Title: An Improper Holiday
Author: K.A. Mitchell
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Publisher URL: http://www.samhainpublishing.com/
ISBN: 978-1-60504-836-9
Genre: [M/M] Historical
Rating: 4 Nymphs
Literary Nymphs Reviewer: Mystical Nymph
Ian Stanton has always been overly serious and responsible, doing what his now deceased father and his brother, the new Earl, wants. The need to be a good son and brother explains how Ian ends up with an unwanted commission in the Army and how he finds himself packed off to war. He’s done only one thing remotely irresponsible his entire life. Namely, the close relationship that developed between himself and Nicky, and he considers the physical aspect of their joining unholy and unnatural.
Five years after Ian last saw Nicky, he’s home, wounded in body and soul from his injuries during the war. He doesn’t feel he has any chance of having a family of his own, or any means to make a living, which means he’s dependent on his brother. Willing to help his brother out with their sister, he agrees to escort her to a twelve day long holiday gathering at the ancestral home of the Marquess of Carleigh, Nicky’s father. His plan is to stay as far away from Nicky as possible. Not only is the memory of what happened between them painful, but the thought of being pitied is more than he can stand.
Nicky has very different plans, and those include getting his lost love back in his life. Permanently. Now the only thing Nicky has to do is corner Ian, convince the stubborn man that what they have isn’t wrong and figure out a way they can be together, without shirking his duty to his father or his title.
An Improper Holiday is the newest release by multi-published author K.A. Mitchell. I rarely read historical books; they’re usually not my cup of tea, but then again, I’ve never read a book by this talented author that I didn’t enjoy, either. That being said, I’m glad I didn’t pass on this well written gay historical, and if you enjoy either genre, you shouldn’t either.
Ian is a product of the time and society in which he lives and he’s fearful of his desires and what others would do and say if they discovered his secret. Ms. Mitchell does a nice job with this, and expressing his feeling of pain and inadequacy after returning disabled from the war. Nicky is of higher social status and his life hasn’t changed much in the five years he and Ian have been apart. He doesn’t believe what he and Ian feel for each other is wrong and is determined to get their relationship back on track. The integration of information on the day-to-day activities was well done without being stuffy, giving a good understanding of life among the wealthy English upper-class.
Ian and Nicky’s characters are intriguing men caught in an untenable situation and while I like them both, Ian’s personality is much richer and deeper than that of his titled lover. The secondary characters, especially Ian’s sister, are essential to the plot, helping to propel the story along, and moving it into some unexpected directions. The twists and turns were few in number, but the big one near the end caught me totally by surprise, and frankly, I love that in a story. Read and enjoy!
Author: K.A. Mitchell
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Publisher URL: http://www.samhainpublishing.com/
ISBN: 978-1-60504-836-9
Genre: [M/M] Historical
Rating: 4 Nymphs
Literary Nymphs Reviewer: Mystical Nymph
Ian Stanton has always been overly serious and responsible, doing what his now deceased father and his brother, the new Earl, wants. The need to be a good son and brother explains how Ian ends up with an unwanted commission in the Army and how he finds himself packed off to war. He’s done only one thing remotely irresponsible his entire life. Namely, the close relationship that developed between himself and Nicky, and he considers the physical aspect of their joining unholy and unnatural.
Five years after Ian last saw Nicky, he’s home, wounded in body and soul from his injuries during the war. He doesn’t feel he has any chance of having a family of his own, or any means to make a living, which means he’s dependent on his brother. Willing to help his brother out with their sister, he agrees to escort her to a twelve day long holiday gathering at the ancestral home of the Marquess of Carleigh, Nicky’s father. His plan is to stay as far away from Nicky as possible. Not only is the memory of what happened between them painful, but the thought of being pitied is more than he can stand.
Nicky has very different plans, and those include getting his lost love back in his life. Permanently. Now the only thing Nicky has to do is corner Ian, convince the stubborn man that what they have isn’t wrong and figure out a way they can be together, without shirking his duty to his father or his title.
An Improper Holiday is the newest release by multi-published author K.A. Mitchell. I rarely read historical books; they’re usually not my cup of tea, but then again, I’ve never read a book by this talented author that I didn’t enjoy, either. That being said, I’m glad I didn’t pass on this well written gay historical, and if you enjoy either genre, you shouldn’t either.
Ian is a product of the time and society in which he lives and he’s fearful of his desires and what others would do and say if they discovered his secret. Ms. Mitchell does a nice job with this, and expressing his feeling of pain and inadequacy after returning disabled from the war. Nicky is of higher social status and his life hasn’t changed much in the five years he and Ian have been apart. He doesn’t believe what he and Ian feel for each other is wrong and is determined to get their relationship back on track. The integration of information on the day-to-day activities was well done without being stuffy, giving a good understanding of life among the wealthy English upper-class.
Ian and Nicky’s characters are intriguing men caught in an untenable situation and while I like them both, Ian’s personality is much richer and deeper than that of his titled lover. The secondary characters, especially Ian’s sister, are essential to the plot, helping to propel the story along, and moving it into some unexpected directions. The twists and turns were few in number, but the big one near the end caught me totally by surprise, and frankly, I love that in a story. Read and enjoy!
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