this was excruciatingly, mind-numbingly dull.

the writing was bland and completely leeched of emotion to the point where there was absolutely no chemistry whatsoever between the characters. there was barely any plot, and the characters had no substance at all. the only vaguely interesting character was louis, and that's just because he actually showed emotion, even if he was ridiculously exaggerated and cliche.

Nice worldbuilding (which is not something I always pay attention to, but in this case I tried, because it dealt with something from the real world). 
I'm all for character-driven and character-centered stories, and this one delivered in that aspect. I really enjoyed it.

Apologies for the delay in reviewing.  I had read most of the book by early September, and just got back to it and finished it, as I've been planning to do for months.

I enjoyed the book.  The protagonists, James and Edmund, had some major issues with communication, but the way their personalities were, and how their backgrounds had shaped them, it made sense that the characters would act and react the way they did.  I was also interested in the sympathetic secondary characters, and how they could come to life in just a few lines.

James starts the book in a bad emotional state.  In the back of the book, the author lists resources that could help a contemporary reader in a state such as that.  James is recovering from physical injuries he suffered in what was then "The Great War" and is now World War I.  He's in pain from the physical injuries, but is wealthy enough that he can have all the care and medical help he wants.

The Code Napoleon had modernized French law perhaps a bit more than a century previous to the time setting of the book, and relations between men were not illegal as they were in England.  James didn't need to worry about that as long as he was living in France.

I thought the protagonists and their feelings came to life well in their respective journals.  I appreciated getting both sides of the story.

Recommended, especially for my online friends who like historical m/m romance.

ARC received from NetGalley.

A pleasant, fast read.  Nothing wrong with it, just no plot to speak of.  I enjoyed the characters, even the side characters were done well, but it just needed a little more.

Through the journals of a wealthy, injured war vet James, and his hired aide Edmund, Reddaway slowly exposes the longing and the growth of a love affair between the two.  This is not a criticism. The love grows exponentially. The setting is Paris after World War I.  She does an excellent job of creating this world of class, customs, the social norms and limitations. She shows us the world of the haves and have-nots, the rich and the poor, and the war's many aftereffects on the population. 
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc received.

I haven't even finished this book and I already love it. It's a lovely story. I really like the characters and the Big Secret reveal was very effective. I look forward to the author's other books.

Plot in a sentence: James returned from the Great War having lost an eye and a leg and fearing that he has lost all chance at love… until he meets his new secretary, Edmund.

Recommended age: This is a novel for adults but it is appropriate for teens.

Diversity:

    LGBTQ+: Much of the cast is gay.
    Disability: James is an amputee and has lost an eye.

Who will love this book:

    Fan of queer historical romance.

What I liked about this book:

    This was not the racy romance I was expecting. Instead, I was completely charmed by the slow, heartwarming courting process.
    There are several scandalous secrets and misunderstandings that complicate the love story.
    I know that James and Edmund are the main focus of the story, but my favorite character and love story was actually that of James’ butler Perkin (who is the perfect fictional butler) and his secret romance with another butler.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, but I wound up enjoying this romance quite a bit.

The story is told in alternating journal entries by the main characters, James and Edmund. Colonel James Clarynton takes up journal writing out of boredom after he loses a leg and an eye during the Great War. To further fill his time, he begins to write a book about chinoiserie, and needing a secretary to help him type up his thoughts into a manuscript, James hires Edmund Vaughn, an attractive but rather mysterious young man. James rapidly falls for the younger man, but he’s unsure whether Edmund would want him with his scars and disabilities. Meanwhile, Edmund wants to keep his secrets from James, even though he’s attracted to him. Both men must negotiate the barriers between them, including those of class, before they can find love.

Setting the book in Paris is a smart choice by the author. The more socially permissive environment in France allows her to explore the romance between the two men without having to deal with the social and legal ramifications that would have affected them as a couple in England.

I liked both Edmund and James as characters, and the slow development of their relationship felt realistic to me with all the issues between them. James can be manipulative, but I think that’s true to a man of his class and wealth in that period. He certainly learns his lesson in the course of the book.

I’m not sure I always totally bought James’s voice. He’s a bit too breathless in describing his emotions (with exclamation points!) in a way that doesn’t quite fit with my perception of an upper-class Englishman. It jolted me out of the story at times. That’s my biggest criticism, though.

Readers looking for a good historical m/m romance should give this book a try.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

James Clarynton can’t see a future after his disfiguring injuries, sustained during the war. His friend suggests focusing on writing to lift his depression but still finds it difficult to carry on until he employs a young secretary to type up his work. Edmund Vaughan is desperate for money to support his family but is guarded. Megan Reddaway allows us to read their journals and experience their thoughts as they slowly start to get to know each other. Truly romantic and heart-warming. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

A Position in Paris is a really lovely read. At the start, I was a little unsure about the story being told through journal entries, but the format really grew on me and was a refreshing change from the norm. I think the main characters were really sweet, I just personally wish we had seen more of their relationship develop. I especially adored Parkin and all the subtle ways he communicated his thoughts and feelings to James and I really wish we could have had some scenes with him and his butler (I would go as far to say that they deserve their own book!). Little Robby was so cute and wise for his age. Overall, I really enjoyed this historical romance and am glad I picked it up.

Actual Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Gentle, slow and somewhat inert historical romance between James, a wounded WWI colonel and Edmund, the secretary he hires to help him write the book that is supposed to give him a reason to live despite losing his leg and his eye. It turns out that the secretary is more inspiring than the book, but Edmund is shy and reluctant to talk about himself, and although James launches a campaign worthy of the British Army to win Edmund over, he hasn't reckoned with family secrets, jealous ex-lovers, and lots of stubborn pride.

A quick, predictable read with lots of pining but almost no physical heat. Neither of the MCs really came alive for me, perhaps because we only get to know them through the pages of their respective journals. I was bothered by the power differential between wealthy James and impoverished Edmund, although that troubling dynamic is finally addressed at the book's conclusion. I was also surprised at how many of James' friends seem to take his homosexuality in stride, but a little research revealed that laws against sodomy were repealed during the French Revolution, and that France has long been considered one of the most gay-friendly countries in the world. 

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Not your typical historical romance novel in that it is all written in first person as journal entries. Thoroughly enjoyable read.

I'm a sucker for a good historical MM romance, and Megan Reddaway did not disappoint in A Position in Paris. James Clarynton has been injured in World War I and is doing his best to withdraw from the world. With the loss of an eye and a leg, he's no longer the handsome rogue he was, and he doesn't know what to do with himself.

To rouse himself from his despair, he decides to write a book about the chinoiserie he inherited from his great uncle. That means he needs a secretary, and the man he hires, who will only give his name as E. Vaughn, is not only handsome but intriguing.

This is a slow-build romance. James needs time to adjust to his new circumstances, and Vaughn can't admit his attraction to James while he's still keeping so many secrets. Reddaway draws each character very clearly, alternating diary entries between the two men, so we see not only what each of them is thinking but how they react to each other.  I found this a real page-turner and enjoyed seeing both men grow to the point when they are ready to love.

Very nice. A little too PG for my tastes, but I think that fits in well with the time period. Short, sweet, and an enjoyable read!

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.

A Position in Paris is a heartwarming, moving tale of self-discovery, acceptance, and mildly taboo love in an era and locale where gay couples were barely legal and not fully accepted.

James is my favorite kind of man. Broken. Physically, emotionally, and mentally. He believes the loss of his eye and leg caused by enemy bullets in World War I have left him ugly and unworthy of a relationship he doesn’t pay for. His unsatisfying existence takes a turn for the excitable when a dear friend suggests beginning a journal and finding a passion in life. 

The suggestion leads the vastly wealthy James to choose to write a book to fill his waking hours. This decision not only gives him a newfound purpose, but creates the need for a secretary to translate his notes into something intriguing to read.

Enter Edmund. Nine years James’ junior, but cloaked in mystery and bearer of his own wounds. Although they are invisible, they are no less deep. Shame and secrecy follow him, causing him to fight the growing feelings toward his employer. Edmund is certain the truth would not only herald the cessation of his desperately needed income, but also end the limited, but treasured contact he has with James.

Each man battles through their burgeoning emotions and unruly desires until they reach a fevered pitch and find themselves in each other’s arms, lost in a passionate kiss. 

Sadly this lasts for an all too brief period of time and the next morning a troubled outside force rips them apart… perhaps for good.

A Position in Paris is a slow burn, historical, gay romance… so many things I love. The writing is beautiful and the craft envy-worthy. The only thing preventing me from giving this five stars is the SLOW in slow burn. I would have loved a bit more sexual tension earlier on both ends. However, I have no qualms in happily recommending this novel as a rich read that will throw you on a roller coaster of emotions. 

And I’d like to wish Ms. Reddaway a super, “Happy Release Day” before signing off! Grab your own copy today!!

Happy reading!

If I were to describe this book in one word, it would be "sweet". It's told through the two men's journals - primarily through James' - and as such we're treated to a great deal of the characters' thoughts, feelings, and internal motivations. Their connection develops and deepens slowly; it feels natural. Everything is measured, quiet, contemplative.

The historic setting is nicely detailed and the surrounding cast of characters are well-developed. Unlike many historical romances, this is set in a place where homosexuality is not illegal; James in particular is part of a large gay social circle, and many secondary and minor characters are queer. James' manservant, Parkin, was a particular favorite of mine.

A large part of the story also deals with disability and illness. James comes to terms with his war injuries slowly, and his grief, setbacks, frustrations, adjustments, progress, and adaptation were handled gracefully.

I enjoyed this very much.

#ReadingIsResistance to being disappeared from history.  A POSITION IN PARIS (full review at my blog) is the antidote to vanishing gay men from history.

On August 20th, a well-written and historically accurate vision of post-World-War-One Paris arrives on your Kindles. What you will experience, via the journal entries of the two men whose love story this is, is a wonderful and tender story of falling in love and finding your soul mate. In a time when that was both forbidden and fraught with peril, that is a whole lot to find. 

It is very much an historical fiction reader's best choice this month!

Told through journal entries written by both protagonists, A Position in Paris takes place in the immediate aftermath of World War I. James was badly wounded, and hires Edmund to assist him writing a book. Their connection grows slowly and, sometimes, is hard to feel through the formality of their written language. The author was careful with period-specific details of Paris and the English expats living there. Thoroughly enjoyable.

2.8 paris is not a party stars


In the aftermath of WWI, a bitter damaged british young Colonel is living in Paris; he lost one leg and one eye to the war. Rejected by his family for his inclinationations before that, now has resorted to paid lovers. To keep him distracted a friend suggest that he will write a book. Searching for secretary leads him to contract a empoverished and shy british man-Mr. Vaughan.

---------
Why do people marry? I once thought only women truly wanted that tie, and men did it because they fell in love and could not have the woman any other way. But men of our class can support mistresses, yet even the wealthiest men still marry. Is it for children, then—for the man to be sure a child is his, for the woman to know her children will be supported? Or are they seeking something more, something in the relation between the two people themselves, something almost spiritual? Does the unbreakable bond force one to plumb the depths of one’s nature, and does that make it worthwhile?
Would I wish to marry, if I felt about women as other men do? Or—inconceivable—if men could marry men, would any of us do it?
Parkin and his butler, perhaps, but they are sixty.
---------

Parkin indeed is one of the best :)

Narrated from the journals of both men, this could be a better story, but apart from that kind of style it lacks of time to explore the angst and struggle, to feel the pain, shame , and uncertain. There is so much backstory from both to explore and it no shows.

Nice story, could be better carry out.

4 stars

I quite enjoyed this one. I am a sucker for historical romance, and the period just after World War I is a very interesting one.  So I will freely admit that I was biased to like this one just out the gate. It didn't disappoint. 

Some historicals are far better than others at transporting the reader to a different time and place. This was one of the better ones. The journal format worked quite well for me in that regard. I've always had a weakness for the odd book told in letter or journal format and this one definitely successfully scratched that itch.

I liked both the main characters immensely, both of them haunted in their own ways and far harder on themselves than they needed to be. James was an intriguing mixture of confidence and self-doubt and Edmund was both naive and proud in a way that was both believable and terribly likeable.

If I had to pick out some negative points, I might say I might have liked a bit more of an interlude before the conflict, yet I can't say that it doesn't work quite well just as it is. I just might not have minded overall if the book had been a little longer.

To me this is a romance in the slightly more old fashioned sense of the word, while the desire is there and there is an erotic interlude this story seems a bit more focused to me on feelings and understandings. And in this case I found that quite positive. Overall this was a definite joy to read that took me very little actual reading time to devour and which I was thinking about even when I wasn't reading it.

It left me with a pleasantly warm feeling, and I would certainly recommend it to someone who wanted a sweet historical.