Overall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Just a touch

Basic plot
Gabriel has never forgotten his young love Edward. Heartbroken, his letters left unanswered, he has become a vicar and lives a simple life of helping others. Edward removed himself to London to live the life of a rake and forget the abuse he’s suffered by his father. Unfortunately, one of his escapades gets him noticed by the Duke of Sussex, who will stop at nothing to harm Edward for his actions.

Give this a try if you want:
- M/M romance – our heroes are Edward and Gabriel
- Regency time period – this one takes place in 1818
- Hero nurses hero back to health
- Childhood friends to lovers
- A bit of action/mystery mixed in – Gabriel and Edward work together to save Edward
- Mix of country and London setting
- Medium to higher steam – 4 scenes, I found most of them plenty explicit and well developed


My thoughts:
This is Annabelle Greene’s debut novel and I really loved a lot of it! I did listen to the audiobook with Cornell Collins, who I am now obsessed with. His voice was perfect to me and really loved listening to him tell me the story.

Edward and Gabriel grew up together. There were feelings there, but nothing was acted on. When Edward inherited the dukedom, he went to London without a goodbye and didn’t answer any of Gabriel’s letters that arrived. Gabriel stayed in the country with his self-imposed celibacy and became a vicar to try to do some good in the world.

Edward causes all sorts of uproar in London with his behavior, but when he’s caught in a compromising position in the stables with the Duke of Sussex’s son, the duke will stop at nothing to end Edward’s life. He retires to the country in hiding. Immediately upon his return he finds a sick Gabriel that he nurses back to health.

I really loved a lot about this story. I thought the characters were lovable. I liked the supporting cast of family members and animals. I loved the intimate scenes. Some parts were really tender to me, and I loved how Edward opened up with Gabriel and was vulnerable in ways he hadn’t been with others in the bedroom.

Some of it went off the rails for me in regards to the whole duke vs Edward plot, especially towards the end. I also could have used a bit more character depth. You got a bit with Edward with the abuse he suffered, but I wanted his recovery explored a bit more. And I definitely wanted to know Gabriel more.

I would 100% try this author again.