Reviewed by Jess

TITLE: Behind These Doors

SERIES: Radical Proposals #1

AUTHOR: Jude Lucens

PUBLISHER: Greenwose Books

LENGTH: 449 pages

RELEASE DATE:  June 22, 2018

BLURB:

Lucien Saxby is a journalist, writing for the society pages. The Honourable Aubrey Fanshawe, second son of an earl, is Society. They have nothing in common, until a casual encounter leads to a crisis.

Aubrey isn’t looking for love. He already has it, in his long-term clandestine relationship with Lord and Lady Hernedale. And Lucien is the last man Aubrey should want. He’s a commoner, raised in service, socially unacceptable. Worse, he writes for a disreputable, gossip-hungry newspaper. Aubrey can’t afford to trust him when arrest and disgrace are just a breath away.

Lucien doesn’t trust nobs. Painful experience has taught him that working people simply don’t count to them. Years ago, he turned his back on a life of luxury so his future wouldn’t depend on an aristocrat’s whim. Now, thanks to Aubrey, he’s becoming entangled in the risky affairs of the upper classes, antagonising people who could destroy him with a word.

Aubrey and Lucien have too much to hide—and too much between them to ignore. Rejecting the strict rules and closed doors of Edwardian society might lead them both to ruin… but happiness and integrity alike demand it.

REVIEW:

A good historical romance isn’t easy to master. Only a few authors in the LGBT genre have made a career out of purely historical stories, and I hope Jude Lucens is now in that successful group, because this book is wonderful.

Taking place in the strict Edwardian society of 1906, the story alternates between two third-person main characters—Aubrey and Lucien, both of different classes and different temperaments, who want different things in life and expect different things from their worlds. But after the type of fling that would’ve been a one-off for them both, they can’t seem to stay away from each other, and their worlds start to meld in strange ways. Aubrey’s best friends and lovers, Rupert and Henrietta Hernedale, adopt Lucien into their social circle, further complicating their delicate dynamic, and Lucien begins to resent the idea that he’s supposed to want something from an “nob” besides love and affection.

First of all, the relationship dynamics would be unconventional in a contemporary romance, making them even more intense in a historical setting. The first explicit love scene in the book is a fairly domestic bedroom scene between Aubrey, Rupert, and Henrietta that absolutely glows with both eroticism and pure love. I honestly wasn’t expecting it. Aubrey’s painful relationship with his old friends, a married couple who have rights with one another that he will never have, is described with such tenderness and affection that when their path becomes rocky, it’s heartbreaking. And that’s not even the only romantic arc in the book!

When they attempt to understand each other behind the titular doors, Aubrey and Lucien do not have an easy relationship. At times, they are painfully awkward and stiff with each other, taking and giving offense at innocuous comments and nervous fumblings. They don’t know how to just be together, despite their attraction, and every smile and touch is hard-won. Even the simple act of finally sharing a morning washbasin is a moment of vulnerability and intimacy. I especially love the upper-class way Aubrey has of talking while saying very little. He means well, but he’s been bred out of honesty, and Lucien’s attempts to coax every admittance out of him is so well-done. Every line of dialogue between them has such weight.

Another love interest is introduced at the end, and though they are an excellent character, I thought it overcrowded this particular narrative. Maybe in a second book, but in this one, they felt out of place, and I would’ve rather seen other plot threads untangled. However, that doesn’t diminish my love for this story and for the complicated character dynamics. So many interactions, both romantic and otherwise, are so well-crafted. The relationships between guest and servant, gay man and lesbian, friend and lover—they are all examined with care, giving each character a chance to show every facet of their being. Even very small characters, like Lucien’s sickly former employer William or his dry-witted coworker Miss Enfield, come to life.

Lucens’ writing reminds me of the best works by K.J. Charles, who sets the bar for queer historical fiction and who, coincidentally, edited this book. There’s nothing easy or whimsical about the world. Every word is calculated, every movement watched. There’s no little for any class, less for the female members, none for the queer members. But the aching, smoldering romance of ages past mixes with this slightly paranoid tone to create a slow, heady story that takes its time to unravel you. Highly, highly recommended, and a must-read for historical romance fanatics.

RATING: 

BUY LINK: 

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