A delicious combination of locked-door mystery, romance, and bits of a fascinating magic all set in Regency style England. I found myself sucked in and unable to put this down for long, my heart rooting for Nic and Dash!!! Also, shouting at everyone to stop being silly and just find the murderer... This contained perhaps one too many a misdirect/twist in the end, it all becoming a bit of a mess by the time we got to the finale, but I forgive the author for wanting to elongate the yearning a bit. I found the concept of magical sigils in this to be really interesting, and hoped there would be more of it than we got. Maybe in the next book (?)

I received this as an ARC via NetGalley, many thanks to them!

I can confirm that this book is made for fans of Freya Marske. Her books were the last time I’ve felt such queer yearning in a regency England setting.

The writing was very smooth and while the happening of this book were only over a few days, so much was going on that it was both very quick and very long.

I absolutely adored the characters, Nic is an absolute sweetheart and witty and his quick dynamic with Leaf was amazingly written. I was scared it was going to be a cheating romance but the fact that Leaf and Nic got so well along with no hints of a romance ever developing giving their sexuality I was excited to read more and more of their friendship.

And Nic finding Dashiel again was so exciting to see, it got my giggling in the dark of the night, and I actually kind of enjoyed the 🌶️.

And let’s not forget the murder mystery pushing the plot, all the twists and turns and the amazing magic system and world building even if just in one house. I must admit for more than half the book I barely understood anything about how the magic system and world worked but the writing was so good it was not even needed. A lot of smile and nod and sure I’m gonna take your world for it, I don’t know what’s going on but I love it.

Definitely recommend!

This was an utterly delightful read, if a book filled with murder, hauntings, and the deep oppressive weight of high society can be called delightful. I went in with some trepidation, having not enjoyed the author's previous books as Devin Madson, but I found myself completely drawn into this vivid, horrible world and these truly enjoyable characters. To say too much would be spoilery, as this is something of a mystery plot, but if you like Gothic stories with true magic twists, complex characters and the chains that bind them, and enough yearning to power a small nation, then this is a must read. For fans of A Marvellous Light, A Strange and Stubborn Endurance, and The Bone Orchard.

It’s been a while since there’s been a book that made my mouth literally drop open in shock multiple times in one chapter, but here we are. I’ll keep this review spoiler free as the book isn’t due out until the end of April, but hopefully this will give you enough of a taste to convince you to pre-order!

The Gentleman and his Vowsmith centres around Nicholas Monterris, heir to a family that is desperately trying to hide their financial disasters and keep their political connections. In order to buoy their struggling savings, Nicholas is to be married to the daughter of a wealthy family, Lady Leaf Serral. In order to marry, a magical contract needs to be woven, and doing so requires a ‘lock-in’, a period in which the families of the betrothed are trapped inside the crumbling Monterris pile so the paperwork can be smithed with enchanted lettering, binding the two together.

And it just so happens that the vowsmith assigned to the couple is Dashiell sa Vare – dashing by name and nature, and an old flame of Nic’s he has spent years pining after.

What could go wrong?

Well, people could start mysteriously dying, for one…

When haunted automatons (very Clockwork Angel!) start chasing Nic, and the lock-in is plagued by one unexplainable murder after another, it’s starting to feel like something – or someone – doesn’t want the marriage to go ahead.

This book combines a locked-room mystery with a rich historical romance, all wrapped up in a magic system that feels novel and unique for the setting. Pan MacMillan knew what they were doing reaching out to me for review for this (and I love them for it).

I adore a locked-room mystery. Not only does it feel particularly tense due to the claustrophobia of the sealed location, but it’s a perfect way of delving deep into characterisation without feeling like it’s at the expense of wider development of the world beyond. As more murders are committed, it becomes increasingly obvious that, with a fixed number of people present, there’s only so long before one of our main characters becomes a target. That tension is done marvellously in this book, balancing out the political intrigue and romance in a way that avoids many of the cliches of the arranged-marriage-but-in-love-with-another stories.

“Sometimes the strongest love is like a poison, and the more you drink the more monstrous you become, until you are standing in a wasteland of your own making. Sometimes the very strongest love is only hate by another name.”

One thing I did love about this book was Leaf. So often, particularly in MM romance stories with plots like this, the intended bride is seen as an obstacle or interference, which I always hate to see authors do. That’s why I was so thrilled by Leaf. Not only is she utterly disinterested in a romance with Nic – or anyone for that matter – it’s immediately obvious that she is not a side character. A cunning, intelligent woman, Leaf is a fast friend to Nic, a lover of detective fiction, and keen to solve the murders. She’s a fantastic balance to Nic, and complements his relationship with Dash so well. I love that author, Rebecca Ide, clearly wrote her as someone impossible to dismiss, both by the other characters and the reader.

“He wanted to hold onto her for the rest of his life, but marriage was the wrong shape in his mind.”

But onto the romance (I know that’s what you’re all here for, you filthy beasts):

4 words:

On

A

Window

Seat

The combination of forbidden romance, a limited amount of time to be together, forced proximity, and the fact there’s every chance they’ll be caught at any moment makes the relationship between Nic and Dash feel like a powder keg that could explode with even the slightest spark. However, the fact that they have a history means that – despite the short period of time that the story takes place over – nothing feels rushed. Rather it feels like we’re witnessing them falling back into something that was sculpted to fit them, natural and meant to be. Nic’s betrayal at being left without a goodbye all those years ago combined with the inevitability of them parting ways as soon as the contract is signed makes every scene between them feel elevated, steeped in emotion that feels real and raw.

“whatever Dashiell wanted to call it, after nine years such a moment was no closure. It was a resurrection.”

It also means that the spicy scenes are particularly spicy.

On a window seat, under a table, these bastards will take what they can get and make it work. And they make it work.

I absolutely adored this book, and I can tell you how I know: I made 98 annotations on my Kindle as I read. The language is stunning, the characterisation is rich, and the plot is tense as all hell while still having time for some luscious romance.

I foresee Rebecca Ide becoming a staple of the genre alongside Freya Marske and cannot wait to see what he writes next.

THE GENTLEMAN AND HIS VOWSMITH is due for release 24th April 2025 from Pan Macmillan and Tor.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This was a really fun read! It’s kind of like a cosy mystery mixed with a forbidden love and I am lowkey obsessed with it.

The world building was mostly great but I did some parts of it a bit confusing at times. I also think that the first half of the book was a bit wordy and the plot didn’t become particularly exciting and gripping until the second half.

That being said, the characters were very lovable. Nic and Dash are both so adorable I wish I could read another whole book about them!

There’s a little sprinkling of spice that I enjoyed.

Overall this a really great historical fantasy and I look forward to reading more from Rebecca Ide.

I really enjoyed this twisty locked room mystery, set in an AU Regency England with magic!

Lord Nicholas Monterris is due to be wed to Lady Leaf Serral… despite the fact that he’s only romantically interested in men, and she’s AroAce and not remotely interested in a relationship. The only reason this is seemingly happening is that Nic father wants Lady Leaf’s money and status to be brought into their ailing family. Because both Nic and Leaf are Brilliants (people with magic) it is required that their marriage is ‘vowed’, a process of creating a binding magical document during a ‘lock in’ where none of the parties are allowed to leave the house.

But when members of the group start dying, Nic is forced to play detective to work out who so desperately wants his marriage contract to fall through… other than himself, of course. Aided by Lady Leaf, and Nic’s ex, vowsmith Dashiell, they look into the mystery and uncover more than they ever expected!

I enjoyed the second-chance romance between Dash and Nic, as well as the platonic friendship between Nic and Leaf (who was a regular Miss Marple, loved her!). Leaf is AroAce and I loved the portrayal; she’s completely behind Dash and Nic wanting to be together but has no intention of ever being in a relationship herself nor being used to carry children.

The magic system was completely unique and I enjoyed the queer-normative world! There was so much deception and backstabbing in this mystery that I was kept guessing right up to the end!

Read The Gentleman and his Vowsmith for:
✨ Regency England AU with magic
✨ Second chance romance
✨ Escaping your arranged marriage
✨ Excellent AroAce rep
✨ Locked room mystery
✨ Unique magic system
✨ Everyone is lying about something
✨ Automations, ghosts, illusions

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for an eARC of this book. It’s available on 24th April 2025!

A cosy, fun Regency romance with a murder mystery at its heart.
I loved the characters, the word building, the sweet love story. The Gentleman and His Vowsmith is a fantastic read. I hope there’s more from this series.
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - a queer regency second-chance romance with magic, which is also a locked-room murder mystery. The romance is a delight - anger for the past, yearning for what might be, chemistry and sexual tension. But I also loved the celebration of friendship - that relationship gets similar page time as the romance and that was such a good choice. The murder mystery is suitably creepy, the magic element is well done - clearly well thought through, with effortless world-building. There are twists and turns galore, and it kept me guessing - and turning pages - through to the end. I hope there are more books to come in this universe.

(3.5 stars rounded up)

This was a fun Regency-era historical fantasy, blending murder, romance, and a touch of magic in a truly charming way. I really enjoyed the premise and the atmosphere, especially the lockdown setting that added a layer of intrigue to the investigation.

That said, some aspects left me a bit frustrated. The love story, while compelling on paper, sometimes dragged the plot rather than driving it forward—I both loathed and loved it, which is its own kind of magic, I suppose. And while the mystery had its appeal, it occasionally felt redundant, as if it could have been tighter or more impactful. There were also elements I wish had been more developed, but despite these minor gripes, the book remained an engaging and delightful read.

This book made me giggle and kick my legs. It's a very cosy read, it has humour that feels out of its time but fits all too well due to the anamatronics and echoes that were also out of time yet a wonderful part of the story. The mystery was the part that I thought could be more mysterious and explained a little better because I had trouble following and the plot twists felt like they had already been revealed before several times. The romance was really sweet and sometimes spicy but not too often or too much, which is a good balance. Fantastical, mysterious, historical and romantic all at the same time. My favourite January read.

So here's the thing: on paper, this book sounds fantastic—an alternative Regency setting with magic and steampunk-esque elements, wrapped in mystery and queer romance.

Let's start from the top. The alternative regency setting, elements of the world building were amazing, and there were threads I wanted to pull and hear more about but... you don't need to explain things that are the *same* as regency Britain, I just need to know what's different. The concept of being 'sasined' was actually really central and it just didn't seem to be explained in a clear way anywhere, of things people can and can't do, of reasons they can't just... leave, walk out, is there magic there that would stop them? Are there law officials? It seems like it's the same as being part of a family, I honestly can't get what is different. And... gay marriage is normal and okay, which is great, but feels like it should be highlighted much earlier that that is even an option for anyone! The echos, I loved the echos... I think. I just. The wrong things were explained in too much detail.

Next, the mystery. Honestly, it was like watching someone stare at a table with a cup on it and constantly demand to ask where the cup is. I don't want to spoil too much here, but really if you're going to use mysteries to build tension, the reveals should be dramatic. They were most definitely not. I finished the book yesterday and even now I have to squint to remember who killed whom and why. Yeah.

The queer romance was just... lazy. It was full of misunderstandings, making it so hard to feel any connection between the main pairing for most of the book. Then, out of nowhere, we suddenly have people talking and showing emotions you can connect with. It was so frustrating. And the open-door moments? Jarring and vaguely heteronormative. No thank you. That first spicy scene was right out of a bodice ripper, what the hell, where did the bloody oil come from??

The prose, though—the prose was well-written, and the core idea was solid. But everything else? Really not great.

2.5 stars, rounded up.

Perfectly fine fluffy queer historical fantasy, but the thing about chucking dead bodies at your plot to make it go is that they have to actually make the plot go. If a dead body does nothing but keep the soggy center of the plot idling in neutral, it seems awfully disrespectful to the characters who thought they were giving their fictional lives in service of moving things along.

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 !