Title: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
Author: Mackenzi Lee
Genres: Young adult, historical, romance
Published: June 27th 2017, by Katherine Tegen Books
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Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.
But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.
Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

We are cracked pottery mended with lacquer and flakes of gold, whole as we are, complete unto each other. Complete and worthy and so very loved.

If I had to use one word to sum up The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue it would be: fun. A wild 18th century adventure spanning the length of a tour across Europe, with mystery, a bisexual main character who finds himself in the most awkward encounters, and pirates to boot? Sounds like it couldn't be anything but fantastic with a premise like that. And it really, really is. It has mystery, intrigue, fantastic characters, a heartwarming romance - I genuinely enjoyed reading The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue so much more than I expected to, even with such a great blurb.

Something I really need more of in my life is LGBT+ historical fiction. I'm always looking for it, and get so excited when I find it, and for this book to have so much of what I look in a novel - I was more than excited. The main character, his feisty little sister, and his best friend (and boy he's madly in love with) are such a fun trio to join crossing Europe in their last hurrah turned frantic adventure of mystery and the fantastical. Monty isn't just one of the funniest male protagonists I've had the pleasure of reading about, but one of the funniest narrators in young adult fiction. His stubbornness mixed with naivety and love of having a "good time" leaves him in some of the strangest and funniest encounters that left me genuinely laughing (think: running butt naked from the palace of Versailles, as party guests watch on, horrified).

There are bodies buried beneath the flagstones of my parents' estate, and some graves never green.

But Monty doesn't just manage to get himself into some very unfortunate and funny situations, he is also a bisexual man who has survived abuse, who's closest friend and love of his life is Percy - a disabled man of colour. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue is an important story beyond the fun and adventure for a lot of reasons. Reasons that helped me fall even more in love with it. It's a story that portrays people with disabilities as having always existed, and not as people that need to be "fixed". As people who are lovable. It has an interracial and gay romance that portrays the realism of the racism and homophobia they would have faced at the time while still giving the readers a wonderfully happy and satisfying story (something we definitely need more of). It gives us a main character who has survived abuse and finds himself happy and safe and strong on the other side.

Monty's story is one of self growth. We watch as he grows as a person to understand his own privilege and advantages in life, and as he uses it to help those less privileged than he is. It's about finding what he needs and wants to be, what means the most to him and how important his friends are to him. It's ultimately a story of independence and becoming a better man, of friendship, of understanding and acceptance for those you care for, and it's about love. An added bonus, it just happens to have pirates. It's absolutely fantastic.