I'm such a sucker for explorations of corruption in governmental and/or religious systems, and this has both. Belimai and Harper are compelling characters on their own and together, and there's a sense of both characters having a fully fleshed out history, even outside of what is alluded to in the text. That extends beyond Belimai and Harper; the worldbuilding is both solid and well executed enough for it to fade to the background and give way to the story and characters.
The prose and strength of the characters of this book is more than enough to compensate for the fact that the plot, somewhat comedically, hinges on

Spoiler

Harper having a prodigal kink and a blood kink. This plot would not exist if Harper wasn't a complete freak, and I respect that.

I find that often times, books that shift between first and third person feel jarring, but the choice to write Belimai's section in first person and Harper's in third feels tonally appropriate for their characters.
This book's ending is incredibly satisfying, but the world is so lush and the characters so interesting that I would have loved to see more of them.

This is 4 stars primarily because of how badly I wanted to annotate every beautifully written paragraph.

Una historia corta y muy bien trabajada sobre un demonio y un inquisidor que no son lo que parecen a simple vista. Una obra bastante bien contenida en sí misma, que es breve sin quedarse corta y que sabe ambientar a la perfección sus escenarios. Me gustan mucho los personajes protagonistas, quizás un poco más Harper que Belimai, y el mundo que nos presenta es bastante interesante con sus referencias bíblicas y su ambiente gótico. Las noches de brumas por los tejados de la ciudad me han recordado un poco a Nacidos de la bruma, con Vin o Wax volando sobre una ciudad de ladrillo y metal envuelta en bruma y la oscuridad de la noche.
Es una lectura genial, la relación entre los protagonistas me gusta mucho y es muy natural, incluso con sus momentos cuquis. Muy recomendada.

It was a pleasure to read. I can't get enough of this world.

ETA: I just found this: http://itsaboutthebook.com/2015/07/13/mr-sykes-and-the-noble-muse-pt-1/#more-5131 A lovely sequel.

What a quirky little book! Wicked Gentlemen is a paranormal gaslight fantasy romance set in a grimy, noir Victorian city, where the descendants of repentant demons live marginalized lives in subterranean slums while priest-collared Inquisition police the streets above. The novel follows the adventures, and unlikely romance, of two men from these different worlds.

I adored this setting, which felt much bigger than this one story. And I appreciated the author's sensitive treatment of a world in which paranormal beings are also second-class citizens. Belimai is the product of a reform school which evokes the Indian boarding schools of U.S. history, while Harper is the stepchild of a Prodigal who spent his life "passing" as human. While the book draws on plenty of romance tropes, at their best moments these two characters feel like fully realized people with complex pasts.

Hale's writing is lyrical yet spare; she has a prose style that's a little off-kilter and keeps you on your toes, but on the whole it works. The rhythm of this novel, too, isn't what you would expect. It's not at all a linear adventure story, but I think this works too, and meant the narrative held a lot of surprises.

I think I only have two criticisms - I wish the book had been longer so I could spend more time in this world, and I wish that the antagonists had more screen time. I do not demand a mustache-twirling, destroy-the-city villain, but I think the book would have benefited from better defined stakes and a clearer sense of danger.

Finally, I wanted to give kudos to Blind Eye Books. The editing and printing quality were quite high. Hurrah for small presses!

(audiobook review) I started off really loving this book. This is exactly the kind of book I enjoy reading. It is excellently written. The world-building is immersive and engaging. There is a lovely gritty feel to the characters and the setting. Nice chemistry between the MCs. However, I did find the momentum wane considerably during the second half. The plot seemed to run away from the author and evolved into something quite convoluted with way too many characters and events to keep track of -- and an ending that was a little fast and neat. That disappointed me slightly but still really enjoy this very much -- I look forward to reading more by this author (and a small part of me wishes that this was a series).

For me, just about the perfect blend of action, intrigue, mystery, and romance. And fantasy world building!