Ah, now I see: I got the rec off my friend hyarrowen’s goodreads reviews. She has tagged it books-by-friends (though I don't know whether the friend is in fannish spaces). Also from her Goodreads reviews, I have noted down the historical m/m romances Across Your Dreams, The Peacock's Eye, Dance of Stone, by Jay Lewis Taylor, which also seem quite interesting, though I haven't gotten around to trying any of these yet.