An interesting premise of a queer romance set in the Victorian era, that ends up having lovely quiet moments but also issues with it’s pacing and storytelling.

I really enjoyed Charlie’s (queer) friend group and the relationship he had with his fiancée. Even though he got pushed into the engagement they have a good friendship between each other and I appreciated how she was portrayed.

2.5

This was a perfectly enjoyable queer historical romance, but it was clearly a debut. I had some issues with the pacing, which I think made it hard for me to completely buy into the couple at the center of the romance. Though I did like both Charlie and Miles, I prefer more characterization and to see more of the quieter moments of a relationship in my romance plots. This had some time jumps that referenced back to all the time they spent together without actually showing it while also not providing the "scorching" affair that the summary promised.

That being said, I liked the personal growth we saw in both Charlie and Miles and I really liked the little found family Charlie had made for himself at the Curious Fox so if later books in the series focus on them I will be interested to read more. I also liked that we got to see some of the realistic aspects of being queer in that time period like the discreet publishers and the molly houses and the "understandings" within a marriage and so on.

Ah! I loved this! Historical LGBT romance? This is perfect for fans of Cat Sebastian or Alexis Hall. The angst, the pining and the humor did this story the best justice.

The Gentleman's Book of Vices was, as you might imagine, full of spice and smut. But it also contained endearing characters, both in the mc, his love interest, and all of his delightful and supportive friends. I loved the character growth as the story progressed.

This book was wonderful! I really felt for Charlie and Miles and the situations they found themselves in. The book takes place in the Oscar Wilde era, which makes any LGBTQ+ activity a crime. It was poignant to see how the characters carve out space where and friends with whom they can be themselves, despite the laws of the day. It made me very thankful for how far we have come in that respect. I enjoyed the supporting characters and really feel like they are the best types of friends one could have. The relationship between Miles and Charlie was so lovely and romantic and erotic. I would love to see more adventures with these two gentlemen!

**I received an ARC of this book, all words are mine**

Well this book was way more enjoyable than I thought it would be! I adored Charlie and Miles, and all the supporting characters were great! The little found family in the Fox was awesome to read about and I can't wait for more!
The ending was faster paced than I would have liked it to be, but I still liked it a lot.

reading this book wa such a delight. it has everything i want in a historical romance and was a pleasant for the most part.

i did have some issue with the pacing and the writing styled killed my brain cells abit (not the books fault, i simply have difficulty focusing on this particular writing style).

fans of A MARVELLOUS LIGHT will have a delightful time with this book

thank you netgalley for providing me and e-ARC

Love. Love love love LOVE everything about this book. It's witty, it has heart, it has humorous twists and turns and a main character with some serious Algernon Moncrieff vibes.

I would follow Charlie Price into battle.

Thank you to Carina Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

What didn't I adore about his book? It's just the right blend of spicy, angsty, and sweet and I loved every moment of it! Charlie Price and Miles Montague were both fantastic characters in their own way and the tension between them... chef's kiss. The side characters of Smithy, Miss Jo, Noah, etc. were all great as well! I loved the dynamic between everyone at the Curious Fox and they all were easy characters to root for. I found this book to be a quick, worthwhile read as someone who often doesn't read historical romance!

Would recommend to anyone looking for an LGBTQIA+, historical romance novel!

A queer Regency romance that has a good premise. Charlie is being forced to marry a woman he likes but is not attracted to, in order to have his debts paid off. He's also a collector of erotica. He excitedly gets a chance to get an autograph from his favourite author, who turns out to be bookshop owner, Miles. During that point in time, being homosexual is illegal and one could be jailed. Miles is understandably paranoid about how his real identity was discovered. Charlie is a very likable character. The side characters who are all friends of his at the molly club, are all very interesting. The attraction between the two characters are instantaneous, which can be expected in books like this. I like that we do get to see how hard it is to be LGBTQ+ in those days. But, we still have people who are willing to live their truth. The romance is fine, but a bit predictable. Overall, a nice enough book for those who liked M/M romances.

Unfortunately, this book ended up in my DNF pile. The plot is slow, too archetypal, mediocre sex without purpose, and feels like a less interesting ripoff of the characters in The Gentleman's Guide to Vice in Virtue. The title similarities also make this reader suspicious.

The Gentleman's Book of Vices is an entertaining look at Victorian London's queer scene. Charlie Price, a lover of erotic fiction, simply wants the crown for his secret collection, the signature of his favorite author. Erotic novelest Miles Montague simply wants to be left alone. The sparks between these two as they figure out how to make a relationship that seems doomed work is fantastic and will keep you turning page after page until the end.

A fun, sexy read! How refreshing to see love stories with happy endings featuring queer people-- especially in a historical setting! Everlee's writing is fresh and captivating, and it was a delight to watch these charismatic characters interact and grow close.

The Gentleman’s Book of Vices by Jess Everlee is the first book in the Lucky Lovers of London Series. Charlie Price has always happily given into his vices with very little regard to how it could impact him. He has dug himself in too deep and the only way to save himself is to marry a woman and become an upstanding member of society. His final indulgence is to meet his favorite smut author before his wedding. Miles Montague has hidden behind his pen name for years penning pornography while trying to keep his failing book shop alive. He is bombarded by Charlie Price and finds himself becoming obsessed with the charming man. Charlie is equally entranced by grumpy Miles but will he put aside the life plan set for him for love or will the two end tragically like Miles’ characters.

Charlie Price is a bit of a mess. He knows he lives dangerously, regularly going to his club and enjoying men while a wedding is planned to a woman he is fond of but doesn’t love. Miles is this breath of fresh air wrapped in a grumpy disheveled package. The two find their intimate connection hard to deny and their emotional one even more so. When Alma admits to her reason for marrying him, Charlie finds himself unable to walk away even if everything in his heart says so.

Miles Montague is a man who doesn’t live for himself. He continues to run his deceased lover’s book shop and writes under a pen name, in constant fear of being caught. Charlie is exactly what he needs to bring him out of his shell and into the world of color. Unfortunately Charlie’s chivalry is trying as the wedding approaches and Miles stands his ground about continuing on with a married man. Miles refuses to allow his intense feelings for Charlie to overpower his morals.

This book is a historical romance about an arranged marriage. This time period specific situation allows me to forgive the fact that Charlie and Miles carried on while he was engaged to Alma. This may not be OK for all readers so approach with caution. That being said I loved Charlie and Miles and how they brought out the best in each other. Miles helped Charlie calm down and start planning a future while Miles was able to start embracing life and happiness with Charlie leading the way. I enjoyed all the side characters who helped the two find their way together and meddled in all the best ways.

4 stars for Charlie hunting down Miles and discovering their own happily ever after.

I had such high hopes for this book! M/M historical romances are regrettably difficult to come by and this one definitely has potential. Featuring a likeable cast of interesting characters - particularly Charlie's friends from the club, the story feels almost like a mix of a classic Shakespeare story line and an overly verbose historical romance. There's juicy scandal upon scandal, a lovable fop, and his favorite smut writer hiding behind a pen name, clandestine romance, an almost wedding, and an impossible set of circumstances that lead to everyone's happy ever after. The pacing is a bit off, with a ton of important details materializing at the last minute with little to no build up., leaving the reader with the feeling that the plot was not as thought out as it could be.
i would recommend this title to readers who prefer Harlequin style romances.

Oh what a delight!
A sweet love story between two men who deserve a better live than they have.
My favorite Thing: The characters in this book actually talked to each other, even about the hard stuff.

Thanks a lot for the ARC that I got via NetGalley!

I don’t know why I keep requesting “regency-era” books. I know I don’t like them. Making them queer doesn’t help.

The first half of the book wasn’t actually that bad. It was fun to get to know the characters and the steamy scenes were nice. But the second half felt cluttered and the “quarter book final crisis” was not handled well. Also, FTB scenes when you’ve already been pretty graphic with the foreplay stuff is a … choice, I guess?

Others will probably enjoy this but it’s not gor me.

Before they pay off his creditors yet again, Charlie's parents insist he settle down. The fiancee they pick is perfectly nice, but he'd rather have a fiance. Charlie tracks down his favorite pornographer for a memento of happier times and botches the meeting. Withdrawn bookstore owner Miles is immediately suspicious of the flamboyant fop. One awkward family meeting later, though, they are all over each other. Their complementary personalities and physical chemistry bring both men new happiness. But Charlie's impending marriage keeps looming over the happy couple. Equal parts funny, smutty, and heartfelt.

This book was never quite what I expected, and I mean that in the best way. As expected given the premise, it was pretty high heat and the relationship development heavily focused on the physical (although given the books Miles writes it could've gone a lot further, and I like that it stayed at about a 3-4/5 on a steam scale). But it was also in turns very frothy and sweet and then surprisingly dark and intense. I really felt the dark moment in the third act, but it was heightened by the way the pressure had been building slowly for Charlie throughout the book. It's clear at the beginning that he's not happy, of course, but as layers are peeled away both for us and for Miles, it almost felt like a noose tightening until I was feeling the stress with Charlie. I enjoyed the way Miles's layers were pulled back too, but because his ghosts were in the past as opposed to Charlie's looming future, the grief for him was less intense than the fear for Charlie.

Despite how dark I just made this book sound, it's got a lot of light and fun, too. There's a great mistaken identity scene, and basically every trip to the Curious Fox is a delightfully chaotic time with lots of lovable side characters. I find that as a whole, queer romances tend to put more focus on community than many straight romances, and this does that really well. Miles is almost completely isolated in contrast with Charlie's community (although not as isolated as he perhaps thinks), and one of my favorite things about his development was watching him let down his walls with not just Charlie, but his friends. And the emphasis on the importance of community for survival as much as companionship was really driven home in the ending--even if it did feel a tad bit deus ex machina-esque.

I also really appreciated the route taken with Alma, Charlie's fiancée; it would've been much simpler to have her be unlikeable and easily thrown over, but instead she's charming. I loved her. I want her to get her own book. And because she's so lovable, there isn't an easy way out for Charlie, especially as more previously-unknown details about the engagement come to light. It made for a much more interesting reading experience than I think it would've been otherwise.

There were a couple things that did bother me (an oddly placed fade to black moment comes to mind, and I wasn't satisfied with how the parents were dealt with), but the style was great, the relationship well-developed, and the setting really rich and detailed. Absolutely delightful, would recommend.

London, 1883. Charlie Price has reached one of the lower spots in his life - in only a few short weeks he’s set to be married to a woman he cares for but could never love, and in deep debts as he’s lived past his credit for too long. He’s reached new levels of depression, and then a friend passes him a name: the real name of his favorite writer of erotic fiction. Reginald Cox is nom de plume for Miles Montague, owner of a small bookshop, and a man protective of his ghosts and his reputation. So when Charlie walks into Miles’s shop with a worn copy of Immorality Plays asking for an autograph, Miles is wary but still very intrigued. Being together feels easy - and yet with Charlie’s wedding looming and Miles’s business not bringing in any real money, it starts to feel like a life together is impossible

I really enjoy Harlequin’s Carina Adores imprint, and when I heard they had a historical romance coming out, I raced to request an eARC. Charlie and Miles are such vibrant characters, and Jess Everlee brings them to life from the dark molly house to the worn apartment to the struggles they face within their more public personas. I was on the edge of my seat for the whole last half of the book, concerned about how Everlee would wrap this up, but I was ultimately both satisfied and surprised, even if it was a little tidy.

One of my favorite components of Gentleman’s Book of Vices is the setting. Everlee gives us the dark alcoves of the molly house, a bright and open townhouse with a long-suffering butler, a charming bookstore, all of which helped to give a strong picture of her Victorian London.

I’m always looking for more queer historical romances, especially as I continue my love affair with the Victorian Era, and I’m very excited for this debut from Jess Everlee to reach more readers.