Built from the bottom up: one perfect gentleman.Man about town Arthur Lawton spends his days pursuing entertainment while shoeshine Joe Sprat labors to better his family’s lives. When an argument about nature versus nurture sparks a wager, Arthur swears to a friend he can turn this working man into a gentleman who will pass at a society function. Joe is happy to participate in the experiment for … the experiment for a fee but receives more than he bargained for after moving into Lawton’s house. Arthur is determined Joe won’t merely wear a veneer of sophistication but educates him in every way. As he creates his new and improved man, Arthur grows more deeply infatuated with him, while Joe falls equally hard for his charismatic mentor.
Underneath a growing friendship, desire simmers and one day explodes. After their relationship escalates, the pair exists in a dream bubble until the threat of exposure sharply reminds them they belong in different worlds. When the ball is over, each must resume his own life, changed by their encounter but destined for different courses.
Find out if love is strong enough to bridge the gap between peer and pauper in this twist on the tale of My Fair Lady.
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4.5
Forgetting the similarities between this book and a classic musical, I’m simply going to focus on The Masterpiece.
From the moment Arthur is introduced, it is obvious he is not a typical aristocratic gentleman. While Joe is shining his and his friend’s shoes, and his friend is prattling on, Arthur is asking Joe questions about his day and such. When his friend, who is a typical aristocratic snob, suggests a wager, Arthur wavers until Joe unexpectedly says he’ll do it.
Joe is a shoe shiner with a family to support and a dream. If he’s able to pull this off, and help Arthur win the bet, he will be paid enough to possibly start the business he has been dreaming of.
As Arthur and Joe work together, they develop a friendship with the undertones of desire. Because neither knows for sure what the other feels, the desire is allowed to build into a blazing inferno until they can resist temptation no longer.
As the lessons progress, and casual tests happen from time to time, their physical relationship grows into more than just lust. Unfortunately, Arthur’s friend is bound and determined that Joe will not succeed in his task, which only puts more pressure on Joe and upsets Arthur.
Just when things are starting to change for the MCs personally, unexpected guests arrive that basically put an end to their physical affair. However, Joe is able to pass his test. Unfortunately, it only brings more clarity to the feelings he has been harboring about his role in the wager for a while.
Arthur is surprised and dismayed by the way things turn out, but he must capitulate. The story plays out, and the MCs are reunited, so of course we get our HEA.
I thought the narrator did a fantastic job. His character differentiation is spot on and his pace was quite good.
* I received a free copy of this audiobook and I am leaving my honest review. *
4.5 stars
Heat Level: 4
I loved Joe and Arthur. Heartwarming, sweet and humorous.
An interesting journey of remaking a lower class shoe shine into a noble gentleman. The connection sparks between Joe and Arthur and I love Arthur’s lack of classism in this story. Their connection is so sweet, then hot, and caring. Very dynamic and surprisingly loved the historical setting.
Joe is so funny, with his sass and desire to learn, but his truth and dislike of being dishonest plays really well with Arthur and his feelings, as they change for the man Joe is and has become. I loved how Joe tries (and succeeds) to change his speech. He’s a great character and I love watching him become refined but not losing his unique sass or big, honest heart. His desire for Arthur was sweet and hot. I loved the journey these two men take to become better people and eventually find their way back to each other.
A great historical romance with heart and heat! I thoroughly enjoyed the journey!
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Interesting M/M take on Pygmalion.
I liked that this story took place in the past.
Having grown up singing every tune to the musical “My Fair Lady”, I loved this Edwardian, gay version. Completely enjoyable.
The M/M version of Pygmalion, Bonnie Dee’s, The Masterpiece is a truly enjoyable audiobook. Mark James’ stunning performance captures every moment of warmth and charm in this sweet and clever story. This is the fourth historical romance I’ve heard Mr. James perform and I hope he continues to narrate stories in the M/M genre.
Who doesn’t love the plot of a wager which turns a sow’s ear into a silk purse? Reducing a man’s future to nothing more than a bet is just the kind of thing two idle upper-class gentlemen would do for a lark…
For me, the best part is watching Joe react to all the waste and frivolity in Arthur’s life. (The comparisons he makes to his own life are pretty depressing.) But Joe not only retains his integrity, his example helps to transform the wastrel lordling into a man of honor.
I enjoyed getting to know Joe and Arthur. They’re both likable men, and it’s a pleasure to see them work through all the challenges thrown at them and figure it all out together. The Masterpiece is a clever, well written romance and I guarantee a happily-ever-after ending that you’ll love :)!
I thoroughly enjoyed this reworking of My Fair Lady. There were some lovely touches that referred back to the original and made me smile.
Arthur and Joe were great and I love the way Joe made Arthur’s life better when you would expect it to be the other way around.
Well-written and narrated. Highly recommended.
This is a review of the audiobook.
Performed by Mark James
Overall-5
Performance-5
Story-4
Great story, I love Mark James performance.
The Masterpiece takes a classic story and flips it with a man in the role of Eliza Doolittle and I loved it. Joe is a simple working man, shining shoes for a living. He dreams of one day owning his own shop where he would sell fancy shoes to society gentlemen.
Arthur is a man about town whose friend goads him into making a wager. The bet is that Arthur can’t teach Joe to speak correctly and pass for a gentleman among their high society friends.
As Arthur and Joe work together to win the bet they soon discover that they have more things in common than one would think and a romance develops.
This was a very enjoyable book with the performance by Mark James turning it into something quite wonderful to listen to. I love his voice and the various accents he does for this story. He kept me entertained during what would normally be a boring day of doing laundry and other housework.
The author of the book provided me with a free Audible code but no review was required and the gift did not influence my review of the story.
Very Interesting story and engaging characters that keep enthralled from beginning to end, I so enjoyed this book:)
Loved the characters, the time period, the relationship between the characters. The reality and perception was true to form.
The plot was a bit formulaic, the characters were without any major flaws, so somewhat two-dimensional. Just a few typos that a proof reader would have caught, but overall, well-edited. My overall impression, “ho-hum.”
i loved it, the characters we realistic and it was just perfect
It was fair , but too much unnecessary sex scenes.