Discreet Young Gentleman

Dean Smith, Earl of Carwick, is all set to get married when he is tricked into being found in the company of Rob, a known male prostitute. His engagement cancelled, Dean sets out on a journey to Bath to try to set the record straight, Rob at his side to help determine who set him up. But spending time with Rob stirs up some curiosities in Dean causing him to struggle with how he really feels and who he really is.

I absolutely loved this. I enjoyed the previous M.J. Pearson story I'd read, The Price of Temptation, so I came in expecting a good historical m/m romance - and that's certainly what I got. Pearson has a talent for writing the angst people go through when they're struggling with whether to act on their desires and it shines in show more this book, too. I've another book by her that I can't wait to dive into. show less

A DISCREET YOUNG GENTLEMAN has two elements which as far as this simple fan-girl is concerned make a story instantly brilliant: The first is a whore and the second is lots of freckles.

Our protagonist is a man with low self esteem. He is sure he is the ugliest thing on the face of the planet mostly because his mum tried to scrub his freckles off throughout his entire childhood. He is making his way to meet his bride to be when his carriage is stopped by a highwayman. After a short struggle he manage to subdue the highwayman and throwing him into the carriage, draggs him to his soon to be father in law house. The father in law just happen to be a judge and the highwayman just happen to be the male prostitute the same judge had in court show more recently. Looking at the men disheveled state of dress he reaches the natural conclusion that something raunchy happened in that carriage and breaks of the engagement on the spot.

Making haste to London in order to explain himself to the woman he admits he does not love our freckled main man manages to stray in every possible direction in order to accomodate a large gohst hunt in the country side. Apparently Both the prostitute and himself have a taste for fishing and supernatural stories and that is enough to have them take to the road together. The fact that mister prostitute had just ruined his life is negligable... logic be hanged! They are both gorgeous and their journey together is mouth-watering.

I loved this aspect of the story most of all, the excursion from village to town, the sites and stories, strange houses, hay stacks and molly houses on their way to self discovery and of course the discovery of each other. The way they have to learn to accept each other, the gaps between their social circles, the lies between them and around them. It is all utterly delicious - if I could eat a book with chocolate souce and cream and a cherry on top - THIS would be the one :D:D:D

I dooooo love those books so much. I urge everyone to read them. If you are not like me and you don't harbour a lust for the cheesy cover - then close your eyes and just jump into the stories - it is really worth every moment and I do believe you would be licking your fingers by the end of it.

YUM ^_^ show less

This was recommend by mythdefied and it was adorable. Adorable is the right word. It's a regency romance story, like some of our favorite slash fanfic authors write. It has all the plot points of a Georgette Heyer regency romance book (sleeping a night in a barn; getting robbed, you know all the things you find in fine romance novels. Good writing and good characters, Dean and Rob are like I said adorable and follow all the stages protagonists met for each other go thru in romance novel. Took me a few hours to read. Fun and should appeal to all slash readers who like their stories romantic. Even the cover keeps the standards of good old modern romance novels alive. No damsels falling out of their dresses but discreet young gentleman in show more tight pants. *grin* show less

Regency-ish(?) original slash, all dramatic coincidences and longing and hot sex, plus bonus only semi-fetishized prostitution. (The non-POV main character, Rob, is a gentleman for hire; the POV character is a noble with a significant cashflow problem and a newly broken engagement, courtesy of an unexpected encounter with Rob.) I don’t read much in this vein, but my sense is this is exactly what the term “original slash” is for, and it was charming.

Yet again an gay historical romance that allow me a jump in the past, to my teenager years when I spent hours and hours reading naïve Regency romances; they were more or less innocent, to abide to the famous Regency rules no sex had to be part of the story, but late in the ’80 and ’90 some author like Mary Balogh started to write more adventurous heroine, and sometime they were “dirty” dove, i.e. women from good upbringing who found themselves force to sell their only asset, their virtue. Maybe the main difference between those Regency romance and this gay romance is that the dirty dove, Rob, is not as helpless as those women were, and even if he is forced to sell his body, he has a strong will and a well-planned path ahead of show more him; plus Rob is also very good in “managing” his assets, and so he can be picky on whom will share his bed.

In the previous gay historical romance by M.J. Pearson, she used the well-known plot of having the wealthy aristocrat falling in love for the poor, and naïve, middle-class man; usually this imply the aristocrat is also a scoundrel and he will take advantage of the poor innocent guy. Here instead Dean, earl of Carwick, is just a step above the naïve level; he is not exactly “dumb”, but he has not even had to fight for anything in his life; not really wealthy, more comfortable, he spent all his life between school and parties, and now is approaching his old age with a bit of lassitude; if not for an unforeseeable event, I don’t think he would have chosen to marry, but when he has to, he finds a suitable wife, Minerva. Only that someone apparently doesn’t want for him to marry the girl and they put Rob on his path. A male prostitute, Rob is for sure an enough big scandal that Minerva’s father has to break their engagement.

Despite Rob’s profession, the novel is far from being erotic. First of all, all Rob’s meetings with his customers are conducted in private rooms, where the reader is not invited; so you don’t know what Rob actually is doing, even if you can imagine. While instead he is with Dean, aside for being always by night, they are also more romantic than erotic, letting the reader again more imagining that reading what is happening between the two of them. I actually had the feeling that the sex was really not important for the author, she was more focused on the journey Rob and Dean are taking towards Bath and on all the people and landmarks they will meet along the path; it was so vivid a tale that I actually went and checked if some of those places really exist and if I could visit them myself (and yes, more or less all of them are real).

To whom is wondering if the historical details were accurate, for what I can say they were, maybe since the author didn’t overwhelm you with them; I’m not sure if it was real, but she suggested that Rob was finding some of his patrons through the Times, in the announce section, usually one advertisement starting with “discreet young gentleman required…”; if it’s not true, nevertheless it was a nice idea and it served perfectly the plot.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0971708959/?tag=elimyrevandra-20 show less

Discreet Young Gentleman
MJ Pearson

This book I chose purely for its cover. I was so impressed with its complete historical romance trashiness that I had to have it just for that alone. While I was reading the book, I would occasionally look at the cover and giggle. As a veteran of romance novels, the cover was something I really appreciated.

Between the covers, I was not disappointed either. This was just a fun read. I enjoyed it a lot. The story begins when a highwayman, who turns out to be not a highwayman, but a prostitute with an empty gun, holds the new Earl of Carwick, Dean Smith, at gunpoint. When Dean is discovered by his soon-to-be father-in-law while in the company of a male prostitute, his engagement is ended immediately.

Upon show more further questioning, Dean discovers that Rob, the prostitute, was hired by an unknown gentleman to have a bit of “fun” with the Earl of Carwick. Desperate to prove to his fiancée that he is not a lover of men, Dean demands Rob’s help in finding the man responsible. Thus begins a journey to Bath in order to right wrongs. But Dean discovers that he is not as adverse to Rob as he would want, and Rob definitely fancies the Earl.

There are parts in the story that seemed a bit like the author was showing off her knowledge or love of architecture, which seemed a bit out of place and superfluous, but it did later play a part in the story so it could be forgiven in the end.

This story is written in the romance novel formula, so if you are looking for plentiful down and dirty sex, you won’t find it here. There is only one scene and it is couched in euphemisms and the writers’ version of blurriness.

The characters are great and a lot of fun. Their voices are strong all the way through and you really become attached to all of them. But don’t look to the cover to tell you anything about the main characters’ relationship. In fact, pretend it is two other people portrayed on the cover, because it certainly is not the two inside the story. Again, loved the cover, but it is very misleading and can trip you up as you read.

This story is great if you want a bit of light and fun reading. And it’s perfect for those who have read historical novels in the past. It’s as familiar as a Johanna Lindsey or an Amanda Quick novel. And just as sweet. show less

It's a rather silly romance novel, but, again, it was a fun read, even though I liked The Price of Temptation (minus the dungeon-scene) much better - although most people seem to feel the opposite. This one wins a little by its nice descriptions of the English countryside, but loses by its slightly less alluring characters and its deus ex machina coincidences. Still, an enjoyable read - and yet another humorously ludicrous book-cover. :)