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avalon's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
4.5
I'm a sucker for gay heists so I love this book. I like that while the romance took up a lot of the plot, it also propelled the story forward because I find that a lot of spicy books just have spice for no reason. This relationship felt more natural and appreciated. I loved Sebastian's writing as well, it was very lovely and enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Child death, and Death of parent
ruthlessreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I read this book for one of my book clubs but it's been on my TBR for a while so I was pretty excited to finally get to it.
I enjoyed the writing style, though I found the plot to be rather unwieldly. It felt as if there should either have been more plot details to make it make more sense or there should have been less plot and more focus on the romance. It felt unbalanced and made the reading a little jarring at times. Also, the background characters felt like paper dolls, with the exception of Betty, Kit's employee, and Percy's valet, Collins. They were both a delight and added a lot to the book. None of the other background characters were fully fleshed out, even people who were supposed to be important to the plot or to the MCs. While this isn't always an issue, I think the plot of this book could have used the support of some of the other characters, even if it made it a little bit longer.
That said, I loved the development of the romance between Kit and Percy. I'm a sucker for a grumpy/sunshine pairing and this was no exception. I loved Kit particularly, no surprise there. I think the author did a great job representing his disability and his acclimation to it, as well, since it's a recent development for him. As someone who is recently disabled and uses a cane everyday, it felt really good to see him as a romantic figure and to have a love interest for that disabled man who was so attentive and accommodating toward him. Percy was also delightful, of course. Be prepared for decadent descriptions of his clothing--it matters a lot to him! But I can definitely see how it might be boring and/or annoying for some readers.
Overall, I liked this book and will definitely read more Cat Sebastian. I think the romance & historical aspects were fun! There's another book out in the series, The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes, and I think try to read it this year.
I enjoyed the writing style, though I found the plot to be rather unwieldly. It felt as if there should either have been more plot details to make it make more sense or there should have been less plot and more focus on the romance. It felt unbalanced and made the reading a little jarring at times. Also, the background characters felt like paper dolls, with the exception of Betty, Kit's employee, and Percy's valet, Collins. They were both a delight and added a lot to the book. None of the other background characters were fully fleshed out, even people who were supposed to be important to the plot or to the MCs. While this isn't always an issue, I think the plot of this book could have used the support of some of the other characters, even if it made it a little bit longer.
That said, I loved the development of the romance between Kit and Percy. I'm a sucker for a grumpy/sunshine pairing and this was no exception. I loved Kit particularly, no surprise there. I think the author did a great job representing his disability and his acclimation to it, as well, since it's a recent development for him. As someone who is recently disabled and uses a cane everyday, it felt really good to see him as a romantic figure and to have a love interest for that disabled man who was so attentive and accommodating toward him. Percy was also delightful, of course. Be prepared for decadent descriptions of his clothing--it matters a lot to him! But I can definitely see how it might be boring and/or annoying for some readers.
Overall, I liked this book and will definitely read more Cat Sebastian. I think the romance & historical aspects were fun! There's another book out in the series, The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes, and I think try to read it this year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Gun violence and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse
ripfrank's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Classism
sxndaze's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
sweet and delightful to read!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Murder
jess_justmaybeperfect's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A Georgian set (wigs, powder, beauty marks, etc) romance between Kit, a highwayman/coffee shop proprietor who takes care of everyone and Percy, the determined son of a Very Bad Dad™️ (also a very powerful/wealthy Duke) with a big secret.
Kit and Percy meet when Percy comes looking for help dealing with said big secret.
As they plot, they talk family, politics, friends, secrets, discover their shared trauma, have gorgeously romantic firsts together, grow fond, get cross, admit power imbalances, and fall in love.
Plus you get a few choice eat the rich, i.e. “no such thing as a good landlord… surely you know the cost of all this” moments.
Kit and Percy meet when Percy comes looking for help dealing with said big secret.
As they plot, they talk family, politics, friends, secrets, discover their shared trauma, have gorgeously romantic firsts together, grow fond, get cross, admit power imbalances, and fall in love.
Plus you get a few choice eat the rich, i.e. “no such thing as a good landlord… surely you know the cost of all this” moments.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Sexism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
jeynonymous's review
I skimmed a lot of this as it kept losing me. Between the scenes that just kind of ended as someone got some information out then abruptly left to the somewhat naive preachiness. I'm not saying it didn't have its moments but I honestly don't even understand why this was named for Kit when Percy seemed more relevant to the plot and, honestly... I really don't like reading books about someone with a dead spouse and baby unless it's upfront about it. And having the Duke be that much of an over the top villain and never even really speaking seemed odd, and having him be the source of all Kit's hardship seemed rather melodramatically plot convenient.
And, I have to say, nobody could help with the baby after he lost his wife? Really? It's established he had inlaws and friends, it just seemed like misery mining to me. Like why just have the wife die when we can have a dead baby too!
Maybe if I'd known in advance I wouldn't have been so harsh on this book as I did mostly enjoy the second in the series, and actually a lot more than this one. I just don't know. But, yeah, nothing ruins a romance like dead babies as far as I'm concerned.
Also, it's grand talk to not want people in charge of anything but people only stay in power to a degree if 'the masses' allow it. As there are lot more of them than lords and so on. And having power to change things is a lot better than just acting as though the system won't exist if you don't like it and ignore it. And, speaking first hand, I know my life would be a lot worse if there weren't any laws keeping people from just busting into my house and stealing my stuff who arbitrarily decided I 'deserved it' as I 'have enough'. That's terrifying. And I've met more people in my life who wouldn't treat anyone fairly if there wasn't someone who would punish them around if they did something messed up than kindness. The whole issue is a lot more nuanced than 'landowners bad' or 'people in charge are bad', in any era. And just having an over the top selfish monster who destroyed a village for a better view as representing that is a straw doll, not a real argument.
And I have a hard time believing every expensive house was built on nothing but human misery. Though wealth does often come from the worst of humanity, I'll readily admit that.
And, I have to say, nobody could help with the baby after he lost his wife? Really? It's established he had inlaws and friends, it just seemed like misery mining to me. Like why just have the wife die when we can have a dead baby too!
Maybe if I'd known in advance I wouldn't have been so harsh on this book as I did mostly enjoy the second in the series, and actually a lot more than this one. I just don't know. But, yeah, nothing ruins a romance like dead babies as far as I'm concerned.
Also, it's grand talk to not want people in charge of anything but people only stay in power to a degree if 'the masses' allow it. As there are lot more of them than lords and so on. And having power to change things is a lot better than just acting as though the system won't exist if you don't like it and ignore it. And, speaking first hand, I know my life would be a lot worse if there weren't any laws keeping people from just busting into my house and stealing my stuff who arbitrarily decided I 'deserved it' as I 'have enough'. That's terrifying. And I've met more people in my life who wouldn't treat anyone fairly if there wasn't someone who would punish them around if they did something messed up than kindness. The whole issue is a lot more nuanced than 'landowners bad' or 'people in charge are bad', in any era. And just having an over the top selfish monster who destroyed a village for a better view as representing that is a straw doll, not a real argument.
And I have a hard time believing every expensive house was built on nothing but human misery. Though wealth does often come from the worst of humanity, I'll readily admit that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
mushmysteriesandmore's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
bree_h_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-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
4.75
This was such a delightful romance, I really enjoyed listening to it.
This book did such a good job on selling me on the romance. You can tell as their dynamic starts they aren’t fond of each other, but there’s a level of interest there. And as they get to know each other more that curiosity and interest develops into attraction. And it’s so well done, it feels slow and subtle and it makes sense for the characters. And when they finally kiss it feels EARNED which can be hard to say for some romances.
Characters also felt very real and like they developed and changed in realistic ways. Especially Percy, who started as very unaware of the world and didn’t think very highly of the lower classes. And he grows and changes his opinions, not because of a romance between him and a person of the lower class, but because he gained experience in what the world is actually like and befriended people from the lower class. It felt like he actually changed and grew instead of “oh my love interest is POOR so I suddenly care about POOR PEOPLE” which is a very infuriating trope for me.
Also the foreshadowing in this book was AMAZING! I would always piece together exactly what was about to be revealed from the crumbs and hint dropped throughout the plot. It all feels so subtle and I was also so excited when I realised what the book was getting at.
My ONLY issue was that it didn’t feel like the book made the transition from slow burn romance and the planning to the actual action of the book. It felt a bit rushed, but still enjoyable!
Overall great read, great gay romance, excellent book. I highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Violence, and Abandonment
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
maxinesf's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
chantelbecky's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book left me feeling warm and fuzzy and wanting more. Despite being filled with thrill and action, the cozy banter between these two had me smiling the whole time. The best way to describe this book would be if a 'coffee shop AU' merged wonderfully with a 'highway robbery AU'—an unpredictable thrill through and through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence