Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
| Log in
  1. Follow us on Facebook
  2. Follow us on Instagram
  3. Follow us on Bluesky
  4. Follow us on Goodreads
  5. RSS Feeds

  • Home
  • About
    • Getting Started in CBR17
    • Rules of Respect
    • Cannon Book Club
    • Diversions
    • Fan Mail
    • Holiday Book Exchange
    • Book Bingo Reading Challenge
    • Participation Badges
    • AlabamaPink
    • About Cannonball Read
  • Our Team
    • The CBR Team
    • Leaderboard
    • Recent Comments
    • Participant Interviews
    • Cannonballer Location Maps
    • Our Volunteers
    • Meet MsWas
  • Categories
    • Review Genres
    • Tags
    • Star Ratings
    • Featured Review Archive
  • Fight Cancer
    • How We Fight Cancer
    • Donate
    • CBR Merchandise
  • FAQ
  • Contact
    • Contact Form
    • Suggest a Review
    • 2025 Registration
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Social Media

“Kim was starlight and privilege; Will had his feet firmly fixed in the mud. They didn’t belong together. Except they did.”

Subtle Blood by K.J. Charles

November 7, 2022 by Malin 5 Comments

CBR14 Bingo: Scandal (the book features corruption, blackmail, kidnapping, and murder – not to mention gay people in the 1920s. Gasp!) Spoiler warning! This is the third book in a trilogy. While you can absolutely read this book without the others, you will not get all the beautiful payoff from various earlier storylines that way. Also, this review will contain mild spoilers for earlier in the series. Start with Slippery Creatures. For the last few months, Lord Arthur “Kim” Secretan and Will Darling have actually […]

Filed Under: Fiction, History, Mystery, Romance Tagged With: 1930s, cbr14, cbr14bingo, Class Differences, historical fiction, K.J. Charles, LGBTQIA, Malin, murder, mystery, Romance, scandal, spies, Subtle Blood, The Will Darling Adventures

Malin's CBR14 Review No:36 · Genres: Fiction, History, Mystery, Romance · Tags: 1930s, cbr14, cbr14bingo, Class Differences, historical fiction, K.J. Charles, LGBTQIA, Malin, murder, mystery, Romance, scandal, spies, Subtle Blood, The Will Darling Adventures ·
Rating:
· 5 Comments

The continuing adventures of Will and Kim

The Sugared Game by K.J. Charles

September 6, 2022 by Malin 1 Comment

CBR14 Bingo – Shadow (spies and all sorts of murky shenanigans throughout the story) This is book two in a series, and it really doesn’t work very well on its own. To start from the beginning, read Slippery Creatures first. Will Darling has settled more comfortably into his role as a London bookseller but has seen nor heard anything from the mysterious Lord Arthur “Kim” Secretan for several months. He has done his best to forget all about the man and get on with his life, agreeing to […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: cbr14, cbr14bingo, historical romance, K.J. Charles, Malin, mystery, shadow, spies, The Will Darling Adventures

Malin's CBR14 Review No:21 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: cbr14, cbr14bingo, historical romance, K.J. Charles, Malin, mystery, shadow, spies, The Will Darling Adventures ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment

“My dear chap, this is a bookshop. There’s never anywhere better to be.”

Slippery Creatures by K.J. Charles

July 29, 2022 by Malin 1 Comment

CBR14 Bingo: Snake (SPOILER: being a thoroughly disreputable sort, Kim also turns out to betray Will at least once during the story) Will Darling has inherited his late uncle’s bookshop and is grateful for the fact. After serving in World War I, most of his skills involve killing swiftly and efficiently, not really a commodity on the post-war job markets back in England. Now he just needs to get some idea of all the books actually in the shop and get on with being a […]

Filed Under: Fiction, History, Mystery, Romance Tagged With: 1920s, cbr14, cbr14bingo, historical fiction, K.J. Charles, kidnapping, LGBTQIA, Malin, mystery, romantic, Slippery Creatures, snake, spies, The Will Darling Adventures

Malin's CBR14 Review No:18 · Genres: Fiction, History, Mystery, Romance · Tags: 1920s, cbr14, cbr14bingo, historical fiction, K.J. Charles, kidnapping, LGBTQIA, Malin, mystery, romantic, Slippery Creatures, snake, spies, The Will Darling Adventures ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment

two short reviews for two short scenes

To Trust Man On His Oath by K.J. Charles

How Goes The World? by K.J. Charles

May 29, 2022 by wicherwill Leave a Comment

To Trust Man On His Oath I saved this conversational exchange as a draft review, knowing that I was terribly behind on reviews and wanting not to forget the sentiment: Will sighed internally. “Look, you don’t have to talk to me. But if you want to, it’s three in the morning.” “Does the time make a difference?” “Don’t you know?” Kim’s expression suggested he didn’t, and perhaps he wouldn’t. He was not much of a man for confidences, or intimacies. “Three in the morning, or […]

Filed Under: Romance Tagged With: K.J. Charles, LGBTQ, The Will Darling Adventures

wicherwill's CBR14 Review No:31 · Genres: Romance · Tags: K.J. Charles, LGBTQ, The Will Darling Adventures ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

so sad this was over

Subtle Blood by K.J. Charles

May 29, 2022 by wicherwill 2 Comments

CW: I cannot fully remember, but I recall there’s some period appropriate homophobia but from family members The interesting thing about this trilogy of books is how it doesn’t fit the normal arc of trilogies. Usually, Book 1 stands alone-ish–sets up the world, but the main plot issue sorts itself out so that if there’s no traction there’s not a horrid dangling issue left for the audience to deal with. Also, you’re more likely to get traction because the book has a nice finality to […]

Filed Under: Mystery, Romance Tagged With: K.J. Charles, LGBTQ, The Will Darling Adventures

wicherwill's CBR14 Review No:29 · Genres: Mystery, Romance · Tags: K.J. Charles, LGBTQ, The Will Darling Adventures ·
Rating:
· 2 Comments

excellent middle novel in an excellent series

The Sugared Game by K.J. Charles

May 29, 2022 by wicherwill Leave a Comment

Yep I just RAN to find this one after reading the prior book, and boy am I glad that I did. Realizing maybe I didn’t read these as quickly because I really dislike the way that Kim is pictured on the covers–long sideburns and black lipstick, it looks like to me??? Wait is that Maisie and Phoebe in the background!!!! After the first novel, Will finds himself once against at odds with trying to figure out that weirdo Kim. They’ve hooked up a couple of […]

Filed Under: Mystery, Romance Tagged With: K.J. Charles, LGBTQ, The Will Darling Adventures

wicherwill's CBR14 Review No:28 · Genres: Mystery, Romance · Tags: K.J. Charles, LGBTQ, The Will Darling Adventures ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »


Recent Comments

  • Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
  • Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
  • Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
  • Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
  • Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.
See More Recent Comments »

Support Our Mission

  • Support Our Mission: Donate Today!
  • FAQ
  • Shop
  • Volunteers
  • Leaderboard
  • AlabamaPink
  • Contact

Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo

The reviews and comments posted on this site reflect the opinions of individual posters and do not reflect the views of Cannonball Read.

© 2025 Cannonball Read Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) | Log in