This Victorian, enemies to lovers romance was very well written with a good plot and such interesting characters. The dialogue was witty and often humorous. I absolutely loved the interactions between Justin and Nathaniel, especially when what starts as slinging insults becomes fun banter. While it is a romance, it's also so much more. There's Nathaniel's stubborn refusal to give up on figuring out Justin's secrets and the intrigue surrounding the aristocracy. The story is full of murder, mayhem, kidnapping, the search for a lost heir, a bit of trickery, and some sexy between our main characters - most of which takes place in the London fog. Charles' descriptive prose pulled me in and I felt like I could see it all playing out. I haven't read the first one in this series (yet), but I had no problem following the story in this one and I'm looking forward to the next.

Riveting and suspenseful!

An Unnatural Vice is the second book in the Sins of the Cities series. While you probably could read this as a standalone, I highly recommend that you read this series in order. The story for each couple in their book is resolved but the underlying mystery won't be solved until book 3, An Unsuitable Heir.

I had a bit of a struggle with the first book in this series but ended up liking it OK. I also struggled a bit with this one at first but I ended up loving it. The enemies to lovers trope isn't one that I've read a lot but KJ Charles did a superb job with this one.

Nathaniel has been brought up in privilege, never wanting for anything. Justin has had to scrounge for everything and has finally made a name for himself as a "spiritualist" and doesn't feel a bit guilty for taking money from people in return for telling them what they want to hear.

Nathaniel and Justin have an adversarial relationship throughout most of this story and it certainly makes for some interesting dialogue between the characters. When they no longer can fight their attraction to each other they don't try to fool themselves into thinking that it's anything but a good f**k.

This story had lots of action and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout most of it. Ms. Charles writing is captivating, the dialogue between the characters is witty and crisp with just enough humor thrown in to keep the book from being too somber.

I have no idea who the bad guy is going to be and I can't wait for the last book in this series to wrap things up for me.


A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

Nathaniel is a man adrift, after losing his lover 5 years ago. He's a man of privilege and principals, a journalist. Justin, the Seer of London, rose from poverty, a cutthroat existence; no family, everything came with a price. Their paths cross and become entangled in mystery, murder and romance...
Suspenseful, adult historical, mystery romance. Slow start (possibly due to not having read 1st book in series), develops into well written presentation/intrigue. Strong sexual scenes for adults only. Enjoyed angst between main characters and characters finding their strengths. 3 1/2 stars.
Voluntarily read ARC thru Netgalley and publisher for honest review.

K.J. Charles does it again with this historical mystery romance! As always, Charles' social history feels well researched and lends an air of realism to London, its society, and her characters. This was a great "enemies to lovers" story between two men who were far apart in life experiences and social strata, but who were just right for each other. Nate and Justin balanced out each others' rough spots and weaknesses, stronger together than apart. I loved how loyal Justin was to his people.

The overall mystery that spans the Sins of the Cities series took several steps forward in this installment. Happily there were developments that I hadn't expected, but that linked back to the first book, An Unseen Attraction! The next book, An Unsuitable Heir, is due out October 3. I can't wait!

Once again, KJ Charles blew my expectations to smithereens after reading An Unnatural Vice.

Once again, she delivered word porn to savor. And wrote a mystery arc that I was fully engaged with and can't wait to be solved.

Once again a set well written characters that I just wanted to pick apart and re-read over and over.

The leads in the second in Sins of the Cities series, are the serious, crusading former lawyer, now journalist Nathaniel Roy and the deviously cunning spiritualist Justin Lazarus. I don't there isn't a theme this author couldn't conquer. Vice is enemies to lovers and is always my weakness which the author writes it sooooo well.

Nathaniel is writing an expose on the frauds that are spiritualists. The alleged psychics that can communicate with the dead and tell the grieving their loved ones' wishes from beyond the veil... for a price. Nathaniel visits a popular to see the schemer in action. Enter one of my favorite KJ Charles characters, the "Seer of London" aka Mr. Justin Lazarus.



From their first meeting the adversaries are attracted to each other, even if they think that other person is in the wrong. Archbishop's son Nathaniel might be atheist, but he will always fight for what's right. And Justin grew up in the gutter, so whatever he can do so he doesn't have to scrape and bow to anyone. And if that includes fleecing the idiots with fat pockets, so be it.

While the two men argue and try to outwit one another, the arc from the last book is churning along. It might seem slow in spots, but I think it might've been the parts where introspection was given from either man's POV. The men can't deny their lust and act on it rather quickly. And it never fizzles out. They just kept getting better and hotter. Hints: big guy bottoming and hate sex! Wherever the two had sex, floor, backroom or bannister...it scorched.

While Nathaniel is steadfast in getting the rightful heir in place, he can't help but see the good in Justin. Obviously so as Lazarus is the first man in over five years that Nathaniel ever looked at in passion. The author didn't make Nathaniel's past lover, Tony feel like a silent partner that kept a noose of grief around the neck. But the pain of missing his lover definitely came across.

Justin is amoral and doesn't give a fuck what anyone thinks. It was love at first read once I got to delve into that criminal mind. Lying, deceitful, always thinking twenty steps ahead, tricky as hell. That's Justin and more. He's so multifaceted. And underneath the cunning exterior with the eyes that never missed anything, is a damaged man who just needed someone to understand him.

"I hate what you do, and I kneel at your altar anyway."
"Then you're a fool. I lie and cheat and I'm so jealous of a dead man I could die myself-"

The mystery is coming to a head. A lot of truths were finally uncovered, there is still the suspect from book #1 running around. What is the motive. After finishing, it doesn't seem to be over. I can't believe the hints to the next lead was there in book #1. And I can't wait for #3 to be out - the protagonists (Mark which already knew and his love interest will be very, very interesting.) Their history seems like it might possibly explosive.

As for An Unnatural Vice, I enjoyed this even more than book #1 just for the pleasure of reading Justin.

Highly recommended especially for readers who love devious characters!

“An Unnatural Vice,” by K.J. Charles’, is unnaturally splendid. The second in her “Sins of the Cities” series it can be read as a standalone romance. But the core mystery is much richer if read after the first in the series. If “An Unseen Attraction” was pure delight, this second novel is even finer.

Nathaniel Roy, a crusading journalist, is set on exposing spiritualists who supposedly contact the dead. “Others found such trumpery amusing; he saw nothing funny at all in selling falsehood to people in despair.” Perhaps he’s angry that his lover, who died five years earlier, has never “crossed the veil” to make contact, leaving Nathaniel’s existence chaste and cold.

Justin Lazarus clawed his way from workhouse and gutter to become a spiritualist. His success emanates from a refined talent at reading human nature. However, he has little use for mankind, who he certainly doesn’t consider “kind.”

Here is how he views his clients:
-“In fact, when he thought about it, the client he loathed most at any given time was whichever one was sitting in front of him.”
-“There, there. You saved for two years to look for your lost children, and you’re spending the money on a spiritualist instead of a detective. You hopeless, soggy mopstick. There, there.”
-“Conscience makes flats of us all. How lucky I don’t have one.”

When Nathaniel attends Justin’s séance, his inability to explain witnessed supernatural feats infuriates him. Peeved by Justin’s attractiveness, Nathaniel is further incensed when Justin accurately labels his grief, loss of faith and loneliness. And yet, “Nathaniel thought he could weep from gratitude…just to be seen, even in such a way, even by such a man, because the recognition was so much better than invisibility.”

Thus, when Justin encounters danger that dovetails with another of Nathaniel’s ongoing investigations, the chance to work together is aggravating and exciting in equal measure. “He had never in his life been with anyone whose will was as strong as his own. This didn’t feel like a flirtation; it felt like stags circling, antlers ready to clash.”

Slowly, Justin and Lazarus come to appreciate one another’s skills. “He wanted Lazarus, and-the true danger here-he wanted to believe Lazarus was worth wanting.” But are Nathaniel and Justin fooling themselves? With a murderer at loose, will their infatuation dull them to danger?

K.J. Charles’ charms as an author are too numerous to list. In my opinion, she’s the best contemporary series writer. Her meticulous attention to detail weaves plots between novels so perfectly that “An Unnatural Vice” truly enhances “An Unseen Attraction”! Much like Charles Dickens, her intricate plots leave me tingling just anticipating the next edition.

As the above quotes exemplify, Ms. Charles is a master of Victorian dialect. I frequently smiled that her droll humor never taxed my ability to comprehend the lingo. Likewise, her descriptions of the era are enlightening. “Clean air. It tasted odd.”

Justin and Nathaniel’s flaws are entertaining and relatable. K.J. perceives the perfect foil for each of her characters, the one eccentric man who would enhance his lover’s quirky personality, generating unique and extremely intimate love scenes.

Her off-handed comments always educate:
“A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence.”

And most importantly, her insights are breathtaking:
“He’d always wanted to stand alone; he’d always thought of reliance on others as a house of cards, a fragile structure that could be pushed over at any time. And that was true; people betrayed, and left, and died. He hadn’t been wrong. Only, he hadn’t considered that a card on its own couldn’t stand at all.”

At this juncture, I feel I owe Ms. Charles an apology. I’ve assigned a four-star rating to some of her books. That was in comparison to my favorite of her books, like this novel, or “A Seditious Affair”. When I compare her to other 4 star authors, K.J. would always rank at least 4.5 stars.

For flawless storylines, impeccable prose, delightful humor, hot love scenes, terrible villains, and rascals we must love, put yourself in K.J. Charles incomparable hands and read “An Unseen Attraction” and “An Unnatural Vice” in order.

This was a wonderful story. This is a M/M suspense set in Victorian times. This is the second in the series and to understand all that goes on you need to have read the first book An Unseen Attraction. This installment in the story has a little more suspense than the first did. It is a great story and the characters have their flaws but are so lovable. I was rooting for them to make it the entire story. Like the first book this book has some interesting Victorian professions, which I found it interesting to read about. It moved at a great pace and I found it hard to put down. I really enjoyed it and cannot wait for the next installment.

5 Stars!

An Unnatural Vice is book 2 in the Sins of the Cities series by K.J. Charles, while it features a different couple from book 1, there's an ongoing arc that follows directly from An Unseen Attraction, so it's meant to be read in order.

Nathaniel Roy is a crusading journalist, still grieving the death of his lover six years before, doing an exposé on spiritualists. Justin Lazarus is a medium who feels no remorse for lying to his clients and Nathaniel's first subject. Sparks fly between them and after an intense second seance in which Justin gets a little too close to what Nathaniel has been hiding, Nathaniel is more determined than ever to expose Justin. When it turns out Justin knows more about a case Nathaniel has been helping one of his friends with and finds himself in the path of a killer, they will need to work together to get to the bottom of it all. But can they trust each other enough for that?

This is an enemies to lovers story, in which the main characters become unlikely allies in their quest to find answers to a sordid affair in which one of Nathaniel's friends, Clem, who WAS featured in An Unseen Attraction, has found himself involved in.

While Justin is shown as amoral and unrepentant at what he does for a living, I couldn't help loving him. There was a certain vulnerability to him, something that he tried not to show that just drew me to him. Nevermind that the way he cared for Sukee and Emma just made me melt. I loved Nathaniel, too. His pain after losing Tony and the fact that he hadn't been able to move past his sudden death until Justin came into the picture, were endearing. The unresolved sexual tension between Justin and Nathaniel was explosive when they came together and slowly, gradually IT turned into something deeper, but not less intense. I just adored seeing them get to know each other when they were thrown together by circumstance and see past their initial misgivings with each other.

This series just keeps getting better and better. The ongoing mystery arc is captivating and well-thought out and I loved the new elements that were added in this second installment. The relationship between Justin and Nathaniel progressed very realistically from enemies to tentative allies to lovers, with some very hot hate sex in between for good measure and ultimately, they fit perfectly with each other despite how different they were. KJ Charles' writing is superb, and as always, she's capable of transporting me to Victorian England effortlessly. It was awesome to catch up with Clem and Rowley and Mark and I can't wait for the next book in this series to see how it all will play out.

Highly recommendable!

*** Copy provided to the reviewer via NetGalley for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

Absolutely fantastic! A enemies to lovers historical romance that had mystery, adventure and a beautiful romance! LOVED it!!!

Nathaniel Roy is a reporter and is currently interested in exposing mediums as frauds. The Seer of London, Justin Lazarus, is his first target. Unfortunately, Justin had done a reading for a woman looking for her lost twin children the year before, and these children are now being searched for by at least three different parties. In addition, Justin is Nathaniel's type, even as Nathaniel wants to ignore the attraction. The two are forced to work together to find the twins.

This is the second Sins of the Cities book, directly following up An Unseen Attraction. Even if you've never read the first book, events that are applicable to this book are told in such a way that you don't feel like it's an info dump. If you have read the first book, it backtracks and tells the last few chapters' worth of events from Nathaniel's point of view, then catapults forward as they try to find the rightful heirs of the Taillefer fortune.

Neither man is thinking of a future together, though it's not entirely because of the anti-homosexual atmosphere of the Victorian period. Nathaniel had lost his prior love to a freak accident years ago that he had never recovered from, Justin is cynical and thinks of everything as a trade or something to be bought. Being forced to spend time together in the country (such a fun trope in the Regency and Victorian romance novels) means they have to actually talk to one another and learn about each others' pasts, which only deepens the love they have for each other but are unwilling to name. The direct threat on their lives isn't at the end of the book, as it is in most novels, but is the reason why they hide in the country. The end is more of an emotional climax for them, giving it a settled and contemplative feeling.

Well Nathaniel and Justin couldn't have been more different from Clem and Rowley and as such we got an entirely different type of story! Where Clem and Rowley were all sweet explorations and careful considerations, Nat and Justin were all hateful fucks and shoving their opinions in each other's faces.

When we get down to brass tax, Justin is a liar who literally doesn't give a shit about anyone or anything other than himself and the two girls who live with him. Nathaniel has a very strong moral compass and generally believes he's right about most things. These two clash!...to say the least and you can <I>feel </I>it on page. Their fight, anger and passion towards each other is so obvious it's hard to see how they'll come together… and when they do... Wow.

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Anger-fucking at it's finest!

It surprisingly doesn't take too long for Justin to need Nat's help and for Nat to give it freely, which was the last thing Justin expected. They start to get to know each other and it is lovely to see. I think I would've liked more of this scattered throughout the book though. By the time we get to the 'getting deep’ stages of their 'relationship’ it's all in one clump and became a little slow….if it was more evenly spread this would've been a 5 heart read!

The mystery that started in Book 1 continues and develops more. I felt there was definitely more mystery and less relationship in this book compared to the last one, which was also a little downer for me.

This was a great addition to the overall trilogy though and I'm super excited about this new heir and can't wait for book 3!!!!

This is the continuation The Sin of the Cities series. It can be read alone, but it picks up right where An Unseen Attraction ends, and the storyline is absolutely fascinating and captivating. It's full of intrigue, mystery, murder, secrets and romance. Nathaniel is bitter man bent on exposing Justin as a fraud. He lost the love of his life and hates that Justin takes advantage of people who are grieving. Justin is bitter about his whole life, he hates himself for what he is, but doesn't know what else to do. The two intensely dislike each other, but they are also overwhelmingly drawn to the other. And end up trying to heal themselves and each other. I can't wait to read the next book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. This is my voluntary and honest opinion of it.

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.

Buy Now: A/BN/iB/K

In this engaging, imaginative and well crafted story we return to the foggy streets of Victorian London. Part two of the Sins of the City trilogy focuses on Nathaniel Roy a wealthy but heartbroken journalist who is determined to expose the Seer of London.

The Seer is Julian Lazurus a creative and clever man who has built up a lucrative business holding seances and speaking to the dead, services for which his wealthy clients are glad to pay.

When Nathaniel starts to investigate Lazurus the two men are reluctantly attracted to each other and so the push and pull between these enemies begins. When Julian is asked to do a seance for two men seeking some lost children, little does he know that he will be drawn into a mystery and a race to find the true heir of the Earl of Talleyfer both of which will bring him closer to Nathaniel in ways he couldn't have imagined.

I thought this was an excellent follow up to the first book and much more interesting. Revisiting the characters from book enriches this story because we get to see more of Clem and Rowley but from a different perspective and we get to know more about this group of friends.

With Julian we have a character who is strong and confident when he is wrong and who isn't afraid to back down from confrontation with Nathaniel. Julian is trickster but he believes in taking care of himself and doing what he needs to do to stay alive. Nathaniel is vulnerable, still recovering from the loss of his former lover. When he meets Julian he is angry at the way his emotional vulnerability is manipulated and he vows to expose Julian, not knowing that Julian holds the key to finding the heir of the Earl.

I thought this was a really good story and a great follow up to book one. The story of the heir continues but it is told from a different perspective. As with all KJ Charles historical stories, the evocative writing takes us to those dangerous, foggy streets of London and we find the Seer of London practicing his 'art', and doing all that he needs to do so as to stay alive. Julian seeks no ones approval and he isn't afraid to challenge Nathaniel but when the crunch comes and he is running for his life it is Nathaniel's help he seeks.

The two men overcome their enmity in order to survive a common foe and as they run and hide they come to know and appreciate each other and acknowledge the wild and deep attraction that exists between them.

This is great writing and rich storytelling with a satisfying ending which leaves you wanting to read book three immediately, alas I have to wait. A great book two which continues the events in book one and leaves the reader impatiently waiting for book three and the conclusion to the overall story.

Copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

4 stars!

*

An Unnatural Vice is a wonderful and engrossing enemies-to-lovers story! It introduces new characters, but follows some of the events in the first installment of this series, An Unseen Attraction. It has an added element of mystery that keeps you on your toes, some paranormal shenanigans, and complex and developed characters.

K.J. Charles continues to deliver entertaining and fast-paced novels. This one is action packed, and a great mixture of mystery and romance. It has some steamy and sweet scenes to counterbalance the dangerous ones, and keeps you flipping pages the entire time to figure out what’s going on.

Once again, K.J. Charles gives us well-developed and complex characters, one of which has a unique profession. Justin’s work is super interesting to read about, especially with the way it ties together with the plot and last installment’s mystery arc. It gives him an edge as a character, especially as you struggle to empathise with him and his line of work.

The conflict in this novel is also really engrossing and well-thought it. Like mentioned above, it brings up things from An Unseen Attraction. This book also reveals and adds to the main mystery left over from the previous installment - the Godfrey kids, while also providing new twists and obstacles for Nathaniel and Justin to face. The plot picks up and really hooks you in as it progresses, and the last half of the book is absolutely amazing.

The romance is also super well-developed. It is very much an enemies-to-lovers story. Nathaniel and Justin rather dislike each other at the beginning, and hold on to those kind of feelings throughout a chunk of the novel. It’s such a delight to read about their relationship and feelings changing as they get to know each other, and makes the romance rather sweet at the end.

In the end, An Unnatural Vice is a great addition to this series. It’s a fun book with an intriguing mystery, and definitely worth a read if you enjoy historical mysteries with a dash of romance.

The second entry to Sins of the Cities brought Nathaniel Roy - the journalist cum lawyer friend of MCs from An Unseen Attraction - head to head with the so-called Seer of London, Justin Lazarus. It was a fiery collision from the get go which - as expected - combusted in no time at all.

As continuation to the Taillefer family rigmarole, this book lent crucial attribute to put together the missing link. On the personal issue and romantic department however, Justin and Nathaniel didn't fully captivate me.

The story is interesting, and likewise the mutual animosity mixed in with lust between the two men. Justin might be the perfect antihero, him being a crafty trickster masquerading as spiritualist and taking a couple of orphans as his familiars. Nathaniel too, with his sharp journalist mind, seemed to be a good opponent. And I initially enjoyed their verbal volleys. As the plot revealed though, my regard to Nate diminished as - on facing the menacing fiend that keep popping on their way - he didn't seem too resourceful. Not totally obtuse, but less than what I expected. On this matter, Justin proved his savviness (at the same time the thugs showed their dimwittedness, I guess).

And fervent as their dalliance might seem, I didn't totally buy the chemistry between them. It felt too rushed and adrenaline-affected. Justin and his familiars's kinship were more believable and touching indeed. I really look forward to see him on the next entry to series - with how the case's development further had Justin worked together with another of Nate's friend.


Advanced copy of this book is kindly provided by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An Unnatural Vice is the second book in K.J. Charles’ new series Sins of the Cities. It picks up the story from An Unseen Attraction and masterfully amps up the action. Nathaniel Roy, close friend of Clem Talleyfer, swears to help him navigate the legal troubles of his large family after the closing events of the first book. To be able to do so, he is forced to seek aid from Justin Lazarus, The Seer of London, a professional liar and one of the city’s foremost mediums, and the two become entangled in each other. As people with very strong personalities, they immediately clash and must figure out how to be able to work together. As the Taillefer family situation gets more and more complicated and more players enter the fray, they attract notice of someone they shouldn’t have and now, with a murderer after them, they need to close ranks to protect each other.

The story is set right in the middle of the boom of Victorian spiritualism, at a time when it was most prosperous and popular. I always found the industry around mediums fascinating, and despite knowing well enough that all we see is fake, I was right there with Nathaniel, unable to believe my eyes at some of Justin’s more elaborate tricks. The fact all of them were real and possible at the time shows us the power of well-done research and it makes the book come alive.

“Listen to me. You are not alone, and i will make sure you’re protected.”

Where this book shines the most are characters. Nathaniel and Justin are complex, fascinating characters and watching them interact with each other and their friends is absolute joy. Nathaniel is someone who has been in deep grief for many years now, and as someone in the same situation as him, I found his portrayal very touching and relatable. The way his grief always boils underneath the surface, ready to poke it’s head out at any occasion, is both heartbreaking and soothing to me. He takes his pain and transforms it into righteous anger towards injustices. He’s hot-headed and rude, but also kind and supportive towards those who deserve it. He sees through the masks people put up to protect themselves. Once he recognizes Justin’s worth, he does nothing but support and back up his choices, genuinely helping him to grow as a person. He shows us how important it is to have a good emotional support during hard times, and that it is okay to be weak, and ask for help.

Justin is one of the most fascinating characters I’ve read about it a long time. His front as a rude, manipulative, lying and thieving menace is just that- a front. He is no angel of course, but behind his asshole facade, he is a deeply lonely, caring man, with a magnificent brain, who is tired of his current life and wishes for more. He is someone who was born with nothing and clawed his way up using his skills and refuses to be ashamed of it. His relationship with his assistants is touching and unexpected, making me tear up at certain parts.

Nathaniel and Justin’s relationship is beautiful. They start off by antagonizing each other, two men from opposite sides of social divide: a well-born investigative journalist on a crusade and a fraudulent famous medium from the gutters. Despite that, they share explosive chemistry since the moment they met, and at points, their sexual tension was literally unbearable. It only grows as they are forced to work together, both men aware how much they desire each other. But as they get to know each other, different feelings join the attraction: respect, protectiveness, tenderness. They help each other to be better people, which is the best kind of relationship. Also, as someone who genuinely doesn’t like explicit scenes in books, the scenes in this book were incredible. Charged, funny and sexy, tender, and full of emotions. Justin and Nate climbed their way to become one of my favorite fictional couples and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them for days.

Sometimes, second books in trilogy suffer from being weaker, but An Unnatural Vice is absolutely not one of them. The overall story of the trilogy is well-integrated and sets up the final book with gusto. Upon finishing the book, my first thought was “but now I desperately need the last book!!” and ever since, my head has been filled with speculation. I adored this book, the characters were wonderful and the relationship between all of them made me genuinely emotional. Definitely one of K.J. Charles’ best works.

Every time I read a new K.J. Charles book I always think she can’t possibly do better than her previous novels, and I am always, happily, proved wrong. An Unnatural Vice was no exception, featuring an insidious murder mystery, a crafty fraudster, a crusading gentleman journalist, and a passionate romance – this book was impossible to put down.

As usual, Charles’ Victorian world-building was true to form and so historically accurate I briefly blacked out from the sheer joy of reading such a factual novel. I love how precise and detailed she is, from the correct usage of slang, to comprehensive research about real-life events, to the inclusion of 18th century magic tricks (that she refuses to explain how they were done, but, whatever). Charles even compiled a mini bibliography at the back of the novel for anyone interested in learning about Victorian mediums and spiritualism, and the terror of the London fog (most of which my knowledge only comes from watching Netflix’s The Crown, so thank you for that).

Justin Lazarus is, hands down, one of my favourite K.J. Charles characters – he is now amongst such greats as my angel Dominic Frey, gruff Silas Mason, foxy David Cyprian, and gentle-giant Richard Vane. Every character Charles brings to life is so distinctively individual. They don’t feel like characters on a page – they feel like real life people. Each one has idiosyncratic personalities that the reader can’t help but fall for. Justin, albeit a pessimistic fraudster who makes a living off the grief of the wealthy, doesn’t believe he is worthy enough of a loving relationship, and doesn’t want to risk anyone seeing ‘behind the veil’ as it were, to who he truly is inside. Despite having an amoral viewpoint of the world, Justin goes through some exquisite growth in the novel and comes to understand that living life with no holds on you is actually no way to live.

Nathaniel is the other protagonist, who we were introduced to in An Unseen Attraction, the first book in the Sins of the Cities trilogy. Nathaniel is still grieving after the death of his lover years ago, and he has invested himself in exposing Justin as a fraud, because the man preys on people at their most vulnerable. Like Justin, Nathaniel goes through wonderful development as he comes to terms with the fact that maybe his moral compass might be a little too inflexible and he has his eyes opened to the realities the London poor actually live through.

I simply adore the enemies-to-lovers trope and have been patiently waiting for K.J. Charles to try her hand at it. Not only do Nathaniel and Justin verbally clash, they come from two completely different worlds: Nathaniel hails from a wealthy gentile family – his father is even an archbishop – while Justin hails from the gutter and has had to experience many horrors just to stay alive. Their fights were suffused with genuine contempt, sexual tension, and seething anger – it was amazing. The two protagonists, despite practically hating each other, also perfectly complimented one another which made for some hot and tense sex scenes, but just as many loving and romantic scenes too.

Like Charles’ incomparable Society of Gentleman series, the Sins of the Cities follows three different couples over three novels, with one plot line interweaving between the books and bringing the characters together. In this series, that plot line is the search for the missing earl who was alluded to in the first novel and Justin and Nathaniel find themselves unwittingly caught up in the search as dangerously unhinged people come to town, believing that Justin, as the Seer of London, can find the missing earl, Repentance Taillefer.

Charles has set up the last novel in the series perfectly, and I am honestly annoyed at how many months stand between me and the answers I desperately need. I can’t wait to learn more about Mark, Nathaniel’s friend, who will be one of the protagonists in An Unsuitable Heir. That’s what I love about K.J. Charles’ books: there’s a books for everyone: whether you’re looking for a sweet, uncomplicated romance (Clem and Rowley, An Unseen Attraction), a devastating love affair (David and Richard, A Gentleman’s Position), or an intense, intellectual meeting of the minds (Dom and Silas, A Seditious Affair), K.J. Charles has it all. I look forward to reading about Mark and Pen in the next novel, and am impressed by Charles’ decision to focus on an amputee as a love interest – I don’t have to tell you how rare it is to read a romance novel where the love interest isn’t ‘tall, dark and handsome.’

An Unnatural Vice is a well-developed, entertaining romance that left me breathless. K.J. Charles has yet to disappoint me and I cannot begin to explain how excited I am for the final novel in the series. Keep these historical romances coming, Charles!

3 1/2 Stars


I liked this one, but I must admit, I also found it easy to put down for long periods of time. It's more than likely me and my mood because I know others have loved it. I didn't hate it in any way, I was just a bit . . . meh with it at times, and I'm wondering if it's more to do with Charles' writing voice not being a great match for me, as I had a similar feel with the previous book I've read from her. (I still plan on trying one or two more from her to figure this out for certain.)


Regardless, this was a fairly uncomplicated/easy read, with some good sexual tension/build up, a mystery subplot and an interesting look at how spiritualists in Victorian time pulled off some of their tricks. The romance itself is a slow burn, common for Charles as I understand it, but I admit I wasn't completely sold on it by the end; I felt like I didn’t get to fully see the two fall, just BAM, they were suddenly together after such conflict for much of the book.


Honestly, this is the kind of book that is the hardest to review -- it just . . . was. It was alright, but I don't have anything to praise or rant about, so I'm stuck with half-hearted ramblings.

<b>"'Nathaniel, I tell lies about the afterlife for a handful of shillings. Your father does it and they give him a cloth of gold.'"</b>

This novel by K.J. Charles is a fantastic representation of an old-fashioned novel should be written. From the perfect use of language so not to confuse the reader to the slow simmering romance between people with two conflicting ideologies, I enjoyed reading every page of this story.
Justin is a man who sells his 'psychic powers' to help people get in touch with the dead. Obviously, he is a fraud, but Nathaniel is out to catch him as a journalist.
However, Justin is dragged into a case of identity as Nathaniel rushes to find the correct heir to a fortune and Justin is kidnapped in order to perform a seance to speak to the dead mother. The action picks up from there, with surprising twists and turns and a romance that feels natural and complete.

<b>"'Impeccably,' Justin said. 'Starting with proper etiquette. Which means, no more swearing.'
'Fuck off, ratface.'</b>

One of the major things I loved about the book was the use of language. I definitely got the feel of the era while also not having my head dunked into it all the time or feeling confused over specific words. It was kept light enough that meant it didn't feel over the top while heavy enough that at all times I knew exactly where we were and didn't think we were in the modern era. The author worked this in such a fantastic way that made me feel content to read it without too much prior knowledge of the country at the time it was meant to be written. As a reader, I didn't feel stupid or confused and that was excellent.

<b>"'I don't excuse the things you did, but-'"</b>

The characters were, of course, the biggest part of this story. Justin and Nathaniel played the biggest part in making the plot and the romance happen. We didn't have many characters on the sides either, so there wasn't much disturbance from the protagonists. Basically, we weren't looking anywhere else or getting distracted.
The romance between these two was fantastic. It pretty much started as a hateful relationship where sex was an act of aggression and dominance to prove they were better than the other before it began to simmer down into a nice, warm love.
Nathaniel began to bother me slightly with how he acted towards Justin. Even after finding out everything Justin had done to save himself from poverty, which included becoming a 'psychic', he continued to judge him and acted like he had done the worst thing in the world. This guy was a lawyer and now acting as a journalist! He has no right to act like his jobs is any more sacred or good! Of course, I didn't take a star off for this because for me to grow annoyed shows a great craftsmanship from the author.

<b> "'I hate what you do, and I kneel at your altar anyway.'"</b>

The use of religion throughout the piece was interesting to read. Both characters are agnostic/atheist and it's almost surprising considering the times. Most people were religious as it was far more wide spread and Nathaniel had a father that was a Priest. However, both men are completely free in choosing what they do and don't believe, and both men seem to agree to an idea of believing in proof rather than believing what they are instantly told. Although opposites in job, this ideology links them as they are both open minded to the idea of loving one another without religion encroaching on said love.

<b>"Not his lover. The man with whom he was making love daily."</b>

Altogether, this book was absolutely fantastic and I loved reading every page. From such incredible use of language to characters that I grew to love and support - this is definitely an author I will return to in the future.