Gareth has been estranged from his father, a country baron, for years and lives with his unpleasant uncle and cousin in London. His only solace is visiting the anonymous bars that cater to men like him - those who prefer the company of other men.

There he meets a charming man he calls Kent. Gareth refuses to give his real name for fear of repercussions, however he's still heartbroken when Kent tells him he's heading home and won't be back for months - something he takes a rejection.

Of course the fates won't have this and Gareth soon has to return to his father's home following his unexpected death. There he's trying to figure out to fit into country life, acquaint himself with his half sister who didn't know he existed, and care for the manor's housekeeper, whom his father kept as a mistress.

In this midst of all this, who should he meet but Kent. And Kent it not just anyone, but the head of a local smuggling group, Joss Doomsday, who openly threatens Gareth to protect is sister.

And of course now we have an enemies to love plot plus plenty of family drama.

4.25/5. Releases 3/7/2023.

Note: I was granted an audio ARC, and am reviewing the book with that in mind.

For when you're vibing with... Queer romance with a bit of mystery, a unique and transformative setting, "coming into your own as an adult" vibes, CRIME FAMILIES, and some good old-fashioned "we started out as hookup partners and oops now we're madly in love" shit.

Gareth, raised by an aunt and uncle who didn't love him and abandoned by his father in favor of a new family, has never been super confident. But he feels wanted when he's with "Kent", the man he's been meeting for anonymous sex for a week... until, that is, he fucks it up. Discovering that his father is dead and he's now a baronet is a worthy distraction, though he doesn't plan on staying at the marshy property he's inherited for long. Until he runs into Kent again--except Kent is actually Joss Doomsday, the up-and-coming leader of a family of powerful (and dangerous) smugglers. And though Gareth and Joss are initially on opposite sides, it quickly becomes apparent that the spark between them certainly hasn't died out... But pursuing it might put Gareth at odds with Joss's enemies.

I've finally tried K.J. Charles, and God, she's fucking good. This romance is well-written, hot, sweet, and accompanied by a mystery plot with stakes that I actually understood. Which is hard for me! (Was it really a mystery plot, or an imperiled lover plot that sort of involved mystery but was really about the obligations of being in a crime family and--)

Quick Takes:
--Joss Doomsday is one of my new favorite romance heroes, full stop. That doesn't mean I didn't love Gareth, because I totally did (and they're given solid division in terms of POV and characterization, which I liked--there was no "Gareth is the protagonist and Joss is the untouchable love interest", which has turned me off of some m/m romances I've read.). Gareth is funny, a bit hapless, extremely relatable in terms of trying to find his place in the world and sort of coming up with *shrug emoji*. But Joss is just... well, hot, obviously, but similarly relatable... in the fact that he does know his place, and his place involves being weighed down with familial expectations and responsibility. Gareth's journey in the book involves finding a family for the first time and taking on the mantle of responsibility despite growing up as a loner, whereas Joss's journey involves realizing that he can love and care for his family and call them out when they're wrong, and find things that belong to him and him alone. He's so very lovable.

Also, he was DEBAUCHED!!! By a pirate--I'm sorry, a PRIVATEER. How can I not love a guy who is like "well, he fucked me six ways from Sunday, so I guess he did debauch me". Joss I love your work.

--Speaking of families, there is so much good family drama in this book. You have Gareth's whole thing, as he slowly builds connections with his sister (who he never met before their father's death) and... his sister's aunt? Who became his father's mistress after Gareth's stepmother died? That was a character I truly loved. Gareth just needed a mom, y'all! Much of Gareth's issues involve struggling with understanding who his father was, and damn, if that doesn't resonate.

Joss's family issues were uh... more complicated, even. But the diversity of characters makes it feel all the more real. Good people fuck up. Bad people have human weaknesses. Everyone was delightfully fleshed out.

--I loved the world of the Marsh. There's a lot of like, descriptions of of flora and fauna (Gareth loves bugs, y'all) and the culture of this little community that's kind of heavily dependent on organized crime and layers of generation-crossing dynamics? It's remarkably rich, and not the type of atmosphere you see a lot of in historical romance right now. The layers of it all made it feel very real to me.

--This book had some of the loveliest loved confessions I've ever read--and at the same time, some of the messiest relationship dynamics, in the best possible way. We open on Joss and Gareth's last anonymous hookup, after which both assume they'll never see each other again, and once they do... There's a lot of bitter exes energy, which I'm personally very partial. That sniping, that tit for tat, that "well I NEVER" while they both desperately wanna fuck. It's Good Shit.

--As a heads up, there is period-accurate homophobia in this book (not a ton--both Joss and Gareth do have supportive relatives, but they also have not so supportive relatives). Joss and Gareth both fear being outed, that is a very real threat throughout. I don't think it's excessive; nor does it read like self-loathing from either man.

The Sex Stuff:

Hot. But also funny? But also hot. Again, we start out the gate with explicit sex, and there are several more instances of it. There are interesting conversations about the dynamics of their sex life, too--who's "in charge", who should be in top, what does it mean, does it mean anything? Joss likes to see Gareth naked while he's clothed, which is something I ABSOLUTELY FUCKING LOVED. In many ways, this book is a great example of how sex can be character and sex can be plot. There were a couple of sex scenes in this book that don't really tie to story, but they do reveal things about Joss and Gareth and simply their relationship--I actually went back to listen to the first chapter again after the book was over, just to get that sense of Gareth and Joss's initial connection, shallow as it was, again--contrasting to their final sex scene.

But also, "FUCK ME LIKE YOUR PIRATE" and Joss joking about having Gareth's legs around his shoulders.... hot sex can also be funny sex, thank you K.J. Charles.

I'm super happy to see that there will be another Doomsday book--I loved the characters, and I loved this world. I want more.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Who would you rather go on an adventurous trip with to solve a family mystery: a former affair partner with whom it ended badly OR the guy in your new neighbourhood who’s blackmailing you so you won’t testify against his sister? Sir Gareth Ingles does not have to choose in this one because Joss Doomsday is both. He is the man Gareth met in London and had, under assumed names, a passionate affair with but is also the leader of a smuggling clan who doesn’t want his sister to be implicated in front of a magistrate for their illegal dealings.

Gareth show’s up to the manor of his estranged late father expecting to have money for the first time in his life, what he didn’t expect was to meet family members he has never met before, to see the man he had an affair with in London, or get wrapped up in his late father’s mysterious matters. I highly enjoyed his bravado throughout this book as well as his, sometimes, too short fuse.

The book managed a good split between the mystery adventure parts, family problems, and the romance. With that the overall vibe of this book felt quite similar to Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light, just set in a slightly different historical time period and without magic, but with the same adventurous spirit.

I enjoyed my first KJ Charles book so much more than I was even expecting to! Full of adventure, this steamy, opposites attract, queer (M/M) Regency romance sees Gareth ('London') and Joss ('Kent') sharing a one-night stand in London only to find themselves later become neighbors living in the remote Romney marsh.

I loved this Bridgerton meets Poldark story so much! The fact that it was set outside London was a refreshing change, the way that Gareth becomes a reluctant Baronet after the father who abandoned him dies, the found family of the Doomsday smuggling club. It all worked so well and was highly entertaining from start to finish.

Perfect for fans of Cat Sebastian, Erica Ridley, or Alexis Hall and great on audio narrated by Martyn Swain. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review! This also looks to be the first book in a new series by the author so I'll be eagerly awaiting the next installment.