The queer principles of Kit Webb: a novel

Edward Percy has a proposition for Christopher "Kit" Webb, but it is not the kind Kit expects. Percy needs Kit, formerly the notorious highwayman Gladhand Jack, now turned into a boringly respectable coffeehouse owner, to steal a vitally important book from Percy's father, the duke of Clare. Even though Kit has been nursing his own grudge against the duke for going on 10 years, he initially refuses to take the job. However, given enough time with Percy, and the right, nonmonetary incentive from the distractingly sexy nobleman, Kit just might be willing to teach Percy how to pull off the heist himself. Wielding a rapier-sharp wit and displaying an exceptional gift for insightful characterization, Sebastian (Two Rogues Make a Right, 2020) fashions another fiercely romantic, fabulously sexy m/m love story that not only delivers a delicious surfeit of slow-burn sexual chemistry but also deftly illustrates the true complexity of all human relationships.

Reformed highwayman Kit Webb has given up on a life of crime and now dedicates himself to the staid life of a coffee shop proprietor. When Lord Percy Holland walks into his establishment and tries to hire him for one last job, Kit is intrigued but refuses to help. However, Percy is persistent, convinced that only the legendary Kit can help him outwit the blackmailer who threatens his place in society. Luckily, Kit gets bored with his new life and reluctantly decides to help Percy train, despite his antipathy towards the young lord and all the members of the privileged class. A slow-burn romance follows, with a lot of steamy and tender moments. Although the plot is sluggish in the first half, and the heist storyline gets somewhat tangled, the novel makes up for it with the fantastic character development, Sebastian's (The Soldier's Scoundrel) signature social commentary, and a romance filled with radiant sexual chemistry and true love. Narrator Joel Leslie does a superb job of voicing both gruff Kit and aristocratic Percy. VERDICT Recommended for fans of inclusive narratives, historical romances (especially ones set in Georgian London), the friends-to-lovers trope, and the author's other works.--Migdalia Jimenez, Chicago P.L.

A retired 18th-century highwayman who hates the aristocracy is tempted when a handsome nobleman approaches him for one last job. Kit Webb's days as a highwayman are behind him. In his last job, he lost his best friend and permanently injured his leg so that he can barely walk or ride a horse--losses that threaten to overwhelm him with grief. He now spends his time running the coffee shop he owns in London. He's bored and surly and itching for adventure. Then Edward Percy appears at the coffee shop, dressed to the nines and full of silly chatter and brazen flirtation. Percy wants to hire Kit to hold up his father's coach, hoping to gain leverage that will force his father to do right by his young second wife and daughter. Persuading Kit gives Percy the perfect excuse to haunt the coffee shop for weeks, sometimes dressed like a lord in silks and satins, with a powdered wig and a ridiculous heart-shaped beauty patch, and sometimes dressed more anonymously in a commoner's clothes. Either way, Kit can't keep his eyes off Percy. The sexual tension is thick in Sebastian's latest historical romance. Both men are lonely. Both men have learned how harsh the world can be. And both of them are caught by surprise when sexual attraction turns into something more tender. Sebastian's prose is entertaining and delightful, with many steamy scenes in which the two heroes fight each other with fists, knives, and swords to train for their upcoming robbery attempt. It's also full of intelligent and thought-provoking political debates, with Kit holding forth on the evils of the English class system and Percy confronting his own privilege and thinking about who, exactly, he wants to be. An irresistible story of love and adventure that will delight both newcomers and regular readers of queer romance. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Edward Percy has a proposition for Christopher "Kit" Webb, but it is not the kind Kit expects. Percy needs Kit, formerly the notorious highwayman Gladhand Jack, now turned into a boringly respectable coffeehouse owner, to steal a vitally important book from Percy's father, the duke of Clare. Even though Kit has been nursing his own grudge against the duke for going on 10 years, he initially refuses to take the job. However, given enough time with Percy, and the right, nonmonetary incentive from the distractingly sexy nobleman, Kit just might be willing to teach Percy how to pull off the heist himself. Wielding a rapier-sharp wit and displaying an exceptional gift for insightful characterization, Sebastian (Two Rogues Make a Right, 2020) fashions another fiercely romantic, fabulously sexy m/m love story that not only delivers a delicious surfeit of slow-burn sexual chemistry but also deftly illustrates the true complexity of all human relationships. Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.

When Lord Holland (known as Percy) and a childhood friend are blackmailed, Percy will do anything to obtain his mother's book of secrets, which has been confiscated by his father. That includes hiring former highwayman Kit Webb (a.k.a. Gladhand Jack) to steal the book back. After a close friend's death and his own injury by gunshot, Kit contents himself with dull days running his coffee shop. Then Percy upends his world and tries to recruit him for theft by revealing that he knows Kit used to be Gladhand Jack. Kit refuses to rob anyone, but grudgingly agrees to help Percy plan the robbery. The closer the two get, the more they fall for each other. However, Kit's long-held hatred of the aristocracy, and shocking truths from both of their pasts, threaten their fragile bond. Sebastian (Two Rogues Make a Right) excels at detailing the vulnerabilities and endearing characteristics of the two heroes. VERDICT Despite some pacing issues (a rather slow beginning and a hurried, action-packed end), readers will still enjoy the tussles between the high-class Percy and the Robin Hood-like Kit.—Eve Stano, Ball State Univ. Muncie, IN