A historical gay romance about a brooding older man and the cheerful younger guy who changes his life. War vet Sir Alan Watleigh buys the services of Jem, a prostitute, for his last night on earth before he commits suicide. Of course, he never quite gets there as his gloomy outlook starts to change because of Jem. This is a wonderfully cute and romantic story about two very different people from different positions in society getting together. There are funny parts, sexy parts, and even an adventure! The ending is incredibly touching and you can really feel how deeply Alan and Jem came to care about each other. I enjoyed this one a lot. Highly recommended! ( )

Masked man of dodgy repute who keeps saving the hero. I should have been all over this one.

Cybermen, anyone?

Masked man of dodgy repute who keeps saving the hero. I should have been all over this one.

Cybermen, anyone?

This was a M/M historical romance. It was a fun escape from the currently reality. The story read like a fanfic I once read, but that's a compliment as most fanfic I have read is as good as or better than many novels. The narration and just meh. There was no emotion to it, which took from the story. Not bad, but not great. ( )

I love rent boy stories. But you know what I enjoy even more? Great rent boy stories!! Paired with my fave historical time period (Regency), let's just say I was a happy lady.

Sir Alan is injured physically and mentally from war. He wanted to have one more night's pleasure before meeting his maker and decided to pay for a male prostitute. Who he picked up that night changed his life for the good. He and Jem have their night but there was something about him that kept pulling him towards the younger man. And their story is not a case of insta-love even though they had sex the first night. Alan had difficulties accepting his true nature and admitting that yes he has feelings for a man - it was an inner grapple that touched melancholy but was not overcome in a high tide of grief and angst.

You know why? Jem.

Jem! He's truly a gem. His name is just perfect for him.



He has got a mouth on him. And the best part he knew how to use it. His outlook on life (and he had a sucky one - pun intended) was surprisingly light. He was the light to Alan's dark and gloomy. I was afraid his feelings for Sir Alan were bred out of gratitude for not being on the streets anymore. (I mean, I'd be singing the man's praises myself if it meant I didn't have to whore myself anymore) But as the story progressed, you get a sense of the deep affection he had for his 'Lord Bumbuggerer'. I was happy for his happy ending.

The dark turn the story takes into the gruesome and macabre: There's a carve happy doctor who is a fan of abuse, messing with the minds of others, vivisection and just being fucking creepy.

This is how I kept imagining the bastard:

Just put some limp white blond hair on that dude and a scalpel in his hand. I loved what happened to him. He so deserved it. Asshat.

Though the angle was unexpected...I really liked it. It brought the story to a different level than expected. There's a satisfying HEA, well for what can be expected based on that time period. The dialogue read authentic to me. The characters were enjoyable.

The story dragged a little in the middle but not so much that I wanted to give up. So if you read and feel it drags, try to push through but it gets better towards the second half.

BTW: The original cover is exactly how I imagine the MC especially Jem.

Great story! ( )