Review: The Valet by S.J. Foxx

Title: The Valet

Author: S.J. Foxx

Length: 190 Pages

Category: Historical

At a glance: A great story where aristocrat and servant roles are mildly reversed!

Reviewed By: Jennifer

Blurb: After scandalising his family name, wealthy brat Hugo is kicked out of his parent’s home in NYC, and tossed into the English countryside. There, he must live with his extended family and learn what it means to be a “gentleman,” or be cut off and left without his inheritance.

Brattish, reckless, and out of control, it seems that Hugo may never learn his manners. That is, until he meets his match: a stoic, no-nonsense valet, Sebastian.

Hugo and Sebastian are swept up in a forbidden fling, and they play a game of power.

Can Sebastian get a handle on his master? Or will Hugo’s foolishness leave him penniless?

Review: S.J. Foxx is a new author, and if her next book is anything like The Valet, she has found a permanent reader in me.

Set in the not too distant past, I want to say after World War I but before World War II, Hugo is a troublemaker in his family. After one too many scandals, his parents send him to live with family in England, with an ultimatum: shape up and become a gentleman, or lose your inheritance.

Hugo is immediately unhappy with his English family. They are strict, stoic, and do not want him there. The remote English countryside is exactly the opposite of what he wants; there is no jazz, no clubs, no drinking, no women, and very likely no men either.

When he meets the footman, Sebastian, however, everything begins to change for him. After his first valet is fired for theft, Sebastian steps in. Though he does his job well, he has no time for Hugo’s bratty behavior, and he takes him to task with a firm hand. One that Hugo didn’t know he craved. Soon, Sebastian is all Hugo can think about. When a family friend puts Hugo in danger, Sebastian steps in to save Hugo, but it might cost them everything they’ve built.

I absolutely loved this book. From the first page, I was riveted. Hugo is such a bratty character. One would think that he would just settle down, tolerate his year abroad and do his best to behave so that he can get his inheritance and move on, but not Hugo. He gets bored easily, and when he’s bored, he’s reckless.

Sebastian was not our typical valet, either. He can see right through Hugo’s act, and he knows how to handle him. The book has some slight BDSM elements, with Hugo acting as the submissive and Sebastian the Dominant. There’s nothing extreme, but there is a power exchange between them. It was nice to see the roles reversed, where the aristocrat falls to his knees for the valet instead of the other way around. And though there are books out there like this, I felt that this one was done very well. The details to the clothing, decorations, music, and lifestyle was well researched. I felt it was plausible, and even the ending, which was a little bit of a surprise for me—I had expected a slightly different twist—was wonderful. If S.J. Foxx were to write another book starring Hugo and Sebastian after the events of this book, I would happily read it.

If you are a reader who enjoys historical romances, light D/s themes, role reversals, and completely bratty aristocrats, I highly recommend this author. She is one to watch out for.

You can buy The Valet here:
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