I ewnjoyed the book for the most part, but was not expecting quite such graphic sexual scenes - the fact that they were homosexual wasn't really relevant, but I cvould see that it may be for others.

I have to say that I have only read one book about the Great Tour and it was The Gentelman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and I really loved it, so I was really looking forward to read this one.

First things first.
This book broke my heart. When I read about Benjamin's home life, when I could see things he couldn't - that hurt so much. That's why I was cheering for him. That's why I wanted him to rebel, to reject, reject, reject!

And he did. He paid a great price, but he got a life that was his.

Benjamin and Horace's relationship was very difficult. Because they were both broken, just in different ways. Because they wanted different things. Or maybe they wanted the same things but were too afraid to admit it.
They hurt each other deeply, and that started things that ended really badly.

I really liked how other characters were written. They were hard to like, but they were well written. I felt really sorry for Edgar.

There was one thing that really annoyed me, and it was the was the book was written and how the captial letters were used randomly. It was slowing down my reading pace sometimes.

Secrets, lies, half-truths, danger, love, lust…and a life of longing and regret. Does this epitomise the experiences of many gay men, not just in the eighteenth century in which this novel is rather lightly set? Every gay man has had, or should have had, a Mr Lavelle in his life. Preferably early on, and preferably, in my view, not for keeps:Benjamin, the hero of the tale, most emphatically, would not agree with the latter part of that statement.

This interesting story will, at turns, infuriate and disgust or entrance and delight the majority of readers. I found myself curiously uninvolved. There was no depth of historical feeling, no great empathy with the characters. Occasional spectator, occasionally a voyeur, I was largely unmoved.

All ends predictably badly, and I do not think that is a “spoiler”.

Recommendable, however, as there is a lot of good writing, and there is much to amuse, and to provoke thought and despair.

As for my own “Mr Lavelle”, therein is another plot, but with two happy endings!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hutchinson (Penguin Random House) for the digital review copy.

This is a beautifully drawn picture of all the passion and disaster of first love and freedom. The story is set in the eighteenth century when two brothers set off on the Grand Tour to make connections and improve their social standing.

But one brother falls in love with a wonderfully 'unsuitable' suitor, while the other sticks to their parents' plan - and their trip unravels as they move through European cities in search of 'quality' connections.

What follows in terms of family and relationships, love and despair is a moving story that has painful moments and sight of redemption at the end. The story could be set at any time, the relationships are the essential core of the book, and what happens between family, friends and acquaintances is a bittersweet examination of what society and family expects versus the desire for freedom.

I really enjoyed this. It was quirky and interesting and I engaged with the characters whose journey I followed closely. A great holiday read. I'll certainly be buying it when it comes out, and that beautiful cover is a lovely bonus!

NO SPOILERS

“Social conformity is a fever that men are only too eager to catch, no matter if it kills them.”

Blimey! Where do I begin? What a beautifully written book, Blackmore’s use of language is exquisite and very fitting for the era in which this novel is set. It is not florid (I dislike florid), but effortlessly crafted.

About a third of the way in, I had to put this book aside for a few weeks; not because I disliked it or struggled with it but life intervened. Yet I have to confess I thought of it frequently; like Benjamin, the intoxicating Mr Lavelle was ever on my mind.

I was drawn in instantly; within a few pages I knew all I needed to know about the brothers without a clunky, incongruous back story. All the characters are presented in only as much detail as is necessary, so some more than others; this keeps the pace moving and the interest piqued.

This is not historical fiction, this is social observation; it could be set in any time and still be relevant. Historic fact is included only when needed for enhancement or ridicule. Readers expecting a journal of a Grand Tour will be disappointed; readers hoping for a well crafted, wordy, at times poetic novel will not be.

Some readers will find this book offensive…and there’s the irony. It is prejudice, bigotry and intolerance which are the protagonists (antagonists, really) of this tale. That is where all fault lies; not with Lavelle, not Benjamin, not with his mother but with those who will not accept people as they are. Sadly, little changes in this world.

This is not a spoiler but if a little more was left to the imagination then this beautifully written book and its important message could reach a wider audience. That this may cause some to not read it is my only criticism.

“What possessed you?” I asked him eventually.
“I despise hypocrites more than any other…”
“I thought you despised everyone equally…”

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the Advanced Reader Copy of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed.

Gorgeous cover but I found myself getting bogged down in this one. The writing flows on the sentence level but there's no real historical sense as everyone talks like a C21st person. It's quite an art to have characters debate intellectual points and make it feel natural, as if it's a genuine discussion - here it simply feels show offy as they talk about Voltaire, Descartes and so on - and did people at the time actually talk about their own age as the 'Enlightenment'? I don't know but I suspect not.

I also felt that there's too much that's predictable: the skewering of the aristocracy, the anger at closeted relationships (in reality, gender and 'sexuality' were far more fluid in the eighteenth century than this book assumes). and places where the plot seems to get away from Blackmore.

Lots of potential but this feels like an unfinished project: a firmer editorial line, a ruthless and critical re-reading and re-writing would have delivered something more polished and satisfying.

This is a dark tale of two brothers who discover family secrets and forbidden love on a grand tour of Europe. Set in the past, the young men are trying to break into good society and make acquaintances to further themselves. However, Benjamin knows he has feelings for men and when he meets Lavelle he falls deeply in love.
Beautifully written, this is a joy to read.

I enjoyed ‘The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle’ by Neil Blackmore. Although it had a examined the life of a gay man in the 18th century and has a serious message it was also very entertaining and was quite funny in parts. The antics of Lavelle were in part hilarious but also showed how very deeply disturbed he was.

Whilst I quite enjoyed this, it is one of those books that has several strong factors that are negatively impacted throughout by unavoidable irritations. When two brothers go on a Grand Tour across Europe in the 1700's, you would expect to be given a lot of historical detail about architecture and socialising, after all that is what they are supposedly travelling for. In reality you get very little of this and instead much of the waffle is dedicated to philosophy of one degree of another, some of it having a direct link to events at that moment in time, but much of it just serves to show off. Once Benjamin finds Horace Lavelle, all interest in the culture of the day is gone and instead it's all about them with Horace's sarcastic and wilfully subversive attitude to the world.

I found many of the characters and relationships to be lacking, as though the only two characters that matters are Benjamin and Horace. Even his brother Edgar seems to fade into the background. Part of this can be put down to the effect that this unpredictable man seems to have on Benjamin; he has eyes only for Mr Lavelle. But in that case, more could have been made of the characters before that chance encounter, to at least flesh out the important characters in the brothers backgrounds. The same can be said when it comes to some sensitive topics; they are touched on and then moved past without taking the time to really expand on them; Horace's background is a good example of this.

It is however an interesting premise and I followed the build up of the relationship between Benjamin and his new found love with interest, which is unusual for me as romance is not my cup of tea on a usual basis. I suspect my interest was piqued by the fact that the relationship was so one sided and Horace was such a fundamentally damaged yet entertaining character. So, enjoyable but could be improved with more historical references and more depth for characters that aren't our two central lovers. I did find the depiction of homosexuality in the 1700's interesting and felt that the author portrayed it starkly and realistically, with all the dangers associated with being a 'sodomite', but this was really the only social aspect that really link and tie you to the time period in question.

I would also point out that the inconsistent use of capital letters did my bloody nut in and very nearly caused me to remove an additional star just for the sheer annoyance of it. I assume it has to be a literary device... it didn't work. It looks messy and unprofessional and I can't see any reason for it; after all, both brothers are meant to be educated so why the hell are the capitalisations all over the place? And it's so inconsistent! Sometimes sentences start with a capital, sometimes they don't. Sometimes names have a capital letter, sometimes they don't. And on we go. It's a ridiculous device and the only reason I can think for it is to stand out from the crowd; I suppose it does, but not in a good way.

Many thanks to NetGalley for my free copy of this ARC.

I was intrigued to read this book as it sounded very different from anything I had read previously. I found it interesting and unusual, but not really compelling, and ultimately it wasn't really my thing. I suspect that it will be popular because of its themes, but I wouldn't really recommend it.

I enjoyed this book enormously. It was quirky and set in a less frequently explored historical time. I was engaged throughout and there were a couple of excellent twists that I didn’t see coming at all. I’ll definitely seek out more by this author.

This review must come with a gentle warning that the novel contains descriptions of male love and some explicit language.

Benjamin and Edgar live in London in the mid to late eighteenth century with their parents, a Welshman who owns a passenger line operating between London and New York, and their dedicated but mysterious mother. Shes mysterious in that they know nothing about her and this only seems to bother Benjamin. Their mother is the architect of their isolated education as she trains them to be Good Englishmen but in keeping them from the world, even requiring two twenty-somethings to request if they may go to bed, sending them out into the word on the Grand Tour (they are not poor) was never going to end well.

Paris brings the expected pleasures and then some unexpected revelations, sending them onwards to Aosta in Italy, and there Benjamin meets Horace Lavelle, an exotic, gilded young man, who dazzles Benjamin with his beauty and unconventional outlook on the world. Acerbic, cutting, but also charming and seductive, Benjamin doesn't stand a chance. Edgar takes immediately against his brother's new friend and Benjamin has to make a choice.

A Grand Tour indeed, Neil Blackmore takes us through Europe with delightful detail and precise description that conjour a past world and paints an exotic backdrop to a passionate and ultimately tragic love story. Even London is explored.

However, the reader is left with the knowledge that despite all the revelations, all the sacrifices and deep and meaningful conversations, Benjamin is entirely deceived by Horace. The love is one sided and Benjamin never quite sees that -he almost gets there, and always draws back, maybe because it is too painful for him to consider. He is blinded by the beauty of his friend, and fails to recognise, or, at least, acknowledge, the mercenary nature of Horace. Horace's refusal to tell Benjamin he loves him is quite telling and his return to London and Benjamin is entirely due to Benjamin's parents' wealth and not any great feeling for the man himself - he has proved that he will say and do anything for money. In that, the end of the novel is quite sad, that Benjamin is constantly craving something that never was beyond his own mind. It is his feelings of love he misses, not Horace's, not his emotional love, in any case.

A charming novel, beautifully written, and the sexual content is more delicate than it could have been, rendering it rather sensual.

A tale of two brothers, Edgar and Benjamin , (the narrator) with wealthy parents who aspire to enter the ranks of high society and aristocracy . The main obstacle to this aim is the family wealth is trade based , generally avoided and despised by the aristocracy. The Bowen parents seek to bridge the very real social void by means of a classical education and European tour.

The brothers set off on the tour with high ideals of truth , beauty and heads stuffed with french , Latin, Suetonius , Aristotle and Voltaire quotes. All goes well in Paris and the social ascent begins as planned. In addition a family mystery is pursued and a dangerous family secret revealed.

The brothers meet Lavelle, the antithesis of the brothers beliefs in their creedo of culture. Benjamin becomes obsessed with the intoxicating, corrupt seducer whilst Edgar is finds Lavelle toxic and repellent.

Benjamin and Lavelle journey together across Europe , with its highs and lows. During this time Benjamin reveals his family secret to Lavelle , who when later rejected , exacts his revenge by revealing the secret to society , with tragic consequences.

I was expecting a historical romance on the lines of Mr Ripley ( Highsmith) meets Brideshead revisited . Was totally unprepared for the graphic sexual homo or heterosexual scenes , of which I am not a fan. I appreciate that whilst some may enjoy this element , others may find it offensive.

The book was a free advance copy ,supplied by the publisher and Netgalley , in exchange for an honest review. Normally I would skip scenes of a graphic sexual or gory violent nature but in fairness to the publisher and author , I did read all of it.
Whilst LBGT is not my genre of choice , I found the book extremely well researched and written. I was interested in the characters and their fate. The plot was well paced , other than the early background chapters which could have edited down to keep the reader’s interest . I found it too long and resisted the urge to skip through to the main event of the European tour.

Overall I enjoyed the book very much and was glad to be taken out of my comfort zone.

This is a really difficult book to review and even rate. It’s beguiling in some ways and utterly too much in others. I found it very uncomfortable reading in these modern times - despite being set in the 1700s there are still some parallels with modern society. Fear of being different and desire for acceptance run through this book, no matter which characters you are thinking of.

There’s some dreadful caricatures - and quite rightly so - with the minor aristocracy being portrayed quite brutally!

The core themes of this book make it interesting and very readable - travel, frame of reference created by your parents, the grand tour, making your place in society. Coupled with revealing one’s background and understanding one’s sexuality, this has all the ingredients for an exceptional book.

For me, it didn’t quite work. I loved the travel and the Grand Tour but the descriptions of the scenes seemed lacking unless it was to expose a great scene for Lavelle. I found there was a little gratuitous sex, which made for extremely uncomfortable reading on the tube rather early in the morning !

I found some of the outcomes rather unrealistic but others were well-portrayed and vivid. However, on balance this book was interesting but not quite good enough for a 4* recommendation. 3.5* from me.

The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle is a historical novel about two brothers, brought up sheltered from the world, who go on their Grand Tour. Benjamin and Edgar have been taught culture and classics and their mother has planned out how they'll meet the proper people and fully establish themselves in high society. Once in Europe, Edgar is desperate for them to find this place, but Benjamin is less sure. When Benjamin meets the beautiful and unconventional Horace Lavelle, he realises there are other ways to find happiness, but love might not be enough.

Told from Benjamin's point of view, the novel is written in an engaging style that isn't too bogged down in trying to be period specific or feel too historical. It does, however, have a lot of references to writers and philosophers of the time and older ones that people would've read at the time, as part of the brothers' intellectual upbringing, which does ground it in the time. There are a lot of interesting elements to the novel, but some of them aren't really explored beyond being used for narrative tension, such as Lavelle's background or struggles of the brothers' mother. Even the fact they've basically been locked away from the world isn't looked at in great depth, and it felt easy to forget at times that this was the setup for their trip. The tone of the book felt a little strange too, possibly the movement between Lavelle's satire and constant quipping with the tragic events and realities for the characters.

This is a decent example of a historical novel that focuses more on realities of things like society, prejudice, love, and even swearing, but it doesn't seem to know whether it should be tragic or witty. The novel will hopefully open up some historical fiction readers' eyes to what people in the past faced when they loved someone of the same gender as themselves, but it felt like it was lacking something in the way it treated some of its topics.

NEIL BLACKMORE – THE INTOXICATING MR LAVELLE

I read this novel in advance of publication through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I suppose I could review this novel in just two words. Read it! Or perhaps three, if I added Brilliant! But, I’m guessing, being that succinct isn’t particularly helpful.

For me, this novel was a joy from beginning to end: I couldn’t wait to start another chapter and follow their adventures. They being two naïve brothers in their early twenties, Edgar and Benjamin, be-wigged and beauty-spotted, about to start their Grand Tour of Europe as devised by their beloved but cold mother. Set in 1763 - and you’d be right in assuming I wasn’t alive in those days to know the accuracy of the author – it is narrated by Benjamin as though he wrote his adventures at the time, and they have only recently been discovered. You feel you are right there, with the smells and tastes, the attitudes of Society and society, some of which, unfortunately, still prevail. It is fascinating too to witness 1700’s London, often meadows and bogs back then, with many of today’s familiar landmarks under construction.

The story primarily concerns the relationship between the first-person narrator Benjamin, and his meeting with the flamboyant and outspoken Mr Horace Lavelle: a young man who is physically beautiful, charming, maddening, grotesque, manipulative, fool-hardy and wreck less and who sweeps the innocent Benjamin clean off his feet. You don’t have to wait long for the inevitable fall-out as they clash first with Society and then with society.

I am not going to reveal what happens, as it would spoil the story for the potential reader, and inevitably contain spoilers. No doubt there are people in society today who would be appalled by their behaviour, as people were in the 1700s, and if so, this book isn’t for you. But for anyone who wants a witty, brilliantly written novel which grabs you and draws you into the centre of its beating heart, this is a totally engrossing read.

I was sad when it ended.

Fantastic queer historical fiction. The focus is strongly on the character growth and interaction but the period provides an excellent and glittering setting. Highly addictive and occasionally just a tiny bit horrifying. Loved it.

I do love historical fiction and the promise of a book set around high society in the 1700s including a Grand Tour of Europe really appealed.

This novel follows twins Edgar and Benjamin Bowen as they attempt to ingratiate themselves into high society by making connections on a Grand Tour. The narrator, Benjamin, is a much more reluctant participant on this quest than his brother but, armed with their mother's guide book of Europe and their extensive education, off they go. It's only when they get to Paris that they realise they aren't ever going to be accepted - a revelation about their family history and society's snobbishness about their business background see to that. Then Benjamin meets the eponymous Mr Lavelle and his world is turned upside down by the experiences of first love.

This is well written and an engaging read. Although Horace Lavelle is irritating and infuriating (a kind of pretentious Sebastian Flyte figure), the book is more about Benjamin and his maturation away from the suffocating influence of his mother. I'd have liked a bit more historical colour to the book personally - a lot of the characters felt quite modern and the settings undeveloped, but I can't really put my finger on why I felt this.

Overall, this is an engaging and well paced read. The experiences of an intoxicating first love affair are well portrayed and the book certainly raises some ideas for further reflection. The sense of the persecution of gay men in that historical period is shocking and certainly makes the reader think about how far society has come since then: sadly, not as far as we should have.

Sadly this book was not for me, though I appreciate the chance to read and review it.
The two Bowen brothers embark on a Grand Tour of Europe, with high hopes of finding their 'rightful' place in high society.
I found the characters too many, too complicated. Nevertheless I appreciate it was well written.