A Shore Thing

By: Joanna Lowell

Narrated by: Ros Watt

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

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

"A summer breeze of a book that reads like the best afternoon with friends. Joanna Lowell brilliantly offers a story of courage, self-discovery and community that will stay with me for a long time. Historical romance is better for this kind of story that boldly affirms love has always found a way. I adored Kit, Muriel, and their cycling adventures."
—Adriana Herrera, USA Today bestselling author of An Island Princess Starts a Scandal

"With sparkling wit and a captivating love story, A Shore Thing is a delightful escape to the Cornish seaside with characters I rooted for and desperately wanted to befriend. Lowell is at the top of her game with this gorgeous queer historical romance.”
—Mae Marvel, author of Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous

“Richly imbued with a bracing wit and enriched with an abundance of bold sensuality, Lowell’s exquisitely composed Victorian-set historical featuring a trans character is a work of beauty and a joy forever.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“Lowell confronts Victorian attitudes around sex, gender, and love head on, resulting in some daker moments, but the tender, supportive, and joyful dynamic that emerges between Kit and Muriel keeps things heartfelt and hopeful. It’s not just that their love story offsets the sadder moments; the sadder moments make their love story all the more beautiful. This is a triumph.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"What a charming book! A Shore Thing gifts us with a pair of endearing characters who've fought hard to become who they are but realize they're better together. Lowell has written a buoyant, joyously queer love story."
—Opal Wei, author of Wild Life