booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A NOBLEMAN'S GUIDE TO SEDUCING A SCOUNDREL is tense, witty, and very sexy, existing as a sequel to wrap up few things left hanging from THE SECRET LIVES OF COUNTRY GENTLEMEN while delivering a full story in its own right. I won't be more specific in this review, because it it's pretty far into the book before this is stated explicitly and it operates on several levels. The biggest thing that's continued is that Luke, who was a child in the first book, is a main character now as an adult and is half of the romantic pair at the center of the story. It's interesting because as I was reading the first one I thought that it was a complete story, and then this sequel makes it feel more like the two books are halves of a whole. The weird part for me, when trying to assess whether this can stand on its own, is that if taken from Rufus's perspective, it really does. He doesn't know any of the previous events, and so someone who read this book without reading the first one would have an experience closer to Rufus, and anyone who has read the first one would be closer to Luke's understanding of the situation.
I love Luke as a secretary, the characterization is so precise that it firmly establishes his adult self in this new story on his own terms. Rufus fits him well, and I like them as a pair. The worldbuilding is consistent with the first book, but it assumes a familiarity with the Marsh and takes for granted that either the reader won't need a great deal of explanations, or is satisfied with the level of information which Rufus acquires.
I love Luke as a secretary, the characterization is so precise that it firmly establishes his adult self in this new story on his own terms. Rufus fits him well, and I like them as a pair. The worldbuilding is consistent with the first book, but it assumes a familiarity with the Marsh and takes for granted that either the reader won't need a great deal of explanations, or is satisfied with the level of information which Rufus acquires.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Confinement
Moderate: Ableism, Torture, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape, Abandonment, Child abuse, Miscarriage, and Murder
kal517'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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Confinement, and Child abuse
Moderate: Abandonment, Death, and Murder
Minor: Grief, Physical abuse, and Rape
purplepenning's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Death, Confinement, Cursing, Classism, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Dementia, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Murder
purrson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was so ridiculously satisfying—I’m going to have to re-read it soon. I love the worldbuilding of the Doomsday books, and was so happy this focused on Luke as an adult—he’s such a good character, and it meant revisiting Gareth & Joss as well (which was perfect). I loved how much character development Luke goes through, and his love interest is developed well. Has a lovely, entertaining ending. I hope there’s more of these books in the future!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Classism
Minor: Death, Death of parent, and Child abuse
Re content warnings: deaths and child abuse are referenced as past events, however there is present emotional abuse from parental figures (not from protagonists).bel017's review against another edition
Just as good as the first one. Well written, romantic, and smutty, with lots of history and witty banter. Somehow Charles balances sensitively handling traumas and gothic villains. Also some excellent cameos and mentions of previous characters--Luke even has a copy of *Jonathon*.
What I would have liked is an author's note. Charles has obviously done a mountain of research then hidden it in the story, it would have been nice to know a little more about the historically accurate parts.
What I would have liked is an author's note. Charles has obviously done a mountain of research then hidden it in the story, it would have been nice to know a little more about the historically accurate parts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Sexual content
Moderate: Death and Abandonment
Minor: Rape, Physical abuse, Murder, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
firefly's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement
Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Physical abuse and Rape
greatestheights's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
5.0
screaming, crying, flinging myself into Romney Marsh because I CANNOT handle how good this sequel was. I could read an entire history penned by Otto on this whole beautiful cast of characters (minus the requisite villains) just living their lives quietly and happily forever, as they so richly deserve.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Bullying
Minor: Rape
_isabel_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
4.5
This was gorgeous.
KJ Charles is really one of the best authors out there: her writing, the sheer amount of skill she puts into creating well-rounded, complex, wonderfully flawed and lovable characters, her storytelling and the absolutely compelling plots... Nobody does it like her, especially in this kind of genre.
And "A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel" is no exception.
I loved this book to bits, even though it took me quite a few more days than usual to finish it (I blame Good Omens *sobbing noises* and my damned summer reading slump).
I've been so excited about Luke's story since he first appeared in "The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen": what he was put through was horrific, and I really could not wait to see how Adult Luke would turn out to be, how he would deal with it all, and how precisely he would get away with an unexpected, inconvenient romance with the new Earl of Oxney (aka Rufus; aka the most delicious and angry grump to ever grump, with the biggest, most kindest heart, and yes, you can say I loved him quite a bit).
Their romance stole my heart; it develops in an unexpected way, much to their dismay, since it's got a bit of a forbidden, employer/employee, class and age gap, vibe going on, and it's also fueled by fierce chemistry and sexual tension, and an understanding of one another, that was both exciting and sexy, and damned moving, and I adored it.
It's also fraught with miscommunication, a fair bit of misleading and secretive scheming and lying; but all of that kept me hooked. The plot was a mixture of romance and mystery, and I adored every single second of it.
As protagonists, Luke and Rufus are both fleshed out in a very vivid, very realistic way; they felt like real people, like flawed and complex men, and their respective character arcs were absolutely gorgeous to witness.
In some ways, they reminded me of Kim and Will (from the Will Darling Adventures, aka my most favourite book series of all time and my favourite of KJ Charles'), with Luke being all secretive, cunning, a tad vulnerable and a scheming, infuriating schemer; and Rufus, being perfectly, and violently, competent and reliable and good and stubborn.
Needless to say, I loved them to bits and their relationship and the dynamic between them was pretty much addictive: sweet and sexy, moving and heartfelt.
So why am I docking half a star? No spoilers, but there were some things (in the epilogue mainly) that gave me pause, and made their romance feel less romance-y. I don't know, in some ways it was new and different and pretty much realistic, in other ways I wish it had been done differently. I don't want to worry people, because Rufus and Luke are definitely (and unambiguously) HEA, but there was a teeny, tiny, unexpected plot twist at the end that kinda made my enjoyment of their HEA less enjoyable.
I might change my mind when I re-read this, but for now that is what I think (re: people who have read this book, tell me your thoughts please).
Anyway, it was a lovely book, and all the side characters (and even the villains!) were absolutely, masterfully created, and I am still thoroughly obsessed and absolutely in awe with how skilled and how much of a genius KJ Charles is, especially at character building and arcs.
I loved seeing Gareth and Joss again, I loved Luke and Rufus, and I loved this book. If you are new to this author, you can literally start anywhere in her backlist because every single book of hers is a masterpiece. I wholly recommend it.
Also, for longtime fans of KJ Charles: there are easter eggs, and I SCREECHED *nod of approval*
TWs/CWs: child abuse (emotional, physical; mentioned), death, murder, rape (of secondary characters, mentioned).
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
KJ Charles is really one of the best authors out there: her writing, the sheer amount of skill she puts into creating well-rounded, complex, wonderfully flawed and lovable characters, her storytelling and the absolutely compelling plots... Nobody does it like her, especially in this kind of genre.
And "A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel" is no exception.
I loved this book to bits, even though it took me quite a few more days than usual to finish it (I blame Good Omens *sobbing noises* and my damned summer reading slump).
I've been so excited about Luke's story since he first appeared in "The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen": what he was put through was horrific, and I really could not wait to see how Adult Luke would turn out to be, how he would deal with it all, and how precisely he would get away with an unexpected, inconvenient romance with the new Earl of Oxney (aka Rufus; aka the most delicious and angry grump to ever grump, with the biggest, most kindest heart, and yes, you can say I loved him quite a bit).
Their romance stole my heart; it develops in an unexpected way, much to their dismay, since it's got a bit of a forbidden, employer/employee, class and age gap, vibe going on, and it's also fueled by fierce chemistry and sexual tension, and an understanding of one another, that was both exciting and sexy, and damned moving, and I adored it.
It's also fraught with miscommunication, a fair bit of misleading and secretive scheming and lying; but all of that kept me hooked. The plot was a mixture of romance and mystery, and I adored every single second of it.
As protagonists, Luke and Rufus are both fleshed out in a very vivid, very realistic way; they felt like real people, like flawed and complex men, and their respective character arcs were absolutely gorgeous to witness.
In some ways, they reminded me of Kim and Will (from the Will Darling Adventures, aka my most favourite book series of all time and my favourite of KJ Charles'), with Luke being all secretive, cunning, a tad vulnerable and a scheming, infuriating schemer; and Rufus, being perfectly, and violently, competent and reliable and good and stubborn.
Needless to say, I loved them to bits and their relationship and the dynamic between them was pretty much addictive: sweet and sexy, moving and heartfelt.
So why am I docking half a star? No spoilers, but there were some things (in the epilogue mainly) that gave me pause, and made their romance feel less romance-y. I don't know, in some ways it was new and different and pretty much realistic, in other ways I wish it had been done differently. I don't want to worry people, because Rufus and Luke are definitely (and unambiguously) HEA, but there was a teeny, tiny, unexpected plot twist at the end that kinda made my enjoyment of their HEA less enjoyable.
I might change my mind when I re-read this, but for now that is what I think (re: people who have read this book, tell me your thoughts please).
Anyway, it was a lovely book, and all the side characters (and even the villains!) were absolutely, masterfully created, and I am still thoroughly obsessed and absolutely in awe with how skilled and how much of a genius KJ Charles is, especially at character building and arcs.
I loved seeing Gareth and Joss again, I loved Luke and Rufus, and I loved this book. If you are new to this author, you can literally start anywhere in her backlist because every single book of hers is a masterpiece. I wholly recommend it.
Also, for longtime fans of KJ Charles: there are easter eggs, and I SCREECHED *nod of approval*
TWs/CWs: child abuse (emotional, physical; mentioned), death, murder, rape (of secondary characters, mentioned).
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Murder, and Death
Minor: Rape
katelynnelawson's review
adventurous
tense
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
4.25
A follow-up to The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel *is* a standalone, but reads better having read the first book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Classism
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Abandonment, Death, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Rape
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