Discreet Young Gentleman [Paperback]

As a kid, I used to secretly go through my sister's stash of Harlequin Romance novels. Since there's a high probability that my sister will see this post, so much for secrets! Well, a few days ago, I heard about "Discreet Young Gentleman." A trashy romance novel (I use the term lovingly), but with two guys?! It was a dream come true! I ordered it, received it yesterday, and only planned to read a couple of chapters. Well, I kept telling myself I would put it down... and then before I knew it, it was 5am in the morning and I had finished the book.

It has dashing young men, ghosts, class conflict, internalized homophobia, severe body image issues (yes, really), and some rather hot lovin' romance novel-style. The author, MJ Pearson, injects a great deal of humor into the novel, but it's never saccharine. The comedic moments are done just right, and add to the poignancy of the lovers' dilemma. MJ Pearson is quite talented and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work!

A buddy of mine bought me this book based on its (pretty appalling) cover art, knowing my fondness for reading really trashy Regency fiction and then posting scathing comments on my blog. We brought it along on a weekend reading/writing getaway north of here, and I settled in to read it. About three chapters in I looked across the room, where he lay sprawled on his bed, reading, and said "This is annoyingly well written."

And it is well written. Pearson has a breezy, easy to read voice, has created interesting characters, and tells their story very well. "Gentleman" is an extremely readable and fun book. The character development is good; Rob and Dean, the main characters, are given time to actually become fond of one another before tumbling in the sack, their conversations and interactions are fun and believeable (with a caveat I'll explore later). The secondary characters and bit parts border on brilliant, with quirky uncles and insane pub denizens scattered through the pages and delighting at every turn. The climax of the story and the resolution are lovely (with a caveat), and the romance ends -- or rather, commences seriously -- in a very satisfying manner. The different stories that were told in the book -- some of the ghost stories, for example -- were very enjoyable, and the entire "Ghost Tour of The County" was a clever and interesting device. And, to my particular delight, the sex scenes in the story are handled very well, and are plot intrinsic, not gratuitous; this is no common thing. Also, Pearson is a woman who writes male/male romance sex and romance believably, and that, to a gay man, is particularly gratifying.

Now to the caveats.

I said above that Pearson has a good storytelling voice, and she does. She does not, however, have a Regency voice. While I can overlook that in the narrative sections, the dialogue, particularly between the two men, was fairly jarring to my ear, and yanked me out of the period on frequent occasion. What we have here is contemporary 21st century people in a Regency setting and costume. A specific: on at least two occasions the men use the word "terrific" in a very contemporary sense, meaning "excellent". This was not a common use of this word until the very late 19th Century; prior to about 1880 the word meant "inspiring awe or terror". Everyone's tendency to call each other by their Christian names, and not their surnames, was equally offputting. It just didn't happen. While this may seem petty to some, those specific instances yanked me out of the world of the book, and I resented it. I liked the world of the book and wanted to stay there. It was rather like watching Kevin Costner trying to be Robin Hood; it just didn't work.

That was my biggest issue with the book. Other, less distracting elements were there, but not overwhelming. The character Rob seemed to fall prey to the unfortunate "I'm Gay And I'm Okay..." Cliche of many historical gay fictions, but Pearson avoids the deadly "...And So Is Everyone Else" followup. Sodomy was a hanging offence in Regency England, and had been for well over a century. While it is remotely possible that someone like Rob could be that balanced about it, it seemed a remarkably modern self point of view for a person to take.

Keeping with this, the threads of 20th/21st Century Pschospeak that ran through the story -- Rob's situation, Erich's story, and Dean's self worth issues (I won't be more specific, to avoid spoilers) -- left me a bit unsettled. While I have no doubt such conditions and mindests existed, everyone treated them in a very post advent of psychology way, which I sincerely doubt would have happened. However, again, this wasn't bad, just anachronistic.

So, in summary, while I give the story and the telling a good 4 -4.5 stars, I have to give a 1-2 star rating because of the anachronisms. Some might not mind them, but I'm a bit of an authenticity freak. I wouldn't be quite so harsh, except Pearson is clearly, clearly capable of achieving a proper balance. Rob's story of how he chose his pseudonym was outstanding. In this two page snippet, Pearson rises above the rest of the book and touches the heart and the mind of her reader with her language, imagery, and skill. If she continues writing in this vein, with this rigor and care, she'll be a definite on my reading list.

In my opinion, Ms. Pearson has a gift for Gay Regency romances that many Straight authors of romance might envy.

Though a rather short novel, "Discreet Young Gentlemen" successfully presents its two protagonists believably and develops them to the reader's satisfaction - or at least to my satisfaction. Where some period authors bog the reader down in interminable "scene-setting" minutiae, Ms. Pearson presents such complementary details effectively and enjoyably, without ever making one wonder (as some authors unfortunately do) where the story went after reading three pages of technical data on wescots or paniers. The story moves smoothly; the romantic development is warm and sexy without ever becoming maudlin or cheap; there is adventure, mystery, humour and, of course, all the delights to be discovered when characters find themselves on "the path to True Love."

Ms. Pearson is definitely an author of Gay romance whose works I can recommend. I've read both of her existing books and recommend them to anyone who enjoys this genre. I can't wait to see the third book the author is working on which, I understand, will deal with an English soldier and a French gentleman during the Napoleonic Era.