A sweet, slow-burn romance with an underlying sense of loneliness and longing, but it never quite reaches the depth it promises. Warren and Matty have great chemistry, and the art lessons add a fun touch, but the story loses some spark by sidelining the found family of The Curious Fox. A solid addition to the series, just missing a little something to make it unforgettable.

This historical romance takes place in 1886 between Warren, bartender at The Curious Fox and Matty, cop who once saved the bar owners ass. Matty needs to go undercover as an artist Warren agrees to help Matty learn to draw.

The two characters have an instant attraction and both need to keep their queerness a secret as this could ruin Warren's family's reputation and send Matty to jail.

Their overall romance was very sweet, trying to keep things professional but failing miserably. There was a very dark undercurrent to the story that was not well fleshed out about what Matty had been through in the past.

Matty oh Matty, I wanted to give this poor man a hug throughout this story. He was so alone and so lonely and didn't really have anyone to trust. He had a lot of character growth. Although Warren had less growth, I was glad to see him some into Matty's life. Give him someone to love and trust. I enjoyed times when he stood up for Matty.

Overall this was a sweet, hot romance. I was very pleased with the ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in 1886 this book explores the historical notion of homophobia where Noah and Matt find each other but circumstances make it a concern if they can truly be together or not. It’s a fluffy romance with a dash of potential scandal and art classes, which is what intrigued me initially. It’s the first book I’ve read
By this author, and it was fun, I felt more could be fleshed out with the characters, and perhaps having read the other books in the series could of helped. Overall I enjoyed it and it was written with the notion of chosen family and gave a sense of hope for those in the queer community back then, even if it couldn’t be exactly how they wanted it to be.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

I took awhile to finish this book because I wasn't ready to leave my comfort characters! I love them all and hope Jess Everlee writes more! Maybe Annabelle's book is next?!

I love how I knew both of the MMCs from previous Lucky Lovers of London books. Warren is the barkeep at Forrester's gay club, The Curious Fox, and Matty is the inspector who helped saved the club when its previous owner was being investigated. They hit it off, but Warren's boss doesn't want them hanging out. But when they are unexpectedly thrown together at an art class, they continue to hit it off.

As with her other books, Jess Everlee does a great job of making you care about the side characters as well and including interesting B plots that aid character development. Warren's life is thrown into disarray when his long lost brother returns with a wife and a fortune. Matty is starting to second guess his career as an inspector with his mentor retiring and with growing suspicions at work about his queerness.

This. was such a cozy read for me even though some chapters had me at the edge of my seat! Highly recommend for historical ficition lovers, but read the previous books in the series first!

This was enjoyable story with delightful characters in Matty, Warren, and some of the Curious Fox denizens, especially as individuals who have to hide their true selves for legal reasons but who can and sometimes do fully embrace their true selves when in a safe environment. I was somewhat surprised with the direction the author took when Matty and Warren ended up in the same portraiture class and it was blatantly apparent that Matty lacked artistic skills. I expected that Matty would ask Warren for assistance, especially as it would provide an opportunity for another type of more intimate hands-on experience. However, I thought that the author would have Matty “recruit” Warren to use his artistic skills to get the more personal instruction from the Buttersnipes needed to determine if they were involved in art fraud so Matty could solve his case.

DNF 69%

I probably would have kept going in audio, and I may borrow the audiobook from library at a later date, but for now I’m feeling almost bored trying to read this. I’ve loved Warren from the beginning of the series and I was so excited to see him getting his own romance, but I don’t know that Matty is the best choice for him. I find some of the choices with Matty’s characterization interesting, but I also can’t help but compare him to Evander Mills by Lev AC Rosen, and how Andy is forced out of the police force. I am curious how things will resolve for Matty with regards to his job at Scotland Yard, but that’s not enough incentive to keep going. I honestly think one of the biggest reasons I’m enjoying this one so much less is we’ve got a lot less time with Warren’s chosen family and the Curious Fox. The community Everlee has built in this series is one of my favorite things, and I wish we were seeing more of it, especially because Warren is the barkeeper and knows everyone, much like Forester. All in all this just kinda feels lackluster and not as enjoyable as I’d hoped. I am looking forward to seeing what else Everlee will write, and like I said I might try this again in audio, but for now To Sketch a Scandal is a DNF.

Jess Everlee has grown on me and now I happily await each new gay romance she writes. Her grasp of the Victorian era is strong enough to make the books credible. Each book in the series has a compelling romance with external tension about how the main characters will cope. She doesn't hide from the peril of being outed and the horrible punishments faced by those who were. Yet, the romance and love always come through. This one felt a little more physical and a little less emotional than some of her earlier books, but I actually like that she introduces that variation. Not every love story is the same. The artist-meets-policeman romance is definitely a new concept for me and I really enjoyed all aspects of that. Five stars for being another strong entry in the series.

Tens, tens, tens across the board. Give this all the stars you can. What an amazing book. I love this book so much.

Really enjoyable read! Matty and Warren are well rounded characters with their own needs and story arcs. The mystery elements were good, albeit a tiny bit anticlimactic at the end. For those who have followed the series there are plenty of cameos from previous characters, but well balanced with the plot of this story. Matty's backstory was both poignant and believable, and his actions throughout reflect this. Warren's family life made me feel a little incredulous, but it was still enjoyable. Overall a great read that I will probably reread a number of times.

4.5 stars rounded up

This was an enjoyable continuation of the story. I loved the glimpses I got of previous characters and relationships while keeping the focus on Warren and Matty. There was just enough danger to keep ir interesting but not so much that it took away from the blossoming romance. Overall, I throughly enjoyed this story.

This is a delightful mm romance novel which manages to capture some of what it must have been like to be lgbtq during a time when loving another of the same sex could get you imprisoned or worse. It also manages to be a lovely little romance without too much angst. I've read all of the books in this series and while the first is my favorite I enjoyed this one too. If you are looking for a quick read with a HEA, this book should work for you.

Coming back to The Curious Fox and all of her patrons was so much fun, and I was so grateful for the opportunity to read this early through NetGalley.
Watching the character growth for both of the MCs was very satisfying, and their connection to one another and investment in each other's well-being was authentic and believable. Upon completing this I felt mildly disappointed that some of the larger foreshadowed conflicts/reveals never came to pass. However, with reflection I really appreciate that the primary conflict in a historical queer romance is coming from the legal barriers to the two MCs being together, and don't require additional conflicts for them to overcome. If you've enjoyed the prior stories in this world then it's a delightful addition to the series.

This was such a sweet and endearing read! I have loved this series so much and Jess continues to write the most wonderful couples.

From the beginning, I was always hoping we would see Warren find his match and while it took some trials to get there, Matty is the absolute perfect companion for him. The backstories of both men were so well thought out and helped weave together the two of them in present day. I loved seeing the biological family and found family begin to mesh together in this one too were are previous books focused more solely on found family.

I was sooo nervous with some parts of the last 100ish pages. I was on the edge of my seat wondering if something truly bad was going to happen but alas, everything worked out (although I wished parts were addressed more instead of being brushed over and saying “everything’s fine! Nothing to worry about!”)

I would highly recommend this series and this one is no exception!!

Thank you to the author and publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

I haven't read the preceding books in this series, but I don't think that diminished my enjoyment of this one. What did diminish my enjoyment were the numerous anachronisms. I wasn't actively looking for them, but things like "multimedia" (1962, per M-W) and "Windsor knot" (1947) kind of leap out at you. And those are just a couple of the particularly egregious ones.

Don't get me wrong: I certainly couldn't write a historical romance competently. But it seems to me a major publisher like Harlequin should be able to get the details right.

Apart from that, I liked the story well enough. I'm not sure the dramatic arc made much sense—it seemed to go this way and that rather a lot—but the events were interesting and the details not overly predictable. All in all, this was a mostly satisfying read, but the sloppiness was a big negative for me.

My thanks to the publisher/NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

*The publisher has provided me with an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.*

A cute and fluffy romance that lacks a bit of what I found so compelling about Everlee's other books - not that there's anything specifically wrong with this one, but that "A Rulebook For Restless Rogues" and "A Bluestocking's Guide to Decadence" were both pushing the boundaries of what historical romance does and how it addresses various issues, and this one is more firmly in the category of her first, "The Gentleman's Book of Vices:" sweet and fun but ultimately kind of forgettable. I gave "Gentleman's Book" four out of five stars and this one three out of five: believe it or not, that's a compliment. It means I've seen Everlee do really fantastic work, so when she puts out a book that's good but not amazing, I grade it on a curve.

I will say, depending on your personal tastes, the conflict in this book might frustrate you: serious problems are introduced (are Warren and Matty going to be blackmailed? Is this art studio a front for a counterfeiting ring? Is Matty's mentor going to turn on him?) and then resolved without any serious repercussions (it was all a big misunderstanding! Whoops!) The core of the book is really Matty's journey - Warren is the co-lead, but he doesn't go through nearly as much change or growth - so it works well as a character study. Just don't expect anything really thorny or challenging. It's also entirely possible I just wasn't in the right mood for this, in which case, I may reread down the line and love it! Who knows.

I have read LGBTQIA+ historical period books and this one was so fun! It was fun to read about the secrets they had to keep while falling in love. It was so good!!

I love Jess Everlee's books. They are sweet, spicy, and all-around queer. I love reading the time period it is based in and seeing how the characters are willing to risk it all to be with the person they love. These books never disappoint and I'm glad that I was able to read it

thank you Harlequin Netgalley and Jess Everlee for the ARC! 4.5 because it’s not Noah and David - this series is so fun and silly and i enjoyed seeing the cast come back but in a way that is unobtrusive to a new couple. the depth of both characters and their pasts affecting who they are and how they act now was well written and the bad guys were ugh but not scarily dangerous- jess everlee has a way of showing historical “homophobia” in a way that makes you mostly enjoy the hope and joy of queer community