I LOVE a queer historical romantasy and was eager to dive into this one after being immediately swept away by the premise. The magic system was reminiscent of Freya Marske’s work, the world of KJ Charles’ wonderful backlog of queer Edwardian/ Victorian romances with a touch of Agatha Christie-esque locked room mystery. I really enjoyed the tension and angst between Nic and Dash, cut by the wonderful comedic presence that was Leaf. Overall, while I did really enjoy this story, I do think it could’ve gone with some trimming in parts to keep it streamlined and avoid repetition. It’ll definitely go down well with fellow queer romantasy lovers!

Nic and Dashiel are adorable, and I would protect Leaf with my life. I enjoyed the murder mystery, closed-set telling of this story overall, but there were some details and world-building aspects that felt unexplored or ignored in a way that was almost distracting. Super fun magic system, though and the characters were so great!

I think the premise of the story is great, but their way of speaking seems too immature for a historical fiction. It

A fantastical locked room mystery with a queer regency romance, automatons, magic, and unending sarcasm - what more could you want?

The Gentleman and His Vowsmith is a cozy locked room murder mystery - feels like the cozy and murder should be oxymorons but it actually works in this book!

I loved this novel's characters: Leaf was such a fun strong female character with her drive for adventure and breaking away from the regency era stereotypes for women, Nic was a bit whiny but he was also a sheltered and emotionally abused kid who was desperate for love and friendship, and Dash was just a cocky smirky stud muffin nerd.

That being said, the hardest part of reading this book was the lack of world building and explanation of the magic system. While I get that some books get bogged down by telling rather than showing I wish there had been even just a little bit of exposition on how the magic system works. It seems like not everyone has powers and some powers are different and vowsmiths are what exactly - magical writers? They make magic binding contracts but also sigils are a thing like alchemy? What on earth is going on?

I was tempted over and over to DNF but the characters banter and relationships powered me to hold strong. There was a lot I loved and I wish I could have fully immersed myself into the story but I felt absolutely lost for the majority of the novel.

A fantasy murder mystery with a lot of romance.

Once I got into this one, the world building is nice and the characters are all totally endearing and ones you want to root for. I will always want more from the characters, so I definitely think there could have been more depth for the MMCs individually and together.

I think at times the story was overwhelmed by all the moving pieces that some parts are underdeveloped and low stakes. It's not an action-packed read but one driven more by characters and romance.

It was enjoyable and despite my thoughts, it's an interesting story that many will enjoy. It has good vibes and is worth the read.

Thank you to Saga Press for the ARC of this book! <3

Mehhhhhh.

The Gentleman and His Vowsmith had such potential, but it just doesn't live up to itself, if that makes any sense at all? The basic gist of the plot is that two families are locked in one house/manor for however long it takes to hash out a marriage contract. No one is allowed to leave until everything is finished. While locked in, several murders happen, and the characters are left wondering if they should break the lock in, or continue on.

The whole book is way more of a mystery than a romance, and it's an increasingly cool mystery...until the reveal. The reveal straight up feels like a cop-out. Needless to say, I was extremely underwhelmed with how this book ended. I wanted the reveal to be something much cooler than what it ended up being. Instead, I'm left with this book that was SO INTERESTING to start, and just kinda fizzles out.

I really did like the characters, Nic and Dashiell. Nic, especially. He didn't want the life he'd been given, and despite being forced into a marriage that he didn't want, was still uncommonly kind to his wife-to-be. Dashiell is pretty flat, as a character, but despite that I did like him. I just wish we'd had slightly more backstory about him. Instead, it's vague and not in a good way. Leaf (idk WHAT that name is) was also a very interesting character. I wanted her to be on page way more than she actually is. She was so willing to jump into the mysteries and attempt to solve what was going on, all while being her own person.

Overall, I'd give The Gentleman and His Vowsmith three stars. Disappointingly mediocre.

3.75 stars!

What I found moderately well done was the murder mystery. The premise was solid, but it ultimately turned out too simple to be truly exciting. Its resolution also wasn’t presented in an engaging way, which made the plot feel a bit flat, given how it was set up.

Unfortunately, The Gentleman and His Vowsmith was not for me. While I enjoyed the characters and the romance, I found myself struggling to stay engaged. I ultimately pushed through to the end for closure, but if I hadn’t been determined to finish, I might have set it aside.

Part of my issue was going in blind—I didn’t realize this had a strong murder mystery element, which isn’t a genre I typically enjoy. That’s on me for not reading beyond the genre tags. While this book wasn’t my cup of tea, I can see how readers who enjoy historical romance with a mystery twist might love it. Unfortunately, I just wasn’t the right audience for this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Despite the interesting premise and a cozy-ish queer romance, I struggled with this book.

The world building was so minimal and I found myself trying to figure it out on my own which led me to be distracted from the actual story.

The pacing was choppy and never felt compelled to keep reading.

Wow!! I really enjoyed this romantic like mystery! I think it was a perfect mix of the two! I loved the trio of Nic, Dash, and Leaf! I think it I loved the premise of them all coming together to figure out the murders since one is Nic’s ex lover and one is his betrothed!! I loved the dynamic between each of them! Such a fun read! I felt like I was solving the murders with them!

The story is fun and engaging, and it was a joy to read because Ide’s writing is phenomenal! It usually takes me a few chapters into the book to get acclimated with the author’s writing and storytelling style, but not this one. From page one, I was hooked and could get right into the story. This book has everything I love: Regency romance, murder mystery, magical fantasy, and a touch of Brontë gothic-lit. I can’t wait for her next book!

The Gentleman and His Vowsmith is a (nearly) locked-room mystery centering on the marriage contract negotiations of Nic (the only heir of a Duke) and Leaf by Nic’s former flame Dashiel-that get complicated by a bit of murder and some spooky antics on account of Nic’s complicated family history. It took me a bit to get into this one, but overall I very much enjoyed the character development of our three main players and the romance in here is full of angst and yearning that make the payoff that much better. I did have complicated feelings surrounding the resolution of the main mystery (but not the resolution of the story), largely because when reading I could come up with SO many possible scenarios while none of those are ultimately what played out. However, I think for many readers that constantly-keeps-you-guessing vibe will really hit just right! Overall, I’d rate this book 3.75ish, nearly 4⭐️, with a strong recommendation if you like your mysteries to come with a LOT of swoon-worthy romance. Grateful to Saga Press books for the ARC!

*Received as a free ARC*
Holy cow. Like, I wasn't expecting to dislike this book, but I didn't expect to like it this much! I was kind of hoping for poly, but you know what? Nic and Leaf's friendship was perfect in every way. Would not change a thing. The magic system was interesting and the exploration of how the legal system was problematic was as well. I'd be very interested in other stories in the universe exploring some of the other ways magic can be used that we were teased with.

The Gentleman and His Vowsmith is a regency era historical fantasy with murder mystery and MM romance. I was so excited to read this from how good the synopsis sounds and I ended up adoring this story. I will say there was a lot of slow parts, but it’s to be expected in a book with such low fantasy. I would’ve liked to see more of the magic as it was so minimal I forgot I was reading a fantasy at time. But for the issues I had with it, I still appreciated this for what it was. The romance was great. I am not a huge fan of second chance romance but this one worked for me. Overall, this was an enjoyable standalone with bridgerton vibes and gay romance, and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

DNF at 32%

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rebecca Ide's The Gentleman and His Vowsmith is a historical fantasy story with mystery, humor, and queer love.

I always try to give books at least one hundred pages before I DNF them. I read over one hundred pages of this book and decided it was not for me.

While I did decide to DNF this book, it's still one I want to recommend. I had no experience with more comedic, fun fantasy books going into this story. I see the appeal of the genre, but I don't think it works for me.

This is one of those books where I can look at endless five star reviews and understand why people love it so much. This book is exactly what it says it is. Every part I did read was fun. I loved the jokes, the humor, and how they fit into the story. The mystery seemed like it would be intriguing for a lot of people. Unfortunately, I've found that these aren't things that fit my taste in books. I wasn't able to connect to the story and knew it wouldn't be something I spend any time thinking about after finishing.

If you do like a more humorous, entertaining side to your fantasy stories, I would absolutely recommend this book. I've seen so many people enjoying this book and I know it will continue to find it's audience. This is a book I'll mention to anyone who loves queer romance, mystery, and wildly fun magic and characters.

Review on Goodreads (sophreadingbooks https://www.goodreads.com/sophreadingbooks) as of 1/26/2025
Review on Instagram (sophiesreading https://www.instagram.com/sophiesreading/) expected 4/22/2025

This story takes place in a queer normative world with same-sex relationships possible and common for all classes. One of the main side characters is Aro.

This was a Queer Steampunk Murder mystery that had a lot of potential but was just trying to do too much at once. The author introduced a lot of really cool, interesting concepts but never developed them out.

I really loved the Sigil Magic and how it played into the evidence and hunting for clues but never had a firm grasp on what it was or what it could do. I also wasn't sure how that differed from the vowsmithing, conjuring, or the automotons.

The first 40% is very slow paced while also throwing a ton of evidence and bodies at you. A character would be presented as someone to stay away from because they're shady, only to end up dead shortly after. The tidbits on why they were shady are revealed through dialogue after the fact. A lot of the evidence and crimes are presented this way, there isn't a lot of build up, or suspense, or chance for you to figure things out.

The action does pick up and the story finds it's rhythm from 40% to 85% --I read that section in one go because I didn't want to put the book down.

The conclusion was very convoluted with the many crimes confusing to keep track of. And several crimes were already solved and were being repeated.

I absolutely adored Leaf. Her personality, energy, and desires drove the plot forward. I loved the comadarie between her and Nic. I especially loved how she was presented as a friend instead of a rival or hurdle for Nic and Dash's relationship.

Unfortunately, this one is a DNF for me. I was so excited to read this book when I saw that it was a queer historical fantasy book with murder and humor but I made it 28% into the book and can’t seem to find it interesting. I just think this one fell flat for me and I did not connect with the main character Nic at all. However, I do think a lot of people will like this book and that it just was not within my current interests!

So I would still recommend it to people who enjoy reading fantasy books set in the Regency era, murder mystery, and a queer main character!

Thank you Netgalley & Saga Press for the eARC!

A Beautifully Queer Love Story with Magic

The Gentleman and His Vowsmith is an unforgettable story filled with a sort of love triangle, unique magic system and you guessed it MURDER. At its heart, it follows Nic, Lady Leaf, and Dashiell the Vowsmith as they work together to uncover family secrets and countless murders all happening during a confined marriage contract being written at Nic's estate.

Nic and Dashiell love story is tender, powerful, and beautifully written, with just the right amount of longing and magic woven in. And we can't forget about Lady Leaf, a funny, independent, murder mystery fanatic who already knows about her soon to be "AS GAY AS A SPOON" husband.

The chemistry between the two male characters is electric, and the world-building is rich without being overwhelming. It’s the perfect read for anyone who loves queer historical fantasy and a slow-burn romance that makes your heart ache in the best way. It was such a fun read and Im super excited to share this with all my queer folks <3

gorgeous, five star romance/mystery with some incredible and very well plotted chars. 5 stars. tysm for the arc. would recommend.

I went into this book expecting something cozy and romantic with a little light murder--this book was absolutely not that! It was much darker and longer than I had realized, and with a lot more murder. None of which is to say I didn't enjoy it--just that it was not what I thought I was signing up for.

Leaf! I absolutely loved Leaf. I would read an entire book just about her.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.