What do you think?
Rate this book
The Hunt Club #1
Almost An Equal
When Nathan, Duke of Byworth's, empty sham of a marriage is threatened by a fellow duke he is naturally aggrieved. He cannot allow the potentially damaging contents of his wife's diary to reveal the depths of their estrangement because exposure of his secret dalliances with other men would taint his innocent children's lives. Not to mention end his life. So, without revealing his mission to his steward, Henry Stackpool, a man he trusts for everything else, Nathan undertakes to steal the diary back alone.
Former pickpocket and molly house whore, Henry Stackpool, works hard to keep his position as right hand to a moral man, the Duke of Byworth, but he fears his kind hearted employer is ill-equipped for a confrontation with his unstable opponent. Yet Henry cannot reveal his knowledge of the threat without exposing the secrets of his past or his keen interest in Byworth's safety. So when fate places Henry in harms way, he risks his hard won reputation to retrieve the diary. Yet he too is held captive, and when Byworth comes to his rescue his lies are revealed.
Can Byworth forgive him for his deception and will Henry keep the country life he's grown to love?
Author Note: This novella contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations some readers may find objectionable: anal play/intercourse, light spanking, male/male sexual practices.
Former pickpocket and molly house whore, Henry Stackpool, works hard to keep his position as right hand to a moral man, the Duke of Byworth, but he fears his kind hearted employer is ill-equipped for a confrontation with his unstable opponent. Yet Henry cannot reveal his knowledge of the threat without exposing the secrets of his past or his keen interest in Byworth's safety. So when fate places Henry in harms way, he risks his hard won reputation to retrieve the diary. Yet he too is held captive, and when Byworth comes to his rescue his lies are revealed.
Can Byworth forgive him for his deception and will Henry keep the country life he's grown to love?
Author Note: This novella contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations some readers may find objectionable: anal play/intercourse, light spanking, male/male sexual practices.
87 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 15, 2011
7 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
About the author
Heather Boyd
110 books754 followersUSA Today Bestselling Author Heather Boyd believes every character she creates deserves their own happily-ever-after—no matter how much trouble she puts them through. With that goal in mind, she writes steamy romances that skirt the boundaries of propriety to keep readers enthralled until the wee hours of the morning. Heather has published over sixty regency romance novels and shorter works full of daring seductions and distinguished rogues. She lives north of Sydney, Australia, with her trio of rogues and a four-legged overlord. To learn more visit www.Heather-Boyd.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 8, 2025
Edit- Dec 2025: Totally forgot I’d read this. No change on original read but slight drop on rating ⭐️2.5/3⭐️
Short Regency romance that is an Ok read but a bit far fetched and heavy on the sex. Didn't not like it but didn't love it either. Not much else to say really except it’s part of a series and seeing as I bought the three together I'll read on to see if it gets any better.
Short Regency romance that is an Ok read but a bit far fetched and heavy on the sex. Didn't not like it but didn't love it either. Not much else to say really except it’s part of a series and seeing as I bought the three together I'll read on to see if it gets any better.
January 4, 2023
Rating: 3.5 stars (rounded down)
This story was such a pleasant surprise! I originally assumed it was pure erotica and while the first half does have way too many sex scenes and there were some sloppy storytelling mistakes, there was a good plot, the romance was great and I loved most of the characters and the historical vibe.
My favorite aspect was Nate and Henry's relationship. Nate is a nobleman but he's a kind-hearted man who treats his servants well and as a result, he has a great working relationship with his steward, Henry, and they both respect each other, despite Henry being quite young and not having prior service experience. To my surprise, the author wasted no time getting the plot started and things get exciting (and kind of dark) fast.
I also liked that . While this does mean their first few sexual interactions were dub-con, it was a creative way to move the plot along quickly since both of these men would never reveal their homosexualities to each other otherwise.
What I also enjoyed about their sexual dynamic was that Henry used to be submissive when he was a prostitute but he wants to be in control now that he's left that part of his life behind him. Nate (being a nobleman) is accustomed to being the dominant partner during sex but he trusts and respects Henry enough to let Henry take the reins. And to both of their delight, Nate ends up loving it. Their dynamic included some BDSM elements but it was very light BDSM and I loved how the author used that dynamic to create equality between the two MCs, which would otherwise be quite skewed due to Henry being younger, being Nate's employee and from a lower social class. They easily settle into a pattern where Nate is in charge during the day but in the bedroom, Henry is in charge.
That being said, the first half of the story included way too many sex scenes, to the point of it being absurd. There was a section where the two MCs couldn't have a conversation longer than a few sentences before they were having sex again.
But in the second half, Henry and Nate return to the main estate and that's when the plot resumed and it was fantastic! I especially liked that the author had Nate's 3 young children and his wife play a big role in the overall romance. I had recently DNF'd Behind Locked Doors by Nicholas Kinsley (another BDSM Historical Victorian romance that featured a married nobleman who had a child and enjoyed BDSM relationships with men) and it was interesting to note the different ways both books approached a similar premise. In 'Doors', the MC married his wife under false pretenses and then resented her afterwards when she was disappointed to find out who he really was/what he was really like. In addition, he resented his young son and barely spent any time with him. In this book, the situations were done very differently. It isn't outright stated, but I'm pretty sure Nate's marriage to his wife had been arranged and neither of them had ever held any illusions over what their marriage would be. They don't like each other and they've both cheated on each other throughout their marriage (Nate with other men and his wife with various servants). It wasn't a healthy marriage but they treated each other equally badly so I didn't mind it.
Most importantly, Nate was a wonderful father to his 3 young children and he went out of his way to spend as much time with them as possible. His wife didn't have much to do with the children but Nate never allowed his antagonistic relationship with his wife to impact his relationship with his children. I also loved that Henry had his own relationship with the young children and that they loved him like they would an uncle. Henry's desire to have a relationship with the children had nothing to do with his long-held feelings for Nate, which was another thing I liked. The children aren't a huge part of the story but this is the first MM historical Victorian romance that I've read where I really enjoyed the relationship between the children and the MCs.
Another thing I enjoyed was how the author resolved the situation regarding Nate's marriage. It was handled in a way that was realistic for the time period (when divorce wasn't an option) but it allowed both Nate and his wife to finally get away from that unhealthy relationship and carve out new paths that didn't include the other person directly. It was a mature and healthy way for them to solve the situation and I really enjoyed it.
All of these things were really positive, but unfortunately, I didn't only dislike the large number of sex scenes in the story. There were a lot of sloppy mistakes with the storytelling, including plot holes and characters' backstories and story roles changing randomly. I'll give some examples:
Another example: the epilogue has Nate getting visited by two Dukes, Lewes and Staines. We know from the rest of the story that .
I think all of these sloppy mistakes were a result of the author's poor planning (or lack of planning) and lack of proper editing. The plot holes were ridiculous and changing a character's backstory and role in a story so dramatically and for no reason resulted in massive confusion for me.
This all being said, everything regarding Nate, Henry and Nate's family was done really well and I was pleasantly surprised by it. I'm going to continue the series because I wasn't expecting this to be as good as it was, but I'm hoping the author's sloppy storytelling doesn't stay consistent throughout.
This story was such a pleasant surprise! I originally assumed it was pure erotica and while the first half does have way too many sex scenes and there were some sloppy storytelling mistakes, there was a good plot, the romance was great and I loved most of the characters and the historical vibe.
My favorite aspect was Nate and Henry's relationship. Nate is a nobleman but he's a kind-hearted man who treats his servants well and as a result, he has a great working relationship with his steward, Henry, and they both respect each other, despite Henry being quite young and not having prior service experience. To my surprise, the author wasted no time getting the plot started and things get exciting (and kind of dark) fast.
I also liked that . While this does mean their first few sexual interactions were dub-con, it was a creative way to move the plot along quickly since both of these men would never reveal their homosexualities to each other otherwise.
What I also enjoyed about their sexual dynamic was that Henry used to be submissive when he was a prostitute but he wants to be in control now that he's left that part of his life behind him. Nate (being a nobleman) is accustomed to being the dominant partner during sex but he trusts and respects Henry enough to let Henry take the reins. And to both of their delight, Nate ends up loving it. Their dynamic included some BDSM elements but it was very light BDSM and I loved how the author used that dynamic to create equality between the two MCs, which would otherwise be quite skewed due to Henry being younger, being Nate's employee and from a lower social class. They easily settle into a pattern where Nate is in charge during the day but in the bedroom, Henry is in charge.
That being said, the first half of the story included way too many sex scenes, to the point of it being absurd. There was a section where the two MCs couldn't have a conversation longer than a few sentences before they were having sex again.
But in the second half, Henry and Nate return to the main estate and that's when the plot resumed and it was fantastic! I especially liked that the author had Nate's 3 young children and his wife play a big role in the overall romance. I had recently DNF'd Behind Locked Doors by Nicholas Kinsley (another BDSM Historical Victorian romance that featured a married nobleman who had a child and enjoyed BDSM relationships with men) and it was interesting to note the different ways both books approached a similar premise. In 'Doors', the MC married his wife under false pretenses and then resented her afterwards when she was disappointed to find out who he really was/what he was really like. In addition, he resented his young son and barely spent any time with him. In this book, the situations were done very differently. It isn't outright stated, but I'm pretty sure Nate's marriage to his wife had been arranged and neither of them had ever held any illusions over what their marriage would be. They don't like each other and they've both cheated on each other throughout their marriage (Nate with other men and his wife with various servants). It wasn't a healthy marriage but they treated each other equally badly so I didn't mind it.
Most importantly, Nate was a wonderful father to his 3 young children and he went out of his way to spend as much time with them as possible. His wife didn't have much to do with the children but Nate never allowed his antagonistic relationship with his wife to impact his relationship with his children. I also loved that Henry had his own relationship with the young children and that they loved him like they would an uncle. Henry's desire to have a relationship with the children had nothing to do with his long-held feelings for Nate, which was another thing I liked. The children aren't a huge part of the story but this is the first MM historical Victorian romance that I've read where I really enjoyed the relationship between the children and the MCs.
Another thing I enjoyed was how the author resolved the situation regarding Nate's marriage. It was handled in a way that was realistic for the time period (when divorce wasn't an option) but it allowed both Nate and his wife to finally get away from that unhealthy relationship and carve out new paths that didn't include the other person directly. It was a mature and healthy way for them to solve the situation and I really enjoyed it.
All of these things were really positive, but unfortunately, I didn't only dislike the large number of sex scenes in the story. There were a lot of sloppy mistakes with the storytelling, including plot holes and characters' backstories and story roles changing randomly. I'll give some examples:
Another example: the epilogue has Nate getting visited by two Dukes, Lewes and Staines. We know from the rest of the story that .
I think all of these sloppy mistakes were a result of the author's poor planning (or lack of planning) and lack of proper editing. The plot holes were ridiculous and changing a character's backstory and role in a story so dramatically and for no reason resulted in massive confusion for me.
This all being said, everything regarding Nate, Henry and Nate's family was done really well and I was pleasantly surprised by it. I'm going to continue the series because I wasn't expecting this to be as good as it was, but I'm hoping the author's sloppy storytelling doesn't stay consistent throughout.
February 6, 2012
Sadly unoriginal story which I think I’ve read at least six times since starting reviewing the genre. That’s not to say that it’s not readable, because it is and at $2.99 it’s not expensive. But it says nothing new and the characters and plot are so derivative I got a little bored.
Two men who both fancy each other and of course neither knows and both think they have heterosexual inclinations, then there’s an intervention and suddenly PING they fall into bed together–they can’t even look at each other (including in front of the children which was mildly repellent, no control at all) without getting instant hard-ons. You know. Then when they do go to bed, rather than being “Almost an Equal” the servant goes from calling the Duke “Your Grace” to “Nate” (after being asked to call him Nathan.) And in a day or so they are madly in love. Of course. Sound familiar? Yes.
Oh, and course the Token Woman who is necessarily Evil.
Then of course there’s the obligatory BDSM elements which seem to be de-rigeur these days. It appears that you simply can’t be a Regency homosexual without either being a sadistic rapist OR wanting to play BDSM games.
At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, it’s self-published and yes, the editing is dire. The author clearly didn’t bother to have anyone check it over (or if she did, she needs to use someone else) because there are dozens of typos–lack of apostrophes where they need to be, wrong homonyms etc etc. I’m this close from never reviewing self-pubbed books again at this point.
I found myself intrigued, though in some respect. The books is subtitled “The Hunt Club Chronicles book 1″ and Henry and his friend “Archer” were both whores at the ubiquitous upper class gay brothel so I would be interested in reading more about the background of the two men. It might have been better though had the saga started in the Club and shown how they left rather than showing it as backstory.
There is a large proportion of sex in the book, which will probably please many. The build up is teasing and then there’s many long, long scenes which are meticulously described and well-written. Although, once again, there’s nothing new here, the sex scenes were the best parts of the book for me.
I might try book 2 if it gets published, but if it’s not noticeably better than this I won’t be going on to book 3. Unmemorable.
Two men who both fancy each other and of course neither knows and both think they have heterosexual inclinations, then there’s an intervention and suddenly PING they fall into bed together–they can’t even look at each other (including in front of the children which was mildly repellent, no control at all) without getting instant hard-ons. You know. Then when they do go to bed, rather than being “Almost an Equal” the servant goes from calling the Duke “Your Grace” to “Nate” (after being asked to call him Nathan.) And in a day or so they are madly in love. Of course. Sound familiar? Yes.
Oh, and course the Token Woman who is necessarily Evil.
Then of course there’s the obligatory BDSM elements which seem to be de-rigeur these days. It appears that you simply can’t be a Regency homosexual without either being a sadistic rapist OR wanting to play BDSM games.
At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, it’s self-published and yes, the editing is dire. The author clearly didn’t bother to have anyone check it over (or if she did, she needs to use someone else) because there are dozens of typos–lack of apostrophes where they need to be, wrong homonyms etc etc. I’m this close from never reviewing self-pubbed books again at this point.
I found myself intrigued, though in some respect. The books is subtitled “The Hunt Club Chronicles book 1″ and Henry and his friend “Archer” were both whores at the ubiquitous upper class gay brothel so I would be interested in reading more about the background of the two men. It might have been better though had the saga started in the Club and shown how they left rather than showing it as backstory.
There is a large proportion of sex in the book, which will probably please many. The build up is teasing and then there’s many long, long scenes which are meticulously described and well-written. Although, once again, there’s nothing new here, the sex scenes were the best parts of the book for me.
I might try book 2 if it gets published, but if it’s not noticeably better than this I won’t be going on to book 3. Unmemorable.
Read
December 18, 2011It’s very clear this author is used to write erotic historical romances, and I’d like to highlight the word “erotic”, since in this case it weights a little more than the “historical” one. Nobleman Nathan has done his due to the dukedom, 2 sons and 1 daughter, and now he has no patience left for his demanding wife, a wife that, by the way, has already found a replacement for the role of bedmate. There is no love between Nathan and his wife, and from what I understand, never there was. Even if it’s not detailed, I think their was an arranged marriage of some sort. Sure, to my opinion, Nathan could have found someone nicer to be the mother of his children, but then the children seem to not have taken from their mother.
Lately a new addition to the household has helped with raising the kids: Henry, Nathan’s steward, spends as many time as he can with the children, and they seem to care for him as much as they care for their father. Nathan is not against the idea, but he himself would like to have a deeper bond with the young man, only that Henry has never expressed any interest or given him any signs he would be willing. Aside from that, Henry’s devotion to Nathan is exclusive, and when he learns about a possible threat to the man’s good name, he is ready to risk his cover for him: Henry is a former whore and he escaped a molly house; the man who is blackmailing Nathan is the same man Henry was running away from; of course Henry’s plot will not go as smoothly as he hoped and Nathan will have to help him. That is no surprising at all, what will be a nice surprise for the reader is the changing in powership that will happen between Nathan and Henry.
At the beginning I found Henry to be a little too submissive, too weak; I was already thinking to tag this story as a “classical” breeches rippers, with the poor young man falling in love for the dashing aristocrat; but even if this is a breeches rippers, you will have a surprise on whom will have his breeches ripped. I think this is due to two major factor: Henry’s bad past experience preventing him to fully trust another man, with his body but above all with his freedom, and Nathan’s need for once to not be the one in command, his need to let it go, and exactly at the opposite of Henry, to be able to trust someone with his body and his freedom.
This is book 1 in a series, and it’s clear who will be the pair of book 2. What remained an open point is if maybe this is not a spin off of some other series by the same author, mainly since some of the supporting characters, having only a cameo role, gave me the idea to have a some sort of shared past with both Henry than Nathan, and so there was a little bit the feeling to be plunged in the middle of the action with little preparation. But in a way, it was no bad, since the reader was soon at the main course, without wasting much time with the appetizers.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0056BLFQG/?...
Lately a new addition to the household has helped with raising the kids: Henry, Nathan’s steward, spends as many time as he can with the children, and they seem to care for him as much as they care for their father. Nathan is not against the idea, but he himself would like to have a deeper bond with the young man, only that Henry has never expressed any interest or given him any signs he would be willing. Aside from that, Henry’s devotion to Nathan is exclusive, and when he learns about a possible threat to the man’s good name, he is ready to risk his cover for him: Henry is a former whore and he escaped a molly house; the man who is blackmailing Nathan is the same man Henry was running away from; of course Henry’s plot will not go as smoothly as he hoped and Nathan will have to help him. That is no surprising at all, what will be a nice surprise for the reader is the changing in powership that will happen between Nathan and Henry.
At the beginning I found Henry to be a little too submissive, too weak; I was already thinking to tag this story as a “classical” breeches rippers, with the poor young man falling in love for the dashing aristocrat; but even if this is a breeches rippers, you will have a surprise on whom will have his breeches ripped. I think this is due to two major factor: Henry’s bad past experience preventing him to fully trust another man, with his body but above all with his freedom, and Nathan’s need for once to not be the one in command, his need to let it go, and exactly at the opposite of Henry, to be able to trust someone with his body and his freedom.
This is book 1 in a series, and it’s clear who will be the pair of book 2. What remained an open point is if maybe this is not a spin off of some other series by the same author, mainly since some of the supporting characters, having only a cameo role, gave me the idea to have a some sort of shared past with both Henry than Nathan, and so there was a little bit the feeling to be plunged in the middle of the action with little preparation. But in a way, it was no bad, since the reader was soon at the main course, without wasting much time with the appetizers.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0056BLFQG/?...
August 13, 2012
Reviewed By BlackTulip for Booked Up
I've never read anything by Heather Boyd before and I'm happy to say that I loved this novella.
The two main characters are as different as can be. Henry Stackpool is lucky enough to have secured a job as the steward of Nathan Shern, Duke of Byworth's. Something he thought he could never obtain, being a former pickpocket and a molly house whore. This is why he worked so hard and definitely earned the trust of his employer.
Deep, deep in their hearts they both hope and imagine something that can never be or so they think. They both hold back and struggle, too afraid to lose that trust and respect that exist between them.
Nathan has a lot on his shoulders and the responsibility of his good name and his children is paramount. So when everything seems in peril because of the carelessness and the irresponsibility of his wife he has to act alone because there is too much at stake.
The thing that characterize them both is the loneliness and the goodness in them. Henry has a knack with children, and Nathan's are very fond of him. Nathan is rather uneasy with them, he loves them of course but he doesn't really know how to show it.
The Duchess doesn't care at all about them; she is shallow and selfish and only thinks about her own pleasures.
One dreadful night causes their carefully arranged lives to collapse. They drop their masks and openly show what they feel for each other. Together they will be strong enough to fight whatever enemy there is to fight.
It is a beautiful love story, written with finesse and taste. The only criticism I have is that I would have liked to know more about Henry's past life. That being said it was a good read and I give a 4/5.
I've never read anything by Heather Boyd before and I'm happy to say that I loved this novella.
The two main characters are as different as can be. Henry Stackpool is lucky enough to have secured a job as the steward of Nathan Shern, Duke of Byworth's. Something he thought he could never obtain, being a former pickpocket and a molly house whore. This is why he worked so hard and definitely earned the trust of his employer.
Deep, deep in their hearts they both hope and imagine something that can never be or so they think. They both hold back and struggle, too afraid to lose that trust and respect that exist between them.
Nathan has a lot on his shoulders and the responsibility of his good name and his children is paramount. So when everything seems in peril because of the carelessness and the irresponsibility of his wife he has to act alone because there is too much at stake.
The thing that characterize them both is the loneliness and the goodness in them. Henry has a knack with children, and Nathan's are very fond of him. Nathan is rather uneasy with them, he loves them of course but he doesn't really know how to show it.
The Duchess doesn't care at all about them; she is shallow and selfish and only thinks about her own pleasures.
One dreadful night causes their carefully arranged lives to collapse. They drop their masks and openly show what they feel for each other. Together they will be strong enough to fight whatever enemy there is to fight.
It is a beautiful love story, written with finesse and taste. The only criticism I have is that I would have liked to know more about Henry's past life. That being said it was a good read and I give a 4/5.
January 1, 2021
Almost an Equal – Heather Boyd – The Hunt Club is a group of society men who use their position and wealth to get what they want. When Nathan realizes that another duke means to blackmail him with his wife’s diary, he knows that he has to resolve it for his children’s sake. Good thing his personal secretary has an interesting past that includes light fingers. This is going to be a series full of complicated humans I can tell. Happy Reading!
January 5, 2018
You can warn for M/M content but not for rape? Hm.
July 11, 2018
I liked this m/m story. Nicely written. Although I like reading erotic stories, I much prefer f/m/m.
4☆
4☆
December 3, 2015
Super Series
Somehow I stumbled into this series (I am a keen Regency M/M buff) and despite the fact that each novella has an occasional punctuation, spelling or grammatical mistake here and there, quickly became enchanted. The plots and the MCs in each novella are similar enough in content and style as to allow me to simply post the same review for all five--but I gave four stars to some and five to others. The sex scenes in most of them are quite off the charts.
WARNING: Do not believe any reviewer who says these are stand-alones. You will miss half the fun if you don't read them in order.
ALMOST AN EQUAL: This establishes the pattern--hunky mid-30s Duke of Byworth suddenly thrown into a situation with his right hand man Henry that has them falling in lust and love while the duke's wife is cheating on him. We are introduced to several characters who will continue to pop up in future tales, but this one stands on its own as a pacesetter. I liked both characters but this one could have used a better portrait of the duke on the cover.
BARELY A MASTER: What I first thought was a despicable character in the first book, the Duke of Lewes, turns out to be quite a different and very conflicted piece of work in this one. His complete infatuation with his beloved "Archer," former favored rent boy who disappeared but whom readers will know has disguised himself in the employ of the Duke of Byworth, sets the stage for a mildly dom-sub scenario that works. The cover of this one is perfect.
HARDLY A STRANGER: This one's cover is perfect, and the entire series depends upon a the long-lived dependency and love between Ambrose, the Duke of Staines, and Francis, his footman and friend and eventually lover. Staines runs the biggest private club in London where the men of the entire series, and those who prefer women, can come to wine, dine and play. Francis is his protector and also self-taught surgeon, and the way they play off each other and keep control of the series and its MCs is remarkably astute.
JUST A DREAM: The two youngest MCs, Rafael and James, bring us a sweet love story which has all the heat but somewhat more charm than the others and in many ways is a perfect palate cleanser between the more intense third and fifth books. Realisitic cover.
NEVER A GENTLEMAN: Two complete opposites--banker Victor Knight and secret spy Earl of Beecroft Daniel Williams are temperate and social opposites, this is perhaps the most believable coupling of the quintet because the men have reached their mid-30s at personal loose ends. That the plot introduces some employment loose ends which threaten to drive them apart, this has more heart-tugging than the rest, and it not only works for this novella, but also ties up the series very nicely. Perfect depictions on the cover.
Somehow I stumbled into this series (I am a keen Regency M/M buff) and despite the fact that each novella has an occasional punctuation, spelling or grammatical mistake here and there, quickly became enchanted. The plots and the MCs in each novella are similar enough in content and style as to allow me to simply post the same review for all five--but I gave four stars to some and five to others. The sex scenes in most of them are quite off the charts.
WARNING: Do not believe any reviewer who says these are stand-alones. You will miss half the fun if you don't read them in order.
ALMOST AN EQUAL: This establishes the pattern--hunky mid-30s Duke of Byworth suddenly thrown into a situation with his right hand man Henry that has them falling in lust and love while the duke's wife is cheating on him. We are introduced to several characters who will continue to pop up in future tales, but this one stands on its own as a pacesetter. I liked both characters but this one could have used a better portrait of the duke on the cover.
BARELY A MASTER: What I first thought was a despicable character in the first book, the Duke of Lewes, turns out to be quite a different and very conflicted piece of work in this one. His complete infatuation with his beloved "Archer," former favored rent boy who disappeared but whom readers will know has disguised himself in the employ of the Duke of Byworth, sets the stage for a mildly dom-sub scenario that works. The cover of this one is perfect.
HARDLY A STRANGER: This one's cover is perfect, and the entire series depends upon a the long-lived dependency and love between Ambrose, the Duke of Staines, and Francis, his footman and friend and eventually lover. Staines runs the biggest private club in London where the men of the entire series, and those who prefer women, can come to wine, dine and play. Francis is his protector and also self-taught surgeon, and the way they play off each other and keep control of the series and its MCs is remarkably astute.
JUST A DREAM: The two youngest MCs, Rafael and James, bring us a sweet love story which has all the heat but somewhat more charm than the others and in many ways is a perfect palate cleanser between the more intense third and fifth books. Realisitic cover.
NEVER A GENTLEMAN: Two complete opposites--banker Victor Knight and secret spy Earl of Beecroft Daniel Williams are temperate and social opposites, this is perhaps the most believable coupling of the quintet because the men have reached their mid-30s at personal loose ends. That the plot introduces some employment loose ends which threaten to drive them apart, this has more heart-tugging than the rest, and it not only works for this novella, but also ties up the series very nicely. Perfect depictions on the cover.
September 16, 2011
This is more like a 3.5 but I'm rounding up due to the quality of characters. This is too short frankly, and the story suffered. It should have been moved from Novella to Novel and fleshed out the characters, backstories, and reasons behind some confusing actions. The ending is semi-left hanging in terms of secondary characters, there is a hint of remorse, but why? You sort of can guess, but it's an interesting side storry for Archer and Arrow and I would have appreciated it.
That being said, it was a good read and I will look up longer works from this author.
That being said, it was a good read and I will look up longer works from this author.
September 1, 2012
This is a nice little historical romp. It is very shallow tho' which is why I only awarded it 3 stars. I've bought the sequel already so I hope the continuation of the story allows for more character development. Although this one has been listed as BDSM I would have to say that it is extreme sugar-kink. There is some light spanking & a slightly over-bearing alpha male. Nothing too heavy at all. It's an easy read but it doesn't have a wow factor. Unless the sequel revs the story up, I'm unlikely to revisit the book.
September 30, 2018
A rather harsh story, but at the same time very simple and sweet
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews