The Gentleman’s Book of Vices by Jess Everlee

Here is Carrie’s Mini Review of Book 1 in the Lucky Lovers of London series!

Narrated by Tommy Hawthorne

London, 1883

Finely dressed and finely drunk, Charlie Price is a man dedicated to his vices. Chief among them is his explicit novel collection, though his impending marriage to a woman he can’t love will force his carefully curated collection into hiding.

Before it does, Charlie is determined to have one last hurrah: meeting his favorite author in person.

Miles Montague is more gifted as a smut writer than a shopkeep and uses his royalties to keep his flagging bookstore afloat. So when a cheerful dandy appears out of the mist with Miles’s highly secret pen name on his pretty lips, Miles assumes the worst. But Charlie Price is no blackmailer; he’s Miles’s biggest fan.

A scribbled signature on a worn book page sets off an affair as scorching as anything Miles has ever written. But Miles is clinging to a troubled past, while Charlie’s future has spun entirely out of his control…

Miles Montague has good reasons to feel extra wary about guarding his identity. He is therefore very upset when Charlie Price finds him and asks for his autograph. Miles is sure he is about to be blackmailed and sends Charlie off with a flea in his ear. After some thought, however, Miles decides he overreacted and, taking the book and calling card Charlie had left behind, he pays Charlie a visit to return the now autographed book. He’s also carrying a bottle of good wine, and when he arrives at the house he’s mistaken for the sommelier who is due to help Charlie, his fiancé Alma, and her mother pick wines for the wedding dinner. What ensues is a quite humorous and enjoyable scene.

In the following weeks Miles and Charlie fall hard for each other, but neither sees a way to be together. The obstacles here are real, and there are more people impacted than just Charlie and Miles. Alma is a kind woman who could be very hurt by any dissolution of the engagement, and Charlie likes her too much to do that. Miles on the other hand, refuses to be a part of any extramarital affair, so it seems the two will be parted.

Tommy Hawthorne is a new-to-me narrator and I’m pleased to say I really enjoyed him. His character voices are excellent, except his voice for Alma, who is too nasally. His other female voices are fine. The voices for Charlie and Miles seem to fit them perfectly, and the emotions of all the characters are beautifully expressed. I’ll definitely listen to him again.

Although there is humor, The Gentleman’s Book of Vices isn’t necessarily a lighthearted read. There are real obstacles to their future and the emotions are realistic. The ending comes up a little too rapidly and the problems get dealt with a little too easily, but overall it was a fantastic debut novel.

Carrie

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