Artemis

Southwark Scions #1

by Jessica Cale

Actress Charlotte Halfpenny is in trouble. Pregnant, abandoned by her lover, and out of a job, Charlotte faces eviction two weeks before Christmas. When the reclusive Earl of Somerton makes her an outrageous offer, she has no choice but to accept. Could he be the man of her dreams, or is the nightmare just beginning?

LGBT Gothic Regency Romance. Novella

Genres: Historical, Romance, Queer, Historical Romance, Transgender, LGBT, Fiction

70 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 26, 2017

About the author

Jessica Cale is an award-winning author, public historian, and journalist. Originally from Minnesota, she earned her BA in History and MFA in Creative and Media Writing at Swansea University in Wales, while working as a freelance contributor to BBC History Magazine. She has volunteered as a sex-education teacher for Planned Parenthood, and she brings the history of sex to a broader audience as the host of the Dirty Sexy History podcast and editor of the Dirty Sexy History blog. She has appeared as an on-camera historian on Netflix’s hit docudrama, The Lost Pirate Kingdom. Jessica is passionate about women’s social and medical history, focusing on the history of sex, contraception, drugs, and cosmetics

Reviews

[Gwessie Tee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received as a gift with anthology, I volunteer the review naughtiness 3*

This was the first book by Jessica that I read and most definitely will Not be the last, I utterly fell in love with this book very much, its not the first book I've read featuring LGBT either and its good to see more authors doing so to educate more people about the community, I'm an Ally myself and love that these romances are featuring more, Love is not a choice it hits us where it hits in our hearts regardless of gender or orientation 😊

As always I never give spoilers and have not mentioned any more than is in the blurb for this book I will say I utterly loved it it had me hooked from page one and I managed to read it in one go which is not always an was thing for me, I adored it and will be re reading it as well as collecting more of Lady Jessica's books some of which I already have and will be reading as soon as I'm able too,

Thank you Lady Jessica for writing it and happy Pride 💖

[Lawrence Hogue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Jessica Cale's Tyburn, and this novella was a great read, too -- perfect for a rainy vacation day. It's great to see Ms. Cale moving into the Regency, and also giving us LGBT characters. It's important to imagine the lives of people who loved differently in the past, given where we are today in the back-and-forth struggle for LGBT rights.

The story revolves around Apollo Rothschild, the reclusive Earl of Somerton, and Charlotte Halfpenny, a disgraced actress. Apollo has loved Charlotte from afar since he first saw her on stage; Charlotte needs a protector for herself and her baby on the way. What could get in their way? First, Charlotte distrusts the intentions of a nobleman she's never met. Second, and most important, Apollo has a secret. Something to do with a mysterious inability to sire children, which is his justification for offering marriage to a pregnant, disgraced actress -- like all noblemen, he needs an heir.

The story is propelled by the unraveling mystery of Apollo's secret. Given that this is an LGBT story, the truth behind the mystery shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but the details of it are intricate and fascinating. For readers who do twig Apollo's identity right away, the pleasure comes from the dramatic irony of watching Charlotte try to unravel the secret the reader already knows. By the end, we're convinced that these two characters are incredibly fortunate to have found each other.

Along the way, Ms. Cale's vivid depictions of life in London in the early 19th century, with just the right amount of historical detail, make the novella a pleasure to read. Highly recommended.

[Aster · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's very well-written and romantic and I enjoyed the overall plotline but you can tell the trans storyline is written by a cis author. It's nothing too offensive and is working with some beliefs of the time period but just be aware going in

[Tracy DeNeal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this story in the Holly & Hopeful Hearts anthology. It stuck with me the most of all of the vignettes.

First, I grieved for the loss of Artemis. Then, I grieved for the loss of Apollo. I loved that they were the progeny of Meg Henshawe and Jake Cohen and raised to the peerage by Sally Green and Nick Virtue.

The story was sensitively written and the love story was believable.

[Markéta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet and delightfully queer.
4/5

[scarr · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a novella so the story suffered from not having any time flesh out why these two characters actually like one another. I love novellas! I'm not someone who reads them and then complains they weren't long enough, like I LIKE that they are shorter than a full-length novel.

Also, glaringly, the cis woman keeps being like, "he LOOKS so DIFFERENT from all the OTHER MEN I've met, he's so FEMININE!" This didn't have to be part of the story at all. Also, Cale has this issue of writing in and out of the time period so it's all just a muddy reading experience. I noted this issue with other books by her - it's not about historical accuracy for me it is about consistency. I have one more book by this author I'm going to give a try but honestly, I have such low expectations at this point.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed this. I found the story and the characters to be endearing start to finish. There was a moment I felt a bit uncomfortable:

“How could you be? I am neither a man nor a woman. I do not belong anywhere at all.” “You’re neither a man nor a woman,” she agreed. “You’re something better, something more, and you belong with me.”

Because I’m pretty sure our MC is a trans man which makes him a man?? But I could be misunderstanding.

But otherwise I thought it was great and I really loved these two together.

[Piepie | The Napping Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very lovely LGBT+ short story... the "twist" is predictable, but I loved the references to Artemis, Apollo, Hades, etc. You'll fall in love with these characters, too!

[arabella shaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

it would've been such a great book if it was a little bit bigger and more detailed

[Tia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a super short 2 hour audiobook of an Earl falling completely in love with a beautiful, disgraced actress. When Charlotte finds herself pregnant and soon to be homeless, she has no choice but to accept the Earls wild idea of marriage to save his inheritance.

While this was a short books it doesn’t miss out on passion and it had me foaming at the mouth!! The tension and the thriller aspect had me so excited to keep reading that when the twist happened I literally couldn’t contain myself and it had me jumping for joy!

[Elizabeth Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous! My only complaint is that I wish it were longer; I would happily have followed this couple through a full-length novel. I loved that Charlotte fell in love through reading Apollo's journal without knowing it was his journal. I almost wish I had gone into this not knowing Apollo's secret myself. Charlotte's reaction when she learns that secret is so beautiful. It's perfect. All the feels! The audiobook narrator did a wonderful job as well.

[Zenobia Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this very sweet story about two outsiders finding love in a world that that was not designed for them. I love reading about characters like this that are often not portrayed in historical romance! Looking forward to reading more Southwark books. Cale's kind of historical romance is exactly what I like!

[Tarra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good bones, but could have been so much more and had a much bigger impact.

Weak villain, romance happened much to quickly. I would have loved, loved, loved to read more about Apollo. This should have been the meat of the story, so interesting and unique. Unfortunately, it wasn't fleshed out enough.

[Anna Bowling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Southwark legacy shines bright

Readers in Southwark Saga withdrawal, rejoice. The first entry in the Southwark Scions (waiting impatiently for more) bring a us about a century and a half forward in time, with an actress heroine and the mysterious earl who offers her a bargain beyond her wildest dreams.

[Michaela | Reading in the Heartland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was thoroughly enjoying this story but then a huge twist put a damper on things. I know that some will find it the best twist but it’s just not my cup of tea. But, I can’t deny the ingenuity of the storyline nor the depth of the characters.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[AndPeggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise and the characters felt real in light of how little time we spend with them, but it was a lot of story to pack into a novella and the result was an ending so abrupt and tidy that I laughed when I realized that’s really how it was ending. A good story and great writing, and characters I’d love to see in either a full novel or a short story with less ground to cover.

[T C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adored it! What a lot of readers don't get is that there are only so many ways to write a story about characters falling in love. There are different permutations on the characters' gender, identity, race, the time period and situation but in the end what I think matters most is the story and how well written it is. I LOVED the writing, the style and the dialogue. Definitely going to be a reread.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Loved the writing and the gentleness of the story. Artemis and Charlotte were great characters and I love how Charlotte handled everything when she learned the truth about Artemis. It wasn’t an issue for her at all and just made her love him all the more which was beautiful. I wish this was longer because I couldn’t get enough of these two.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful, quick and queer historical romance. I adored Apollo and Charlotte so much! Jessica Cale is an exquisite romance writer and I’m anxious to see what else she has up her sleeve. Hopefully something new in 2019?! 🙏🏻

[Nightwitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book and a wonderful premise, but in some ways too short - it almost read more like a mystery than a romance, and the twist in turn makes it difficult to review without "spoiling." I would love to read a novel-length version of this.

[Alison (Ali's Books) Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Artemis was just okay. It's a historical romance featuring a transgender man and a bisexual woman. And I thought the story might be going somewhere, but then it started to feel like their sexuality preferences were the point instead of part of their characters. So, it fell flat. 3 Stars

[Maria do Socorro Baptista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uma narrativa romântica que foge dos padrões heteronormativos, com um final de contos de fadas. Se eu ainda fosse professora, eu certamente sugeriria esse livros aos meus alunos, daria uma boa discussão de gênero. Lembrei-me, guardadas as devidas ressalvas, de Gabriel, de George Sand. Muito bom.

[Truusje · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise but I feel all of characters, plot and romance needed to be fleshed out a lot more to do the premise justice.

[MrsMascara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in anthology, related to her Tyburn novel, but set in the Regency.

[Barbara Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick PG15 Regency tale of a pregnant actress and an Earl who cannot father a child. I had an ARC and this voluntary review is my own opinion.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a short book but it was lovely! We know there are LGBTQIA+ people in history so it was wonderful to read a story about them. It was such a cute, heartwarming love story.

[Maxine]

“Artemis” had an interesting premise, but was simply not long enough to adequately tell its own story.

[Sieravonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Who would have thought? I was so astounded by the revelation because I didn't know that this is an LGBT Gothic Regency Romance. The mystery was well written.

[Kelleen (booms.books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know about Jessica Cale from her amazing podcast Dirty Sexy History, but this is the first of her romances I’ve read and I was FLOORED.