Reviews

AN UNSUITABLE HEIR follows Pen, the newly discovered heir to the fortune so contested in AN UNNATURAL VICE, and Mark, the one-armed investigator who has been trying to keep his friends and new acquaintances from getting killed as they attract the ire of the high and mighty.

Closing out the trilogy, AN UNSUITABLE HEIR expertly weaves together the remaining story threads left open from AN UNNATURAL VICE. Pen and Greta are twins, trapeze artists, and most commonly known as the "Flying Starlings", present since the beginning of the series. The timeline overlaps between scenes are artfully done, giving new context and perspective to the exact same events by showing them through a different character’s perspective. Even reading the whole trilogy in two days, the repetitions of some scenes felt poignant and fresh at the same time. The trilogy as a whole (and this book in particular) have many discussion of class, privilege, and the ways that bigotries have similar echoes, even when shaped to hit different targets. Pen is some variety of genderqueer by modern standards, the historical setting means he doesn’t have access to that specific language. Pen's pronouns are the best he can get as both "she" and "it" are wholly unsuitable, and "he" works well enough when necessary. Mark is generally described as one armed, with one full arm and another that ends in a stump at the elbow. It’s a congenital limb difference, not something he lost, and he and Penn have several long conversations about the weight of social expectations and the dissonance that’s caused when other people are upset that their bodies are not what was assumed.

I love AN UNSUITABLE HEIR as an end of the trilogy. There’s genuine tension in what Pen will choose, hemmed in by inheritance laws, the desire to do what’s best for his sister, and the need to be himself. Mark is caught between promises already made, and his growing attraction to Pen and care for Pen's wellbeing.

Content Warnings

elm's review against another edition

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4.0

HECK!!!! I had such a good time reading this series! Anyway, excuse me while I go add Clem, Justin and Pen to my 'characters I would die for' list.

charinabook's review against another edition

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4.0

✨3.75 stars✨
I listened to this as an audio book and oh my gosh I was so so happy when I realised that Penn was genderfluid! The representation made my heart so happy.

sarful's review against another edition

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5.0

4.5 A great conclusion to a great series.

In this final book, we finally meet the heir to the Morton estate and Pen is definitely not a “suitable” heir, indeed. In the previous book we see Mark handling finding the rightful heir and stopping the murders connected to it. In this book Mark meets Pen and the two form a friendship that turns to love.

Pen and his sister Greta are trapeze artists. Pen is as beautiful as they are handsome. Manly and yet feminine. A perfect blend of neither sex and both. They’ve found a way to be themselves and make a living, and his sister is his greatest support. However, once it’s out that he’s the legitimate son of the previous Earl of Morton, the life he’s known comes into danger of slipping away. Now, not only is their life in danger, but their lifestyle is in danger.

Mark has always enjoyed people, men, women, it’s never mattered over the person. But, with Pen he’s found all he’s ever wanted and more. However, with Pen’s claim to the Earl estate, the two have a bit of rough beginning.

I loved this mystery of a series. I loved Pen and Mark. I loved how the two make it work. And I love this series.

hpstrangelove's review against another edition

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5.0

Audiobook Review. Narrator: Matthew Lloyd Davies

Another great book in this series. Good plot/sex ratio, wonderful narration. The author kept me guessing until the end as to who 'done it'. I really didn't see how things would work out, either. I'm finding historical m/m stories to be my favorite type of stories right now and this one didn't disappoint.

taranaimc's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

loishojmark's review against another edition

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3.0

“No repentance, no regret.”

The conclusion to the trilogy and the revelation of the ongoing mystery-storyline.

I always like, often love KJ Charles' books and she's the author of MM romance that I've read most books from. This time I didn't love, but I didn't hate either. It is just, 'just'... Just a book I wouldn't have missed. That being said, I think a lot of people will love this book, and there is nothing wrong with it. It is quality and well written. It is just not for me.

Just as with book #1 and #2, the story somewhat overlaps the timeline from the previous book. Again the book starts out during the pea soup fog of 1873.

KJ Charles has made her men realistic and real. No alpha males with bulging muscles and 10 inch... feet. Mark is described as not-being handsome. As tough and uncompromising looking, but appealing and attractive.
Well, Pen does have the bulging muscles, but they are there for a reason. Since he's an acrobat he has much use for his wide shoulders. And he's absolutely not an alpha male.

Charles is keeping up with the fashion, of trying to widen the definition of MM romance. It is the latest fashion to cater to the whole spectrum of gender identity. I'm not an expert in gender 'adjectives', but it seems Pan is what you might describe as genderfluid or at least genderqueer. My personal taste run more along a non-fluid man, but I appreciate the effort and welcomes anything that breaks the conformity.
Can a heterosexuel woman who reads MM romance claim anything else?

I must admit that I don't really understand genderfluidity, or at least, I don't understand Pen's kind of genderfluidity. I DO understand the definition and the idea (for lack of a better word) behind genderfluidity, but I don't understand the focus on appearance, and what might seem like superficial looks. Especially the fact that someone attach so much value into clothes and hair.
Yes you are defined by what you wear - to some extent, but it seems to go further than that. As if ALL your value and your gender is solely defined by your clothes and hair. And I can't understand/believe that this is really all there is to it.
Lots of women have been born without explicit female features, etc very small breasts, square hips and a flat ass, no pronounced waist, large boned, even with facial hair. To add to that, they might have short hair, wear little or no makeup, and never wears a skirt. Are they not women still? Can they not be classified as real women? I'm not saying this to be provocative, but because I genuinely don't understand that the look and female mannerisms, are all there is to Pen's genderfluidity.
Alas my lack of understanding might influence how I feel about Pen. At times I find him kind of annoying and depressing, but not in the delicious angsty way, just in the annoying depressing way.

But when I ignore what I might or might not understand, Pen's pain still hits me. No one should be forced to hide who or what they are.

He wanted to talk to people he didn’t have to hide from. He wanted to live in a world where people didn’t make a great stupid fuss about what other people wore or who they kissed, and he wasn’t sure how that made him the unreasonable one.

In conclusion, this book is hard to review for me. It should have 4 stars because of the overall premise and storyline in the whole trilogy.

But Mark and Pen's story did not catch me. Mark is good enough because of his immense loyalty and his openness to differences. But he is simply too boring to catch my heart. And as mentioned earlier I thought Pen was a little annoying and whiney. But when all that is said, I think most of all, that Pen and Mark just doesn't appeal to me, and therefore I find it difficult to engage fully in their history. So, my unjustly, subjective opinion makes me end up giving this book 3 stars

(though I would prefer to have given it 3.5 stars).

Post script:

I must admit that my reading experience might have been somewhat influenced by my personal experience. I had a boyfriend for a short while, who was just soo fixated on my hair, that it ended up creeping me out. (I started putting my hair up in a boring, tight chignon). And yes, Mark's obsession with Pen's hair reminded me of my ex-hair-fetishist ;o).

A copy was given by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

waxenapple's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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