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A review by domesticatedbrat
The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian
5.0
This is my second Cat Sebastian read and it’s safe to say I have fallen head over heels in love with this author.
It’s historical romance involving aristocrats (ew). Of course, the genre almost always does involve abusive aristocrats getting exactly what they want at the expense of the majority of the population while learning & growing very little. That’s why I avoid historical & billionaire romance at all costs.
However.
When pursuing Cat Sebastian’s website, the very first thing you see is “fall in love. eat the rich.” If you scroll down, you then see her describing these very MC as “two disaster bisexuals”. From that alone, I’d be all in. This mindset is embedded within the stories themselves in a way that proves Cat Sebastian’s excellence & brilliance.
Indeed, Sebastian manages to reframe MF sex within a queer context. This is two queer folk falling in love. This is, undeniably, a queer love story, regardless of the genders of the folks involved. This is bisexual representation like you’ve never seen before. The masterful nature of this cannot be overstated. It is so easy to write a straight love story & just sub in queer identities for intrigue, if they happen to be in the ‘right’ kind of relationship. Frankly, Cat Sebastian writes queer love stories & queer HEAs, just as she says she does. Those distinctly queer love stories & their conclusions are unspeakably healing.
At the same time, these are uproariously funny, remarkably witty, & just plain delightful reads. Marian is an unusual & splendid FMC paired wonderfully with Rob, a charming & refreshing MMC. Every character is well crafted & intriguing, including many of the minor ones. I do wish I could see a particular fierce fence & a certain bible-wielding, blushing woman of the town become better acquainted. Alas, I suppose it’ll have to be head cannon… for now
It’s historical romance involving aristocrats (ew). Of course, the genre almost always does involve abusive aristocrats getting exactly what they want at the expense of the majority of the population while learning & growing very little. That’s why I avoid historical & billionaire romance at all costs.
However.
When pursuing Cat Sebastian’s website, the very first thing you see is “fall in love. eat the rich.” If you scroll down, you then see her describing these very MC as “two disaster bisexuals”. From that alone, I’d be all in. This mindset is embedded within the stories themselves in a way that proves Cat Sebastian’s excellence & brilliance.
Indeed, Sebastian manages to reframe MF sex within a queer context. This is two queer folk falling in love. This is, undeniably, a queer love story, regardless of the genders of the folks involved. This is bisexual representation like you’ve never seen before. The masterful nature of this cannot be overstated. It is so easy to write a straight love story & just sub in queer identities for intrigue, if they happen to be in the ‘right’ kind of relationship. Frankly, Cat Sebastian writes queer love stories & queer HEAs, just as she says she does. Those distinctly queer love stories & their conclusions are unspeakably healing.
At the same time, these are uproariously funny, remarkably witty, & just plain delightful reads. Marian is an unusual & splendid FMC paired wonderfully with Rob, a charming & refreshing MMC. Every character is well crafted & intriguing, including many of the minor ones. I do wish I could see a particular fierce fence & a certain bible-wielding, blushing woman of the town become better acquainted. Alas, I suppose it’ll have to be head cannon… for now