Summer Devon

Giles Fullerton has taken to wander the streets at night after he lost a friend to suicide. More than a friend, really, but that's not something he can talk about to anyone. One night he makes the acquaintance of the lamplighter John Banks, a gregarious, talkative fellow, and even though their classes are so far apart, they start something of a friendship.

It's a cute little short story about loss and grief and starting to life again. There isn't all that much plot or drama, but the story has it's own warmth and feels very sympathetic.
Just a heartwarming, happy read.

Renaissance man John Gilliam is a patient at an asylum, due to his unfortunate attraction to men, or his being caught at it, rather. At first he thought treatment might actually help him, but being humiliated, attacked by a warden and bereft of his writing utensils he's quite unhappy with his situation. He becomes friendly with the burly but gentle warden Sam Tully, and starts teaching the former dock worker better reading skills. But Tully harbors the same forbidden feelings John does, which is really not a good idea in an asylum meant to treat said feelings.

The book started out a little dark but very nice. The situation for John is pretty bad, but not as horrible as it could be in an Victorian age asylum. But the idea to cure someone of homosexuality by giving them cold-water treatment seems pretty ludicrous now.
The scenes with Tully are very heart-warming and I liked both of them together. John is very much intellectual, too much in his own head sometimes, while Sam is not learned but inherently observant and kind. Sam helps John and John helps Sam and it's a nice feel-good dynamic.

But then the books needs to introduce a pretty boring and stereotypical mystery into the plot which could not hold my interest much and which also lead to the characters getting way too little time together. The book just went stale for me with that.

There is a pretty romantic HEA, which feels just a little too unrealistic, forced and picture-perfect too me.

As Peter, Lord Northrup finds young, middle class student Stephen asleep in his bed during a visit to some friends he expects him to be a friendly offer for a more exotic house party. But Stephen is really the friend's son's friend come for a visit, but even after the misunderstand is cleared up, Stephen is intrigue by the dark, older Peter and asks him to show him the pleasures of the flesh he thought he might never indulge in. They spend two sensual days together at the house, Stephen getting more and more enamored with Peter, till the owner of the house has to ask Peter to leave, before he corrupts his son's friend.
But even after he has to take his leave, Peter can't quite forget the shy, passionate Stephen.

I liked this book a lot. The Characters have depth to them and there is good character development too.
Stephen starts out shy and repressed, but he grows up, becomes stronger, more confident. Stephen doesn't stay the mooning boy, who is unreasonably fascinated by the first man in his bed, it is Peter who ends up falling in love and falling hard, while Stephen is more the voice of reason.

The book had a very realistic ring too it. While it's still HEA and quite romantic, it's also full of problems. It doesn't get too sappy or forced.
The views and laws on homosexuality are an obvious deterent, but also Stephens sense of duty to his stiff middle class parents. I felt it was downright depressing at times, which is why I gave it only 4 stars. It certainly were necessary and reasonable downers, but I wasn't something I was quite in the mood for.