Miles Montague, author, never thought he would meet one of his fans. Living in repressive Victorian-era England, he knows that though his books sell well, the queer, dark, kinky content of his works puts him in danger. And so it is that Miles protects his identity vociferously. He knows from personal, tragic experience what happens to a gay man who's turned over to authorities and lives in fear of being caught out. Without this context, Charles Price, smut aficionado, shows up at Miles' bookshop with the boundless enthusiasm of a devoted fan, hoping for an autograph. In a panic, Miles hears blackmail behind Charles' words, and their first meeting ends poorly.

Once Miles has some time to consider Charles' behavior, he acknowledges his misread of the situation, though he's still concerned about how his identity was leaked. To make amends, Miles brings an autograph and a bottle of wine just in time to accidentally crash a cake testing for Charles' upcoming nuptials. You see, Charles' joy at buying lovely things for himself and loved ones far outstrips his income. And dear old banker dad is only willing to pay off his debts just once more if Charles marries. So his request for an autograph was a bit of a last hurrah before he's doomed to marry a perfectly sweet girl whom he loves but could never be romantically interested in. To prevent the horrifying implosion of Charles' life, Miles poses as a sommelier to advise on wine pairings for the wedding cake tasting, one of the book's more hilarious scenes.

What follows is a fast-burning romance, racing against the deadline of Charles' imminent wedding. Where it's hot and heavy to start, we get some sweet little moments later on. I particularly liked a scene where the two simply work on their own projects side by side, enjoying the unobtrusive camaraderie. There are also some big twists with plenty of angst. Why settle for just a final act breakup when you can have a whole rollercoaster of feelings? Our protagonists have to delve into some coping mechanisms that might keep them apart and get honest about what they're afraid of and what they're willing to give up for love.

Some positives of the book are the representation of queer community in its many stripes and a focus on non-aristocratic characters in a historical romance. At Charles' club, we get to experience his queer found family. They meddle in his affairs and are devoted to him in a way he doesn't fully realize at the beginning of the book. Hitting rock bottom gives him a chance to appreciate all that they would do for him and how deep those bonds go. For a funny, spicy queer love story that also delves into the light and shadows of secret queer communities in a historical context, pick this one up. Thanks to Harlequin for my copy to read and review!

i thought this was a good story, however there were moments it felt more like the two halves of the book were written at very different times and kind of mushed together. Charlie somehow seemed to get more immature as the story went on as well. I know he was meant to be more himself and more free but it didn't translate that way on page.

This book was UNEXPECTEDLY lovely. The book none of us knew we needed to we read it. Just wonderful. Maybe a movie? . Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

I read this book a long time ago haha so bear with on the details but I remember loving it!! Both main characters had so much life and depth and had really great chemistry and banter. I loved how this book delved into some deeper themes than a surface level romance book, and each theme was well woven into the context of the setting of the book (Victorian England).

I also really enjoy the stoic character that also happens to be a smutty author trope and that was done really well here! The steamy scenes were also great! This will definitely be book a book I will come back to in the future and helps to cement queer historical romance as one of my favourite genres!

This book was an ok read. The writing was well-done, but I struggled to connect with the characters on a deeper level. Overall, I would call this a solid romance but it's not a favorite. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a historical gay romance. I previously read the 2nd book in the series and I definitely think this one was better in both writing and plot.

In their first installment of “The Lucky Lovers of London” series author Jess Everlee presents her readers with “The Gentlemen's Book of Vices” as a thank you to Netgalley and the publisher ( Harper Collins), I write this honest review and spoiler alert….. I loved it. Everlee’s characters are vibrant, jovial, and earnest. The novel follows Charlie Price, who though his impending marriage to a woman cannot give up his “vices” that being the local homosexual pub “The Curious Fox”, men and erotic novels. Charlie fits the stereotypical notion of a Victorian dandy, and I love it. Charlie is curious to find the author of whose novels bring so much joy and excitement, however the reality of the era of time he is in, dictates their identity is a secret, and any attention to them, or himself can bring detrimental consequences. Through connections from a close friend brings Charlie the identity of this gifted writer. Enter Miles Montague, a bookseller by day and erotic homosexual novelist by night. The contrasting personalities of the two added to my pleasure in reading their story. Will Charlie move forward with the marriage, or have the courage to live a life for himself ? The relationship with Charlie and Miles is fully explored to explore the emotional nuance of homosexual men during this time and with the magic of the written word present circumstances that may not have been allotted to men of that period. I enjoyed this immensely and recommend the companion novel “A Rulebook for Restless Rogues” as well. As well as the audiobooks narrated fabulously by Tommy Hawthorne. I gave this a strong five out of five stars on goodreads.

Charlie Price is a young guy who is about to be married. Before his marriage, he is determined to get the autograph of the author of is favorite erotic novel. Through his contacts, he finds the man and shows up to request the autograph from the mild mannered owner of a sad bookshop. The meeting does not goes as planned and the owner, one Miles Montague, assume that Mr. Price is there to blackmail him. That could not be further from the truth.

Montague has second thoughts about the way he treated Charlie, so he decides to sign the book and return it to him with a bottle of wine for apology. That little trip results in a rather humorous case of mistaken identity and Miles plays along. He and Charlie end up reviewing Charlie’s collection and well the chemistry between them takes off again. But they are in Charlie’s house, so that won’t do. Charlie is determined to have more time with Miles.

Miles and Charlie start up a rather regular schedule. But there is the little issue of Charlie’s wedding. And of course there is the difficulty with Miles’s failing bookshop. Expectations and obligations that get in their way. Times being what they are, there is no reason to believe that these two can have any sort of HEA. I mean, Miles stories never end that way, so why should theirs? Have no fear! This is a romance and we must get our HEA 🙂

So I really enjoyed the beginning of this book quite a bit. There is a lot of humor and Charlie is a thoroughly entertaining character who has gotten by on his charm so far in life. Miles is a rather dour, sad guy who has inherited the bookshop he cannot part with. Then there is the matter of the intrigue of discovery – of knowing who knows their secrets. There are so many obstacles in their way and neither can see a way around it. Charlies friends at his favorite club watch out for him and try to help – I hope they show up in the next book. All in all, this was really quite the tale. There were some surprises I didn’t see coming. While this didn’t have the polish that some of the other Historicals that I’ve read, this was a really interesting kick-off to a series. I’m interested to see what comes next for these characters and this world. Recommended for historical fans and also for those who enjoy a tale where characters really have to work for their happy ending.

I did like the idea of this, and I felt like Everlee did do some historical research as it pertained to the illegality of homosexuality and homosexual materials, which is a little different than other historical romances. Where I think it fell short are the MCs themselves--Charlie is whiny and Miles is boring and together I don't really root for them.

I don't know how a whole sequel has come and gone in the time it took me to read this ARC, but here we are. I say sequel- the next book isn't truly a sequel, it's just set in this same world and with the same theme of "lucky lovers." But it's a enjoyable world to read and the theme of unlikely couples getting their happily-ever-afters no matter what is just simply good.

This book is full of ups and downs and issues at every turn trying to thwart the promised happy ending. Explicit and kinky sex aside, it's a cozy novel- there's high stakes discussed but it never feels like the characters are ever in real danger. It's not a book that takes itself too seriously, and you shouldn't hold it to that standard: none of the characters are trying to solve homophobia, it's not overly deep about the characters' troubles, and again none of the high-stakes threats are real. Everyone is lucky, everyone is happy in the end, and all the problems are wrapped up nicely.

I do wish there was a bit more emotional depth. I felt like I could only see what the characters were feeling by their actions, and I didn't feel like I was truly in their head. Each chapter notes whose perspective it's told from, so I expected a bit more omniscience regarding what was on everyone's minds

Thanks to NetGalley and Carina Adores for the e-ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

A M/M historical romance where the first half of the book was entertaining but I slowly realized there was not clear plot throughout. It was obvious these two characters would end up together (that's the genre) but it was a lot of build up for something that just felt...anticlimactic? Overall enjoyable and I do look forward to the author's next story.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Gentleman’s Book of Vices by Jess Everlee was quite good! It’s a historical fiction, where being gay is illegal. Charlie Price is determined to get the autograph of his favorite erotica writer before he has to put away his things and marry a woman. However, once he meets Miles Montague, the two of them have an immediate connection. I really liked the relationship between Charlie and Miles. It was tough seeing them try to be there for each other in a world that makes that very difficult. Prepare for emotion and spice!

And enjoyable read. I will admit my attention sometimes wavered. However, that could be more about my headspace than the book at the time.

I liked the characters and the world we were. The story was smart and witty.

I am definitely interested in revisiting what this author has next.

Oh, the spice! How delicious! While not the most riveting novel in the romance section, it’s fun, cute, and quite steamy. This will be great for Bridgerton fans looking for queer romance, as well as people looking for an easy summer read.

This was an enjoyable queer romance with a good plot that kept the book moving. Having the 2 points of view was nice. I was a little confused by the Jo character, and perhaps she needed to be introduced more in the beginning. She felt like she was very important to the plot (and she was) but kind of drifted in and out.

This was a really fun (and wonderfully steamy!) queer historical with a touch of BDSM. I'm docking a star because the main characters felt a little flat and their backstories seemed hastily added after the fact, rather than an integral part of their arcs and growth, but otherwise, this was a delight.

This one unfortunately was not for me. I found the main characters Charlie and Miles to be dull and I did not care about them very much. I wound up skimming through the majority of the book which is a good indicator that I wasn't very invested in either the characters or the plot, which was also a bit dull.

This was a fun, raunchy, and heartwarming novel. I was very invested in the characters and am looking forward to many more books by this author! Readers who enjoy Cat Sebastian novels will likely enjoy this one too.

I really enjoyed this book, enemies to lovers, secret identity and writing all together. I also liked the compassion when dealing with the women in their lives.

Really charming debut. It felt more situated in it's historical and geographical context than some of the other historical queer romances out there, which - while I'm not always a stickler for accuracy - was really nice. This will be going into my rotation for diverse romance reader's advisory.