Review: Historical M/M romance that felt "real"
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 20, 2014
I really liked this historical M/M romance. It was well-written with lots of angst and tension. It was between 4/4.5 stars for me.Lord Benedict Yates is the youngest son of his family--which means he's not entailed to his family's wealth. He must make his own way, and he does this well-as an Egyptologist. He has spent four years as second-in-command on an illustrious dig group. But, he has his own aspirations to lead his own team--and some leads on whereabouts of an undiscovered tomb. He returns to London to meet potential investors. While there he is invited to the country estate of Evander St. John, the Duke of Casterwell, in order to catalog the collection of Egyptian artifacts amassed by Evander's tomb plundering grandfather.This invitation poses a small problem for Ben. See, Ben and Evander had been acquaintance at Oxford. What Evander doesn't realize (perhaps) is that Ben was attracted to him. Even the years that have passed haven't diminished the excitement Ben feels gazing upon the very wealthy, very married, Evander.The funny thing Ben learns (throughout) is that appearances are simply that--and the mystery behind Evander's seemingly perfect marriage is this: Evander prefers men. He always has. And, his wife Juliana has her own lover--thus, Evander attempts to woo Ben into a liaison. Ben is overwhelmed, and appalled. He really likes Evander's wife, and isn't the kind of man to be deceitful--but he does succumb. It is his first homosexual experience, and it solidifies Ben's belief that he is, indeed, "a man who prefers men."Ben roils with his guilt over deception and also his confirmed sexual preference. It's too much to deal with, and he breaks off his visit to Evander's home early--returning to Egypt months before necessary--after one final tryst with Evander. He's hoping to forget Evander, but he can't. Most particularly when Evander is revealed to be one of the sponsors who are lined up to support his independent dig.Now, Ben has even more qualms of conscience. And Evander practically pines for the man he knew at Uni would be the one he wanted--for more than a casual lover. There are many fits and starts in this relationship--all of which are smoothed over by Julianna. In fact, it is catching the beautiful Julianna with her lover that forces Ben to re-evaluate the nature of marriage, family and duty. And, perhaps more importantly, to re-evaluate his self-imposed separation from Evander.In the end, Ben and Evander come to each other openly and honestly--within the bounds of Evander's marriage and Ben's work. The arrangement seems to be mutually equitable, and positive, for all parties.I was a bit put-off by the "affair" episodes, and had long suspected Julianna's lover was an unsuitable match--which allowed Evander his sexual freedom undercover of society's disapproving eyes. Perhaps that was provincial of me--but the big reveal of Julianna's dalliances, and her approval of Ben for Evander, allowed for that anxiety to recede.It was a well-told story with steaming smexytimes and interesting characters. The historical context was well-written, and (mostly, I felt) the dialogue stayed to period. Being that I wanted to be an archeologist as a kid, I found the Egyptology part fascinating, and lamented the small role it played in the plot. (Again, MY problem!)I received a copy of this book via Goodreads' Don't Buy My Love program in exchange for an honest review.