I loved this book! It's one of my favorite by Charles ever (although nothing will ever knock Think of England out of the top spot, I don't think). It's a romance between Theo Swann, who is a fairly shady guy who runs a newspaper in historical London where people put ads to find romance (or at least someone), and Martin St. Vincent, a former slave who's been freed and has made good as a gentleman. Or at least as good as he can. A young woman who is a friend of Martin's runs off with a jerk she met through Theo's newspaper, and Martin makes Theo help him get her back.
Both Martin and Theo are deeply sympathetic and interesting characters, both are struggling in different ways, and both make each other better. If I had a complaint it would be that the third act twist is telegraphed really obviously, and I would have liked it one percent better if I had been surprised. But overall the whole book is a delight and it's going on my "reread on a bad day" list.
Grade: A
#5 in 2017
Showing posts with label Charles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charles. Show all posts
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
A Gentleman's Position, KJ Charles
The third book in the Society of Gentlemen series! I love this series, but guys, let me be clear: I want a full-length novel about Ash and Francis. Most of my thoughts at the end of this book were "BUT WHERE IS ASH?? HE IS SO SAD, IS FRANCIS MAKING HIM FEEL BETTER? DOES FRANCIS THREATEN HIS BROTHER A LOT???? IS THERE A LOT OF H/C SEX GOING ON???"
But that's not the book that KJ Charles wrote, so: This is the last book, and it wraps up a bunch of plots from previous books. I do love how intertwined they are. Often in a romance series, once a couple is happily in love, they vanish from the series except to tease the new protagonist about being in love. But Julius and Harry, and Silas and Dom, and Ash and Francis, are all really important in this book, too, which is finally about Richard and his valet, David Cyprian. I loved checking in with everyone, and seeing how they're doing, and seeing the consequences of Harry and Silas being involved in revolutionary activities. I love how grounded in real history these parts are.
As for Richard and David... Well, Richard means well, I think, but he hasn't been my favorite character up to now. David I have enjoyed, and he has a lot of interesting history, but feelings-wise there isn't a lot of THERE there for me. Richard is a bit of a pompous stick in the mud in this. I understand the motivations behind it, and I understand that it's so he can loosen up, but I rolled my eyes so many times.
Essentially: Richard is in love with his valet, David, who is also in love with him. Richard has some very understandable reservations about dating a servant who has no real recourse to say no, but this is a romance novel, so David is mostly offended that Richard doesn't think he can decide things for himself, or say no if he wants to. Richard handles everything as badly as possible, so David, very understandably leaves. Richard follows, they have great sex, and then Richard screws it up again. He comes home to sulk, and that's when the bad guy set up in book one finally goes off, and the plot starts -- and the only one who can save Richard and his buddies from books 1 and 2 from being hanged or exposed is David.
David is great. His plan is great. The Big Confrontation Scene is so great. But I wanted to know what Harry and Julius thought about it, and I REALLY wanted to know what was going on with Ash and Francis, since the bad guy is Ash's brother and Francis's nemesis. I wanted this to be a big sprawling novel like War and Peace where we see each couple and their romances and tragedies (except, ending entirely happily, unlike War and Peace.) I liked this book, but as soon as I got to the end I went back to the Big Confrontation Scene again and read that two more times, because it's hilarious and wonderful. (I did the same thing at the end of book 2, because Ash is so delightfully Ash-ish.)
This book is fine, and I love the (barely a) novella about Ash and Francis THAT EXISTS, but man, I just really want their take on these events.
Grade: B
#34 in 2016
But that's not the book that KJ Charles wrote, so: This is the last book, and it wraps up a bunch of plots from previous books. I do love how intertwined they are. Often in a romance series, once a couple is happily in love, they vanish from the series except to tease the new protagonist about being in love. But Julius and Harry, and Silas and Dom, and Ash and Francis, are all really important in this book, too, which is finally about Richard and his valet, David Cyprian. I loved checking in with everyone, and seeing how they're doing, and seeing the consequences of Harry and Silas being involved in revolutionary activities. I love how grounded in real history these parts are.
As for Richard and David... Well, Richard means well, I think, but he hasn't been my favorite character up to now. David I have enjoyed, and he has a lot of interesting history, but feelings-wise there isn't a lot of THERE there for me. Richard is a bit of a pompous stick in the mud in this. I understand the motivations behind it, and I understand that it's so he can loosen up, but I rolled my eyes so many times.
Essentially: Richard is in love with his valet, David, who is also in love with him. Richard has some very understandable reservations about dating a servant who has no real recourse to say no, but this is a romance novel, so David is mostly offended that Richard doesn't think he can decide things for himself, or say no if he wants to. Richard handles everything as badly as possible, so David, very understandably leaves. Richard follows, they have great sex, and then Richard screws it up again. He comes home to sulk, and that's when the bad guy set up in book one finally goes off, and the plot starts -- and the only one who can save Richard and his buddies from books 1 and 2 from being hanged or exposed is David.
David is great. His plan is great. The Big Confrontation Scene is so great. But I wanted to know what Harry and Julius thought about it, and I REALLY wanted to know what was going on with Ash and Francis, since the bad guy is Ash's brother and Francis's nemesis. I wanted this to be a big sprawling novel like War and Peace where we see each couple and their romances and tragedies (except, ending entirely happily, unlike War and Peace.) I liked this book, but as soon as I got to the end I went back to the Big Confrontation Scene again and read that two more times, because it's hilarious and wonderful. (I did the same thing at the end of book 2, because Ash is so delightfully Ash-ish.)
This book is fine, and I love the (barely a) novella about Ash and Francis THAT EXISTS, but man, I just really want their take on these events.
Grade: B
#34 in 2016
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Rag and Bone, KJ Charles
KJ Charles wrote my absolute favorite romance I read in 2015, Think of England, so the bar is set PRETTY high for the rest of her books. This one is faaaaaaantastic. It's set in her ongoing world of magic, and in fact takes place kind of in the background of one of the Charm of Magpie books. Or one of the spinoffs. I forget, now.) Anyway, Crispin is an adorable human disaster of a magic user who has accidentally been trained to be a warlock, and Ned is a very sensible waste-man who loves him. Crispin is always in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he always does what he has to in order to stop evil magic doers and save lives, but generally this results in him getting in to trouble with SOMEONE. And he and Ned have a fight, and then an evil magic user kidnaps Ned, and Crispin has to try and rescue him in spite of, again, being kind of a disaster.
It's a pairing type I love; give me an adorable try-hard for whom nothing goes right, and a sensible guy who is just like, "... I love you, but MAN, you make stuff difficult for yourself." I loved this book, and I loved the end, and I will read every book about the forever.
Grade: A
#10 in 2016
It's a pairing type I love; give me an adorable try-hard for whom nothing goes right, and a sensible guy who is just like, "... I love you, but MAN, you make stuff difficult for yourself." I loved this book, and I loved the end, and I will read every book about the forever.
Grade: A
#10 in 2016
Saturday, March 12, 2016
The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh, KJ Charles
My capslock were stuck on and I accidentally wrote THE RUIN OF GABRIEL ASHLEIGH which, honestly, is how I feel about this book. THE RUIN OF GABRIEL ASHLEIGH!!!!!!
This is a short story about a pretty young disaster who lost a bet with a seethingly angry smarty pants who has always resented him (and... maybe wanted to do stuff with him). It is hot as hell, and it is an absolute delight. I know it's a lead in to the other stories in this series, (the society of gentlemen books), and I love when Ash pops up in those books, but I would seriously read ten thousand more pages of these two.
Grade: A
2015
This is a short story about a pretty young disaster who lost a bet with a seethingly angry smarty pants who has always resented him (and... maybe wanted to do stuff with him). It is hot as hell, and it is an absolute delight. I know it's a lead in to the other stories in this series, (the society of gentlemen books), and I love when Ash pops up in those books, but I would seriously read ten thousand more pages of these two.
Grade: A
2015
A Seditious Affair, KJ Charles
Oh my goddddddd, this book opens in media res, by which I mean in the middle of a sex scene, by which I mean in the middle of a dude boning another dude in a way that IS consensual but is set up to seem like maybe it's not, and... Oh man, I was on the subway and I had to close my kindle and not look at anyone else until I got home.
I really like both of the characters this book is about, I love the series, I love how Charles uses real history like the Six Acts to place the romance in a real situation with real stakes and real consequences. I genuinely wasn't sure how this story could possibly have a happy ending, but it does, even if it means a lot of compromises and an ending that isn't over-the-top happily-ever-after. If historical m/m s&m themed romance sounds like your thing, you'll LOVE this. I can't wait for the third book in this series.
Grade: A
2015
I really like both of the characters this book is about, I love the series, I love how Charles uses real history like the Six Acts to place the romance in a real situation with real stakes and real consequences. I genuinely wasn't sure how this story could possibly have a happy ending, but it does, even if it means a lot of compromises and an ending that isn't over-the-top happily-ever-after. If historical m/m s&m themed romance sounds like your thing, you'll LOVE this. I can't wait for the third book in this series.
Grade: A
2015
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