Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Recently Read: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

Author: Mackenzi Lee
Genre: Young Adult-Historical Fiction
Publication Date: 2017
Page Count: 513
Rating: 4/5

Add on Goodreads

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.
 From Goodreads

I knew I would love this book back when I first read the synopsis for it, and I finally got around to reading it. I was hooked from page one, and knew that Monty was a character who I would end up loving. I loved the premise of this book and the execution. I will say, the plot of this book took an unexpected turn for me, when it turned into an adventure story rather than just a comedic "roadtrip" novel, but I really enjoyed that turn. 

The characters are all loveable and developed. I found myself caring about each of the main charactes as soon as they were introduced. The romance is sweet, but doesn't take over the plot of the novel, which I appreciated. I really liked Henry's sister Felicity, and I'm glad to see that she is getting her own novel this year. I will definitely be picking that up as soon as it comes out, and I'll be picking up whatever Lee comes out with in the future, as this book was such an enjoyable read. I found myself laughing out loud a few times in the story, and I can see myself rereading this in the very near-future, which is how you know I enjoyed it. 

This novel is worth the hype, and I really recommend you pick it up. It has all the elements of a great historical fiction that I love, great characters, multiple historical locations, romance, and travel, with the added bonus of humor and a bisexual main character. I really hope Lee writes more novels like this in the future. I have bought her nonfiction anthology on women in history, and will be preordering Felicity's novel (and probably stalking Lee on Twitter to see what her future plans are for books.) This was the perfect distraction from work-related worry, and a highly enjoyable read. Oh, and there's pirates. This book has every possible thing you could need! 

Happy Reading! 

No comments:

Post a Comment