I decided to review this book on a whim as I don’t usually read western books at all. The queer aspect massively drew me to it so I thought I’d take a risk and try something new.

I am very glad I did because this book was heart-warming, entertaining, cute and an all round good read. The characters were interesting with their own stories and motivations. The romance was very adorable with some added spice. I’m not usually a fan of slow-burn as it tends to make me want to throw the book across the room and not in a good way. However, this slow-burn was perfect with enough hints to keep you interested but slow enough that you saw the growth and change in the relationship.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a queer romance especially if they read historical or are looking for more gender non-conforming characters in books. I will be sharing this book with lots of people I know and placing this author on my watch list as I am interested to see what they write next!

Historical western romance books aren’t my favorite, but I decided to give They Ain’t Proper a chance and I’m so thrilled that I did. This book had me enthralled and engaged with the main characters of Lou Ramirez (aka Guadalajara) and Clementine Castellanos from start to finish. Lou who is non-binary just wants to be left alone to build their house on their land. Instead a mix-up ensues when the house building materials and plans are delivered to another person and Lou is delivered a housewife, Miss Clementine. When Lou takes Clem to her rightful potential husband in exchange for the building materials, Lou decides that they cannot leave Clem with the mean, dirty man. Instead Lou pays double to settle Clem’s debt and Clem goes home with Lou. The book expands on what happens once they begin living together.

There was so much to love about this book. I highly enjoyed the sizzling character chemistry, the slow burn romance, the story background, and the emotion at several points during the story. Give this unique book a try and you will not be disappointed. 4.5 stars



I received an ARC from Bella Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lou Ramirez, pronouns they/them, is looking for a quiet life, alone, in Ghosthollow. A mix up in deliveries from the general store lands Clementine Castellanos on her doorstep as their wife. Lou is smitten from first sight but is determined to do the proper thing and take Clementine to the man who purchased her.

Clementine desperately needs to change her living situation but the 1880’s in the wild frontier offers few options to women. In order to pay her family debt she sells herself as a mail order bride. Being delivered to Lou’s homestead, Clementine is attracted to the polite and quiet Lou. Unfortunately, trouble follows both Lou and Clementine to Ghosthollow.

I am a big fan of stories set in the wild west’s early years and I was happily entertained by They Ain’t Proper. There is a lot of story packed into this high drama novel. The slow burn romance is excruciating in the best of ways. Lou being non binary is accepted and fits into the the wild frontier philosophy of live and let live if they do you no harm.

This is a fun romantic read.

I received an advance review copy  from Bella Books through NetGalley.  I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This transgender character falls in love with this woman who ends up on their doorstep named Clementine Castellanos. She wants a way to pay her services as a wife for something that happened to her. So this character named Lou who is transgender is a they them pronoun they don’t really talk much about themselves this story has a lot of slow burn slow romance trope and it was a page turned.

Clementine decides to get a job as a bartender and she wears like corsets to get tips and one day one guy comes in with a wanted poster and she lies saying she doesn’t know the person he’s looking for and it ends up being the person she’s staying with. I loved the story and the building of it but I wish I had more of a backstory on Lou and what makes them so mysterious I feel like we didn’t get a lot of character building on Lou. And there could of been more on why and what happened to them besides their breakup before meeting clementine that made them so mysterious and you find this all towards the end about their breakup. I loved the ending it was good how it ended. I wish I could see a sequel.

If you want a good western this is it, also maybe more world building of the town of ghosthallow.

I got this book as a arc on netgalley my opinions are 100% are my own.

A queer Western historical romance? Absolutely YES. They Ain't Proper was just so damn good. It felt like balm on a weary soul for queer folks who have been long deprived of access to quality queer historical fiction that isn't miserable.

They Ain't Proper is a well-written and engaging take on this genre that leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy to finally see yourself represented in this context. Queer people have always existed, Queer people were cowboys but like many other aspects of history, those stories have long been erased and ignored. Of course, this is a work of fiction but it's not a stretch of the imagination to think this story provides some insight into what that experience was really like.

They Ain't Proper serves as a perfect example as to why there's no excuse for queer narratives to be ignored in historical fiction, too often it's touted that queerness is a new modern concept and that there's no space for queer cowboys or dukes because back then queerness was some rare and unheard of thing. However, this book so seamlessly and effortlessly places sexuality and gender identity in a historical context in a way that's clear but doesn't feel too modern for the time.

This book is sweet and romantic and has so much heart - and I highly recommend anyone who enjoys queer romance to keep an eye out for when this one releases, it's a must-read.

Thank you so much to Bella books and NetGalley for a digital arc in return for an unbiased review!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

all lou wants to do is get on with their life, quietly going about their own business but something is delivered to their homestead..... a wife

one they didnt order and one they didnt want

and so began lou and clementines storyline.... both had something to hide and were hiding from others

enjoyed the storyline very much but the constant use of they distracted from full enjoyment and i get why they were used but was it really needed when the use of lou names would have done in place

Lou Ramiorez is a trying to build up a ranch near the small town of Ghosthallow. Expecting materials and plans to build a house instead a mail order bride is delivered. Clementine Castellanos sells herself as a bride to pay off a debt and get away from Lefty, an outlaw who kept her after her father is killed. Lou tries to get Clem to the man who bought her but instead opts to come to her rescue and pay double the price. Clem feels the need to work to payoff the debt to Lou by helping at the homestead and also working in a local saloon.

This is a slow burn, western romance set in 1887. The attraction sparks between Clem and Lou, but a bounty on Lou’s head is a problem. Also appearances of people from both of their pasts along with miscommunications keep them a part most of the book. I enjoyed the first half and thought the pacing was great. The second half slows down for me and I found myself getting frustrated at both characters for leaping to conclusions and not talking to each other.

Overall the story is enjoyable. Lou is nonbinary and accepted organically by friends and Clem. I did giggle when Lou says something ain’t proper because eventually it is intentionally silly and said with affection. Thank you to NetGalley and Bella Books for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review. (3.5 Stars)

Thank you to NetGalley and Bella Books for approving my request to read an arc of this book.

They Ain’t Proper had been on my tbr since I first heard about it so I was really excited to see it available to request on NetGalley. I sometimes struggle with historic settings, but with the way this book was written, it didn’t even feel like it was historic. The writing was easy to read and flowed well and I didn’t have to focus too hard on the plot so it was quite a fast read.

It was a very enjoyable read, sure there was the common “misunderstanding” trope and some miscommunication, but it was quickly solved so it didn’t get frustrating like it can with some stories. Overall it was a fun and easy read and I liked seeing the development of Lou and Clem’s relationship.