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Lucky Lovers of London #1
The Gentleman's Book of Vices
Is their real-life love story doomed to be a tragedy, or can they rewrite the ending?
London, 1883
Finely dressed and finely drunk, Charlie Price is a man dedicated to his vices. Chief among them is his explicit novel collection, though his impending marriage to a woman he can’t love will force his carefully curated collection into hiding.
Before it does, Charlie is determined to have one last meeting his favorite author in person.
Miles Montague is more gifted as a smut writer than a shopkeep and uses his royalties to keep his flagging bookstore afloat. So when a cheerful dandy appears out of the mist with Miles's highly secret pen name on his pretty lips, Miles assumes the worst. But Charlie Price is no blackmailer; he’s Miles's biggest fan.
A scribbled signature on a worn book page sets off an affair as scorching as anything Miles has ever written. But Miles is clinging to a troubled past, while Charlie’s future has spun entirely out of his control…
London, 1883
Finely dressed and finely drunk, Charlie Price is a man dedicated to his vices. Chief among them is his explicit novel collection, though his impending marriage to a woman he can’t love will force his carefully curated collection into hiding.
Before it does, Charlie is determined to have one last meeting his favorite author in person.
Miles Montague is more gifted as a smut writer than a shopkeep and uses his royalties to keep his flagging bookstore afloat. So when a cheerful dandy appears out of the mist with Miles's highly secret pen name on his pretty lips, Miles assumes the worst. But Charlie Price is no blackmailer; he’s Miles's biggest fan.
A scribbled signature on a worn book page sets off an affair as scorching as anything Miles has ever written. But Miles is clinging to a troubled past, while Charlie’s future has spun entirely out of his control…
304 pages, Paperback
First published November 29, 2022
About the author
Jess Everlee
5 books197 followersJess Everlee writes decadent romance from the Northeast Ohio split-level she shares with her small family of furballs and fellow humans. She holds a B.A. from The Ohio State University, where she studied English and Gender Studies, focusing on Victorian Literature and public health topics. While that background resulted in an eclectic resume, her passion for reading and writing has never wavered. She has a deep love of interesting art, offbeat communities, and admittedly pretentious coffee brewing systems.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 522 reviews
September 15, 2022
✨He’d nearly been caught humping a wealthy banker’s son atop a pile of pornography.✨
Hmmm I liked the first half far better than the second. I loved the dynamic between Charlie and Miles, especially the fake sommelier moment. The first five chapters (given in the teaser download) really set up a fun and what I thought to be steamy romance. Miles literally writes the most backbreaking smut possible and clearly practices what he preaches in the bedroom. We got such a great scene where after he had Charlie suck his dick he literally grabbed him by the shirt and hauled him up by the collar to make out. It was so hot and he had a dirty mouth! However! When we got to the full sex scene it was not a scene at all.
✨
Not only was it fade to black and entirely closed door, but it was also super confusing. The chapter ended with Charlie asking Miles to be patient in a very heartfelt moment. And then the next chapter began the next morning and I literally thought they didn’t have sex and were being patient. Then a page later Charlie was like “I’m so worn out from that crazy sex!”
So not only did we miss out on crazy bananas sex, but we also missed out on a fundamental emotional moment between the couple. How was Miles patient? How did he make it good for Charlie? How did they interact after? Was there clean up? How did they feel? We got a fraction of that summed up. And then back to closed door just absolutely not making sense for the story at all. It felt like the author was too hesitant to open the door, even though it was pretty much promised.
✨
So after around 70% I was just kinda sad and confused but I was still into the story because love and stuff. However, when Miles and Charlie finally decided to be happy together of course everything got in the way. That was expected. However, I didn’t expect Charlie to literally just lay down and accept everything that got in the way. I understand he was trying to be a good person but maybe I’m not a good person because it was SO annoying.
- Plus, he didn’t even make the final decision to be with Miles. Multiple OTHER people made the decision for him. I fully believe he would’ve went through with everything had the others not intervened.
✨
Overall, I enjoyed the relationship and the first half was literally perfect. I think the book as a whole could’ve expounded upon some elements to go a bit deeper into character development, but I did have a good time.
I did appreciate the theme of this story though, very inspirational: Domeet fuck your heroes. And also: no matter how big the dick is, it’s never too big ❤️
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶🌶*/5
*Closed door literally makes zero sense for the story idk why it’s so hard to give us what’s promised!! The summary for this book said scorching lmao…🤪…hahah...✌️💋…lol…ha…😒
Hmmm I liked the first half far better than the second. I loved the dynamic between Charlie and Miles, especially the fake sommelier moment. The first five chapters (given in the teaser download) really set up a fun and what I thought to be steamy romance. Miles literally writes the most backbreaking smut possible and clearly practices what he preaches in the bedroom. We got such a great scene where after he had Charlie suck his dick he literally grabbed him by the shirt and hauled him up by the collar to make out. It was so hot and he had a dirty mouth! However! When we got to the full sex scene it was not a scene at all.
✨
Not only was it fade to black and entirely closed door, but it was also super confusing. The chapter ended with Charlie asking Miles to be patient in a very heartfelt moment. And then the next chapter began the next morning and I literally thought they didn’t have sex and were being patient. Then a page later Charlie was like “I’m so worn out from that crazy sex!”
So not only did we miss out on crazy bananas sex, but we also missed out on a fundamental emotional moment between the couple. How was Miles patient? How did he make it good for Charlie? How did they interact after? Was there clean up? How did they feel? We got a fraction of that summed up. And then back to closed door just absolutely not making sense for the story at all. It felt like the author was too hesitant to open the door, even though it was pretty much promised.
✨
So after around 70% I was just kinda sad and confused but I was still into the story because love and stuff. However, when Miles and Charlie finally decided to be happy together of course everything got in the way. That was expected. However, I didn’t expect Charlie to literally just lay down and accept everything that got in the way. I understand he was trying to be a good person but maybe I’m not a good person because it was SO annoying.
- Plus, he didn’t even make the final decision to be with Miles. Multiple OTHER people made the decision for him. I fully believe he would’ve went through with everything had the others not intervened.
✨
Overall, I enjoyed the relationship and the first half was literally perfect. I think the book as a whole could’ve expounded upon some elements to go a bit deeper into character development, but I did have a good time.
I did appreciate the theme of this story though, very inspirational: Do
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶🌶*/5
*Closed door literally makes zero sense for the story idk why it’s so hard to give us what’s promised!! The summary for this book said scorching lmao…🤪…hahah...✌️💋…lol…ha…😒
November 5, 2022
I think The Gentleman's Book of Vices had a lot of ideas, but I'm not sure if it really delivered as a great M/M historical romance book. I believe this is Jess Everlee's first book, so I'm hopeful her next one is a bit of an improvement.
I read a LOT of historical romance, so my expectations are really, annoyingly high. I enjoyed the concept of this story and a lot of the plot, but I think it had some work to do with the chemistry of the MCs and the way everything magically came together neatly in the end. It was a "magic wand, all problems fixed" kind of ending, IMO, and I wanted more from the story.
There is nothing wrong with this book, but a lot of authors have delivered snappier, steamier, and more cohesive stories.
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I read a LOT of historical romance, so my expectations are really, annoyingly high. I enjoyed the concept of this story and a lot of the plot, but I think it had some work to do with the chemistry of the MCs and the way everything magically came together neatly in the end. It was a "magic wand, all problems fixed" kind of ending, IMO, and I wanted more from the story.
There is nothing wrong with this book, but a lot of authors have delivered snappier, steamier, and more cohesive stories.
goodreads|instagram|twitter|tiktok
June 26, 2024
I think this just boils down to personal preference, but I am not a fan of low plot just vibes books and therefore this one didn't work for me. Most of the story I was bored while reading, even though all of the characters are very sweet and likeable.
February 18, 2023
This unfortunately ended up being a miss for me, on several counts. The salient points are that I felt like the characters were flat, they had no chemistry or emotion, the sex scenes were handled poorly, and the plot was frustrating to nonexistent. I think it had potential, but it was not realized here.
Characters:
I never felt like I got to know the characters at all. Any of the somewhat numerous cast.
Charlie comes off as a self centered man child - this could be a starting point, but he never truly grows from it, jerking his fiancee around a lot with his dithering, so I just ended up not liking him at all.
Miles…did we ever get any backstory on him, outside of a brief Ethan thing? I genuinely don’t think so. He’s just kind of there. Cardboard like. He didn’t feel consistent either, more like he was cobbled together of plot-convenient personalities. The smooth sommelier moment didn’t match with the suddenly working class suspicious dude, etc. He didn’t feel cohesive.
The LGBT+ Rep Squad at the bar. Too many! I get it, setting up Diverse Friend Group for future books, but the first chapter opens with like 100 characters. I don’t know who they are. They’re referred to by first and/or last names, or nicknames, or fake names, or whatever. I couldn’t keep track. I am bad at tracking characters in the first place, don’t make it harder. I ended up skimming every time they appeared, because I couldn’t follow conversations or people. They were supposed to have a strong super bond of caring, but it felt like a normal pod of bar people. Casual friends, not ride or die ones. But I think that part is not unique to the side characters, but the general lack of depth I felt this book had.
I don’t know if it makes sense, but I felt like these were not people, but characters. Some authors can make me feel like their characters are fully realized people living their stories, and here, I was reading a screenplay.
Romance:
I never felt the chemistry or emotional connection between the two MCs. They were always being mostly unpleasant to each other, for not entirely clear reasons. Part of this is that I felt like the characters themselves were not well developed, and if you have two dimensional characters, you can’t get anything past a flat romance either.
Everything that stemmed from it then felt out of place. The waffling, the breakup(?), the pining…it never felt believable. It started as instalust, but I also never really felt the desire either. I think it was lacking emotional range to bring me into their (alleged) great love story.
Sex scenes/how they were handled:
This one I don’t usually call out separately, but I have a lot to say about this in particular. There was a lot going on, and I did not like it.
This is a book about an erotica writer, so I was anticipating some high heat explicit scenes. I wasn’t expecting an all out erotica obviously, and didn’t want that, but when the sex was happening, I expected quality. I ….did not get that.
Pick your fighter:
• Interrupting sex scene with dwelling on the dead partner
• Sex scene over in 2 sentences
• Begin explicit sex scene, set up for tender, emotionally intimate sex, and then….slam the door in the readers face, chapter ends, next one opens in the morning.
Can you tell I’m mad? I’m mad. I hate getting cheated out of emotionally touching sex, it’s such a lovely moment to show the characters bonding and caring and sweet!!! and then no.
• Sex scene drowning in absurdly gauzy and flowery euphemisms
We have every dodge known to readerkind. If you don’t want to write sex, don’t write it! Just do standard fade to black. (Slamming the door mid R rated scene does not count as that, by the way.)
Plot
Was there a plot? There were large stretches of time where I felt like no, there was not a plot. The romance itself did not function as a plot for me. The end was very deus ex machina, and very annoying eleventh hour sunshine and roses rescue.
I guess the whole marriage thing is also kind of a lot. It definitely did not show Charlie in a good light, since he almost ditched Alma to suffering and dying. I get that I’m supposed to root for the gay love story here, but damn it did not work on me. Actually, towards the end, Miles was also a jerk to Alma, all this back and forth and dramatics when her literal life depends on them. I guess I’m just team Alma now. Give her books! Down with the shitty family! Fuck the patriarchy! You deserve better!
Overall, while this had the pieces and some potential to be enjoyable, it ended up being a frustrating read for me on many counts. Individually they wouldn’t be dealbreakers, but when they all stack up like this, it really made it not a good time. Since this is a debut novel, I remain optimistic that some of these issues will be ironed out in future books, so despite my litany of criticism, don’t entirely write this off, it may work for you.
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All the opinions are my own.
Read more reviews on my blog:
https://horsetalkreviews.blogspot.com/
Characters:
I never felt like I got to know the characters at all. Any of the somewhat numerous cast.
Charlie comes off as a self centered man child - this could be a starting point, but he never truly grows from it, jerking his fiancee around a lot with his dithering, so I just ended up not liking him at all.
Miles…did we ever get any backstory on him, outside of a brief Ethan thing? I genuinely don’t think so. He’s just kind of there. Cardboard like. He didn’t feel consistent either, more like he was cobbled together of plot-convenient personalities. The smooth sommelier moment didn’t match with the suddenly working class suspicious dude, etc. He didn’t feel cohesive.
The LGBT+ Rep Squad at the bar. Too many! I get it, setting up Diverse Friend Group for future books, but the first chapter opens with like 100 characters. I don’t know who they are. They’re referred to by first and/or last names, or nicknames, or fake names, or whatever. I couldn’t keep track. I am bad at tracking characters in the first place, don’t make it harder. I ended up skimming every time they appeared, because I couldn’t follow conversations or people. They were supposed to have a strong super bond of caring, but it felt like a normal pod of bar people. Casual friends, not ride or die ones. But I think that part is not unique to the side characters, but the general lack of depth I felt this book had.
I don’t know if it makes sense, but I felt like these were not people, but characters. Some authors can make me feel like their characters are fully realized people living their stories, and here, I was reading a screenplay.
Romance:
I never felt the chemistry or emotional connection between the two MCs. They were always being mostly unpleasant to each other, for not entirely clear reasons. Part of this is that I felt like the characters themselves were not well developed, and if you have two dimensional characters, you can’t get anything past a flat romance either.
Everything that stemmed from it then felt out of place. The waffling, the breakup(?), the pining…it never felt believable. It started as instalust, but I also never really felt the desire either. I think it was lacking emotional range to bring me into their (alleged) great love story.
Sex scenes/how they were handled:
This one I don’t usually call out separately, but I have a lot to say about this in particular. There was a lot going on, and I did not like it.
This is a book about an erotica writer, so I was anticipating some high heat explicit scenes. I wasn’t expecting an all out erotica obviously, and didn’t want that, but when the sex was happening, I expected quality. I ….did not get that.
Pick your fighter:
• Interrupting sex scene with dwelling on the dead partner
• Sex scene over in 2 sentences
It was still early in their acquaintance, and yet they’d developed habits already. Once they were spent, all bonds were untied and everything was tidied up.
• Begin explicit sex scene, set up for tender, emotionally intimate sex, and then….slam the door in the readers face, chapter ends, next one opens in the morning.
Can you tell I’m mad? I’m mad. I hate getting cheated out of emotionally touching sex, it’s such a lovely moment to show the characters bonding and caring and sweet!!! and then no.
• Sex scene drowning in absurdly gauzy and flowery euphemisms
We have every dodge known to readerkind. If you don’t want to write sex, don’t write it! Just do standard fade to black. (Slamming the door mid R rated scene does not count as that, by the way.)
Plot
Was there a plot? There were large stretches of time where I felt like no, there was not a plot. The romance itself did not function as a plot for me. The end was very deus ex machina, and very annoying eleventh hour sunshine and roses rescue.
I guess the whole marriage thing is also kind of a lot. It definitely did not show Charlie in a good light, since he almost ditched Alma to suffering and dying. I get that I’m supposed to root for the gay love story here, but damn it did not work on me. Actually, towards the end, Miles was also a jerk to Alma, all this back and forth and dramatics when her literal life depends on them. I guess I’m just team Alma now. Give her books! Down with the shitty family! Fuck the patriarchy! You deserve better!
Overall, while this had the pieces and some potential to be enjoyable, it ended up being a frustrating read for me on many counts. Individually they wouldn’t be dealbreakers, but when they all stack up like this, it really made it not a good time. Since this is a debut novel, I remain optimistic that some of these issues will be ironed out in future books, so despite my litany of criticism, don’t entirely write this off, it may work for you.
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All the opinions are my own.
Read more reviews on my blog:
https://horsetalkreviews.blogspot.com/
November 21, 2022
PLOTLESS AND FORGETABBLE
Honestly, if I didn't take notes during my reading, I would not remember this book. Even with my notes, I struggle to remember anything. However, I do remember that it didn't impress me.
👎 What I Disliked 👎
Plot: The plot really didn't hit the spot for me. I struggled to even see the plot lines most of the time. It felt wafer thin and see-through. No surprises. No twists. And nothing to keep my interest.
Smut: Apparently, if the characters/author is to be believed, the smut in this book is kinky. The sexual encounters are often referred to as kinky. And perhaps it could be argued, that for its historical setting, what the characters engage in was considered kinky. It was definitely considered taboo. But it is not kinky today. And as a historian I can tell you, that in all ages of history people have engaged in far more kinky sex. If the author meant to imply that their sexual encounters were considered kinky for the time, it should have been more explicit. Because as it is, it just bothered me.
Chemistry: In all honesty, I felt no chemistry and no attraction between the two characters. I hardly even felt sexual chemistry. It was just pretty bland.
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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Honestly, if I didn't take notes during my reading, I would not remember this book. Even with my notes, I struggle to remember anything. However, I do remember that it didn't impress me.
👎 What I Disliked 👎
Plot: The plot really didn't hit the spot for me. I struggled to even see the plot lines most of the time. It felt wafer thin and see-through. No surprises. No twists. And nothing to keep my interest.
Smut: Apparently, if the characters/author is to be believed, the smut in this book is kinky. The sexual encounters are often referred to as kinky. And perhaps it could be argued, that for its historical setting, what the characters engage in was considered kinky. It was definitely considered taboo. But it is not kinky today. And as a historian I can tell you, that in all ages of history people have engaged in far more kinky sex. If the author meant to imply that their sexual encounters were considered kinky for the time, it should have been more explicit. Because as it is, it just bothered me.
Chemistry: In all honesty, I felt no chemistry and no attraction between the two characters. I hardly even felt sexual chemistry. It was just pretty bland.
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Follow me for more book loving content!
Blog ✨ Facebook ✨ Instagram ✨ Twitter
Blog Post: Which Book Should you read next based on your favourite Jane Austen Heroine
August 25, 2022
A special thanks to the Publisher and Author Jess Everlee for my ARC of “The Gentleman’s Book of Vices (Lucky Lovers of London #1) for an honest review but also for writing such a funny, well-written totally-out-of-the-box tale that never stopped entertaining!! Loved the characters, the setting, the fun, and I’m putting this on my Read It Again List because it’s literally that frickin’ good. Thanks Jess Everlee for ending my Summer on such a high note with your book. I’m jealous I didn’t write this, and also that I’m not an author. So when’s #2?!!!! 📚 💕
November 30, 2022
✨ THIS BOOK COMES OUT TODAY!!!!!!!✨
This is on my top 3 books of 2022 - And it's finally out! Seriously, do yourself a favour and go read it!
5 ⭐ No historical romance will top this one for me. I just know it.
I'm so glad I got this ARC! I don’t know who was in charge of accepting or declining ARC requests for this book in Net Galley but thank you so much.
It’s no secret that since reading the first five chapters of this some weeks ago I was, almost literally, going stir crazy in anticipation for this book. My love for Charlie and Miles already blossoming – but that was child’s play, I tell you. It was nothing. I’m pretty sure what I’m feeling is full blown obsession at this point. And there’s going to be more books. This is a series! And it can have all my money because I don’t even care, I want to read every single book that comes out. Even if it’s no longer Charlie and Miles - I will take a crumb of information, a mini-scene, another miniscule epilogue with them in it and I’ll be worth it. This book is the reason I love romance literature the way I do. The ups and downs, the humour, the pain… I can’t help it, I fell in love with the characters, and their happiness became mine; their sadness was painful; their joy bright and light in my heart. Ok, I need to stop gushing and get on with the review…
The Gentleman’s Book of Vices has Charlie Price and Miles Montague as two characters who fall into place in the strangest way possible - Charlie is an overzealous rake in the verge of marriage to a charming, well-to-do lady; whilst Miles finds himself writing smut to support his old inherited, failing bookstore. Their lives come together when Charlie seeks Miles out for an autograph, given that he’s his favourite author and all. Sufficed to say, Mr. Montague is not only not amused by this, but he believes the so-called Mr. Price is there to blackmail him. This book has:
💫 Gay historical romance.
💫 Rakish bachelor who’s rich but down on his luck – Charlie.
💫 Bookshop owner with a passion for writing dark erotica – Miles.
💫 Insta-lust.
💫 Grumpy/Sunshine.
💫 BDSM aspects.
This is my most annotated book ever and by far. I’ve never been much for taking notes or pulling quotes out of books, but this one was impossible to resist. There are just so many amazing ones! That’s from someone how barely finds one or two in any other book. There are quotes where the notes attached are just “please stop making me cry” – and I wish I was kidding. I’m not. This book wrecked me. It felt too real in some parts, too beautiful in others... so just perfect all around. It’s quite insta-lovey so if that’s not your thing you might not love this as much as I did, but I would not change a single letter in this entire thing. None. Now usually I would do a “things I enjoyed” vs. “things I didn’t enjoy” like I usually do, but…
What I enjoyed:
Everything. Every single f*cking letter that made up every single word. All the tropes, all the joyful, filthy romance; all the pain and the sadness it put me through was just so sweet. Honestly, Romeo and Juliette don’t have sh*t on Miles and Charlie, and yes you may quote me on that. The side characters were sweet, funny, interesting, and they added so much to the book without taking away from the main focus: the love story between Miles and Charlie.
Miles is my dream man, and there is no other way to go about it. If it wasn’t because I know that he 1) doesn’t exist and 2) is very much gay, I would wife him up so fast it’d be stupid. Charlie’s perfect for him, though – warm where he’s cold, vibrant where he’s been dulled out by years of solitude, vulnerable and honest and just so fucking pure. They both are. And yes, I’m aware that some will read the absolute filth that these two get into and will not think ‘pure’ like me, but they are. just. so. pure. Just perfect.
What I didn’t enjoy:
Nothing. Absolutely, not a single thing, because I loved the entirety of this book.
That’s it.
As a conclusion to this gushing review, I’m going to leave some quotes here, because I can’t not do it. I've hidden the last two because they might be a bit spoiler-y.
5/5 ⭐
🌶️🌶️.5 / 5
QUOTES TO MAKE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK:
________________________________________________
*I received an ARC of the first 5 chapters of this book thanks to Net Galley *
The Gentleman’s Book of Vices has Charlie Price and Miles Montague as two characters who fall into place in the strangest way possible - Charlie is an overzealous rake in the verge of marriage to a charming, well-to-do lady; whilst Miles finds himself writing smut to support his old inherited, quasi-abandoned bookstore. Their lives come together when Charlie seeks Miles out for an autograph, given that he’s his favourite author and all. Sufficed to say, Mr. Montague is not only not amused but this rouse, but he believes the so-called Mr. Price is there to blackmail him.
These first few chapters were funny, endearing, a little spicy and they honestly started to bring in the feels almost immediately. I was already hoping for so much after reading the blurb but reading these 5 chapters has only made the waiting so much worst. I can’t wait to read the whole story!
I will give it 4 stars for now, but I will update this review and the rating once I finish the book.
This is on my top 3 books of 2022 - And it's finally out! Seriously, do yourself a favour and go read it!
5 ⭐ No historical romance will top this one for me. I just know it.
I'm so glad I got this ARC! I don’t know who was in charge of accepting or declining ARC requests for this book in Net Galley but thank you so much.
It’s no secret that since reading the first five chapters of this some weeks ago I was, almost literally, going stir crazy in anticipation for this book. My love for Charlie and Miles already blossoming – but that was child’s play, I tell you. It was nothing. I’m pretty sure what I’m feeling is full blown obsession at this point. And there’s going to be more books. This is a series! And it can have all my money because I don’t even care, I want to read every single book that comes out. Even if it’s no longer Charlie and Miles - I will take a crumb of information, a mini-scene, another miniscule epilogue with them in it and I’ll be worth it. This book is the reason I love romance literature the way I do. The ups and downs, the humour, the pain… I can’t help it, I fell in love with the characters, and their happiness became mine; their sadness was painful; their joy bright and light in my heart. Ok, I need to stop gushing and get on with the review…
The Gentleman’s Book of Vices has Charlie Price and Miles Montague as two characters who fall into place in the strangest way possible - Charlie is an overzealous rake in the verge of marriage to a charming, well-to-do lady; whilst Miles finds himself writing smut to support his old inherited, failing bookstore. Their lives come together when Charlie seeks Miles out for an autograph, given that he’s his favourite author and all. Sufficed to say, Mr. Montague is not only not amused by this, but he believes the so-called Mr. Price is there to blackmail him. This book has:
💫 Gay historical romance.
💫 Rakish bachelor who’s rich but down on his luck – Charlie.
💫 Bookshop owner with a passion for writing dark erotica – Miles.
💫 Insta-lust.
💫 Grumpy/Sunshine.
💫 BDSM aspects.
This is my most annotated book ever and by far. I’ve never been much for taking notes or pulling quotes out of books, but this one was impossible to resist. There are just so many amazing ones! That’s from someone how barely finds one or two in any other book. There are quotes where the notes attached are just “please stop making me cry” – and I wish I was kidding. I’m not. This book wrecked me. It felt too real in some parts, too beautiful in others... so just perfect all around. It’s quite insta-lovey so if that’s not your thing you might not love this as much as I did, but I would not change a single letter in this entire thing. None. Now usually I would do a “things I enjoyed” vs. “things I didn’t enjoy” like I usually do, but…
What I enjoyed:
Everything. Every single f*cking letter that made up every single word. All the tropes, all the joyful, filthy romance; all the pain and the sadness it put me through was just so sweet. Honestly, Romeo and Juliette don’t have sh*t on Miles and Charlie, and yes you may quote me on that. The side characters were sweet, funny, interesting, and they added so much to the book without taking away from the main focus: the love story between Miles and Charlie.
Miles is my dream man, and there is no other way to go about it. If it wasn’t because I know that he 1) doesn’t exist and 2) is very much gay, I would wife him up so fast it’d be stupid. Charlie’s perfect for him, though – warm where he’s cold, vibrant where he’s been dulled out by years of solitude, vulnerable and honest and just so fucking pure. They both are. And yes, I’m aware that some will read the absolute filth that these two get into and will not think ‘pure’ like me, but they are. just. so. pure. Just perfect.
What I didn’t enjoy:
Nothing. Absolutely, not a single thing, because I loved the entirety of this book.
That’s it.
As a conclusion to this gushing review, I’m going to leave some quotes here, because I can’t not do it. I've hidden the last two because they might be a bit spoiler-y.
5/5 ⭐
🌶️🌶️.5 / 5
QUOTES TO MAKE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK:
“You’d never guess to look at him, but he’s hung like a damned horse. Never seen anything like it.”
“Isn’t that good?” Jo asked.
“To a point. Warren seems to like him, though, bless his heart and his arse. He never does know when to quit.”
His heart was racing. He felt like he’d hardly gotten out of there with his life. Now that he had, he wished he’d risked death to stay.
“What did you just say to me?”
A delicious chill ran up Charlie’s spine. “I said I shouldn’t have been surprised that you like to go about it like a complete brute.”
“Price,” he said, pulling his hair just that much harder. “Charlie. There’s better things to do with that pretty mouth of yours.”
“A lady never tells her age, nor the size of her debts.”
“Good thing you’re a whore then, ain’t it?”
Charlie threw the balled-up offer at his chest. “How dare you!”
Good boy that he was, he’d spent two Sundays in a row on his knees
until you desire no obligation save for the ones I give you, when I spin you around and bend you over and drive such piercing memories into your flesh that you’ll never do the same to your stupid little wife without thinking of me while you do it—
________________________________________________
*I received an ARC of the first 5 chapters of this book thanks to Net Galley *
The Gentleman’s Book of Vices has Charlie Price and Miles Montague as two characters who fall into place in the strangest way possible - Charlie is an overzealous rake in the verge of marriage to a charming, well-to-do lady; whilst Miles finds himself writing smut to support his old inherited, quasi-abandoned bookstore. Their lives come together when Charlie seeks Miles out for an autograph, given that he’s his favourite author and all. Sufficed to say, Mr. Montague is not only not amused but this rouse, but he believes the so-called Mr. Price is there to blackmail him.
These first few chapters were funny, endearing, a little spicy and they honestly started to bring in the feels almost immediately. I was already hoping for so much after reading the blurb but reading these 5 chapters has only made the waiting so much worst. I can’t wait to read the whole story!
I will give it 4 stars for now, but I will update this review and the rating once I finish the book.
February 22, 2023
Found family and and a good romance are all I need in a story these days, and this one featured both. The Gentleman's Book of Vices was honestly a lot more heartfelt than the synopsis makes it out to be, presenting a handful of varyingly troubled characters that I came to adore. The grumpy x sunshine dynamic is always a delight to read about when executed well, and I loved it in this case, where both the protagonist and love interest had intriguing backstories to explain their demeanor (particularly Miles, the poor guy).
For such a short book, Everlee accomplished a decent amount of character development, with just enough background plot to propel the central romance. One of my favourite scenes was when Charlie finally introduced Miles to his sweet friends (more family than anything) at The Curious Fox; I just loved the dynamic between them all! This was such a charming little book, one that's perfect for escaping a reading slump, or when you're simply in need of a mindless read.
For such a short book, Everlee accomplished a decent amount of character development, with just enough background plot to propel the central romance. One of my favourite scenes was when Charlie finally introduced Miles to his sweet friends (more family than anything) at The Curious Fox; I just loved the dynamic between them all! This was such a charming little book, one that's perfect for escaping a reading slump, or when you're simply in need of a mindless read.
August 26, 2022
He lived a simple existence with very few extravagances, but he made two exceptions: novels and wine.
With an MC like that, is it really a surprise this worked for me?
(No. No it is not.)
The Gentleman’s Book of Vices starts off as a frothy story about a charming, devil-may-care sunshine fop, Charlie, and a lonely, cautious, stoic (accidental) bookseller and (very much intentional) erotic novelist, Miles (pen name Reginald Cox). They have a meet-definitely-not-cute, followed by a quasi-farcical meet #2, where sparks fly and then they're off to the races. So far, so soapy histrom. (This is not shade. I love a soapy histrom!)
But what starts as an opposites-attract, "vivacious rake brings introvert with sad backstory back to life" tale sneakily develops into a real heartstring puller. Because Charlie, as it happens, is engaged to a lovely, clever, delightful girl named Alma. The engagement is orchestrated by the two families for various money-and-facesaving reasons; neither party is under the illusion that this is a love match. But there is also genuine affection and loyalty on both sides.
(I mean, come on: "Alma bustled up to the pair of them, her eyes shining about the cakes in a way they never quite did about Charlie." STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF, ALMA!!! Alma also carries a novel with her everywhere she goes, and please can we have an Alma book next??)
Anyway. Charlie and Miles fall hard and fast for each other; they are open, vulnerable, and honest with each other; and they don’t even try to pretend that this isn’t serious from the start. But when Charlie – who is determined to break off the engagement, even though it will cut him off financially and lead to drastic changes in his life and lifestyle – realizes the peril of Alma’s situation, he is forced to weigh his love and devotion for Miles against his commitment to Alma and his own principles. Miles, too, has principles, the most salient of which is that he won’t carry on with a married man. It’s the classic circle that can’t be squared, and it’s the stuff that angst is made of: what we owe to each other, what we can (and can’t) ask of each other, how we can live with integrity if we demand someone else make sacrifices we wouldn’t make ourselves.
And there are no villains here. Charlie, Miles, and Alma are three decent people trying their bests in a difficult situation. And I love, LOVE that the author didn’t take the easy way out by making Alma a shrill, horrible harridan. It feels genuinely high stakes as the wedding inches closer and Charlie makes his decision. Because all of these people are lovely, and all of them are, in one way or another, devastated. Bye-bye, frothy histrom; hello, why are they doing this to meeeeeeeeeeeeee?????
But of course, this a romance. So I needn’t use a spoiler tag to declare that a solution is found and an HEA assured. A satisfying solution that picks up on little threads seeded in the narrative; a solution that entails some sacrifices, but these are sacrifices gladly chosen rather than forced upon them. And a wonderful epilogue that made me smile and wonder whether I wouldn’t prefer a Warren or a Noah-and-Forester book next (no offense, Alma!).
Because found family plays a crucial role in the story, and the supporting cast was great. This is a group that likes each other, teases each other, and most crucially, takes care of each other; they are nosy without being intrusive, mocking without being cruel, and they welcome Miles with open arms once they realize what he means to Charlie. I love found family in romance, but it can be a mixed bag: sometimes the friends are too prying or co-dependent or farcical. But I would definitely read books on any of these characters, which is not a common sentiment for me.
Finally, this is a love letter to books and the people who read them and the people who write them. And this is my emotional kryptonite. It will always make me sappy AF.
I had just some small quibbles related to pacing – a bit uneven – and language – mostly accomplished and polished, but with some phrasings that stuck out as modern or rushed or un-Britishy. (I’m not British or anything. However, I HAVE read KJ Charles’s entire oeuvre. This must count for something.) I also hated Charlie’s butler, who – for all that his paymaster is Charlie’s father, not Charlie himself – speaks to Charlie with such casual disdain that it knocked me out of the story each time he was on the page.
But overall: a thoroughly enjoyable, surprisingly moving book and a very impressive debut.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from Carina Press via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
With an MC like that, is it really a surprise this worked for me?
(No. No it is not.)
The Gentleman’s Book of Vices starts off as a frothy story about a charming, devil-may-care sunshine fop, Charlie, and a lonely, cautious, stoic (accidental) bookseller and (very much intentional) erotic novelist, Miles (pen name Reginald Cox). They have a meet-definitely-not-cute, followed by a quasi-farcical meet #2, where sparks fly and then they're off to the races. So far, so soapy histrom. (This is not shade. I love a soapy histrom!)
But what starts as an opposites-attract, "vivacious rake brings introvert with sad backstory back to life" tale sneakily develops into a real heartstring puller. Because Charlie, as it happens, is engaged to a lovely, clever, delightful girl named Alma. The engagement is orchestrated by the two families for various money-and-facesaving reasons; neither party is under the illusion that this is a love match. But there is also genuine affection and loyalty on both sides.
(I mean, come on: "Alma bustled up to the pair of them, her eyes shining about the cakes in a way they never quite did about Charlie." STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF, ALMA!!! Alma also carries a novel with her everywhere she goes, and please can we have an Alma book next??)
Anyway. Charlie and Miles fall hard and fast for each other; they are open, vulnerable, and honest with each other; and they don’t even try to pretend that this isn’t serious from the start. But when Charlie – who is determined to break off the engagement, even though it will cut him off financially and lead to drastic changes in his life and lifestyle – realizes the peril of Alma’s situation, he is forced to weigh his love and devotion for Miles against his commitment to Alma and his own principles. Miles, too, has principles, the most salient of which is that he won’t carry on with a married man. It’s the classic circle that can’t be squared, and it’s the stuff that angst is made of: what we owe to each other, what we can (and can’t) ask of each other, how we can live with integrity if we demand someone else make sacrifices we wouldn’t make ourselves.
And there are no villains here. Charlie, Miles, and Alma are three decent people trying their bests in a difficult situation. And I love, LOVE that the author didn’t take the easy way out by making Alma a shrill, horrible harridan. It feels genuinely high stakes as the wedding inches closer and Charlie makes his decision. Because all of these people are lovely, and all of them are, in one way or another, devastated. Bye-bye, frothy histrom; hello, why are they doing this to meeeeeeeeeeeeee?????
But of course, this a romance. So I needn’t use a spoiler tag to declare that a solution is found and an HEA assured. A satisfying solution that picks up on little threads seeded in the narrative; a solution that entails some sacrifices, but these are sacrifices gladly chosen rather than forced upon them. And a wonderful epilogue that made me smile and wonder whether I wouldn’t prefer a Warren or a Noah-and-Forester book next (no offense, Alma!).
Because found family plays a crucial role in the story, and the supporting cast was great. This is a group that likes each other, teases each other, and most crucially, takes care of each other; they are nosy without being intrusive, mocking without being cruel, and they welcome Miles with open arms once they realize what he means to Charlie. I love found family in romance, but it can be a mixed bag: sometimes the friends are too prying or co-dependent or farcical. But I would definitely read books on any of these characters, which is not a common sentiment for me.
Finally, this is a love letter to books and the people who read them and the people who write them. And this is my emotional kryptonite. It will always make me sappy AF.
I had just some small quibbles related to pacing – a bit uneven – and language – mostly accomplished and polished, but with some phrasings that stuck out as modern or rushed or un-Britishy. (I’m not British or anything. However, I HAVE read KJ Charles’s entire oeuvre. This must count for something.) I also hated Charlie’s butler, who – for all that his paymaster is Charlie’s father, not Charlie himself – speaks to Charlie with such casual disdain that it knocked me out of the story each time he was on the page.
But overall: a thoroughly enjoyable, surprisingly moving book and a very impressive debut.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from Carina Press via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
June 30, 2022
Very possibly my 2022 best book of the year. Trapped in an impending marriage to a woman he likes but cannot love, happy-go-lucky Charlie is desperate to meet his favourite smut writer before sealing away his collection of explicit m/m novels forever. With his cheerful personality and sparkling wit, Charlie manages to coax bereaved and unsociable writer Miles back into the world of the living, as they embark on a forbidden, absolutely illegal, and beautifully scorching romance. But when one foot wrong or a single word out of place could spell a lengthy prison sentence, can Charlie and Miles find their happily ever after in Victorian London?
I am officially in love. I adored this book with my entire heart and soul. There were moments that had me full of joy, such as the gorgeous description of Charlie getting dressed to take Miles out to The Curious Fox; and beautifully soft, tender moments when Charlie and Miles believe they cannot be together. I loved how we got to see without question how deeply Charlie and Miles loved one another through their own narrative perspectives, and the obvious love the author has for these characters shines through on every page. They leapt straight out of the book. Charlie, in particular, I found such an engaging and loveable character. His physicality was wonderfully depicted, and I could so clearly see how everyone wants him to be their friend. I think the author did such a good job at showing her characters and who they were, to the point that this rarely explored part of Victorian London history was brought to vivid life.
I often find it's quite rare in a Romance for me to feel the relationship is ever in real jeopardy during the final Act, or that the reason for the characters breaking up ever holds its weight, but in this case, both were done so well, that I completely understood the difficulties Charlie found himself in, as well as feeling complete sympathy for Alma. I think the author did such a good job of demonstrating the very real difficulties people such as Charlie, Miles, and Alma would have lived through at this point in history, and the grief they would have to endure. Because of this aspect of the plot, I found myself feeling quite emotional, thinking about how The Gentleman's Book of Vices must offer a happy ending to honour so many who never got to experience one in their own lifetimes.
Beautiful, moving, tender, funny, endearing, I really can't recommend this book highly enough. I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of The Gentleman's Book of Vices. These opinions are my own.
I am officially in love. I adored this book with my entire heart and soul. There were moments that had me full of joy, such as the gorgeous description of Charlie getting dressed to take Miles out to The Curious Fox; and beautifully soft, tender moments when Charlie and Miles believe they cannot be together. I loved how we got to see without question how deeply Charlie and Miles loved one another through their own narrative perspectives, and the obvious love the author has for these characters shines through on every page. They leapt straight out of the book. Charlie, in particular, I found such an engaging and loveable character. His physicality was wonderfully depicted, and I could so clearly see how everyone wants him to be their friend. I think the author did such a good job at showing her characters and who they were, to the point that this rarely explored part of Victorian London history was brought to vivid life.
I often find it's quite rare in a Romance for me to feel the relationship is ever in real jeopardy during the final Act, or that the reason for the characters breaking up ever holds its weight, but in this case, both were done so well, that I completely understood the difficulties Charlie found himself in, as well as feeling complete sympathy for Alma. I think the author did such a good job of demonstrating the very real difficulties people such as Charlie, Miles, and Alma would have lived through at this point in history, and the grief they would have to endure. Because of this aspect of the plot, I found myself feeling quite emotional, thinking about how The Gentleman's Book of Vices must offer a happy ending to honour so many who never got to experience one in their own lifetimes.
Beautiful, moving, tender, funny, endearing, I really can't recommend this book highly enough. I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of The Gentleman's Book of Vices. These opinions are my own.
January 15, 2023
3 stars. Nothing very deep, but engaging central characters, I ended up caring for them. Secondary characters were by and large okay. Solid debut effort.
Without giving anything away, I found how Charlie and Miles got out of their particular predicament a bit too easy, but that doesn't put me off the story. Some anachronisms and a few carelessly edited bits, but apparently we will see the characters again, and I will probably go further with the series.
Without giving anything away, I found how Charlie and Miles got out of their particular predicament a bit too easy, but that doesn't put me off the story. Some anachronisms and a few carelessly edited bits, but apparently we will see the characters again, and I will probably go further with the series.
December 19, 2022
I've given this an A- at AAR, so 4.5 stars rounded up.
Set in Victorian London, Jess Everlee’s The Gentleman’s Book of Vices tells the story of a bookshop owner – whose super-secret alter-ego is the writer of some of the finest and most sought-after erotica currently to be found under counters and in back rooms – and the most devoted admirer of said erotica, a young gentleman whose dedication “to his vices” has finally landed him in the sort of financial trouble from which there is only one way to escape. The romance between these two polar opposites – one staid and rigidly controlled, the other vivacious and happy-go-lucky – is very well written, with emotions that leap off the page, two complex, well-crafted protagonists and a strongly written group of secondary characters. Taken as a whole, it’s a very impressive début novel – and it would have received a flat-out A grade had it not been for the ending, which is rushed, simplistic, and just doesn’t fit with the tone of the rest of the novel.
Charlie Price has sampled all the vices London has to offer, but his dissolute life is about to change. His usually indulgent parents have, in the past, helped him out of the financial trouble he’s got himself into, but they’re no longer prepared to do so without his agreeing to “take a respectable job and settle down like a ‘proper, healthy fellow’” and prove he’s changed his ways. An introduction to the Merriweather family – most particularly, their unwed daughter, Alma – swiftly followed, and Charlie now works at Merriweather’s bank and is to be married to Alma in eight weeks time. He’s resigned himself to having to lock away his box of scandalous little treasures – his erotic novels, nude sketches and sculptures of illicit lovemaking – possibly forever, and as a kind of last hurrah, he’s determined to get his favourite author of illicit smut – the incredibly elusive Reginald Cox – to autograph his favourite book. But those who write the kind of filth Cox specialises in must necessarily guard their identities, and Cox has proved very difficult to pin down.
Luck is on Charlie’s side, however, when his close friend, the mysterious Jo, comes up trumps with a name.
While running a bookshop really wouldn’t have been Miles Montague’s choice of career – and quite honestly, he’s not all that good at it – he inherited it from his dead lover and keeps it out of a sense of duty even as the bills mount up and he has to continually add to the business funds from the money he earns from his writring. He’s solitary by nature, which is probably just as well given his secret occupation, and has jealously guarded that secret, which is why he’s so panicked when a young man comes into the shop just after closing time one day, and makes it clear he knows exactly who ‘Reginald Cox’ really is. Immediately suspecting he’s about to be blackmailed, Miles curtly asks the man to name the price he wants for his silence – but Charlie (for of course, it is he!) quickly tries to correct that assumption and to calm him down. All he wants, he says, is for ‘Reginald’ to sign his (very well read) copy of the book, Immorality Plays. Stunned, disbelieving and furious, Miles refuses and tells Charlie to get out – which he does, but not before pulling Miles into a blistering kiss and slipping his card down the front of Miles’ trousers.
It’s only later, once Miles’ panic has receded, that he has a chance to think clearly and realises that the charming Mr. Price had been telling the truth – and that he’s given Miles plenty of information he could use against him if Miles wished to. Realising he over-reacted, Miles signs the book, and the next day, heads off to Charlie’s house carrying both the book (wrapped, of course) and a good bottle of wine by way of apology.
There’s an intense spark of lust between the pair from the get-go, and the very next day – after an amusing scene in which Miles is mistaken for a sommelier and ends up offering suggestions as to which wine and cake Charlie and Alma should have at their wedding (although in Victorian England, there would only have been one sort of wedding cake on offer – the traditional heavy fruit cake that’s still the norm today) – Charlie takes Miles upstairs to see his ‘collection’. One thing leads to another, but they’re disturbed by footsteps in the hallway before they can have sex on the floor – and Miles is spooked. He doesn’t do this, he isn’t this reckless – with very good reason – but there’s something about Charlie that is completely irresistible, and he doesn’t say no when Charlie says he’ll come to Miles’ place on Friday evening.
Miles and Charlie fall hard and fast for each other and very soon are engaged in a passionate affair. They’re open and honest from the start and don’t even try to hide the fact that there’s more to what’s happening between them than sex, so that what starts out as a mostly light-hearted sunshiny-rake-brings-love-and-life-back-to-grumpy-introvert-with-tragic-past romance quickly develops into a story that really tugs at the heartstrings. The conflict in the romance is both realistic and heartbreaking; in fact, it’s one of a handful of books I’ve read recently where I actually felt the relationship was in serious jepoardy in the final chapters (even though I knew there would be an HEA), and Ms. Everlee does a really good job of articulating the very real difficulties that Charlie and Alma – and Miles – are facing.
I have to applaud the author for the way she writes Alma, who is never demonised. Instead, she’s a clever and charming young woman who is caught between a rock and a hard place, just as Charlie is and, as a woman, has even fewer options open to her. She and Charlie obviously care a great deal for each other, and he wants to give her a good home and perhaps even children (if he can manage it), but like many well-to-do men of the time, doesn’t intend to give up his ‘other’ life. And the thing is, I couldn’t actually dislike Charlie for that; he genuinely likes Alma and wants her to be happy and secure, but also needs to to carve out a little time to be true to himself as well – and the sad thing is that he knows that ‘a little’ is all he’s ever going to be able to have. He wants to continue to see Miles after he’s married, but Miles refuses, not only because he doesn’t want to be a part of that sort of betrayal, but also because he knows that eventually Charlie will have less and less time for him and that such gradual dwindling will hurt much more than a clean break. He also clearly sees how this marriage will slowly kill Charlie, draining away his liveliness and humour and everything that makes him him – and can’t bear the thought of watching that happen.
Miles and Charlie are flawed, complicated individuals who come vividly to life, especially Charlie, who really is a ray of sunshine, so engaging and loveable that it’s easy to understand why people are so drawn to him. Their romance is beautifully written, with plenty of humour, affection and tenderness, and the sexual chemistry between them is scorching.
There’s a great cast of secondary characters, too, with a lovely found family element and sense of community in the group of friends at The Curious Fox, the molly house Charlie frequents.
As I said at the beginning, this would have been an A grade review if it weren’t for the book’s ending, which is just a little too pat. And while the author does a pretty good job of evoking a strong sense of time and place, there are a few things that jar, like the use of a street name without “Street” or “Road” (which is a dead giveaway that the author is American – we would say “Holywell Street” and not just “Holywell” for example), the way Charlie’s butler speaks to him and a few turns of phrase that feel too modern.
Still, The Gentleman’s Book of Vices is an extremely accomplished and throughly engrossing début novel and one I definitely recommend to anyone looking for a new voice in queer historical romance. I gather this is the first book in a series, and am looking forward to reading more from this talented author.
Set in Victorian London, Jess Everlee’s The Gentleman’s Book of Vices tells the story of a bookshop owner – whose super-secret alter-ego is the writer of some of the finest and most sought-after erotica currently to be found under counters and in back rooms – and the most devoted admirer of said erotica, a young gentleman whose dedication “to his vices” has finally landed him in the sort of financial trouble from which there is only one way to escape. The romance between these two polar opposites – one staid and rigidly controlled, the other vivacious and happy-go-lucky – is very well written, with emotions that leap off the page, two complex, well-crafted protagonists and a strongly written group of secondary characters. Taken as a whole, it’s a very impressive début novel – and it would have received a flat-out A grade had it not been for the ending, which is rushed, simplistic, and just doesn’t fit with the tone of the rest of the novel.
Charlie Price has sampled all the vices London has to offer, but his dissolute life is about to change. His usually indulgent parents have, in the past, helped him out of the financial trouble he’s got himself into, but they’re no longer prepared to do so without his agreeing to “take a respectable job and settle down like a ‘proper, healthy fellow’” and prove he’s changed his ways. An introduction to the Merriweather family – most particularly, their unwed daughter, Alma – swiftly followed, and Charlie now works at Merriweather’s bank and is to be married to Alma in eight weeks time. He’s resigned himself to having to lock away his box of scandalous little treasures – his erotic novels, nude sketches and sculptures of illicit lovemaking – possibly forever, and as a kind of last hurrah, he’s determined to get his favourite author of illicit smut – the incredibly elusive Reginald Cox – to autograph his favourite book. But those who write the kind of filth Cox specialises in must necessarily guard their identities, and Cox has proved very difficult to pin down.
Luck is on Charlie’s side, however, when his close friend, the mysterious Jo, comes up trumps with a name.
While running a bookshop really wouldn’t have been Miles Montague’s choice of career – and quite honestly, he’s not all that good at it – he inherited it from his dead lover and keeps it out of a sense of duty even as the bills mount up and he has to continually add to the business funds from the money he earns from his writring. He’s solitary by nature, which is probably just as well given his secret occupation, and has jealously guarded that secret, which is why he’s so panicked when a young man comes into the shop just after closing time one day, and makes it clear he knows exactly who ‘Reginald Cox’ really is. Immediately suspecting he’s about to be blackmailed, Miles curtly asks the man to name the price he wants for his silence – but Charlie (for of course, it is he!) quickly tries to correct that assumption and to calm him down. All he wants, he says, is for ‘Reginald’ to sign his (very well read) copy of the book, Immorality Plays. Stunned, disbelieving and furious, Miles refuses and tells Charlie to get out – which he does, but not before pulling Miles into a blistering kiss and slipping his card down the front of Miles’ trousers.
It’s only later, once Miles’ panic has receded, that he has a chance to think clearly and realises that the charming Mr. Price had been telling the truth – and that he’s given Miles plenty of information he could use against him if Miles wished to. Realising he over-reacted, Miles signs the book, and the next day, heads off to Charlie’s house carrying both the book (wrapped, of course) and a good bottle of wine by way of apology.
There’s an intense spark of lust between the pair from the get-go, and the very next day – after an amusing scene in which Miles is mistaken for a sommelier and ends up offering suggestions as to which wine and cake Charlie and Alma should have at their wedding (although in Victorian England, there would only have been one sort of wedding cake on offer – the traditional heavy fruit cake that’s still the norm today) – Charlie takes Miles upstairs to see his ‘collection’. One thing leads to another, but they’re disturbed by footsteps in the hallway before they can have sex on the floor – and Miles is spooked. He doesn’t do this, he isn’t this reckless – with very good reason – but there’s something about Charlie that is completely irresistible, and he doesn’t say no when Charlie says he’ll come to Miles’ place on Friday evening.
Miles and Charlie fall hard and fast for each other and very soon are engaged in a passionate affair. They’re open and honest from the start and don’t even try to hide the fact that there’s more to what’s happening between them than sex, so that what starts out as a mostly light-hearted sunshiny-rake-brings-love-and-life-back-to-grumpy-introvert-with-tragic-past romance quickly develops into a story that really tugs at the heartstrings. The conflict in the romance is both realistic and heartbreaking; in fact, it’s one of a handful of books I’ve read recently where I actually felt the relationship was in serious jepoardy in the final chapters (even though I knew there would be an HEA), and Ms. Everlee does a really good job of articulating the very real difficulties that Charlie and Alma – and Miles – are facing.
I have to applaud the author for the way she writes Alma, who is never demonised. Instead, she’s a clever and charming young woman who is caught between a rock and a hard place, just as Charlie is and, as a woman, has even fewer options open to her. She and Charlie obviously care a great deal for each other, and he wants to give her a good home and perhaps even children (if he can manage it), but like many well-to-do men of the time, doesn’t intend to give up his ‘other’ life. And the thing is, I couldn’t actually dislike Charlie for that; he genuinely likes Alma and wants her to be happy and secure, but also needs to to carve out a little time to be true to himself as well – and the sad thing is that he knows that ‘a little’ is all he’s ever going to be able to have. He wants to continue to see Miles after he’s married, but Miles refuses, not only because he doesn’t want to be a part of that sort of betrayal, but also because he knows that eventually Charlie will have less and less time for him and that such gradual dwindling will hurt much more than a clean break. He also clearly sees how this marriage will slowly kill Charlie, draining away his liveliness and humour and everything that makes him him – and can’t bear the thought of watching that happen.
Miles and Charlie are flawed, complicated individuals who come vividly to life, especially Charlie, who really is a ray of sunshine, so engaging and loveable that it’s easy to understand why people are so drawn to him. Their romance is beautifully written, with plenty of humour, affection and tenderness, and the sexual chemistry between them is scorching.
There’s a great cast of secondary characters, too, with a lovely found family element and sense of community in the group of friends at The Curious Fox, the molly house Charlie frequents.
As I said at the beginning, this would have been an A grade review if it weren’t for the book’s ending, which is just a little too pat. And while the author does a pretty good job of evoking a strong sense of time and place, there are a few things that jar, like the use of a street name without “Street” or “Road” (which is a dead giveaway that the author is American – we would say “Holywell Street” and not just “Holywell” for example), the way Charlie’s butler speaks to him and a few turns of phrase that feel too modern.
Still, The Gentleman’s Book of Vices is an extremely accomplished and throughly engrossing début novel and one I definitely recommend to anyone looking for a new voice in queer historical romance. I gather this is the first book in a series, and am looking forward to reading more from this talented author.
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July 22, 2022I really, really loved the idea of this.
Charlie being a passionate gay smut reader, collecting his favourite authors signatures. I kinda related to that. 😂
So before he inevitably has to get married to a woman and has to hide his little treasured collection forever he wants to get the signature from his absolute favourite author.
What he didn’t ask for was to fall in love with said author and dreading his marriage even more.
I really love queer historical romances and this sounded amazing.
But this tried to be an epic romance with kink elements…it just didn’t work at all. There was little to none interaction between Miles and “Mr. Cox”, not a lot of dialoge and huge time gaps. There was one sex scene immediately after they met and that was it. That’s just not a style of writing that makes me believe in their epic lovestory.
Also the “kink” was only mentioned randomly every now and then and sometimes rather shocked than intrigued me.
There is only one entire explicit sex scene in this and it’s very tame.
I also needed a little more backstory from the beginning to get to know the characters more. It all came to light so late in the story that it only really got interesting in the end.
I liked how everything came together in the end and how the role of the woman in this story wasn’t simply that if the damsel in distress.
Charlie and his fiancé that I loved more than the actual romance in this!
It had its fun moments, especially the club scenes and the accidental fake sommelier.
But all in all this wasn’t what I hoped it would be sadly.
Charlie being a passionate gay smut reader, collecting his favourite authors signatures. I kinda related to that. 😂
So before he inevitably has to get married to a woman and has to hide his little treasured collection forever he wants to get the signature from his absolute favourite author.
What he didn’t ask for was to fall in love with said author and dreading his marriage even more.
I really love queer historical romances and this sounded amazing.
But this tried to be an epic romance with kink elements…it just didn’t work at all. There was little to none interaction between Miles and “Mr. Cox”, not a lot of dialoge and huge time gaps. There was one sex scene immediately after they met and that was it. That’s just not a style of writing that makes me believe in their epic lovestory.
Also the “kink” was only mentioned randomly every now and then and sometimes rather shocked than intrigued me.
There is only one entire explicit sex scene in this and it’s very tame.
I also needed a little more backstory from the beginning to get to know the characters more. It all came to light so late in the story that it only really got interesting in the end.
I liked how everything came together in the end and how the role of the woman in this story wasn’t simply that if the damsel in distress.
Charlie and his fiancé that I loved more than the actual romance in this!
It had its fun moments, especially the club scenes and the accidental fake sommelier.
But all in all this wasn’t what I hoped it would be sadly.
February 26, 2023
welcome to 202-Queer 🌈✨
50 in February: 43/50
the beginning was fun but after about 30% things started getting repetitive and boring. i'm just not made to read romcoms idk
50 in February: 43/50
the beginning was fun but after about 30% things started getting repetitive and boring. i'm just not made to read romcoms idk
April 27, 2023
Rounding up! The steamiest romance I’ve ever read, maybe? I didn’t always love where the plot went, but overall this was a romp
June 13, 2023
Overall, I found this a very enjoyable read.
However, my favorite character ended up being Charlie's fiance Alma ("the sweet, fun-loving woman he would spend the rest of his life lying to") rather than the two protagonists. And while it's historical, there are quite a few anachronisms (did they use the word "butch" in the 1880's?), oh, and although Miles is the author of "the most buggery-filled book of the age" .... sex scenes are few and far between, and usually quickly fade to black.
Miles Montague, aka Reginald Cox, earns wads of cash writing said smut, using the proceeds to poorly and halfheartedly manage his inherited bookstore. Charlie is soon to be married and wants to get Miles' autograph on his favorite Cox book "Immorality Plays ("in which two moralists seclude themselves in a country house to pen a treatise against sin, only to find themselves compelled by dark forces to act out each crime they denounce") prior to settling down in marriage and stowing his beloved porn collection safely away for good.
Charlie frequents The Curious Fox, the London molly house equivalent of Cheers, with quirky characters like Noah Clarke / Miss Penelope Primrose, bartender Warren Bakshi, the proprietor Mr. Forester and Miss Jo, an occasional refuge from the Sapphists' club. The development of the secondary characters is somewhat spotty, with Noah being fairly well fleshed out, and Miss Jo and The Beast remaining (to me at least) somewhat enigmatic.
So, yeah .... good bones ... this book has certainly got them, especially as this is the author's debut book. The author does a good job of setting the scene along with some interesting sentences like this one describing Noah: "The fellow slipped down off the bar like he was made from liquid and scurried into Charlie's arms. " And Alma is truly interesting, and not just a throw-away character in the role of the unwanted wife.
The first part of the book works really well, as Charlie meets Miles and they fall into some very interesting situations, but the second half of the book felt too busy and populated with far too many happenstances, odd reveals, with an overly complicated conclusion that may be best summed up as huh? Wait a minute .... huh?
There is a second book coming starring Noah and David Forester, so I do look forward to reading their story, and catching up on Alma, and Charlie and Miles as they all move into the next chapter of their lives. 4 stars.
I received an ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
However, my favorite character ended up being Charlie's fiance Alma ("the sweet, fun-loving woman he would spend the rest of his life lying to") rather than the two protagonists. And while it's historical, there are quite a few anachronisms (did they use the word "butch" in the 1880's?), oh, and although Miles is the author of "the most buggery-filled book of the age" .... sex scenes are few and far between, and usually quickly fade to black.
Miles Montague, aka Reginald Cox, earns wads of cash writing said smut, using the proceeds to poorly and halfheartedly manage his inherited bookstore. Charlie is soon to be married and wants to get Miles' autograph on his favorite Cox book "Immorality Plays ("in which two moralists seclude themselves in a country house to pen a treatise against sin, only to find themselves compelled by dark forces to act out each crime they denounce") prior to settling down in marriage and stowing his beloved porn collection safely away for good.
Charlie frequents The Curious Fox, the London molly house equivalent of Cheers, with quirky characters like Noah Clarke / Miss Penelope Primrose, bartender Warren Bakshi, the proprietor Mr. Forester and Miss Jo, an occasional refuge from the Sapphists' club. The development of the secondary characters is somewhat spotty, with Noah being fairly well fleshed out, and Miss Jo and The Beast remaining (to me at least) somewhat enigmatic.
So, yeah .... good bones ... this book has certainly got them, especially as this is the author's debut book. The author does a good job of setting the scene along with some interesting sentences like this one describing Noah: "The fellow slipped down off the bar like he was made from liquid and scurried into Charlie's arms. " And Alma is truly interesting, and not just a throw-away character in the role of the unwanted wife.
The first part of the book works really well, as Charlie meets Miles and they fall into some very interesting situations, but the second half of the book felt too busy and populated with far too many happenstances, odd reveals, with an overly complicated conclusion that may be best summed up as huh? Wait a minute .... huh?
There is a second book coming starring Noah and David Forester, so I do look forward to reading their story, and catching up on Alma, and Charlie and Miles as they all move into the next chapter of their lives. 4 stars.
I received an ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
November 28, 2022
This book departs from typical m/m historical romance conventions in a few interesting ways. The most obvious one is that the threat of homophobic violence and/or imprisonment looms very large throughout the story; it's basically one of the major points of conflict. If you like the danger of being murdered or arrested for being gay to be more of a distant possibility, plot-wise, this isn't the book for you.
There's also a little bit of an edge to the sexual relationship between Miles and Charlie from the get-go, informed by the real erotica of the time period. In a general sense, I loved this as a concept. I think the dynamics were established with a lot of promise. However, nothing is ever delivered on that promise. It basically reads like this:
"Miles: I'm going to do SUCH things to you.
Charlie: oh, yeah? Let's do those things.
The next morning, they had coffee."
Like, what?? A huge element of the dynamic between Charlie and Miles is sexual, but we get maybe 60% of the way through any sexual scene before we cut to them chatting or waking up. Plenty of R-rated stuff happens before we jump, so why the squickiness around finishing the scene? This happens constantly in m/m romance and I rail against it every time. I simply don't get it. If you can't write about it, why are you writing gay romance novels, let alone one in which sex plays a huge role in the dynamic between your characters?
Both because of this and because of the story overall, I didn't connect with Charlie or Miles at all. They don't feel like people you root for; they're mostly unpleasant in their interactions with other people and, half the time, with each other. The bits of Miles' writing we get was really fascinating, and probably the best part of the book. Beyond that, there's not much to recommend it. There's one lesbian character who's competent and cool, but every other female character is foolish and delicate, which is par for the course for this sort of book but still annoying.
I initially gave this book three stars, but after writing the review I am bumping it down to two. Giving your characters this intensely sexual relationship and then shutting the door in your reader's face for most sex scenes is just bad writing.
There's also a little bit of an edge to the sexual relationship between Miles and Charlie from the get-go, informed by the real erotica of the time period. In a general sense, I loved this as a concept. I think the dynamics were established with a lot of promise. However, nothing is ever delivered on that promise. It basically reads like this:
"Miles: I'm going to do SUCH things to you.
Charlie: oh, yeah? Let's do those things.
The next morning, they had coffee."
Like, what?? A huge element of the dynamic between Charlie and Miles is sexual, but we get maybe 60% of the way through any sexual scene before we cut to them chatting or waking up. Plenty of R-rated stuff happens before we jump, so why the squickiness around finishing the scene? This happens constantly in m/m romance and I rail against it every time. I simply don't get it. If you can't write about it, why are you writing gay romance novels, let alone one in which sex plays a huge role in the dynamic between your characters?
Both because of this and because of the story overall, I didn't connect with Charlie or Miles at all. They don't feel like people you root for; they're mostly unpleasant in their interactions with other people and, half the time, with each other. The bits of Miles' writing we get was really fascinating, and probably the best part of the book. Beyond that, there's not much to recommend it. There's one lesbian character who's competent and cool, but every other female character is foolish and delicate, which is par for the course for this sort of book but still annoying.
I initially gave this book three stars, but after writing the review I am bumping it down to two. Giving your characters this intensely sexual relationship and then shutting the door in your reader's face for most sex scenes is just bad writing.
October 1, 2022
There was nothing wrong with this book, but it felt like a lesser version of other historical M/M novels I've read that used the same tropes.
January 6, 2023
The characters were great and obviously had a lot of chemistry. The ending was a little too convenient but I'm not going to argue much about that. But a touch more kink, especially if that's what the characters are into, would've been welcome. Otherwise, a nice historical romance.
December 12, 2022
This was a seriously enjoyable Victorian romance about a spoiled queer socialite on a quest to find his favourite erotica author before he is forced into a socially acceptable marriage. It plays pretty heavily on the grumpy/sunshine trope, and I found the writing wry and funny. The MCs have fantastic chemistry and the secondary characters are great. My one big issue with this book is that it kind of slyly promises to be sexy and even kinky, but then there was so much fade to black? Their dynamic was incredibly hot - Miles (the grumpy author/bookseller) was gruff and imperious and had serious dom vibes and Charlie (the fop) was bratty and needy, and this is my favourite sexy thing to read about, but all that build up didn't amount to much. I know it's likely my own fault for wanting more erotica than there was, but I did feel a bit cheated because holy hell would it have been hot. That aside, it was a fun read, and I'm glad there's a sequel.
July 28, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review :)
4.5*
this was so amazing and unexpected in the best possible way!!
The characters, plot, setting, pace everything was great. I think for such a short book the main characters had a lot of depth and the pace wasn't rushed at all. I'm really glad I found this author because the writing was so impressive, communicating the mcs emotions beautifully and the descriptions too! I also love the way it ended; I'm so happy all characetrs got their HEA, they deserved it <3
4.5*
this was so amazing and unexpected in the best possible way!!
The characters, plot, setting, pace everything was great. I think for such a short book the main characters had a lot of depth and the pace wasn't rushed at all. I'm really glad I found this author because the writing was so impressive, communicating the mcs emotions beautifully and the descriptions too! I also love the way it ended; I'm so happy all characetrs got their HEA, they deserved it <3
October 1, 2022
Oh what a delight!
A sweet love story between two men who deserve a better live than they have.
My favorite Thing: The characters in this book actually talked to each other, even about the hard stuff.
Thanks a lot for the ARC that I got via NetGalley!
A sweet love story between two men who deserve a better live than they have.
My favorite Thing: The characters in this book actually talked to each other, even about the hard stuff.
Thanks a lot for the ARC that I got via NetGalley!
January 9, 2023
Review to come once the HarperCollins strike ends.
Update 1/8/2023 - Per the HarperCollins Union twitter reviews for books under the Harlequin umbrella do not cross the picket line so here is my review:
2.5 stars rounded up
I have yet to discover what the point of this book was. There is not much in the way of plot, character development, or anything really. But it isn't exactly atrocious either. Just kind of nothing.
For example, the main character Miles allegedly writes kinky dirty books and pretends he is kinky dirty in bed but the same scene where Miles says "I'm a sadist" he also gently makes love to Charlie and confesses his love for him? Where is the sadism I was promised! All sex stuff was written vaguely pearl clutching. Like the idea of sex. That's what the whole book is like - the idea of something described from a distance.
And the plot if you can even find it seemed to be centered around Charlie's wedding to Alma? And Charlie flip flopping on going through with it or not. It all worked out very neatly at the end in a ridiculously perfect way because Miles' publisher took everything into his own hands and declared (paraphrasing by me) "ah yes me, your publisher, have been secretly solving all your problems this entire time! Even the problems of these two other people we've known a week!" Please. Why would his publisher bother with all of that! They didn't even seem to be friends!!
In conclusion, mostly harmless and forgettable but perhaps a plotless historical novel with a neatly tied up ending is exactly what someone else wants.
I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Update 1/8/2023 - Per the HarperCollins Union twitter reviews for books under the Harlequin umbrella do not cross the picket line so here is my review:
2.5 stars rounded up
I have yet to discover what the point of this book was. There is not much in the way of plot, character development, or anything really. But it isn't exactly atrocious either. Just kind of nothing.
For example, the main character Miles allegedly writes kinky dirty books and pretends he is kinky dirty in bed but the same scene where Miles says "I'm a sadist" he also gently makes love to Charlie and confesses his love for him? Where is the sadism I was promised! All sex stuff was written vaguely pearl clutching. Like the idea of sex. That's what the whole book is like - the idea of something described from a distance.
And the plot if you can even find it seemed to be centered around Charlie's wedding to Alma? And Charlie flip flopping on going through with it or not. It all worked out very neatly at the end in a ridiculously perfect way because Miles' publisher took everything into his own hands and declared (paraphrasing by me) "ah yes me, your publisher, have been secretly solving all your problems this entire time! Even the problems of these two other people we've known a week!" Please. Why would his publisher bother with all of that! They didn't even seem to be friends!!
In conclusion, mostly harmless and forgettable but perhaps a plotless historical novel with a neatly tied up ending is exactly what someone else wants.
I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
November 30, 2022
On my blog.
Actual rating 2.5
Rep: gay mcs, gay, lesbian & trans side characters
CWs: period typical homophobia
Galley provided by publisher
The Gentleman’s Book of Vices was an alright read. Sadly, this is about as high praise as I can give it. It was alright, but nothing more. (A little side note to insert here: this doesn’t mean you won’t feel differently, etc etc, and so on and so forth.)
The story follows Charlie and Miles, who meet when Charlie comes to Miles to ask for an autograph as the author of a piece of fiction that might well lead to Miles’ being arrested. Believing himself to be being blackmailed, Miles throws Charlie out, but quickly reassesses and this is how the two of them strike up a relationship.
Let me start with what’s good about this book and that’s the writing. It’s very readable, and the story never drags. But equally, it’s poetic when it needs to be, and presents the characters in a way that makes them leap off the page. None of what I was less than enamoured by was down to the writing.
Probably, then, the major reason for my prevailing feelings over this book being “meh” was the fact that I just didn’t care enough about the characters. Perhaps I should have been able to anticipate this, when I reread the blurb and meet-cute, and thought, this doesn’t really grab me as a dynamic. It’s hard to say why, and it’s in no way an indictment of the book itself. But, for my enjoyment of this one, it was a killer.
I also thought that I couldn’t feel the tension between the two characters. You know, how the best romances make it almost tangible? That was missing here. Again, this could be down to my distinct lack of enthusiasm over the dynamic, maybe it was a genuine lack of it in the writing. Who can say? Not me.
Lastly, maybe all of this can be put down to the mood I was in while reading. Primarily, this is why I’d hesitate to draw any particular conclusions from this review. As ever, what doesn’t work for me may well work for you.
Actual rating 2.5
Rep: gay mcs, gay, lesbian & trans side characters
CWs: period typical homophobia
Galley provided by publisher
The Gentleman’s Book of Vices was an alright read. Sadly, this is about as high praise as I can give it. It was alright, but nothing more. (A little side note to insert here: this doesn’t mean you won’t feel differently, etc etc, and so on and so forth.)
The story follows Charlie and Miles, who meet when Charlie comes to Miles to ask for an autograph as the author of a piece of fiction that might well lead to Miles’ being arrested. Believing himself to be being blackmailed, Miles throws Charlie out, but quickly reassesses and this is how the two of them strike up a relationship.
Let me start with what’s good about this book and that’s the writing. It’s very readable, and the story never drags. But equally, it’s poetic when it needs to be, and presents the characters in a way that makes them leap off the page. None of what I was less than enamoured by was down to the writing.
Probably, then, the major reason for my prevailing feelings over this book being “meh” was the fact that I just didn’t care enough about the characters. Perhaps I should have been able to anticipate this, when I reread the blurb and meet-cute, and thought, this doesn’t really grab me as a dynamic. It’s hard to say why, and it’s in no way an indictment of the book itself. But, for my enjoyment of this one, it was a killer.
I also thought that I couldn’t feel the tension between the two characters. You know, how the best romances make it almost tangible? That was missing here. Again, this could be down to my distinct lack of enthusiasm over the dynamic, maybe it was a genuine lack of it in the writing. Who can say? Not me.
Lastly, maybe all of this can be put down to the mood I was in while reading. Primarily, this is why I’d hesitate to draw any particular conclusions from this review. As ever, what doesn’t work for me may well work for you.
July 17, 2022
AAAAAAA netgalley thank you I'm going to sob now.
THIS? HAS BEEN AN EXPERIENCE, an exquisite one at that.
No because the premise is so cool and you'd think the beginning was so good it'll only get worse from there but?? NO it kept getting better.
And like, i have a soft spot for writers (smut or otherwise), so MILES MY BELOVED <3
Charlie is such a nice person, seeing him fall in love with a person he already felt so close to through writing? POETIC.
I'm pretty sure i liked every single character? Except Alma's parents i don't care for the Merriweathers.
again, I'm so honored i got to read this book <3
would recommend.
THIS? HAS BEEN AN EXPERIENCE, an exquisite one at that.
No because the premise is so cool and you'd think the beginning was so good it'll only get worse from there but?? NO it kept getting better.
And like, i have a soft spot for writers (smut or otherwise), so MILES MY BELOVED <3
Charlie is such a nice person, seeing him fall in love with a person he already felt so close to through writing? POETIC.
I'm pretty sure i liked every single character? Except Alma's parents i don't care for the Merriweathers.
again, I'm so honored i got to read this book <3
would recommend.
June 10, 2023
No one would ever look at Charlie like that again. He knew it. Who else could? Circumstance had shaped them for each other, each chipped and bent in just the right spots for the other to fit perfectly.
A historical m/m romance about horny books and the men who write and read them. Except it's only like 40% about that. This is like the third book in a couple of weeks to make me unexpectedly tear up out of nowhere; either I'm just in a maudlin baby-ish mood or the books are hitting emotionally harder than I expected them to. This was so so cute! I felt middling to fair about it for most of the book, but towards the end I really really liked and sympathised with and felt for the characters. There were a few too many neat things that slotted in together perfectly at the end, but I'm not the type to care about that if the characters/romance have won me over sufficiently.
And they did! Charlie is an accountant and fop who needs to get married to settle his debts; Miles is a bookstore owner and anonymous pornography writer. Charlie is a huge fan of Miles, but they don't get off to the best start. Their road to romance from there was so sweet? I love romances that are about artist/admirer relationships, and this had a really interesting hook for me, when Miles realises that one of his favourite passages that he's ever written is one of Charlie's most beloved and reread passages of the book. I love connections like that; a thing they have in common before even meeting. Miles' books sound genuinely fun and stupid and trashy in the good way, and the connection that it provided for them was lovely? It helped that the powerplay etc was right up my alley. And I love when a romance really manages to convey that these two specific people are specifically good for one another, in all facets of life. I wasn't the biggest fan of the pacing of this; it did that thing where they had some significant scenes, and then we sorta stone-skimmed over the water of the next few weeks. Still, I enjoyed what we saw of them, and how they grew their relationship. I adored Charlie's friendship with Alma, and the little family at the club was super cute. This isn't the first queer historical with a plot like this, and I kinda thought I knew where it was headed, so I was glad/surprised to see it took a few turns I wasn't expecting to get there. Some components of the ending were easy to see coming, but eh, I didn't mind.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Tonny Hawthorne, and it was excellent! Or at least, I really liked his voice for the prose and the main characters. Everything else... eh. Most of his male side characters were too gruff/exaggerated, and his female characters were pitchy and a bit grating to listen to. But the main voices are great, so that's what's important. This was just really cute, and managed to make me care about these guys in a pretty short amount of time. I'll definitely read Noah's romance, and I hope Joey gets one too; I loved her.
Anyone could write a scandal. Reginald Cox made his readers weep over it.
September 30, 2022
So here's the deal ... I basically spent the entire time SWOONING over Charlie Price and Miles Montague! The chemistry between these men was just so gorgeous!
I adored this storyline, the setting, and the characters within the pages. The writing was fantastic! I couldn't believe this was a debut. So impressive!! I can not wait to see what's next for these characters. I wasn't ready to say goodbye.
Huge thank you to Harlequin Books, Harlequin Publicity Team and Carina Adores for this gifted copy!
I adored this storyline, the setting, and the characters within the pages. The writing was fantastic! I couldn't believe this was a debut. So impressive!! I can not wait to see what's next for these characters. I wasn't ready to say goodbye.
Huge thank you to Harlequin Books, Harlequin Publicity Team and Carina Adores for this gifted copy!
April 3, 2023
What a surprisingly strong debut! All the characters are great, even the side characters. And there’s a fair amount of tension watching Charlie slowly March towards his ill fated upcoming wedding. I love everything to do with the idea of secret historical kinky queer smut writing. And despite the book not really being *that* steamy, elements of kink still found their way into the content we do get, which felt like a nice touch.
June 24, 2024
three stars seems too generous but two stars seems too harsh... this could have used higher stakes and better character development, but i loved the found family and am not opposed to reading the later books in the series even if i didn't love this one.
July 22, 2023
If you go into this book with exactly zero expectations that the author did any research for historical accuracy, you will enjoy it. I really don’t understand why American authors set books in the UK when they don’t bother to make it believable.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story and the main characters so I’ll probably read the second book in this series as well, pretending it’s set in some made-up country.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story and the main characters so I’ll probably read the second book in this series as well, pretending it’s set in some made-up country.
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