The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
Five hundred pages of pure delight. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue is a historical gay romance/adventure novel that could best be described as a romp, although that doesn't quite convey how smartly conceived and smartly written it is. I loved the characters: Monty, our lovable mess of a narrator; Percy, his long-suffering biracial best friend who stands up for himself when it most counts; and Felicity, Monty's badass little sister. I also loved the excellent use of prime 18th-century shenanigans, including highwaymen, pirates, improper behavior at the French court, Venetian tomb-raiding, and alchemy.Having read so many (ugh, so many) mediocre to bad YA books over the years that all felt like they were set in a black box theater, it's also worth mentioning how wonderfully visual this novel is. Our heroes' travels take them around Europe and each setting feels unique and vibrant -- it's unbelievably refreshing. As is this book.
