This last year, I found a rekindled love for historical fiction in a new form for me - queer storytelling. Given who I am as a person, it's surprising that I've reached my big age before stumbling on this love for queer historical fiction. Nonetheless, I am thoroughly enjoying my new finds.
I've been looking forward to All The Painted Stars by Emma Denny since I saw it on Netgalley. Knowing I've too much on my plate, I didn't elect to be an ARC reader & am thoroughly pleased with having purchased the book. It's just so good.
We have an unputdownable late Middle Ages tale of the duty to family, friends, and oneself. Lily shines in the role of a Sapphic woman disguising herself as a man in order to save her secret love from the societal expectation of heteronormative oppression- sorry, marriage. Jo is an amalgamation of the internalized struggle of compulsory heterosexuality and familial obligations. While Lily navigates most of her page time with the single-minded focus of a young woman in love, Jo is so consumed with her unresolved grief & the responsibilities she's shouldered that she hardly gives thought to what it is that she actually wants. 
Lily & Jo's journey to freedom (& each other) is gorgeously told in lush imagery coupled with a longing that plucks the heartstrings as well as any tavern bard. If you loved Lex Croucher's latest or live for fictional ladyknights, All the Painted Stars is directly up your alley. Pick it up and enjoy the yearning.