An Unsuitable Heir

Sins of the Cities, Book 3

By: KJ Charles

Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies

Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's Summary

A private detective finds passion, danger, and the love of a lifetime when he hunts down a lost earl in Victorian London.

On the trail of an aristocrat's secret son, enquiry agent Mark Braglewicz finds his quarry in a music hall, performing as a trapeze artist with his twin sister. Graceful, beautiful, elusive, and strong, Pen Starling is like nobody Mark's ever met - and everything he's ever wanted. But the long-haired acrobat has an earldom and a fortune to claim.

Pen doesn't want to live as any sort of man, least of all a nobleman. The thought of being wealthy, titled, and always in the public eye is horrifying. He likes his life now - his days on the trapeze, his nights with Mark. And he won't be pushed into taking a title that would destroy his soul.

But there's a killer stalking London's foggy streets, and more lives than just Pen's are at risk. Mark decides he must force the reluctant heir from music hall to manor house, to save Pen's neck. Betrayed by the one man he thought he could trust, Pen never wants to see his lover again. But when the killer comes after him, Pen must find a way to forgive - or he might not live long enough for Mark to make amends.

Don't miss any of the captivating Sins of the Cities novels:

• An Unseen Attraction
• An Unnatural Vice
• An Unsuitable Heir

And look for the enticing Society of Gentlemen series by KJ Charles:

• The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh
• A Fashionable Indulgence
• A Seditious Affair
• A Gentleman's Position

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

Critic Reviews

"I'll read anything KJ Charles writes!" ( New York Times best-selling author Kate Pearce)

"KJ Charles has long been one of my favorite authors." ( USA Today best-selling author Carole Mortimer)

What a climax!

My FAVORITE of the series! What a range of characters we’ve seen in these books. The MCs in this one blew me away, especially since they appeared in a historical romance!

Pen is a gender fluid trapeze artist. Mark is a pansexual man of inquiry. Mark sees Pen and he’s mesmerized. Pen sees Mark and is dubious of his seemingly honest attraction to and acceptance of him. I LOVED these two together, delighted in how they navigated understanding each others’ sexuality and creating trust. Only to have it purposefully destroyed.

That’s right, stuff happens and it’s not all good. People get hurt. It’s not all perfect, love and roses forever (well, OK, until the HEA).

This is the finale of a mystery that began two books ago. I’m usually pretty adept at figuring out whodunit. But here, I didn’t have a clue. Not at all. Zero. This both delighted and frustrated me to no end. Well done there, K.J. Charles, well done!

Pen is the likely heir to an earldom. He doesn’t want it. At all. But people are dying because of him. What to do? Read it and find out.

And if you’re hankering for an audiobook, the performance for this one was incredible!

*insert obligatory title here*

*insert obligatory 15 word review here even though I only want to rate the book*

Series ends on a high note

The final installment of the Sins of the City gives interesting characters, a nice narration and resolution of the mystery in KJ Charles' inimitable style. There is instant attraction between trapeze artist Pen and private investigator Mark that shows how gender fluidity can be beautiful. Pen struggles with being misunderstood and opens up to Mark's compassionate understanding. However, an unwanted title forces Pen to play the gentleman and violence follows in his wake. The mystery begun in the first book has a satisfying conclusion. You also get to catch up with Clem, Rowley, Nathaniel and Justin from the first two books of the series which is fun. The whole series is narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davis who does a fine job in character voice and development. I am beyond thrilled KJ Charles is getting turned into audibles and hope more of her books get the attention they deserve.

Uniquely Wonderful

This book is my favorite of the series, though I love all 3. So much depth. Sexy and breathtaking.

Superb!

Fascinating.
Absolutely fantastic series, and finished off with this incredible story - it was a marvelous experience.

Audio superbly performed by Matthew Lloyd Davies, as always!

yes

My most memorable moment? Was when Justin came around. I didn't realize how much I loved him til I missed him. This series was everything I have always wanted and MORE! I shall always support this author. I shall always worship. The narration is amazing, I can't picture it any other way, so fluid and entertaining with every syllable. Gosh there are some marvelous people in this world, to create and bring to life a series that is so inclusive and strong on every point! Wow. The series had me laughing and laughing, I got really heart wrenched with the second to last victim of the murderer, that got me good if you know which one i'm talking about. This series came from the land of gods.

The story takes flight with your heart

First introduced, though not by name in the first book of the series, Pen flies through the air and forces the audience and the man he will come to love to have their breath catch. He does not have modern words like gender non-conforming, non-binary, or gender-fluid to define himself with but he is a queer character who uses masculine pronouns as the least "offensive" way to describe himself. With having the vocabulary or the modern psychology to describe the dysmorphia he feels he exists somewhere between masculine and feminine as one of the "Flying Starlings," a trapeze act he preforms with his twin sister.

Mark meanwhile is imminently sensible, simultaneously ordinary and astute. He is a one armed man, a private detective, the son of an anarchist, and he doesn't care how his partners in bed look as long as they are both happy with the arrangement. These are all part of what makes Mark who he is but none of them define him. Perhaps today he'd ascribe to being a person with a disability or pansexual but he might just say he is himself and not both with more than that.

The care with which Mark asks Pen what he needs and acknowledges that consent now is not consent forever, that what he likes can change and that both of them should be happy--it is delicate and thoughtful, and not perfect, and human in its imperfections. The way he treats consent as sexy, the way he embraces all of Pen from the masculine to the feminine without exemption is heartbreakingly wonderful.

And none of that was about the plot. The murderer is still at large, the mystery of who the rightful (albeit VERY reluctant) Earl is has been revealed, and I am trying to stay away from spoilers.

The twists and turns of the plot, like the corridors of the old house, are all necessary and there will be a HEA for all involved. It is a satisfying conclusion to the mystery and a delicious end to this series.

There are not enough well researched, historical queer novels out there, let alone ones with nuanced characters and well researched settings. I am so glad this one exists.

Great read.

First book I have read from KJ Charles. Well thought out plot. Will try another by author.

Very good read!

Such a good read. Very serious at some points, but also very funny at others. Very mysterious, thrilling type story and I loved it! I also loved Pen as a beautiful character 💘.

love it. want more. This was lovely. couldn't stop

loved it. couldn't put it down. very touching my kind of style. I want more. hope to find more. I wish there were more parts.

Grey

When you blend all the plasticine colours you get grey. This is what happened in this book. The abundance of themes just muddied the actual plot, which had little impetus as it was to push itself free of the ropes and get going even with this fine narrator. Have had many books by this author and found them such a mixed bag. Gave up on this one before the 2nd hour. DISAPPOINTING

Good story

The concept is interesting and well written. The characters are likeable and the narration is good.