The Gentleman and the Lamplighter

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BLURB

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….

REVIEW by Christopher Hawthorne Moss

It is interesting that the blurb points out the class differences between these two men. I had just read that the Uranians, a Wilde-era homosexual society, specifically credited same-sex unions with offering connections between the upper class and middle- to lower-class men. They believed this particular type of relationship was the most egalitarian in the famously distant Victorian era. It was fun to read of an instance like this in Summer Devon’s book.

The relationship between the two men therefore did not seem at all unlikely to me. Devon gives them a way to maintain the relationship once it is consummated, giving John a means to become an artist so as to elevate his social status. It seemed to me that Giles was particularly devoted to him, supporting his development and being willing to visit his humble abode to consummte their attractions.

Summer Devon, with or without Bonnie Dee, is well worth her skillful telling of the whether likely or not Victorian romance.