For some reason when I read books in a series like this, with each friend finding his mate, I feel like I have to choose my favorite. I think Ben and Cavin will probably remain my favorites, but Oscar and Julian were pretty great.Oscar is the sweetest guy. He’s always smiling and happy. He’s spent a lot of his life alone, so his top priority is being social. He loves going out and being with people. The problem is that he’s filthy rich. People have a tendency to use him for his money, privilege, and status. He’s never minded very much because everyone got what they wanted. That is, until he met Julian. Julian came back to London with the intention of marrying himself into society. He wants to be part of the ton. He’s spent most of his life listening to whispers about his gambling father and being cut by his peers. He believes if he can find a wealthy wife, he can buy his way to happiness. When he meets Oscar he suspects he’s found someone who shares his attraction for the same sex. Soon he finds that Oscar might also be his ticket to getting in with society.Julian can be a little difficult to like, at first. He’s so blinded by his plan to marry rich, he has a hard time seeing what’s right in front of him. Obviously, being with Oscar won’t fix his monetary problems. It takes a huge mistake and an enormous fight with Oscar to make him understand how important making it on his own is. I felt like that part of the story was a little rushed. One minute he was too worried about his reputation to think of Oscar’s feelings; the next minute he was flipping out about his relationship with Oscar and seeing the error of his ways. It was a little convenient. It actually took a little more time than that, but the book skips over that period of miserable waiting. A peek into that part of the story might have made the overall story a little stronger.All in all, I really loved this book. It was almost as good as the last. This is possibly a little spoilery, but I really loved when Julian found out about Ben and Cavin. I’d been hoping all the guys would figure out they’re all gay. They’re all trying so hard to hide it that they’re even careful of speaking to each other about it. I definitely recommend this series to anyone who likes MM. Start with My True Love Gave to Me. I still haven’t read it, but that’s the prequel short. Book 2 of the Brook Street Collection is set in London at the end of the Regency era, at a time when sodomy was considered a crime and all MM romances had to survive in the closet.Not as good as the first book in my opinion. Another short story about the romance between Julian, an opportunistic cash-strapped nobleman and Oscar, the lonely but kind-hearted heir to a large fortune. Julian was not a sympathetic figure, he had few redeeming qualities. Oscar had the personality of a lap dog. This was an awkward romance with an awkward ending. An ending that came too fast for the alleged improvements to both MCs personalities to be convincing.
Do You like book Brook Street: Fortune Hunter (2012)?
Love this series and this one continues to uphold the high standards. Can't wait for Rogue.
—gnomeslice23
An audiobook I didn't hate! Must be good...
—Sherice
