Genre: Historical, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Tony
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About The Book
In a game of secrets and spies, love ignites between bitter enemies.
Lord Buckworth, a renowned libertine, is infamous for his daring exploits and insatiable appetite for risk. But when he rigs a card game to win the services of Frederick Thorndyke, a man with whom he shares a painful past, his devious plans may cost him more than he bargained for.
Thorn despises his reckless brother-in-law, who gambles the family fortune away to the brink of financial ruin. Now, sold into service by one of the gambler’s lost wagers, Thorn finds himself in the power of the very man he once loved and lost. He’s determined to resist the allure of the libertine lord, yet their shared past and unresolved feelings ignite a desire that’s impossible to fight.
Amidst the opulence of Regency London and the treacherous world of espionage, Buckworth and Thorn must navigate through their fiery past and the secrets that bind them. Will their love story be rewritten, or will their past betrayals prove too great to overcome?
The Review
His Libertine is a ‘naughty’ Regency story, with a good dollop of spanking and lewd behaviour. It is not just naughty, though, and charts the growing relationship between Freddy ‘Thorn’ Thorndyke and the dissolute Lord Martin ‘Buck’ Buckworth, which begins with bitterness, hate and mistrust on Thorn’s side but strong attraction on Buck’s.
Freddy, the youngest son of the Thorndyke’s lineage (for youngest read poorest and destined, for example, for the Church – not his first choice by any means), is hoping to make his way in life as an estate secretary. He is closed off from his true self, and makes do with secretive fumbles with like-minded men.
Buck, on the other hand, does what he can to shame his father, or at least appear to do so. He has had dealings with the Thorndyke family before, some of which resulted in Thorn’s lack of respect for him. When Thorn’s brother-in-law manipulates him into becoming Buck’s secretary, the scene is set for a grand confrontation – and that promised spanking.
Thorn is belligerent and determined not to see any good in Buck, but what he finds conflicts with his picture of Buck’s all-too-public persona. Throw in some missing documents, a conniving brother-in-law, French spies and the rich Regency dialogue, and there you have it. A love story with a lot of ups and downs, and I’m not just talking about backsides.
There are some funny moments and some quite serious ones, which make for an interesting read.
Note: You may need to check some words / terms out. Thankfully, your search engine will sort you out, eg, ton meaning to be fashionable or on vogue.
The Reviewer
Tony is an Englishman living amongst the Welsh and the Other Folk in the mountains of Wales. He lives with his partner of thirty-six years, four dogs, two ponies, various birds, and his bees. He is a retired lecturer and a writer of no renown but that doesn’t stop him enjoying what he used to think of as ‘sensible’ fantasy and sf. He’s surprised to find that if the story is well written and has likeable characters undergoing the trails of life, i.e. falling in love, falling out of love, having a bit of nooky (but not all the time), fending off foes, aliens and monsters, etc., he’ll be happy as a sandperson who has just offloaded a wagon of sand at the going market price. As long as there’s a story, he’s in. He aims to write fair and honest reviews. If he finds he is not the target reader he’ll move on.
