The Vicar and the Rake

Greene debuts with a promising gay historical, the launch of the Society of Beasts series. In 1818, Gabriel Winters, the staunchly moral vicar of a rural English town, unexpectedly reunites with his long-lost childhood friend, the libertine Edward Stanhope, Duke of Caddonfell, when Edward seeks refuge at Hardcote House, his family’s abandoned country seat, after committing the “hangable offence” of seducing the Duke of Sussex’s son. With Sussex’s men after Edward, circumstances force Edward and Gabriel to live together, and the pair soon rekindle their long-dormant desires with a breeches-tightening kiss. As Gabriel and Edward navigate their turbulent but sensual relationship, Edward’s brother, Maurice, and Gabriel’s sister, Caroline, arrive at Hardcote to help Edward evade Sussex’s wrath by digging up dirt on the duke’s past. Their plan to blackmail Sussex into backing off leads Edward and Gabriel to travel to London to visit the Society of Beasts, a secret gentlemen’s club founded by Edward. Greene is stronger with the breathless romance than she is with the intrigue that overtakes the narrative toward the end, but the characters are all finely drawn and amusing, and the period details are well wrought. Greene’s off to a strong start. Agent: Deirdre Knight, the Knight Agency. (Oct.)