This is how you create an interwoven universe in Romancelandia, my friends, take note take note. I am starting to believe that every gentleman in K.J. Charles’ England who isn’t a villain might be queer or gay in some way, because that’s certainly the vibe so far. Who else is left to be the hero of the next novel? Because there needs to be a next novel. Even though it does feel very tidily fixed up here?
Our main characters are the Duke of Severn, who has been such since he was six and is about ready to scream and jump out a window. Unfortunately, he instead falls for the charms of an attractive gentleman who plies him with alcohol then steals everything on his person, including his little signet ring (note: a real, genuine thing that I have seen MULTIPLE people wear around London, what a sight). This poses a real problem, because the ring is a family heirloom etc etc and Severn is already thought of as incapable of managing his own person. Convenient “I can TOTALLY go incognito for a month” wager later, Duke is on his own, being overcharged by every innkeeper and looking for a nondescript man with a nondescript face. He eventually finds Daizell Carthrage, a gentleman fallen on tough times whom he recognizes from Eton (note: also a real place! how wild) and engages him (quite literally) to help him in his fool’s quest.
There’s a lot to like here! The pacing is ideal, giving you a sense of both the monotony of their search and the feverish way that these two (with the Duke masquerading as Mr. Vernon Cassian) fall into like and then more-than-like with one another. Their emotional hang ups are well sketched, heavy without being the only barrier standing in the way of a HEA. The predicaments that they find themselves in are humorous without being utterly ridiculous/anachronistic, and there’s real consequences they have to deal with as a result (as it turns out young women cannot attempt to elope without Society shunning you, no matter how feisty you are). All of it is written well, without too much pandering, and in a way that makes you really care for the characters and root for them to have their happily ever after.
K.J. Charles isn’t quite in the vein of Cat “Eat the Rich” Sebastian, but I don’t have much qualms in saying that I’m totally fine with having characters luxuriate in the power of privilege and money in these sorts of novels. Not everything needs to be FIX THE ERRORS OF OUR WAYS! And this definitely fixed the error of having to be a human in the 21st century pretty well 🙂