A Shore Thing

By: Joanna Lowell

Narrated by: Ros Watt

"Glorious.... Every scene in this book is a treasure."—The New York Times

Named a Best Romance of the Year by The New York Times and Parade

A delightfully queer Victorian love story, featuring a boldly brash trans hero, the beguiling botanist who captures his heart, and a buoyant bicycle race by the British seaside—from the author of The Duke Undone.

Former painter and unreformed rake Kit Griffith is forging a new life in Cornwall, choosing freedom over an identity that didn't fit. He knew that leaving his Sisterhood of women artists might mean forfeiting artistic community forever. He didn’t realize he would lose his ability to paint altogether. Luckily, he has other talents. Why not devote himself to selling bicycles and trysting with the holidaymakers?

Enter Muriel Pendrake, the feisty New-York-bound botanist who has come to St. Ives to commission Kit for illustrations of British seaweeds. Kit shouldn’t accept Muriel’s offer, but he must enlist her help to prove to an all-male cycling club that women can ride as well as men. And she won't agree unless he gives her what she wants. Maybe that's exactly the challenge he needs.

As Kit and Muriel spend their days cycling together, their desire begins to burn with the heat of the summer sun. But are they pedaling toward something impossible? The past is bound to catch up to them, and at the season’s end, their paths will diverge. With only their hearts as guides, Kit and Muriel must decide if they’re willing to race into the unknown for the adventure of a lifetime.

©2024 Joanna Lowell (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Every scene in this book is a treasure: a stolen kiss on a lonely road, a rescue during a sudden flood, jokes about seaweed and terrible men. It’s marvelously specific in time and place—and about queerness as a range of experiences: who can hide, who can mostly pass but have queer encounters on the side and who has to rebel against the world just to have space to breathe."—The New York Times

"A refreshing reminder that the Victorians weren’t quite as Victorian as we pretend."—The Washington Post

"The novel explores what it is like to be a trans man in Victorian England and invites readers to visit the spaces where queer Victorians could be themselves. Lowell transported me to the British seaside and made me want to take a long bike ride with a sweetheart, which is the highest praise I can give (I am pathologically afraid of bicycles). If you want to feel the wind on your cheeks, get stuck in a herd of sheep, and fall in love, this book is for you.”—Oprah Daily

Do not miss this GEM

I never wrote a review before, but this book must be celebrated and SHARED. It is the essence of what romance should be: selfless, honest, raw.

Kit is the epitome of dashing charm, his every word and action leaving you breathless. And Muriel, oh Muriel. She is bold, generous, intelligent, brave, tenacious.
Both souls beautiful in their imperfections, and humanity. Honest in front of each other.
This is me, if you decide to love me,
I won't compromise.

I rarely read such a perfect romance book. Written wonderfully, fun, engaging, where all the feelings felt real, where the protagonists never act foolishly for too long without SPEAK to each other (there is actually a beautiful passage about this).

Lowell has crafted a world so vivid and touching that you can't help but fall in love with *every single character*. They are all so relatable, three-dimensional. And you kind of wish to step into their story and hug every one of them.

Joanna Lowell’s writing is like an unexpected bite of icecream after long days of perfectly lovely, but ordinary, meals.

I loved every moment of this book from the authors note to the final word. Charming, dynamic characters, unique historical detail, and imagery that makes you feel like you are sitting on a bike with the wind whipping through your hair beside the MCs, this story is just sublime. It’s my hope that a throng of readers who have only ever read “traditional” romance, fall in love with Joanna’s writing and take a chance on something a little different because this is an achingly beautiful glimpse into how it might have felt to be queer in a more rigid time in history…. And we can all do with a little more empathy.

I can’t imagine anyone not falling in love with Kit and Muriel. 💕