According to some other reviewers, it would have been nice had I read the first in this duology before reading this one. However, I enjoyed it quite a bit without having done so, so I guess I'll just have to read them backwards. One of my favorite things about the story was all the gothic vibes going - the castle-like old house, the marsh setting that appears both as setting and in the art in the story, the cursed (figuratively, if not literally) family history, etc. It all was great fun.

The mystery, twists, and turns were also good fun, especially the last twist. There isn't a ton to be said about the plot without risking spoilers, but Nick's work as Rufus's secretary was sweet in many ways, and Rufus was a kind and highly sympathetic man who was in well over his head with his unexpected ascension to Earldom. His aunt and uncle were not particularly original in their villainy, but I enjoyed the growth in his relationships with his cousins, particularly poor Otto. Their love story was forged despite understandable reluctance on both their parts, but their attraction to each other made sense.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

KJ Charles on her worst day is pretty damn good. This book is not KJ Charles on her worst day.

I found book one of this duology underwhelming (not bad! but not great—though I know I'm in the minority on that). I enjoyed this one far more, and I can't put my finger on why. On some levels, it's a very similar story: how can an upstanding man and a Doomsday work as a couple? I don't think my reaction can be attributed to the occasional mention of Viscount Corvin and John Raven, though those did make me squeal with glee. And I didn't find this book the close-to-perfection joy of some of this author's earlier works (cough Jackdaw cough Band Sinister cough Society of Gentlemen cough Simon Feximal cough need I go on). But overall, between the marvelously awful family members and the cameos by characters from book one—and Charles's always-excellent writing—I was more than happy to start a second listen as soon as I finished the first.

Speaking of listening, I've seen a lot of debate over the narrator in book one. For me, his accents more than made up for his somewhat affected delivery, and I'd say the same here (moreover, I thought the delivery in this book was less stilted—perhaps he read the negative reviews). If you hated the first audiobook, you may not enjoy this one, either. But maybe give it a try.

My thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this audiobook.

I loved Luke in The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen. He was the little guy who had the bad dad. He made friends with Gareth and wanted to go to school and his angry father wasn't having it. Now here he is, all grown. He's a respectable sort and gets pulled into an estate struggle with Rufus and his horrible uncle over an Earldom. He ends up getting hired on to get the estate cleared up by Rufus and spends his time flirting at Rufus and doing a dang good job clearing up years of neglect for the properties and tenants. Of course he has side motives but that's beside the point. I really liked these two together.

I got a huge chuckle out of Rufus mentioning Gareth's hard bound book about beetles that he's never cracked the cover on. I swear the beetles were the third member of that relationship in Book 1. I was thrilled to see Joss and Gareth so happy and settled as background characters.

Martyn Swain did an excellent job with the narration. His accent was lovely to cruise through this book listening to.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

When Rufus unexpectedly inherits an earldom and a remote Norman castle, his status is challenged by his conniving uncle and by Luke, the scion of infamous smugglers. Though rivals, impeccable secretary Luke becomes Rufus's much-needed ally and surprising lover. But as Luke's covert agenda leads to a web of deceit, their loyalties are tested. How much are they willing to sacrifice for love?

This may be the best book I've read all year (and I've read over 400). It takes place about 12 years after the previous book in the series. While it can be read as a standalone, it's best read back-to-back with the first book, since they complement each other.

It's a long book, but the story itself is such a pleasure to read that I never grew impatient. The main characters are fascinating, with sparks flying between them. The plot is complex and a little spooky at times. The audiobook narration is superb.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

4.25
As a big fan of the previous book in this series, I was excited to see Luke Doomsday all grown up. Sometimes romance series can be read out of order, but in this case you'd miss a lot! We also get a bit of Sir Gareth and Joss Doomsday (couple from book one), which is fun!

Luke is still working through his father's death and trying to find his place in the world. Rufus is struggling in his new position as earl, particularly since the rest of the family didn't expect him to inherit and since there are many mysteries surrounding the Norman manor he's inherited. He hires Luke as his secretary and they soon hit it off, but is Luke's growing love for Rufus enough to deter him from the true reason he came to Stone Manor?

Big fan of this series and the folks and characters in it, this was no exception. Fun, steamy, moving ,and mysteries, all good!

Book 2 in the Doomsday series- does work as a stand alone

We met Luke in [book:The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen|57102663], when he was a young 13 year old boy. Now he is all grown up. He shows up at the estate of Major Rufus d’Aumesty, Earl of Oxney, upon the request of the earl's uncle. The uncle is desperate to find a way to prove Rufus is not the rightful Earl, and believes Luke's mother was legally we to Rufus's father. Luke takes residence, and soon proves himself invaluable as a secretary. And eventually more. But Luke has his own motives for being there, and they have nothing to do with his parentage.

I liked the relationship between Rufus and Luke. They brought out the best in each other. However, Luke's secret felt out of character.

I really enjoyed the antics of Rufus's family, and I especially enjoyed how his cousins evolved.

I would not be surprised to find a sapphic book three, based on some events in this book....

Martyn Swain returns to narrate this book (he also narrated book one). No complaints.

I received an audio

Rufus d'Aumesty has become the Earl of Oxney, but his position is being contested by his uncle and by Luke Doomsday, a secretary. Luke and Rufus become close friends and lovers, but Luke has secrets, including the real reason that he came to Stone Manor.

I listened to this on audio which may be impacting my thoughts on this book. I found it really difficult to keep track of the characters. The first half of the book was slow, mainly focused on Rufus's estate and without much action.. The second half was better, but I do wish that the treasure hunt would have been given more of a focus. I enjoyed Rufus's character as well as the romance between Rufus and Luke.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC.

KJ Charles has quickly become one of my very favorite authors with the Doomsday books! This book was such a beautiful continuation of Luke's story and I can't wait to see what Charles does next!

Ugh, I had such high hopes, and this surpassed them in every way! I loved this just as much as the first book. I love how KJ Charles is able to perfectly balance the plot, romance, and spice, I was totally engaged and thoroughly entertained from start to finish.

Gosh, this series is just so good! As someone who doesn’t read a lot of historical romances, this series has my heart. I love the history, the romance, the mystery, the action. It’s all so good. The narrator is absolutely phenomenal, they make the book even better with their accents and inflections for various characters. So good!

Once again, this series is perfectly scratching the itch left behind from Poldark, but make it bravely and enthusiastically queer and SPICY.

I know Kent and Cornwall are two different areas (but also neighbors-ish), but getting to revisit the smuggling Doomsday family as they search for treasure and reform their past was so fun, you can’t help but think of Ross Poldark.

The setting and atonischere of a giant Norman home with multiple generations of uptight and pro ledges AND SPOILED family members, complete with a secret pagan alter, was such an interesting choice. Gave me all the old gothic literature vibes and was such a different style than the natural world from book one.

The romance between heroes turned from rivals to friends to lovers to OMG DID YOU LIE TO ME FRIM THE BEGINNING back to lovers and it was exquisite. Rufus was the reluctant earl and former solider general. Like was the reformed (maybe) smuggler child who has a past marred by abuse. Seeing them get to the heart of each other was a pleasure to witness.

I hope this isn’t the last book we have in Romney Marsh and I look forward to reading more by this author.

ALSO! If you have a chance to read via audio, I HIGHLY recommend, as the narrator does the voices and accents SO WELL.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I did not care for this book as it started too quickly without enough background.

ok i loved this 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 More than anything, I loved our two leads: Rufus, the new Earl of Oxney; and Luke, member of the Doomsday family whom we previously met in book 1. These two were just so, so lovely together. Rufus is gruff and very much no-nonsense and yet also the sweetest, most kindhearted person you could ever imagine. (The novel itself puts it best: "Only somehow Oxney mattered, too, with his bursting energy, and his pugnacious looks that belied a laughing, generous soul.") And Luke is clever and smart and such a perfect foil for Rufus. They are both wonderful characters in their own right, and yet when they come together they make such a sweet, lovable pairing. Their romance works not only because they feel like such kindred spirits--they truly feel like friends even before they become anything more--but also because they are able to work through their issues with so much honesty and compassion for each other. And speaking of Rufus and Luke's issues with each other, I thought this novel was so well-structured. Not only does the conflict feel plausible and grounded, but the novel also makes sure to give the characters the time and space to deal with it: to put it out in the open, to sit with it, to talk it through. All of this is to say, Charles does an excellent job at communicating the stakes of the relationship. You get attached to these two characters and their relationship, and when this conflict upsets that relationship, you realize just how much you'd loved seeing them together, and just how badly you're rooting for them to work through it and find their way back to each other again. Of course, it's a romance, so they do get back together, and it is just as moving and gratifying as you want it to be. Luke's development in particular really got to me: the way he held parts of himself close to his chest, and then the way he chooses to let them go, to be brave enough to be vulnerable to someone else, and then to have that someone be kind to him and accept him and love him. The angst!!!!! It made me cry--which, if a romance ever makes me cry, it's an instant favourite. Anyway, this was a lovely, lovely read and easily my favourite novel of K.J. Charles's that I've read so far. Thank you to Dreamscape MEdia for providing me with an audiobook ARC of this via NetGalley!

3.5 stars rounded up

Set several years after the first Doomsday book, this is another gay historical romance following a newly minted Earl who was in the military previously, and a character from the previous book- Luke- who is now a secretary but may have secrets as well.

I seem to be in the minority, but I didn't enjoy this as much as I did the first book in the series, though I was definitely hooked by the end. It could be that I'm more sensitive to serious deception in a relationship and while I do think the author handles the fallout and healing of that deception really well, it's still not my favorite thing in a romance and it took me longer to be really invested in this couple. That said, I did like seeing Luke all grown up and I think this handles the past trauma of both characters really thoughtfully in terms of how it impacts their choices and responses. I also think it's lovely to see how kind Rufus is and how he really doesn't want to hurt anyone unless he has to.

I ADORED book 1 and liked but wasn't in love with this one. You don't technically have to read these in order, but I think you'll be missing context if you don't. I would definitely read more from this author in the future because this was still quite good. The audio narration is done really well too. I received an audio review copy of this book from NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

This felt a little long to me, when usually I want as much from a KJC book as I can get. But I was entertained and am happy with where the characters ended up. Each of the leads had an area, sort of a blindspot, that seemed beyond all reason, but it wasn't past the point of believability, and overall they were likable. It took me an absolute age to realize that the Doomsday in this book was the boy in the last one. It could be that that was mentioned early on and that it just escaped my notice, but I think I would have enjoyed knowing that connection earlier. I was very pleased to have an early crack at this book through NetGalley, and these are all my honest opinions.

I loved The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, the first in this series. When I saw A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel come up on NetGalley, I immediately clicked to read. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on more from this series and have also grabbed several from KJ’s backlist. The second book was equally as compelling as the first. Written with thoughtful historic detail, you get to know your characters well in a rich setting amidst an engaging and compelling plot that makes the story impossible to put down. I had the luxury of both reading and listening which allowed me to indulge in the story all day long, switching as needed between the two. Solo narrated by Martyn Swain, he portrays the story with subtle nuance and inflection allowing readers to always know which character is speaking and transporting them to England in the 1800s.

Having inherited an earldom in shambles, Rufus is in desperate need of help when Luke arrives at Stone Manor. He has hostile relatives under his roof, tennents desperate for care, and little experience running an estate after years spent in the army fighting France. Luke, as a competent and thorough secretary, needs a position and being a Doomsday, knows his way around family politics. The perfect solution to both their problems is to join forces, and things eventually heat up between them. When Luke’s true motivations for being at Stone Manor reveal themselves, will Rufus and Luke reach the end of their relationship before things really even had the chance to begin?

I loved their relationship so much. While they complimented each other immensely, they both helped each other by seeing what the other needed when words wouldn’t come. There are so many sweet moments in this story. Rufus is a wonderfully good man and just what Luke needs in his life to move past old hurts. Luke helps Rufus navigate an untenable situation with his family and estate. I loved that I did not see this story go in the direction it did and so I found myself binge reading on the couch on a quiet Sunday afternoon. It was time exceedingly well spent.

The first couple of chapters of this book started off just a bit slow for me - there's some necessary (but complex!) background and relationships that the readers need in order to understand everything that happens but it is quite front loaded in the book.

I really loved Rufus and Luke's relationship even if I didn't fully understand Luke's motivations through most of the book. Their relationship drives the book forward, though there are the classic KJ Charles hijinks and external plots that kept my attention as well! Both characters have flaws but work through them together.

I loved seeing the dyslexia representation from Rufus and how Luke just quietly helps him in a way that allows Rufus to accept his help.

I thought the narrator did a great job and really brought all the characters to life.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.