Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles

29 reviews

cyberhavok's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual content

Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, and Homophobia

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Murder, and Racism

montybonty's review

adventurous emotional funny 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? Yes

4.0

This was such a cute little romance with a good amount of angst sprinkled in for flavor. I think the MCs' relationship was a little bit "instant love" but I really didn't mind. If you like the relationship dynamic from OFMD, you'll probably enjoy this book. A few good spicy scenes as well with an interesting main plot makes for a good read overall! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Child abuse, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, and Gun violence

jennp28's review

medium-paced

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

4.5

The back covers says “gothic scandal meets Bridgerton intrigue” and I think that pretty much sums it up. A surprisingly good adventure and decent plot for a historical romance. (Don’t worry, there’s spice too!) 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Death, Gun violence, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Outing, and Sexual harassment

galleytrot's review against another edition

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

4.5

READ: Apr 2024 

FORMAT: Audio 

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 4.25 / 5⭐ 

TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 4.5 / 5⭐ 

FINAL – OVERALL: 4.5 / 5⭐ 

In this book, a sudden and unexpected death pulls Gareth from his life as a clerk in London into his birthright position of Baronet out in the smuggler-infested back country of Romney Marsh. He’s left with managing a half-sister he never met, a home he never got to live in, accounts that don't make sense, and social expectations that no honest man ought to be asked to uphold. The marsh and his home are in Doomsday territory, and the clan's gaffer – Josiah Doomsday himself – turns out to be a man with a very intimate (and rather recent) knowledge of Gareth's own law-breaking interests. Blackmail, secret dealings, and unpaid debts haunt Gareth, who wants nothing more than to simply observe the bugs and the newts that captured all of his father's attention when his very own firstborn son could not. 

I'm honestly not sure where to begin with this review. This book’s intricate story, its intriguing characters, and its strange and wonderful setting all converge together to create an incredible experience from cover to cover. I've read it twice now, and the second pass was not made any less interesting by already knowing what was going on or who was hiding what secrets. Poor Gareth has been pulled into a world he’d never expected to be a part of, with debts and responsibilities he could never have predicted, inheriting a wide and varied set of enemies he had no hand in making. 

KJ Charles writes some of my favourite historical fiction romances out there, and I’m happy to add this one to the stack. I’m also very excited to move into the second book of the series at some point, although I am waiting for a day where I can truly focus all of my attention into it. One of the things that really interested me about this book was the growth and understanding of Gareth’s father’s character, a man who never has a single moment on-page (and in fact, spends the entire length of the book very much not alive). I love that he is never redeemed for his failures as a father, and while we learn enough to have some theories about his potential neurodivergence, we also end the book with the certainty of his involvement in nefarious plotting and profiteering. 

This book has representation for gays. One of the main characters is mix-raced, with several other mixed-race and non-white family members. 

The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.

This book contains:

parent deaths (past, recent, off-page); child abandonment; mentions of war; mentions of deaths, fighting, and injuries; intimidation, blackmail; sexual assault (off-page); alcohol use; weapon violence (knives, cane, fists, gun); assault; mention of past slavery; homophobia; child abuse (physical); serious injury, blood; body shaming; kidnapping, confinement; and, murder (off-page).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual content

Moderate: Classism, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Violence, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Body shaming, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Confinement, Death, and Medical trauma

Minor: War, Slavery, and Sexual assault

kal517's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Child abuse

Moderate: Homophobia, Murder, and Kidnapping

Minor: Racism and Gun violence

potatogrr's review against another edition

emotional sad 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Death, Murder, Abandonment, and Kidnapping

Minor: Racism, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault

sohma4uesugi's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Damn, I loved this almost as much as Kent loves London. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, Sexual content, Murder, and Death

Minor: Gun violence

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

gem114's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious 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

4.0

This book in 5 emojis: 🎩🪲🍆💰❤️

My most recent read! I really should read descriptions before starting audiobooks because this one was spicier than I expected and I found myself scrambling for headphones at times. 😅

Ultimately, The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is a really cute Regency era romance with a great balance of heartfelt moments, scandal, action, and spice.

I would definitely read more books by KJ Charles. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping and Murder

Moderate: Gun violence, Death of parent, and Violence

samchase112's review

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? Yes

4.25

Marshes and muskets, this was delightful! I loved the adventure, the characters, the romance, it was all so much fun. I had my doubts about the abrupt beginning, but as the story wove on I truly grew to love each character and their lovely Marsh. The plot and mcs were fleshed out enough without the book dragging on too long, and that's a feat. I will definitely be recommending this romantic adventure to anyone who'll listen :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Murder, Child abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Emotional abuse, War, Gun violence, and Sexual assault

Minor: Homophobia