Reviews

Masters in This Hall by KJ Charles, KJ Charles

honeypossum_reads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

lezreadalot's review

4.0

God today hath poor folk raised and cast a-down the proud!

This was so much fun! Festive and entertaining with just the right amount of action. A hotel detective is trying to revenge himself upon the jewel thief who ruined his career, makes his plans to do so at his uncle's Christmas festivities, and then has to confront the fact that he mightn't have the whole story. It turns into a really great second-chance romance that I liked a lot. I love reading about historical Christmases, the traditions and songs and activities that used to take place. And a historical house party is one of my favourite settings for any sort of book. K.J. Charles incorporates them into her romances so well. I really loved the usage of all the songs, and the highlight of it all was the appearance of a certain character. Not gonna lie, he sorta stole the show; I love him so much and I was cracking up at his every other line, so much so that I was afraid that John and Barnaby weren't getting enough of the spotlight. But by the end of it, I became really endeared with their romance. They're so sweet! This is just over 100 pages, and these days I don't have much faith that novellas that short can make me feel anything, but this was wonderful. Thoroughly enjoyable little read. 

“I like who you are, not the better person you might be in theory. We’re not going to start again; we’re going to carry on from here, you and me.”

thefelineconqueror's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

sarahsupastar's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

venturebyname's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

ashleyreadsanything's review against another edition

funny lighthearted relaxing tense fast-paced

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

4.0

nelsonseye's review against another edition

4.0

After a slightly slow start, mostly due to a power outage and no heat, I really enjoyed Masters in This Hall. Both Barnaby and John were great characters and at first I missed a dual point of view, but I think ultimately having only John’s POV worked well. It was also nice to see the Lilywhite boys again, and I really liked how the villain got their comeuppance. As a sidenote, even before I knew the extent of his villainy, I absolutely loathed our villain.

qalminator's review

5.0

Ah, lovely. My kind of Christmas romance, where two estranged lovers reunite in common cause

Spoiler

to take down the bastard who ruined them both

. Also featuring

Spoiler

Jerry

, who is clearly relishing his role of "villainous mastermind". While not necessary to have read the rest of the series, the end will be so much more hilarious if you have.

ladysmartypants's review against another edition

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was entertaining, though it did feel a bit rushed at times. It is a queer historical romance wrapped in a mystery with a kinda-sorta heist and plenty of drama. The characters could definitely have
more depth. The MC is likable enough, the setting fairly elaborate. The supporting cast of characters is a bit too elaborate, given how short the entire story is. It was a lighthearted read and it relies on a
number of popular mystery tropes to keep things interesting. I know it was meant as a Christmas story, but despite the frequent mentions and recurring cards, it's not really giving Christmas.

emilyveryromance's review against another edition

adventurous funny tense fast-paced

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

5.0