The story takes us to the London of the late 19th century. David and Noah have been best friends, and sometimes more, since boarding school. Now David runs an illicit gay club, and Noah dreams of having the freedom to turn his whimsical designs into fantastically fashionable clothing...but when David's job, and with it his freedom, are threatened, they have some critical choices to make. I've never read this author so when one of the librarians at my local branch who knew I read M/M romances, asked if I would read it and possible lead a discussion...of course I enthusiastically said YES! We have two likeable characters in Noah and David...but they inhabit a time in history and a society that is not quite ready for them. The stakes are abundantly clear. They could face loss of their livelihood, possible prison time, and perhaps worse, that society was not exactly jumping over themselves to defend gay relationships in the late 1800s. I always love a romance where the greater conflict is something external rather than the protagonists being idiots about their own feelings. Also, it was really nice to see that these two guys were both friends to start with and have some history between them that keeps them from being totally blind to their shared attraction. Conflict, of course, rears its ugly head throughout their story, but not enough to ruin any part of the love that grows between these two. Historical romances of any type are generally pretty much a "thanks but no-thank you" for me, but this one along with the upcoming discussion...piqued my interest. Fans of M/M romances in general, and historical M/M romance more specifically, will probably really enjoy this offering. ( )