A Gentleman of Substance

A Gentleman of Substance #1

by Julia Talbot

Michael St. James hates tidewater post-Colonial Virginia with a passion. Banished there thanks to an ill-timed duel, Michael is bored with the countryside, and thinks his new companions are poorly-educated boors. What he needs is a challenge, something to stimulate his mind. Which is why, when Michael meets Daniel Calhoun, he takes such an immediate interest.

Daniel Calhoun is a gentleman farmer who has no time for the social niceties demanded by a man of his station any more than he has patience for changing fashion or politics. When he sees Michael St. James, Daniel sees a man with no substance, and he's certainly not interested in becoming friends, or more, with the irritating man. There's more to Michael than meets the eye, as Daniel soon discovers, and the two embark on a scorching affair that might just be the ruin of both of them. Can they find a way to be together, or will Daniel and Michael be forced to hide what they feel?

This title was previously published under the same title. Two-thousand words have been added to the text for the second edition.

Genres: M M Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Romance, Historical Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Fiction

Audible Audio

First published March 1, 2004

About the author

Julia Talbot lives in the great Southwest, where there is hot and cold running rodeo, cowboys, and everything from meat and potatoes to the best Tex-Mex. A full time author, Julia is a hybrid author, and has been published by many presses as well as self publishing. She believes that everyone deserves a happy ending, so she writes about love without limits, where boys love boys, girls love girls, and boys and girls get together to get wild, especially when her crazy paranormal characters are involved. Julia also writes as Minerva Howe. Find Julia at @juliatalbot on Twitter, or at www.juliatalbot.com

Reviews

[Teal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reread this as a bit of an experiment: How would this book, which I rated 4 enthusiastic stars back when I was new to m/m romance, hold up now that I'm three years and 700 books further along in the genre?

Well, I was quickly reminded of why I'd put it on my "favorite couples" shelf. Michael St. James and Daniel Calhoun are two strong, vivid, unforgettable characters who are hot as hell together. These strong-willed, independent -- and let's face it, often arrogant and obnoxious -- men are a perfect match for each other. Fortunately for the reader, it takes them a while to figure that out.

The few times he had seen the man about town since then, St. James had seemed amused rather than affronted, and Daniel wondered what in the name of all holy things it took to offend him. He would do his utmost to find out.

I love it when people fall in love against their will. I'm not interested in characters who yearn to find their one true love and settle down -- those people bore me. I want to see love happen to people who don't want it to happen to them. I want to see them fall in love despite themselves. I want them to fight it. And that's what I got here.

"I do not even like you, St. James."

"I am well aware, Calhoun. However, it is entirely unnecessary for you to like me."

These two inspired me, during this reread, to create a new GR shelf: "two jerks fall in love." I love that trope (is that a trope? it should totally be a trope), and they were my first introduction to it.

Characterization, as you may have gathered, is the story's strong suit. Among other things, I appreciated how the MCs, although they were each transformed by love, were never rendered unrecognizable by it. For example, even as he's falling in love with Michael, Daniel does not gush:

St. James had not his own brute strength, but he had a lean musculature that Daniel admired and an altogether pleasing arrangement of features.

By this point in the story, he thinks the guy is gorgeous, but does he frame it that way even inside his own head? No. No gushing. LOL

The setting of rural Virginia circa 1803 was in some ways convincingly evoked, and in some ways not. I hate when modern mindsets are anachronistically plopped into historical fiction, but the truth of it is, there are always outliers and iconoclasts and independent thinkers. Always. The author succeeded in selling me on the ones in this story. She put in the work necessary to make her independent-minded characters credible.

This had the potential to be a 5-star read, but there were a few stylistic quirks that held it back. And a bit of clichéd plotting near the end. Oh, and too damned many typos. I hate it when a good book is marred with errors that any decent proofreader would have caught. An additional set of eyes critiquing the manuscript and a couple extra rounds of editing could have addressed those issues, and potentially propelled this into 5-star territory.

But I forgave it all because of how Michael and Daniel came to life on the page, and drew me into their story. Oh yeah, and the sex scenes. Wowzers. I'm willing to forgive a lot for the sake of those.

_______
A big thank-you to Moony for joining me in reading this on such short notice.

[Moony Eliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who am I kidding with RTC... I barely had time to read this novella over the course of three days, so I'm putting a few sentences here and calling it good. :D

I enjoyed this one, despite a few shortcomings that keep me from hearteyes. The sex scenes were hot and a little "twisty" (i.e. short of kinky but definitely coloring-outside-the-lines playful). I especially loved a couple of the characterizations: one of the MCs, Daniel, and his cousin Jane.

Too many proofreading misses (grrr) and a couple of predictable / hella unrealistic plot turns didn't help. But on the whole, a fun read that I can recommend.

Thanks to my friend Teal for the great buddy read!

[annob [on hiatus] · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was lovely!

Historical romance set in 1803, with a writing style that fit the time period very nicely. The best part was the two main characters' personalities, and how they most reluctantly fell for each other.

Lots of bickering and banter made for an entertaining story. Big thanks to Teal for making me aware about the existence of this book!

[Daisiemae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been in my TBR files forever. I admit I put it off because I was unsure about reading about two men who fall in love in post-colonial Virginia having a happy ending. Finally my curiousity got the better of me, and I gave this book a try. I am glad I did.

Michael St. James is a rogue. Banned by his father for his scandalous behavior to a podunk town in Virginia, he believes he has been trapped in one of the four corners of Hell. Always fashionable and living in the now, he has a tendency to be a snob. To keep the boredom away, he can be quite outrageous, just to get a reaction from others. When he decided to attend a local souiree he isn't expecting anything exciting to happen. He figures watching paint dry on the wall will be more entertaining, so he is completely caught off guard when he lays eyes on the most beautiful man he has ever seen.

Daniel Calhoun has better things to do than to attend a party. But, the affection he feels for his wallflower cousin, compells him to at least make an appearance. As he is talking to his cousin and her husband he lays eyes on a dandy of a man, who seems to be checking him out. Daniel immediately feels contempt for the man. Yes, he may be beautiful in his own way, but he is obviously not a man who knows what hard labor is, so he has no respect for him.

When the man approaches he and his cousin, Daniel is surprised when he discovers that this Michael St. James has been very kind to his cousin in the past and that she likes him. Although, he is appreciative of the friendship Michael has obviously given her, Daniel still cannot be civil to the man because he doesn't respect him. When Daniel's sarcastic remarks to Michael makes him laugh instead of running him off, Daniel is livid. He is even MORE angry when his sweet cousin forces him to invite Michael over to his farm to get better aquainted. Unable to tell his cousin no, he reluctantly agrees to meet with the man.

First, let me say that I thought this book was very refreshing. Daniel is not gay, so this is a gay for you storyline. Despite himself, he sees that there is more to Michael than meets the eye. They soon become friends, then lovers. I liked that Daniel is a man who is controlled by his baser instincts. What I mean by that is, although at first he is appalled by Michaels attraction and attention he gives him, he soon realises that he feels the same way, and he goes with what his heart and body tell him.

I also liked that there was consequences for their relationship. Being set in Post-Colonial Virginia homosexuality is definitely frowned upon. When they are discovered, choises must be made. Hard choises.

I liked that both Daniel and Michael were well rounded characters. They brought out the best in one another, were willing to sacrifice much to be together, and deserved their happy ending. Michael despite his arrogance and manner captured my heart just like he did Daniels. There were some funny and sweet moment between these two that I really enjoyed reading, plus their relationship gets quite steamy in the bedroom, too. Whew!

I don't know who was shocked more, me or Daniel to find out that Michael himself is a gentleman of substance. I loved it.

I see that this book has received mixed reviews. I guess it won't be for everyone, but I loved it.

If you are offended by explicit homoerotic sexual relations this book is not for you.

4.5 stars

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book because there aren't many gay historical romances. I wanted to see how the author would somehow give the heroes a happy ending.
I thought the story was very well paced. I even liked Michael St. James who is a snob, a sodomite, (god forbid) and a rake. His sarcasm and willingness to be outrageous at times to get a reaction out of others, made him a very interesting hero, and I loved him!
Michael and Daniel's relationship was so much fun to watch develop. Daniel hates Michael at first sight, so seeing him come to like Michael then become attracted to, and eventually fall in love with Michael made the dynamics between them addictive to read about.
I loved how they ended up bringing out the best in each other. Their determination to be together, made them a couple I enjoyed reading about.
Plus, the ending was pretty great, too!

[AngelFire · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was really enjoyable, using that period-accurate 1700s style where the writing is almost poetic and characters use 10 words when one would do. I love books written in that style because it allows me to savor the actual words used and not just the story. Unfortunately, the story was a disappointment because it's essentially erotica with a tiny bit of not-very-well-done plot and I was expecting much more.

To the author's credit, the historical authenticity was really well done. The language was perfect and the descriptions of clothing and other things were written beautifully and made that period come alive. But I also appreciated the constant little reminders that these people are in a tiny town in Virginia and at this point in history, they're still heavily influenced by what goes on in Europe. For example, it was really neat how characters would discuss European fashion and try to keep up with trends that were already months old by the time they reached the Colonies, despite how unimportant all of that was in the grand scheme of things. These things made the time period come alive for me and I really enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, I didn't like the MCs romance. The main issue is that Michael and Daniel's relationship moves too fast from animosity to them screwing 24/7. It wasn't instalust but the progression wasn't realistic. Daniel starts out hating Michael purely based on assumptions from Michael's clothing choices and his flirty behavior at parties. Daniel assumes the man is a rakehell/dandy/scoundrel who is selfish and lives a self-indulgent life. But right away, there are multiple well done scenes where Daniel learns that there's much more to Michael. For example, the man loves horses as much as Daniel does and Michael is happy to muck out stalls and tack up his own horse. Then Michael randomly kisses Daniel, Daniel gets offended by it but a few days later, he decides he's gay now and from that point on, the story is mostly sex, sex, sex.

The author did include a few additional plotlines but they weren't well done. At one point, there's manufactured drama where Michael gets angry at Daniel for reasons that were dumb. They forgive each other a few pages later and it's back to the sex-fest. The final conflict in the last 25% involves Michael running away from Daniel to save the latter's reputation in their small Virginia town. Daniel chases after him and conveniently, he has no trouble tracking Michael down, they reunite, it's back to that good old sexfest. Except Michael tries running away AGAIN the following morning but Daniel catches him in time. Despite his attempt not being successful, that's followed by...you guessed it! More sex! Yay....

I also hated that for most of the book, Daniel's reasons for wanting to stay in town and wanting to maintain a good reputation is because he loves his farm/land so much. But when shit hits the fan, suddenly Daniel couldn't care less about his reputation and at the end of the story, he happily leaves his farm to his cousin Jane and goes to find new land in Maryland with Michael.

Not only was the plot disappointing overall but I couldn't believe that nearly every single scene between Michael and Daniel ended with them having sex and most of the scenes were fully written out. It was boring and repetitive.

The best part of the story asides from the writing style is that the author included two different female characters and they were interesting, well developed characters who added a bit of excitement to the boring pile that the rest of the story was.

[Heather C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well THIS was an unexpected surprise!! How have I never heard of this book before last week? Could it be because it has a string of pearls and (what I am assuming) a riding crop on the cover instead of two bare chested men?! Hmpf. It deserves some love no matter what’s on the cover!

I must admit that I wasn’t quite sold on the story in the very beginning because the POV changes were too frequent…even though they were clearly marked. But as soon as I realized that Daniel couldn’t stand Michael, causing Michael to pursue Daniel all that much more determinedly, I was hooked. I mean, at first, Daniel hated everything about Michael, so it was perfect when Daniel’s cousin Jane forced him to “make nice” with Michael. Of course, Daniel still didn’t hide his distain for Michael and was quick to remind Michael of that every chance he got. Then Michael kisses him, and well, Daniel is none too pleased! Ha!

Okay, so clearly Daniel is an asshole…or is he? Maybe he’s just trying to protect his heart? Or maybe he just needs the right man to put him in his place. Either way, once Daniel finally gives in to Michael’s advances…OH MY GOD! Umm, so they have A LOT of hot sex…slightly kinky hot sex, but nothing too shocking. But still!! I was surprised by the intensity.

AND THEN…Daniel totally surprises me with his determination to keep Michael and with the things he’s wiling to risk. sigh So what that Daniel kind of screws up, he totally makes up for it in the end!! Yeah, yeah, so what that the ending is sooooo melodramatic, it was a hard won HEA.

Reviewed for The Blogger Girls

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I loved the way this started off. Their enemies-to-lovers dynamic was awesome and hilarious. But that dynamic combined with the GFY aspect made me assume it was going to be a slow-burn, so I think I was even more shocked than Daniel was when Michael kissed him for the first time. It pretty quickly jumped straight into sex scene after sex scene after that.. and it wasn't quite hot enough to carry the whole book! Plus the relatively mild reaction to their scandal didn't seem very realistic. Although it's kind of hard to say since it seemed like part of that was due to the whole "rural outpost of the New World" setting and the author leaned heavily into "erotic romance" and not so much into "historical romance", which was a big disappointment. I'd love to read an m/m in this setting where the time period played a bigger role. This one was ok, I guess, but definitely nothing special.

[Hart_D (ajibooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this is Gay for You, and I would not have read it if I'd known that. Prior to meeting Michael, Daniel has sex with lots of women (although there are no m/f scenes in the book), and in fact he seeks out more sex when he begins feeling attracted to Michael. But once Daniel starts having sex with Michael, he decides that he will never marry a woman, because in his mind it would not be fair to her. He believes that he's tainted now, I guess - tainted by his attraction to one man, which does not make much sense. He never says he is still attracted to women or to other men.

I know that everyone's orientation is different, but this concept does not at all match my own experience of bisexuality. It also perpetuates harmful stereotypes of bisexual people. Much better writers than I have written on this topic, though, so I'll just leave it at saying that I don't like it.

I almost stopped listening early on, for that and other reasons, such as the many gendered slurs the characters use against the book's main villain, a cruel high-society type of woman. Did there need to be that much focus on how physically unattractive she is, especially to Michael, who is gay? But it isn't very long, and the narration is good. Also, the voice the narrator used for Daniel made me think of Worf, which entertained me.

Daniel's internalized homophobia continues throughout the book, but mostly, this book is a series of sex scenes strung together with a plot about having an m/m relationship in a rural community, in early-1800s Virginia. I'm not a history scholar and I don't read historical fiction to look for inaccuracies; however, one omission stood out to me as strange. The main characters don't have slaves, which makes sense in Michael's case and is explained for Daniel, but still, I think slavery would've been a part of daily life at that time. Oh well.

I didn't like this very much. It is not poorly done; it's just that those few things I mentioned made it a lot less fun for me than it probably would be for other readers. The sex scenes are good, and some of them are slightly kinky.

[Vfields Don't touch my happy! · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Gentleman of Substance by Julia Talbot was a shot in the dark read. I will admit I tried reading this historical romance three months ago and gave up twenty pages in. I tried again and finally got into it. I think what was so hard to me was the language and stylized speech which I assume was the accurate speech of the era. It was exhausting for this reader. Overall I did like the MCs and the secondary characters were fine. I was disappointed the person who damaged their reputations never had to pay for that senseless act of cruelty.. The ending was appropriately acceptable for this era.

[Sasha Ambroz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably I'm spoiled by the romance novels of K.J. Charles, Joanna Chambers and so on but this book did nothing to me. All the cliché without any substance (pun not intended).

[Mati · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book for two reasons, the first was men in breeches and the second was those men doing it together in very hot way. The plot is not the thing which should be taken as the golden piece of literature, but it is surprisingly smooth and there is also some hint of characters development. The historical accurancy is practically none. But it is porn, right?
Michael St. James was rascal to the bone, who was banished to the backwater town in order to ger out of the sight of the society. He met a man and that man became the man for him. Daniel Calhoun, local squire who is proud as hell and whose attitude simply stirred Michael St. James in to the action, which started as a game and ended as the torrid love affair which ended with happy end and to lot of steamy sex

[Susan Laine · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars. In many ways, this is the kind of story filled with themes of forbidden love and enemies-to-lovers that’s all predictable. But… the way this tale is written, it’s just charming and drags you right into the thick of things, not letting go until the last line. I loved it. What I found quite refreshing also was that despite the historical period, the two men decide to forge ahead with their relationship, regardless of being maliciously gossiped about. They refuse to let others make their decisions for them, to allow haters to change what good they have.

Read the full review at Joyfully Jay.

[SJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally got to read this historical romance. RTC

[Lena Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel Calhoun, in 'A Gentleman of Substance' by Julia Talbot, is very close to his family and has worked for years to build up his farm from practically nothing. He loves his life, but when he falls in love with another man Daniel is forced to choose between the two; he has to decide whether to keep what he has, or give it all up for love.

Both Michael and Daniel are delightfully crafted, each with an abundance of personality, sensuality, resourcefulness, and determination, which, of course, makes their personalities clash with fervor. Even though Michael St. James is first presented as a scoundrel, it's fascinating to watch him develop a conscience, particularly after falling in love with Daniel. I sympathized with his confusion in having to learn how to proceed as a man of conscience after living a lifetime with so little regard for others. Daniel is most likely the only person he's ever cared for more than himself and Michael doesn't want to hurt him, but doesn't have a clue how best to prevent that from happening and, consequently, makes matters even worse.

Daniel is just as stubborn and proud as Michael. He has met his match both intellectually and physically and it drives him mad. The more he tries to pull away from Michael, the closer they become. It was like watching a rubber band be stretched apart, knowing that eventually it will come smashing back together, which was precisely what happened. For love's sake, Daniel and Michael set out on an unfamiliar path, one which will test both men's resolve and have them doing a lot of soul searching.

'A Gentleman of Substance' is a passionate historical romance set in Virginia in the late 1700s – early 1800s. It's well written in a lyrical style, with engaging characters and rich descriptions of the culture in that time period. If you want a passionate historical romance with a fairy tale ending, which will put a smile on your face and a sigh on your lips, then I'd highly recommend this story. Thank you, Julia Talbot, for this entertaining trip into the past.

NOTE: This book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent

I have not read very many MM romances which take place in Colonial America, but the ones I have read are very good indeed--but this one shoots right to the top of the charts and I cannot imagine how it's been hidden because it's magnificent.

The reason is very simple: There are no two characters more utterly unsuited for each other, nor as fated to be together, as Michael St. James and Daniel Calhoun. And though it appears at the start that we have Michael as the protagonist and key to the tale, it is Daniel Calhoun who is the story here and the hero every step of the way.

Their tale is aided and abetted by some very real and well-drawn sub characters, but the plot and the personalities of these two men will drive you crazy.

You will not be able to put this one aside, so let it be started at a time when you will have some time--it's a fast, furious, read full of angst, bitterness, hope, love, and some of the most magnificent love scenes in any historical gay-for-you novel you will encounter.

You will never forget these two, and as much as you will like and sympathize with Michael St. James, I am willing to bet you will truly love and never forget Daniel Calhoun.

SPOILER ALERT: This is the single worst cover I have ever seen. why not put the men on the cover instead of someone's cheeky idea of luring you in with an instrument that plays a minor, though somewhat hilarious, role in the story? Also, it is formatted poorly for Kindle--there are no breaks on the pages between chapters--the chapter headings follow the last paragraph of the previous chapter. And only "time left in the book" appears on the bottom left, not "time left in chapter." But it's a fast read anyway.

[Sakuko · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit of a drag. There where a lot of errors that should have been found by a simple read-through (wrong words, misplaced spaces).

I did enjoy the characters at first, even though Daniel is pretty much just an prejudiced asshole all the time. But his turnaround was too sudden and unbelievable to me. They are also exceptionally careless about their sexual conduct (homosexuality being illegal and immoral at that point) and even when warned about it they do nothing to be even a little less obvious. They do end up in hot water for it though, so the book doesn't exactly ignore the sentiment of the time as some historical romances do.

Then there is quite a bit of drama, all of it loud, obnoxious and entirely pointless. I just did not get why they reacted like they did and why everything had to escalate to the extend that it does. But apparently both of them are more stubborn and stupid than I gave them credit for.
There is also way too much sex for my taste. The sex scenes are kinda entertaining, but I did not found them hot at all. And they just take up so much room that could have been used for some relationship development, which is pretty sparse.

[Cathy Brockman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh gosh, this is so very good. Julia Talbot gave this story such a good historical voice. I felt I was back in time with these men.
Daniel is a squire that loves his land and sister. His sister married into substance and She drags him to socials with her. He meets Michael a new man of substance with secrets.
Michael's father has sent him there as a punishment for his sins. He decides the arrogant squire is fun to poke (and wants to poke in more ways than one).
Julia Talbot gave this story such a good historical voice. I felt I was back in time with these men. I loved all the characters, the setting, the story, and oh wow did the ending surprise me!

Austin Jay did a pretty good job with the narration. I did like listening to the story and his voice was a perfect old-time cowboy voice.

If you like historical western, witty characters, a twist of an ending, (Brokeback Mountain with a HEA) you will love this. ( I suggest the audio if you can get it!)

[Tex Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 of 5 - Nice M/M Romance but Totally Missed Period Setting
The m/m romance itself was nice, if you forgive it being a bit stereotypical and predictable. I like the enemies to lovers trope. But I cannot forgive the lack of accurate portrayal of the time and place: Tidewater Virginia in early 1800s, plantations and plantation owners, deep into that peculiar institution, and hardly a mention or depiction of slavery. I understand m/m romance being all sweet and nice, but this was just too oblivious.

[L.D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet historical romance between two different men from different lifestyles. The huge obstacle, once the two main characters finally realized that they were perfect together, was how taboo homosexual relationships were during that timeframe. There’s drama, love, and action in this book, and it made for a quick, enjoyable read.

[Susan Scribner · Rating 3 out of 5]

More erotica than romance, with more dubcon than I was completely comfortable with, especially at the beginning. The MCs' characters were sketchily developed (I still have no idea why Michael was exiled to Virginia except that it had something to do with a duel) but their banter was enjoyable. YMMV if you like sex scenes with a bit of a plot woven in to the mix.

[A. Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

For an erotic romance, this was a very good story. Actually, the characters were developed enough that this could have been made a full-length novel. I would have liked to have seen exactly what made Michael fall for Daniel. Sometimes the dialogue was confusing, not sure who did or said what.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. A nice historical romance between two gentlemen farmers, set in the 1800 U.S. colonies where M/M was frowned upon but tolerated if hidden, but lovers were shunned and ostracized if the relationship became public.

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4.75 stars

In many ways, this is the kind of story filled with themes of forbidden love and enemies-to-lovers that’s all predictable. But… the way this tale is written, it’s just charming and drags you right into the thick of things, not letting go until the last line. I loved it.

In the beginning, the characters are total opposites in personalities, and their arguing banter is one of the best aspects of the book. The sparkling wit and snappy retorts make each verbal fencing match a delight to read. Daniel insults Michael as best he can, and Michael happily smiles with a smart remark back. Delicious dialogue indeed.

What I found quite refreshing also was that despite the historical period, the two men decide to forge ahead with their relationship, regardless of being maliciously gossiped about. They refuse to let others make their decisions for them, to allow haters to change what good they have. Historical romances often show this aspect which, while realistic, is often handled in a melodramatic fashion. Here, the matter is skimmed, working in the background to show the social forces these men heroicly fight against.

Read Susan’s review in its entirety here.

[Juli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two and a half stars because to be honest, I have no idea if I liked this book or not.
Things that worked for me:
-The characters and their dynamics were good
-Well-written for the most part
-Bonus points for Jane: good female characters in gay romances are rare, and she is just wonderful
Things that didn't work for me:
-The sex scenes were not hot enough to be so frequent
-I get that it sucks to have to hide your love. But their environment seems fairly tolerant for the times : most are aware what they are doing, they just don't want to see it. But Michael and Daniel's behavior surpasses recklessness and goes right into stupidity. They have sex at a ball, outside! I imagine even a straight couple would have caused a scandal were they caught doing this
-It seems weird that they continue to call each other by their last names even while having sex

[Wollstonecrafthomegirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I really did read this nearly a year ago. I remember it being a pretty mediocre experience with some jarring writing and a sense that the plot was rushed with little proper charcater development or development of the romance. That said, I read all the way through and it did divert me for a few hours. There is better m/m historical fare out there though, if that's your jam.

[Usagi Tsukino · Rating 3 out of 5]

At page 16 it was already boring me, but still I continued reading it.
It wasn't that bad, taking note that I hate historical books.
Although, there really was no need for an epilogue. =/

[Misty · Rating 3 out of 5]

** 3.5 Stars **

[DayDreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

They did say that the punishment should fit the crimes, after all.

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time)]

80% Price drop to $0.99 at Amazon US and All Romance! 9/14/14