3.5 out of 5 stars
E-book. 193 pages. Published June 5th 2017 by Pronoun
Blurb:
Three traitor lords plotted to kill the king; now their sons must deal with the aftermath.
When butler Daniel Rivers finds his employer, the Earl of Lynster, has shot himself, confirming he was one of the traitor lords plotting to kill the king, Daniel’s only thought is to protect his childhood friend James, the new Lord Lynster, from the scandal. He’s been quietly looking out for Lord James ever since the day by the pond when James’s “experiment” of a kiss proved to Daniel that he loved the young lord.
James had heard rumors of traitor lords and a plot to kill the king, but he didn’t realize his father was one of them until he read a newspaper story hinting the traitors were on the verge of being arrested and finds his father has shot himself rather than be tried, making James the new Lord Lynster. Fortunately, his father’s butler, Daniel Rivers, found the body. Daniel knows James’s deepest secret, and James knows he can trust Daniel, even when the Crown decides they’d like another traitor lord to put on trial.
When it’s discovered there may be more traitors involved in the conspiracy than the ones the Crown already knows about, James will need all his resources to prove he isn’t one of them. And Daniel will do anything he can to keep the former Lord Lynster’s scandal away from the son, even if it means allowing himself to be suspected.
A gay – M/M romance novel set in the Regency period with a medium heat level. 70,000 words/ approx. 280 pages
Likes:
- How both men had crushes on each other for years.
- The power imbalance that exists between James and Daniel wasn’t cringy.
- How great the side characters were.
- Daniel and James were both likeable.
- Low angst.
- The mystery subplot was interesting.
Dislikes:
- There wasn’t as much character growth as I would have liked.
- Some minor editing mistakes.
- Not a lot of talk about what happens if the men get caught together.
- James and Daniel didn’t spend as much time together as I’d have liked.
- I wish the romance had been more consistent.
I’m not usually the biggest fan of historical mm romance. The simple fact that homosexuality was punishable by death always puts a damper on things for me. Despite that, this book was surprisingly low angst and didn’t really focus too much on the legal or moral aspects of male/male romance. I personally didn’t mind that, although I can see how it might stray a bit from strict historical accuracy. As history was not my best subject, my knowledge of the minutiae is low, and so any inaccuracies would have flown straight over my head. And I’m perfectly fine with that.
I thought James was a very sympathetic character. To be dropped into such an unpleasant situation – not only the death of his father but being suspected as a participant in a plot to kill the king. Daniel’s support was incredibly sweet, as were the little ways it was revealed that Daniel had always been supporting him.
Daniel was a solidly dependable man, and that instantly made me like him. The fact that he’d harbored a crush on James for years made my heart go out to him. He struggled with his feelings, which he was sure would never be returned. It felt suitable to the time period and to his personality, but it did make the overall romance feel a little bumpy.
Neither James nor Daniel was willing to come straight out and admit they liked each other. Their feelings grew, but weren’t acted on until everything burst forth all at once. That moment of connection was worth waiting for, but it did mean there weren’t a lot of the little moments – gentle touches and lingering looks – that come with more modern stories.
I am glad that the power imbalance between the two men wasn’t cringy. James actually spent time thinking about how things would work between the two of them. He also came to realize that there was an entire side of Daniel’s life that he didn’t know anything about. It wasn’t as much character growth as I would have liked to see, but it was there.
The mystery to absolve both James and Daniel of any involvement with the treasonous plot added a lot to the story. I do wish James and Daniel had spent more time side by side as they did their sleuthing. There was a period of time when Daniel and James were forcibly separated, and I think that made their feeling for each other even stronger.
The story relies heavily on the help of side characters. Both James’s sister and his staff ended up being important to the plot. It was really heartwarming, and the happy ending wouldn’t have been possible without them.
Despite the minor editing mistake scattered through the book, I am looking forward to moving on to the next one.
Love is Love Reviews 