The third book in the Society of Gentlemen series! I love this series, but guys, let me be clear: I want a full-length novel about Ash and Francis. Most of my thoughts at the end of this book were "BUT WHERE IS ASH?? HE IS SO SAD, IS FRANCIS MAKING HIM FEEL BETTER? DOES FRANCIS THREATEN HIS BROTHER A LOT???? IS THERE A LOT OF H/C SEX GOING ON???"
But that's not the book that KJ Charles wrote, so: This is the last book, and it wraps up a bunch of plots from previous books. I do love how intertwined they are. Often in a romance series, once a couple is happily in love, they vanish from the series except to tease the new protagonist about being in love. But Julius and Harry, and Silas and Dom, and Ash and Francis, are all really important in this book, too, which is finally about Richard and his valet, David Cyprian. I loved checking in with everyone, and seeing how they're doing, and seeing the consequences of Harry and Silas being involved in revolutionary activities. I love how grounded in real history these parts are.
As for Richard and David... Well, Richard means well, I think, but he hasn't been my favorite character up to now. David I have enjoyed, and he has a lot of interesting history, but feelings-wise there isn't a lot of THERE there for me. Richard is a bit of a pompous stick in the mud in this. I understand the motivations behind it, and I understand that it's so he can loosen up, but I rolled my eyes so many times.
Essentially: Richard is in love with his valet, David, who is also in love with him. Richard has some very understandable reservations about dating a servant who has no real recourse to say no, but this is a romance novel, so David is mostly offended that Richard doesn't think he can decide things for himself, or say no if he wants to. Richard handles everything as badly as possible, so David, very understandably leaves. Richard follows, they have great sex, and then Richard screws it up again. He comes home to sulk, and that's when the bad guy set up in book one finally goes off, and the plot starts -- and the only one who can save Richard and his buddies from books 1 and 2 from being hanged or exposed is David.
David is great. His plan is great. The Big Confrontation Scene is so great. But I wanted to know what Harry and Julius thought about it, and I REALLY wanted to know what was going on with Ash and Francis, since the bad guy is Ash's brother and Francis's nemesis. I wanted this to be a big sprawling novel like War and Peace where we see each couple and their romances and tragedies (except, ending entirely happily, unlike War and Peace.) I liked this book, but as soon as I got to the end I went back to the Big Confrontation Scene again and read that two more times, because it's hilarious and wonderful. (I did the same thing at the end of book 2, because Ash is so delightfully Ash-ish.)
This book is fine, and I love the (barely a) novella about Ash and Francis THAT EXISTS, but man, I just really want their take on these events.
Grade: B
#34 in 2016
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