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The Gentleman and the Rogue
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The Gentleman and the Rogue by Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon
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Plus, the image is every bit as historically inaccurate as the old one, for goodness sake! Westminster was built during the middle of the 19th century---it didn't exist in this form during the Regency period. Two seconds of research should have shown the cover artist that this graphic was inappropriate for the novel.
(Also, the two models don't fit the characters as described in the book very well.... grumble, grumble, grumble...)
A lad from the streets meets a lord of the manor...
When war veteran Sir Alan Watleigh goes searching for sex, he never imagines the street rat he brings home for one last bit of pleasure in his darkest hour will be the man who hauls him back from the edge of the grave.
A night of meaningless sex turns into an offer of permanent employment. As Sir Alan Watleigh’s valet, Jem offers much more than polished boots and starched cravats. He makes Sir Alan Watleigh smile and warms his bed. Just as the men are adjusting to their new living arrangement, news about a former soldier under his command sends Sir Alan Watleigh and Jem on the road to save a child in danger.
The journey brings them closer together as they travel from lust toward love. But is Sir Alan Watleigh's love strong enough to risk society discovering the truth about him?
All of the gay historicals that Dee and Devon have collaborated upon have been reviewed very highly over on the Speak Its Name website, so I thought I’d try something by the authors and chose this particular title pretty much at random. These authors write what could be considered “gay historical romance/adventure containing racy scenes,” as compared to the more decorous and chaste variety of historical novel represented by the works of an author like Ruth Simms. So, if you want the heat quotient a bit more intense than what you’ve find in a Georgette Heyer, the works of Dee and Devon may be the books for you!
I found this tale to be enjoyable from beginning to end, despite the fact that the details of the rescue of the little girl were more than a little grim. Both Jem and Alan are very likable characters, and their relationship progresses in a most natural and satisfying way. Details of 1813 England seemed to be accurate for the most part, with the exception that I’m not at all certain that Lucifer matches had been invented at that time; this was the only nitpick I could come up with.
The writing duo have collaborated on five gay historical books; the others are House of Mirrors, The Nobleman and the Spy, The Psychic and the Sleuth, and Seducing Stephen. I'll mention these in future posts, and in the meantime I’ll happily recommend this for those who enjoy gay historical romance.
The cover on this one is just okay; not particularly inventive, but the image of Jem does match the way I saw him in my imagination. Alan, however, looks nothing at all as I pictured him. And wait---Big Ben pictured on the cover of a Regency? Okay, that’s a TOTAL miss! Who is responsible for this? (The tower was completed around 1858/1859, well into the Victorian era.)