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Society of Gentlemen: A Fashionable Indulgence – K.J. Charles
In the first novel of an explosive new series from K. J. Charles, a young gentleman and his elegant mentor fight for love in a world of wealth, power, and manipulation.
When he learns that he could be the heir to an unexpected fortune, Harry Vane rejects his past as a Radical fighting for government reform and sets about wooing his lovely cousin. But his heart is captured instead by the most beautiful, chic man he’s ever met: the dandy tasked with instructing him in the manners and style of the ton. Harry’s new station demands conformity—and yet the one thing he desires is a taste of the wrong pair of lips.
After witnessing firsthand the horrors of Waterloo, Julius Norreys sought refuge behind the luxurious facade of the upper crust. Now he concerns himself exclusively with the cut of his coat and the quality of his boots. And yet his protégé is so unblemished by cynicism that he inspires the first flare of genuine desire Julius has felt in years. He cannot protect Harry from the worst excesses of society. But together they can withstand the high price of passion.
The Society of Gentlemen series follows the affairs of the Richardians, a group of friends led by Richard Vane. Book one is from the POV of Julius Norreys and Harry Vane.
Harry is a likable fellow, plucked out of a seditionary bookstore to inherit a fortune and underwent training to become a gentleman under Julius at the behest of Richard who is Harry’s cousin. Harry’s parents are radicals but he wasn’t really as political as them and wants to leave the world of poverty behind so he’s a willing student.
Truth be told, I couldn’t imagine Julius’s outfit to be as good in real life as it is in words. Pink embroidered with silver looks like the frou-frou abominations I was forced to wear back in the days as a part of my relatives’ wedding entourage. But beautiful clothes on beautiful people is my gig so I love me some dandy. Well this dandy shines like moonlight, pale, blond and skinny and of course, our boy can’t resist him.
The story is very well-written (this is K.J. Charles after all) however I’m pretty meh about the love angle. I was more interested in the Richardians as a whole on which the author did not disappoint.
The rest of the gentlemen were very much in on the affair leaving hints of what’s coming in the successive books. I love how the Richardians are so supportive of one another. You can’t help but like all of them, especially Ash (cinammon roll <3). They have their own hangout and nobody’s kink shaming anyone.
This is the first book in the series which suffers from what I call, the first book syndrome. It didn’t blow my mind but it delivered enough goods to make me continue with the rest of the series. Meaning, the later books are better (personally, I can’t wait to get started on Richard and Cyprian’s book).
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Pretty Green
Artist: The Jam
Album: Sound Affects(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23834716-a-fashionable-indulgence)
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Sins of the Cities: An Unseen Attraction – K.J. Charles
A slow-burning romance and a chilling mystery bind two singular men in the suspenseful first book of a new Victorian series from K. J. Charles.
Lodging-house keeper Clem Talleyfer prefers a quiet life. He’s happy with his hobbies, his work—and especially with his lodger Rowley Green, who becomes a friend over their long fireside evenings together. If only neat, precise, irresistible Mr. Green were interested in more than friendship…
Rowley just wants to be left alone—at least until he meets Clem, with his odd, charming ways and his glorious eyes. Two quiet men, lodging in the same house, coming to an understanding… it could be perfect. Then the brutally murdered corpse of another lodger is dumped on their doorstep and their peaceful life is shattered.
Now Clem and Rowley find themselves caught up in a mystery, threatened on all sides by violent men, with a deadly London fog closing in on them. If they’re to see their way through, the pair must learn to share their secrets—and their hearts.
Clem and Rowley having crushes on each other are so cute! They have been eyeing each other for the longest time so I’m glad they finally hooked up. I love how Rowley is short like Stephen Day. You rarely see that type as MC in a romance novel. Nobody made a big deal about sexuality, which is how things should be.
Clem is a cinnamon roll. He is kind and trusting to a fault. He also has dyspraxia according to official sources so he has trouble with multi-tasking, crowds and people talking all at once. Rowley is definitely the guy for him. He has infinite patience, is comfortable with silence and tries really hard to understand Clem.
Lots of times they argue, Clem was frustratingly naive and valiantly trying to see the good in everybody and Rowley was scared. Couldn’t really blame them though. It’s that damn brother!
The fact that Clem was an Indian was not really focused on until the main part of the story where it became significant because they started dealing with Clem’s brother who is an asshole through and through.
Majority of the story deals with the issue of whoever is harassing Clem and Rowley, why are they doing it, what has it got to do with Clem’s brother and how should they deal with it. During this entire debacle, we meet Clem’s friends from the Jack and Knave who try to help out.
I liked Clem and Rowley’s story but it didn’t really wow me the way other K.J. Charles books have. However it still a great start in the Sins of the Cities series. Now, on to Nathaniel’s story…
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked itSoundtrack: Hey, Sunrise
Artist: The Charlatans
Album: Different Days(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30517107-an-unseen-attraction)
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REVIEW: Spectred Isle by K.J. Charles
Green Men: Spectred Isle – K.J. Charles
Archaeologist Saul Lazenby has been all but unemployable since his disgrace during the War. Now he scrapes a living working for a rich eccentric who believes in magic. Saul knows it’s a lot of nonsense…except that he begins to find himself in increasingly strange and frightening situations. And at every turn he runs into the sardonic, mysterious Randolph Glyde.
Randolph is the last of an ancient line of arcanists, commanding deep secrets and extraordinary powers as he struggles to fulfil his family duties in a war-torn world. He knows there’s something odd going on with the haunted-looking man who keeps turning up in all the wrong places. The only question for Randolph is whether Saul is victim or villain.
Saul hasn’t trusted anyone in a long time. But as the supernatural threat grows, along with the desire between them, he’ll need to believe in evasive, enraging, devastatingly attractive Randolph. Because he may be the only man who can save Saul’s life—or his soul.
First, isn’t the cover art gorgeous! <3<3<3
This book gave me happy goosebumps. This book also spooked me although I am rarely spooked. This book gave me a pleasant case of book hangover. Therefore I declare this as K.J. Charles’ best book to date.
The story is told in dual POV of Saul Lazenby, a disgraced archeologist and Randolph Glyde, an aristocratic arcanist. Both lonely men, both war veterans dealing with the pain and trauma of war. The two kept meeting at certain places and their mutual attraction was undeniable. I enjoyed their banter and Charles’ brilliance at creating dialogue and prose had me mumbling some lines and chuckling at the clever turn of phrase. Randolph is what is usually described as sardonic and tends to evade questions. But when he does say what he really thinks, usually when talking to and about Saul, I can’t help but internally squeal because it’s clear that he loves/adores/worship Saul. Saul is what is described as a tender but scarred soul. I greatly admire him and his resilience. He was just suddenly thrust into another war he had no idea existed but he didn’t back down. Sometimes in a love story, I tend to love one of the pair more than the other but here, I love them both so much.
The rest of the Green Men deserved books of their own. Sam is getting one (hooray!) but I am conflicted because it’s m/f. Yeah, OK, they can’t be all gay as much as I want them to be. Barney and Max definitely should have their own HEA (love ‘em!).
The world building and the magic system are awesome! Rooted in myths and folklore, seamlessly integrated into post-world war 1920s and very convincingly delivered. The time and place was very palpable and imagining the War Beneath and the Great Summonings scared the hell out of me at 3 a.m.
Please do read this book even if you are not into MM.
Rating:
5 Stars – absolutely perfectSoundtrack: Time for Heroes
Artist: The Libertines
Album: Up the Bracket(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35118935-spectred-isle)
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Wanted, A Gentleman – K.J. Charles
WANTED, A GENTLEMAN
Or, Virtue Over-Ratedthe grand romance of
Mr. Martin St. Vincent … a Merchant with a Mission, also a Problem
Mr. Theodore Swann … a humble Scribbler and Advertiser for LoveAct the First:
the offices of the Matrimonial Advertiser, London
where Lonely Hearts may seek one another for the cost of a shillingAct the Second:
a Pursuit to Gretna Green (or thereabouts)
featuring
a speedy Carriage
sundry rustic Inns
a private Bed-chamber***
In the course of which are presented
Romance, Revenge, and Redemption
Deceptions, Discoveries, and Desiresthe particulars of which are too numerous to impart.
Eloping couples, damsels in distress, bland heroes, dastardly villains, wild goose chases. Your average penny romance novel tropes except that things are not always what they seem.
Swann runs a business publishing ads from people looking for husbands or wives and moonlights as a writer. He has a scheming mind and I love it that he looks average. St. Vincent is a black merchant with a lot of baggage from the past. He was tasked to pursue his former master’s daughter who ran away with a man a.k.a Troilus. The story itself was not all about the Swann and St. Vincent. It was discovering who was the mystery man who swept away the underage heiress and stopping them before they reach Gretna Green and exchange vows. Swann and St. Vincent’s relationship gradually developed over the course of the chase. In order to bring back the errant damsel to the bosom of her family, they realized they needed a villain more than a hero.
Is it a fun read? Yes! K.J. Charles never lets me down. But I didn’t feel that much invested in the couple. I felt the friendship more than the romance between them. If they didn’t end up together romantically and settled as friends, it would have been entirely OK with me.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and love(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31225405-wanted-a-gentleman)
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A Society of Gentlemen: The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh – K.J. Charles
Passion is on the cards for two reckless rogues as K. J. Charles ups the ante in her Society of Gentlemen series with a sizzling eBook short story.
The youngest son and the blackest sheep in his family, Lord Gabriel Ashleigh never imagined he could sink so low. Though he’s a notoriously bad gambler, he takes on the formidable but strangely alluring Francis Webster, only to lose everything: all his money, the lovely estate he inherited from his aunt, and any hope of future happiness. So it’s a shock when Webster summons him to a private game for a chance to win back his possessions. The stake? If he fails, Ash must surrender his body.
Francis has been waiting years for this moment. At Eton, Ash’s elder brother harassed him relentlessly. Now, consumed by lust and rage, Francis is only too happy to exploit Ash’s foolish indiscretions. But as Francis strips the magnificently built youth—first of his family assets, then his clothes—he begins to wonder whether he’s been plotting revenge … or exquisite seduction.
I love short stories and quick reads because I have a short attention span but sometimes you need a full length book or at least a novella to flesh out the development of a relationship. They, here, need at least a couple more card games. Still this did a good job of making me want to read the series. K.J. Charles can do no wrong.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26067203-the-ruin-of-gabriel-ashleigh)
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A Charm of Magpies: Flight of Magpies – K.J. Charles
Danger in the air. Lovers on the brink.
With the justiciary understaffed, a series of horrifying occult murders to be investigated, and a young student who is flying—literally—off the rails, magical law enforcer Stephen Day is under increasing stress. And his relationship with his aristocratic lover, Lord Crane, is beginning to feel the strain.
Crane chafes at the restrictions of England’s laws, and there’s a worrying development in the blood-and-sex bond he shares with Stephen. A development that makes a sensible man question if they should be together at all.
When a thief strikes at the heart of Crane’s home, a devastating loss brings his closest relationships into bitter conflict—especially his relationship with Stephen. And as old enemies, new enemies, and unexpected enemies paint the lovers into a corner, the pressure threatens to tear them apart.
Warning: Contains hot-blooded sex, cold-blooded murder, sinister magical goings-on and a lot of swearing.
I’m sad about Stephen Day’s decision about his job. I’m sad that this is the last book. I love this series and I wish this could just go on and on. Heck, I want to be a magic police.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21529170-flight-of-magpies)
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Think of England: Song for a Viking – K.J. Charles
‘Song for a Viking’ takes place during/just after the events of the last chapter of Think of England and will be of no use at all to anyone who hasn’t read that book. It is not a standalone.
You will definitely get the most out of it if you remind yourself of Think of
England’s last chapter before readingThis I enjoyed more that the main story because we get to see what’s going on in Daniel’s head.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29754736-song-for-a-viking)
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Think of England – K.J. Charles
Lie back and think of England…
England, 1904. Two years ago, Captain Archie Curtis lost his friends, fingers, and future to a terrible military accident. Alone, purposeless and angry, Curtis is determined to discover if he and his comrades were the victims of fate, or of sabotage.
Curtis’s search takes him to an isolated, ultra-modern country house, where he meets and instantly clashes with fellow guest Daniel da Silva. Effete, decadent, foreign, and all-too-obviously queer, the sophisticated poet is everything the straightforward British officer fears and distrusts.
As events unfold, Curtis realizes that Daniel has his own secret intentions. And there’s something else they share—a mounting sexual tension that leaves Curtis reeling.
As the house party’s elegant facade cracks to reveal treachery, blackmail and murder, Curtis finds himself needing clever, dark-eyed Daniel as he has never needed a man before…
Warning: Contains explicit male/male encounters, ghastly historical attitudes, and some extremely stiff upper lips.
I couldn’t really connect with the main characters but it’s a testament to K.J. Charles’ writing skill that I still enjoyed the story. Can’t wait for the second book.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20822874-think-of-england)
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REVIEW: Remnant: A Caldwell & Feximal/Whyborne & Griffin Mystery by K.J. Charles & Jordan L. Hawk
Remnant: A Caldwell & Feximal/Whyborne & Griffin Mystery – K.J. Charles & Jordan L. Hawk
London, 1899. The beautiful people are dying…
A malevolent power is attacking London’s bright young things, and the only clue to what’s happening is written in ancient Egyptian script. As ghost-hunter Simon Feximal and his companion Robert Caldwell investigate the mysterious deaths, the arrival in London of a notorious scholar-sorcerer seems to hold the answer to more than one of their problems.
A quiet break in London while en route to Egypt turns dramatic for Dr Percival Endicott Whyborne and his lover Griffin Flaherty when they encounter the hostile ghost-hunter. Feximal clearly suspects the worst of Whyborne – and his flirtatious sidekick seems to think a great deal too well of Griffin…
Jordan L Hawk’s heroes Whyborne and Griffin meet KJ Charles’ occult detectives from the Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal in a mystery that takes all four lovers through the decadent underworld of Victorian London in pursuit of an ancient and deadly evil.
While I don’t particularly care for Caldwell and Feximal, I love this story as it gave me a glimpse of Whyborne and Griffin from a third person point of view. Whyborne’s view of humanity is as misanthropic and hilarious as ever. As usual, Griffin charmed his way around but his devotion to Whyborne is as strong as ever. “Gay Victorian occult investigators” should be a thing.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20880073-remnant)
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REVIEW: A Case of Possession by K.J. Charles
A Charm of Magpies: A Case of Possession – K.J. Charles
Magic in the blood. Danger in the streets.
Lord Crane has never had a lover quite as elusive as Stephen Day. True, Stephen’s job as justiciar requires secrecy, but the magician’s disappearing act bothers Crane more than it should. When a blackmailer threatens to expose their illicit relationship, Crane knows a smart man would hop the first ship bound for China. But something unexpectedly stops him. His heart.
Stephen has problems of his own. As he investigates a plague of giant rats sweeping London, his sudden increase in power, boosted by his blood-and-sex bond with Crane, is rousing suspicion that he’s turned warlock. With all eyes watching him, the threat of exposure grows. Stephen could lose his friends, his job and his liberty over his relationship with Crane. He’s not sure if he can take that risk much longer. And Crane isn’t sure if he can ask him to.
The rats are closing in, and something has to give…
Hooray! Finally get to meet the other justiciars! The author made it seem like a tedious, bureaucratic job but magic police are cool. Kind of wanted Saint to have a book of her own. Still wishing there was more magic, the author put most of them at the end of the book. Loved the balance of power between Lord Crane and Stephen Day. Love this series!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18074870-a-case-of-possession)
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