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The Gentleman and the Lamplighter: A Short Story

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The Gentleman and the Lamplighter: A Short Story

By: Summer Devon
Narrated by: Mark James
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About this listen

The Gentleman and the Lamplighter is a historical romance NOVELLA about two men from different worlds who find acceptance - and red-hot passion - in each other's arms. From Summer Devon, who writes "gay Victorian romance with emotional tension" (Publishers Weekly).

You can't walk away from love.

Destroyed by the death of his former schoolmate yet unable to show it publicly, Giles Fullerton has taken to walking the streets of London in the middle of the night, the only time he can safely mourn the only person he's ever loved - until one chance meeting with a lamplighter changes everything....

But you can walk toward it...

Widower John Banks knows a thing or two about grief, and immediately recognizes a kindred spirit when he finally meets the handsome, haunted gentleman he's admired from afar. And in fact, the two men discover shared passions and the possibility of a forever love - if they can overcome social taboos, and their own fears....

©2015 St Martin's Press (P)2019 M Kate Rothwell Historical Historical Fiction Romance Victorian
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This is a short story, but is surprisingly satisfying. It focuses on the relationship between John and Giles without much distraction from other people or events.

John and Giles are both lonely men, who have experienced loss and grief. They have also encountered sordidness and shame in their past attempts at following their attraction to other men. John is a more optimistic soul, who is able to be content with the life he has, and have hopes for the future. In his job as lamplighter, he has noticed Giles, and wondered about the tortured man who walks the city at night.

Giles is struggling to live with his grief for his first lover and childhood friend who killed himself a year ago. As the true nature of their relationship can never be known, he keeps his secret sorrow locked up within himself.

When Giles meets John, he finally has somebody he can talk with, someone he can be his complete self with. While his attraction to John still fills him with shame, confronting his past makes him realise that he must accept happiness when it appears in his life.

John's adoration of Giles is beautiful and pure and tender. His love is gentle and healing, and transformative for Giles.

Mark James is new to me, and I look to listening to more from him. His narration is perfect for this book, calm and soothing.

A sweet, tender story of loneliness

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A lovely historical m/m romance novella. Despite being short it manages to build realistic and sensitive backstories of both main characters. I felt the tragic grief coming out of Giles, and the tentative feelings of friendship and more building. There was sadness here but only due to lost loved ones. This story is low angst, with medium heat, on page sex between the two men, and a HEA - I would have loved an epilogue of maybe a few years in the future but I don't think the story is missing anything without one. The narration was spotless, a beautiful smooth voice that fits the historical setting perfectly. Because of it's historical setting, relationships between men are illegal, but there is no homophobia in the story. Instead, it is delicately done with no angst, and the story wouldn't have worked in another setting as the two main characters have kept their previous relationships secret for this reason.

Cute romance novella

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