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vitsa's review
5.0
I have a habit of making up traditions for myself that have nothing more to recommend them other than the fact that it happened once. One of the best by products of this habit has been the tradition of reading a K.J. Charles book on the first day of the year, or first night as the case may be.
As usual, this was excellently written and a lot of fun to read. The mystery picked up from where the last book left off and expanded on it while still leaving plenty of room for development for the last book in the trilogy.
The romance was a perfect execution of the hate to love genre and the leads were perfectly flawed and perfectly matched.
Another un-put-downable book from K.J. Charles and I look forward to doing this again next year.
As usual, this was excellently written and a lot of fun to read. The mystery picked up from where the last book left off and expanded on it while still leaving plenty of room for development for the last book in the trilogy.
The romance was a perfect execution of the hate to love genre and the leads were perfectly flawed and perfectly matched.
Another un-put-downable book from K.J. Charles and I look forward to doing this again next year.
hpstrangelove's review
5.0
Audio book review. Narrator: Matthew Lloyd Davies
I am loving this series very much. I like how the second book is new and refreshing, yet ties into the first book with having some of the same characters.
The two main characters come together in a believable way, too - none of that 'falling in love at first sight' nonsense that so many m/m romance books use.
I am loving this series very much. I like how the second book is new and refreshing, yet ties into the first book with having some of the same characters.
The two main characters come together in a believable way, too - none of that 'falling in love at first sight' nonsense that so many m/m romance books use.
loishojmark's review
4.0
4.5 glowing stars.
Mmm... An enemies-to-lovers story.. My favorite trope. I just luve all that delicious tension. Add to that a time and place where homosexual relationships were forbidden to heighten the secrets and tension, and it is making my blood sing.
I like that KJ Charles doesn't make her men the usual, tall and muscular and utterly sexy alpha, but more real whether being 'hairless, thin without muscle'' or having... ''a pelt of thick chest hair, and wiry tangles of it over his shoulders, down his back, on his hands, even." Well, it might not be my (or many other womens) dream to be with neither a beaver, nor a bear, but it makes it a bit more real.
Again Charles takes her men out on a journey towards both personal growth and a romantic relationship.
Justin is a flawed man, who. might be best characterized by this quote from the book, in which he comes to a very personal realization, that has consequences for his future life and relationship with Nathaniel:
''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.''
Where Justin's journey is a reconsideration of his self perception, Nathaniel's journey is a way out of the fog that has swallowed the last 5 years of his life. He is a very moral character, and he has to come to a personal realization, and determin the importance of those morals in the face of what might be his continued will to live. He has to find the will to live on and the courage to let someone new into his life.
Just as the first book, second book in the series cannot be read as a stand alone, and we are only given the answers to some of the mystery. Hence the 'epitaph' ... To be continued...
Mmm... An enemies-to-lovers story.. My favorite trope. I just luve all that delicious tension. Add to that a time and place where homosexual relationships were forbidden to heighten the secrets and tension, and it is making my blood sing.
I like that KJ Charles doesn't make her men the usual, tall and muscular and utterly sexy alpha, but more real whether being 'hairless, thin without muscle'' or having... ''a pelt of thick chest hair, and wiry tangles of it over his shoulders, down his back, on his hands, even." Well, it might not be my (or many other womens) dream to be with neither a beaver, nor a bear, but it makes it a bit more real.
Again Charles takes her men out on a journey towards both personal growth and a romantic relationship.
Justin is a flawed man, who. might be best characterized by this quote from the book, in which he comes to a very personal realization, that has consequences for his future life and relationship with Nathaniel:
''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.''
Where Justin's journey is a reconsideration of his self perception, Nathaniel's journey is a way out of the fog that has swallowed the last 5 years of his life. He is a very moral character, and he has to come to a personal realization, and determin the importance of those morals in the face of what might be his continued will to live. He has to find the will to live on and the courage to let someone new into his life.
Just as the first book, second book in the series cannot be read as a stand alone, and we are only given the answers to some of the mystery. Hence the 'epitaph' ... To be continued...
taranaimc's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
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? Yes
5.0
becka6131's review against another edition
4.0
Me, watching as I cram KJ Charles novels down my throat: Might want to slow down, you'll run out eventually!
Also me: I C A N ' T
Also me: I C A N ' T
waxenapple's review
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? Yes
4.0
daniellesalwaysreading's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful. Charles always gives us new and interesting characters who interact with each other in ways that are different from other romance novels. That is one of my favorite things about her books.
seren_dipity's review against another edition
4.0
Listen, the only reason this has 4 stars instead of 5 is that 5 stars is now the Think of England standard, and as much fun as I had with this, and as much as I liked it, it still hasn't beat Think of England.
That said, great characters, great chemistry, great plot. And I can't wait to know what Repentance is up to next book.
That said, great characters, great chemistry, great plot. And I can't wait to know what Repentance is up to next book.
haletostilinski1's review against another edition
5.0
Ah! I loved this!
I didn't read the first book in this series, but it didn't make this a confusing read or anything like that. It explained what had happened in the first book as things happened to the MC's in this book, so I was able to understand the main storyline fairly well.
I loved Justin and Nathaniel together. This story had a good enemies-to-lovers type feel and enemies to lovers is my bread and butter so I LOVED it. I think whenever these two fought or tried to one up the other, they both made good points and they both brought a different perspective that challenged the other's way of thinking.
To see them go from where they are at the beginning to how accepting and loving they are with each other at the end is wonderful.
Because Nathaniel starts out hating Justin and what he does because he thinks it's horrible to deceive people and use their grief for his own gain, and Justin isn't particularly fond of where Nathaniel gets off when he comes from a wealthy family and has never truly had to want for anything as he has, and he's fairly judgemental.
But then as they get to know each other they start to bend a little, and they accept each other, the good and bad, over the course of this novel and it's beautiful to see, and they both learn things are a lot more complicated than what's on the surface and Justin is more than a lying fraud and Nathaniel is more than a well off educated man.
Also, the sex didn't hurt either. It was super hot.
There is also drama going on with a Clem's family dealing with the succession of who the Earl will be because the last one died, and Nathaniel and Justin are pulled into it and have to leave to the countryside for a time to avoid being killed. Oh, the things people will do for money and power. So many horrible things.
By the end their fairly safe for the time being, but I'm betting it will all come to a head in the last book.
Loved this! Definitely recommend, whether you've read the first book or not :D
I didn't read the first book in this series, but it didn't make this a confusing read or anything like that. It explained what had happened in the first book as things happened to the MC's in this book, so I was able to understand the main storyline fairly well.
I loved Justin and Nathaniel together. This story had a good enemies-to-lovers type feel and enemies to lovers is my bread and butter so I LOVED it. I think whenever these two fought or tried to one up the other, they both made good points and they both brought a different perspective that challenged the other's way of thinking.
To see them go from where they are at the beginning to how accepting and loving they are with each other at the end is wonderful.
Because Nathaniel starts out hating Justin and what he does because he thinks it's horrible to deceive people and use their grief for his own gain, and Justin isn't particularly fond of where Nathaniel gets off when he comes from a wealthy family and has never truly had to want for anything as he has, and he's fairly judgemental.
But then as they get to know each other they start to bend a little, and they accept each other, the good and bad, over the course of this novel and it's beautiful to see, and they both learn things are a lot more complicated than what's on the surface and Justin is more than a lying fraud and Nathaniel is more than a well off educated man.
Also, the sex didn't hurt either. It was super hot.
There is also drama going on with a Clem's family dealing with the succession of who the Earl will be because the last one died, and Nathaniel and Justin are pulled into it and have to leave to the countryside for a time to avoid being killed. Oh, the things people will do for money and power. So many horrible things.
By the end their fairly safe for the time being, but I'm betting it will all come to a head in the last book.
Loved this! Definitely recommend, whether you've read the first book or not :D