5 ⭐️ I’m already so into this! And it’s only the first five chapters!

A Rulebook for Restless Rogues explores the history and connection between David Forester -the proprietor of The Curious Fox, our most beloved club from The Gentleman’s Book of Vices (Lucky Lovers of London #1)- and Noah Clarke, a well sought out tailor who we’ve come to know as the Queen of Cards herself Miss Penelope Primrose.

To say I’m excited to be finally reading this book, where we get these two together with their own best-friends-to-lovers story, would be an understatement. I just know I’m not going to be able to focus on anything until I get to read the rest of the book. Because, honestly, the end of chapter five… It should be illegal to leave us hanging right there! The care, the angst, the past and present all mixing together... I just can't wait to read the whole thing!

Luckily, I was approved for the full eARC - So, thank you so, so much Net Galley and Carina Press!

I absolutely adore Noah and David. I really enjoyed the first in this series, but I like these two even more. I was hoping we'd get their story. Best friends-turned-lovers is one of my favorite tropes, as is pining, which is what is happening so far. I love the flashbacks to their young days as well as seeing Noah shamelessly cheating at cards as Lady Penelope and in his day-to-day life at the tailor. I love seeing David's pride in his matchmaking and his running of the Curious Fox. I devoured the sample and I can't wait to read more.

I'm HOOKED by these first few chapters! I absolutely loved this dive into queer history and sweet developing romance between our two leads. Both characters have distinct voices between POV chapters, and I felt so close to them throughout. I can't wait for the full release to see where the narrative goes next. I'm so rooting for these two.

Wow, I really loved this preview!!! I am so impatient to read the rest of this story! I am not usually as into historical romance, but the summary piqued my interest and I am OBSESSED with this story now! So much so that I'm going to read the first book in this series now to try to keep me patient until this book comes out in July. I love David and Noah's story from beginning to chapter 5! Friends/business partners (ish) to lovers is my jam. I love David's draw to Noah from the beginning, and I love Noah so much as a child and as an adult refusing to be anything or anyone but exactly who he is regardless of bullies or hate.
Thank you so much for the ARC, and I'll keep my eye out for the rest of this story here on Netgalley because, as I said, I am now obsessed with this story :)

I really enjoyed this chapter sampler for A Rulebook for Restless Rogues! David and Noah have an excellent dynamic, starting from the very beginning when David can’t resist sticking up for Noah to the present, where they remain friends- and maybe something more? But first they must deal with an unprincipled baron who is trying to close down David’s queer club. I loved the idea behind this story and the dynamic between David and Noah. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next! Thank you to Jess Everlee, Carina Adores, and Netgalley for a free chapter sampler in exchange for honest feedback.

London, late 19th century: David and Noah have been best friends—and sometimes more—since boarding school. Now David runs an illicit gay club, and Noah dreams of having the freedom to turn his whimsical designs into fantastical couture...but when David's job, and with it his freedom, are threatened, they have some critical choices to make.

I've been thoroughly enjoying the chance to test-run some romance novels via preview—it's a very low-stakes way to figure out what should be next in my queue! Here we have two likeable heroes in a society that is not fully ready for them. The stakes are clear (including livelihood, possible prison time, and worse—society was not exactly leaping to defend queer relationships in the late 1800s), and I always love a romance where the greater conflict is something external rather than the protagonists being nitwits about their own feelings. Also really nice to see that these particular heroes are both friends to begin with and have some history that keeps them from being totally blind to their shared attraction.

The sample ends just as the conflict is rearing its ugly head, but this looks like a bang-up read for fans of m/m romance in general and historical m/m romance more specifically.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a free sample through NetGalley.

The first five chapters of this book made me itch to know what happens next! I loved Everlee’s writing style, it was perfectly suited for the story she wants to tell, easy to get through and intricate enough to have the desire to keep reading.
I really liked how Everlee included flashback chapters, showing Noah and David’s relationship when they first met and I must say, those might’ve been the chapters I enjoyed most.
You could feel the tension from the two main characters through the pages and I never had the feeling the romance was rushed or poorly developed. On the contrary I loved the friends to lovers and kind of second chance vibes this gives off.
I am very intrigued to know what happens next and will definitely check out more of Everlee’s work. My only tiny critic point would be that I would’ve liked to see more of their relationship in the past, before having them kiss in the present. Otherwise I really loved this.

The first instalment in this series was one of my first 5 star reads of 2023, and I feel like Forester and Noah's story is going to be another easy 5 star pick. Can't wait until August.

I’ve only read 5 chapters, and this has made to my list of potential five stars. I’m already in love with Noah and David, it’s actually insane. One of my favourite things about the preview is that based on it, I could distinctly tell what POV is David’s and which one is Noah’s— which is pretty rare for me, so kudos to that. Recently, historical romances have been a miss for me, but this piqued my interest, so I’m eager to read this novel.