Review - The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue my Mackenzi Lee

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Makenzi Lee

Published 27th June 2017 by Katherine Tegen Books

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 38/50

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.

But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and travelling companion, Percy.

Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

My Thoughts

This book has been on my radar since its release last year. It's had such rave reviews that when I managed to get my hands on it I had to dive in straight away and it's safe to say I wasn't disappointed. I can see why everyone loved it. Here are my thoughts...

What I liked

•The characters were fantastic. They each had their own distinct personalities and I loved them all. I really enjoyed how much they cared for and looked out for each other, even if they didn't always show it, they knew they could count on each other. I loved Monty and Percy's relationship, it was really sweet. I also loved the relationship between Monty and Felicity, it felt like a really real depiction of a sibling relationship, sibling rivalry and all. Felicity has to be my favourite character too. I loved how feisty and independent she was. She didn't depict your usual female stereotype of the time period. She knew what she wanted to do and she worked hard to achieve this. 

•I loved the diversity in this book too. Monty and Percy's relationship was great. The author did a great job at normalising this but at the same time she did highlight the struggles of a male/male relationship in this time period. She also showed us that Monty and Percy didn't care what people thought which was great too. She also did a great job of highlighting the race issues that were around within this time period and again portrayed how this made Percy feel very well. 

•I also enjoyed the 'adventure' aspect of the plot. It added that little bit of something extra to the story and made it that bit more enjoyable to read. I sped through the last half and found myself not wanting to put it down as the action picked up a bit. 

What could of been better

•Going back to the plot, I found the first half to be a little bit slow. The pacing of the book as a whole was a little bit off as it started off quite slow going but, as soon as they hit Paris and the action started, it picked up again. If the pacing in the beginning was a little bit better than I could've seen myself definitely giving this one 5 stars. 

Overall I did enjoy this one quite a lot, especially the second half. I loved the characters and the diversity and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next one which is all about Felicity.

Overall Rating