Review: The Copper by Bonnie Dee

Title: The Copper

Author: Bonnie Dee

Publisher: Self-Published

Pages/Word Count: 176 Pages

At a Glance: If you are looking for a lighthearted romance, then you may want to pass on this one, but I would say don’t—you will miss out on a truly great love story.

Reviewed By: Carrie

Blurb: Jaded lord, stalwart cop, instant attraction.

Lord Avery Wickersham wakes from a night’s debauchery at a bordello to police officers pounding on the bedroom door. During the vice raid, Constable Connor Tate is ready to arrest the lord and his two male sex partners when Avery’s glib tongue earns a reprieve for his friends if not for himself.

From this grim beginning, men as opposite as summer and winter slowly work their way to an unexpected spring. Avery is ripe for a change in his aimless life, while Connor struggles between duty and desire. Overwhelming passion takes them by storm, but can a rush of lust evolve into love when their lives are so different?

While Avery attempts altruism by volunteering at a charity mission, Connor uncovers government corruption and an evil man who brings torture and death to his victims. The duo join forces to try to stop the killer, but when one of the lovers faces peril, their time may run out.

Warning: Contains a scene of abuse and torture.

Review: The Copper is a complicated one—I loved this book, but it is not what I thought it was going to be when I chose to read it. This is not a lighthearted romance sprung from the timeframe of London 1898. This is a murder mystery, gritty at times, and a romance between two men who are so far apart in temperament and station that to overcome the obstacles in their way seems almost impossible. But oh, I loved what they brought to the table for each other. These two men rub alongside each other like iron sharpening iron; there are burs and bumps along the way that must be worn down until the fit together perfectly. I also need to be upfront about the warning label on this novel: when it says that there are scenes of abuse and torture, that is what they are. But, for those of us who like a little reality with our historicals, really, what was London like in 1898 if not gritty and dirty and full of corruption? Learning to live and love, for gay men, was unheard of. Bonnie Dee always writes spot-on historicals, and this one is no exception. The transformation in both these men is tremendous, as they are both chased out of their comfort zones and forced to evaluate their lives and what they mean to each other.

Lord Avery Wickersham is a typical lord. He eats, he sleeps, he goes to his club, and he gambles. He is the last of his line and is alone but never really feels that way until he meets Conner. Constable Conner Tate has ruthlessly suppressed his desires his entire life. It is why he joined the police force, to help right the wrong he feels living inside himself. Believe it or not these two men are the perfect dichotomy. When they finally fall in love, you believe it because it took so long for them to get there.

“Why are you smiling?”

 

“I’m considering what an unlikely pair we are. When we first met, I would have been more inclined to believe that sky could rain gold coins than that we would ever be together like this.”

Conner admitted things he once would have been embarrassed to utter, so perhaps he’d done some changing as well. Loyalty to a vow or a duty carried an entirely different meaning for him now than it had a few short months earlier.

If you are looking for a lighthearted romance, then you may want to pass on this one, but I would say don’t—you will miss out on a truly great love story, even if it is couched in a murder mystery format. The characters of Avery and Conner are believable, and it was my pleasure to get to know them. I recommend this book for those who love historical romances…just heed the warning label.

 

 

 

 

You can buy The Copper here:

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