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pottersauce's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
🌶🌶🌶🌶
This is a fantasic sexy romance about a bi/pan guy and a gender fluid person in a historical context. It's in the late 1800's and they don't have a word for what Pen is yet, but it's a great story to hear how Mark tries to understand Pen and love him(that's the pronoun used in the book) for who he is.
Also there's a murder mystery that's been building since book 1!
This is a fantasic sexy romance about a bi/pan guy and a gender fluid person in a historical context. It's in the late 1800's and they don't have a word for what Pen is yet, but it's a great story to hear how Mark tries to understand Pen and love him(that's the pronoun used in the book) for who he is.
Also there's a murder mystery that's been building since book 1!
crosskitelines's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I love Pen! I love Mark! It was a good conclusion to three very fun stories
blessedwannab's review
4.0
The Sins of the Cities trilogy has been one long, three book, mystery! With an extra helping of history and romance. That’s a recipe for Birdie goodness!
The crime that started in An Unseen Attraction was concluded in The Unsuitable Heir, but the mystery isn’t what kept me reading. I wasn’t invested at all. Clearly I wanted to make sure Clem didn’t lose his boarding house, and Lazarus didn’t lose his life, but mostly I just like reading KJ Charles historical love stories. There’s always such authenticity to them. They’re gorgeous.
I think I was especially happy with this trilogy because of how diverse the cast was. I loved that Clem was Indian and autistic. I loved that Mark was missing a hand, and that Pen was gender fluid. It made the story feel even more full than a usual KJ Charles series. Not only was the cast entertaining, they were also compassionate and accepting.
Of the three books in the trilogy, my favorite is still An Unnatural Vice. There was just something special about Jason Lazarus and Nathaniel Roy. I love the initial antagonism that led to romance. I loved their heat. I also enjoyed Pen and Mark. The diversity should be noted, but I also liked that Pen and Mark enjoyed talking with each other just as much as they did getting intimate. There were even moments where they opted to just talk, which was so sweet. I love emotional connections. As much as I adored Nathaniel and Lazarus, what I thought was special about Pen and Mark was their ability to accept each other just the way they are. Mark is a simple man, and he treats Pen exactly as Pen needed to be treated. He even asked first, allowing Pen to guide their relationship. The two of them were definitely the sweetest of the three couples.
If you like accurate historical and romance, K.J. Charles may just be the author for you. I know I’ll be waiting for news of her next series. I’m loving them.
Thank you to Loveswept for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
For this and other reviews, visit Wendy at Birdie Bookworm.
The crime that started in An Unseen Attraction was concluded in The Unsuitable Heir, but the mystery isn’t what kept me reading. I wasn’t invested at all. Clearly I wanted to make sure Clem didn’t lose his boarding house, and Lazarus didn’t lose his life, but mostly I just like reading KJ Charles historical love stories. There’s always such authenticity to them. They’re gorgeous.
I think I was especially happy with this trilogy because of how diverse the cast was. I loved that Clem was Indian and autistic. I loved that Mark was missing a hand, and that Pen was gender fluid. It made the story feel even more full than a usual KJ Charles series. Not only was the cast entertaining, they were also compassionate and accepting.
Of the three books in the trilogy, my favorite is still An Unnatural Vice. There was just something special about Jason Lazarus and Nathaniel Roy. I love the initial antagonism that led to romance. I loved their heat. I also enjoyed Pen and Mark. The diversity should be noted, but I also liked that Pen and Mark enjoyed talking with each other just as much as they did getting intimate. There were even moments where they opted to just talk, which was so sweet. I love emotional connections. As much as I adored Nathaniel and Lazarus, what I thought was special about Pen and Mark was their ability to accept each other just the way they are. Mark is a simple man, and he treats Pen exactly as Pen needed to be treated. He even asked first, allowing Pen to guide their relationship. The two of them were definitely the sweetest of the three couples.
If you like accurate historical and romance, K.J. Charles may just be the author for you. I know I’ll be waiting for news of her next series. I’m loving them.
Thank you to Loveswept for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
For this and other reviews, visit Wendy at Birdie Bookworm.
geeknb's review
5.0
An excellent end to the series. This brought the trilogy to an exciting head. As this is written to overlap with the other two books in an entwined story covering three (four) couples, there are moments of clarity that you only get when all three books are put together. I prepared for this by listening to the previous two books.
Loved meeting up with the others again, especially Clem and Justin, and meeting Tim in more than passing.
I was worried about how KJ would bring this to a close and still get these guys a HEA, but I needn't have worried. The outcome was perfect for all concerned.
As for the romance in this, I adored the gruff pragmatic Mark, and Pen, yes Pen spoke to my soul.
I'm sad that these books have come to an end but I have all 3 audios and I'll be listening to each and every one of these time and time again.
Loved meeting up with the others again, especially Clem and Justin, and meeting Tim in more than passing.
I was worried about how KJ would bring this to a close and still get these guys a HEA, but I needn't have worried. The outcome was perfect for all concerned.
As for the romance in this, I adored the gruff pragmatic Mark, and Pen, yes Pen spoke to my soul.
I'm sad that these books have come to an end but I have all 3 audios and I'll be listening to each and every one of these time and time again.
tacita's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
emilyexmas's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
ginfizz's review
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
kkulmel's review
5.0
NON-BINARY REPRESENTATION
MY PEOPLE HAVE ARRIVED! in all seriousness for a cis author kj did a wonderful job depicting gender dysphoria and how it might’ve fit in (and also been avoided) during the time period. queer people have always existed, in all of our shapes and forms, and it was so fun to see kj write a story about us enbies.
MY PEOPLE HAVE ARRIVED! in all seriousness for a cis author kj did a wonderful job depicting gender dysphoria and how it might’ve fit in (and also been avoided) during the time period. queer people have always existed, in all of our shapes and forms, and it was so fun to see kj write a story about us enbies.