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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
This book was a fun time with interesting side plots (the art school with a dog who collects checks? So funny). It also touches on difficult topics from a time when queer people had to hide who they truly were or risk being arrested. Overall, this was a cute story where opposites attract. If you liked the previous books in this series, this one will be right up your alley!
i was so excited for this addition to the series and it exceeded my expectations! warren and matty are so complex and real and their love is deep!
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
Complicated
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
emotional
hopeful
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
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
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
To Sketch a Scandal is the 4th book in Everlee’s Lucky Lovers of London series and tells the love story of Varun “Warren” Bakshi and Matthew “Matty” Shaw.
Warren is everyone’s favorite bartender from The Curious Fox (the safe queer bar at the center of this series). He’s a flirt and a good time at the Fox and an obedient and devoted son at home with his mother.
Matty is a policeman and was a major secondary character in an earlier book in this series. Matty is anticipating a major promotion when his mentor retires only to learn that the rest of the department isn’t interested in his type of policing (mostly undercover scandal hunting). Determined to show his skill, Matty and his mentor decide he’ll go undercover again but without his usual bent.
After a quick meeting at the Fox, Warren and Matty can’t get the other out of their heads. When Warren’s long gone brother makes a triumphant return, with money, Warren gets a chance to pursue his love of art. Turns out Matty's new investigation is as a student in the same art class.
Taking advantage of the random reconnection Matty and Warren spend more and more time together, practicing art, allowing their mutual attraction, and falling in love. All the while, Warren is dealing with his changing role in his family and the promise he made to stay away from Matty. Matty is facing his own secrets, what brought him to the police force, why he stayed, and the truth of his relationship with his mentor.
Everlee deftly weaves their love story with commentary on immigration and identity, race and racism, sexuality and homophobia, family, and the reality of being queer and finding safety in Victorian England.
To Sketch a Scandal can be read as a stand alone but it would be a mistake for me not to recommend the entire series.
I read the ebook and the audio and recommend both!
Thank you to Everlee, Carina, and NetGalley for this arc.
Warren is everyone’s favorite bartender from The Curious Fox (the safe queer bar at the center of this series). He’s a flirt and a good time at the Fox and an obedient and devoted son at home with his mother.
Matty is a policeman and was a major secondary character in an earlier book in this series. Matty is anticipating a major promotion when his mentor retires only to learn that the rest of the department isn’t interested in his type of policing (mostly undercover scandal hunting). Determined to show his skill, Matty and his mentor decide he’ll go undercover again but without his usual bent.
After a quick meeting at the Fox, Warren and Matty can’t get the other out of their heads. When Warren’s long gone brother makes a triumphant return, with money, Warren gets a chance to pursue his love of art. Turns out Matty's new investigation is as a student in the same art class.
Taking advantage of the random reconnection Matty and Warren spend more and more time together, practicing art, allowing their mutual attraction, and falling in love. All the while, Warren is dealing with his changing role in his family and the promise he made to stay away from Matty. Matty is facing his own secrets, what brought him to the police force, why he stayed, and the truth of his relationship with his mentor.
Everlee deftly weaves their love story with commentary on immigration and identity, race and racism, sexuality and homophobia, family, and the reality of being queer and finding safety in Victorian England.
To Sketch a Scandal can be read as a stand alone but it would be a mistake for me not to recommend the entire series.
I read the ebook and the audio and recommend both!
Thank you to Everlee, Carina, and NetGalley for this arc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Police brutality
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me access to this ALC. I think I may have liked this book more in text form rather than in audio form. The posh British accent of the narrator didn’t convey the range of emotions I probably would’ve imagined in my mind on my own. The story was much more about the main characters’ relationship than the “mystery” I expected, which was a pleasant surprise. It just felt cold and reserved in audio format. I didn’t read the previous books in this series, but I could tell there was a backstory to some of these relationships that I’d missed out on.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
