A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by MacKenzi Lee

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, LGBT, Romance

Pages: 513

Published: June 27th 2017 by Katherine Tegen Books

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.

My Thoughts

“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.”

IN a time where scandal was just a step too close to a young woman or one glance away, this novel is a comical, heartwrenching novel about Henry “Monty” Montague, his sister Felicity and Monty’s best friend, Percy Newton.

This novel tackled everything that would have been controversial for its time period, disorders, infidelity, rakish behavior, child abuse, piracy, homosexuality and…. wait for the most absurd of them all – a brilliant female. One who can think, read and perform better than a male? Say it ain’t so!

It was an adventurous trip from the start, truly. I think so far this is my favorite read of 2017. It was pure heart-wrenching entertainment, a trip in every way. Monty’s narrative was utterly ridiculous, humorous and glorious! From the start we know his relationship with his father is taxed, he must act accordingly so that he may keep the honor that surrounds the title and estate that will one day belong to him. Except, Monty has other ideas of how he should act and while dear o’l daddy has planned this Grand Tour – leave it to Monty to somehow cast everything into chaos.

Each of the characters had personality bursting at the seams, Percy was a complete darling, his story and the twist along the way, Felicity was a fierce, witty young woman. The banter provided between Monty and Felicity had me giggling out loud – actually – the entirety of the book had me giggling out loud.

Was it all that I had imagined? No, it was more than that. As I was reading it I couldn’t believe what was happening, one moment I was crying tears of laughter, the next blinking incredulously, the next holding my heart which was torn from my chest. It was a brilliant reminder of why I picked it up in the first place, it was all over my feeds, haunting me on Amazon and I couldn’t put it off any longer.

In the end, I had a serious book hangover, but it was so beautiful, so witty and addictive.

Will I be reading The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy – Felicity’s story? Well… You can bet your bottom dollar I will.