ARC via Netgalley

Another outstanding addition to Charles' SINS OF THE CITIES series, which focuses on working and lower middle class Victorian men caught up in a larger, series arc about a missing heir to an earldom.

Thirty-seven year old crusading journalist Nathaniel Roy, still grieving the death of his partner after five years, begins a series set on undermining the credibility of the London spiritualists who earn their keep by preying on the recently bereaved. His first target: Justin Lazarus, the "Seer of London." Lazarus isn't handsome, but Nathaniel finds him disturbingly compelling all the same ("Justin Lazarus was without question a disgraceful fraud, but as his lips move din silent prayer, Nathaniel could not help the thought that he looked like a glorious fuck. The bad kind, of course; the kind that left a man feeling dirt and ashamed and degraded in his own eyes. The kind Nathaniel had never had in practice, and wouldn't have admitted to imagining, but could see all too clearly. Bending the medium over his own table, holding him down. You want the furniture to move, Mr. Lazarus? That can be arranged." [Kindle Loc 202]). But even if The Seer is a fraud, he has a dangerous way of seeing into a person's vulnerabilities, even the jaded Nathaniel's.

After Lazarus escapes kidnappers intent on recovering information regarding the above-mentioned missing heir, he finds himself fleeing to Nathaniel's, despite the journalist's clear abhorrence of him. Desire sparks in spite of (or perhaps heightened because of) loathing, and the two engage in a hot tryst. But when they have to flee the city to escape the men in pursuit of Justin, the two gradually begin to understand the strong-willed human beings behind the privileged, righteous prig and the selfish gutter fraud spiritualist.

Hot hate-sex ("Letting a man bugger you didn't magically improve his character, any more than it had improved Nathaniel's mood") that gradually develops into cross-class understanding and respect; now that's a romance writing achievement that you don't see every day. But Charles pulls it all off with her trademark strong characterization, accurate historical grounding, and suspenseful storyline, making readers not just relate to, but care for, her prickly, unlikeable-at-first characters.

I liked this book, but it took me a little bit to get into the story line. Maybe because I didn't read the first book? But overall, I did enjoy the story line and the characters

Dark and unusual story, second in a series with a common thread. This is Nathaniel's story as he tries to help find the people behind his friends' troubles. He encounters Justin when he attempts to debunk a seance. Justin is one of the most unhappy people ever. Their relationship is adversarial, touching, and just what they each need. Danger brings them closer and shows what is really important. I really enjoyed this story, and look forward to more from this author.

I received a copy of this story through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

4.5 stars

Oohh.....I really liked this enemies to lovers story. The story starts with Nathaniel investigating Justin's psychic business. Nathaniel's convinced Justin and all others like him are just out to scam people and he despises how they use people's vulnerabilities against them. Unfortunately for Nathaniel he has a pretty serious vulnerability himself. He desperately misses his deceased partner and there is a part of him that wants Justin to be legitimate.

Justin is not legitimate. Justin is a cold-hearted scammer through and through. I was a bit taken aback by him at first and for the first few chapters I was wondering how the author was going to redeem him. He was not a super likable character. (spoiler alert.....she totally does)

But this is where the author weaves her magic. She knocks the hurt/comfort trope out of the ballpark time and time again in her books and this is a great example. The two men are thrown together due to fallout from the mystery in book one. A series of events finds them stuck with each other and they slowly begin to tolerate one another. They are extremely sexually attracted to each other but neither really likes the other one. As they get to know each other though that beings to change and they begin to fall for each other. It's a rough road though. Justin has been through a lot of bad things and his lifestyle choices are complicated. Nathaniel knows what it's like to be in a good relationship and he wants that again but he's just not sure he can overlook Justin's career.

This was one of my favorite books by this author. It was fast paced and entertaining and oh so filled with feelz. I loved these two together, whether they were fighting, having hate sex, trying to solve the mystery or whispering words of love to each other. It was all good. Really good.

**ARC provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

I am late with the review - terribly late. But anyway:
KJ Charles done an amazing job. I adored Justin and Nathaniel, and liked how their relation progressed. It was all I could've expected.
The criminal plot was a bit too easy and too predictable - as soon as missing children of an earl came into play I was sure that certain person are involved(I won't spoil your fun, telling you who). But it was enjoyable anyway.


Thanks for ability to read it before the release.

This is not my favorite type of romance story, all though the romance is seductive and intense. There is an entertaining storyline with interesting characters. A fast paced and intriguing story of mystery, suspense, romance and love.

Favorite Quote: “You – are the worst man – I have ever met.”

Lazarus’s teeth scraped his shoulder. “And yet here you are, under me….”

Guys, there is hot hate sex in this book. Do I need to say more?

The Seer of London, Justin Lazarus, makes a living calling spirits from beyond the veil, gladly taking people’s money to tell them what they want to hear from their deceased loved ones. Can he really talk to spirits? No, but he doesn’t feel bad about making a living deceiving people. Justin grew up poor, only recently having enough money to sleep in a clean bed all by himself. With the help of some few trusted staff, he puts on quite the show to convince people he is the real deal.

Nathaniel Roy is a journalist determined to expose this fraud. Once a lawyer, Nathaniel had his sights set on figuring out just how Justin puts out the candle flames without a breeze and makes instruments play and the table shake. After attending one of his spiritual readings, and after Justin exposes Nathaniel’s deepest secrets, he is even more determined to bring this guy down. Nathaniel lost the love of his life after a ceiling tile fell on him. For years Nathaniel has been grieving and lonely. Although he has some friends who have supported him, it’s been hard for Nathaniel to move on. But then he meets Justin, and hates him, yet is attracted to him.

Enemies to lovers – yum, yum, yum.

Justin Lazarus was without question a disgraceful fraud, but as his lips moved in silent prayer, Nathaniel could not help the thought that he looked like a glorious fuck. The bad kind, of course; the kind that left a man feeling dirty and ashamed and degraded in his own eyes. The kind Nathaniel had never had in practice, and wouldn’t have admitted to imagining, but could see all too clearly. Bending the medium over his own table, holding him down. You want the furniture to move, Mr. Lazarus? That can be arranged.

You go get yourself some hot hate sex Nathaniel! Nathaniel is an atheist, so he doesn’t believe in the after life or anything spiritual. Besides his editor wanting this story, once Justin secretly digs into Nathaniel’s past, and then brings up his dead lover, this enrages Nathaniel to no end. But a problem comes up that makes them work together. If you read book one, there is an associate of Nathaniel’s who is entangled in an inheritance problem and may have a relation who is a possible bigamist. This guy hires Nathaniel for some legal advice and Justin gets pulled into it as he has some secret proof that could get Nathaniel’s client justice. You don’t have to read book one necessarily (especially to follow along with the romance) but you may be a tiny bit lost with the mystery/conflict portion of the book.

But who cares about inheritances, and bigamists when we have scenes like this:

“Bloody liar,” Nathaniel told him hoarsely.

Lazarus bent, biting at his ear and neck, making Nathaniel writhe. “You self-righteous piece of shit.”

Nathaniel grabbed his hair. “Just admit it.”

“I will if you will.” Lazarus’s hips ground against his. “Prick.” He plunged his tongue between Nathaniel’s lips again, making rasping, incoherent noises as Nathaniel clawed at his back, not caring if he left scratches, wrapping his legs around Lazarus’s hips. They were rutting like animals, still half clothed, every bit as much fight as fuck.

Their romance goes from heated enemies to friends to lovers with a nice HEA. I really loved these two together. A fun read.

Grade: B+

This book hooked me in from the very beginning with the believable characters that pulled me right into their story and kept me captivated until the very end!

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

I was introduced to K.J. Charles by one of my friends, in the wake of a book hangover caused by Ginn Hale’s The Rifter series. I was looking for queer books with historical setting, and said friend did not hesitate to send me the Goodreads links to basically all the books Charles had written, and they were a delight. Sure, I still haven’t read them all, but when I got the chance to read an early copy of An Unnatural Vice, I jumped at it, and it did not disappoint.
An Unnatural Vice follows Justin Lazarus, a well-known London spiritualist, and the skeptic journalist Nathaniel Roy who is determined to find out how is it that Lazarus performs his infamous séances, and to expose him as the fraud he believes the other man to be. I thoroughly enjoyed the main character’s interactions from the beginning, both being smart men with very, very different experiences in life, which results in an interesting dynamic. The main characters start off with intense dislike and mistrust, both of which are not really unjustified, considering their first meeting, during a séance in which Roy pretends to be someone else.
Nathaniel Roy was an easy character to empathize with, though not immediately likeable. He’s lived a privileged life, and while the loss and pain he suffers do make you feel for him, his relatively sheltered life does show in how, well… judgmental he is. His views of Lazarus and his trade are colored by his somewhat black and white view on morality. Nathaniel has lots of ideas for easy solutions to problems he never actually had and a very strong protective instinct which, for me, is what makes his relationship with Justin Lazarus so engaging. I just needed to know where they were going, how it would turn out and whether their differences were just too big to be ignored.
Despite said differences, life keeps throwing them together, and the mysterious Justin Lazarus, with his tough life that makes him feel lucky still for every little bit of comfort, sees himself involved in a dangerous plot that could lead him and Roy both to an early grave.
K.J. Charles’ writing is as pleasant as always, sucking you in from the beginning. The book is not very long and the fast pace of the narrative make it very easy to read in only a few hours. Combine the interesting characters with a compelling secondary plot of a murder mystery that encompasses not only this book but the whole Sins of the Cities series and you have a recipe to a great, impossible to put down read.

3.75 stars-- AN UNNATURAL VICE is the second installment in KJ Charles’s adult, Victorian, historical Sins of the Cities M/M romance, murder-mystery series. This is journalist and former lawyer Nathaniel Roy, and Seer of London Justin Lazarus’s story line. AN UNNATURAL VICE can be read as a stand alone but for cohesion and backstory I recommend reading the series in order as there is an ongoing premise and plot throughout the series. Some of the events of An Unnatural Vice cross over and run parallel to the events of book one-An Unseen Attraction.

NOTE: AN UNNATURAL VICE and the SINS OF THE CITIES series contain scenes of M/M sexual situations and may not be suitable for all readers.

Told from dual third person points of view (Justin and Nathaniel) AN UNNATURAL VICE follows the enemies to lovers relationship between the Seer of London (Medium) Justin Lazarus, and journalist Nathaniel Roy. Nathaniel’s latest assignment is to uncover the truth behind self-proclaimed Seer Justin Lazarus-a proclamation Nathaniel is determined to prove fraudulent and deceitful. But Justin has information that could prove helpful to Nathaniel’s friend Clem Talleyfer (An Unseen Attraction #1) as the group of friends endeavors to find the missing heir to the Taillefer fortune and title holder to the Earl of Moreton. What ensues are Justin and Nathaniel’s attempts to stay one step ahead of the people hired to destroy any evidence of an heir, and Justin and Nathaniel’s growing love between two people whose lives follow different paths towards the future.

The relationship between Nathaniel and Justin is slow to build. Their acrimonious but tepid friendship requires cooperation when Justin is targeted by someone in control; Nathaniel is determined to protect the man with whom he is falling in love sweeping his lover to a secreted location fearing for their lives. The $ex scenes are intimate and provocative without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

AN UNNATURAL VICE follows the search for the missing heir, although most of the investigation is behind the scenes as the story line focuses on our leading couple. The requisite evil has many faces but the ultimate villain has yet to be revealed.

The world building continues to look at the friendships and relationships of a group of ‘gay’ men in Victorian, England although AN UNNATURAL VICE primarily focuses on Nathaniel and Justin’s struggle to stay alive. Once again, the tone of the story is not conducive to the era or the time-I was expecting a tighter interpretation of the language e.g. euphemisms, slang, sentence structure, and because of this, the story line reads more modern than historic (see my review of book one). The back and forth banter between Justin and Nathaniel is witty and entertaining. The premise is much more detailed and descriptive than the first installment as the author brings to life the dreary and wretched world of Victorian England; the characters are colorful and dynamic although I would have liked more information about Nathaniel’s earlier years; the romance is seductive and intense. AN UNNATURAL VICE is an entertaining story line; a fast paced and intriguing story of mystery, suspense, romance and love.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

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Nathaniel is an investigative reporter and he wants to expose Justin who was a spiritualist who is a fraud. Justin calls himself the Seer of London. However when Nathaniel went to a seance Justin gives him the name of Tony - who had been Nathaniel's partner but had died five years ago. Justin has pulled himself up from the gutter and has no sympathy for the grieving and gullible people who come to him for spiritual guidance from the other world. Justin and Nathaniel hated each other but somehow were still very attracted to each other. Justin and Nathaniel become lovers and end up having to go to Nathaniel’s country estate to run from a murderer.
I didn’t really care for this book I don't like to read gay literature. I have gay friends just don’t want to read about homosexual sex and love

The feeling that washed over me when I finished An Unnatural Vice isn’t one I experience all that often, but I suspect we all know what it is; that wonderful sense of awe and sheer elation that settles over you when you’ve just read something incredibly satisfying on every level. A great story that’s excellently written and researched; characters who are well-drawn and appealing; a book that stimulates intellectually as well as emotionally… An Unnatural Vice has it all and is easily one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.

The Sins of the Cities series has been inspired by author K.J. Charles’ love of Victorian Sensation Fiction, stories full of intrigue, murder, blackmail, missing heirs, evil relatives, stolen inheritances… I’m a big fan of the genre, and I absolutely love the way the author has brought its various elements into play in terms of the plot and overall atmosphere. The events in An Unnatural Vice run concurrently with those of book one, An Unseen Attraction, so while this one could be read as a standalone I’d definitely recommend reading the series in order.

Handsome, well-educated and wealthy, Nathaniel Roy trained in the law, but now works as a crusading journalist, dedicated to exposing social injustice and waging campaigns against industrial exploitation. His editor has asked him to write an article about the mediums who prey on the wealthy, and as part of his research, he arranges to attend a séance held by the so-called Seer of London, Justin Lazarus. Highly sceptical and determined to expose him as a fraud, Nathaniel is nonetheless fascinated by the man’s skill at what he does while being frustrated at not being able to work out how the hell he is manipulating the various objects in the room without touching them. Worse still, however, is the unwanted spark of lust that shoots through him when he sets eyes upon the Seer for the first time, a visceral pull of attraction he hasn’t felt in the almost six years since he lost the love of his life; and the way Lazarus seems able to see into the very depths of Nathaniel’s soul is deeply unnerving and intrusive. He hates it at the same time as he is fascinated by the things Lazarus tells him and finds his convictions shaken and his thoughts consumed by the man over the next few days.

As far as Justin Lazarus is concerned, the gullible and credulous who make up the bulk of his clientele get exactly what they deserve and he refuses to feel guilty over giving them what they want – deceit and lies and sympathy – while they watch the people around them steal, whore or starve in the streets. But a sceptic like Nathaniel Roy represents the sort of challenge Justin can’t pass up; he isn’t surprised when the man requests a second, private, meeting, and he uses it to push all Roy’s buttons, opening up the not-fully healed wounds of his grief while playing on the lust Justin had recognised at their first meeting. The air is thick with suppressed desire and not-so-suppressed loathing as the two men trade barbs and insults – and even Justin recognises that this time, he’s probably gone too far and made an implacable enemy.

Mutual enmity notwithstanding however, Nathaniel and Justin are destined to be thrown into each other’s orbits once again when Justin receives a visit from two men who are trying to locate the children of a woman named Emmeline Godfrey who, they tell him, had been part of their “flock” until they ran away aged fourteen. Justin recalls the desperate woman who visited him a year earlier asking about her twins, and the men want him to find them. Sensing an opportunity, Justin puts on a show without telling them anything and thinks that’s that – until he remembers seeing an advertisement in the newspaper offering a reward for information about the same twins, giving Nathaniel Roy’s name as the person to contact. Always on the lookout for a way to make money, Justin decides to approach Roy with what he knows – but their discussion quickly descends into an erotically charged slanging match in which the mutual lust and hostility that has hung in the air between them since their first meeting boils over into a frenzied sexual encounter. Despite having been turned inside out by “one of the better fucks of the nineteenth century”, Justin is still keen to focus on what he can get for his information, while Nathaniel just wants him gone, berating himself for having been so damned stupid as to have let things go so far.

Readers of the previous book will recall that Emmeline Godfrey was the name of the woman the now-deceased Earl of Moreton married in secret some years before contracting a later, bigamous marriage. This means that the male twin is now the rightful earl, but with money and estates at stake, someone is going to great lengths to silence those who could reveal the truth – and now, Justin Lazarus has unwittingly put himself in the firing line. A solitary man who has built a life in which he answers to and depends on nobody, Justin has no-one to turn to when he finds himself on the run from the men threatening him – no-one, that is, apart from the man who despises him and has sworn to expose him as a fraud – Nathaniel Roy.

On the most basic level, this is an enemies-to-lovers romance, but in the hands of K.J. Charles it is so much more than that. Nathaniel is a man who is going through life by the numbers and doesn’t quite realise it; frozen by grief, he doesn’t expect ever to feel love or desire again and certainly not for a shifty bastard like Justin Lazarus. Nathaniel finds it difficult to understand why a man gifted with such perspicacity and insight would choose to make a living by cheating the weak and vulnerable; but when Justin turns to him for help and Nathaniel glimpses the clever, amusing and desperately lonely man lying beneath the tough, prickly exterior, he is unable to deny the truth of his feelings any longer and admits to himself that he is coming to love Justin in spite of everything. Justin is unapologetic and suspicious at first; born in a workhouse to a mother he never knew, his has been a hard life and he’s done what he had to in order to survive. He’s made something of himself through hard work, quick wits and sheer strength of will and doesn’t want to be beholden to anyone. He tries to push Nathaniel away and dismisses his assertions that Justin is a better man than he believes himself to be, but Nathaniel’s obvious belief in him gradually starts to break down his emotional barriers. The chemistry between the pair is off the charts, but amid all their snarling, vitriolic banter, come moments of real tenderness and understanding and watching these two damaged and very different men fall for each other is gut-wrenchingly beautiful. By the end of the book there is no doubt that they are deeply in love and in it for the long haul.

The writing is exquisite and the book is full of incredibly evocative scenes, whether it’s the descriptions of the thick, poisonous pea-souper that envelops London or the excitement of the opening séance, which is a real tour-de-force. The mystery of the missing Taillefer heir is smoothly and skilfully woven through Justin and Nathaniel’s love story and the ending brilliantly sets up the next book, An Unsuitable Heir, due for release later this year. But while the mystery is certainly intriguing, the real heart of the book is the complicated, messy but glorious romance between two bitter enemies. An Unnatural Vice is a must-read and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

It’s possible that this is my favourite KJ Charles book to date.
This is the second book in the Sins of the Cities series and I would say this can’t be read as a standalone. The relationship is a new one, but the storyline is connected to the previous book, and also continues into the third and final book.
This is the tale of Nathaniel, the journalist and friend of Clem that we first meet in An Unseen Attraction, and Justin Lazarus, a shameless shyster and medium. It hard to discuss the storyline without giving away the plot of the previous book, because they are run on from each other. In fact, this one starts just before the end of Clem and Rowley’s story.
This book has one of my favourite tropes, enemies to lovers and it gives us an excellent example of an unexpected (and initially unwanted) attraction and the perfect opportunity for some quite glorious hate sex, and some wonderfully biting banter. It also has another of my favourite themes and that is flawed characters. Nathaniel is drowning in grief for a lover he lost five years previously, while Justin is a product of society, dragged up from the gutter by whatever means necessary and determined not to return.
This book is funny and exciting and the romance builds quite beautifully. At 67% the chaps go for a walk in the woods together and I got quite choked up, without even the London fog to blame.
I love that Nathaniel could adore Justin but still despise his job, yet for all that he didn’t attempt to take it from him. I love that Justin is unapologetic in what he does and how he cares for those he feels responsible for.
And the discovery of the Earl? Well, I can honestly say that I didn’t see that coming. But that really is more Mark’s tale and I for one can’t wait to read it.

Buy This Book
Spoiler alert: If you haven’t read the first book in the Sins of the Cities trilogy, An Unseen Attraction, this review may contain spoilers.

I thought the first book in the Sins of the Cities trilogy was terrific, but this one is even better. Each book in the trilogy features a different couple, but they’re all linked to each other through friendship or family (or both), and the overarching mystery involving the aristocratic Taillefer family. In An Unnatural Vice, Clem Talleyfer’s close friend Nathaniel Roy, a crusading journalist and truth seeker, meets his match in Justin Lazarus, the Seer of London, a professional liar who preys on the grieving and gullible. Their mutual enmity and lust are palpable, and the evolution of their relationship – from bitter enemies to devoted lovers – is gripping and romantic. Victorian era London is plagued by a sinister and threatening pea-souper, killers and religious fanatics lurk in the poisonous black fog, and long buried Taillefer family secrets are exposed.

Intelligent, handsome, and wealthy, Nathaniel Roy is on a mission to expose spiritualists as charlatans who exploit the grieving and vulnerable. When the story opens, he’s seated at a table awaiting the famed Seer of London, Justin Lazarus. Confident he can deduce the man’s tricks and manipulations, he’s unprepared for his lustful response when the Seer enters the room and locks eyes with him. Nothing goes as Nathaniel plans or expects; Lazarus is alternately dismissive and mocking of his doubts, he can’t figure out how the man manipulates items in the room without touching them, and he doesn’t understand how or why the Seer seems to know his deepest, darkest secrets. When he utters the name of Nathaniel’s deceased former companion and lover, Nathaniel is left bewildered and grief-stricken all over again. His lustful thoughts about the wicked and tempting Lazarus only compound his anger and he decides to pay him another visit and expose him once and for all as a fraud and deceiver.

Justin Lazarus has no remorse for the lies he tells at his séances.

Justin felt no guilt. He never felt guilty. Fuck them all: the gullible dupes, the sensation-seekers, the men and ladies with greedy eyes and hands that fondled in the darkness. The whining wealthy who clad themselves in the best-quality mourning gowns and coats to proclaim their sorrow for the dead, while people around them starved and whored for life. The fools who stared and saw nothing while they expected heavenly powers spread before them for a guinea. They came in their dozens, bleating for miracles, so ready to believe that he barely had to work at fooling them. They begged him to help himself to their trust, their secrets, their money. They wanted him to deceive them, so he did, and it served them right. It served them all right.

He knows he’s made an enemy of Nathaniel Roy, but he isn’t terribly troubled by it. Born in poverty to a mother he never knew, Justin spent his childhood on his knees, kowtowing to an abusive master. If his lies provide the freedom to live his life safe and secure, on his own terms, no one – not even a handsome, hostile and disbelieving investigative reporter – is going to tell him differently.

Nathaniel stews at home over the séance, grief and hope at war with his conviction that it’s all a sham. When he finally returns to confront Lazarus, he arrives without an appointment, but Lazarus doesn’t seem surprised to see him. Though the conversation starts off amicably enough, the visit quickly goes off the rails. Nathaniel, frustrated both by his attraction to and distrust of Justin, accuses him of trickery and deceit. Lazarus, seemingly unperturbed by Nathaniel’s anger, slowly and painstakingly pulls him apart. The tension between them is thick, their chemistry electric… until a knock at the door restores them to their senses.

But the encounter at Justin’s home is simply the first in a series of events that slowly, inextricably, bring the men together. Shortly after their heated exchange, Justin makes a startling discovery that links him to the the Taillefer family – and to Nathaniel, who’s been providing legal advice to Clem. When he attempts to follow up on the information with Nathaniel, the conversation again becomes heated and as the two men trade insults, the sexual tension between them reaches a flash point. Lust and attraction combine until they find themselves frantically gripping, kissing and biting one another – all the while continuing to hurl insults. They passionately and furiously come at one another and the scene is alternately wicked and wonderful. But the night ends on a painful note after Nathaniel, ashamed by his behavior and vexed by Justin’s casual demeanor, lashes out and their pseudo détente comes to an abrupt and ugly end. Unfortunately, Justin’s link to the Taillefer family places his life in peril. Desperate, he turns to Nathaniel – the man who seeks to ruin him and the only man he trusts – for help. With enemies closing in, Nathaniel spirits him out of town to hide out at his home in Harpenden on the outskirts of London.

From the moment Nathaniel meets Justin, he’s captivated and consumed with thoughts of him. He can’t understand how Justin rationalizes lying to the vulnerable and weak, but once the men get away from town and begin to know one another, Nathaniel starts to understand how Justin became the man he is – and to admit he loves him anyway. Justin, wary of being indebted to anyone – including Nathaniel – is initially doubtful of Nathaniel’s intent in bringing him to Harpenden. He’s pushed away anyone who’s tried to grow close to him, and he tries to push Nathaniel away as well. But time – and his affection and desire (and love!) for Nathaniel finally break down his defences. Days pass and the men grow emotionally and physically closer to one another. Justin slowly lets down his guard and begins to trust Nathaniel, and Nathaniel falls deeper and further in love with a man he tries and fails to resist. But their romantic interlude comes to an abrupt and terrifying end – and Ms. Charles sets the stage for book three, An Unsuitable Heir, to unfold.

I loved the evolution of Justin and Nathaniel’s relationship from enemies to lovers, and how Ms. Charles links the pair to the Taillefer family and its secrets. She deftly weaves the overarching thriller/mystery into the relationship, and the romance shines while still slowly and steadily advancing the larger story. Though Nathaniel and Justin are attracted to one another from the very start (their chemistry is scorching), their bitterness and mutual animosity is a thing to behold. Much like the dark and sinister fog that plagues London, they struggle to find their way to each other. Justin – whose painful past has left him wary of hope, trust, and love – grapples with his feelings for Nathaniel and doubts about his future. Nathaniel, finally free of his grief and ready to love again, struggles to convince Justin they can and should have a future together.

An Unnatural Vice is a tremendous follow-up to the first book in the Sins of the City trilogy. Fans of the series – and of K. J. Charles – will love the romance between Nathaniel and Justin, and the Taillefer family mystery. The ending is… well, it’s not quite a cliffhanger, but we are left with more questions than answers as we not-so-patiently wait for the next book. An Unnatural Vice is exciting, entertaining, romantic – and wonderful.

Nathanial Roy and Justin Lazarus are two completely different men. From the moment they meet, they’re at each other’s throats. The mutual dislike is intense. But underneath that, there’s also a strong current of desire.

Most of Nathaniel and Justin’s issues boil down to the fact that they see the world differently. Nathaniel wants justice and order. Justin see life as a jungle - you either eat, or get eaten.

Justin seems cold and aloof at first, but I was immediately drawn to him. Through his POV, readers see that the shell around him is only for protection, and he had very little control over how his life turned out.

Their first few meetings are disasters. I thought they were hilarious. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t want to see two potential lovebirds shoot daggers at one another, but these two so obviously wanted each other, that it was just funny.

Things are made more difficult when the two MCs are embroiled in the scandal involving bigamy and murder from book 1. Though Nathaniel and Justin are accidental players in the game, I was more entertained by the mystery this time around than I was in book 1.

The twists and turns kept me hooked, and the action scenes kept me on the edge of my seat.

The situation that the MCs find themselves in also forces them to figure out what they really want from each other.

The big stumbling block in the relationship is Justin’s career as a fraudulent spiritualist. Though I understood why Nathaniel had issues with it, I thought he was being deliberately stubborn by refusing to see things from Justin’s point of view.

But my annoyance with Nathaniel was short-lived. Once the two finally decided to be honest and open with each other, and actually <i>talk</i>, it didn’t take long for them to find a way forward.

Overall, I really liked ‘An Unnatural Vice.’ The main characters are complex and interesting, the mystery was engaging, and the romance was angsty but with an excellent happy ending. I’m looking forward to book 3!

This was awesome .

It began sometime around the middle part of Book 1: An Unseen Attraction , sort of run concurrently with it for a while, then continued after it ended. Nat was introduced in An Unseen Attraction and we got to know Justin in this one.

On the surface , Justin was a brilliant , unrepentant swindler who was callous to boot. He pretty much hated the world and felt no remorse for any of his actions. He was also very prickly and quite frankly a bit broken but the thing I liked most was the fact that he didn't miraculously change his whole attitude overnight for love when it found him.

This was because he had very valid reasons for turning out the way he did and as such, the internal struggle he experienced was very real . He went though a lot before accepting the fact that he didn't need to be alone all the time and truly did not need to hate the world.

Initially, Nat was judgy and self righteous as hell. This I think happened because he hadn't been exposed to life's harshness and Justin posed a challenge to everything he stood for. Justin was the "darkness" to his "light" as he saw it and Nat made it a point to try and fix all the "darkness " in the world around him. What he rather ended up doing was falling for the man behind the callous fraudster facade.

These two DETESTED one another on sight and on sheer principle. However, it was also very clear that despite all hate, they wanted each other intensely . This made for a veeeeeery nicely done first time together in the sheets.

Intrigue , mystery and machinations from the previous book bled into this one and made for a very exciting read. Needless to say, one would be well advised to have read An Unseen Attraction before this as the reveals hit you harder if you start from the beginning .

I cant go on without mentioning that I thoroughly enjoyed the spiritualist angle in the first part of the story and could tell that the author had done very extensive research on the spiritualists movements during that time period. It's one thing I adore about K.J. Charles and what keeps her among my favourites; you see the fruits of the work she puts into her books AND she always gets the writing down pat. It was wonderful as always.

Overall, the story centering around the MCs had a nice good ending (just like in An Unseen Attraction ]), but the overarching murder- mystery-inheritance plot for the series was left purposely hanging to be finished in the final book in the Trilogy: An Unsuitable Heir which is Mark's book. I am sooooo excited for it!

Trust me, if you read how the setup for Mark's book was done & how the other MC[i don't want to spoil it] was introduced, you would GET why I'm this hyped!

O My fair October(release month)! How far away thou Art! I needeth you NOW!

Another fantastic enemies to lovers romance. This is my 3rd one in a row and I LOVE them. The sparks and drama are right at the forefront and the relationship can only get better from there, instead of happy start then often convoluted angst thrown in.

Nat is a journalist trying to expose the fraudulent “Seer of London”, Justin Lazarus. After attending a seance, Justin taps into Nat’s longing to connect to his dead lover, despite Nat’s knowing this isn’t possible.

I love how Justin is up front (to the reader anyway) about being a con artist. He has his baggage and you feel for him even though what he’s doing is wrong.

Sparks fly and watching these two find a path to love and forgiveness without compromising themselves was a joy to read. Another slam dunk by one of my favorite authors.

*I do recommend you read book #1 , An Unseen Attraction, first. there is quite a bit of character and plot overlap between the two.

With this second book in the series, Charles is doing an excellent job of giving us mini arcs within an overarching series arc. But even more so, she's given us a very diverse and unusual set of characters. There are no heroes named Gryffon or Sebastian, no Duke of Silvertons or white bread aristocrat heroes. Instead, we have examples such as a character with an Indian mother and an investigator named Mark Braglewicz. The cast of each book is always interesting.

Story: Nathaniel studied to be a lawyer but gave it up to be a journalist. With a strong sense of justice and right, he is always looking to expose or fix the more persistent problems of London's underbelly. When he goes after The Seer of London, Justin Lazarus, he finds his match in many ways. Justin is slippery, fiercely loyal to his street urchin 'family', and has come to some terms with his history of being abused by those he were supposed to care for him. He has no remorse taking money from his conscienceless clients - he's seen the ills they have done under the protection of wealth or status. But Justin and Nathaniel become irrevocably tangled in the affair of finding the twin heirs of Clem's father, the Earl. Someone is still out there ready to torture and murder in order to prevent the twins from succeeding. And Justin is in his crosshairs.

Justin is brought neatly into the mystery by having had a session with the twins' mother, Emmaline, who was searching for them after they left. I found it fascinating that the mother became embroiled in a cult and the twins fled to get away from it. Nathaniel's connection with Clem (and Mark, who likely will be the third hero) ties in neatly with Justin's knowledge of the twins and their shadowed paternity. The main arc progresses nicely even while the book arc completes.

As always, the writing is fluid and the characters engaging. I don't find so many of the anachronisms in speech and attitudes as I do in so many books of this genre. I only question why none of the men seem to be too worried about their proclivities being discovered since it was considered such a heinous 'crime' back then.

In all, I am enjoying the series - a bit of romance and a bit of mystery with very distinct and unique characters. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

This book is the second installment in the Sins of The Cities  Series. Our heroes are Nathaniel Roy a barrister turned journalist with a chip on his shoulder the size of Gibraltar, and Justin Lazarus an incredibly shady and clever medium whose goal in life seems to drive Nathaniel out of his mind. He has EVERY kind of trick up his sleeve, and and he has the Medium game down to a science. These two are hot and cold, and then hot and hotter.

The setting as always is top notch, this time we get a London covered in a thick fog that shrouds the city in darkness for days. The perfect time for sinister goings on to happen.  The universe and cast of characters from the first book in the series are all here and it continues to grow. Once again, KJ made Victorian London her playground and her characters brought the city and its secrets to life all while delivering a very satisfying love story.

Nathaniel has a problem and his name is Justin. He can't stand the man. He just knows he is up to no good. Granted for the first time since he lost his lover five years ago, he is feeling anything other than utter apathy, he is not sure what to do with that, but he knows who is to blame, Justin Lazarus. Justin, who he is convinced is a hack and conning people out of their hard earned money by telling them he can give them a connection with their dead loved ones. The man is despicable, he can't stand the little cheat, and is determined to show the world he is a fraud. The only issue is, that every time he encounters Justin the man gets deeper and deeper under his skin. There is something broken and fragile about him calls to something in Nathaniel. He too smart for his own good, he is beautiful and Nathaniel can't seem to stay away.

In  an unexpected twist of fate, Nathaniel and Justin end up needing each other to get out of a potentially deadly mess.  Nathaniel's friend Clem is at risk of losing everything if his nephew, and heir to the family's fortune can't be found. Justin just so happens to be able to get to the people that know where he might be, the only trouble is these people are not above killing them both to get their hands on the money. What ensues is a pretty fast paced adventure, where there are twists and turns literally to the last page. And while we escape to the countryside  and back with these two we get quite a romance.

I think Justin is one of the best characters KJ has written, and that is saying quite a lot, since some of her characters feature very prominently in my favorites list. What makes Justin so intriguing to me is that he refuses to apologize for what he must do to earn his livelihood, even if it make him despicable in the eyes of others. He was given a rotten lot in life and he turned that into something he could use to provide himself and his family security. He is a trickster and he is a fraud, so what? At least he is not walking around feeling like he is better than anyone, or sitting down reaping the benefits from the work off someone else's back. Especially not a sanctimonious arsehole like Nathaniel Roy who was not idea what it's like to be so hungry you'd sell your soul for a meal.  Justin takes care of his own and is completely unfazed by anyone's opinion of how he does it.

Nathaniel is judgmental, he has been too comfortable his whole life to grasp the reality that some people literally have had to crawl up from the gutter to stay alive. He sees Justin is too fixated on his views on right and wrong. But when he finally gets over himself and can see Justin for who he really is,  Justin humbles and entrances him. They have so much to give each other once Nathaniel lets go of high handed bullshit, and Justin opens himself up a little bit and let down his guard...Neither are easy things to do for these two, but the pull is too strong between them.

The romance here is solid, the intrigue and drama quite delicious, and the chemistry between Justin and Nathaniel is phenomenal. Thankfully there is one more book in the series which I cannot wait to read. Another great romance by KJ Charles.