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adotzam's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Outing
Moderate: Grief and Drug abuse
mabellene's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Grief and Homophobia
Moderate: Addiction and Death
Minor: Pregnancy
madscientistcat's review
- 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
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Misogyny
himangi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, Outing, Sexual content, Grief, Addiction, Cursing, Stalking, Alcohol, Death, Homophobia, and Hate crime
Minor: Pregnancy and Abortion
pitsikakku's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Homophobia, and Sexism
Moderate: Alcohol, Pregnancy, and Death
peachani's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Sexual content and Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia, Grief, and Alcoholism
Minor: Classism, Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Outing, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, and Forced institutionalization
thewordsdevourer's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i rly like the characters. the main duo charlie and miles are great individually and tgt, each has complex characterization and development. the side characters esp charlie's friends and alma are also great; i enjoy the former's banter and quips, and the latter's refreshingly non-streotypical portrayal.
the writing imo is very nice and flows smoothly. another thing i rly enjoy is everlee's handling of the themes and emotional moments. the parallel between charlie and miles' reality and fictional erotica make for some great character development and thematic exploration. i esp enjoy the more unique take of charlie's noble idiocy, how it plays into his deeper fear but also illustrates the impact of miles' works on him. the high stakes of marriage also ups the angst level, but i think it's handled nicely and doesnt feel gratuitous.
as fort the smut, it was ok; it's a lil weird bc i feel like charlie and miles' simple interactions, makeouts, and foreplay are more sizzling than the actual sex scenes, which i think are too short, making the payoff unsatisfactory despite the lengthy lead-up. and i wish there more of them as well.
nevertheless, this was one of the best romances ive read this yr. the story's nicely executed, peppered w/ great characters and a main couple whose lovelorn passages actually make me feel things, in addition to an adept exploration of the themes. happy w/ a gay happy ending and cant wait for the sequel.
Graphic: Homophobia and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Death
duckyreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved the relationship between Charlie and Miles! The way that they learned to care for each other and look after each other with all of the challenges that they had in their personal lives, that impacted their relationship was so sweet and endearing. Jess Everlee has a fluid writing style and the main conflict was built up and resolved wonderfully.
Even if you're not a fan of historical romance, I strongly recommended The Gentleman's Book of Vices for a tender and heartful queer romance.
Thank you to Carine Press & Carina Adores (Harlequin) and Netgalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Graphic: Homophobia
chief_cook_and_librarian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Gentleman's Book of Vices is a cute historical queer romance between grumpy Miles, author of (illegal) gay erotica and reluctant owner of a bookstore, and Charlie, a drunk and a fop who is up to his eyeballs in debt, but determinedly optimistic nonetheless. The two start a torrid affair after Charlie manages to track down Miles in the hopes of getting him to sign his copy of one of Miles's titles.
While the story was cute and moderately entertaining (I actually really enjoyed the cake tasting scene), I didn't really find anything in the story to set it apart from other grumpy/sunshine romances, and it felt like it took awhile to really get going.
Moderate: Homophobia, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Minor: Death
katiemack's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I've been saving this book to read when I needed a pick-me-up, and I'm glad I did because it's absolutely delightful.
Charles is extravagant and flamboyant in a very lovable way; he also has a strong moral compass, as he has agreed to marry Alma, a woman he does not love romantically but thinks of as a sister and wants to protect. Miles, an author and bookstore purveyor who lost his love years earlier, is more reserved and cautious but equally as compelling. Their romance is sweet and has palpable chemistry, and I enjoyed reading about them as their relationship develops over the course of the novel. The ending is dramatic, but entertainingly so, and I love how Jess Everlee incorporates the side characters throughout the story and uses them to resolve this ending.
Grab this if you love books by Cat Sebastian, Keira Andrews, or K. J. Charles.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Death