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.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the ARC. I really enjoyed the plot of the story and found the characters lovable and of course not lovable at times but that’s a good thing. I was immediately drawn into the story and was rooting for the characters the whole time. What a cute story. There wasn’t a dull moment. I will recommend this to other people who enjoy the genre.

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!

I took awhile to finish this book because I wasn't ready to leave my comfort characters! I love them all and hope Jess Everlee writes more! Maybe Annabelle's book is next?!

I love how I knew both of the MMCs from previous Lucky Lovers of London books. Warren is the barkeep at Forrester's gay club, The Curious Fox, and Matty is the inspector who helped saved the club when its previous owner was being investigated. They hit it off, but Warren's boss doesn't want them hanging out. But when they are unexpectedly thrown together at an art class, they continue to hit it off.

As with her other books, Jess Everlee does a great job of making you care about the side characters as well and including interesting B plots that aid character development. Warren's life is thrown into disarray when his long lost brother returns with a wife and a fortune. Matty is starting to second guess his career as an inspector with his mentor retiring and with growing suspicions at work about his queerness.

This. was such a cozy read for me even though some chapters had me at the edge of my seat! Highly recommend for historical ficition lovers, but read the previous books in the series first!

This was enjoyable story with delightful characters in Matty, Warren, and some of the Curious Fox denizens, especially as individuals who have to hide their true selves for legal reasons but who can and sometimes do fully embrace their true selves when in a safe environment. I was somewhat surprised with the direction the author took when Matty and Warren ended up in the same portraiture class and it was blatantly apparent that Matty lacked artistic skills. I expected that Matty would ask Warren for assistance, especially as it would provide an opportunity for another type of more intimate hands-on experience. However, I thought that the author would have Matty “recruit” Warren to use his artistic skills to get the more personal instruction from the Buttersnipes needed to determine if they were involved in art fraud so Matty could solve his case.

DNF 69%

I probably would have kept going in audio, and I may borrow the audiobook from library at a later date, but for now I’m feeling almost bored trying to read this. I’ve loved Warren from the beginning of the series and I was so excited to see him getting his own romance, but I don’t know that Matty is the best choice for him. I find some of the choices with Matty’s characterization interesting, but I also can’t help but compare him to Evander Mills by Lev AC Rosen, and how Andy is forced out of the police force. I am curious how things will resolve for Matty with regards to his job at Scotland Yard, but that’s not enough incentive to keep going. I honestly think one of the biggest reasons I’m enjoying this one so much less is we’ve got a lot less time with Warren’s chosen family and the Curious Fox. The community Everlee has built in this series is one of my favorite things, and I wish we were seeing more of it, especially because Warren is the barkeeper and knows everyone, much like Forester. All in all this just kinda feels lackluster and not as enjoyable as I’d hoped. I am looking forward to seeing what else Everlee will write, and like I said I might try this again in audio, but for now To Sketch a Scandal is a DNF.

Jess Everlee has grown on me and now I happily await each new gay romance she writes. Her grasp of the Victorian era is strong enough to make the books credible. Each book in the series has a compelling romance with external tension about how the main characters will cope. She doesn't hide from the peril of being outed and the horrible punishments faced by those who were. Yet, the romance and love always come through. This one felt a little more physical and a little less emotional than some of her earlier books, but I actually like that she introduces that variation. Not every love story is the same. The artist-meets-policeman romance is definitely a new concept for me and I really enjoyed all aspects of that. Five stars for being another strong entry in the series.

Tens, tens, tens across the board. Give this all the stars you can. What an amazing book. I love this book so much.

Really enjoyable read! Matty and Warren are well rounded characters with their own needs and story arcs. The mystery elements were good, albeit a tiny bit anticlimactic at the end. For those who have followed the series there are plenty of cameos from previous characters, but well balanced with the plot of this story. Matty's backstory was both poignant and believable, and his actions throughout reflect this. Warren's family life made me feel a little incredulous, but it was still enjoyable. Overall a great read that I will probably reread a number of times.

4.5 stars rounded up

This was an enjoyable continuation of the story. I loved the glimpses I got of previous characters and relationships while keeping the focus on Warren and Matty. There was just enough danger to keep ir interesting but not so much that it took away from the blossoming romance. Overall, I throughly enjoyed this story.

This is a delightful mm romance novel which manages to capture some of what it must have been like to be lgbtq during a time when loving another of the same sex could get you imprisoned or worse. It also manages to be a lovely little romance without too much angst. I've read all of the books in this series and while the first is my favorite I enjoyed this one too. If you are looking for a quick read with a HEA, this book should work for you.