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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
emotional
hopeful
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
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
READ: Dec 2023
FORMAT: Audio
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 4.5 / 5⭐
TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 4.75 / 5⭐
FINAL – OVERALL: 4.5 / 5 ⭐
FINAL – OVERALL: 4.5 / 5 ⭐
In this 1883 historical romance, Charlie wants the autograph of his favourite author as the last hurrah before he must get married and store his precious collection away for the foreseeable future, but the man has proven difficult to find, well-hidden behind his pen name. When he finally gets Miles’ identity, he meets the man at his bookstore, and a misunderstanding sparks the beginning of a heated affair with a quickly-approaching expiry date. Miles will simply not carry on with a married man out of principle, but Alma is just as in need of her union with Charlie as he is, and she’s too kind to willfully hurt.
I’m shocked at how intrigued I am by literally every character within this book. Every single one of them is introduced to us with enough charm and tantalizing details that I want to know more; even the less likeable characters who exist solely to force our main leads into uncomfortable decisions. I rarely give side-characters a passing glance, preferring to put all my focus on whom the story is actually about, but this world is so richly populated I can’t help but want to see more of them. Even Alma, who in most romances would likely be portrayed as terrible person we couldn’t possibly want our protagonist to end up with, has her own set of charms and quirks that make her pleasant and delightful. I needed this book to resolve in the best possible way for all parties involved, and while it didn’t fit my personal solution for making that happen, it definitely did happen.
My only gripe about this book is that, for how sexually charged it is from cover to cover, there is shockingly little spice on-page. This story takes more of a tell-don’t-show perspective that I couldn’t wrap my head around, because there are a couple of spicy scenes, but one of the more significant ones cuts off right immediately before things get going. Artistically, I think this story probably does enough to consider itself complete, but personally... I’m not ashamed to admit I’m in it for the smut. This book is also among the closest I’ve come to seeing an honest BDSM relationship played out in a historical setting, and I just feel a bit dejected that it didn’t lean more into being that. I won’t hold it against my rating, because I honestly had such a good time reading this one and it was too well-written to dismiss.
This book has representation for gays, lesbians, and non-binary gender expression. It has a generally-positive portrayal of sex workers. At least one character is described as non-white, but there is otherwise little else in the way of diversity.
The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.
This book contains: alcohol use; joke bout animal sacrifice; mentions of infidelity; homophobic laws leading to past deaths and incarceration; past struggles with substance abuse and addiction; drug use (opium); past blackmail; past illness resulting in death; past grief, loss; implication of dysphoria; and, women being treated as subhuman for childbirth out of wedlock.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Classism
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Grief, Pregnancy
lighthearted
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
This was so good. Sexy and a little raunchy. Full of depth and growth. Best of all, the conflicts and considerations felt real. I almost wasn't sure we would make it to a happy ending!
I'm curious to see where this series goes and would love to see a story about Jo.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.
I'm curious to see where this series goes and would love to see a story about Jo.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
I’m gonna be honest, I finished this book months ago and do not remember what happened, other than that it was kind of fun 🤷🏼♀️
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
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
The side characters all felt the same and a bit too predictable. It just made the book feel a bit like a wishy washy fanfic whenever there were group social scenes
I've received an arc of only the book's first five chapters.
This is a m/m love story set in the nineteenth century in London. And it's a celebrity romance book (my favorite trope!). And it has a dual pov.
The Gentleman's Book of Vices tells us about two main characters. Charlie Price is going to marry a woman he doesn't love. He has an explicit novel collection, and that's why Charlie decides to find his favorite author, who uses a pen name.
Miles Montague is an owner of a bookstore, and yes, he's that smut writer Charlie is looking for. With the help of his friend Jo, Charlie comes to Miles's bookstore and tells him he knows that Miles is his favorite author Reginald Cox. And that's the beginning of the story.
I really enjoyed the beginning of this story. We can already feel that tension between Charlie and Miles and I just know that there's going to be a great romance. I also liked Charlie's friend Jo and I'd love to read some spin-off about her solving different mysteries.
It's a 3-star-review only because I don't know what the author will tell us next, but I'm really excited to read the rest of the book!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is a m/m love story set in the nineteenth century in London. And it's a celebrity romance book (my favorite trope!). And it has a dual pov.
The Gentleman's Book of Vices tells us about two main characters. Charlie Price is going to marry a woman he doesn't love. He has an explicit novel collection, and that's why Charlie decides to find his favorite author, who uses a pen name.
Miles Montague is an owner of a bookstore, and yes, he's that smut writer Charlie is looking for. With the help of his friend Jo, Charlie comes to Miles's bookstore and tells him he knows that Miles is his favorite author Reginald Cox. And that's the beginning of the story.
I really enjoyed the beginning of this story. We can already feel that tension between Charlie and Miles and I just know that there's going to be a great romance. I also liked Charlie's friend Jo and I'd love to read some spin-off about her solving different mysteries.
It's a 3-star-review only because I don't know what the author will tell us next, but I'm really excited to read the rest of the book!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.