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The Lords of Bucknall Club #1
A Husband for Hartwell
He must marry, or risk his fortune.
The whole of London Society has long assumed Lord William Hartwell will marry his childhood best friend, Lady Rebecca Warrington. After two Seasons, Hartwell remains quite content with bachelorhood--his parents do not. When Hartwell learns they intend to cut his purse strings unless he makes a match this Season, he resigns himself to a marriage of convenience with Becca, and yet he can't help but be drawn to her younger brother, Warry.
He must marry, or risk his sister's ruin.
The Viscount "Warry" Warrington is used to being viewed as the tagalong little brother. Now a grown man about to enter his second Season, Warry is desperate to be seen. When Lord Balfour, a handsome older peer, takes Warry under his wing, Warry thinks his dream is finally coming true. Until Balfour reveals his true intent--to make public a letter that will destroy Becca's reputation, unless Warry agrees to marry him.
Time is running out for both of them.
When an injury forces Warry to recover at Hartwell House, the two succumb to a secret flirtation. But Warry's sudden announcement of his engagement to Balfour drives Hartwell near mad with jealousy--and right into Becca's arms. With the clock ticking for Warry to save his sister, will Hartwell discover the truth of Warry's feelings before it's too late?
A Husband for Hartwell is the first book in the Lords of Bucknall Club series, where the Regency meets m/m romance.
The whole of London Society has long assumed Lord William Hartwell will marry his childhood best friend, Lady Rebecca Warrington. After two Seasons, Hartwell remains quite content with bachelorhood--his parents do not. When Hartwell learns they intend to cut his purse strings unless he makes a match this Season, he resigns himself to a marriage of convenience with Becca, and yet he can't help but be drawn to her younger brother, Warry.
He must marry, or risk his sister's ruin.
The Viscount "Warry" Warrington is used to being viewed as the tagalong little brother. Now a grown man about to enter his second Season, Warry is desperate to be seen. When Lord Balfour, a handsome older peer, takes Warry under his wing, Warry thinks his dream is finally coming true. Until Balfour reveals his true intent--to make public a letter that will destroy Becca's reputation, unless Warry agrees to marry him.
Time is running out for both of them.
When an injury forces Warry to recover at Hartwell House, the two succumb to a secret flirtation. But Warry's sudden announcement of his engagement to Balfour drives Hartwell near mad with jealousy--and right into Becca's arms. With the clock ticking for Warry to save his sister, will Hartwell discover the truth of Warry's feelings before it's too late?
A Husband for Hartwell is the first book in the Lords of Bucknall Club series, where the Regency meets m/m romance.
205 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 11, 2021
174 people are currently reading
1691 people want to read
About the author
J.A. Rock
53 books562 followersJ.A. Rock is the author or coauthor of over twenty LGBTQ romance, suspense, and horror novels, as well as an occasional contributor to HuffPo Queer Voices. J.A. has received Lambda Literary and INDIEFAB Award nominations for MINOTAUR, and THE SUBS CLUB received the 2016 National Leather Association-International Pauline Reage Novel Award. J.A. lives in Chicago with an extremely judgmental dog, Professor Anne Studebaker.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 258 reviews
dnf
May 12, 2021DNF @25%. Alas. 😢
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coming May 11, 2021
Back when I reviewed Lisa Henry's Hellion, I said, "If Lisa Henry devoted herself to writing m/m Regency romance I think I would follow her anywhere."
And look what we have here!
Although from the blurb, this is an alternate-universe Regency, one where men can marry each other. Also, it's co-written with JA Rock (also the co-author for the Playing the Fool series). Still, it's going to be on KU, so you can bet I'll be jumping on it on release day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coming May 11, 2021
Back when I reviewed Lisa Henry's Hellion, I said, "If Lisa Henry devoted herself to writing m/m Regency romance I think I would follow her anywhere."
And look what we have here!
Although from the blurb, this is an alternate-universe Regency, one where men can marry each other. Also, it's co-written with JA Rock (also the co-author for the Playing the Fool series). Still, it's going to be on KU, so you can bet I'll be jumping on it on release day.
March 3, 2023
4 Stars
This MM historical romance had a unique twist to it that I found quite fascinating.
The series is set in an alt-version of regency England, where a bill has been passed through government promoting same-sex marriages between younger sons and daughters of peerage, essentially in the hopes of limiting further offspring (beyond the heir) so that family wealth won’t be spread too thin.
So, already, this set-up eases my always-there anxiety, that I have whenever reading historical MM romances. The worry of judgement and persecution, of being “found out,” is instantly gone here and I appreciated the hell out of that.
Add to that, this was a brother’s-best-friend romance at its core and I enjoyed the dynamic between MCs Hartwell and Warry. They have a bit of a antagonistic relationship but it added to the slow burn fun of it all.
Hartwell, being slightly older, is a bit of brat, always teasing and pranking Warry, essentially seeking his attention like kids with crushes do on playgrounds.
Warry is much more serious and takes things to heart, assuming Hartwell’s lifetime of taunts means he doesn’t value or truly care about Warry… which couldn’t be farther from the truth.
These two share a lot of back-and-forth banter that is fun to read, with things shifting romantically when both find themselves in other entanglements that don’t feel right, but which both feel is their duty to follow through due to perceived family expectations.
There’s a bit of martyrdom and a fair dose of miscommunication to push the story forward, and although both of these things usually drive me up the wall in my reading, the authors managed to make it work for me, striking a balance between irksome and understandable that felt right for the story at hand.
I liked Warry and Hartwell’s love story, particularly loving the second-half, which I found hard to put down in my increasing desperation for truths to be revealed and love declarations to be made clear once and for all.
This is definitely a series I'll be continuing.
This MM historical romance had a unique twist to it that I found quite fascinating.
The series is set in an alt-version of regency England, where a bill has been passed through government promoting same-sex marriages between younger sons and daughters of peerage, essentially in the hopes of limiting further offspring (beyond the heir) so that family wealth won’t be spread too thin.
So, already, this set-up eases my always-there anxiety, that I have whenever reading historical MM romances. The worry of judgement and persecution, of being “found out,” is instantly gone here and I appreciated the hell out of that.
Add to that, this was a brother’s-best-friend romance at its core and I enjoyed the dynamic between MCs Hartwell and Warry. They have a bit of a antagonistic relationship but it added to the slow burn fun of it all.
Hartwell, being slightly older, is a bit of brat, always teasing and pranking Warry, essentially seeking his attention like kids with crushes do on playgrounds.
Warry is much more serious and takes things to heart, assuming Hartwell’s lifetime of taunts means he doesn’t value or truly care about Warry… which couldn’t be farther from the truth.
These two share a lot of back-and-forth banter that is fun to read, with things shifting romantically when both find themselves in other entanglements that don’t feel right, but which both feel is their duty to follow through due to perceived family expectations.
There’s a bit of martyrdom and a fair dose of miscommunication to push the story forward, and although both of these things usually drive me up the wall in my reading, the authors managed to make it work for me, striking a balance between irksome and understandable that felt right for the story at hand.
I liked Warry and Hartwell’s love story, particularly loving the second-half, which I found hard to put down in my increasing desperation for truths to be revealed and love declarations to be made clear once and for all.
This is definitely a series I'll be continuing.
May 11, 2021
Holy Moly did I frickn -ass hate this book. It was written in 2020/21? WTH.
I got an advanced review copy of this book which is written by two authors I have been enjoying for years. (will the review site let me have another one? Possibly not!)
Warning: this book has an abuse story line.
I got an advanced review copy of this book which is written by two authors I have been enjoying for years. (will the review site let me have another one? Possibly not!)
Warning: this book has an abuse story line.
September 5, 2021
He must marry, or risk his fortune.
The whole of London Society has long assumed Lord William Hartwell will marry his childhood best friend, Lady Rebecca Warrington. After two Seasons, Hartwell remains quite content with bachelorhood--his parents do not. When Hartwell learns they intend to cut his purse strings unless he makes a match this Season, he resigns himself to a marriage of convenience with Becca, and yet he can't help but be drawn to her younger brother, Warry.
He must marry, or risk his sister's ruin.
The Viscount "Warry" Warrington is used to being viewed as the tagalong little brother. Now a grown man about to enter his second Season, Warry is desperate to be seen. When Lord Balfour, a handsome older peer, takes Warry under his wing, Warry thinks his dream is finally coming true. Until Balfour reveals his true intent--to make public a letter that will destroy Becca's reputation, unless Warry agrees to marry him.
Time is running out for both of them.
When an injury forces Warry to recover at Hartwell House, the two succumb to a secret flirtation. But Warry's sudden announcement of his engagement to Balfour drives Hartwell near mad with jealousy--and right into Becca's arms. With the clock ticking for Warry to save his sister, will Hartwell discover the truth of Warry's feelings before it's too late?
A Husband for Hartwell is the first book in the Lords of Bucknall Club series, where the Regency meets m/m romance.
Review:
What in the name of all that holy have I just read?
I was trying to think of something coherent to write for couple of hours after I read this book. This is the best I can do. I have read the second book in this series prior to reading this one and quite enjoyed it ( I have read many books by this duo before and enjoyed some of their collaborations more, some less, but I certainly often find their books interesting enough to try). The books can be read out of order according to the authors, so I by no means regret reading the second book. I stumbled on the second book by accident. I stayed away from this one because I *vaguely* remembered that book friend whose tastes I trust wrote the review and mentioned that one character was being an abusive ass to another character. There are few tropes that make me run for the hill faster than this one.
But then I have read the second one and couple from the first one appeared in the second book as supporting characters and they were so cozy and sweet and I thought, hey it cannot be that bad right? Wrong!
I actually did not think that Hartwell was the worst of the verbal abusers I had seen in the romance books - till 41 percent I did not even see it. I had seen the idiotic lack of communication, fear , jealousy, etc, but of course dear Hartwell nicely demonstrated how cruel he can be with his words. Maybe it is because his motivations were so aptly shown ( being a jealous coward and an idiot ), I did not at least doubt that he loved Warry ( small mercies ).
But overall his character gave me such whiplash because I think of " Regency meets m/m romance". I have absolutely no issues with historical fantasy, I *love* well done historical fantasy, but man if one introduced the books with this proposition, shouldn't the whole mentality of the society change significantly and change not just when it suits the authors' needs for the plot?
This is how both books start:
“In 1783, the Marriage Act Amendment was introduced in England to allow marriages between same-sex couples. This was done to strengthen the law of primogeniture and to encourage childless unions in younger sons and daughters of the peerage, as an excess of lesser heirs might prove burdensome to a thinly spread inheritance.”
So, the society at this point should be mostly accepting of same sex relationships right ? I understand that in this universe younger sons and daughters are encouraged to make same sex marriage to decrease the amount of heirs, but the amount of angst Hartwell goes through if he would go public ( or at least share with his parents ) his love for Warry rings hollow to me . Discourage and make him think the relationship itself would ruin him are two very different things and I just could not figure it out, especially since of course everything works out to make all his fears for nothing .
Warry? Jesus and Mary ( yes, I am using holy names in this review and no, I am not a Christian), to say that I found his IQ to be extremely low would be understatement of the century . And yes, I understand one losing his head while being blackmailed , NO I don't understand losing his head to such degree. I was done with this idiot when he decided that the blackmailer would not demand his hand in marriage AFTER SPENDING ONE NIGHT WITH HIM IF SUCH BLACKMAILER ALREADY LIED TO HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE.
And remind me again why would a man in this society would be concerned with his reputation? He is not a woman right?
We shall not mention sharing things with sister with whom he is supposed to be extremely close, because I am trying to give him the "losing the head from blackmail" slack and trying very hard.
I decided these two very much deserve each other.
1.5 stars. Barely .
The whole of London Society has long assumed Lord William Hartwell will marry his childhood best friend, Lady Rebecca Warrington. After two Seasons, Hartwell remains quite content with bachelorhood--his parents do not. When Hartwell learns they intend to cut his purse strings unless he makes a match this Season, he resigns himself to a marriage of convenience with Becca, and yet he can't help but be drawn to her younger brother, Warry.
He must marry, or risk his sister's ruin.
The Viscount "Warry" Warrington is used to being viewed as the tagalong little brother. Now a grown man about to enter his second Season, Warry is desperate to be seen. When Lord Balfour, a handsome older peer, takes Warry under his wing, Warry thinks his dream is finally coming true. Until Balfour reveals his true intent--to make public a letter that will destroy Becca's reputation, unless Warry agrees to marry him.
Time is running out for both of them.
When an injury forces Warry to recover at Hartwell House, the two succumb to a secret flirtation. But Warry's sudden announcement of his engagement to Balfour drives Hartwell near mad with jealousy--and right into Becca's arms. With the clock ticking for Warry to save his sister, will Hartwell discover the truth of Warry's feelings before it's too late?
A Husband for Hartwell is the first book in the Lords of Bucknall Club series, where the Regency meets m/m romance.
Review:
What in the name of all that holy have I just read?
I was trying to think of something coherent to write for couple of hours after I read this book. This is the best I can do. I have read the second book in this series prior to reading this one and quite enjoyed it ( I have read many books by this duo before and enjoyed some of their collaborations more, some less, but I certainly often find their books interesting enough to try). The books can be read out of order according to the authors, so I by no means regret reading the second book. I stumbled on the second book by accident. I stayed away from this one because I *vaguely* remembered that book friend whose tastes I trust wrote the review and mentioned that one character was being an abusive ass to another character. There are few tropes that make me run for the hill faster than this one.
But then I have read the second one and couple from the first one appeared in the second book as supporting characters and they were so cozy and sweet and I thought, hey it cannot be that bad right? Wrong!
I actually did not think that Hartwell was the worst of the verbal abusers I had seen in the romance books - till 41 percent I did not even see it. I had seen the idiotic lack of communication, fear , jealousy, etc, but of course dear Hartwell nicely demonstrated how cruel he can be with his words. Maybe it is because his motivations were so aptly shown ( being a jealous coward and an idiot ), I did not at least doubt that he loved Warry ( small mercies ).
But overall his character gave me such whiplash because I think of " Regency meets m/m romance". I have absolutely no issues with historical fantasy, I *love* well done historical fantasy, but man if one introduced the books with this proposition, shouldn't the whole mentality of the society change significantly and change not just when it suits the authors' needs for the plot?
This is how both books start:
“In 1783, the Marriage Act Amendment was introduced in England to allow marriages between same-sex couples. This was done to strengthen the law of primogeniture and to encourage childless unions in younger sons and daughters of the peerage, as an excess of lesser heirs might prove burdensome to a thinly spread inheritance.”
So, the society at this point should be mostly accepting of same sex relationships right ? I understand that in this universe younger sons and daughters are encouraged to make same sex marriage to decrease the amount of heirs, but the amount of angst Hartwell goes through if he would go public ( or at least share with his parents ) his love for Warry rings hollow to me . Discourage and make him think the relationship itself would ruin him are two very different things and I just could not figure it out, especially since of course everything works out to make all his fears for nothing .
Warry? Jesus and Mary ( yes, I am using holy names in this review and no, I am not a Christian), to say that I found his IQ to be extremely low would be understatement of the century . And yes, I understand one losing his head while being blackmailed , NO I don't understand losing his head to such degree. I was done with this idiot when he decided that the blackmailer would not demand his hand in marriage AFTER SPENDING ONE NIGHT WITH HIM IF SUCH BLACKMAILER ALREADY LIED TO HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE.
And remind me again why would a man in this society would be concerned with his reputation? He is not a woman right?
We shall not mention sharing things with sister with whom he is supposed to be extremely close, because I am trying to give him the "losing the head from blackmail" slack and trying very hard.
I decided these two very much deserve each other.
1.5 stars. Barely .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 1, 2022
I loved this book so much. I can't speak for the accuracy, but I don't care because I thoroughly enjoyed Warry and Hartwell's antics.
In A Husband for Hartwell's world there was a marriage act that legalises gay marriage. So we get a regency romance, without the homophobia. However, first born sons are still expected to marry a woman and produce an heir.
Which is unfortunate for Lord William Hartwell, who is an only son on top of that. His plan to put off getting married for as long as possible, is cut short when he hears a rumour that his father might cut his purse strings if he doesn't marry.
But all isn't lost as Hartwell's best friend Lady Rebecca Warrington, who also doesn't want to marry, agrees a marriage of convenience. In the eyes of society they will be a married couple, but for all intents and purposes they'll jsut be best friends. This would all be a lot easier if Hartwell didn't develop a crush on Becca's younger brother, Viscount "Warry" Warrington.
Warry returns Hartwell's feelings but is trapped in an engagement with Lord Balfour. Balfour has a letter, written by Becca, that once made public would ruin her reputation. He's using this to blackmail Warry.
_
As you can tell, there's a lot going on in just over 200 pages. Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock had me hooked from page one.
There's so much drama and conflict here. The situations Warry and Hartwell are in lead to a lot of tense moments and frustration. They do not hold their punches in these arguments, and let me tell you these verbal matches get intense!!
In A Husband for Hartwell's world there was a marriage act that legalises gay marriage. So we get a regency romance, without the homophobia. However, first born sons are still expected to marry a woman and produce an heir.
Which is unfortunate for Lord William Hartwell, who is an only son on top of that. His plan to put off getting married for as long as possible, is cut short when he hears a rumour that his father might cut his purse strings if he doesn't marry.
But all isn't lost as Hartwell's best friend Lady Rebecca Warrington, who also doesn't want to marry, agrees a marriage of convenience. In the eyes of society they will be a married couple, but for all intents and purposes they'll jsut be best friends. This would all be a lot easier if Hartwell didn't develop a crush on Becca's younger brother, Viscount "Warry" Warrington.
Warry returns Hartwell's feelings but is trapped in an engagement with Lord Balfour. Balfour has a letter, written by Becca, that once made public would ruin her reputation. He's using this to blackmail Warry.
_
As you can tell, there's a lot going on in just over 200 pages. Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock had me hooked from page one.
There's so much drama and conflict here. The situations Warry and Hartwell are in lead to a lot of tense moments and frustration. They do not hold their punches in these arguments, and let me tell you these verbal matches get intense!!
Want to read
June 30, 2023Kindle freebie 6/30/23
June 4, 2021
It's been way too long since we’ve been treated to something new from J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry, and what could be better than this duo delivering a gay historical romance? While A Husband for Hartwell might seem like a traditional Regency romance, upon first glance, it’s really no surprise to me that this talented team of authors have made it their own by putting their unique stamp on it.
If you’re looking for an always sunny, sweeter than life romance, you’re not going to find it here. The characters in A Husband For Hartwell aren’t perfect, and they’re not always nice to each other. These folks are honest, real, and raw; you weren’t expecting something run of the mill from a J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry, were you?
In this world, where the Lords of the Bucknall Club reside, bisexuality is natural and completely acceptable. Of course, same sex unions don’t produce an heir, and since both of the main characters in A Husband for Hartwell are first born sons, they’re expected to marry well, and to marry women.
I’m tickled pink by the world the authors created for this The Lords of Bucknall Club series. What a pleasure to see the open acceptance of the community regarding same sex relations. It’s not the stigma of their sexuality which is the issue here. What’s upsetting the families of both Warry and Hartwell, is simply that if they are unable to produce an heir, their titles will pass to another man in their extended family.
Since Hartwell is an only child, his father is sticking firm to his requirement that Hartwell marry a woman and produce an heir. Resigned to his fate, Hartwell does his best to woo his best friend, Becca. This means putting aside his preference for men… most notably, his preference for Becca’s younger brother Warry.
Told from alternating points of view, we get to know both men, and what motivates them to act the way they do. Simply put, Warry is the annoying younger brother who was nothing but a nuisance to Becca and Hartwell. At age nineteen, Warry has blossomed into an attractive man, and Hartwell struggles to move past his firmly cemented vision of Warry as the pest from his childhood.
J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry have added some colorful hijinks into the mix. Along with a wee bit of below stairs mischief, and several fine examples of Lords behaving badly, this is a romp of the highest order. There’s a delightful purloined letter mystery, a wee bit of scandal involving some naughty literature, and all the pomp and circumstance we love to see which revolves around the British upper class during the 19th Century.
I expect future episodes of this series to be centered around Warry and Hartwell’s friends (men who are also members of the Bucknall Club). J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry have introduced a number of intriguing characters in this first book, and any one of them is sure to have an interesting story. It honestly doesn’t matter, and I’m just along for the journey!
If you’re looking for an always sunny, sweeter than life romance, you’re not going to find it here. The characters in A Husband For Hartwell aren’t perfect, and they’re not always nice to each other. These folks are honest, real, and raw; you weren’t expecting something run of the mill from a J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry, were you?
In this world, where the Lords of the Bucknall Club reside, bisexuality is natural and completely acceptable. Of course, same sex unions don’t produce an heir, and since both of the main characters in A Husband for Hartwell are first born sons, they’re expected to marry well, and to marry women.
I’m tickled pink by the world the authors created for this The Lords of Bucknall Club series. What a pleasure to see the open acceptance of the community regarding same sex relations. It’s not the stigma of their sexuality which is the issue here. What’s upsetting the families of both Warry and Hartwell, is simply that if they are unable to produce an heir, their titles will pass to another man in their extended family.
Since Hartwell is an only child, his father is sticking firm to his requirement that Hartwell marry a woman and produce an heir. Resigned to his fate, Hartwell does his best to woo his best friend, Becca. This means putting aside his preference for men… most notably, his preference for Becca’s younger brother Warry.
Told from alternating points of view, we get to know both men, and what motivates them to act the way they do. Simply put, Warry is the annoying younger brother who was nothing but a nuisance to Becca and Hartwell. At age nineteen, Warry has blossomed into an attractive man, and Hartwell struggles to move past his firmly cemented vision of Warry as the pest from his childhood.
J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry have added some colorful hijinks into the mix. Along with a wee bit of below stairs mischief, and several fine examples of Lords behaving badly, this is a romp of the highest order. There’s a delightful purloined letter mystery, a wee bit of scandal involving some naughty literature, and all the pomp and circumstance we love to see which revolves around the British upper class during the 19th Century.
I expect future episodes of this series to be centered around Warry and Hartwell’s friends (men who are also members of the Bucknall Club). J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry have introduced a number of intriguing characters in this first book, and any one of them is sure to have an interesting story. It honestly doesn’t matter, and I’m just along for the journey!
May 21, 2021
2.75 stars
Hartwell and Warry have known each other since they were kids. Hartwell is bestfriends with Warry's sister Becca. Growing up him and Becca always treated Warry as if he was a nuisance and it seems even as an adult Hartwell does the same. However, Hartwell's attitude seems to be in part due to jealous and impart due to his suppression of his true feelings for Warry.
These two finds themselves in quite the predicaments. Warry finds himself being blackmailed by the one man he thought to be a true friend, Balfour, and Hartwell believes he must marry a woman or else risk being cutoff by his father. This leads the two down crazy roads where they continuously cross paths.
I wanted to like the book but found the back and forth between Warry and Hartwell tiring. There was too much animosity amongst them for me grow warm and fuzzy for their relationship. I cannot say there was much development there. For me, the last portion of this book past the 92% mark is where it finally starts to shine...only to end. I would have really like to have seen Hartwell's and Warry's relationship flourish more. The ending does leave you with hope there is a HEA but I wanted to see it on page.
There seems to be more books coming as this is the first in this series so, perhaps Gale's story is next. I would love to see more of him.
I received and ARC from GRR for my honest review.
Hartwell and Warry have known each other since they were kids. Hartwell is bestfriends with Warry's sister Becca. Growing up him and Becca always treated Warry as if he was a nuisance and it seems even as an adult Hartwell does the same. However, Hartwell's attitude seems to be in part due to jealous and impart due to his suppression of his true feelings for Warry.
These two finds themselves in quite the predicaments. Warry finds himself being blackmailed by the one man he thought to be a true friend, Balfour, and Hartwell believes he must marry a woman or else risk being cutoff by his father. This leads the two down crazy roads where they continuously cross paths.
I wanted to like the book but found the back and forth between Warry and Hartwell tiring. There was too much animosity amongst them for me grow warm and fuzzy for their relationship. I cannot say there was much development there. For me, the last portion of this book past the 92% mark is where it finally starts to shine...only to end. I would have really like to have seen Hartwell's and Warry's relationship flourish more. The ending does leave you with hope there is a HEA but I wanted to see it on page.
There seems to be more books coming as this is the first in this series so, perhaps Gale's story is next. I would love to see more of him.
I received and ARC from GRR for my honest review.
May 16, 2021
I only have good experiences with Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock working together and there are parts in this book where their love for a good story with special characters is shining through but this time their magic failed. Mainly that's because of Hartwell and his not really likable character. The authors offer something like an excuse for his attitude but I don't buy it. The authors don't show what got Becca or Gale befriend him or why Warry's affection should be more than a lingering childhood infatuation.
Did I hope for a gay Bridgerton? Yes. Did I get it? No ... and I also didn't got a Regency Altona or Mark Cooper in tights while all the world sleeps during a season ... but hope dies last, so I will check in for Gale's story.
Did I hope for a gay Bridgerton? Yes. Did I get it? No ... and I also didn't got a Regency Altona or Mark Cooper in tights while all the world sleeps during a season ... but hope dies last, so I will check in for Gale's story.
February 24, 2022
Rating subject to change in the future.
Read
January 12, 2024DNF @ 30% - nothing wrong with it, I just lost the steam to keep going with it
May 18, 2025
I've never before read a book where one MC narrowly misses killing the other with a misfired arrow, then later apologizes to his mother,
"Please accept my apologies once more for the near miss with Warry."
while secretly thinking,
"I should not have missed."
And there's a passionate sex scene between the vaguely attempted murder and the apology to the mother whose son and heir he nearly killed.
💀💀💀
I was going to preface this review by saying that if you disliked Tam in Yield Under Great Persuasion, you'll HATE Hartwell, but honestly I loved Tam and even I struggled with Hartwell.
He's.......unfiltered.
And that's simply the nicest way in which I can say that he has strong (often wrong) emotions and the unfortunate reality of no brain to mouth filter.
I swear I've never read a Regency romance so passionate, and the passion having nothing whatsoever to do with exposed ankles. Or sex scenes, really. Just a lot of heated fights.
A LOT of emotions. These people are not giving stiff upper lip at all and I was so here for it.
Warry, an unfortunate nickname for Lord Warrington, is much sweeter than Hartwell, and is not so at war with his feelings.
If anything, these two probably would have worked things out and been married long before if Hartwell wasn't so intimidating and hard to tell things.
Naturally, this and other worries convince Warry to hide important things from the people that love him and result in a very near miss engagement to an unsavory character.
Hartwell's a dick, but he's the only one who is so attuned to Warry's actions and feelings that he doesn't stop suspecting something amiss with him, even when Warry insists again and again that all is as it should be.
After all is resolved, I think it's really sweet that all Hartwell wants Warry to promise is that going forward, he will tell him.
"You will tell me. You will tell me when you're hurting. You'll tell me every time you adore me and every time you can't stand me."
To be fair, Warry has always been opening to telling. Hartwell just hasn't been open to hearing. Until now. Now he wants to hear everything.
But much as Hartwell is genuinely, genuinely a dick, I couldn't help enjoying these two. Mostly because Warry doesn't let him get away with it. Most of this is them fighting, Hartwell telling Warry what's best for him and Warry saying fuck that, I know what's best for me and that's you, but also you're such a colossal dick that I'll marry the other guy anyway 💀
Before I started this, I read multiple reviews calling Hartwell abusive and I'm not sure I agree with that characterization.
I LOOOOOOVE the idea of men compromising other men. I had a lot of giggles over it.
And immediately after sex, one accused the other of trying to belch in his ear(he was right).
Honestly, I enjoyed these two together.
Hartwell making love declaration so incongruous with his character REALLY got me.
He's a dick. But he's loveable dick. I get it, Warry.
"I will listen at any length to any discussion of any internal organs of any animal."
Awwwwwwww.
*Yes, I realize this is bare minimum behavior but it's so cute and Warry's happy so fuck it. Sue me.
Also enjoyed the Duke's incredulity about them two 💀💀💀
"But you don't even LIKE Warry, you tried to shoot him!"
He was shooting his shot🙄. Keep up, daddy.
"Please accept my apologies once more for the near miss with Warry."
while secretly thinking,
"I should not have missed."
And there's a passionate sex scene between the vaguely attempted murder and the apology to the mother whose son and heir he nearly killed.
💀💀💀
I was going to preface this review by saying that if you disliked Tam in Yield Under Great Persuasion, you'll HATE Hartwell, but honestly I loved Tam and even I struggled with Hartwell.
He's.......unfiltered.
And that's simply the nicest way in which I can say that he has strong (often wrong) emotions and the unfortunate reality of no brain to mouth filter.
I swear I've never read a Regency romance so passionate, and the passion having nothing whatsoever to do with exposed ankles. Or sex scenes, really. Just a lot of heated fights.
A LOT of emotions. These people are not giving stiff upper lip at all and I was so here for it.
Warry, an unfortunate nickname for Lord Warrington, is much sweeter than Hartwell, and is not so at war with his feelings.
If anything, these two probably would have worked things out and been married long before if Hartwell wasn't so intimidating and hard to tell things.
Naturally, this and other worries convince Warry to hide important things from the people that love him and result in a very near miss engagement to an unsavory character.
Hartwell's a dick, but he's the only one who is so attuned to Warry's actions and feelings that he doesn't stop suspecting something amiss with him, even when Warry insists again and again that all is as it should be.
After all is resolved, I think it's really sweet that all Hartwell wants Warry to promise is that going forward, he will tell him.
"You will tell me. You will tell me when you're hurting. You'll tell me every time you adore me and every time you can't stand me."
To be fair, Warry has always been opening to telling. Hartwell just hasn't been open to hearing. Until now. Now he wants to hear everything.
But much as Hartwell is genuinely, genuinely a dick, I couldn't help enjoying these two. Mostly because Warry doesn't let him get away with it. Most of this is them fighting, Hartwell telling Warry what's best for him and Warry saying fuck that, I know what's best for me and that's you, but also you're such a colossal dick that I'll marry the other guy anyway 💀
Before I started this, I read multiple reviews calling Hartwell abusive and I'm not sure I agree with that characterization.
I LOOOOOOVE the idea of men compromising other men. I had a lot of giggles over it.
And immediately after sex, one accused the other of trying to belch in his ear(he was right).
Honestly, I enjoyed these two together.
Hartwell making love declaration so incongruous with his character REALLY got me.
He's a dick. But he's loveable dick. I get it, Warry.
"I will listen at any length to any discussion of any internal organs of any animal."
Awwwwwwww.
*Yes, I realize this is bare minimum behavior but it's so cute and Warry's happy so fuck it. Sue me.
Also enjoyed the Duke's incredulity about them two 💀💀💀
"But you don't even LIKE Warry, you tried to shoot him!"
He was shooting his shot🙄. Keep up, daddy.
not-for-me
May 12, 2021Meh! I expected more from both Lisa Henry and JA Rock.
All the characters read as cardboard cutouts and not particularly likable or interesting. At first I was wondering if it was just my mood but checking other reviews confirmed that it wasn’t just me. The so called teasing of Warry by his sister and Hartwell came across as mean and dismissive rather than funny. For me the characters didn’t seem to have any internal coherence in their personality traits or actions so they simply were a few words thrown on paper meant to resemble a character.
Life is too short. Abandoned at 28%.
All the characters read as cardboard cutouts and not particularly likable or interesting. At first I was wondering if it was just my mood but checking other reviews confirmed that it wasn’t just me. The so called teasing of Warry by his sister and Hartwell came across as mean and dismissive rather than funny. For me the characters didn’t seem to have any internal coherence in their personality traits or actions so they simply were a few words thrown on paper meant to resemble a character.
Life is too short. Abandoned at 28%.
March 11, 2023
DNF at 21%
Not one redeemable quality in the MC.. No chemistry..
I love historical M/M.. but this was not good.
Not one redeemable quality in the MC.. No chemistry..
I love historical M/M.. but this was not good.
February 24, 2025
Aeeeee I love love loveeee this series. It’s sweet, fluffy, over-the-top, so much gasping and drama - it’s just Bridgerton, but make it super queer! I love the writing style (very lady Whistledown) and I am also loving how all the stories are running concurrently to each other - it’s so much fun seeing the other characters’ stories running alongside the one you are reading (I read a Rival for Rivingdon first, so was fun to see Morgan crop up in this book!)
This is an absolute must read for anyone who likes ✨romanticised✨ historical fiction - set in a queer normative world where same sex marriage is legal, it’s very low stakes overall but honestly, that’s what I want I’m my lighthearted fiction!
Joseph ‘Warry’ Warrington has always been the third wheel to his sister Becca and her best friend William Hartwell. When the time comes for him to enter society and find a spouse, Warry isn’t sure what he is looking for… but he quickly realised he is in over his head when he finds himself being blackmailed over a letter with scandalous details within in which could ruin the Warrington family.
Hartwell is concerned; he has been putting off getting married, but his parents are insisting. He concocts a plan to marry his best friend Becca, a marriage of convenience, but the more time he spends with her increasingly distressed younger brother Warry, the more he realises that the childhood friend he used to tease has grown into a beautiful young man who he would go to any lengths to protect…
I loved this for so many reasons:
✨Childhood friends to lovers
✨A virgin and a rake
✨Blackmail and drama
✨Erotic novels
✨Strong female side character who DGAF about marriage
This series is dope as hell and you better believe I’m gonna keep reading it!
This is an absolute must read for anyone who likes ✨romanticised✨ historical fiction - set in a queer normative world where same sex marriage is legal, it’s very low stakes overall but honestly, that’s what I want I’m my lighthearted fiction!
Joseph ‘Warry’ Warrington has always been the third wheel to his sister Becca and her best friend William Hartwell. When the time comes for him to enter society and find a spouse, Warry isn’t sure what he is looking for… but he quickly realised he is in over his head when he finds himself being blackmailed over a letter with scandalous details within in which could ruin the Warrington family.
Hartwell is concerned; he has been putting off getting married, but his parents are insisting. He concocts a plan to marry his best friend Becca, a marriage of convenience, but the more time he spends with her increasingly distressed younger brother Warry, the more he realises that the childhood friend he used to tease has grown into a beautiful young man who he would go to any lengths to protect…
I loved this for so many reasons:
✨Childhood friends to lovers
✨A virgin and a rake
✨Blackmail and drama
✨Erotic novels
✨Strong female side character who DGAF about marriage
This series is dope as hell and you better believe I’m gonna keep reading it!
August 28, 2021
Lisa Henry titles have been a good source of entertainment for me over the years ... the Playing the Fool series and Dark Space trilogy being given consistent 4 and 3 stars respectively. I've not had any previous exposure to the other author J. A Rock. I had hoped Ms Henry's talent/skills would have enhanced this new alt-historical regency romance series but no ... I actually gave up before mid-way .. just didn't have the energy or motivation to push through.
The dialogue and scenarios were dull and uninspiring, the characters barely tolerable, with not much happening/progressing plot-wise ... and am in a state of trepidation for A Case for Christmas - already bought for my end of year seasonal read. 1.5 stars generously rounded up to 2.
The dialogue and scenarios were dull and uninspiring, the characters barely tolerable, with not much happening/progressing plot-wise ... and am in a state of trepidation for A Case for Christmas - already bought for my end of year seasonal read. 1.5 stars generously rounded up to 2.
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dnf
August 5, 2022Dnf @16%
Sadly, the historical world didn't come alive, and the MCs mostly bored me.
Sadly, the historical world didn't come alive, and the MCs mostly bored me.
May 11, 2021
I received a copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads
A Husband for Hartwell is the first installment of the Lords of Bucknall Club, a MM historical romance set in an alternate era where same-sex marriage was legal.
The driving force of the entire novel is miscommunication, where a single conversation would clear everything up and there would be nothing driving the plot. While I'm a fan of angst, seeking it out at every turn, A Husband for Hartwell bordered on pure frustration, because I was disappointed in the actions of one of the characters.
No doubt, I viewed the novel from a different perspective than most readers, where I didn't see Warry as a victim, nor selfless. I saw his actions worse than those we're to think were horrific from childhood, because Warry is a grown man, using his insecurity as an excuse to lie, be manipulative, steal, and cheat, where his inner monologue is all about how it is everyone else's fault.
Hartwell and Becca have been thick as thieves since birth, followed everywhere by her baby brother, Warry. They teased him relentlessly, where we're to feel as if they were bullies. But frogs do not bullies make, especially when they were just as likely to do these same antics to one another.
The reader is meant to feel sorry for Warry, to understand his animosity toward Hartwell (I understood his animosity toward Becca. The animosity was also his issue, since he was keeping secrets from her, secrets stemming from him stealing from her, where in turn it was stolen from him, used to haunt them both later)
But, to me, it felt as if all of this was a Warry problem, not a Hartwell or Becca problem. Warry is struggling with insecurity, so everything said around him is painted with that brush. What I saw as a gentle tease by Hartwell, showing how well he knows Warry, like an inside joke, where even his friends only saw it as a ribbing between men (a way to show affection) Warry took it as if Hartwell was bullying him but he never once said anything. God forbid Warry ever said anything to the people that mattered, instead of spilling secrets to the ones who could hurt them all. Obviously this vulnerability makes Warry the perfect blackmail target- the personality type drives me nuts in real life too.
To be honest, I couldn't connect with Warry. I didn't feel badly for him, because I felt his actions were worse than the actions he was stuck on stemming from his sister and her could-be fiancé acting like elder siblings during childhood. Other than our villain of the tale, Warry was the only one lying, manipulating, and using emotional extortion on his friends and family. Nothing is worse than using the silent treatment as a weapon. Insecurity is not an excuse for Warry's behavior, where he told Hartwell one thing, behaved in an immoral manner, then got mad at the person he was lying to.
Where I'm supposed to see Hartwell as a bully, supposed to see this as a enemies-to-lovers type of scenario, I enjoyed Hartwell's character. He was solid, firm in his choices, and truthful. If Warry was driven to paint every scenario with his insecurity, Hartwell painted everything with a daddy issues brush, but he at least persevered to go after what he wanted and stand up to his own father. Warry continued to lie to everyone until he was caught.
A single conversation, allowing an entire family, especially the two people who have always had his back to support him, there wouldn't have been a conflict at all.
Instead of entertained, I was frustrated, because I felt as if I was being emotionally manipulated by the authors. Warry's shown actions contradicted/conflicted with what I was being told. Stole from his sister to be vindictive, lied at every turn, gave the silent treatment, manipulated everyone, appeared unfaithful to the one he said he adored, where the authors wanted me to see him as selfless and wounded. I love angst as much as I love a flawed character, but I don't enjoy being spoon-fed how I'm to pity a character who is his sister and her best friend's actual villain.
A Husband for Hartwell is the first installment of the Lords of Bucknall Club, a MM historical romance set in an alternate era where same-sex marriage was legal.
The driving force of the entire novel is miscommunication, where a single conversation would clear everything up and there would be nothing driving the plot. While I'm a fan of angst, seeking it out at every turn, A Husband for Hartwell bordered on pure frustration, because I was disappointed in the actions of one of the characters.
No doubt, I viewed the novel from a different perspective than most readers, where I didn't see Warry as a victim, nor selfless. I saw his actions worse than those we're to think were horrific from childhood, because Warry is a grown man, using his insecurity as an excuse to lie, be manipulative, steal, and cheat, where his inner monologue is all about how it is everyone else's fault.
Hartwell and Becca have been thick as thieves since birth, followed everywhere by her baby brother, Warry. They teased him relentlessly, where we're to feel as if they were bullies. But frogs do not bullies make, especially when they were just as likely to do these same antics to one another.
The reader is meant to feel sorry for Warry, to understand his animosity toward Hartwell (I understood his animosity toward Becca. The animosity was also his issue, since he was keeping secrets from her, secrets stemming from him stealing from her, where in turn it was stolen from him, used to haunt them both later)
But, to me, it felt as if all of this was a Warry problem, not a Hartwell or Becca problem. Warry is struggling with insecurity, so everything said around him is painted with that brush. What I saw as a gentle tease by Hartwell, showing how well he knows Warry, like an inside joke, where even his friends only saw it as a ribbing between men (a way to show affection) Warry took it as if Hartwell was bullying him but he never once said anything. God forbid Warry ever said anything to the people that mattered, instead of spilling secrets to the ones who could hurt them all. Obviously this vulnerability makes Warry the perfect blackmail target- the personality type drives me nuts in real life too.
To be honest, I couldn't connect with Warry. I didn't feel badly for him, because I felt his actions were worse than the actions he was stuck on stemming from his sister and her could-be fiancé acting like elder siblings during childhood. Other than our villain of the tale, Warry was the only one lying, manipulating, and using emotional extortion on his friends and family. Nothing is worse than using the silent treatment as a weapon. Insecurity is not an excuse for Warry's behavior, where he told Hartwell one thing, behaved in an immoral manner, then got mad at the person he was lying to.
Where I'm supposed to see Hartwell as a bully, supposed to see this as a enemies-to-lovers type of scenario, I enjoyed Hartwell's character. He was solid, firm in his choices, and truthful. If Warry was driven to paint every scenario with his insecurity, Hartwell painted everything with a daddy issues brush, but he at least persevered to go after what he wanted and stand up to his own father. Warry continued to lie to everyone until he was caught.
A single conversation, allowing an entire family, especially the two people who have always had his back to support him, there wouldn't have been a conflict at all.
Instead of entertained, I was frustrated, because I felt as if I was being emotionally manipulated by the authors. Warry's shown actions contradicted/conflicted with what I was being told. Stole from his sister to be vindictive, lied at every turn, gave the silent treatment, manipulated everyone, appeared unfaithful to the one he said he adored, where the authors wanted me to see him as selfless and wounded. I love angst as much as I love a flawed character, but I don't enjoy being spoon-fed how I'm to pity a character who is his sister and her best friend's actual villain.
June 12, 2021
5 stars!
This book? Pretty darn awesome! The only thing I wished for was more of it including the longing looks and the time between the sheets 😉
Ok, so the setting. Imagine if the regency was a time where men and women were allowed to marry members of the same gender…all of a sudden those regency tales can take on a whole new twist! Don’t get me wrong, this is no dream land where everything is perfect - in fact, the men and women in this story have to deal with a lot of homophobia all while trying to keep their reputations in tact! Eek, talk about drama!
I loved the characters in this story. I loved the fact that they were so very determined not to like one another let alone love one another. I loved the dancing and courting and the rides through Hyde Park in a world where gays and lesbians could exist, if not without struggles, at least openly! 🥰
Warry was so very dear with his love of agriculture and actual dirty work and Hartwell was also endearing with his broody nature and attempt at a stiff upper lip. I loved Hartwell’s friendship with Becca. I love a good regency and I am obsessed with m/m romance so this was a perfect mashup.
I have too many good things to say just know I loved this very much and can’t wait for the next one!
This book? Pretty darn awesome! The only thing I wished for was more of it including the longing looks and the time between the sheets 😉
Ok, so the setting. Imagine if the regency was a time where men and women were allowed to marry members of the same gender…all of a sudden those regency tales can take on a whole new twist! Don’t get me wrong, this is no dream land where everything is perfect - in fact, the men and women in this story have to deal with a lot of homophobia all while trying to keep their reputations in tact! Eek, talk about drama!
I loved the characters in this story. I loved the fact that they were so very determined not to like one another let alone love one another. I loved the dancing and courting and the rides through Hyde Park in a world where gays and lesbians could exist, if not without struggles, at least openly! 🥰
Warry was so very dear with his love of agriculture and actual dirty work and Hartwell was also endearing with his broody nature and attempt at a stiff upper lip. I loved Hartwell’s friendship with Becca. I love a good regency and I am obsessed with m/m romance so this was a perfect mashup.
I have too many good things to say just know I loved this very much and can’t wait for the next one!
May 12, 2021
'A Husband for Hartwell' hooked me in with its intriguing alt-history premise: in the late 18th century, the Marriage Amendment Law was passed which allowed same-sex marriage as a means of encouraging primogeniture. The novel takes place in a Regency landscape that will be delightfully nostalgic to anyone who ever devoured every historical romance they could after watching Colin Firth emerge soaking wet from a pond (*sigh*), but with the added caveat that the well-known marriage mart now allows same-sex pairings to come to the fore.
'A Husband for Hartwell' follows the titular Lord William Hartwell as he finds himself hurtling towards a marriage of convenience with his childhood friend, Bella Warrington, before his parents tire of his bachelor ways and cut him off financially. When Bella's younger brother, Warry, comes back onto the scene for his second Season, however, Hartwell begins to wonder whether he's chosen the right sibling.
There was so much to love about this book. First of all, J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry write together seamlessly, which is no mean feat for a co-authored romance. I've read books by both of them before and know them to be authors with wonderfully distinct voices, so I was pleased to see how both of them worked together to form a cohesive narrative rather than one that felt like it was being written by two separate people with two slightly different outlooks on the story. I also loved how, despite this being the first book in an M/M romance series, the female characters are front and centre. Bella is a wonderful character and intermediary between Hartwell and Warry, and the sibling relationship we see flourish between the two Warrington siblings - both of whom are desperately protective of each other and terrible at admitting it - was one of my favourite aspects of the book. I also enjoyed how well-realised the voices of the two protagonists were - both are fully-fleshed characters with really engaging internal monologues.
In terms of why I gave this three stars and not higher, then, it comes down to two main reasons. First of all, the way that Hartwell reacted to the abuse storyline made him slightly too unlikeable for me. I love a rakish, debonair hero as much as the next girl, so Hartwell was right up my street, but he took it slightly beyond the boundaries of what I think the various plot points required. The second reason is that I really just wanted J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry to push it a bit further with their concept. Their alternate history setting is fascinating and well-drawn, yet the plot they take on felt a little too familiar as a seasoned Regency romance reader. With such an intriguing premise under their belts, I would have loved to see them really challenge the Regency romance framework and push the subgenre to its limits.
That said, I'm very excited to see where The Lords of Bucknall Club series goes next. The world that J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry have created is one that I had so much fun spending an evening in with my Kindle, and I can't wait to see what else they decide to do with their world of Seasons and suitors and scandal.
**Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from GRR, but all opinions are my own. Honesty is always the policy, folks.***
'A Husband for Hartwell' follows the titular Lord William Hartwell as he finds himself hurtling towards a marriage of convenience with his childhood friend, Bella Warrington, before his parents tire of his bachelor ways and cut him off financially. When Bella's younger brother, Warry, comes back onto the scene for his second Season, however, Hartwell begins to wonder whether he's chosen the right sibling.
There was so much to love about this book. First of all, J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry write together seamlessly, which is no mean feat for a co-authored romance. I've read books by both of them before and know them to be authors with wonderfully distinct voices, so I was pleased to see how both of them worked together to form a cohesive narrative rather than one that felt like it was being written by two separate people with two slightly different outlooks on the story. I also loved how, despite this being the first book in an M/M romance series, the female characters are front and centre. Bella is a wonderful character and intermediary between Hartwell and Warry, and the sibling relationship we see flourish between the two Warrington siblings - both of whom are desperately protective of each other and terrible at admitting it - was one of my favourite aspects of the book. I also enjoyed how well-realised the voices of the two protagonists were - both are fully-fleshed characters with really engaging internal monologues.
In terms of why I gave this three stars and not higher, then, it comes down to two main reasons. First of all, the way that Hartwell reacted to the abuse storyline made him slightly too unlikeable for me. I love a rakish, debonair hero as much as the next girl, so Hartwell was right up my street, but he took it slightly beyond the boundaries of what I think the various plot points required. The second reason is that I really just wanted J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry to push it a bit further with their concept. Their alternate history setting is fascinating and well-drawn, yet the plot they take on felt a little too familiar as a seasoned Regency romance reader. With such an intriguing premise under their belts, I would have loved to see them really challenge the Regency romance framework and push the subgenre to its limits.
That said, I'm very excited to see where The Lords of Bucknall Club series goes next. The world that J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry have created is one that I had so much fun spending an evening in with my Kindle, and I can't wait to see what else they decide to do with their world of Seasons and suitors and scandal.
**Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from GRR, but all opinions are my own. Honesty is always the policy, folks.***
July 1, 2023
To co najdłużej pozostanie w mojej pamięci po lekturze tej książki, to klasyczna trzecioosobowa narracja z wszechwiedzącym narratorem. Nie pamiętam, kiedy ostatnio czytałam tak napisaną książkę MM, może nigdy. Taki sposób narracji rewelacyjnie współgrał z parahistoryczną tematyką i trochę kojarzył mi się z prozą Trollope'a.
Historia zaczyna się, kiedy jeden z MC rozważa poślubienie swojej przyjaciółki, podczas gdy drugi MC, brat tejże przyjaciółki, ulega szantażowi i wikła się w układ z bardzo bogatym i bardzo bezwzględnym księciem.
Zachowanie obu MC było irytujące, ale wiarygodne, bo ludzie są wkurzający i głupi, niestety, i robią wiele rzeczy, kierując się błędnymi wyobrażeniami. Oba wątki, małżeństwo bez miłości i szantaż to częste tropy w literaturze wiktoriańskiej, więc czytając, miałam trochę wrażenie deja vu - już gdzieś kiedyś coś podobnego czytałam. Oznacza to, że autorki doskonale odrobiły lekcję i świetnie wpasowały się w klimat wiktoriańskiego romansu.
Podobało mi się, na pewno przeczytam drugą część.
Historia zaczyna się, kiedy jeden z MC rozważa poślubienie swojej przyjaciółki, podczas gdy drugi MC, brat tejże przyjaciółki, ulega szantażowi i wikła się w układ z bardzo bogatym i bardzo bezwzględnym księciem.
Zachowanie obu MC było irytujące, ale wiarygodne, bo ludzie są wkurzający i głupi, niestety, i robią wiele rzeczy, kierując się błędnymi wyobrażeniami. Oba wątki, małżeństwo bez miłości i szantaż to częste tropy w literaturze wiktoriańskiej, więc czytając, miałam trochę wrażenie deja vu - już gdzieś kiedyś coś podobnego czytałam. Oznacza to, że autorki doskonale odrobiły lekcję i świetnie wpasowały się w klimat wiktoriańskiego romansu.
Podobało mi się, na pewno przeczytam drugą część.
November 6, 2021
Considering that the two main characters have known each other since childhood and were never very close friends, I found the sudden romantic interest on both sides somewhat implausible. Nevertheless, it was a very good book.
October 27, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Bridgeton is one of my guilty pleasures and this book was almost a replica. I think that while Hartwell and Becca were fine, Gale was my favorite character. I can't imagine living in that buttoned up period but I do love reading about it.
Read
July 18, 2023Dnf, no rating.
I got this as a freebie, and was intrigued at the idea of a Regency AU where same-sex marriage is legal. Unfortunately the authors demonstrate already from the first page that they have no interest in getting things right: the names and titles are ridiculously, distractingly wrong. The premise is promising enough, but the characters are paper-thin and the execution slapdash.
Honestly, if the authors got the titles right I might have stuck it out longer, but it was like a poke in the eye each time I read "Earl Warrington" and "Viscount Warrington" and "Marquis of Hartwell" (which later appears as Marquis of something else, which in fact actually makes sense) for characters whose family names are respectively Warrington, Warrington, and Hartwell and none of that is how this works!!!
The forever queen of MM Regency romance, Our Lady of Perpetual Excellence KJ Charles, took it upon herself to write an exhaustingly thorough blogpost about this stuff and why it matters, even where parts of the world are AU. I highly recommend reading it, so that you, too, can dnf histroms in a fit of frustrated pique. Let's face it: any histrom authors who don't ask themselves WWKJD (and then don't google to check!) probably aren't a great match for me anyway.
A go was given, but calling time at 35 percent.
I got this as a freebie, and was intrigued at the idea of a Regency AU where same-sex marriage is legal. Unfortunately the authors demonstrate already from the first page that they have no interest in getting things right: the names and titles are ridiculously, distractingly wrong. The premise is promising enough, but the characters are paper-thin and the execution slapdash.
Honestly, if the authors got the titles right I might have stuck it out longer, but it was like a poke in the eye each time I read "Earl Warrington" and "Viscount Warrington" and "Marquis of Hartwell" (which later appears as Marquis of something else, which in fact actually makes sense) for characters whose family names are respectively Warrington, Warrington, and Hartwell and none of that is how this works!!!
The forever queen of MM Regency romance, Our Lady of Perpetual Excellence KJ Charles, took it upon herself to write an exhaustingly thorough blogpost about this stuff and why it matters, even where parts of the world are AU. I highly recommend reading it, so that you, too, can dnf histroms in a fit of frustrated pique. Let's face it: any histrom authors who don't ask themselves WWKJD (and then don't google to check!) probably aren't a great match for me anyway.
A go was given, but calling time at 35 percent.
May 8, 2021
***I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review***
5 stars for the intense and teasing chemistry between the two MCs. 5 stars for the character development.
William Hartwell is a stubborn, arrogant man who is clueless about his own feelings and others. He is expected to marry Rebecca but he is more interested in her brother, Warry (Joseph Warrington).
Joseph Warrington is a young man who wants to be noticed and not to be treated as a tag along anymore. Unfortunately he is being blackmailed and is forced to marry Balfour.
In between all this confusion and chaos and unexpected events William and Joseph realise there is more than despise between them. There is care and comfort and familiarity. They feel for each other.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book, a slow burn romance with intense first kiss. The first kiss is so well described, it was swoony. Intimate scenes are minimum but they are very fierce and exceptional.
5 stars for the intense and teasing chemistry between the two MCs. 5 stars for the character development.
William Hartwell is a stubborn, arrogant man who is clueless about his own feelings and others. He is expected to marry Rebecca but he is more interested in her brother, Warry (Joseph Warrington).
Joseph Warrington is a young man who wants to be noticed and not to be treated as a tag along anymore. Unfortunately he is being blackmailed and is forced to marry Balfour.
In between all this confusion and chaos and unexpected events William and Joseph realise there is more than despise between them. There is care and comfort and familiarity. They feel for each other.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book, a slow burn romance with intense first kiss. The first kiss is so well described, it was swoony. Intimate scenes are minimum but they are very fierce and exceptional.
May 12, 2021
Disappointing Regency Romance
Although I enjoyed the style of writing, unfortunately I disliked one of the MCs intensely. Hartwell came across as self centered, immature and a bully. I totally felt for Warry, who was usually on the receiving end of said bullying. It had obviously been going on for a while, examples of bullying in childhood are mentioned, and is likely the cause if Warry being so unsure of himself and insecure as an adult. I just wanted to hug Warry, and set him on a path away from Hartwell, who, I felt, was obviously not good enough, or good for him. AIso, I really couldn't feel any connection between the two guys. They just didn't click as a couple in the slightest. I've read many of books by these two ladies and enjoyed them, this one, not so much. I was so disappointed, I grew up on a diet of Regency romance, à la Georgette Heyer, and was quite excited to hark back to then and read this one. Ah well, you can't win them all. 1.5 ⭐s
Although I enjoyed the style of writing, unfortunately I disliked one of the MCs intensely. Hartwell came across as self centered, immature and a bully. I totally felt for Warry, who was usually on the receiving end of said bullying. It had obviously been going on for a while, examples of bullying in childhood are mentioned, and is likely the cause if Warry being so unsure of himself and insecure as an adult. I just wanted to hug Warry, and set him on a path away from Hartwell, who, I felt, was obviously not good enough, or good for him. AIso, I really couldn't feel any connection between the two guys. They just didn't click as a couple in the slightest. I've read many of books by these two ladies and enjoyed them, this one, not so much. I was so disappointed, I grew up on a diet of Regency romance, à la Georgette Heyer, and was quite excited to hark back to then and read this one. Ah well, you can't win them all. 1.5 ⭐s
May 10, 2021
Things I enjoyed about this novel:
1. The Austen style narration, which is full of humour. This book has an opening line as memorable as the opening line of Pride & Prejudice and the subtle humour continues throughout.
2. Bella. Sister of Warry, Bella is unafraid and knows her own mind. She's not going to be cowed by society's expectations and she is the master of her own ship.
3. Christmas Gage. I'm not sure I've ever wanted to read a secondary characters story so much. This guy very closely resembles Cumberbatch's Sherlock and is incredibly impersonable, lacks social graces and pretends to care little about other people whilst secretly caring a lot for those he holds as friends or family.
4. The slight twist on history, where marriage between same sex couples is legal, although only really acceptable in the case of non-heirs. I enjoyed this in the tv adaptation of Bridgerton as well.
Thing I wasn't enamoured with:
1. Both Hartwell and Warry are incredibly immature (Hartwell mostly emotionally, Warry is more naive than immature) and whilst there is some character growth for both, I'm not sure there is enough (especially on Hartwell's side) for me to feel comfortable with them ending up in a relationship by the close of the novel.
Although Hartwell is contrasted with Lord Balfour, the gas lighting villain of the piece, on a public level, Hartwell at the very least is responsible for bullying Warry to make himself feel better. In private, he certainly doesn't stoop to Balfour's level, but he definitely doesn't know what he wants and he causes hurt to the people he purports to care for because of his indecision.
The biggest difference between Balfour and Hartwell, in the end, is that the reader has access to Hartwell's thoughts and knows he's just an emotionally immature idiot with Daddy issues instead of a calculated gas-lighter with an abusive endgame in mind. We can see Hartwell experience a few epiphanies toward the end of the novel and *hope* that he will change accordingly, but we see no hard evidence of him physically putting this into action.
So, although I immensely enjoyed the writing and the side characters (I really want a Christmas Gage spin-off series, where he investigates mysteries and offends people with his lack of social graces), the central relationship of the book has a lot of problems that aren't addressed thoroughly enough for me to be happy they ended up together at the point they did.
I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews and I have chosen to leave an honest review.
1. The Austen style narration, which is full of humour. This book has an opening line as memorable as the opening line of Pride & Prejudice and the subtle humour continues throughout.
2. Bella. Sister of Warry, Bella is unafraid and knows her own mind. She's not going to be cowed by society's expectations and she is the master of her own ship.
3. Christmas Gage. I'm not sure I've ever wanted to read a secondary characters story so much. This guy very closely resembles Cumberbatch's Sherlock and is incredibly impersonable, lacks social graces and pretends to care little about other people whilst secretly caring a lot for those he holds as friends or family.
4. The slight twist on history, where marriage between same sex couples is legal, although only really acceptable in the case of non-heirs. I enjoyed this in the tv adaptation of Bridgerton as well.
Thing I wasn't enamoured with:
1. Both Hartwell and Warry are incredibly immature (Hartwell mostly emotionally, Warry is more naive than immature) and whilst there is some character growth for both, I'm not sure there is enough (especially on Hartwell's side) for me to feel comfortable with them ending up in a relationship by the close of the novel.
Although Hartwell is contrasted with Lord Balfour, the gas lighting villain of the piece, on a public level, Hartwell at the very least is responsible for bullying Warry to make himself feel better. In private, he certainly doesn't stoop to Balfour's level, but he definitely doesn't know what he wants and he causes hurt to the people he purports to care for because of his indecision.
The biggest difference between Balfour and Hartwell, in the end, is that the reader has access to Hartwell's thoughts and knows he's just an emotionally immature idiot with Daddy issues instead of a calculated gas-lighter with an abusive endgame in mind. We can see Hartwell experience a few epiphanies toward the end of the novel and *hope* that he will change accordingly, but we see no hard evidence of him physically putting this into action.
So, although I immensely enjoyed the writing and the side characters (I really want a Christmas Gage spin-off series, where he investigates mysteries and offends people with his lack of social graces), the central relationship of the book has a lot of problems that aren't addressed thoroughly enough for me to be happy they ended up together at the point they did.
I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews and I have chosen to leave an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2021
Hartwell is content in his bachelorhood. And after a couple of Seasons already passing him by, he is more and more resigned to marry. But, when his parents threaten to cut him off if he doesn't finally get hitched, Hartwell does the next best thing... deciding that a marriage of convenience with his very best friend, Becca is the way to go.
Becca's younger brother Warry, the one who always used to run around in their shadow, is coming out into society himself, now a man. And to both Becca and Hartwell's dismay, Warry has been becoming increasingly chummy with the older and more distinguished Lord Balfour. But Warry just wants to be seen. He wants someone to finally see him, and Balfour definitely seems to.
But Balfour's intentions are anything but pure. He threatens Warry with the ruination of Becca's reputation in the form of a telling letter of hers Balfour found among Warry's things. The details in this letter would be terrible for his sister if it got out, so he agrees to the terms Balfour has set... Warry must marry Balfour.
To make all the matters trickier, an incident with Warry lands him in the home of Hartwell to recover. And from there, the two finally are able to confront the secret feelings they have carried for one another.
This was a super-fun queer regency romance full of friendships that I loved, secrets that threatened ruined reputations, secret trysts, jealousy and a dastardly villain, the likes of which I was desperate to see get what was coming to him.
Becca's younger brother Warry, the one who always used to run around in their shadow, is coming out into society himself, now a man. And to both Becca and Hartwell's dismay, Warry has been becoming increasingly chummy with the older and more distinguished Lord Balfour. But Warry just wants to be seen. He wants someone to finally see him, and Balfour definitely seems to.
But Balfour's intentions are anything but pure. He threatens Warry with the ruination of Becca's reputation in the form of a telling letter of hers Balfour found among Warry's things. The details in this letter would be terrible for his sister if it got out, so he agrees to the terms Balfour has set... Warry must marry Balfour.
To make all the matters trickier, an incident with Warry lands him in the home of Hartwell to recover. And from there, the two finally are able to confront the secret feelings they have carried for one another.
This was a super-fun queer regency romance full of friendships that I loved, secrets that threatened ruined reputations, secret trysts, jealousy and a dastardly villain, the likes of which I was desperate to see get what was coming to him.
January 17, 2022
Just reading these series books in random order it would seem. I liked this, not as much as A Rival for Rivingdon and A Sanctuary for Soulden, it was a good, fun romp. I like the setting. I like the characters. I just like the ease of reading these books. They feel comfortable to me. The writing is good. There is always a little punch to the characters and their journey into one another's hearts, it makes it all the better.
December 9, 2022
Enjoyed this quite a bit. I loved that the Ton had decided to legalize same-sex marriage as a way to fix the excess heir problem! Typical "I don't want to burden you with my problems, I'll just solve it myself" non-communication bullshit, but I liked the story and characters overall. Really looking forward to Gage's story!
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