Stevie‘s review of Two Rogues Make a Right (Seducing the Sedgwicks, Book 3) by Cat Sebastian
Gay and Bisexual Historical Romance published by Avon Impulse 23 Jun 20
When I reviewed the previous book in the series, I was keen to learn more about Martin and Will. This time around, I got my wish. Unlike the pairings in the other books, Martin and Will have known each other for most of their lives. Although they have been apart for much of their adulthood, they have kept in touch by letters until quite recently. Now, however, both have been broken by their experiences, and Martin in particular is also in very poor health. So much so, in fact, that Will has kidnapped him and brought him out of London to a tiny cottage on one of Martin’s country estates.
While nursing Martin, Will has a lot of time to think over their past together as boys and then separately after Martin’s father, a deeply cruel and unpleasant man, caught them together and had Will sent away to sea. Will has survived abuse from the captain of one ship on which he served, but has now left that life behind and is attempting to make a living any way he can, including as a playwright. Martin, meanwhile, has inherited his father’s property, barring that bequeathed to Will’s brother, but his bad memories of his father, and the knowledge of how his father abused so many of the tenants, have left him unwilling to have anything to do with any of it. As Martin begins to recover from his latest bout of consumption – exacerbated by lungs already weakened by childhood incapacity – he starts to take an interest in the world and people immediately beyond the cottage, and also in the play that Will is currently revising.
As the two men grow closer, it becomes apparent that Martin’s health will only remain stable if he stays away from London, while the imminent success of Will’s play means that he will likely have to go back there in order to continue to make a living. There’s also the small matter of Martin’s continued guilt over his father’s predations and other cruelties, and his continued desire to make amends for as many of them as possible. I found both characters a little too angsty at times, but I enjoyed revisiting the characters from the two previous books and finding out how their lives had progressed. I was also very taken with Martin’s young aunt and her common-sense approach to every difficulty that the men presented her with. The mother and daughter who were neighbours and occasional employees of Will and Martin at their cottage were also a delight, with very different temperaments.
All in all, this was an excellent continuation (conclusion?) to the series, even though I wanted to bang Will and Martin’s heads together at times: a sentiment also expressed by multiple secondary characters.
Grade: B
Summary:
Will Sedgwick can’t believe that after months of searching for his oldest friend, Martin Easterbrook is found hiding in an attic like a gothic nightmare. Intent on nursing Martin back to health, Will kindly kidnaps him and takes him to the countryside to recover, well away from the world.
Martin doesn’t much care where he is or even how he got there. He’s much more concerned that the man he’s loved his entire life is currently waiting on him hand and foot, feeding him soup and making him tea. Martin knows he’s a lost cause, one he doesn’t want Will to waste his life on.
As a lifetime of love transforms into a tender passion both men always desired but neither expected, can they envision a life free from the restrictions of the past, a life with each other?
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
