I loved this book, I loved everything about it: the appealing characters, the way in which their relationship developed, the assured writing and the mystery elements of the plot. It tugged at my heart in a way that historical romance novels used to do all the time before I became jaded by reading the same old clichés over and over. There is none of that here.
The soldier is Oliver Rivington, younger son of an earl, a recently returned veteran of ten years serving in the Napoleonic Wars. He is good natured, honourable and lonely. The scoundrel is Jack Turner, born into London’s criminal classes, formerly a valet not above pilfering from his employers, and now a private enquiry agent with sometimes shady methods of solving his clients’ problems.The two men meet because Jack helps Oliver’s sister with the problem of her domestic tyrant husband. Oliver thinks Jack is an outright villain, whilst Jack sees Oliver as a pampered aristocrat.
One of the joys of this novel is seeing how their initial opinions of each other change with time spent in each other’s company. Jack has no great faith in a justice system designed to favour the aristocracy he despises, and he has no qualms about bending the law to achieve moral justice. But Oliver craves order and respect for the law in his peacetime world, after the bloodshed and anarchy he experienced during warfare. He is appalled by Jack’s cavalier disregard for society’s rules in his quest for information.
Oliver involves himself in one of Jack’s cases in a vague attempt to prevent Jack causing harm with his pragmatic methods. As they work together their entrenched positions gradually alter, and they find themselves experiencing not only physical attraction, but also dawning admiration and affection.
The quality of Sebastian’s writing makes their romance particularly affecting, with beautifully precise language used to describe nuances of emotion. The main characters are both very masculine but there is more tenderness in this book than is usual in mm romance. Oliver and Jack find themselves being solicitous of each other’s fears or physical weaknesses. Despite them both being surprised by the strength of their feelings, they are not afraid to express them to each other. Yet some of the most romantic moments are quite understated, and more moving as a result.
In Regency England the social gulf between them is a significant threat to their chances of making a life together. I loved the way that the suspense of whether they will get their HEA is maintained to the end of the book (for them if not for the reader), but the ending is not rushed and unsatisfying.
By the end of the book Jack has solved two mysteries and both he and Oliver have learned valuable lessons. They have changed each other for the better. Their story is a rich and deeply satisfying romance. I eagerly await Cat Sebastian’s next book.
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Another MM historical romance with a HAE from Cat Sebastian !
Reviewed in Canada on April 29, 2024