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the_novel_approach 's review for:
Like a Gentleman
by Eliot Grayson
~ 3.5 Stars ~
I’m so glad I stumbled upon this historical short from Eliot Grayson. Like a Gentleman looks to be their first published work, at least under this penname, but there appears to be more on the horizon, as Amazon lists the title as the first in the Love in Portsmouth series. At just sixty-nine pages, Like a Gentleman feels like the appetizer—a tasty appetizer, but just the starter, nonetheless—to what I hope will be a fully realized meal at the end of the journey.
James Rowley is the brother of the Earl of Winthrop, but doesn’t much care for all the trappings of society, though he does appreciate a good deal of the privilege. He is also secretly an author, who supplements his paltry allowance by writing trashy serials which are published by a small house in London. His five-year relationship with his editor has been somewhat of a rollercoaster, the last two years being especially contentious. And, now that James suspects this Mr. L. Wells of stealing one of his rejected manuscripts, and selling it to a competitor, it’s about to get even more so.
Leo Wells is the son of a tavern owner in Portsmouth, who is making his living in London as the editor for a small publisher. He has had a crush on James Rowley ever since randomly seeing his name in the latest Debrett’s, and then traveling to Winthrop Court to take a tour of the estate, and falling hard for the rogue he sees in the family portrait. That was two years ago, and now Leo can’t get James out of his head or, for some reason, stop himself from being awful to him in their correspondence.
I adored Leo, but James had to grow on me. Behaving at times as you would expect a stuffy nobleman to behave, and at other times like a scamp, but with a human streak, he even had poor Leo wondering which way was up. I loved when he convinces his brother that he’s accompanying him to London, basically under protest, when, in fact, he’s concocted this entire plan to get revenge on the suspected thief. And, the following scene where he dons a ridiculous get-up to go and meet the editor is hysterical.
What an unexpected little gem this was. I do adore a good historical romance, and while this one could possibly have been a bit more fleshed out in places, I did enjoy it immensely. It was clever and well-written and tons of fun. And, I’m so excited there is a sequel coming this spring! If I hadn’t found that out, that abrupt, cliffhanger ending might have irked me a tad more! 😉 If you love a good M/M regency, and are looking for a quick but satisfying read, definitely check this one out!
Reviewed by Jules for The Novel Approach
I’m so glad I stumbled upon this historical short from Eliot Grayson. Like a Gentleman looks to be their first published work, at least under this penname, but there appears to be more on the horizon, as Amazon lists the title as the first in the Love in Portsmouth series. At just sixty-nine pages, Like a Gentleman feels like the appetizer—a tasty appetizer, but just the starter, nonetheless—to what I hope will be a fully realized meal at the end of the journey.
James Rowley is the brother of the Earl of Winthrop, but doesn’t much care for all the trappings of society, though he does appreciate a good deal of the privilege. He is also secretly an author, who supplements his paltry allowance by writing trashy serials which are published by a small house in London. His five-year relationship with his editor has been somewhat of a rollercoaster, the last two years being especially contentious. And, now that James suspects this Mr. L. Wells of stealing one of his rejected manuscripts, and selling it to a competitor, it’s about to get even more so.
Leo Wells is the son of a tavern owner in Portsmouth, who is making his living in London as the editor for a small publisher. He has had a crush on James Rowley ever since randomly seeing his name in the latest Debrett’s, and then traveling to Winthrop Court to take a tour of the estate, and falling hard for the rogue he sees in the family portrait. That was two years ago, and now Leo can’t get James out of his head or, for some reason, stop himself from being awful to him in their correspondence.
I adored Leo, but James had to grow on me. Behaving at times as you would expect a stuffy nobleman to behave, and at other times like a scamp, but with a human streak, he even had poor Leo wondering which way was up. I loved when he convinces his brother that he’s accompanying him to London, basically under protest, when, in fact, he’s concocted this entire plan to get revenge on the suspected thief. And, the following scene where he dons a ridiculous get-up to go and meet the editor is hysterical.
What an unexpected little gem this was. I do adore a good historical romance, and while this one could possibly have been a bit more fleshed out in places, I did enjoy it immensely. It was clever and well-written and tons of fun. And, I’m so excited there is a sequel coming this spring! If I hadn’t found that out, that abrupt, cliffhanger ending might have irked me a tad more! 😉 If you love a good M/M regency, and are looking for a quick but satisfying read, definitely check this one out!
Reviewed by Jules for The Novel Approach