A review by waywardskyril
His Lordship's Secret by Samantha SoRelle

4.0

"Please, what?" asked Dominick innocently, cursed devil that he was.
Alfie was too far gone to articulate his desires any further.
"Please."
Dominick pressed his cheek against the inside of Alfie's thigh, dropping a kiss there so light and sweet Alfie felt his heart rip in two.

This book is a cozy friends-to-lovers regency with a twisty subplot of life-threatening danger. If that's not enough information to attract you, allow me to explain how His Lordship's Secret had me, at times, eagerly flipping pages well after I was intending to go to sleep to find out what happens next, and, at others, aching with warm happiness and the rush of euphoria only a well kindled romance can.
I love a romance that has a secondary plot that is substantial but that doesn't pull too significantly away from the romance, and this balances it out fantastically without ever losing sight of one plot or the other.

This story takes place in the regency era, and from start to finish, I could tell the author put in considerable research to make her novel as accurate as possible. I've read all of Jane Austen's novels at least a couple of times each, yet His Lordship's Secret explains things that I wouldn't have even remotely known about. That alone added a lot of depth to her story, but the obviously lovingly created characters added even more.

Alfie and Nick are somehow so similar and so different at the same time. They grew up together as children, which gives them a lot of history and backstory already, and a connection that's familiar and new, with so many years since they've seen each other and such drastically different lives lead.
Both characters are deeply likeable. Alfie is notably kind yet scrappy, while Nick is necessarily roughened from the life he's had to lead to survive, but still somehow capable of gentleness. Both have always wondered at their dear friend back at the workhouse, whom they had to leave behind...

There's an instant connection with these characters, not just between them, but between me, as the reader, and them. I cared about them and their secrets and dearly wished for them both to not only survive but to find the warmth they both longed for in each other <3

And, let me tell you, the moment they finally come together was shattering and emotional and thrilling and still living in my mind, my gosh. I've thought about it multiple times since I've read it, and smiled, clutching my phone while I read, giddy, even looking back at my highlights.

As for the other plot - you know, the one where someone seems to want Alfie dead? - I will admit I DID guess *some* of it ahead of time, but even with that, there were more betrayals, twists, and turns that I never saw coming, culminating in a explosive finale. It was exciting and interesting and made me want to keep eating up pages.

All in all, His Lordship's Secret is a fantastic regency romance that has sequels but can be read as a standalone! I, myself, have purchased and started the second book of the series because I wasn't willing to let Alfie and Nick go just yet.
Either way, I absolutely recommend it to anyone who likes this genre. It's charming, it's cozy, it's dreamy, and it's perfect for any time of the year, but feels especially welcome in the crisp, cool chill of autumn <3


His Lordship's Secret **Trigger Warnings**:
~Past prostitution with questionable consent
~Typical homophobia of the time
~Gun violence/gunshot wounds
~Childhood bullying
~Physical fighting
~Knife violence
~Blackmail