The Doctor's Discretion

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great romance with a gripping plot, and I loved reading it! It's set in 1830s New York City, and it is about the issues faced by people whose identities are marginalized in that time and place (and in the modern world also), but the focus is on who these characters are as individuals and on how they come together to succeed in a situation that seems impossible. Overall, there's a good balance between the serious subject matter, the romance, and the exciting rescue plot.

From very early on, I was invested in William and Augustus finding their happy ending, and I also quickly grew attached to Moss, the man they rescue. Augustus and Moss are both trans men; Moss has been captured and is facing the threat of doctors studying his body, as well as criminal charges and confinement in prison or a mental institution. Augustus decides he must rescue Moss, and he involves William, his new lover, in the plan.

I've read most of E.E. Ottoman's books, and this book may be the first of his I've read with alternating points of view. It works really well for the story, and the characterizations are excellent; the characters are not excessively introspective, however, and we mostly see who they are through how they react to situations. For example, we see the same edgy neighborhood through both William's and Augustus's eyes, and they have completely different opinions on it.

Many queer historicals gloss over the terrible risks of living one's life as other than cishet, but those risks are central to this plot. Moss is facing some of the highest stakes imaginable for a trans person in this era; Augustus and William (who is cis and gay) can both easily see themselves in Moss's place. William is empathetic in general, also, while Augustus is very driven, so they're both well suited to helping Moss. The actual rescue scene had me on the edge of my seat.

I really enjoyed the romance plot. William and Augustus are strongly attracted to each other, and that doesn't fade, although William doesn't react well to learning that Augustus is trans. He sees Augustus as the man that he is at every point, but he's angry at first that Augustus wasn't honest with him. But they work everything out eventually. E.E. Ottoman's sex scenes are always excellent, and the erotic scenes in this book are intense and emotional. I really felt their visceral need for each other.

I definitely believe in the happy ending that Augustus and William find together, but I think that Moss's story could continue. I hope there will be more books about these characters!

I like this book a lot, mostly because it deals with things that I don't often come across in romances much less historical romances. (Partially Mostly because when I read romances I tend to gravitate towards the fluffy ones.) But, anyway, there is a bit look at what trans people, gays and blacks would have all suffered in the eighteen thirties. (Trans is its main focus, though.) The only slight problem I had was that the narration feels a little draggy a couple of times - when the focus is changing. Because it starts out as a pretty typical romance before turning into a ... almost an issues book. (I don't know what else to call it, though that doesn't feel quite accurate, either.) Also, there's a bit of a glimpse into the medical practice - as both our leads are doctors! - that seems accurate. (So says the person whose entire knowledge of the medical profession comes from shows/movies.) Anyway, really, really like this book.

I love historical queer romance, and there are not enough dependable authors in the genre IMO. So I really wanted to like this book, but it just felt flat to me. The plot sounded intriguing and there was a lot of admirable queer representation, but everything unfolded in an unsurprising, muted sort of way. Ottoman doesn't seem to get inside the core of her characters, so I never felt the terror that Moss must have been experiencing, or the growing affection between Augustus and William. After reading the first two books by this author, I have to conclude that they are just not my cup of tea.