A review by thegreatmanda
The Sugared Game by KJ Charles

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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

5.0

I already have pre-emptive sadness that I can only read one more Will Darling novel for the first time after this.  I love these characters and their relationships so much, and the mysteries and skullduggery add a lot of fun between all the sweetness and spice and feelings.

I'm a sucker for a tortured soul, and there were such bright, sharp points in this that gave me feelings: Will slowly putting together the picture of Kim spending years punishing himself; their conversation in the car, with Will quoting Lepanto and telling Kim he’s the last knight; each time that Will reminded Kim that while he might be walking through hell, he isn’t walking alone. I'm guessing there will be more background about

Kim's youth and what pain he was trying to escape through self-harm

in Subtle Blood, not to mention more of these two figuring themselves and their relationship out, and I'm looking forward to all of it.

Favorite Quotes:

It was absurd that the pulsebeat of desire was as strong as ever. It was absurd that Kim was looking at him now with something raw and painful in his eyes after buggering off for two bloody months. It was absurd that Will couldn't look away.

"It wasn't over." Kim stated the words like an axiom. "Not for me. I'd have left it alone if you had the common sense to move on. Or if I had a scrap of decency, of course."

"You're so busy torturing yourself for your sins, you don't even notice how much you're hurting other people."

He wished he had words for what Kim was, the aching pain and the starlight, the beauty and the ugliness.

Kim stared at him, eyes wide, and Will didn’t even think. He just kissed him, hard, and felt Kim’s mouth responding desperately, hands clutching his shoulders, hanging on for dear life. Kissing in the open because nothing at all mattered at this moment but to know they were together. The rest could wait for later, if there was a later.

"All right, tell me about it."
"Which part?"
"All of it. Start with a shifty character walking into your bookshop last November. Not this one," he added, indicating Kim. "The other one."