I was expecting this book like air. I love this series so damn much! It’s everything I wanted in a book: scandals, queerness, good representation, historical accuracy, good banters, excellent romance and relatable characters.
And here we have a detective and a barista with a brother in the mafia. I MEAN! This is so hot! I needed more! I need more! Please!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I have never read a story by Jess Everlee that I haven’t loved, and this book was certainly no exception! This is book #4 in the Lucky Lovers of London series, and while the book could be read as a stand-alone, I would encourage readers to pick up the previous stories for further context and understanding of the connections and relationships spread throughout the story. As a lover of all things historical fiction + queer romance, this was such a great read. Definitely encourage adding this one to your TBR!

A true romance! loved this one - have previously enjoyed this author's work. The first part of the book is a trip! It was great to see the family and all the dynamics...beautiful ... really engaging and set the scene! A perfect summer read, this is a straight-forward and touching romance with all the right ingredients I loved that it was art that brought the MCs together..

cute romance with some awesome characters that really emphasizes queer joy while being set firmly in its historical context. I haven't read any previous books in the series, but now i think i probably will! 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

A playful, heart-twisting, and charming cap to the Lucky Lovers of London series. The leads could not be more well-matched or charming as a duo, and their story drew me in immediately. Perhaps my favorite part of this novel (and the series as a whole) is how Everlee's work relays a spirit of queer joy and community that answers the question of how historical queer people lived despite systemic inequity: with a lot of luck, and for all the people they loved. To me, Everlee has earned a place among KJ Charles and Cat Sebastian as one of the finest queer historical romance writers of our time. I cannot wait to see what she writes next.

Another wonderful addition to the Lucky Lovers of London series! I so enjoyed getting Warren's story, as well as seeing more of Matty. Like many characters in the series, Warren and Matty are living double lives. Warren has his home life where he takes care of his mother, helps around the house, and charms neighbors and shopkeepers, but he also has his beloved role as the flirty bartender at The Curious Fox. Meanwhile, Matty has been raised up to work for the police, frequently working in undercover roles that exploit his good looks and his past mistakes to infiltrate and expose queer places. Matty and Warren shouldn't work, but from their first meeting they're drawn together - from a foiled assignation to classmates in a somewhat suspect art school. I loved watching them get to know each other and slowly begin to shed their masks. There's so much tenderness between them, and the romance is incredibly sweet. I also liked how they're honest with each other and encourage one another to seek out new beginnings and better futures. In the midst of everything, there is the supportive, queer found family at the Fox. While they're not perfect, they're all doing their best and it was heartwarming to catch up with the characters and see how they've grown. I appreciated how this book explores queer history, and I especially liked that it examines what it would be like for a queer person of color during these times. While I found the book to be lighthearted, there is an ongoing strain felt by Matty as he works in an extremely homophobic environment and struggles with the roles he's given. The realism is well balanced with hope and happiness, and creates a satisfyingly complex queer historical romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest rating.

This was so cute! A true historical romcom and I had a blast! I love Jess Everlee’s other books in this series (tho this one stands perfectly alone) and adored the dynamic between Matty and Warren. It’s pretty low stakes/low plot but I think it was supposed to have *more* of a plot that kind of ended up falling to the wayside. Which did bug me but Everlee wrote such lovable characters that I didn’t really mind when the plot points were resolved faster than I expected!

I liked this one very much! Jess Everlee always promises a fun and light read. I perfect rounding up of the series.

I received a free copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin - Romance | Carina Adores; all opinions expressed are exclusively my own.

Jess Everlee just does not disappoint! I was so tickled to find out there was another Lucky Lovers of London book, and To Sketch a Scandal delivered the romance, spice, and emotional depth and healing as the three previous books have. I don't think I would recommend this particular book as a standalone, as Matthew Shaw's story might require context of the previous books, but since I think this might be the final installment, that absolutely makes sense. I've loved this series and will continue to watch what Jess Everlee writes next!

For sensitive readers, this books contains references to forced prostitution, sexual assault, sexism, racism, homophobia, parental and parental figure abuse/neglect, poverty, and graphic sexuality.

This book was exactly what I wanted to read right now! It's cozy, a little suspenseful, and you spend the solid first half with a will-they, won't-they vibe. I'm a sucker for a solid historical romance and some sneaking around and you get all of that with this one. I recently discovered Jess Everlee's books and I'll definitely continue coming back for more!

Light, bright, and sparkling---portrait of the artists as the most adorable couple you'll meet! Jess Everlee makes cozy historical fiction an art form, grounding her work in the painful realities of London in the late 1800s while still managing to keep her tale gentle and heartfelt in tone. Matty and Warren give hope to all the beautiful, broken queer people out there who hope there's someone out there to see and love us exactly as we are.

This was genuinely so cute.
I don't have single issue with this book! It felt real and cute, like a true romcom!
Super romantic, and a cute little tie in with the rest of the series!!
It wasn't life changing (hence the four stars)
but it was still really sweet and I enjoyed every second!!!

If you loved the last 3 books, you’ll love this one. Low angst but genuinely had me giggling and kicking my feet last night. It also set me on a mission to re-read the other books in this series because it reminded me of how good they are!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the authors team who sent me an ARC for this one! Cant recommend this one enough!!

3.5/5

A thoroughly cute and fun culmination to this series! I didn’t realize this was the fourth in a series when I requested the ARC, but I was able to get my hands on the other three through my local library in a fairly timely fashion, and enjoyed them so much that it ended up making me all the more excited to read this one.

You don’t technically have to read any of the others to understand the plot of this – the basic mechanics are fairly clear, and any necessary information about the other characters who reappear is given to you.

The plot itself is fairly thin – at first it seems like there will be a detective thing going on, but then that quickly is shoved to the side and never happens. And then there’s a brief worry about being outed which is also quickly dismissed. But I wasn’t bothered too much but the lack of plot, because I enjoyed the characters themselves. I wish there was more with Warren’s family, and we learned more about Matty’s backstory at all, but I read this in two sittings so I have to say that I enjoyed it with its flaws.

It does lose a further half star because Matty is a cop, though. But it would’ve lost more if not for the ending of that particular plotline.

4.25 stars. I loved getting to see the story behind the mysterious playboy and barkeep Warren Bakshi. The glimpses of Matthew from the previous book had me intrigued to see his story as well. Their dynamic was complicated but it was ultimately a sweet story with lots of glimpses at other sides of the previous protagonists, which I adored. I always love the depth of Everlee's characters and stories, and this was no exception.

(This was a voluntary review of a free advanced reader copy. Thanks to Carina Adores, Jess Everlee, and NetGalley for that privilege!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for providing me with an eArc in exchange for an honest review!

The fourth installment in the Lucky Lovers of London series To Sketch a Scandal follows Warren Bakshi, barkeep of the underground queer club The Curious Fox, as he meets and falls in love with Detective Inspector Matty Shaw in 1886 London. The police are a huge threat to The Curious Fox’s livelihood and its patrons so Warren and Matty must keep their relationship a secret from Warren’s friends, including the owner of the club.

This is a simple and sweet love story that unfortunately didn’t make much of an impression on me. I was excited to get this ARC because I really enjoyed The Gentleman’s Book of Vices and A Bluestocking Guide to Decadence, one and three in the series respectively, but this one paled in comparison.

While Warren is an established character from the other books in the series, there isn’t much to Matty as a character outside of his background. The two fall in love quickly and I wish there had been more build-up. Warren is known for only being into hook-ups prior to Matty so I found it a bit hard to believe that he fell in love so quickly and with so little resistance.

My biggest takeaway is that I wish there had been more plot. The blackmailer is found out so quickly that the stakes basically feel non-existent which doesn’t make sense when the situation is so dangerous. I would have liked to see Warren and Matty really fight for their love instead of things being wrapped up so quickly and perfectly. I read this book recently but I’m already forgetting how everything was resolved because it just seemed too easy.

I did like that the two fell in love over their shared interest in art. Matty, undercover, takes the same drawing class as Warren, and the scenes of Warren teaching Matty how to draw and Warren drawing Matty were cute.

I still like this series as a whole. I just wish this installment had been stronger.

Love love love this couple. Warren and Matty are so fun together and balance each other out so well. They have so many cute moments that I adored. It was nice to see a blend of their personal families and their queer family. I do think parts of the plot did fall a bit short for me but I didn’t mind bc I enjoyed Warren and Matty so much. there was a bit of a drag around the 60% mark but it picked right back up at the end and had me hooked again. I enjoyed this story.

This was such a sweet, emotional read—I’ve loved this series from the start, and Jess never misses when it comes to writing heartfelt, genuine couples. I was so excited to finally see Warren get his story, and Matty was such a great character. Their backstories made everything feel so real. I was STRESSED during the last stretch, but everything tied up nicely :)) Highly recommend this series—each book just gets better!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for an e-arc. I wanted to like this book, but struggled with it. It seemed to go on longer than needed. There were a lot of supposed issues that didn’t really go anywhere or were easily resolved. For all the time spent discussing his police work and the art class case, it didn’t go anywhere.