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wjquick32 's review for:

Love Habit by TL Clark
4.5
funny informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

When I described the basics of this book (queer monks in early Tudor England) to my bestie, she said it sounded like someone asked AI to write a book just for me. She wasn’t wrong! I don’t presume to view Love Habit as particularly realistic or unrealistic because I don’t have a lot of Catholic monastic knowledge, but I will say I raised a few eyebrows.

That said, I really enjoyed this book. Maybe it’s sacrilegious of me (which I’m good with because I’m agnostic), but I enjoy the idea of monks still finding joy, so to speak, within their vows. The queer aspects aside, there were some really sweet messages about brotherhood, friendship, and finding enjoyment in a quiet and pious life.

The snowball fight had me outright cooing over how cute it was. The ending felt like it jumped to the epilogue rather quickly, but I suppose the main part of the story had already been told by that point. This isn’t the book for someone who is by the (Bible) book, but it is definitely for people like me who don’t find potential stretches of the pious expectations problematic.

I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review. 4.5 unapologetic stars from a lover of queer romances and the Tudor dynasty as it overtook the Plantagenet dynasty with all their respective dramatics.