Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for providing me with an eArc in exchange for an honest review!

The fourth installment in the Lucky Lovers of London series To Sketch a Scandal follows Warren Bakshi, barkeep of the underground queer club The Curious Fox, as he meets and falls in love with Detective Inspector Matty Shaw in 1886 London. The police are a huge threat to The Curious Fox’s livelihood and its patrons so Warren and Matty must keep their relationship a secret from Warren’s friends, including the owner of the club.

This is a simple and sweet love story that unfortunately didn’t make much of an impression on me. I was excited to get this ARC because I really enjoyed The Gentleman’s Book of Vices and A Bluestocking Guide to Decadence, one and three in the series respectively, but this one paled in comparison.

While Warren is an established character from the other books in the series, there isn’t much to Matty as a character outside of his background. The two fall in love quickly and I wish there had been more build-up. Warren is known for only being into hook-ups prior to Matty so I found it a bit hard to believe that he fell in love so quickly and with so little resistance.

My biggest takeaway is that I wish there had been more plot. The blackmailer is found out so quickly that the stakes basically feel non-existent which doesn’t make sense when the situation is so dangerous. I would have liked to see Warren and Matty really fight for their love instead of things being wrapped up so quickly and perfectly. I read this book recently but I’m already forgetting how everything was resolved because it just seemed too easy.

I did like that the two fell in love over their shared interest in art. Matty, undercover, takes the same drawing class as Warren, and the scenes of Warren teaching Matty how to draw and Warren drawing Matty were cute.

I still like this series as a whole. I just wish this installment had been stronger.

Love love love this couple. Warren and Matty are so fun together and balance each other out so well. They have so many cute moments that I adored. It was nice to see a blend of their personal families and their queer family. I do think parts of the plot did fall a bit short for me but I didn’t mind bc I enjoyed Warren and Matty so much. there was a bit of a drag around the 60% mark but it picked right back up at the end and had me hooked again. I enjoyed this story.

This was such a sweet, emotional read—I’ve loved this series from the start, and Jess never misses when it comes to writing heartfelt, genuine couples. I was so excited to finally see Warren get his story, and Matty was such a great character. Their backstories made everything feel so real. I was STRESSED during the last stretch, but everything tied up nicely :)) Highly recommend this series—each book just gets better!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for an e-arc. I wanted to like this book, but struggled with it. It seemed to go on longer than needed. There were a lot of supposed issues that didn’t really go anywhere or were easily resolved. For all the time spent discussing his police work and the art class case, it didn’t go anywhere.

I enjoyed this fourth book in the Lucky Lovers Series. Like all the others in the series, it was a fun love story with great characters and lots of cameos from most of the other book characters. I would have liked to see more of Jo and Emily but otherwise great!

Finally, Warren and Matty’s story in To Sketch a Scandal! I was so excited to jump into the Lucky Lovers of London series Book 4 and it did not disappoint!

In To Sketch a Scandal, Warren’s the bartender at the underground and highly illegal Curious Fox, a queer club in 1880s London. He’s worked to support his mother and had lots of casual fun at the club, and doesn’t see that ending anytime soon. Until his long-lost brother returns with plenty of money and encourages Warren to do something different. Warren has always loved art and decides an art class would let him try a new hobby and keep his family off his back.

Matty (aka Detective Inspector Matthew Shaw) is charged with going undercover to find information about an art fraud ring, and where does he end up but in Warren’s class. The attraction simmers, but Warren’s boss explicitly forbade him from seeing Matty. And Matty’s already in hot water at Scotland Yard, as the higher-ups have heard rumors about his queerness. He can’t be suspected of carrying on with Warren.

But of course they can’t resist each other for too long (though they try)! I loved them both—trying to stay true to themselves and their hearts in a society that wants to punish them, finding love and support from each other, growing into themselves and what they really want. I really enjoyed their journey, the found family elements, and all the Curious Fox characters. You can enjoy To Sketch a Scandal as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading the rest of the series first, especially David and Noah’s story.

Thank you to Harlequin Books and NetGalley for my advance copy of To Sketch a Scandal. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

Lovely characterisation as ever is a stand-out from Everlee. I will continue to be on the lookout for more novels from this author, as she writes beautifully realised historical settings and lovely dynamics between her romantic characters. I think each read is just a case of how much you fall in love or relate to each pairing. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read To Sketch a Scandal!

I have kept up with Jess Everlee’s series that describes the romances of the characters surrounding the Curious Fox’s gentleman’s club and this was another interesting installment. Warren Bakshi is a character who is secondary in the other series, a flirty barkeeper with a frosty and snarky exterior. Matthew Shaw was also in one of the other books, and we get to explore more about this conflicted Scotland Yard officer. Their romance is forbidden, but they find an excuse to see each other through the guise of the art lessons that the coincidentally meet at. Each has their reasons and back story for learning drawing, and it’s interesting to see how art connects them and spurs on their secret connection.
I really liked how Jess Everlee gave her characters detailed lives. It was cool to hear descriptions of Warrens Desi neighborhood in historical London, and see behind the scenes about the operations of the Scotland Yard. That’s one of my favorite things about Everlee’s book—they explore characters of different classes in their historical London romances instead of the stereotypical haute ton.

Y’all. Y’all. EVERYONE IN THIS BOOK IS SO COMPLICATED AND LAYERED, IT’S SO GOOD. Like. I confess, I wasn’t actually expecting a nuanced examination of the ways that people can both help and hurt you when I picked up this fourth installment of a fairly standard historical romance series. And this isn’t a knock on Evertt’s previous books, I have loved them all, they are very well done historical romances! But it’s like she’s leveled up in her writing and it’s just SO SATISFYING to witness.

I’m always a big fan of old England romances, especially when they are queer, and Jess Everlee does it best with this series. Each addition from the first book has been unique in its plot and characters, which just goes to show how good the author is at fleshing out this cast individually - though I think this might be my favorite alongside the first book in the series. I told myself I wouldn’t do it, but I definitely stayed up multiple nights reading this. Definitely would recommend!

I really enjoy Everlee's books. However this iteration in the series really did not hit for me.
I really enjoyed Warren in the past books even though it was kind of "slut with a heart of gold". This book doesn't really focus on expanding him more than that, even though the author lists out all of the way he is demensional in the text. He is still a guy with a heart of gold but now he likes art too. I am really disapointed that he is POC in Last name only and overall feels very whitewashed. Besides talking about eating rice/roti and the fact that sarees exist this could have been any gay man in 1866. Also his raise in social class is not fully flushed out and it is just a plot to make him go to art school. I did find this incredibily dissapointing.
I also like Matty in the other book. In this book I find him incredibily boring and I am really over his problems 20% into the book. While this conflict wanted to be compelling it was very predictable.
Anjali was cool. 10/10 on her.
The ending was decent. Overall this book was a 2.25 for me and did not hold my interest. I was able to read the other books in this series within a day or two, this one took me over a month.
Thank you NetGally and Harlequin for the ARC.

A thoroughly enjoyable addition to this series. I love a good redemption arc, so to speak, and Warren and Matty were so lovely for each other. A little spicy but nothing over the top.

Thank you so much to Harlequin and Jess Everlee for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange of my honest review. All opinions are me own!

To Sketch a Scandal by Jess Everlee is the fourth book in the Lucky Lovers of London series.

This 304-page book comes out on July 22nd, 2025 and will be available in paperback for $18.99.

Told in alternating POV between our two lead characters, Warren and Matty, this queer historical fiction takes place in 1886. The time period is important to the plot because harsh anti-sodomite laws have just been passed in London, and Matty works for the Metropolitan police.

His love interest, Warren, is newly elevated in social class due to his formerly estranged brother coming back from seeking his fortune at sea. This plot-point struck me as odd, though, because Warren and his family are Indian. Being a POC and new money makes no bearing on the plot other than that Warren no longer needs to work.

Also, without giving anything away, the constant threat of being arrested for their illicit love affair is more or less waved away on the last page.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad there was a Happily Ever After, but it felt unrealistic and unearned. Most of the last third felt rushed and slapped together.

3/5 Stars


gmpotter.com review is live now as is the GoodReads review.

I really enjoyed this book! It is so important to have books about BIPOC LGBTQIA+ characters, especially in historical romance, as they describe the
joy in a community whose literary representation has primarily focused on tragedy. This book is lighthearted while dealing with serious topics in a way that does not dismiss them.

I loved the relationship development between the main characters and how they try to work within the confines of their society to do the best they can with what life has given them. The main conflict of the book is external, although there are aspects of their personalities that cause some tension.

Ultimately, this book is lovely and I recommend it because of its diversity, compassion, and historical aspects.

This was a cute romance that I didn't want to put down. I liked how easy it was to read. The romance built at a good pace and was believable. There wasn't much to the mystery plot but it was just enough to keep the story moving.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jess Everlee’s “To Sketch a Scandal,” the fourth in Everlee’s Lucky Lovers in London, presents a story that sounds promising but overstays its welcome. It’s my first but as it’s a stand alone, I was able to jump right in. Readers follow Warren Bakshi, a bartender at an underground queer club, who crosses paths with Detective Inspector Matthew Shaw. You know where this is going but given we’re in late 1800s London, their love must remain a secret in hopes of avoiding any risks to Matthew’s career and their safety.

While I found the romance tender and cute, the book is slow to start and didn’t ever fully hook me. The pacing felt dragged out, and the overall story arc wasn’t compelling enough to keep me fully engaged. Although the emotional connection between Warren and Matthew was sweet, I wished the plot offered more excitement and tension to balance out the slower buildup. In the end, it left me wanting more substance to match the potential of the story. There may have been love in between these characters, I felt unlucky reading this. Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC.

To Sketch a Scandal is the third book I have read in the Lucky Lovers of London series, and once more the action revolves around patrons of the queer club The Curious Fox. Overall, I enjoyed Warren and Matthew's tale. They made a nice couple, and the story to get them there moved at a good pace, with a few twists and turns along the way. I felt the ending was perhaps a little rushed, but that is a minor complaint. The only way this one fell down for me is that I wasn't quite as engaged with these two characters as I was with the pairings in the previous books. Also, there were moments when I wondered if some of the language and phrasing the characters used was period appropriate. Although, I didn't have time to stop and look things up to confirm, so that could just be a mistaken impression on my part. It did pull me out of the story a few times, though, when my eye scanned a sentence that made me pause. Overall, though, I enjoyed it, so I am giving it 3.5 stars. This is book four of a series, and some older events are references; however, you could read these as standalone volumes, so the stories will still make sense even if you read them out of sequence.

A sweet, slow-burn romance with an underlying sense of loneliness and longing, but it never quite reaches the depth it promises. Warren and Matty have great chemistry, and the art lessons add a fun touch, but the story loses some spark by sidelining the found family of The Curious Fox. A solid addition to the series, just missing a little something to make it unforgettable.

This historical romance takes place in 1886 between Warren, bartender at The Curious Fox and Matty, cop who once saved the bar owners ass. Matty needs to go undercover as an artist Warren agrees to help Matty learn to draw.

The two characters have an instant attraction and both need to keep their queerness a secret as this could ruin Warren's family's reputation and send Matty to jail.

Their overall romance was very sweet, trying to keep things professional but failing miserably. There was a very dark undercurrent to the story that was not well fleshed out about what Matty had been through in the past.

Matty oh Matty, I wanted to give this poor man a hug throughout this story. He was so alone and so lonely and didn't really have anyone to trust. He had a lot of character growth. Although Warren had less growth, I was glad to see him some into Matty's life. Give him someone to love and trust. I enjoyed times when he stood up for Matty.

Overall this was a sweet, hot romance. I was very pleased with the ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in 1886 this book explores the historical notion of homophobia where Noah and Matt find each other but circumstances make it a concern if they can truly be together or not. It’s a fluffy romance with a dash of potential scandal and art classes, which is what intrigued me initially. It’s the first book I’ve read
By this author, and it was fun, I felt more could be fleshed out with the characters, and perhaps having read the other books in the series could of helped. Overall I enjoyed it and it was written with the notion of chosen family and gave a sense of hope for those in the queer community back then, even if it couldn’t be exactly how they wanted it to be.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!