The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
My Rating: ★★★★★
Monty, the son of an Earl, was meant to be a gentleman. What his family got instead is a partying, gambling, and all around self-absorbed son who got expelled from a prestigious boarding school. After somehow convincing his parents to let him go on a yearlong tour across Europe with his best friend, Percy, and his younger sister, Felicity. Monty prepares himself for a year of partying and hopefully something more than a smooch with his bestie when his dad informs him that this tour is his last chance at cleaning up or he's cut off from the family fortune. Prepared for one long boring trip, Monty finds himself in the middle of a dangerous adventure that brings him closer to Percy and Felicia.
I absolutely love this story. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started it, but what I got is a great set of characters and a historical fictional novel that deals homophobia, racism, and misogyny. Monty is a self-absorbed character who is bisexual in a era that identifying as anything but heterosexual is not accepted. His peers look down on him, his father verbally and physically abuses him, and his partying ways shames his family. Percy is an orphan raised by his father's family who accepts him as a half black man when society does not, but they frown upon him having a disability. Then there's Felicity, who wants to get an academic education and enter the medical field when she's expected to become a respectable future wife and mother.
Monty is such a messy character who puts so much focus on himself that he doesn't notice the things going around him. He had a lot of maturing to do when the story starts, which happens slowly as the story continues. I love that Percy and Felicity don't hesitate to call him out on how much he ignores and doesn't notice as well as his privilege as the story continues. I love the development of Percy and Felicia and would love more focus on them in the next installment.
Overall, the story is hilarious. The trio are attacked by highwaymen, chased by a murderous man that Monty insulted, abducted by pirates, and almost meet their deaths on a sinking island. On top of that, there are many hilarious moments and serious moments that leave you with a solid story. I'm extremely excited that there's going to be a second book because I want to see where the characters go from here.
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