Reviewed by Jess
TITLE: Manners & Mannerisms
AUTHOR: Tanya Chris
PUBLISHER: Tanya Chris Publishing (Self-published)
LENGTH: 274 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 7, 2019
BLURB:
Everyone in Highley eagerly anticipates the arrival of Reginald Abernathy, the new master of Albon Manor. Everyone, that is, except Lord William Bascomb. William knows he’ll be expected to woo Reginald’s sister, and he can’t summon the interest for it. But when the Abernathys arrive at last, William discovers he’s interested after all—in Reginald. Reginald is the most handsome, most dashing, most intriguing man he’s ever known. Better yet, he seems to share William’s preference for men.
The addition of the Abernathys to Highley suits everyone. William’s sister adores Reginald’s, Aunt Harriet foresees many happy matches between the two families, William’s sister-in-law is pleased at the prospect of unloading her penniless relatives at last, and all the eligible ladies in Highley want the man who only has eyes for William.
Against a backdrop of elegant balls and frolicking picnics, William and Reginald enjoy furtive moments of ecstasy until a scandal erupts, forcing William to choose between Reginald and the only life he’s ever known.
See how many matches Aunt Harriet can make in this low-angst, warm and fuzzy Jane Austen-inspired M/M Regency romance.
REVIEW:
Modeled after the polite hijinks and romantic tensions of Austen’s beloved stories, this book will be right at home on your shelf full of lush, clever Regency romances. It’s familiar, but it works, and it’s fun from start to finish.
Lord William Bascomb is the aimless second son of a penniless household, living off the kindness of his snobby sister-in-law. He’s not especially eager to welcome the American Abernathy family as new neighbors, but he’s soon charmed by Reginald Abernathy, the master of Albon Manor. The two men enjoy each other’s company and soon learn they share the same desires, starting a romance behind closed doors and the watchful eyes of sweet sisters, annoying aunts, and gossipy servants. However, time is closing in on them, as a match must be made either between William and Reginald’s sister Susan or Reginald and William’s sister Catherine. William cannot bear the thought of betraying either his lover or a wife, so when Susan comes to him in confidence, they strive to make their interesting dynamics work in a world full of rules, customs, and of course, manners.
William is a bit of a blank-slate character. He doesn’t have much personality beyond naïve and lovelorn, but he has that listless feeling so many young people have dealt with for hundreds of years. He knows he loves men and he knows he loves his family—but as for everything else, he has no clue. It’s certainly relatable. Reginald is a bit rounder—he’s kindhearted and easygoing, a perfect match for the worrisome William. Despite them both being pretty unremarkable, their love scenes are passionate and their slow courtship is delightful to read. There’s that perfect feeling of Regency-era tension—we mustn’t get too close, mustn’t give anyone the wrong idea—but oh, how nice it would be to do so!
One issue I had with William was how incredibly naïve he was, almost to the point of dim-wittedness. The plot takes the unfortunate stance of having the reader know very well what is going on with the other characters (especially Catherine and Susan, who deserve their own book!) while William remains blissfully ignorant, culminating in a climax that is surprising for him, but not so for us. It’s a little lazy, but the journey to the end—all the parties, the courting, the whispering—is just so fun that it can be forgiven.
This won’t offer anything new to the genre, but for diehard regency romance fans, its like a warm bath or mug of cocoa—it’s just nice.
RATING: 
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