This is a charming best friends to lovers romance set in London in the late 1800s. We follow David, an underground club proprietor, who has gotten himself mixed up in trouble involving the club owner and Noah, a Savile Row tailor, his childhood best friend who would do anything to help. Our characters are lovable and we love them together. Their flaws are believable, understandable, and compelling, especially set over a backdrop of absolutely wonderful childhood flashbacks. Where this novel gives up a bit is in plot details and resolution. There is complexity hinted at with our villain throughout the narrative that is never quite explained fully and remains obfuscated, even to the end. In every other way, resolution drops wholesale from the sky. It is a fun and emotionally pleasing ending, but difficult to parse. All at once there's something new, what we thought we cared about drops away, and everything is fine. We love an HEA, but this one is whiplash inducing.

Well, this was lovely!
I've been very curious about Noah and David's relationship since the very first time they appeared. "A Rulebook for Restless Rogues" was sweet and slightly angsty, lightly steamy ans absolutely endearing, and surprising in some ways. Its two leads were wonderful and their romance was absolutely lovely: oblivious, pining best friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes, especially when it's paired with a side of angst and second-chance romance.

So why three stars?
Some things didn't work for me, obviously. I just don't know which ones or why, exactly; and the same thing happened with it's predecessor.
I would have usually loved something like this to bits, but maybe my brain just doesn't function properly these days; maybe it was too long and the writing style was too much? Or maybe I should give up on this series but ugh, the characters and the found family vibes are always impeccable.
Because wow, once again I found myself absolutely intrigued by all the side characters: I'm desperate for a novel about Warren, and one about Shaw, and maybe something about Annabelle too. But I probably should give up on this series because I know I'll end up skimming those as well: I'm furious with myself!!!
I don't understand why I couldn't enjoy this novel fully, and I why I ended up getting a biiiiit bored with it and skimming when everything about it usually works so well for me. Ugh.

So yeah, I think this is very much a "me" issue: if you're a fan of friends-to-lovers, historicals and precious and ridiculously endearing queer found families you'll probably love this. I wish I'd loved it more, but maybe I chose to read this book at the very wrong time. Anyway, there were definitely some positives and I loved seeing Noah and David (David especially! He was my absolute favourite, and I went feral over him many many times) finally reach their HEA.

There's one last thing I want to point out though: Noah uses a lot of Italian words and phrases here, and while most of them were correct, quite a few of his most recurring ones had glaring grammatical errors: "perfetta" instead of "perfetto", "la" used instead of "il" and others that just made me cringe a bit, especially considering the fact that Noah has, supposedly, spent a few years in Italy and his fluency is remarked upon quite a bit.
I hope they'll be fixed in the final copy of this book.

I. Loved. This. Book.

Told with flashbacks and dual perspectives, A Rulebook for Restless Rogues explores themes of gender and sexuality through the friends-to-lovers story of David and Noah, two of my favorite minor characters from Everlee's previous novel, The Gentleman's Book of Vices. For me, the key to success with this trope is a believable and unassailable friendship, and this narrative definitely delivers in that regard. The plot and character development were so well paced; they definitely leant believability to the depth of the MCs' longstanding best-friendship and quiet, mutual pining. I loved watching Noah's growth into a man who could finally articulate his needs, and David's into a man vulnerable enough to step out of the 'protector' role long enough to allow himself some protection.

After such a positive reading experience with her first two titles, I am excited to read more from Jess Everlee. I love the historical period she is currently highlighting, and I deeply appreciate how she consistently indicates the danger her queer characters are in without ever letting that danger tip the novel out of the romance genre. That seems a razor's edge to balance upon, and Everlee manages it flawlessly.

Historical romances have never been my favorite, but upon seeing the cover and the description for A Rulebook For Restless Rogues, I knew I needed to try it. Considering that this is Jess Everlee’s sophomore novel, I’m incredibly impressed and excited to see what’s next.

The book follows David who owns a popular gentlemen’s club named The Curious Fox which is a queer club. When the story begins, we meet David’s best friend, Noah who is his lifelong companion and also dresses in drag while in the club. Even though it starts great, things slowly start spiraling.

It seems like David is going to lose the club unless he works with the terrible landlord and one way is to get married. It’s not that simple though as David is trying to deal with his strong feelings for Noah and also working out a business plan in a matter of days. Meanwhile, Noah is struggling as a tailor and fighting his own feelings for David.

Coupled with a ragtag group of friends, this is a fast-paced friends-to-lovers story with a sprinkle of drag which I’ve never read in a historical romance. Since this is such a fast read, I don’t want to get into too much detail with the plot but if you’re interested, I’d highly recommend picking it up as I read this in two sittings.

I enjoyed A Rulebook For Restless Rogues, but my only complaint is it felt like the plot was disjointed at times. I was following it and then the next, I was confused. Either way, this one was a lot of fun and is one I know I’ll be recommending for a queer historical romance.

4.5
I'm not a big friends to lovers fan, but David and Noah have me thinking that I might be one after all. I think their romantic arc really worked for me because they were childhood best friends at a tough boarding school, shared a few furtive kisses and touches, but then were estranged in early adulthood. Even though they've already rekindled their friendship when the book starts, neither one is willing to admit that the feelings still go deeper than just friendship. The mutual pining is perfection!

David is the proprietor of a secret queer club that Noah frequents along with Charlie and Miles from book one. Noah is an overworked tailor who likes to blow off steam by dressing in drag in the safety of The Curious Fox, but doesn't indulge in its other opportunities, as his friends start pointing out. David is embarrassed to find that he hasn't helped his friend find a match and starts to question why. Noah and David soon have a much bigger problem when the baron that owns the club warns them about an upcoming raid and threatens to close it down entirely. Both men must face what their careers mean to them and just how much they are willing to sacrifice for love.

Overall, I loved this book. My only critique would be that the plot wasn't as tight as the first book. While interesting, the flashbacks sometimes interrupted the flow of the story and I felt like I would've liked a bit more action with the villain in the climax. I really hope that we get a lot more books in this series because Jess Everlee is a great writer and I would love to see any and all of the side characters starring in books of their own.

This will definitely be a sweet read for queer historical romance fans. It can be so hard to find books that hit the spot, we’ve got Alexis Hall and not much else. Thank god for another excellent romp to add to the bookshelf and sweep you off your feet!

I thoroughly enjoyed Jess Everlee’s debut novel and had high hopes for Noah and David’s story. Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. It’s technically proficient, but I just didn’t connect to either character or their bond. Friends-to-lovers is not my favorite trope, but it’s not an automatic strike either: it lives or dies on the execution. And here I simply never managed to get invested in these two or care overmuch about the machinations they are embroiled in.

Typical m/m histrom backstory told in flashbacks: boarding school, bullied boy, boy-to-the-rescue, furtive fumbling, young lust-that-maybe-is-love, deep connection thwarted by a lack of communication. In the “now” timeline, David is proprietor of the underground gay club/ community gathering place that features in Charlie and Milo’s story; Noah, meanwhile, has dashed his father’s hopes that he would be a doctor, and become an Italian-trained tailor instead. David is very much a fixer and a protector-type; Noah has an alter ego, Miss Penelope, and dons drag at the club but (seemingly) identifies as a gay man – I did not read Noah as non-binary. The club is threatened with closure by its nefarious aristocratic owner, and thus the machinations: how far will David go to save his beloved club and, by extension, protect his friends and community from losing their gathering place and (in the worst-case scenario) possible exposure? Intertwining, meanwhile, with the relationship conflict: when will David and Noah realize they’re more than just friends?

The problem was that the evil aristocrat was all hat, no cattle – there was a bunch of talking about him and his horribleness, but we never meet him, his relationship with David is somewhat downplayed and obscured, and the hoops he's making David jump through are so dumb and transparent as to be ludicrous. It’s lots of blah blah without any real sense of menace. And while David’s protector-identity is called upon again and again, and we get some family history and backstory to prop it up, it doesn’t feel vital or earned. Readers of book 1 will recognize some of the character names popping up, but we get so little sense of the club and the community here – the first third of the book has a bit of club, but also quite a lot of flashbacks – that it’s hard as a reader to care whether or not the club folds, because we’re not invested in this community or characters: we simply don’t have time to get to know or care about them, nor do we ever see David do anything to protect them other than act as unofficial matchmaker. I know that “show, not tell” is an overused cliché, but – if the shoe fits. We’re being told how much David is a protector and how important it is to save this club, but we’re not shown why we should care.

(I realize this makes me sound hugely unsympathetic. Obviously community gathering spaces are important, especially when the community is a marginalized and/or criminalized group! So of course, as a human, I am onboard with saving the club. But as a reader, the work hasn’t been done to make me care about this particular club. Which is a problem when the main external conflict in the book is the fate of The Curious Fox.)

The characters are also just too thinly drawn. David: protector, painful family and past relationship story, pines over Noah from afar. All this hangs together in a very linear, connect-the-dots way, but there’s not much depth there. Noah: emotionally unavailable, I guess? I seriously never really got a handle on Noah’s deal and why he was so clueless about David or his own feelings for David. And then once he has the eureka moment and realizes he’s loved David all along, it’s a full 180, l-word-every-sentence transformation. Which maybe is how it works with longtime friends who finally get hit by the clue-bat, but it was just too much whiplash. Again, it felt very surface. Shallow.

So given all that, why the 3 stars? Mostly because after all the hat and none of the cattle, the ending did manage to pull a surprise that bumped it up a bit. And like I said, it’s technically well done; while I didn’t make an emotional connection with the characters, that might just be a me-thing. But while I would recommend the first book in this series, I would say that book 2 is more of a sophomore slump. Better luck next time!

This book gave me all the feels! I was instantly over the moon for David and Noah. Noah, who sometimes does drag as Miss Penelope, is confident, driven, a talented tailor, and an all around lovely person. David has had a rough go of it and currently finds solace in running The Curious Fox and taking care of all his patrons and friends, though his future in the business is not looking good. Best friends with a complicated romantic past, mutual pining, miscommunication/withheld secrets, so much affection I was like "how do you not see it?!!" Their story is very tender with some angst and is told in flashbacks to their school days and in the current setting. I enjoyed every minute spent with them and their motley crew of queer friends! If you've read the first book in the series, you'll be pleased to see Charlie and Miles again, as well as Jo.

I really enjoyed the historical setting and learning more about ye olde queer England, in particular reading about molly houses, sapphists' clubs, and drag. While the main characters are white, there is diversity with the supporting characters. Overall, a delightful romp that is humorous, swoony, sweet, and endearing. I'm glad I started out my Pride Reads with this one!

This was very well written and featured multiple characters' perspectives in both present day (1885) and the main characters' past (1870). While the initial concept and romance was intriguing, the plot didn't grab me.

2/5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I struggled to get through this not because it was particularly bad, but it just wasn't incredibly gripping. I liked David, he's a character with strong motivations and strong ideas of which lines he is comfortable crossing (and which lines he is uncomfortable crossing but will cross anyways for the good of his club and his friends). Noah is... less strong of a character. He is multifaceted and complex, which I appreciate, but it doesn't feel... cohesive. He is very very sure of his skills and of both his public and private personas, but for some reason that completely breaks down when it comes to David. Eventually it all work out, but it spends wayyyy too long being annoying for my liking.
Another thing that made it hard for me to really get into this book was the level of historical accuracy. Everlee seems unable to decide if she is going to hard-line the history and work her story around it or be generally lenient and work the history around her story. The result is a mostly accurate history with jarring breaks for characters to advance the plot, rather than a story that consistently breaks little rules in a way that makes the story feel smooth.
The book has redeeming qualities. Miss Jo, a titular figure from Everlee's first book "The Gentleman's Book of Vices (2022)" is back and just as funny and supportive, if not more so. The conflict that drives the plot, the threatened closure of the molly house, feels substantial and motivating. It just wasn't enough for me.

It was well written enough but the characters didn't grab me. It had a promising start but I wasn't into the drag aspect of it.

David and Noah have been friends since their boarding school days. While they did have a sexual relationship then, it never evolved beyond a friendship. Now that they are in their thirties, they are just as close as ever though not romantically or sexually involved with one another. David runs a “molly house” (essentially a gay bar) that Noah often attends. Noah is a successful tailor and his passion for designing clothing comes in hand when he wears drag. Things get tense for the pair when David finds out the owner of the establishment he runs is going to close and sell the property. Running the bar is David’s passion. He loves setting up his friends and looking out for them and providing a sense of comfort and security in a world where being gay is so stigmatized. He needs to convince his former employer to keep the bar up and running no matter what the risks are. Noah vows to help him, and in the process the two reignite the embers of the feelings they have had for one another since they were teenagers.

I loved this book! It was fun and sweet. David and Noah were both so loveable. I liked Noah’s family a lot. They’re Unitarians and might think his passion for clothing and habit of smoking and drinking is a little much, but they want him to settle down with a nice man. They think David has been stringing him along for years but love David too because Noah loves him! And David is so relatable with his desire to help others while never really taking care of himself. I think a lot of people will see themselves in David. This only isn’t a perfect book for me because the plot gets lost quite frequently. At times I forgot David was even trying to keep the bar open and the methods for convincing the owner all seemed convoluted and haphazard. His relationship with the owner was interesting too - he was basically his former sugar daddy about a decade ago. I could see why there was conflict there and why David wanted to believe the best in a man others knew was a bad person. Ultimately everything is resolved and this was a sweet read that had me giggling. I haven’t read Jess Everlee’s other book but there were cameos from characters she’s clearly written about before.

I loved this book so much! Noah and David are brilliant characters. I loved how their story slowly unfolds through some flashback chapters to their time at school, and the gradual unravelling of everything that has happened since. Childhood friends to lovers is a trope I love so much and their journey is so well done.

This book is full of queer joy, the importance of solidarity, and how special it is to build communities and safe havens for people of marginalised genders and sexualities. The ending was so satisfying, and I finished reading it with a giant smile on my face. It's just a delight.

I know technically this is a sequel, but I was luckily enough to receive an ARC and forgot to download the first book before I went on holiday. It focuses on supporting characters from 'The Gentleman's Book of Vices', and I think it can be read as a standalone—although I'm rushing to read the first book right now because I love this corner of late 19th century West End London Jess Everlee has created so much.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was completely hooked from the first chapter of this romance. Loved the chemistry here. So SO very well done.

This book was so dang cute! I love period pieces, and I love LGBTQIA+ fiction. So I felt like this book was made for me. The self exploration in this book was incredibly resonating. And I love the way the author wrote about sexuality and identity.

I enjoyed the author's previous book, The Gentleman's Book of Vices, but I didn't enjoy A Rulebook for Restless Rogues as much. I think it was just the particular dynamic between the two main characters and how they were not communicating. Not my cup of tea, but I'm still interested in future books from Jess Everlee.

This is a sweet romance and characters that you feel like you want to win - which makes the situations of peril they find themselves in even more compelling and suspenseful. It is also an interesting portrayal of London in that time period.

Two best friends: One pining but reserved, the other affectionate but oblivious. David is the proprietor of an underground queer club (The Curious Fox) with a messy family history, Noah is a gifted tailor with an unflappable alter ego (Miss Penelope Penrose). The two met as schoolboys and have been (mostly) inseparable since. At the start of the novel they’re in a comfortable status quo of not acknowledging the thing everyone else can see between them. But then the shady owner of The Curious Fox threatens to close its doors and David’s life is turned upside down. 

I enjoyed this book! There was something that didn’t quite work for me, but I’ve had a hard time putting my finger on what it is. 

A Rulebook for Restless Rogues is the second book in Jess Everlee’s debut romance series. I haven’t read the prior book in the series (The Gentleman's Book of Vices), so I didn't come in with any knowledge of the characters or particular expectations about David & Noah’s romance. It’s hard to know if having read the first book would have changed my experience. There are some bits in the book that are clearly nods to characters from the first, but I never felt like I was missing important information. I do wonder if I would have felt more attached to The Curious Fox if I had spent time in the setting before it was under threat. So much of David’s actions are driven by his desperate need to save the club, but I didn’t feel that same level of investment.

For a lot of the novel, I felt nervous about where the plot was going, and I think that cut into my enjoyment of the book. David is set on a path to make what is very clearly a bad decision, and I spent a lot of time worrying about how that was going to pan out. In some ways, that's a tribute to the strength of the characters that Everlee developed, because I was worried about them and their choices! But since that's not normally how I react to books, I think there was also an element of me not having total trust in the storytelling. I don't know exactly why I felt that way, but I guess something wasn't quite working for me.

By the end I really liked the direction the story went, I was just a bit stressed getting there!

Overall, a fun book that made me curious to read more of the author's work.

I loved Noah in book 1 and I was thrilled that he got his own story. The voice in these books make them so easy to read. I had so much fun with this one. Book 3 will be a sapphic couple and I’m so excited for it!!
4.5 stars. Thank you to Harlequin for providing me with a review copy!

David has devoted himself to making his club the Curious Fox a safe haven for illicit fabulousness like that flaunted by his old school chum Noah, AKA Miss Penelope Primrose. When the property's owner, David's vicious ex, threatens to shut down the Fox, David and Noah go into high gear to save their sanctuary. Along the way, they realize that their teenage fling may not be so over after all. Plenty of heat and interpersonal drama, but the setup promised a certain level of action and hijinks that just fizzle out.