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A Gentleman Tutor
For Frank Harte, impoverished schoolteacher, January in London means a yearly fight to survive. A former soldier, his injuries have barred him from all but the lowest-paid posts, and the cold incapacitates him still more.
The chance to work as tutor to Viscount Gracewater, son of the famous big-game hunting Earl, comes as a lifeline to Frank. The Earl’s Knightsbridge mansion is huge, elegant – and, most temptingly, kept warm from basement to attics. Viscount “Scapegrace” Gracie, used to foreign climes, is delicate.
He’s also wild, charming, and only five years younger than Frank himself. His innocence and feckless good nature soon endear him to the quiet, reserved tutor.
But the Earl’s house is a dark one beneath its bright veneer, and the Viscount is in the thrall of unscrupulous Arthur Dickson, a handsome, brutal parasite who’ll stop at nothing to retain his power over Gracie’s heart and soul. Edwardian secrets burgeon as Frank begins a battle to free his student, confronting along the way the knowledge that he’s losing his own heart to this brilliant and beautiful young man.
The chance to work as tutor to Viscount Gracewater, son of the famous big-game hunting Earl, comes as a lifeline to Frank. The Earl’s Knightsbridge mansion is huge, elegant – and, most temptingly, kept warm from basement to attics. Viscount “Scapegrace” Gracie, used to foreign climes, is delicate.
He’s also wild, charming, and only five years younger than Frank himself. His innocence and feckless good nature soon endear him to the quiet, reserved tutor.
But the Earl’s house is a dark one beneath its bright veneer, and the Viscount is in the thrall of unscrupulous Arthur Dickson, a handsome, brutal parasite who’ll stop at nothing to retain his power over Gracie’s heart and soul. Edwardian secrets burgeon as Frank begins a battle to free his student, confronting along the way the knowledge that he’s losing his own heart to this brilliant and beautiful young man.
193 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 4, 2020
About the author
Harper Fox
57 books1,159 followersHarper Fox is an M/M author with a mission. She’s produced six critically acclaimed novels in a year and is trying to dispel rumours that she has a clone/twin sister locked away in a study in her basement. In fact she simply continues working on what she loves best– creating worlds and stories for the huge cast of lovely gay men queuing up inside her head. She lives in rural Northumberland in northern England and does most of her writing at a pensioned-off kitchen table in her back garden, often with blanket and hot water bottle.
She lives with her SO Jane, who has somehow put up with her for a quarter of a century now, and three enigmatic cats, chief among whom is Lucy, who knows the secret of the universe but isn't letting on. When not writing, she either despairs or makes bread, specialities foccacia and her amazing seven-strand challah. If she has any other skills, she's yet to discover them.
She lives with her SO Jane, who has somehow put up with her for a quarter of a century now, and three enigmatic cats, chief among whom is Lucy, who knows the secret of the universe but isn't letting on. When not writing, she either despairs or makes bread, specialities foccacia and her amazing seven-strand challah. If she has any other skills, she's yet to discover them.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
February 26, 2020
What a story!
No, seriously, WHAT A STORY!!
I don't read Victorian gay romances often. They tend to feel a bit far-fetched at times.
However, THIS particular story takes things to a whole new level.
I need to give the plot a lot of credit for not allowing us the contentment that comes with a usual romance where two guys fall in love and that's it, no more doubts of the outcome at all. This left me in the dark so thoroughly that I found myself thinking constantly about the story during my non-reading hours.
But first things first...
Francis Harte is a struggling teacher at the very beginning of the 20th century in London. I'd call his upbringing middle-cass, for he was able to attend college, but he certainly isn't a well off man, especially after a war wound cost him a great part of his mobility (among other things..).
Limping with a cane, he's making ends meet by working two teaching jobs that barely keep a roof over his head and coal in the hearth.
His best - and equally struggling - friend Cyril has recently lost his father and inherited a great deal of money that now allows him to frequent the circles of gentility, and he happens to recommend Frank's teaching services to a renowned Earl who is looking for a tutor for his wayward son.
I should say... his 21 year old son. At 26, Frank is barely much older than his future student, but with the well-heated mansion and a feather bed in a nicely-furnished room awaiting him at the Gracewater home, Frank decides to take the job.
He barely arrived in his new home, when most peculiar things become evident about the Earl's household. Apparently, the Viscount's best male friend has a strange hold on the impressionable lad and Frank immediately senses that improving the young man's education requires removing him from a bad influence first.
However, things are MUCH DARKER than appearances make Frank believe and the true ongoings in the house of Gracewater gave me goosebumps to no end...
Frank is a really sweet character. He's trying to be a removed instructor and modern teacher of higher education, but he's basically a young man himself who finds himself drawn to another young man who is soaking up every word of his like a sponge.
I loved Frank's quick willingness to stand by his student, athough his sudden emotional commitment blindsided me a bit.
Up until the very end I wasn't sure whose motives were pure and honest in this story, which is a great plus for me in a world of predictable romance plots.
Also, the visuals in this story were really impressive. The display of dead, stuffed lions re-enacting a savannah scenery in the middle of a London townhouse really caught my attention. Also, the recurring role the whole thing plays in keeping up the spooky atmosphere throughout the story was very clever.
So all in all, I really liked this story, but one of my first impressions should not go unmentioned in the review:
Two male characters by the names of Gracie and Dixie? I mean, bad enough that everyone seems to call Gracie 'Scapegrace'. Seems like there isn't a single decent name to address the poor guy....
I definitely recommend this for being different and unique. A multi-layered story with a great sense of time and place and a character who is inherently good while dealing with characters who are anything but.
Quite a ride, I must say!
5 stars!
No, seriously, WHAT A STORY!!
I don't read Victorian gay romances often. They tend to feel a bit far-fetched at times.
However, THIS particular story takes things to a whole new level.
I need to give the plot a lot of credit for not allowing us the contentment that comes with a usual romance where two guys fall in love and that's it, no more doubts of the outcome at all. This left me in the dark so thoroughly that I found myself thinking constantly about the story during my non-reading hours.
But first things first...
Francis Harte is a struggling teacher at the very beginning of the 20th century in London. I'd call his upbringing middle-cass, for he was able to attend college, but he certainly isn't a well off man, especially after a war wound cost him a great part of his mobility (among other things..).
Limping with a cane, he's making ends meet by working two teaching jobs that barely keep a roof over his head and coal in the hearth.
His best - and equally struggling - friend Cyril has recently lost his father and inherited a great deal of money that now allows him to frequent the circles of gentility, and he happens to recommend Frank's teaching services to a renowned Earl who is looking for a tutor for his wayward son.
I should say... his 21 year old son. At 26, Frank is barely much older than his future student, but with the well-heated mansion and a feather bed in a nicely-furnished room awaiting him at the Gracewater home, Frank decides to take the job.
He barely arrived in his new home, when most peculiar things become evident about the Earl's household. Apparently, the Viscount's best male friend has a strange hold on the impressionable lad and Frank immediately senses that improving the young man's education requires removing him from a bad influence first.
However, things are MUCH DARKER than appearances make Frank believe and the true ongoings in the house of Gracewater gave me goosebumps to no end...
Frank is a really sweet character. He's trying to be a removed instructor and modern teacher of higher education, but he's basically a young man himself who finds himself drawn to another young man who is soaking up every word of his like a sponge.
I loved Frank's quick willingness to stand by his student, athough his sudden emotional commitment blindsided me a bit.
Up until the very end I wasn't sure whose motives were pure and honest in this story, which is a great plus for me in a world of predictable romance plots.
Also, the visuals in this story were really impressive. The display of dead, stuffed lions re-enacting a savannah scenery in the middle of a London townhouse really caught my attention. Also, the recurring role the whole thing plays in keeping up the spooky atmosphere throughout the story was very clever.
So all in all, I really liked this story, but one of my first impressions should not go unmentioned in the review:
Two male characters by the names of Gracie and Dixie? I mean, bad enough that everyone seems to call Gracie 'Scapegrace'. Seems like there isn't a single decent name to address the poor guy....
I definitely recommend this for being different and unique. A multi-layered story with a great sense of time and place and a character who is inherently good while dealing with characters who are anything but.
Quite a ride, I must say!
5 stars!
November 9, 2020
2.5 stars
So, all that happened in two weeks, huh? If you say so. Check your disbelief at the door and you might enjoy this one more.
The relationship aspect was just all over the place. The maturity gap between the two leads was just way too great, and Frank being a tutor and in a position of authority over Gracie didn't help matters at all. It was just too uneven, and it didn't matter that Gracie wasn't a complete innocent. He felt too much like a kid compared to Frank's level of maturity, which was brought upon through circumstances, even if their ages were just a few years apart.
There were some plot fails that don't make much sense once the truth was revealed. They're there for mislead only but don't hold up on reexamination once the new information was given. For instance, On top of that, once it was revealed what's really going on, we're also asked to believe that Sorry, not buying it and there was no reason whatsoever for the timeline to be crammed into so short a time.
There were a lot of timely coincidences, and Cyril must've been some sort of prophet to figure out everything would work out so perfectly that his various gifts would be of use. Like, did he have a magic 8 ball or something? Or did Frank show up before the lawyer did and it all would've ended the same anyway? The way it played out all felt too convenient and easy.
The writing was good though. Fox's sense of atmosphere is great, and I did like Frank's POV and his struggles with near poverty and trying to provide for himself and deal with his injuries, and Gracie was astute and intuitive when he was allowed to be. I just wish the author had allowed more time for the story to develop more naturally.
So, all that happened in two weeks, huh? If you say so. Check your disbelief at the door and you might enjoy this one more.
The relationship aspect was just all over the place. The maturity gap between the two leads was just way too great, and Frank being a tutor and in a position of authority over Gracie didn't help matters at all. It was just too uneven, and it didn't matter that Gracie wasn't a complete innocent. He felt too much like a kid compared to Frank's level of maturity, which was brought upon through circumstances, even if their ages were just a few years apart.
There were some plot fails that don't make much sense once the truth was revealed. They're there for mislead only but don't hold up on reexamination once the new information was given. For instance, On top of that, once it was revealed what's really going on, we're also asked to believe that Sorry, not buying it and there was no reason whatsoever for the timeline to be crammed into so short a time.
There were a lot of timely coincidences, and Cyril must've been some sort of prophet to figure out everything would work out so perfectly that his various gifts would be of use. Like, did he have a magic 8 ball or something? Or did Frank show up before the lawyer did and it all would've ended the same anyway? The way it played out all felt too convenient and easy.
The writing was good though. Fox's sense of atmosphere is great, and I did like Frank's POV and his struggles with near poverty and trying to provide for himself and deal with his injuries, and Gracie was astute and intuitive when he was allowed to be. I just wish the author had allowed more time for the story to develop more naturally.
February 16, 2020
I just adore Harper Fox's writing style. She's unparalleled at creating a mood, a scene, an interaction. A Gentleman Tutor was full of great moments, but I wish the plot had been given a bit more room to breathe and grow.
From the moment we meet Francis "my friends call me Frank" Harte, we sympathize with him - cold, tired, war-wounded in more than one way, and a good friend to his dissolute childhood pal/comrade-in-arms Cyril. The chance to secure a better job as live-in tutor to the charming, immature Viscount "Scapegrace" Gracie seems like a godsend but Francis soon learns that there is a lot of creepy shit happening within the warmth of his new environment. He finds himself falling for his student (it's okay, Gracie is 20 and there are only 5 years between them) but Gracie has a strong, disturbing relationship with his friend Arthur "Dixie" Dickson, not to mention he is engaged to be married to an heiress, so Francis knows his feelings can't be returned. Gracie shows surprising depths at times, but he still seems in thrall to Dixie, and Francis has nothing to offer except his books and his love.
Fox does a great job of providing historical context for the book, at the height of Britain's colonial empire and at the point where Oscar Wilde's trial set fear into the hearts of those who engaged in "the love that dare not speak its name." Francis helps Gracie question the validity of his country's conquests, and it's delightful to watch Gracie struggle to incorporate Francis' lessons into the Euro-centric worldview he has always held.
There are many moments in the book to savor between Francis and Gracie, so it pains me to admit that the love story didn't quite work for me. Within two weeks of starting his new job, Francis has decided he is desperately in love, despite Gracie's complicity in some really awful shit. Gracie comes across as a beautiful naif, blind to horrible things happening under his nose. He grows up quickly but not quite sufficiently for my taste. He does make several grand gestures that show his support and love for Francis, but at the end he still seemed more like a boy than a grown man.
I thought the book would have benefited from a few more chapters devoted to Francis and Gracie getting to know each other. I had similar feelings about Fox's most recent release, Escort, but perhaps I am just greedy to savor the author's strong yet delicate style. There are numerous delights in this book's too-few pages, including reflections on Vanity Fair and the surprising resolution to Gracie's fiance's story. I absolutely recommend A Gentleman Tutor, just be prepared to finish it wishing it had been longer.
From the moment we meet Francis "my friends call me Frank" Harte, we sympathize with him - cold, tired, war-wounded in more than one way, and a good friend to his dissolute childhood pal/comrade-in-arms Cyril. The chance to secure a better job as live-in tutor to the charming, immature Viscount "Scapegrace" Gracie seems like a godsend but Francis soon learns that there is a lot of creepy shit happening within the warmth of his new environment. He finds himself falling for his student (it's okay, Gracie is 20 and there are only 5 years between them) but Gracie has a strong, disturbing relationship with his friend Arthur "Dixie" Dickson, not to mention he is engaged to be married to an heiress, so Francis knows his feelings can't be returned. Gracie shows surprising depths at times, but he still seems in thrall to Dixie, and Francis has nothing to offer except his books and his love.
Fox does a great job of providing historical context for the book, at the height of Britain's colonial empire and at the point where Oscar Wilde's trial set fear into the hearts of those who engaged in "the love that dare not speak its name." Francis helps Gracie question the validity of his country's conquests, and it's delightful to watch Gracie struggle to incorporate Francis' lessons into the Euro-centric worldview he has always held.
There are many moments in the book to savor between Francis and Gracie, so it pains me to admit that the love story didn't quite work for me. Within two weeks of starting his new job, Francis has decided he is desperately in love, despite Gracie's complicity in some really awful shit. Gracie comes across as a beautiful naif, blind to horrible things happening under his nose. He grows up quickly but not quite sufficiently for my taste. He does make several grand gestures that show his support and love for Francis, but at the end he still seemed more like a boy than a grown man.
I thought the book would have benefited from a few more chapters devoted to Francis and Gracie getting to know each other. I had similar feelings about Fox's most recent release, Escort, but perhaps I am just greedy to savor the author's strong yet delicate style. There are numerous delights in this book's too-few pages, including reflections on Vanity Fair and the surprising resolution to Gracie's fiance's story. I absolutely recommend A Gentleman Tutor, just be prepared to finish it wishing it had been longer.
May 9, 2020
A Gentleman Tutor
By Harper Fox
Published by FoxTales, 2020
Five stars
Sigh. I have to confess, Harper Fox is my favorite author of all, and I’d probably love the telephone directory if she put her name to it (do they even have telephone directories in paper anymore?). However, this sigh is for real and for the latest of her books, which I snapped up and piled into my extensive Kindle backlog. I always resist starting Harper Fox’s books, because I know that, once I start, they’ll eventually end, and that always makes me sad.
“A Gentleman Tutor” is a miracle of literary sleight-of-hand. It is a fantasy, a fairy tale (no snorts of laughter, I am not being sly). It is a book that could only be written here and now in this wretched world where we all are – and yet it manages to lure us into believing it to be a story from the turn of the twentieth century, as poor old Victoria gasps out her last, and the British Empire is at its bloody zenith.
Francis Harte is a school teacher, and a survivor of one of the empire’s bloody skirmishes in the Far East. He and his childhood friend Cyril both came back to London and settled into lives of obscure penury – until Cyril’s father died and left him a fortune. Francis, aka Frank, struggles along, with his war wounds, with his teaching, with the awful winter cold of London, until Cyril gives him a lead to a possible job tutoring the feckless son of a filthy-rich earl in Knightsbridge. Francis follows up on this lead, and lands himself a post in the earl’s vast, well-heated, luxurious house. His only task is to babysit and, hopefully, teach something to the twenty-year-old Viscount Gracewater, known as Gracie, or Scapegrace.
“The room was enormous, high-ceilinged, every cornice carved or plaster-worked into decorative submission.” Ah, words to warm a retired curator’s heart. This is the kind of elegant, vivid prose that always makes Fox’s books stand out amongst the scores of novels I read each year. She manages to create an intense sense of place in Gracewater House, without stumbling into tedious over-description (such things were largely taken for granted in novels about the nobility). The house, its warmth, its comforts, become an increasingly heavy presence as the story progresses.
It all seems too good to be true, and indeed (as these things always are in novels) it is. The exotic opulence of the earl’s mansion quickly becomes the stage-set of a gothic novel, replete with madness, perversion, and physical violence. With every day, Harte becomes more and more alarmed, even as he grows ever fonder of Gracie, surprised at feelings he thought had died at the point of a knife thousands of miles away.
Although this is the first “period” book of Harper Fox’s I’ve read, it shares all those qualities of her other books that have come to mark them for me as special. There is action and emotion, carefully developed and folded gently together. There is even the necessary physical intimacy that the genre demands – but handled so deftly and intelligently that it becomes spiritual as much as sexual, and also essential to the development of the characters and their tale.
One of the best surprises for me, a longtime fan of nineteenth-century English novels, is an internal detail that sheds great light on both Frank and Gracie – the young viscount’s reading of Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, a book I’ve read twice and struggled with both times. The other modern novels mentioned in this story, Dickens’ “Bleak House,” and Trollope’s “The Way We Live Now,” both allude directly to the ugly mess at the center of “A Gentleman Tutor,” but only if you’ve read them. Both books are favorites of mine, and I was floored that Fox went so far as this to build a strong foundation for her own fictional account of modern life in Victorian London.
Fox’s language is perfectly calibrated. She doesn’t trip into anachronism, but also avoids the turgid prose one finds in so much Victorian literature. She walks a fine line between authenticity and readability, and never once stumbles. For a reader like me, this is a rare gift, and one to be treasured.
Toward the end of the book, one of the characters comments, “Such a little island as Britain, I mean – so powerful and ferocious, and so completely alone. Do you think we’ll ever be forgiven?” This brought a tear to my eye, because of course it not only reminds us of the current, post-Brexit Britain, but also of our own, embattled, humiliated nation. I suppose I love stories that expose the ugliness of the past, because they remind me that, while politics and imperialism come and go, love, hope and faith remain – and of these, the greatest is love.
By Harper Fox
Published by FoxTales, 2020
Five stars
Sigh. I have to confess, Harper Fox is my favorite author of all, and I’d probably love the telephone directory if she put her name to it (do they even have telephone directories in paper anymore?). However, this sigh is for real and for the latest of her books, which I snapped up and piled into my extensive Kindle backlog. I always resist starting Harper Fox’s books, because I know that, once I start, they’ll eventually end, and that always makes me sad.
“A Gentleman Tutor” is a miracle of literary sleight-of-hand. It is a fantasy, a fairy tale (no snorts of laughter, I am not being sly). It is a book that could only be written here and now in this wretched world where we all are – and yet it manages to lure us into believing it to be a story from the turn of the twentieth century, as poor old Victoria gasps out her last, and the British Empire is at its bloody zenith.
Francis Harte is a school teacher, and a survivor of one of the empire’s bloody skirmishes in the Far East. He and his childhood friend Cyril both came back to London and settled into lives of obscure penury – until Cyril’s father died and left him a fortune. Francis, aka Frank, struggles along, with his war wounds, with his teaching, with the awful winter cold of London, until Cyril gives him a lead to a possible job tutoring the feckless son of a filthy-rich earl in Knightsbridge. Francis follows up on this lead, and lands himself a post in the earl’s vast, well-heated, luxurious house. His only task is to babysit and, hopefully, teach something to the twenty-year-old Viscount Gracewater, known as Gracie, or Scapegrace.
“The room was enormous, high-ceilinged, every cornice carved or plaster-worked into decorative submission.” Ah, words to warm a retired curator’s heart. This is the kind of elegant, vivid prose that always makes Fox’s books stand out amongst the scores of novels I read each year. She manages to create an intense sense of place in Gracewater House, without stumbling into tedious over-description (such things were largely taken for granted in novels about the nobility). The house, its warmth, its comforts, become an increasingly heavy presence as the story progresses.
It all seems too good to be true, and indeed (as these things always are in novels) it is. The exotic opulence of the earl’s mansion quickly becomes the stage-set of a gothic novel, replete with madness, perversion, and physical violence. With every day, Harte becomes more and more alarmed, even as he grows ever fonder of Gracie, surprised at feelings he thought had died at the point of a knife thousands of miles away.
Although this is the first “period” book of Harper Fox’s I’ve read, it shares all those qualities of her other books that have come to mark them for me as special. There is action and emotion, carefully developed and folded gently together. There is even the necessary physical intimacy that the genre demands – but handled so deftly and intelligently that it becomes spiritual as much as sexual, and also essential to the development of the characters and their tale.
One of the best surprises for me, a longtime fan of nineteenth-century English novels, is an internal detail that sheds great light on both Frank and Gracie – the young viscount’s reading of Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, a book I’ve read twice and struggled with both times. The other modern novels mentioned in this story, Dickens’ “Bleak House,” and Trollope’s “The Way We Live Now,” both allude directly to the ugly mess at the center of “A Gentleman Tutor,” but only if you’ve read them. Both books are favorites of mine, and I was floored that Fox went so far as this to build a strong foundation for her own fictional account of modern life in Victorian London.
Fox’s language is perfectly calibrated. She doesn’t trip into anachronism, but also avoids the turgid prose one finds in so much Victorian literature. She walks a fine line between authenticity and readability, and never once stumbles. For a reader like me, this is a rare gift, and one to be treasured.
Toward the end of the book, one of the characters comments, “Such a little island as Britain, I mean – so powerful and ferocious, and so completely alone. Do you think we’ll ever be forgiven?” This brought a tear to my eye, because of course it not only reminds us of the current, post-Brexit Britain, but also of our own, embattled, humiliated nation. I suppose I love stories that expose the ugliness of the past, because they remind me that, while politics and imperialism come and go, love, hope and faith remain – and of these, the greatest is love.
April 8, 2020
Enjoyed this one, but for me, the author still doesn't seem to be anywhere near on the same level story-wise as my absolute faves of hers Seven Summer Nights and Brothers of the Wild North Sea. The Tyack & Frayne series of course is excellent too, but Harper's muse is obviously taking its own sweet time to return [although I'll still be here when it does]. 4 stars for this slightly underdone story.
September 3, 2020
DNF 40% I usually don't review or even rate books I don't finish, but I'm so disappointed and... I guess resentful about this one that I'm going to vent a little. The setup is so completely improbable I don't know where to start. 1) NONE of this could have happened in the late Victorian era IN LONDON, especially right after the Oscar Wilde trial ratcheted up the homophobia to fascist levels. If Fox wanted to write a Gothic she could have at least set it in a remote Country House where the shenanigans could have been kept under wraps, maybe. 2) I won't bore you with all the plot developments I found unbelievable; other reviewers whose opinion I have great respect for really appreciate how the story plays out, and maybe the improbabilities are addressed by the Great Reveal, but I just couldn't go on suspending disbelief any longer. This pains me because Harper Fox was my first great love in the m/m genre, but maybe I just can't accept the liberties she takes with period (and plot) in a historical.
February 24, 2020
A Gentleman Tutor was nothing at all like what I expected and I appreciated the strange and wild ride it took me on.
Very interesting and well told. The author is amazing at making the setting another character in her stories and this one really nailed the whole mood perfectly.
Very interesting and well told. The author is amazing at making the setting another character in her stories and this one really nailed the whole mood perfectly.
September 7, 2020
1,5 Sterne, großzügig aufgerundet auf 2, weil ich so ungerne 1-Sterne Bewertungen gebe.
Uff. Allein die Tatsache, dass ich "Große Erwartungen" von Charles Dickens schneller fertig hatte als diese Novelle sollte verraten wie sehr sie sich gezogen hat.
Eigentlich vereint diese Geschichte ganz viele Dinge, die ich mag: Gay romance, historisches Setting, ganz viel hurt/comfort und Angst. Die Autorin hat sogar einen irgendwie angenehmen, poetischen Schreibstil. Aber oh mein Gott war die Story verworren und unausgegoren und die Charaktere wie Abziehbildchen.
Frank und sein Schützling sind zwar nur 5 Jahre auseinander (er ist 26 und "Gracie" 21), und trotzdem fühlte sich das Ganze unglaublich falsch an. Ich muss dazu sagen, dass mich große Altersabstände gar nicht stören, so lange ich nur das Gefühl habe, dass sich die Protagonisten auf Augenhöhe begegnen. Wie bei Jane Eyre. Sie und Rochester sind bestmmt zwanzig Jahre auseinander, aber sie begegnen sich halt von Anfang an total auf Augenhöhe, und sie ist ihm geistig und emotional in jeder Hinsicht gewachsen. Aber hier hat es sich die ganze Zeit so angefühlt als sei Frank ungefähr 70 (er klingt unglaublich verknöchert und tattrig) und Gracie etwa 12, weil er teilweise so kindlich und naiv war. Das hat sich auch leider nie geändert und schon allein deswegen fand ich die Romanze unglaublich icky und unangenehm.
Auch ist Frank eine sehr seltsame Mischung aus armselig (er friert und zittert und humpelt und stürzt, er hat nur ein einziges Hemd, was er tragen kann, weil er so arm ist etc.) und gleichzeitig unglaublich unpassend selbstbewusst und fordernd (er stellt bei seiner Einstellung einen Haufen Bedingungen und droht mehrfach zu gehen, wenn sich bestimmte Dinge nicht ändern, wo ich nur dachte WTF? So verhält sich doch kein verzweifelter, verarmter Hauslehrer, der eigentlich alles nehmen müsste, um zu überleben). Ich konnte ihn einfach nicht leiden, weil er eine so leidende, selbstgerechte Madonna war.
Gracie mochte ich, aber er war halt so misshandelt und kindlich, dass ich ihn wirklich nicht in einer sexuellen Beziehung sehen wollte, sondern nur in Langzeittherapie.
Die psychologischen Spielchen, die sich teilweise im Hintergrund des Haushaltes abzeichnen, sind so heftig () dass ich mir nicht vorstellen kann, dass sich jemand davon so schnell wieder erholt wie das hier zu passieren scheint.
Also ganz vieles an dieser Geschichte fühlt sich an wie eine falsche Note, dabei waren die Ideen durchaus interessant und Harper Fox kann auch schreiben. Aber der emotionale Bogen hat für mich einfach keinerlei Sinn gemacht.
Uff. Allein die Tatsache, dass ich "Große Erwartungen" von Charles Dickens schneller fertig hatte als diese Novelle sollte verraten wie sehr sie sich gezogen hat.
Eigentlich vereint diese Geschichte ganz viele Dinge, die ich mag: Gay romance, historisches Setting, ganz viel hurt/comfort und Angst. Die Autorin hat sogar einen irgendwie angenehmen, poetischen Schreibstil. Aber oh mein Gott war die Story verworren und unausgegoren und die Charaktere wie Abziehbildchen.
Frank und sein Schützling sind zwar nur 5 Jahre auseinander (er ist 26 und "Gracie" 21), und trotzdem fühlte sich das Ganze unglaublich falsch an. Ich muss dazu sagen, dass mich große Altersabstände gar nicht stören, so lange ich nur das Gefühl habe, dass sich die Protagonisten auf Augenhöhe begegnen. Wie bei Jane Eyre. Sie und Rochester sind bestmmt zwanzig Jahre auseinander, aber sie begegnen sich halt von Anfang an total auf Augenhöhe, und sie ist ihm geistig und emotional in jeder Hinsicht gewachsen. Aber hier hat es sich die ganze Zeit so angefühlt als sei Frank ungefähr 70 (er klingt unglaublich verknöchert und tattrig) und Gracie etwa 12, weil er teilweise so kindlich und naiv war. Das hat sich auch leider nie geändert und schon allein deswegen fand ich die Romanze unglaublich icky und unangenehm.
Auch ist Frank eine sehr seltsame Mischung aus armselig (er friert und zittert und humpelt und stürzt, er hat nur ein einziges Hemd, was er tragen kann, weil er so arm ist etc.) und gleichzeitig unglaublich unpassend selbstbewusst und fordernd (er stellt bei seiner Einstellung einen Haufen Bedingungen und droht mehrfach zu gehen, wenn sich bestimmte Dinge nicht ändern, wo ich nur dachte WTF? So verhält sich doch kein verzweifelter, verarmter Hauslehrer, der eigentlich alles nehmen müsste, um zu überleben). Ich konnte ihn einfach nicht leiden, weil er eine so leidende, selbstgerechte Madonna war.
Gracie mochte ich, aber er war halt so misshandelt und kindlich, dass ich ihn wirklich nicht in einer sexuellen Beziehung sehen wollte, sondern nur in Langzeittherapie.
Die psychologischen Spielchen, die sich teilweise im Hintergrund des Haushaltes abzeichnen, sind so heftig () dass ich mir nicht vorstellen kann, dass sich jemand davon so schnell wieder erholt wie das hier zu passieren scheint.
Also ganz vieles an dieser Geschichte fühlt sich an wie eine falsche Note, dabei waren die Ideen durchaus interessant und Harper Fox kann auch schreiben. Aber der emotionale Bogen hat für mich einfach keinerlei Sinn gemacht.
March 2, 2020
Such is my agreement with Aldi's review that it saves me the pains of independently penning my own chronicle of this book. In a nutshell, Mrs Fox devoted such care to the writing, going to exceptional lengths so that the reader would feel immersed in the sounds, tastes, mindsets, and trappings of the Victorian era, while never losing sight of the various threads and layers of the strong plot, that her atmospheric world building and iron-tight narrative cast heavy shadows over the romance. The leads did not make my heart aflutter; this went to the point that, as they became an item, I felt a dissonance from them and could but take only detached interest in their inroads together. Ultimately, this was a virtuoso exercise in futility - a period romance that works well as an harmonious whole yet falls somewhat flat, perhaps because this genre is so fake and convention-laden as to prevent even the most accomplished writers like Mrs Fox from aceing it to my satisfaction.
March 24, 2022
Wow, this is how not to incorporate social justice themes. Fox is attempting to point out the evils of colonialism while absolving the ”good” type of coloniser (ie white saviours & hard workers) and it feels so very gross. It’s also the most awkward and stilted romance I’ve ever read from Fox and left me entirely cold.
June 20, 2024
DNF @ 51%
Wow, this was a disappointment! The plot is a mess, the romance wasn't my cup of tea and the author's constant lecturing about social issues got on my nerves, especially because the majority of those issues had nothing to do with the story. This story was published in 2020 and the author has slowed her production to a crawl since then so I don't know if the author is dealing with some personal problems and that's partially to blame for this story being a mess or if the author was too heavily influenced by the woke politics of the pre-pandemic era but this story isn't up to the author's normal standards at all.
This is the author's first (and so far only) story taking place in the Edwardian time period and she hasn't written anything else even remotely close to it (she has two other historicals, one set in Viking times and another being in WW2). I think that's part of the reason why the social issues commentary was so heavy handed and OTT. Some authors seem to think that they have an obligation to lecture readers about every single social issue that impacted a certain time period and they also need to make sure that their MCs demonstrate that they hold very strong 21st century liberal views about all of these issues or readers will have problems with the material. I hate this approach and I expected better from Harper Fox but something went badly sideways with this story.
The lecturing about social issues and what is the Right vs Wrong opinion about those issues is so prevalent that it takes over nearly the entire narrative and often at inappropriate or weird times. The premise is that 26 year old Frank is hired as a tutor for naïve 20 year old Viscount Gracewater (aka Gracie). Their very first lesson has Frank lecturing Gracie about how evil British colonialism is, which Gracie eagerly eats up with a spoon and he immediately agrees with Frank on every single point he makes. Several chapters later, Frank and Gracie go to help Frank's best friend Cyril who is drunk and was arrested on public indecency charges and Frank once again lectures Gracie about the evils of colonialism while they're standing in the jail cell with a drunk, cold, crying Cyril between them. Then there's the time Frank randomly educates Gracie about women's right and there's also a short discussion about sex worker rights, neither of which had anything to do with the story.
The only one of the author's chosen social issues that fit into the story was having Frank be a lifelong advocate for universal education rights. The guy's a teacher and he's taught many different people (including teaching dockworkers in the evening to read and write) so this advocacy lane made a lot of sense and it would have suited the story very well to go more in depth with it. It also would have been a very interesting plotline because education rights isn't often brought up in historical romances and I would have loved to learn more about this topic and it would have made the book unique. Also - I think the story would have been a lot better if Frank's love interest had been one of the dockworkers. Unfortunately, the author chose naïve simpleton Gracie as the love interest and this was likely done so the author could have Frank constantly lecture Gracie about how all white rich men are evil and how Gracie needs to Do Better.
The relentless lecturing about social issues wasn't the book's only misstep. Another big one was having the narrative be very cluttered by the existence of too many characters and too many issues. Lastly, the author tried to create a creepy gothic vibe by spending way too much time describing the many stuffed safari animals that Gracie's dad keeps around the house and there are constant metaphors related to them. It was weird. Everything about this book was weird and I wish the author had used a decent editor who could have wrangled this mess into something more cohesive and organized.
My last issue was with the romance. YMMV but I didn't believe in these two as a couple. They might only be 5 years apart but Frank is a 26 year old with the life experiences of a 50 year old while Gracie is a 20 year old with the life experiences of a 12 year old. Gracie contributed nothing to this relationship and their interactions always consisted of Frank having to educate/lecture Gracie about things and Gracie being the wide-eyed student eagerly absorbing knowledge from his elder. Their relationship felt more like an older/younger brother one or Frank came across like a surrogate father to Gracie. I didn't feel any chemistry between them and I didn't understand what Frank saw in Gracie. Lastly, there was a small issue that's purely a me-thing but this is the third historical romance I've read recently where the author is relentless in their message of 'all rich white men are evil' yet chooses one of their MCs to be a rich, white man. They seem to feel the only way to make that character likeable (since the MC = Evil according to their own rigid definitions of what's good vs evil) is to make him a naïve, meek puppy who accepts being used as a punching bag by others who feel his existence is offensive. I hate everything about that narrative choice.
I don't understand why the author didn't make this a friends to lovers romance between Frank and Cyril. While pairing up Frank with a dockworker would have been very interesting, the entire foundation for a romance between Cyril and Frank was already there! LITERALLY! The two of them have been best friends since childhood, they've known they're both gay for ages and they've lived through tons of difficult, intense life experiences together. These two have been through thick and thin together and even in the present, they're still dealing with various issues. But no matter what, the one constant is that they always stick together and help each other, even if one person needs more help at certain times than the other. A romance between the two of them was the most natural and most interesting option that the author had and I have no idea why she chose to pair up Frank with Gracie instead. What a huge miss!
The author does deserve credit for doing a fantastic job with the historical details. In particular, the author did a great job portraying the Edwardian period, complete with all the details that demonstrate the shift from the 1800s to the new 20th century. As is usual for this author, the writing was gorgeous and the descriptions of the weather and scenery were a treat to read. But as I always say - gorgeous writing has nothing to do with good storytelling and this story didn't work for me at all.
Wow, this was a disappointment! The plot is a mess, the romance wasn't my cup of tea and the author's constant lecturing about social issues got on my nerves, especially because the majority of those issues had nothing to do with the story. This story was published in 2020 and the author has slowed her production to a crawl since then so I don't know if the author is dealing with some personal problems and that's partially to blame for this story being a mess or if the author was too heavily influenced by the woke politics of the pre-pandemic era but this story isn't up to the author's normal standards at all.
This is the author's first (and so far only) story taking place in the Edwardian time period and she hasn't written anything else even remotely close to it (she has two other historicals, one set in Viking times and another being in WW2). I think that's part of the reason why the social issues commentary was so heavy handed and OTT. Some authors seem to think that they have an obligation to lecture readers about every single social issue that impacted a certain time period and they also need to make sure that their MCs demonstrate that they hold very strong 21st century liberal views about all of these issues or readers will have problems with the material. I hate this approach and I expected better from Harper Fox but something went badly sideways with this story.
The lecturing about social issues and what is the Right vs Wrong opinion about those issues is so prevalent that it takes over nearly the entire narrative and often at inappropriate or weird times. The premise is that 26 year old Frank is hired as a tutor for naïve 20 year old Viscount Gracewater (aka Gracie). Their very first lesson has Frank lecturing Gracie about how evil British colonialism is, which Gracie eagerly eats up with a spoon and he immediately agrees with Frank on every single point he makes. Several chapters later, Frank and Gracie go to help Frank's best friend Cyril who is drunk and was arrested on public indecency charges and Frank once again lectures Gracie about the evils of colonialism while they're standing in the jail cell with a drunk, cold, crying Cyril between them. Then there's the time Frank randomly educates Gracie about women's right and there's also a short discussion about sex worker rights, neither of which had anything to do with the story.
The only one of the author's chosen social issues that fit into the story was having Frank be a lifelong advocate for universal education rights. The guy's a teacher and he's taught many different people (including teaching dockworkers in the evening to read and write) so this advocacy lane made a lot of sense and it would have suited the story very well to go more in depth with it. It also would have been a very interesting plotline because education rights isn't often brought up in historical romances and I would have loved to learn more about this topic and it would have made the book unique. Also - I think the story would have been a lot better if Frank's love interest had been one of the dockworkers. Unfortunately, the author chose naïve simpleton Gracie as the love interest and this was likely done so the author could have Frank constantly lecture Gracie about how all white rich men are evil and how Gracie needs to Do Better.
The relentless lecturing about social issues wasn't the book's only misstep. Another big one was having the narrative be very cluttered by the existence of too many characters and too many issues. Lastly, the author tried to create a creepy gothic vibe by spending way too much time describing the many stuffed safari animals that Gracie's dad keeps around the house and there are constant metaphors related to them. It was weird. Everything about this book was weird and I wish the author had used a decent editor who could have wrangled this mess into something more cohesive and organized.
My last issue was with the romance. YMMV but I didn't believe in these two as a couple. They might only be 5 years apart but Frank is a 26 year old with the life experiences of a 50 year old while Gracie is a 20 year old with the life experiences of a 12 year old. Gracie contributed nothing to this relationship and their interactions always consisted of Frank having to educate/lecture Gracie about things and Gracie being the wide-eyed student eagerly absorbing knowledge from his elder. Their relationship felt more like an older/younger brother one or Frank came across like a surrogate father to Gracie. I didn't feel any chemistry between them and I didn't understand what Frank saw in Gracie. Lastly, there was a small issue that's purely a me-thing but this is the third historical romance I've read recently where the author is relentless in their message of 'all rich white men are evil' yet chooses one of their MCs to be a rich, white man. They seem to feel the only way to make that character likeable (since the MC = Evil according to their own rigid definitions of what's good vs evil) is to make him a naïve, meek puppy who accepts being used as a punching bag by others who feel his existence is offensive. I hate everything about that narrative choice.
I don't understand why the author didn't make this a friends to lovers romance between Frank and Cyril. While pairing up Frank with a dockworker would have been very interesting, the entire foundation for a romance between Cyril and Frank was already there! LITERALLY! The two of them have been best friends since childhood, they've known they're both gay for ages and they've lived through tons of difficult, intense life experiences together. These two have been through thick and thin together and even in the present, they're still dealing with various issues. But no matter what, the one constant is that they always stick together and help each other, even if one person needs more help at certain times than the other. A romance between the two of them was the most natural and most interesting option that the author had and I have no idea why she chose to pair up Frank with Gracie instead. What a huge miss!
The author does deserve credit for doing a fantastic job with the historical details. In particular, the author did a great job portraying the Edwardian period, complete with all the details that demonstrate the shift from the 1800s to the new 20th century. As is usual for this author, the writing was gorgeous and the descriptions of the weather and scenery were a treat to read. But as I always say - gorgeous writing has nothing to do with good storytelling and this story didn't work for me at all.
February 18, 2020
3.5 stars. It was beautifully written with a rich atmosphere, and I was chuffed Harper Fox tried her hand at another historical (Brothers of the Wild North Sea is one of my favourite books by her), but I have too many quibbles to round up.
Good stuff first: I loved the setting. The icy chill of the Victorian winter was palpable and reflected the protagonist's inner bleak desperation so well, and I could feel myself breathing with him when he enters the weird hothouse world of the Gracewater mansion. The mood at the house was extremely well set, and all the slowly unveiled, dark goings-on made for nice, shivery suspense. The period was well-chosen as well, it felt really immersive, especially in terms of the queer community (such as it was - I loved Frank's friendship with Cyril, dysfunctional though he was, and their loyalty to each other). The musings on colonialism, though well-intentioned, seemed at times perhaps a tad forced and academic, coming as they did from a place of privilege, but I did appreciate that these things were addressed. (Even the little wistful nods to the EU in light of Brexit were subtle enough to not seem preachy.)
I liked Frank as a main character and thought his injury and related issues were really well handled .
The thing that unfortunately fell short a bit for me was the romance itself. I liked both Frank and Gracie but the insta-connection didn't work that well for me. I was pretty confused when Frank initially meets Dixie and Gracie engaged in the exact same activity, displaying the same overall attitude, and decides, at first sight, that Dixie is a complete and irredeemable creep/monster and Gracie is a sweet and charming slice of delight and just in need of some direction. He isn't wrong, but I found it weird that he had them pegged so accurately before anyone had barely said a word, and that he and Gracie immediately fell into this place of seeming familiarity and fondness with each other.
If this was overly convenient, so were other things - the f/f side plot had so much potential but it was resolved so rapidly, and it seemed like most of the characters spent the entire book worrying about money and/or employment on the one hand (realistic), holding forth on how not having money builds character (lol, ok), and then having various large fortunes drop in their laps to solve all their problems anyway (convenient).
I did enjoy Frankie and Gracie's relationship once they were on a page about things, but the way they got there felt off in various ways, some of them subtle; there's the tutor/student relationship, not an issue in and of itself since Frank is only 5 years older, but he did seem a lot more mature and I was occasionally weirded out by their lessons and Frank's nudging Gracie towards certain perspectives. It wasn't grooming, exactly, but it also didn't feel entirely right. Gracie does have his eyes opened about some of the awful crap going on in the house, and he does mature and he *is* genuinely lovely, but I also felt that this was an awfully fast way to get over years of abuse, enthrallment and complicity, and that it was a bit too simple to have them fall in love in two weeks and that fixes everything.
So yeah, bit of a mixed bag. It was a beautiful and unique read, because Harper Fox's writing is always lovely, but I wasn't sold on this pairing as much as I usually am.
Good stuff first: I loved the setting. The icy chill of the Victorian winter was palpable and reflected the protagonist's inner bleak desperation so well, and I could feel myself breathing with him when he enters the weird hothouse world of the Gracewater mansion. The mood at the house was extremely well set, and all the slowly unveiled, dark goings-on made for nice, shivery suspense. The period was well-chosen as well, it felt really immersive, especially in terms of the queer community (such as it was - I loved Frank's friendship with Cyril, dysfunctional though he was, and their loyalty to each other). The musings on colonialism, though well-intentioned, seemed at times perhaps a tad forced and academic, coming as they did from a place of privilege, but I did appreciate that these things were addressed. (Even the little wistful nods to the EU in light of Brexit were subtle enough to not seem preachy.)
I liked Frank as a main character and thought his injury and related issues were really well handled .
The thing that unfortunately fell short a bit for me was the romance itself. I liked both Frank and Gracie but the insta-connection didn't work that well for me. I was pretty confused when Frank initially meets Dixie and Gracie engaged in the exact same activity, displaying the same overall attitude, and decides, at first sight, that Dixie is a complete and irredeemable creep/monster and Gracie is a sweet and charming slice of delight and just in need of some direction. He isn't wrong, but I found it weird that he had them pegged so accurately before anyone had barely said a word, and that he and Gracie immediately fell into this place of seeming familiarity and fondness with each other.
If this was overly convenient, so were other things - the f/f side plot had so much potential but it was resolved so rapidly, and it seemed like most of the characters spent the entire book worrying about money and/or employment on the one hand (realistic), holding forth on how not having money builds character (lol, ok), and then having various large fortunes drop in their laps to solve all their problems anyway (convenient).
I did enjoy Frankie and Gracie's relationship once they were on a page about things, but the way they got there felt off in various ways, some of them subtle; there's the tutor/student relationship, not an issue in and of itself since Frank is only 5 years older, but he did seem a lot more mature and I was occasionally weirded out by their lessons and Frank's nudging Gracie towards certain perspectives. It wasn't grooming, exactly, but it also didn't feel entirely right. Gracie does have his eyes opened about some of the awful crap going on in the house, and he does mature and he *is* genuinely lovely, but I also felt that this was an awfully fast way to get over years of abuse, enthrallment and complicity, and that it was a bit too simple to have them fall in love in two weeks and that fixes everything.
So yeah, bit of a mixed bag. It was a beautiful and unique read, because Harper Fox's writing is always lovely, but I wasn't sold on this pairing as much as I usually am.
March 2, 2020
Stronger Than We Think for Love!
An intriguing, a bit bizarre historical tale of manipulation, social pressures and love between war disabled Tutor Frank Harte & beleaguered young Lord Gracie. Pros: kept me interested, I was not sure what was going on most of the book. A bit of ”edge of my seat” reading. Interesting MCs, co-characters, a well-written premise. Cons: some scenes not believable...would household staff allow some of the bizarre activities; a bit too neatly wrapped up ending. Overall, a very good read!
An intriguing, a bit bizarre historical tale of manipulation, social pressures and love between war disabled Tutor Frank Harte & beleaguered young Lord Gracie. Pros: kept me interested, I was not sure what was going on most of the book. A bit of ”edge of my seat” reading. Interesting MCs, co-characters, a well-written premise. Cons: some scenes not believable...would household staff allow some of the bizarre activities; a bit too neatly wrapped up ending. Overall, a very good read!
March 18, 2020
A Joyfully Jay review.
4 stars
Jay and Sammy are doing a Buddy Review of A Gentleman Tutor by Harper Fox. You can find both of their thoughts on the book below…
Read Jay’s and Sammy's review in its entirety here.
4 stars
Jay and Sammy are doing a Buddy Review of A Gentleman Tutor by Harper Fox. You can find both of their thoughts on the book below…
Read Jay’s and Sammy's review in its entirety here.
February 27, 2020
Unfortunately I was very disappointed with this book. It is my least favorite of all of the authors works so far. I usually look forward to everything she writes. Hoping for a better next novel.
November 24, 2023
I've given this a B for narration and a C for content at AudioGals. so that's 3.5 stars
Harper Fox’s A Gentleman Tutor is a standalone historical romance with a gothic tinge; a poor tutor goes to work at a grand house (although this one is in Kensington and not on the wild and windy moors!) and is caught up in a battle for the heart and soul of his tutee. I have it in print but – (you guessed it!) – haven’t got around to reading it yet, so I jumped at the chance to listen to and review the audio version. Narrator Callum Hale is new to me, and although it took me a little while to get used to him, he acquits himself well and I’d certainly listen to him again.
Impoverished schoolteacher Frank Harte is facing a cold and difficult winter. A leg wound sustained during military service in India has left him with a severe limp (and other problems) and proves a bar to finding a better-paid position, so he works two jobs, teaching at a boys’ school in Shoreditch during the day and teaching dockhands to read and write three nights a week. He is barely keeping body and soul together, having to make continual trade-offs as to what essentials he can afford. Until recently, his long-time best friend Cyril was in similar circumstances, but he inherited a fortune on the recent death of his father, money that is now allowing him to move in higher circles than previously, and when the book opens, he’s sought Frank out to tell him that he’s recommended his services to the Earl of Gracewater, who is looking for a tutor to prepare his twenty-one-year-old son for Cambridge.
Frank is reluctant. For one thing, he has never done any private tutoring, and for another, at twenty-six, he’s only five years older than the viscount – will he be able to command the young man’s respect given their closeness in age? But Cyril assures him the “lad is bright as a button”, if a bit wild, and that Frank will be able to manage him perfectly well – and the prospect of a well-furnished, well-heated room and a soft bed eventually wins Frank round. A week or so later, he presents himself at the Earl’s imposing Kensington mansion and is offered the job on the spot. When he meets the young viscount -– whose nickname “Gracie” is a diminution of “scapegrace” (as well as of “Gracewater” – and here I have to point out the fact that it’s surely not likely that the Earl of Gracewater’s son would bear the same courtesy title – Gracewater – as his father) – it doesn’t take Frank long to work out that there’s something… odd going on and that Gracie seems to be in thrall to his best friend, Arthur Dixon (Dixie), who is clearly a very bad influence. Frank realises he’s got his work cut out for him if he’s going to attempt to sever the connection between the pair and remove Gracie from whatever hold his friend has over him.
A Gentleman Tutor gets off to a great start. The author skilfully mirrors the desperation and bleakness of Frank’s life in the chill of the icy Edwardian-era winter, and she creates a palpable mood of unease and creepiness at the Gracewater mansion that builds slowly as the dark goings-on at the house are revealed. Frank is a sweet character, a thoroughly decent man who has been through a lot and is trying to put the pieces of his life back together. He wants to do the right thing by Gracie and tries hard to be the detached instructor, but can’t help being drawn to the gorgeous young man who is – when not in Dixie’s company – so amiable and eager to learn.
But the book falls down when it comes to the romance, which just didn’t work for me. The story takes place over a period of about two weeks, and I couldn’t buy the insta-connection between Frank and Gracie, or that Frank somehow manages to help Gracie overcome years of emotional and physical abuse in such a short space of time. That Frank is able to decide right away that Dixie is an evil little shit and Gracie is the sweet, charming but wronged party in their friendship when all he has seen of both young men is them behaving in similarly unpleasant ways and displaying a similarly unpleasant attitude seems overly contrived, as does Frank and Gracie’s super-fast arrival at a state of fondness and familiarity when they hardly know each other. It’s hard to believe, too, that Gracie is only five years younger than Frank; Frank may be a bit old before his time, it’s true, but Gracie is so much more immature in so many ways that he feels like a young teen rather than a young man on the verge of his majority. He does make several gestures that show his support and love for Frank near the end, but he never seems like an equal partner in their relationship. And looking back, there were a number of inconsistencies in the plotline that didn’t add up once I really thought about them.
Callum Hale appears to be relatively new to audiobook narration (there are only a handful of titles attributed to him at Audible), but his voice and manner of delivery are an excellent fit for the material, and his narration is well-paced and clearly differentiated. I’m not quite sure why it took me a chapter (or thereabouts) to get used to him – perhaps it was just down to the fact that I wasn’t familiar with the way he sounds – but once I was, I was able to settle in and enjoy his performance. The story is told entirely through Frank’s eyes, and I liked Mr. Hale’s portrayal of him – he’s a bit world-weary, but still capable of joy and wonder when he falls for Gracie. Dixie is given a kind of “puffy” sneer that fits him very well, Gracie sounds like the wide-eyed ingénue he (sort of) is, and the Earl is all jowly gravel. The cast is mostly male, but the couple of female characters are appropriately voiced and the performance is well-nuanced throughout. On the downside, I noticed a small number of mispronunciations, and there were occasions when Frank and Cyril sounded too alike.
So A Gentleman Tutor was a bit of a mixed bag. The story had real potential, but in the end felt as though it was badly in need of fleshing out. The writing is great – Harper Fox is a master at creating atmospheric tension – Frank is a sympathetic and engaging protagonist, and I enjoyed what we saw of his friendship with Cyril. But the romance falls flat and ultimately, there are just too many moving parts for a story of this length (200 pages in print, under six hours in audio) and whole thing is a bit of a mess. But at least I’ve discovered a new narrator to look out for.
This review originally appeared at AudioGals .
Harper Fox’s A Gentleman Tutor is a standalone historical romance with a gothic tinge; a poor tutor goes to work at a grand house (although this one is in Kensington and not on the wild and windy moors!) and is caught up in a battle for the heart and soul of his tutee. I have it in print but – (you guessed it!) – haven’t got around to reading it yet, so I jumped at the chance to listen to and review the audio version. Narrator Callum Hale is new to me, and although it took me a little while to get used to him, he acquits himself well and I’d certainly listen to him again.
Impoverished schoolteacher Frank Harte is facing a cold and difficult winter. A leg wound sustained during military service in India has left him with a severe limp (and other problems) and proves a bar to finding a better-paid position, so he works two jobs, teaching at a boys’ school in Shoreditch during the day and teaching dockhands to read and write three nights a week. He is barely keeping body and soul together, having to make continual trade-offs as to what essentials he can afford. Until recently, his long-time best friend Cyril was in similar circumstances, but he inherited a fortune on the recent death of his father, money that is now allowing him to move in higher circles than previously, and when the book opens, he’s sought Frank out to tell him that he’s recommended his services to the Earl of Gracewater, who is looking for a tutor to prepare his twenty-one-year-old son for Cambridge.
Frank is reluctant. For one thing, he has never done any private tutoring, and for another, at twenty-six, he’s only five years older than the viscount – will he be able to command the young man’s respect given their closeness in age? But Cyril assures him the “lad is bright as a button”, if a bit wild, and that Frank will be able to manage him perfectly well – and the prospect of a well-furnished, well-heated room and a soft bed eventually wins Frank round. A week or so later, he presents himself at the Earl’s imposing Kensington mansion and is offered the job on the spot. When he meets the young viscount -– whose nickname “Gracie” is a diminution of “scapegrace” (as well as of “Gracewater” – and here I have to point out the fact that it’s surely not likely that the Earl of Gracewater’s son would bear the same courtesy title – Gracewater – as his father) – it doesn’t take Frank long to work out that there’s something… odd going on and that Gracie seems to be in thrall to his best friend, Arthur Dixon (Dixie), who is clearly a very bad influence. Frank realises he’s got his work cut out for him if he’s going to attempt to sever the connection between the pair and remove Gracie from whatever hold his friend has over him.
A Gentleman Tutor gets off to a great start. The author skilfully mirrors the desperation and bleakness of Frank’s life in the chill of the icy Edwardian-era winter, and she creates a palpable mood of unease and creepiness at the Gracewater mansion that builds slowly as the dark goings-on at the house are revealed. Frank is a sweet character, a thoroughly decent man who has been through a lot and is trying to put the pieces of his life back together. He wants to do the right thing by Gracie and tries hard to be the detached instructor, but can’t help being drawn to the gorgeous young man who is – when not in Dixie’s company – so amiable and eager to learn.
But the book falls down when it comes to the romance, which just didn’t work for me. The story takes place over a period of about two weeks, and I couldn’t buy the insta-connection between Frank and Gracie, or that Frank somehow manages to help Gracie overcome years of emotional and physical abuse in such a short space of time. That Frank is able to decide right away that Dixie is an evil little shit and Gracie is the sweet, charming but wronged party in their friendship when all he has seen of both young men is them behaving in similarly unpleasant ways and displaying a similarly unpleasant attitude seems overly contrived, as does Frank and Gracie’s super-fast arrival at a state of fondness and familiarity when they hardly know each other. It’s hard to believe, too, that Gracie is only five years younger than Frank; Frank may be a bit old before his time, it’s true, but Gracie is so much more immature in so many ways that he feels like a young teen rather than a young man on the verge of his majority. He does make several gestures that show his support and love for Frank near the end, but he never seems like an equal partner in their relationship. And looking back, there were a number of inconsistencies in the plotline that didn’t add up once I really thought about them.
Callum Hale appears to be relatively new to audiobook narration (there are only a handful of titles attributed to him at Audible), but his voice and manner of delivery are an excellent fit for the material, and his narration is well-paced and clearly differentiated. I’m not quite sure why it took me a chapter (or thereabouts) to get used to him – perhaps it was just down to the fact that I wasn’t familiar with the way he sounds – but once I was, I was able to settle in and enjoy his performance. The story is told entirely through Frank’s eyes, and I liked Mr. Hale’s portrayal of him – he’s a bit world-weary, but still capable of joy and wonder when he falls for Gracie. Dixie is given a kind of “puffy” sneer that fits him very well, Gracie sounds like the wide-eyed ingénue he (sort of) is, and the Earl is all jowly gravel. The cast is mostly male, but the couple of female characters are appropriately voiced and the performance is well-nuanced throughout. On the downside, I noticed a small number of mispronunciations, and there were occasions when Frank and Cyril sounded too alike.
So A Gentleman Tutor was a bit of a mixed bag. The story had real potential, but in the end felt as though it was badly in need of fleshing out. The writing is great – Harper Fox is a master at creating atmospheric tension – Frank is a sympathetic and engaging protagonist, and I enjoyed what we saw of his friendship with Cyril. But the romance falls flat and ultimately, there are just too many moving parts for a story of this length (200 pages in print, under six hours in audio) and whole thing is a bit of a mess. But at least I’ve discovered a new narrator to look out for.
This review originally appeared at AudioGals .
February 25, 2020
Totally Off-the-Victorian Wallpaper
Frank Harte, an impoverished young British schoolteacher hobbled by a severe injury in the wars of India is suddenly given an opportunity to become tutor to a 20-year-old spoiled and somewhat wild Viscount Gracewater, incongruously nicknamed Gracie.
Bit of luck, isn't it? No matter the way Frank was recommended to the boy's father by his long time friend and war veteran Cyril, and the totally off-the-wall household environment that he encounters.
Gracies's father is a big game hunter and totally obsessed to the point that he does little else. His best friend, Arthur Dickson (nicknamed Dixie), is immediately spotted by Frank as a destructive and possibly perverted influence on Gracie. And Rose, Gracie's intended wife, is a bit subject to alcoholic overdoses and is often saved from total embarrassment by her companion, Mary.
This crowd is without question weird for any era, and it is especially eyebrow raising in the Victorian era.
What fun!
Actually, there's not a heck of a lot of fun in any of the lives of these characters, but author Harper Fox has done with impossible situations before. In this one, there is heartbreak all around, dastardly deeds, violence afoot, tragedy and, eventually, escape.
Along the way we are enticed into believing that a love story could develop between Frank and Gracie, and that turns out to become a delightful repast set before us with some subtlety but eventually fully cooked. Delicious!
Frank Harte, an impoverished young British schoolteacher hobbled by a severe injury in the wars of India is suddenly given an opportunity to become tutor to a 20-year-old spoiled and somewhat wild Viscount Gracewater, incongruously nicknamed Gracie.
Bit of luck, isn't it? No matter the way Frank was recommended to the boy's father by his long time friend and war veteran Cyril, and the totally off-the-wall household environment that he encounters.
Gracies's father is a big game hunter and totally obsessed to the point that he does little else. His best friend, Arthur Dickson (nicknamed Dixie), is immediately spotted by Frank as a destructive and possibly perverted influence on Gracie. And Rose, Gracie's intended wife, is a bit subject to alcoholic overdoses and is often saved from total embarrassment by her companion, Mary.
This crowd is without question weird for any era, and it is especially eyebrow raising in the Victorian era.
What fun!
Actually, there's not a heck of a lot of fun in any of the lives of these characters, but author Harper Fox has done with impossible situations before. In this one, there is heartbreak all around, dastardly deeds, violence afoot, tragedy and, eventually, escape.
Along the way we are enticed into believing that a love story could develop between Frank and Gracie, and that turns out to become a delightful repast set before us with some subtlety but eventually fully cooked. Delicious!
March 14, 2020
I love a good queer historical romance, and having read that this one had f/f and trans rep in it as well as a central m/m pairing, I was pretty excited for it. I wish there were more queer historical romance books which weren't just m/m, and to give the author her due, although it's very much a side pairing, the other queer romance in this one is done well. I'd be happy to read a spinoff of their story. And you know, there was a lot of other stuff here that I liked a lot. The Victorian setting was done very well, with a lot of attention to detail that really worked, and I liked the protagonist and the fact that he's stuffy and a bit repressed and essentially a 70 year old man in the body of a 26 year old, because... same. I liked that he was also disabled, because we don't see a lot of disabled rep where the disabled character is allowed to be viewed in a romantic or sexual context without fetishisation. There was none of that here, which I appreciated.
However, despite only being 5 years younger than the narrator, the central love interest is very sheltered and immature; at one point, he essentially plays a game of hide and seek with a pal and gets chastised for it, and he's repeatedly described as being child-like, to the extent that the protagonist calls him 'lad' (truly the most erotic of pet names for one's beloved) about once every 3 pages, and it gave me very, very squiffy vibes. I can't root for a couple where one of them honestly doesn't seem to have the understanding of an adult for the majority of the book. The power imbalance was just too extreme. There were honestly times where I wondered if that character really had the capacity to consent because he seemed to be emotionally about 12. I considered DNFing this one, but it's only a short book, so I persevered. I'm not sure I loved where it ended, either; one of the (sex-related) elements of the protagonist's disability is magically restored at the end, which seemed like a cop-out.
I don't know. There were too many things here that squicked me out. I'd read more of the author's work and will absolutely be giving her a second chance, because her writing is genuinely lovely and the world-building is great, as is most of the characterisation, but this one had too many problematic elements for me to enjoy it as a romance. As a historical novel which is fully aware of its problematic content, maybe, but this one didn't engage with it critically and seemed to be romanticising things that I'm not sure are particularly healthy.
Content warnings for this book: mentions of rape, suicide, drug abuse, alcoholism, homophobia, physical abuse, sexual abuse
However, despite only being 5 years younger than the narrator, the central love interest is very sheltered and immature; at one point, he essentially plays a game of hide and seek with a pal and gets chastised for it, and he's repeatedly described as being child-like, to the extent that the protagonist calls him 'lad' (truly the most erotic of pet names for one's beloved) about once every 3 pages, and it gave me very, very squiffy vibes. I can't root for a couple where one of them honestly doesn't seem to have the understanding of an adult for the majority of the book. The power imbalance was just too extreme. There were honestly times where I wondered if that character really had the capacity to consent because he seemed to be emotionally about 12. I considered DNFing this one, but it's only a short book, so I persevered. I'm not sure I loved where it ended, either; one of the (sex-related) elements of the protagonist's disability is magically restored at the end, which seemed like a cop-out.
I don't know. There were too many things here that squicked me out. I'd read more of the author's work and will absolutely be giving her a second chance, because her writing is genuinely lovely and the world-building is great, as is most of the characterisation, but this one had too many problematic elements for me to enjoy it as a romance. As a historical novel which is fully aware of its problematic content, maybe, but this one didn't engage with it critically and seemed to be romanticising things that I'm not sure are particularly healthy.
Content warnings for this book: mentions of rape, suicide, drug abuse, alcoholism, homophobia, physical abuse, sexual abuse
November 26, 2020
Thank you so much to my 2020 Secret Santa for the gift! <3
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I wanted to like this one more than I did. :/ As always, the writing here was wonderful, I thought the historical aspect was really well captured, and there was such a gorgeous sense of atmosphere throughout. The characters were interesting, and I particularly liked Frank and his war wound and how that affected him (though wasn't so keen on the sudden apparent fix at the end, which I felt sort of cheapened that storyline, but I digress).
I never really connected with Gracie, however, and I honestly felt like the plot was a bit of a hot mess. There were so many moving parts, but none of them felt like they were fully developed so it felt almost like I was reading a very general outline of what should happen instead of an actual developed story. There were some interesting bones, but perhaps given the short length, none of it felt really properly fleshed out. The relationship was just sort of meh for me, and there were just a number of aspects that were rushed through and left me feeling unsatisfied.
I *did* generally like it, but more for the writing itself than the content.
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I wanted to like this one more than I did. :/ As always, the writing here was wonderful, I thought the historical aspect was really well captured, and there was such a gorgeous sense of atmosphere throughout. The characters were interesting, and I particularly liked Frank and his war wound and how that affected him (though wasn't so keen on the sudden apparent fix at the end, which I felt sort of cheapened that storyline, but I digress).
I never really connected with Gracie, however, and I honestly felt like the plot was a bit of a hot mess. There were so many moving parts, but none of them felt like they were fully developed so it felt almost like I was reading a very general outline of what should happen instead of an actual developed story. There were some interesting bones, but perhaps given the short length, none of it felt really properly fleshed out. The relationship was just sort of meh for me, and there were just a number of aspects that were rushed through and left me feeling unsatisfied.
I *did* generally like it, but more for the writing itself than the content.
February 19, 2020
Once I start a Harper Fox story I usually can't put it down, and that was certainly true for A Gentleman Tutor. There's so much trouble for both characters that I wasn't sure how she'd resolve everything, but I was delighted by the end.
Content Warning: name-calling, past and current hidden violence done to the younger man most of his life, one abusive sex scene, and a suicide.
Kudos to the author: for giving your reader hope of change, great leading characters (all six of them), and justice through wit and courage rather than violence and law.
Really loved this one.
Content Warning: name-calling, past and current hidden violence done to the younger man most of his life, one abusive sex scene, and a suicide.
Kudos to the author: for giving your reader hope of change, great leading characters (all six of them), and justice through wit and courage rather than violence and law.
Really loved this one.
March 29, 2020
This author's style of writing was odd to me. It felt rushed, disjointed and hard to follow. I finished feeling disappointed because the beginning was quite intriguing. This was such a strange read and Gracie and Dixie were so bizarre and immature, it was hard to wrap my head around the fact that they were in their twenties.
March 5, 2023
3.5 rounded up
Harper Fox is a lyrical writer who I read often and love. This had preachy overtones and more complicated plot than usual. I enjoyed it but I didn't love it.
I loved the beginning but Gracie's situation was quite strange and it look a long time (too long?) for Francis to figure it out. The father didn't actually make sense and the time line was too short for the connections formed. Also, Cyril's interventions were too perfect. It was just held together by Fox's excellent writing and atmosphere, but it really was uneven and didn't work as well and her usual writing does.
So it's 3.5 rounded up. Worth reading, but if you've never read Harper Fox before, I would start with another of hers, and then work up to here.
I will say, that it captures the desperation of the 'gentleman' with no funds very well indeed!
Harper Fox is a lyrical writer who I read often and love. This had preachy overtones and more complicated plot than usual. I enjoyed it but I didn't love it.
I loved the beginning but Gracie's situation was quite strange and it look a long time (too long?) for Francis to figure it out. The father didn't actually make sense and the time line was too short for the connections formed. Also, Cyril's interventions were too perfect. It was just held together by Fox's excellent writing and atmosphere, but it really was uneven and didn't work as well and her usual writing does.
So it's 3.5 rounded up. Worth reading, but if you've never read Harper Fox before, I would start with another of hers, and then work up to here.
I will say, that it captures the desperation of the 'gentleman' with no funds very well indeed!
February 26, 2024
Not as gothic as I would have liked, but a decent romance overall.
June 23, 2020
This was a bit of a disappointment after all the good reviews. A lot of the writing is overly flowery or obtuse that it was sometimes hard to understand what the author or the main character, Frank/Francis, was trying to say. Something like the nature of his injury, as a major plot point, needs to be more clear - I wasn't even sure if he was partially or fully castrated or not until the salve rubdown scene and even then I wasn't at 100%.
Most importantly, the relationship between Frank and Gracie didn't feel like it had a natural progression, going from 0 to 60 very unnaturally and making me uncomfortable. Mid-book, we have Frank laughing to himself that he's in love with his student a mere week or two after they've first met and have hardly spoken about anything other than geography or Gracie's very unhealthy relationship with Dixie, when ever since returning from the war Frank was of the mind that he'd never be able to love a man as a man (due to his at-this-point-unclear groin injury plus the laws of the era). This "revelation" of his also comes after he walks in on Dixie and Gracie in very brutal and very public S&M session in the front hall, while the Lord (Gracie's dad) is actually home. Frank saves them from the Lord's discovery with what reads like a slapstick comedy scene but that is so poorly written that it's hard to follow.
Frank's various lectures in colonialism was definitely the author trying to get a point across and didn't seem like something a 25 year old Regency ex-soldier would choose as his first (and seemingly only) lesson nor that a spoiled 20 year old viscount would be particularly interested in, enough to kick out his best friend/lover over the tutor's hurt feelings. Dixie's attitude, while grating, was much more realistic as opposed to Gracie's wide-eyed innocent interest. Gracie was also written ridiculously child-like even as well-travelled, sexually experienced, and just as old as he is - another reason this relationship was uncomfortable to read.
Overall, this book feels wholly unrealistic and doesn't have enough smut to make it a pulp romance though the writing is at that level. This is one you can skip.
Most importantly, the relationship between Frank and Gracie didn't feel like it had a natural progression, going from 0 to 60 very unnaturally and making me uncomfortable. Mid-book, we have Frank laughing to himself that he's in love with his student a mere week or two after they've first met and have hardly spoken about anything other than geography or Gracie's very unhealthy relationship with Dixie, when ever since returning from the war Frank was of the mind that he'd never be able to love a man as a man (due to his at-this-point-unclear groin injury plus the laws of the era). This "revelation" of his also comes after he walks in on Dixie and Gracie in very brutal and very public S&M session in the front hall, while the Lord (Gracie's dad) is actually home. Frank saves them from the Lord's discovery with what reads like a slapstick comedy scene but that is so poorly written that it's hard to follow.
Frank's various lectures in colonialism was definitely the author trying to get a point across and didn't seem like something a 25 year old Regency ex-soldier would choose as his first (and seemingly only) lesson nor that a spoiled 20 year old viscount would be particularly interested in, enough to kick out his best friend/lover over the tutor's hurt feelings. Dixie's attitude, while grating, was much more realistic as opposed to Gracie's wide-eyed innocent interest. Gracie was also written ridiculously child-like even as well-travelled, sexually experienced, and just as old as he is - another reason this relationship was uncomfortable to read.
Overall, this book feels wholly unrealistic and doesn't have enough smut to make it a pulp romance though the writing is at that level. This is one you can skip.
August 6, 2021
This book was...a journey? I can't say that I disliked the writing, the language was good and had it matched the story I would have even liked the book, maybe, but after the first few pages for me it just went spiralling down.
The story confused me, very much so, I couldn't connect at all with the characters because they seemed to change personality in every single chapter. The language they spoke was not fitting to the historical setting at all, Mr. Harte lectured like he was from the 21st century when he really wasn't, his character just seemed too modern and gullible at the same time.
Gracie seemed like what emerged from someone wanting to write a romance between a young student and their tutor but having to make the main character an adult for legal reasons. At some many points in the story I just cringed at the character interactions and the story itself because everything just felt so weird and out of place, especially Gracie acting like an 8 year old.
And so much trauma, drama, daddy issues and unhealthy relationships that seemed so random. Yes, the story was essentially based on that but it didn't fit the characters at all and every storyline just seemed out of place compared to the other ones.
This didn't feel like a historical novel with two gay main characters, this felt like a Wattpad writer trying to legally publish a fanfiction involving a minor and filling plot holes by adding angst, bdsm and trauma.
I just finished the book because I don't like leaving things unfinished but I couldn't say that I had fun reading it.
The story confused me, very much so, I couldn't connect at all with the characters because they seemed to change personality in every single chapter. The language they spoke was not fitting to the historical setting at all, Mr. Harte lectured like he was from the 21st century when he really wasn't, his character just seemed too modern and gullible at the same time.
Gracie seemed like what emerged from someone wanting to write a romance between a young student and their tutor but having to make the main character an adult for legal reasons. At some many points in the story I just cringed at the character interactions and the story itself because everything just felt so weird and out of place, especially Gracie acting like an 8 year old.
And so much trauma, drama, daddy issues and unhealthy relationships that seemed so random. Yes, the story was essentially based on that but it didn't fit the characters at all and every storyline just seemed out of place compared to the other ones.
This didn't feel like a historical novel with two gay main characters, this felt like a Wattpad writer trying to legally publish a fanfiction involving a minor and filling plot holes by adding angst, bdsm and trauma.
I just finished the book because I don't like leaving things unfinished but I couldn't say that I had fun reading it.
February 13, 2024
Wow this was dark. I'm pretty fine with most dark topics but there was a point here that I felt the oppressive atmosphere crush my heart. Luckily, it lasted briefly and things got better soon. In fact, I'd say that the resolution was a little too neat with everything occurring a tad too conveniently, but after the bleakness of the first half, I was quite happy to handwave my objections.
Harper Fox is a heck of an author and it's clear here too. Gorgeous writing. Frank's POV and voice was well done. I feel like I've read an actual memoir, I keep forgetting he isn't real. Manning and Cyril made for strong side characters even though they had so little page time. The world she created, although dark and vile, was nonetheless vividly drawn with the stuffed animals and the jungle imagery of the Gracewater house. The pairing was sweet but I can't quite suspend my disbelief that Gracie changed so much in two weeks. If two months had passed, I'd be a lot more on board with it.
In short, an interesting work but not one of my faves by Fox.
Harper Fox is a heck of an author and it's clear here too. Gorgeous writing. Frank's POV and voice was well done. I feel like I've read an actual memoir, I keep forgetting he isn't real. Manning and Cyril made for strong side characters even though they had so little page time. The world she created, although dark and vile, was nonetheless vividly drawn with the stuffed animals and the jungle imagery of the Gracewater house. The pairing was sweet but I can't quite suspend my disbelief that Gracie changed so much in two weeks. If two months had passed, I'd be a lot more on board with it.
In short, an interesting work but not one of my faves by Fox.
November 22, 2021
Three and a half stars, rounding up to four. I read Wolf Hall, one of Fox’s shorter pieces, earlier in the year and enjoyed it, so thought I’d try another of hers and I’m glad I did. It’s a historical romance this time, as opposed to the arguably paranormal romance of before, and it was well worth it. I hadn’t read a lot of gay historical romance prior to this year (and I still haven’t read that much of it to be honest), but what I have read has been thoughtful and appealing and A Gentleman Tutor is no different. The protagonist, especially, is extremely likeable, and if the love interest can be somewhat spineless in his behavior at times, there’s a good reason for it, and by the end it’s clear that, with help, he’s doing his best to be a better person. I don’t know why efforts at men’s emotional growth are more apparent to me in gay romance than the straight equivalent (perhaps it’s just a skewed result from a too-small sample size) but it’s a welcome change nonetheless.
November 9, 2020
I kinda expected better from Harper Fox. It was a bit of a mess. If I'm being honest.
There were some weird things happening here. And it all happened so fast. And several times I stopped reading
and I tried to figure out what year it all is happening at. Also Frank's opinions.... felt out of place and time. I mean yeah I agree with a lot what he was trying to teach, but at that time....was it really realistic to have such opinions? It felt like 2020 year opinions were planted straight into his head. And I'm still not clear on what year that all happened. Okay, so I wasn't buying that part of the story.
Next we had Gracie. And Rose. And Cyril. And Earl.....Total lack of composure, manners, common sense....
Oh and for :"Let's call for mister Holmes." Yep, let's add stupid to the list.
Zero chemistry between Frank and Gracie. There was nothing.
It was a weird book.
1,6 stars
There were some weird things happening here. And it all happened so fast. And several times I stopped reading
and I tried to figure out what year it all is happening at. Also Frank's opinions.... felt out of place and time. I mean yeah I agree with a lot what he was trying to teach, but at that time....was it really realistic to have such opinions? It felt like 2020 year opinions were planted straight into his head. And I'm still not clear on what year that all happened. Okay, so I wasn't buying that part of the story.
Next we had Gracie. And Rose. And Cyril. And Earl.....Total lack of composure, manners, common sense....
Oh and for :"Let's call for mister Holmes." Yep, let's add stupid to the list.
Zero chemistry between Frank and Gracie. There was nothing.
It was a weird book.
1,6 stars
February 29, 2020
“Do not give them a candle to light the way, teach them how to make fire instead. That is the meaning of enlightenment.” ― Kamand Kojouri
Frank Harte, of ‘A Gentleman Tutor’ by Harper Fox, has been living in poverty since he came back from war as a disabled veteran. Due to his limited mobility it is difficult for him to find a job. Frank is barely getting by when a friend alerts him to a job as a tutor for an earl’s son. He is skeptical, but can’t afford to turn down an opportunity that may change his life
Frank goes to what he expects to be an interview, but the earl hires him on the spot. When he meets his student, Gracie, he begins to understand why. Gracie is twenty years old, but acts much younger. He is spoiled and undisciplined and Frank wonders if he is even teachable. To make matters worse, Gracie’s best friend is a constant fixture at the residence and a source of constant aggravation. The house itself is odd and a little spooky. The earl is an avid hunter with trophies all over the walls, as well as stuffed animals that he has killed. From the start, Frank is aware that something is off about the relationships in the household and the longer he is there, the more convinced he is that he is correct.
The delay in Gracie’s education has been caused by his inability to stay out of trouble in the schools that he has attended, but he is not dumb. Frank is an excellent teacher, who knows how to inspire an interest in learning. Gracie takes to it well, despite his friend’s attempts to distract him at every turn. He used to have all of Gracie’s attention and is jealous of Frank because he is taking some of that attention away. Frank begins to have “inappropriate” feelings for Gracie; he has to keep reminding himself that he is Gracie’s teacher and, as such, is honor bound to maintain a certain amount of distance from him. Frank’s illusion of Gracie being an innocent is shattered when he catches him and his best friend in a very compromising situation involving a whip. What concerns him even more, is that his father catches them and, instead of interrupting, turns away in disgust. Frank is confounded by this turn of circumstances, but one thing he is becoming convinced of is that the best thing for Gracie would be to get away from his father’s influence.
Harper has created a complex story, full of surprising, atypical characters and situations, especially for the time in which the book takes place. She has found a way to work out solutions to problems that are seemingly impossible to solve finding positive solutions for her heroes and satisfying justice for the villains enhancing the theme of good overcoming evil. I’d recommend this story to anyone who loves historical romance with a twist. Thanks, Harper, for a unique look at love and life.
Frank Harte, of ‘A Gentleman Tutor’ by Harper Fox, has been living in poverty since he came back from war as a disabled veteran. Due to his limited mobility it is difficult for him to find a job. Frank is barely getting by when a friend alerts him to a job as a tutor for an earl’s son. He is skeptical, but can’t afford to turn down an opportunity that may change his life
Frank goes to what he expects to be an interview, but the earl hires him on the spot. When he meets his student, Gracie, he begins to understand why. Gracie is twenty years old, but acts much younger. He is spoiled and undisciplined and Frank wonders if he is even teachable. To make matters worse, Gracie’s best friend is a constant fixture at the residence and a source of constant aggravation. The house itself is odd and a little spooky. The earl is an avid hunter with trophies all over the walls, as well as stuffed animals that he has killed. From the start, Frank is aware that something is off about the relationships in the household and the longer he is there, the more convinced he is that he is correct.
The delay in Gracie’s education has been caused by his inability to stay out of trouble in the schools that he has attended, but he is not dumb. Frank is an excellent teacher, who knows how to inspire an interest in learning. Gracie takes to it well, despite his friend’s attempts to distract him at every turn. He used to have all of Gracie’s attention and is jealous of Frank because he is taking some of that attention away. Frank begins to have “inappropriate” feelings for Gracie; he has to keep reminding himself that he is Gracie’s teacher and, as such, is honor bound to maintain a certain amount of distance from him. Frank’s illusion of Gracie being an innocent is shattered when he catches him and his best friend in a very compromising situation involving a whip. What concerns him even more, is that his father catches them and, instead of interrupting, turns away in disgust. Frank is confounded by this turn of circumstances, but one thing he is becoming convinced of is that the best thing for Gracie would be to get away from his father’s influence.
Harper has created a complex story, full of surprising, atypical characters and situations, especially for the time in which the book takes place. She has found a way to work out solutions to problems that are seemingly impossible to solve finding positive solutions for her heroes and satisfying justice for the villains enhancing the theme of good overcoming evil. I’d recommend this story to anyone who loves historical romance with a twist. Thanks, Harper, for a unique look at love and life.
December 31, 2022
I did not enjoy this as much as I thought I would. The writing was fantastic, as HF's writing always is. It’s weird to adore a book’s writing but not really click w the story itself. I was quite bored during the first half or so and then things became quite depressing as well as slightly, oddly depraved but the end was completely delightful. What a mixed bag.
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