Review: Nicely done but with flaws
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 6, 2013
I will start off by saying that I often have issues with historical romance and that is why I don't read much of it. If you like historical romance, you might enjoy this one a bit more than I did. This book was a solid 3 star read for me, which means that I liked it but I had some issues with it which kept my rating from creeping any higher.I actually was really excited about this book in the beginning. I went into it not knowing at all what to expect (like I usually do!). Now, reading the blurb, I can see that this book clearly states it is a rent boy story, but really, it is much more than that. I won't go into plot summary but "For Men Like Us" deals heavily with the brutal ways that gay men were treated in the 1800s.What did I like about this one? I think that Brita Addams really got the atmosphere of the time period down pat. It felt authentic. I also thought that the first sex scene was surprisingly hot. It was kinky and totally unexpected. I could tell that the author is a talented writer, and I liked the way that she thoughtfully crafted her characters.The bad? First of all, I have issues with the speech in historical romances. The way that the characters talk really pulls me emotionally out of a scene (which is why I don't read many of them!). I just have trouble feeling connected to the characters when they talk all old-fashioned-like! I also think that the pacing was a bit off. The plot really draaaagged in the second half. I knew exactly how everything was going to play out and the broody moody mumbo jumbo just felt tedious to me.Lastly, and this might not bother everyone, but I personally don't find kinkiness to be a character flaw or something to be overcome. Hence, I didn't like the ending to this book where Ben's happiness made his need for BDSM go away.Overall, I liked this one but I won't be revisiting it. I will be looking into more books by this author, though, because I think that I might connect more to another one of her books.