Customer Reviews

An Agreement Among Gentlemen

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As all other reviewers I came to this book after reading the beautiful Bareback by the same author.

There could have been no major change: here we are led into Victorian England, among the gentility and the tone is necessarily completely different.

Edward Munrow comes to wealth in an unexpected way and is not entirely happy about it because his new position forces him to take those responsibilities he has carefully avoided until then.
The fact that ignites the plot feels unlikely enough to make it difficult for the reader to suspend disbelief; once suspension is managed somehow, the reader is thrown into a plot who develops consistently giving enough room for the three main characters to shine.

Mr Owen's writing is good as ever, yet I found the characterization rich but unfulfilling. It seems to me that the novel, rather short in fact, is constantly on the verge between the nicely written but light-hearted erotica and the full fledged gay historical novel: sex scenes are many, graphic, well done and take a large number of pages but there are several hints at deeper issues which are never dealt with, leaving me dissatisfied.
The most thorny issue is perhaps the threesome that develops among the three characters: it is nicely done and sexy but I really could not understand how the three come not only to have sex together but even to love one another so much that the expected exclusion of one of them from the "happily ever after" never takes place.
Among the others undealt with issues one could quote the characters of the duke and of the bride to be, not to mention the rather sexy topic of dominance and sexual play in xix century England.

As all these undealt issues are rather interesting and could have led to a very interesting narrative, I found myself rather dissatisfied at the end of the book.

A thing I appreciated is the complete lack of self loathing among the gay characters who only struggle to come away with law and society and are utterly inddifferent to moral constraints.

Four stars, but I think I should appreciate a second, edited edition taking a more clear direction.

Edward "Ned" Munrow is content with his life of no responsibility and all pleasure until his friend unexpectedly gives him an estate and a great deal of money. He's not particularly pleased with the development, especially when a Duke blackmails him into a marriage he definitely doesn't want. The Duke sends his heir, Henri, Viscount Langton, to spend the summer with Munrow, so they can pretend he's seeing if the young man will make a suitable heir. To his surprise, Munrow discovers that he actually likes Langton. Things get even more confusing (and exciting) when an old lover enters the picture.

Don't let the Victorian setting fool you, An Agreement Among Gentleman is an incredibly hot book! Munrow is an unashamedly sensual character and I enjoyed watching him slowly become motivated by more than just temporary pleasure. The supporting characters in An Agreement Among Gentleman added a great deal to the story. They provided comic relief and much more. The relationship between Munrow and his valet was especially amusing. As for the love interests, Langton was sweet, passionate, and eager, and Munrow's old lover Truitt was absolutely delicious! The attraction among these three gentlemen just about burned up my laptop. Chris Owen has written a wonderfully sexy historical which will have a permanent spot on my reread shelf.

Cassie
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

The sex was great, but there was really too much of it for me (started to skim the scenes toward the middle of the book.) I didn't like the main character. He was cold and unsympathetic. More about sex than love, and I'm a romantic at heart. Considering the lack of good m/m romance though, it's worth the read.

I thought my fav Chris Owen book was "Bareback". However, An Agreement Among Gentlemen" is the best piece of fantasy yet. What I like about this story is how the story arouses, truly erotic, in a time where same sex love is forbidden. The story is light, but has a bit intrigue and manipulation by those seeking to use others to their own gain. Of course, true love wins in the end, but I was sad that their "happily ever after" could change due to society's needs. How true even today.

Good story that moves along nicely. Good character development. Good tension between the young Langton and Munro. Nicely erotic. I liked the cast of characters and especially Munro's friend Truitt. The author hinted strongly at Truitt's need to be disciplined, etc. I wish that area was explored more in the book. Looking forward to reading more ofChris Owen's books. A very good read.

I really enjoyed this story. Once I started reading it was hard for me to put the book down. I found something to like in all three of the main characters. I could picture them all very viviidly and felt like i was invested in them. I cared what happened and felt for them when bad things occured. I am planning to read this book again.

I'd like to confess that I almost didn't buy this book (kindle version) due to some of the reviews that stated that the story was "unfinished" or lacked finality for the characters; which are things that highly aggravate me with other books I have read in the past - I simply didn't want to experience it again. I am SO GLAD I looked past that to read this book! And I'm somewhat disappointed I didn't read it sooner, but that's what I get for clinging to the somewhat vague idiosynracies of reviewers.

First, the "voice" in which this book is spoken, in first person and through the eyes of our main character Mr. Munrow, is absolutely breathtaking! I loved it. A much needed break from so many other M/M romances I have read. It made reading this story that much more enjoyable, for it truly transported me to the era of the Victorian English countryside.

The characters are painfully rich: Munrow, Langton and Truitt are deep, funny and achingly sensual - and trust me, after reading some of the encounters, you WILL ache ;) The villain, if there is one, is the bitter uncle of Langton, a Duke, who uses prejudice and disregard for Munrow to to blackmail. You WILL hate him. Owen was able to make me hate a man who did not try to kill anyone, didn't beat anyone up and was sick and dying! And I still hated him! The author did a brillian job with that one! The other cast of characters, Munrow's friends, Langton's mother, the staff! They are all so well done, you will see and hear them as if they are right in your own room.

I found the "love" element to be right on target. Others have mentioned the fact that they felt like the main characters didn't "fall in love" or seem to BE in love. I can't imagine having read the same book. Munrow's tumble into love with Langton is so real for the age in which all of this transpires. Remember, we are talking about an era when homosexuality was a capital offence; the lead characters take great care when it comes to how, when and where they express themselves; they have to. Even with that though, the author was able to fill this book to the brim with encounter upon encounter of trist, secret meetings, a gentlemen's club (for the like-minded) and dark, closed-door bedrooms tended to by highly trusted valet's and butlers.

I have read several M/M erotica/romance books and this is by far the best I have had the pleasure of devouring - IN TWO NIGHTS. I want another one! I want Chris Owen to take the best of this book, add some more angst and secret passages, and blow me away - again! The only con? The cover! It looks like a childrens book! Trivial, I know. I have a thing about the digital covers - Mr. Owen, please make the next one worthy of the words it encases!

For the money, I can't imagine NOT reading this book! Don't be like I was, give this lovely story the chance it deserves! You will thank me :)

I really enjoyed this story. The romance was cute and tender, though somewhat unrealized. That might just be due to the time period. Historical M/M romances are always bittersweet to me, since men fall in love but aren't allowed to show it due to society's restrictions.

The sex is spicy hot. I was not expecting this level of steam in a British historical. There's mild kink, threesomes, and a bit of D/s.

The story itself is clever and the dialogue is witty. I love a book that doesn't take itself too seriously.

However, a few things kept me from giving this 5 stars. First, I think this book would have been much better in third-person POV. I enjoy first-person POV in a few contemporaries and urban fantasy but it just doesn't fit in a historical, especially in what was supposedly Regency England. First-person is a very informal POV and Regency England is extremely formal, so they clash. Also, the dialogue felt a bit too contemporary at times, and not in line with the time period. Lastly, I found the D/s theme unrealistic in this particular setting. It was mild and inoffensive and even pretty sexy, but I didn't feel like it felt natural in a Regency piece.

Despite those minor issues, I found AN AGREEMENT AMONG GENTLEMEN to be an entertaining and satisfying read. This book is worth having in any M/M romance collection.

This is a great story,and it's well written. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's romantic and interesting, and it kept me coming back for more.

'Gentlemen-ly' is a good (invented) word to describe the tone of this book; the arousing rawness of Owen's earlier novel, "Bareback" it has not. Perhaps it's 'gentlemen-ly' to the point that the following says it best: You just don't as often get the overwhelming "Bb sensation" of being so caught up you feel you're 'going down for the last time'.....yet all the while knowing there's a love there that's gonna pull you back up.

In this newer Owen work, the men of "Aaag" are of their time and place, in many ways being correct and restrained.....nothing wrong with this, it's historically correct (and a harder write). Further, it doesn't mean they never "break loose sexually".......though there's definitely less of a feeling given the reader of building anticipation. The following provides additional clues to this situation. While older lead character, Edward Munrow (too infrequently called a more informal 'Ned'), and much younger protege/lover, Viscount Langton (also infrequently called a more informal 'Henri'), become "vivid" lovers, there's a "formality" thrown up between them (as indicated by near continuous use of their correct names).....a "pulled-backness" in their relationship that's not found between the leads of "Bb." It really boils down to a seeming lack of drive to "commit to one another," a drive most strongly felt in Owen's first(?) novel. This reader gets the feeling that what is happening, on the part of the considerably older man, is a "preparation" of young Langton for a life together with a third party to these proceedings: Christopher Truitt, Munrow's earlier trained "protege" and someone much closer in age to the young Viscount. Realistically I know, of course, that much of this "writing approach" likely relates to the novel's earlier England setting.

Finally, another most important thing yours truly found lacking is a "sense of falling in love.......of being in love and, significantly, a sense of growing love" between the two leads....something that "Bb" has coming out its pores....something that this reader drastically missed here.

Which is best? Unsurprisingly, Chris (and other readers), the one that'll get pulled off my shelf for a re-read every so many months will be none other than your firstborn: the inimitable "Bareback." And that read'll take place out in my ole Arizona bunkhouse, where there's a saying that starts each day: 'Let's saddle up, Pard.'

Fond regards,


A Reading Fan
Living-you-know-where

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