The Vicar and the Rake: A Gay Regency Historical Romance

The Vicar and the Rake by Annabelle Greene Society of Beasts #1 Lovely, lusty, loving story that allows Gabriel and Edward a second chance at their HEA. Really enjoyed this book! From the first page I was intrigued, and my interest was held throughout. What I liked: * Gabriel: a good man doing good while fighting his inclinations. He wonders why his best friend from childhood left without a word and never responded to his letters. * Edward: a man running from personal demons. His childhood was not a gentle one and he suffers what amounts to PTSD as a result. He is usually caught up in scandal. * Bryce: Edward’s valet but so much more than that. He is a good friend, good man, and an ex-pugilist. Intrigued me and do hope he ends up with a HEA of his own. * Maurice: Edward’s younger brother, a sly manipulator, and blackmailer of sorts. He defends Edward as Edward once protected him. * Caroline: Gabriel’s sister, a widow, helpful in the village, a good woman, and much stronger and wiser than some might think. * Ginger: a young boy that has suffered much with a backstory that will impact many * The writing, setting, story, accord with the history of the times * The idea of the men’s club and meeting some of its members * All of it really except… What I did not like: * Sussex: a man out for blood – wicked and evil he deserves whatever happens to him * The laws of the times related to love between men * Having to say goodbye to the characters and having to wait till book two is ready to read. Did I enjoy this book? Yes Would I read more by this author? Definitely Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press for the ARC – This is my honest review. 5 Stars

Audio Review: Story – 5 Performance – 5 Overall – 5 Great debut novel and start to a new series. The Vicar and the Rake is Annabelle Greene's debut novel and I thought it was great. I started out reading this book, courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley, but then I saw that the audiobook was available so I finished up by listening to it. I have several audiobooks in my library performed by Cornell Collins but this was the first one I've listened to (I need to correct that!). I loved his voice and how he performed the story; he didn't just read it. The different voices he used made it easy to distinguish the characters from each other. As for the book itself, and the story – wow! It's really hard to believe that this is Annabelle Green's first published work. Even better news is that it's the beginning of a series and I can't wait to read more. I love a good historical MM romance and I love a good second chance story; this book hits on both of those things. The blurb really is good so I won't repeat it. This book has several secondary characters that made the story even more interesting. Besides the love story between Gabriel and Edward there's mystery, intrigue and murder. If this story is anything to go by, The Society of Beasts series will be an interesting one and I'm looking forward to reading more. A review copy of the ebook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.