REVIEW: The Lawrence Browne Affair

The Lawrence Browne Affair, by Cat Sebastian
Publish Date: February 7, 2017
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Format: e-ARC, provided by the publisher
Genre: adult historical m/m romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4.5 STARS

(Synopsis) An earl hiding from his future . . . 

Lawrence Browne, the Earl of Radnor, is mad. At least, that’s what he and most of the village believes. A brilliant scientist, he hides himself away in his family’s crumbling estate, unwilling to venture into the outside world. When an annoyingly handsome man arrives at Penkellis, claiming to be Lawrence’s new secretary, his carefully planned world is turned upside down.
A swindler haunted by his past . . .

Georgie Turner has made his life pretending to be anyone but himself. A swindler and con man, he can slip into an identity faster than he can change clothes. But when his long-dead conscience resurrects and a dangerous associate is out for blood, Georgie escapes to the wilds of Cornwall. Pretending to be a secretary should be easy, but he doesn’t expect that the only madness he finds is the one he has for the gorgeous earl.
Can they find forever in the wreckage of their lives?

Challenging each other at every turn, the two men soon give into the desire that threatens to overwhelm them. But with one man convinced he is at the very brink of madness and the other hiding his real identity, only true love can make this an affair to remember.

The Lawrence Browne Affair was a fantastic new book in the m/m historical romance genre. I'm thoroughly enjoying these books of hers - I didn't hesitate to pick this one up after loving The Soldier's Scoundrel.

Lawrence Browne is a super smart guy. He also has severe anxiety issues and is socially awkward. As a result, he is content to spend his days completely alone in the study of his crumbling mansion working on his inventions. In 1800s England, it is completely unheard of for a gentleman of Lord Radnor's position to act like this, so there are those that think he might be completely nuts.

Then there is Georgie Turner, whom we met in The Soldier's Scoundrel. He's a grifter who is asked to pose as Lord Radnor's assistant as a way to determine if he is, in fact, insane. Georgie needs to get out of London anyway since a job he was working went south and he now has some bad guys looking for him. It's a win-win for Georgie.

It doesn't take long for Georgie to realize that Lawrence is only an eccentric genius, and his social anxiety actually rouses some protective instincts in Georgie that he didn't even know he had. Not to mention Georgie loves the way Lawrence looks in his dressing gown.

I LOVE that Cat Sebastian has created a hot nerd for the 19th century. If you take away the fancy-pants clothes and the high-falooting language, what you have is a brilliant guy who had a crappy childhood and likes other men, which in this time, is not even remotely acceptable. It's no wonder he's squirreled himself away in his big house with only a skeleton crew of servants.

Georgie was the biggest surprise, though. He is absolutely an anti-hero. He cheats, steals and lies for a living, and was perfectly happy about it. Until Lawrence. He actually respects him. Then, he likes him. Then, he more than likes him, and that's when Georgie realizes he's in trouble. He can't cheat someone he loves. And THAT was when I fell in love with him.

This series is one of my favorite historical romance series ever. These men are sexy and complicated and awesome. I love the mysteries that are solved and the fears that are being overcome. And I can't wait for the next one to come out.