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Stubborn Things: Boston 1770
“It’s not justice anyone wants! It’s vengeance! It matters nothing if you want justice when you’re the only one.”
Matthew Kilroy has never fit. Not in his home, where he was too big in a Quaker family that was already too big to feed. Not in the army he ran away to join, where he is desperate to be equal to his older comrades. Not in Boston, where the townspeople hate His Majesty’s soldiers.
Abijah Dawes is the most eligible omega in town. The only son of two only sons, he has a massive dowry, a Harvard education, and a clerkship under renowned lawyer John Adams. His only flaw, whispers Boston, is that he prefers raising objections to raising children.
Introduced by a snowball gone awry and united by a midnight robbery, Abijah finds himself drawn to the kindred spirit he senses in Matthew. While Matthew knows he is unsuitable for Abijah in every way, Abijah’s warmth convinces him that maybe, just maybe, he may finally belong at his side.
But when tensions erupt into gunfire, five people lie dead and dying on the cold streets. With Matthew imprisoned under the threat of a noose and Abijah desperate to spare his life, the secret affair that sustains them may also prove their undoing. Both must grapple with the limits of the law and love if they hope to create a life together… and if the mob and Matthew’s internal demons don’t steal everything first.
Matthew Kilroy has never fit. Not in his home, where he was too big in a Quaker family that was already too big to feed. Not in the army he ran away to join, where he is desperate to be equal to his older comrades. Not in Boston, where the townspeople hate His Majesty’s soldiers.
Abijah Dawes is the most eligible omega in town. The only son of two only sons, he has a massive dowry, a Harvard education, and a clerkship under renowned lawyer John Adams. His only flaw, whispers Boston, is that he prefers raising objections to raising children.
Introduced by a snowball gone awry and united by a midnight robbery, Abijah finds himself drawn to the kindred spirit he senses in Matthew. While Matthew knows he is unsuitable for Abijah in every way, Abijah’s warmth convinces him that maybe, just maybe, he may finally belong at his side.
But when tensions erupt into gunfire, five people lie dead and dying on the cold streets. With Matthew imprisoned under the threat of a noose and Abijah desperate to spare his life, the secret affair that sustains them may also prove their undoing. Both must grapple with the limits of the law and love if they hope to create a life together… and if the mob and Matthew’s internal demons don’t steal everything first.
342 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 17, 2026
About the author
Mercy Leroux
3 books3 followersMercy Leroux uses her PhD research skills not for scholarly articles, but for writing historically accurate omegaverse about the niche part of history that’s captured her heart.
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Review of advance copy received from Author
Disclaimer: received an advanced reader copy. Views are my own.
This is another excellent read that builds on the world of "We Are Not Strangers" without the stories being dependent upon each other. The angst, hurt, comfort, and romance were lovely to read, and also unique--despite sharing a name, Matthew Wilcox of WANS and Matthew Kilroy of Stubborn Things are very different characters, and Kilroy's romance with Abijah was very different in dynamic from Wilcox's and Josiah's in the previous book in the series... different, but no less compelling!
The tension of 1769-70 Boston is well-drawn; the reader can feel dread building as the violence escalates. Yet even as I knew what would happen from history, I still found myself clutching the pages and desperately wishing to avoid the pain.
The historical people the characters are based on feel very alive and tangible, prone to human quirks and weaknesses and humor. Shoutout to the antics of Jonathan Williams Austin and William Tudor in John Adams' law office, as well as to William Warren of the 29th. All three were really fun to read about, with Austin and Warren providing many moments of hilarity. I also appreciated the fact that humanizing the accused didn't come at the expense of humanizing the victims, as each of them got moments of humanity, and Samuel Maverick, of course, played a major role in the story.
Abijah is a total sweetheart, the sunshine to Matthew's grumpy cat. Still, he's distinctly not perfect, and he and Matthew actually had very similar insecurities and motivations deep down. The only difference is that Abijah's class and family situation allowed him different ways to process his internal struggles. I also enjoyed his relationship with his father; it's rare to read a story with a good dad who still messes up royally, and I was so happy with his ending!
Matthew Kilroy is a particularly complex and unique character. He felt distinctly human in his foibles (his immaturity and insecurity) and yet those both had strong sides, too: his childlike appreciation for small things, like a leaf or a wave from Abijah, and his care for others who are also forced to live lives smaller than they would like. The end of his arc was highly fitting (see below for minor spoilers, but it's a romance with a HEA, it's not that much of one).
I also enjoyed the story's musings on the nature of justice, and how what it is can't be neatly defined, However, Stubborn Things suggests that rather than love and justice being two things to be balanced to achieve a better world, justice and love are instead intrinsically entwined.
Ending: Matthew's ending being, essentially, him constructing the childhood he was never able to have for his and Abijah's many kids was beautiful and poetic--as was him taking the one thing his parent were able to provide for him and using that to strengthen his relationship with his kids: unconditional love, which he previously didn't think was enough, becomes enough.
This is another excellent read that builds on the world of "We Are Not Strangers" without the stories being dependent upon each other. The angst, hurt, comfort, and romance were lovely to read, and also unique--despite sharing a name, Matthew Wilcox of WANS and Matthew Kilroy of Stubborn Things are very different characters, and Kilroy's romance with Abijah was very different in dynamic from Wilcox's and Josiah's in the previous book in the series... different, but no less compelling!
The tension of 1769-70 Boston is well-drawn; the reader can feel dread building as the violence escalates. Yet even as I knew what would happen from history, I still found myself clutching the pages and desperately wishing to avoid the pain.
The historical people the characters are based on feel very alive and tangible, prone to human quirks and weaknesses and humor. Shoutout to the antics of Jonathan Williams Austin and William Tudor in John Adams' law office, as well as to William Warren of the 29th. All three were really fun to read about, with Austin and Warren providing many moments of hilarity. I also appreciated the fact that humanizing the accused didn't come at the expense of humanizing the victims, as each of them got moments of humanity, and Samuel Maverick, of course, played a major role in the story.
Abijah is a total sweetheart, the sunshine to Matthew's grumpy cat. Still, he's distinctly not perfect, and he and Matthew actually had very similar insecurities and motivations deep down. The only difference is that Abijah's class and family situation allowed him different ways to process his internal struggles. I also enjoyed his relationship with his father; it's rare to read a story with a good dad who still messes up royally, and I was so happy with his ending!
Matthew Kilroy is a particularly complex and unique character. He felt distinctly human in his foibles (his immaturity and insecurity) and yet those both had strong sides, too: his childlike appreciation for small things, like a leaf or a wave from Abijah, and his care for others who are also forced to live lives smaller than they would like. The end of his arc was highly fitting (see below for minor spoilers, but it's a romance with a HEA, it's not that much of one).
I also enjoyed the story's musings on the nature of justice, and how what it is can't be neatly defined, However, Stubborn Things suggests that rather than love and justice being two things to be balanced to achieve a better world, justice and love are instead intrinsically entwined.
Ending: Matthew's ending being, essentially, him constructing the childhood he was never able to have for his and Abijah's many kids was beautiful and poetic--as was him taking the one thing his parent were able to provide for him and using that to strengthen his relationship with his kids: unconditional love, which he previously didn't think was enough, becomes enough.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review