A review by purrson
The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles

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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