Summary: Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.
But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.
Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores (Via Goodreads.com).
Pages: 497
Release Date: June 27th, 2017
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Review:
I have been highly anticipating The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue. It was one of the few books I preordered this year. For the last six months, I have heard nothing but rave reviews, but I unfortunately did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped I would. To my delight, the characters were absolutely adorable and lovable; however, the plot was forgettable and, at times, I had a difficult time engaging with the story.
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue is based in the 1700s and follows Monty as he takes a year-long tour of Europe with his best friend, Percy, before Monty will be forced to settle down and take over his father's estate. His sister, Felicity, is also along for the first part of the tour until she is dropped off at finishing school. Of course, everything goes awry when Monty steals something and he is also forced to confront his more than friendly feelings for his best friend.
Monty, Percy, and Felicity were the best part of the book. They all possessed strong personalities and brought the story to life. I was excited to learn that Felicity will be getting her own book, The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, which is expected to be released in 2018. I also loved the relationship between Monty and Percy. They were absolutely adorable together and I want to see more of them. It was interesting to see each of the characters interact with their time-period. Each of the characters possess at least one trait or feature that their society dislikes and attempts to control since it contrasts with their ideals. It was fascinating to learn about each of the characters and how they cope with their "flaw." I also loved the addition of the Author's Note, it provided valuable resources and information to some of the issues and politics addressed in the book that were unable to be fully flushed out in the story arc.
While the characters were a joyful and rambunctious bunch, the story was rather forgettable. I read The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue in eight days, a few days of those eight I did not read the book at all. During the few times I put it down, I forgot some of the references they made to previously revealed things, such as why Monty was kicked out of boarding school. The plot and the storylines of the book were not boring by any means, but I had a difficult time absorbing them. The amount of information thrown at me was not too much, I was not engaged as much as I should have been in the story. The story was compelling at times, but sometimes the plot would stretch itself out for too long. Even though the story was long, I do not feel that the book had closure. While we will probably be seeing Monty and Percy in The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, I wish we would have learned more about their ending. Mackenzi Lee had originally sworn she would not write another book with these characters, so she should have given her readers a little more because that was supposedly the last time we would have visited these characters. I am glad there is more to come, but she should have provided a bit more at the end of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue. She would have left all three of her characters too soon if she had not agreed to write a second book. It was left too open-ended for all of the characters. I wanted more resolve for the supposed only book featuring these characters.
Another issue I had with The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue was it's map. While I typically love the inclusion of maps, the map featured in The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue featured spoilers. Obviously the plans for the European tour go awry and the characters' journey to unexpected places, but I hate the fact that the reader learns where they travel before they even start the story. I wish the map at the beginning was either a basic European map that features all the cities they travel to as well as other European cities or featured the original course they had planned to take. Before each section of the book that introduces where the characters are, the reader could have referred to the basic map at the front to see where they were or the map with the original route could be featured in each section with a section of the new route added. While this issue was not a major one, I would have preferred to have been surprised where these characters traveled to. I wanted to feel as though I was on a detour, too.
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue was a cute YA Historical Fiction book that also featured some heavy topics. It was perfect to read during the summer, especially on a road-trip to Chicago like I did. I am excited to read about Felicity's journey in the The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy as well as possibly see some familiar faces. I recommend picking up a copy of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue if you have not already, it is an enjoyable and intriguing read. Unfortunately, I did not completely love it, but The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue was enjoyable and worth the read.
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