I was first drawn in by the cover of The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastion. It has a brilliant purple script, and mint green background. On the forefront, there is an illustration of the protagonists, Percy and Kit, sitting tantalizingly close. The second thing I noticed was the title. The Queer Principles of Kit Webb instantly lets readers know that this is queer book. It also plays on the original meaning of the word that would have been used during the 18th century setting of the romance novel.
The story itself did not disappoint! This novel follows Kit Webb who is a former highwayman and the current proprietor of a coffeehouse. This setting gave the novel a coffeeshop au vibe which I enjoyed. Lord Edward Percy Holland requests Kit’s thieving services in robbing his father, the Duke of Clare. Sebastion switches chapter perspectives between Kit and Percy. What should be a simple job becomes complicated when Kit admits that due to his injured leg, he can’t rob the Duke of Clare himself. Instead, motivated by revenge towards the Duke of Clare, he offers to teach Percy how to do it himself. This involves a lot of homoerotic fighting practice, of course.
What should be a simple job is also complicated by the undeniable attraction between Kit and Percy. But Percy is a nobleman who must marry a woman, despite being very gay. And Kit understandably hates the rich, particulary hating Percy’s father who bears a heavy resemblance to Percy. Can Kit and Percy reconcile their differences to make things work between them?
The Queer Principles of Kit Webb was full of humorous banter, and playful attitude which made it a fun read. I found myself reading multiple lines aloud because they were so funny. The main characters were both witty and charming, while having a reasonable amount of flaws.
As it is romance novel there were multiple sex scenes which I found myself skipping because I didn’t like the author’s word choices, for example, using the word “cock.” Still, some explicit scenes are to be expected in romance novel. I just felt like they weren’t for me personally. I was also able to skip them without losing anything of the plot.
It was a bit disappointing that the actual highway robbery ended up being a minor part of The Queer Principles of Kit Webb. It’s unsurprising that as a romance novel, the plot ended up focusing more on Kit and Percy’s love story than the robbery. Still, the robbery was a huge part of the setup and I love fictional thievery, so I was hoping for a bigger payoff on that.
Overall, I loved The Queer Principles of Kit Webb. It was humorous while containing an important anti-monarchy message. I also love a historical LGBTQ+ novel, if you couldn’t tell from my previous book reviews. It would recommend it to readers who are looking for a lighthearted romance novel.