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aniya_'s review
4.0
That was the romance I needed to put my mind to rest for a few hours... Hope there's going to be another book and I already know who I want as one of the MCs.
ainsley's review
4.0
This gave me SO MANY FEELINGS and now I want George's story, too. This book is my favorite trope (two people are close, then are separated for whatever reason, and come back together after years apart, changed but still in love) and reading this made me happy, sad, and was a fabulous distraction from *looks outside*.
Content notes: spousal death (cancer), child death, suicidal ideation, intimate partner violence, rape (all offscreen), and internalized homophobia.
Content notes: spousal death (cancer), child death, suicidal ideation, intimate partner violence, rape (all offscreen), and internalized homophobia.
una_macchia's review
4.0
I love a well-executed second chance romance, so this was catnip for me. Both protagonists are three-dimensional characters and seeing them fall in love again and figure out how to be together was delightful. I loved Henry's relationship with his kids too.
One of my pet peeves in romance novels is when authors insert erotic scenes just for the sake of having sex in the book and they come across as quite disconnected from the characterization in the rest of the novel, so I'm wary of steamier books. Chambers doesn't fall into that category at all. There's a fair amount of sex in this book, some of which involves kinks that aren't really my thing, but it all serves a purpose as Kit and Henry's relationship develops and they navigate their own desires.
One of my pet peeves in romance novels is when authors insert erotic scenes just for the sake of having sex in the book and they come across as quite disconnected from the characterization in the rest of the novel, so I'm wary of steamier books. Chambers doesn't fall into that category at all. There's a fair amount of sex in this book, some of which involves kinks that aren't really my thing, but it all serves a purpose as Kit and Henry's relationship develops and they navigate their own desires.
suze_1624's review
5.0
A thoroughly enjoyable read, which I stayed up 3 hrs after bedtime to finish in one swoop!
Yes there were a few issues and odd characters (Nelly, Mabel and Grace) and whilst the ending did come fast, then the alternative is to have another couple of hundred pages (not really a problem!!). A couple of problems just disappeared.
I liked that both are older, that Kit didn’t immediately give in, and that Henry was willing to do anything, though I would have liked more on Henry loosening those ingrained upper class thoughts.
No real angst, even when the bad guys, and pseudo bad guys, get involved.
A great series, a favoured author, what’s not to like.
Yes there were a few issues and odd characters (Nelly, Mabel and Grace) and whilst the ending did come fast, then the alternative is to have another couple of hundred pages (not really a problem!!). A couple of problems just disappeared.
I liked that both are older, that Kit didn’t immediately give in, and that Henry was willing to do anything, though I would have liked more on Henry loosening those ingrained upper class thoughts.
No real angst, even when the bad guys, and pseudo bad guys, get involved.
A great series, a favoured author, what’s not to like.
ollie_again's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape
mjbeereads's review
5.0
It's not often I read historical romance. I enjoy the language, the visuals, the social decorum, but the outdated ideas particularly around women are just hard for me to swallow. But an MM Regency romance, whilst still fraught with inequality around homosexuality, is apparently bliss. I found reading from the viewpoint of a gay man in Regency/Georgian times refreshing.
"Restored" follows the relationship of Kit (Christopher) Redford and Henry Asquith, Duke of Avesbury. The story begins in the past and we meet the main characters when Kit has been employed as Henry's companion. The affair is steamy and loving. But ends abruptly when Henry devotes himself to raising his family. We continue the story with Henry's family grown and Kit a respected owner of a Gentleman's Club (for gentleman of a certain persuasion..)
I really loved this book. I'm not usually one for second chance love but this was a brilliant story. I was rooting for both characters from the beginning. The sub plots were fun/dramatic and engaging. But I'm all about the romance. And the chemistry between the main characters was electric. There's a focus on love and loss in its different variations. But Chambers's also deals with a whole host of subjects such as consent, dominance and trust. As well as conventional and unconventional families and individual roles within it. It really is well written, interesting, emotional and often beautiful. I've already reread this several times and it lead me to read the entire series (admittedly in the wrong order at first
"Restored" follows the relationship of Kit (Christopher) Redford and Henry Asquith, Duke of Avesbury. The story begins in the past and we meet the main characters when Kit has been employed as Henry's companion. The affair is steamy and loving. But ends abruptly when Henry devotes himself to raising his family. We continue the story with Henry's family grown and Kit a respected owner of a Gentleman's Club (for gentleman of a certain persuasion..)
I really loved this book. I'm not usually one for second chance love but this was a brilliant story. I was rooting for both characters from the beginning. The sub plots were fun/dramatic and engaging. But I'm all about the romance. And the chemistry between the main characters was electric. There's a focus on love and loss in its different variations. But Chambers's also deals with a whole host of subjects such as consent, dominance and trust. As well as conventional and unconventional families and individual roles within it. It really is well written, interesting, emotional and often beautiful. I've already reread this several times and it lead me to read the entire series (admittedly in the wrong order at first
friends2lovers's review
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
3.5
Like most of Chambers’ romances, Restored involves two people reunited after a prolonged estrangement. 18 years ago, Kit was Henry’s ‘kept boy’. Despite the transactional nature of their relationship, they fell in love with each other, though neither of them confessed those feelings at the time. The first two chapters give us a small glimpse into their past relationship. The remainder of the book takes place nearly 20 years later.
My main criticisms of the book are similar to what Ariana mentions in her review. That ‘small glimpse’ into their past relationship wasn’t enough for me. The reader is told, repeatedly, that Kit and Henry were in love before they were abruptly separated. I needed to be shown more of them together in the past, to be able to root for them together in the present and future. Without establishing that initial connection, the angst fell flat for me. Even in the present, the heroes’ romance isn’t well-developed. After the flashback in Chapters 1 and 2, they are only together on-page once in the whole first half. That confrontation is supposed to be emotionally charged, but it falls flat. There just wasn’t enough for me to believe that these two men had a connection worth salvaging. I wanted to see more of the contrast between who these men were before vs. who they are now.
I really liked all of the side characters, and wish they were given more room in the story. Especially Henry’s relationship with his grown children. I also appreciated the exploration of the effects money, position, and class can have on the power dynamics of a sexual relationship. I thought it was interesting that Henry’s proclivity for submissiveness was, in the past, obscured by his position of power. When Kit and Henry come together in the present, now on a more equal footing, they're able to be less inhibited and their intimacy grows.
Overall, an enjoyable read. I just think it would have worked better if it were longer. The book is good as it is, but needed more to become great. More flashbacks, more romance development, more story for the side characters, just more.
Series: Enlightenment #5
Genre: Historical Romance
Setting: April 1826 (Georgian, post-Regency) in London, England
Hero: Christopher “Kit” Redford, blond, green eyes, slim, fine featured, shorter than Henry, age 41
Hero: Henry Asquith, Duke of Avesbury, dark brown hair, “powerfully muscled”, age 47
Point-of-View: 3rd person, past tense, alternating between Henry and Kit
Tags: M/M, second chances, estrangement, single parent, later in life, widowed hero, sex worker hero, groveling
Format: Kindle ebook borrowed from Libby
Length: 285 pages, 77k words
Read Date: March 31, 2022
Heat Index: 3.8 ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
4 full, moderately explicit sex scenes; light bondage in one scene and some dom/sub elements
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Abandonment, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Physical abuse, Child death, and Death
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Stalking, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
nening's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mashara's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I enjoyed this book a lot.
It's very well constructed. It is not an easy premise, a lord and his paid male lover, to bring to a happy fulfilling happy ending, but Chambers manages in a spectacular way.
There is a lot of angst and pinning, which I always love but also a lot about how we perceive people, and about the feeling of worth and freedom when one's affections are bought and paid for.
It's not a light book, but its intensity of feeling is rewarded with an ending that is very satisfying.
It's very well constructed. It is not an easy premise, a lord and his paid male lover, to bring to a happy fulfilling happy ending, but Chambers manages in a spectacular way.
There is a lot of angst and pinning, which I always love but also a lot about how we perceive people, and about the feeling of worth and freedom when one's affections are bought and paid for.
It's not a light book, but its intensity of feeling is rewarded with an ending that is very satisfying.