Tangled Web in Q&A with Erastes

Jan 17, 2010 Erastes rated it really liked it

Shelves: gay-historical

I absolutely loved this, from beginning to end, as my previous posts have indicated. Brendan Townsend is a slightly naive 23 year old who has been entangled with a fellow from his university – whilst in college the relationship has been slightly circumspect and Brendan didn’t realise how rash and indiscreet his friend and lover was, but once they move into rooms together, Tony’s full “ungentlemany” behaviour comes to light when he rashly takes part in a publicly viewed sex act in a Molly House. I absolutely loved this, from beginning to end, as my previous posts have indicated. Brendan Townsend is a slightly naive 23 year old who has been entangled with a fellow from his university – whilst in college the relationship has been slightly circumspect and Brendan didn’t realise how rash and indiscreet his friend and lover was, but once they move into rooms together, Tony’s full “ungentlemany” behaviour comes to light when he rashly takes part in a publicly viewed sex act in a Molly House. Brendan seeks advice from his elder brother, and then is referred to Major Carlisle, his brother’s superior officer in the Peninsular War. Brendan then realises that his boyhood infatuation with Tony is nothing compared with the true love he begins to feel for Philip Carlisle.

This is probably the truest “Regency Romance” I’ve read in the M/M genre since I started out – Lee’s expertly light touch is perfect for the wit and the style of the era. You would never guess that the writer wasn’t English to the core, and that’s the biggest compliment I can give it. The inborn sense of Class within the book seems like it could only be written by someone raised in a class-fuelled society. Brendan’s (and others) inherent snobbery about Tony’s background as the son of a Merchant is nicely explored, and that sense of “Well, you can’t expect anything more from a man of his type” is ingrained throughout, even echoed by other merchants, who consider Tony to be “jumped up” and “nouveau riche”. The research regarding smuggling and the sections involving the horses were so impressive, and I learned a lot, which I don’t often end up saying in this period!

I’ve seen this described as a “gay for you” and a “May and December” – but in fact it’s neither. Carlisle is 20 years older than Brendan, and May to December in my eyes needs to be a lot more than that! – and Carlisle isn’t GFY, he’s bisexual. (If we are going to define things by today’s terms, whereas I rather think he just loves souls, rather than plumbing.)

Anyone who loves Georgette Heyer will enjoy this hugely. If you already love Lee’s nautical stories, this is a sure fire winner, but if you’ve shied away from reading the nautical stories because boats don’t float your boat, then give this a try—because it’s a winner. ...more

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Mar 01, 2010 J.L. Merrow rated it liked it

There's no doubt Lee Rowan is an excellent writer. And whilst I'm not knowledgeable enough to judge, I'm sure her research is impeccable.

So why am I wavering between 3 and 4 stars for this book? I think it's because I decided straight off that any reviews I wrote here were going to be a subjective opinion of how much I liked the book, not an attempt (for which I'm woefully unqualified) at a proper critical appraisal. So while I liked it 3 stars, it's probably worth 4 stars.

Despite the technical ...more

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