A Shore Thing - A Review

Miriam Lein

26 Nov 2025 — 2 min read

A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell

I have realized that I would absolutely read way more books in a year if I decided to devote my reading time solely to romance. These are quick reads for me, the ones I am most likely to stay up way too late reading, or pick up on a weekend afternoon to continue. This one was no exception.

A Shore Thing is a historical fiction set in 1880’s Cornwall. I’ve been rewatching the British show Poldark recently and so the landscape seemed comfortably familiar and easy to picture, even while the time setting was different. The characters are generally like-able, open-minded individuals who you will definitely be cheering for. This sets it up to be a light, and easy and fun story, but there is added tension as one of the characters is trans and the other is a highly independent single woman. This romance, then, sets itself against cultural norms and expectations, definitely in the time it was set in, but perhaps even also today. Stories like this can be helpful in reframing how we view relationship and expanding our minds to include all the many different versions of it that exist in this world. Setting it in an older time also reminds us that LGBTQ+ persons have always existed; they just haven’t been centered in our versions of history. The author Joanna Lowell wrote this book with her partner, Mir Yarfitz, who is a gender and sexuality historian and also a trans man, which adds depth and legitimacy to this story and its characters.

For all the above reasons, I think this is a very worthwhile addition to the romance genre. And on a purely surface level, it was also a very enjoyable and spicy read.

Author: Joanna Lowell

Published: 2024

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

Other Books by Author: A Rare Find (2025), Artfully Yours (2023), The Runaway Duchess (2022), The Duke Undone (2021), Dark Season (2016)

Genre: Romance

Setting: 1888 Cornwall

Themes: Love, LGBTQ+, Feminism, Sexuality

How I found this book: NPR Recommendation by Anika Steffen

My Recommendation: Medium (must be ok with spicy romance)

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