An Unseen Attraction

Sins of the Cities, Book 1

By: KJ Charles

Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies

A slow-burning romance and a chilling mystery bind two singular men in the suspenseful first book of a new Victorian series from K. J. Charles.

Lodging-house keeper Clem Talleyfer prefers a quiet life. He's happy with his hobbies, his work - and especially with his lodger Rowley Green, who becomes a friend over their long fireside evenings together. If only neat, precise, irresistible Mr. Green were interested in more than friendship....

Rowley just wants to be left alone - at least until he meets Clem, with his odd, charming ways and his glorious eyes. Two quiet men, lodging in the same house, coming to an understanding...it could be perfect. Then the brutally murdered corpse of another lodger is dumped on their doorstep and their peaceful life is shattered. Now Clem and Rowley find themselves caught up in a mystery, threatened on all sides by violent men, with a deadly London fog closing in on them. If they're to see their way through, the pair must learn to share their secrets - and their hearts.

©2017 K. J. Charles (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Delightful

I'm fond of adventures featuring everyday people, and this is an excellent example. I felt like I could have been one of the other residents of the boarding house or regulars at the Jack and Knave. KJ Charles' historical worldbuilding is thorough without beating you over the head with endless descriptive passages, so that you're just dropped into the rich complexity of Victorian London and allowed to live there. This is a gentler, slower story than some of her wild rides, but there's plenty of excitement, a little horror, and some truly hilarious animals.

Thrilling

I enjoyed this book and storyline completely. It kept me guessing and I am incredibly excited to listen to the next book!

Enjoyable, but NSFW

The spicy scenes were a little gruff for my tastes, but everything else was enjoyable. The story is interesting and the characters are compelling.

Fun romp

Wonderful fun Victorian romance, with the added allure of a muder mystery, family secrets, and illicit love.

Comfort in found family for odd birds

Having read then listened to this book a couple times, it holds up. Clem is an odd duck on several front. Rowley Just wants not to be noticed…until Clem notices him. Unfortunately outside actors also notice them. There is trouble, some fighting, and some trauma in addition to date nights to see trapeze artists.

Clem & Rowley are good for each other & Clem’s friends have his back and it’s nice to see.

Worldbuilding: not paranormal. Good use of setting (London Fog) and detail. On rereading after completing the series, it’s fun to see what glimpses of the future I didn’t know about the first time through. It’s not so much like missing clues as what seems incidental now becomes important later, but it won’t matter until one rereads this. Good solid base for the trilogy+.

Steam: Med-Low. There is a reasonable amount of M/M fooling around on page, with some specificity, but it doesn’t dwell on the sex as much as the comfort & connection. There’s great dialogue about desires & consent.

Narration: I like listening to this story. It’s nicely done with consistent audio quality.