3½ Stars. A great Sapphic historical romance with great setting and characters that will leave you wanting for more.

Heat Factor: There are a few scenes

Character Chemistry: You are my muse!

Plot: In a bid to save her theater, Ruth guilts Artemis (retired playwright) into writing one more play

Overall: I had serious issues with the prose

No one is more disappointed than I am that this book didn’t work for me. It’s a Sapphic historical romance that takes place in the theatah! I love all of those things! Unfortunately, the writing style mega didn’t work for me, to the extent that I couldn’t get past it to enjoy other components of the book. Since my main hang-ups were with the prose rather than the characterization or the plot, I’m including several passages here. Maybe the writing style will work for you!

The general gist of the story is that Ruth has just inherited a theater from her father—only to learn that he was seriously in debt, and that she will likely have to close things down and disband the troupe. In a bid to save her home, family, and livelihood, Ruth seeks out one Artemis Goode, and begs her to write a new play (Ruth’s father gave Artemis her start on the stage). Since Artemis was a huge star who has been reclusively retired for the past few years, Ruth hopes that the ensuing buzz will be enough to set things to rights. Artemis reluctantly agrees, even though she suffers from writers’ block.

What follows is a bit of playing house (Artemis and Ruth are both living at the theater) and a lot of internal processing of feelings. This is my big hang-up number one. Artemis and Ruth are really in their heads, and the reader is sitting right there with them. I think this was especially noticeable because I had recently finished The Luckiest Lady in London by Sherry Thomas (we buddy read it for our next podcast, which should drop later this month); Thomas’s book is so beautifully restrained in showing the reader what the characters do, and letting us extrapolate their feelings from their actions. So reading a book where the characters spend pages and pages having long internal monologues about what it means to love…well, let’s say that it really suffered in comparison. However, for the record, I don’t think I ever want to read a long internal monologue about what it means to love. I avoided hanging out with philosophy bros in college for a reason. (I also don’t want to read external monologues on the meaning of *art*, but given the setting, some of that is to be expected.)

Anyway, here’s an example of the processing. This passage happens right after Ruth realizes that she’s in love with Artemis:

":And yes, Ruth had had relationships—well, one lasting one, with Thomas. Other, shorter-lived affairs, and of course, she had her friendships. But was it the same? What did one do specifically when one was in love? How did it change things? Or not? How did one function?

"Worst of all was probably the fact that Artemis…well, that she didn’t know how Artemis felt. What Artemis wanted. Would she be open to a relationship? Last time they’d been intimate, Artemis had just run away, but last night she’d sort of apologised for that, and asked—implicitly and explicitly—for Ruth to stay… Still, did that mean she would be open to even more? To remaining here? Or would she return to retirement, as she’d decreed? Hadn’t things changed?

"And what was Ruth meant to do? Just…say it? Just speak of her feelings?"

We’re not only hashing and rehashing Ruth’s feelings—how do I love? how do I tell her?—but also reminding the reader of information we’ve already learned—that Ruth and Thomas used to be an item—as well as scenes that we were privy to as they happened—Artemis leaving abruptly, Artemis apologizing-ish, Artemis staying the night. I was right there with you when those things happened, Ruth, you don’t need to tell me about them. (Sidenote: how do you ask someone to do something both implicitly and explicitly?)

Big hang-up number two is that the sex writing is unbelievably unsexy. I am struggling to put my finger on exactly what it is, so here’s a passage:

"All thoughts flitted away into the ether as Artemis encircled and grabbed her thighs, and set her mouth to Ruth’s intimate lips. There was no teasing, no coaxing, no slow discovery this time. It was only…

"Consumption.

"Artemis delved into her folds, into her core, relentlessly, and without mercy, determined, it seemed, to drive Ruth wilder than ever before. Determined to reach deeper depths than she ever had before; to soak up every last drop of Ruth’s essence."

Perhaps it’s the repetition: both relentlessly and without mercy, both into her folds and into her core. Or maybe it’s just that the word “delved” was used, and I friggin hate the word delved when we’re talking about body parts. Whatever it is, starting with the very first kiss, I found the descriptions of sex extremely off-putting.

My final hang-up is perhaps the most petty, but it was the most distracting. There are so many ellipses in this book. Normally, I don’t get hung up on punctuation, but there were so many here that I wondered whether there were formatting issues. My point is: if the ellipses are so present that I am thinking about whether and how they function in a sentence, and am starting to count them to see if they are evenly spaced enough to be a formatting issue, then it’s a sign that they’re a tool that’s not being used properly.

I did a lot of skimming.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

Ruth lost her mother not too long ago, and now her father is gone as well. Orphaned, with a pile of bills and debt and only a theater and small acting troupe, Ruth has no choice but to heed the Bard. The show, after all, must go on. But with audiences no longer interested in the stale collection of plays she has to offer, Ruth can only hope for a miracle.

Artemis Goode is a well known playwright who, before she found her fame and fortune in London, knew Ruth’s father, acted in his theater, and used what she learned from him to hone her craft. She’s retired now, after her partner, Kit, took a new woman to be his lover. All she wants is to sit in her quiet home, in her own thoughts, with only herself for company. At least, that was the plan before Ruth came begging for help.

Now, Artemis has a play to write. The only problem is … she has no idea what to write. Her muses are gone and all she has left is banal, mediocre offerings for Ruth and her troupe. Perhaps Artemis needs a romance to be her inspiration?

For all that Shakespeare is mentioned over and over, this story takes place in Regency England in a modest town outside of London. Here, women aren’t unknown on the stage, and while it may be unusual to have Ruth own, run, and manage her own theater, it’s not going to raise any eyebrows. Nor does Ruth’s preference for women over men, or Artemis’ bisexuality, cause anyone to think less of them. Even Artemis is known as a famous female playwright with no need of a male partner to take credit for her work.

Ruth was an unwanted child. Neither of her parents planned to marry, let alone have a child, but when her mother became pregnant, her parents settled down to be a family. Ruth’s father let his daughter know that she wasn’t entirely wanted, and that both he and her mother had other plans for their lives, but he didn’t hold it against her. Much. However, he instilled in Ruth a deep insecurity about being good enough, strong enough, and capable enough. He encouraged her to play maids and comedic sidekicks, never leading roles. Is it any wonder she’s a ball of insecurity?

Artemis has writer’s block. She was good — very good — at what she did. She was known in London and even beyond for her skill, but when Kit moved on, she lost whatever part of her it was that made her words inspire. When Ruth begs her to come write a play for her, Artemis does, only to write the most tired and hackneyed story. Even she is wondering why her characters are so stupid and rolling her eyes at the overused tropes … and then she offers that up to Ruth and company, knowing it’s crap. If it weren’t for other people pushing her, prodding her, and judging her, Artemis might have considered that job done and wandered home. But her pride was hit, and so — feeling sorry for herself — she tries harder. This time with help.

In the middle of this, there’s the romance. Ruth has a case of hero worship for Artemis, who — seemingly lonely and flattered — takes Ruth up on what might have been an offer (or might just have been friendship) and sleeps with her, only to be horribly sad about it and walk away when it’s done. This leads to Ruth wondering what she did wrong. Fortunately, they make up and fall in love.

I didn’t buy into the romance. At first, I thought this might be a slightly more interesting take with Ruth having to decide if Artemis deserved to be held up to such high standards; Ruth seeing the person behind the persona; or Artemis realizing that using someone, like Kit used her, was wrong and that if she wanted to be better than him, she’d have to be a better person herself. Instead, it’s instant love and sparkles and realizing that they were strong enough the whole time — Artemis to write again and Ruth to act in a leading role. There’s a comfortable reliability with the plot, which led to me focus on other aspects, such as the writing.

A comment on the writing itself is a personal nitpick. There are a lot of italics. A lot. Sometimes half a page, broken up with normal text, and it’s a formatting issue that made it awkward to read. Both characters are often in their thoughts, indicated with italics, which points out a weakness in this book, which is that both characters sound exactly the same. Other than names and the fact that one is agonizing about being used and the other agonizing about using … I struggled to tell them apart. Because so many thoughts overlap, so many manners of speaking and acting are almost identical, it made both characters feel like copies of one another. Personally, I think this book would have read better as a single character POV.

Ruth is the stronger of the two. Her story has more weight and she is slightly more developed. The broken sentences, the emotional inconsistencies, the readiness to believe everything and anything without taking the time to think about them first all feel very in line with a young woman who has just lost her father and is unprepared for the burdens on her shoulders. The pace is a little slow, and the conflict of Kit coming back into the book felt rather tepid, with no weight or resonance. The third act breakup felt heavily contrived and with no buildup as to why Artemis would make such a choice.

I’m sorry, but this is a solid pass for me. The historical aspect felt like set dressing, the characters flat, and the story didn’t hold my interest.

"A Liaison With Her Leading Lady" offers an intriguing look at historical theater but falls short on delivering a satisfying romance. Ruth, managing her late father's theater, and Artemis, a disgraced playwright, share a tumultuous relationship that feels more about lust than love.

The book excels in showcasing the backstage dynamics of theater life, but this often overshadows the romance. Artemis's hurtful remarks and lack of apology to Ruth made it hard to root for them as a couple. Their relationship alternates between instant attraction and slow-burn confusion, lacking depth and genuine connection.

A significant point of contention was Artemis's behavior early in the story. Her hurtful remarks to Ruth, without a sincere apology, hindered my ability to fully root for their union. Moreover, their relationship seemed to oscillate between instant attraction and slow-burn confusion, more driven by physical desire than genuine connection. More conversations about their feelings and relationship could have added necessary depth and realism to their romance.

Overall, it's an enjoyable read for theater enthusiasts but may disappoint those seeking a deeper romantic narrative. In addition, I think this story has a lot of potential, but relies heavily on "telling" the reader what's going on instead of "showing" us through action and dialogue. I was sometimes confused at times and had to reread, too.

A Liaison with Her Leading Lady was pitched as "a love story onstage" but I found it to be weighted too much on the stage than on the love for me. It was an interesting read, and I enjoyed learning more about the in-and-outs of what goes on behind the scenes to keep a theater troupe running, but I came for the romance. That was somehow both too-slow-burn and too-quick-instalove at the same time, more about lust and desperation than an actual relationship, and it didn't help that neither Ruth nor Artemis was particularly interesting.

This was a very interesting romance between two women in a time when that wasn’t accepted, but in their world of the theater they were among people who didn’t go by the usual rules of society. I liked the romance part of this book, once things picked up but I did have a time getting through the beginning. There were also a lot of dramatic……..pauses which I thought were overdone. The story itself was enjoyable.
I received this book as a free ARC and am voluntarily leaving this review.

“She was measuring us up, and in the end, she found us wanting.” A historical fictional romance that truly had everything you needed in this type of story. Ruth and Artemis came together under not so great terms but found that they really had found home or at least Ruth did. Artemis’ character is definitely a tough one who has so many past issues that have changed her to this cold unmotivated person and then push Ruth comes along and turns everything upside down. The story was slow moving at first though glad I stuck with it as it was a really nice read.

This book had something of a literary feel, focusing more on reflection than action. Scenes that might have been dramatized were summarized instead. Because of this, the relationship felt like “I love you because we’re in this book together” more than because of any real on-page bond between them. The story is good and the characters strong, but the execution was lacking IMO.

A Liaison with Her Leading Lady follows Ruth Connel, who has inherited her father’s failing theater and the reclusive playwright and actor Artemis Goode, who she convinces to write a play to save the theater. Artemis reluctantly agrees, but she’s hiding a secret. She hasn’t written anything since she left London, disgraced by an ex-lover, and even when she forces herself, the text is awful. She’ll have to trust Ruth’s troupe to help her make magic on stage again. And she might also entrust Ruth with her broken heart.

This was a fun, historical romance. Good tension between the main characters. Loved the side characters. The pacing was on point. The romance was a little spicy at parts but also had good relationship building. If you’re into period, sapphic books, you’ll probably be into this.

3 stars - I liked it

When Ruth Connell inherits her father’s beloved theater she unfortunately finds that it's in debt and she has only weeks to pay up otherwise she will lose it. To save it she finds herself turning to reclusive playwright Artemis Goode in the hopes that a new play will lead to success. But as they work together to save the theater, it also leads to growing feelings between them.

This was an enjoyable historical romance that seemed to really showcase theater and how precarious it can be. Ruth and Artemis were interesting women who have both been dealt difficult blows and are recovering from them in different ways. Ruth is struggling to overcome her grief from the recent death of her father and deal with managing and saving the theater she inherited from him. Artemis was a renowned playwright and actor who was forced out of her career by her ex-boyfriend and manager who spread rumors about her.

These two had a very instant-love/lust relationship with them being attracted to each other from the start and having a bit of a one night stand almost right away, but then are pushed apart by fear. While I enjoyed their story overall, I did have a few issues with some things. Artemis is a bit of an asshole in the beginning and says some very hurtful things to Ruth but never actually apologizes. This was very disappointing because I thought she needed to really apologize and grovel some. My other issue was that for the majority of this book their relationship felt more like they were just lusting for each other and not creating an actual relationship. I think if there had been more discussion between the two about their relationship and feelings, and a little less about the theater, then I would have enjoyed it a little more.

Overall, this was an enjoyable queer historical romance with an interesting setting. I think if you are a theater nerd, then this would probably be the book for you.

TW: death of a parent; grief; cheating ex discussed;

I liked this! It was lovely, funny, sweet, sexy, and it's always good to see more queer representation in Harlequin's historical line up!

There is something extremely moving – as a queer woman – to sit with a Mills and Boon/Harlequin historical romance involving two women in my hand. A Liaison with Her Leading Lady is romantic and touched with theatrical warmth. It’s not wholly perfect but it reigns as Lotte R. James’ best book yet.

Actress Ruth Connell’s family theatre lies under threat of foreclosure. She’s determined to keep the place her father has poured years of sweat and blood into alive at any cost.

The idea comes to her that charming a playwright with an established name into producing an original script for her troupe to put on might save everything. She approaches Artemis Goode, a well-respected writer with a hit under her belt, and offers her the task.

Artemis has become reclusive in response to a secret heartbreak, but the challenge and persistence of Ruth makes her take on the task. Sunny Ruth and indrawn Artemis seem like total opposites, but soon it’s not just the theatre Ruth is obsessed with saving – she wants to draw Artemis into the light and convince her that love is worth trying for a second time.

The theatrical prose is really what helps highlight Ruth and Artemis’ romance; it’s a charming exploration of coming out into the light after spending a long time in the darkness, and a lovely story about the importance of trying and trying again to get your dream rolling.

I loved Ruth’s strength of conviction, and Artemis’ belief in the importance of art. I loved the way their romance grows out of a mutual respect and desire to help each other. It’s a solid romance, with wonderful supporting characters.

I keep bringing up the book’s appreciation for art, and that’s such a crucial part of the romance here. Words, and the poetry of the playwright, are all key to the center of this story. That and the beauty of the romance are what makes A Liaison With her Leading Lady so very good. I grew up reading Harlequin Historicals - books that entranced me but only ever provided straight protagonists during my youth, so to have this book has fed my soul. I loved it, and so will anyone yearning to find true love on the page or the stage.

A bit too heavy on the theater stuff at the detriment of the main relationship. The writing was also a bit clunky.

If you enjoy reading books that are set in the 1800s, you will enjoy this!
Ruth's dad has died leaving her to run the theatre. What she didn't know was that her dad had numerous debts and if she doesn't figure it out, the theatre will cease to exist.
She has an idea to have Artemis wrote a play that they can premier at her theatre, since all art people know who she is and that she has been out of the limelight for years. Artemis does agree to do so and comes to the theatre to write. The two women become close and realize there is more than a working relationship between them.
Definitely a must read for those interested in historical books.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Desperate to save her beloved father's theatre, actress Ruth seeks out famed dramatist Artemis in an attempt to coax her out of her self-imposed exile from the English stage.

This is a delightful and unusual historical romance, following as it does two women who live on the fringes of respectable society in Regency England. The author has worked in theatre herself, and her experience and understanding of stagecraft shines through during the whole story, aided by plenty of research into the changing theatre scene at the time.

Ruth and Artemis are compelling leads, with well-developed backstories and motivations. Both heroines are passionate about theatre, and I enjoyed seeing how they encourage and enable each other to overcome the mental barriers that have prevented them from embracing their full potential. Artemis's struggles with writer block were well-written, and her attempts to work on the melodrama were laugh out loud funny. I also loved the camaraderie between the theatre company.

However, I did feel like the romance was a little insta-love - the characters are drawn to each other immediately, though they do take a little time to get together. While I enjoyed their relationship, I wish the author had portrayed more of what it was that drew them together and made them certain that this was a true and lasting love, especially as the timeline is quite short. And I would have liked to read the plot of the farce as well as the melodrama!

What a surprise to discover this author’s writing! I’m not a fan of historical romance typically, but this was so well done, I tore through the story. It was light and poignant and emotional, with beautiful turns of phrase throughout.

First of all the ARC formatting gave me headaches. Just because it's an eARC doesn't mean I have to read a badly formatted copy.

Besides that I was glad to see a non nobility focused historical romance. We don't have many sapphic historical romances and I'm glad we get to have perspectives non centered on the monarchy and its minions.

However despite the interesting threads of the story and the competent writing I was unfazed by this romance. Neither Ruth nor Artemis were particularly compelling character and their romance was fast paced lacking the yearning I was hoping for.

I liked the premise of this book, but I didn't find it particularly well written nor did I feel a real connection between the main characters, Overall, I found it pretty boring.