I adored this! seeing that this book is also advertised for fans of Cat Sebastian was what made me want to read it since I loved we could be so good (which is also set in NYC and about journalists) and was craving something even remotely similar.
I was hooked from page one, from the writing, the setting to the immediate tension between the two main characters; I was hoping it would maintain the good impression and it did. I was honestly very impressed with the writing and characterisation most of all, Everything came to life beautifully and clearly, like we were carefully placed in the middle of the story but without feeling utterly lost. The choice of also starting off the book with deception and letting the reader figure out what exactly the deception was further along was very fun. One thing i have to say is that I am very grateful to my fellow reviewers who said they also struggled with the book at certain points because it got too confusing. I fully thought that was my bad because I can be a distracted reader sometimes but it is just part of how the writing was sometimes and how abrupt a few conclusions were, It wasn't anything that bothered me too much however, because as i said aside from that it was wonderful, but I did feel kind of lost at times and that can make for a frustrating reading experience.
Having a mystery like this paired up with our main characters was the absolute perfect blend. I loved Laurie and Chary like they were my own, Laurie was so charming and his dialogue is probably my favorite I've read this year. Chary felt a bit like a skittish cat sometimes which is exactly my type of character and also very relatable, I loved their interactions and I spent so much of the book having the time of my life with their scenes. The mystery as well was so engaging! My absolute favorite thing and what contributed to me loving this story - and not getting bored as I often do with mysteries - were the twists and turns. none of them felt out of left field or put out here just for the sake of having a twist, I was genuinely shocked reading some passages which made my reading experience a thousand times better. This aspect was done very well and I loved how we got too see so many of Laurie's traits and smarts acquired doing his job as a journalist. Every scene felt purposeful and geared towards moving the characters forward and understanding them. Adored the romance as well, I was so invested and holding my breath constantly. the tension was so present you could've cut through it with a knife and I was there for it. I was a bit nervous for the ending because I thought there might not be enough time to wrap things up but I enjoyed it and felt like it was very satisfying character and story wise, nothing was rushed to quickly conclude the story.
Safe to say I had the time of my life with this book and I will be recommending it to anyone who listens. Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this arc as well.

Rating: Me and a socialist journalist have apparently both been successfully enchanted by a capitalist heir who is far too neurodivergent to be doing capitalism successfully. (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ + stained glass romance, berry farm, and jam jar drama)

Honestly, this book surprised me by how genuinely good it was. I came for the industrial gothic murder mystery vibes and stayed because suddenly I was deeply invested in queer men navigating class politics, family trauma, labor exploitation, murder, identity confusion, and artisanal ✨glass✨. There is a berry farm and jam jars too.

What fascinated me most is that despite centering a wealthy industrialist, the story somehow still manages to preserve its intersectional and anti-capitalist lens without undermining its own values. The narrative never feels interested in absolving systemic harm just because one rich man is personally traumatized, socially awkward, and built like a tragic adorable queer baby.

And Chary himself is SUCH a fascinating character because beneath the “wealthy industrialist” label is essentially a man who desperately wants to disappear into anonymity, make glass, avoid inheriting capitalism AGAIN, and process approximately fourteen layers of inherited psychological devastation in peace.

Meanwhile Laurie is out here trying to investigate labor exploitation for his socialist newspaper and instead finds himself emotionally entangled in whatever the hell is happening inside this rich victorian people telenovela.

Also, the mystery genuinely hooked me from start to finish. Every time I thought I understood what was happening, the story revealed another layer of family secrets, social performance, trauma, murder conspiracy, or a new plot twist.

There were definitely moments where I had absolutely no clue what was going on because my understanding of era-specific slang is held together by vibes, context clues, and divine intervention, but I persevered by the power of needing know what happens next.

I also cannot speak to the historical accuracy, but as a historical mystery and romance? This absolutely worked for me.

Anyway, this book has the energy of:
“what if a socialist journalist accidentally adopted the world’s saddest capitalist?”

Consumed this in a day. I may genuinely be too emotionally entertained to register flaws at this point 🤌

As a compulsive consumer of anything and everything that KJ. Charles blesses us with, the premise of this book was an automatic ‘yes please!!’ And it did not disappoint at all.
‘By Any Means’ is set in NYC in 1905, the story revolves around two main characters; Laurie a journalist investigating labour exploitation, and ‘Chary’ the wealthy capitalist who’s inherited a glass factory and a random blueberry farm, after his brother, August dies.
The book chips away at every preconceived notion that both these characters, and the reader, have. Chary is frankly useless at being a capitalist, and Laurie’s investigation in to labour laws turns in to an investigation of anything but that. There’s murder, police corruption, fraud, bribery, secrets upon secrets, a false beard, jam jars (so many jam jars!) and a surprise appearance from…. well I can’t possibly say because *spoilers!!*
I adored both main characters, Chary was perfectly depicted and made me want to reach in and hug away all that inherited trauma, and then hide him away from the world. Just glorious!!
The dual narrative worked perfectly, as a reader I felt I was actually discovering things at the same time as the characters. I was left as confused as them - the moment I thought I had figured it all out there was another revelation. The twists were seamless and everything came together perfectly- rather like Chary and Laurie!!
The supporting characters, save for Tjo (boo, hiss!!) were perfectly written.
I haven’t consumed a book with quite so much fervour in a while. Super excited to see what else this author has written.

An early 1900s queer romance set in industrial NYC, with a strong labor-rights plot. This felt, again, tailor-made. Romance novels are getting wildly specific and I, for one, could not be more pleased.
I really enjoyed the immersion of the places and language, and the the subtleties of unspoken and spoken desire in a fraught and fragile time for queer men. The world felt so real-- I could almost hear the city as Caro made it come alive again.

Everyone's lying, a little bit, and everyone's got something they're guarding. Caro makes sure that the truths are earned, through blood, sweat, and tears. It rules.

Properly horny, too, god bless, with a real look at how men sought sex and companionship, with a focus on how class affects the way queer men are seen and avoid being seen. God, it was such a good book.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the free arc!

Queer historical novels, my beloved! This book was right up my alley, and boy, it did not disappoint.

Fantastic, well-developed characters along with a densely plotted mystery full of twists and turns that had me pausing to think through some previous chapters and piece together just what exactly was going on. The POV shifts added a lot of intrigue to the story with how Chary and Laurie viewed each other, along with some surprising reveals that are fantastic when you, the reader, are the only one who knows both sides. 

I appreciate the attention to historical vocabulary and the inclusion of the authors note and glossary of terms at the beginning of the book. EM Caro does not shy away from the "uglier" sides of the early 1900's and this book has a lot to say on workers rights, race, and industry at the time. A lot of historical books will hand-wave the opinions of the era in order to create an idealized world free of homophobia, racism, etc. and allow an escape for queer readers, which I agree is great to see, but it also means a lot to have stories that include period-typical homophobia and show how queer people at the time may have really lived and experienced the world. 

Looking forward to the publication date so I can snag a copy of this one, I really adored it. A recommended read for fans of Cat Sebastian, Lev Rosen, and those who love queer romance!

E.M. Caro has done it again, they’ve written another beautifully steamy gay historical romance filled with politics. I loved ittttt! The pacing, the slow burn, the plot, the *spice*. ALL of it.

Laurie and Chary are perfect, well actually they’re not far from it but that’s the point they’re human. I loved all the side characters too… that’s a lie. I love how they were written, some of them one in particular I hate which was easy to do. There were so many moments where thought I knew what was happening and then I’d have a fat plot twist thrown right in my face and be proven very wrong.
The ending was nothing like I was expecting, but everything I could’ve wished for after all the plot twists and things that were left unsolved up until the 15 or so pages.

By Any Means by E. M. Caro is set around the turn of the 20th century and brings together two characters who, at first glance, could not be more different: an investigative journalist and an industrialist. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that they share more similarities than one might expect.

The novel is full of twists, and what kept me especially engaged was the feeling of never quite seeing the whole picture. Step by step, new clues are revealed, and this gradual uncovering of the truth made it very hard to stop reading. I particularly enjoyed the complexity of the story, especially the crime-related aspects, which are carefully constructed and rewarding to follow.

The developing love story grows naturally over time. It feels authentic and supports the larger narrative rather than overshadowing it. Another aspect I found very interesting was the insight into the industrial situation of that era. It is written in a way that goes beyond the surface and adds depth to the setting.

Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this book and could hardly put it down. It is a gripping and layered story that stays with you even after finishing.

4.5 rounded up - this was everything I look for in a historical romance. The complexity of the relationship, the focus on the societal stressors, not shying away from any of it, *chef kiss* Chary made my heart melt on more than one occasion.

Parts of the plot had me scratching my head and it took me a little bit of time to fully flesh out what was happening at points - but we got there in the end. And the setting was so unique!

Looking forward to reading more from this author, & highly recommend to my fellow queer historical romance fans.

I recently discovered this author and I am fantastically addicted to Caro's writing and characterisation (especially). By Any Means was superb.

Heat Index: 6/10

This was a great time, and it's going to be an especially great time for all my fellow KJ Charles fans. At the same time, E.M. Caro is establishing their own unique authorial identity between this and Rears & Vices. Everyone is kinda-to-severely gay, crime is to be had, other things are to be had, and the romances gravitate between snarky realism and serious tenderness. You want to keep historical romance alive? This is how you keep it alive. This is the type of book historical romance needs.

Like R&V, By Any Means also uses the era in which it's set to hit on issues that are still relevant—intrepid reporter Laurie is anticapitalist, which is kind of problematic when the guy he begins tracking for his story, Chary, is... "heir to a fortune" kind of capitalist. Or is he? Either way, in 2026, I was a little worried about reading a book where someone actively fighting against the status quo falls in love... with the status quo. I love an interclass romance, but the divide between these two is pretty big, and I didn't want to feel like Laurie was betraying his principles to be with Chary.

And guess what? I never felt that way. Not once. Because the author here understands the importance of defining Chary as something completely outside what you expect him to be. There's a world where Chary would be the titan of industry type who challenges Laurie's stances in a way that feels like dominating him into submission. There's also a world where he would be the louche aristo who's like "I don't care about poor people, but I'm oh so hot". I'm not even saying there's anything wrong with those character types, but put them with someone as tough and determined and principled as Laurie and have him fall in love with them, and you've got a very "not now kitten, Daddy's doing a capitalism' story I didn't personally want from this.

Instead, you get a gritty tough guy—who NEVER gets to BOTTOM without getting SHIT ABOUT IT because he's so BIG AND TOUGH—falling for the sweetest little rich boy you've ever seen. Not sweet as in "flawless", but sweet as in good. Also, someone might be trying to kill him. Or did he try to kill someone? Yes, the romantic suspense is strong, but there's a great balance between the love and the mystery of it all, as there should be. The plot is plotting, and it's kinda madcap and full of twists and turns. (Including a legitimately wild twist that occurs somewhat early in the story and sets the tone perfectly.) But ultimately, as with any good romance, By Any Means lives on Laurie and Chary's character and relationship development. I was immediately invested in them, together and apart.

Laurie has a chip on his shoulder, but he's not obvious about it. He has a place in some ways, but he still doesn't quite fit in, stereotyped based on his appearance and mannerisms—but which of his mannerisms are actually real? He changes who he is to fit in, he finds his principles at odds with what he actually wants at times, and at certain points his idealism gets in the way of tackling reality. In contrast, Chary is someone who has so much in theory and wants so little of it, less a poor little rich boy and more a true outcast. In this sense, they really fit each other. Because no matter where they go, they don't belong—until they get to talking and revealing their innermost feelings.

The easy copout would be to make their queerness what puts both men against the world, their queerness the main way in which they can relate to each other. But while the book is really upfront about the risks of being a queer man in early twentieth century America, Laurie and Chary are very much aware of men "like them" and where to find them. I think a lot of readers may be surprised by how much easier it was for some men—privileged men—to "get away with things" compared to others. And also by what types of behaviors were tolerated compared to others.

But this book gets what a lot of others, frankly, don't. Shared queerness doesn't automatically equal shared community, even without the class divides. There are complex dynamics at play, and you see some of it in things like Laurie struggling to find a partner who understands his needs, and Chary struggling to feel accepted in his body. This makes their own compatibility even sweeter, and I was, honestly, incredibly charmed. Chary stutters when he's flustered. Laurie is immediately taken aback by Chary doing the "biting the fingers of his gloves to take them off" thing, which, fair, because it is INCREDIBLY hot. (Chary doesn't even realize when he's being hot, actually.)

By Any Means sandwiches social commentary and a pretty intense mystery plot in between some "let's pretend to be lovers"-ing, turns the mistrust tension into "I can't believe I'm falling in love despite my best efforts" tension", and confronts the differences keeping them apart with aplomb. (And no, the differences keeping them apart aren't "they're gay and it's illegal", because that has never and will never stop people from being in love.) It builds a world that feels lived in, and supporting characters I wouldn't mind seeing more of, frankly. The only thing I'd critique is—well. Come on now. I would've loved to have seen the fully played out version of THAT moment, E.M. Caro!

(Though... this does have one of the best throatfucking scenes I've read in a while, so I guess we're just going to have to be okay with that.)

I want historical romance to be like this: Smart, funny, hot, swoony, and tender. I want stakes! I want passion! I want characters who feel unique to their stories! So glad to have E.M. Caro in this space, and I can't wait for the next book.

Thanks to the author giving me this copy to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to E.M. Caro for the gifted copy!!

🗽1905 NYC
🧐Historical M/M Romantic Suspense
❤️‍🩹Hurt/Comfort
💕Slowburn
💦Bathhouse Shenanigans

✨️ A queer romance and murder mystery set in early 1900's NYC?? A must read!!
This book was SO GOOD! I was immediately invested in the mystery and all the twists and surprises 🤫 kept things exciting all the way to the end!

In the middle of murder, betrayal, corruption and lots of secrets there's also a growing romance between the two leads, Laurie and Chary. Laurie's an investigative journalist and a Chary's a businessman with a newly inherited blueberry farm and he has secrets of his own. These two couldn't be more different but they fall for each other anyway. I just adored them and their banter and shenanigans. Once the romance finally gets going, it's super sweet. There's kissing next to the blueberry field, a bathhouse encounter during a police raid 😅 and saving each other in more ways than one.

I can't say a whole lot more about the plot or it will give things away. You'll just have to check it out yourself. This book is witty, beautifully written and extremely well researched and I really enjoyed it. I also loved E.M. Caro's previous book, Rears & Vices (Queer Pirates!!). If you like C.S. Poe, KJ Charles or Cat Sebastian then give By Any Means a try!✨️

Easily one of the best books I've read this year.
I love historical fiction, and this book is meticulously researched. Not only that, but written in a way that completely immerses you in the society and culture - I've never been to New York or Maine, but for a few hundred pages I lived there in the glassworks and blueberry fields with Chary and Laurie.
The characters were brilliant and felt so three dimensional, like real people I got to know and care about. The first chapter introduces them both (to the reader and to each other) on a surface level; every subsequent page deconstructs those ideas and remakes them into something nuanced and believable. I adore Chary especially - the way his kindness shines through everything.
I loved the way the mystery was slowly unraveled, and how that played into the characters own manifold identities unraveling to each other. I think for me 'Identity' is the biggest theme in the book; how you perceive yourself Vs how the world perceives you, and how much control you have over those things, and how you can manipulate them. The undercover identities, juxtaposed with gay culture and identity, was particularly striking to me.
Overall I absolutely loved this book and can't recommend it enough - extremely grateful to have been given an ARC through Netgalley!!

4.5*, rounded up.

Surprisingly good read! Its obvious that author did a lot of research into historical aspects of the book and did their utmost to portray them accurately. I very much enjoyed details about historical glasworking, unions and journalism. Author put a lot of work in the language of the era too.

I also enjoyed the dynamics between the two MCs, their back and forth was very interesting.
My minor complaint would be that some happenings may be too "novel" like but then, it is a novel - and it was fun.

The novel is likened to works of Cat Sebastian and I definitely see the resemblance, especially to the We Could Be So Good. But while CS's novels focus more on inner lives of characters and their day to day ordinary life, this book is more high stakes and plotty. Murder is happening! Characters are in danger and rushing from place to place, trying to put together pieces and hide their own secrets while revealing the secrets of others. Journalists are investigating! In this way, I see more similarities with books by KJ Charles, whose stories often contain some mystery, murder or heist.

This author is definitely on my radar now and I kinda hope they release a book about certain chars that appeared here, they deserve their own space! They seem even more fun and "mad" than the original pair.

One of the best books I have read this year. Beautifully and thoroughly researched (take note, other 'historical' romance authors!), lovely flowing prose, good dialogue and a plot that kept me glued to the pages for the entire four hours I was reading it.

I also have to say a personal thank you to the author for writing the exact kind of dynamics I want out of a sex scene and acknowledging that sometimes you simply do not start with fingering.

For anyone with interest in labor movements, the rise of industrialization, glass, botany, queer history, or just wants to read a really damn good book with VERY hot sex scenes.