kaje_harper's review
4.0
This historical romance has a slightly different flavor, since being gay is not a crime in this alternate universe. That removes some of the most dangerous pressure on the main characters. And yet, only the law is truly different. Gay men are still despised and reviled, and men with wealth and titles are still expected to marry and engender heirs. Status is still a precious commodity, in a very stratified society with an abused underclass.
In this context, two men of extremely different stations in life (at least at that moment) come together with distrust and confusion, desperation and betrayal and drama. Jeremy's past held trauma and pain, and his trust is slow to develop. But their relationship becomes one of bawdy heat, clever and funny banter, mysteries, emotions, reveals of identity, a villainous plot, and a happy ending.
The story is long but there is enough plot and character development to carry the pages. I was caught by surprise by a couple of twists, and connected with the main characters, engaged in their fates. I read quickly through, eager to watch them reach their destinies with a helping of karma and justice. And was well satisfied with the outcome.
In this context, two men of extremely different stations in life (at least at that moment) come together with distrust and confusion, desperation and betrayal and drama. Jeremy's past held trauma and pain, and his trust is slow to develop. But their relationship becomes one of bawdy heat, clever and funny banter, mysteries, emotions, reveals of identity, a villainous plot, and a happy ending.
The story is long but there is enough plot and character development to carry the pages. I was caught by surprise by a couple of twists, and connected with the main characters, engaged in their fates. I read quickly through, eager to watch them reach their destinies with a helping of karma and justice. And was well satisfied with the outcome.
rhodered's review
It’s a moderately good regency marred by a lack of pacing in one section. So why only two stars? Misogyny.
At the start of the book, a young woman is excoriated in the lead character’s mind for having a sex life that, rumored exaggeration aside, was entirely normal for the time period. He’s shaming her, calling her a whore, thinking her disgusting ... while holding in high esteem an equally young man who is an actual sex worker. (I don’t mind sex workers, I do mind double standards.)
We never meet the young woman again. There’s no reason in the plot for the hero’s dramatic disgust of her.
Later he treats another young woman badly, with zero empathy for probably ruining her life for no fault of her own.
And at the end of the book, he uses excessively ugly language repeatedly (including fat shaming and making crude remarks about the stupidity of women) about a woman who is a hapless, mostly quiet, entirely innocent bystander to his conversation with another man.
Aside from dead mothers and a very few women in the Ton who appear briefly for the purposes of plot, there are no other woman characters I can recall and zero positive ones. Not even servants. It’s clear this author really wants his men to exist in a void with nothing but men and if a woman deigns to enter the room, he reviles her for no real reason.
It’s sexism and hate. And I’m wouldn’t be surprised to learn he’s entirely unaware of it.
At the start of the book, a young woman is excoriated in the lead character’s mind for having a sex life that, rumored exaggeration aside, was entirely normal for the time period. He’s shaming her, calling her a whore, thinking her disgusting ... while holding in high esteem an equally young man who is an actual sex worker. (I don’t mind sex workers, I do mind double standards.)
We never meet the young woman again. There’s no reason in the plot for the hero’s dramatic disgust of her.
Later he treats another young woman badly, with zero empathy for probably ruining her life for no fault of her own.
And at the end of the book, he uses excessively ugly language repeatedly (including fat shaming and making crude remarks about the stupidity of women) about a woman who is a hapless, mostly quiet, entirely innocent bystander to his conversation with another man.
Aside from dead mothers and a very few women in the Ton who appear briefly for the purposes of plot, there are no other woman characters I can recall and zero positive ones. Not even servants. It’s clear this author really wants his men to exist in a void with nothing but men and if a woman deigns to enter the room, he reviles her for no real reason.
It’s sexism and hate. And I’m wouldn’t be surprised to learn he’s entirely unaware of it.
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