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Mr Warren's Profession

(Aubrey & Lindsey #1)

Sebastian Nothwell (Goodreads Author)

4.34 · Rating details · 116 ratings · 31 reviews

Lindsey Althorp, the only son of a wealthy baronet, has never worked a day in his life. Aubrey Warren was born in a workhouse and hasn’t stopped working since.

When Lindsey wins a textile mill in a game of cards, he falls at first sight for the assistant clerk, Aubrey. Lindsey is certain that Aubrey is the Achilles to his Patroclus, the David to his Jonathan. Yet Aubrey, un ...more

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ebook, 414 pages

Published June 7th 2017 by Smashwords

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June 2017 MM Releases

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4.34 ·

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· 116 ratings · 31 reviews

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Jan 02, 2018 Joyfully Jay rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sue

A Joyfully Jay review.

4.75 stars

This was such a fun and enjoyable read. Mr. Warren Profession hit all my happy buttons right from the beginning. The historical aspect is very well done and the author does a fantastic job of describing the life of the working class near the turn of the twentieth century. There is never an extensive amount of information dumped on the reader at any one time, but instead the historical aspect of Mr. Warren’s Profession is integrated with an excellent finesse. Ther ...more

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Mar 17, 2019 Kaje Harper rated it really liked it

Shelves: comfort-reread, historical, m-m, favorites

I really enjoyed this historical romance about a young man in Victorian England who worked his way up from the lowest poverty to a respectable clerkship, only to have an infatuated, sweet, clueless nobleman threaten to both topple his life, and infinitely enrich it.

Aubrey Warren is working as a clerk in a textile mill. He's good at the job, very diligent, and used to covering for the other worthless clerk who's there riding on family ties. Aubrey has done wonders, rising from his birth to a wor I really enjoyed this historical romance about a young man in Victorian England who worked his way up from the lowest poverty to a respectable clerkship, only to have an infatuated, sweet, clueless nobleman threaten to both topple his life, and infinitely enrich it.

Aubrey Warren is working as a clerk in a textile mill. He's good at the job, very diligent, and used to covering for the other worthless clerk who's there riding on family ties. Aubrey has done wonders, rising from his birth to a workhouse pauper to this post, and although he's not deeply happy, he's quite content. He's valued by his supervisor, and can afford a small, clean if not comfortable lodging room. His preference for men (and a past in which that sometimes brought him money) are locked carefully away where they can't damage this precious respectability he has eked out at last.

Then wealthy nobleman Lindsey Althorp wins the mill in a card game, and shows up to inspect his winnings. From the moment Lindsey sees Aubrey at his desk, ebony-haired and small and stunningly handsome, he's deeply smitten. In fact, Lindsey's life is changed because suddenly for the first time he's aware of true desire for someone, and that his desire is for a man, and probably always has been. Lindsey's a sweet, honest, simple soul and although he knows that being an invert is a risky thing, to be kept secret and hidden, he hasn't thought about it before, and now in the first heat of first passion, he can't make himself be properly restrained. His desire to see Aubrey and talk to him and spend time with him drives every moment, and he rushes in indiscreetly.

Aubrey definitely knows that spending time with Lindsey is a big risk. He's very well aware of what can happen to men like them, even noblemen. But the sunshine of Lindsey's regard is hard to resist, and Lindsey's wild delight feels cruel to repress. Aubrey finds himself trying to walk a line between rejecting the best thing that has ever happened to him, and walking a path toward disaster.

This story was sweet, and sometimes emotional, and the historical context was fun. A lot of historical details appeared that were unfamiliar to me and clearly well researched, (like the Cleveland Street scandal). The writing style appealed to me a lot, and the secondary characters were distinct personalities, including strong female characters. The resolution was perhaps a bit neat, with more acceptance from more characters than one might envision for the time and place. But in all, this was a lovely addition to historical M/M stories, and I immediately picked up the short follow-up novella. ...more

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Mar 13, 2018 Bev rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, lgbtq-mm, romance, in-the-closet, just-so-damn-good

4.25 stars from me. I really enjoyed the author's writing and most of the characters 😉. It looks as though US authors writing what would, at first glance, appear to be historical novels set in the UK, seem to gaining in popularity....unfortunately, that isn't always a good thing...believe me, some of them are very Mills & Boon and absolutely riddled with errors. This story is not one of those however....

The two MC's, Aubrey and Lindsey, meet in the office where Aubrey works, which happens to 4.25 stars from me. I really enjoyed the author's writing and most of the characters 😉. It looks as though US authors writing what would, at first glance, appear to be historical novels set in the UK, seem to gaining in popularity....unfortunately, that isn't always a good thing...believe me, some of them are very Mills & Boon and absolutely riddled with errors. This story is not one of those however....

The two MC's, Aubrey and Lindsey, meet in the office where Aubrey works, which happens to be situated in the same Manchester mill Lindsey has just won in a card game. I loved both MC's: Aubrey was the poor workhouse boy who'd had to make his own way in the world, doing some things that were deemed to be against the law just to keep himself fed and clothed; Lindsey was the very sheltered son of a member of the aristocracy who appeared to be trying to earn his father's approval for most things it seemed. The story-line includes skulduggery and blackmail, and right up until nearly the end of the story, I thought that the villain of the piece was going to get away with everything....

I have to congratulate the author on this self-pubbed effort, and for doing a shit-ton of research to put the story together - digging up facts about textile mills, workers rights, workhouses, gay brothels, the telegraph boys involved in the Cleveland Street scandal and laws which made gross indecency a crime [the Labouchere Amendment]; bravo for putting all of that together into a very credible story-line. Sadly, he then rather spoils things by letting silly little niggles creep into the story e.g. black walnut furniture in various residences is mentioned all of the time; however, most of the furniture in the UK around that time [1890's] would surely have been mahogany or oak, not black walnut [which I believe is native to the US], and I'm more or less certain that Aubrey couldn't have kept travelling down to London or Wiltshire by train from Manchester...he simply wouldn't have been able to afford it, wages being what they were at that time. A few typos did manage to creep in, and the usage of American words for UK e.g. prybar for crowbar were also a little strange, and had the story been properly edited, one would've expected a competent editor to pick these tiny errors up.

For all that, thanks to Tess for the original review which made me pick this up, and I will be keeping an eye out for this author from now on. ...more

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Jul 15, 2018 WhatAStrangeDuck rated it really liked it

Shelves: blue-collar-mc, bullying, good-supporting-cast, good-world-building, historical, social-issues, reviewed, lgbtq, queer-family, re-read-and-still-great

Good historical romance from a new author. I didn't go in with very high expectations but I was pleasantly surprised by this book. There are few books that actually have working class characters and present a realistic view of England during the industrial revolution.

I liked the characters (Lindsey is a bit clueless but what a dear) and all in all it was a pretty solidly put together story. A bit of streamlining wouldn't have gone amiss but I still highly recommend it for people who like histori ...more

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Jun 10, 2017 Lou rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017-reads, queer, historical-fiction

Mr Warren's Profession is a compelling, beautifully written, and heartfelt romance which features all of your favorite Victorian tropes (romance complicated by class! complex social rituals! repressed emotions!)

Sebastian Nothwell has a way of describing things that immediately conjure vivid images in your mind and a knack for creating complex and complete characters that you can't help but adore.

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Oct 17, 2017 Tess rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star-mm-reads, historical-mm, opposites-attract

4.5 stars

If you like Elizabeth Gaskell's Mary Barton and North and South AND if you enjoy m/m romance, I'm pretty sure this will be right up your alley. I really loved this look at 1890s industrial Manchester and the class divide at the time. The romance is very lovely too, although these guys have to go through a lot to get their HEA!

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Jan 10, 2018 Aussie54 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: five-star-reads, kindle, re-reading, a-2019-read, re-read

I loved this. "Mr Warren's Profession" has everything I love about reading ... an absorbing plot line, engaging characters, and very good writing.

Historical romances are one of my favourite genres, and I found the time period, with its clothing and societal mannerisms, captivating. (After Googling, I learned what a Wardian case is.) The Manchester cotton milling held my attention, with Sebastian Nothwell’s writing style providing a good visual reading experience. The story unrolled like a film ...more

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Dec 27, 2018 Rachel marked it as to-read

Shelves: m-m-historical-romance, own-to-read

12/27/18 Currently 25% off at Smashwords ($2.99):https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

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May 07, 2019 Leta Blake added it

Did enjoy and do recommend. :)

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Aug 09, 2017 Mercutio rated it it was amazing

An absolutely delightful read- steeped in a very lively, sensually real sense of place and time. Clearly thoroughly and lovingly researched; has the vibrancy a period-romance ought to have.

The dialogue feels natural, the characters all fascinating in their own ways, the plot is both tense and sweet, and dangit, it's just a fine book.

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May 09, 2019 Waleska 'Wally' rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: book-didn-t-want-to-end, ebook, favorite-of-2019, fun-sweet-laughing-out-loud-momen, historical-romance, historical-fiction, m-m-romance, new-to-me-author, read-2019, read-it-on-my-kindle

Offer me something I cannot find in myself.

Once in a while, you read a story that captivates your attention and imagination from the very start.

One of those books that pesky little things 😏 as eating, working or answering questions from your kids and husband 😲😉 is a chore because it means , you have to stop reading and do stuff.

That book is Mr. Warren's Profession (Aubrey & Lindsey Book 1); a well researched and crafted historical MM romance story .

Sebastian Northwell wrote an original, fas ...more

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Jun 20, 2017 MouthLeaf rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Delightful

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Jul 02, 2018 Liz rated it really liked it

Shelves: 21st-century, historical, romance

The great thing about queer 19th century romance is that the authors do not need to come up with increasingly convoluted reasons to keep the lovers apart. Rather than resorting to awful relatives, one or the other of the two lovers being stupendous jerks, or handing someone the proverbial idiot ball, the plot conflict is obvious. They’re queer and it’s the 19th century.
This often improves the story as it lets you tell the narrative of two people in love learning to work together against a commo ...more

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Jan 02, 2018 J rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m

A good historical, upper class vs. bottom class MM novel set at the turn of the 19th century when being gay was still illegal but they didn't hang you for it (just prison -- I guess that's a step forward).

Lindsey is a wealthy upper class citizen who owns the local cotton mill (and employs lots of lower class people) and Aubrey is a clerk at the mill who is the lowest of the lowest class. Lindsey and Aubrey find they have similar proclivities in life and this story follows their lives as they try ...more

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Feb 26, 2019 Gisselle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, lgbt, romance

Charming story. 4.5 but I loved Aubrey too much to round down. I really enjoyed seeing how he navigated his relationship with Lindsey and given his background, his choices and apprehensions made sense. As you can probably tell, he was my favorite! I personally didn’t get the same understanding about Lindsey and his choices, but that is a small quibble. The background characters shine—anyone would love to have a sister like Rowena, Emmeline gaining confidence was sooo well done, and Miss Brewster ...more

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Aug 24, 2017 Misty rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-publ, lgbtq-mm, victorian

** 4.5 Stars **

I love long historical novels where the plot is as important as the romance and where the few sex scenes serve the plot, Mr Warren's Profession is one of those. The two protagonists, Aubrey and Lindsey are perfectly set in the time of the story, they are poles apart which is a trope I absolutely love. The Victorian era is brilliantly shown and all the characters are well developed. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and I highly recommend it!

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Jun 25, 2017 Tenny rated it really liked it

Shelves: history, gay, sweet

I won this book in a giveaway and let me tell you, it was a great win, because this is a great book!
Main hero is Lindsey Altrop, regency aristocrat who can be best described as a puppy. No, really, he is always excited and innocent and lives in the moment and i wanted to hug him and pat him on his head. Our other main hero is quiet, shy ordinary clerk Aubrey Warren, who is a cat to Lindsey's puppy. Especially begining is absolutely delightful to read and I had a huge grin on my face as Lindsey t ...more

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May 10, 2019 Allison rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019

3.5 stars?

Parts of this were wonderful, and parts were so unsatisfying that I don't know what to think. Plus, it's long, really long. But maybe that's more a reflection of my overall enjoyment than its actual length.

I really liked that Lindsey was completely at ease with who he was, and what he wanted from life. It was amazing that Aubrey had worked to improve his place, and has succeeded on his own. I liked them together. There were many little touches that reflected modern attitudes, but that 3.5 stars?

Parts of this were wonderful, and parts were so unsatisfying that I don't know what to think. Plus, it's long, really long. But maybe that's more a reflection of my overall enjoyment than its actual length.

I really liked that Lindsey was completely at ease with who he was, and what he wanted from life. It was amazing that Aubrey had worked to improve his place, and has succeeded on his own. I liked them together. There were many little touches that reflected modern attitudes, but that didn't, in any way, not also fit the historical setting in their presentation. I loved Emmeline and, to a much lesser extent, Rowena. I hope that Emmeline grows into the woman she is meant to be. The writing was also very good, and the editing was as well.

**possible spoilers**

I didn't like that everyone around Lindsey were such controlling, and nasty assholes. I didn't like that after everything Aubrey had already been through he was forced to endure more, more that would have life long affects (scars like that get worse over time, especially then, and can cause a lot of pain and movement issues). I didn't like that the main villain turned out to be Lindsey's "best friend", and that he was handled in such an unsatisfying and, frankly, useless manner. A "Gentlemen's handshake and agreement" is only binding if both the parties actually act like Gentlemen. Rook was anything but so acting as if he'd keep his end of the bargain was ridiculous.

Plus the ending was unsatisfying because Lindsey is still engaged to Emmeline, and presumably, Aubrey still intends to leave when/if the marriage happens. It felt unfinished, but maybe there's another book?

**end of possible spoilers**

It took me a long time to read this, partially life things, partially I'm reading other things, and partially I had no real drive to keep reading this. I didn't not want to read it, but I seldom felt any pull to it.

I still feel conflicted about the book, and my rating. It's a good book, I just guess it's not enough of what I enjoy in a book. ...more

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Dec 20, 2017 Sakuko rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical, mm-romance

At first I thought the book was very similar to The Only Gold, so very slow burn with a lot of workday details. At the beginning there is a lot of information about the workings of a textile mill, engineering and electricity. But they actually end up together reasonably soon, most of the book is about them trying to find a way to be together and battling a lot of meddling and strife.

I thought the historical detail was very good, for the most part, but I was confused by the reaction of Lindsey's At first I thought the book was very similar to The Only Gold, so very slow burn with a lot of workday details. At the beginning there is a lot of information about the workings of a textile mill, engineering and electricity. But they actually end up together reasonably soon, most of the book is about them trying to find a way to be together and battling a lot of meddling and strife.

I thought the historical detail was very good, for the most part, but I was confused by the reaction of Lindsey's family and friends.
It seemed his father managed to build a kind of support network for him, so he's surrounded by people of his own inclination for the most part, which makes it even weirder that he doesn't realize himself until he meets Aubrey and also that everyone is against Aubrey at first. I can understand the discrepancy in rank and status, but apparently a dalliance with footmen or game keepers would have been acceptable, since his sister seems to try and throw those people at him, so that left me a bit confused at first. Why she, and his friends, never bothered to just teach him some measure of discretion instead is beyond me.
I know a lot of historical books do this, a tight knit group of homosexuals that help protect each other, but it comes of as unrealistic and overdone at times, because sometimes it feels like everyone is gay in this book.
At the same time the book does throw out the fear of imprisonment and public disgrace out as a point of blackmail. It left me a bit confused sometimes, since it kept downplaying the stigma in one place, then blow it back up in another.

I really liked Aubrey's and Lindsey's relationship, though. Lindsey really is like an overgrown puppy, excitable, joyous, loyal and entirely oblivious with little impulse control. He wants everyone to know how much he loves Aubrey, not matter how unacceptable that is. But he tries, he really does, to learn, to be more discreet and to let Aubrey have as much control as he needs.
Aubrey is really the polar opposite of Lindsey. He had a hard live and he worked hard for his place in it. He's diligent, hardworking, fiercely independent, ambitious and clever. He's often appalled by Lindsey's callousness regarding their different situations but has a hard time denying him anything.
It's actually a pretty lovely romance, but there are certainly quite angsty, dramatic and dark passages in the book. Some of the antagonism really seems quite over the top at times and I felt the book could have been a bit nicer to it's two heroes.
But it is still an awesome book, the relationship between the two is just so adorable, I couldn't help but love it, even if the angst put me off at times. That just means the book was doing it's job, because I really felt for both of them. ...more

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Oct 18, 2017 Reader rated it it was amazing

Shelves: gay-historical

Aubrey, a former telegraph boy from the Cleveland Street story became a clerk in a cotton mill. He's smart, kind, very good at his job and then some, and he's ambitious. Then the poor '(un)lucky?' man met aristocrat Lindsey and his snooty (including at least one homicidal) friends and for good or ill his life literally was never the same again.

Lindsey was only about 4 years old when his father seemed to have known Lindsey was an 'invert'. That propelled the old gentleman to protect Lindsey, in t ...more

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Apr 13, 2018 Maia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbtq, historical-fiction

Aubrey Warren makes a meager living as a clerk at the Rook Mill in Manchester, England, in the 1890s. If he had his choice he'd be working instead as an engineer, but considering that he was born in a poor house he feels fortunate to have an honest job at all. Lindsey Althorp is the only son of a baronet, and becomes Warren's employer when he wins Rook Mill in a game of cards. The two men are immediately drawn to each other and their mutual attraction is quickly confirmed, followed by an even mo ...more

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Apr 08, 2019 Sasha Ambroz rated it liked it

Shelves: history, own, romance, so-gay

You never know when life teaches you a lesson.
I was always skeptical about the imperative writing rule that protagonist must develop through the book and turn out as a changed character at the end. I thought it was unnecessary demand that makes the plot strained and artificial.
But when I read the book where both main characters don't care about each other flaws, don't have any inner moral scruples and therefore don't work them over by the end of the book - I suddenly understand why this rule is ...more

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Apr 01, 2019 Elizabeth H. rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-stars, imbalance-in-power, wealthy-gay-romance, read-in-2019, part-of-a-series, disability-or-medical-condition, historical-gay-romance

I had a hard time settling on a review of Mr. Warren's Profession. I expected to like it much more than I did and actually found myself skimming or even skipping some middle sections. I never connected with either main character and didn't feel the relationship between them. The setting was intriguing, though, as was the depiction of the factory and the life of those who worked there. So kudos for that.

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Sep 18, 2017 M.R. Graham rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: firstreads, romance, victorian, historical

Complex, emotional, INCREDIBLY well-researched, powerful characterization.
Mr. Warren's Profession is beautifully written in language reminiscent of its setting, with a strong plot, excellent pacing, just enough historical detail that it does not lapse into pedantry, lovely description...
I dislike reading explicit sex scenes, but everything else was so gorgeous that I would absolutely pick up more by Nothwell.

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Aug 05, 2017 Sally rated it it was amazing

I enjoyed this book especially the historical element. I worked at a hospital in cleveland street and was aware of the victorian scandal so it was fascinating to find out more. The book was a bit slow at the beginning and the plot took a while to develop but I was soon immersed and stayed up late to finish it. I thought the cover was a bit off putting - Mr Warren looks like an unattractive gnome!

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May 28, 2018 Amanda rated it liked it

Shelves: lgbtq, romance, historical-fiction

This book was really cute! It was nice to read a gay romance that takes place in the Victorian era (or very early Edwardian era, depending on where you think those eras start and end) that had a happy ending. And it was clear that the author did a lot of research about society during these eras.

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Mar 09, 2019 Spitz added it

Shelves: historical

an original voice.

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Aug 19, 2018 Mary rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: queer-romance-erotica, historical-fiction, queer-historical-fiction

I do apologize for the delay with this review, I've had it knocking around since February.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, this book is for you. If you are a fan of historical romance, this book is for you. If you have been on the lookout for same sex romantic stories in particular, this book is the book for you.

I could end the review here. It’d be pretty easy to keep on with shouting and exaltations of exactly how good I believe this book is and leave it at that. But, of course, the pu I do apologize for the delay with this review, I've had it knocking around since February.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, this book is for you. If you are a fan of historical romance, this book is for you. If you have been on the lookout for same sex romantic stories in particular, this book is the book for you.

I could end the review here. It’d be pretty easy to keep on with shouting and exaltations of exactly how good I believe this book is and leave it at that. But, of course, the purpose of a review is to show exactly why the reviewer believes that the item they are examining is good or bad.

One of the core pillars that helps make “Mr. Warren’s Profession” such a good read is the amount of research that has been packed into the book. You can even see it within the first five chapters. There’s information on how a cloth mill works and the machinery that it needs to work including such things like the self-acting mule and the Jacquard loom. There’s what books would be published around the time that the story takes place. There’s information about the demands of women workers’ unions. All of these are presented in such a way that it feels effortless and natural for the characters to reference the information, rather than info dumping it in a giant block of text or by explaining things in a way that makes you feel that the characters or narration are forced to go over concepts that are basic to the characters.

Another is how the script is flipped on common plot tropes that pop up in novels that have a main-or sub plot about relationships. Of particular note are misunderstandings driving the plot, the slow burn, and angsting over sexuality. The misunderstandings are handled by the characters actually talking to each other about things. More often than not, the misunderstandings are cleared up within the scene where they were brought up. If a misunderstanding is realized while the characters aren’t together, then it is cleared up in the next scene where they see each other. This applies not only for the main couple, but for several of their friends and family as well. Slow burn stories are often set up with sexual intercourse as the payoff for the pining and consternation that the intended couple have gone through. In "Mr. Warren’s Profession", they have sex rather early on in their relationship, but because they have much to work out emotionally between them, it still qualifies as a slow burn because it takes a while for the emotional payoff. The angst over sexuality trope, a staple of queer fiction for decades, and especially queer historical fiction, just doesn’t happen. Instead it is a realization that allows the character’s world to suddenly make sense, and he continues on with his plans to win over his intended beau.

Finally, a third major joy of this book is the number of female characters who are included and are relevant to the plot of the book, ranging from Lady Rowena Althorp, a noble woman and sister to one of the main characters, to Miss Brewster, a unionizing mill girl. Even if their role in the plot is small, none of them could be replaced with a sexy lamp and have the plot go in the same direction. It is a great relief to read, especially since there are plenty of books and other media out there where women hold little to no presence.

In moving to what is specifically a delight about "Mr. Warren’s Profession" it comes down to character. Aubrey and Lindsey hit me right in my sweet spot for my love of fictional pairings: characters who are very different, but have a hidden amount of commonalities to connect them. Aubrey is a workhorse, has been his whole life, with a dark past that cast him from any sense of shelter from an early age. Lindsey was born to inherit a title, has done little work in his life, and has been sheltered by all of his family and friends. Under normal circumstances, these two men would not meet, until the circumstances of the book happen and the result is heartwarming and delightful.

I adore Aubrey’s tension and his dreams for his own future. I’m charmed by Lindsey’s sheer earnestness of character. I was constantly warmed by how their connection to each other allowed them to grow beyond the circumstances of their lives that held them back, dragging out the ugly and the beautiful into the light. Both are well formed, flawed and delightful. I could only wish in the drafts of things I have that I would be able to write characters that touch readers half as well as these two do. I’ve recommended it to my friends, and am trying to broach how to recommend it to my mother.

I also recommend it to you, reader of this review.

So go off an read this marvelous book, right now. ...more

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Apr 21, 2019 Rhode rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance-historic

The setting is Manchester England, in the cotton mills of 1891. The historic details feel correct, which I adore. And the baronet hero, Lindsay, is possibly the sweetest, most considerate, adorable hero I’ve ever read. #cinnamonbun

Although others like the cover art, I found it distracting because both men are supposedly far more attractive than this is. And, both of our young heroes mothers are dead because curse of romance-genre. But that’s really nitpicking.

A great cross-class read. Plus, a re ...more

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