Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”

All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles

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I am ever so pleased with my first Aardvark book! Only my third 5-star rating of the year (although a couple have been close).  I chose this one on vibes – I was partway through Band Sinister and enjoying myself, loved the cover, and was in the mood to say yes to some gothic mystery goodness. All of Us Murderers is KJ Charles playing with all the gothic novel tropes and putting her own spin on making the queer textual in a genre where it was subtext for most of its history.  The book starts with […]

“Because that’s how life tends to work in all its aspects. We try things out, and make mistakes, and recover, and learn from our experiences.”

Band Sinister by KJ Charles

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Band Sinister is what happens when an author writes their own version of Georgette Heyer book by throwing absolutely every socially progressive character type into a friend group and then letting them loose on the very suspecting neighbors. I’ve read exactly one Heyer book, Venetia, back in 2016. Initially this read didn’t jump out to me as especially heavy on the Heyer, but more in line with other queer Regency historical romances I’ve read over the years from Cat Sebastian or Olivia Waite, but the parallels are there.   The story here plays with the classic tropes that Heyer […]

A Two Week Vacation with Everyone who Hates You at Murder House

All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles

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Zeb Wykham doesn’t much care for his family, but when a cousin says he wants to get to know him, Zeb accepts an invitation to spend two weeks at Lackaday House on Dartmore. Zeb is distressed to find that his brother, sister-in-law, another cousin, a fourth older relative, and his ex are all there too. His host has lied about the purpose of the visit. Instead of a cozy getting to know you visit, Wynn Wykham has decided he will make the man who marries […]

Didn’t Live Up to It’s Potential

Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles

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Lord Alexander Pyne-ffoulkes bears a well deserved grudge against his father, Duke Ilvar, and has a plan to make him pay.  It involves getting a pair of thieves into his father’s remote, isolated estate in order to rob his stepmother of her jewel collection.  Which also means, Alec will have to convince society that he and Jerry Crozier are the best of friends.  It doesn’t take long for things to get out of hand, and Alec and Jerry find themselves having to keep up an […]

Smuggling, insects, and family drama surround this gay love story

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles

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Thank you, Emmalita, for this wonderful book and first exposure to KJ Charles!  In the 2023 Cannonball Book Exchange I put that I would like any book by KJ Charles and she graciously gifted me The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen. Kent and London had a good thing going.  They met up at the Three Ducks in London for some enthusiastic and anonymous sex.  But then Kent needs to do business away from the city and London, familiar with abandonment, decides to shut things down instead […]

“Consequences are literally the reason not to do things. That’s what they’re for.”

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles

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Gareth Inglis was abandoned by his father when he was about six years old, sent to live with his uncle, who clearly didn’t much care for him. Now he works as a clerk in his uncle’s company but dislikes his job. When his father suddenly dies, Gareth becomes a baronet and inherits a home in Romney Marsh, a remote area on the coast. There he discovers that he has a half-sister whom he’d never previously heard of (who’d also never heard of him) and that […]



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