Yield Under Great Persuasion: A Queer Cosy Romantasy about Self-Love, Second Chances and Crabapples

Yield Under Great Persuasion is a hilarious and thoughtful queer romantasy. The story follows Tam and Lyford. The two have been friends since they were young boys, and lovers since adolescence. Now, their relationship is fraught and even a little hostile, but they still can’t stay away from each other. This follows them as they learn to communicate, heal, and grow together. Tam is such a fun and silly character, but his character growth has a lot of depth and will be relatable to many people. He made me laugh out loud and cry at different points of the book. He’s one of my favorite main characters that I’ve read this year. Lord Lyford is the “Sunshine” to Tam’s “Grumpy”, and their romance is mostly spicy at first. Their romance will appeal most to those who love the Idiots in Love trope and romances with lots (years!) of yearning. I highly recommend this one. If you’re looking for a good romance with some lighter (bordering on cozy) vibes and a lot of humor, this would be the perfect book to pick up. I especially recommend it for anyone who has enjoyed any of Alexandra Rowland’s books. Yield Under Great Persuasion feels like a fun blend of my favorite parts of their previous books: it has the humor of Running Close to the Wind, with the creative world-building and beautiful romance of A Taste of Gold and Iron. If you haven’t read anything by Alexandra Rowland, this would be a great book to start with!

Yield Under Great Persuasion is a gay and cozy romantasy that reads more like a contemporary novel. It’s silly. It’s fun. It’s intelligent. I love how unserious this book read. And I love how absolutely savage the main character was. This is not some mildly rude black cat/ golden retriever romance. This man is an absolute menace. But the chemistry between them. It’s unmatched. Alexandra Rowland kills this. I’m always so blown away by the chemistry in their books. They can tell a phenomenal story and this was no exception. Their writing while feeling unserious also feels so smart. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s almost poetic. I’m addicted to it. I read this in a day. I couldn’t put it down. I actually cried happy tears at the end. I don’t think I’ve ever done that??? I also never care for an epilogue, but I would have loved one. I just missed these characters so much as soon as I was finished. I was actually praying the last couple pages was another chapter right before I flipped to the acknowledgments. Y’all I never do this!? Alexandra Rowland can write some smut. I would kill for one medium length detailed sex scene. Please. Just one. 🙏🏻 I have loved everything by this author. Everything. Like blown away into smithereens level of loved. 🥹

Having liked other books by the author, I read the first couple of pages of this a few months ago and was offput. It opens during a lust-drenched sex scene. A witty lust-drenched sex scene, but not what I was seeking. A few days ago, I decided to give the book a second try and found myself largely delighted. The main character, Tam, thinks of himself as irredeemably unlikable. He's unhappy, and grumpy, and habitually lashes out at Lord Lyford, the other man in that lusty opening scene. But there's a kernel of sweetness to Tam that makes him likable despite that. As the book progresses, the running humor is accompanied by unexpectedly moving character moments. The gods manifest on occasion in ways that are also very effective. I became very invested in what was unfolding. A note that among the secondary characters, I particularly liked Kel. Four out of five persuaded stars. About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).

Never have I read such an unlikable character that I liked so much. Tam is the avatar of prickly and Nickolau has the patience of a saint and reading how Tam gets over himself and learns to let people in was one of the most fun reads I've read in a while 10/10! Hilarious! Sweet! Infuriating! Romantic! Sexy! A delight to read!

Rowland has written one of the funniest, REAList romance books I’ve read in some time. Tam is a piece of work. And it be that way some time. Loved this book!