A Fangirl Tribute to Kyou Kara Maou!

I've been a devotee of anime for quite a few years now. And there are some series that are extra special to my heart, ones that I watch multiple times--because yes, I am that nerdy. But I have favorite books that I do this with as well. Anime is just a different medium.

For the past few days I've been glued to my computer watching episodes of one of my new favorite series, Kyou Kara Maou, on YouTube. Geneon has been bringing out the episodes on DVD here in the USA but their release schedule is slow and of course, the DVDs are expensive. I will buy them all, but I was dying to continue on with the series and didn't have the patience to wait for the DVDs. I'm a total addict when it comes to serialized narratives. I just can't get enough. It's like a compulsion and I have to see it to it's end (which usually comes at some godforsaken hour of the morning...). Hence my love for long fantasy series with massive tomes (except Robert Jordan, because dude, I gave up on that).

So anyway, I found a lovely gal who'd put up a whole bunch of fansubbed episodes of KKM on YouTube and I danced on over there and...got sucked into watching 40 some odd episodes! Eek gads! Yet it seemed to go by pretty damn quickly...how scary is that? (The Pixies "Where is my Mind?" does tend to play in the background of my brain at moments like this)

Alas, not all of the series episodes are up and available yet. I watched everything that was on there, but now I'm still waiting for the last 14 episodes (eee!). I've seen a few unsubbed clips from them which have me salivating in major fangirlish ways. It looks like the climactic end to the series should be pretty freaking awesome. Yay!

But I digress. I want to explain to all my dear readers, especially those of you who think my love of anime is tad strange, just how unbelievably cool this series is. I feel compelled to spread the anime gospel according to moi and get people to watch this stuff. I mean, you can do it for free online. So why not?

Why Kyou Kara Maou is the Cat's Pajamas:

1. The premise of this show is wonderfully wacky. A teenage boy ends up getting sucked into a magical land of hot bishonen...by being flushed down a toilet! That's right. A toilet. Can you get much cooler than that? I think not. But wait...actually it can! Because once said boy ends up in the magical world he inadvertently ends up slapping another guy and...well...in this magical world that means they are now engaged! Trust me...sheer hilarity ensues. :)
2. There are loads of bishonen hotties and tons of boy-love in-jokes that always make me giggle.
3. The overall humor of the show is just very wacked out and bizarre, but in a totally Japanese way--which always appeals to me. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm completely nuts when they hear me cackling away in the wee hours of morning at my computer.
4. The characters are super cool and loveable, which is crucial for maintaining my interest in a series.

So...on to the Players

Yuri: He's our boy who falls in the toilet and ends up being transported to the magical world. Once there he discovers that he is in fact the new Demon King who has been sent to save their world from disaster.

When he finally manages to access his own magical powers he transforms into the Demon King (his hair gets longer, he gets bigger, and his eyes change).

Yuri's path between worlds requires the conduit of water, and he often falls into lakes, ponds, barrels of water, fountains, etc. and ends up back home for short periods before being summoned back to the other world.

He's a rather naive young guy but he grows over the course of the series to become an effective Demon King and basically save the world. He's got a really big heart and wants to bring about peace and happiness for everyone. He has his own flaws though, which make him a likeable character rather than an annoying saint.


Wolfram: Yuri's fiancee. And a total bishonen! (Yuri makes a remark to this effect when he first sees Wolfram.) Wolfram starts out a bit whiny and bitchy as a royal prince with a strong sense of entitlement, but he grows on you once he starts to change. And he becomes very possessive of Yuri, taking his role as fiancee pretty seriously. He even goes so far as to share a bed with Yuri (non-sexually) at night, which generates a couple of hilarious moments. :)

He has magical power over fire and he's a talented swordsman. He often leaps into the fray to protect Yuri when necessary. But he also manages to ruffle Yuri's feathers quite a bit. Their relationship is very low-key shonen-ai, but there are some great moments between the two of them that are just super cute.


*Aren't they adorable?!*








Conrad: Okay, I have a very big soft spot for Conrad. I think he's my favorite character. He's muy sexy for an anime dude, and he's got a great voice (by seiyu Toshiyuki Morikawa--he also does Tatsumi on Yami No Matsuei! That's another favorite I'll get to at another date...)

He actually travelled to earth and helped Yuri's mother give birth to him. He was also the one responsible for delivering the soul that would be Yuri's when he was born (a plot point that is revealed much later in the series, so I won't give away any spoilers just yet!).

Conrad is a veteran soldier and he's also half demon and half human, which becomes a problem at various points in the story becomes in this world demons and humans have a long history of wars between one another. He is also brother to Wolfram and Gwendal.

He has a bit of a tragic past, which always suckers me in. And he has a long story arc in which he loses an arm and nearly dies, becomes the enemy (although this later proves to be a masquerade for secret purposes to save Yuri), and eventually saves the day big time. Total hero, but he's very unassuming and sweet...aw shucks, I heart you Conrad! :) (And no snotty comments Monkey, I can hear them coming already!)


Gwendal: Okay, another super hottie. Gwendal is the strong silent type. But he's got a soft side (he knits cute little stuffed animals!) and he is an efficient bureaucrat who shows Yuri his responsibilities to the kingdom.

He doesn't think Yuri is cut out to be Demon King at first, but he slowly bends and learns to respect Yuri and his vision of peace.


Gunter: I'm not sure what to make of Gunter...he's a bit of a fluff character. He serves as frequent comedic relief. He's totally got the hots for Yuri and throws himself at him a lot. :) But he's completely loyal and saves Yuri's life several times, once nearly being killed himself.





Murata: Yuri's school chum who turns out, in fact, to be the reincarnation of a famous prophet from the past know as "The Great Sage." He ends up providing important assistance to Yuri in his endeavors and acts as a voice of reason.



So, that's a little breakdown of the show. If you're interested, go check out the first few episodes which are available online at YouTube. This show provides endless entertainment!

Pulling the Plug

I can hardly believe that it's come down to this. In all honesty, I never thought I'd have to be making this decision. But after long and careful consideration, I've come to realize it's for the best. I'm pulling the plug.

On my cable TV that is.

Before you laugh, let me just explain how monumental a decision this was for me. You see, I went for several years without ANY tv. When I was doing my MA in Scotland my flat had no television and there wasn't really anywhere else I could go to watch tv. Granted, the Brits only have a few channels, but at least it was something! I didn't even have access to those lousy 4 channels. I didn't have internet in my apartment there either. So I was pretty much forced to make my entertainment consist of non-academic reading. Many a night I'd come home, make dinner, and after a day of research...I'd open up another book.

In retrospect, I'm kind of glad it happened that way. I'm one of the few people I know in grad school who actually does leisure/pleasure reading anymore. Don't get me wrong, I read my research books as well. But when I have some free time I frequently like to curl up with a fun mystery, a trashy romance or erotica, or an exciting sci-fi/fantasy novel. Or a good graphic novel. (Yes, I am a comics nerd) :) But I know a fair number of English grad compatriots who don't read outside of their research. They claim the fun has been taken out of reading when forced to do so much of it for school. And quite frankly, while I can understand on some levels, it still scares me. I'm one of those people who lives very much inside their head and to go without any stimulus for my imagination...well, that's just horrifying.

But back to my narrative. So, that was one whole year without a television. Then I promptly decided to up and move to Japan to teach ESL for a year. My apartment did have a TV with the equivalent of "basic" cable (10 channels or so). But it was ALL in Japanese of course. Now, that didn't mean that I never watched TV. In fact, I became something of a devotee to this Japanese soap opera about a group of young people living and working at an onsen (host spring) resort in the mountains. I don't speak Japanese, but soap operas are relatively easy to follow along with regardless of what language they are in (Telemundo anyone?). My roommates thought I was totally bizarre (a common occurrence for me) for watching the show, but I enjoyed it. And dammnit, it was something. After a year of no TV I'd take a show in a foreign language any day!

After this two year stint I returned to the USA and swore to myself that no matter what I was going to get cable for my TV. And I've had it for four years. But over those four years, the cost has gone up considerably while the quality of programming has gone down. I don't really have any regular shows that I watch (except Nip/Tuck). I like to watch Comedy Central occassionally, but the main channel I tune in to is TCM. Call me weird, but I LOVE old movies and TCM plays great stuff...and it's commercial free!

Unfortunatley, my current economic crisis requires that I cut back on spending to make it through the summer. Cable is nearly $50 a month now and that's money I could put to better use. I finally reached a compromise with myself. I would keep my Netflix account (which is cheaper) and just order TV shows and movies to watch. That way it wouldn't be like going without a TV entirely. I'm hoping it will work out, but I know I'll probably go into a period of withdrawal without my TCM. Nevertheless, I feel rather proud of myself for being able to get rid of the cable. I think it should also help increase my dissertation productivity by curtailing frivolous distractions. But that still leaves the internet...and there ain't no way in hell I'd pull the plug on that!

School's Out for Summer!

Yesterday was my official last day of teaching for spring. Usually I spend most of the class period on that day talking about what we covered over the semester and how much fun I had teaching it, etc. But quite frankly, yesterday I just went in there, got final papers, gave a very breif talk about the importance of class evaluations, and wished them luck in the future--then I bolted. Looking back, perhaps my departure was a tad hasty. But I was soooo ready to be done with this semester. I had a great time but I just didn't have anything left to give yesterday. Plus, my students looked totally zonked. No doubt they'd been up until the wee hours putting the final touches on their papers. So I'm sure they didn't mind.

Then I came home and took a nap. I was totally knackered from my trip still and all the stress that's been weighing on me lately. The nap definitely refreshed me, so I got up and did some productive work on a chapter, made yummy comfort soup, then went out to a coffee shop with Violet to do some more work. I didn't get quite as much done there, because we inevitably ended up chatting, but it was fun. We talked a lot about research and why we love what we do. Although there are times that being in academia is rather trying (especially as a poor grad student) I am always buoyed by those moments of intellectual excitement that come from stimulating dialogue and engaging reading. I was revisiting Judith Halberstam's In a Queer Time and Place: Transgender Bodies, Subcultural Lives and taking some notes, and all of a sudden I had this great flash of insight into some of my own work. I know it's hella nerdy, but I was so excited! Of course, all the coffee I'd ingested probably added to the overall effect, but you know.... :)

Then I got home and realized that even though school is officially out for summer, when one is an academic school is never really over. It was rather ironic that on the last day of classes I ended up doing research and being super excited about it. I guess there are moments when you just can't argue with your destiny, yo.

There is an imp in the maple syrup bottle...

Oh glorious maple syrup! How I love thee! And yet...why do you call to me late at night begging me to press my lips to the bottle and suck at your glorious nectar like it was ambrosia from the teat of the gods? Why?! The calories...the pure sugar...and always late at night.

I think there is an imp inside the maple syrup bottle that preys on weak willed individuals like myself.

But damn, I loves the maple syrup y'all! It's always been a favorite of mine. (And yeah, yeah. No Canadian joke please!) Seriously though, I could eat maple syrup on just about anything. You know that moment in Elf when Will Ferrell pours it on his spaghetti? Well...let's just say I was tempted to try it myself. *bows head in shame*

What precisely is it about maple syrup? The mere mention of it is like foreplay for my tongue because my salivary glands start pumping out the juice and I have to refrain from drooling all over myself. It's sad.

I remember when my sister went on a school trip with her class to a local sugar shack in northern Ontario (my class didn't get to go, and I have held a burning anger toward that teacher ever since!). She brought back some of the glorious thick and viscous fresh maple syrup home and we heated it up and poured it out onto crisp snow outside and rolled it onto popsicle sticks like taffy. Then we ate it. Let me just say, this was probably the closest thing to orgasm I'd ever experienced from food at that tender age. The fact that I still remember it with vivid clarity has to tell you something. My one regret is that I never made it outside of Montreal while I lived there to hit one of the sugar shacks out in the Eastern townships. But I have made a vow to do this some day in the future!

Aside from maple syrup itself, I also love related maple products. Like maple sugar candy. Mmmmmm....I can just sit down with a box of these and go to my special place. *hint, if anyone is ever looking for a cheap but simple gift pour moi, this is it!*

But living in the United States had made me more aware of the fact that many people do not comprehend the sheer glory that is maple syrup. In fact, Americans seem to eat their pancakes with...dear lord I can hardly bear to say it...FAKE SYRUP! *makes gagging noises* And...what's even worse...is many of them LIKE this fake crap! (No offense to you personally Violet, I blame it totally on your upbringing not you) This was just sheer insanity to me. Plus, I do believe real maple syrup actually has less sugar than the fake crap, so you'd think people would go for it instead. But this isn't the case.

Whenever I go anywhere that serves breakfast, if I order pancakes I expressly ask whether they have real maple syrup or not. Nine times out of ten they don't. So I almost never order pancakes. If there's no real maple syrup I ain't wasting my time!

Now I realize maple syrup is more expensive, but without it the culinary experience is totally ruined. So I urge America, embrace the maple syrup and you will never go back to fake sugar syrup crap ever again! Take that Aunt Jemima!

Back in Gainesville and Nose Back to Grindstone

Sorry folks, I've been out of town since Thursday attending a weekend conference up in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Talk about BFE! I had to drive an hour from the small airport just to get to the campus. One thing I now know for certain, I do not want to get a job anywhere that freaking small! It made Gainesville look like a booming metropolis. *shudder*

But the conference was super fun and I met some really great people doing interesting work. And I even had several academics come up to me at the end of the conference and personally thank me for all my supposedly "wonderful questions" during the panels. :) I guess I impressed them, yay! Unfortunately, my own paper was during an ass early morning session and we only had 2 people show up! It was kind of disappointing, but I did have a really engaging discussion with my fellow panelists, one of whom was also doing work on lesbian comics. So that was fruitful, but I was hoping for a little bit more outside feedback. Then again, I suppose I don't blame people. I wouldn't have gotten my ass out of bed to attend an 8am panel if I wasn't presenting either!

Okay, now let me say thanks to all my lovely peeps who offered their helpful suggestions and words of encouragement over my whole financial freak out last week. Many of your ideas were really good and your support made me feel a lot better. (Thanks for calling me Monkey! And I'm sorry I missed you Hungry Hippo--I'll call you tonight!)

Unfortunately, subletting isn't really an option for me (the apartment complex owner isn't cool with it and I have too much valuable shit--i.e. massive DVD & CD collections, books and tech stuff--I would have to pack it all up and pay to put it in storage while I sublet the place). I already applied for a couple of fellowships/grants for summer but didn't get any of them and I don't know of any others in my field that I could apply for--if you know any Martin, please give me a buzz!

I heard back from the local community college and they are going to call me tomorrow with a definite date for an interview. So if all goes well I should be able to get some adjunct work in summer B (July/August). In the meantime I think I can squeak by on what I have in the bank and my last two paychecks. *fingers crossed*

I'm trying to keep a pretty optimistic viewpoint at present. I don't like to get pessimistic and doom/gloomy about my circumstances. I'm much more about being proactive and productive, tackling the problem head on. But in this case my options are sort of limited. I mean, I could get a 40 hour/week job and solve my monetary problems, but then I'd never get any work on my dissertation done this summer and I wouldn't be ready to go on the job market--so I'd be back in the same cycle again. While I need to get by financially, my equally important priority is getting work done on my dissertation so I can look for jobs in the fall. So, I'm formulating a really tight budget and thinking about how to realistically make everything work.

While I'm being more positive-take-charge about the situation, I can't really alleviate the stress still churning around in my stomach on a pretty consistent basis, but I've managed to at least moderate my mental anxiety with assurances that everything will be fine. The best way to keep my mind off of my financial straits, thus, is to return to working on my dissertation. I need to get as much possible work done during summer A as I can. My nose is firmly back to the grindstone so I can wrap up this chapter I've been laboring over for weeks and get it to my Chair. Then I need to begin work on the next one because I'm presenting a short version of it at the NWSA conference in June. Now if only our bloody library would open! It's been undergoing renovation for 2 1/2 years. It was supposed to open in January, but I'm still waiting...

Insane Freak Out Du Jour

I think this is roughly what I looked like earlier today when I discovered that I did not get any summer teaching. That's right, I'm now "officially" out of my meager 4 years of Ph.D. funding and there was no teaching to be had for lowly moi.

While I knew this was a possibility, it still freaked me the fuck out. Mostly because...uh...I have NO MONEY!!!! This is no joke people. And, of course, the irony of the situation is that I can't apply for summer financial aid because I don't get my tuition waver unless I'm teaching. So if I apply for aid, I have to pay full tuition costs, even though I'm not teaching, just to get money from the government. It's totally wack.

Consequently, I realized that I was going to have to scope out some alternative means of paying my rent (and evidently the summer supply of ramen I'm going to have to live on). I've tracked down a promising lead at the local community college which needs some summer adjuncts. I'm supposed to interview next week, but I'm stressed. First of all, I had to hastily send out desperate emails to committee members begging for letters of recommendation that I need by early next week. I hate having to be so last minute about this kind of thing--I like to give a good 3 weeks notice when possible. Secondly, I have major concerns about where the college will need me to teach. I don't have a car and if I can't get there by bus...well...I'm screwed. But I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and hope for a miracle. (Please, let it be accessible by public transit!)

This whole summer teaching incident has me worrying about fall as well, because if I can't get a teaching assignment then I'll be in REALLY big trouble. I'm supposed to be going on the job market and finishing my dissertation, but my financial straits are intruding in problematic ways. If nothing else, I'd say this situation has really nailed home the fact that I have to get a full time job and graduate next year. To do that, I still need to finish up my dissertation. I've been getting a lot of research and some good writing done lately, but what I really need is a nice spate of uninterrupted time to devote to it. But being able to stay above water financially has to be my first objective because I can't go stay with my parents and they aren't helping me out with any money. I'm all on my lonesome with this. And I have to admit, this is one of those moments when I think having a partner/S.O. would be really useful. *sigh* I MUST get out of here at the end of next year!

Now I have to finish up edits on a paper that I'm presenting at a conference in New Hampshire this weekend. I soooooo did not need this added stress right now. Not to mention the fact that next Tuesday is the last day of classes and I have to grade final papers and complete final grades.... ARGH!

Some days I think it will be a sheer miracle if I finish my Ph.D. without developing an ulcer....

It's Pink!!!!!!!!

After much deliberation I decided to change the template for my blog. I think the pink look is fabulous! How do you all like it?

Gakuen Heaven Makes Me Happy!

Bishies, bishies, bishies everywhere! The new anime series Gakuen Heaven, which is based on a BL game of the same name (I hope JAST USA brings this over soon!), just aired its first episode on April 1st in Japan. Then, thanks to the glorious network of yaoi fangirls out there, it was promptly fansubbed and put up on the internet in no time flat. I just downloaded it last night and had a small squee-fest when I sat down to watch it first thing this morning.

I don't know much about the series, but let me tell you what is promising about it. First, it's chalk full of HOT bishies that could appeal to every taste. We've got boys with glasses, short hair, long hair, some are slim and delicate, others are more athletic--I mean it's all pretty much there. A buffet of bishonen goodness! Not only that, but they go to an all boys high school called BL Academy! (Hee-hee! I laughed about that for about three full minutes!)

The first episode sets up some of the relationships between the various characters, but leaves a lot yet to be determined. Everything is given in a manner that wet's the appetitie but does not satisfy fully--basically, the narrative is already in medias res, so we have to wait to find out backstory on everyone. Frustrating, to be sure, but fun nonetheless.

Case in point--the story introduces a delicious little tension between two computer hackers at the school and they express their repressed desires for one another through their computers via a hack-off if you will. Now I'm looking forward to seeing what goes down between them in the next episode!

Then we have two seemingly identical twin brothers who are very...er, close. And then there's the main character and his older brother. It's not clear if they're biological brothers or not, but it seems the older one left home and hasn't seen the younger brother for years. Fast forward to the present, and said younger bro is a cute teen who mysteriously gets accepted at the elite BL Academy. It's hinted at that his older bro is the headmaster of the school and has arranged this transfer, but he remains shrouded in mystery--which I'm sure will unfold later! But the obviously incestuous undercurrent is interesting. This seems to be a pretty common trope in yaoi (if the recent publications here by DramaQueen manga are anything to go by) and has long been a key subgenre of slash fiction. I'll be intrigued to see what they do with it.

While I really loved the first episode, my only real complaint is that it spent so much time introducing all these hotties and baiting us with little narrative tidbits that I couldn't help but feel frustrated that I have to wait for the next episode to explain some of this stuff! Plus, this first episode ended on a pretty crazy cliffhanger (how they managed this is still amazing given that very little happened in the story!) that had me biting my nails. :) Needless to say, I've found a new series that makes me smile like a Cheshire cat.

Being able to download this episode was a nice early birthday present! My thanks go out to the dedicated folks out there who got this subbed and out to us in such a timely manner. Much love!

More yaoi t-shirts to scare frat boys with!

The back of this T-shirt says: "Just do him!"

Oh Akadot Retail, how I love thee! Let me count the ways!

I have just purchased this fabulous tee to add to my collection. Hopefully I can scare many a frat boy with this one. Hee-hee!

Plus, I'm going to be totally set for Yaoi Con in October!

I also purchased...*a few* new manga as well. This lovely shipment should arrive on Saturday (thank you FedEx!) as a wonderfully timely birthday present from myself to myself. :)

Margaret Cho is my Homegirl!

Tonight, the Pride Student Union at University of Florida brought the indomitable Margaret Cho to Gainesville! And not only that, but her performance was free and open to the public!

It was fantastic to see her perform live again. She has a great state presence. The first time I saw her was in 2001 when she was debuting her Notorious C.H.O. tour at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Still wonderfully political and queer, Margaret Cho makes me laugh and gives me hope in these dark days of right-wing conservatism. Although she re-used a fair amount of material from her last tour it was evident that she's working on new stuff that's got me psyched up for her next stand-up tour.

I also recommend checking out her fantastic blog because she is an excellent and articulate writer.

The Infamous Elephantitis Cover

Why is my research so fun? Because I get to read an awful lot of smut!

For some time I was under the impression that there was only one significant publisher (Romentics) for gay male romance novels (the subject of an upcoming chapter for the dissertation). Then I found out just how wrong I was. A new press, Seventh Window Publications, recently emerged with this fine new offering--The Price of Temptation. I first came across this book on the wonderful Smart Bitches website under one of their regular sections on cover snark, which always amuses me. Romance novels do tend to have the most ludicrous covers in the publishing industry, so I appreciate catty humorous discourse about the more painfully awful ones.

Well, The Price of Temptation is pretty high up on the "most improbable cover" ever list. Among netizens it's pretty commonly referred to as the "infamous testicular elephantitis" cover. I mean it really does look like that guy has some disturbingly large and deformed mutant cock hiding in his pantaloons. But damn if it didn't make me curious! So as soon as I spotted this sucker I knew I had to shell out $12 to buy it for...er...(cough)...research.

When it arrived in the mail today I settled in for a read, prepared for all kinds of terrible writing with the requisite purple prose about gigantic cocks--although I was hoping elephantitis was not the actual reason for said huge and undoubtedly lustful "members." To my pleasant surprise, however, the book was actually pretty good. The writing wasn't terrible and the erotic content was fairly tame compared to some stuff I've read. (Yes, I'm totally desensitized at this point) In the end, I rather found myself liking the book. First of all, it's a Regency romance!!!! I fucking love those things. Curse you Georgette Heyer! It had all the expected witty reparte loaded with sexual undercurrents and innuendos, elaborate descriptions of period clothing, and of course, it was set in the London ton.

Our two protaganists are men from very different backgrounds. Stephen Clair is the Earl of St. Joseph, a wealthy aristocrat who doesn't hide his gay sexuality despite social disapproval. James (Jamie) Riley is the bastard son of a former member of the gentry disowned by her family after becoming pregnant out of wedlock. He is a much akin to the "bluestocking" archetype in hetero romances--very bookish and smart, but also *gasp* a VIRGIN! Even at the rather advanced age of 22. But then again, who can blame the lad? He pretty much lived alone in the remote wilds of York with his ailing mother (now dead) before coming to the big city with the promise of a job tutoring a family with three young boys. But when he arrives, he soon discovers that his employer and the entire family died at sea during a voyage to Europe. In his place is the new Earl of St. Joseph--Stephen Clair.

As might be expected, Stephen decides to hire Jamie on as his personal secretary (out of guilt and pity--the lad was promised a job and has spent every last farthing to get to London). And Jamie soon proves to be quite an asset as he sets about organizing the somewhat dissolute Stephen's affairs, trying to help him manage both his increading debt and his household. Over time, their relationship soon develops into something a little more than professional....but there are impediments to their union (of course). First of all, Stephen already has a lover (a greedy and villainous man-whore who wants to life the good life at Stephen's expense). Not only that, but Jamie doesn't just want some casual liaison with Stephen, he wants luuuurve! This is partly due to the fact that Jamie's mother was sexually "used" by a man and it ruined her life, so Jamie doesn't want to be treated the same way. He wants real love dammnit!

But all is not lost, because of course the rest of Stephen's household is conspiring to get the two men together. And this is one of the things I really enjoyed about this book. It sets up an alternative queer kinship structure in the house among all the servants, many of whom have been socially shunned for different reasons. Abby is a strong woman who wants to be a stable master but gender conventions won't allow it until Stephen hires her. Charles, his valet, was fired from another aristocrat's employ after being found with his male lover. Rebecca is a gorgeous but poor young woman who was sexually harrassed by men at all her previous jobs but finds safety and respect in Stephen's home, etc. Together they create a new family unit that protects and respects one another. And of course, when Jamie is eventually kidnapped by Stephen's evil man-ho, they all work together to find and rescue him.

Like most traditional romances, this one ends with the usual Happily Ever After moment. But, pleasantly enough, it wasn't overly saccharine or irritating. For me, it worked.

Although the novel glosses over the difficulties or rather, historical impossibilities of having an openly gay relationship between two men in Regency England, it was a rather nice fantasy narrative that put a fresh and fun spin on the regency romance sub-genre. Now I just need to track down a copy of Pembroke Park by Michelle Martin, which is the a famous lesbian regency romance. But I'm on the lookout for any other queer regencies out there. If you know of any, pass the titles along to me please!