When it’s time to branch out from the Bridgerton series, KJ Charles’s new book is the one to open!

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen includes everything amazing about regency romances. There’s a son who inherits his less than loving father’s money, a scandal, smugglers, and of course some spice!

While the novel’s plot was slow at the beginning, the growing chemistry between forbidden lovers Gareth and Joss is worth the wait. Fans of the hit show Our Flag Means Death may be reminded of Steve Bonnet and Blackbeard, as these opposites fiercely attract!

Whether you’re brand new to historical romances, or your shelves are overflowing, be sure to pick up a copy of this new series on March 7th!

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Reading this felt like watching a BBC mini series or PBS Masterpiece special, and I mean that in a good way!

If you like books with a strong sense of place, found family, and steamy scenes this historical is for you.

I love, love, LOVED this! The story, the romance, and the setting gripped me from the start, and I already know I will return to it again in the future. It has action and intrigue while giving all the feels, and I couldn't help but imagine I was there running around the marsh with Gareth and Joss. I adored them both, I adored the cast of characters (so many of them deserve their own book!), and I'd recommend this story for fans of second-chance romance, found family, lots of drama, and anyone looking for a Historical Romance set outside of London. I cannot wait for book #2!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca via Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen was one of my favorite reads of the year. I adored everything about this book
– the sweet, earnest, and well-developed romance between Gareth and Joss
– the whodunit plot
– the contrast and thoughtful questions brought up on classism, elitism, and gender
– how the Marsh is just as much of a setting as its own character

I cannot gush about this book enough. Highly recommend it for fans of Bridgerton and historical romance. This is my first KJ Charles book and I cannot wait to read more! A big thank you to Sourcebooks for the review copy.

I don't have enough words to accurately describe how much I LOVE KJ Charles! These books are just...chef's kiss!! Gareth & Joss (AKA London and Kent) are just delightful, beautiful characters and I hope they have a series of adventures because I'm here for ALL of it!!

Gareth believes that even though his life has been a constant hardship, he’s an upstanding man. So when he comes across a group of smugglers, one that he had already met, he finds himself at odds. Joss embarrassed Gareth in front of an entire courtroom. With their past, he never would have thought that possible. Now Gareth wants nothing to do with Joss and his smuggling family. Sometimes fate has other plans.

I never read historical romance, but the cover and description drew me in. I enjoyed the mystery element more than the romance, but the lovers, to enemies, to lovers angle was a fun twist on the usual trope. I’m happy I read this because it was such a fun read. Thank you, Sourcebooks Casablanca, for the ARC.

This was such a great historical romance, that really had the feel of a cozy mystery! With plenty of spice, this m/m romance kept me glued to my seat with the mystery of everything.

I loved the side characters in this book, the Doomsday family was so interesting!

Joss and Gareth, I loved that this book mostly centered on them working together, and there wasn’t a ton a drama between the two of them. Yes, there was moments of miscommunication, and other things, but I always enjoy romances more when the couple can work through issues (or mysteries) as a team.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but it will not be the last. I’m definitely looking forward to reading additional books in this series.

I enjoyed this book. I had a good time with the romance and I liked both main characters. I would recommend this to fans of Victorian era historical romance.

4 stars

I know I can always count on KJ Charles to do something innovative with her historical romances and The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is no exception. Set in Romney Marsh on the remote English coast, this book offers a delightful lovers to enemies back to lovers romance between a newly minted baronet longing for connection and the head of a smuggling clan who had been his anonymous lover in London.

The world of Romney Marsh is unlike anything I have read in historical romance with smugglers and lords living side by side in relative harmony under a code of unwritten laws and traditions sacred to all who hope to thrive there. Both the romance and the mystery plot are given equal weight throughout, providing great moments of action and beautiful moments of intimacy. I devoured this book in just a little over a day and I'm bummed that I have to wait until September to read the sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

I’ve only one read book by KJ Charles previously - the novella A Thief in the Night which I loved as one of the only novellas I’ve read where you get full character development and a romping good story packed into a short book, so imagine what she can do with an entire novel! I was excited to find out.

This was, from what I’m understanding, classic Charles. A queer historical with adventure and lovely people finding family and community. I enjoyed it so much!!

Gareth has recently inherited a baronetcy from his estranged father. Joss is a smuggler who lives in the area. They had a bit of a past in a one week no names entanglement in London only to find each other months later when Gareth moves to town after inheriting. There’s hunting for treasure, there’s murder, there’s lovely people finding and loving each other, there’s people standing up for one another. Gosh I really had the best time. I loved Joss’ tenderness for Gareth and I loved Gareth’s growth and when he stands up for Luke I was a total cheering puddle. I shan’t say more so I don’t give away the intrigue across the Kent marshes. But it’s really fun and after 189764490 regency historicals, it managed to give me a new aspect of the war with France to learn about, and that was a treat for me too.

Spice: 3/5 🌶️
Tropes: inheriting an estate, found family, treasure hunt
More: m/m romance, regency romance, historical

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is out March 7, 2023.

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This is such a sweet gay romance about finding family and making a home in the world. Joss Doomsday and Sir Gareth both learn and grow together through what seems like insurmountable circumstances, and their chemistry is fantastic. The book did drag in several places for me, despite the mystery, action, and suspense. Regency romance is a hit-or-miss sub-genre for me, and this one's a hit.

*Received a copy for review.*
A man who was shunted off the live with his uncle when his mother died, finds himself inheriting his fathers title & estate. Gareth has never felt like he belonged anywhere and being a gay man he had to keep things to himself. He met someone away from his normal place but knows that he will be leaving and so he cuts him at the knees as they part.
Joss is disappointed that the man he met has turned out to be an ass but he has so much responsibility at home, he can’t dwell on it.
Whe he & Gareth collide again in Joss’ home town, there is a lot of misunderstanding, some threats, and a missing amount of money that a lot of people are looking for.
I really loved the setting and how these two had so much to overcome.

Didn’t finish. Wasn’t engaging from the startcccccccccccccccccvccvvvvvvggftfdfggftghhyhv. Bbb big bghjnngffghjn

Oh boy, do I ever love a KJ Charles title. Charles has a gift for crafting a historical romance in which the threats of homophobia and racism are not glossed over--hers is not a sanitized version of historical prejudices--but one in which, nevertheless, there is a hopeful horizon for queer and antiracist relationships, Charles trusts this in the hands of her individual characters, not by showing a whitewashed version of British history--it's the people you can count on, not the systems. THE SECRET LIVES OF COUNTRY GENTLEMEN is just so good! Set against the smuggling history of British marshlands, COUNTRY GENTLEMEN pairs Joss, a free trader, and Gareth, a newly-inherited baronet who has been continually let down by his family. It's got healing and love and adventure and drama! You won't want to miss this one.

Perfect for fans of historical romance looking for queer adventure, The Secret Lives of Country Gentleman is an engaging and action-packed story that I really enjoyed. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles

Published: March 7, 2023
Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: LGBTQ+ Historical Fiction
Pages: 353
KKECReads Rating: 3/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

KJ Charles spent twenty years as an editor in British publishing before fleeing the scene to become a full-time historical romance novelist. She has written over twenty-five novels since then and her books have been translated into eight languages. She lives in London.

“I may have to change my approach to life.”

Gareth hasn’t had the happiest life; his father sent him away at six years old to live with an uncle who didn’t want him. Joss had to grow up fast, but that’s every day living in the marsh. Who knew that forbidden desires would weave their way home?

This was a slow burn. I was not as engaged with this book, and it took me days to get through. It was wordy in parts, which I believe was for the time period.

I wish there had been more about the romance. It was forbidden and taboo, which could have been so beautifully romantic.

The details were deep and thorough. Scenery descriptions were so vivid it was easy to imagine them unrolling before you. I liked Joss a lot, and he was such a fantastic character. I wanted to like Gareth, but he annoyed me more than anything.

Overall, the book was okay. The characters all had moments that made them memorable. This wasn’t my style, but I’m not a big reader of historical fiction.

KJ Charles is such a MASTER at the historical romance craft. The amount of intrigue, adventure, believability of concept and place AND love she can weave into a single book is just incredible.
Gareth and Joss will be tattooed on my heart. I loved seeing their love story develop from page 1. And their teamwork, struggles to be seen and valued… I just love them. PLUS the mystery of smugglers, missing guinneas, family members you don’t know who they’re aligned with… so so good.
Also, the spice was perfection. KJ Charles does on-page m/m love a true justice.

This being my first KJ Charles novel, I thought it gave off similar vibes to “A Gentlemen’s Guide to Vice and Virtue” (just with more smut) and any Alexis Hall novel in that there was adventure, good banter, even better chemistry, and also beetles. The book did take awhile to get started, and even when it did, it always seemed to drag just a bit, despite being a bit more action-oriented toward the end. For that reason, and because the book was incredibly description-heavy at times, I had to dock a few stars. But overall I really enjoyed Gareth and Joss’ relationship, especially their more tender and vulnerable moments. I loved the fact that they could be their true selves with each other and let their guards down in a way they couldn’t with anyone else.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I was excited for this book, but ended up getting a bit disappointed with it. I thought the premise was cute but once I started reading I found that certain elements of this book made it hard for me to get lost in the story.

Pros:
The idea for the book was very original and despite being a historical it didn't read the way that historicals usually do with reference to the ton and society. I also think it was very creative that this book didn't take place in London for most of the book and it also didn't take place in a super well-known or posh part of the countryside. The whole story was very down to earth.
All the characters were very real and down to earth and I like that the story wasn't super focused on marriage or propriety as many historicals often are. I thought Gareth was such a sweet muffin and I loved that he didn't have any delusions about himself. He knew that he was no rogue or "manly man" and he wasn't really ashamed of it. I had mixed feelings about Joss but I like that he was true to himself throughout the book.
I found it super refreshing that the author didn't make a big deal out of Gareth and Joss' relationship. While it would have been on par with it being a historical, it was also nice to not have to read a lot of angst about whether they would be together and what if people find out and all that jazz. Gareth and Joss were able to be together and while there was an incident it ended up not being a big thing and I liked that.

Cons:
All the language from what I'm assuming is Kent at large if not the Marsh specifically made it really hard to understand what was happening during most of the dialogue. While it helped that Gareth didn't get it either which meant some language was translated, not all of it was and it really took me out of the story.
The entire Marsh vs. outmarsh thing was so weird and it made it difficult for me to get that this book was taking place in England.
Cecilia was an unbelievably annoying character. She was 17 which I understand means she is a teenager, however, in historicals women are typically at marriage age around 17 and her behavior read as though she was several years younger not a woman who was almost an adult.
Gareth being a baronet was also confusing. I didn't know what this position was until I finally gave in and looked it up and by that point it seemed a bit unnecessary for Gareth to technically be part of the ton even if he was like the lowest ranking title. It would've made a bit more sense if he had been a wealthy professional man or had inherited his father's business, or something of that sort.
I found the story to be a bit slow moving even though I was able to get through the chapters pretty fast.

Overall, this book wasn't my preference for the type of romance I like to read. Maybe because it didn't read as super romancey that I wasn't that into it, but it wasn't my favorite book. It was a 3.5 star book for me. Not bad, but also not my favorite. If you like romantic suspense, and possibly if you like India Holton's historical romance books, you'll likely enjoy this, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

Gareth and Joss, under pseudonyms, meet in London and pursue a brief but passionate affair with an ugly ending. They meet again, unexpectedly and in unfortunate circumstances, on Romney Marsh. Gareth, abandoned by his father and nominally raised by his unwilling and unkind uncle, has been thrust into the role of country baronet upon his father's untimely death. Joss, who also lost his father young, is clashing with his own uncle and his mother as he manages his family's smuggling operation.

Both men are complicated, with difficult histories and in challenging circumstances, and have sometimes been less than kind and honest with one another in the past. But in spite of all this, and of their class differences, the two find themselves drawn together. In the midst of the cautious and nuanced relationship building between Gareth and Joss, danger is pursuing them both on the Marsh. Lies, theft, betrayal, and violence surround them, and if they can't trust one another as allies, they may not survive.

KJ Charles is a master at mixing complex, fascinating plots with believable and equally complex romance. Here she offers up a twisty, dramatic mystery inextricably intertwined with the story of two men reaching out from loneliness to find both love and themselves.