Reviews with content warning for Murder - A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel

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A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by KJ Charles

36 reviews

fairynanook's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this story. It kept me guessing, was entertaining, and fun to read. I enjoyed the chemistry between the mains and the side characters were also fun.

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callidoralblack's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious

Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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kell_xavi's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

My qualms? Earlier and more frequent sex than I prefer, and I did not expect the spoilers. I think, not having read the first book, Luke’s story is a bit all over the place.

I loved everything else. The characters of Luke and Rufus, and the cousins. The writing style. The portrayal of dyslexia and adaptations. The family and country history, related with weight, humour, and a healthy dose of blasphemy. The drama. The love.

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capriqueen's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I absolutely adored this. Rufus and Luke’s dynamic was so perfect. The story and mystery were interesting, and the first book honestly felt like a prequel setting this one up. I would love for a third following Emily and Berengaria, but that probably won’t happen

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anna_brawn's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Alright, I read The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen a few months ago and had so much fun with it: the adventure, the romance, the smart dialogue. It was great. So when I was looking for a summer relaxing read for a beach weekend recently, this sequel felt like just the right thing.

A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel is set some years after Country Gentleman and follows a favorite young character from that story: Luke. When Major Rufus d'Aumesty becomes the Earl of Oxney, now in charge of deeply mismanaged manor on the edge of the infamous Romney Marsh, a position hotly contested by his greedy uncle/extended family. Enter Luke Doomsday, a trained secretary and expert schemer (having grown up as part of the infamous Doomsday smuggling clan). While the two should be natural enemies, Luke is cocksure and engagingly competent, which is exactly what Rufus needs right now. And Rufus turns out to be the exact personality and support that Luke cannot resist...though that isn't quite enough to dissuade him from his private goals, the ulterior motive that drove him to work at Stone Manor to begin with. As the lies and family secrets grow, they threaten to destroy the budding relationship between Rufus and Luke, and the two must decide once and for all what is most important to them.

This sequel had so many of the things (the adventure, the romance, the smart dialogue) that I loved about the first, but managed to present them in a completely separate and unique way. Let's see. First and foremost, I loved the writing, the banter especially. It's this short and choppy back and forth that is so smoooooooth and perfect for these characters. The bluster of the two, each in their own way, mixed with the smooth wordplay, is honestly a mix I’ve never experienced and maybe wouldn’t expect to like (Rufus’ vibe isn’t quite my personal romantic-interest style) but honestly I really enjoyed it. And on a more serious relationship note, this connection between Rufus and Luke, the similarity of family abandonment (but then being taken in by other/better family) and physical/educational disability, as it were, is making for some quite touching bonding before they even realize that’s what’s happening. My heart was so soft for it.

Just in general, I was happy to see more from Luke, as he grew into his own and did the difficult work of coming to terms with his complicated and traumatic family history. While it was a really heartbreaking situation, it was also truly compelling character development. Luke’s plans to "show" everyone, and how it ended up being so convoluted and bound up in youthful trauma and conflicting and nigh on impossible to explain his motivations, is so very REAL...and a very good argument for why mental health care is so important and necessary and that it’s been that way forever only people didn’t recognize it as such (still don’t, in many cases). Watching the way Rufus handles Luke, helps him open up and figure a way to move on that works for him individually, and opens up his own self in vulnerability to let Luke in…I mean, oh my heart.

As to other aspects of the novel, by just two chapters in, I had guffawed like four times (I would say giggled, as that’s likely more accurate to the sound I made, but guffaw fits the vibe of the book better) because Charles just has that way with her writing. And the setup and interactions lend themselves to hilarity; I always love when the stuffy gentry get shown up by their own rules/propriety and bullshit, so satisfying. (As the story went, and we saw Rufus' family get worse and worse in their actions, my satisfaction in their "losses" just got stronger and stronger.) Speaking of them, they were sooooo bad. Charles writes a fantastic IRL villain, a regular old person that just has no redeeming qualities, and that makes them worse than an overexaggerated-style "big bad." There were also some other great side characters, like Rufus' cousins(?) Odo and Berry, who had some of their own nuanced personalities and development throughout the novel. And it was lovely to revisit Gareth, too. Oh, and I can't forget to mention: the spice was verrrry nice.

The greater plot around Luke's secret/ulterior motives, the drama of who actually is the Lord of Stone Manor, and the culminating treasure hunts and reveals and dramatic life-saving rescue of the finale, all just made for a truly entertaining story. And I loved the way it wrapped up! The difference between ethics and morals, the lawful right versus what’s right in reality, is a thing I love about the "outside the law characters" (the Doomsday’s in this case, and as seen in some other quality historical romance, like The Queer Principles of Kitt Webb and/or fantasy with a grey hero, like The Mask of Mirrors or the Six of Crows duology.)

I just had so much fun reading this, just like I did with the first, and will absolutely be picking up more from K.J. Charles.

“But even if you weren’t fully aware of what was happening at the time, it will have been there - the fear of power, and hostility. Knowing you have been abandoned and could be again. Feeling you should be a part of something but you aren't. [...] When people are frightening, you want to please them. [...] Certainly, it's harder to oppose them.”

“It’s very hard to be out of your accustomed place.”

“Tell me you’ve thought of oil. / In my pocket. / Absolutely engagingly competent.” (Idk, for some reason this exchange encapsulated Rufus and Luke and it got me, I loved it.)

“He’s that way, Luke. Aunt Sybil says he's hard to love but it's not true. What's hard is making him see it when you do, because he's already decided you don’t.”

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crystalisreading's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

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kaneebli's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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quiet_reader's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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overthinkereading's review against another edition

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Picked up Nobleman’s Guide after reading The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, and definitely recommend reading that one first, as there is important backstory there that plays a major part in this follow up novel.

Similarly to Secret Lives, I found the characters compelling and the story engaging. I did not dislike reading this book.

However, there are two BIG drawbacks for me: 1) the author is not a queer male and I am a strong advocate for queer stories being written by queer authors (Own Voices); 2) there is a decision that occurs in the epilogue that utterly destroys all character growth for one of the MCs. Incredibly disappointing, to the point it made the story feel like it isn’t *actually* ending on a HEA.

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