Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles

14 reviews

purplepenning's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

An open-door, LGBTQ, Regency romance between a new baronet and the leader of a smuggling operation. High-stakes adventure, high-heat encounters, family support and family betrayal, lovely respectful communication (after requisite miscommunication), marshland entomology, Kentish dialect lessons, thoughtful discussions of the philosophies vs realities of war policies... As always, KJ Charles delivers an emotionally resonate, well-researched, entertaining historical with great diversity rep. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Abandonment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Outing, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Deportation

siad's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, and Murder

Moderate: Kidnapping

skudiklier's review

adventurous emotional mysterious tense 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

I really enjoyed this! There was more mystery/tension than I was expecting, and the climax was a bit scarier than I was ready for, but if anything that just raised the stakes for the book overall. It was really good and I was fully rooting for their relationship.

Minor spoilers ahead: 

I felt really bad for Luke, and also the end had me forgetting that they couldn't really get married 🥲🥲🥲

 

I definitely want to read more by this author! Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, and Child death

erynlasbelin's review

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

Gareth Inglis, unwanted child turned dismissed law clerk, unexpectedly inherits his absent father's title and country estate. Tench House is situated in Romney Marsh, a remote wetland not-so-secretly controlled by smuggling gangs. Much to Gareth's surprise, his local area is under the control of the Doomsday clan, led by none other than his one-time lover.

Joss Doomsday is confident, charming, and eminently reasonable - and on the Marsh, his word is as good as law. But he is eager to avoid Gareth, who once spurned him in a fit of melancholy. At least until Gareth unwittingly puts his sister's freedom at stake. As the dust of this treacherous first encounter settles and the two form an unlikely partnership, peril encroaches on them from all sides.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is an adventurous Regency romance populated by swashbuckling smugglers as well as prickly high society. It is also somewhat of a naturalist's book; Gareth's explorations out on the Marsh taught me a surprising amount about the great diving beetle. There are stolen fortunes, dangerous missions under cover of night, a lady scandalously wearing trousers, and murders to boot. But the real heart of the book lies in healing trauma and finding love (in partners as well as family). Gareth and Joss are shaped by their experiences, by their loved ones, and by their relationship to one another, and the end of the book finds them better situated for happiness than they've ever been before.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Outing, and Abandonment

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Confinement, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail