Secondhand Reads
@secondhandreads.bsky.social
I read used books 📚✨
Updates on Fridays (....usually) + Song of the Week on Wednesday
Updates on Fridays (....usually) + Song of the Week on Wednesday
A Gentleman Never Keeps Score is a fun romp with real heart, but just a few too many ideas for its plot to keep up with. But I had a good time with it regardless! I give it a
✨7.5/10✨
✨7.5/10✨
November 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
A Gentleman Never Keeps Score is a fun romp with real heart, but just a few too many ideas for its plot to keep up with. But I had a good time with it regardless! I give it a
✨7.5/10✨
✨7.5/10✨
It's also possible that Avon's Impulse imprint has a page cap? I know they have word count guidelines for submissions, but I'm not sure if there's a hard cutoff. Ah well, maybe she'll release a short story collection for her Sedgwick series and expand on some of those ideas.
November 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
It's also possible that Avon's Impulse imprint has a page cap? I know they have word count guidelines for submissions, but I'm not sure if there's a hard cutoff. Ah well, maybe she'll release a short story collection for her Sedgwick series and expand on some of those ideas.
I don't think it's a case of the author not knowing how to use all these interesting concepts she's introduced; I got the impression she had plently of ideas for them. Rather, I think she ran out of time to make the deadline and had to cut out a lot.
November 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
I don't think it's a case of the author not knowing how to use all these interesting concepts she's introduced; I got the impression she had plently of ideas for them. Rather, I think she ran out of time to make the deadline and had to cut out a lot.
What a shame, I was quite interested in some of them, like Kate and Hartley's old friendship, or more details about Sam's boxing career.
November 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
What a shame, I was quite interested in some of them, like Kate and Hartley's old friendship, or more details about Sam's boxing career.
Sam's quest for Kate's portrait is dropped for the last third of the book and only briefly brought up again near the end. Honestly, about half of the sideplots had a similar arc: introduced early on, only to be ignored for huge chunks of the book.
November 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
Sam's quest for Kate's portrait is dropped for the last third of the book and only briefly brought up again near the end. Honestly, about half of the sideplots had a similar arc: introduced early on, only to be ignored for huge chunks of the book.
That said, this book does suffer a bit from the author trying to stuff too many ideas into ~300 pages. Several plot points are introduced early in the book that either go nowhere or are entirely forgotten. For example, the freaking inciting incident!
November 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
That said, this book does suffer a bit from the author trying to stuff too many ideas into ~300 pages. Several plot points are introduced early in the book that either go nowhere or are entirely forgotten. For example, the freaking inciting incident!
More importantly, the book makes it clear that Sam's actions are in the right! I have read way too many books where the POC partner is either a doormat or a plot device; to read a more realistic take on how healthy interracial relationships work is refreshing. Absolutely loved this!
November 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
More importantly, the book makes it clear that Sam's actions are in the right! I have read way too many books where the POC partner is either a doormat or a plot device; to read a more realistic take on how healthy interracial relationships work is refreshing. Absolutely loved this!
When this imbalance inevitably leads to a fight, HARTLEY is the one to do the emotional labor! He realizes where he went wrong, processes it on his own, & is the first to reach out with an apology. As for Sam, he gives himself time to heal, puts up boundaries, and doesn't just accept Hartley back.
November 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
When this imbalance inevitably leads to a fight, HARTLEY is the one to do the emotional labor! He realizes where he went wrong, processes it on his own, & is the first to reach out with an apology. As for Sam, he gives himself time to heal, puts up boundaries, and doesn't just accept Hartley back.
The other thing that I LOVED was how she handled an interracial relationship in a Regency romance. The power imbalance inherent in a relationship between a Black working class man & a White nobleman is explicitly acknowledged, without reducing it to just a personal problem instead of a systemic one.
November 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
The other thing that I LOVED was how she handled an interracial relationship in a Regency romance. The power imbalance inherent in a relationship between a Black working class man & a White nobleman is explicitly acknowledged, without reducing it to just a personal problem instead of a systemic one.
Their negotiations felt natural; it's an excellent reflection of how some people in real life use Dom/Sub scenes- or at least power negotiation- to overcome their anxieties with sex. This part of the book is just incredibly well done, and I'm glad Cat Sebastian did her research.
November 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
Their negotiations felt natural; it's an excellent reflection of how some people in real life use Dom/Sub scenes- or at least power negotiation- to overcome their anxieties with sex. This part of the book is just incredibly well done, and I'm glad Cat Sebastian did her research.
Overall, I liked this book more than It Takes Two. Hartley and Sam's dynamic is much more interesting! I like how Cat Sebastian uses Hartley's fear of being touched and Sam's fear of hurting anyone physically to create the most wholesome Dom/Sub scenes I have ever read.
November 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
Overall, I liked this book more than It Takes Two. Hartley and Sam's dynamic is much more interesting! I like how Cat Sebastian uses Hartley's fear of being touched and Sam's fear of hurting anyone physically to create the most wholesome Dom/Sub scenes I have ever read.
Sam wants to track down and destroy a lewd painting of his friend Kate commissioned by Hartley's late godfather. Hartley agrees to help, seeing an opportunity for revenge- possibly even closure- if they team up...
November 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
Sam wants to track down and destroy a lewd painting of his friend Kate commissioned by Hartley's late godfather. Hartley agrees to help, seeing an opportunity for revenge- possibly even closure- if they team up...
Stuck in a house that reminds him of his downfall but unable to move out due to pride, Hartley is trapped- until he meets retired boxer turned pub owner Sam Fox, a pillar of the Free Black community in London.
November 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
Stuck in a house that reminds him of his downfall but unable to move out due to pride, Hartley is trapped- until he meets retired boxer turned pub owner Sam Fox, a pillar of the Free Black community in London.
Following the events of It Takes Two to Tumble, Hartley Sedgwick's worst fear has come to pass: the secret of how he 'earned' his inheritance from his godfather has been exposed to a judgemental high society.
November 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
Following the events of It Takes Two to Tumble, Hartley Sedgwick's worst fear has come to pass: the secret of how he 'earned' his inheritance from his godfather has been exposed to a judgemental high society.
I did enjoy revisiting the cast from Don't Want You Like A Best Friend, but it wasn't enough to keep me invested. A disappointing sequel, I give You're the Problem, It's You a
✨ 2/10 ✨
✨ 2/10 ✨
November 15, 2025 at 6:25 AM
I did enjoy revisiting the cast from Don't Want You Like A Best Friend, but it wasn't enough to keep me invested. A disappointing sequel, I give You're the Problem, It's You a
✨ 2/10 ✨
✨ 2/10 ✨
Their romantic arc just doesn't work. Plus, the writing quality seems to have lowered? The dialogue was not 100% period accurate in the first one, but some of the slang is just way too modern. The narrative structure, too, seems to be weaker overall. I can't help but wonder if the book was rushed.
November 15, 2025 at 6:25 AM
Their romantic arc just doesn't work. Plus, the writing quality seems to have lowered? The dialogue was not 100% period accurate in the first one, but some of the slang is just way too modern. The narrative structure, too, seems to be weaker overall. I can't help but wonder if the book was rushed.
The whole thing feels forced. Given their respective characterization in the other parts of the book, I couldn'y believe that James could be that (unintentionally) cruel, nor could I believe that Bobby would be that forgiving.
November 15, 2025 at 6:25 AM
The whole thing feels forced. Given their respective characterization in the other parts of the book, I couldn'y believe that James could be that (unintentionally) cruel, nor could I believe that Bobby would be that forgiving.
I can totally buy James kissing Bobby out of frustration, but do I believe that Bobby would immediately return the kiss? To a man that has constantly insulted Bobby, his friends, and his family? Absolutely not. I would expect Bobby to push James away and ask him what the hell he was thinking!
November 15, 2025 at 6:25 AM
I can totally buy James kissing Bobby out of frustration, but do I believe that Bobby would immediately return the kiss? To a man that has constantly insulted Bobby, his friends, and his family? Absolutely not. I would expect Bobby to push James away and ask him what the hell he was thinking!
Perhaps it would have worked if the miscommunication lasted a short amount of time, but it nearly takes up half the book! It doesn't end until James kisses Bobby mid argument- and that scene, dear reader, is where I stopped reading.
November 15, 2025 at 6:25 AM
Perhaps it would have worked if the miscommunication lasted a short amount of time, but it nearly takes up half the book! It doesn't end until James kisses Bobby mid argument- and that scene, dear reader, is where I stopped reading.
Speaking from my own experience, a person's attractiveness really starts to lose its lusters after the second or third pointed barb they throw your way.
November 15, 2025 at 6:25 AM
Speaking from my own experience, a person's attractiveness really starts to lose its lusters after the second or third pointed barb they throw your way.