I liked this book, but I'm not sure I totally loved it. I couldn't help but feel like something was missing the whole time. I think I was also comparing it too much to "Something Fabulous" by Alexis Hall and while there are similarities, the writing styles and overarching stories are completely different. But that's also on me and I'm sure others won't see it that way. I didn't dislike this book, but I don't know if I'll keep reading the others in the series. Overall, I think people will enjoy this as it has a bit of everything - romance, family drama, and more.

I thought this was a good read that balanced the plot with the romance well. The romance had a clear purpose in the story without reducing the two male characters to tropes. I also found the descriptions of Kent and how different communities led to different mannerisms interesting.

Another excellent novel by KJ Charles. She's never put out a dud and while this wasn't my favorite, it will appeal to her regular fans as well as be a good entry point to her writing.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebook for this advanced copy.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen was such a great book, sweet and FUN!! As always form KJ Charles.

What a great balance of a mystery plot and romance! The characters of Joss and Gareth had incredible depth, I feel like I know them so well. Their complexities were continuously unveiled throughout the book, we were constantly learning new things about them.

Another excellent addition to KJ Charles' canon. Highly recommended for fans of queer historical romance. The pacing is excellent and, as always, the plot is propulsive. KJ Charles never disappoints for fans of m/m romance with a twist of mystery.

An enjoyable MLM historical romance set in the Romney Marsh where a newly minted baronet and the prince of smugglers characters get a second chance at love set amongst a backdrop of mystery and shenanigans. The theme of the book appears to be learning and dealing with vulnerabilities in familial and romantic relationships. The B plot outshone the romance A plot in spots, but overall, this was a fun and heartwarming read.

KJ Charles never disappoints!

This was so much fun to read. I loved getting to know Gareth and Joss and all their baggage. KJ Charles excels at writing multilayered characters and this is so evident here. Watching their relationship grow and evolve was so delightfully and I rooted for them every step of the way. The last scene made me so emotional in how true it was to the book and yet delivering swooniness.

The secondary cast was also great especially Asa, Sophy, Luke, and Catherine. They added so much more to this tale and provided crucial support when needed.

While the stakes here were not quite as high as the spies in the Slippery Creatures trilogy, they were equally very real. I hated that there hung an ever present danger of being outed and loved how all that was resolved.

What more can I say, this book had it all. Humor, found family dynamics, STEAM, a plot... I mean KJ is an auto-read for me for a reason!

Huge thanks to SourceBooks and NetGalley for the ARC.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is the first KJ Charles book I've read, and it was delightful!

Two different worlds colliding and merging in a remote marshland of Kent, in a spicy, passionate romance entangled with family secrets, intrigue, smuggling and backstabbing!

Thank you NetGalley and for the ARC!

I'm familiar with the earlier work of KJ Charles. I'm a big fan of the "A Charm of Magpies" series. This prolific author has a variety of books for folks to choose from. While it's been a while for me, I saw this one and wanted to read it. The blurb was intriguing and the book lived up to it!

"London" and "Kent" have met in London where they're safe to be who they really are. For stolen moments in a private room, they enter into an affair without knowing who each other is. Their connection is immediate when they lock gazes and Charles does a wonderful job of building the beginnings of these two characters without initially revealing who they are. I was lost in the not-knowing just like the characters and was equally confused and surprised when "London" abruptly ended everything.

Sir Gareth Inglis is a newly anointed Baronette. Upon the death of his father, he inherited the home he'd never had including some characters from his father's life. He moves to Romney Marsh to begin again and finds a challenging path ahead of himself.

Josiah Doomsday is the head of his smuggling family. He and Sir Gareth collide in court when legal matters come between them. Of course, these men have met before. The world of the marsh is very different from the anonymous world of London. The feelings between these two men may still be there, but they are living in a fishbowl... a fishbowl with crime, smuggling, violence and blackmail.

This is a delicious novel with plenty of spice from the chemistry between the main characters. The plot is purposely driven on two fronts... the forbidden romance and the mystery of missing gold and smuggling families. Charles always writes mystery and intrigue with great skill and I found myself thoroughly engaged throughout the story.

I’m a huge fan of this author’s historical MM romances having read over a dozen through the years, so I was excited to get an early copy of this one. Told in third person, this story follows Gareth who was abandoned by his father for a new family after his mother’s death. He’s now inherited the family title and a remote country house where what remains of that family still lives. This marsh country has its own way of life and is flush with smugglers, and one smuggler in particular is familiar to Gareth.

I really enjoyed the complicated family dynamics and reading about Gareth’s journey to understand his past and the choices that were made for him. The family dynamics of the Doomsdays was also fascinating from their complicated relationships to handling skirmishes with the law and relatives who have their own ideas of how their smuggling operations should be run. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.

Recommended to historical romance lovers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for a copy provided for an honest review.

Great M/M historical romance that is full of action and a fun story to read. Loved the adventures Gareth and Joss that was full of danger, romance and secrets that get unraveled.
A fun read and I look forward to see what Author KJ Charles brings next.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles

Absolutely adored the characters in this story and enjoyed reading their story!

What I liked:
* Gareth: well educated, has trust and abandonment issues, had a rough childhood, the way he came into his own and found his place, kind, generous, caring, responsible, naturalist, a good man
* Joss: smuggler, good leader, protective, loves his family, willing to learn and grow and did so in the story, protective, caring, strong, responsible, a good man who usually gets what he wants
* The strong bond that develops between Gareth and Joss
* Joss’s way of looking at smuggling and the politics behind why smuggling took place
* Sophia: Joss’s sister, intelligent, strategic thinker, leader, loves her family
* Luke: Joss’s cousin, abused, played an important part in the story
* Catherine: mistress of Gareth’s father, aunt to Gareth’s half-sister Cecilia, really liked her
* The connection between Gareth and Joss
* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing style
* That I became invested in the characters and cared what happened
* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about how ‘family’ is not always there for one another and how that impacted more than one character in the book.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is a M/M historical romance set in England's Romney Marsh. The story follows the unlikely romance between Sir Gareth, a newly promoted baronet, and Joss Doomsday, a smuggler. Both have been made heads of their respective families under vastly different circumstances. Gareth is a young man, who to his surprise, has inherited a country estate from his estranged father and responsibility for a heretofore unknown half-sister. On the other hand, Joss is the leader of the local smuggling clan. Joss takes seriously the protection and care of those he identifies as his people.

Gareth and Joss must deal with a dangerous secret plot while at the same time navigating their own burgeoning romance. The author does a fantastic job of exploring the societal pressures and prejudices of the time, including the ever present threat of being outed. The tension in the story is lightened with the witty banter and tenderness between Gareth and Joss.

Overall, "The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen" is a wonderful M/M romance novel that explores the themes of love, desire, male vulnerability, and societal expectations in a thoughtful and nuanced way. It is a must-read for fans of the genre and anyone looking for a well-written, engaging story with complex characters. I cannot wait to read the next book in this world.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for this advanced copy to review.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to read this book, but it's only now that I have some time to give you my opinion on it.
This book is a historical romance between a smuggler and a young nobleman who has just inherited a great fortune. They both have a story in common and their reunion brings with it several adventures related to the world of crime.
The two leads are very different from each other, from their origins to their personalities. Sir Garreth has strong abandonment traumas and a very rigid personality, while Joss has other priorities, more related to caring for his family whom he protects despite everything.
I liked the romance, especially because they have a dynamic that I really enjoyed and the stories of the secondary characters have a lot of relevance in the main plot. The combination with this setting greatly enriches the story.
Another interesting thing was Sir Garreth's interest in insects and wildlife, it was a detail of his personality that I quite liked. Also, all the troubles with smugglers bring with them a lot of intrigue and plenty of action scenes.
In short, it is a very complete historical romance book and one that I definitely recommend. There will be a second part coming soon, starring other characters and I definitely want to read it.

✨more like a 3.5/5 star read but i decided to round up to a 4!

✨this book was jam packed full of adventure and fun and steam at times! i’m so glad i picked it up. if bridgerton had LGBT leads and had the amount of action that the three muskateers or robin hood has then you would get this book!

✨aside from the hair twirling-worthy main couple, each lead has their own dynamics with their respective families that really warmed my heart. the sibling dynamics were dynamic-ing and i selfishly wanted more and more even though there was a great deal already in it!

✨the setting and the language used really took the reader to the old british countryside (not that I’ve been, but i can imagine!) and it might have been my favorite part of the book tbh. i’m all about ~vibes~ and this book had them!

✨the only real complaint I have is that there was simply SO much action. like i feel like a lot of it did advance the story, but there was so much going on at time that i got a bit confused about who was beefing with who about what. which, this book also had a TON of characters so i think that might also be something that took me out of the story.

✨overall if you’re a historical fiction/romance girlie, a bridgerton or jane austen lover, you’ll enjoy this book!

✨thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for allowing me to read an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was an absolutely delightful historical romance. The plot was filled with interesting historical concepts, relevant socio-political commentary, and emotional depth. On top of all of that, the author did such a great job of painting a picture of the Kent marshes that their characters are romping around in, and I have never so desperately wished I could be transported to the scene of one of my books.

While the plot was fascinating, I did feel like at times it got a little too big and a little unwieldy with all the characters, and I would have liked a little bit more one on one with the main character, this was still a delightful read and I would easily recommend to other romance readers.

It was a fun, entertaining read. The romance was great and didn't expect anything less from KJ Charles.

had high hopes for this book, and for the most part it delivered.

The best part was by far the relationship between our main characters, Gareth and Joss. Their emotions and motivations are relatable and you feel empathy for them in different ways. And their chemistry together is amazing.

The side characters were also quite interesting, but what can you expect when one main character is from a family of smugglers? I can’t wait to read about their shenanigans in future books.

I do have to say the plot was a bit flat for me. I thought with it being about smuggling and with a bit of a mystery that it would be very intriguing. I instead found it to be almost annoying at times as the relationship moment were written so well that the plot just took us away from having the main characters get their happily ever after. At times, I even felt as though the book was too long as the plot regarding the smugglers and Gareth's father speculating felt somewhat disconnected from Gareth and Joss's developing relationship.

Overall though, I would definitely recommend this book to people who like historical and queer romances. I may have had a few complaints but I still greatly enjoyed this read.

A fun read with relatable characters and a believable premise. Engaging plot, good historical reconstruction and since dialogue. I also loved the cover.