My expectations for this book were that it would be a swoony period romance, but there is much more going on in this story than mooning about. Yes, there is a M/M romance, but there are class differences between the two (one an aristocrat, the other belongs to a family of criminals) as well as unscrupulous family members for them both that need to be kept in check. This generates a mystery that the pair team up to solve together.

In a nutshell: romance, action, and treachery all in a historical setting.

Great audio narration!

i had never read any of this author’s work before, which is probably why i didn’t expect this book to be as outrightly horny as it was.
honestly i probably would’ve put the book down if i didn’t need to review it for netgalley, not because it was bad per se, just that it wasn’t what i expected. nevertheless she persisted!
the main love story of this book was sweet, if a little cookie cutter, but what was really confusing were the other plotlines that just didn’t mesh with the story. they took themselves way too seriously when really what this story was should’ve been a lot simpler. overall, i didn’t enjoy it, but i fear i may not have been the target audience.

Loved it. Just the perfect mix of action-packed moments with tender and quiet ones. As usual, I adored the characters. K.J. Charles manages to always give life to the most interesting people. ♥

One of the things I enjoyed the most here is the way in which we get to know both, Garrett and Joss, at the same time they are figuring themselves out. Both of them are questioning who they really are beyond what's expected from them and yeah, maybe doing so in the middle of such a fraught time, filled with danger and family drama wasn't the best option. But then, when these things are ever timely? :P

There is, of course, quite a bit of class struggle and the usual racism and homophobia from the time period, but there is also the reminder that, even when hard, queer people always managed to find each other.

I just... I loved it, okay? Just loved it to pieces.

And I really enjoyed Martyn Swain's narration.

If you enjoyed KJ Charles Will Darling trilogy you will definitely enjoy this one too!
We have Sir Gareth, who is a nobleman, used to being alone because his family is The Worst! Being abandoned at his unloving uncles house as a child he’s not known a lot of love and affection in his life.
Meeting a dark, tall and handsome stranger in a tavern who looks at him like he wants to eat him alive seems to be one of the best things that ever happened to him…until he leaves him too.
But they will meet again, in the most surprising and shocking way possible.

I loved Gareth. He’s a baby girl who needs to be protected at all costs. He’s a little socially awkward and shy and I loved how Joss challenged him, took him seriously and tried to make him happy however he could.
I love me a good enemies to lovers, opposites attract romance and even better if it’s historical fic.
They were really cute together and I loved the character development.

For me the plot was a little too thin and too obvious to be honest. It was a rather short book, but it felt very long.
That’s why it’s only 4 stars for me.
I also wished there was a single loveable female character in this who didn’t depend on any man. I know KJ Charles can do better than this.

I really liked the voice of the narrator and overall he was great! He wasn’t just reading and he made the characters and conversations come alive. But why the weirdly long pauses randomly in the middle of sentences? It drove me a little insane.

4.5⭐ on 🎧
R for some great 🌶️

Two historical romances in less than a month, who is she?! I absolutely adored this book. Joss and Gareth were these two beautifully complex characters who shouldn't be together given the historic time period, but that forbidden quality just made their story even more touching. Gareth has just been elevated to baronet while Joss is a smuggler and the contrast between these two furthered their story.

I loved how these two not only fell in love but also had important discussions about wealth inequality, class and familial and societal expectations that were so nuanced. Along with that, I loved how these two discussed and found partnership with each other as two strong willed men. There were times where the characters were a bit much and the story got lost a little bit, but overall I really enjoyed this. If you enjoy Alexis Hall's historical romances, this is definitely a book to check out.

I loved this book so, so much! The story was captivating and the characters were so loveable. I didn't want it to end, but I love how the book finished. Overall, it's a fantastic queer historical romance that I would highly recommend. I can't wait to buy a physical copy of this book!

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

I've enjoyed several of K.J. Charles' books in the past and this one is what I expect from this author: two decent men making their way in a tough world, quirky side characters, realistic diversity, a lot of pathos, and a very good romance. I listened to the audio version and it was a delight: nicely narrated and a very enjoyable time spent while taking long walks or doing chores. This is the first in a series and I look forward to more.

Story: Gareth lives the life of am accounting clerk under the heel of his domineering uncle and cousin. When the father who remarried and abandoned him abruptly dies, Gareth is suddenly a 'sir' and inherits a moderate amount of wealth and land in the Romney Marsh area of Kent. There, he is surprised to find that one of the numerous smugglers in the area is his ex lover. What's more, his father may have been more involved in grey legal areas than he would have thought. As Gareth navigates his new position, Joss Doomday (head of the Doomsday Smugglers) is dealing with family issues of his own and equally surprised to find an accounting clerk abruptly inhabiting the local mansion. It's never a good thing when your ex lover is suddenly the law in the area.

As with all of Charles' books, both men are decent human beings with their own weaknesses and hangups. Gareth is withdrawn and unable to stand up for himself after the humiliations of his father abandoning him and his uncle making it clear he was never wanted. Joss will do anything for his family but there are some members that are hurting and even endangering their operations. Both Gareth and Joss will have to deal with family separately and together in order to not have things blow up in their faces. But at the same time, a lovely romance blossoms.

In all, a very enjoyable and heartfelt read. There is a lot of pathos and nuance here, as with all Charles' book. This is a good entry point if it is your first time reading this author's books. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

This was about as close to cottage-core romance as you get! It was soft and sweet but still had a bit of an edge to it (which, frankly, I would have loved to see that leaned into a bit more). I enjoyed it, and truly the narrator made this book for me! He was the kind of audiobook narrator that made me want to go and find what other books he's narrated and listen to more. He absolutely brought the story to life and made the book what it was! If I hadn't experienced it on audio, I don't think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much.

All in all, great if you're looking for a small town, opposites attract, MM historical romance!

Actual Review: This book was such a romp and I really enjoyed it! If you're here for a dash of #BeGayDoCrimes shenanigans, some general angst about what happens if the world finds out your secret (and then the world is a better place than sometimes it feels), and a very proper sort of man falling for a bit of a scoundrel (I mean, he is a smuggler) then this book is definitely for you. There was a lull in the middle where the pacing just wasn't quite keeping up with my mood reading impulses, but all in all, this one gets a highly recommend from me! (I went with five stars because I think it's a four and a half but it feels so much better than other books I've rated four stars lately.)

Musings on Secret in the Title: There are lots of secrets in this book and while I always struggle a bit with the whole homosexuality had to be kept a secret thing in historical romance, I'm also like... We're literally still living in a society. I thought we'd moved past that and yet... Anyways!!! Setting that aside, there's also the smuggling. And Gareth's dad's secrets, of course. So, yes, I really appreciate the use of Secret in the title.

Narration: Tell me why this narrator sounds like the man who played Hagrid in the movies based on the series by she who shall not be named. But I wound up really enjoying the narration style and this narrator does do different voices for the various characters, which is super necessary for my brain so I was very grateful. I think Martyn Swain was really great though so I am glad to have read a book from him!

I really wanted to like this book, but DNF at 20%. It was really hard to get into the story and wasn’t engaging.

A thoroughly delightful new historical romance from KJ Charles!

When his estranged father dies, Gareth Inglis's life suddenly changes. Inheriting a title and an estate in Kent on the Romney Marsh, the new Sir Gareth is settling into his new title, household, and the community when he unexpectedly reunites with Joss Doomsday - the leader of the Doomsday smuggling clan and with whom Gareth had a brief but intense affair in London. Their reunion is bumpy and they are immediately tangled up in an increasingly suspenseful plot of smuggling, conspiracy, and murder. The book is action packed, but there are lovely, quieter moments between Joss and Gareth as they learn about each other, attempt (and sometimes fail) to trust and be vulnerable with each other. I’ve come to expect swoony, talky, consent positive romantic MCs in Charles’s books and this book did not disappoint.

Charles's talent for writing historical fiction is so strong and her depictions of the Kentish countryside with marshes and coastline is marvellous - like a main character in the book. And speaking of other characters, there are quite a few secondary characters, but they are all distinctly written I could easily keep track of the various members of the Doomsday and Sweetwater clans.

I devoured this book and I cannot wait for the next book in the series, with a plea for more on page time with Sophy and Luke Doomsday.

Audiobook note: the narrator for this book did a good job differentiating between the two MCs and has a really lovely Kentish accent. The frequent pauses were awkward for me as a listener and made it difficult at times to stay connected to the story.

K.J. Charles starts a new series with The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, an historical gay romance set in rural Kent, England. Gareth and Joss are together for a couple of blissful weeks at a London meeting house for gay men, but when Joss says he needs to go back to Kent for a while to tend to his business, Gareth breaks things off entirely. Gareth's father, a selfish nobleman, left young Gareth with his uncle when his mother died and started a new family. Gareth quite reasonably has abandonment issues and doesn't want to be left by another person he loves.

Fast forward and Lord Inglis has died, leaving his title and assets to newly unemployed Gareth, who has no memory of his family's estate and doesn't know his would-be stepmother or half-sister. Adrift and trying to adjust to his new situation, Gareth spots a late-night smuggling operation and decides to report it to the authorities. Enter Joss Doomsday, lead of the Doomsday family and smuggler extraordinaire. Because, of course, Gareth's estate is in the same rural area where Joss lives.

What follows is a complicated web of deceit, theft, messy family and a bit of murder. K.J. Charles expertly balances the mystery and danger with insightful family reconciliation, strong character arcs for both men and an absolutely wonderful romance.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is more romance-forward than Charles's other mystery series and is a self-contained volume with plenty of opportunities for sequels. (The second Doomsday book will follow different characters.)

I know marketers are eager to tack "Bridgerton" on to any historical romance these days, but please don't listen. I'm also not convinced that "gothic" is the right term for this novel. No spooky house or paranormal-ish shadowy figures lurking about. In this case, readers who like historical romance with mystery, Charles's other works, Cat Sebastian's London Highwaymen series or Poldark will want to pick this up.

Audio Notes: Dreamscape hired a new-to-me narrator for the book, Martyn Swain. While I mostly liked the narration, it took some getting used to. Swain pauses frequently after words, which makes for stilted sentences that were difficult for me to sort out. Once I adjusted, however, I enjoyed the story and found the way Swain differentiated between the two main characters successful. His attempt at a Georgia, US accent for Joss's formerly enslaved grandfather was less successful, but how many times have I suffered through a US narrator's awful British accents? Overall a lovely audiobook.
***
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher for review.
***
Content Warnings: childhood abandonment, child abuse, alcoholism, murder, violence, kidnapping, attempted murder, references to US slavery (formerly enslaved character in Joss's family) and war with France, threat of sexual assault to Gareth's sister, past death of parent, attempted drowning

I've read a lot of historical romance, and a MM story is certainly a rarity. Secret Lives is my first title by KJ Charles and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Gareth and Joss were great together, but I also loved the roles their extended family members and friends played. Gareth was not only navigating his relationship with Joss, but also his newly discovered sister and aunt. Add in mystery, adventure and suspense and you have an entertaining tale. I listened to the audiobook and found the narration good and engaging.

I think this is the first time I disliked an audiobook. The narration was weirdly stilted and had these odd pauses that turned me off the story too. I had to stop listening at about 40% and read the rest on ebook.
But as far as I did make it on audio, I did like the romance, though the plot did not hook me as much as I had hoped. I LOVED the beginning of the book and I loved the chemistry but so much about the Cecelia or whatever her name is (the narration really was not attention-grabbing) storyline was just annoying and a bit of a pain to get through. I kept zoning out.

I’m so excited to have read my first KJ Charles and I absolutely loved it! This book had the best of everything: adventure, humor, delicious sex scenes, MCs that are over-the-moon for each other, and a plethora of entertaining side characters. For an audiobook over 13 hours, the pacing was perfect. A novel of several moving parts, “Kent” and “London” (aptly named for their residences) expect that their encounter will be temporary and just for thrills, but life would have them run into each other in Romney Marsh. A place where if you’re “out marsh” can be very inhospitable, Romney Marsh is a living breathing character where beauty can be found in the smallest things from beetles to bogs.
Sir Gareth has found himself relocating from London to Romney Marsh after his estranged father bequeaths him his estate. Being out-marsh begins to cause unexpected troubles with a gang of smugglers, and Sir Gareth unknowingly upsets the balance of things when he dares to report illegal activity from a member of the Doomsday clan. As its ringleader, Joss Doomsday has no choice but to refute Gareth’s accusation and the two find that even though they may be at odds, they have more drawing them together.
I loved the storytelling in this book. Just when I thought one part was ending, a new storyline would begin. The plot is so inventive and entertaining and KJ Charles’ voice is funny and heartwarming at the same time. This was a swoony book with such tenderness between Joss and Gareth. I began rooting for them in London and loved seeing how they kept being pulled together. Charles doesn’t have to rely on tropes to tell a story, and I felt like I could stay and read about Romney Marsh and its various quirky characters forever. I would suggest this book for its escapism, vivid landscape and strong character development and of course the beautiful love story. The narration was perfect and I loved how Martyn Swain adjusted accents and pauses for each character. It helped me visualize Gareth’s nervous and privileged sensibilities as well as Joss’s calm strength and frustrations with leading the Doomsdays. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series and definitely hope to listen to it as well. Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this audio ARC in exchange for my honest evaluation.

Delightfully tender and cozy - you're immediately rooting for sweet, precious Gareth and gruff but tender Joss. Rounding up from 4.5 stars because I don't love the "threatening to out you" element, but I could have spent another 50 pages with Gareth and Joss and been quite happy. I'm so excited to see Luke get his HEA in the next book!

I do think the narrator sounded a bit too old for the characters.

A low rating on a queer regency romance physically hurts me. This book follows Sir Gareth as he moves in to his late fathers estate. With a new sister & his fathers mistress to live with he quickly makes the mistake of ending up on the wrong side of James Doomsday. Their previous relation not ending on the best terms, Gareth has a lot to deal with.
This feels contradicting because I liked a lot of this book. doomsdays snark was fun & I love a gay regency romance! I could’ve gotten behind Gareths bug interest and the romance scenes were great. But something about it didn’t click for me.

3.5*

I received an audio ARC of this book, and unfortunately the narrator did not work at all for me. If it hadn't been a KJ Charles book I xould definitely have quit several chapters in. As it was, the plot was just enough to keep me going but the amount of awkwardly placed, stilted pauses, primarily within the narrative but also through the speeches, were incredibly frustrating. I found myself repeating sentences at times to hear the rhythm and cadence inherent in the writing and to remibd myself that KJ Charles is actually excellent at crafting sentences! The kent accekts were very well done, but the narrative sections, and all the posh voices were so dull, stilted, and flat, that any emotion was wrung out.

I shall be reading this with my eyes at a later date and I may amend my review accordingly!

Storywise I enjoyed it, although it wasn't one of my top Charles books. It wad very much an external angst book; while there were inherent tensions between Joss and Gareth's relative positions, as well as Joss's habit for taking charge and Gareth's abandonment issues, once they reconnected I felt no drama ir tension related to their relationship itself, only for how the external plots would impact them. For me, this resulted in a slightly unbalanced story, where the romance took a backseat, and I would have preferred otherwise. This is very much a YMMV!

What really did work for me was the general atmosphere of the marsh, the twists and turns of the plot, and the compelling Doomsday family, against which Gareth and his family came across rather bland.

This is absolutely one for me to revisit in a different format!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free audio ARC*

Well I feel very firm on my 3.5 rating on this.
My first by this author, despite meaning to read before now.

This book had so very much fluff and delight and quirk to it.

It also had parts that really got my anxious brain going.

I want to say these characters are all 5 stars for me

The plot line is immaculate

The emotions I felt were superb

I kinda want to go tuck myself away in the book universe

Gosh there were some deeply tender and human lines in this book

Take me back

Thanks to
the author
The publisher
The narrator
&
Netgalley
For the chance to read

I couldn't put this down.

I loved the bickering Gareth and Joss do through out this book. They are like an old married couple.
Mixed with the drama of what Gareth's father was up to makes for a great read.

I really enjoyed this and I'm looking forward to the next one. Joss Doomsday is the best. What he'll do for his family and the people he cares about the most really adds layers to his character. It's safe to say he was my favourite from this book.