Vik is a serious type who cares far too much about everything and feels passionately about human rights and justice. Vik and Gil are fully realized men with believable motivations and relatable feelings. This story had me glued to my headphones.

How KJ Charles manages to fit so much emotion and intelligence into a simple novella, I'll never know. Wonderfully improper, heartfelt, and smart His voice for Vik reminded me of the voice the narrator for Wanted, a Gentleman used for Martin, but, no, different narrators. I was fascinated to see similar background details being used to flesh out an entirely different character arc. As a matter of interest, there are strong parallels here to some details from the Sins of the City series, likely because some of the research on the pornography trade was originally planned for that series, but that story line didn't work out. The connections are believable, and the resolution quite satisfying. The mystery part of the plot is fairly thin, but appropriate to the length of the work. Charles makes them both believable in their incomprehension of the other, but also gives them a platform (the investigation) through which to come together again. The romance is focused on two formerly close friends who were ripped apart, and who have gone in vastly different directions in life, so much that both wonder if anything can come of their rediscovery of each other. Friends as children, a lawyer and a purveyor of pornography reunite when the lawyer goes looking for a missing boy who may have wound up in the dirty pictures trade.

If you liked this but haven't read any other books by this author, check out Sins of the Cities books or The Magpie Lord, you will not be disappointed.Ī short, but sweet, story. The narrator (which I am sure I heard before but could not find the book if I had) was great! I love his voice, the accents and characters where unique and he really brought an emotional punch in his narration. One of my favorite troupes is Friends-to-Lovers and Second Chance, this book had them with such an intensity, I loved it! I also admire her use of people of color and ethical variety in her stories, it shows a side of Historical Romance that is not usually found in any Romance genre (be it M/F or M/M) and brings to light the complexity of living in that time period. This short story had everything you can wish for in a Historical M/M Romance: thrill, mystery, an investigation, complex family issues among the high society and a strong connection between the two MC's, Vikram and Gil. She is a fantastic storyteller with well researched stories that are time accurate. KJ Charles is an author I have come to admire, her periodical romances are raw, unique and gender/ethnically inclusive.

Unfit to Print by K.J. Charles