The Sugared Game

The Will Darling Adventures, Book 2

De: KJ Charles

Narrado por: Cornell Collins

It's been two months since Will Darling saw Kim Secretan, and he doesn't expect to see him again. What do a rough and ready soldier-turned-bookseller and a disgraced, shady aristocrat have to do with each other anyway?

But when Will encounters a face from the past in a disreputable nightclub, Kim turns up, as shifty, unreliable, and irresistible as ever. And before Will knows it, he's been dragged back into Kim's shadowy world of secrets, criminal conspiracies, and underhand dealings.

This time, though, things are underhanded even by Kim standards. This time, the danger is too close to home. And if Will and Kim can't find common ground against unseen enemies, they risk losing everything.

Contains mature themes.

©2020 KJ Charles (P)2020 Tantor

This book made this series my favorite KJC series

Book 1 left me with such a mix of feelings that I wasn't sure what to think. I knew the story intrigued me and the writing engrossed me. I knew I cared about Will Darling. But I didn't want to feel sick with secondhand shame and worry again. I didn't want to feel disgusted and hurt by Kim again. But I love KJ Charles, so I eventually jumped in. I'm so glad I did. Book 2 turned the Will Darling series into my favorite KJ Charles series, and that's saying something considering I worship her books. If unsure of book 1 and checking these reviews for clues it'll be worth it, I promise you the pain and frustration endured in book 1 is 100% completely worth it. This book makes the first book a thousand times better. (It was already great, but I mean it makes the pain a thousand times more tolerable.)

The Sugared Game takes us deeper into the world, revealing a lot of the big players orchestrating a lot of the crime and mayhem. We learn a great deal more about Will and Kim as they get closer and join forces. There is still some frustrating manipulation and dishonesty from Kim, but they actually address it by TALKING about it like adults. Practically unheard of! There's no forced miscommunication or dodging the one conversation that would fix everything. These guys hash things out multiple times and eventually work together. Will sticks up for himself full-stop, no wavering for his pretty boyfriend. In fact, Will is a bit too eager to jump into situations and seems a bit pigheaded (in a charming brutish sort of way) at times.

By the end, I ended up so deeply invested in Will and Kim's hopes for each other that I think I'll be more heartbroken if something came between them than they would be. The book ends with huge changes to the status quo, opening the entire world of possibilities. It's like a gaping wound of possibilities, actually. A bit frightening and unclear. I have no idea what to expect for book 3 at all, and I can't wait!

definitely one of the better gay Romance

pretty much just a good spy/mystery novel with gay characters, finally. I can't find anything wrong with this one, the voice work is great as well

Another fantastic instalment

This isn’t just romance. It’s fun pulp, wonderful characterisation and perfectly narrated. The whole package!

Enjoy this Series

The characters, time period, adventure all come together for an enjoyable story. Looking forward to the third installment.

Fabulous sequel

When the sequel is just as nearly satisfying as the first novel in a series, it’s an unmitigated treat - and that is exactly what this was! The audiobook was narrated brilliantly once again by Cornell Collins, and KJ Charles delivered another tightly-plotted game of intrigue with heartbreakingly human characters living out the best and worst of their natures.

KJ Charles has a knack for writing well-rounded characters. Their motivations make sense, and their behaviors are brilliantly in-character. Kim, Will, Maisie and Phoebe are all developed in a way where they feel like real people, and their actions throughout this novel and the first build onto my understanding of who they are. The supporting cast are just as well-grounded in the shorter amounts of time we as readers spend with them.

The plot here felt a little more snarled than in the first novel, in part because there were lots of names to keep track of. That said, there were breadcrumbs along the way that set up the conclusion perfectly, and a few “aha!” moments that I hadn’t worked out on my own.

From the characters and relationship perspective: It’s important too that they (mainly Will and Kim) continue to make the same mistakes even as they’re learning and striving to do better. They have undeniable chemistry, represent for one another a part of their lives they were missing, and they STILL keep hurting one another for one reason or the other.

I am really looking forward to the final part of the trilogy!

Learning to Trust

I enjoyed the growing relationship between the main characters and the fact that they were doing their best with flawed personalities. I appreciated that Will called out his companion when he needed to, though they still have a long way to go. I like that you come to care about them and their circle of friends.

I really like these two

I really like this couple. And I like the storyline that goes along with them. It’s fun I highly recommend the book.

Wonderful MM Historical Romance/Cozy Mystery

I was always skeptical of MM romance themed novels - in part suspicious because the vast majority of the reviews seemed to be by women. However, when I ran across KJ Charles’ Will Darling Series, which seemed to be both MM themed and a historical cozy mystery (my favorite genre for pleasure reading) I thought I’d give it a chance. So glad that I did. I very much enjoyed the first installment, “Slippery Creatures.” And with “The Sugared Game” I grew even more fond of the series and its central characters. Love the exploration of what it might have been like to be queer in the Edwardian Era; love the push-pull/attraction-repulsion dynamic between Will and Kim; love the supporting characters of Phoebe and Maisey (would love to see them developed a bit more fully); and love the delightful mix of genres - part historical fiction, part romance, part spy novel, part cozy mystery. And I will say that for me, I think KJC finds just the right balance when it comes to the spicy stuff. There are definitely several moments in both this and the previous installment that got me a bit hot and bothered, but it definitely wasn’t just one sex scene after another. There was a real plot there. I was disappointed to see that it seems that this series will end with book three. I hope the author will reconsider! But I see that s/he has written quite a few other MM romance/mystery novels, so I will look forward to exploring some of them, once I’ve finished the Will Darling series.

Made even better by fantastic narration

The first book was 4.5/5, this book is easily 5/5. It really builds on the previous book and fixes anything I might've had issue with. I think we really start to see that Kim and Will DO have a possible future together and if they work for it, they might actually get that happy ending. Kim especially becomes a lot more sympathetic in this book; his character doesn't really change, we just learn who he is a little bit more and see that he's really starting to care about Will. Meanwhile Will is no pushover and remains fantastically stubborn and has self-respect to stand up to Kim and go after what he wants and what he deserves. Phoebe and Maisie are wonderful as always. The third book and probably last book in the series is coming out in June and I can't wait! Although I do wish that this was going to be a twenty book series instead of a trilogy, ha! I'd pre-order them all!

Lastly the narrator always does an excellent job. Each character has a distinct and immediately recognizable voice, which makes listening to the books so much more enjoyable because there's never any confusion for the listener. Will and Maisie's accents are especially lovely.

Excellent narration and story!

Cornell Collins once again delivers an awesome performance. I always love how into the characters he gets.

Kim and Will are back, with Kim up to his usual secret squirrel shenanigans. I love how KJ weaves the plot and the romance together - so while the book is plot heavy (and it’s super interesting!), we’re also getting interactions and dialogue between Kim and Will that further and deepen their relationship. It’s so clear that Kim isn’t used to having someone pursue him, even after he’s caused mayhem and pushed them away repeatedly. We learn some things about Kim in this book that help explain why he is the way he is. And rather than run for the hills, Will is even more determined to stand by him.

The last hour-or-so of this book is a wild ride of plot reveals with some top notch humor woven in. While the plot in this book is wrapped up, there’s still plenty to finish unraveling in the next book - namely Kim’s character, as he hopefully finally opens to Will. We’ll see! :)