Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban Series: Mischief & Matchmaking #1
Published by Avon on 9 January 2024
Genres: Fiction / LGBTQ, Fiction / Romance / Historical / Victorian, Fiction / Romance / LGBTQ
Pages: 400
Format: Paperback
A swoon-worthy debut queer Victorian romance in which two debutantes distract themselves from having to seek husbands by setting up their widowed parents, and instead find their perfect match in each other—the lesbian Bridgerton/Parent Trap you never knew you needed!
Gwen has a brilliant beyond brilliant idea.
It’s 1857, and anxious debutante Beth has just one season to snag a wealthy husband, or she and her mother will be out on the street. But playing the blushing ingenue makes Beth’s skin crawl and she’d rather be anywhere but here.
Gwen, on the other hand, is on her fourth season and counting, with absolutely no intention of finding a husband, possibly ever. She figures she has plenty of security as the only daughter of a rakish earl, from whom she’s gotten all her flair, fun, and less-than-proper party games.
“Let’s get them together,” she says.
It doesn’t take long for Gwen to hatch her latest scheme: rather than surrender Beth to courtship, they should set up Gwen’s father and Beth’s newly widowed mother. Let them get married instead.
“It’ll be easy” she says.
There’s just…one, teeny, tiny problem. Their parents kind of seem to hate each other.
But no worries. Beth and Gwen are more than up to the challenge of a little twenty-year-old heartbreak. How hard can parent-trapping widowed ex-lovers be?
Of course, just as their plan begins to unfold, a handsome, wealthy viscount starts calling on Beth, offering up the perfect, secure marriage.
Beth’s not mature enough for this…
Now Gwen must face the prospect of sharing Beth with someone else, forever. And Beth must reckon with the fact that she’s caught feelings, hard, and they’re definitely not for her potential fiancé.
That’s the trouble with matchmaking: sometimes you accidentally fall in love with your best friend in the process.
As soon as I learned about this book, I immediately pre-ordered it and couldn’t wait to read it. I had joked about taking time off work to read it and then decided why not. I only took a half-day off, and it was totally worth it! This was an adorable, swoony, absolutely perfect romance!!
It’s always frustrating reading romance novels set during an era where women aren’t treated well (not that we’ve improved much). I just want to slap so many of the characters. Thankfully, most of the characters in this novel were absolutely delightful.
First off, our two leading ladies, Gwen and Beth. These two women are on the marriage mart, Beth for her first season and Gwen for her fourth. They become fast friends and hatch the plan to get their parents together. Gwen and Beth work so well together as a couple; Gwen is more outgoing, while Beth prefers country life to the city. Gwen’s dad is entirely supportive of Gwen and Beth’s relationship. It’s pretty adorable how Gwen and her dad can commiserate over their love for the Demeroven women. Gwen’s cousins are also wholly supportive of the relationship. The only character that wasn’t is the family of the Viscount that is courting Beth with intentions to marry her. Beth’s mother was a great secondary character, as she was upfront about what life is like and didn’t sugarcoat it for her daughter. Even though it’s frustrating because Beth’s mom can be happy with Gwen’s father, securing their future, and then Beth and Gwen can be together (in secret). But sometimes, it takes a push to go after true love!
As with most romance novels, there’s the part where the couple has to break up, which also happens in this one. I was heartbroken, along with the characters, when the breakup occurred. Honestly, I do understand it. For a long time, marrying a boring man or someone who wouldn’t mind living separate lives was the best a woman could hope for. I’m sure there were love matches, but they were rare, not the norm. With Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend, Gwen and Beth have the added issue of wanting to be together. Of course, they don’t have the sodomy laws that men have against them, but it’s still not allowed in polite society. Another reason to have the parents get together is Gwen and Beth can be together, plus Beth’s mother is still of the age to have another child (a son who can inherit).
There were sex scenes in this novel, but they were of the flowery language variety. It’s not exactly a closed-door scene, but it’s not explicit either. I’d rate it as a half to a one pepper spice.
The book was adorable and cute and fluffy and completely filled my heart with joy. This book is actually the first in the series. The next one focuses on Bobby Mason (Gwen’s cousin) and James Demeroven (Beth’s cousin), and of course, Beth and Gwen are utilizing their matchmaking skills again to get the two men together. I’m so excited to see familiar characters again when this one comes out.
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