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Heather Varlow

@deep.read.belle

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Two Can Play, a Gilded Age romance, 2026. Perfume evangelist. Genre enthusiast. Subscribe to my newsletter for news & a monthly magpie missive.

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Happy Halloween / Samhain / All Hallows’ Eve! For #StepbackSaturday I bring you the 1975 Avon first printing of House of Scorpio by Pat Wallace, an astrological gothic-fantasy-romance. A perfect choice for Scorpio season, right? As you can see, this is a stunning three-paneled foldout of the novel’s six sisters painted by Harry Bennett. (Thanks for that info, @jdiazromance!) I could pore over this stepback for ages. I would buy every album this sister band released. by @deep.read.belle

Another #CoverLustFriday and another book cover for my super-loose and informal yellow dress collection. (I should really just commit at this point.) I adore this cover by the prolific David Blossom—the dark outlines, the vivid colors, how the subjects are posed and situated. Also I need to shout-out the tagline: “He was the man of her dreams, But she was awake.” Why is that more unsettling the longer I look at it????

Huge thanks to @zoeyorkwrites for sending me another cover where the artist’s signature was easier to read! Incidentally, another Elizabeth Mansfield cover (that I now want, ahem). by @deep.read.belle

Y’all wanna see people get it on in front of a dolphin? Artist: Renato Aimes. #StepbackSaturday by @deep.read.belle

Ho, #StepbackSaturday! Sure, it’s not a stepback in the traditional sense, but we are truly blessed that the first three books in Julie Anne Long’s Pennyroyal Green series not only feature front cover clinches, but we get back cover stepback clinches as well! And book 3, Since the Surrender, is probably my all-around favorite artwork from the series—and not just because I’m obsessed with a yellow dress. The poses, the gravity-defying hair, an Eversea not wearing a shirt… What’s not to love? James Griffin, please offer prints of both?? 😭 by @deep.read.belle

Hey, it’s #CoverLustFriday. Clinch covers are a hallmark of historical romance, not romantasy; I love the Wicker tribute but this is an important part of our lore. Here, have another iconic Johanna Lindsey clinch courtesy of the legend Robert McGinnis. by @deep.read.belle

Another #CoverLustFriday, another lady pirate—my new collecting fixation? We shall see. Angel in the Rigging is not advertised as a historical romance, though it does have an HEA; seems it skews more to historical fiction, and I found quite a few write-ups and reviews from sites that specialize in the War of 1812. I searched high and low for the cover artist and came up empty, so if you happen to have info, I’d surely appreciate it.

ETA: Thanks @heather_martino for identifying this as Allan Kass! by @deep.read.belle

This #CoverLustFriday I present a clinch courtesy of Renato Aime for Patricia Gaffney’s debut novel Sweet Treason. I find the color scheme of this one rather interesting what with the pastel pink and lavender background contrasting that red ass coat. Also how many slang terms for mistress/sex worker can we fit in the back cover copy? Anyway, we got people getting it on in front of animals and a castle on a lake, so we’ve got a historical romance cover trifecta. ✔️ by @deep.read.belle

It’s #CoverLustFriday and that means I get to wax about this incredible Harry Bennett cover for Phyllis A. Whitney’s CONTEMPORARY GOTHIC (yes!) Poinciana—that’s the name of the mansion. Did I want this for the yellow dress? Yes. Her little foot peeking out?? Of course. That amazing striped hair job??? Like…come ON. by @deep.read.belle

This #StepbackSaturday, I have a recent acquisition and a Lisa Kleypas I have not read yet. This stepback is by the legendary Max Ginsburg, and the diaphanous quality of our heroine’s nightgown? dress? is sending me with how it drapes along her legs. 🤌 I also love the cutout along the edge and how it frames the stepback. We used to have fun with covers. This stepback fulfills two important romance cover art categories: people getting it on in front of buildings and people getting it on by bodies of water. A+ work. by @deep.read.belle

Happy #CoverLustFriday! Hey, remember a few weeks ago when I was happy to finally “complete” my Laura Kinsale collection with Seize the Fire? Well, that was a lie, because THIS cover is what finally makes the collection complete. 😌 (Yes, I have The Hidden Heart with the clinch, too.) I believe this clinch is by Robert Maguire. by @deep.read.belle

Super busy day ahead of me but I couldn’t dash without observing #StepbackSaturday and it’s a classic this week. Is it thrashed? Yes. Did I pay 50 cents for it? Absolutely. Thank you for your service, Victor Gadino. 🫡 by @deep.read.belle