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Lucky Lovers of London #2
A Rulebook for Restless Rogues
Jess Everlee follows up her sparkling debut The Gentleman's Book of Vices with this charming queer historical romp, in which two lifelong best friends find romance as they join forces to save the one place where they can truly be themselves.
London, 1885
David Forester and Noah Clarke have been best friends since boarding school. All grown up now, clever, eccentric Noah is Savile Row’s most promising young tailor, while former socialite David runs an underground queer club, The Curious Fox.
Nothing makes David happier than to keep the incense lit, the pianist playing and all his people comfortable, happy and safe until they stumble out into the dawn. But when the unscrupulous baron who owns the Fox moves to close it, David’s world comes crashing down.
Noah’s never feared a little high-stakes gambling, but as he risks his own career in hopes of helping David, he realizes two
David has not been honest about how he ended up at The Curious Fox in the first place.
Noah’s feelings for David have become far more than friendly.
What future lies beyond those first furtive kisses? Noah and David can hardly wait to find out…if they can untangle David from his web of deception without losing everything Noah has worked for.
London, 1885
David Forester and Noah Clarke have been best friends since boarding school. All grown up now, clever, eccentric Noah is Savile Row’s most promising young tailor, while former socialite David runs an underground queer club, The Curious Fox.
Nothing makes David happier than to keep the incense lit, the pianist playing and all his people comfortable, happy and safe until they stumble out into the dawn. But when the unscrupulous baron who owns the Fox moves to close it, David’s world comes crashing down.
Noah’s never feared a little high-stakes gambling, but as he risks his own career in hopes of helping David, he realizes two
David has not been honest about how he ended up at The Curious Fox in the first place.
Noah’s feelings for David have become far more than friendly.
What future lies beyond those first furtive kisses? Noah and David can hardly wait to find out…if they can untangle David from his web of deception without losing everything Noah has worked for.
336 pages, Paperback
First published July 11, 2023
53 people are currently reading
7047 people want to read
About the author
Jess Everlee
4 books245 followersJess Everlee writes decadent romance from the Northeast Ohio split-level she shares with her small family of furballs and fellow humans. She holds a B.A. from The Ohio State University, where she studied English and Gender Studies, focusing on Victorian Literature and public health topics. While that background resulted in an eclectic resume, her passion for reading and writing has never wavered. She has a deep love of interesting art, offbeat communities, and admittedly pretentious coffee brewing systems.
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February 10, 2023
4.75 ⭐️ Excuse me while I wipe away my tears and pick my heart up from the floor.
This book was an absolute delight to read, and also the most tension and angst my heart could possibly take in one day. I couldn’t put the book down, but I couldn’t keep on reading during some parts. I was getting so incredibly frustrated at the state of these two!
A Rulebook for Restless Rogues explores the history and connection between David Forester -the proprietor of The Curious Fox, our most beloved club from The Gentleman’s Book of Vices- and Noah Clarke, a well sought out tailor by day, who we’ve come to know as the Queen of Cards herself, Miss Penelope Primrose, at night.
To say I was excited to finally read this book, where we get these two together with their very own best-friends-to-lovers story, would be an understatement. I just knew I wouldn’t been able to focus on anything until I read the entirety of the book, so I basically read the whole thing in one sitting… And it was so worth it! I’m in love with the world and characters Jess Everlee creates in these books. This second instalment was everything I had hoped for and more. I’m personally not the biggest fan of the “friends-to-lovers” trope, but here it just made perfect sense. It kept every angsty touch feeling like a ticking time-bomb of emotion. I’ve teared up throughout every revelation in this book, fearing for the lives and wellbeing of the characters that have come to mean so much so fast; I’ve tried to hold back weepy smiles at every sappy, emotionally charged moment where jokes gave way to feelings. So yes… I really wasn’t lying when I said I was wiping away tears here.
The exploration of gender, love, relationships, and sexuality in this book has me in such a chokehold. I would love to know how Noah would identify himself if he were able to have the options we have today -the vernacular we have nowadays- when it comes to his exploration of drag and femininity. The obviousness of how David owns his bisexuality was a breath of fresh air whilst also bringing forth such a comforting sense of fluidity that, realistically, I doubt would’ve been able to exist in the 1880s -as much as I truly wish to be wrong in that regard. Reading queer stories set in a time where imprisonment and death would’ve been likely outcomes for these main characters always makes me incredibly heartbroken, as I think of how many people were robbed of the chance of a full life just because they didn’t hide their true selves well enough. Which is exactly why I believe books like this to be so necessary. Even if this is ultimately a work of fiction, the pain, fear, and sentiment behind it is very real to this day. It is truly surprising just how much homophobia and transphobia continues to run rampant in our society, almost a quarter into the 21st century. Change is slow coming and built on hundreds of years and lives lost. It’s a fight we continue to fight and one we endeavour to win, especially when we get books like this. Hopeful books that paint queer love stories in the most beautiful light.
If you haven’t picked up this series yet, I’d recommend you do so immediately. And although this book can be read as a stand-alone, I’d suggest for them to be read in order, as there are several scenes where we meet and interact with the protagonists from book #1 - Miles and Charlie! Those two stole my heart in The Gentleman’s Book of Vices and I’ve been trying to get it back since.
Overall, this was one my most anticipated reads for 2023 and I can 100% say that it did not disappoint! I’m so in love with this series, I can’t wait to see where it goes!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 / 5
🌶️🌶️ / 5
*Thank you so, so much Net Galley and Carina Press for the wonderful eARC!*
_________________________
omg, omg, omg, omg – we have a cover, I repeat, WE HAVE A COVER!
I can't cope! Really, this might be my most anticipated read for 2023 🤩✨
This book was an absolute delight to read, and also the most tension and angst my heart could possibly take in one day. I couldn’t put the book down, but I couldn’t keep on reading during some parts. I was getting so incredibly frustrated at the state of these two!
A Rulebook for Restless Rogues explores the history and connection between David Forester -the proprietor of The Curious Fox, our most beloved club from The Gentleman’s Book of Vices- and Noah Clarke, a well sought out tailor by day, who we’ve come to know as the Queen of Cards herself, Miss Penelope Primrose, at night.
To say I was excited to finally read this book, where we get these two together with their very own best-friends-to-lovers story, would be an understatement. I just knew I wouldn’t been able to focus on anything until I read the entirety of the book, so I basically read the whole thing in one sitting… And it was so worth it! I’m in love with the world and characters Jess Everlee creates in these books. This second instalment was everything I had hoped for and more. I’m personally not the biggest fan of the “friends-to-lovers” trope, but here it just made perfect sense. It kept every angsty touch feeling like a ticking time-bomb of emotion. I’ve teared up throughout every revelation in this book, fearing for the lives and wellbeing of the characters that have come to mean so much so fast; I’ve tried to hold back weepy smiles at every sappy, emotionally charged moment where jokes gave way to feelings. So yes… I really wasn’t lying when I said I was wiping away tears here.
The exploration of gender, love, relationships, and sexuality in this book has me in such a chokehold. I would love to know how Noah would identify himself if he were able to have the options we have today -the vernacular we have nowadays- when it comes to his exploration of drag and femininity. The obviousness of how David owns his bisexuality was a breath of fresh air whilst also bringing forth such a comforting sense of fluidity that, realistically, I doubt would’ve been able to exist in the 1880s -as much as I truly wish to be wrong in that regard. Reading queer stories set in a time where imprisonment and death would’ve been likely outcomes for these main characters always makes me incredibly heartbroken, as I think of how many people were robbed of the chance of a full life just because they didn’t hide their true selves well enough. Which is exactly why I believe books like this to be so necessary. Even if this is ultimately a work of fiction, the pain, fear, and sentiment behind it is very real to this day. It is truly surprising just how much homophobia and transphobia continues to run rampant in our society, almost a quarter into the 21st century. Change is slow coming and built on hundreds of years and lives lost. It’s a fight we continue to fight and one we endeavour to win, especially when we get books like this. Hopeful books that paint queer love stories in the most beautiful light.
If you haven’t picked up this series yet, I’d recommend you do so immediately. And although this book can be read as a stand-alone, I’d suggest for them to be read in order, as there are several scenes where we meet and interact with the protagonists from book #1 - Miles and Charlie! Those two stole my heart in The Gentleman’s Book of Vices and I’ve been trying to get it back since.
Overall, this was one my most anticipated reads for 2023 and I can 100% say that it did not disappoint! I’m so in love with this series, I can’t wait to see where it goes!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 / 5
🌶️🌶️ / 5
*Thank you so, so much Net Galley and Carina Press for the wonderful eARC!*
_________________________
omg, omg, omg, omg – we have a cover, I repeat, WE HAVE A COVER!
I can't cope! Really, this might be my most anticipated read for 2023 🤩✨
February 24, 2024
The ending was so lover coded 🩷 Will I remember the plot in two days? Noooo but it was very sweet with a bit of mischief.
I received a physical ARC from the publisher. All opinions are honest and my own.
I received a physical ARC from the publisher. All opinions are honest and my own.
June 7, 2023
2.5 ⭐️
I thoroughly enjoyed Jess Everlee’s debut novel and had high hopes for Noah and David’s story. Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. It’s technically proficient, but I just didn’t connect to either character or their bond. Friends-to-lovers is not my favorite trope, but it’s not an automatic strike either: it lives or dies on the execution. And here I simply never managed to get invested in these two or care overmuch about the machinations they are embroiled in.
Typical m/m histrom backstory told in flashbacks: boarding school, bullied boy, boy-to-the-rescue, furtive fumbling, young lust-that-maybe-is-love, deep connection thwarted by a lack of communication. In the “now” timeline, David is proprietor of the underground gay club/ community gathering place that features in Charlie and Milo’s story; Noah, meanwhile, has dashed his father’s hopes that he would be a doctor, and become an Italian-trained tailor instead. David is very much a fixer and a protector-type; Noah has an alter ego, Miss Penelope, and dons drag at the club but (seemingly) identifies as a gay man – I did not read Noah as non-binary. The club is threatened with closure by its nefarious aristocratic owner, and thus the machinations: how far will David go to save his beloved club and, by extension, protect his friends and community from losing their gathering place and (in the worst-case scenario) possible exposure? Intertwining, meanwhile, with the relationship conflict: when will David and Noah realize they’re more than just friends?
The problem was that the evil aristocrat was all hat, no cattle – there was a bunch of talking about him and his horribleness, but we never meet him, his relationship with David is somewhat downplayed and obscured, and the hoops he's making David jump through are so dumb and transparent as to be ludicrous. It’s lots of blah blah without any real sense of menace. And while David’s protector-identity is called upon again and again, and we get some family history and backstory to prop it up, it doesn’t feel vital or earned. Readers of book 1 will recognize some of the character names popping up, but we get so little sense of the club and the community here – the first third of the book has a bit of club, but also quite a lot of flashbacks – that it’s hard as a reader to care whether or not the club folds, because we’re not invested in this community or characters: we simply don’t have time to get to know or care about them, nor do we ever see David do anything to protect them other than act as unofficial matchmaker. I know that “show, not tell” is an overused cliché, but – if the shoe fits. We’re being told how much David is a protector and how important it is to save this club, but we’re not shown why we should care.
(I realize this makes me sound hugely unsympathetic. Obviously community gathering spaces are important, especially when the community is a marginalized and/or criminalized group! So of course, as a human, I am onboard with saving the club. But as a reader, the work hasn’t been done to make me care about this particular club. Which is a problem when the main external conflict in the book is the fate of The Curious Fox.)
The characters are also just too thinly drawn. David: protector, painful family and past relationship story, pines over Noah from afar. All this hangs together in a very linear, connect-the-dots way, but there’s not much depth there. Noah: emotionally unavailable, I guess? I seriously never really got a handle on Noah’s deal and why he was so clueless about David or his own feelings for David. And then once he has the eureka moment and realizes he’s loved David all along, it’s a full 180, l-word-every-sentence transformation. Which maybe is how it works with longtime friends who finally get hit by the clue-bat, but it was just too much whiplash. Again, it felt very surface. Shallow.
Also, neither of these two men are rogues!
So given all that, why the 3 stars? Mostly because after all the hat and none of the cattle, the ending did manage to pull a surprise that bumped it up a bit. And like I said, it’s technically well done; while I didn’t make an emotional connection with the characters, that might just be a me-thing. But while I would recommend the first book in this series, I would say that book 2 is more of a sophomore slump. Better luck next time!
ARC received from the publisher via NetGalley
I thoroughly enjoyed Jess Everlee’s debut novel and had high hopes for Noah and David’s story. Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. It’s technically proficient, but I just didn’t connect to either character or their bond. Friends-to-lovers is not my favorite trope, but it’s not an automatic strike either: it lives or dies on the execution. And here I simply never managed to get invested in these two or care overmuch about the machinations they are embroiled in.
Typical m/m histrom backstory told in flashbacks: boarding school, bullied boy, boy-to-the-rescue, furtive fumbling, young lust-that-maybe-is-love, deep connection thwarted by a lack of communication. In the “now” timeline, David is proprietor of the underground gay club/ community gathering place that features in Charlie and Milo’s story; Noah, meanwhile, has dashed his father’s hopes that he would be a doctor, and become an Italian-trained tailor instead. David is very much a fixer and a protector-type; Noah has an alter ego, Miss Penelope, and dons drag at the club but (seemingly) identifies as a gay man – I did not read Noah as non-binary. The club is threatened with closure by its nefarious aristocratic owner, and thus the machinations: how far will David go to save his beloved club and, by extension, protect his friends and community from losing their gathering place and (in the worst-case scenario) possible exposure? Intertwining, meanwhile, with the relationship conflict: when will David and Noah realize they’re more than just friends?
The problem was that the evil aristocrat was all hat, no cattle – there was a bunch of talking about him and his horribleness, but we never meet him, his relationship with David is somewhat downplayed and obscured, and the hoops he's making David jump through are so dumb and transparent as to be ludicrous. It’s lots of blah blah without any real sense of menace. And while David’s protector-identity is called upon again and again, and we get some family history and backstory to prop it up, it doesn’t feel vital or earned. Readers of book 1 will recognize some of the character names popping up, but we get so little sense of the club and the community here – the first third of the book has a bit of club, but also quite a lot of flashbacks – that it’s hard as a reader to care whether or not the club folds, because we’re not invested in this community or characters: we simply don’t have time to get to know or care about them, nor do we ever see David do anything to protect them other than act as unofficial matchmaker. I know that “show, not tell” is an overused cliché, but – if the shoe fits. We’re being told how much David is a protector and how important it is to save this club, but we’re not shown why we should care.
(I realize this makes me sound hugely unsympathetic. Obviously community gathering spaces are important, especially when the community is a marginalized and/or criminalized group! So of course, as a human, I am onboard with saving the club. But as a reader, the work hasn’t been done to make me care about this particular club. Which is a problem when the main external conflict in the book is the fate of The Curious Fox.)
The characters are also just too thinly drawn. David: protector, painful family and past relationship story, pines over Noah from afar. All this hangs together in a very linear, connect-the-dots way, but there’s not much depth there. Noah: emotionally unavailable, I guess? I seriously never really got a handle on Noah’s deal and why he was so clueless about David or his own feelings for David. And then once he has the eureka moment and realizes he’s loved David all along, it’s a full 180, l-word-every-sentence transformation. Which maybe is how it works with longtime friends who finally get hit by the clue-bat, but it was just too much whiplash. Again, it felt very surface. Shallow.
Also, neither of these two men are rogues!
So given all that, why the 3 stars? Mostly because after all the hat and none of the cattle, the ending did manage to pull a surprise that bumped it up a bit. And like I said, it’s technically well done; while I didn’t make an emotional connection with the characters, that might just be a me-thing. But while I would recommend the first book in this series, I would say that book 2 is more of a sophomore slump. Better luck next time!
ARC received from the publisher via NetGalley
April 24, 2025
most m/m romance seems to follow the classic shitty exclusionary grindr rules, by which I here mean in particular that the genre it tends to be overwhelmingly masc4masc and only rarely features fem/femme/effeminate/feminine men as leads. I was therefore excited to discover that lead noah's effeminacy or feminine characteristics are uplifted without it feeling tokenizing: noah is, in contemporary terms, a cis gay man who moonlights as a drag queen, david thinks he's hot as fuck, everybody ends happy, yay.
so I started reading and I was like hey cool cool love this, great, and the bits about 'fuck queer respectability politics' and 'presentation ≠ sexual role' were also nice, but...it quickly devolved into a hate read, not because of noah's portrayal (which is handled just fine throughout) or anything along those lines but simply because this book ummm kind of sucks lol and was in all honesty offensive to my intelligence.
POORLY WRITTEN & EMBARRASSINGLY TWEE
people giggle at least eight separate times in this book, which for my money is about six times too many. david calls people "mate" too freely and far too often. he also calls a waitress "love" and then the narrative refers to her as a "wench"?? boy howdy I tell ya...
personal tastes vary, of course, but it was just...grating. giving bad fic vibes, you know? people say things "quickly, almost panicked." they "gush" their dialogue. they reflect on the fact that "they were fully grown for goodness' sake," and yes, the exclusion of the comma you might expect to be there is everlee's, not mine. the metaphors and imagery are not mixed so much as chopped n screwed: "the cool contrast of noah's ear and the pearl set into it was still too heavy on david's tongue." um. what?
at one point, "noah pretended to blush," and if anyone can explain to me how somebody can pretend to blush, I am all ears.
STUPIDITY ABOUNDS
the prose might have been forgivable had other things, like the plotting and characterization, been stronger. but they're not lol. both leads are unbearably stupid and just tank their own lives over and over through the stupidest of decisions to which they themselves are oblivious but which are irritatingly obvious to the reader—and while this in theory can be done well and work effectively to heighten the suspense, here it just made me roll my eyes in impatience due to the overwhelming sensation that I was not in the hands of a competent author. david and noah: two real 'well well well if it isn't the consequences of my own actions' sons of bitches—and for what!
PLOT...SUSPENSE...WHO NEEDS IT
there is a very real and serious threat hanging over the characters' heads for the majority of the novel, sword-of-damocles style. they deal with this threat by talking their way into attending a potentially dangerous and exciting house party. then they decide maybe they shouldn't go after all. then they determine that, no, they should go after all! so they show up at the train station...board the train...and hastily exit the train so they can just go back home, actually. what on god's green earth was everlee smoking here? wildest decision I've read in a long time to simply...poof your only narrative threat into dust. literally why. I can't even call this literary edging, because at no time was I anywhere near said edge, but I was certainly deprived of a narrative orgasm here. just...fell off a fuckin cliff, man.
the villain is also comical in his grandiose all-talk-and-no-action villanosity; he throws a random fatphobic jab at david at one point that is just so out of nowhere it made me laugh out loud. later, he asks, "and the patrons, my god, you're really scraping the bottom of the barrel for those, aren't you?" before "chuckl[ing] cruelly." is this...is this a college improv show?? foosh, is that you??? "something that insane for this stupid little molly club in the crustiest alley in soho?" is this guy the head mean girl in a teen movie or what?
the thing about villains is that they have to feel threatening; their sinisterness has to be palpable. you can't just have them flounce around italicly like a scene-chewer in a bad movie. sure, there are contexts in which that can work (my weirdly specific frame of reference here is, uh, the waterworld live stunt show at universal studios lol), but don't expect me to take it seriously or have it hit me with any genuine impact—and everlee is playing it straight as straight can be. or, well. you know what I mean.
NOT EVEN THE EMOTIONS
there's just not enough here in noah and david's "you're my best friend I could never love you...I love you & I've always loved you...no I never knew I loved you...how could I ever have thought I loved you...actually like wow I love you like seriously I love you" to sustain a book. it comes across as unbearably puerile (which, on that note, people literally stick their tongues out at hardly-more-than-a-strangers in the book; I pray for the sweet release of death). again, this kind of best-friends-who-never-realized-they-were-in-love emotional arc can work in deft hands, but those everlee's are not. it's much too all over the place and messy and waffle-y.
oh, god, and I was also super weirded out by the plot point about trying to set noah up with somebody so that he can get laid because he obviously needs to get laid. noah is like I'm good actually, and all of his friends and loved ones are pushing this get-fucked-or-else thing so aggressively that it just really grossed me out. leave the guy his bodily fucking autonomy, you know? again, I say, greek-chorus style, the 'buddy you just gotta get laid, I'll help ya!' can and has been done well elsewhere (I'm in the middle of ari baran's second book right now and it uses that as a brief plot beat to great effect), but it's too insistent in this case for it to feel anything but icky. but even this whole fuck-or-die thing, of course, never goes anywhere but rather just fizzles out. I think the consistent issue here is that everlee randomly picks things up as they suit her and then just as quickly sets them back down when they don't anymore. the writing is haphazard, jumbled. needed a tighter hand on the reins. needed any hand on the reins!
um, what else do I have here...attitude toward smoking does not feel period-typical...noah's tendency to speak in italian is unbearable...neither of these dudes can in any way accurately be described as 'rogues'...cecil martin's character is given embarrassingly short shrift...the origin of noah's drag name is unfathomably stupid...aaaand okay yeah I think that's the end of my list of grievances, or rather, there's more I could write about, but I should probably get back to my adult responsibilities, so I'm calling it quits here.
I recognize that my review, like everlee's book, is a discombobulated and even poorly written mess. I KNOW THIS. between me and her, though, one of us is getting edited and paid at least a nominal sum for this—and baby, it's not me. everlee clearly put a lot of love and at least minimal research into the writing of this book, and I do feel bad the execution didn't come together for me; if I by some miracle of god or satan ever publish a book of my own she'll be well within her rights to rip it to shreds and I'll have to eat up her critiques and smile and say thank you so much ms. everlee ma'am I'll have some more now. until then, though...this wasn't it, jess!
so I started reading and I was like hey cool cool love this, great, and the bits about 'fuck queer respectability politics' and 'presentation ≠ sexual role' were also nice, but...it quickly devolved into a hate read, not because of noah's portrayal (which is handled just fine throughout) or anything along those lines but simply because this book ummm kind of sucks lol and was in all honesty offensive to my intelligence.
POORLY WRITTEN & EMBARRASSINGLY TWEE
people giggle at least eight separate times in this book, which for my money is about six times too many. david calls people "mate" too freely and far too often. he also calls a waitress "love" and then the narrative refers to her as a "wench"?? boy howdy I tell ya...
personal tastes vary, of course, but it was just...grating. giving bad fic vibes, you know? people say things "quickly, almost panicked." they "gush" their dialogue. they reflect on the fact that "they were fully grown for goodness' sake," and yes, the exclusion of the comma you might expect to be there is everlee's, not mine. the metaphors and imagery are not mixed so much as chopped n screwed: "the cool contrast of noah's ear and the pearl set into it was still too heavy on david's tongue." um. what?
at one point, "noah pretended to blush," and if anyone can explain to me how somebody can pretend to blush, I am all ears.
STUPIDITY ABOUNDS
the prose might have been forgivable had other things, like the plotting and characterization, been stronger. but they're not lol. both leads are unbearably stupid and just tank their own lives over and over through the stupidest of decisions to which they themselves are oblivious but which are irritatingly obvious to the reader—and while this in theory can be done well and work effectively to heighten the suspense, here it just made me roll my eyes in impatience due to the overwhelming sensation that I was not in the hands of a competent author. david and noah: two real 'well well well if it isn't the consequences of my own actions' sons of bitches—and for what!
PLOT...SUSPENSE...WHO NEEDS IT
there is a very real and serious threat hanging over the characters' heads for the majority of the novel, sword-of-damocles style. they deal with this threat by talking their way into attending a potentially dangerous and exciting house party. then they decide maybe they shouldn't go after all. then they determine that, no, they should go after all! so they show up at the train station...board the train...and hastily exit the train so they can just go back home, actually. what on god's green earth was everlee smoking here? wildest decision I've read in a long time to simply...poof your only narrative threat into dust. literally why. I can't even call this literary edging, because at no time was I anywhere near said edge, but I was certainly deprived of a narrative orgasm here. just...fell off a fuckin cliff, man.
the villain is also comical in his grandiose all-talk-and-no-action villanosity; he throws a random fatphobic jab at david at one point that is just so out of nowhere it made me laugh out loud. later, he asks, "and the patrons, my god, you're really scraping the bottom of the barrel for those, aren't you?" before "chuckl[ing] cruelly." is this...is this a college improv show?? foosh, is that you??? "something that insane for this stupid little molly club in the crustiest alley in soho?" is this guy the head mean girl in a teen movie or what?
the thing about villains is that they have to feel threatening; their sinisterness has to be palpable. you can't just have them flounce around italicly like a scene-chewer in a bad movie. sure, there are contexts in which that can work (my weirdly specific frame of reference here is, uh, the waterworld live stunt show at universal studios lol), but don't expect me to take it seriously or have it hit me with any genuine impact—and everlee is playing it straight as straight can be. or, well. you know what I mean.
NOT EVEN THE EMOTIONS
there's just not enough here in noah and david's "you're my best friend I could never love you...I love you & I've always loved you...no I never knew I loved you...how could I ever have thought I loved you...actually like wow I love you like seriously I love you" to sustain a book. it comes across as unbearably puerile (which, on that note, people literally stick their tongues out at hardly-more-than-a-strangers in the book; I pray for the sweet release of death). again, this kind of best-friends-who-never-realized-they-were-in-love emotional arc can work in deft hands, but those everlee's are not. it's much too all over the place and messy and waffle-y.
oh, god, and I was also super weirded out by the plot point about trying to set noah up with somebody so that he can get laid because he obviously needs to get laid. noah is like I'm good actually, and all of his friends and loved ones are pushing this get-fucked-or-else thing so aggressively that it just really grossed me out. leave the guy his bodily fucking autonomy, you know? again, I say, greek-chorus style, the 'buddy you just gotta get laid, I'll help ya!' can and has been done well elsewhere (I'm in the middle of ari baran's second book right now and it uses that as a brief plot beat to great effect), but it's too insistent in this case for it to feel anything but icky. but even this whole fuck-or-die thing, of course, never goes anywhere but rather just fizzles out. I think the consistent issue here is that everlee randomly picks things up as they suit her and then just as quickly sets them back down when they don't anymore. the writing is haphazard, jumbled. needed a tighter hand on the reins. needed any hand on the reins!
um, what else do I have here...attitude toward smoking does not feel period-typical...noah's tendency to speak in italian is unbearable...neither of these dudes can in any way accurately be described as 'rogues'...cecil martin's character is given embarrassingly short shrift...the origin of noah's drag name is unfathomably stupid...aaaand okay yeah I think that's the end of my list of grievances, or rather, there's more I could write about, but I should probably get back to my adult responsibilities, so I'm calling it quits here.
I recognize that my review, like everlee's book, is a discombobulated and even poorly written mess. I KNOW THIS. between me and her, though, one of us is getting edited and paid at least a nominal sum for this—and baby, it's not me. everlee clearly put a lot of love and at least minimal research into the writing of this book, and I do feel bad the execution didn't come together for me; if I by some miracle of god or satan ever publish a book of my own she'll be well within her rights to rip it to shreds and I'll have to eat up her critiques and smile and say thank you so much ms. everlee ma'am I'll have some more now. until then, though...this wasn't it, jess!
August 27, 2023
Well, this was lovely!
I've been very curious about Noah and David's relationship since the very first time they appeared. "A Rulebook for Restless Rogues" was sweet and slightly angsty, lightly steamy ans absolutely endearing, and surprising in some ways. Its two leads were wonderful and their romance was absolutely lovely: oblivious, pining best friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes, especially when it's paired with a side of angst and second-chance romance.
So why three stars?
Some things didn't work for me, obviously. I just don't know which ones or why, exactly; and the same thing happened with its predecessor.
I would have usually loved something like this to bits, but maybe my brain just doesn't function properly these days; maybe it was too long and the writing style was too much? Or maybe I should give up on this series but ugh, the characters and the found family vibes are always impeccable.
Because wow, once again I found myself absolutely intrigued by all the side characters: I'm desperate for a novel about Warren, and one about Shaw, and maybe something about Annabelle too. But I probably should give up on this series because I know I'll end up skimming those as well: I'm furious with myself!!!
I don't understand why I couldn't enjoy this novel fully, and I why I ended up getting a biiiiit bored with it and skimming when everything about it usually works so well for me. Ugh.
So yeah, I think this is very much a "me" issue: if you're a fan of friends-to-lovers, historicals and precious and ridiculously endearing queer found families you'll probably love this. I wish I'd loved it more, but maybe I chose to read this book at the very wrong time. Anyway, there were definitely some positives and I loved seeing Noah and David (David especially! He was my absolute favourite, and I went feral over him many many times) finally reach their HEA.
There's one last thing I want to point out though: Noah uses a lot of Italian words and phrases here, and while most of them were correct, quite a few of his most recurring ones had glaring grammatical errors: "perfetta" instead of "perfetto", "la" used instead of "il" and others that just made me cringe a bit, especially considering the fact that Noah has, supposedly, spent a few years in Italy and his fluency is remarked upon quite a bit.
I hope they'll be fixed in the final copy of this book.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I've been very curious about Noah and David's relationship since the very first time they appeared. "A Rulebook for Restless Rogues" was sweet and slightly angsty, lightly steamy ans absolutely endearing, and surprising in some ways. Its two leads were wonderful and their romance was absolutely lovely: oblivious, pining best friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes, especially when it's paired with a side of angst and second-chance romance.
So why three stars?
Some things didn't work for me, obviously. I just don't know which ones or why, exactly; and the same thing happened with its predecessor.
I would have usually loved something like this to bits, but maybe my brain just doesn't function properly these days; maybe it was too long and the writing style was too much? Or maybe I should give up on this series but ugh, the characters and the found family vibes are always impeccable.
Because wow, once again I found myself absolutely intrigued by all the side characters: I'm desperate for a novel about Warren, and one about Shaw, and maybe something about Annabelle too. But I probably should give up on this series because I know I'll end up skimming those as well: I'm furious with myself!!!
I don't understand why I couldn't enjoy this novel fully, and I why I ended up getting a biiiiit bored with it and skimming when everything about it usually works so well for me. Ugh.
So yeah, I think this is very much a "me" issue: if you're a fan of friends-to-lovers, historicals and precious and ridiculously endearing queer found families you'll probably love this. I wish I'd loved it more, but maybe I chose to read this book at the very wrong time. Anyway, there were definitely some positives and I loved seeing Noah and David (David especially! He was my absolute favourite, and I went feral over him many many times) finally reach their HEA.
There's one last thing I want to point out though: Noah uses a lot of Italian words and phrases here, and while most of them were correct, quite a few of his most recurring ones had glaring grammatical errors: "perfetta" instead of "perfetto", "la" used instead of "il" and others that just made me cringe a bit, especially considering the fact that Noah has, supposedly, spent a few years in Italy and his fluency is remarked upon quite a bit.
I hope they'll be fixed in the final copy of this book.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 28, 2023
You guys! This book! SWOON FACTOR!🥰❤️ David and Noah are EVERYTHING! The chemistry, oh the chemistry! Annnd the spice!🌶️🥵
This was an easy 5 star read!! I absolutely loved everything about it. The storyline, the characters - okay, I didn't love the shady characters, but they helped make the story! I was shook at the ending, love a plot twist!!
My thanks to Harlequin Books and Publicity Team for this gifted copy!!
This was an easy 5 star read!! I absolutely loved everything about it. The storyline, the characters - okay, I didn't love the shady characters, but they helped make the story! I was shook at the ending, love a plot twist!!
My thanks to Harlequin Books and Publicity Team for this gifted copy!!
July 14, 2023
A Joyfully Jay review.
4 stars
A Rulebook for Restless Rogues is the second book in Jess Everlee’s Lucky Lovers of London series. One of the main characters in the first book, A Gentleman’s Book of Vices, spends quite a lot of time at the Fox and so we met both David and Noah in that book. But I think this story should work fine as a standalone.
This is an entertaining, friends-to-lovers story between two men with an intense friendship (along with some occasional fooling around between them since they were teens). But they have never seen each other as more than friends, even as David wishes for more. I could really feel the close bond between David and Noah, and Everlee adds a few flashback scenes that do a great job in establishing that lifelong connection. There are some nice moments here where we see how much Noah truly cares for David, but doesn’t quite realize that all these feelings are adding up to love.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
4 stars
A Rulebook for Restless Rogues is the second book in Jess Everlee’s Lucky Lovers of London series. One of the main characters in the first book, A Gentleman’s Book of Vices, spends quite a lot of time at the Fox and so we met both David and Noah in that book. But I think this story should work fine as a standalone.
This is an entertaining, friends-to-lovers story between two men with an intense friendship (along with some occasional fooling around between them since they were teens). But they have never seen each other as more than friends, even as David wishes for more. I could really feel the close bond between David and Noah, and Everlee adds a few flashback scenes that do a great job in establishing that lifelong connection. There are some nice moments here where we see how much Noah truly cares for David, but doesn’t quite realize that all these feelings are adding up to love.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
June 25, 2023
First time reading not only a LGBT book but a series and I absolutely loved this series. I want more, need more please. Such a delight to read. She really knows how to pull readers in
September 14, 2023
The story takes us to the London of the late 19th century. David and Noah have been best friends, and sometimes more, since boarding school. Now David runs an illicit gay club, and Noah dreams of having the freedom to turn his whimsical designs into fantastically fashionable clothing...but when David's job, and with it his freedom, are threatened, they have some critical choices to make. I've never read this author so when one of the librarians at my local branch who knew I read M/M romances, asked if I would read it and possible lead a discussion...of course I enthusiastically said YES! We have two likeable characters in Noah and David...but they inhabit a time in history and a society that is not quite ready for them. The stakes are abundantly clear. They could face loss of their livelihood, possible prison time, and perhaps worse, that society was not exactly jumping over themselves to defend gay relationships in the late 1800s. I always love a romance where the greater conflict is something external rather than the protagonists being idiots about their own feelings. Also, it was really nice to see that these two guys were both friends to start with and have some history between them that keeps them from being totally blind to their shared attraction. Conflict, of course, rears its ugly head throughout their story, but not enough to ruin any part of the love that grows between these two. Historical romances of any type are generally pretty much a "thanks but no-thank you" for me, but this one along with the upcoming discussion...piqued my interest. Fans of M/M romances in general, and historical M/M romance more specifically, will probably really enjoy this offering.
February 24, 2024
Coming back to this: I didn’t feel like the villain character was menacing enough and maybe that’s on me, but I was hoping we’d get some insight to him in the first book but alas he is not mentioned. All of his big moments happen behind the scenes; we as readers hear about them through characters talking about them, so it didn’t feel overly foreboding.
I read this whole book and didn’t realize until the last page that it was a sequel, which is actually more embarrassing than reading a book with people kissing on the cover. Holding off on a review until I read the first book (which is currently in transit to the library)
I read this whole book and didn’t realize until the last page that it was a sequel, which is actually more embarrassing than reading a book with people kissing on the cover. Holding off on a review until I read the first book (which is currently in transit to the library)
October 18, 2023
Ah i just loved this one. It was so incredibly sweet. Flashbacks to a history as bullied schoolmates bonding together, then a fragile friendship, then two old friends finally starting to admit how deep their relationship goes. The exploration of why they found it difficult to talk was very careful and founded in well drawn characters. Even when they had trouble communicating they knew each other so well they understood unspoken what they were having trouble saying and why. Especially loved the emphasis on actions as a form of communication.
I also loved the historical details, and the effort to portray how the lgbt community at the time lived their lives. Including a very entertaining visit to a lesbian club, and some interesting references to revolutionary politics.
Also the writing is wonderful, i made tons of highlights that were either cleverly funny or sweetly poetic.
But the main draw was just the exploration of the relationship between the two main characters, which by the time the book starts already has so much depth and love to it, and the careful exploration of what it means to them.
I also loved the historical details, and the effort to portray how the lgbt community at the time lived their lives. Including a very entertaining visit to a lesbian club, and some interesting references to revolutionary politics.
Also the writing is wonderful, i made tons of highlights that were either cleverly funny or sweetly poetic.
But the main draw was just the exploration of the relationship between the two main characters, which by the time the book starts already has so much depth and love to it, and the careful exploration of what it means to them.
July 22, 2023
I did not think I could adore a book more than I adored Charlie’s and Miles’ story, but I do- watching David and Noah find their way to romance after a lifetime of deep friendship absolutely destroyed me (in the best swooniest way)! Also, I want to spend all my spare time at the Fox with it’s amazing motley crew of queers!
Read for deep pining, adorable found family, delicious queer sex, amazing fashion, deeply scary villains getting their comeuppance and more than anything, queers defiantly building beautiful lives in a world that is hostile to them!
Read for deep pining, adorable found family, delicious queer sex, amazing fashion, deeply scary villains getting their comeuppance and more than anything, queers defiantly building beautiful lives in a world that is hostile to them!
August 1, 2023
The sophomore book in Everlee's Lucky Lovers of London series, this focuses on David Forester, the proprietor of The Curious Fox and one of the club's most notable personalities Noah Clarke, aka Miss Penelope Primrose.
We learn that David and Noah met as schoolboys about 15 years prior and have moved from exploring their sexuality together to "friends with an interesting little history." Although David, known for his matchmaking skills at the club, wonders why he has never tried to find someone for Noah, and why Noah has not taken advance of the private rooms at the club in quite some time. There's the steady sizzle underneath all their interactions but neither is quite willing to acknowledge their feelings.
And then the world of The Curious Fox falls apart as the owner, Lord Henry Belleville, shows up one night. "Over the long complicated years of their acquaintance, David had been everywhere from this man's bedchambers to his club parlors to his payroll; called everything from precious to pathetic, proprietor to poppet." Changes are afoot - bad news for the eclectic clientele of the Fox - and David is caught in an impossible situation where he only see one option ...
And [sigh] this is where the story falls apart for me. David clearly only see one crazy option in order to save his beloved club, mostly because of the "mad, bad and dangerous to know" Lord Belleville. Without going into plot details, we never really get a cohesive sense about why Belleville is so dangerous, why David is convinced he must do the most ill-advised thing ever, why Noah makes his own hare-brained plans .... and why all of a sudden it all no longer matters.
IMHO, the convoluted plot distracted from a small sincere story of two men who have always been in love with one another, but of course that is completely my take on this book. I look forward to another book focusing on the elements that really make this series interesting - the community of The Curious Fox, the quirky characters .... and honestly, what is up with Shaw? I hope he is the focus of the next book in the series. 3 stars.
I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
We learn that David and Noah met as schoolboys about 15 years prior and have moved from exploring their sexuality together to "friends with an interesting little history." Although David, known for his matchmaking skills at the club, wonders why he has never tried to find someone for Noah, and why Noah has not taken advance of the private rooms at the club in quite some time. There's the steady sizzle underneath all their interactions but neither is quite willing to acknowledge their feelings.
And then the world of The Curious Fox falls apart as the owner, Lord Henry Belleville, shows up one night. "Over the long complicated years of their acquaintance, David had been everywhere from this man's bedchambers to his club parlors to his payroll; called everything from precious to pathetic, proprietor to poppet." Changes are afoot - bad news for the eclectic clientele of the Fox - and David is caught in an impossible situation where he only see one option ...
And [sigh] this is where the story falls apart for me. David clearly only see one crazy option in order to save his beloved club, mostly because of the "mad, bad and dangerous to know" Lord Belleville. Without going into plot details, we never really get a cohesive sense about why Belleville is so dangerous, why David is convinced he must do the most ill-advised thing ever, why Noah makes his own hare-brained plans .... and why all of a sudden it all no longer matters.
IMHO, the convoluted plot distracted from a small sincere story of two men who have always been in love with one another, but of course that is completely my take on this book. I look forward to another book focusing on the elements that really make this series interesting - the community of The Curious Fox, the quirky characters .... and honestly, what is up with Shaw? I hope he is the focus of the next book in the series. 3 stars.
I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
July 15, 2023
I was delighted by The Gentleman's Book of Vices so I snatched this one up as soon as it was available. This one featured David and Noah who were background characters from the first book. Noah is also Miss Penelope when she puts on her whole décolletage in the club but by day, he's a bored but on demand tailor. David is the proprietor of the underground club for other folks under the LGBTQ banner who would be arrested if they partook in their relationship publicly.
Noah and David have known each other since they were fumbling kids and have never managed to get their acts together in regards to each other despite everyone telling them they know they're in love. After a few missteps, they start to figure it out.
David's club gets shut down and he feels the need to make his case to the owner who he has a pretty sketchy relationship to. Noah wants him to abandon it and just be safe and with him. David then goes on a pretty circular journey where he decides whether he wants to fight for his club or not and eventually puts Noah in a tight spot.
I liked that this ended like it did for them. I wish David wasn't as wishy washy since Noah basically put his cards on the table. I loved when Noah went to bat with his family and they started to forgive things that weren't really ever his fault.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.
Noah and David have known each other since they were fumbling kids and have never managed to get their acts together in regards to each other despite everyone telling them they know they're in love. After a few missteps, they start to figure it out.
David's club gets shut down and he feels the need to make his case to the owner who he has a pretty sketchy relationship to. Noah wants him to abandon it and just be safe and with him. David then goes on a pretty circular journey where he decides whether he wants to fight for his club or not and eventually puts Noah in a tight spot.
I liked that this ended like it did for them. I wish David wasn't as wishy washy since Noah basically put his cards on the table. I loved when Noah went to bat with his family and they started to forgive things that weren't really ever his fault.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.
November 7, 2023
Such fun! I enjoyed this historical fiction book set in 1880s London. An entertaining story about two young men who discover they’re in love with each other but don’t know how to make a life together. The story takes place in two timelines. I enjoyed the “present” day part more than the past, as the author explored a wider variety of themes. I think the book would’ve been fine without the past chapters.
April 21, 2024
3 stars, recommend. I enjoyed this book, although it felt just a bit too fantastical at times. Without giving too much away, one of the two main characters comes up with a plan that didn't make much sense, and later, the other main character comes up with an even crazier plan. I'm guessing that this wouldn't be a distraction for most readers and especially Jess Everlee fans, but it all strained credulity more than necessary. However, the book was charming throughout and especially at the end, so what do I know?
Part of my reading of this book was through a digital ARC but I also listened to the audiobook. Excellent narration, except for one quibble: the voice of "Emily," Noah's sister, was simply awful! I can't understand why, when other women's voices were more reasonably presented by the male narrator, who otherwise, I quite enjoyed.
Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.
Part of my reading of this book was through a digital ARC but I also listened to the audiobook. Excellent narration, except for one quibble: the voice of "Emily," Noah's sister, was simply awful! I can't understand why, when other women's voices were more reasonably presented by the male narrator, who otherwise, I quite enjoyed.
Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.
February 13, 2023
A Rulebook for Restless Rogues was a pleasing follow-up work to The Gentleman's Book of Vices. I didn't connect with the characters this time quite as much as I did in the first work, but it was still an enjoyable story that held my attention throughout. The only real issue I had was with the pacing, because after a long build-up the ending felt a little rushed and all worries were solved by the appearance of a deus ex machina (that shall remain nameless to avoid spoilers) that solved everything within a few paragraphs. That was a little anti-climatic for me. But the romance side of things had a believable and interesting progression and it was fun to see favourite characters from the first book make brief appearances in this one too. I would read on in the series if the author pens more works set in this world. This book gets 3.5 stars from me, which I will round up to four.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 1, 2023
1.5 rounded up to 2 stars. I liked the first book 4 stars, but this second one just felt annoying and tedious. Some people don't mind if there isn't much of a hurdle, or the characters are repetitively foolish, but it just kinda rubs me the wrong way. When they realize that they could have been together and happy all these years one of them says 'we've been such fools!' or something and I just wanted to shout 'YES! Yes you have!' lol. Without the characters getting in their own way and making reckless or foolish decisions, there would hardly be a plot at all- but I would have liked them both considerably more. Ah well.
Read
August 15, 2023I listened to a decently smutty bit as I was driving too work one morning. This wasn't planned, and the car next to me definitely heard it, and definitely looked shocked :D
July 2, 2023
Got an arc from work!
This was good frothy fun, and if you liked Cat Sebastian’s Queer Principles of Kit Webb you’ll probably like this too! I didn’t know it was part of a series but I may have to look into the first one now!
This was good frothy fun, and if you liked Cat Sebastian’s Queer Principles of Kit Webb you’ll probably like this too! I didn’t know it was part of a series but I may have to look into the first one now!
July 25, 2024
ok i had fun but it just didn’t do anything t for me beyond that? like dont get me wrong i believed in noah and david’s love for each other but i just wasn’t obsessed w the actual plot or either of them. weird vibes but idk.
February 6, 2024
This is, like the first book in the series, light and fun enough but it is (also like that book) somewhat hampered by the way that the conflict is not resolved by our protagonists and their choices but by a side character who coincidentally holds the key to solving their problems and maybe always has. That could be intentional (the series is called the Lucky Lovers of London after all), but it’s not terribly satisfying in terms of the narrative or character arcs. And while David and Noah make the objectively correct decision to the book would have been a lot more interesting if they had.
June 18, 2023
★★★★.5 / 5
Going into this knowing who the main characters were, and wondering if there was enough to write an entire novel about them, I really thought that A Rulebook for Restless Rogues wouldn't live up to The Gentleman's Book of Vices. Boy, was I wrong. It not only exceeded my expectations, I actually enjoyed this even more than Gentleman's Book.
Synopsis ⤐
In this, we follow David, the charming but rough-around-the-edges proprietor of The Fox, the illicit gentleman's club that we see a lot of in book one. He's perfectly happy running the show, even with all the risks that come with the clientele that The Fox caters to (men who enjoy the company of other men). He plays matchmaker with the guests, setting them up and making sure everyone has a safe and fun time - so much so, that he never takes into account his own love life.
His friends notice this, especially Noah: David's lifelong friend, who often frequents The Fox as 'Penelope', his dragged up alter ego. Everyone sees what Noah and David mean to each other; despite their best attempts to avoid the elephant in the room, Noah and David ignore their history together and blatant affections in an attempt to preserve their friendship - something neither of them can lose, as it's the one constant, safe thing they've had for as long as they can remember.
My Thoughts ⤐
I really enjoyed Noah/Penelope in book one, and seeing so much more of him and David in this was a treat. Everlee includes past snippets of them falling for each other at school in tandem with present day, as they fumble and bumble around their blatant desire for each other, and it was so sweet. Friends-to-lovers is always a favorite trope, however second chance lovers tends to be a trope I avoid - but I thoroughly enjoyed their dynamic here.
I think Jess Everlee is on her way to becoming an auto-buy author for me: her writing is so compelling and I fall in love with her characters, both protagonists and side characters alike. In Rulebook, the dialogue is so satisfying. So many romance books I'm left wanting when it comes to dialogue, many authors seem to avoid putting the love interests together for too long, and I don't get enough time to properly get to know who they are and what they want. This is not the case at all with Everlee; the way the characters interact with each other feels so real, each scene plays out vividly, I can picture and feel their emotions without it feeling too heavy handed.
I think some people might find this slow or lacking in plot, but I loved it. A slow burn, historical, friends-to-lovers is my bread and butter! I can't wait to read more from this author, and I'd be interested in more books in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press & Carina Adores (Harlequin) for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are unbiased and are my own.
Going into this knowing who the main characters were, and wondering if there was enough to write an entire novel about them, I really thought that A Rulebook for Restless Rogues wouldn't live up to The Gentleman's Book of Vices. Boy, was I wrong. It not only exceeded my expectations, I actually enjoyed this even more than Gentleman's Book.
Synopsis ⤐
In this, we follow David, the charming but rough-around-the-edges proprietor of The Fox, the illicit gentleman's club that we see a lot of in book one. He's perfectly happy running the show, even with all the risks that come with the clientele that The Fox caters to (men who enjoy the company of other men). He plays matchmaker with the guests, setting them up and making sure everyone has a safe and fun time - so much so, that he never takes into account his own love life.
His friends notice this, especially Noah: David's lifelong friend, who often frequents The Fox as 'Penelope', his dragged up alter ego. Everyone sees what Noah and David mean to each other; despite their best attempts to avoid the elephant in the room, Noah and David ignore their history together and blatant affections in an attempt to preserve their friendship - something neither of them can lose, as it's the one constant, safe thing they've had for as long as they can remember.
My Thoughts ⤐
I really enjoyed Noah/Penelope in book one, and seeing so much more of him and David in this was a treat. Everlee includes past snippets of them falling for each other at school in tandem with present day, as they fumble and bumble around their blatant desire for each other, and it was so sweet. Friends-to-lovers is always a favorite trope, however second chance lovers tends to be a trope I avoid - but I thoroughly enjoyed their dynamic here.
I think Jess Everlee is on her way to becoming an auto-buy author for me: her writing is so compelling and I fall in love with her characters, both protagonists and side characters alike. In Rulebook, the dialogue is so satisfying. So many romance books I'm left wanting when it comes to dialogue, many authors seem to avoid putting the love interests together for too long, and I don't get enough time to properly get to know who they are and what they want. This is not the case at all with Everlee; the way the characters interact with each other feels so real, each scene plays out vividly, I can picture and feel their emotions without it feeling too heavy handed.
I think some people might find this slow or lacking in plot, but I loved it. A slow burn, historical, friends-to-lovers is my bread and butter! I can't wait to read more from this author, and I'd be interested in more books in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press & Carina Adores (Harlequin) for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are unbiased and are my own.
May 14, 2024
“If that’s the motivation you need, then yes. Do it for me.”
3.5 stars. This was cute! Historical friends to lovers about between a bar owner and a tailor. I liked what I saw of these characters in the first book, and their love story was emotional and sweet. Not quite as impactful as I might have hoped, and it did falter a lot in the storytelling, but it came together well in the end, and it was a romance I ended up really liking.
I like how this series gives you little snippets of and looks into queer history. This time we see a lot of early drag (and I had no idea it was already known as drag so early on, but apparently so), the community that grows up around queer bars, just how meaningful they've always been to their patrons. Noah's relationship with his family was so different from what you often see in queer historicals, and it was interesting to see what that type of rational acceptance looks like. I really liked his relationship with his sister, even though she wasn't always the most sympathetic character.
We're flashing back and forward in time, from the guys' first meeting in boarding school, to what their best friendship looks like today. It was a really great depiction of a really close and comfortable relationship, one where they've had a romantic entanglement before. But the book also believably sets up a situation where they never get together until now. (Though sometimes the back and forth of why they both thought they ~couldn't be together~ got a teensy bit tedious.) I do tend to really like characters like David, who are so used to taking care of others, and then get to be taken care of themselves. I also really liked the ways Noah embraced and played with femininity, and David loved and accepted that about him with no question. There were a lot of swoony moments and scenes of simple caretaking that I loved. Friends to lovers just always feels so cosy.
The pacing was a little weird? There's a plot with the unscrupulous nobleman who owns the queer club, and for someone who has such an impact on the main story, and on David's past, he barely appears. The story also feels weird, in that it makes you think we're building towards a certain event, but the build-up takes up most of the book, and the events falls by the wayside. And there's a reason for that, a reason that makes sense now that I've finished, but while reading, it made the book feel unbalanced and weird. But it came together well. There was a later development that I didn't see coming, and quite enjoyed. Too many things happen off page, but I'm willing to forgive that.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Tommy Hawthorne, and my thoughts remain the same from the first book. Really liked his voices for the main characters; not so much for the side characters. I'm really looking forward to Jo's book. I loved her appearance in this, and I can't wait to see what kind of dynamic she'll have with her love interest.
July 5, 2023
Premise:
-set in London in summer 1885 with flashbacks to David & Noah's time in boarding school, starting in 1870
-Noah is Savile Row's promising young tailor
-David runs an underground queer club, The Curious Fox
-when the baron who owns the Fox tries to close it, David must figure out how to save his club!
-Noah & David navigate their feelings for each other that they've suppressed over the years & dismissed as childlike curiosity
-cw from Jess Everlee's website: A main character has a history of abuse at the hands of a parent and an intimate partner. While this is dealt with non-graphically, his resulting C-PTSD and an on-page connection to that ex-partner drive parts of the plot. There is an off-page suicide of an unsympathetic character. All on-page sex is between adults, but their underage history is discussed. There is period-typical homophobia, racism, and sexism. Arrest and violence pose significant threats, though do not occur in any Lucky Lovers books.
Thoughts:
This was the delightful historical queer romance I've been wanting!!! I adored the dynamics, angst and tension between Noah & David! They were so clearly pining for each other for so long and denied themselves a chance at true happiness FOR WHAT?! I love this trope of what I call "two idiots who need to just shut up and kiss already" ahhaha.
Overall, I'll admit that I read this for the friends-to-lovers first and the plot second lol! However, I loved the way the flashbacks tied into the present, and the quest to save the club was fun! This was the first book I've read by Jess Everlee and I'm so excited to read the first book in the series now
"Best friends going on fifteen years, their feet always seemed to wander to wherever the other happened to be."
-set in London in summer 1885 with flashbacks to David & Noah's time in boarding school, starting in 1870
-Noah is Savile Row's promising young tailor
-David runs an underground queer club, The Curious Fox
-when the baron who owns the Fox tries to close it, David must figure out how to save his club!
-Noah & David navigate their feelings for each other that they've suppressed over the years & dismissed as childlike curiosity
-cw from Jess Everlee's website: A main character has a history of abuse at the hands of a parent and an intimate partner. While this is dealt with non-graphically, his resulting C-PTSD and an on-page connection to that ex-partner drive parts of the plot. There is an off-page suicide of an unsympathetic character. All on-page sex is between adults, but their underage history is discussed. There is period-typical homophobia, racism, and sexism. Arrest and violence pose significant threats, though do not occur in any Lucky Lovers books.
Thoughts:
This was the delightful historical queer romance I've been wanting!!! I adored the dynamics, angst and tension between Noah & David! They were so clearly pining for each other for so long and denied themselves a chance at true happiness FOR WHAT?! I love this trope of what I call "two idiots who need to just shut up and kiss already" ahhaha.
Overall, I'll admit that I read this for the friends-to-lovers first and the plot second lol! However, I loved the way the flashbacks tied into the present, and the quest to save the club was fun! This was the first book I've read by Jess Everlee and I'm so excited to read the first book in the series now
"Best friends going on fifteen years, their feet always seemed to wander to wherever the other happened to be."
August 17, 2023
Unfortunately, I ended up enjoying this even less than the first book in the series, The Gentleman's Book of Vices.
This book was a bit all over the place, plot-wise, and left a lot of the information off-page that I, as a reader, felt I needed to care more about these characters. It didn't help that I didn't really like either David or Noah and didn't see why they were so enamoured with each other.
The side plot of David's affair with the aristocrat leading to him running the molly house seemed unimportant while also being the main reason for the conflict in the story. We needed a lot more information about that, and a lot less about Noah's family. We didn't need Noah's familial background information for Noah and David's relationship to matter and it just bogged down the story, especially all the fake conflict between Noah's sister, Emily, and David which also wasn't fully explained. I also didn't really get an idea about why Noah going to Italy for his education/training caused such a riff between them, to the point where they weren't even friends anymore after, what, a few years or less? It just seemed weird. If they were the best of friends, being apart for a short time, even such a tumultuous time in both their lives, wouldn't have caused such a falling out. It just didn't make sense to me. It fell victim to the way-too-common trope of lack of communication between MCs.
Lastly, it also didn't help that I didn't remember these characters from the first book at all. I did remember Joe, Miles, and Charlie but had no recollection of David or Noah being in that book. These books didn't feel like they were at all related until those other characters appear to move the plot along.
Overall, disappointing. I'm a huge fan of historical romances with conflict like this but Everlee just isn't the writer for me.
This book was a bit all over the place, plot-wise, and left a lot of the information off-page that I, as a reader, felt I needed to care more about these characters. It didn't help that I didn't really like either David or Noah and didn't see why they were so enamoured with each other.
The side plot of David's affair with the aristocrat leading to him running the molly house seemed unimportant while also being the main reason for the conflict in the story. We needed a lot more information about that, and a lot less about Noah's family. We didn't need Noah's familial background information for Noah and David's relationship to matter and it just bogged down the story, especially all the fake conflict between Noah's sister, Emily, and David which also wasn't fully explained. I also didn't really get an idea about why Noah going to Italy for his education/training caused such a riff between them, to the point where they weren't even friends anymore after, what, a few years or less? It just seemed weird. If they were the best of friends, being apart for a short time, even such a tumultuous time in both their lives, wouldn't have caused such a falling out. It just didn't make sense to me. It fell victim to the way-too-common trope of lack of communication between MCs.
Lastly, it also didn't help that I didn't remember these characters from the first book at all. I did remember Joe, Miles, and Charlie but had no recollection of David or Noah being in that book. These books didn't feel like they were at all related until those other characters appear to move the plot along.
Overall, disappointing. I'm a huge fan of historical romances with conflict like this but Everlee just isn't the writer for me.
March 9, 2023
Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the eArc of A Rulebook for Restless Rogues. All opinions are my own.
There's nothing about this book that I didn't love (except for some pacing and plot quibbles, which I'll share below). Boarding school besties Noah and David are all grown up and pursuing their...well, not quite dreams, but they're living life in the most authentic way two queer London gentlemen can in the 19th century. Noah has a promising career as a Saville Row tailor, while David caters to the underground queer population of London gentlemen at his club The Curious Fox. Like all historical novels with queer men, the tension and fears of being caught, exposed, and punished for homosexuality are generally one of the main plot points, and A Rulebook for Restless Rogues is no exception. It's an undercurrent in nearly every conflict Noah and David experience in this book.
But the best part, aside from this extreme societal tension, is the absolute oblivious besties who, it's clear from the start, belong together. Each of them has a beautifully quirky personality (Noah dresses in drag and assumes a different persona altogether when he's at the club, and David is tender and generous with his clientele). Their relationship is so real, their friendship tender and beautiful, and when they find themselves having to work together to save the Curious Fox and David's reputation, something like a real romance finally begins to kindle.
The tension and build-up of Noah and David's relationship was perfection. My pacing and plot quibble is due to a lack of any real climactic scene. The conflict just kind of....fizzles out? It was a bit disappointing. I was hoping for more of a showdown, a takedown, or...something that could more satisfyingly resolve the conflict with the book's default villain.
I have not read Jess Everlee's first book, but there weren't any parts of this one that confused me, so I think it can be read as a stand-alone.
If you're a fan of KJ Charles of Cat Sebastian, you'll probably love this book! It was a fast, fun read.
There's nothing about this book that I didn't love (except for some pacing and plot quibbles, which I'll share below). Boarding school besties Noah and David are all grown up and pursuing their...well, not quite dreams, but they're living life in the most authentic way two queer London gentlemen can in the 19th century. Noah has a promising career as a Saville Row tailor, while David caters to the underground queer population of London gentlemen at his club The Curious Fox. Like all historical novels with queer men, the tension and fears of being caught, exposed, and punished for homosexuality are generally one of the main plot points, and A Rulebook for Restless Rogues is no exception. It's an undercurrent in nearly every conflict Noah and David experience in this book.
But the best part, aside from this extreme societal tension, is the absolute oblivious besties who, it's clear from the start, belong together. Each of them has a beautifully quirky personality (Noah dresses in drag and assumes a different persona altogether when he's at the club, and David is tender and generous with his clientele). Their relationship is so real, their friendship tender and beautiful, and when they find themselves having to work together to save the Curious Fox and David's reputation, something like a real romance finally begins to kindle.
The tension and build-up of Noah and David's relationship was perfection. My pacing and plot quibble is due to a lack of any real climactic scene. The conflict just kind of....fizzles out? It was a bit disappointing. I was hoping for more of a showdown, a takedown, or...something that could more satisfyingly resolve the conflict with the book's default villain.
I have not read Jess Everlee's first book, but there weren't any parts of this one that confused me, so I think it can be read as a stand-alone.
If you're a fan of KJ Charles of Cat Sebastian, you'll probably love this book! It was a fast, fun read.
August 2, 2023
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
3.5. I loved the first book in this series, so I was disappointed that I didn't connect with either David or Noah as much as I did Charlie and Miles. (I also, unfortunately, read this at the same time as a stellar M/M romance by Cat Sebastian, so I was constantly comparing the two.)
The villain and threats in this book were also less developed than in its prequel, so I had less emotional stake in this book. Also, this is a small pet peeve, but Noah's Italian has errors (though maybe that's on purpose?).
Nevertheless, the romance is cute and steamy and done well. I also enjoyed reading about Noah's ambition and talent--I could've read a whole book about the drama at his workplace. Overall it's a solid entry in the series; I just wanted more from it.
3.5. I loved the first book in this series, so I was disappointed that I didn't connect with either David or Noah as much as I did Charlie and Miles. (I also, unfortunately, read this at the same time as a stellar M/M romance by Cat Sebastian, so I was constantly comparing the two.)
The villain and threats in this book were also less developed than in its prequel, so I had less emotional stake in this book. Also, this is a small pet peeve, but Noah's Italian has errors (though maybe that's on purpose?).
Nevertheless, the romance is cute and steamy and done well. I also enjoyed reading about Noah's ambition and talent--I could've read a whole book about the drama at his workplace. Overall it's a solid entry in the series; I just wanted more from it.
August 24, 2023
Big thanks to NetGalley for providing a free ARC of this in exchange for an honest review!
This is a really solid historical romance that I felt was slightly lacking in a cohesive ending.
THE GOOD:
Characters you can't help but root for and a romance that does them justice! I loved David and Noah -- childhood friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes and Everlee did a great job writing their relationship both platonic and romantic. Their friendship was always at the forefront, even when their romantic chemistry was undeniable.
Well-handled serious plotlines! In particular, David's storyline was handled with a lot of care and never put me in a possibly triggering mindset.
The plot in general! I think the story was engaging and interesting to read about. I was invested in what was going to happen and whether David and Noah would get their happy ending.
THE NOT-AS-GOOD:
The pacing was a little jarring -- it started pretty mid-paced (good for a romance!) but the ending was really rushed and left me a bit dissatisfied.
In general, though, I think this is a really good introduction to queer historical romance. It's easy to read, engaging, and full of loveable characters. If you can deal with a slightly rushed ending, I highly recommend this!
This is a really solid historical romance that I felt was slightly lacking in a cohesive ending.
THE GOOD:
Characters you can't help but root for and a romance that does them justice! I loved David and Noah -- childhood friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes and Everlee did a great job writing their relationship both platonic and romantic. Their friendship was always at the forefront, even when their romantic chemistry was undeniable.
Well-handled serious plotlines! In particular, David's storyline was handled with a lot of care and never put me in a possibly triggering mindset.
The plot in general! I think the story was engaging and interesting to read about. I was invested in what was going to happen and whether David and Noah would get their happy ending.
THE NOT-AS-GOOD:
The pacing was a little jarring -- it started pretty mid-paced (good for a romance!) but the ending was really rushed and left me a bit dissatisfied.
In general, though, I think this is a really good introduction to queer historical romance. It's easy to read, engaging, and full of loveable characters. If you can deal with a slightly rushed ending, I highly recommend this!
December 20, 2023
Ohhhh man, David and Noah have my heart!! Best friends to lovers seriously will always be a favorite trope of mine, and these guys are no exception. This encapsulated perfectly everything I love about it, with the pining, the angst, and misunderstanding of one's own feelings.
The flashback chapters showing how they've been friends since they were younger was done so well! It really set the stage for the whole thing, and got you into these guys' heads. And I also love how everyone from book 1 still played important parts in this one, making it a very well-rounded sequel. This book was AMAZING!! 💕💖💕💖
The flashback chapters showing how they've been friends since they were younger was done so well! It really set the stage for the whole thing, and got you into these guys' heads. And I also love how everyone from book 1 still played important parts in this one, making it a very well-rounded sequel. This book was AMAZING!! 💕💖💕💖
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