I love historical M/M romances because they offer SO MUCH opportunity. There's a ton to explore. This seemed to explore only sap, and that was sad.

Ever since he laid eyes on Alistair Finley two years ago, Lord Marcus Avenleigh has wanted the man. In fact, Marcus wants nothing more than to pursue a relationship with Alistair, but the shy secretary keeps to himself at social engagements. But now Marcus is determined to catch his eye and works up the nerve to ask Alistair to dance.

When Marcus approaches, Alistair can’t believe that the gorgeous young lord has any interest in him. While Alistair is the king’s secretary (as well as his foster brother), he is also shy, overweight, and overly fond of alcohol. In fact, he is heavily inebriated quite a lot of the time. Anything to help ease his self doubt, which is only made worse by his big secret. Alistair is the late king’s bastard son, and the half brother to the current king. Yet not only did his father refuse to acknowledge him, even breathing a word of it will cause Alistair to lose his inheritance.

It takes Marcus time to prove to Alistair that he is interested and is in fact attracted to Alistair just as he is. It’s hard for Alistair to believe, especially with his weight ballooning in recent years. But gradually Alistair comes to accept the depth of Marcus’ feelings, and the two begin a relationship that they both hope will grow into more. But putting his demons behind him is not easy for Alistair, and when he begins to creep into his old bad habits, he risks losing Marcus for good. Now Alistair must decide if he is ready to fight for his love and his future with Marcus, or if he is going to lose his chance at happiness.

A Gentleman Revealed is a story that is sweet, romantic, and at times a little sad. I say sad because Alistair is a man facing a lot of self doubt. Most of its origins stem from being a bastard and having his father reject him. While he was raised at the palace, he was never acknowledged and feels unwanted. That combined with his weight and his over-reliance on alcohol has led to a downward spiral of more drinking, more weight gain, and more self loathing. Davis gives Alistair some real demons here, and we see that the solution is not easy and takes hard work. What I really loved here is that it’s clear that Marcus loves Alistair and is attracted to him just as he is. While Alistair needs to lose weight for his health, Marcus loves and appreciates him for who he is and that support is what helps Alistair begin to let down his walls and not only let Marcus in, but have the strength to make changes when needed.

This story is also quite sweet and romantic, perhaps overly so at points. It never falls into purple prose, but these guys fall pretty intensely and there is definitely a mushiness here that mostly worked for me. I liked these guys together and you get all the feel good moments as they move past their conflict and things all resolve. I did think the book felt a little long to me and sometimes it felt a little bogged down through the middle. But once we hit the conflict resolution, I loved how it all came together.

The book is the first in the Lords of Avenleigh series (presumably focusing on Marcus and his brothers), but is also linked to Davis’ Noble Pleasures series. There we are introduced to Alistair and some of the other side characters and the series focuses on his half brother Arend, the king, meeting his partner Julian. I read the first book in that series over three years ago, so while I remembered the basic outline, I didn’t remember details and I had no problem following along here. So while you might enjoy reconnecting with side characters from that series if you have read it, you can jump in here without the other books. I’ll also note that this story takes place in what I would consider an alternate historical world. It has a Victorian feel, but with the twist that male partnerships are accepted. This tone differs somewhat from Noble Pleasures where the book felt much more like a fantasy with the story of the king and his concubine.

I enjoyed this one, particularly for Marcus. He is bold and determined and willing to do what it takes to fight for his man. I also loved his family and the strong support of his father and brothers, so I am looking forward to continuing on with the series and getting their stories. The set up for the next book is quite intriguing, so I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for that one.

2.5 Stars

Lords of Avenleigh is a spinoff of the author’s Noble Pleasures series. The books are set in the same alternate time-period, and many of the characters overlap. These books are written by Dierdre Knight under the pen name Cooper Davis, a pseudonym she uses to write her m/m novels. Knight is best known for her paranormal books, and she has continued that, somewhat, with these historical fantasies. The next book in the Lords of Avenleigh series is A Nobleman Tempted, which is Ethan and Roberts’ story.

Alistair is a tortured character. Shunned by his father, the king, and forced to live as an illegitimate son, he carries scars inside his heart that shadow everything he does. Working as his half-brother’s (King Arend, A King Undone) secretary, his loyalty to the crown is absolute. Arend has always treated him as a brother, even if he never knew that Alistair was a real one. Alistair lives in terror of someone discovering his secrets—something which he has been told that if it happened, he would lose everything in life he loves. He’s a large man, tall and broad shouldered and quite out of place in the Victorian world where men were naturally of a smaller stature. Alistair merely exists in life; he doesn’t live it; he’s too scared; he’s also an alcoholic. Watching Alistair in this book is like watching an oncoming train… you know when it hits it’s gonna hurt, but there isn’t a single thing you can do to stop the impact.

Marcus has spent two years making a study of Alistair. He knows more about the man and his mannerisms than anyone. He’s paid attention to Alistair and sees the heart of gold lurking underneath that gargantuan, shy exterior. Being the fourth son of a Duke has allowed him the leeway to make something of a reputation for himself, only it’s not a reputation he wants to have. Winning the heart of Alistair, for him, means making the man see beyond his reputation. He just never realized the hardest hurdles they would have to overcome would be of a more definitive variety.

Marcus leaned into him, his other hand splayed against Alistair’s chest and whispered, “This line… ‘I did not exist till existence included you.’” He sighed, resting his cheek against the top of Alistair’s head.
Marcus has a tenaciousness to him. A quality he will need in spades as the story progresses. Getting past Alistair’s scars and unearthing his secrets is a long and drawn out process. This is a slow burn book. Alistair has to overcome so many emotional hurdles and conquer demons, both real and imagined, before he can even think about loving Marcus the way he should be loved. The alcoholism is addressed and treated as only it could be in a Victorian setting, and it makes you love Alistair all the more for having to endure the treatment.

I have to admit, I had a hard time buying into the alternative universe that Cooper creates. It’s touted as a place where gay men are allowed to live freely and are even encouraged to marry and live openly. I am a fan of historicals, and the hook (or twist) of reading a Victorian novel where noblemen are allowed to marry noblemen was intriguing enough to me to want to read this book. Unfortunately, that isn’t quite what is delivered. There is still a stigma attached to being homosexual. It is still frowned upon and considered unnatural by most characters in these books. At times it is dangled, hinted at that it might be ok, but then the characters begin to doubt themselves, secondary characters are introduced who frown upon it, and then the premise just gets muddled. I realize this is a fantasy, but it tried to straddle the line between what would have been a realistic portrayal of the time and then introducing snippets of things that were pure fantasy. It didn’t work. The world splinters instead of becoming a whole new entity for the author’s characters to live in. This book would have either benefited from more fantasy, less realism, or more realism, less fantasy.

I also had real trouble with the formatting of this novel. Now, I understand that it was an ARC, but when changing characters, setting, POV, or narration from one paragraph to the next, I would appreciate at least an extra space between the ensuing paragraphs. It is disconcerting as a reader to all of a sudden be inside someone else’s head, or in a different location entirely, without some warning ahead of time. Hopefully this will get cleaned up when the book is published, but if not, you have been warned.

So, all in all this story was a mixed bag for me. I did fall in love with Ethan, Marcus’s brother, and the next story out is his. I’m going to leave this review with a so-so rating. There were definitely some great moments in this story: I did have an affinity for Marcus, and Alistair will break your heart. But, like I mentioned before, unfortunately the problems I had with the story went beyond the characters involved. I’ll recommend it, but with a large grain of salt.

Reviewed by Carrie

While A Gentleman Revealed is the beginning of a series, I believe that the narrative would have benefitted greatly if I’d read the original stories that prefaced it. There are private jokes and intricacies which are crucial to the various relationships that define the characters, but left me confused, and sometimes very irritated, without an understanding of these previously defined behaviors. After carefully perusing several synopses and lengthy reviews of the first series, things made more sense. As such, it might be helpful to new readers to do some research into the earlier novels if reading them in their entirety isn’t an option.

With that in mind, and in a unique and promising twist, A Gentleman Revealed is set in a universe where same-sex unions are not only accepted, but encouraged. At least, that seems to be true most of the time. Alistair’s foster brother, the current king, was apparently forced to marry a woman in order to produce an heir before her death opened the way to his pursuit of a male concubine (who he is now married to). Marcus’ father, however, is fine with the idea of Marcus and Alistair adopting, which is wonderful. Other particulars of the story regarding scandals and the tarnishing of reputations led me to believe that these relationships were actually more “tolerated” than truly celebrated.

Another thing that made it easier to distance myself from the narrative were some of the modifiers used to describe Alistair’s form—especially when thought or implied by Marcus. Phrases like “generous proportions” and “heavyset,” etc. are moderate, yet forthright enough, but I was a little horrified that Marcus considered him as “big as a barn” in his own head. There were a few similar incidents, as well. I expected that kind of phrasing from other characters, but not Alistair’s lover. Despite the above, however, Marcus was a favorite of mine in the story, and I wanted him to find happiness with Alistair a great deal.

On a far more serious note, A Gentleman Revealed takes a unvarnished and oftentimes brutal look at Alistair’s constant battle with negative body image and alcoholism. While Alistair’s struggles are specific to him, they illustrate a universal and very real need for patience, acceptance, and support on both sides of the situation. The vast majority of the novel concerns Alistair’s self-loathing and the downward spiral he’s in, and seeing him agree to the help that’s offered was a major turning point in the story.

Overall, while I wanted to really love A Gentleman Revealed, I felt that it lacked a degree of clarity on its own which additional details with regards to the secondary characters would have provided. This and other issues kept me from becoming fully invested in the story, though I suspect I might feel differently had I been aware of the importance of the central series that preceded it. To its credit, through Marcus (and a few others), A Gentleman Revealed offers a compelling argument for the good that unselfish support can do in some situations, and underscores the belief that being healthy, regardless of body type, is the only goal that should matter to those around us.

This book started out strong for me, as I thought the sexual tension was well done between the two heroes. I also liked the alternate universe where men can love in public.

But after about 1/3-1/2 of the way in, the constant, same conversation between the two heroes got tiring. I felt like the story wasn't going anywhere. I ended up DNFing.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar

A Gentleman Revealed starts at the annual ball of Lady Elsevier where is known to be the place where couples of the same sex are more free to persuade their love interest. It’s rumored that new couples that are from during the ball are destined to get married, and everyone attributes it to Lady Elsevier’s matchmaking skills. Here, the young (twenty-nine-year-old) Lord, Marcus Avenleigh decides to make his move and finally talk to Alistair Finley, whom he has been looking from afar for the past two years. Alistair Finley has notice the looks and stares from Lord Avenleigh for the past two years, but even though he might be interested in the young Lord, given his position as the King’s secretary and his old age (Thirty-eight years old) he knows that there is no change for a future with the young Lord.

As the night grows old, Lord Marcus arms himself with courage and a couple of drinks and make his advance to Lord Alistair. At first, his advances are not understood and believe to be caused only by the alcohol in him, but he stands his ground and makes his feelings know to Alistair. Even though Alistair leaves and doesn’t fully accept his advances, this doesn’t stop Marcus. The next day, during a cold wind, he arrives at the downtown Royal office to see Alistair and manages to make him accepted to have lunch with him.

The lunch is a success and Alistair accepts Marcus’ feelings. He decides to let himself be persuaded by the young Lord and to see where their relationship might go. But Alistair has secrets, family secrets that don’t let him be happy and torment his daily life, while also having unhealthy vices that clash during the wrong moments.

As the two lovers make their way to a happy ending, there are those who will love to see them happy together, but at the same time, there are those who would like to see them miserable and apart. Their future has many challenges ahead of them, most of them personal, but if their love is true they might be able to conquer them with the help of one another, and those who love them.

The character I liked the best was Marcus. His personality and ideas were fun to read, while his determination to get Alistair to accept his feeling and help him the best he can, were his greatest character qualities. Another thing that I loved from Marcus was his family. The Avenliegh brothers had the funniest and heartwarming scenes in the story. Their love and acceptance for Marcus are one of the types of representations of support that we not always see in LGTB stories but are the type that the community wants the most.

I would have like to know more about King Arend and his husband Jules, but upon some research after finishing the book, I found that they have their own story and their own sort of problems before the events of A Gentleman Revealed. I will definitely try to read their story and try to find out more about the King’s son that was mention in this book.

Over the course of the story, we find out that Alistair has a reason for his shyness and not wanting to accept Marcus at first. His past and real parentage play a great deal in his suffering, but also the vices that seem to keep him down. The story had what a thought to be a good representation of alcoholism and the consequence of oneself and the relationships around them. I like how Alistair work to conquer it at the end and the help that he got from.

Given that the series has now Arend and Alistair’s stories, it will be great if we could read Marcus brothers stories or at least Ethan as Alistair learns about a hidden friendship of Ethan’s.

I liked the type of story and characters that A Gentleman Revealed had, but there were somethings that I didn’t like. One of those things was the narrative and storytelling. There were times when the way the author wrote a scene of a dialog made it hard to follow the narrative and sometimes hard to understand what the characters were trying to say. Maybe it was for narrative purposes, but nobody proposes to Alistair to drink something else like tea or water, they just let him continue to drink until his downfall. Also, the constant reminder of their age difference was another thing that I found a little tiring, they are both grown man that can make their own decision, is not like one of them just became an adult.

Even with those things that I didn’t like, I still like A Gentleman Revealed as a whole story.

If you are a fan of Cooper Davis or the Noble Pleasures series, then I recommend A Gentleman Revealed. This is the first story of the Lords of Avenleigh series, here we find a man that is head over heels for another man and finds the courage to finally propose himself and take the necessary step to be happy, while we meet the other man whose life and past is consuming his mind to the breaking point of losing this new man that might be his only saving.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

Have a box of tissues on hand when you read this one!

I haven't read that many M/M romances, but I've found I enjoy those in a historical setting. This book is set in an alternate Victorian setting in which males are free to court and marry. Marcus and Alistair are a wonderful couple. I felt an affinity with Alistair, who had deep self esteem issues regarding his weight. He also had "daddy" issues. Marcus, on the other hand, came from a tight knit family with a loving patriarch. My favorite parts of the book dealt with Marcus's interactions with his brothers and Papa. The chemistry between our heroes was combustible, and their physical interactions were VERY hot.

As for the tissues, I cried when there were heartfelt declarations. I cried when Alistair fought his demons. I cried when things went awry. I cried when......well, you get the picture. The only thing that kept this book from being a five star read was at times the story moved along slowly. But stick with it - you'll be happy you did.

I really enjoyed this book by this new to me author. This is the story of Marcus and Alistair. Marcus has always had a crush on Alistair and wanted to get to know him better. Alistair has his reservations and keeps Marcus firmly in the acquaintance zone. Marcus is determined to win over Alistair affections and makes it his mission to make Alistair his. Alistair has a hard time believing that Marcus could actually have feelings for him...he isn't a great catch so he thinks. Marcus wears Alistair down and he gives into the attraction he feels for Marcus. Their journey is filled with ups and downs and twists that no one could see coming. Marcus will do anything to show Alistair that he is worthy of being loved...especially by him. I really enjoyed their story....it was a great story that kept my interest from beginning to end. I can't wait to read more in this series...well done!!!

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book provided by netgalley.

An alternate history m/m Regency Romance set against the world of high society, the Season, and the Palace for a pair of unlikely lovers with troubled pasts by a new to me author. I most definitely had to give it a go.
Review

A Gentleman Revealed is the first book of the Lords of Avenleigh series. I discovered once I started reading that its actually a spin-off of the earlier Noble Pleasures duo featuring a side couple in this series. I had no trouble beginning here, but I am curious now to go back for Arend and Julian’s story.

The alternate history is mild in that the country and places named are different, but this is the British Isles Regency Period (ignore the blurb on that one) and the glaring difference is that same sex relationships are not unlawful or taboo so it makes for an interesting variation when it comes to the fashionable Season, the marriage mart, and the dynamics of courtship.

Lord Marcus is a congenial, happy sort with three older rascally brothers and a widowed ducal father who wants his sons happiness above all. He has a gift for the violin and a penchant for a certain buttoned up, husky-shaped King’s Secretary with prim airs. He finally goes for it and the pair begin quite the tempestuous courtship.

Opposite to handsome and sweet Lord Marcus’ uncomplicated situation is Alistair Finley, secret illegitimate brother to the king and blackmailed into silence by the former king’s lawyer, alcoholic and overweight and bowed down by his own secrets has a difficult time first believing in Marcus’ interest and allowing himself to love and be loved.

I found this story a tough one to get into and had my moments throughout. Both Marcus and Alistair are drawn in such a way that they take turns blowing hot and cold and acting prudish and rakish in turn. I couldn’t get a bead on either of them until a third of the way through. It was an unhealthy relationship that needed to take a step back and allow for Alistair to heal before they could go further. Marcus was steady, true, and strong to the purpose despite him floundering in uncertainty about how he could best help and if love was going to be enough.

Alistair’s self-loathing that took the form in indulging in food and alcohol and raw feelings about his body image earned my pity. He was an unacknowledged bastard son and now must hide the truth from his brother because of that nasty, slimy lawyer who played mind games and emotionally and verbally abused him for years. I really wanted a building to fall on the guy. I didn’t know what to make of Alistair’s cousin, Sam, who in his own pain and trouble took shots at him, while claiming to be Alistair’s friend and accepting him as a fostered brother of his cousin. Everyone, Alistair included, treated Sam’s hurtful remarks like jokes. I was relieved when he did see what terrible pain his hurtful teasing caused.

Marcus’s family was hilarious with all those Scottish red heads that were spirited and mischief loving and a father who wanted them to act with honor, but also be happy. The family dynamics were great and Ethan’s role in Alistair and Marcus’ relationship was just amazing. Everyone needs a brother like Ethan. Marcus was amazing, too. He’d survived a scandal he didn’t cause and an abusive relationship in the past, but he still reached out and saw the diamond in the rough that was the troubled Alistair. Alistair pushed him away or strike out from his own place of pain and Marcus saw this. He was a beautiful soul as Alistair pointed out to him.

There were some interesting dynamics addressed in this deeper story- dealing with addiction, being accepted by family, being supportive of a person who has addictions, parental expectations, gender defined and reversed, and so much more.

Ultimately, it was all these complex layers along with the slowly emerging characters of the main players that won me over. This was a long book and had slower moments when I wanted them to get past the issues, but I also saw the need to take the time because these issues were huge and shouldn’t be swept over too quickly. Now that I’m introduced to the cast of characters and the situation I can’t wait for Ethan’s story next.

So, it took me a bit and then I was impressed with how the author handled deeper matters. I thought it was great to see how altering that part of history to allow same sex relationships to be accepted would create some fun, new opportunities for historical romance. I would definitely recommend this one to those who enjoy m/m historical romance on the spicy side.

I loved the premise of this one more than the execution of it. It's a very slow paced story. The dialogue was a bit too flowery and overdone. I never really connected or cared about these characters, and these days I need a little more risk/reward to keep my interest. For those looking for an angst-free historical this would be a good read, it just didn't live up to my expectations.

I thought this book was super sweet and kind of sad at the same time. At times it was a little TOO sweet, going over into the sappy end of things, but overall I quite enjoyed the story. I did wish that the alternate reality followed history a bit more (different king), but this also makes sense.

Set in a Regency England where same sex relationships are, while not 100% accepted, are becoming the norm A Gentleman Revealed is a love story between Lord Marcus Avenleigh and Mr. Alistair Finley. Lord Marcus is secure in his sexuality, but Mr Finley isn't quite as secure. Mr. Finley is in a precarious position as a unacknowledged royal bastard raised alongside the king, and holding the position of Royal Financial Adviser. As such, he feels that he is unworthy of the love and respect found in a devoted relationship. Seeking solace in alcohol Mr. Finley finds himself in a deep spiral of unhealthy behaviors- he finds himself unlovable, so drinks and eats for comfort, gains weight, feels unlovable, and so on.
Lord Marcus disagrees with Mr. Finley's assessment of himself. He finds Mr. Finley to be statuesque and admires him from afar. After two years of yearning for Mr. Finley, Lord Marcus gains the courage to share his attraction with Mr. Finley.
Their courtship is fraught with emotion and struggle though, as Mr. Finley fights their attraction at every step, with his dependence on alcohol putting everything he finds dear at risk.

I am so excited!!! This is a m/m historical romance!!! With that said I must say, this book started out a little rough for me. The first chapter was made me feel like the author was trying to create a setting where homosexual relationships were accepted in one paragraph but in the next they were still a cause for major scandal and it threw me off a bit. But once I got past all of that I absolutely and completely fell in love with both male leads. I found Alistair to be someone I relate to even though he is a man. Seeing his vulnerability and his self cousciousness as he was being pursued by someone who he felt he could never attract is something I think all people go through at one time or another it makes him a truly endearing character. Over all I loved the characters and their story and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

This review will appear in the April RT Book Reviews. I was commissioned to write the review for them.