This book was a delight to read. I loved David and Noah's friends-to-lovers journey. David is the club manager of an underground gay club in 1885 London. Noah is a talented up-and-coming tailor. The two have been friends since boarding school. Some of the story about the club owner muddled the story for me, but overall I enjoyed this book. I had not read anything by Jess Everlee before and would consider picking up one again.

Noah/ Mis Penelope Primrose and David Forrester, the proprietor Of The Curious Fox were old old old friends who went back a LONG way. Underneath the old friendship however, were deep feelings that had developed over the years.

Even though it was clear as day to anyone paying even an hint of attention that they were head over heels for each other, Noah, for some unfathomable reason, kept backtracking anytime they made any sort of progress towards acknowledging these feelings. It made me sad for David who loved him too much to cut him off but annoyed me that Noah run from it in the first place.

On the flip side however, David had a stubborn streak a mile long that had him ignoring GLARING truths right under his nose. His tendency to care for everyone to his own detriment was admirable to an extent but extremely frustrating.

Nonetheless, the story was very good and completely unpredictable. There were some paths I thought it would take but was pleasantly surprised that it did not. I love stories like that and just HAD to finish it in one go.

I must add however that with how unrepentant the "Big Bad" and his revolting minion were, I expected them to suffer a bit more in the resolution of the crisis. But hey, that's just my vindictive heart talking lol

All in all, although quite different from Book 1, I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this book and will definitely recommend it for lovers of Historical Romance. Should there be a Book 3, I'll be first in line to grab it.

David and Noah have been best friends since school. They have always kinda been friends with benefits but it has always been casual fun. David runs a queer gentleman’s club and Noah is a tailor who likes to dress in drag. When the owner of the club threatens to shut it down, the pair must figure out how to save their refuge.

This book, and honestly the series as a whole, should in theory be everything I want in a book, but they just don’t work for me. I liked both David and Noah, but I didn’t feel overly connected to either of them. I do remember them from the first book in the series and really wanted their series. Similarly i found myself having the same thoughts about some of the side characters, but now I worry that I would not actually enjoy their story. This book did a lot of telling rather than showing and I just found myself getting bored.There were aspects of the plot I enjoyed but there were also long sections that just seemed to ramble and I found myself skimming.

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Rulebook for Restless Rogues is the second novel in the Lucky Lovers of London series. It is the sequel to The Gentleman’s Books of Vices and features some of the same characters who were secondary in the first novel. The story follows David Forester, the manager of The Curious Fox club and Noah Clarke, who is a tailor and a drag queen by the name of Miss Penelope Primrose. The main story takes place with the two of them in 1885 and includes flashbacks to the two of them as students in boarding school in 1870. The premise not only follows the two characters discovering a new connection, but there is trouble at the club and David is trying to work to save it.

The two characters are going through their own journeys and trying to figure out if taking the next step from only friends will be possible. Neither is sure about the romantic feelings for each other nor also don’t want to ruin the friendship. There is also the historical aspect where their relationship would not be widely accepted. The relationship is built a lot on the history they share and the mutual current attraction, which made this a great romance story. The pacing is slower as the focus stays a lot on developing each character and their growing chemistry. Since the story is not as plot heavy, there is not a huge climax compared to other stories in the same genre. The story itself was still enjoyable and the characters were well-developed, but it did seem to be light on the plot to keep the reader enticed from start to finish. I think to be a memorable read, it needed a little more plot, but the reading experience was enjoyable.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Carina Adores, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Jess Everlee overcomes a sophomore slump with A Rulebook for Restless Rogues. We follow up with some characters in The Gentleman's Book of Vices and embark on a beautiful friends-to-lovers Romance with David Forester and Noah Clarke.

Noah and David were best friends at boarding school, and have since grown up with Noah as a renowned tailor and David running an underground queer club called The Curious Fox. After a shocking announcement of a raid endangering not only David's club, but everyone's livelihood, David and Noah set out to save The Curious Fox.

Jess Everlee continues to have a very engaging writing style. There are many interesting discussions about not only sexuality but gender expression. I recommend this to anyone looking for a heartfelt, queer, historical romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Rulebook for Restless Rogues was a delight to read. This story is packed with emotion, romance, heart, and clinging to one’s roots. David, the proprietor of The Curious Fox, discovers the owner’s intent to sell the club. Noah Clark, a skilled tailor, is known to the gentry of the Curious Fox as Miss Penelope Primrose.

The wonderful world of the Curious Fox and the heartfelt characters of Jess Everlee’s design will move you in this intriguing best-friends-to-lovers tale.

This story has it all:
High stakes, immaculate sexual tension, hilarious dialogue, a fresh look at historical fiction. It was truly a delight to read!

These two have been best friends since boarding school. Although they spend time apart, keeping the other safe, they still are there for each other. They work together to try to save the club that David runs, with Noah taking huge chances in order to save his best friend and love.

This is a sweet historical romance with real life dangers. These two will do anything for the other, even at their own expense. It is clear that Noah and David longed to be together, even with the risks. The story includes a suspenseful subplot with a twist.

It did take me a bit to get into this book, but likely was me, as I put it down for a bit, picked it up later, then devoured. The side characters brought in some humor to the MC's story, as well.

4 stars

I was delighted by The Gentleman's Book of Vices so I snatched this one up as soon as it was available. This one featured David and Noah who were background characters from the first book. Noah is also Miss Penelope when she puts on her whole décolletage in the club but by day, he's a bored but on demand tailor. David is the proprietor of the underground club for other folks under the LGBTQ banner who would be arrested if they partook in their relationship publicly.

Noah and David have known each other since they were fumbling kids and have never managed to get their acts together in regards to each other despite everyone telling them they know they're in love. After a few missteps, they start to figure it out.

David's club gets shut down and he feels the need to make his case to the owner who he has a pretty sketchy relationship to. Noah wants him to abandon it and just be safe and with him. David then goes on a pretty circular journey where he decides whether he wants to fight for his club or not and eventually puts Noah in a tight spot.

I liked that this ended like it did for them. I wish David wasn't as wishy washy since Noah basically put his cards on the table. I loved when Noah went to bat with his family and they started to forgive things that weren't really ever his fault.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

usually, I can finish a book in a couple of days… But I got this arc over a month ago and I just cant seem to finish it.

I don’t know what it is… is it the time period? Is it the sometimes overly dramatic characters? or the somewhat flat storyline?

I enjoyed the first book in the series… unfortunately, this one wasn’t it for me 🙁

[I received a digital arc for an honest review]

A Rulebook for Restless Rogues is the second book in the Lucky Lovers of London series by Jess Everlee. David Forester runs The Curious Fox as a means to keep the people he cares about safe and happy while turning a profit. It allows his best friend from school days Noah Clarke the comfort to be himself after long days as a tailor on Savile Row. The owner of the Fox has decided it’s too much risk for not enough reward but gives David the opportunity to fight for his establishment. Noah knows David shouldn’t have to do it on his own and teams up with David to save the place they love so much. Spending even more time together leaves the men questioning long standing feelings and if the two may see a future even if the Fox can’t be saved.

David Forester is a protector hiding behind the facade of a cheery bar proprietor. He cares greatly for the men and others that come to the Fox to be themselves for just a little while. He has always loved Noah and finds his time in the Fox is best spent allowing Noah to flourish. So what if he doesn’t try to find Noah his perfect partner and if they share a heat that cannot be extinguished. His fear of losing Noah overpowers him and causes the two to constantly question each intimate encounter. He also fears allowing Noah to get close with the Fox’s owner being more than a little shady.

Noah Clarke is a force to be reckoned with either as the no nonsense tailor or as Miss Penelope. He has always held a candle for David and when David needs him to save the Fox he steps in without a second thought. He doesn’t care if he loses everything as long as he gets to keep David.

It took me a little while to get into this book. There was a lot of building up the relationship between David and Noah as you get their history in bits and pieces. Once the story built momentum I was enthralled to see if the men could work things out and if there was any hope for The Curious Fox. With a collection of side characters that added charm and humor to the romance blooming between Noah and David. I enjoy a good MM historical romance and this was just that for me.

4 stars for David and Noah’s friendship blooming into a forever.

Jess, what a pen, what a pen, I read this book in one sitting, i wasn't happy until i finished. I think that this books are good to let yourself be surprised by them, because for some people work and for others didn't, like the pace in it, which for me was fine, specially considering is pretty similar to book 1, but for others it doesn't work.

I was very impressed by Jess Everlee’s début, The Gentleman’s Book of Vices, a queer romance set in late Victorian London featuring a superbly written and emotional grumpy/sunshine romance, so I’ve been eagerly looking forward to reading more from her. A Rulebook for Restless Rogues is book two in the Lucky Lovers of London series, but I’m sorry to say it lacks the sparkling chemistry and depth of feeling I so loved in the first book.

David Forrester and Noah Clarke appeared in The Gentleman’s Book of Vices; David is the proprietor** of The Curious Fox – the scandalous gentleman’s club where we first met Charlie Price in book one – and Noah is his oldest and dearest friend, a friendship that goes back to their schooldays when David looked out for Noah and stood up to the boys who were bullying him, even though David got punished for beating them up. After this, the two of them started spending all their spare time together – and sneaking off for heated kisses and fumblings in broom cupboards or hidden in the trees by the lake.

[**actually, he’s not the proprietor, because he doesn’t own the place – I’d describe him as the manager. For some reason however, he’s described as the proprietor throughout the novel.]
Although his father intended him to be a doctor, Noah went off to Milan after school, to study the art of fashionable mens’ tailoring at the establishment of a well-known Italian designer, while David remained in London. It was always David’s destiny to take over the running of the family business – a swish London hotel – but after a series of financial misjudgments, his father ended up torching the place for the insurance, and the ensuing scandal ruined them. Without family or friends around him, David ended up waiting on tables in a seedy pub in London – which is where Noah found him, pretty, vibrant Noah, who came back to England as soon as he heard of David’s misfortunes.

Now, David runs the Fox, without much interference from the place’s aristocratic owner, Lord Belleville, and despite the risks involved – running a club at which illegal activities take place – he’s worked hard to make it into a safe space for his clientele, even going so far as to play matchmaker with his patrons, setting them up and making sure everyone has a safe, fun time. In fact, as his friends often point out, David seems to expend more energy in organising the love lives of everyone at the club than he does on his own – which he refutes furiously.

Noah is one of the Fox’s regular patrons, and often frequents it as his dragged-up alter-ego Penelope – but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t get his share of ribbing from their friends about his non-existent love life, either. Everyone around them can see exactly how Noah and David feel about each other, but they persist in denying it – to themselves, to each other, to their friends – because they’re scared of losing the friendship that has been the one constant thing they’ve had in their lives for as long as either of them can remember.

One night, however, Lord Belleville turns up unexpectedly and tells David to clean the place out completely, because he’s been tipped off about a police raid that’s to take place the next night. David is rattled, but by more than the prospect of the raid; Belleville is a piece of slime whose thinly veiled threats indicate he will not hesitate to throw David under the omnibus (!) should he feel the need to do so, and it doesn’t take him long to realise that Belleville has no intention of re-opening the Fox after the raid. But David cares passionately about the club and the people for whom it’s become a haven, and is determined to find a way to keep its doors open – and Noah is not about to let him go it alone.

I enjoyed the book overall, although it has a couple of big weaknesses that drag it down to the low-B level. David and Noah are likeable, their cluelessness is cute, their mutual pining is really well done and I liked them as a couple, but when they start getting busy, their obliviousness disappears really quickly, and I found myself asking ‘why now?’ – especially after years of dancing around each other. And there were times I felt opportunities for character development were missed. For example, we’re often told about David’s protective instinct and there are hints at a degree of negativity associated with the role he’s adopted for himself, but it’s never explored. I also struggled to become invested in the fate of the club. I absolutely appreciated its being somewhere for people who were marginalised and criminalised for their sexuality to gather in relative safety, but we don’t actually see much of it in this story, so there’s not much time for us to get to know or care about the community or the characters David is so keen to protect, and without that relationship existing between the reader and the community, the plot falls flat.

The weak plotting is compounded by poor pacing and a conflict which never really takes off. The book gets off to a slow-ish start, but once Bellville appears it kicks up a gear, and everything in the first half of the story seems to be heading towards a daring and exciting plan to save the Fox – which then just… fizzles out. David’s past relationship with the Bad Baron is nebulous and somewhat downplayed, Belleville’s evil machinations are kind of dumb, and the anticipated showdown doesn’t happen. The Fox is saved in a deus-ex-machina move by a third party, which completely robs David and Noah of any agency, and the denoument of any tension. It’s rushed and anti-climactic.

Also, David and Noah are not rogues and there’s nary a rulebook in sight!

I struggled to grade A Rulebook for Restless Rogues, but have gone with the B minus because I did enjoy reading it, even as I recognised its flaws. There’s a strong supporting cast – Jo is awesome and I hope Warren is going to get a book – and the romance is full of tenderness and affection, so I’m giving it a qualified recommendation. Fingers crossed Jess Everlee’s next book will measure up to the previous one.

Rating = 3.5 stars/B-

I am not a huge fan of the friends to lovers trope and can at times be a hater of second chance romances. A Rulebook for Restless Rogues is arguably both of these but I greatly enjoyed it. Having read Jess Everlee’s debut and greatly enjoying the Fox as a central location was excited to return and see this story unfurl.

I loved both David and Noah and found them delightful. Even in their worst and stupidest moments in the book they were motivated and grounded in the characters believability. I also loved how while there was miscommunication in the book it wasn’t the conflict that was driving the plot. While this is a genre romance and is primarily about the relationship between David and Noah the outside conflict is what pushes the story forward.

This book reminds me of a conversation I had with a book seller once about how some tropes (specifically childhood friends to lovers) works even better in a queer context then they work in a straight one, and I definitely think that is true for this book as well. I would absolutely recommend this book especially for those who enjoyed the first.

Thank you to Net Galley and Carina Adores (Harlequin) for access to an EARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not really my type of book but I did read it and found that it wasn't to bad at all. If this is your type of story you would certainly enjoy it. I will give it 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgally and publisher for this ARC.

Maybe I missed something by jumping into this book without reading the first, but I just couldn't get into the book easily. I have a difficult time reading books with flashbacks and I just could never settle into the story, and I didn't connect well with the characters. It's probably me, but it was not a good connection.

I loved The Gentleman's Book of Vices and should probably post my viral reel again cause this book has the same vibes. And we got some Charlie and Miles in this one.
David and Noah are childhood friends and have always had an attraction. But life separated them for awhile. Long enough for David to get taken advantage of by an awful lord. Ugh that guy was the worst of the predators. Hiding in plain sight.
In a time when men couldn't publicly be together or show their love, and same for women. This was about David's underground gentleman's club and the awful man who owned it. Loved the inclusive club for all of their preferences that were welcome along with their friends sapphic club. But politics always has to ruin everything and stick their noses where they don't belong. Vilifying the wrong parties. That ending though was 😭😍.
If only all of the lovely gentlemen had an hea though private like this. Unfortunately having it be illegal is why so many think this is new. Oh innocent fools.

Thank you harlequinbooks for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Best friends since boarding school, David and Noah scramble when the queer club David manages is threatened with closure. As they work to save the beating heart of their found family, David and Noah discover that their feelings for each other are more than friendly. Can they untangle the web of deception surrounding them and build a new future together?

The emotion between Noah and David is palpable and infuses the plot with a strong sense of longing. There's also a suspense/mystery subplot that provides a nice twist at the end.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

David and Noah have been best friends forever. They helped each other survive a horrible boarding school and explored the physical aspect of love in furtive encounters. But years have passed, and while they'd still follow each other anywhere and give anything to help each other, they constantly keep a cautious distance from each other. Each has his reasons, and would rather live like that than risk losing their friendship. But the suspicious closure of The Curious Fox, the queer club David runs, by the awful aristocrat that owns it puts David in danger and pushes Noah to stand up for the man that is always willing to protect others but never does anything for himself.
It's a perfectly sweet relationship, the kind where you can tell that there's a long history behind it that makes their inevitable getting together even sweeter. They each have their faults, which they acknowledge while bringing out the best in each other. It starts out as a bit of an unbalanced relationship, but Noah's confidence grows and it's great to see him standing up for his right to do things for the man he loves. There are so many great, swoon-worthy moments from both characters thanks to this dynamic.
Also praiseworthy is the fact that each character has a very well-defined personality that reads differently and really helps the sense that you're following two points of view telling the same story. It's not something many authors manage with such smoothness.
Extra praise goes to Everlee for making the dangers queer people faced just for existing and wanting to live their lives front and center while not making it as doom-and-gloom as it could have been. It helps the reader understand why they do what they do and gives the romance a bit of a darker edge that I appreciated.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Carina Adores for the wonderful early read!

As a reader that did not read the first book in this series, just know that you can absolutely read this one with no previous context needed.

I love the format of this story- the time jumps from David and Noah's time in school to present day. This is my favorite way to see a friends to lovers relationship bloom.

These characters were an absolute delight and I will definitely be going BACK and picking up the first book in the series now.

I really did not like the writing style of this book. It was a fast read but it felt like nothing was happening. They got together like 25% in and had almost no problems between them for the rest of the time. That's not something I'm opposed to but I just didn't like the way it was done. I'm sure this book will find it's audience though.

I received an arc through netgalley.