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.