K. J. Charles does it again

K.J. Charles is an auto buy for me ever since the Magpie series. That remains the favorite, but I definitely enjoyed the second installment of the Sins of the Cities series. While the first book in the series had a gentleness between the two main characters, in this book there is friction and sparks. Following an enemies to lovers storyline, the cynical psychic Justin rubs the crusading journalist Nathaniel the wrong way. But that doesn't stop them from wanting to rub each in other ways (sorry, easy joke). The initial attraction grows to something more when danger follows them in the fog polluted streets of Victorian London. One of my favorite things about K. J. Charles is that her characters are not without flaws and issues. Justin is, to me, the more interesting as someone who will do whatever he can to keep his precarious social position as his protection from poverty and the streets. Nathaniel struggles to put aside his self righteousness but does so once he sees Justin's reality is less privileged than his own. The sex scenes work well as does the eventual solid partnership they form together. The narrator does his usual great job of giving unique voices to each character. In a nutshell, a fun listen that is well worth a credit. The biggest problem I have is the wait until the final book coming out in October.

6 people found this helpful

Opposites Attract

4.5*

An Unnatural Vice is a great continuation of the Sins of the Cities series. The suspense and mystery had me wanting to take a nice long road trip so I could just sit and listen until the end! I'm loving the way this story is playing out- the who, what, where, when, why, and how, I need answers! Oh what a tangled web Ms. Charles has weaved- one that has me guessing and second guessing myself with each page.
Nathaniel and Justin are such complete opposites. we're talking enemies-to-lovers to the extreme! And I was feeling all the anger and the animosity and I was there for it!
Then there were the moments of reflection from Nathaniel, when he was remembering the times with Tony, and I could just feel his pain and sorrow. So sad. But it was wonderful to see him open himself up to Justin, and accept that there was more life out there for him to live.

I really enjoy the way the overall story arc runs through the 3 books- we get "complete" stories for the main couples, but the mystery itself continues on, with each couple playing their part in moving the story along.
I'm glad I discovered this after all books were out, so I didn't have to wait to know what happens!

Once again another fantastic job by Matthew Lloyd Davis! With his narration I could imagine myself transported to London, feeling the fog closing in around me, feeling the anticipation and anxiousness of the characters.

4 people found this helpful

Middle-book syndrome

I loved the Characters but too much of this felt like a middle book in a series with barely any action happening. In comparison to the other books by Charles I felt like this lacked pacing and plot. I am hoping the conclusion to the series will balance the series out for me.

1 person found this helpful

An unnatural Vice

These books really need to be read in order if you want to understand the mystery because it sounds across all three books. However, each book finishes the love story for each couple.

This book was better than the first but I definitely enjoyed both and will be listening to the next right away.

The author created characters who were worth caring about. I didn't think I would like Justin anymore than Nathaniel, but by the end I wanted him to have the hea he never thought he deserved. I am glad the author didn't try to make the reader believe Justin was an authentic medium and that she described the tricks of the trade.

I saw other reviewers comment on the authors description of the fog but my goodness it made me thankful for my small town life. It was almost like I was lost in it.

Mathew Lloyd Davies did and an absolutely marvelous job telling this story and thankfully he reads this entire series!

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mm historical romance with a bit of mystery on the side.

1 person found this helpful

Love this series.

I love this series and can’t wait to see what happens next!! The performance is superb.

Smoldering romance in London's fog

Two strong personalities come together as the mystery from Book 1 continues to unfold. An enemies to lovers story that is realistic in how initial sparks of hate and lust are fanned into love and trust.

Nathaniel Roy is wealthy man with a long broken heart who's spark for existing is kindled back to life the last place he expected it to be--around the seance table of a man he is looking to prove is a fraud, Justin Lazarus.

The secondary cast of characters, though not as notable as the primary are well developed, quirky, and charming by turns. They are only introduced if they add to the story but they are never superfluous, they always add to the scene or story and often make both the reader and the character think about something other than themselves.

As always, these stories are well researched and KJ Charles' attention to detail makes me swoon. Everything from oily creeping fog, the blessing of a frosty gutter so you don't end up mired ankle deep in filth, to putting a medium's conjoining tricks on display and to later explaining how they work makes the infinitely curious history lover in me smile with contentment.

The relationship here is contentious at times but there is never any doubt as to the consent of the acts they participate in. The concept of enthusiastic consent between intimate partners is one I wish more authors understood and made clear. If someone is looking to a romance novel to set the standards of what to expect in a relationship, KJ Charles is an author who's characters embody this to an enviable degree.

Riveting and suspenseful!

An Unnatural Vice is the second book in the Sins of the Cities series. While you probably could read/listen to this as a standalone, I highly recommend that you experience this series in order. The story for each couple in their book is resolved but the underlying mystery won't be solved until book 3, An Unsuitable Heir.

I had a bit of a struggle with the first book in this series but ended up liking it OK. I also struggled a bit with this one at first but I ended up loving it. The enemies to lovers trope isn't one that I've read a lot but KJ Charles did a superb job with this one.

Nathaniel has been brought up in privilege, never wanting for anything. Justin has had to scrounge for everything and has finally made a name for himself as a "spiritualist" and doesn't feel a bit guilty for taking money from people in return for telling them what they want to hear.

Nathaniel and Justin have an adversarial relationship throughout most of this story and it certainly makes for some interesting dialogue between the characters. When they no longer can fight their attraction to each other they don't try to fool themselves into thinking that it's anything but a good f**k.

This story had lots of action and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout most of it. Ms. Charles writing is captivating, the dialogue between the characters is witty and crisp with just enough humor thrown in to keep the book from being too somber.

I have no idea who the bad guy is going to be and I can't wait for the last book in this series to wrap things up for me.

Matthew Lloyd Davies did another great job with his performance of this audobook.

To be continued...

I was giving it 4 stars until the last line, "To be continued." I hate listening for almost 8 hours to get a non-ending. I would have been OK with HFN but the "to be continued" frosts me. I had wondered how they were going to wrap it up since there wasn't much time left on the clock. Simple, you don't. The story has a very slow burn. I didn't listen to the first in the series and it stood on it's own fine. The reader did a good job.

Not that Great

Didn't care too much for this book. Too much going on. There is murder, missing people, attempted murder, kidnap, séance and much more. It's also a continuation from the first book which I think is just like beating a dead horse.

Stupendous

An Unnatural Vice is a fun, sexy and exciting book 2 in the Sin of the Cities series. Loved it!

Matthew Lloyd Davies narration was on point .

Listened through Audible Catalog Plus