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vae's review
4.0
Gosh I love this book. I'm a sucker for an Upright Man and pair him with a reluctantly softhearted twisty survivor like Justin and it's wonderful. I love that KJ Charles' trilogies never have that sag in the second book, instead they build on the world and the plot set up in book 1 while laying the foundations for book 3 and still manage to stand on their own as well.
novel_nomad's review
4.0
Even the most prickly and unrepentant frauds can be a hero in a romance, and what a hero Justin makes as he fights his way to survive ever since he was born. Nathaniel is a fiery match but lion-hearted and a desire to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. A brilliant extension of Clem's tale with a tale of hope and second chances.
batyarivkaaa's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
genizah's review
4.0
I like the way the books overlap, so that there's one overarching plot, rather than the standard linear series set-up.
ramintah's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
meli_thebookworm16's review
5.0
Roy was going to act. Justin felt it as a certainty. He didn't know how, or what the man would do, but he would force Roy into making the first move somehow, and reckless exhilaration was making his blood sing as much as Nathaniel Roy's parted lips and widened pupils. This was what he lived for, the challenge, the battle.
DEAR GODS! THIS IS IT!! THE ENEMIES TO LOVERS I WAS LOOKING FOR!!!!
The amount of times I have punched the pillow, openmouthed and awed, rendered speechless by the gloriousness of this book while reading it, is the sole testament you would need to grasp how much I loved this book.
And if you think it is only because of the smut and hot scenes... well, yeah, partially that is the reason. But let me tell you, since reading QJJ I have been looking for an enemies to lovers to hit me in the guts the same way Ce'An kicked Lanzhou, with that force and viciousness that would make my knees buckle, and up until about 2 days ago I had resigned myself to reading "I don't see eye to eye with this person" or "I would never be friends to this person" knowing quite well that it would not quench my thirst but having no other choice than to accept it was the closest that I would get to what I wanted. What I needed. What I deserved.
Enters Nathaniel Roy and Justin Lazarus. An agnostic, self-righteous lawyer-turned journalist and an unapologetic, shameless spiritist. The unmeasurable animosity, disgust, and utter repulsion for what the other represents is as electrifying as the undeniable atraction that the challenge to outsmart the other represents.
They were rutting like animals, still half clothed, every bit as much fight as fuck.
I died and went to heaven literally with that scene. I don't think I will recover. EVER.
But also, as I have began to expect from KJ Charles' books, is the depth of the characters and their conversations what has made the last two days one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
That's when it's unbearable, you see. When the storm recedes and you can think clearly again and you realise that now you have to live out the rest of your life without them, that everything's changed an it can never be mended. That's when its's hard.
That, was my heart skipping a bit to one of the most well-put descriptions of what loss is.
There is something so incredibly sexy about realizing that a person, as deeply fucked up as they might be, does not need saving but someone to believe them capable to make their own decisions, the patience to allow them to stand on their own two feet, make mistakes, be absolutely and horribly wrong and, if they chose so, save themselves. And that is the true beauty of An Unnatural Vice.
He'd always wanted to stand alone; he'd always thought of reliance on others as a house of cards, a fragile structure that could be pushed over at any time. And that was true: people betrayed, and left, and died. He hadn't been wrong. Only, he hadn't considered that a card on its own couldn't stand at all.
In conclusion, in the unlikely event you have not read this book so far and you are just like me, someone who unbelievably had not heard of the amazing KJ Charles up until recently because let's face it: the last couple of years have been worse than any imaginary or real London's fog; I beg you, PLEASE READ IT! AND BE PREPARED TO GET EVERYTHING YOU WANTED, NEEDED AND DESERVED IN AN ENEMIES TO LOVERS.
DEAR GODS! THIS IS IT!! THE ENEMIES TO LOVERS I WAS LOOKING FOR!!!!
The amount of times I have punched the pillow, openmouthed and awed, rendered speechless by the gloriousness of this book while reading it, is the sole testament you would need to grasp how much I loved this book.
And if you think it is only because of the smut and hot scenes... well, yeah, partially that is the reason. But let me tell you, since reading QJJ I have been looking for an enemies to lovers to hit me in the guts the same way Ce'An kicked Lanzhou, with that force and viciousness that would make my knees buckle, and up until about 2 days ago I had resigned myself to reading "I don't see eye to eye with this person" or "I would never be friends to this person" knowing quite well that it would not quench my thirst but having no other choice than to accept it was the closest that I would get to what I wanted. What I needed. What I deserved.
Enters Nathaniel Roy and Justin Lazarus. An agnostic, self-righteous lawyer-turned journalist and an unapologetic, shameless spiritist. The unmeasurable animosity, disgust, and utter repulsion for what the other represents is as electrifying as the undeniable atraction that the challenge to outsmart the other represents.
They were rutting like animals, still half clothed, every bit as much fight as fuck.
I died and went to heaven literally with that scene. I don't think I will recover. EVER.
But also, as I have began to expect from KJ Charles' books, is the depth of the characters and their conversations what has made the last two days one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
That's when it's unbearable, you see. When the storm recedes and you can think clearly again and you realise that now you have to live out the rest of your life without them, that everything's changed an it can never be mended. That's when its's hard.
That, was my heart skipping a bit to one of the most well-put descriptions of what loss is.
There is something so incredibly sexy about realizing that a person, as deeply fucked up as they might be, does not need saving but someone to believe them capable to make their own decisions, the patience to allow them to stand on their own two feet, make mistakes, be absolutely and horribly wrong and, if they chose so, save themselves. And that is the true beauty of An Unnatural Vice.
He'd always wanted to stand alone; he'd always thought of reliance on others as a house of cards, a fragile structure that could be pushed over at any time. And that was true: people betrayed, and left, and died. He hadn't been wrong. Only, he hadn't considered that a card on its own couldn't stand at all.
In conclusion, in the unlikely event you have not read this book so far and you are just like me, someone who unbelievably had not heard of the amazing KJ Charles up until recently because let's face it: the last couple of years have been worse than any imaginary or real London's fog; I beg you, PLEASE READ IT! AND BE PREPARED TO GET EVERYTHING YOU WANTED, NEEDED AND DESERVED IN AN ENEMIES TO LOVERS.
liacooper's review
4.0
genuinely wonderful, loved Justin the spiritualist a lot, can't wait to read the conclusion of this trilogy.
kiki124's review
3.0
2.5 stars rounded up, bc Charles is the bomb
The mystery drags.
The romance's unconvincing.
The setting's perfect.
The mystery drags.
The romance's unconvincing.
The setting's perfect.
saemiligr's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence