Series Info/Source: This is the first book in The Doomsday Books series. I borrowed this on audiobook from my library.

Thoughts: This was a very cute and heartwarming historical fiction with a heavy romance theme to it. There is a well done story about smugglers woven in as well, so there is a good plot woven into the romance. This was well written and humorous and full of wonderful characters. I found it highly entertaining.

The story switches POV between Gareth and Joss, who have been meeting up at a pub to "hang out" as London and Kent. Then Kent (Joss) tells London (Gareth) he won't be in London (The city) much longer and they part ways. Shortly after Gareth's father dies and Gareth is expected to take over the country estate. Little does he know that the man whose company he enjoyed so dearly is running a smuggling chain in the same area his father's estate is in. When Gareth ends up being put into a situation where he needs to testify in court against Joss's smuggling sister, a whole bunch of antics ensue.

This was an incredibly fun read. All the characters are well done, even the side ones. It's certainly a colorful group of family members on both Joss's and Gareth's sides. Joss and Gareth make a sweet (and steamy) couple and I loved watching them navigate all the crazy situations their families get them in to. The added plot around smuggling was well done and integrated very nicely with their love story.

This is a male/male romance and the sex scenes are pretty descriptive, just something I like to call out for those who don't enjoy explicit sex scenes. There is also some violence in here; people getting beaten, etc.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator was excellent. I would highly recommend listening to this if you enjoy audiobooks.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this. It was a very fun historical romance between two male characters. There is a well done plot here to enhance the romance. There are also a ton of fun characters in here and I enjoyed the setting. I plan on reading the next book in the Doomsday Books at some point. ( )

Fast fun read, nothing particularly shocking. I tend to prefer my romance novels with more plot anyway. ( )

4 / 5 ⭐️‘s

"The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen" by KJ Charles

This is a historical romance story that captures the essence of the 1800’s, complete with all its social hierarchies, prejudices, and secrets.

The author does not shy away from tackling issues such as homophobia and classism, and she does so in a way that is both nuanced and realistic.

The chemistry between Gareth and Joss is palpable, and their romance is both sweet and sensual.

Overall, I found this a captivating and beautifully written story that will appeal to many fans of M/M historical romance.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via @Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This was excellent. Relationship across class lines. ( )

KJ Charles never disappoints!

This was so much fun to read. I loved getting to know Gareth and Joss and all their baggage. KJ Charles excels at writing multilayered characters and this is so evident here. Watching their relationship grow and evolve was so delightfully and I rooted for them every step of the way. The last scene made me so emotional in how true it was to the book and yet delivering swooniness.

The secondary cast was also great especially Asa, Sophy, Luke, and Catherine. They added so much more to this tale and provided crucial support when needed.

While the stakes here were not quite as high as the spies in the Slippery Creatures trilogy, they were equally very real. I hated that there hung an ever present danger of being outed and loved how all that was resolved.

What more can I say, this book had it all. Humor, found family dynamics, STEAM, a plot... I mean KJ is an auto-read for me for a reason!

Huge thanks to SourceBooks and NetGalley for the ARC. ( )