KJ Charles has done it again - made me fall in love with an entire new cast of characters! Gareth got to me as the neglected and outcast son who desperately wants to be loved and wanted. Meanwhile Joss is shouldering the weight of his entire family and their smuggling operation, which leaves him little time for finding pleasure or happiness. Together these two strangers find something special in each other... and then lose it. Their entire relationship arc had me reading so fast because it is impeccably written! There's something about how KJ Charles writes conflict that gets me, like I hate to see the characters fight but at the same time it all felt warranted with both sides having legit reasons to be angry. All that to say, for people who enjoy the enemies to lovers trope, this book has it AND some delightful twists. There is so much going on in this book: family drama, class differences, debates over smuggling, fish out of water, scandals, and more. It definitely kept me on my toes and kept me wondering how things would turn out for the characters. I loved the historical setting and the geographical setting. Is it weird that I now want to visit a marsh and watched videos of diving beetles? I was absolutely captivated by this story and can't wait to read more in the series!

Thanks NetGalley!

What an amazing read!

I loved this book and it had everything i was looking for. It pulled me right out of my reading slump. It felt like home.

It has swoon worthy love, adventure, mystery and more, i mean come on what else do you need haha

Such a pretty cover and such an amazing story.

I’m so happy that i was able to read this. And if you are interested as well do not hesitate and read it as soon as it’s out!

My thanks to NetGalley for the arc, especially since this was one of my most anticipated books of the year! And let me just say, right off the bat, it did not disappoint. I knew going in there was going to be some insightful discussion of class dynamics, as this is the third title by KJ Charles I've read, and she has demonstrated in the past that you can write about rich people sympathetically while also calling out their privilege! The romance was lovely, and made sense for the characters--I really appreciated the character growth both Gareth and Joss experience, as it happened naturally and was mutually beneficial. The mystery was engaging instead of an afterthought, and the side characters (while not as prominent) felt like real human beings. Add in some incredibly witty dialogue, fun facts about local flora and fauna, and you've got a wonderful historical romance on your hands.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen was basically a little slice of heaven. My enemies to lovers greed was quenched by this lovers to vague dislike to lovers again story, I got my steam wants met - All of which makes for a very happy reader.

Gareth Inglis & Josiah Doomsday are anonymous lovers who have a bit of a bitter break-up thanks mostly to Gareth’s past trauma.Then they unexpectedly meet again when Gareth—now a baronet after the death of his father—moves to his family home & into the life his estranged dad left behind. Unbeknownst to him, his former lover is the leader of a smuggling family within his new community & Gareth has gotten himself involved in a bit of a mess.

I just adored how sweet the relationship between Gareth & Joss is. They both want & need certain things from each other & it’s lovely how they make their relationship into a refuge—or maybe just embrace it as one. There are some lovely speeches & a symbolic gesture with pieces of grass *weeping* & it was all what I wanted.

There’s plenty of family drama & thrills in this one too & Charles captures this life & these characters so vividly. Can’t wait to return for more books—this was a good one!

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC

In so many ways KJ Charles is the only one who could blend beetles, smugglers, and trampling around marshes with a romantic story and get it perfect. Gareth and Joss are so wonderful together. You can't help but root for these two from the very beginning of the book. The relationship between these two continues to grow and strengthen as the book continues and that ending sets up a sweet HEA.

I'm a long-time KJ Charles fan and enjoyed this outing very much. It's nice to leave London and great estates for a Regency, the smugglers' world of Romney Marsh was delightfully fleshed out, and of course the romance was great. I don't think the mystery/thriller element was quite as successful as in her Will Darling books, but I will certainly be recommending this one wholeheartedly. Is the next one about Sophy?

I was thrilled to get an advance review copy of KJ Charles’s latest historical romance.
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I loved it and read it in a day, which will surprise no one. Smuggling and entomology on nineteenth-century Romney Marsh, honestly do you need to know more?
Except perhaps that Josiah Doomsday is the best name invented since Dickens was churning ‘em out.

I have read and enjoyed a few KJ Charles books, but this is far and away my favorite. It had many of the same elements I enjoyed in her other books, such as intrigue, tension, and suspense, in addition to weightier topics such as class, race, and sexual orientation. The book also made me think a great deal about ethics and doing the wrong thing for the right reasons.

However, the romance was what really set this book apart for me. Garett and Joss are wonderful characters, both very flawed, but incredibly likable. I loved that instead of learning “the lesson” in the end, as is so common in most books, both characters did their best to learn and grow throughout the story. It made it feel much more real and satisfying. Additionally, the secondary characters were also delightful. Well, except for the bad guys of course.

I loved this story and these characters and I am so excited about the next book in the series! I can’t wait to read it!

Absolutely delicious! The plot revolves around smugglers and family. The two main characters are poles apart on the issue of smuggling but find they have a lot in common when it comes to family problems. The absolutely sweetest romance blooms, withers, then has the potential to bloom again. I loved all the local dialect from the Marshmen. So expressive!

I know I’m excited about a book when I start — and finish — it in less than a day after it comes my way via NetGalley. It also probably helps that I’m currently procrastinating packing for a move across the country, and reading books is a perfect distraction.

This book was absolutely delightful. It has smugglers and murder and beetle hunting and butterflies and crazy families, and, of course, romance. It’s action-packed, but the story itself is tender and sweet. And it’s in a fun setting: the Kent marsh, a tight-knit community that protects its own but not those who are considered “outmarsh,” which is what Sir Gareth Inglis is when he unexpectedly inherits a baronet and finds himself moving to Romney Marsh to take care of his family house and the half-sister he didn’t know he had. Of course, it wouldn’t be a crazy romp of a book if he didn’t run into Joss Doomsday, the head of the local smuggling family, who happens to be the man Gareth just ended a short but significant affair with.

I loved how KJ Charles depicted Gareth and Joss’ relationship; they’re obviously adorable together, but they’re also just good together. They work to understand each other and to be there for each other and to grow with each other. They listen to each other, and THEY COMMUNICATE! Hallelujah! And together, they work to learn about themselves and to establish some control in their family lives. Charles does a wonderful job with depicting the time period, too. It acts as a strong backbone to the story without it being too dense. The struggles of two men being together at the time is present, but there’s never any shame involved, and the occasional marsh dialect adds a nice touch.

Toward the end of the book, I found the villains to be a tad cartoonish, and it felt a bit like all the action came at the expense of emotional impact in the later chapters. The mystery wasn’t the most clever one I’ve ever come across, but it was still quite enjoyable as I joined the characters on their wild excursions.

Reading this is totally worth being way behind on my packing.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for proving me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Smugglers! Murder! Beetles! Romance! The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is witty and sweet, and as delightfully charming as I would expect any book by KJ Charles.

I must have been living under a rock because I’d never even heard of KJ Charles. This is a m/m historical romance, not my usual read. I was sort of thrown by the immediate open door sex scene.

It’s been a while since I read historical romance, though, so I settled in for the ride and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a lot of action and spicy romance. The love story between Gareth and Joss was sweet. The past that shaped them both and their family issues ultimately made them perfect for each other. No matter the trials both know will test them, they belong together.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for this ARC.

Enjoyable read! Nice to read a queer romance with adult characters that has a historical romance feel for it. While homophobia is a fear for the characters, it wasn't a main focus. Some trigger warnings for violence and child abuse.

I liked the mix of characters, the setting in a more rural/country area as opposed to a city. The author's attention to the traumas/effects of childhood abuse were a thoughtful touch to the connections between characters.
The ending felt a bit rushed tying up the storyline, but this could be due to a possible plan for a future followup?

I really enjoyed this book! It is very typically KJC: a Regency romance with a body count. The story in this one was great, about a smuggler, Joss Doomsday (what a great name!) and a reluctantly titled Sir Gareth Inglis and how their lives intersect on Romney Marsh in Kent.

I loved both of the characters, I loved the Kent dialect that was thrown in throughout the book (I can't even imagine the work that would have gone into this, as I would imagine the dialect today is quite different from what it would have been in the Regency era), I loved the villains, I loved the Doomsday family, I basically loved everything about this book. Also, how gorgeous is the cover???

It is such a fantastic book and I'm so happy that KJC is finally being published by a larger publisher that will be able to really distribute her fantastic books. This is the first in a duology and I'm already excited for the next one and trying to guess which of the Doomsday family it will be about. I know who I'm hoping for, but will be more than happy with any of them!

KJ Charles is one of of the few authors whose books I read without even needing to know the plot. In this new book, she once again does not disappoint, and in fact, this may be a new favorite. A Regency-era romance set along the Cornish coast, The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is a delicious mix of romance and intrigue, perfect for fans of Cat Sebastian or Alexis Hall.

This is a book I wish I could read again for the first time. While the beginning of the novel was a touch jarring at its suddenness, it leveled out to make the utmost sense. KJ Charles puts together the most tender of love stories and mixes it up with intrigue, mystery, and the pull of familial ties. Gareth and Joss are two characters I would love to meet in real life and witness the care they have for each other. I never would have thought a book so cutthroat (in terms of murder) could make me feel so warm and fuzzy. I only hope to one day find love like the characters in this book.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen balances the star-crossed love story of Sir Gareth and Joss Doomsday. Sir Gareth has just inherited a title and country estate from his estranged father. He isn't there long before he begins being terrorized by men demanding that Sir Gareth owes them money from shady deals they had with his father. His new home is in the middle of smuggler territory, with dueling families working to control the area. Sir Gareth needs the help and protection of the smuggler Joss Doomsday's family, but he also needs the love and affection he once found with Joss. They risk it all to be together.

I finished it in a day. This author has been on my tbr pile for a while and this book did not disappoint. Both characters were well flushed out and interesting to read. The setting was also fun and less typical then other historicals.

I've seen so many of my friends hyping KJ Charles's books, so I was very excited to finally read one. This is definitely the kind of historical romance I enjoy, with writing that fits the time period without getting dense or too flowery. I really liked the characters, but I have to admit I enjoyed the first part of the story most. We see the romance being set up there, and it worked so well for me and I was so excited to see it play out. And while I did really enjoy reading this, I wish the focus was more on the romance instead of on the smuggling plot. I just felt like the romance ultimately didn't get the attention it deserved.

Having been dismissed from his uncle's legal practice days before his father's death, Sir Gareth Inglis is called back to the family estate in Romney Marsh to take up the family title. Deep in the backwaters of Kent, the Marsh is mostly home to families who specialize in smuggling operations and lower nobility who are perfectly fine taking bribes to look the other way. Nothing is as expected for the new squire who was sent away as a young child to live with his uncle in London, especially not the part where he finds out the true identity of a man he had a brief but significant mollyhouse affair with: Joss Doomsday, leader of one of the most prominent snuggling families in the area. After a rocky start, Gareth begins to settle in - until he starts receiving unwanted visitors threatening him and his remaining family with harm. Then the real fun begins.

Overall this was an enjoyable book that matches the high expectations I have of KJ Charles after the Will Darling Adventures. I particularly appreciated that despite the historical setting, Joss and Gareth mostly had family supportive of their relationship in a way that did not seem contrived. The secondary characters were strong and the mystery aspect of the book kept me interested throughout. The incorporation of Marsh dialect struck the perfect balance of establishing and maintaining setting while accounting for the fact that most readers would not be familiar with it. I honestly found Gareth's journey from odd London duck to proud Marsh naturalist to be the best part of the book, and I wanted to cheer a little when the Doomsdays backed him against the outmarsh antagonists. My only real critique is that as someone familiar with Charles's work, the pacing of the ending felt a bit off because I was expecting it to hit certain beats that it did not, but that may be in part because this is the opener to a new series.

I would recommend this to anybody who likes adult historical romance and would genuinely consider it a strong entrance to the genre for anyone unfamiliar. As always, this has left me eagerly anticipating what Charles has in store for us next!