Wonderland's Reader: Review: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

Title: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
Series: Guide #1
Author: Mackenzie Lee
Genre: Historical, Romance, LGBT+, Young Adult
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: June 27, 2017
Source: Gifted. Thank you!

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 traveling 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.

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Like so many other people who have read this book, I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Not only is it fun, hilarious, and full of diversity, it's also incredibly informative and well researched. I learned a lot about this time in history from reading this book, things that hadn't been taught before or known about. There's a reason this book has been getting such high ratings -- it's totally engaging and the narrator, Monty, has a voice that pulls you into the story.

Okay, so this book was an emotional rollercoaster and I'm still not totally over it. There were so many scenes and things we learn about what Monty, Percy, and Felicity have gone through that just made my heart break. Monty was so precious and so vulnerable -- he really puts up a front, though. He acts arrogant and narcissistic but in reality, he has such a horrible self image and is in a position that makes him feel ashamed about who he is. I really, really hated this situation for him. He's been beaten up and abused his entire life and it really just pulled on my heartstrings. He's such a complicated character an there was so many times within the novel that he really didn't give himself enough credit. I mean, of course he's flawed and there were some moments where he made me want to roll my eyes and scream in frustration but he grew so much throughout the novel. Even when he was pigheaded or entitled, the other characters and people around him called him out on it and he began to learn, which is honestly the best thing a character can do.

Speaking of other characters, there was such an amazing cast in this book. I especially loved Percy and Felicity. Percy is biracial and epileptic, two things that society shuns him for. I felt so much for him and it made me so angry and sad to see the way he was treated for things he couldn't control and shouldn't be thought any less of for. And he was such a great person for Monty; their relationship was so perfect and I loved it. Felicity was an amazing character; as a woman, she was expected to have good manners and submit to being a wife and mother. I loved that she was so interested in medicine, though, and wasn't afraid of speaking her mind and pursuing the things she was passionate about. I'm really excited about reading from her POV in the next novel.

The plot was exciting and fun, though there were times when I felt certain scenes were a little too long. Only a few times did I find I didn't want to pick the book back up. Once I did pick it up and started reading though, I was sucked back into the story.

I really enjoyed this book and I'm so glad to see it doing so well. Seeing so much diversity in it makes me so happy and I can't wait to see what else this author comes out with. The next book in this series is told from Felicity's POV and with the way her story left off in this one, I know it will be just as exciting as this book is. I can't wait!

“We are not broken things, neither of us. We are cracked pottery mended with laquer and flakes of gold, whole as we are, complete unto each other. Complete and worthy and so very loved.”