A Summer of Smoke and Sin de TJ Nichols

Bonjour à tous!!

j’espère que vous allez bien. Je vous retrouve aujourd’hui pour la chronique d’un roman que j’ai beaucoup aimé et qui est vraiment original. Il s’agit de A Summer of Smoke and Sin de TJ Nichols. Résumé:

To stop a serial killer a detective will need to explore his own vices…

Nathanial Bayard wants nothing more than to find the nobleman creating snuff pornography. If he fails, his career in the recently formed nobility taskforce will be over and as the youngest son he’ll be forced to obey his father and join the church. But a life of celibacy doesn’t appeal. Nathanial has never even kissed another man, fearing for his soul and his reputation.

Jericho Fulbright has never lived a wholesome life. After behavior unbecoming he was discharged from the army and sent home in disgrace. His inventor and nouveau riche father refused to have anything to do with him, so Jericho turned to what he knew best: opium, gambling and sex.

As the owner of the Jericho Rose, a club for gentlemen who like men, he enjoys a certain notoriety. Some would say he has a golden tongue, but the truth is a succubus lives within him feeding on souls. Once he needed her help, now she is a burden that keeps him from getting close to anyone.

After the unfortunate death of a young noble man in Jericho’s bed, Nathanial is sent to investigate. He is scandalized and intrigued by Jericho, but soon realizes that Jericho could be exactly who he needs to help break the snuff case. Together they are drawn into a web of lies that will result in Jericho facing prison unless Nathanial can unmask the real creator of the snuff, a man with rank and privileges that reaches almost to the King.

FR- Alors alors…alors ce roman est resté dormir dans ma liseuse pendant des semaines et je dois avouer que j’appréhendais un peu de le lire. Maintenant que ma lecture est terminée, je me demande bien pourquoi parce que j’ai adoré.

J’ai trouvé ce roman passionnant. J’aime les romances historiques. C’est un de mes genres préférés et je dois avouer que celle ci est particulièrement bien écrite. Si l’auteur se permet quelques libertés en nous proposant une Angleterre dans laquelle le mariage entre homme est autorisé (mais les relations entre hommes, extra conjugales, interdites) , cela lui permet d’aborder d’autres thèmes forts comme notamment les droits des femmes. C’est d’ailleurs un des rares romans MM qui parle de ce sujet et je trouve que c’est quelque chose à signaler. Les femmes sont souvent peu présentes ou ont des rôles négatifs. Ici ce n’est pas du tout le cas et j’ai trouvé ça vraiment chouette. Plusieurs inégalités hommes/femmes sont mentionnés et discutés tout au long du roman et j’ai vraiment apprécié ce point.

Pour en revenir à l’intrigue à proprement parlé, j’ai énormément aimé. J’ai aimé l’ambiance du roman, j’ai aimé les personnages secondaires, j’ai aimé l’enquête policière et tous les éléments qui composent ce roman. La plume de l’auteur est entraînante et fluide et on est très rapidement prit dans le roman. Je l’ai dévoré en deux jours, et encore, uniquement parce que j’ai du m’arrêter pour aller travailler.

J’ai adoré les personnages principaux. J’ai beaucoup aimé le personnage de Jericho . J’ai particulièrement aimé le changement qui va s’opérer sur ce personnage tout au long du roman notamment dans sa relation avec sa succube. Nathanial est tout aussi intéressant. C’est un personnage qui s’ouvre complètement pendant ce roman et j’ai adoré l’évolution de ses relations avec les autres personnages. L’histoire d’amour entre Jericho et Nathanial est touchante et forte et j’ai énormément aimé chacune de leurs interactions.

En résumé, un très très bon roman historique qui apporte une touche de fraicheur au genre sans pour autant en dénaturer les codes. Un auteur à la plume entrainante. Un très très bon moment de lecture.

ENG- So well well well… well this novel stayed sleeping in my e-reader for weeks and I must admit that I was a little apprehensive to read it. Now that my reading is finished, I wonder why because I loved it.

I found this novel fascinating. I like historical romances. It is one of my favorite genres and I must admit that it is particularly well written. If the author allows himself some liberties by proposing us an England in which marriage between men is authorized (but relations between men, extra marital, prohibited), this allows him to approach other strong themes such as in particular the rights of women. It is also one of the rare MM novels that talks about this subject and I think it is something to report. Women are often absent or have negative roles. Here it is not at all the case and I found that really nice. Several gender inequalities are mentioned and discussed throughout the novel and I really appreciated this point.

Coming back to the plot itself, I really liked it. I liked the atmosphere of the novel, I liked the secondary characters, I liked the police investigation and all the elements that make up this novel. The author’s pen is catchy and fluid and we are quickly caught up in the novel. I devoured it in two days, and again, only because I had to stop to go to work.

I loved the main characters. I really liked the character of Jericho. I particularly liked the change that will take place on this character throughout the novel especially in its relationship with his succubus. Nathanial is just as interesting. He is a character who opens completely during this novel and I loved the evolution of his relationships with the other characters. The love story between Jericho and Nathanial is touching and strong and I really enjoyed each of their interactions.

In summary, a very very good historical novel that brings a touch of freshness to the genre without distorting the codes. An author with a catchy pen. A very very good time to read.

Ma note globale :

Hottitude: