I’m a huge fan of this author’s historical MM romances having read over a dozen through the years, so I was excited to get an early copy of this one. Told in third person, this story follows Gareth who was abandoned by his father for a new family after his mother’s death. He’s now inherited the family title and a remote country house where what remains of that family still lives. This marsh country has its own way of life and is flush with smugglers, and one smuggler in particular is familiar to Gareth.

I really enjoyed the complicated family dynamics and reading about Gareth’s journey to understand his past and the choices that were made for him. The family dynamics of the Doomsdays was also fascinating from their complicated relationships to handling skirmishes with the law and relatives who have their own ideas of how their smuggling operations should be run. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.

Recommended to historical romance lovers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for a copy provided for an honest review.

Great M/M historical romance that is full of action and a fun story to read. Loved the adventures Gareth and Joss that was full of danger, romance and secrets that get unraveled.
A fun read and I look forward to see what Author KJ Charles brings next.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles

Absolutely adored the characters in this story and enjoyed reading their story!

What I liked:
* Gareth: well educated, has trust and abandonment issues, had a rough childhood, the way he came into his own and found his place, kind, generous, caring, responsible, naturalist, a good man
* Joss: smuggler, good leader, protective, loves his family, willing to learn and grow and did so in the story, protective, caring, strong, responsible, a good man who usually gets what he wants
* The strong bond that develops between Gareth and Joss
* Joss’s way of looking at smuggling and the politics behind why smuggling took place
* Sophia: Joss’s sister, intelligent, strategic thinker, leader, loves her family
* Luke: Joss’s cousin, abused, played an important part in the story
* Catherine: mistress of Gareth’s father, aunt to Gareth’s half-sister Cecilia, really liked her
* The connection between Gareth and Joss
* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing style
* That I became invested in the characters and cared what happened
* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about how ‘family’ is not always there for one another and how that impacted more than one character in the book.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is a M/M historical romance set in England's Romney Marsh. The story follows the unlikely romance between Sir Gareth, a newly promoted baronet, and Joss Doomsday, a smuggler. Both have been made heads of their respective families under vastly different circumstances. Gareth is a young man, who to his surprise, has inherited a country estate from his estranged father and responsibility for a heretofore unknown half-sister. On the other hand, Joss is the leader of the local smuggling clan. Joss takes seriously the protection and care of those he identifies as his people.

Gareth and Joss must deal with a dangerous secret plot while at the same time navigating their own burgeoning romance. The author does a fantastic job of exploring the societal pressures and prejudices of the time, including the ever present threat of being outed. The tension in the story is lightened with the witty banter and tenderness between Gareth and Joss.

Overall, "The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen" is a wonderful M/M romance novel that explores the themes of love, desire, male vulnerability, and societal expectations in a thoughtful and nuanced way. It is a must-read for fans of the genre and anyone looking for a well-written, engaging story with complex characters. I cannot wait to read the next book in this world.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for this advanced copy to review.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to read this book, but it's only now that I have some time to give you my opinion on it.
This book is a historical romance between a smuggler and a young nobleman who has just inherited a great fortune. They both have a story in common and their reunion brings with it several adventures related to the world of crime.
The two leads are very different from each other, from their origins to their personalities. Sir Garreth has strong abandonment traumas and a very rigid personality, while Joss has other priorities, more related to caring for his family whom he protects despite everything.
I liked the romance, especially because they have a dynamic that I really enjoyed and the stories of the secondary characters have a lot of relevance in the main plot. The combination with this setting greatly enriches the story.
Another interesting thing was Sir Garreth's interest in insects and wildlife, it was a detail of his personality that I quite liked. Also, all the troubles with smugglers bring with them a lot of intrigue and plenty of action scenes.
In short, it is a very complete historical romance book and one that I definitely recommend. There will be a second part coming soon, starring other characters and I definitely want to read it.

✨more like a 3.5/5 star read but i decided to round up to a 4!

✨this book was jam packed full of adventure and fun and steam at times! i’m so glad i picked it up. if bridgerton had LGBT leads and had the amount of action that the three muskateers or robin hood has then you would get this book!

✨aside from the hair twirling-worthy main couple, each lead has their own dynamics with their respective families that really warmed my heart. the sibling dynamics were dynamic-ing and i selfishly wanted more and more even though there was a great deal already in it!

✨the setting and the language used really took the reader to the old british countryside (not that I’ve been, but i can imagine!) and it might have been my favorite part of the book tbh. i’m all about ~vibes~ and this book had them!

✨the only real complaint I have is that there was simply SO much action. like i feel like a lot of it did advance the story, but there was so much going on at time that i got a bit confused about who was beefing with who about what. which, this book also had a TON of characters so i think that might also be something that took me out of the story.

✨overall if you’re a historical fiction/romance girlie, a bridgerton or jane austen lover, you’ll enjoy this book!

✨thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for allowing me to read an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was an absolutely delightful historical romance. The plot was filled with interesting historical concepts, relevant socio-political commentary, and emotional depth. On top of all of that, the author did such a great job of painting a picture of the Kent marshes that their characters are romping around in, and I have never so desperately wished I could be transported to the scene of one of my books.

While the plot was fascinating, I did feel like at times it got a little too big and a little unwieldy with all the characters, and I would have liked a little bit more one on one with the main character, this was still a delightful read and I would easily recommend to other romance readers.

It was a fun, entertaining read. The romance was great and didn't expect anything less from KJ Charles.

had high hopes for this book, and for the most part it delivered.

The best part was by far the relationship between our main characters, Gareth and Joss. Their emotions and motivations are relatable and you feel empathy for them in different ways. And their chemistry together is amazing.

The side characters were also quite interesting, but what can you expect when one main character is from a family of smugglers? I can’t wait to read about their shenanigans in future books.

I do have to say the plot was a bit flat for me. I thought with it being about smuggling and with a bit of a mystery that it would be very intriguing. I instead found it to be almost annoying at times as the relationship moment were written so well that the plot just took us away from having the main characters get their happily ever after. At times, I even felt as though the book was too long as the plot regarding the smugglers and Gareth's father speculating felt somewhat disconnected from Gareth and Joss's developing relationship.

Overall though, I would definitely recommend this book to people who like historical and queer romances. I may have had a few complaints but I still greatly enjoyed this read.

A fun read with relatable characters and a believable premise. Engaging plot, good historical reconstruction and since dialogue. I also loved the cover.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen had lots of details and romance. However, it was just not my cup of tea. I really wanted to like it based on the premise, but I just had the hardest time getting into. I would often forget what I had read as it just wasn't interesting to me. It did not hold my attention unfortunately.

This was my first KJ Charles and it was an absolute delight. Highly recommend to fans of historical romance, especially those that like something a little less concerned with dukes and 'the ton'. The conflicts, both within the main pairing and within the plot, felt realistic and not like conflict for the sake of it and the story resolved in a way that made sense.

I would recommend to others and I will check out more KJ Charles in the future.

I cannot wait for the next book! I loved these characters - I hated when the story ended. I have hopes who could be the focus of the next book - gah, I really am too excited.
The romance, Joss and Gareth, their heated lovemaking - I just cannot recommend enough.
Two men meet at a London bar - become lovers, something of friends, using their towns as names. Unfortanely, Kent needs to return - to Kent, as his business in London as ended. London walks away - refusing to share contact information.
A few months later they meet again - in a small town near Kent. London about to give evidence against Kent's sister - turns out Joss' family business is smuggling. And Gareth is the new baronet.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars. The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is an M/M historical romance between Gareth, a titled Londoner, and Joss, the leader of the Doomsday family smuggling clan out in the remote marsh.

Although not particularly unique, I found this to be an enjoyable read in this genre. There is a lot of chemistry between the two men and I found their love story very believable. I also enjoyed several of the other minor characters, such as the Doomsday family members.

I would check out other books by this author for a light read.

Fun, engaging and spicy!! KJ is always a great choice if you are looking for MM historical romances and even when it's not your favorite it's never disappointing. The couple had great chemistry, but the plot has enough going for it (family drama, a crime, vivid setting) that if you're not an avid romance reader there's enough outside of it to feel satisfied with the story.

Thanks to netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an early copy of this book.

Gareth and Joss are so adorable as two people who meet and hook up in London, only to find each other again in Kent in VERY different circumstances. KJ Charles writes another book of heart and mayhem, love and hijinks. I loved Gareth as the baronet who just wants to go find some beetles but seems forced to figure out just what was his absent father and cruel uncle were up to and Joss as the powerful smuggler who loves his family, and maybe, just maybe, love the man who was so rude to him at the end of their dalliance. The world of this Kentish marsh felt full and detailed and I love how the stories came together. Just a lovely book.

4 stars

This might be my favorite KJC book now! I enjoyed this a lot and can't wait for the next book. Historical romances aren't normally my thing but this one hit the spot. Joss was my favorite and I loved their family.

I picked this up because I love historical romance and am always looking for queer historicals. However, I did end up DNFing at about 5%. I found this first chapter to be dialogue-heavy and very wordy, which is not my favorite style of writing. I think that the premise sounds interesting, but I was not super invested into getting much further in the plot.

Fantastic reading, I adored this book so much, a story full of romance, mystery, action and intrigue, who wouldn’t want to dive right in and devour this, because I did ! A queer regency romance with smugglers count me in , sexy and full of angst/tension this was a wonderful read and I can’t wait to read more from KJ Charles

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have not read a historical book in ages but this one caught my eye immediately because it is also an MM romance. I was intrigued by the premise of a man of the nobility falling for a smuggler. I was also interested in the history of smuggling during this period of time. I got so much more than I came for with this story. The writing was absolutely phenomenal. I was thrilled that each man had such a distinct voice representing their very disparate backgrounds. I was also pleasantly surprised that it was Joss, the smuggler, who was the character who came from a position of strength in this story. Garreth had such a hard life that he never let beat him down. When he came to the marsh to inherit a title with the unexpected death of his estranged father, he wasn’t the man who had the upper hand.

Gareth and Joss met in London and never thought they would see the other again. When Gareth’s father dies and he journeys to the home, he discovers not only a family he never knew but also Joss. There he discovers too that their tiny community is also the source of so many illegal goods smuggled by locals from France with Joss in the heart of all this activity. As the two begin to reacquaint, they each begin to discover more about themselves and also uncover secrets that may have better stayed buried.

This was a story rich in character, plot, scenery, and history. Both Joss and Gareth have many side characters that support the story and it was so much better for it. I loved the attention to historical accuracy and also the representation of not only queer culture during this time period but also that Joss is biracial. The diversity of characters overall in this entire story and also the complex plot that unfolds really made this a read that was impossible to put down. I now have another author on my TBR whose backlist is demanding my attention and I also can not wait for more in this series.