A rulebook for restless rogues

As the manager of the Curious Fox, David Forester's number one goal is to make the club a haven for queer men in London. As a frequent customer and an old friend of David's from their boarding school days, Noah Clarke appreciates having a safe place, where he can transform himself into Miss Penelope Primrose without having to worry about anyone expressing their disapproval of his life choices. However, everything changes when the club owner informs David of his plans to shut the Curious Fox down. Can David, with some assistance from Noah, find a way to keep the club open as a refuge for those in romantic need? After wowing readers with The Gentleman's Book of Vices (2022), the first in her Victorian-era Lucky Lovers of London series, Everlee returns with a stunningly romantic, superbly sensual friends-to-lovers story that brilliantly makes use of the book's thoughtfully rendered characters and their search for love and acceptance.

Everlee's fabulous second Lucky Lovers of London Victorian romance (after The Gentleman's Book of Vices) takes the series to new heights. It follows boarding school friends David Forester and Noah Clarke in their post-school life as, respectively, the proprietor of a "molly house," an underground queer club, and an utterly respectable tailor on Savile Row. In-depth historical details enhance a classic friends-to-lovers tale as the men navigate Victorian social mores. Most refreshing is Everlee's commitment to portraying gender fluidity in her characters--several of whom are drag queens--which not only make the characters themselves satisfyingly complex and endearing but also makes the sex scenes more interesting and intense. Gratifying also is the refusal to create unnecessary conflict between the main characters: instead, Everlee lets the men work together to overcome outside obstacles, a far more gripping and, in the end, satisfying arc. Equally sweet and steamy, this will delight Everlee's fans while enticing many new ones. Agent: Laura Zats, Headwater Literary. (July)

David Forester and Noah Clarke have been friends since boarding school, but their lives have taken very different turns. In 1885 London, David is the proprietor of the Curious Fox, a gathering place for queer men, and takes pride in looking out for his many friends and patrons and keeping them safe from the long arm of the law. Noah Clarke is a tailor in a prestigious business on Savile Row, making sober suits by day and visiting the Fox on weekends as "Miss Penelope." Though David and Noah have been in love with each other for years, old wounds and miscommunications have kept the two men from acting on their feelings. When the owner of the Fox threatens to sell it out from under David and his patrons, David and Noah are torn between responsibility, safety, and following their hearts. Everlee's sophomore effort expands and improves on her debut, The Gentleman's Book of Vices, creating a sweet story with a sexy romance that deeply explores the queer friendship and love between Noah and David while maintaining a suspenseful atmosphere throughout. VERDICT Readers who look for friends-to-lovers romance and stories of queer community will enjoy.--Sierra Wilson