Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles

22 reviews

katelynnelawson's review against another edition

adventurous fast-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

4.75

Opposites attract when self-righteous, upper-class London and plain-spoken, working-class Kent enjoy a splendid week-long affair together... that ends terribly when the two argue. But weeks later, Gareth (London) must travel to Kent after his father dies and he inherits his title. It's not until he testifies against Joss (Kent)'s sister in court that the two reunite, and despite the tense circumstances, the two eventually regain the connection they had against the backdrop of the Kentish marsh. But it's not just beetles the two uncover - it's dangerous secrets.

This romance will leave the reader swinging their feet in joy while also turning the pages out of a desperate need to uncover the mystery of what exactly Sir Gareth's father was up to alongside Gareth and Joss. It's both exciting and romantic, with beautifully described scenery and an interesting cast of characters sure to show up in the author's upcoming works.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Blood, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Grief, Bullying, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism

callidoralblack's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment and Death

Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Hate crime, and Homophobia

Minor: Alcohol, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Outing, Rape, and Pregnancy

someryarns's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I suspect I would have liked this more with a different narrator. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Abandonment, Outing, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Gun violence

Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual violence

sarahmiller98's review

adventurous emotional hopeful

4.0

Classic KJ Charles: compelling protagonists who make bad choices for realistic reasons; an eventful, exciting plot; a beautifully realised setting; nasty villains getting their comeuppance; and, of course, a fantastic romance. 

In my opinion, this is one of the gentler love stories the author has done - she is often very good at high friction, high angst romances between strong-willed and difficult people, but I actually really enjoy her softer romances too. In this case, both Joss and Gareth are basically kind and caring people who really like each other and, were it not for external events getting in the way, probably would never have had major issues to begin with. It makes for some refreshingly low-key and tender interactions between the two of them, which contrasts nicely with the high-octane smuggling plot. An all-around pleasure to read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping, Violence, Abandonment, Bullying, Child abuse, and Murder

Minor: Sexual assault, Racism, and Xenophobia

saltycoffee's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Bullying, Child abuse, and Classism

Moderate: Incest

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, and War

autumnrosepetals's review

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A

5.0

I've just decided I'm going to buy every single KJ Charles book because oh my gods!! This book is everything 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, and Gun violence

Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, and Pregnancy

jjjreads's review against another edition

emotional funny informative mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Death of parent, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Outing, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Body shaming, Child abuse, Classism, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Violence, and Stalking

purrson's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense fast-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

A totally adorable story, and (as an American who’s rarely visited) I loved this new setting in the UK that KJ Charles explores. The foray into local ecology and the period’s expansion of natural sciences gave an interesting context to the setting, which has plenty of atmosphere on its own. The characters were lovable as always—so much so that I couldn’t help reading the teaser chapter of the following book set in the same place, 13 years later. 

While I generally prefer to read queer stories written by openly queer authors, I always make exceptions for Charles (who’s ID I don’t know): She’s so good at research that the historical settings ground and enrich the stories she tells so well I can’t help but love them. The period’s contexts of politics, class, various war times or law changes the characters are shaped by or responding to, in all of these different, sometimes insular communities and locations, she says ‘queer people existed here, queer communities were here, queer people deserved to be happy here, here’s how it maybe/could have looked’. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Classism, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, and Sexual content

Minor: Medical content, Homophobia, Death, Death of parent, Racism, Violence, Gun violence, Grief, and Murder

mild spoilers of subplots:

smuggling, child abuse by a parent that is addressed and resolved by the end

bel017's review

adventurous dark emotional

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

Re-read: I was initially surprised when this open-door romance was chosen for my book club. But the more we went through it together, the more I realised what a good choice it is. It was even better on re-read, with close scrutiny of every chapter. KJ Charles can really write. If you like your adventures smutty (or your smut with a decent adventure) I'd highly recommend it.
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After how Luke was treated here, I'm looking forward to the next book, to make sure he's doing OK. Which, given he'll be the MC in a KJ Charles romance novel I'm sure he will be. But I'm furious at the whole Doomsday family, especially Ma, for turning a blind eye. She should have known, she should have acted.

Other than that awfulness, it was great. I googled images of Romney Marsh and Dymchurch, and it's much prettier than I expected. Probably the photos are all taken in summer and/or by the tourist board, but it looks lush and green--picturesque.
I get the impression Charles had a lot of fun researching this book, with the language and the bugs and the history.
There is all Charles's trademark excellence - the talky dialogue where people listen to each other, the thoughtful and capable MCs (though Gareth says he

wasn't a capable clerk. I'm going to assume his uncle told him that

), the respect and the nuance between not just the MCs but the side characters as well, the explicit sex that is relevant to the plot while not carrying unnecessary emotional weight (or ridiculous euphemisms), the commentary on societal issues, the clear writing and excellent grammar, and an enjoyable story outside of the romance. Basically all those things that ruined me for most other romance writers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual content, and Bullying

Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, and Child abuse

Minor: Blood, Body horror, and Confinement

karenreadsbooks's review

3.5

I can tell this is a good book, but it's not a book that works well for me. With the description of being about smugglers, I was expecting more action (actually getting to go along on smuggling runs). Instead, it's a lot of family dynamics (two smuggler families and Gareth's family), which I found to be a bit dull. There is a bit more excitement (and danger) toward the end, but because I was expecting something different, I didn't find the story compelling.

I also prefer a slower burn to a romance, and this one started off the bat with a spicy scene (and had many more throughout, some of which I just skimmed--I'm not big on lots of spicy scenes).

But I can see how this book has a lot of potential going for it and why it would be a fabulous read for many other readers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Murder, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Bullying