Brook Street Trilogy by Ava March

I’ll admit that I was curious about these books as several of the people I follow on twitter and Goodreads have read and enjoyed them. And as m/m is kind of a guilty pleasure for me *blushes* I thought why not give them a shot too! I very much enjoyed this series for several reasons. One, I really enjoy historical romances, and I’ve been on a HR kick for the past couple weeks. Two, oh lawdy those sex scenes are hot! Three, I liked March’s writing, it was smooth, enjoyable and it flowed well. I found myself overall enjoying all the characters and being invested enough to want to know each of their stories.

Book 1: Thief

London, 1822 ... It was only supposed to be one night. One night to determine once and for all if he truly preferred men. But the last thing Lord Benjamin Parker expected to find in a questionable gambling hell is a gorgeous young man who steals his heart.

It was only supposed to be a job. Cavin Fox has done it many times — select a prime mark, distract him with lust, and leave his pockets empty. Yet when Cavin slips away under the cover of darkness, the only part of Benjamin he leaves untouched is his pockets.

With a taste of his fantasies fulfilled, Benjamin wants more than one night with Cavin. But convincing the elusive young man to give them a chance proves difficult. Living with a band of thieves in the worst area of London, Cavin knows there's no place for him in a gentleman's life. Yet Benjamin isn't about to let Cavin—and love—continue to slip away from him.

Review:

Lord Benjamin is confused about his feelings and desires towards men and before he settles down and decides to marry, he wants to find out for sure what these feelings are so he goes to a club that is well known to cater to clientele of men who enjoy the company of other men. This is where he meets Cavin and the sparks ignite right away. The intimacy during their sexual encounter is everything Benjamin had hoped to find, and was so good that Cavin can’t bring himself to steal from Benjamin, even though he’s a thief and steals to survive.  

Cavin begins to question his life and the choice he makes. He starts to slowly make changes but finds it difficult to fully leave his life behind as that’s all he knows. He feels himself so far beneath Benjamin that he is constantly running away from him but Benjamin refuses to give up on Cavin. There were so many ups and downs and took me on an emotional ride with Ben and Cavin. I just wanted to shake Cavin and tell him to open his eyes and stop being so stubborn! Cavin broke my heart with his self-loathing. I loved Ben! He is so open, understanding, determined. He was exactly what Cavin neededJ. I found Ben and Cavin’s story very romantic and it made my heart happy at the end.  

Book 2: Fortune Hunter

London, 1822 .... Impoverished Julian Parker returns to London with one goal: marry an heiress. He'll do whatever it takes, even if it means denying his desire for men. After all, with a fortune comes happiness and social acceptance—which have eluded Julian his entire life.

The only things a vast fortune has brought Oscar Woodhaven are greedy relatives and loneliness. At twenty-one years of age, he has everything a man could possibly want—except someone to love him. When he meets devastatingly handsome Julian Parker, he believes his luck has turned.

Between Oscar's lavish gifts and their searing hot nights, Julian is caught between what he thinks he needs and what his heart truly desires. But when a betrayal threatens to tear them apart, Julian discovers he'll do whatever it takes to convince Oscar the greatest fortune of all is love.

Review:

Julian is the cousin of Ben from Thief, who has just returned from America. He is looking to marry and heiress, as he thinks that money will make him happy in life. He’s even willing to put aside his desire for men to have what he perceives as a better life. Oscar is one of Ben’s close friends, and this is how the two become acquainted. Ben is not the most available to help take Julian around to parties (as he has Cavin back home waiting for him) so Oscar offers to take his place and takes Julian into his home and helps him out in any way he’s able to.

I’m not sure how much I really liked this pair. I was able to accept the events in each of their pasts that had shaped them to the way they were at present, but I had a harder time connecting with them as a pair. Although I had my doubts about Julian, I did very much like Oscar. He’s so hopeful, giving, and vulnerable that my heart went out to him. Sometimes I could just picture him giving one of his genuine smiles and I wanted to smile too. But I felt so bad for the way he was accepting other’s poor behavior towards him, I wanted to wrap him up and keep him safe.  I did not look forward to what I saw coming that would crush Oscar and Julian, but I’m glad for the men that they each worked to become by the end, Julian redeemed himself a little to me by the end.

Book 3: Rogues

London, 1822... Two of London's most notorious rakehells, Linus Radcliffe and Robert Anderson, are the best of friends. They share almost everything-clothes, servants, their homes, and even each other's bed on occasion. The one thing they don't share: lovers. For while Linus prefers men, Robert prefers women...except when it comes to Linus.

As another Season nears its end, Robert can't ignore his growing jealousy. He hates watching Linus disappear from balls to dally with other men. Women are lovely, but Linus rouses feelings he's never felt with another. Unwilling to share his gorgeous friend another night, Robert has a proposition for Linus.

A proposition Linus flatly refuses-but not for the reasons Robert thinks. Still, Robert won't take no for an answer. He sets out to prove a thing or two to his best friend-yet will learn something about the heart himself.

Review:

Linus and Robert have been best friends since childhood. They grew up together, went to school together and even moved in next door to each other in London. Although Linus prefers men and Robert prefers women, they have been lovers off and on throughout the years. As this particular season continues on, Robert finds himself more and more uncomfortable with Linus going off with other men and proposes they be exclusive.

To be honest, I don’t blame Linus for saying no, even though he secretly is in love with Robert. Robert easily becomes bored with his conquests and Linus is willing to deny his feelings in order to preserve their friendship. I really liked this pair, but I really just wanted to smack Robert with the way he goes about his pursuit on Linus. I liked how he wanted to be with Linus so much that he was willing to go outside of his comfort zone to figure out how to get what he wants. I did really like this couple and their story, but just not as much as the first book.