Genre/Tags: Regency Romance, Gay, MM, Humour

Author: K J Charles

Story Rating: 5 Stars

Narrator: Cornell Collins 

Narrator Rating: 5 Stars

Length: 8 Hours and 1 minute

Audiobook Buy Links: Audible

Robin Loxleigh and his sister Marianne are the hit of the Season, so attractive and delightful that nobody looks behind their pretty faces.

Until Robin sets his sights on Sir John Hartlebury’s heiress niece. The notoriously graceless baronet isn’t impressed by good looks, or fooled by false charm. He’s sure Robin is a liar – a fortune hunter, a card sharp, and a heartless, greedy fraud – and he’ll protect his niece, whatever it takes.

Then, just when Hart thinks he has Robin at his mercy, things take a sharp left turn. And as the grumpy baronet and the glib fortune hunter start to understand each other, they also find themselves starting to care – more than either of them thought possible.

But Robin’s cheated and lied and let people down for money. Can a professional rogue earn an honest happy ever after?

Contains mature themes.

Review: 

I came to this book via Cornell Collins. I’d just finished re-listening to the first two Lords of Bucknall Club books and I wanted something in the same vein with Collins narrating. This is where I landed. I feel very fortunate as this continued my historical/Regency romp enjoyment. 

Robin and Marianne are fortune hunters. Both of them are using all their fiscal and fashion funds to make a splash on the London Marriage Mart. It doesn’t hurt that brother and sister are very attractive. Robin sets his sights on Alice, a young lass who stands to inherit a sizeable amount upon marriage. And, of course, the husband will control the money. Marianne has a Marquis in her sights and her arc runs alongside of and is entwined within Robin’s.     

Sir John Hartlebury takes his role of looking out for both his widowed sister and his niece, Alice, very seriously. Hart doesn’t trust attractive people. He loves his niece, knows she is smart as a whip, but he considers his niece to be average in looks, much like himself. Her sizeable inheritance though, that  makes her more attractive to the wrong type. Robin is very attractive. Something nefarious must be afoot. Hart and his sister have been discreet about the inheritance but people can still talk. When he starts making inquiries about Robin and Marianne everyone describe them in pretty much the same way – attractive, pleasant, and well mannered. If he pushes for more, people don’t seem to know or care. But Hart refuses to think looks and manners are the be all and end all. Not when it comes to his young niece and his family in general. He prefers people to be frank and earnest, and when he questions Robin, he feels he gets very practiced, quite obtuse information. Hart’s sister and niece both like Robin and Marianne, and they both like Alice. So when Hart queries quite hard, the women of the house think Hart is being mean.

Hart was very much full of bluster and some anger in the beginning of this story. Robin was so calm and charming. I felt Hart needed to calm his farms. In reality, he was simply looking out for his niece and his sister. I couldn’t blame him for that. Hart has a few hurts and prejudices to overcome as well. The fact that I felt well of Hart and also thought Robin was fabulous is a testament to the author’s ability to write strong characters. I also liked Alice, Hart’s niece, that she wanted to do what women in this time period usually couldn’t. I also liked Marianne, she had intestinal fortitude for days. I like strong female characters. Gay romance or MM books need to be like this story more often instead of writing secondary bitchy shrews.

Hart decides he’s going to use another route to glean the information he wants, the truth that Robin is very much the fortune hunter he suspects him of being. It’s the only logical conclusion. Robin likes to play cards at a friend of Hart’s gaming house. The distraction will disarm Robin but things get out of hand and the skilled piquet player that Hart is ends up trouncing Robin, and for an amount way above Robin’s ability to pay. This leaves Robin very much at Sir John’s mercy, and that’s when things get very interesting. 

Robin is definitely not the rogue Hart initially believes him to be. Hart actually finds Robin to be ‘bright, airy, and irrepressible’. He definitely doesn’t let life get him down and given what he has experienced that is quite the feat. Fortune hunting is really not his strongest forte. 

The well named The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting is a little different. Quick witted. The characters that I was supposed to like, I liked. Robin is genuinely one of the nicest fictional characters. I felt deeply for Robin’s fear of never feeling financially safe. The impacts of that. I was cheering for multiple characters. I was right behind Robin and Marianne having choices. Alice as well. That Hart could get to feel truly loved.

Even though there isn’t much sex in this book, and I’m happy for more story than sex these days, it’s well written and hot. Hart thinks he’s unattractive but Robin loves Hart’s thick thighs, his lovely blue eyes, and once they get to know one another through complexities and alliances, he loves Hart’s kindness. His steadfastness. Robin ends up being incredibly loyal and sticks his neck out with support at what could be great personal risk.  

Cornel Collins narration added so much to the story. I love his voice work. Thoroughly enjoyable listening. 5 Stars!