Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles

75 reviews

levesc17's review against another edition

dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

Very suspenseful second half of the book, I wish the ending had an epilogue! I wanted more resolution after all that stress. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Kidnapping

Moderate: Murder

cinderoni's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense 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

5.0

Listen, I didn't know I needed a gay swashbuckling mystery thriller regency romance, but apparently I needed a gay swashbuckling mystery thriller regency romance. So if you too need a gay swashbuckling mystery thriller regency romance, BOY is this the book for you. I finished it in a day (half audiobook, half ebook)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Murder

Minor: Homophobia

nevermoregothic's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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, Death, Sexual content, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Homophobia, Murder, and Outing

Minor: Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Death of parent

cheye13's review against another edition

adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.0

I picked this up for a cozy silly time and that's what I got for the first two thirds. Then it spiraled into a Peaky Blinders-esque crime thriller genre and I gotta say, while I was not disappointed, I was also not prepared. While I didn't end on the cozy note I was hoping for, that last portion did have me turning pages like crazy and did make for a fun read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual content, Blood, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Homophobia, Torture, Violence, Medical content, and Murder

Minor: Rape, Slavery, Grief, and Pregnancy

- There is understated threat of blackmailing both main characters with homosexual/sodomy allegations throughout the book

- Because semi-organized crime is a large part of the plot, there is violence and threats of violence throughout

- There is a torture scene, which is detailed but brief, consisting primarily of threats and culminating in a drowning attempt

- There are mentions of a past rape and veiled threats of rape

- The child abuse happens largely off-page, but the results are quite detailed, and it ultimately culminates in a knifing attempt

garbage_mcsmutly's review against another edition

emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

This book was quite spicy, like there were many scenes and they were all graphic. Also there was just a lot of like.... smuggler intrigue? It was sort of an action/thriller but without the action? IDK how to describe it. The relationship between the MCs was realistic and tender and just really nice.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexual content, and Abandonment

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Classism

Minor: Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Dementia, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

jess_always_reading's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-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? No

4.75

I absolutely loved this story. I've been reading my way through K.J. Charles's work and this is my favourite story alongside the Will Darling series. It's fun and quirky with a riveting plot line and an incredible cast of characters. The setting itself feels like a character in its own right, I love the portrayal of the marshes and the community. One of my favourite things about the story is definitely that the characters make an effort to improve their communication and grow together, it's so rarely seen and done very well. Plus, dashing smugglers, anti-imperialslism, hidden treasure, and beetle hunting! What more do you need?

11/10 would recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Classism

stormeno's review against another edition

adventurous emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Racism, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Classism

kaneebli's review

emotional funny lighthearted 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Murder, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Outing

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Rape, Slavery, and Pregnancy

overthinkereading's review

I read Secret Lives as a recommended title for a Kindle reading challenge prompt.

I did like the story, it was easy to care about these characters, and the Gothic Regency-with a side of mystery vibes made for an enjoyable read.

That said, as a proponent of Own Voices literature, it bears noting that the author of this M/M romance is not a queer male.

CW: sexual content; violence (including against children); blood; kidnapping; murder/attempted murder

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder

quiet_reader's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Death of parent