Author: Mackenzi Lee
Published: 27 June 2017
Series: Guide #1
Rating: 4 stars
Synopsis:
Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.
But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.
Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.
"Alright, everyone into the study, NOW," Felicity barks in a tone that is essentially verbal castration, and not a one of us protests.
I listened to this as an audiobook.
I'd heard good things about this book and that the main character's voice sounded a bit like melted butter, so I decided to try it. Just an FYI, they were right about his voice!
It's beginning to feel like he's shuffling his way through the seven deadly sins in ascending order of my favorites.
I think that Felicity was my favourite character as she didn't take shit from anyone. They want her to be a pretty girl in her dresses who simply sits and sews, but she didn't want that. Behind the covers of sappy romance novels, she actually reads surgical books - books from a man's world.
Ladies haven't the luxury of being squeamish about blood.
Henry sounds like he's probably an alcoholic, always looking for the next drink and counting down since the last one he had.
"What we once were, that you are now. What we are now, soon you shall be."
When Henry and Percy both realised that they loved each other and that it was reciprocated was quite cute. I'd spent nearly the whole book wondering if they knew or if the other loved the other boy too, so when they had the talk at the end of the book was quite lovely.
We are not broken things. Neither of us. We are cracked pottery, mended with laquer and flakes of gold. Whole as we are, complete unto each other Complete and worthy and so very loved.
Spoilers!
Percy having epilepsy is an unusual point to have in this book, it also made me realise that I don't think I've read a book where a character has epilepsy yet in my life. It was interesting watching Percy deal with everything life dealt him through Henry's eyes though - a male of colour, having epilepsy, and being sent to an asylum after their tour.
The panacea being inside a human heart is an interesting turn of events too. I'd never thought about anything being like that before. When you hear about the cure-alls or something similar, your first thought is probably the same as mine where you'd think that it's something you drink - but having to eat the human heart is a new thing to see for me.
End Spoilers!
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All books in this series:
1 | The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
1.5 | The Gentleman's Guide to Getting Lucky
2 | The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy
3 | The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks
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