I can’t find any other books on Goodreads for Brittany Weekley. I really find it hard to believe that this is her first published novel. This is an M/M story like none other I’ve ever read and that makes this a very difficult book review for me to write. This is a love story plain and not so simple. It is also the story of a man and his struggle with who he is. Unlike most M/M stories there is no sex in this one but please don’t let that keep you from reading this unless you just don’t like love stories.

The book is set in London, England in the late 1790’s –a period of which I really know nothing about. I have to admit that I struggled to read this at first because of the style of speech; I can only assume that it’s correct for the period. What I mean is that the speech patterns and formal way of speaking were unfamiliar to me and I had to take more time and care while reading this at first. After a while I became more accustomed to the speech and the story was easier for me to read. I am so glad that I stuck with it.

The story is narrated by Thomas Commons, a young man who is not at all happy with his life. His family is wealthy but emotionally distant and cold. He hates that he is forced to comply with his father’s wishes and has turned into a very bitter and angry man. When Mr. Wesley Ashfield comes to stay in his father’s house, so he and Thomas can become business partners, Thomas doesn’t quite know what to make of him. Wesley is anything but sour and angry and he doesn’t let his father run his life.

If you read the book’s blurb you know that the business relationship between Thomas and Wesley evolves into friendship and then into love and that they are arrested for sodomy. It is during this time that we learn just how strong their love for one another is.

I ran through about every emotion I can think of while reading this book. Some parts were difficult to read simply because the characters had to endure such hardship. There were a few lighter moments but overall I would have to say the tone of this one is pretty somber. The storyline and the dialogue kept me interested and invested in the lives of Thomas and Wesley.

I don’t want to give anything away but feel I should warn that this one doesn’t have a traditional HEA. However, I felt the ending was very appropriate for the story (there is no cliffhanger). The fact that historical fiction isn’t usually at the top of my TBR (to be read) list is probably why I struggled a bit with the language and speech patterns of the time period this book was set in. The Secret Life of Thomas Commons was worth every bit of the struggle I had at the beginning. This is one that will stay with me for a while.

Bravo Ms. Weekley.

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I am a writer, therefore, I am a dreamer and
insane enough to believe that anything is possible.