A review by loishojmark
An Unsuitable Heir by KJ Charles

3.0

“No repentance, no regret.”



The conclusion to the trilogy and the revelation of the ongoing mystery-storyline. 

I always like, often love KJ Charles' books and she's the author of MM romance that I've read most books from. This time I didn't love, but I didn't hate either. It is just, 'just'... Just a book I wouldn't have missed. That being said, I think a lot of people will love this book,  and there is nothing wrong with it. It is quality and well written. It is just not for me. 

Just as with book #1 and #2, the story somewhat overlaps the timeline from the previous book. Again the book starts out during the pea soup fog of 1873.

KJ Charles has made her men realistic and real. No alpha males with bulging muscles and 10 inch... feet. Mark is described as not-being handsome. As tough and uncompromising looking, but appealing and attractive.
Well, Pen does have the bulging muscles, but they are there for a reason. Since he's an acrobat he has much use for his wide shoulders. And he's absolutely not an alpha male.

Charles is keeping up with the fashion, of trying to widen the definition of MM romance. It is the latest fashion to cater to the whole  spectrum of gender identity. I'm not an expert in gender 'adjectives', but it seems Pan is what you might describe as genderfluid or at least genderqueer. My personal taste run more along a non-fluid man, but I appreciate the effort and welcomes anything that breaks the conformity.
Can a heterosexuel woman who reads MM romance claim anything else?

I must admit that I don't really understand genderfluidity, or at least, I don't understand Pen's kind of genderfluidity. I DO understand the definition and the idea (for lack of a better word) behind genderfluidity, but I don't understand the focus on appearance, and what might seem like superficial looks. Especially the fact that someone attach so much value into clothes and hair.
Yes you are defined by what you wear - to some extent, but it seems to go further than that. As if ALL your value and your gender is solely defined by your clothes and hair. And I can't understand/believe that this is really all there is to it.
Lots of women have been born without explicit female features, etc very small breasts, square hips and a flat ass, no pronounced waist, large boned, even with  facial hair. To add to that, they might have short hair, wear little or no makeup, and never wears a skirt. Are they not women still? Can they not be classified as real women? I'm not saying this to be provocative, but because I genuinely don't understand that the look and female mannerisms,  are all there is to Pen's genderfluidity.
Alas my lack of understanding might influence how I feel about Pen. At times I find him kind of annoying and depressing, but not in the delicious angsty way, just in the annoying depressing way.

But when I ignore what I might or might not understand, Pen's pain still hits me. No one should be forced to hide who or what they are.  

He wanted to talk to people he didn’t have to hide from. He wanted to live in a world where people didn’t make a great stupid fuss about what other people wore or who they kissed, and he wasn’t sure how that made him the unreasonable one.

In conclusion,  this book is hard to review for me. It should have 4 stars because of the overall premise and storyline in the whole trilogy.

But Mark and Pen's story did not catch me. Mark is good enough because of his immense loyalty and his openness to differences. But he is simply too boring to catch my heart. And as mentioned earlier I thought Pen was a little annoying and whiney. But when all that is said, I think most of all, that Pen and Mark just doesn't appeal to me, and therefore I find it difficult to engage fully in their history. So, my unjustly, subjective opinion makes me end up giving this book 3 stars

(though I would prefer to have given it 3.5 stars).


Post script:

I must admit that my reading experience  might have been somewhat influenced by my personal experience. I had a boyfriend for a short while, who was just soo fixated on my hair, that it ended up creeping me out. (I started putting my hair up in a boring, tight chignon). And yes, Mark's obsession with Pen's hair reminded me of my ex-hair-fetishist ;o). 

A copy was given by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.