use their time to set up her widower father with Beth's mother and keeping themselves single for another year, Beth is only too happy to scheme with her. Their friendship starts to become something more, but a marriage proposal for Beth threatens to destroy all their hopes for a future together. VERDICT Alban's debut is a disarmingly sweet and well-written story that promises two romances for the price of one. This has wide appeal and is recommended for readers who enjoy sapphic stories, new-adult fiction, or historical romance.—Sierra Wilson
JANUARY 2024 - AudioFile
Two debutantes scheme to bring their parents together, only to stumble into love themselves in a romp of an audiobook. It's 1857, and London's season is about to begin. Mary Jane Wells portrays Beth, who must find a suitable match so that she and her widowed mother have a place to live. Wells's voice is unsteady as Beth tries to make her way in society but warms when she meets Gwen. Morag Sims's lively voice suits the rowdy Gwen, who takes Beth under her wing. When they spy possible sparks between their parents, they begin to scheme. Wells and Sims's warm, energetic narrations highlight the fun of the story, and help listeners feel the blossoming romance that grows between Beth and Gwen. E.E.C. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2023-10-21
A debutante meets a new friend who becomes something more.
Miss Elizabeth Demeroven is ready for her first season. She’s been presented to Queen Victoria, she’s been strapped into her hoop skirts, and she’s off to find a husband, because she and her widowed mother will have nowhere to live if she doesn’t. At her first ball, where she’s cornered by a lecherous old nobleman, she’s quite grateful to be saved by Lady Guinevere Bertram and her widower father—both of whom are also technically on the market, though they can afford to avoid actual marriages. In Gwen, Beth has found a kindred spirit, and both are relieved to have a friend to help get them through the upcoming crush of balls and parties. Once the two discover that their parents were once sweet on each other, they hatch a plan to make them fall back in love; not only do they want to see their parents happy, but a marriage between them would also mean that neither of their daughters would have to get married. In the process, Gwen and Beth discover that they have strong feelings for each other, and before long, they act on them. Unfortunately, their parents won’t be trapped, which means that just as she’s discovered real love, Beth has to return to her original goal and accept a proposal from an inoffensive young man with an atrocious father; suddenly, any future with Gwen is out of reach. Alban’s debut is a witty, complex slow burn that offers a welcome new perspective on the Victorian marriage market. In addition to a well-paced story with charming heroines, it’s heightened by thoughtful, realistic historical detail—who knew hoop skirts could be both so troublesome and so useful? The book is lightly spicy and remarkably intense, thanks to the emotional connection between Beth and Gwen as well as the many barriers between the two women and their happy ending. Readers will be eager for the next installment.
A stunning Sapphic Victorian romance from an author to watch.
