A Gentleman Never Keeps Score: Seducing the Sedgwicks

I've enjoyed every book I've read by Cat Sebastian, but I think A Gentleman Never Keeps Score is her best. Both heroes were utterly delightful, in a way that just makes you root so hard for their happily ever after. But it's not just their regency charm, witty dialogue, or slow burning sexual tension that made me love these two....it's that both heroes clearly had so much respect for each other. Their relationship is fundamentally built on kindness, and thus you can imagine their love lasting, long after the book is through (too often I read romance novels, whose H & H have such a fraught relationship that I can't help but think "wow, you two are going to hate each other in 10 years!") As always, Cat Sebastian does her research, not only making the little-seen world of working class Regency London vividly alive, but also making this MM, interracial love story completely historically credible. Well done!

Even with a slightly more serious tone A Gentleman Never Keeps Score is another great Cat Sebastian book full of wonderfully soft heroes and a deeply caring relationship. Sebastian's writing always sucks me in at the beginning of a story and keeps me hooked until my heart is ready to burst with happiness. Hartley Sedgwick wasn't born a gentleman so the sacrifices he's made to bring respectability to himself and his brothers are weighing on his soul. As a teenager, Hartley made the decision to become involved with his Godfather in order to get financial support for his brothers. Though he didn't originally feel like he was being taken advantage of, this early decision has had a long lasting effect on Hartley's self-worth and his comfort with intimacy. This book was especially poignant because of the issues that were being addressed and I felt Sebastian handled them all really well, especially Hartley's history. Being outed as gay during this time period was very dangerous so Hartley is fortunate that the worst thing that happens is that he's abandoned by everyone he knows. But that loneliness is compounded by Harley's difficult sexual "hangups" that have made finding partners too hard for the minimal amount of satisfaction it brings. But even though Hartley can be grumpy and defeatist about his situation his true nature shines through in the way he treats his household staff and others he cares about. I absolutely loved the little family that Hartley ends up creating and how…

A Gentleman Never Keeps Score is the second book in Cat Sebastian’s Seducing the Sedgwicks series of Regency-era m/m historical romance novels. Sebastian is one of my favorite authors, so I preordered this book as soon as it appeared on Amazon. Readers were introduced to Hartley Sedgwick in the first book in this series, It Takes Two to Tumble. Allusions were made to his situation, and now we get a clearer picture. Hartley inherited a house and funds from his godfather. This is hardly unique, except his benefactor favored Hartley over a biological son. This prompts the son to share with all of proper Society exactly what Hartley did to earn such a bountiful inheritance. Naturally, Hartley has been shunned from the very people who once delighted in his company. Meanwhile, Sam makes a living as a tavern owner, serving London’s black community. He has reason to believe there is a scandalous painting of a friend somewhere in Hartley’s house. It doesn’t seem like they would have much in common, but Hartley offers to help find the picture, and they strike up a tentative friendship that eventually leads to more. Hartley has mixed feelings about his past, but it is not until Sam expresses sympathy rather than disgust does he realize how dysfunctional the dynamic was. Hartley is so profoundly affected by what happened to him when he was little more than a boy that he doesn’t even like being touched, but Sam is so supportive and respectful of Hartley’s boundaries. I absolutely…

This is a book which examines not only the potential dangers of M/M relationships in Regency England but more specifically the issues of class and racism that surround our principals. Hartley is a really confused but in some respects righteously driven individual whose brother Ben's story in the first of the series introduced him toward the end. Sam, the black ex-boxer who runs a pub, is the new one here and how he and Hartley meet, grow fond of each other, and overcome some dastardly events (and people) makes for steady, if sometimes hesitant, storytelling that suddenly picks up here and there to keep your interest and the various pots boiling. This is a book in which all the supporting characters, good or evil, play their parts well and who come together to facilitate a strong and loving relationship between two men who are so different in appearance, size, class and tastes that it's a wonder they stay alive. I certainly hope that Ms. Sebastian has another one being developed featuring brother Will, but for now this was a most satisfactory journey.

As the second book in the Seducing the Sedgwick series, A Gentleman Never Keeps Score follows Hartley Sedgwick, the preening, prissy brother of Ben Sedgwick from It Takes Two to Tumble. Hartley has gone from social butterfly among the ton to pariah after it comes out through the rumor mill that he received his townhouse after an *cough* arrangement *cough* with his now dead godfather. Retreating into his home, Hartley becomes a glorified recluse looking for a way to get back at his godfather and whoever spread the rumor. His plans get thrown for a loop when he meets Sam. Barkeep and ex-boxer, Sam has created a haven in the Free Black community and does all he can to help his patrons. His brother's girlfriend comes to him with a unique problem. Someone painted a salacious portrait of her when she was a teen and she wants it back before she marries Sam's brother. The commissioner of the portrait was none other than Hartley's godfather. For anyone who says romance is shallow, I would like to point them to Cat Sebastian's work (among several others I can name off the top of my head). This story not only grapples with the long-lasting scars of sexual abuse but racism/racial profiling, PTSD, the complexities of consent, and the fluidity/rigidity of class in Regency England. There's a lot that can be unpacked from this novel, but above all else, it's a satisfying romance between two lovable characters. All of the issues and topics mentioned above are done with an immense amount of…