From the Bookshelf of Q&A with Josh Lanyon…

Jefferson Blythe, Esquire

Josh Lanyon

Start date: November 1, 2015

Finish date: November 30, 2015

Discussion: Book of the Month Club

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Book of the Month Club

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What Members Thought

Nov 16, 2015 Beebs rated it liked it

Shelves: m-m, contemporary, reunion, humourous, romantic-suspense, 2015-reading-challenge, netgalley, arc

I hesitate to categorise this as a romance, if pushed I would say it was happy for now rather than happy ever after. I wasn't convinced that Jeff and George were in love at the end of this book, that said I would really like to see a sequel to see how things played out between them.

I really enjoyed the story though, parts of it had me laughing out loud and I read most of the book with a smile on my face. It was very much in the style of the old English slapstick comedies, the bad guys were total ...more

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Nov 07, 2015 Dianne rated it it was amazing

Blythe: Happy; merry. People with this name have a deep inner desire for travel and adventure, and want to set their own pace in life without being governed by tradition. ~ Book of Gaelic Names

From the opening paragraph I was hooked on this superbly written, madcap, yet soul stirring adventure. Jefferson Blythe was a character I was immediately rooting for and intrigued by. The manner in which he followed his grandfather's old guidebook - in fact the inclusion of text from an actual 1960 copy of Blythe: Happy; merry. People with this name have a deep inner desire for travel and adventure, and want to set their own pace in life without being governed by tradition. ~ Book of Gaelic Names

From the opening paragraph I was hooked on this superbly written, madcap, yet soul stirring adventure. Jefferson Blythe was a character I was immediately rooting for and intrigued by. The manner in which he followed his grandfather's old guidebook - in fact the inclusion of text from an actual 1960 copy of Esquire’s Europe In Style – was a brilliant thread throughout the story. It served to illustrate how important it was for young Jefferson to honor his grandfather while experiencing the world through his own eyes; while carving his own way. It also helped to make me feel as though I were smack in the locales of the story – during the 60s as well as now.

The whacky -and at times surprisingly dark - mystery surrounding Jefferson’s mistaken identity dovetailed perfectly with the poignant mystery surrounding his back story with George. And then there was the current mystery surrounding George’s employment… I must say I was a bit thrown by the seriousness of some incidents which occurred fairly early in the story. I was expecting a bit lighter fare regarding the mystery elements, but one knows what is said about expectations! Lanyon is certainly a deft hand at serving up entertaining - and often unexpected - twists! Jefferson's mixture of fortitude and vulnerability were something that really hit me in the heart.... I even cried a few times when Jefferson was feeling so confused and dejected about George. The pain and confusion experienced by both of them on their tentative road to romance was very moving.

The humor running throughout felt spot on and provided a great balance to both the emotional ups and downs and the seriousness of Jefferson's predicament with his pursuers. Throwing Colin (a character from a different Lanyon story) in as Jefferson’s savior in Paris had me grinning like a fool. I'm so glad in the end Jefferson brought his obvious trait of courage forward to embrace his own heart, and to help George do the same. This was a wonderful coming of age story wrapped in a zany mystery. The foundation is there for a solid romance between Jefferson and George. I have a good feeling about their future. I also have a feeling trouble may came looking for them both again! ...more

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Aug 12, 2015 Grace rated it really liked it

Shelves: mm-smut, mm-romance

I actually really enjoyed this book! I'd heard somewhat mixed reviews, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I thought it was a fun read.

I really liked Jefferson. I thought his journey, his confusion, and his ultimate acceptance was really great and felt very authentic. I just really loved him!

I liked George fine, though he did come off as frustratingly cryptic and distant. I get why, but he went a little overboard with it, I think...

Fun settings, great side characters, and while the whole caper ...more

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Sep 24, 2015 Moira rated it really liked it

Shelves: mm-read, friends-to-lovers, age-difference, angst-heartbreak, first-time, childhood-friend-enemy, coming-out, its-complicted, gif-review, cute

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
- Lao Tzu

You know what you're getting when you pick up a Josh Lanyon book, a well told story with spell-binding writing. And that's what you get with Jefferson Blythe, Esquire.

Walking into the restaurant was like walking into a jewel box. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors, sparkling crystal glasses, vases filled with tall lilies, an enormous glittering chandelier coiling down from the ceiling. The décor was art deco done in ivory and dark wood
...more

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Oct 27, 2015 Lisa ~ Books Are My Drugs ~ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed-from-library, m-m, genre-suspense, trope-ofy, genre-new-adult, ending-no-hea-or-hfn, trope-friends-to-lovers, audio-book, ending-cliffhanger, character-profession-govt-employee

★★★½
This was not my favorite Josh Lanyon. I liked the idea of Jefferson traveling around Europe discovering himself after his fiancee breaks up with him because she realizes he's not being honest with himself. I liked the idea of him reconnecting with an old friend. I liked the action/adventure/mystery aspect.

There were many moments where I was either laughing out loud at work as I was listening or trying my best to not laugh out loud.

In the beginning, I was shaking my head at Jefferson thinki ...more

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Nov 24, 2015 Penny Wilder rated it really liked it

Shelves: m-m-romance, contemporary-romance, suspense, lgbt, new-adult

View review on: http://www.pennyreadsromance.com/jeff...

As per usual, this is a fantastic Josh Lanyon read. We have angst, mistaken identity, angst, danger and mayhem, that follows Jefferson Blythe from London, to Paris, to Rome, and back again. We have stupid hot chemistry, and really exasperating men who can’t get their you know what together. This book is classified as “new adult”. The characters depicted are younger and more immature than in Lanyon’s adult mystery and adventure fare. If you ...more

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