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wildgurl's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
joanna1905's review
4.0
A queer Western historical romance? Absolutely YES. They Ain't Proper was just so damn good. It felt like balm on a weary soul for queer folks who have been long deprived of access to quality queer historical fiction that isn't miserable.
They Ain't Proper is a well-written and engaging take on this genre that leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy to finally see yourself represented in this context. Queer people have always existed, Queer people were cowboys but like many other aspects of history, those stories have long been erased and ignored. Of course, this is a work of fiction but it's not a stretch of the imagination to think this story provides some insight into what that experience was really like.
They Ain't Proper serves as a perfect example as to why there's no excuse for queer narratives to be ignored in historical fiction, too often it's touted that queerness is a new modern concept and that there's no space for queer cowboys or dukes because back then queerness was some rare and unheard of thing. However, this book so seamlessly and effortlessly places sexuality and gender identity in a historical context in a way that's clear but doesn't feel too modern for the time.
This book is sweet and romantic and has so much heart - and I highly recommend anyone who enjoys queer romance to keep an eye out for when this one releases, it's a must-read.
Thank you so much to Bella books and NetGalley for a digital arc in return for an unbiased review!
They Ain't Proper is a well-written and engaging take on this genre that leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy to finally see yourself represented in this context. Queer people have always existed, Queer people were cowboys but like many other aspects of history, those stories have long been erased and ignored. Of course, this is a work of fiction but it's not a stretch of the imagination to think this story provides some insight into what that experience was really like.
They Ain't Proper serves as a perfect example as to why there's no excuse for queer narratives to be ignored in historical fiction, too often it's touted that queerness is a new modern concept and that there's no space for queer cowboys or dukes because back then queerness was some rare and unheard of thing. However, this book so seamlessly and effortlessly places sexuality and gender identity in a historical context in a way that's clear but doesn't feel too modern for the time.
This book is sweet and romantic and has so much heart - and I highly recommend anyone who enjoys queer romance to keep an eye out for when this one releases, it's a must-read.
Thank you so much to Bella books and NetGalley for a digital arc in return for an unbiased review!
kristyb_readsromance's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
heyspaghetti's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
allie847's review against another edition
Western accents written into dialogue, couldn't get into it
folkofthebook's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
omg i finally found a queer cowpoke romance ðŸ¤
this was a fun western romance with some danger, yearning & pining, and a good amount of angst.
lou is the stoic but suave cowpoke running awake from their past, and clementine is the sweet but determined damsel who's looking for revenge. the two have delightful chemistry, and the mutual pining is so good in the worst way. something about them was also a bit reminiscent of buttercup and wes in the princess bride (early scenes when he's the stable boy). i thought they both had interesting backstories and i liked that we got closure for both of them.
while a fun romance, there's also a bit of action & violence as it is in the wild west! check tws
this was a fun western romance with some danger, yearning & pining, and a good amount of angst.
lou is the stoic but suave cowpoke running awake from their past, and clementine is the sweet but determined damsel who's looking for revenge. the two have delightful chemistry, and the mutual pining is so good in the worst way. something about them was also a bit reminiscent of buttercup and wes in the princess bride (early scenes when he's the stable boy). i thought they both had interesting backstories and i liked that we got closure for both of them.
while a fun romance, there's also a bit of action & violence as it is in the wild west! check tws
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Death, Death of parent, and Outing
venturebyname's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lindsaythelibrarian's review
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
romanthiccreader's review against another edition
4.0
I have had this book on my TBR since before its release. I was nervous to start it because I had such high hopes for it. I was trying to manage my own expectations, and it worked to some extent.
This is not my usual cup of tea. So that was part of managing my own expectations. I was excited for the representation in this story, but historicals and westerns and not necessarily my jam. This did exceed my expectations in that way. I really enjoyed Ghosthallow as a town. I was very interested in the little saloon in town, and would totally read Juanita's and/or Veronica's books. West World probably helped me there..
Lou was perfect. Clementine was so patient. Shockingly patient. This was much darker than I expected. Which is silly. It's the Wild West. Of course there were small minded people and everyone solved everything with the threat of a gun shot. But when this book got dark, it was really dark. It's also the slowest of burns. You get a few daydream scenes to whet your thirst along the way. But oh my goodness gracious do they make you freaking wait for it! After we were getting pecks on the corner of the mouth at a first meeting, I was NOT expecting so much slow burning. But here we are.
Now, I will say, the choices for Lou's accent/dialogue were a lot. It was meant to kind of submerse me into the world, but it kept throwing me all of the way out because I couldn't nail down their accent in my head. And then there was the handling of the binding. I loved that we saw binding at all, and I get that it's the 1800s and we're working with what we have. But it really stressed me out any time the binding was mentioned because it was just an ace bandage that they put on in the morning and didn't take off until the end of the day when they were getting ready for bed. I am so concerned for their osteo and pulmonary health!