Reviews tagging 'Outing'

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles

32 reviews

bcope84's review against another edition

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Physical abuse, and Outing

cloroxcrew's review

adventurous tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Outing, Murder, and Gun violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

yuri_rum_raisin's review

adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Violence, Torture, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Sexual content

Moderate: Outing

gold_star_reader's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

Very spicy!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Abandonment

Moderate: Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Outing, Homophobia, Classism, and Violence

Minor: Bullying and Alcohol

ramakn22's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Cursing, Confinement, Ableism, Slavery, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Outing, Grief, Infertility, and Homophobia

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

the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious medium-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? Yes

4.0

A fun read by one of my favourite authors! The story telling of a KJ Charles story is always sublime and the characters are deeply likeable (even Gareth, who starts off being hard to enjoy and then becomes kind of precious as the book goes on). 

The relationship between Joss and Gareth felt a little rushed to me, and the chemistry a little lacking at parts. This being said, I still really enjoyed the read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Sexual content

Moderate: Stalking, Sexism, and Outing

Minor: 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

thenageler's review

emotional funny fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Violence, Child abuse, Classism, Murder, Outing, Death, and Sexual content

k__cy's review

adventurous funny informative

4.25

I really enjoyed this!! (and stayed up till 6 am reading it!) especially liked that the book pays some attention to a non-standard dialect of english (kentish - at least, as made clear on a couple occasions, it's not "the king's english"). I adored joss (and his love for the marsh and his people), and loved sophy enough - from the glimpses we got of her - that I would have read a whole nother book following her story. also really liked that gareth and joss end up

working as part of a team and checking in with each other

; it's a kind of dynamic I enjoy and find myself wanting in some other books.

I would be interested in talking with a friend about the depictions of race and class in this book. there's also a lot to be said (+ read !) about the immense space and influence given to cishet women, as both writers and readers - even as a/the marketed-to audience - in the "'m/m' romance industry." and that can't be disentangled from this book: one of many m/m romance books written by a cishet woman author. (kj charles has talked about being cishet, but I'm happy to make corrections if things have changed.) here's a short thread by roan parrish about the writing (and publishing!) part that may serve as a really basic introduction to this topic: https://twitter.com/RoanParrish/status/1487634323339677698

there are reasons for this that are /not/ as simple as "cishet women trying to find an escape from toxic heteropatriarchal romance," and especially because women /are/ often sidelined or subjected to misogynistic tropes in the "m/m" romances I'm speaking about; as readers, I think it's worthwhile for us to think about + interrogate this dynamic! 

*also with regency romances you are typically not escaping the heteropatriarchy

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing

Minor: Racism