Viscount Randall has enough. After his latest lover up and left him to marry, without even bothering to inform him, he decides he can't deal with unfaithful men anymore and wants to try his hand at marriage himself.
He finds a good match with Prudence, who seems witty, practical and beautiful. He doesn't desire her, but feels they can make a decent life together, until her brother arrives back home from the navy.
David is furious that a sodomite whats to marry his sister. He himself spent a week in Randall's bed, after all, just a few years ago. But as he comes back to confront the man he notices that old feelings might not be quite dead yet.
It's a decent romance, but nothing outstanding.
I thought the romance aspect fell a bit flat and was rather stereotypical. Pretty much an insta-love scenario (old affair, never forgotten, been in love all that time, yadida...), objections that where mentioned and then conveniently forgotten...
The book is quite short and the plot also often felt rushed and cut short. The characters could have been fleshed out more, especially Randall seemed a bit shallow and not terribly original. David has at least some fears and some background that help make him a bit more unique. The story probably would have been better, if all the feelings could have had some more time to develop properly.
I also felt the historical setting was taken quite lax. I stumbled over quite a few words or phrases that just where too modern, even for me as a layman, and the actions didn't always fit in either (A Woman making a public scene, being bodily dragged off by her brother? Pretty unlikely.)
The ending was very much not expected and a bit different, though, so that's something. The sex scenes where pretty hot and all in all it was a pleasant read.