This book sounded like everything I would love but sadly it's let down by the writing style. I'm getting a bit sick of books that deliberately add explicit content to make sure they don't get labeled as YA but then fail to make the story mature. The writing gives it a juvenile air that had me rolling my eyes several times. Had to dnf.

An ambitious novel that perhaps didn't achieve all it set out to do but was addictive and enjoyable nonetheless.

The first half was so intriguing - gothic setting with a murder mystery, fantasy elements and lots of gay yearning (not sold on the historical/Regency part though). I was so convinced it would be 5 stars until everything sort of went downhill during the latter half. The dialogue seemed to become more modern for some reason, which made it awkward to read, plus the reveals and motivations of the characters weren't strong enough to be convincing. The actions of some of the characters were downright ridiculous, especially during the third act conflict which was completely unnecessary.

I didn't fully understand the magic system so had to reread a few sections to make sense of the plot elements. I also think there was a lot of wasted potential in terms of Nic's magic, which I thought would have played a bigger role in the story and just... didn't?

Aside from some strange transitions between scenes and the romance being a tad dramatic, I did enjoy the writing. The banter between characters was dynamic and fun.

For the most part Leaf was wonderful and definitely my favourite character, plus her aroace identity was written well. I do have a gripe with one scene where she kept asking Nic for sexually explicit details which he clearly didn't want to share with her. Girl why?? It was so strange and intrusive, and what made it worse was Nic apologising to her which was totally uncalled for.

Despite the criticisms I was very invested this book and would absolutely devour a book about Val and Charles.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for providing a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this murder mystery romance. There were aspects of fantasy but I never really understood what 'brilliance' was or how each person could use it. Nic and Leaf are being contracted to marry, which neither of them want, and while the contract is being written there are a number of murders. Nic and Leaf develop a great friendship and work to solve the murders. Nic's childhood love Dashiell is writing the contract and their relationship grows while they are back together. I did have to read the end twice as there were so many strands to the big reveal. It was an enjoyable read.

I loved it so much! Once I started to understand the setting and world we were thrown into I had a hard time putting the book down which I had to because of stuff like work and sleep but I was trying to figure out who was behind everything every moment I could xD

I didn't know what to expect but I love a good murder mystery and it being queer was just the icing on the cake!

As a fellow ace person I really loved Leaf and could relate to her a lot. Nic and Dash have my heart and I will definitely pick up the book once it's published!

The Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide is such a masterpiece! Such a lovely book... i couldn't put it down for a second.

"The Gentleman and His Vowsmith" is a gripping murder mystery mixing romance and historical fantasy, and I had so much fun reading it!

Nic and Leaf, heirs to two noble English families, are set to be married. According to custom, they are to be locked in with their party inside Nic’s mansion while the marriage contract is being negotiated. Nic doesn’t want to get married to a stranger and continue living under the weight of his father’s expectations, at the cost of his own freedom. He doesn’t want to have to face his old lover and negotiator for his fiancee’s family, Dashiell, whom he hasn’t spoken to in seven years. But the marriage is decided, the lock-in in effect, and he can escape neither Dashiell nor his marriage. That is, until a dead body turns up on the first evening of the lock-in. It looks like a tragic accident at first. Then, someone else dies. Convinced the deaths are no mere accident, Nic and Leaf, his fiancee, set out to uncover the murderer and their motive as the atmosphere in the house grows tenser and tenser with each day that passes.

Engaging from the beginning to the end, "The Gentleman and His Vowsmith" is a great book to read if one is looking for a fun murder mystery. The intrigue was delightful, foreshadowed well-enough that I was able to guess several of the answers and plot twists without losing interest in the book, and that the plot twists I hadn’t discovered kept me on my toes while still making sense in hindsight. I was gasping and talking to myself all throughout, and I really did not expect to enjoy myself so much while reading this book. I also have to give my credits to Rebecca Ide for having created such amazing subplots, which I followed with the same avidity as I did the main intrigue and which I loved just as much, if not more. The only downside to the plot is that the build-up to the ending could have been in my opinion, stronger. I am not going to spoil the ending, but I thought that revealing the truth about the murders in two different scenes, even if they weren’t far apart, rather than in one single scene cut up the tension that should have built up and grown until the final, grand reveal. As it was, after the first reveal scene, the tension went down instead of going forever up, and the second scene was less grand because of that. The ending was still good, but it could have been more effective had the build-up been better.

Though the plot is very good, the characters are the novel’s real strength. All three of the most important characters, Nic, Leaf, and Dashiell, are well-developed and instantly likeable. They all felt very natural, flawed without being annoying, and I had no trouble getting attached to them. I admired all throughout the chemistry between them and how natural the relationships—platonic or romantic—felt. The wholesome friendship between Leaf and Nic was set up really quickly, and yet it made sense that it took so little time because the author made sure that the relationship itself made sense. The romance was equally well-paced, and the author balanced pining and romantic action perfectly. In truth, the characters and their relationships were so well-developed that I found myself quite fond of some of the minor characters and their relationships (I would be delighted to read about Val and Charles, if anyone involved in making this book sees this!).

When it comes to the worldbuilding, I have no doubt that Rebecca Ide spent a lot of time working on the magic and laws surrounding vowsmithing, as their knowledge of it could be felt through the writing. However, I found it wasn’t sufficiently explained in the novel, and now that I have finished the book, I am still absolutely incapable of explaining how the magic system works or what exactly vowsmithing entails. It didn’t hinder my overall comprehension because the book featured magic but wasn’t about magic, but since magic was a constant in the background, it did bother me not to understand it, and I think I might have missed some of the stakes of the plot because of that.

Despite this, "The Gentleman and His Vowsmith" is a very good book and I had a great time reading it. I would happily recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fun, queer murder mystery and I do think that fans of Freya Marske will enjoy it.

Gothic, mystery and queer romance? What else can you ask for? Ah, yes, a bit of magic. Not the an overly showy and present kind of magic, more of a background one, guiding the society like laws do. In fact, law and magic are interwoven in this story, in an interesting way. It is at the centrer of the plot, since our main character is supposed to get married, an act requiring a vowsmith to craft the contract with magic.

I greatly enjoyed this book. It very much a book about family, the past and the choice you have to make despite the weight of duty and societal net. There are a few great twist, a world were the details have been thought through without being overly new. The characters are great. A bit caricatural at times, but they do have layers in the end.

Nic is a good main character, trapped into an estate and a heritage he doesn't want, torn between acting to fight for his joy and staying put to avoid the repercussions. He is lonely and quickly loses one of the only person who cared for him as a person, something that had me seething about the injustice. Nic's relationship with Dashiell is full of tension and unspoken words. They are drawn to each other, despite the circumstances, past and present, and have to navigate their desire, surrounded by the constraints of a society built on aristocratic standing.
I must say I loved Leaf. Sure, she is a bride to be who doesn't want to be married and has no interest in romance or sex, a type of character I have encountered quite a few time with such stories. It's convenient, let's be honest. So even though Leaf isn't that creative as a character (nor are the others), she still carries the story well, making for great entertainment. Her relationship with Nic builds quickly, in a best friend kind of way, scurrying the Monterris manor for clues about what is happening while their marriage contract is negotiated.

The writing is great, fitting for the time period (alternate regency period). Funnily enough, while I struggle with the author's writing under he other pen name, in this case it worked very well.

All in all, a great twisty mystery, full of past and present secrets, great second chance romance with a gothic background. Very enjoyable !