I enjoyed this book for the relationship between Gabriel and Lucio which was surprisingly sweet. There was a lot of tenderness between the two and for a rentboy Lucio was shy and tentative. I liked watching their relationship develop over the course of the book and was happy to see them together. I did feel like the pacing of this book was off. The first half I was at times irritated by the constant "I hate Lucio sleeping with other" that seemed to be a constant refrain. I felt a tension through out the book, I was waiting for something to happen. Unfortunately it just fizzled without anything really big happening. The set up for the abusive client and the stables had a neon flag to on it, and the revolution of the caste system really never materialized like I hoped it would leaving the story feel off. I also had niggles throughout the book with the world building that seemed more like window dressing. Who were the handler? Where they a caste? Where was all the money from the companions going, since Lucio remarked the hander wouldn't be able to afford him? Where were the other castes since it talked about old companions being servants? Why did the handlers think a merchant class would be able to afford a companion, historically merchants where the money makers and would have a great deal more money than the aristocrats? How does the elections work in a caste system? The stables don't make a lot of sense when you consider older men do have the stamina that younger men do, older woman without modern medicine would have a much higher death rate not to mention the conditions wouldn't bring them near as many young. And that is just some of the things that just seemed off. I still enjoyed the book but for the length I feel like there should have been a little bit more concise world building and a little angsting over what Lucio did for a living. Interesting steampunk society and a sweet romanceWarning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS. Rating: 8/10PROS: - This author knows how to tell a good story. She creates well-rounded characters and intriguing settings (this one is steampunk), and whenever she sets you up for something by hinting that some action or another is dangerous or inevitable, she doesn’t let you down by failing to follow through on plot points.- I like that there are no games or hidden agendas between the two men. They’re honest and matter-of-fact about their attraction and then about the deeper feelings that develop so quickly between them. There’s never any “I like him, but does he like me?” uncertainty.- I loved the secondary character of Cressida. She’s blunt and practical, yet she’s a romantic deep inside. I wanted for her to have a happy ending almost as much as I wanted Gabriel and Lucio to have one.CONS:- The life Lucio leads is very unpleasant, and although the author doesn’t dwell too much on details, it was still difficult for me to read about him being used sexually and abused both physically and mentally.- I ached for Gabriel as he fumbles awkwardly through navigating an upper-class society with which he is unfamiliar, and I ached for both him and Lucio because they have such difficulty in seeing each other and their situation seems hopeless much of the time.Overall comments: The romance here is touching, the setting is well-developed, and most of the unpleasantness in the book is brushed over rather than described in brutal detail. There’s certainly a healthy dose of external conflict, but you don’t have to endure the individual episodes for long; mostly you just hear about them afterwards. Overall I liked it quite a bit.
Do You like book The Inventor's Companion (2011)?
This was a sweet, straightforward story with a perfect HEA.
—Valeria
A fine M/M romance with an interesting story line
—yasmin
