Review: Unfit to Print

Unfit to Print by K.J. Charles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

'Unfit to Print' is written in the same tone and with some of the same themes as Charles's Sins of the City series. If you like those books you will like this one.

Both main characters are from minority backgrounds, Gil Lawless is a half-black illegitimate child from a well-off family who was thrown to the streets when his father died. Vikram Pandey is his childhood friend who spent the last 13 years believing his friend to be dead only to find him while searching for a lost teenager. They both having been missing each other deeply wither or not they admit it.

Charles once again shows us a part of English history and society rarely addressed, that of the Indian community in London. I would have really liked to have learned more about it, but the length of the novella means that we don't get much more than a few brief bits thrown at us. Hopefully in future works Charles might go more in-depth on the subject.

We get a bit more when it comes to the Victorian pornography and sex worker scene of the time. I was a bit worried that the subjects would be treated with the sort of heavy moralizing that tends to happen when they show up in other historical romance and was pleasantly surprised at Charles's handling of them. The characters talk through their different opinions as well as their reasoning behind them without attacking each other or the workers themselves. I'm honestly still processing some of the discussions and representations so I don't really have a completely clear handle on how I feel about them yet. Maybe once I can discuss it with other readers I'll be able to express myself better on the subject.

The two men are thrown into the position of trying to figure out where they stand with each other after having been extremely close in school, seeing if they still fit together in the ways that matter, and how the new parts of themselves will work while at the same time trying to find a missing teen.

I really enjoyed reading this, finished it in about 4 hours and its given me a number of things to think about. The romance isn't as heart-twisting and dreamy sigh-inducing as the one in 'Unseen Attraction,' but I really liked all the discussion that happened to get them to their happy ending.

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Review: The Sum of All Kisses

The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first Juila Quinn book that I've read, thus I can say that coming into the middle of a series without any idea of what's going on did not detract from the story. You would probably get more out of it if you read the first two, but I didn't have a problem just jumping right in.

The first 75% of the story is quite lighthearted and amusing with only a few hints at some darker aspects (besides the dual that set the whole story off that is). However, once you hit the full explanation of those darker bits...it's almost whiplash from the lighter tone of the rest of the book *SEE END OF REVIEW FOR TRIGGER WARNINGS*.
Admittedly it does take the story even further away from a fast, candy-fluff romance, but I did have to put the book down for a few hours to deal with the metaphorical push out of the carriage.

Lady Sarah dances along the edge of being too irritating to like at the start of the book, but Quinn reigns her in and off-sets her with her younger sisters who are all delightful side characters. I found myself feeling more for Hugh even though he's the one who started all the dreadful business off, it's apparent that none of his friends have made an effort to BE his friends after except as a way to quell rumors and put the duel behind them.
It's surprising that he isn't even more sour than he is.

Fast read, and amusing except for the last 30% which is still fast but made me twitchy as I was not mentally prepared for it.





TRIGGER WARNINGS AND POSSIBLE SPOILERS:


Talk of past child abuse of grown characters, talk of past spousal abuse, reference of past sexual assault. Nothing overly explicit, but I still found it all highly unnerving.

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Review: Hex Hall

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wasn't too sure about Hex Hall when I first started it, the whole 'Chosen One' YA story is over done these days and so I was a bit wary.

Although there are quite a few expected plot points and characters in the book, Sophie Mercer's voice is a very fun and interesting one. (even if her waxing about the cute guy gets a little much at times).

The idea of having a Juvie version of Hogwarts is very interesting and amusing. However, it does run into the same sort of problems, no one seems to be learning math, there is apparently no adult oversight except that which would end in lawsuits in the real world, and at no point does anyone sit down with Sophie and give her a comprehensive rundown of the new society that she is expected to live in.

And perhaps that's my biggest problem with this book, the adults are idiots.
I have a hard time believing some of the interaction between Sophie and her mother, if her mother has been so protective of Sophie her whole life then I can't believe that she would have hid anything from her once they knew she would be going to Hex Hall.

Other then a few nit-picky things like that, this book was quite fun. Fast easy read, perhaps just a touch too heavy on the romance angle, but hey, I guess everyone's High School experience differs. I would have liked to have seen a bit more interaction with other students to get a better feeling for the world though. The book also ends on a cliffhanger, so head's up on that.

But all in all, Hex Hall works as a breezy engaging follow-up for the older Potter/fantasy fan.

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Review: An Unsuitable Heir

An Unsuitable Heir by K.J. Charles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I haven't stopped thinking about this book for days now.
I'm not sure how I can give it even close to the review it deserves, its filled me with an excess of emotion that I just don't know how to type out.

Unsuitable Heir concludes the mystery started in Unseen Attraction, and I admittedly had my heart in my throat until the last few chapters about how it was going to pan out.

I don't want to goo too much into the plot as I personally really liked not knowing too much about it and enjoyed having it unfold for me.

What I will say is that the relationship between Mark and Pen is one of the most beautifully written things I've ever read recently. The love and romance between two characters that have gone their whole lives without being truly seen for themselves finding someone who not only does, but loves them for themselves and unconditionally. Charles makes you fall for both of the characters as they fall for each other, Pen is just such a wonderful individual that I wish had a whole series just about them.
From a historical view, I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it would be to be gender fluid during this time period. Pen talks about how they don't feel comfortable with either s/he pronoun but goes with 'he' as it's less trouble. Giving 'himself' their own name seems to be one of the only way they can take agency over their identity, the threat of having that taken from them as well as forcing them into one gender identity is terrifying for both Pen and the reader.
I found myself trying to figure out if the twins could make a run for the Continent or something, screw the rest of the characters.
The clueless nature that all the other characters treat the threat of loss of self is painful to witness and the betrayal that happens...its really hard to swallow.

Pen deserves every happiness and its hard that that happiness is limited by the society not just of that time but our current one. The story ends on a hopeful note though.

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Review: An Unnatural Vice

An Unnatural Vice by K.J. Charles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

K.J. Charles' Sins of the Cities series is flat out phenomenal.
I was a bit worried about how this book might be as a follow up on Unseen Attraction as that book is just lovely (Clem is too good for this world and just thinking about him and Rowly makes my heart hurt a bit). I hadn't read any reviews of this story beyond just knowing that the basic plot would be picking up on where Attraction left off with the mystery in that book and that the pairing in the one would be essentially 'Good cop/Bad boy,' and I'm glad that I didn't go in without any more knowledge than that.

In an interesting twist I found myself having a harder time liking Nathaniel Roy, the good cop, so upstanding he must have a stick up his back end, ex-lawyer journalist. I couldn't help feeling that his reaction to Justin Lazarus' Spiritualist shtick was a bit overblown, especially as the guy seemed mostly interested in fleecing those who could afford it. Perhaps if there had been a bit more showing him twisting people's guilt and sorrow to his own enrichment (Someone other than Roy) I would have found him a bit harder to like. Roy comes off at the start of the story as someone who is used to getting his own way and is always looking for some kind of intellectual fight steadfast in the belief that he's always right.
Charles does a great job of showing not only Roy's transition from blind loathing of Lazarus but of Lazarus himself learning his own worth.

The history and overall atmosphere are all wonderfully done. Charles' knowledge of time and place really shine, actually naming all the streets as the characters run through them is just the tip of the well-researched and presented iceberg.

As this is the second of three books the mystery isn't solved at the end of the story, but we are left was the foundation of a lovely relationship between Roy and Lazarus. I can only hope that Charles will some day write up follow-up on what happens to Lazarus' familiars as I adore them.

Although the relationship doesn't make my heart grow three sizes every time I think about it like Clem and Rowly, Roy and Lazarus do make me smile. It's nice when two jerks find each other and mush together like melting M&M's in your hand. Broken hard shells, sweet inside, even as they make a mess everyone else has to clean up.

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Review: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was pretty excited to read this, the tone sounded like a fun rollicking adventure. I was not quite prepared for the depth of feelings that Monty and Percy express. But at the same time, oh good lord but did I wan't to give Monty a good shaking!
The almost willful blindness to other people by Monty gets a bit much, at a few points I would not have blamed his sister and Percy if they just left him.

Perhaps all 18 year old rich boys can be that irritating, but it did get a bit wearing to where I wasn't really excited to read further. Thank goodness for Monty's sister Felicity.

I'm glad to see that the follow-up book seems to be about her as the whole second half of this one I just found myself wanting to hang out with her.

All in all, it had an interesting take on some very serious subjects so the narrative got a bit intense but it was a good read. Not quite as fun as I had hoped, but at least it gave us Felicity.

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