Bitter Medicine
Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai
Published in 2023
Main Couple: Luc and Elle
The Story: Luc and Elle are “friendly business associates.” Elle hides her full powers and her past and Luc hides the true nature of his job. But when his job has him unknowingly digging into Elle’s past, can they come together to move forward?
The Sex: This book is beautifully written. It’s so poetic. They relish their intimacy. They are kind and appreciative of each other. They check in with each other and share what it is they want. It might have something to do with both of these characters being over 100 years old. I would hope that by that point, you are open with your desires. They practice safe sex in a way where it doesn’t take the characters out of the moment. There’s also lube! Yay lube! Use lube! Always!!! This isn’t a terribly explicit book. It certainly lacks in the “dirty talk” department. I would categorize the intimacy as making love more than fucking. What upgrades it for me is the foreplay and conversation they have.
Favorite Lines:
“‘Tell me how to touch you,’ he whispers into her ear. She rewards him with a shudder, widening her stance. With her guidance, he learns her body, memorizes what she shows him, circles and rubs and traces until she’s flushed and dripping between his fingers.” Chapter 11 A man who stops and asks for directions! But in all seriousness, asking your partner for help cements a bond. It shows that you care about their pleasure and you learn how to communicate.
“‘Are you okay with this?’ She rises to her knees and places the condom in his hand. He hears the click of the bottle cap opening…’You don’t have to ask.’ ‘Yes, I do.’” Chapter 11 So much of this gave me happy squees! Permission! Lube! Protection! The pervasive myth that talking about protection is unsexy must stop.
“Do what, bite me more? Please. Yes.” Chapter 18 Tell your partner what you like. If they don’t KNOW you like it, they won’t do it again.
Least Favorite Lines:
“If Luc has an issue with her setting her teeth in his shoulder, he says nothing, simply returns the favor. That’ll leave a mark.” Chapter 18 I don’t love this sentence because it felt so out of place between them. They are normally so thoughtful of each other, and this line threw me for a loop.
Final Thoughts:
What a joy to read a book whose love story is not drawn out over a series. This was not a slow burn, this book was about building a relationship through trauma. I loved it. There’s a lot of queer positivity between these characters even though they are an MF relationship. Luc has a history with a man, and Elle mentions that lovers of hers could be female. Elle’s best friend and brother are gay. One of best parts of this book was the cultural diversity within it. This story is written by a woman who is Taiwanese and she has a main character, and her family, from that culture. AND she immerses that in a world filled with further insights into other cultures. There’s European fae, Nordic runes, Egyptian deities, and so many small references to the big wide world. My only wish was to have footnotes for all the languages and folklore. It would’ve helped me set my phone down.
Spice Level: 1/5
Kinks Explored: None
Voices Heard: Elle and her family are Chinese. Her best friend Lira is black, and uses runes for her magic.
Did I like it? If you like “fantasy” that takes place on earth, this is a great book. It’s also not Eurocentric, and is written with the multilingual nature that occurs when people actually speak multiple languages.