K.J. Charles is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I love her humor and her characters. Her settings are rich and drawn with specificity. The Secret Lives of Country Gentleman was just the delightful, romantic read that I needed!

This is a cute MM regency romance. There are multiple reasons why Garett and Joss shouldn’t be together. I love the support both chars get from loved ones to be who they are and love who they love.

London and Kent meet in a tavern for “their sort of men”. After a blissful week of evening together, life pulls them apart. Who are they really, what will happen when they meet again miles away from the tavern.
The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, by K J Charles, spins a great tale of romance, set against class, law, society, and smugglers, all mixed up in historical England. In this book Charles makes brilliant use of dialect, gentlemanly past times, and the blurring of wrong and right. It is a fantastic read for those that love a good gay historical romance.

Opposites attract when self-righteous, upper-class London and plain-spoken, working-class Kent enjoy a splendid week-long affair together... that ends terribly when the two argue. But weeks later, Gareth (London) must travel to Kent after his father dies and he inherits his title. It's not until he testifies against Joss (Kent)'s sister in court that the two reunite, and despite the tense circumstances, the two eventually regain the connection they had against the backdrop of the Kentish marsh. But it's not just beetles the two uncover - it's dangerous secrets.

This romance will leave the reader swinging their feet in joy while also turning the pages out of a desperate need to uncover the mystery of what exactly Sir Gareth's father was up to alongside Gareth and Joss. It's both exciting and romantic, with beautifully described scenery and an interesting cast of characters sure to show up in the author's upcoming works.

I knew I wouldnt really like this book after the first chapter and I was right.
I just didn't find it interesting.

I loved everything about it. This was my first KJ Charles book, and I was impressed with the balancing act of historical romance and the Queer love story. Often Queer historical fiction either overlooks too many historical realities and ends up feeling more like a fantasy, or it slide more into the history and you are forced to confront the ugliness of historical homophobia. This book deftly manages both and then some. Highly recommend.

this was a quick and fun read! i don't often read historical romances but i quite enjoyed this, enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and these two were a fun pairing for this story. will definitely read more from this author!

Enemies to lovers in a fun setting with two gentlemen - this was a fun read that included not only romance but some mystery, thrills, adventure and intrigue too!

This was so heartwarming! I loved the characters and the plot was so good! I’m struggling to put into words how good this was but just read it I promise you won’t regret it

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

Ahh this book was so good!! I love KJ Charles and this book definitely did not disappoint. I really liked the setting, out in the countryside on a marsh, instead of city living. It gave it a really interesting backbone that worked well. There are a good number of side characters that were written well, and I enjoyed the mystery and action as well as the beautiful romance!! And the spice was excellent.

I listened to the audiobook and it was great :)

🌈 Queer rep: gay M/M main characters

Loved this! It had mystery, adventure, and a heart-pounding romance. I had some expectation that I would enjoy this story but it really pulled me in more than I thought it would. I love historical romance and setting of the marsh. The book shines a light on the socioeconomic disparities at the time. I loved seeing Gareth realize that rules are often made by those at the top and without care of how those laws affect the livelihood of those who are already struggling.

Overall, this was a fantastic historical romance that’s light on the balls, gowns, etc., and delivers a spicy adventure.

Spice Level: R

This was my first book by KJ Charles, I enjoyed the historic English setting. Tragically disappointing! It's exciting to see K.J. Charles traditionally published, and the package is very nice, but this was on the duller side and I know Charles can do better. The enemies-to- part of the plot is resolved too quickly, leaving the relationship tensionless and most of the page count devoted to various not terribly engaging Kentish smuggling power-plays. Charles' side characters are usually as well-drawn as her leads, but I kept waiting for, say, Joss and Gareth's sisters to be developed, to no avail. Instead circular arguments between our main duo give way to circular passions that were not well-built-up.


Thanks to NetGalley, the author & Sourcebooks Casablanca

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles is a male/male historical romance set in Regency England in Romney Marsh in Kent, an area known for its culture of smuggling. Gareth Inglis, raised by his distant uncle and saddled with a bullying cousin, inherits a baronetcy and a house in the small town of Dymchurch from his estranged and selfish father. Unexpectedly, after his arrival he encounters a lover from a few anonymous but intense encounters in London. Joss Doomsday, along with his powerful mother, is the “gaffer” of the local smugglers and his duties in that role are almost immediately at odds with Gareth’s “outmarsh” ideas. When Gareth begins to follow in his father’s footsteps as a naturalist, he becomes embroiled in a mystery and must find ways to work with Joss to protect his half-sister and his own reputation from serious threats. Meanwhile Joss, while still being a caretaker for all, struggles to balance his uncle’s increasing bad behavior and his mother’s reluctance to chastise her brother as needed. The plethora of realistic conflict made this book a page-turner to the very end. My favorite secondary character was Joss’ grandfather, a former enslaved man who’d escaped Georgia; he is a conduit of local information, a steadying influence, and a valuable advisor at critical moments. Warning for some child abuse, mostly off-screen, that is not addressed by the characters as quickly as it should have been.

An unexpectedly soft romance. Absolutely lovely. I'm not usually a fan of historical fiction but this was so accessible. Just an absolute joy to read.

I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting read . I found that I was able to read quickly and enjoyed the pacing and premise of the book. I would recommend to others.

This one just didn't grab me. I can see how it will work for other readers - the writing was very good - but I couldn't get into it.

This was my first book from this author and it wasn’t for me. I tried several times to get past the first two chapters and just couldn’t get into the story.

I’m going to try again but while the writing was really well done I just couldn’t get into the characters’ story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Classic lovers to enemies to unlikely friends to lovers. I loved this book more than I thought I would! (which, isn't saying much bc I knew I'd have a blast reading it. It was exactly the kind of queer historical romance I needed to kickstart me reading again.

This is one of the best books I've read from KJ Charles! The plot and characters were so well written.

KJ Charles can do no wrong. This was another excellent historical romance with great, realistic characters that you can't help but root for. I would recommend this to any historical romance fans.