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The Lords of Bucknall Club #3
A Rival for Rivingdon
He must marry well, to secure his fortune.
The Honourable Loftus Rivingdon is poised to make his debut into Society. He’s beautiful, charming, and quite the catch of the Season. If only he could find the right hat. With the zealous assistance of his doting mother, Loftus has one ambition only: to meet and marry a wealthy peer. And Loftus knows just the peer—the dauntingly handsome, infinitely fashionable Viscount Soulden. Good thing there’s nothing standing in his way.
He must also marry well, to secure his fortune.
The Honourable Morgan Notley is poised to make his debut into Society. He’s beautiful, charming, and quite the catch of the Season. And he has just found the perfect hat. With the zealous assistance of his doting mother, Morgan has one ambition only: to meet and marry a wealthy peer. And Morgan knows just the peer—the dauntingly handsome, infinitely fashionable Viscount Soulden. Good thing there’s nothing standing in his w—
Damn it all to hell.
Their ambitions collide.
When Loftus and Morgan both set their sights on Soulden, the rivalry of the Season begins. Their mutual hatred escalates into spite, sabotage, and scandal, as all of Society eagerly waits to see which diamond of the first water will prevail. Except the course of true loathing, just like true love, never did run smooth. The harder they try to destroy each other, the closer they come to uncovering each other’s deepest vulnerabilities—and the more difficult it becomes to deny the burning attraction between them.
A Rival for Rivingdon is the third book in the Lords of Bucknall Club series, where the Regency meets m/m romance. The Lords of Bucknall Club can be read in any order.
The Honourable Loftus Rivingdon is poised to make his debut into Society. He’s beautiful, charming, and quite the catch of the Season. If only he could find the right hat. With the zealous assistance of his doting mother, Loftus has one ambition only: to meet and marry a wealthy peer. And Loftus knows just the peer—the dauntingly handsome, infinitely fashionable Viscount Soulden. Good thing there’s nothing standing in his way.
He must also marry well, to secure his fortune.
The Honourable Morgan Notley is poised to make his debut into Society. He’s beautiful, charming, and quite the catch of the Season. And he has just found the perfect hat. With the zealous assistance of his doting mother, Morgan has one ambition only: to meet and marry a wealthy peer. And Morgan knows just the peer—the dauntingly handsome, infinitely fashionable Viscount Soulden. Good thing there’s nothing standing in his w—
Damn it all to hell.
Their ambitions collide.
When Loftus and Morgan both set their sights on Soulden, the rivalry of the Season begins. Their mutual hatred escalates into spite, sabotage, and scandal, as all of Society eagerly waits to see which diamond of the first water will prevail. Except the course of true loathing, just like true love, never did run smooth. The harder they try to destroy each other, the closer they come to uncovering each other’s deepest vulnerabilities—and the more difficult it becomes to deny the burning attraction between them.
A Rival for Rivingdon is the third book in the Lords of Bucknall Club series, where the Regency meets m/m romance. The Lords of Bucknall Club can be read in any order.
255 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 14, 2021
90 people are currently reading
1058 people want to read
About the author
J.A. Rock
52 books561 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 107 reviews
November 26, 2023
I finally read my first Regency m/m romance. I picked this one, because I thought that Lisa Henry's humor would help. And it did. Loftus and Morgan come off as very shallow and overly dramatic at first, maybe even annoying, but I found their rivalry very entertaining.
As expected, the romance part didn't really work for me. There's a reason why I don't read historical mm, and this book only confirmed it. I did like when Loftus and Morgan were being sweet and supportive of each other.
As expected, the romance part didn't really work for me. There's a reason why I don't read historical mm, and this book only confirmed it. I did like when Loftus and Morgan were being sweet and supportive of each other.
January 14, 2022
I almost DNF'd this book because for the first solid 25% the two MCs are completely insufferable, and I was so tired of hearing outfit descriptions. The payoff is excellent, though, and the last few chapters are hilarious and endearing. They're still mostly insufferable little twits, but they're insufferable little twits in love and trying to be better humans.
dnf-or-skipped
December 7, 2021Lost me on page 1, with an MC having a tantrum.
“This ribbon does not match my eyes!” Loftus whirled to face his mother. “I was promised a ribbon that would match my eyes!”
Hard to come back from that.
“This ribbon does not match my eyes!” Loftus whirled to face his mother. “I was promised a ribbon that would match my eyes!”
Hard to come back from that.
May 24, 2025
Imagine, if you will, two himbo MCs, barely in their 20s, solely concerned with their appearance and clothes, yet secretly plot against each other for the attention of a third man with a single-minded deviousness and the tactical brilliance of Napoleon Bonaparte. Only to end up WITH EACH OTHER?!
💀💀💀
Probably for the best, to be fair, because Lord Soulden was NOT interested in either of them.
Literally told them, "Boys, find a couple of milksops to set your caps at. I'm not the GENTLE RIDE you're looking for, trust me."
I would simply have to melt into a puddle of embarrassed goo😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Testament to how much these two weren't into him either because a few minutes after that, they're giggling like fools and asking themselves, "How rough do you think he would be?" and "Would you ever let someone...in your mouth?"
😂I love scandalous debutantes.
They're both quite horrendous, mind you, in comical ways. Selfish. Entitled. A little bit mean.
I was LIVING for their internal dialogues.
Morgan about his cousin's beau...
'Morgan would be sorry to see Hartwell hang, but now that he had Cecil to sponser his application to Bucknall's, he supposed he no longer required Hartwell for anything.'
Morgan about his beloved uncle...
'He was quite round around the middle, and Morgan wondered why he did not wear stays. Perhaps once one grew old, one lost one's devotion to personal betterment. How tragic.'
Rivingdon(I refuse to call that poor boy Loftus) about Morgan himself...
'He would invite Notley to the wedding, of course. Notley would cry. It would be delightful. And then he and Soulden would laugh about it afterwards.'
This same man also planned to POISON Morgan. For spilling punch on him at a ball. Like, sure, it was intentional. But still. Seriously?
Of course, it was also Morgan's retaliation for Rivingdon trying to cripple him with a walking stick so that he wouldn't be able to dance with Soulden at said ball.
So...they highkey deserve each other.
Anyway. Ignoring Soulden's very clear communication about wanting neither of them, they then decide to practice on each other (presumably not to disappoint Soulden when one of them eventually gets him)
*Also, they take turns pretending to BE Soulden 💀
I swear, these two!!! 😂😂😂😂
One of them getting on their knees to give the other a blow job and both of them realizing that neither knows what they're supposed to do next😂
Yeah, I'm starting to see why Victorians insisted on full time chaperones. These two don't even know what to do but they're doing it anyway.
"It's IN my mouth!"
"I TRIED TO WARN YOU!"
"What....do I do with it?"
"Spit it out."
"I'm a gentleman!"
IMMEDIATELY after figuring out what to do...
"We should not have done this."
"It's alright. It was a game. It was merely practice. We can not afford to jeopardize our futures simply because we don't know how to pleasure a husband."
Silent mutual panic ensues....
"What have we done?"
"We are ruined."
"YOU were the one with my prick in your mouth!"
"We both wanted to!"
Thinking how to escape the consequences...
'Just.... It HAD been Morgan's idea. If scandal should plague anyone for eternity, it should be Morgan.'
💀Rivingdon, you bitch.
"It doesn't count unless one spends inside the other! That's what Cecil says."
"That's what my brother Jeffery says, too. So we should be fine."
"But...does my mouth count?"
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I swear these two are so fucking stupid and I loved it.
And then they got caught. Because, why not...
"We didn't do anything. Don't tell mama!"
"What shouldn't I tell her if you didn't do anything?"
"THAT WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Yeah, raising kids requires strength.
Honestly, I haven't laughed this much at a book in ages.
These two are young and soooo similar it's funny. When we first met Morgan in book 1, it was a vague reference about him talking his uncle's ear off about buttons(in this book, we got to see said scene).
I remember thinking, imagine how funny it would be if that fop ended up with a serious man who then had to endure him.
Turns out, Morgan ending up with someone that's a mirror image of him is even funnier.
They literally come alive arguing about fashion and the cut of a coat. They shouldn't make sense, but they do.
And they slowly start seeing how much they enjoy each other while STILL trying to one up each other to land Soulden, who's consistent about his disinterest.
A lot happens, including one of them trying to get himself ruined to avoid his father marrying him to an old farmer from North South Wales(?), and the other doing his best to sabotage even that(these two can't leave themselves alone, I swear to God).
And while I usually hate this plot device, I love that someone finally banged their heads together and asked why they didn't just marry each other - because the kinds of declarations they were going around spouting about the other were pretty much wedding vows, anyway.
Walking around telling people, "He has been besides himself over it, and I besides him."
Much appreciated because they were never going to figure it out on their own.
Things fall into place, everyone knows what needs to be done, yadda yadda.
The fun continues, even during sex. One was FIGHTING for his life to avoid cumming too early their first time, and the other was all...
"Think about your worst enemy."
"My worst enemy until very recently was you."
"Oh. I can see how that might present a problem."
They eventually decide to think about fashion gaffes to help cool off(and it actually works)
💀
But wait, there's more—
GUESS THESE GUYS' POST COITAL CONVERSATION?
"Do you think Soulden would split me apart?"
"I think one would need a lot of practice to handle his girth."
"Hmm. Even if we practice until I can take a stallion, I shall still only want you."
"Thank you. I shall take whatever compliment I can scrape from that."
"I would not have handled Soulden's girth. Yours was much more manageable."
Um....???? 😂💀😂💀😂💀😂💀
Honestly? Tens across the board. My favorite couple from this series by a mile.
💀💀💀
Probably for the best, to be fair, because Lord Soulden was NOT interested in either of them.
Literally told them, "Boys, find a couple of milksops to set your caps at. I'm not the GENTLE RIDE you're looking for, trust me."
I would simply have to melt into a puddle of embarrassed goo😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Testament to how much these two weren't into him either because a few minutes after that, they're giggling like fools and asking themselves, "How rough do you think he would be?" and "Would you ever let someone...in your mouth?"
😂I love scandalous debutantes.
They're both quite horrendous, mind you, in comical ways. Selfish. Entitled. A little bit mean.
I was LIVING for their internal dialogues.
Morgan about his cousin's beau...
'Morgan would be sorry to see Hartwell hang, but now that he had Cecil to sponser his application to Bucknall's, he supposed he no longer required Hartwell for anything.'
Morgan about his beloved uncle...
'He was quite round around the middle, and Morgan wondered why he did not wear stays. Perhaps once one grew old, one lost one's devotion to personal betterment. How tragic.'
Rivingdon(I refuse to call that poor boy Loftus) about Morgan himself...
'He would invite Notley to the wedding, of course. Notley would cry. It would be delightful. And then he and Soulden would laugh about it afterwards.'
This same man also planned to POISON Morgan. For spilling punch on him at a ball. Like, sure, it was intentional. But still. Seriously?
Of course, it was also Morgan's retaliation for Rivingdon trying to cripple him with a walking stick so that he wouldn't be able to dance with Soulden at said ball.
So...they highkey deserve each other.
Anyway. Ignoring Soulden's very clear communication about wanting neither of them, they then decide to practice on each other (presumably not to disappoint Soulden when one of them eventually gets him)
*Also, they take turns pretending to BE Soulden 💀
I swear, these two!!! 😂😂😂😂
One of them getting on their knees to give the other a blow job and both of them realizing that neither knows what they're supposed to do next😂
Yeah, I'm starting to see why Victorians insisted on full time chaperones. These two don't even know what to do but they're doing it anyway.
"It's IN my mouth!"
"I TRIED TO WARN YOU!"
"What....do I do with it?"
"Spit it out."
"I'm a gentleman!"
IMMEDIATELY after figuring out what to do...
"We should not have done this."
"It's alright. It was a game. It was merely practice. We can not afford to jeopardize our futures simply because we don't know how to pleasure a husband."
Silent mutual panic ensues....
"What have we done?"
"We are ruined."
"YOU were the one with my prick in your mouth!"
"We both wanted to!"
Thinking how to escape the consequences...
'Just.... It HAD been Morgan's idea. If scandal should plague anyone for eternity, it should be Morgan.'
💀Rivingdon, you bitch.
"It doesn't count unless one spends inside the other! That's what Cecil says."
"That's what my brother Jeffery says, too. So we should be fine."
"But...does my mouth count?"
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I swear these two are so fucking stupid and I loved it.
And then they got caught. Because, why not...
"We didn't do anything. Don't tell mama!"
"What shouldn't I tell her if you didn't do anything?"
"THAT WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Yeah, raising kids requires strength.
Honestly, I haven't laughed this much at a book in ages.
These two are young and soooo similar it's funny. When we first met Morgan in book 1, it was a vague reference about him talking his uncle's ear off about buttons(in this book, we got to see said scene).
I remember thinking, imagine how funny it would be if that fop ended up with a serious man who then had to endure him.
Turns out, Morgan ending up with someone that's a mirror image of him is even funnier.
They literally come alive arguing about fashion and the cut of a coat. They shouldn't make sense, but they do.
And they slowly start seeing how much they enjoy each other while STILL trying to one up each other to land Soulden, who's consistent about his disinterest.
A lot happens, including one of them trying to get himself ruined to avoid his father marrying him to an old farmer from North South Wales(?), and the other doing his best to sabotage even that(these two can't leave themselves alone, I swear to God).
And while I usually hate this plot device, I love that someone finally banged their heads together and asked why they didn't just marry each other - because the kinds of declarations they were going around spouting about the other were pretty much wedding vows, anyway.
Walking around telling people, "He has been besides himself over it, and I besides him."
Much appreciated because they were never going to figure it out on their own.
Things fall into place, everyone knows what needs to be done, yadda yadda.
The fun continues, even during sex. One was FIGHTING for his life to avoid cumming too early their first time, and the other was all...
"Think about your worst enemy."
"My worst enemy until very recently was you."
"Oh. I can see how that might present a problem."
They eventually decide to think about fashion gaffes to help cool off(and it actually works)
💀
But wait, there's more—
GUESS THESE GUYS' POST COITAL CONVERSATION?
"Do you think Soulden would split me apart?"
"I think one would need a lot of practice to handle his girth."
"Hmm. Even if we practice until I can take a stallion, I shall still only want you."
"Thank you. I shall take whatever compliment I can scrape from that."
"I would not have handled Soulden's girth. Yours was much more manageable."
Um....???? 😂💀😂💀😂💀😂💀
Honestly? Tens across the board. My favorite couple from this series by a mile.
September 15, 2021
Best book of the series so far. What a pair of adorable nitwits.
September 24, 2021
4.5 stars
I started out not liking either Loftus or Morgan very much. I thought them vapid, selfish, and immature. However, over the course of the book I saw their true hearts. I loved how they went from rivals to first explorations. This was lighthearted and funny. I came to adore the pair and I hope to see them in the next book.
I started out not liking either Loftus or Morgan very much. I thought them vapid, selfish, and immature. However, over the course of the book I saw their true hearts. I loved how they went from rivals to first explorations. This was lighthearted and funny. I came to adore the pair and I hope to see them in the next book.
May 18, 2022
This is pure tropey junk food in literary form and I'm here and ready with my biggest spoon.
July 6, 2023
Miałam ogromną ochotę odłożyć tę książkę w okolicach 20%. Czytanie o dwóch imbecylach-pasożytach skupionych wyłącznie na kroju swoich surdutów, kolorze pantalonów i unikalności guzików wykańczało mnie litera po literze. Pomyślałam jednak, że może autorki zaoferują coś w zamian za inteligencję bohaterów i dałam temu szansę.
Nie żałuję.
Wprawdzie Loftus i Morgan niespecjalnie zmądrzeli, ale, chcąc nie chcąc, otworzyli nieco oczy na to, co zrobiły im ich matki swoim stylem wychowania. Okazało się też, że obaj mają dobre serca. Ich trochę absurdalny związek okazał się najlepszym, co mogło ich spotkać. I - umówmy się - było to też najlepsze dla społeczeństwa.
Docierając do końca tej historii, przypomniałam sobie Rozważną i romantyczną, a konkretnie Lucy Steele i jej wyrachowane zabiegi najpierw o Edwarda, a potem o Roberta Ferrarsów. Ostatecznie dwie płytkie istoty odnalazły się i zeszły z drogi pozytywnym bohaterom. ;) W A Rival for Rivingdon finalnie sytuacja jest dość podobna, z tą różnicą, że dwóch głupków da się lubić, czego nie można było powiedzieć o bohaterach Austen.
Były momenty w tej książce, kiedy naprawdę szczerze się śmiałam i za to dodaję gwiazdkę.
Nie żałuję.
Wprawdzie Loftus i Morgan niespecjalnie zmądrzeli, ale, chcąc nie chcąc, otworzyli nieco oczy na to, co zrobiły im ich matki swoim stylem wychowania. Okazało się też, że obaj mają dobre serca. Ich trochę absurdalny związek okazał się najlepszym, co mogło ich spotkać. I - umówmy się - było to też najlepsze dla społeczeństwa.
Docierając do końca tej historii, przypomniałam sobie Rozważną i romantyczną, a konkretnie Lucy Steele i jej wyrachowane zabiegi najpierw o Edwarda, a potem o Roberta Ferrarsów. Ostatecznie dwie płytkie istoty odnalazły się i zeszły z drogi pozytywnym bohaterom. ;) W A Rival for Rivingdon finalnie sytuacja jest dość podobna, z tą różnicą, że dwóch głupków da się lubić, czego nie można było powiedzieć o bohaterach Austen.
Były momenty w tej książce, kiedy naprawdę szczerze się śmiałam i za to dodaję gwiazdkę.
February 4, 2022
What an absolute delight!
Loftus and Morgan, two fashionista fops, scheme to attract the same rich suitor, and fall in love as they fight over fashion and one Viscount Soultan. Never have two such deeply self-obsessed characters become so enchanting, and, along the journey, so damn funny!
Two scenes in particular are worth the price of admission: the 'practice' sex session to prepare the rivals for their sharing a marriage bed with Soultan, and the actual marriage bed scene that manages to somehow be sexy and funny at once.
It is true that both these characters are insufferable at the start, as other reviewers have pointed out. But they both change, and are changed by each other. Hating them at the beginning, by the epilogue, you will fall charmingly in love . . . with both.
Loftus and Morgan, two fashionista fops, scheme to attract the same rich suitor, and fall in love as they fight over fashion and one Viscount Soultan. Never have two such deeply self-obsessed characters become so enchanting, and, along the journey, so damn funny!
Two scenes in particular are worth the price of admission: the 'practice' sex session to prepare the rivals for their sharing a marriage bed with Soultan, and the actual marriage bed scene that manages to somehow be sexy and funny at once.
It is true that both these characters are insufferable at the start, as other reviewers have pointed out. But they both change, and are changed by each other. Hating them at the beginning, by the epilogue, you will fall charmingly in love . . . with both.
November 16, 2021
This was completely and utterly adorable.
If you find Morgan and Loftus self-centred in the beginning, hang in there. They are wonderful characters with plenty of believable development.
J A Rock and Lisa Henry deliver in this sweet and funny and endearing gay regency romance.
Review at-
If you find Morgan and Loftus self-centred in the beginning, hang in there. They are wonderful characters with plenty of believable development.
J A Rock and Lisa Henry deliver in this sweet and funny and endearing gay regency romance.
Review at-
September 30, 2021
Truly delightful and very very funny . Loved it so much.
September 18, 2021
Another wonderful romance in a series I adore
Rating. 4.5 🌈
I quite adore this Regency series. After the last romance with the intense and highly intelligent Lord Christmas Gale and several murders at the center, I wasn’t sure what awaited me here with this couple.
Yes we were given glances of the pair in book 2 but I wasn’t quite prepared for the dry and funny opening here. Honestly, it reads like a Tale of Two Twits, albeit very well dressed and well bred ones.
But this is Rock and Henry , so the twits at hand who are about to make their debut and have their first Season , have a rivalry that starts to spiral immediately into a story of personal growth, a bit of sexy romping about, some madcap adventures and finally true love.
Yes our lovely boyish twits of fashion and the Tonne become young vulnerable and often poignant men who, after some introspection and advice, find the lives they’ve lead a bit lacking in kindness and decide on a new path, together. Happily.
It’s really a kind, sweet, story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Plus it sets up one I’ve been dying to read. That of Lord Soulden. That’s next up in A Sanctuary for Soulden.
This a just a remarkably great and romantic series, each story contains bits of the others and their characters who are truly noteworthy.
Read them in the order they are written for a simply splendid romantic Regency journey. I recommend all those releases to date.
Series - The Lords of Bucknall Club
A Husband for Hartwell #1
A Case for Christmas #2
A Rival for Rivingdon #3
A Sanctuary for Soulden #4. - coming soon
Rating. 4.5 🌈
I quite adore this Regency series. After the last romance with the intense and highly intelligent Lord Christmas Gale and several murders at the center, I wasn’t sure what awaited me here with this couple.
Yes we were given glances of the pair in book 2 but I wasn’t quite prepared for the dry and funny opening here. Honestly, it reads like a Tale of Two Twits, albeit very well dressed and well bred ones.
But this is Rock and Henry , so the twits at hand who are about to make their debut and have their first Season , have a rivalry that starts to spiral immediately into a story of personal growth, a bit of sexy romping about, some madcap adventures and finally true love.
Yes our lovely boyish twits of fashion and the Tonne become young vulnerable and often poignant men who, after some introspection and advice, find the lives they’ve lead a bit lacking in kindness and decide on a new path, together. Happily.
It’s really a kind, sweet, story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Plus it sets up one I’ve been dying to read. That of Lord Soulden. That’s next up in A Sanctuary for Soulden.
This a just a remarkably great and romantic series, each story contains bits of the others and their characters who are truly noteworthy.
Read them in the order they are written for a simply splendid romantic Regency journey. I recommend all those releases to date.
Series - The Lords of Bucknall Club
A Husband for Hartwell #1
A Case for Christmas #2
A Rival for Rivingdon #3
A Sanctuary for Soulden #4. - coming soon
February 1, 2022
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.5 stars
A Rival for Rivingdon is the third book in J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry’s The Lords of Bucknall Club series, an alternate world historical where same sex marriages are allowed and commonplace among the peerage. Loftus, Morgan, and Soulden made some side appearances in past books (and Morgan is Warry’s cousin from A Husband for Hartwell). The books also seem to overlap timelines a bit, as we see the tail end of the scandal from the first book happening here. That said, this story stands alone just fine, so you can jump in here if desired.
One of the things I appreciate in a good book is character growth and that is really the theme here in this story. Loftus and Morgan are quite a lot and, during the first part of the book, we really see them in all their self absorbed, arrogant glory. These men each have domineering mothers who have raised their sons to believe they are the most beautiful, lovely, charming jewel there is to be found and that the moment they step foot into society, they will be swarmed by gorgeous, wealthy peers ready to sweep them away. They are both quite full of themselves, spoiled and indulged and pampered by their mothers, and truly oblivious to the thoughts and feelings of anyone else.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
4.5 stars
A Rival for Rivingdon is the third book in J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry’s The Lords of Bucknall Club series, an alternate world historical where same sex marriages are allowed and commonplace among the peerage. Loftus, Morgan, and Soulden made some side appearances in past books (and Morgan is Warry’s cousin from A Husband for Hartwell). The books also seem to overlap timelines a bit, as we see the tail end of the scandal from the first book happening here. That said, this story stands alone just fine, so you can jump in here if desired.
One of the things I appreciate in a good book is character growth and that is really the theme here in this story. Loftus and Morgan are quite a lot and, during the first part of the book, we really see them in all their self absorbed, arrogant glory. These men each have domineering mothers who have raised their sons to believe they are the most beautiful, lovely, charming jewel there is to be found and that the moment they step foot into society, they will be swarmed by gorgeous, wealthy peers ready to sweep them away. They are both quite full of themselves, spoiled and indulged and pampered by their mothers, and truly oblivious to the thoughts and feelings of anyone else.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
January 12, 2022
”I only ever wanted to be beautiful, not intelligent.”
Regency + himboxhimbo, what more could you want?
My favourite of the series so far, but I am quite eager for Soulden’s book.
Regency + himboxhimbo, what more could you want?
My favourite of the series so far, but I am quite eager for Soulden’s book.
October 5, 2021
He must marry well, to secure his fortune.
The Honourable Loftus Rivingdon is poised to make his debut into Society. He’s beautiful, charming, and quite the catch of the Season. If only he could find the right hat. With the zealous assistance of his doting mother, Loftus has one ambition only: to meet and marry a wealthy peer. And Loftus knows just the peer—the dauntingly handsome, infinitely fashionable Viscount Soulden. Good thing there’s nothing standing in his way.
He must also marry well, to secure his fortune.
The Honourable Morgan Notley is poised to make his debut into Society. He’s beautiful, charming, and quite the catch of the Season. And he has just found the perfect hat. With the zealous assistance of his doting mother, Morgan has one ambition only: to meet and marry a wealthy peer. And Morgan knows just the peer—the dauntingly handsome, infinitely fashionable Viscount Soulden. Good thing there’s nothing standing in his w—
Damn it all to hell.
Their ambitions collide.
When Loftus and Morgan both set their sights on Soulden, the rivalry of the Season begins. Their mutual hatred escalates into spite, sabotage, and scandal, as all of Society eagerly waits to see which diamond of the first water will prevail. Except the course of true loathing, just like true love, never did run smooth. The harder they try to destroy each other, the closer they come to uncovering each other’s deepest vulnerabilities—and the more difficult it becomes to deny the burning attraction between them.
A Rival for Rivingdon is the third book in the Lords of Bucknall Club series, where the Regency meets m/m romance. The Lords of Bucknall Club can be read in any order.
Review.
This is the third book in these series. It can definitely be read as stand alone, timeline is rather close in time for all three books so far - one or two events are shown in this book from the POV of the different character, and there are comeo appearances but I promise you won't be confused.
This is how this book begins.
“Loftus Rivingdon, third and youngest son of Baron Rivingdon, stood before his tailor’s mirror and slowly lifted an ivory silk hat, trimmed with apple-green ribbon, in both hands. He placed it carefully atop his head and studied himself. Behind him in the mirror, his mother, Lady Emmeline Rivingdon, watched, her hands clasped in anticipation. “Oh Loftus—” she began in a breathless whisper. “I hate it,” Loftus declared loudly. Lady Rivingdon gasped. “Loftus! But you look simply stunning.” “This ribbon does not match my eyes!” Loftus whirled to face his mother. “I was promised a ribbon that would match my eyes!””
And boy does it reflect what our main characters are all about for at least half of the book. At some point I said to myself that if these boys will talk about hats or buttons or coats one more time, I will *scream*.
As blurb tell you both Morgan and Loftus are having their first season and their mamas told them that their goal in life is to marry well and they are both obsessed with fashion and looks because of course being pretty will help them marry well.
Wait, does it sound familiar to you? Because of course that's what we saw was expected from young women in Regency and many other historical periods - to marry well, to look pretty and all of that.
And if you wanted more, obviously it was extremely hard for women. Did the authors attempt to subvert the trope here? I don't know , but if the goal was to write about young men with the same societal expectations as it was from women, maybe it would have made more sense to show subversion with the characters who were male more than just in names and physical anatomy?
Fashion is fun, of course men and women can and should be interested in it if they so desire, but I have to be honest with you - I dont care for air headed women characters who only care about clothes and looking pretty and I don't see why I should start liking boys who behave as complete air heads. I again experienced a whiplash in this book because for the life of me I don't know what society the authors are portraying in these series. Is this regency with the tolerance for same sex relationships ? Why are we so concerned with the men throwing away their reputation if kissing each other then? Will somebody tbink of children?
Because you see both main guys are eighteen and they get married at the end ( not a spoiler I hope). Their happy ending left a huge question mark in my head because money? What would they do if the parents stop paying rent on their house please?
Having said that, their actual romance was very funny in places - them practicing to be sure they can fulfill the potential demands of the potential husband who rejected both of them already - yep that was hilarious. Practicing sex to make sure you can have sex with somebody else always goes well in romance.
Their chemistry was nice when they started acting less selfish and less vain, the lamb was hilarious, but overall I am just not sure it worked all that well for me .
““I think,” Morgan said, “that Viscount Soulden is as rough as a stallion!” “And as big?” Morgan tore his gaze away from Loftus’s damp bottom lip and tried to pretend he had an air of worldly knowledge. “Oh, certainly.” “And does he imagine that we are too willowy and frail to handle such dimensions?” Morgan gasped, and did it rather better than Loftus. “I do not think I could handle a stallion!””
2.5 stars
The Honourable Loftus Rivingdon is poised to make his debut into Society. He’s beautiful, charming, and quite the catch of the Season. If only he could find the right hat. With the zealous assistance of his doting mother, Loftus has one ambition only: to meet and marry a wealthy peer. And Loftus knows just the peer—the dauntingly handsome, infinitely fashionable Viscount Soulden. Good thing there’s nothing standing in his way.
He must also marry well, to secure his fortune.
The Honourable Morgan Notley is poised to make his debut into Society. He’s beautiful, charming, and quite the catch of the Season. And he has just found the perfect hat. With the zealous assistance of his doting mother, Morgan has one ambition only: to meet and marry a wealthy peer. And Morgan knows just the peer—the dauntingly handsome, infinitely fashionable Viscount Soulden. Good thing there’s nothing standing in his w—
Damn it all to hell.
Their ambitions collide.
When Loftus and Morgan both set their sights on Soulden, the rivalry of the Season begins. Their mutual hatred escalates into spite, sabotage, and scandal, as all of Society eagerly waits to see which diamond of the first water will prevail. Except the course of true loathing, just like true love, never did run smooth. The harder they try to destroy each other, the closer they come to uncovering each other’s deepest vulnerabilities—and the more difficult it becomes to deny the burning attraction between them.
A Rival for Rivingdon is the third book in the Lords of Bucknall Club series, where the Regency meets m/m romance. The Lords of Bucknall Club can be read in any order.
Review.
This is the third book in these series. It can definitely be read as stand alone, timeline is rather close in time for all three books so far - one or two events are shown in this book from the POV of the different character, and there are comeo appearances but I promise you won't be confused.
This is how this book begins.
“Loftus Rivingdon, third and youngest son of Baron Rivingdon, stood before his tailor’s mirror and slowly lifted an ivory silk hat, trimmed with apple-green ribbon, in both hands. He placed it carefully atop his head and studied himself. Behind him in the mirror, his mother, Lady Emmeline Rivingdon, watched, her hands clasped in anticipation. “Oh Loftus—” she began in a breathless whisper. “I hate it,” Loftus declared loudly. Lady Rivingdon gasped. “Loftus! But you look simply stunning.” “This ribbon does not match my eyes!” Loftus whirled to face his mother. “I was promised a ribbon that would match my eyes!””
And boy does it reflect what our main characters are all about for at least half of the book. At some point I said to myself that if these boys will talk about hats or buttons or coats one more time, I will *scream*.
As blurb tell you both Morgan and Loftus are having their first season and their mamas told them that their goal in life is to marry well and they are both obsessed with fashion and looks because of course being pretty will help them marry well.
Wait, does it sound familiar to you? Because of course that's what we saw was expected from young women in Regency and many other historical periods - to marry well, to look pretty and all of that.
And if you wanted more, obviously it was extremely hard for women. Did the authors attempt to subvert the trope here? I don't know , but if the goal was to write about young men with the same societal expectations as it was from women, maybe it would have made more sense to show subversion with the characters who were male more than just in names and physical anatomy?
Fashion is fun, of course men and women can and should be interested in it if they so desire, but I have to be honest with you - I dont care for air headed women characters who only care about clothes and looking pretty and I don't see why I should start liking boys who behave as complete air heads. I again experienced a whiplash in this book because for the life of me I don't know what society the authors are portraying in these series. Is this regency with the tolerance for same sex relationships ? Why are we so concerned with the men throwing away their reputation if kissing each other then? Will somebody tbink of children?
Because you see both main guys are eighteen and they get married at the end ( not a spoiler I hope). Their happy ending left a huge question mark in my head because money? What would they do if the parents stop paying rent on their house please?
Having said that, their actual romance was very funny in places - them practicing to be sure they can fulfill the potential demands of the potential husband who rejected both of them already - yep that was hilarious. Practicing sex to make sure you can have sex with somebody else always goes well in romance.
Their chemistry was nice when they started acting less selfish and less vain, the lamb was hilarious, but overall I am just not sure it worked all that well for me .
““I think,” Morgan said, “that Viscount Soulden is as rough as a stallion!” “And as big?” Morgan tore his gaze away from Loftus’s damp bottom lip and tried to pretend he had an air of worldly knowledge. “Oh, certainly.” “And does he imagine that we are too willowy and frail to handle such dimensions?” Morgan gasped, and did it rather better than Loftus. “I do not think I could handle a stallion!””
2.5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2022
Delightful story about two fashionista idiots who fall in love. Yes, the two MCs can be annoying in the beginning, but I stuck with it, and loved both of them by the end.
September 18, 2021
A RIVAL FOR RIVINGDON
JA Rock & Lisa Henry
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
I loved this book so much, I tried to read it slowwwwly so I could savour every word.
I loved the poetic descriptions, the beautiful historical costumes, the archaic language. I loved the smooth, flowing way they refer to their erotic moments. I loved everything about this book.
I'd (almost) place this gem of a book in the young adult catagory, since the mcs are only 18, and quite naive and perfectly innocent, really.
But, that being said, there are some (infrequent) really beautifully written steamy moments in the book.
I would love to spend an hour telling everyone every delightful detail about this book, but honestly, do yourself a huge favour and read this book yourself.
You will love the period (well researched and excellently described).
You will love the sweet but arrogant tongue-in-cheek humor woven throughout.
Truly, these two authors have delivered a masterpiece!
I will most certainly be following up on the rest of this series.
(it would seem the stories unfold simultaneously. Each book stands alone — each book about a new couple. Very cleverly done so you never feel like you have missed anything).
This is book 3, and my first read from the series.
*my only issue is: numerous typos in the form of misplaced, duplicated or missing words. Maybe one or two minor inconsistencies.
But these are superficial and did not hinder the flow of the read.
Well done.
Five well deserved stars ✨
JA Rock & Lisa Henry
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
I loved this book so much, I tried to read it slowwwwly so I could savour every word.
I loved the poetic descriptions, the beautiful historical costumes, the archaic language. I loved the smooth, flowing way they refer to their erotic moments. I loved everything about this book.
I'd (almost) place this gem of a book in the young adult catagory, since the mcs are only 18, and quite naive and perfectly innocent, really.
But, that being said, there are some (infrequent) really beautifully written steamy moments in the book.
I would love to spend an hour telling everyone every delightful detail about this book, but honestly, do yourself a huge favour and read this book yourself.
You will love the period (well researched and excellently described).
You will love the sweet but arrogant tongue-in-cheek humor woven throughout.
Truly, these two authors have delivered a masterpiece!
I will most certainly be following up on the rest of this series.
(it would seem the stories unfold simultaneously. Each book stands alone — each book about a new couple. Very cleverly done so you never feel like you have missed anything).
This is book 3, and my first read from the series.
*my only issue is: numerous typos in the form of misplaced, duplicated or missing words. Maybe one or two minor inconsistencies.
But these are superficial and did not hinder the flow of the read.
Well done.
Five well deserved stars ✨
December 1, 2024
most may think both the mcs are insufferable, and though the outfit descriptions do get boring, you can expect nothing less of rich young people who have their sights set on marriage, from they could understand its meaning. these men were grown to think about appearances and getting themselves swept off their feet. they have always been preparing for their debut, so it did not surprise me that they were a bit vapid and self-centered and that there were numerous paragraphs describing looks. it is to be expected.
if you do get pass that though, this is a light read that is sweet and funny. the main characters were kinda the same, in terms of having a dramatic personality, and i wondered how it would work between them but it eventually did.
while this can be read as a standalone, it does heavily mention the characters of the other books in the series, which is definitely how they trap you
Reread: this really would make a great comedy; the mcs are hilarious!!
2024 re-read: this helped me with a reading slump.
if you do get pass that though, this is a light read that is sweet and funny. the main characters were kinda the same, in terms of having a dramatic personality, and i wondered how it would work between them but it eventually did.
while this can be read as a standalone, it does heavily mention the characters of the other books in the series, which is definitely how they trap you
Reread: this really would make a great comedy; the mcs are hilarious!!
2024 re-read: this helped me with a reading slump.
February 25, 2025
Right, well this was absolute perfection and literally everyone should drop everything they are doing and go and read it right now. Perfect for fans of Bridgerton and Regency drama, this is set in a queer-normative alternative reality where same-sex marriage is legal and scandal is the talk of the ton!
Loftus Rivingdon hates Morgan Notley completely. He was incredibly rude about his coat buttons and has his eye on the same eligible gentleman this season. He is even trying to steal his fashion choices - unthinkable! However, as both of them realise that the Lord isn’t interested in having a sweet blushing virgin as his husband, the two make a pact to rectify that… what is a little bit of ✨practicing✨ between friends… uh, sorry, rivals?
This book was utter chaos and I loved it - we had all the best tropes/themes:
✨Idiots to lovers
✨Twinks in love
✨Acting out erotic fiction
✨Virgins practicing for marriage
✨Competing for a husband
✨Queer-normative AU
I got this free on a stuff your kindle day and honestly, probably one of the best free books I have ever gotten. I am absolutely going to continue with the series because the side characters in this were AMAZING! This book is book 3 in the series, however pretty much all the storylines are happening concurrently, so they can be read in any order!
Loftus Rivingdon hates Morgan Notley completely. He was incredibly rude about his coat buttons and has his eye on the same eligible gentleman this season. He is even trying to steal his fashion choices - unthinkable! However, as both of them realise that the Lord isn’t interested in having a sweet blushing virgin as his husband, the two make a pact to rectify that… what is a little bit of ✨practicing✨ between friends… uh, sorry, rivals?
This book was utter chaos and I loved it - we had all the best tropes/themes:
✨Idiots to lovers
✨Twinks in love
✨Acting out erotic fiction
✨Virgins practicing for marriage
✨Competing for a husband
✨Queer-normative AU
I got this free on a stuff your kindle day and honestly, probably one of the best free books I have ever gotten. I am absolutely going to continue with the series because the side characters in this were AMAZING! This book is book 3 in the series, however pretty much all the storylines are happening concurrently, so they can be read in any order!
November 25, 2024
No mames cuanto me gustó este libro.
Al principio no le veía mucho sentido a esta pareja y que se pelearan por un pretendiente no me gustaba pero era entretenido y no sabía como iban a brincar al amor pero siento que lo hicieron de forma natural y sinceramente me lo creí. Fue genial leerlos y ver como fueron cambiando poco a poco y pude ver que debajo de tanto cinismo y frivolidades, en realidad eran geniales y un amor.
Ya para el final yo no podía dejar de sonreír por este par de tontos que no dejan de ser lindos. Fue hermoso leerlos y ver como todo les salió de perlas porque la verdad se lo merecían.
Al principio no le veía mucho sentido a esta pareja y que se pelearan por un pretendiente no me gustaba pero era entretenido y no sabía como iban a brincar al amor pero siento que lo hicieron de forma natural y sinceramente me lo creí. Fue genial leerlos y ver como fueron cambiando poco a poco y pude ver que debajo de tanto cinismo y frivolidades, en realidad eran geniales y un amor.
Ya para el final yo no podía dejar de sonreír por este par de tontos que no dejan de ser lindos. Fue hermoso leerlos y ver como todo les salió de perlas porque la verdad se lo merecían.
January 29, 2025
This is a delightful fit for readers who adore Regency-era romance, witty banter, and the slow-burning tension that develops between two handsome, charming, and determined rivals as they navigate their way through the complexities of love, loyalty, and vulnerability in a lush, lighthearted, and humorous tale of enemies-to-lovers romance.
October 1, 2021
I think the characters were too satirical for me. Or maybe they weren’t satirical, just really really shallow.
November 2, 2021
I hate everything about these characters all the time. But like... I finished it so... two stars.
May 14, 2024
I love these two dorks omg!
It's so rare that male characters are allowed to be fops. I do wish the ending was less rushed.
It's so rare that male characters are allowed to be fops. I do wish the ending was less rushed.
January 14, 2025
cecil and the sheep were my favorite characters
March 8, 2025
Divertidísimo!!! Y el siguiente pinta también genial😳 Las autoras hacen muy buen trabajo consiguiendo que al final de cada libro tengas ganas de leer el de la siguiente pareja
October 1, 2025
Two very stupid and shallow people become slightly less stupid and slightly less shallow through the power of love. Adorable.
May 21, 2023
3.5 Stars! It's been a while since I read the first couple in this series, but that didn't lessen my enjoyment as I'd say they're all completely standalone (with cameos of past characters). This one felt a little more YA-ish, and while I disliked both MCs in the beginning, I ended up really enjoying their story.
February 20, 2022
This was so wonderful and charming! I absolutely loved their banter and I found myself laughing out loud more then once. Wish I could give it more then 5 stars, absolutely read this if you love enemies to lovers and historical romance, I cannot recommend it enough!
October 6, 2024
3++ stars. Unexpectedly delightful in a non-sappy way, and lots of humor. Much, much better than you’d think after the first few pages.
So, if you attempt to read this book, you will (I personally guarantee it) loathe/detest/hate the two MC’s right from the very beginning – meaning, by the first page. You will then land in one of these categories:
1. DNF.
2. Soldier on, but find that overall the book is altogether too sweet and fluffy for you.
3. (My personal favorite) Trust the process, be gobsmacked by how much you love the story, and end up with a pair of MC’s you will add to your all-time favorites list.
The MC’s, Loftus and Morgan, are a pair of addlepated airheads who have learned vanity at their mother’s breast. The story revolves around how these two dive into the marital market, get burned, start understanding reality and just how vapid they’ve been all this time, and eventually become lovers – mind you, lovers between two characters who have never as much as kissed another human being beyond a peck on their mother’s cheek and who are clueless about the birds and bees.
I think this pair will be polarizing for readers. I landed firmly on the side of loving them for so many reasons. I always love a femme MC and these two peabrained peacocks are the very epitome of femme. The level of OTT diva-ness at first is enough to make one’s head explode. Somehow, some way, the authors take these two, keep all the femme, but add in maturity, self-awareness, a sexual awaking that is alternately unbelievably naïve/hilarious/touching, and the ability (and more importantly) desire to become part of the ‘real’ world. What about the diva-ness, you ask? Well, yeah, it’s still there, but they keep most of it between each other and have dialed it down by about 90%, which is quite bearable for me in characters as lovely as these two.
There’s a lot of shenanigans in the plot, much of which centers around these two having their sights set on a certain Viscount Soulden, who is The Catch of the Season, and with whom they haven’t a shot in hell at attracting, much less marrying. Because they are both (quite blatantly) vying for the same prize, this makes them Mortal Enemies and they come up with numerous harebrained ideas on how to put their rival at a disadvantage (of which none are successful – of course) . While not plotting against each other, they take every social event as a chance tostalk interact with Soulden and some of the funniest bits are when Soulden tries to steer them towards reality, which doesn’t work because, really? These two have NO shame for most of the book.
Here's an initial turndown from Soulden:
Soulden glanced around and then leaned in close. “Boys,” he said, his voice low and rough, “find a couple of milksops to set your caps at. I’m not the gentle ride you’re looking for, trust me.” And then he bowed and walked away, leaving both Morgan and Loftus with their jaws on the floor.
Despite numerous rebuffs like this from Soulden, we still find our MC’s oblivious well into the book:
An expression that Loftus couldn’t read flitted over Soulden’s handsome face. When he spoke again, he sounded almost weary. “Mr. Rivingdon, I have plenty of friends. I am simply replete with friends and have no need for more. And as for anything other than a friend, I believe I have already discussed with you, and also with Mr. Notley, how you are neither, delightful as I am sure others find you, to my taste.”
“Impossible,” Loftus said, keeping his head high even as his heart beat faster and his stomach lurched at his own audacity. “I am to everyone’s taste, my lord.”
I repeat, o-bliv-i-ous 😏
Now, these boys are sexually naïve to point that it’s painful. They decide to “educate themselves” via a series of randy romance novels that everyone isreading on the QT making a point of ignoring in public and devouring in private. This series of books is actually a theme running through all the books so far, which is quite clever. Anyway, they conflate the book’s central character (the aptly named “Slyfeel”) with the Viscount and become fixated on terms like “gentle ride”, “rough ride”, and “stallion-like” 😁 This begins their sexual experimentation, which takes place between the two because who else would they have to “practice” with? These interludes, which could have been absolute train wrecks considering how non-sexual the MC’s are at the beginning, are actually depicted in ways that are quite touching (and yes, often hilarious). As you might expect, it is during these “practice sessions” that a very real sexual attraction between the two begins to flower (not that they’d ever admit it at this point even on pain of death). Here’s an example:
“We cannot,” Morgan murmured, then kissed him again and again. “Oh, we cannot.” But apparently they could, because they were.
That is really such a great line.
Attraction builds and with it, self-awareness (realizing that one is not always the most perfect being in any given room), and a gentle budding of affection.
“Do you think I’m very ugly?” It seemed Loftus hadn’t meant to ask the question—and was deeply embarrassed that he had.
Tempting as it might have been to lie, to say yes and destroy all he could reach of Loftus’s confidence, Morgan couldn’t have made himself say it if he’d wanted to. “No,” he whispered. “You are absolutely gorgeous.” They were perhaps the most honest words he’d ever spoken in his life.
One of the loveliest bits about the whole book is when Morgan learns just how the ivory is harvested for his adored ivory buttons (the guy loves him some buttons) and how that plays forward in his mind during parts of the story. It’s like you can see the blinkers coming off and it’s such a great concept. Here’s a discussion between Morgan and Hartwell, where Morgan struggles with the concept of putting other people/things ahead of his own needs.
Morgan bit his lip . . . “What you said about never being expected to think of anyone but yourself…” He trailed off. “I think that is what I was taught as well. I have always thought of myself and myself only. But if I had known, for instance, that elephants died to make buttons, I should not have wanted to wear ivory buttons.”
Hartwell’s brow knitted. “Are the buttons somehow related to Rivingdon? I apologise. I am often several steps behind in a conversation, as Warry is fond of pointing out.”
“I think they are,” Morgan said. “Though I am not certain precisely how.”
The elephant-button idea that Morgan struggles with makes a few other appearances as well, and each time it is in a place where it is surprisingly effective at adding poignancy to the scene. Here’s another example:
Morgan gazed at him, awestruck, and only half as envious as he could have felt, because he had grown as a person now and felt complicated things about ivory and elephants and Loftus Rivingdon.
Yep, that about sums up the amount and type of impact made by the whole button discussion.
As an aside here, there are plenty more quotes where these came from - I have 42 Kindle highlights in total, which is excessive even for me.😬
The story wraps up in a somewhat surprising way as it involves quite an investment by Viscount Soulden, of all people, in seeing the two MC’s together and happy. We learn a lot about Soulden via his actions in this book and it’s an effective lead in to the next book, which centers on him.
You might notice that when I talk about this book I use words like gentle, tender, sweet, touching, etc. This is NOT my normal cup of tea in a romance, but in this book all of it works without veering into real schmaltz. I find it quite a feat that the authors not only hooked me on this story, but reeled me in and landed me by book’s end.
HIGHLY recommended, especially if you like historical romances and/or like the earlier books. I know that Loftus and Morgan’s story/relationship will not work for some folks, but I loved it.
So, if you attempt to read this book, you will (I personally guarantee it) loathe/detest/hate the two MC’s right from the very beginning – meaning, by the first page. You will then land in one of these categories:
1. DNF.
2. Soldier on, but find that overall the book is altogether too sweet and fluffy for you.
3. (My personal favorite) Trust the process, be gobsmacked by how much you love the story, and end up with a pair of MC’s you will add to your all-time favorites list.
The MC’s, Loftus and Morgan, are a pair of addlepated airheads who have learned vanity at their mother’s breast. The story revolves around how these two dive into the marital market, get burned, start understanding reality and just how vapid they’ve been all this time, and eventually become lovers – mind you, lovers between two characters who have never as much as kissed another human being beyond a peck on their mother’s cheek and who are clueless about the birds and bees.
I think this pair will be polarizing for readers. I landed firmly on the side of loving them for so many reasons. I always love a femme MC and these two peabrained peacocks are the very epitome of femme. The level of OTT diva-ness at first is enough to make one’s head explode. Somehow, some way, the authors take these two, keep all the femme, but add in maturity, self-awareness, a sexual awaking that is alternately unbelievably naïve/hilarious/touching, and the ability (and more importantly) desire to become part of the ‘real’ world. What about the diva-ness, you ask? Well, yeah, it’s still there, but they keep most of it between each other and have dialed it down by about 90%, which is quite bearable for me in characters as lovely as these two.
There’s a lot of shenanigans in the plot, much of which centers around these two having their sights set on a certain Viscount Soulden, who is The Catch of the Season, and with whom they haven’t a shot in hell at attracting, much less marrying. Because they are both (quite blatantly) vying for the same prize, this makes them Mortal Enemies and they come up with numerous harebrained ideas on how to put their rival at a disadvantage (of which none are successful – of course) . While not plotting against each other, they take every social event as a chance to
Here's an initial turndown from Soulden:
Soulden glanced around and then leaned in close. “Boys,” he said, his voice low and rough, “find a couple of milksops to set your caps at. I’m not the gentle ride you’re looking for, trust me.” And then he bowed and walked away, leaving both Morgan and Loftus with their jaws on the floor.
Despite numerous rebuffs like this from Soulden, we still find our MC’s oblivious well into the book:
An expression that Loftus couldn’t read flitted over Soulden’s handsome face. When he spoke again, he sounded almost weary. “Mr. Rivingdon, I have plenty of friends. I am simply replete with friends and have no need for more. And as for anything other than a friend, I believe I have already discussed with you, and also with Mr. Notley, how you are neither, delightful as I am sure others find you, to my taste.”
“Impossible,” Loftus said, keeping his head high even as his heart beat faster and his stomach lurched at his own audacity. “I am to everyone’s taste, my lord.”
I repeat, o-bliv-i-ous 😏
Now, these boys are sexually naïve to point that it’s painful. They decide to “educate themselves” via a series of randy romance novels that everyone is
“We cannot,” Morgan murmured, then kissed him again and again. “Oh, we cannot.” But apparently they could, because they were.
That is really such a great line.
Attraction builds and with it, self-awareness (realizing that one is not always the most perfect being in any given room), and a gentle budding of affection.
“Do you think I’m very ugly?” It seemed Loftus hadn’t meant to ask the question—and was deeply embarrassed that he had.
Tempting as it might have been to lie, to say yes and destroy all he could reach of Loftus’s confidence, Morgan couldn’t have made himself say it if he’d wanted to. “No,” he whispered. “You are absolutely gorgeous.” They were perhaps the most honest words he’d ever spoken in his life.
One of the loveliest bits about the whole book is when Morgan learns just how the ivory is harvested for his adored ivory buttons (the guy loves him some buttons) and how that plays forward in his mind during parts of the story. It’s like you can see the blinkers coming off and it’s such a great concept. Here’s a discussion between Morgan and Hartwell, where Morgan struggles with the concept of putting other people/things ahead of his own needs.
Morgan bit his lip . . . “What you said about never being expected to think of anyone but yourself…” He trailed off. “I think that is what I was taught as well. I have always thought of myself and myself only. But if I had known, for instance, that elephants died to make buttons, I should not have wanted to wear ivory buttons.”
Hartwell’s brow knitted. “Are the buttons somehow related to Rivingdon? I apologise. I am often several steps behind in a conversation, as Warry is fond of pointing out.”
“I think they are,” Morgan said. “Though I am not certain precisely how.”
The elephant-button idea that Morgan struggles with makes a few other appearances as well, and each time it is in a place where it is surprisingly effective at adding poignancy to the scene. Here’s another example:
Morgan gazed at him, awestruck, and only half as envious as he could have felt, because he had grown as a person now and felt complicated things about ivory and elephants and Loftus Rivingdon.
Yep, that about sums up the amount and type of impact made by the whole button discussion.
As an aside here, there are plenty more quotes where these came from - I have 42 Kindle highlights in total, which is excessive even for me.😬
The story wraps up in a somewhat surprising way as it involves quite an investment by Viscount Soulden, of all people, in seeing the two MC’s together and happy. We learn a lot about Soulden via his actions in this book and it’s an effective lead in to the next book, which centers on him.
You might notice that when I talk about this book I use words like gentle, tender, sweet, touching, etc. This is NOT my normal cup of tea in a romance, but in this book all of it works without veering into real schmaltz. I find it quite a feat that the authors not only hooked me on this story, but reeled me in and landed me by book’s end.
HIGHLY recommended, especially if you like historical romances and/or like the earlier books. I know that Loftus and Morgan’s story/relationship will not work for some folks, but I loved it.
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