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anneliseb23's review
4.0
This was a fast paced story set in the early 1920s. We follow Will after he inherits a bookstore from his uncle and learns his uncle had a troublesome secret that both the government and a secret society want in on.
Will has had a hard time returning from war - the soldiers weren't quite as celebrated as they expected to be and no one wanted to hire them. Fortunately, inheriting the bookstore started to turn his life around. After becoming embroiled in the search for his uncle's secret and being pounced upon by both government and secret society lackey's, Will meets Kim who seems to be the answer to his problems. Will is super practical and stubborn and honestly doesn't know the secret. Therefore he also doesn't want to promise it to anyone before it's found out. Kim offers to help him discover the secret and they begin working together.
Will's personality unfortunately means he is betrayed numerous times, but he doesn't dwell - he rolls with the punches (sometimes literally). There are quite a few twists in this book, but all of them were foreshadowed. So it's a pretty clever story in that sense. You could figure out the twists before Will (I didn't - but it's definitely possible and after the twist I was like "ooooooohhhhh" not "wtf").
Kim and Will played off each other well and there's romantic tension between them that does culminate in a couple of spicy scenes. Kim is mysterious, tricky, and soft to balance out Will's assertive, straightforward, and authority-challenging personality. They have a fragile truce and Will recognizes that Kim can't be anyone other than who he is. The romance is developing slowly and will continue to do so. It's really satisfying to see how they learn each other's personalities and can predict what the other may do.
Overall excellent story just through and through - plot and characters were great.
Will has had a hard time returning from war - the soldiers weren't quite as celebrated as they expected to be and no one wanted to hire them. Fortunately, inheriting the bookstore started to turn his life around. After becoming embroiled in the search for his uncle's secret and being pounced upon by both government and secret society lackey's, Will meets Kim who seems to be the answer to his problems. Will is super practical and stubborn and honestly doesn't know the secret. Therefore he also doesn't want to promise it to anyone before it's found out. Kim offers to help him discover the secret and they begin working together.
Will's personality unfortunately means he is betrayed numerous times, but he doesn't dwell - he rolls with the punches (sometimes literally). There are quite a few twists in this book, but all of them were foreshadowed. So it's a pretty clever story in that sense. You could figure out the twists before Will (I didn't - but it's definitely possible and after the twist I was like "ooooooohhhhh" not "wtf").
Kim and Will played off each other well and there's romantic tension between them that does culminate in a couple of spicy scenes. Kim is mysterious, tricky, and soft to balance out Will's assertive, straightforward, and authority-challenging personality. They have a fragile truce and Will recognizes that Kim can't be anyone other than who he is. The romance is developing slowly and will continue to do so. It's really satisfying to see how they learn each other's personalities and can predict what the other may do.
Overall excellent story just through and through - plot and characters were great.
effiekfe's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
maria_rb's review
3.0
Would make for a decent mystery book on its own. The romance seems extraneous to the overall story and could use some development though.
breathcue's review
4.0
Solid 3.75-4 stars. The spice was nice and spicy! It was also fun and witty. There were a few exposition-dump convos that I spaced out during. But otherwise enjoyed it.
spoonzaara's review
4.0
i love them so much, when will it be my turn to inherit a bookshop from an estranged uncle
fv_angela's review
4.0
Review originally posted at https://smexybooks.com/2020/05/angelas-minis-reviews-for-books-by-sajni-patel-k-j-charles-and-kwana-jackson.html
KJ Charles is back with a new series and I am over the moon excited.
Set in a dusty, overflowing book store sometime after the Great War in the 1920s, Slippery Creatures introduces Will Darling… A simple ex-soldier who finds himself in the middle of a mystery.
When Will comes back from the war he has nothing to his name and is finding it hard to secure employment. Then he contacts his uncle who offers him a place to live and work and then ultimately leaves Will the bookshop when he passes on. Will hasn’t even had time to sort through the stacks and stacks of books and papers when he is thrust into an adventure involving several players all looking for the same “secret” information inside the book shop. It’s quite a lot of fun and I loved the twisty-turny plot that kept me guessing and Will on his toes.
The romance between the mysterious Kim, who was sort of an enigma and who I’m still not sure what he does exactly, and Will was fabulous and I’m all in and ready for more. Their chemistry is off the charts. They were so great together.
They are surrounded by an amazing cast of secondary characters and I am more than ready for the next book in the series. I can’t wait to get back to this world.
Final grade- B
KJ Charles is back with a new series and I am over the moon excited.
Set in a dusty, overflowing book store sometime after the Great War in the 1920s, Slippery Creatures introduces Will Darling… A simple ex-soldier who finds himself in the middle of a mystery.
When Will comes back from the war he has nothing to his name and is finding it hard to secure employment. Then he contacts his uncle who offers him a place to live and work and then ultimately leaves Will the bookshop when he passes on. Will hasn’t even had time to sort through the stacks and stacks of books and papers when he is thrust into an adventure involving several players all looking for the same “secret” information inside the book shop. It’s quite a lot of fun and I loved the twisty-turny plot that kept me guessing and Will on his toes.
The romance between the mysterious Kim, who was sort of an enigma and who I’m still not sure what he does exactly, and Will was fabulous and I’m all in and ready for more. Their chemistry is off the charts. They were so great together.
They are surrounded by an amazing cast of secondary characters and I am more than ready for the next book in the series. I can’t wait to get back to this world.
Final grade- B
kate_liz2287's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0