Brook Street: Fortune Hunter

Brook Street #2

by Ava March

London, 1822

Impoverished Julian Parker returns to London with one goal: marry an heiress. He'll do whatever it takes, even if it means denying his desire for men. After all, with a fortune comes happiness and social acceptance--which have eluded Julian his entire life.

The only things a vast fortune has brought Oscar Woodhaven are greedy relatives and loneliness. At twenty-one years of age, he has everything a man could possibly want--except someone to love him. When he meets devastatingly handsome Julian Parker, he believes his luck has turned.

Between Oscar's lavish gifts and their searing-hot nights, Julian is caught between what he thinks he needs and what his heart truly desires. But when a betrayal threatens to tear them apart, Julian discovers he'll do whatever it takes to convince Oscar the greatest fortune of all is love.

44,000 words

Genres: Historical, M M Romance, Romance, Historical Romance, Regency, Historical Fiction, Audiobook

ebook

First published April 9, 2012

About the author

Ava March is a bestselling author of sexy, emotionally intense M/M historical erotic romances. She loves writing in the Regency time period, where proper decorum is of the utmost importance, but where anything can happen behind closed doors. With over fifteen works to her credit, her books have been finalists in the Rainbow Awards and More Than Magic contest, and deemed ‘must-haves’ for Historical M/M romance by RT Book Reviews readers. Visit her website at www.AvaMarch.com to find out more about her books or to sign-up for her newsletter.

Blog: www.avamarch.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/avamarchbooks/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ava_march
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/avamarch/

Reviews

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ava March is just a master at historical romance. Even though I thought that I was going to 2 or 3 star this up until 50% of the way through the book, Ava March turned things around and made me love this one.

First of all, props to Charlie Belmont, who narrated this book LIKE A BOSS. I really adored his narration, and I'll be looking for more audiobooks from him in the future.

This book started out difficult for me because Julian was such a user-McUser-face. I wanted to bitch slap him, like for REAL. However, Julian just turns the whole thing around near the end, and I was a mushy-gooey pile in the palm of Ava March's hand. Love her.

Sure, this wasn't as hot or kinky as other books from this author, but I love a good redemption story. This was a quick and VERY satisfying listen.

[Ingie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written January 27, 2015

3.7 Stars - Sweet and charming - I couldn't but once again LIKE these lovely historicals

Book #2

Fortune Hunter is the second novella in this M/M historical three part series Brook Street. Quite steamy regency historicals with new love-couples in each book. Thief, the first part, was charming sweet. Four stars from me (my review) for a shorter four hours audiobook.

...and yet again another "four'er"



***********************************************************

Book #2 is Julian & Oscar's love story. This time (4:45 hrs), and as the first audiobook, narrated by Charlie Belmont. A male voice I gave an extra star to the last time.

London, 1822

# Julian Parker needs to marry an heiress to "get" a fortune with which happiness and social acceptance should also come.
# Oscar Woodhaven has the fortune, and at 21 "everything" a man could possibly want, except someone to love him.

But maybe is the greatest fortune of all to love and to be loved?

***********************************************************

Romantic historicals is my secret passion.
What? But..?!? ~~ Yeah I know, not for all you friends here on Goodreads, but in real life.

There is nothing that makes me silly foolish smiling as all these cute good old fashioned endearments, stolen kisses, damsels in distress... or sweet gay men in distress. I love me some hot 'needy' gentlemen, a neat stiff butler, the British nobles' relentless gossiping, grandiose and epic declarations of love, men on their knees (yeah...!!!) and all these beautifuls balls in London. - Fluffy goodies for me. I got it again. Here. Now.

Fortune Hunter was both very cute but also somewhat moralizing and heartbreakingly poignant in between.

# Julian is a character with flaws, which he learned bitter and he got better. ~ But I can see why he was so urgent in his need for money and wealth in the start.
# Oscar is so incredibly cute, big-hearted and sweet love-lorn. I just wanted to hug him. ~ I liked that he stretched his back and raised his chin at last.

***********************************************************

Lovely, languorous cute men-love in the 1820's
Splendid good narration once again as well. —These short novels are definitely winners as audiobooks.— Perfect entertaining, much dialogue, just the right amount of heat and steamy encounters. My kind of cozy winter listening on a typical day during 4-5 hours.

Looking forward to listening to part #3 - Rogues.

I LIKE - much enjoyed

[Lyn❤Loves❤Listening to Real Voices Only!!!!❤️🎧📚 Addict ON HIATUS · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audio..3.75 Stars
Story...2.5 Stars

Book 1 was so good, and this one...wasn't.

[Ami · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Urgh, I didn't like this as much as book #1. I thought that Oscar Woodhaven was sweet and I sympathized for him -- his loneliness and how people just used him and befriended him for money. But I had more issues than my sympathy over Oscar.

My issues were four-fold:

1) I didn't particularly enjoy gold-digger stories

2) I wasn't charmed by Julian, I was pissed off on how he broke Oscar's heart, and he wasn't particularly admirable for his attitude (he thought working in trade as something "low class" and he was lazy, he though the the only to get out from his poor situation was to marry a rich girl. HMPH!@!#)

3) I thought Oscar and Julian was lacking chemistry (unlike Ben and Cavin from book 1)

4) I thought Julian didn't do enough groveling and the ending was cut rather abruptly.

Thus, my 2.5 stars. I still would like to read #3 and the prequel though...

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+ stars. Second story in Ava March's Brook Street m/m historical romance trilogy. I really enjoyed this story, and, unlike the first book in this trilogy (which was also good), I thought the HEA ending here was perfect and exactly what the story and characters needed.

The story, in brief.
Julian Parker, the titular fortune hunter, has returned to England from America to seek his fortune...in the form of an advantageous marriage. He may prefer men, but he also prefers to be a man of leisure with financial stability and social acceptance, which he has determined he can most easily acquire by bartering his handsome looks for the hand of an heiress. Along the way, sweet and generous Oscar Woodhaven befriends him, introducing him to Society evenings...and passionate nights. When Oscar discovers Julian's motives for being in London, however, he is livid to learn the lie that Julian has been living. How will these two reach their HEA? Read the story to find out!

The characters.
I loved the characters in this book. They were much more complex than first painted, and I really enjoyed seeing them grow and reveal themselves throughout the story.

Julian is fairly unlikable in the beginning, which made me a little hesitant to cast him as one of the romantic leads. He's tender and passionate with Oscar, but Julian also has surprisingly low self-esteem for his own character beyond awareness of his good looks. He thinks he can sit back and trade on his good looks, but when he realizes he's taken a wrong turn in his friendship with Oscar, Julian wakes up to the fact that he's willing to do quite a bit to get him back.

Oscar is sweet and adorable. He's heir to a massive fortune made in trade, and his story is rather heartbreaking. He'd lived a sheltered life with unappreciative relatives up until he reached his majority last year and came to London to live. I thought he would be doormat-y with his eager desire to please, but I was incredibly happy to see him reveal a backbone of steel when he stood up for himself and his principles. He's super easy-going, but once you've crossed the line with him, he's not afraid to stand his ground.

Romance & sexytimes.
Very sweet romance as we see Oscar "feel" his way around Julian to see whether Julian returns his interest. We see as they each grow to appreciate the other's qualities. They bond as friends...and lovers. When they reach the peak of the conflict, it was really devastating, but I really loved the HEA that brought them back together.

The sexytimes were steamy, and they were integrated well into the story. With Julian's rather selfish and mercenary approach to the London Season, I was pleasantly surprised to see that he was a generous and attentive lover. Oscar deserved that attention, and he especially deserved to feel needed and wanted.

HEA.
I just needed a separate section where I could gush over the HEA. I felt the HEA was perfect for the story. I was afraid the ending would be stunted and not allow Julian enough time to grow out of his selfishness and into a more self-respecting man who would be worthy of Oscar and his fidelity. Instead of feeling stunted and unworthy of the characters, the ending felt emotional and robust, and Julian's asshattery was properly redeemed and groveled over. With Oscar's feelings of betrayal, I wasn't sure if there would be enough grovel. Trust me, there was.

Overall.
Lovely m/m historical romance about a man who didn't know what or whom he wanted or needed until he lost him. I really enjoyed seeing the characters' growth and the journey they took to arrive at their HEA. The steamy sexytimes didn't hurt, either. ;) I look forward to reading the final book in this trilogy.

Ava March's Brook Street trilogy:
Thief
Fortune Hunter
Rogues


Note: Thank you to the author and Carina Press for providing a copy of this book through NetGalley.

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semicolons~✡~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Ava March is like a big chewy brownie, the book version of pure comfort food. I liked this story, although not as much as the first. Julian was a selfish prick, but he just barely redeemed himself. Half star off for the very abrupt ending.

[DaisyGirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Ah hem, okay, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say ...

*whispers*

I liked this better than Thief.

Stop gaping at me! It was close! I loved Thief and I adored Fortune Hunter. This is especially surprising in the case of the latter because Julian was so very unappealing, shallow gold-digging bastard that he was for most of the book. Until the end that is. Oh, the end.

*swoons*

I'm in love. Was it too abrupt? Maybe. Should Julian have groveled more? Perhaps. But it worked for me nonetheless. And, I think it goes without saying that my fondness for this installment in the Brook Street series is in large part a testament to my love for Oscar. I just wanted to hold him in my arms and kiss him silly! He's too precious. I admired Julian's make-over but Oscar stole the show.

Bottom line: I LOVED it.

[Terri ♥ (aka Mrs. Christian Grey) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick review:

Cover: Hot!
Rating: NC-17
Steaminess: Burn baby Burn
Thumbs Up: 5
Overall: OMG! I loved it.
Characters: Really good.
Plot: Big hearted lessons to be learned.
Page Turner: Yes.
Series Cont.? Yes
Recommend: Yes
Book Boyfriend: Julian (though choice)

SUMMARY (50 words or less)
Each of the three in the trilogy have different inner workings and it’s hard to chose a favorite. But this one, pulled on my heart stings the most I think. Oscar is just the absolute best and deserved it too. Historical fiction, Ava March has made me a fan.

To see my full review and yummy pic, check out my blog post below.
http://mybookboyfriend.blogspot.com/2...

[⋆｡°✮ Lucy InTheSky ✮°｡⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost didn't read this book based on really bad reviews.

Well, this book was actually the best so far in this series. It wasn't as lengthy as it should've been to really encapsulate the love story, but it's definitely much better than both previous installments.
3.5 - 3.75⭐, but rounding it down.

🟢 A very wealthy son of a merchant, but part of polite society in London / an impoverished cousin of Benjamin Parker from previous installment
🟡 Age gap 21/25
🔵 Both gay
🟣 Poor gentleman looking for a wealthy wife (gold digger, but completely understandable)
🟠 Potential, but too short
🌶️ Smut is good, sex abundant and descriptive; rimming, oral, penetrative; t/b

I honestly didn't get why a lot of readers didn't like Julian. He was just doing what pretty much everyone was doing at the time - if you had any kind of connection to nobility, you had to use it.
And if Julian's family was poor and indebted and he wanted to find a rich wife to enjoy the riches of London's high society, well, who'd blame him?

Julian came to London after a decade being in America to try his luck in finding a rich wife. He meets Oscar, an obscenely rich son of a merchant who invites him to his house as a guest so Julian can be properly introduced back into society, meet new people, establish him self amongst men.



They become lovers and they were fantastic as lovers, passionate with intense chemistry, but also friends. Julian simply didn't confess to Oscar he's here to catch a wife, so naturally Oscar felt betrayed by it, even though he understood Julian's motives.

Was Julian called lazy because he's a man? Because for a woman doing exactly that would be a story of success and while men were allowed to work for money and could get wealthy, it doesn't mean every man was a hard worker. It was the titles, the inheritance, the connections and in that respect, I completely understand Julian's desire to rather get married than have a measly job, like he's had it in America already. Yes, he worked. It's not like he didn't.

There was also the dilemma of a lavender marriage addressed in the book, Julian's cousin not condoning it - well what the hell does he think men did back then?
Marriage was almost a must, unless you were so filthy rich no one gave a damn, but with wealth comes the question of an heir, so yes, Julian had the right thinking. He wouldn't be doing anything out of the ordinary.

Julian and Oscar's love story gets a resolve in the last few pages of the book - much too little to show us how they've both changed and how the feelings are still intense. It was a pretty abrupt ending and I didn't appreciate it.
If the main character is to redeem himself, he needs to do it with more than a few sentences, besides the author took Julian back to America at the very end of the book, so again - not enough page time for getting them back together and make it a satisfying process for a reader - this reader.

[Claudie ☾ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Julian Parker, you golddigging bastard. God, what a despicable character! 😡 I don’t buy his change of heart at all. And Oscar, that poor, naive man…

I really struggled with this. The ‘romance’ here pissed me off so much I kept putting it on hold, and actually finished three other (short) books in the meantime. I wanted to power through it just to get to Radcliffe and Anderson’s story, but now I think I need a break from this series.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story! It's relatively short, but packs a whole lot of emotions!
Julian Parker has left Philadelphia for London with one goal in mind: marry a rich heiress and prove to everyone that he is nothing like his wastrel of a father who drank and gambled his fortune away. When Oscar Woodhaven, a friend of his cousin's, offers him a place to stay and offers to not only share his bed, but his wealth with him, he is delighted by how easily things are turning out to be. But only when he manages to lose Oscar's good opinion does he realize just how horrible he has been behaving...
I loved these two. Oscar was a sweetheart, a young man who just managed to get out from his horrible relative's/guardian's thumb, eager to make his own way. He was endearing in his open, affectionate, often impish nature, and seeing him grow into a man who speaks up for himself was incredibly sweet. Julian, on the other hand, started out as a total selfish jerk, using Oscar in a way that needed a hell of a lot of groveling to win him -and me- over. Which he did.
This is the second in a series. It does work as a stand-alone, but you appreciate it more when you know the characters from book one in my opinion :)

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 I love Oscar stars

Fortune Hunter is as nice as book 1 of Brook Street, Thief, and as far as I liked Ben and his belief and trust into Cavin very much, I loved Oscar so much more!

Oscar Woodhaven is such a good-hearted and kind-natured MC. His wealth didn't spoil him and his openness to other people made me want to hug him and keep him safe. I was also very glad that he had good friends around him, especially Ben, who took care of Oscar in his own way - for example not betting high while playing cards against the poorly playing Woodhaven.

I felt sorry for Oscar for feeling obliged to play poorly and to loose his money to his card companions to make people like him more! Poor, adorable, auburn-haired Oscar! :(

As for Julian, Ben's cousin - I didn't like him! :( Oh, he was nice and sweet toward Oscar. And he was protective about him when Woodhaven's family showed up unexpectedly... But his "readiness" to take advantage of Oscar's kindness, and his "eagerness" to accept all of Oscar's presents, without telling him the true reason of coming back to London?? Very badly done, Mr Parker!!!

And so, I generally loved this story as much as book 1, but the best part was seeing Julian's grovelling... ;)

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Very good historical m/m romance about a man who returns to England planning to marry an heiress so he won't have to work; he's not going to let anything, even friendship, stand in his way. This one really got to me. *blots eyes*

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC received from Carina Press on NetGalley

3.5 stars I enjoyed this a lot, although admittedly I liked the first book Thief a little bit better. Likely because it had more ups and downs and therefore a slightly more emotional reaction, yet I was glad with the way things went a little more smoothly for Oscar and Julian. I'm glad this story featured Ben's cousin, because I wanted to check in on our previous pair and was hoping it would be one of Ben's earlier mentioned friends that got hooked up this time around. And Oscar couldn't have been a better choice, he was so sweet you couldn't help but love him. And despite the end results, I never felt like Julian was purposely using Oscar or ever had anything but genuine feelings for him. One of the things I loved about Thief was that we got that last chapter that peeked into what their life was actually like together after the HEA. Given the time period, I think it's important to know the dynamic (especially since Oscar and Julian can't exactly live in the same house like Ben and Cavin without raising eyebrows, right?). So I would have liked for that final wrap-up chapter, but other than that it was all good and sweet with a little strife and some steamy scenes in between.

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so glad I listened to a few of my fellow Goodreaders and picked up Ava March's work. Seriously good historical romance without the inconvenience of having to put up with any horribly crafted heroines. Hot historic dudes sexin' each other up. Good plots, good writing, likable characters, great dialogue, good romance. Win.

[Trio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ava March does write a solid erotic historical romance. I'm glad they're on Audible Escape because they're great for an inexpensive diversion.

Audio nicely performed by Charlie Belmont.

[Sammy Goode · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to begin this review by saying that I do not normally care for historical fiction--ok, let me be perfectly clear--I do not like --well I avoid historical fiction with everything I am---unless it is written by Ava March. Then...well I practically run to get the new release. So, it is no surprise to me that once again, I was thoroughly enthralled by Fortune Hunter and have bought both the other books in this trilogy.

At its heart, this was a growing up story for both the main characters. Julina a penniless and fortune seeking young man belongs to "those Parkers" and is doing everything he can to break into good society and find a wealthy wife so that he will never need to wallow in poverty again. The problem is he is gay in Victorian society and a wife is the last thing he really wants.

And matters are even more complicated when he meets the shy and genuinely kind Oscar Woodhaven. Oscar just wants a friend--a companion--someone who wants him just for himself--and not for his fortune and, at first, thinks he has found just that in Julian. However, a series of doubts and a wrong move by Julian causes Oscar to reverse his opinion and toss Julian away leaving him to make a decision--either pursue a rich wife or go back to America and make his way honestly in order to win back the man he has found himself in love with--Oscar.

Ava March write historical fiction so beautifully. She keeps the pace clipping along and manages to immerse us in an long gone by era complete with all the trappings. Not only that but she does so with smart dialogue, hot sex and lovely characters! Fortune Hunter was a top notch novel with just the right amount of angst to make this historical fiction hater LOVE this novel!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is the story of Julian, the poor man looking for a rich wife, and Oscar, the wealthy but lonely bachelor. When they meet at a ball, it's lust at first site and for Oscar that lust turns quickly to love. Julian, not realizing how special what they have is, continues his search for a wealthy wife and almost loses the best thing to ever happen to him.

Overall, the story was just ok for me. I think I just wasn't in the mood for a historical.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Book 2 in the Brook Street Trilogy was not quite as good as the first one to me. I didn't care for Julian in the beginning and even once I started warming to him, he still wasn't the caliber of underdog that I usually enjoy rooting for. The ending was a little abrupt and felt rushed but still a very enjoyable read.

[Monica Vidal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I get in a mood and as I know my author, I look for the ones I know are going to deliver. Ava March being one of them. Even though, Nikki, Angela and Lucy sort of TRIED to ruin historical m/m for me, with their questions about hygiene and stuff, I decided to ignore those conversations and move on.

Anyways, I downloaded this audiobook thinking I had already read the book but it turned out I hadn’t só yay for the surprise. I’m gonna give it a 3 stars for the plot and maybe a 3 stars for the narration too. Story wise I didn’t like Luca all that much. He was shallow and he was clearly using Oscar and yeah yeah he turned his act around and seek redemption but it didn’t convince me. Narration wise I liked the guy’s accent and posh way of speaking. What I didn’t like was that Oscar sounded much older than Luca, when it was the opposite. Luca was older than Oscar but he sounded like a naive teenager. I hate when the voices don’t “agree” with the characters.

[Ro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for Hearts On Fire Reviews

This is the second in the Brook Street series, this one featuring Julian Parker, a man who will do almost anything for the social acceptance and money, and Oscar, a rich man who just wants someone to love him for himself, not his money. Julian is a relative of Benjamin (from Thief, book one of this series) and he uses Benjamin as entry to the ton he so desperately wants to be part of. To make his greediness worse, Julian is attracted to men, yet he comes to London with the single purpose of finding a rich wife.

Oscar Woodhaven is rich, with grasping, greedy obnoxious relatives (aunt and uncle) who want his money but don’t care a whit for him. He is so very lovely, you just want to find him someone. What he does have (although he doesn’t realize it until later) is staunchly supportive friends who want the best for him. I loved his friends (Radcliffe in particular) . When Oscar meets Julian at a ball, it begins a friendship that turns to a courtship (of sorts, I mean it is Regency London) that turns to a betrayal. Oh Julian, I wanted to just shake you and smack you and shake you again. When the denoument finally comes and Oscar is faced with what Julian really is, it is devastating.

What makes the book work for me is that I don’t think Julian is a bad person. He has made bad choices for sure, and he is so focused on money being what will make him happy that he doesn’t realize how happy he already is. His betrayal of Oscar hurts him as well, but how to fix it?

Ms. March remains true to the feel of Regency London, though I do wonder how these two will find a way to be together after all this. I loved getting to revisit Benjamin and Cavin from Thief (especially since I felt their story was a bit better than this one), and I am anxious to read the final in the trilogy, Rogues. Recommended for historical fans.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Posted on Under the Covers

*happy sigh*

Oh Ava March, you have captured my heart with this series. FORTUNE HUNTER is the second book of the Brook Street series and I have to say that if you are a fan of historical M/M erotica, then Ava March is a must-read!

I was very impressed with how March was able to make the smooth transition from Benjamin and Cavin book to Julian and Oscar. It was seamless and it gave readers who have read the first book in the series a chance to remember how well Benjamin was written However, the main focus of this book is Oscar and Julian and I have to say that I enjoyed this one more!

For me, the most memorable parts of the book were its sex scenes. Ava March drew these two men together perfectly, making me pant like a puppy as I waited in anticipation to see what would happen.

To further entice readers, March paints the picture of an impoverished man in Julian who seeks to find financial comfort in any way that he can, even if it means denying his desires for men and marrying an heiress. On the flip side, Oscar has all that he could ever want – except someone to accept him and love him.

As these two men seek to find the thing they think they need, they find something else within each other and I was really impressed by how well this book turned out. I’m eager for the next book in the Brook Street series. ROGUE sounds like another good read to entice readers!

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in Ava March's Brook Street trilogy. Julian Parker arrives in England with one thing on his mind--marry a wealthy heiress at all costs. Unfortunately for him, he loves men, and one man in particular, comes to mean far more than any titled miss. Oscar Woodhaven isn't an heiress, but he is fabulously wealthy and surrounded by greedy relatives who want nothing more than his fortune. A shy, self-effacing sort, all he wants is someone who wants true friendship that isn't based upon his wealth. He finds that in Julian and proceeds to lavish material and physical attentions upon him. Sadly, Julian just can't find it in himself to be honest with Oscar, even as he begins to realize where his heart truly lies. Of course this being Ava March, there's going to be an HEA (we expect nothing else, correct?). Granted this is Regency England where the mere intimation of sodomy would spell social ruin for members of the ton as well the threat of hanging, but somehow March makes these relationships realistic for the age--to a point. Where she shines is the language--something I am a total stickler for--and the mannerisms. Julian is an intriguing character; Oscar less so. He seemed a little 'unfinished' to me. Overall, this is a quick read and it was nice to revisit Benjamin and Cavin again. Off to read Rogues.

[Ryoma Gartre · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of people liked this book less than the first, but I liked it better than thief, the timeline flows more swiftly you can feel how slowly, without really noticing they fall in love, the details are wonderful, I could almost see myself sitting with Oscar looking at Julian and the tailor, sitting with them in the carriage, in resume, I was able to immerse myself in the story and its surroundings until the end.

My only little complain is that I would have liked to experience a little of those years of separation, of hope, of fear, it would've made more emotional the reunion, but I still loved it.

Talking about the main couple I fell so in love with them, Oscar was such a beautiful character, what i loved the most is that he was innocent but he didn't seem childish, he was sexually eager but he wasn't slutty, and I could totally relate to his hopes and wishes, a very well written character that had a golden heart but wasn't a doormat by any means, and his evolution by the end made me happy.


Then there's Julian, he had ulterior motives but he wasn't a douche he had flaws but in the end he's just doing what he thinks is the best, because he knows no better that is the example his mother and father set for him, the desperation at being discovered, the guilty feeling at using Oscar, and how he emerges a better man, I loved it.

[Tamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so angry with Julian for his attitude. Find a rich wife and that will solve all his problems. It wasn't until late in the story that his cousin helps him open his eyes to see that though he blamed his misfortunes on his father's drinking and gambling, it was actually his own laziness in always blaming others instead of doing what he needed to do to make things better that was causing him such worry.

When Julian pawned Oscar's gift I was almost as devastated as Oscar. How could he hold the gift so lightly when he had so clearly appreciated receiving it.

It is even harder for me to see these lovers part without a chance to clear the air. Anything could have happened to Julian... the ship could have sunk or something prevented him from returning. Then Oscar would never have known that he was truly loved.

I'm glad Julian made it back to Oscar. Oscar deserved to have someone who loves him.. for himself!!!

Highly Recommended and going on my-6-star shelf.
===================================
1st read - Jun 30, 2012
2nd read - Feb 6, 2014 read for 2014 Pushing Boundaries Challenge
Audiobook - Jan 11, 2018
Audiobook - Dec 1, 2018

[Beck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julian & Oscar ... a m/m twist on a common regency theme. Impoverished, dashingly handsome rake scours the season for a wealthy wife. The twist in this tale is that Oscar becomes the debutante to Julian's cynical quest for the easy buck. Julian's character is redeemed by his efforts to prove himself worthy of Oscar's love. This is another top-notch Ava March regency novel. Her characters are vivid & engaging her plot is flawlessly delivered. Well worth reading.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly standard fortune hunter romance. A good and solid troupe that I enjoyed but I was hoping for a something extra to make it great. Oscar was such a simple and idealistic character. I feel this limited the depth of the story and characterization. I liked that there was groveling. I never turn down a good grovel session! And it was fun to see Ben and Gavin again.

[Mandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one, just not as much as the first in this series. I had a harder time connecting to Julian and the ending felt rushed. I loved Oscar. :) Full review to come

[Ery · Rating 3 out of 5]

An audiobook I didn't hate! Must be good...

[Vivian ♪(┌・。・)┌ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Julian--

I dub thee fuckwit.