In this book, which is a continuation following The Soldier’s Scoundrel, we follow Georgie Turner as he takes a new job with the famously insane Earl of Radnor in his dilapidated manor. Georgie is meant to be using the job as a way to get away from a deal gone bad and to brainstorm ways to get his old gang off his tail, but unexpectedly he finds himself rather taken with the mad Earl and enjoying his role as secretary. But the past does have a way of catching up to people, and Georgie is no exception.
As with the first book in this series, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it! One thing I appreciated about the first book and am now beginning to feel is a theme for Cat Sebastian is that the homophobia and societal expectations of Edwardian England (or Victorian… honestly I can’t tell) are present on the fringes, but they aren’t the driving force behind the conflicts of the story. It comes up when it’s appropriate for it to come up, but otherwise the characters are able to recognize their mutual attraction and act on it, and although there is obviously a need to be discreet about their relationship, there’s no excessive shame or internalized homophobia about it. I find this really refreshing in comparison to some other historical gay romances I’ve read.
I also found that I really liked all the characters in this book. Georgie is a fun, refreshingly irreverent voice, and while Lawrence’s insistence on being crazy when in reality he was obviously just anxious and agoraphobic (to a 21st century reader, lmao) was a little frustrating at first, he’s willing enough to be coaxed into believing that maybe he’s just eccentric and not totally crazy that I found myself endeared by him more than annoyed. And as usual, the appearances by characters from other books in the series were fun little Easter eggs for me.
Overall I really enjoyed this read did immediately go on to read the next book in the series, so suffice to say it was a hit!
Pleasure: ★★★★☆
Purpose: ★★★★☆
Prose: ★★★★☆
Plot: ★★★☆☆
Personal: ★★★★☆