Reviews with content warning for Sexism - The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

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The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

81 reviews

aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

I enjoyed the romance and the adventure but it wasn't anything that sticks out to me or that I think will last in my memory. It was a good filler audiobook to listen to while I gamed or worked.

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leonormsousa's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

TRIGGER WARNINGS

violence, child abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, forced institutionalization, murder, slavery, trafficking, racism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, panic attacks/disorders, blood, injury/injury detail, medical content, chronic illness, vomit, alcohol

REPRESENTATION

bisexual MC, mixed-race (Black) gay LI with epilepsy

REVIEW

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue was a refreshing, fun and surprising read. I was expecting just a light-hearted queer historical romance, but I got, on top of that, an adventurous book with more depth than I imagined.

Switching things up and starting with the ending, let me just say: I loved the author’s note at the end of the book. The author explains some of her research and clarifies what parts of the book are very much inspired by what is actually known about eighteenth-century Europe (the setting of the book). I thought it was such a powerful way to help the reader learn from the story and turn the novel into more than just a cute romance.

Among the topics that are covered throughout the book (and some in the author’s note), we have queerness culture, race relations, epilepsy, misogyny, child abuse, politics and piracy; all really important and/or really interesting subjects that add layers to this great YA romance.

As for the main plot, it is not your typical (historical) romance. It is filled with adventure and mystery and it even has a fantastical side to it, which was something that I completely loved. It all provided the perfect set-up for me to see the characters grow (and grow on me), especially Monty, while keeping me invested in the story.

I’m not a big fan of friends to lovers, but this book was proof that when something is well done, it doesn’t matter if you’re not a big fan of the genre or the trope: it can still get you! Seeing Monty’s and Percy’s relationship grow as they learn how to love was just marvellous. For me, it was just a shame that we had to see a bit of the miscommunication trope (not my favourite), although I do think that it came to show the extra lack of confidence that can be felt in expressing your feelings in the case of queer relationships.

While it didn’t completely blow me away, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue was a solid 4-stars that found its way to my heart. And since Felicity was my favourite character, I’m very much curious to see how the author has approached misogyny and asexuality in the second book of the series, where she takes the lead.

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thefightinside's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is a beautiful book! It’s a lovely blend of English historical fiction and fantasy. With the LGBT+ inclusivity, I know that many young people will relate to these characters and develop empathy for those in different situations than their own, as the characters in the book do. This is the first book in a trilogy (and a novella), which makes it perfect for helping motivate my students to read more.

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const_elle_ations's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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piperclover's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I wasn't sure about this for the longest time and I honestly didn't even really like it until about the 2nd chapter but having finished, it's absolutely fantastic. This narrator is one of the best I have ever heard and I will never get over the romance. I'm so fervently wish there was more of it and I will be scouring every other book by this author to make sure that I read every snippet of this romance I can possibly get my hands on. The final chapter makes every ounce of angst and pining and intensity worth it. The writing is so consistent and smooth the entire time. Its not only a romance though, its very plot heavy and there's lots of poignant conversations.

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vthecreature's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was great and not at all what I was expecting! I read this at the recommendation of a friend and went in knowing nothing. I’m glad for that, as it made certain plot twists so much more surprising and engaging

such as the coach robbery and the “pirate” abduction

.
I also really liked the character development in this. With Monty being so unlikable and problematic in the beginning, I had little hope for him and was only consoled by the reactions of the people around him, which assured me that he’d learn his lesson someday.
I found the writing very gorgeous, especially whenever Monty described the scenery (very immersive) and his feelings for Percy (heartwarming!). The character voice for Monty was well done and had me laughing.
I’m also very glad that

all the “good” characters in this got a happy ending. Sure, it’s probably not very historically accurate (as the author said in the epilogue) but I appreciated that.

.
This book was very action-packed, which did feel a bit much but then again it probably wasn’t meant to be read in a single day…
Some of the dialogue and characters’ behavior were unrealistic

like Bourbon’s cartoon villain moment at the end, Percy’s uncharacteristic denial of the Robles’ suspiciousness, and the “pirates” turning out to be extremely wholesome

but that’s probably appropriate for a young adult novel. Though I wouldn’t categorize it as YA myself, since there was a fair amount of sexual and violent content. This book also addressed several important issues such as racism, ableism, sexism, classism, etc.
This book was clearly well planned, as certain tidbits from early in the story came into play later, which was great for the mystery aspect! I don’t know how to feel about the magical aspect though, since I had not been expecting it at all going into this. Also, the whole “misunderstanding between two people causes more drama than it should” trope knocked my rating down a bit.
Still, this was overall a delightful read!

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crufts's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Entertaining, heartwarming, all-round a delightful and exciting story.

Our charismatic-scoundrel-with-a-heart-of-gold protagonist (Henry "Monty" Montague), an 18-year-old English lord, embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe with sister Felicity and best friend Percy. Naturally, it all goes completely off the rails. In the process Monty matures considerably, and forever changes his standing regarding his father and his travelling companions.

There's so much to enjoy about the book:

Interesting setting. Assuming that the depiction of the 1700s is accurate, I thought it was fascinating how there was a strong England/France alliance with tourists visiting frequently from both sides, even though everyone was relying on communicating by letters. There were already English banks, embassies, etc in France, which did not intend to become French but rather to remain there as international institutions.
Good bisexual representation! Monty's crush on Percy is a main plot thread, but his attraction to women isn't dismissed or trivialized. He is not "really" gay, he is really bisexual.
Fabulous audiobook narration, especially of the French villain's voice.
A somewhat magical plot device is foreshadowed well in advance and didn't feel like a huge surprise or genre-breaker when it appears.

I notice that some of the reviewers here can't stand Monty's personality, finding him to be too much of a "rake" (scoundrel) and too inconsiderate to his travelling companions. I agree that Monty is an ass, but I also thought this was balanced out pretty well by the fact that he's constantly getting payback for his misbehaviour from not only the world at large, but also from Felicity and Percy themselves.

I did find it a tad contrived that

despite their long-held mutual crush on eachother, Monty and Percy didn't get the truth out between them until the end.

The main obstruction is established at the beginning, when Percy asks Monty if them kissing was all just a lark, and a flustered Monty replies "No... yes!". Disappointed and not wanting to just be yet another of Monty's flings, Percy ends the situation.

This was hard to believe because (a) Monty is good at reading people, as seen when he chats up a bank clerk later in the book, and should have been able to piece together Percy's reaction; and (b) Monty wanted to tell Percy about his feelings for years and believed it to be Real Love™, not just a lark.

I think it would've been more believable if, for example:
- When asked if was just a lark, Monty replies something cautious like "I dunno, what do you want it to be?". Percy could then interpret this pessimistically ("He's just humouring me") and the plot could continue as before.
- It could be more obvious (perhaps just to the reader, if not to Monty himself) that Percy ended the situation because he's not a one-night-fling sort of guy and believed that Monty's nature would never change. For example, Percy might ask Monty about his fling with the girl at Versailles and express his opinion that he could never have a one-off relationship like that with someone, even if he loved them

.
I also found the writing style to be overly flowery at times, with a bit too much detail about specific thoughts or particular actions.
However, I still found The Gentleman's Guide to be an excellent book and would certainly recommend it.

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royalmilktea's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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kaii's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

gemstonejasper's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I read this for the first time in 2022. I really enjoyed it and read it in one day. I decided to reread it, this time taking just over a week. My rating hasn't changed. I loved this book. I loved Monty and Percy and Felicity. It was so good. I listened to the audiobook and really liked it.

There were times when, along with Percy and Felicity, I got really annoyed or even angry with Monty. But I think that was the point. Monty is a flawed character and throughout the book he grows and develops. I think it's actually cool that the author took the risk of starting out with a main character that I didn't actually like as a person. I thought he was funny and I felt empathy for him. But I thought he was a brat. I think a lot of books choose to introduce their characters with more palatable flaws out of fear that the reader won't like them. But the author was able to blend his charisma and flaws together. He was fun to read about, despite his flaws and I was constantly cheering for him to grow. Overall, I would highly recommend this book, as well as the audiobook.

When Percy and Monty are at the festival and Monty is super drunk, I got so angry! Percy asked him about running away together. Monty loved Percy and I think at this point, he knew he wanted Percy more than he wanted anything else. But I think he was scared and very drunk. I was so sad when he said all the wrong things to Percy. I was sad for Percy having to hear all the wrong things. I was sad for Monty knowing he said the wrong things, but not knowing how to fix it. I just wanted them to be happy.

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