Review by Sunshine and rain
Sep 30, 2016Oh my word! Or words! Lots and lots of beautifully crafted, nicely paced, exquisitely plotted words. Can you tell I loved this book? No? I LOVED THIS BOOK! This combines some of my favorite things; history and effective use of language.
"Among his eccentric though strictly principled group of friends, Lord Richard Vane is the confidant on whom everyone depends for advice, moral rectitude, and discreet assistance. Yet when Richard has a problem, he turns to his valet, a fixer of unparalleled genius—and the object of Richard’s deepest desires. If there is one rule a gentleman must follow, it is never to dally with servants. But when David is close enough to touch, the rules of class collide with the basest sort of animal instinct: overpowering lust."
- That is part of the book blurb and it is enough to make you dig deeper. I definitely wanted to see how the "oh so upright", high in the instep Lord Vane would reconcile his breeding with his lust for his servant. Ms. Charles does an excellent job of juxtaposing sexual tension with the emotional conflict of societal expectations. We see the internal war being played out over Richard's revealed love for Cyprian and his previously unwavering belief that the lower classes are beneath him as an aristocrat. More troubling to Cyprian than the condescension is the expressed belief that Cyprian and others of his ilk need to be protected from themselves and their decisions. It is a version of noblesse oblige that both charms, irks and ultimately offends. This book is both a MM romance of the best kind and a character study. Along with the evolution of their relationship, we see the gradual development of the MCs character and thought processes in how they adapt their love to the social mores of the time. The conflict and intrigue that has been present throughout the series continued here and was no less nuanced though less complex and more reader rewarding than in the previous books. This was a tightly coiled then equisitely unwound journey to the end. 5 best of class stars*****
Oh my word! Or words! Lots and lots of beautifully crafted, nicely paced, exquisitely plotted words. Can you tell I loved this book? No? I LOVED THIS BOOK! This combines some of my favorite things; history and effective use of language.
"Among his eccentric though strictly principled group of friends, Lord Richard Vane is the confidant on whom everyone depends for advice, moral rectitude, and discreet assistance. Yet when Richard has a problem, he turns to his valet, a fixer of unparalleled genius—and the object of Richard’s deepest desires. If there is one rule a gentleman must follow, it is never to dally with servants. But when David is close enough to touch, the rules of class collide with the basest sort of animal instinct: overpowering lust."
- That is part of the book blurb and it is enough to make you dig deeper. I definitely wanted to see how the "oh so upright", high in the instep Lord Vane would reconcile his breeding with his lust for his servant. Ms. Charles does an excellent job of juxtaposing sexual tension with the emotional conflict of societal expectations. We see the internal war being played out over Richard's revealed love for Cyprian and his previously unwavering belief that the lower classes are beneath him as an aristocrat. More troubling to Cyprian than the condescension is the expressed belief that Cyprian and others of his ilk need to be protected from themselves and their decisions. It is a version of noblesse oblige that both charms, irks and ultimately offends. This book is both a MM romance of the best kind and a character study. Along with the evolution of their relationship, we see the gradual development of the MCs character and thought processes in how they adapt their love to the social mores of the time. The conflict and intrigue that has been present throughout the series continued here and was no less nuanced though less complex and more reader rewarding than in the previous books. This was a tightly coiled then equisitely unwound journey to the end. 5 best of class stars*****
