A review by jessica_flower
A Seditious Affair by KJ Charles
3.0
Content Warning for : hard BDSM, CNC, Dom/Sub roleplay, humiliation/degradation kink, pain kink, bondage, sensory play, BDSM negotiations, some violence, murder off page, physical assault, threats to out a trans side character by extortion and blackmail
This book is essentially kinky stuff between two middle aged men with a background of early 19th century political shenanigans.
This was an okay continuation of the series and a lot more than I bargained for in some areas. Part of me is surprised that I finished it, considering the type of BDSM displayed in this novel is very much not to my taste. This book literally opens up with a hard scene with CNC and a humiliation/degradation kink. Like, it happened right in the first chapter.
In writing, I get that the first chapter is meant to act as a hook of some sort to introduce the characters, or at least the setting and some base foundation of the narrative to get the reader interested, but damn! That was less a hook and more like an anchor knocking into you. At the end of the chapter I realised it was consensual for both partners, and then I breathed a sigh of relief.
This couple are the literal definition of "opposites attract". Seriously, at one point one of them says, "We disagree without hatred and fuck as we choose."
Dominic is a privileged Tory gentleman working in some office of the British government (can't remember which), and Silas is a poor London bookshop owner who's secretly a political activist in a time where being anything other than a monarchist could get you arrested or worse. Dominic is supposed to arrest Silas' alter ego (name I can't remember, but it's the name he uses to write his political pamphlets under), except he doesn't know that it is Silas, because even though they've been fucking for almost a year (under an arrangement set up by mutual acquaintances) they still haven't told each other their real names. Until one day Dominic's buddies go to raid a bookshop and guess who's the owner? Silas. And everything else starts happening from there.
(Silas and Dominic are both very politically opinionated and they're both kinky freaks. They're really good at being freaks for each other. The book could be summed up in these 2 sentences, I think.)
There's a lot of early 19th century politics and early 19th century literature. Frankenstein makes an appearance, but by its original title The Modern Prometheus. Basically, all the books and politics are a backdrop for the battle of wills/beliefs between Silas and Dom throughout the book. They love to argue almost as much as they like rough fucking.
There's also a lot of scheming from both Dom's coworkers in the government and from Silas' poor friends in the neighborhoods of London. Scheming that leads to a shittily constructed conspiracy plot, Silas getting arrested when he didn't actually do the wrong shit they think he did, Officer Julian Norhys showing up and pulling rank (you go, my man), and then the Ricardian society pulling together to save Dominic and his boyfriend.
Also ft. cameos from Harry and Julius, seeing Julius from Silas' perspective (that sure was something), the longstanding friendship between all the Ricardians, Richard and Dominic finally processing their past shit, Cyprian the excellent manservant and his excellent mastermind planning, and Richard still being the stiff upper lip, at least for now. Because the next couple's gonna be Richard and Cyprian and not gonna lie, I'm curious enough to see how Cyprian pulls it off.
This book is essentially kinky stuff between two middle aged men with a background of early 19th century political shenanigans.
This was an okay continuation of the series and a lot more than I bargained for in some areas. Part of me is surprised that I finished it, considering the type of BDSM displayed in this novel is very much not to my taste. This book literally opens up with a hard scene with CNC and a humiliation/degradation kink. Like, it happened right in the first chapter.
In writing, I get that the first chapter is meant to act as a hook of some sort to introduce the characters, or at least the setting and some base foundation of the narrative to get the reader interested, but damn! That was less a hook and more like an anchor knocking into you. At the end of the chapter I realised it was consensual for both partners, and then I breathed a sigh of relief.
This couple are the literal definition of "opposites attract". Seriously, at one point one of them says, "We disagree without hatred and fuck as we choose."
Dominic is a privileged Tory gentleman working in some office of the British government (can't remember which), and Silas is a poor London bookshop owner who's secretly a political activist in a time where being anything other than a monarchist could get you arrested or worse. Dominic is supposed to arrest Silas' alter ego (name I can't remember, but it's the name he uses to write his political pamphlets under), except he doesn't know that it is Silas, because even though they've been fucking for almost a year (under an arrangement set up by mutual acquaintances) they still haven't told each other their real names. Until one day Dominic's buddies go to raid a bookshop and guess who's the owner? Silas. And everything else starts happening from there.
(Silas and Dominic are both very politically opinionated and they're both kinky freaks. They're really good at being freaks for each other. The book could be summed up in these 2 sentences, I think.)
There's a lot of early 19th century politics and early 19th century literature. Frankenstein makes an appearance, but by its original title The Modern Prometheus. Basically, all the books and politics are a backdrop for the battle of wills/beliefs between Silas and Dom throughout the book. They love to argue almost as much as they like rough fucking.
There's also a lot of scheming from both Dom's coworkers in the government and from Silas' poor friends in the neighborhoods of London. Scheming that leads to a shittily constructed conspiracy plot, Silas getting arrested when he didn't actually do the wrong shit they think he did, Officer Julian Norhys showing up and pulling rank (you go, my man), and then the Ricardian society pulling together to save Dominic and his boyfriend.
Also ft. cameos from Harry and Julius, seeing Julius from Silas' perspective (that sure was something), the longstanding friendship between all the Ricardians, Richard and Dominic finally processing their past shit, Cyprian the excellent manservant and his excellent mastermind planning, and Richard still being the stiff upper lip, at least for now. Because the next couple's gonna be Richard and Cyprian and not gonna lie, I'm curious enough to see how Cyprian pulls it off.