I was so excited to pick this book up. The blurb had me hooked. Sadly, the writing let me down. I didn't feel connected to the characters and found my mind wandering a lot while reading.

This book a sweet, fun to read romance. It was a little style over substance, but the characters and their motivations were interesting. This book was much tamer than the expectation set by the summary, which while neither here nor there, left me a little confused when intimate scenes didn't so much fade to black as slam a bedroom door in the readers face. A fun way to pass the time but ultimately not as intriguing or memorable as the premise left me hoping it would be.

The odds are stacked against Charlie and Miles from the start. This story watches Charlie navigate challenging familial relationships, tough financial burdens, and unique demands of chivalry. The final third of the book took a turn I did not anticipate, but we definitely recommend this one for fans of historical romances with found families, grumpy, reclusive love interests, and fun!

The Gentleman's Book of Vices is a Victorian historical romance with a dual POV between Charlie (an aristo with an affinity for smut books and getting drunk in molly houses) and Miles (the writer of Charlie's favorite smut book and is a better writer than he is keeper of his book shop). Charlie seeks out Miles to get his autograph on his favorite book before he has to hide them away after his upcoming marriage and, after a bit of a rocky start, the two hit it off better than expected. The two slowly fall in love and uncover each others' past demons while Charlie's upcoming wedding to Alma looms over them.

I don't know why I half-expected this book to be mostly smut (maybe because the synopsis is about a smut writer and smut book lover), but imagine my pleasant surprise when it wasn't! It's actually a cute romance that has a good setting and plot for a Victorian era historical fiction. There's spice but it's not smut and has a cute sunshine x grumpy dynamic. The side characters are likable and have a point to the plot. It's really sweet and I read it in one sitting.

Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book*

This is very entertaining gay smut. It's about Miles, the brooding and heartbroken bookseller who's real career is writing pornographic novel, and about Charlie, who collects signed editions of pornographic novels and wants Miles' signature. Charlie is also bound to be married soon as his family cannot pay his debts for him.

You see where this is going, right? It's funny, very explicit, and very much romanticised / sugarcoated. Entertaining nevertheless, so 4 stars for your smutty romcom

* Received a copy for review.*
This book had a lot of promise. However, it was unnecessarily complicated and it was completely closed door. Closed door is not always a negative but this book makes it difficult to determine the intimacy occurred until someone makes a comment later to highlight it.
The idea was great. The execution didn’t work for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review :)

4.5*

This was so amazing and unexpected in the best possible way!!
The characters, plot, setting, pace, everything was great, I actually think for such a short book the main characters had a lot of depth and the pace wasn't rushed at all. I'm really glad I found this author because the writing was so impressive, communicating the mcs emotions beautifully and the descriptions too! I also love the way it ended; I'm so happy all characters got their HEA, they deserved it <3

I had really high hopes for this because the premise is so good. I liked it, but I could have done with more relationship-building (one sentence about Charlie and Miles spending lots of time together doesn't really do much). I also expected more smut -- some scenes were cut-to-black, which seems odd considering the subject of the book. I also didn't really like how Charlie treated Alma like a child. Her story completed contradicts his babying, even after he learns about it. That put me off a bit.

"He lived a simple existence with very few extravagances, but he made two exceptions: novels and wine."

With an MC like that, is it really a surprise that this worked for me?

(No. No it is not.)

The Gentleman’s Book of Vices starts off as a frothy story about a charming, devil-may-care sunshine fop, Charlie, and a lonely, cautious, stoic (accidental) bookseller and (very much intentional) erotic novelist, Miles (pen name Reginald Cox). They have a meet-definitely-not-cute, followed by a quasi-farcical meet #2 where sparks fly and they're off to the races. So far, so soapy histrom. (This is not shade. I love a soapy histrom!)

But what starts as an opposites-attract, vivacious-rake-brings-introvert-with-sad-backstory-back-to-life tale sneakily develops into a real heartstring puller. Because Charlie, as it happens, is engaged to a lovely, clever, absolutely delightful girl named Alma. The engagement is orchestrated by the two families for various money-and-facesaving reasons; neither party is under the illusion that this is a love match. But there is also genuine affection and loyalty on both sides.

(I mean, come on: "Alma bustled up to the pair of them, her eyes shining about the cakes in a way they never quite did about Charlie." STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF, ALMA!!! Alma also carries a novel with her everywhere she goes, and pleasepleaseplease can we have an Alma book next??)

Anyway. Charlie and Miles fall hard and fast for each other; they are open, vulnerable, and honest with each other; and they don’t even try to pretend that this isn’t serious from the start. But when Charlie – who is determined to break off the engagement, even though it will cut him off financially and lead to drastic changes in his life and lifestyle – realizes the perilousness of Alma’s situation, he is forced to weigh his love and devotion for Miles against his commitment to Alma and his own principles. Miles, too, has principles, the most salient of which is that he won’t carry on with a married man. It’s the classic circle that can’t be squared, and it’s the stuff that angst is made of: what we owe to each other, what we can (and can’t) ask of each other, how we can live with integrity if we demand someone else make sacrifices we wouldn’t make ourselves.

And there are no villains here. Charlie, Miles, and Alma are three decent people trying their bests in a difficult situation. And I love, LOVE that the author didn’t take the easy way out by making Alma a shrill, horrible harridan. It feels genuinely high stakes as the wedding inches closer and Charlie makes his decision. Because all of these people are lovely, and all of them are, in one way or another, devastated. Bye-bye, frothy histrom; hello, why are they doing this to meeeeeeeeeeeeee?????

But of course, this a romance. So I needn’t use a spoiler tag to declare that a solution is found and an HEA assured. A satisfying solution that picks up on little threads seeded in the narrative; a solution that entails some sacrifices, but these are sacrifices gladly chosen rather than forced upon them. And a wonderful epilogue that made me smile and wonder whether I wouldn’t prefer a Warren or a Noah-and-Forester book next (no offense, Alma!).

Because found family plays a crucial role in the story, and the supporting cast was great. This is a group that likes each other, teases each other, and most crucially, takes care of each other; they are nosy without being intrusive, mocking without being cruel, and they welcome Miles with open arms once they realize what he means to Charlie. I love found family in romance, but it can be a mixed bag: sometimes the friends are too prying or co-dependent or farcical. I would definitely read books on any of these characters, which is not a common sentiment for me.

Finally, this is a love letter to books and the people who read them and the people who write them. And this is my emotional kryptonite. It will always make me sappy AF.

I had just some small quibbles related to pacing – a bit uneven – and language – mostly accomplished and polished, but with some phrasings that stuck out as modern or rushed or un-Britishy. (I’m not British or anything. However, I HAVE read KJ Charles’s entire oeuvre. This must count for something.) I also hated Charlie’s butler, who – for all that his paymaster is Charlie’s father, not Charlie himself – speaks to Charlie with such casual disdain that it knocked me out of the story each time he was on the page.

But overall: a thoroughly enjoyable, surprisingly moving book and a very strong debut.

I really, really loved the idea of this.
Charlie being a passionate gay smut reader, collecting his favourite authors signatures. I kinda related to that.
So before he inevitably has to get married to a woman and has to hide his little treasured collection forever he wants to get the signature from his absolute favourite author.
What he didn’t ask for was to fall in love with said author and dreading his marriage even more.

I really love queer historical romances and this sounded amazing.
But this tried to be an epic romance with kink elements…it just didn’t work at all. There was little to none interaction between Miles and “Mr. Cox”, not a lot of dialoge and huge time gaps. There was one sex scene immediately after they met and that was it. That’s just not a style of writing that makes me believe in their epic lovestory.
Also the “kink” was only mentioned randomly every now and then and sometimes rather shocked than intrigued me.
There is only one entire explicit sex scene in this and it’s very tame.

I also needed a little more backstory from the beginning to get to know the characters more. It all came to light so late in the story that it only really got interesting in the end.

I liked how everything came together in the end and how the role of the woman in this story wasn’t simply that if the damsel in distress.
It had its fun moments, especially the club scenes and the accidental fake sommelier.
There were some really sweet scenes between Charlie and his fiancé that I loved more than the actual romance in this!
But all in all this wasn’t what I hoped it would be sadly.

I loved the dynamic between Charlie and Miles, especially the fake sommelier moment. The first five chapters (given in the teaser download) really set up a fun and what I thought to be steamy romance. Miles literally writes the most backbreaking smut possible and clearly practices what he preaches in the bedroom.

We got such a great scene where after he had Charlie suck his dick he literally grabbed him by the shirt and hauled him up by the collar to make out. It was so hot and he had a dirty mouth! However! When we got to the full sex scene it was not a scene at all.

Not only was it fade to black and entirely closed door, but it was also super confusing. The chapter ended with Charlie asking Miles to be patient in a very heartfelt moment. And then the next chapter began the next morning and I literally thought they didn’t have sex and were being patient. Then a page later Charlie was like “I’m so worn out from that crazy sex!”

So not only did we miss out on crazy bananas sex, but we also missed out on a fundamental emotional moment between the couple. How was Miles patient? How did he make it good for Charlie? How did they interact after? Was there clean up? How did they feel? We got a fraction of that summed up. And then back to closed door just absolutely not making sense for the story at all. It felt like the author was too hesitant to open the door, even though it was pretty much promised.

So after around 70% I was just kinda sad and confused but I was still into the story because love and stuff. However, when Miles and Charlie finally decided to be happy together of course everything got in the way. That was expected. However, I didn’t expect Charlie to literally just lay down and accept everything that got in the way. I understand he was trying to be a good person but maybe I’m not a good person because it was SO annoying.

Plus, he didn’t even make the final decision to be with Miles. Multiple OTHER people made the decision for him. I fully believe he would’ve went through with everything had the others not intervened.

I rounded up to four stars because I enjoyed the relationship and the first half was literally perfect. I think it could’ve expounded upon some elements to go a bit deeper into character development, but I did have a good time.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Small disclaimer: I'm not fluent enough with the history of queerness in the Victorian period to effectively review this book for sensitivity purposes.

1) Overall, this was really great and the pacing was excellent - I was really drawn into the story and couldn't really see a way for the endgame relationship to work... which made it fun when it did! For some readers, it might be worth looking up content warnings for the serious themes in this text, as it does acknowledge homophobia in the Victorian period, which was deadly and embedded into society. At times, some of these attitudes are embedded in both MCs as well.

2) I found some of the solutions at the end unrealistic and not specific enough. It is a HEA - but I do hope the author writes stories for the side characters, because some of their endings were a little sad.

3) I'm laughing at myself because this was really smutty and it caught me off guard... even though I read it with complete awareness that it would be smutty. And it was enjoyable! I don't usually give spice rankings because some of you are truly unhinged, but there was a lot of sex.

AAAAAAA netgalley thank you I'm going to sob now.
THIS? HAS BEEN AN EXPERIENCE, an exquisite one at that.
No because the premise is so cool and you'd think the beginning was so good it'll only get worse from there but?? NO it kept getting better.
And like, i have a soft spot for writers (smut or otherwise), so MILES MY BELOVED <3
Charlie is such a nice person, seeing him fall in love with a person he already felt so close to through writing? POETIC.
I'm pretty sure i liked every single character? Except Alma's parents i don't care for the Merriweathers.
again, I'm so honored i got to read this book <3
would recommend.

Thank you, Carina Press & Carina Adores, for allowing me to read The Gentleman's Book of Vice early.

Once in a while I enjoy reading a hystorical queer romance and this one was no exception. A perfect story for fans of K.J. Charles!

I liked reading Gentleman's Book of Vices. Though it didn't make into the list of my absolute favorites, it's strong for a debut. I like the main character Charlie's group of friends, and I liked that despite Charlie's vices, he believably has a moral line he won't cross that creates the main source of conflict for the second half of the story, after the he and the love interest, Miles, have established a mutual passion. I'm interested in reading whatever Jess Everlee writes next.

That was even better than I anticipated. I knew it would be a fun read, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so tender and warm-hearted. Everlee succeeds at writing romance that is equal parts spicy and sweet. But this novel provides so much more than romance. It also turns a critical lens on Victorian society, putting the loving relationships of the “depraved” clubs alongside the distant and often shallow relationships of “proper” society to showcase the flaws of the status quo. The world building, lush prose, and layered characterization had me entirely captivated. The Gentleman’s Book of Vices is a celebration of art, love, queerness, self acceptance, and so much more. I really enjoyed it.

Let me start out by saying that I am most likely not the intended audience for this book. I’ll be rating it purely on its’ quality but not necessarily on the story as I’m still not entirely certain what I just read through. So, here goes.

Charlie is a posh playboy who spends his nights in a 1880’s gay club, trying on every new man he can find for the night. Hee has an even guiltier pleasure: reading forbidden smut. Charlie has started himself a little collection of smut books that he enjoys and he has secreted autographed copies from their sometimes hard to find creators. Remember, at this time, anything involving homosexuality is extremely illegal. So Charlie hides his collection away, hoping his soon to be wife/bank account never finds them. When he decides to get one last autograph, this time from his favorite author, he ends up meeting the cantankerous love of his life.


Some may find this a steamy love story between two men, and enjoy the depth of each character. It’s a well written book, I’m just definitely NOT its audience. I didn’t enjoy the story, but I can appreciate its efficacy.




This review was made possible thanks to an ARC provided by the publisher.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Carina Press & Carina Adores (Harlequin) and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Delightful historical romance I devoured in one sitting.

This book made my gay little historical heart so happy!!! It's clear Everlee knows the (queer) Victorian era really well, and she also writes her characters with skill and humanity. I loved how the world felt, and the relationships (particularly the friendships) were fantastic -- I kinda wish we'd even gotten to see more of those friends, so fingers crossed that we'll get to see these characters again in their own novels.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I'll definitely be pre-ordering a copy and recommending it to others. I can't wait to see what Everlee writes next!

A big Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

The Gentleman's Book Of Vices Is such a cute M|M romance set in the late 1800.
It is basically a lovestroy about Charlie, a gay man who loves erotic books, and his favorite author Miles.
All the different characters feels so real and you definitelywant to be a part of the little group of wonderful queer people, and following Charlie and Miles's love journey was very enjoyable.
The Gentleman's Book Of Vices will make you fall in love with these amazing people. This book will melt your heart and put a smile on your face from beginning to end.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who wants a sweet and quick paced romance!