I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
Series: Montague Siblings #1
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 6/27/17
Genres: Action & Adventure, Historical, LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Young Adult
Pages: 528
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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A young bisexual British lord embarks on an unforgettable Grand Tour of Europe with his best friend/secret crush. An 18th-century romantic adventure for the modern age written by This Monstrous Thing author Mackenzi Lee—Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets the 1700s.

Henry “Monty” Montague doesn’t care that his roguish passions are far from suitable for the gentleman he was born to be. But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quests for pleasure and vice are 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 traveling companion, Percy.

So Monty 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, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

Short and Sweet

Monty and his best friend Percy are going on a grand tour of Europe, and they plan on having the time of their lives. Even with his younger sister, Felicity coming along, Monty won’t let it ruin his fun. But things get crazy when the group encounters an ancient artifact, highwaymen, and pirates.

Characters

Henry “Monty” Montague: Our main character who grew a lot over the course of the book. Monty has the most engaging voice, he’s entertaining and sassy. He got the group into the mess they were in by trying to get even with someone. Monty had the problem of saying things without thinking and often came to regret it, but his friends called him out on it. He was a flawed character but that’s whats great about him because over the course of the book he learned from his mistakes.

Percy: Monty’s best friend and our voice of reason. Percy is also a person a color which I found interesting, because of course during the time that this book takes place it makes travel for the grand tour a bit harder because certain places won’t allow him to stay. Percy also struggles in this book because throughout the course of his friendship with Monty he has always supported him and now Percy has his own demons to fight and wonders if Monty can support him.

Felicity: Monty’s younger sister and the brains of the group. Felicity’s strength and knowledge saved the group from dangerous situations. I was rooting for her throughout the book she had goals and I felt bad that during that time girls her age didn’t have many choices.

Romance

Monty has liked Percy for a while, and thinks the grand tour will be the perfect time to express how he feels. But things don’t work well mainly because Percy seems more annoyed with Monty than smitten. It seemed like Monty always said or did the wrong thing that ended up pushing Percy away.

My Thoughts

~ This isn’t an ordinary grand tour of Europe, like it was expected to be. Mayhem begins when the group reaches their first stop in Paris. This leads them to places that are off of their original course.

~ In Paris, Monty steals an artifact that leads to the group being attacked by highwaymen, hiding in a small town, going to Barcelona, meeting pirates, and trying to find something on an island that is sinking.

~ My favorite part of the book was the whole mystery surrounding the artifact and what it does. The artifact was the whole reason the group had to go off course so I was eager to find out what it could do.

~ What I loved the most about this book was how fast paced it was. From the very beginning we embark on a journey with these characters.

~ In each city we meet different characters and all of them add to the story in their own way. My favorite characters were the pirates I loved learning more about them and their ultimate goal.

~ I felt like I was with the trio of characters and I was worried about their well-being, they were in some dangerous positions and on the run from some people who wanted them dead.

Overall

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is a must read! Everything about it is amazing, the characters, the action and adventure, the diversity, and of course the romance. The ending was great and everything was wrapped up nicely. Monty, Percy, and Felicity are a set of characters I won’t forget. This is hands down one of my favorite reads of 2017, and I encourage everyone to pick it up and read it!