Books › The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
544 pages
A chaotic, swoon-worthy romp across 18th-century Europe fueled by unrequited pining and reckless charm.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like being swept into a runaway carriage with your most charming, infuriating, and deeply vulnerable friend. It is a delightfully chaotic historical romp that balances high-stakes highway robbery and alchemy with the exquisite, tender agony of unrequited love. The narrative voice is sharp and irreverent, offering a distinctly modern sensibility wrapped in 18th-century velvet and lace. Beneath the witty banter and sun-drenched European escapades lies a surprisingly poignant exploration of privilege, chronic illness, and the heavy burden of parental expectations. It moves at a brisk, breathless pace, pulling you through grand estates and perilous encounters, but the true anchor is the deeply felt, swoon-worthy romance that will leave readers grinning long after the final page.
- Mood
- exuberant
- romantic
- adventurous
- sun-drenched
- Tone
- wry
- irreverent
- swoony
- chaotic
- earnest
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- unrequited pining · reckoning with privilege · found family · the weight of parental expectations · coming of age
- The writing
- The narrative voice is sharp, witty, and anachronistically fresh, balancing laugh-out-loud banter with moments of striking emotional clarity.
- The arc
- The protagonist moves from masking his insecurities with reckless hedonism to embracing vulnerability and fighting for the people he loves.
- Who it's for
- Readers who delight in chaotic, deeply flawed protagonists, historical road trips, and the exquisite agony of the best-friends-to-lovers trope.
Content notes
- parental abuse
- homophobia
- racism
- ableism
- alcohol abuse
About the book
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.
This description comes from the publisher.
Description from Open Library.
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