Review - A Rulebook for Restless Rogues by Jess Everlee

Noah and David have been friends since their days at boarding school. Back then, they were friends with benefits, but they followed career paths which took them in different directions. After his family business when up in flames, literally, David became the manager of the Curious Fox, a bar catering to a very selective clientele of men who prefer the company of other men. Noah is a frequent visitor to the bar, usually in the guise of his alter-ego, Miss Penelope. The club is owned by Lord Belleville, who warns David of an impending police raid and orders him to clean the place out. However, there’s more afoot than the Lord is admitting to, and David fears the business he has built up may be slipping out of his hands. Will Noah continue to stand by him if it all goes awry, and should he?

This story features the same club and some of the same characters as The Gentleman’s Book of Vices. It features two characters that appeared in the previous book but can be read as a stand-alone story. The action takes place after the first book of the series, so if you want to read both volumes, you should read the other one first.

The narration alternates between David and Noah’s points of view. There are some sweet flashback chapters about the pair’s stolen moments in broom cupboards and below stairs at school, as well as some sadder moments in their long relationship. At times, it’s not clear whether David and Noah will get together. Even if they do, the forces that could pull them apart seem very strong.

The story has lots of twists and turns, which is part of why it can be hard to tell where the relationship is headed. As in the first book of the series, there’s a realistic depiction of the challenges for same-sex relationships in Victorian England. It’s just as well the story keeps you guessing. I can’t say that I warmed up to David or Noah. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with the characters. They are well-developed and three dimensional. There just wasn’t anything I could relate to personally in their stories.

“A Rulebook for Restless Rogues” is available from Amazon (commissionable link).