An Agreement Among Gentlemen

by Chris Owen

Edward Munrow has had a change in circumstances. Going from being a gentleman of few means to being a wealthy land owner in less than a day is difficult enough to imagine, but being blackmailed into a marriage he doesn't want by a Duke is just too much. Ned agrees to the marriage to keep his name out of the scandal sheets, and soon enough he is meeting Lady Jane, a member of the Duke's family, and her son, Henri, the Viscount Langton. Langton is a delightful surprise for Ned, a young man just coming into his own, ripe for the sorts of debauchery Ned is best at. The problem is that Langton brings out all of Ned's protective instincts, and that, along with a warning that the Duke will ruin him if he so much as lays a hand on the young man has him keeping his hands to himself. Until Henri won't let Ned protect him from himself, that is. Add one of Ned's old lovers to the mix and the combination is unbeatable. This Victorian romp has it all, from family intrigue to marriages of convenience and naughty fun between the sheets. Take it to bed with you today.

Genres: Historical, M M Romance, Romance, Menage, BDSM, Historical Romance, Erotica

284 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

I live and write in eastern Canada. I went to a bunch of schools, learned a lot of things, and now make stuff up because not to do so is unthinkable. I'm fond of fountain pens, Levenger's Circa system, and Steampunk fashions.
I'm inspired by the day to day minutia of life, and find beauty in the way words go together. I like texture and richness of experience. I'm not shy. I'm happy, I'm learning, I'm living.

Reviews

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! I didn’t expect to be enthralled by a historical m/m ménage, but there you go!

This story had all the ingredients to be a total smutfest. Lots of descriptive sex, ménage, BDSM, a little exhibitionism… But still it managed to be a smart, sweet, endearing and funny book.

Owen has a wonderful writing style. She paints very vivid images and draws you into her world. There is lots of attention to detail and I feel like she painted an accurate picture of how life was (for the wealthy man) in the regency period. The social rules, the dealings with servants, all the devices one had to take to protect one's reputation and place in society... I was very much intrigued by it all.

The main character, Edward ‘Ned’ Munrow, was fantastic. An unapologetic, lazy, scheming bastard. I loved how cunningly his mind worked, how stubborn he was and how all his planning and preparing came back to bite him in the ass. I also liked how we were shown right from the beginning, that despite all his games, he is kind at heart. It was great to see the shows of tenderness and the glimpses of vulnerability.

Because of Ned’s slightly cynical narrative voice, the book had a comical undertone, but it was Ned’s valet, Griffith, who stole the show. His sardonic ways and his straight out telling off of Ned were hilarious.

I loved both Langton and Truitt. But to be completely honest: it took me a while to warm up to the idea of the three men being together, sharing each other. (I guess I can’t imagine doing the same without getting jealous.) I was afraid I would find the men's relationship unsatisfying and unrealistic. I thought I would end up being disappointed with the story. But I was wrong. There was no jealousy. The three men’s love for each other was palpable. And hot. And amazing and sweet. And the wonderful epilogue made me both happy and really sad.

A great read! 4,5 stars

[Erastes · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Impressions: I liked it. There were many things to like. *ticks off* Characters, the writing, the readability, and RED HOT SEX. I’ll say this upfront that Owen makes me jealous as his/her sex scenes are everything that I like to read, sensuous and steaming without being coarse in any way. I did have a few problems with it, however.

Characters: In the main – I did like the characters. I liked the rather juvenile behaviour of Edward – and Griffith (his man) is just uproariously brilliant. I know I’ve complained about some historical fiction being “Everyone’s gay and Everyone’s OK about it” before, (now officially known, in this blog as “OKHOMO”) but I couldn’t complain about it here. Edward DOES take steps to limit the danger from the outside world, as well as he can, at least, and Griffith, as I’ve said, is a comedy turn well worth the money of the book on its own. He verbally bitch slaps Edward at one point, and his digs and asides about his master’s behaviour (whilst still managing to be a servant and not a friend or lover) had me chortling.

I particularly liked that Langton was a “lamb with teeth” e.g that he had his own thoughts and ideas – and I preferred him at the beginnng of the book, he got a bit too pliant towards the end, and became a Truitt clone. However – I couldn’t imagine that any aristocrat – if I’m to take this as being 1840 and within living memory of the Napoleonic wars – would call their son Henri. That jarred me a little.

I liked Truitt a lot too, it’s sometimes difficult to discern the lines between characters in a menage-a-trois fic, but Owen manages to keep all the characters with their own personalities.

Setting: I have to make a point here, because I’ve read a few stories recently that have the same problem; when I read an historical book I like to know when it’s set.

The back of the book says AAAG is a “Victorian Romp” but I was completely confused–there was nothing to anchor me in the Victorian Age–and if it hadn’t said that on the back, I’d have assumed it was Georgian. The characters travel from Berkshire to London by carriage, so I can only assume it was right at the beginning of the Victorian era as the Great Western Railway was up and running by 1841.

I think it’s a case of the writers knowing their books too well and not actually sitting back and looking objectively at them and asking themself “will the reader get the era?” There’s no need to info dump or do “As you know, Bob” dialogue

It’s easy enough to ease the reader into a sense of time – and I for one feel unanchored without it. But perhaps it’s just me.

anyway – it’s a minor niggle and one that probably wouldn’t annoy 99 percent of readers.

The main problem that I had with the book is that it didn’t really have much of a plot. That didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the whole sexy romp as a whole, but it had me wondering when something would happen.

Chekov said: “One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it” ,and Owen sets up a conflict device in the very early stages of the book, but simply never follows through with it. I was waiting for that “gun” to go off, for the conflict to kick in, but it just never happened. Things just went from good to better to sublime for the characters, and in the end I couldn’t help but think that it was only all about the sex.

Writing: The writing was nicely balanced, a feel of the time, with a narrative voice that sounded and felt right, and excellent descriptive text. Owen writes quite cinematically if you know what I mean, and the surroundings and other characters are so well described without being at all heavy handed, that I could imagine what I was reading very easily. There were one or two minor Americanisms and one or two editing flutters but utterly minor.

If you like a nice uncomplicated love story with a lot of very well written sex then you’ll enjoy this. If Owen were to write another gay historicals I would certainly buy it without hesitation, but I hope that there’s more emphasis on plot and conflict next time.

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been in somewhat of a slump since June and it's making me a bit crazy. I'm unsure if it's just me picking the wrong books or if I'm just sick of books period. I'm hoping that's not the case but I'm beginning to wonder. With that said, this book was started in June and took me nearly two full months to finish. I'd pick it up, read a few pages and put it down again. Thus, this review and my memory is not to be trusted.

The main problem here was the fact that I had some issues with the main guy Edward Munrow and it tainted everything and made the story difficult to enjoy. He was spoiled and admittedly a lazabout, mooching off the family funds and his brother and bitching and moaning about his lot in life. Oh woe is me. I don't like lazy, good-fer-nothings in real life and can barely tolerate them in books unless they're exceptionally charming and this guy wasn't exactly my idea of charming. He's drinking and partying and enjoying the high class life when lo and behold he inherits a large estate! What luck, eh? Why can't someone drop a mansion on me?! But there's a catch. He must secure a wife and an heir in order to keep it and he'd be a real fool not to keep it. He prefers men and enjoys his freedom so he's not at all happy about this turn of events (I can't blame him for that, really). He is then blackmailed into marrying a woman with a handsome grown son. The son spends the summer getting to know our lucky protagonist Edward who lusts after him and awakens him to pleasures of the flesh (this part did manage to grab my attention, can you believe?). Edward calls him "his little lamb" which is fitting considering his innocence and willingness to follow Edward's lead and it leads him to some seriously sexy times.

This was a sensual, sexy book with a decently done three-way lust story but it didn't grab me emotionally in any way which was disappointing. There were no deep emotional connections developed here despite the "love" declarations and I truly wish I could have seen the world through the little lambies eyes as well. I felt cheated out of some scenes that I was anticipating and am sure I missed something that would have changed my world. I feel like a meanie because everyone seems to adore this story but I just wasn't feeling it for the most part.

[Sonia189 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy reading this that much. Maybe I'm being unfair, this type of book no longer appeals much to me after all but... I had hopes it might surprise me. The main character also didn't win me over.

[Emanuela ~plastic duck~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

I read the first half of the book with a bit of irritation. The main character, Edward, is given an estate and riches by a good friend of his he was Edward's father ex-lover. His benefactor and Edward share the same sexual orientation and the benefactor, a childless widower, instead of marrying and providing an heir to the estate, goes to France with his paramour and leaves Edward with the huge problem of managing his new riches and finding a wife to have an heir.

Edward is not of noble origins, but his father left him an allowance. When we meet him, Edward has never really worked in his life, he's simply enjoyed life. It's difficult to like a character that appears rather inept and dull, he wasn't even convincing as a hedonist, in my opinion. The big problem of his life comes from a dying duke whose fortune had been dilapidated and who blackmails Edward into marrying his widowed daughter, who has already a son who will become heir to a title void of actual riches. The duke knows that Edward is a sodomist - this is a historical romance, you could be sent to prison and hard labour - but he accepts to send his nephew Henri to Edward's hall so that Edward can see if Henri is a suitable heir.

Henri is 19, handsome, with a passion for books and riding in the open and Edward is set on seducing him and flaunting his conquest to the dying duke. Not a nice person, this Edward. You might understand why I was so uncomfortable while reading this, because I couldn't really connect with such a shallow character. At the half of the book, though, Edward has an epiphany: he starts to see Henri as a real person, a young brilliant man who has the courage to pursue his desires. I think this could have made the whole story, but Edward has a lover in London, Christopher, who is coveted by Henri too.

There is no jealousy or competition for the other man's affection in this book. Edward genuinely cares for Christopher and even if he has a new life, he doesn't want to let him go. I really liked both Christopher and Henri, because they're very open and the way they express their desires shows that they're more in touch with them than Edward himself. Maybe that's not what I want to say, I mean, Edward seemed so jaded sometimes that I never had the impression I could really know him, that he would really show his deepest feelings. Even if the whole book is in Edward's point of view, he was a character who conveyed very little passion.

I perceived a distance that was maybe due to the times. There were moments which reminded me of the movie Gosford Park, with the butlers, valets, footmen, stable boys, who knew so much of what was going on in the house and that could really hold the reputation of a man in their hands. It was funny to read what was implied between Edward and his valet. I had sometimes the impression that the author was building narrative threads that weren't really followed through and the end seemed a bit rushed.

A good read.

[SJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Porn With Plot(PWP) I remember when I had to look up those initials after coming to Goodreads and noticing it in reviews of the dirtier books. Now, it’s not dirty books, it’s ‘erotica’ in my reviews. Lol

I have found some Chris Owen books at Kobo and am going to read and reread the MM’s. The author writes MF and I have read at least one of those.

Here, it is ménage à trois in Regency/Georgian England. Homosexuals walked such a fine line, even in those wink wink times. It was often the upper classes who used knowledge of it as a weapon, at least in the MM historicals that I’ve read.

I might have missed MC Ned’s age and description, but I don’t think so. The more I got into the book the more I wondered what he looked like. It had to be handsome because he bedded many of the side characters in the book and became stepfather to one during the story and kept him as a long time lover! I don’t think the mom/wife knew, but as she had her own lover it might not have mattered to her.

It sounds sleazy, but Ned and young Langton and his mother had to dance to the piper of a horribly manipulative relative who blackmailed Ned into marrying his daughter and insisting that his grandson, Langton, live all summer with Ned. The grandfather wants Langton to eventually inherit from Ned who is being forced to marry the mother because grandfather has dug up dirt that Ned is gay.

It all works out and Langton has fallen in lust and love with Ned, who wants and loves him back. Ned has a longtime sub, Truitt, who is as wild and freaky as Ned in the sack. There are some other friends who come for a sexy weekend at the estate and that was a hot voyeur scene with all of them, except Langton. Ned tries to keep Langton at arms length, but not for long when Langton decides he wants both Truitt and Ned. Their relationship is well written and real, as is the dialogue. All sides of their triangle are equal.

Sex is the glue that binds this story, and, boy, is it hot!
And plentiful. If you are looking for steamy two and three way sex, this is a very good book to try. Like the book blurb says, “Take it to bed with you.” 😀

The writing is clear and the story is well done. I didn’t find the manservant, Griffith, as hilarious a character as some reviewers said. He was dry remarks and I thought ‘Jeeves’ did it better in the Wodehouse books. I guess Jeeves didn’t have to deal with all the cum stained sheets that Griffith had to deal with, and mentioned. Lol

[JD Crittendon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Unique Historical Love Affair!

The intriguing relationship between Ned Munroe, Viscount Langton & Christopher Truitt. A historical tale of a surprise extravaganza gift, blackmail, planned revenge, discovered sexual appetites and love. I enjoyed the MCs, side characters and good storytelling. This is a hidden gem!
Although, the editing could be better.

[Mati · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am under the stress of my work so I decided to read something easy and what can be called light literature. I picked it up for several reasons. The first one was the plot set in the Victorian age, the second it was gay themed and the third it was an ebook so I could read it in my cellphone. The plot was narrow and without any surprise as it was supposed to be.
The main hero and narrator of the story Edward Munrow lived easy life of very rich commoner who had special hobby which was practitioned in perfectly safe club. One of his friend wealthy aristocrat with perfect young lover (not our Eddie) decided to pursue his alternative life style without any burden of the realty and he gave his estate and lands to our Eddie. Eward Munrow learnt that his father and his benefactor were once lovers so you can have an idea about the reason of such act. The estate was perfect as the upcoming life for Edward. However Edward became suddenly target of blackmailing. Very poor Duke stuck to the chin in to the debts with deadly illness decided to secure his kin future by the marriage. Lady Jane is supposed to get secured future for herself and her son, Henri, the Viscount Langton. The catch was easy since Duke pointed that our Eddie was deep in the gay underground and he had several letters about his hobby. Edward agreed, but he was furious about it. But the torment went deep. He was supposed to take care about the young Viscount who was ripe to rape and to be debauched. The duke of course set warning about not touching the young man, but it was just for the sake of the plot. Edward was determinated to spoil the boy and make him his personal whore, however he was honorable man and the boy proved himself as intelligent and gentle companion. Langton was nicknamed lamb by Munrow's friends and as a lamb he was cleans as a snow. The old Eddie's lover handsome Truit, who is dearest pet and very naughty too, encourages Eddie to pursue lamb. The lamb was in love, Edward was in love with his lamb and his pet and all lived happily ever after. The evil duke was shut up with lady Jane who befriended Eddie (their wedding night was one of the most funniest thing in the book and they became fine friends during it), and her son added the final stroked by confession about his illicit relationship with Munrow. The duke died by natural causes, and young duke Henri had happy go lucky family. The end.

[Plainbrownwrapper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, hot, irreverent historical mmm menage story.

I have not been terribly fond of the four or five other Chris Owen stories I've read -- and I actually thought that the menage scenes in Gemini bordered on unimaginative and boring -- but I had fun with this one. The sex was varied and enthusiastic and sensual, the characters had spark and individuality, and the plot -- what there was of it -- was entertaining and didn't take itself too seriously. I was also impressed with the sweetness of the relationships between all three MCs, which showed through both in the bedroom (and stairway, and restaurant, and carriage, and...) and also in their non-sexual lives.

For folks who want to dip their toes into the very shallow end of the BDSM pond, this might be a good book to try. Most of the sex scenes have no BDSM elements, and the few times BD principles do appear they are very mild -- and also very caring and warm-hearted. There are a few references to stronger BDSM off-stage, and there's some voyeurism and exhibitionism in addition, but there's nothing that anyone should find especially triggering or boundary-pushing. Oh, and there's one very mild scene that almost has girly bits. Almost. ;-)

My two quibbles with the book were that:

1. if you thought about how the main characters were affecting all the *other* people in their lives, those MCs could end up looking quite cynical and jaded and even callous. The only characters in the whole book who really acted purely out of love were Barrett (the original manor owner who gives all his property to Edward), and possibly Truitt (one of the three MCs), who has no reason to marry anyway. Everyone else is being forced to act, or is acting in various ways out of self-interest. Nevertheless, Owen does a good job of showing us how society and financial concerns *could* force the characters to be acting in these ways.

2. much of the plot was unrealistic and overly convenient. Readers need to keep in mind that the book really is properly characterized as a "romp", so that we don't think too intently about the details.

I can't quite make myself give this a full 4 stars, although perhaps I should. I'm happy to rate it at something like 3.7, though, and round it up from there.

[Nene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the best historical m/m I've read so far! I thought some of the issues were handled very well, from marriages to dealing with servants. And the smexin was just so hot!

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

MMM historical romance. I didn't love this for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, it had a very fuzzy historical setting. Was it Georgian or Victorian? I can't remember and there really weren't enough identifiers in the text to make it clear. This comes across as lazy writing, and irritated me for most of the book, especially since the main event at the beginning that sets the plot in motion seemed historically unlikely. Secondly, I didn't love the main character. He seemed pompous and self-centred and didn't really experience much character growth. Sadly for me, the narration was all from his point of view. It was well written enough that I finished the book but I won't be looking into the author's back catalogue.

[R E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written Victorian M/M Romance with plot, interesting characters, and hot sex

Expertly written with nuance, clarity, flowing descriptive sentences and paragraphs that keep the story moving. Oh, and hot, sustained sex that is varied, reveals character and inner life, and feels spontaneous and authentic within the world author Chris Owen brings to life. Quibbles include an ambiguous time period (probably early Victorian?), but nothing that really detracts from the novel's effectiveness.

[Sasha Ambroz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot daring no-nonsense historical m/m/m romance. Enjoyed it greatly.

[Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breezy, Raunchy, Tricky, Humorous

OK, this is Chris Owens' only historical novel, and even though it's set in the Victorian era, it reads pretty much like a MM Regency romance. That's where the comparisons stop for the most part because the central character, Edward Munrow is such a wastrel and lay about when we first meet him that somehow it seems justified that he gets himself blackmailed into a very potent, somewhat ludicrous, but eventually satisfying situation.

Read the blurb to see what the set-up is all about. You are being teased in the blurb about a lot of things, and because this is not a short book all those teasers are fully explored (except for one, see below). Langton turns out to be an exceptionally well-developed 20-year-old who is well met by Edward, who is perhaps 15 years his senior.

The addition of Edward's friends, which is a risky proposition if they are discovered, is handled gracefully and to most extents, fully. However, this is the one part of the tale I was a bit disappointed in--there aren't enough physical descriptions of the friends so that we occasionally get confused as to who is whom and who is making a move on whomever. But that is a mere quibble.

The book is loaded with steamy scenes, some of which are quite explicit and most of which are completely unexpected. But that lends a buoyancy to the tale that keeps the potential for Edward getting publicly outed and ruined by the nasty Duke all the more terrifying because these guys (and their servants) are having such a darn good time with each other.

This is a mild hoot-and-a-howl because its humor, while often tongue-in-cheek, is evident on every page. Edward turns this book on its ear at every turn with his narration as well as his skill in making us believe this all could happen. A delightful read from beginning to end, worthy of a full bottle of brandy at your side.

[Apeiron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore when romantic plot in romance takes a long time to develop, or even to appear, at all. But the part of book spent waiting for said romantic plot should be filled with, well, other plot. I might come back to this book some day, but for now I don't feel like wading through 50 pages of Munrow repeatedly reminding me that he was surprised to receive the mansion as a gift, but also astounded, flabbergasted, taken aback, caught unawares, etc. I also don't care much for the endless descriptions of the mansion and his decorating ambitions, even though they're lovely. I don't expect my books to be action-packed. Hell, I'd be content to read about intense chess games that last for weeks. But there has to be *something* happening, descriptions of places and multiple descriptions of the same feelings, do not a novel make.

But it is lovely written and the erotic scenes are steamy and intense.

[Ryoma Gartre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, I had some issues at some instances with this book specially I didn't find believable the feelings of the mc for his partners, he was in lust with Henry, and the other felt more of convenience easiness, feelings were never discussed in detail, as I said the relationships were more driven by lust, the setting is quite believable, But i could so have done without the explanation of the dynamics between the other menage, I don't like houseboy/middlesub/dom relationships, overall I liked it but the ending felt flat as is finish quite openly in an anticlimactic way.

Surprisingly for being a Chris Owens the sex scenes are just enough, no less and no more.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous, utterly satsifying historical read which I was reluctant to put down for anything, for very long.

I loved the characters, hated the villain and found myself so drawn in that I could see the action playing out in my mind as though watching a BBC Period drama.

Of course, the hot, sizzling man-sex and a touch of light BDSM thrown in also helped!

Highly Recommended.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I'd place this in the "well written erotica" slot. There are a few sex scenes that feel superfluous, but they're...incredibly hot, so I didn't mind at all. The characters are totally engaging and lovable and their struggles were believable. I didn't love the writing style, but other factors made up for it enough to keep me going and enjoying the read.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another story that I really enjoyed. Definitely a change of pace from the usual m/m romance. Chris Owen has a gift for creating interesting characters. If the book was expanded and came to a bit more solid of a conclusion, I think it would be 5 stars.

[Lidia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The historical romance are fascinating especially when the protagonists are three handsome and noble sirs, and not missing intrigues and secrets. So hot scenes of sex and men in love, complete this lovely book.

[Erotic Horizon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Agreement Among Gentlemen by Chris Owen (2008)

[Aredhel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected so much more from this book...but it appeared to be too shallow to my taste. Maybe I'm just carping, but maybe not...

[Darla Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, but I like Chris Owen the stories are usually consistent

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

For some reason I put off reading this... Which was a shame it funny sweet and incredibly entertaining

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful book. I love the historical books.

[ibNell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m such a sucker for Historical M/M. This Erotic Historical was very well written ~ a great M/M Ménage.

[Willo Font · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought this would be better.

[Daniela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing plot! Beautifully written!

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun read!

[SheReadsALot]

Cripes, I forgot I bought the paperback years ago.