I thoroughly enjoyed this one!
Kit and Percy are lovely characters with a fun, engaging dynamic. A wig-and-rouge-wearing aristocrat planning highway robbery and a hardened criminal running a coffee shop–yes, sign me up! They’re a delight. Percy’s child-like responses to cake and praise really endear me to him. Kit’s total inability to lie (but attempting to anyway to everyone’s bafflement) is absolutely adorable.
There’s a lot of solid humor that kept me interested and laughing despite the story’s total predictability. I would have been happier if the plot surprised me or at least presented itself in an exciting way, but the plot is disappointing and weak. It’s tolerable to me since Kit and Percy are so fun, but other readers’ mileage may vary. Judging by the YA-style cover, I had guessed it would have a Young or New Adult feel to it, but it almost has a Middle Grade feel instead, which feels odd paired with the explicit intimate scenes and murder.
The attempt at weaving class criticism into the story isn’t particularly artful, but it’s pleasing all the same. It makes reading about a fair-haired duke’s love story a lot more intriguing, particularly with the “Robin Hood” allusions. If anything, the story would have been stronger if it had leaned more into that. As it is, it’s almost too shy about it, making it feel incomplete. This also added to the Middle Grade feel–like it was introducing the concept to young people for the first time, which would be awesome except that it’s too explicit for Middle Grade audiences.
The biggest problem isn’t the plot, though. The secondary characters are far, far too underdeveloped. Not just for entertainment’s sake, but for their critical role in the story. They’re really just names and nothing else. Their hollowness really stands out and undermines the story’s impact.
I’m happy with the epilogue because it sets up for a lot of fun adventures for our leading men (not in a way that promises a sequel, although it could, just in a way that’s satisfying for their futures).
Minor gripe but I disliked Percy’s intense unwillingness to scrap with a woman who volunteers to help him practice fighting. I didn’t find this to be a particularly good way to establish that he has “good in him” or whatever, even if it’s time appropriate. I wasn’t outraged on behalf of women’s equality or anything so major; it just feels odd for the story. Maybe it was the only way to justify Percy scrapping with the injured Kit? Still odd.
Joel Leslie’s performance is top tier as always!