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A review by tshepiso
An Unnatural Vice by KJ Charles
4.5
Another hit from KJ Charles! An Unnatural Vice was a pure delight to read. The story follow the frought romance between Justin Lazarus a conman spiritualist and Nathaniel Roy the self righteous journalist trying to take Justin's industry down.
To be honest I was initially unsure about the romance in An Unnatural Vice. While Charles sold the initial attraction between Justin and Nathaniel incredibly well with these tension fueled scenes between the two she also made very clear that our two protagonists lived on diametrically opposed moral lines. While I was living for the barbs the two threw at each other and the unbelievably hot hate sex they had I was unsure if Charles could sell me on their eventual emotional connection.
To my immense pleasure she did with aplomb. What I love about An Unnatural Vice is that this story deeply and meaningfully engaged with the class difference between our two leads and the moral divides this causes and explores that as a source of conflict between them. I read a fair amount of cross class romances and they rarely if ever meaningfully engage with what that means for the characters. This book is a breath of fresh air in contrast as it specifically challenges Nathaniel, the son of an Archbishop whose never struggled for want of money, to question that his rigid lines of morality come from the fact that he's never been in the position to choose between what's right and survival.
And Charles really breathes life into Justin as a character. When we first meet him he's as unlikable as they come conning a poor mother for the last pennies in her pocket. But as the story unfolds we get to see the layers of his character. Not by simply using his tragic backstory as an excuse for his misdeeds but weaving through the layers of his guilt and pride and ego. The narrative holds space for Justin's fury at the inequity of the world he lives in. His perspective that conning the wealthy to line his pockets is no real harm is given a fair shake.And while Justin ultimately leaves this path behind the narrative never casts aspersions on him for living the way he did but rather takes seriously the mental toll a life spent on the grindstone can have.
But what I most appreciate about this romance is that it's not a simple story about a rich boy diving into the gutters to save the poor immoral lamb trapped in a life of sin. The story takes great pains to assert Justin's agency and demonstrate the way both Nathaniel and Justine save each other. Both Nathaniel and Justin are lost at the beginning of the story and in falling for each other they pull themselves out of the fog cast over both their lives.
I just love these books so much. They flutter in my stomach and live in my heart. If I was in a more critical mood I could probably poke at the construction of the mystery plot but honestly it never bothered me. The convoluted web of the ever deadly mystery of the earldom is a backdrop for these romances and serves the story well heighten the tension and force our leads to where they need to be to fall in love.
I cannot wait for the grand finale where all the overarching mysteries of the series will be solved and I'll get to experience another wonderful romance.
To be honest I was initially unsure about the romance in An Unnatural Vice. While Charles sold the initial attraction between Justin and Nathaniel incredibly well with these tension fueled scenes between the two she also made very clear that our two protagonists lived on diametrically opposed moral lines. While I was living for the barbs the two threw at each other and the unbelievably hot hate sex they had I was unsure if Charles could sell me on their eventual emotional connection.
To my immense pleasure she did with aplomb. What I love about An Unnatural Vice is that this story deeply and meaningfully engaged with the class difference between our two leads and the moral divides this causes and explores that as a source of conflict between them. I read a fair amount of cross class romances and they rarely if ever meaningfully engage with what that means for the characters. This book is a breath of fresh air in contrast as it specifically challenges Nathaniel, the son of an Archbishop whose never struggled for want of money, to question that his rigid lines of morality come from the fact that he's never been in the position to choose between what's right and survival.
And Charles really breathes life into Justin as a character. When we first meet him he's as unlikable as they come conning a poor mother for the last pennies in her pocket. But as the story unfolds we get to see the layers of his character. Not by simply using his tragic backstory as an excuse for his misdeeds but weaving through the layers of his guilt and pride and ego. The narrative holds space for Justin's fury at the inequity of the world he lives in. His perspective that conning the wealthy to line his pockets is no real harm is given a fair shake.
But what I most appreciate about this romance is that it's not a simple story about a rich boy diving into the gutters to save the poor immoral lamb trapped in a life of sin. The story takes great pains to assert Justin's agency and demonstrate the way both Nathaniel and Justine save each other. Both Nathaniel and Justin are lost at the beginning of the story and in falling for each other they pull themselves out of the fog cast over both their lives.
I just love these books so much. They flutter in my stomach and live in my heart. If I was in a more critical mood I could probably poke at the construction of the mystery plot but honestly it never bothered me. The convoluted web of the ever deadly mystery of the earldom is a backdrop for these romances and serves the story well heighten the tension and force our leads to where they need to be to fall in love.
I cannot wait for the grand finale where all the overarching mysteries of the series will be solved and I'll get to experience another wonderful romance.