I absolutely loved this LGBTQ Regency romance! The first book in the Doomsday Books series, THE SECRET LIVES OF COUNTRY GENTLEMAN captivated me from the very start, and as I listened to the audiobook, I found myself completely taken with the narration.

It was entertaining with plenty of spice, and I thought that Joss and Gareth were a great couple with all the chemistry.

*many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Sir Gareth Inglis was abandoned as a young child and grew up in his uncle's home. He was bullied by his uncle and cousin, so grew up unhappy, cold, and well-used to disappointment. He meets a gentlemen he calls Kent and they have a passionate week together before Kent has to leave London and Gareth is once again disappointed. When his father suddenly dies, he is now the Baron and inherits all his father's property and fortune on the emote, gloomy, Romney Marsh. When he arrives he finds out that the marsh is home to smugglers and thieves. The gentleman he has feelings for turns out to be Joss Doomsday has run the Doomsday smuggling clan.

I do not read much LGBTQ stories, but I was interested in the Regency angle, as well as the smugglers and family issues. I really enjoyed this story, but I did skim any of the open door romance, as I do in any books. Gareth was a character that I felt really bad for. He was raised in an unloving environment, then finds out that he has a half-sister and that his father was not always an honest man. He is threatened and almost killed because of his father's actions and his cousin's jealousy. He tries to do the right thing, but doesn't have the money to do so. Joss has been running the "family business" since he was young, but his uncle has a hard time answering to someone younger. He causes a lot of problems and I give Joss credit for the way he tries to handle it. He is a diplomat to a degree, a fair man and one who loves his family and does what he needs to keep them safe and the business running. I wanted him to be happy and to be able to do something for himself. The story was fast moving, with a lot of adventure, thievery, family connections and problems, greed, backstabbing and danger, this story is part romance, part adventure that has some suspense and rivalry. A good start to this series. Martyn Swain narrated this book and did a wonderful job. As it is told from the POV of Joss and Gareth, he does a great job giving them voice. I recommend the audiobook as it was an enjoyable listen.

An titled gentleman has a one night stand. When he confesses to a crime he witnessed, he comes face to face with his one night stand, and is testifying against his sister!

Will they get past this situation? Can their romance bloom since they are from different worlds?

If “The Lady & the tramp” was made into an M/M historical romance, it’d be this book.

There’s also adventure, mystery, and more!

The one downfall - since this book is dual POV, I would have loved to have had dual narration.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my ALC. The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is out now!

This took me a minute to get into but once I did I loved it. It had a wide range of plot and didn't feel stilted or formulaic. I loved both the characters once I understood more about their backstory. Overall a fast, fun read that I'm sure I'll go back and read again at some time. The narrator was overall very good but it took me a minute to get used to his voice for Joss. I appreciated that he differentiated between the two main characters but Joss kind of sounded like a bumbling old man to me. I understand he was from the country but he was also supposed to be a clever smuggler and he just didn't sound like it. But once I got used to that it was great.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is the first in KJ Charles’ The Doomsday Books duology, which is set in and around Romney Marsh in Kent, a rather desolate part of the country that, owing to its isolation and proximity to the sea was something of a smuggler’s paradise between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. In this story, two anonymous lovers find themselves pitted against each other while a murderous rival gang will stop at nothing to retrieve something they believe they’re owed. KJ Charles delivers a charming frenemies-to-lovers romance together with an intriguing, high-stakes mystery, all wrapped up in lots of wry humour, sharply observed social commentary and fabulous historical detail.

When Gareth Inglis enters the taproom of the Three Ducks, he’s over two hours late for his assignation with the man he knows only as “Kent”. He prepares himself for disappointment – Kent has probably left, or found himself more congenial company for the evening. But to Gareth’s delight, the man is still there, waiting, only too happy to agree to Gareth’s suggestion of foregoing a drink and heading straight upstairs to the private room they’ve been meeting in for the past week. But after a very pleasant interlude *wink* Kent announces he has to return home, and Gareth doesn’t take the news well, becoming instantly distant and frosty with his lover and dismissing his suggestion that they could arrange to meet up again on his next visit to London. But Gareth – who has already had bad news that day – is too familiar with disappointment, too used to waiting for someone who never comes, and he needs to leave before he is left. He doesn’t look back.

Two days later, Gareth receives news that will change his life. He is now “Sir Gareth” – as his father, Sir Hugo, has died – and he has inherited a house in Romney Marsh and a respectable sum of money. On arrival at the house, he’s surprised to find it inhabited by a lady calling herself Mrs. Inglis and her niece – Gareth’s half-sister, Cecilia. Gareth quickly realises that Mrs. Inglis – Catherine – had been his father’s mistress, and that his father has made no provision for either of the ladies in his will. Inwardly cursing Sir Hugo for a selfish bastard, Gareth swiftly reassures Catherine that he has no intention of throwing her or Cecilia out and that they are welcome to remain at Tench House for the time being.

Going through his father’s books and papers, Gareth discovers that the man had a deep love for natural history, an interest in the local flora and fauna, birds, wildlife and, especially, insects. Intrigued himself, Gareth takes to exploring the marshes looking to see what his father saw and perhaps to make discoveries of his own. Unfortunately, however, one of those discoveries, when he’s returning home late at night, is a string of ponies laden with packs and barrels and voices raised in argument. Knowing what must be going on, Gareth stays out of sight, but can make out enough in the moonlight to see a man rip the mask from his companion’s face – and is surprised to see it’s a young woman before the train moves on. Thoughtlessly, Gareth mentions the occurrence in front of Cecilia’s beau – a revenue officer – an arrest is made and Gareth, despite not wanting to get involved, is called to give evidence.

Joss Doomsday controls his family’s large smuggling organisation with a firm, yet reasonable, hand. The operation provides work, income and goods for many local families who would otherwise have nothing, and as the “Upright Man”, Joss is the go-to person for just about everything that affects his family and those living in the Dymchurch area. It’s a huge responsibility that leaves Joss with little time for a life of his own – but it’s either him or letting his uncle Elijah – who should be in charge but whose recklessness and fondness for drink almost ruined them – run things into the ground, and there are too many people depending on Joss for their livelihoods for him to let that happen.

When Joss’ sister Sophie is arrested, it’s just one more sign that he needs to do something about Elijah – although first things first, he needs to get her released. Realising that the man who saw her that night on the marsh is none other than the man he’d known simply as “London” for that one, blissful week of nights, Joss tries to get Gareth to speak to him privately so he can ask him not to testify, but when Gareth (who doesn’t yet know who Joss is) refuses his overtures, Joss has to resort to drastic measures. He knows exactly what Gareth will think as soon as he sees Joss enter the courtroom – that Joss could ruin him with a single word – but he has to put Sophie’s safety first.

Furious and humiliated, Gareth retracts his statement, and would be pleased never to see Joss Doomsday again, but when he realises he’s become caught up in the middle of something dangerous, Joss is the only person he can turn to for help. The Sweetwaters – a rival gang operating on the other side of Romney – think Gareth has something they want, but he has no idea what it could be and is sure he doesn’t have it. The trouble is – they won’t take “no” for an answer and are fully prepared to use violence to get what they want.

The mystery here is clever and skilfully put-together, the tension building inexorably towards a thrilling, edge-of-the-seat climax. The historical background is, of course, excellently researched, and the cross-class romance between the baronet and the smuggler is beautifully done. I really liked the way it leads both men to question their assumptions about each other and to learn new things about themselves; how Joss shows Gareth, who has always seem himself as weak and needy, that he’s stronger than he thinks he is, and Gareth shows Joss that it’s okay to set his burdens down and let someone else pick them up for a while. Amid some lovely moments of tenderness and affection, Joss and Gareth find, for the first time in their lives, something they never realised they needed – someone who wants to be “on their side”, someone they can be themselves with and who will willingly share life’s burdens. They’re three-dimensional individuals with flaws and hang-ups, likeable, decent men trying to do the right thing and struggling with the weight of responsibility – Gareth because he has no experience of familial love and no idea how actually be part of a family, Joss because everyone wants a piece of him and he has no time to be himself.

The narration by new-to-me narrator Martyn Swain has a lot going for it, although I did have a few issues with the pacing, and there’s some oddly stilted intonation in places. But what Mr Swain does well, he does very well indeed; all his character voices are excellent and very clearly differentiated and he absolutely nails the chemistry and connection between Joss and Gareth. The story opens with a sex scene, and Mr. Swain captures their dynamic right away – Joss’ warmth and his affection for Gareth come through strongly, as does Gareth’s prickliness, the tension in his voice easily conveying the sense he’s very tightly wound. I admit I was interested in how Mr. Swain would handle the Doomsdays’ Kentish accent; it’s pretty much disappeared today – most people from Kent sound like most other people from the South East of England – so I imagine it’s not an accent that will be in most narrators’ tool boxes, but Mr. Swain takes a good stab at it. It’s a bit West Country at times, but there are similarities between the two so it works well on the whole.

As to the pacing issues I mentioned – there are a lot of pauses in the opening chapter, and it seemed to take a chapter or two for the narrator to really settle in to the rhythms of the prose. The pauses don’t disappear completely as the story progresses, but are mostly confined to the narrative portions of the story; the dialogue is mostly unaffected and performed with natural rhythm and inflection.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is a wonderful combination of tender romance and clever mystery featuring well-rounded characters who are easy to like and root for, an expertly drawn secondary cast and a superbly detailed setting that comes vividly to life. The narration did take a couple of chapters for me to really get used to it, but I enjoyed it overall so I’m happy to offer this audiobook a strong recommendation.

Rating - Narration: B; Story - A-

Wonderful narration. The dual character voices showed depth and a grand story telling style.

What a fun, interesting and hot story. This regency MM story was a unique story with intrigue, The main characters went through good growth and I truly enjoyed the romance and story. I would recommend this to those that like a good historical romance with very little ton and out side of London setting.

Well damn. I love Gareth and Joss. The story got a bit convoluted as it went on, very involved, a little too involved, but overall, a very enjoyable historical novel. I do find it odd that a (for all intents and purposes) cishet woman is writing M/M romance. Is that not fetishization? Shouldn't she leave that to the, GAY MEN?! This seems to be her bread and butter and she even writes under a genderless name, IDK it seems weird. I don't think I'll be reading anymore of her books. I'll read gays from the gays. I didn't love the narrator.

Late to the party but enjoyed this one. Thank you netgalley for this late audiobook. A delightful Regency romance (MM of course) and it was fun to read. Im looking forward to the 2nd book in this series.

“I want you on my side. I want to be on yours.” // “Just one side. Ours. And us both on it, always.”

THE SECRET LIVES OF COUNTRY GENTLEMEN was my first KJ Charles book and I’m kicking myself for waiting so long to get into her work. This queer historical romance between a baronet and a smuggler was such a delight. Gareth and Joss first meet in London, sneaking liaisons behind the closed doors of an inn, where secrecy and their wounds thwart the relationship becoming something more. When the death of Gareth’s absentee father brings him to Romney Marsh, a low-lying close-knit coastal community, he finds himself suddenly in Joss’s homeland, where he’s the head of a well-known smuggling family. Thrust together as they untangle the mysteries Gareth’s father left behind, the two slowly find their way back together and into a future they’ve both dreamed of.

The development of their romance was lovely; Joss and Gareth have powerful chemistry, respect each other immensely, and consistently learn from each other. Their class and political differences are beautifully integrated into their love, as well-educated city boy Gareth comes to find a home in Romney Marsh and rural, overly-responsible Joss allows himself to depend on someone else. There’s also a shocking amount of beetle and newt hunting paired with long meandering walks through the marshland, which was a treat. I lost some enthusiasm for the plot as the novel progressed; it felt a bit convoluted and also repetitive. But that will absolutely not prevent me from reading more of Charles’ work. Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Dreamscape Media for the review copies!

Content warnings: toxic family, loss of a parent, period-typical homophobia, sexual assault, physical violence

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced listening copy of secret lives of country gentlemen. This was a cute romance novel set into old England. I didn't enjoy the narrator but the story was ok.

I was lucky enough to get an eARC and an ALC for the Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, which I’m completely thankful for this chance to read it. Because I was part of the hype for this book when it was announced with the comparison to Our Flag Means Death. And it didn’t disappoint.
We follow Gareth as he ends things with his lover, Kent. Within a few days he’s told his father had died and he was now a Baron in a small town in Kent. When he spots smugglers in the middle of night, he’s asked to testify in a trial. What he doesn’t expect is for Kent, or rather, Joss (Kent was an alias) to show up and make a bit of a fool of him. When Gareth is accosted by a rival smuggling clan, Joss and his family step in and the two try to figure out what they want. The two fall back together again as they search for answers.
This was the book I needed for this time in my life. They were honestly adorable and I heavily annotated my physical copy that I ordered. The book isn’t perfect for everyone, but for me, it felt like a book that I really needed to read. It thankfully did away with the very common miscommunication trope heavily used in romances right now. Both characters are very open to talking and learning to communicate better and I wish more books would do this. To me, it always felt like the easy way to add conflict and most of the time could be solved just with a simple question.
I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to read a queer romance, who is a fan of Our Flag Means Death (a lot of the characters reminded me of characters in that show). It was fun and gives you feels in the best of ways. I can’t wait to pick up book two and meet these new characters.

I always enjoy a K.J. Charles novel and The Doomsdeay Books series is very promising. The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is a fast moving mystery centered around a smuggling ring, and the romance is very sweet.

Martyn Swain is a new narrator to me, and they do a marvelous job with The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen! Swain totally gets Charles' clever sense of humor, and they do a great job with these characters.

This book was truly KJ Charles at her best. The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is action-packed, while also being incredibly romantic and tender. Martyn Swain does a fantastic job bringing these characters and world to life. An absolute must-read for lovers of historical fiction.

This book left me totally unfazed. To be honest, I DNFed it because I simply did not care. I really tried to enjoy the story, but I was bored. I wasn’t attached to the characters.
I don’t think that the book is bad, it is just not for me : that's why I'm giving it 3 stars, I didn't enjoy it that much but I still think that it's a good book.

This book is a slow burn. Slow to get into. Slow for the real romance. Slow but worth it.

Never in my life have I wanted to fall into a book before. The imagery. the love. the tension. My goodness. It was glorious.

A twisted 'Cinderella' type tale. from the bottom to the utter top. its just so perfect.

For me, the audiobook made this story. The story itself lagged at certain parts, but the narrator kept me intrigued and engaged. His voice was absolutely mesmerizing and fit so well with the characters. When the story began to fall flat, his voice kept me entertained.

The story itself is okay. A lovers to enemies to lovers vibe that was surprisingly more spicy than I anticipated, which is always a good thing. I can definitely see myself listening to this one more than reading it!

Plot: .5
Writing: 1
World Building: .5
Characters: 1
Themes: .5
3.5/5

Spice: 3/5

I really enjoyed the characters and the world but just had a hard time wanting to pick up the book (or in this case, the audiobook) for the story. There were some parts that dragged for me (around the middle) but I loved the characters and relationship. I’m so conflicted on how I feel about it.

I liked the relationship and mild “lovers to enemies to lovers”. The spice was a lot spicier than I was expecting and I liked the way it was done. Sir Gareth and Joss Doomsday are my top historical romance couples!

The audiobook was so good! Martyn Swain does an amazing job narrating this story and the spicy parts. I’d highly recommend giving the audiobook a try!! It’s my choice of consuming this book!

Thank you to Netgalley for an opportunity to listen to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would at the start! The characters were well written, the romance flowed well and the pacing was good. The narrator did a good job.

You might remember from my Six of Crows / Crooked Kingdom review that I’m not a huge fan of books about crime. And yet, I’ve read 3 books in April featuring some crime.

You should read my friend Dani’s ( @nomomstayandread ) review on goodreads for this one because it is perfect, but I will try my best.
💖 M/M romance
💖 amazing cast of characters
💖 “common man” vs “entitled rich”
💖 social class conflict
💖 criminals with hearts of gold

I listened to the audiobook, and I found that the narrator’s choice for some of his character’s led to lots of pauses, and they really bothered me because the pace was all over the place. Be ready to speed this one up more than you’re used to! And then slow it back down when no one is talking.

For fans of Sanditon, Bridgerton, smuggler tales, and LGBTQ representation

Sir Gareth Inglis, after being abandoned by his father as a child, has abandonment issues. So despite falling head over heels for the man he met in London, he pushes him away. So imagine his surprise when he inherits his father's title and rambling manor on Romney Marsh, right in his lost love's stomping grounds.

Joss Doomsday, operating head of his family's smuggling operation, is befuddled when his London affair breaks things off abruptly. So imagine HIS surprise when he shows up in Romney Marsh....and promptly finds himself in danger. Can these two put their differences aside and find happily ever after?

This is an easy, exciting read. Plenty of healthy conversation regarding family and the long-lasting marks they leave both good and bad. The romantic relationship is healthy, the communication good, both parties push the other to see things differently, to demand better for themselves. I have already re-read multiple sections over again simply because I enjoyed the growth so much.