Plain English

Spangler’s latest “Full English” novel (following Modern English). When mysterious motorcyclist Pip crashes on her property, artist Claire Bailey is intrigued…but her heart has been broken by confident, charismatic people before. Each aware of their worst romantic tendencies, they agree to a time-limited, no-strings-attached, honesty-forward fling. Even with a time limit, their physical relationship is slow to develop. Their emotional needs entangle more quickly, as Claire’s interest in building a sustainable artistic career collide with Pip’s search for a meaningful life beyond the privileges of aristocratic birth. There’s no deep investigation of class conflict here; Pip’s exploration of nonbinary identity begins to resolve their deep discomfort with the role of a highborn lady. Characters from earlier in Spangler’s series appear happily in the background as Claire’s and Pip’s social circles begin to mesh, but readers can easily approach this as a standalone.