This book was average for me. Much of the chemistry felt forced, and the convention of having the 2 men engage in erotic banter and then fade to black for some of the actual love scenes didn't help. Other parts felt a bit twee, like when Miles had to pretend to be a wedding cake baker at the couple's taste testing. Speaking of which, it's one thing for a gentleman who prefers the company of men to be faced with marriage in the theoretical, but it was a bit uncomfortable with the impending wedding looming like a specter. Finally, I hate to be a stickler about things like this, but a lot of the slang Charlie used was anachronistic and/or inappropriate for a man of his social class.

I really enjoyed the chemistry between the two main leads but the minor characters also shine. The ending felt a little too neat, but I enjoyed the happyish ending nonetheless.

A charming and witty, and heartfelt tale.
Many thanks to Carina Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was good, but it did not capture my attention in the way that I wished it had. Both of the characters fell a bit flat to me and I was not a fan of their (lack of) chemistry.

The plot just did not work for me, it was straightforward, and there wasn't an exciting climax or any sort of exciting twist that would capture my attention.

I think that this book will be a hit, just not for me.

I liked this more than I thought I would. Great side characters, really vivid setting, if not historically accurate. It's a bummer that the girl was screwed over in the end.

The premise for this was so much fun: an ardent erotica fan seeks out his favorite smut author to get his autograph. And based on this premise, there were so many humorous and absolutely charming moments between the two leads. While their relationship did move too quickly into the "I love yous" for my liking, their chemistry was solid, and I enjoyed how Everlee showed Miles and Charlie figuring out how to make a life with one another. The Curious Fox crowd was a shining point and is actually why I plan on continuing with the series, as Jo, Noah, Warren, and Forester were the epitome of those friends you love but who drive you crazy. My main points of critique would be that I personally am not a fan of the "queer guy agrees to marry a poor, unsuspecting girl" trope, and though the author did turn this on its head somewhat, Alma didn't receive enough development (or even thought) for it to be successful. The pacing of the last handful of chapters also really threw me off, so the ending felt rushed.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

While I did overall enjoy this and it was a really quick read, it also fell a little flat for me. I liked the writing style, which was easy to read, as is not always the case in historical romance. I also liked Charlie as a main character, mostly because he was funny. I was less convinced by the romance though, because I felt like it was really rushed and they jumped to "I love you" really quickly, losing me in the process. This was especially the case because I didn't feel like I got to know much about Miles as a person.

This was a fun book but maybe my expectations were too high because I ended up not being very satisfied.

Okayyyyy if you know me you know I love MM and Historical Romance! This is the best of both worlds, it’s so sweet and funny! I loved this book and would recommend to anyone!

A fun historical romance with a queer main couple, it does lean a bit heavily into the tropes of the genre rather than forging ahead with anything truly innovative. The ending is a touch abrupt, and a touch too neat, but on the whole it's an enjoyable read.

This was so good. Sexy and a little raunchy. Full of depth and growth. Best of all, the conflicts and considerations felt real. I almost wasn't sure we would make it to a happy ending!

I'm curious to see where this series goes and would love to see a story about Jo.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

It was entertaining enough, but didn't have very much steam for a romance. It was almost a "clean" romance, but the two main characters were the author of illegal erotica and an obsessive reader of said illegal erotica. So it felt like readers were promised one type of romance but the author delivered different, and less exciting. type of romance.

It was a little dark for my taste but had a happy ending. The pace in the middle dragged a little but it picked back up.

It's not often one finds queer historical romance that feels authentic to the era while maintaining the tender warmheartedness I associate with the best of all historical romance. The things that Charlie and Miles have to go through to find their happily-ever-after are horrible and give the plot a nice dose of depth while never actually getting into the darker underbelly of the horror that was being gay in Victorian England.
The story of Charlie and Miles is one of opposites attract that turns steamily romantic once they realize that they complete each other beyond anything they'd ever dreamed of. Even with Charlie counting down to a marriage he has resigned himself to dreading and Miles traumatized by the loss of his lover, reading about them slowly opening up to each other and recognizing that what they have is special was a treat.
I loved everything about this and would to follow more of the character's stories, even the side characters are incredibly interesting and would definitely make a good story in Everlee's hands.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Carina Adores for the charmingly sexy read!

The Gentleman's Book of Vices
Pub date: Nov 29, 2022

What do you get when you mix:
💖 London, 1883
💖 Charlie Price - smut collector
💖 Miles Montague - smut writer

This was a delightful romp through Victorian London’s LGBTQ+ scene from debut author Jess Everlee. It managed to both show the dangers of living your truth during that time period while showing some joyful community. I loved the cast of characters and really enjoyed the audiobook narrator for this one!

The story started out a little bit slow but I'm glad that I kept going because this book was so much fun. Normally I'm not the biggest romance fan but Charlie and Miles are such sweethearts and I loved their dynamic.
I mean who wouldn't want to meet their favorite smut-author.

This was a charming romance and fun read. I really enjoyed the book though I felt so saddend at the self hatred and thinking they were damned even though they were good people. I know that was historical to the times but it still was heart breaking.

Engaging queer romance set in the Victorian era, when love had to be hidden for fear of jail or death.
This takes place in the gritty underbelly of London juxtaposed with the privileged world of the upper class, the "proper" society, as well as the dueling sides of outgoing Charlie Price, and the more introverted Miles Montague.

This had some steamy moments, but for a book where one of the main characters writes "smut," I was expecting the scenes not to fade to black.

Interesting characters and a "found family" that I really enjoyed and am excited to read more stories about.

A promising debut by Jess Everlee.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel. The thoughts and opinions are my own and freely given.

I really enjoyed this one. Miles was lonely and distrustful and Charlie swans into his bookstore to fanboy over his secret author alias and accidentally makes it sound like blackmail. Miles is writing sad boy smut in the 1880s so it was super illegal. After feeling Miles up to prove that he wasn't there to blackmail him (my favorite move of choice) Charlie takes off and thinks he'll never see him again. You thought. That's the love of your life, bro.

Charlie has been told that he's going to marry a woman and really doesn't want to but does have debts that he needs to clear and that will only happen with the wedding. I liked the friends that Charlie has who are the only ones who seem to be genuinely looking after him and his downward spiral until Miles. I'm excited that the next book seems to be Forrester and Noah.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

It's 1883 and Charlie Price (who is gay) is being forced into a marriage with a woman. Set on one last adventure, he sets out to find the writer of his favorite explicit novels. When Charlie finds Miles, who of course uses a pen name, Miles isn't sure what to make of his biggest fan. The two begin an affair as both their future and their past are closing in on them.

This was a fun story, but the first half of the story was more enjoyable than the second, and I'm not sure it worked well as a historical romance. This was the first in the series, so I'm looking forward to a stronger second book.