Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: The Merchant and the Clergyman
AUTHOR: Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon
PUBLISHER: Smashwords
LENGTH: 186 Pages
BLURB:
A village clergyman
Curate James Fletcher is content shepherding his parishioners through the good and bad times of their lives. If he sometimes dreams of making a deeper connection with a man who truly knows everything about him, it is an impulse he ignores.
A devoted businessman
Declan Shaw solves problems at his family’s many business enterprises. Recently, he’s considered ceasing his travels to pursue a few desires of his own. He’d love to explore his secret love of cooking and perhaps have a relationship with a man that lasts longer than a night.
The event that brings them together
In town for his cousin’s wedding, Declan meets James just as he’s bested the annoying groom. Intrigued by the mild-mannered cleric’s surprising spirit, Declan asks James to help him discover if his aging aunt is being mistreated by her spouse.
As their paths repeatedly cross, the men reach an intersection of attraction they can’t ignore. Will they dare purse forbidden passion and continue to journey together into the future, or will their differences tear them apart?
REVIEW:
Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon seem intent on making me into a reader of Historical M/M Fiction!
In The Merchant and the Clergyman, they once again go down the historical route. This time pairing a dashing young merchant with an equally dashing young Curate. The Curate, James Fletcher, is quite the popular young man in his small town. All the local young ladies have their eye on him and shower him with gifts. He is a clergyman though, and is content administering to the needs of the parish. The local Vicar (his boss) is a touch lazy, and pawns most of the work off on James. But James doesn’t mind. He takes great pleasure out of his chosen vocation.
James though is hiding a secret. He really isn’t interested in those young ladies at all. His tastes run more to the local minor nobleman’s son, Kip. It turns out James was Kip’s plaything for years during school, even though the sex was one sided. Now Kip is to be married. But why are he and his bride-to-be insisting James perform the ceremony? Several nights before the wedding, Kip shows up at James’ door to insist he do the wedding, and he is looking for a little more…
Then to further complicate James life, just as James knees Kip in the balls for being inappropriate, Kip’s cousin, Declan Shaw walks through the door. One look and both men recognize in each other a fellow lover of men. Will they act upon it, and if so, what will happen next? We also learn that something is off with Declan’s aging aunt. Can the men discover what is going on? Will they be able to develop any sort of relations?
I liked this story. It was an easy read, with a fairly straightforward plot and there really weren’t any surprises along the way. I would recommend the book to anyone who likes a historical m/m fiction/romance. There is some mild bondage, but nothing that will at all affect your read. Good job ladies….keep them coming.
RATING: 
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