The blurb describes this as a slow-burning romance and it is certainly is. There's a bit more emphasis on the mystery in this book and I was a bit disappointed by that as KJ Charles is more of a romance writer usually. I also didn't get a real feel for the men's romance but hope that it's going to be a larger part of the continuing series.
Clem Talleyfer is a half-Indian man running a lodging house. For the most part, it is a fine life, except that he is forced by the house's owner to keep one particular lodger, Lugtrout, who is a drunken lout and makes all of the other lodger's lives uncomfortable. Luckily, there is one particular lodger who brightens Clem's days (and eventually nights), Rowley Green.
Rowley is a taxidermist, quiet and fastidious. He is attracted to Clem but feels like a moth attracted to a very handsome butterfly. When they get wrapped up in the mystery of Lugtrout's death, Rowley is happy that he is able to spend more time with Clem.
Both men are careful about starting a romance, understandable given the time, but this is a slow-burn that never really fired for me but may work for other readers, especially Charles fans. The setting was incredibly vivid though and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out February 21

Victorian England, ugly weather, two men falling in love, rude family members, a mystery, and a murder. I want to say I loved everything about this book because I’ve read the Magpie series and loved it with all my heart, but this book lack a bit of everything. It was enjoyable and, even if I wanted to give it 3 stars, I’m rounding it up to 4 because I just love how this author writes.

While Lord Crane and Stephen of the Magpies series were excellent even when they were annoying, I found Clem annoying even in non-annoying situations. I wanted to like the guy, flaws and everything, but I couldn’t do it. I didn’t have a problem with his flaws. I hated how blind he was when it came to one very important thing. When showed clear evidence of something very wrong, he got angry and decided it couldn’t be true because he knew best. He didn’t give the situation the benefit of the doubt and his excuses for that were quite childish. I understand loyalty and family, but if someone is showing me the wrongdoings of a person I know, it is important to have a little bit of doubt because nobody is perfect. If you are positive it can’t be true, then investigate and try seeing all points of views. Clem wasn’t my favorite person in this book.

On the other hand, Rowley Green, the preserver and lodger of the lodging house Clem runs, is a beautiful human being and deserves all the nice things in the world. He has a creepy job, there’s no doubt in that, but nobody can deny how talented he is in what he does. The creations in his shop are magical and it’s clear, seeing them, that he loves his job. He has found a good friend in Clem when he first moved in the lodging house and he knows what he feels for the other man is more than friendship. He drowns in Clem’s eyes and sees the beauty in a man who cannot see it for himself. The way he thinks of Clem is pure and beautiful. Rowley is a character that I want to know more about. He is the other reason I’m giving this book half a star more than it deserved in my opinion.

While these two men try to have romantic and sexy encounters, a lodger is murdered and left in front of the house. This event starts a chain reaction that will inevitably get the two men to question the reality they live in and believed in up to that day. Rowley will face his past ghosts and Clem will need to let go of an image he has in mind that it’s clouding his judgement. The twists weren’t really twists but they kept the story interesting. While I think the mystery was pretty important, I think it was the romance the main theme of the book. They both are trying to start something and they put their bodies and souls in each other’s hands. We see how Clem starts being a goofball and then becomes a master in the bedroom, and we see how Rowley embraces his kinks and let go of a few inhibitions.

This series has potential and I’m very curious to see what the sequels are going to offer. I truly want to see more of Clem and Rowley together; that’s for sure!

3,5 stars

I loved the world building in this book. It’s a true talent by this author, to create these descriptive worlds you have no trouble seeing before you. It’s almost tangible. And another thing I love is when I read about something new, and a taxidermist is definitely something I haven’t read about before – I liked it. (Have I mentioned I’m a bit morbid at times?)

My only issue with this book was that I couldn’t really connect to it and I don’t know why. It could be because I’ve been in a reading slump lately and this book suffered unjustly because of it.

If you like historical romances, some quirky characters, a hint of a mystery you should give this a try.

A free copy of this book was provided for an honest review

KJ Charles has a talent to create gripping story, colorful background characters and quite good main characters. And well - most of it is present in "Unseen attraction".

The story is well paced, and although from certain point it's easy to predict how the story will end, it's still gripping. I've tried to pace my reading because of my other responsibilities, but I've failed and read it in one sitting.
Main characters seem to be a good pair and even better couple who complement each other very well. Even if they are too good to be true, it's uplifting and absolutely lovely.
I really liked the way that Clem developed as a character, and the change that showed in him by the end of the book is really, really promising. I can't wait to see how he'll fare in the next book.
Rowley's sight problem was portrayed quite realistic - and I liked how him taking off his glasses was a matter of great trust.
Background characters were colorful and meaningful bunch, mostly - I very liked Nathaniel and Polish Mark (whose surname, by the way, is not that hard to pronounce! ;-) There are harder out there, believe me.); Timothy showed a great potential and I certainly hope that he'll show up in the next novel for more than a few sentences. Clem's lodgers were nice background noise, mostly.

Overall it was a really good book and I enjoyed reading it. Highly recommended~!

RATING: 3 out of 5

First book of a new Victorian series from K.J. Charles … that introduction made me really, truly excited. It’s a fact that I find Charles’ books to be solid read and most of the times, I find them truly enjoyable.

An Unseen Attraction is both a romance and a mystery, set in London at early 1870’s. Personally, I thought Charles was able to balance it both pretty well. The book introduces us to lodging-house keeper Clem Talleyfer and preserver (or taxidermist, in modern term) Rowley Green – one of Clem’s lodgers.

I honestly thought Clem as a very interesting character. See, Clem first came to me as a little slow. He gets easily nervous with too many stimuli (which is why he avoids crowd). He is gentle, kind, and avoids confrontations with others. When Clem goes up against a ‘louder’ men, he easily stutters.

However, Clem seems to flourish when he is around his friends at the Jack and Knave (a club for men who likes other men). And when it comes to the bedroom … Clem is the more dominant compared to Rowley. Even if during their first kiss, Clem is the one who forget to breathe! But as their relationship goes further, Rowley is the one more submissive — and interestingly Rowley also seems to be the one with less experience.

So you see, Clem’s contradictory intrigued the hell out of me! I thought Clem has more layers compared to Rowley; whose job is probably is the most interesting part about him. Clem is more than meets the eyes …

As for the mystery part, it circles around the murder of another lodger with connection to Clem’s family members. The ending of this one is a bit of a cliffhanger; we find answers but it the mystery develops into something bigger, which is why I think it will be the arc of the whole trilogy (the title of the third book, most especially, is the biggest hint).

UNFORTUNATELY, Clem’s way of handling issues that comes to him, especially in regards to the murder and his bully of a brother frustrated the HELL out of me. This influenced my enjoyment of reading the book because most of the time I wanted to STRANGLE Clem for being too naive and trusting. He refuses to think that there might be something amiss happening. In this particular case, Clem is like a child who puts hands on his ears and refuses to listen while people tells him about his mistakes.

I also admit that I was getting uncomfortable reading about the details of Rowley’s job. The part where Charles wrote about the stuffing process, it creeped me out so much I had to put the book down and switched to another title for a while. I think if I watch the process with my own eyes, I will get nightmares for weeks!

So I have to settle with 3-stars this time. Nonetheless, rest assured, I WILL be there for the rest of the series!!

3.5 stars rounding up. K.J. Charles' historicals feel very true to their periods, very real. Especially as they are frequently told by social outsiders looking in at mainstream society. This is definitely the case here as the main characters are outside the "accepted norm" not only because of their sexuality but also because of their class and/or backgrounds. In mid-19th century London, Clem is part-Indian, seems to have some amount of Asperger's, and runs a boarding house for his fully English older half-brother; Rowley is a childhood victim of violence who has made his way in the tradesmen class as a taxidermist. Despite (or possibly because of their differences) they fit together perfectly. Their love story is wonderful. Fully what I expected of Charles.

Minor caveat: While this is a mystery, it wasn't very mysterious to me, though some of the refinement of the details and the minor twists were nice and, again, very realistic. <spoiler> The older brother's henchman choosing self-interest over continuing as an aristocrat's dog. </spoiler>

Well worth the time and effort!

This book took a while for me to get into. I almost DNF’d it about 16% into the book because it just dragged and I was wondering when the romance was going to start. But, right after I made that decision, everything happened. The book went from being boring to being very interesting. I couldn’t read it fast enough!!

The storyline was pretty good. Clem is the bastard younger brother of an Earl. 8 years before, when the former Earl died, he made sure that his legitimate son and heir took care of Clem. And by that, the new Earl bought a lodging house and made Clem the proprietor of it. Clem liked his job and liked most of the people who lodged there. With the exception of Lugtrout, a pastor who has lived there indefinitely and is a drunk. Lugtrout is the otherwise black spot on Clem’s happy life.

If Lugtrout is a black spot on Clem’s life, then Rowley Green is a bright, bright yellow spot. Rowley is a taxidermist who owns the shop next to Clem’s boarding house. In the 8 months that he has lived at the lodging house, Clem and Rowley have become fast friends. They share a nightly tea and have really gotten to know each other. Clem, though, is very attracted to Rowley but is afraid to say or do anything.

This is Victorian England and male/male relationships are not only frowned on but can constitute in 10 years of jail time. So, Clem has to be very careful about who he approaches. Luckily, he found a club called the Jack and Knave that is for men of Clem’s inclination.

Luckily for him, Rowley is also very attracted to Clem and on what I guess you could call their first date, he told Clem that he was attracted to him and shortly afterwards, they had their first kiss. It was during that first kiss that Lugtrout started screaming that he had been robbed. After calming him down, Clem sends word to his brother about Mr. Lugtrout’s behavior….only to be told, in not so many words, “Deal with it”.

It is when Mr. Lugtrout is found murdered outside of the lodging house and then Rowley is attacked and his shop burned, is when the book picked up pace. From then on, it was Clem and Rowley trying to figure out why Lugtrout was killed, who attacked Rowley and who tried to burn down Rowley’s shop. All on top of keeping their relationship super secret.

The sex scenes weren’t anything remarkable and I actually kinda disconnected from them in most scenes. I don’t know why. Maybe because it had to be super secret and the doors had to be shut and locked before anything was done. The oppression of that time was awful.

While I say that the sex scenes weren’t remarkable, I did think that the romance between Clem and Rowley were. Both had overcome a lot in their life and both were willing to make their relationship work….not matter what. What I thought sucked is that they couldn’t let on that they were in love. The only safe place was the club.

Now what I thought was refreshing was the club that Clem belonged to. There was a trans woman who tended the bar and I have never, ever read a historical romance book that is LGBTQIA that had a trans woman featured. And I loved it. I hope that Phyllis (aka Phil) makes more of an appearance in the other books.

The whodunit storyline was pretty predictable but I do like that the author did throw in a couple of curveballs. The main one being at the end of the story which threw things up in the air on Clem’s end.

Speaking of the end of the book, the author did a great job wrapping up the storylines. But, like I said above, the curveball at the end threw me. And it left for a great opener for the next story.

How many stars will I give An Unseen Attraction: 3

Why: While I liked the story, I had an issue getting into it. The characters were really hard for me to connect to at first but once I did, I really enjoyed them. Besides the book getting off to a very slow start, there was also a lull in the middle of the book. The author was able to get back on track but the lull was for a couple of chapters (when Clem and Edmund met) and I was pretty certain that the book wouldn’t recover from it.

Will I reread: On the fence about rereading it.

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and some mild violence

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Set in Dickensian London, the romance between Rowley Green - Preserver (what we'd call a taxidermist) and Clem Talleyfer (keeper of a small rooming house) is hardly the stuff of legend. This novel has some lovely scenes as Clem and Rowley share hours of quiet companionship and tea in the parlour, and Clem finally figures out Rowley is interested in him. Clem appears to be on the autism spectrum as his mind is a bit scattered and too much stimuli leaves him unable to cope or function, however Rowley appreciates the subtleness of Clem's mind. Their sexual chemistry doesn't sizzle, but it sustains them.

Clem's step-brother Edmund has made him the keeper of a small lodging house with the proviso that he allow the eternally-drunk nasty former Parson Lugtrout to live there for as long as he wishes, rent-free. But when Lugtrout is found murdered, Rowley and Clem's tidy lives are turned upside down and they find themselves in the midst of murder allegations, arson and nefarious henchmen, trying to learn why Edmund is so obsessed with finding Lugtrout's personal effects and papers.

Along the way, we are introduced to several characters from the Jack of Knaves pub who help solve the Lugtrout murder/mystery, and the ending of the book leaves us with an additional mystery which will be addressed as the series continues. The next book in the series An Unnatural Vice will feature journalist Nathaniel Roy and is scheduled for a June publication date, while the third book in the series An Unsuitable Heir will be published in October.

As always, KJ Charles has a keen appreciation for historical accuracy, and this book is set in a growingly diverse London in the later part of the 19th century. Her characters are well-rounded and from many walks of life and I really enjoy the tapestry KJ Charles creates in each of her series. I look forward to reading the next book in the series and definitely recommend An Unseen Attraction.

Thank you for the opportunity to read the ARC for An Unseen Attraction!

I've read some of KJ Charles' other books before, and was always impressed by her sharp and clever way with words. I was not let down with this book and thoroughly enjoyed the rather slower pace and homely setting involved. Clem was an absolute breath of fresh air as far as characters go and appealed to me almost immediately from his introduction. Same with Rowley; all of the research that must've gone into taxidermy definitely paid off - the discussions and mentions of it in the book always felt natural rather than forced. (It was also personally interesting enough to me that I couldn't wait to put the books mentioned as references on my to-read list!)

The beginning seemed a little bit choppy in relation to the rest of the book. It definitely felt to me as if it smoothed out once the rest of the plot-lines were finally in place and really beginning to kick off, and I never seemed to get 'stuck' while reading. Everything flowed smoothly and neatly, and the pace was always just right for me.

Definitely looking forward to purchasing this when it's released, and I look forward to any future sequels!

An Unseen Attraction is similar in style and tone to much of KJ Charles's earlier works, and even the murder/mystery at its heart was reminiscent of stand alone titles like Think of England - but it's also very different. I liked the romance but didn't quite buy into the murder/mystery. The whole thing seemed a bit dark and lacked the sharp wit found in Ms. Charles other books.

Quiet Clem Talleyfer runs a lodging-house. He enjoys the rhythm and routine of his days and with the exception of one boarder, the only one he isn't at liberty to kick out, he's happy. His days are full and recently, his evenings are as well. He's developed feelings for one of his lodgers and though he isn't sure if his feelings are reciprocated in quite the same way, he's content to spend his evenings fireside with his neat and precise (and handsome) boarder, Mr. Rowley Green.

Rowley Green is a preservationist who lodges in Clem's boardinghouse. Similarly quiet and self-contained, he finds himself attracted to his sweet and charming host and his beautiful eyes. Evenings spent together drinking tea by the fireside leave him desperate for more of Clem, and he invites him on an evening out on the town.

Watching the Flying Starlings trapeze show from their private box, Clem dares to ask Rowley what they're doing together. Rowley's response sends them racing home to the boarding house and kissing leads to touching...and their friendship becomes something deeper and more significant than either expected.

Though the relationship between Clem and Rowley develops slowly (they've known each other 8 months when the book opens), and reads like a slow burn romance as it unfolds on the page, the novel is barely underway when Ms. Charles twists the narrative. The relationship between Clem and Rowley moves to the backburner when one of the lodgers is found murdered on the steps of the house.

Secrets, betrayals, and red herrings abound as Clem and Rowley try to determine who killed the lodger. Their relationship comes under strain when it appears the killer is also targeting Rowley - and that Clem is keeping secrets that may have something to do with the murdered lodger.

Though An Unseen Attraction feels very familiar to fans of Ms. Charles, there are a few key differences. First of all, unlike her Charm of Magpies and The Society of Gentleman series, Clem and Rowley are ordinary men who possess neither paranormal insight, convenient friends in the peerage and/or experience in the military or as spies. Instead, they're two ordinary men who grew up in challenging circumstances, happen to love men, and are just trying to make the best out of life. I liked everything about them - their backstories, their tender affection for each other, their quiet (and then sexy) nights together in Clem's rooms. But I didn't love this book.

This reader had a fairly good idea who the bad guys were from the very beginning, but I'm not sure Ms. Charles 100% sold me on the cause of it all. I hated how Clem kept secrets from Rowley - even when his life was in danger, and his refusal to acknowledge who the 'bad guy' was, even when the evidence made it more and more obvious each day. I also struggled to believe that these two were mostly left on their own to find the murderer - even after the police were called following the murder and attempted arson at Rowley's offices. Where did the suspicious inspector go? Was he tracking down clues too? We never know.

If I could split my grade of An Unseen Attraction in two parts, I would give an A- to the romance between Clem and Rowley, and a C+ to the murder mystery. Since I can't, I'm going to give this one a B. It's not my favorite Charles novel, but I enjoyed it very much nonetheless.

I adored both Clem and Rowley and liked how they, even though both are unassuming and shy, managed to push back at each other and stand for what they believed in. However, this whole story, was so.....polite. There was little passion or tension to keep me riveted to the plot as I usually am with this author's books.

I'll still read anything and everything by Charles but this one wasn't a favorite of mine.

Ahh, what a delightful novel! KJ Charles has rapidly become one of my favorite gay romance authors and I've devoured their back catalog in the last few months. As such, I was delighted to get my hands on this eARC.

Clem is neuro divergent/learning disabled in a way that's so breathtakingly familiar to my own experiences, and those of my close friends, that I couldn't help myself from nodding rapidly as we watched him interact with the world, from an inner running monologue to make sure everything gets done, to a preference for doing things one thing at a time, it was real and tenderly done. I'm not surprised to pick up romance and see such beautifully rendered characters, but it still surprises me to such well fleshed out, respectfully portrayed characters who are neurodivergent

Not only that! Clem and Rowley are delightful together, they fit together with the aching tenderness that I've come to expect from Charles' writing. They mystery of the plot has me guessing, and the characters have me wanting more. I can't wait to see where this story goes.

An Unseen Attraction is a long-ish novella (or a short-ish novel – I’m not sure what the cut-off point between the two is) with a sweet romance. Both Clem and Rawley are likeable and complex characters that find each other and manage to grow a little over the course of the book. There is some conflict between them, but they always manage to overcome it fairly easily but realistically.
There is also a mystery that they manage to work out with the help of their friends. I thought the mystery was interesting, but the villains were so evil they were more like caricatures than real people.
I really liked the writing, apart from the intrusion of taxidermy in one of the sex scenes.
Initially I thought it was a bit disappointing that one very obvious point was never addressed during the entire time Clem and Rawley tried to figure out the mystery. Luckily it finally made an appearance during the epilogue and in such a dramatic way that I forgave the author immediately. In fact, I’m looking forward to reading the next instalment(s) in this series.

I really enjoy K. J Charles writing. She writes with finesse, her world building is thoroughly researched and engaging.Most of all she writes romantic, appealing characters and I have so far not read anything by her that I haven't enjoyed.

Her new ( Sins of the Cities) series is another great start, Cam and Rowley are captivating their story was written with real sweetness and love. The mystery was tantalising enough that it kept me engaged. Cam and Rowley were lovely. Cam being a beautiful character in particular both in looks and personality. I enjoyed that Rowley was a taxidermist ( my other half done taxidermy for years so all the tools etc I was familiar with), The pub "jack" was a great addition alongside all the new side characters. I'm looking forward to Marks story the most.

Really enjoyable novel. 4*

A new series!

It is London in 1873 and we are introduced to Clem and Rowley, two unlikely men who manage to find love and hope for the future among the dark and fog of London's streets.

But not without first being embroiled in murder and mystery!

It has to be said, KJ Charles has a way of writing historical stories that take you back to the social reality of the time she is writing about. She manages to portray the real historical context and not just with regards to homosexuality, but also on race, culture, society, gender and power. So you read her stories and actually come away not just entertained, but also educated without realising it.

Reading her stories is always an enjoyable experience. Her words draw you into the story and the characters unfold in the imagination of the reader and in this way the reader finds that they are actively participating in the drama.

But just who are these characters in this new series?

Clem is grateful for all that he has in life. He manages the lodging house that his half brother owns and he tries to live a quiet life. He has his friends from the Jack of Knaves pub and he has a very simple life. He watches over the lodgers and tries to take care of things but there is one lodger that he really likes.

Rowley is a very quiet lodger who runs the taxidermist shop next door to the boarding house. Clem finds Rowley intriguing and wants to get to know the man a bit more and so he's happy when they start having evening cups of tea together.

And then evening tea becomes a ritual and from this ritual a friendship emerges, and from friendship an attraction emerges, and from this attraction the beginnings of a romance.

But

All of this becomes dangerous and risky when the body of a drunken lodger is found on the steps of the lodging house and it seems that Clem and Rowley are unwittingly involved in something that is dark and dangerous, something that is inexplicable and unknown.

The two of them team up together with some other friends to try and find out why the lodger was killed and why Rowley's shop and Rowley himself are under attack, and what is the connection to Clem's half brother.

This leads the two men into unforeseen danger and mystery, and the darkness of the streets of London. As the two of them piece the puzzle together they draw closer to each other and find that despite their vulnerabilities they can be strong together and overcome the unknown enemy who threatens them.

I knew this story was going to be good when I first requested it from NetGalley because it is by KJ Charles and if there is anybody who knows how to write historical mm romance she is that person. This is creative and rich storytelling, very much rooted in real history and real facts and because of this the story is interesting and edgy.

Clem who is mixed race with both English and Indian heritage manages to negotiate life in London and London's diversity helps him understand who he is. Rowley has overcome a difficult childhood and a murderer father, so both men have exerperienced pain and loneliness.

And then there is the richness of the other characters and we are introduced to Clem's family and friends who help him unravel the mystery. It is obvious that future books are going to be based on some of the characters that we encounter in this first story but it's not done in an obvious way.

And although they face hidden enemies and hidden pains from the past Clem and Rowley's growing love for each other shines out brightly, guiding both of them.

But the story doesnt simply end at the end of the book (which is great) because it is the first in a series and so there is much more to come.

This is a really good solid read and a good first book. It is a slow romance which I think also sets the scene for what is to come. I shall definitely be following up this one.

Copy provided by Loveswept via Netgalley

5 stars. KJ Charles excels at writing characters that you root for, and this book is no exception. Her unconventional and immersive historical settings bring a depth to the stories and characters. In this case, the setting is a lodging house in Victorian London, and one of the main characters is a "preserver" -- a taxidermist. The quiet and gentle m/m romance in this book is off-set by some more sensational, fast-paced plot elements, but the two end up complementing each other very well. Highly readable and eminently satisfying! Strongly recommended.