Hello, everyone! Today I’ve got another review of a long overdue ARC. To Sketch a Scandal by Jess Everlee is the fourth book in the Lucky Lovers of London series. I’ve read and enjoyed the other three books and have been looking forward to picking this one up because one of my favorite side characters finally gets center stage in this one. Did I love this newest installment? Read on to find out!

Forbidden love is an art all its own

London, 1886

Barkeep Warren Bakshi is happy with the secrets that he keeps—those of the patrons he serves at underground queer club The Curious Fox, and his own.

But when Warren’s long-lost brother returns, bringing unexpected wealth to the Bakshi family, his elevated status requires more dignified pursuits. An art class seems an ideal way to keep questions at bay, until it reunites him with the subject of his recent fantasies—a man Warren’s boss has expressly forbidden him to pursue.

Detective Inspector Matthew Shaw has brought some of London’s worst criminals to justice. With laws against homosexuality on the books, meeting Warren could detonate his undercover case—and his career. But when his artistic deficiencies prove a greater threat than his desire, Warren is the only person he can turn to for help.

Private drawing tutorials give way to an affair that may put more than their jobs in jeopardy. But real life is infinitely more complicated and surprising than any lessons could prepare them for…

***Thank you to Carina Adores for providing an advanced copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

Warren finally got his own book!! I’ve been intrigued by him in all of the other books in the series. He’s always been a bit of a player and super suave. So, I’ve been curious to learn more about him and see what his love story might look like. Thankfully, it didn’t disappoint.

The plot of To Sketch a Scandal was actually super fun. Matty, an undercover detective, tried to infiltrate an art school suspected of being a front for a forgery operation. He bumped into Warren, who was taking the class for self-improvement, and a forbidden friendship and love affair ensued. The art class was hilarious because the teachers were kooky, and I lost track of how much the whole situation made me laugh out loud. The story had a serious side, too, with Matty dealing with discrimination within the police department and Warren needing to adjust to the drastic changes in his household and life plans. Despite Matty and Warren facing the difficulties of loving each other in this time period, the vibe of the story was hopeful, quirky, and delightfully queer.

I loved getting to know Warren better in To Sketch a Scandal. We finally got to know what was behind the snarky and suave exterior he displayed while at the bar. It turned out to be sort of a defense mechanism that allowed him to blow off steam. His home life was hard, and so much of his time outside of the bar was focused on taking care of his mother. I honestly didn’t expect him to be so wholesome. lol. He claimed to never want to fall in love, but that ended up being a wall he put up to keep his two worlds from colliding. Then in walks Matty.

Matty was such a sweetheart who just wanted a place to belong. His history left him with some serious abandonment and self-worth issues, and he was conflicted because of his role as a detective. His job often meant investigating people like him and putting them behind bars for who they loved. Despite doing everything he could to be successful and fit in, most of his coworkers thought very little of him, and once his mentor retired, he began to see that the police force was not the place of belonging that he thought. I loved seeing him and Warren come together and break each other’s walls down in spite of the danger they faced for doing so. They were brave and passionate and hilarious together, and I just couldn’t get enough of their relationship.

The only thing I’d have loved to see more of in To Sketch a Scandal was their day to day lives. I wanted more of Warren behind the bar from his POV. Matty doing investigative work and dealing with things in the office could have been a bigger part of the story, too. The art classes and all of their rendezvous were fun, but so much of their other lived experience seemed to be missing. The story still worked well without it, but I did find myself wanting a bit more of them at work multiple times as I was reading.

All in all, To Sketch a Scandal was another excellent installment in the Lucky Lovers of London series. These characters have come to feel like family over the years, and Warren and Matty are no exception to that sentiment. I can’t recommend this story enough and rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

There you have it! My thoughts on To Sketch a Scandal by Jess Everlee. Be sure to check out what I thought of the other books in the series, including The Gentleman’s Book of Vices, A Rulebook for Restless Rogues, & A Bluestocking’s Guide to Decadence. Have you read this series? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!