What a wonderful story! My only two complaints would be Perry not being a real life person and me not being able to have him for myself! It was so obvious what Jonny saw in him as well as why he and Lysander (and Adam) loved him so much. He doesn't see himself for the wonderful human being that he is. As he himself says - "Sometimes people don't see what you are. They only see what you're not". This fault tend to turn against us when we start seeing the faults certain people see in us and not our true potential or more basically who we are at heart.
Lord Peregrine "Perry" Cavendish had enough time of drinking and waking up hung over. That's why he travels to his friends estate. Failing to announce his visit he come when his best friend Lysander Winterbourne is too busy with harvest to entertain him and his partner Adam Freeman is away on a business trip. Having time for himself allows him to travel the grounds and enjoy the peace and quiet of the countryside. When Adam finally returns he has his dearest friend Jonathan "Jonny" Mainwaring with him.
Both Jonny and Perry has never met anyone like the other. Jonny is an artist, he's colorful and cheerful and could be emotional from the smallest things. He is talkative and friendly as he is invested in his work forgetting about life around him when he paints or sketches. The exact opposite of Perry who is more reserved and closed, always feeling self conscious of his "lack of wits". Big and muscular he has always been better outdoors.
Jonny is first impressed by Perry's physic making him almost itchy to paint him as Hercules. Shy Perry feels insecure in being scrutinized by a man like Jonny but he somehow finds himself posing for Jonny and actually enjoying their time together.
Jonny had his share of men in the past (unlike the virgin Perry who has just came to accept his attraction to men seeing his friend Lysander finding his own HEA) but the last one for sure made him realize he is a bit too much and though the beginning could look promising, it doesn't take long for the other person to start feeling irritated by his attitude and neediness. He is highly attracted to sweet and sensitive Perry but after making a move on him he feels too emotional and raw and so withdraws quickly before he falls for someone he actually really likes and appreciates and destroy what they manage to build up until now. Perry is hurt by Jonny's rejection. He thought there was something real in what they shared but he is able to somehow put it aside enough to keep posing for Jonny and continue to build some sort of friendship between them.
When Jonny's friends Sam and Jasper (from the 3rd novella) offer to meet him in an inn a few miles from Lysander and Adam's estate he doesn't know what to do. He has his reasons for fearing rides - short and especially long and since both Lysander and Adam can't go he almost immediately declines the meeting only to have sweet sweet Perry offering to take him and accommodate all his fears. Spending more time with Perry, especially on the road where he feel so insecure usually, makes him realize how silly of him to think he would NOT fall for him just because they weren't sharing a bed. Perry comes to his own conclusions but things doesn't turn for the better before they turn for the worse.
That's all I'm going to say about the plot which is enough as is it. Though this one is longer than the previous installments it's still rather short but I feel like we truly got a whole story with the special time Jonny and Perry shared together. I could totally see what they found in each other. They completed each other in the best possible way. Quiet Perry lets Jonny do most of the talking, but Jonny always enjoys Perry's response. He might not be considered "smart" (with knowledge from books) but he is very sensitive and intuitive which is exactly the kind of thinking artistic and out-of-the-box thinker Jonny would enjoy best. While Jonny can spend hours sitting quietly while painting, Perry is more than content enjoying his surroundings and the world around him. He doesn't see Jonny as needy and loves his eccentric ways. For Jonny, someone who sees him and understands him like Perry does is a true and wonderful novelty as well as how Perry feels about being seen as something else than what he is used to be seen as (big and brainless).
What can I say, it's another great novel by Joanna so as usual - HIGHLY RECOMMEND you give this one a go. You don't have to read the previous ones but you should as they are just as wonderful as this one was. More please?
 | Rating: ★★★★★ | E-Book Edition | 177 pages | Read on: 30 April - 1 May 2021 |  |  |  |  |  |
2. Mr. Winterbourne's Christmas [Lysander Winterbourne & Adam Freeman] (Published 19 November 2018) ★★★★½
3. The First Snow of Winter [Sam Alderton & Jasper Huxley] (Published 19 February 2021) ★★★★★
4. The Labours of Lord Perry Cavendish [Peregrine "Perry" Cavendish & Jonathan "Jonny" Mainwaring] (Published 28 April 2021) ★★★★★
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