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A Rare Find
Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR!
When an aspiring archaeologist teams up with her childhood enemy for a treasure hunt, they find it impossible to bury their growing feelings, in a charming queer historical romance from the author of A Shore Thing.
Elfreda Marsden has finally made a major discovery—an ancient amulet proving the Viking army camped on her family’s estate. Too bad her nemesis is back from London, freshly exiled after a scandal and ready to wreak havoc on her life. Georgie Redmayne is everything Elfreda isn’t--charming, popular, carefree, distractingly attractive, and bored to death by the countryside. When the two collide (literally), the amulet is lost, and with it, Elfreda’s big chance to lead a proper excavation. Now Elfreda needs new evidence of medieval activity, and Georgie needs money to escape the doldrums of Derbyshire. Joining forces to locate a hidden hoard of Viking gold is the best chance for them both.
Marsdens and Redmaynes don’t get along, and that’s the least of the reasons these enemies can’t dream of something more. But as the quest takes them on unexpected adventures, sparks of attraction ignite a feeling increasingly difficult to identify as hatred. It’s far too risky to explore. And far too tempting to resist. Elfreda and Georgie soon find that the real treasure comes with a steep price… and the promise of a happiness beyond all measure.
When an aspiring archaeologist teams up with her childhood enemy for a treasure hunt, they find it impossible to bury their growing feelings, in a charming queer historical romance from the author of A Shore Thing.
Elfreda Marsden has finally made a major discovery—an ancient amulet proving the Viking army camped on her family’s estate. Too bad her nemesis is back from London, freshly exiled after a scandal and ready to wreak havoc on her life. Georgie Redmayne is everything Elfreda isn’t--charming, popular, carefree, distractingly attractive, and bored to death by the countryside. When the two collide (literally), the amulet is lost, and with it, Elfreda’s big chance to lead a proper excavation. Now Elfreda needs new evidence of medieval activity, and Georgie needs money to escape the doldrums of Derbyshire. Joining forces to locate a hidden hoard of Viking gold is the best chance for them both.
Marsdens and Redmaynes don’t get along, and that’s the least of the reasons these enemies can’t dream of something more. But as the quest takes them on unexpected adventures, sparks of attraction ignite a feeling increasingly difficult to identify as hatred. It’s far too risky to explore. And far too tempting to resist. Elfreda and Georgie soon find that the real treasure comes with a steep price… and the promise of a happiness beyond all measure.
360 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 10, 2025
92 people are currently reading
11619 people want to read
About the author
Joanna Lowell
8 books456 followersJoanna Lowell lives among the fig trees in North Carolina, where she teaches in the English department at Wake Forest University. When she’s not writing historical romance, she writes collections and novels as Joanna Ruocco. Those books include Dan, Another Governess / The Least Blacksmith, The Week, and Field Glass, co-authored with Joanna Howard.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 185 reviews
September 1, 2025
i love a good historical romance, and a queer one at that, but this was sooo much more focused on the historical that it left no room for the romance to even start to develop. there were an abundance of characters for no reason and didn’t have any distinct personalities which made everyone a tad confusing besides our mc’s. soft dnf’ing around 40%
thank you to netgalley and berkley for the arc
thank you to netgalley and berkley for the arc
September 15, 2025
A lovely Regency romance with sapphic and non-binary representation! I love how much history is in here, shades of Anne Lister and general strong queer ancestor vibes. The dad was a great villian who deserved much more of a comeuppance than he got imho. Also, I could have done with more sex scenes!
June 27, 2025
This was such a lovely historical romance! I LOVED all the history references and the plot was very unique and fun, the romance was also really heartwarming and well done. It was a bit slow moving at times, but overall I deeply enjoyed this!
P. S. Don’t skip the authors note!
*I received an arc in exchange for my honest review*
P. S. Don’t skip the authors note!
*I received an arc in exchange for my honest review*
August 31, 2025
i'm so sad to say i didn't love this one. it didn't hold my attention and i just didn't love the story/plot.
i did love the representation and historical notes about queer figures in these times.
i will give this author another try tho in the future.
i did love the representation and historical notes about queer figures in these times.
i will give this author another try tho in the future.
Read
June 4, 2025
Book Riot's Best New Romance Books Out in June:
Joanna Lowell’s A Shore Thing was one of my top reads last year, and I’m excited to pick up her newest historical, a queer Regency(? I think?) featuring an archaeologist on the quest to uncover a Viking hoard. Elfreda has found evidence of a hoard on her family’s land, but a collision with her nemesis, Georgie, leads to the loss of the artifact. So she asks Georgie to team up with her on the quest for the gold, and of course, all that time together might bring some things to light. —Jessica Pryde
Joanna Lowell’s A Shore Thing was one of my top reads last year, and I’m excited to pick up her newest historical, a queer Regency(? I think?) featuring an archaeologist on the quest to uncover a Viking hoard. Elfreda has found evidence of a hoard on her family’s land, but a collision with her nemesis, Georgie, leads to the loss of the artifact. So she asks Georgie to team up with her on the quest for the gold, and of course, all that time together might bring some things to light. —Jessica Pryde
July 21, 2025
4.5 ⭐️ probably one of my favourite queer/sapphic (NBLW) historical romances to date. God did I have fun reading this. (Yes, it’s spicy.)
This is so well researched on the historical side and filled with many intriguing facts. I loved that the author incorporated a non-binary character whilst keeping it realistic to the time and how they would have to present. The same can be said regarding the queer romance; it’s incorporated realistically but without any need for a depressing or unbelievable plot.
It’s simply uplifting, realistic, and romantic as hell.
The way I was twirling my hair, kicking my feet and giggling as I read this. This book had me grinning from ear to ear it’s so bloody adorable.
And the enemies to lovers? The pining? The constant string of errors poor Georgie can’t seem to escape? Superb. Loved every second.
I wouldn’t say it’s heavy spice but there are multiple spicy scenes so it’s fairly such. A good dash.
Rep// Non Binary (they/them but due to time period also uses she/her for safety reasons) MC, Sapphic/Queer She/Her MC, Sapphic SCs, MLM SCs. Central romance is WLNB / queer / sapphic.
TWs listed below, please skip if you don’t want spoilers.
TW// period typical misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, misgendering due to time period (minimal, nothing extreme), sex on page, injury.
This is so well researched on the historical side and filled with many intriguing facts. I loved that the author incorporated a non-binary character whilst keeping it realistic to the time and how they would have to present. The same can be said regarding the queer romance; it’s incorporated realistically but without any need for a depressing or unbelievable plot.
It’s simply uplifting, realistic, and romantic as hell.
The way I was twirling my hair, kicking my feet and giggling as I read this. This book had me grinning from ear to ear it’s so bloody adorable.
And the enemies to lovers? The pining? The constant string of errors poor Georgie can’t seem to escape? Superb. Loved every second.
I wouldn’t say it’s heavy spice but there are multiple spicy scenes so it’s fairly such. A good dash.
Rep// Non Binary (they/them but due to time period also uses she/her for safety reasons) MC, Sapphic/Queer She/Her MC, Sapphic SCs, MLM SCs. Central romance is WLNB / queer / sapphic.
TWs listed below, please skip if you don’t want spoilers.
TW// period typical misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, misgendering due to time period (minimal, nothing extreme), sex on page, injury.
March 31, 2025
I thought this book was incredibly entertaining with PLENTY of plot, conflict and character development to keep me turning pages!
Elf is an accomplished archaeologist (or she would be, if her father would deign to pay even a tiny amount of attention to her), and Georgie is her longtime childhood nemesis/neighbor. Georgie is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns among close friends - this detail alone has an absolutely lovely exchange between the main characters. Georgie is a bit of cut up -they're wealthy and beautiful and bent on bringing excitement to life. Elf is more serious and focused on her archaeological pursuits. This friction between the two makes the romance really sizzle. I adored the treasure hunt plotline and the ways that Georgie showed up for Elf (and vice versa). I also really loved the zany side characters.
Elf is an accomplished archaeologist (or she would be, if her father would deign to pay even a tiny amount of attention to her), and Georgie is her longtime childhood nemesis/neighbor. Georgie is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns among close friends - this detail alone has an absolutely lovely exchange between the main characters. Georgie is a bit of cut up -they're wealthy and beautiful and bent on bringing excitement to life. Elf is more serious and focused on her archaeological pursuits. This friction between the two makes the romance really sizzle. I adored the treasure hunt plotline and the ways that Georgie showed up for Elf (and vice versa). I also really loved the zany side characters.
June 19, 2025
dnf’ed at 30% i just couldn’t do it 😭 i was so confused and i feel like we lost the plot early on. i didn’t understand the characters and there were so many unnecessary additional plot lines and characters. maybe if i tried harder i could get through it but i fear i am not strong enough.
July 18, 2025
dirt. from the old norse, drit. the great norse army had left behind many of their words. what she needed was one of their swords.
I preferred this to a shore thing, actually (very possibly because I found it less corny).
I should probably just scrap my 'f/f and nm/nm' tag and create a dedicated tag for romance featuring nonbinary people; please know that I am a nonbinary person who hates when nonbinary people are treated as Women Lite and that the tag was initially created while thinking about shared histories and kinship rooted in my own experiences. anyway. I do love that this book is just a nice queer party, at any rate; you've got the central f/nb pairing, of course, and then there are also secondary f/f and m/m characters (rosalie/ann book when?).
speaking of ann, she's very much a Type in contemporary queer historical romance, isn't she? I was put to mind quite a bit of what's-her-name from the mortal follies books. can't say I'm entirely complaining; it's just something to note.
you can see from my opening quote that there're some languagey bits in this book that I liked; however, I do think I might have to fall on the buzzkill side of disapproving jokes that rely on double entendres that don't make sense with historical usage!! there's a point at which georgie is mistaken for their brother by elf's father and rolls with it, impersonating him and pretending he's been allowed home from where he's "stationed in cambrai with the army of occupation" because
"they have to let us officers put on mufti and pop over to our country estates every now and then. ride to hounds." she glanced at elfreda. "build a dyke or two."
even given the fact that language often develops in everyday speech before being attested in writing, we're SEVERAL decades too early for that to be an in-world joke, so it's just a wink-wink nudge-nudge at today's reader, and maybe I'm a buzzkill, but I think that's a little lazy!!!! and before you ask if I'm fun at parties, I was actually astonished this past weekend at how well another random bit of linguistic trivia went over at a friend's barbecue lmao.
honestly, a fair amount of this only holds up if you don't look too closely (elf's dead mom is SUCH a dropped thread), but for me, it's the much pleasanter cousin to lex croucher's rather miserable early work (not that I find croucher's later work less miserable, mind).
"it's the twit's creed. speak first. think never."
I liked georgie's "rakish breasts." I liked elf's struggles with shyness being perceived as standoffishness. I liked the dragonfly in amber stuff. I liked the desperately teenaged agnes. 4 stars in comparison with a shore thing's 3; I'm actually quite surprised at how low the gr average is for this one!
but the law was just a story. its claims were enforceable, not true.
September 2, 2025
Elfreda Marsden is the socially-isolated daughter of a prominent archeologist. In fact, Elf's own formidable scholarly pursuits as an archeologist have been hijacked by her father who's much more interested in standing within his scholarly society than the accuracy of his work. After making an important find, Elf literally collides with her former childhood nemesis, Georgie Redmayne, and loses her find in a pond. The two have a complex relationship, both personally and between their families, but they're pushed together by circumstance and Georgie's desire to make amends.
The queer content in this one is interesting. We would consider Georgie to be non-binary, but obviously in England of the time there was no formulation for that concept. Instead, the author makes a plausible attempt to come up with a way of being for Georgie that doesn't rely on the modern term, and instead matches historically gender non-conforming people from the historical record of the time. I've seen this done in other books in the (thankfully) growing field of queer historical romance, but I would say that this one does it better than most.
There's also a nod to the idea of queer / lesbian community as most of Georgie's friend group are also queer which is also relatively rare, even though we know from the history of this period that this was real. Sadly, also the compromises that many of these women had to pursue to live their lives.
The queer content in this one is interesting. We would consider Georgie to be non-binary, but obviously in England of the time there was no formulation for that concept. Instead, the author makes a plausible attempt to come up with a way of being for Georgie that doesn't rely on the modern term, and instead matches historically gender non-conforming people from the historical record of the time. I've seen this done in other books in the (thankfully) growing field of queer historical romance, but I would say that this one does it better than most.
There's also a nod to the idea of queer / lesbian community as most of Georgie's friend group are also queer which is also relatively rare, even though we know from the history of this period that this was real. Sadly, also the compromises that many of these women had to pursue to live their lives.
June 10, 2025
Ooh this was a delight. I instantly connected with Elfreda and fell for her passion and determination to reach her goals. And then in strolls (or lunges really) Georgie and I knew there would be a lot of fun trouble ahead. Despite what drove Georgie to return home, their ability to make anything and everything seem light and fun and nonchalant made this book such a breeze to read. The banter between Elfreda and Georgie never let up, even in the most disastrous situations, and they way it led to longing and passion made this book feel cozy at all times. It was quite a slow burn, though being inside each character's heads made it feel less slow and honestly I appreciated how quickly they did share their attraction especially in this time when it could be so dangerous to do so. I love how safe they both felt, and how all the queer characters made it feel like a cozy, happy, safe place to be who they are. The sisters and thwarted suitor made for a lot of levity and there were plenty of laugh out loud moments. This book is both fun and tender. I really loved all the historical notes and setting and even the discussion on why learning about the past is so important to Elfreda in the way she understands the present.
Note: I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by the author, which I LOVE because you could tell how much they cared for the characters and how much emotion surrounded even the most seemingly simple exchanges.
Thanks to the publisher for a free copy and free audiobook; my thoughts and review are my own.
Note: I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by the author, which I LOVE because you could tell how much they cared for the characters and how much emotion surrounded even the most seemingly simple exchanges.
Thanks to the publisher for a free copy and free audiobook; my thoughts and review are my own.
June 26, 2025
this was a spectacular book and i definitely enjoyed it way more than the author’s last book (goodreads ratings disagree and i can’t comprehend why). anyways this had everything: very strong characters butting heads, awesome dislike to love, cool archeology stuff, hilarious and awesome side characters (her sisters… chefs kiss. esp the twins), just beautiful thoughts and feelings and setting. and the romance was to die for, literally so lovely sweet and well done. also no 3rd act breakup!!!! yay!!!!! i’ve been reading so many of those recently and it’s been killing me. also loved the stuff around being silly. yes! everyone should be silly!
overall, amazing book and def deserves to be recommended with the other iconic queer historical romances i love.
overall, amazing book and def deserves to be recommended with the other iconic queer historical romances i love.
June 17, 2025
Thank you Berkley for the free physical copy! 🤍
June 19, 2025
Oh how I wanted to love this one so much. Sadly, I lost most of my interest by 30%. I stuck it out in hopes that this would pick up again but alas, it was futile.
While I loved the character Georgie, a non-binary 24 year old who loves the theater but forced back to her family estate to wait for her inheritance once she turns 25. The author refers to the character as they/them and unless you are familiar with using these terms, it could get confusing while reading.
The budding romance had me intrigues as they start as two people who had a misunderstanding along with familial angst and rivalry. Our main character, Elf, is an aspiring archeologist who studies under her self-important father. As women are not allowed to be archeologists during this time, her father uses her brilliance and sketches for his own advancements while discrediting her constantly. Often times we see that Elf’s father is so prideful that he disregard his children’s safety in his pursuit of accolades and power.
I wish there was less filler for this one with the two characters searching for the hidden treasure and more intimate moments between them. It felt like the romance happened quickly. From hatred, to allies and friends, to divulging feelings and jumping into an intimate relationship quickly. Elf was so set on finding the treasure to gain her way into the archeology society that is made up of only men. Her focus was so narrowed while also being the primary caretaker for her younger siblings whom their father pays no mind to at all.
It goes to show the struggles of women during this time period and their struggles to be themselves as well as advance within society for gainful employment.
Thank you PRHAudio for the ALC & Berkley romance for the ARC & finished copy.
While I loved the character Georgie, a non-binary 24 year old who loves the theater but forced back to her family estate to wait for her inheritance once she turns 25. The author refers to the character as they/them and unless you are familiar with using these terms, it could get confusing while reading.
The budding romance had me intrigues as they start as two people who had a misunderstanding along with familial angst and rivalry. Our main character, Elf, is an aspiring archeologist who studies under her self-important father. As women are not allowed to be archeologists during this time, her father uses her brilliance and sketches for his own advancements while discrediting her constantly. Often times we see that Elf’s father is so prideful that he disregard his children’s safety in his pursuit of accolades and power.
I wish there was less filler for this one with the two characters searching for the hidden treasure and more intimate moments between them. It felt like the romance happened quickly. From hatred, to allies and friends, to divulging feelings and jumping into an intimate relationship quickly. Elf was so set on finding the treasure to gain her way into the archeology society that is made up of only men. Her focus was so narrowed while also being the primary caretaker for her younger siblings whom their father pays no mind to at all.
It goes to show the struggles of women during this time period and their struggles to be themselves as well as advance within society for gainful employment.
Thank you PRHAudio for the ALC & Berkley romance for the ARC & finished copy.
June 12, 2025
I tried, but this is so unbelievably boring and the main characters are so... Just no. George is a brat and Elf suffers from both superiority and inferiority complex. They're so ulikable it's not even funny. 😐
What a disappointment.
DNFing at 20%
What a disappointment.
DNFing at 20%
dnf
July 30, 2025Sorry in advance to my book club but I am BORED 🫠
June 30, 2025
I really enjoyed this Sapphic queer historical romance between Georgie, a nonbinary/gender nonconforming actor and their childhood friend, Elfie, an aspiring archaeologist who is determined to prove her father's property was once the site of Viking camp.
This book had great queer characters, a romance to root for, adventures in archaeology with riddles and clues from Elfie's grandmother (herself a budding archaeologist). I loved how the two main characters challenged gender roles of their time and fought for the love and lives they wanted.
Great on audio narrated by Ros Watt and perfect for fans of authors like Erica Ridley. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review.
This book had great queer characters, a romance to root for, adventures in archaeology with riddles and clues from Elfie's grandmother (herself a budding archaeologist). I loved how the two main characters challenged gender roles of their time and fought for the love and lives they wanted.
Great on audio narrated by Ros Watt and perfect for fans of authors like Erica Ridley. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review.
June 2, 2025
A even 3⭐️
A sapphic historical romance that was a little too light on the treasure hunting, but really heavy on the awesome representation.
Book Stats:
📖: 360 pages
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Format: FMC Dual POV
Series: Standalone
Themes:
:Proving your worth
: Being a woman in a man's world/career
Representation:
💎: Non Binary/Lesbian main characters
💎: Queer Side Characters
Tropes:
💗: Treasure Hunting
💗: Slow burn
💗: Childhood rivals to lovers
💗: Dueling Families
🥵: Spice: 🌶️
Potential Triggers: misogyny and sexism **check authors page/socials for full list.
Short Synopsis:
Elfreda (Elf) is desperate to prove herself a competent archaeologist by discovering next big dig. But her father who has been in the field for decades doesn't see her worth or her talent because she is a woman in a male dominated field. When Elf discovers an amulet that could change the face of archaeology and the history of their local town, she is desperate to bring it to the attention of the guild of archaeologists. However, she runs into one big obstacle. Georgie. Her childhood rival who's back in town against their will knocks the amulet out of Elf's hand and into a pond. In order to make it up to Elf, Georgie says that they will help her find a Viking hoard, and they start off on an adventure to find a buried treasure.
General Thoughts:
I desperately wanted to love this novel. Unfortunately, it was not at all what I expected it to be. Based on the synopsis, I was looking for a high adventure treasure hunting novel. Unfortunately, that just never materialized within the text. The story was much more heavy on Elf and Georgie getting to know each other and falling in love versus actual treasure hunting. I ended up spending the majority of the book waiting for something adventurous to happen.
That's not to say there wasn't things to love in this novel. The representation was so well done. Georgie and Elf have quite a few very interesting and historically relevant conversations concerning pronouns, being queer and being non-binary before non-binary was actually a recognized representation. I thought those conversations were very eye-opening and relevant to the time in which this story was written.
I did like the characters overall. Georgie and Elf were very interesting characters that absolutely captured my attention. I was felt very endeared toward the characters and their journeys overall. I loved how Georgie was unapologetically themselves, explaining that they sometimes feel female, sometimes male, sometimes neither. And I loved that the representation within the book show Georgie dressing and acting in a way that backed up those conversations.
Overall, I would have to say that this is a historical romance that had great queer representation. However, unfortunately, fell flat when it came to execution of the promised synopsis and failed to hold my attention throughout the book.
Disclaimer: I read this book as a e-book with a partnered audiobook as a free ARC/ALC from NetGalley, Berkley and the Penguin Random House audiobook influencer club. All opinions are my own. This is my honest involuntary review.
A sapphic historical romance that was a little too light on the treasure hunting, but really heavy on the awesome representation.
Book Stats:
📖: 360 pages
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Format: FMC Dual POV
Series: Standalone
Themes:
:Proving your worth
: Being a woman in a man's world/career
Representation:
💎: Non Binary/Lesbian main characters
💎: Queer Side Characters
Tropes:
💗: Treasure Hunting
💗: Slow burn
💗: Childhood rivals to lovers
💗: Dueling Families
🥵: Spice: 🌶️
Potential Triggers: misogyny and sexism **check authors page/socials for full list.
Short Synopsis:
Elfreda (Elf) is desperate to prove herself a competent archaeologist by discovering next big dig. But her father who has been in the field for decades doesn't see her worth or her talent because she is a woman in a male dominated field. When Elf discovers an amulet that could change the face of archaeology and the history of their local town, she is desperate to bring it to the attention of the guild of archaeologists. However, she runs into one big obstacle. Georgie. Her childhood rival who's back in town against their will knocks the amulet out of Elf's hand and into a pond. In order to make it up to Elf, Georgie says that they will help her find a Viking hoard, and they start off on an adventure to find a buried treasure.
General Thoughts:
I desperately wanted to love this novel. Unfortunately, it was not at all what I expected it to be. Based on the synopsis, I was looking for a high adventure treasure hunting novel. Unfortunately, that just never materialized within the text. The story was much more heavy on Elf and Georgie getting to know each other and falling in love versus actual treasure hunting. I ended up spending the majority of the book waiting for something adventurous to happen.
That's not to say there wasn't things to love in this novel. The representation was so well done. Georgie and Elf have quite a few very interesting and historically relevant conversations concerning pronouns, being queer and being non-binary before non-binary was actually a recognized representation. I thought those conversations were very eye-opening and relevant to the time in which this story was written.
I did like the characters overall. Georgie and Elf were very interesting characters that absolutely captured my attention. I was felt very endeared toward the characters and their journeys overall. I loved how Georgie was unapologetically themselves, explaining that they sometimes feel female, sometimes male, sometimes neither. And I loved that the representation within the book show Georgie dressing and acting in a way that backed up those conversations.
Overall, I would have to say that this is a historical romance that had great queer representation. However, unfortunately, fell flat when it came to execution of the promised synopsis and failed to hold my attention throughout the book.
Disclaimer: I read this book as a e-book with a partnered audiobook as a free ARC/ALC from NetGalley, Berkley and the Penguin Random House audiobook influencer club. All opinions are my own. This is my honest involuntary review.
June 6, 2025
I cannot think of a more perfect book to read during Pride than A Rare Find. This book exudes queer joy. It is the childhood rivals to lovers, swoony, tender-hearted, funny, quirky cottage-core gender-fluid romance you need to add to your bookshelf.
As a novice antiquarian (see archaeologist), Elfreda Marsden exudes Woman-fighting-an-uphill-battle-against-the-glass-ceiling™️. Her father uses her discoveries for his own advances and yet she still idolizes him, Elf is expected to take on all the motherly duties for her siblings with little respect, and she is brushed off when she attempts to validate her Grandmother’s papers and research. Add to that, Elf’s childhood antagonist, Georgina Redmayne has returned to Twynham and causes her to lose her most recent find. I loved the initial enemies-to-lovers tension between Georgie and Elf that plays out so beautifully as Elf discovers her impressions about Georgie were wrong. Several of the characters in this book are queer and exist in the most natural unquestionable and uncomplicated way that permits Elf to discover she too is queer, and that’s OKAY. Queerness felt personified as cozy; a warm blanket and a cup of tea that just exudes comfort. When Elf makes a discovery under the wisteria bower, she not shocked so much as intrigued and she begins to see everyone around her in a new light.
Lowell excels at writing small town romance. There is so much humor and joy in every side character from Mrs. Alderwalsy to Charles Peach and his dimples, to the ferocious wolves living as little twin girls. It was so easy to fall in love with the people of Twynham, (save one or two) and I felt like I was on the adventure hunt for treasure just like Georgie and Elf. And the prose? Simultaneously magical and exquisite the way so few words can be used to express an emotion or thought. I fell for this book in the best way and it’s already been frequenting my thoughts since finishing. I received a copy from the author, all opinions are my own.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Steam: 🪭🪭.5️⃣
Period: Regency Derbyshire
Vibes: 👌👌👌👌👌
As a novice antiquarian (see archaeologist), Elfreda Marsden exudes Woman-fighting-an-uphill-battle-against-the-glass-ceiling™️. Her father uses her discoveries for his own advances and yet she still idolizes him, Elf is expected to take on all the motherly duties for her siblings with little respect, and she is brushed off when she attempts to validate her Grandmother’s papers and research. Add to that, Elf’s childhood antagonist, Georgina Redmayne has returned to Twynham and causes her to lose her most recent find. I loved the initial enemies-to-lovers tension between Georgie and Elf that plays out so beautifully as Elf discovers her impressions about Georgie were wrong. Several of the characters in this book are queer and exist in the most natural unquestionable and uncomplicated way that permits Elf to discover she too is queer, and that’s OKAY. Queerness felt personified as cozy; a warm blanket and a cup of tea that just exudes comfort. When Elf makes a discovery under the wisteria bower, she not shocked so much as intrigued and she begins to see everyone around her in a new light.
Lowell excels at writing small town romance. There is so much humor and joy in every side character from Mrs. Alderwalsy to Charles Peach and his dimples, to the ferocious wolves living as little twin girls. It was so easy to fall in love with the people of Twynham, (save one or two) and I felt like I was on the adventure hunt for treasure just like Georgie and Elf. And the prose? Simultaneously magical and exquisite the way so few words can be used to express an emotion or thought. I fell for this book in the best way and it’s already been frequenting my thoughts since finishing. I received a copy from the author, all opinions are my own.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Steam: 🪭🪭.5️⃣
Period: Regency Derbyshire
Vibes: 👌👌👌👌👌
April 23, 2025
Enemy neighbours to lovers slow burn, tied up in a treasure hunt!
Georgie has been sent to her country home after a mishap in London and is itching to get back. Elf is trying to literally keep her family house from crumbling, tend her three younger sisters, and manage her narcissist father all while trying to find a Viking hoard. She does not have time to play nice with Georgie, and she really does not have time to *feel things* for Georgie.
This one started a bit slow - there was a lot going on, including some truly awful parenting! There were some fantastic moments along the way, including one of my favourite side characters ever in Phipps, a boat ride down the river propelled by Georgie's arms, and the best star gazing scene ever.
The way the story wrapped up was perfect, and as Georgie points out as she has money and land and as neither of them have pricks they can do what they want without much notice! Being a woman in a time when that equated to being property must come with some small perks!
A wonderful read about finding yourself before you can find love.
Thank you to Berkley for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Georgie has been sent to her country home after a mishap in London and is itching to get back. Elf is trying to literally keep her family house from crumbling, tend her three younger sisters, and manage her narcissist father all while trying to find a Viking hoard. She does not have time to play nice with Georgie, and she really does not have time to *feel things* for Georgie.
This one started a bit slow - there was a lot going on, including some truly awful parenting! There were some fantastic moments along the way, including one of my favourite side characters ever in Phipps, a boat ride down the river propelled by Georgie's arms, and the best star gazing scene ever.
The way the story wrapped up was perfect, and as Georgie points out as she has money and land and as neither of them have pricks they can do what they want without much notice! Being a woman in a time when that equated to being property must come with some small perks!
A wonderful read about finding yourself before you can find love.
Thank you to Berkley for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
July 25, 2025
(rounded down from 3.25)
This was a bit of a weird one for me. I usually LOVE period romances, no matter if they are trying to be true to the historical period and attitudes or whether the setting is a period one but the attitudes are more modern-day. This one kind of sits firmly in the middle somehow, seeming like it's trying to remain consistent to the period but also adding all these modern ideas to it, which feels very out of place and sticks out a lot in my mind. For an example of how the inner life of a period enby lesbian might have worked better in that period, I'd point to Tommy, aka Thomasina in The Perks of Loving a Wallflower. Unfortunately, that book is also an excellent example of how to balance a book that has both an adventure/mission to accomplish/puzzle to solve and a love story with a lot of side characters. This book tries to do both, but there are too damn many side characters and none of them are distinguishable from one another, save for the horrible father, the middle sister, and the twins (who barely count since they're almost one entity).
The chemistry never really takes off between the two characters for me. I love a good enemies/rivals to lovers sort of situation and just glance at all the many incarnations I've read of Pride and Prejudice to see that I LOVE a good romance where two characters have a rich inner life and mistake each others' outer actions and opinions as being snobby. Unfortunately, this one never really takes off. In my humble opinion, if we had stuck to just one character as the POV main character (probably Elf since she has the richer character arc), this would have been better. Additionally, I found myself completely forgetting the main adventure/puzzle because for long periods of time, the characters seem to do the same until it's suddenly invoked again to get the plot moving once again.
All in all, I think this would have been a more interesting book if it was historical fiction about a young woman who loves archeology and is parentified for her younger siblings and has to deal with her narcissistic father's ego and incidentally comes to understand her childhood nemesis, Georgie, who always teased and bullied her for being too bookwormish and quiet but has grown up and come to regret her actions and grow as a person. If the focus remained on the adventure and Elf, this would have been more interesting to me, but that's just my own opinion.
This was a bit of a weird one for me. I usually LOVE period romances, no matter if they are trying to be true to the historical period and attitudes or whether the setting is a period one but the attitudes are more modern-day. This one kind of sits firmly in the middle somehow, seeming like it's trying to remain consistent to the period but also adding all these modern ideas to it, which feels very out of place and sticks out a lot in my mind. For an example of how the inner life of a period enby lesbian might have worked better in that period, I'd point to Tommy, aka Thomasina in The Perks of Loving a Wallflower. Unfortunately, that book is also an excellent example of how to balance a book that has both an adventure/mission to accomplish/puzzle to solve and a love story with a lot of side characters. This book tries to do both, but there are too damn many side characters and none of them are distinguishable from one another, save for the horrible father, the middle sister, and the twins (who barely count since they're almost one entity).
The chemistry never really takes off between the two characters for me. I love a good enemies/rivals to lovers sort of situation and just glance at all the many incarnations I've read of Pride and Prejudice to see that I LOVE a good romance where two characters have a rich inner life and mistake each others' outer actions and opinions as being snobby. Unfortunately, this one never really takes off. In my humble opinion, if we had stuck to just one character as the POV main character (probably Elf since she has the richer character arc), this would have been better. Additionally, I found myself completely forgetting the main adventure/puzzle because for long periods of time, the characters seem to do the same until it's suddenly invoked again to get the plot moving once again.
All in all, I think this would have been a more interesting book if it was historical fiction about a young woman who loves archeology and is parentified for her younger siblings and has to deal with her narcissistic father's ego and incidentally comes to understand her childhood nemesis, Georgie, who always teased and bullied her for being too bookwormish and quiet but has grown up and come to regret her actions and grow as a person. If the focus remained on the adventure and Elf, this would have been more interesting to me, but that's just my own opinion.
May 23, 2025
A queer Regency romance with a female archaeologist and a main character using they/them pronouns! I loved the characters, especially the main characters, Elfreda and Georgie, but also the hilarious supporting cast. The story takes place during what amounts to a treasure hunt, which is a lot of fun, as well. Elfreda is hoping to finally unearth an artifact that will leave her father and his Society of Antiquaries no choice but to recognize her as a fellow archaeologist and admit her to the Society. When Georgie accidentally gets in the way of Elfreda's goal, they offer to help her find the treasure mentioned in her grandmother's papers. The romance between the two main characters is sweet in an "enemies to lovers" sort of way and I was cheering for Elf and Georgie all the way.
I received this book as an e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
I received this book as an e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
May 13, 2025
this was a perfect sweet treat that i ate in one bite! i am a longtime fan of historical romances, and i love that there have been so many queer entries into the genre lately. this one in particular featured a nonbinary main character, and i loved how georgie’s gender identity was incorporated in a thoughtful and inclusive way while navigating very real historical limitations.
i loved how passionate elfreda was about archeology, and i could tell the author really put in some research to be accurate. i don’t always see that depth when it comes to fleshing out a character’s interests, so the attention to detail was noted and appreciated here! i also loved how georgie incorporated themselves into her search — their development from butting heads at the beginning to forming a friendship (and more) felt natural and well-paced. i also really loved the supporting cast of characters, from elfreda’s siblings to georgie’s friends. i would absolutely recommend this book!
thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
i loved how passionate elfreda was about archeology, and i could tell the author really put in some research to be accurate. i don’t always see that depth when it comes to fleshing out a character’s interests, so the attention to detail was noted and appreciated here! i also loved how georgie incorporated themselves into her search — their development from butting heads at the beginning to forming a friendship (and more) felt natural and well-paced. i also really loved the supporting cast of characters, from elfreda’s siblings to georgie’s friends. i would absolutely recommend this book!
thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 26, 2025
I really wanted MORE from this queer historical fiction. After a while I just became frustrated with Elf allowing her father to walk all over her and Georgie just kind of frittering about with no real purpose. None of the characters really had enough depth for me to get super attached? A couple of moments made me feel deeply for the queer folks who paved the paths, but other than that? Forgettable.
Also. There is a point where pronoun use became so confusing and overwhelming in this book. It's grand that Georgie uses they/them prounouns. But every so often, it's also okay to pepper in their NAME, so as not to bog down the story! Especially when Elf and Georgie were doing things together. I found myself going "wait, did Georgie do this or are the girls working together to do it?"
Also. There is a point where pronoun use became so confusing and overwhelming in this book. It's grand that Georgie uses they/them prounouns. But every so often, it's also okay to pepper in their NAME, so as not to bog down the story! Especially when Elf and Georgie were doing things together. I found myself going "wait, did Georgie do this or are the girls working together to do it?"
June 22, 2025
A lovely and heartfelt romance between two people who are looking for their places in the world and find mutual support, love, and joy with one another.
I’ve always been interested in archeology, so I loved the premise of a regency era story featuring an intelligent, focused young woman with a passion for history, searching for proof that the Anglo-Saxons indeed encamped on her family’s property. Elfreda was truly the central heart of her family, not only focused on keeping her beloved grandmama’s legacy of scholarship alive but also taking care of her little sisters and her self-obsessed, miserly father. I can’t say I have any sympathy for Elf’s father - he was a constant disappointment, and the way he and his colleagues dismissed Elf’s work and worth at every turn was so frustrating, even though I know that is exactly what happened to women back then (and still happens today).
Georgie was a delight, and their “banishment” to their country estate was exactly what both they and Elf needed to push them out of their comfort zones and to a place where they were ready to seize their own happiness. I’m so glad we hopped back and forth between Elf and Georgie’s points of view, because I loved seeing each of them fall in love, hearing their memories from childhood, realizing that their rivalry was all misunderstanding and the sensitive hurt feelings of children. Their moments together, once they’d realized neither truly hated the other, were full of joy, passion, and true happiness, as they grew increasingly closer and more honest with one another about their feelings.
I really appreciated the author’s sensitive handling of Georgie’s gender, both in the text with their conversations about pronouns and in the intro and author’s note. As the author noted, words like non-binary and they/them pronouns weren’t used back in the regency era, but non-binary people existed back then, as did queer people. I enjoyed this glimpse into what a happy life could look like, outside of the roles society expected of women and men. Georgie also had some deep thinking to do about their future, and being around Elf was a big help in that regard. Not only is Elf’s all-consuming passion for history adorable to them, Elf could see Georgie more clearly than they could see themself. Having that outside perspective and support telling them that they bring joy everywhere they go, and that their ideas are good and not silly, was the kind of grounding Georgie needed to start taking themself seriously as well.
For my romance readers, I’d say this is probably 2/5 on the spicy scale, though it does escalate rather quickly, considering Elf hadn’t even thought about kissing a girl until she saw Georgie’s friends, lol. Nothing felt out of place, though I can’t imagine a world where a pile of blankets on the roof of an ancient house that’s practically falling apart is comfortable haha.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for a copy of this book for review purposes. It just came out a few weeks ago, so you can grab a copy from your favorite local bookstore or library today!
I’ve always been interested in archeology, so I loved the premise of a regency era story featuring an intelligent, focused young woman with a passion for history, searching for proof that the Anglo-Saxons indeed encamped on her family’s property. Elfreda was truly the central heart of her family, not only focused on keeping her beloved grandmama’s legacy of scholarship alive but also taking care of her little sisters and her self-obsessed, miserly father. I can’t say I have any sympathy for Elf’s father - he was a constant disappointment, and the way he and his colleagues dismissed Elf’s work and worth at every turn was so frustrating, even though I know that is exactly what happened to women back then (and still happens today).
Georgie was a delight, and their “banishment” to their country estate was exactly what both they and Elf needed to push them out of their comfort zones and to a place where they were ready to seize their own happiness. I’m so glad we hopped back and forth between Elf and Georgie’s points of view, because I loved seeing each of them fall in love, hearing their memories from childhood, realizing that their rivalry was all misunderstanding and the sensitive hurt feelings of children. Their moments together, once they’d realized neither truly hated the other, were full of joy, passion, and true happiness, as they grew increasingly closer and more honest with one another about their feelings.
I really appreciated the author’s sensitive handling of Georgie’s gender, both in the text with their conversations about pronouns and in the intro and author’s note. As the author noted, words like non-binary and they/them pronouns weren’t used back in the regency era, but non-binary people existed back then, as did queer people. I enjoyed this glimpse into what a happy life could look like, outside of the roles society expected of women and men. Georgie also had some deep thinking to do about their future, and being around Elf was a big help in that regard. Not only is Elf’s all-consuming passion for history adorable to them, Elf could see Georgie more clearly than they could see themself. Having that outside perspective and support telling them that they bring joy everywhere they go, and that their ideas are good and not silly, was the kind of grounding Georgie needed to start taking themself seriously as well.
For my romance readers, I’d say this is probably 2/5 on the spicy scale, though it does escalate rather quickly, considering Elf hadn’t even thought about kissing a girl until she saw Georgie’s friends, lol. Nothing felt out of place, though I can’t imagine a world where a pile of blankets on the roof of an ancient house that’s practically falling apart is comfortable haha.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for a copy of this book for review purposes. It just came out a few weeks ago, so you can grab a copy from your favorite local bookstore or library today!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2025
Even though it wasn’t the book I expected to be, and it took me a while to get over that disappointment, I still enjoyed A Rare Find for what it was.
Let me start with what this isn’t. The blurb is heavy on the treasure hunting aspect, talking about a proper excavation, a hidden hoard of Viking gold, and unexpected adventures, but that’s something that’s talked about far more than explored. The actual treasure hunting scenes are scattered few and far between, and there’s really only one that has any sense of tension or excitement to it. There is some strong history behind it, with some interesting research into the possibility of treasure, but even that is mostly surface level.
Now, as for what it is, this is a historical romance that delivers on the relationships. Elf and Georgie have a deep history, and it makes their enemies-to-lovers journey even more exciting. Wrapped around that relationship is deep discussion about gender, gender roles, and gender politics at a time when women weren’t free to choose their own path, and their circle of friends brings fantastic color to the scandalous opportunities of their world.
The story is low-stakes and slow-burn, but the supporting cast of characters bring enough life to the story to keep it moving. Not my favorite WLW regency romance, but still a pleasant read.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2025/...
Let me start with what this isn’t. The blurb is heavy on the treasure hunting aspect, talking about a proper excavation, a hidden hoard of Viking gold, and unexpected adventures, but that’s something that’s talked about far more than explored. The actual treasure hunting scenes are scattered few and far between, and there’s really only one that has any sense of tension or excitement to it. There is some strong history behind it, with some interesting research into the possibility of treasure, but even that is mostly surface level.
Now, as for what it is, this is a historical romance that delivers on the relationships. Elf and Georgie have a deep history, and it makes their enemies-to-lovers journey even more exciting. Wrapped around that relationship is deep discussion about gender, gender roles, and gender politics at a time when women weren’t free to choose their own path, and their circle of friends brings fantastic color to the scandalous opportunities of their world.
The story is low-stakes and slow-burn, but the supporting cast of characters bring enough life to the story to keep it moving. Not my favorite WLW regency romance, but still a pleasant read.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2025/...
June 15, 2025
I liked this but I didn't love it. Unfortunately, I can't quite put my finger on what it was that held me back. Maybe there wasn't enough conflict or the pacing was too slow? I'm not exactly sure.
I really liked Elfreda and Georgie. Georgie is so exuberant and rushes in and just enjoys life. It's refreshing because I am so opposite to that haha. Elfreda is shy but passionate about her family and archaeology. She is determined to make a discovery that will earn her a spot in the local archaeology society. At first, it seems like Elfreda and Georgie couldn't be more different and they do get under each other's skin. But over time, we see how well they actually complement each other. And the other characters are a delight as well - Phipps, the twins, Agnes, Mrs. Alderwalsey. I think the twins were my fave because of their antics.
Overall, I would recommend this one if you like historical romance, opposites attract, and/or second chance romance.
Thanks to Berkley for the free advance copy!
I really liked Elfreda and Georgie. Georgie is so exuberant and rushes in and just enjoys life. It's refreshing because I am so opposite to that haha. Elfreda is shy but passionate about her family and archaeology. She is determined to make a discovery that will earn her a spot in the local archaeology society. At first, it seems like Elfreda and Georgie couldn't be more different and they do get under each other's skin. But over time, we see how well they actually complement each other. And the other characters are a delight as well - Phipps, the twins, Agnes, Mrs. Alderwalsey. I think the twins were my fave because of their antics.
Overall, I would recommend this one if you like historical romance, opposites attract, and/or second chance romance.
Thanks to Berkley for the free advance copy!
June 11, 2025
I would give this book 4 starts but it was just a little too confusing. Parts of it were time era accurate but most of it was a little off. There was also kind of a stigma at the beginning of the lgbtq characters “ostracizing” elf. Overall a pretty easy read.
June 2, 2025
Do you remember when you were a kid used to like someone so much that every time you’re around them things just never went your way?
In A Rare Find by Joanna Lowell Georgie Redmayne experiences this often when it comes to her neighbour Elfeda Marsden- always trying to get her attention, but always failing and making yourself look like a show off.
Thus Elfie he’s under the impression that she and Georgie are enemies… that is until she returns to the countryside from galavanting across London on a forced justification and proximity and the little force by Georgie pushes them together enough. The Alfie starts thinking they’re not enemies… Maybe there something more!
This was a delightful anyways, lovers romance with fun and unique characters. Alfie and her dreams of being recognized for her archeological finds, and getting the respect and recognition from her father and other archeologists was a great contrast to Georgie, the carefree and popular socialite. They made a perfect opposites, attract pairing, and really brought out the best in both of them.
In A Rare Find by Joanna Lowell Georgie Redmayne experiences this often when it comes to her neighbour Elfeda Marsden- always trying to get her attention, but always failing and making yourself look like a show off.
Thus Elfie he’s under the impression that she and Georgie are enemies… that is until she returns to the countryside from galavanting across London on a forced justification and proximity and the little force by Georgie pushes them together enough. The Alfie starts thinking they’re not enemies… Maybe there something more!
This was a delightful anyways, lovers romance with fun and unique characters. Alfie and her dreams of being recognized for her archeological finds, and getting the respect and recognition from her father and other archeologists was a great contrast to Georgie, the carefree and popular socialite. They made a perfect opposites, attract pairing, and really brought out the best in both of them.
August 24, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
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