Book 889: Dances Long Forgotten (Winsford Green #1) – Ruby Moone

What a delightful read! I grabbed this from Kindle Unlimited when an ARC request came in for book four of the series (A Christmas Miracle) landed in my inbox.

Having never read Moone before, even though I was intrigued by the blurb of the ARC, I wanted to see what how her writing was so I went and grabbed this one and it was the perfect quick read. I hope the quality stays throughout the series and that they are connected, even if they’re just standalones.

The story starts off in modern-day with the current marquess pining over his second-in-command, who is also pining for him but gives his resignation because he can’t bear to work with him any longer because of the unrequited love. As they’re having this conversation in the estate’s library they both hear music, a waltz, and lord whatever starts to lose it because family legend says only those who’ve found true love hear it. Then the story really begins in flashback.

Books always steadied him, and today was no different. In the library, he could be whoever he wanted to be: no admonition, no criticism, no expectation. Just Hugo. Hugo who loved men. (25)

I’m not going to lie, in such a short novel Moone gave me whiplash MULTIPLE times. The story started off a little to-be-expected with Hugo having been caught with another man and being blackmailed, but from there it takes you on a whirlwind of some expected and some out-of-left-field revelations. I’m still not sure how I feel about the revelations around Hugo’s brother. They make sense, but was it necessary for all of them in such a short book? They definitely kept me engaged and I’m curious about what the next few novels will hold.

Hugo’s character definitely seems to grow in the short work, especially once he reconnects with school friend Lyndon. I was worried that Hugo’s contrition about being caught was all a show and that he’d go back to his ways as soon as his brother helped him, but it seems he was really looking for true love and found it.

The couple of sex scenes were well written and weren’t rushed. I’m not sure how accurate some of the terminology was, but I’m also too lazy to go look it up. I appreciated that Moone included them sparingly. There were three spread across the novel and they became more intimate and loving as the relationship between Hugo and Lyndon developed.

A part of me wishes the book would’ve had a split narrative either from Lyndon or Hugo’s brother because it would’ve been interesting to gain a different perspective, but if it did have that I doubt I would’ve appreciated Hugo’s character as much as I did.

Yesterday, he’d been a bored, orphaned, miserable sodomite wasting his life, trying to find space to live alongside people he knew would send him to the pillory, or the gallows if they knew about him. And today, here he was. He had a father who loved and cared for him. The boys at school who were hideous bullies had turned into hideous men, and he didn’t need to be one of them. A goodly proportion of the finest men of London society, including his father, were at home in the bedchamber of other men. Just like him. (101)

The ending of the flashback and the ending of the modern-day story were both great. I love that these historical fiction novels can give LGBT characters happily ever after even if that rarely happened (that we know of) in actuality. And then to have Dylan and James (I think) decide to share Hugo and Lyndon’s story and then get married in the library, it was just the perfectly sweet ending.

Recommendation: I quite enjoyed it! If you’re a fan of MM Romances, the regency, or historical romances you’ll appreciate this one. The story wasn’t rushed, but did have quite a few jaw dropping revelations that kept me engaged (maybe too many?!). I’m looking forward to reading more this series, especially as the copy editing was really well done for a self-published book, and if I like them I’ll definitely be adding Moone’s work to my rotation.

Opening Line: “December 2014—It had been a good idea to open the Abbey on Christmas Eve.”

Closing Line: “He turned to face his love. Held both his hands, and the words of the marriage service began.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)

Additional Quotes from Dances Long Forgotten
“‘Well, that’s a bit of a mess.’ He rubbed Hugo’s arm, then leaned over to ruffle his hair like he used to do when he was a boy. ‘Goose. You should have said.’
And with those softly spoken words, his brother quietly vouchsafed his support and undid Hugo entirely.” (19)

“Was one mad if one was simply different? Was that what defined madness? He thought of the people incarcerated for being mad. Generally speaking, they were different. Perhaps it was the mad people who were right. Yet they were being cast aside so that the rest of the world wouldn’t see what they were trying to say.” (20)

“The fire burned constantly in the library. It was always one of the warmest spots in the house, and the fondest of Hugo’s childhood memories came from the warmth and enjoyment of the room. It was only once he’d left and discovered that for many, the library was a soulless, dusty room of gloom. Not for him. One day, he would have his own house, with the most glorious library. He’d scour the world for the best and most interesting books and invite people to share in them. As a child, he’d dreamed of owning a huge bookshop and sharing his love of books, but he’d soon discovered that a tradesperson wasn’t considered a suitable occupation for a gentleman of his pedigree. He smiled sadly as he remembered his disappointment.” (24)

“There are far too many men of our persuasion, good men; kind men, for it to be wrong.” (29)