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What: The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Who: Katherine Tegen Books

When: June 27th 2017

How: A copy of this novel was provided by HarperCollins for review via Edelweiss.

An unforgettable tale of two friends on their Grand Tour of 18th-century Europe who stumble upon a magical artifact that leads them from Paris to Venice in a dangerous manhunt, fighting pirates, highwaymen, and their feelings for each other along the way.

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.

Witty, romantic, and intriguing at every turn, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is a sumptuous romp that explores the undeniably fine lines between friendship and love.

Let me just say that I adored this book. I mean, it’s no surprise, really, since it’s genre fiction that’s also diverse as heck. Those two things = me to a T (tee? I’m not sure).

You’d think, at close to 530 pages that The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is one of those books that seems to go forever. But I can tell you right now that it goes by far too quickly, and at the end the only thing I wanted was more of this story, and of Monty, and Percy, and Monty and Percy. I honestly could have read a 1000 page version of this book and been completely happy about it.

Monty is an incredibly imperfect character, but I think that’s what makes him so interesting to read about. He does really ridiculous things, and messes things up not only for himself but practically everyone around him because he doesn’t always think things through very well. But he’s also incredibly vulnerable and sincere when he wants to be, and in those moments you’ll want to wrap him up in a blanket and protect him from every bad thing in this world.

I thought that The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue was going to be fluffy, so I feel like I should warn you that it’s not. This didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book whatsoever because I feel like the darker sides to the novel made the characters feel more real. But just be aware that while there are definitely fluffy aspects I could not outright call The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue a fluffy BOOK.

The romance between Monty and Percy is painful. It is slowburny and torturous, and definitely one of those ships where you just want to force the two people to be honest with each other because all the lying and being silly is keeping them from being such an adorable damn ship. Regardless of their romantic attraction, I absolutely adored how much Monty and Percy cared about each other in general. Even when they were annoyed with one another there wasn’t anything they wouldn’t do for the other and that kind of thing just slays me okay?

A lot happens in The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, but to be honest I don’t really want to talk about all of it because I think going on the journey with Monty and the others is what makes part of this book so incredibly enjoyable.

I will say that this is hands down one of the my favourite books of the year, but like I said at the start of this review that’s not really a surprise since The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue has practically everything I could ever want in a book. Bring on Felicity’s companion novel ASAP!

© 2017, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.

trigger warning: domestic violence, alcoholism, murder, epilepsy (graphic depiction), armed robbery, ableism, use of ableist language, sexism, racism, physical assault, suicidal ideation, reference to death of father (untrue), homophobia, biphobia, death, hostage situation, police brutality, reference to bankruptcy, reference to abandoning a child, illegal remarrying, reference to gambling problem, explosion, gun wound causing loss of hearing + loss of ear + facial scarring/burns, depictions of gore, and depictions of animal death in this novel

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Posted on: July 1, 2017 • By: Chiara

22 Responses to The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee: I Loved It

  1. Tasya says:

    ahhh it sounds amazing! also, thanks for telling me it’s not a fluffy book, because that’s what i expect it to be. now i can adjust my expectations hehe. amazing review chiara!

    • Chiara says:

      It is amazing! I’m glad to have let you know. I was kind of surprised by some of th heavy topics that copped up so wanted to let others know that it’s not pure fluff! Thank you <3

  2. I SO hope to read this one soon. I’m really happy that you loved it though. That means I’ll love it too. I’m glad it’s not a pure fluff book though – I like when there are some more darker or serious moments in books.

    -Lauren

  3. Aha Chiara you have me so hyped for this book now! I have been wanting to read it and it sounds absolutely ADORABLE! I don’t tend to reach for a lot of historical fiction but I’ll have to make an exception for this one! + your review makes me want to run to the bookstore and get it now so hopefully I do read it this month!

    • Chiara says:

      Aw, yay! I am not huge into historical fiction, either, but this book is so much more than just historical. There are so many things to love about it :D I really hope you enjoyed it if you read it, Anisha! And thank you so much for your lovely comment <3

  4. Lipsy says:

    Ahhh I really need to read this ASAP!

  5. Ahhh this is such a wonderful review, Chiara! I ordered myself a copy of this and it should be getting here promptly, so I’ll be sure to get to it as soon as I can. I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews. Thanks for mentioning that it’s not a wholly fluffy book, because that’s also the impression that I had had before your review. That’s why I was hesitant to go into it because as much as I enjoy the occasional fluff, I much prefer books that are darker and more sinister. Good to know that this has a balance. Also yessss to slow-burn romances!

    • Chiara says:

      Thank you so much, Aimal! I really hope that you enjoyed your copy of this one when it made it to you :D Yeah, the talk around this one definitely made me think it was fluffy but it certainly wasn’t. There were some dark and sinister bits in here so hopefully you liked them! The slowburn romance in this one is one of the slowest and most burny (lol) ones I have read <3

  6. This is one of my most anticipated books, so I am so glad to hear you enjoyed it so much. It sounds absolutely fantastic! Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! <3

  7. SOOOOO much love for this book omg. <3 Monty is so precious and needs all the cuddles, really.

  8. Ugh! If this book had a better cover I would already have a copy in my room! </3 So… I'm just waiting for hopefully a decent cover for the paperback release… please? Everyone has been RAVING about this book! I love slow-burning romances too, I can't wait to delve into this one when I can. Great review as always, Chiara!

    • Chiara says:

      I am not a huge fan of the cover, either, but it has grown on me over time! The spine is so very pretty. I hope you were able to read it by now, Cass! And thank you so much!!

  9. I’ve seen this book around but I wasn’t sure what it was about, so it definitely sounds like something that would appeal to me! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it Chiara and the romance between both of them, is definitely slow burning to a tee lol.

    • Chiara says:

      I don’t know if you got around to reading this one, Jeann, but I hope you liked it if you did! The slowburn romance was both amazing and painful, haha.

  10. verushka says:

    Wow, definitely epic, isn’t it? I had no idea it was that long! I’m impressed that it was so good you didn’t feel it though!

  11. Stormy says:

    I ADORE this book & I get so giddy every time I see someone else love it too! I agree that it was a much more serious book than I was expecting, but like you said, those serious aspects really enhanced the novel. Why I loved the romance more than anything(which is RARE for me. It’s rare for me to say I didn’t really care about the plot of the book because I was there for the relationship, but I so was), one of my favorite aspects of the book was how Monty had to confront his privilege at various points, while also realizing how horrible some of the things that had happened to him were and how those could both be true. And yes, I cannot WAIT for Felicity’s companion novel. I loved her so much in this book so I’m sure an entire book about her will be wonderful.

    • Chiara says:

      Yay! I’m glad you love this one too, Stormy! I get excited when I see support for this book around, as well. I was surprised by the seriousness of a lot of this book but I think that’s what makes it so special. It wasn’t just fun and fluffy, though there were fun and fluffy moments. The character arc for Monty was so good and executed so well. I hope we both like Felicity’s book as much as this one!

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