revolverlancelot

“like arrowheads”

Revisado: 07-16-23

P F F F F F T T T T H B B F F seriously dude

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i really tried

Revisado: 12-19-22

there is so much good about these books but i am finally just done. the plot is so damned frustrating and this one ends on an even more frustratingly stupid note. i can’t stand the human male lead. i thought he was going to develop as a character but all he does is get taller. he’s still deeply unlikable and has zero redeeming traits. also he treats his demon boyfriend like absolute garbage. the only reason we know he evens likes him is because the narrator keeps telling us he does. regarding the most common criticisms i see of this work: yes the writing is stilted and juvenile but i really think this author has a lot of potential if only they had a competent editor

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bungholes

Revisado: 10-26-22

There were a lot of poor word choices being flung about, but I gave up and quit listening when the word bungholes was used in a sexual context. I can’t even with this.

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absolutely stunning

Revisado: 10-26-22

I only picked this up because I adore Gary Furlong’s voice and the story sounded alright. I have not been so pleasantly surprised in a long time. The writing is redolent of Fitzgerald and Evelyn Waugh—sharp and sparkling or lush and languid, by turns. The story is clever and funny and heartbreaking and human, and the plot is just over the top enough to keep the dramatic tension fun, rather than stressful. The characters and the world building are excellent…I just can’t say enough about how well done this is. I’m not a fan of steam punk, at all, but I’d never seen it done well, before. The just barely off-real world came together so believably, and everything made sense and played by the rules of its own universe. Not a hint of sci-fi magic paintbrushing here! As for the narration, Gary Furlong is my favorite reader, and he brought the characters and scenes so vividly to life, that I could literally see them. Again, I just can’t recommend this book enough. My only complaint is that I can’t give it even more stars.

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mostly amazing

Revisado: 10-25-22

I loved so much of this book so very much. It’s clever and hilarious and fun…until it’s not. Valentine takes way too much abuse from everyone, with the narrative treating it as if he deserves it. The problem is, most of the time he doesn’t, which makes all the other characters just come off like hateful bullies. My problem with Bonny is that, despite his histrionics, he seems so smart and perceptive till near the end, when he suddenly becomes just as wilfully stupid and selfish as his horrible sister, presumably so they can have one final dramatic misunderstanding before the resolution. It doesn’t work at all and is so goddamn frustrating, after all the ridiculous problems and character development they got through. Ugh. Mostly the book is lots of fun and i’d recommend it to anyone who likes queer historical fiction.

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Just the best

Revisado: 10-23-22

Let me preface this by saying I'd never read a romance novel before this book. I thought I was too high-minded and literary for that kind of nonsense I KNOW, I HAVE REPENTED. Anyway, I bought this book like a year ago and forgot, but when I finally got round to reading it, I wished I'd read it years sooner. It's clever, lovely, hilarious and heartwarming, has an amazing cast of characters, about all of whom I want to read more, and the sex is realistic enough not to annoy people conversant with the act, while being fun and spicy enough to actually be entertaining. Warning, though: this book sparked a dangerous (super nerdy) addiction, and I have since devoured every other thing KJ Charles has written, and am currently expanding into gay historical romance by other authors (though none have been as good yet). Beware, lest you, too plunge into the dark depths of fun, charming, romantic stories that don't take themselves too seriously!

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Good, but I wanted more from this

Revisado: 10-23-22

I thought Cyprian was the most intriguing character in the series, and I wanted him to really shine in this book, but instead of him being a ruthless, highly intelligent, behind the scenes badass, going all House-of-Cards on Richard's enemies, he just seems kind of....meh. Like maybe it would've been better to let us wonder about him. I still enjoyed the book, and Charles' work is in a league of its own, so I don't want to sound too negative. It's totally worth reading, and humanizing Richard like that was a master-stroke, I just wanted more from Cyprian and feel a bit disappointed.

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Best book in this series

Revisado: 10-23-22

I can't express how much I love Julius Norreys. What an amazingly nuanced, complex, beautifully broken character. I keep coming back to read this one again, just for him. I mean, the rest of the book is great, too, and there's a very interesting story, and Harry is an adorably well-meaning dumbass, but Julius is thorough perfection.

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Gary Furlong's Lord Courtenay is amazing

Revisado: 10-23-22

I listened to the Lawrence Brown affair before this book, and I enjoyed it well enough, but I wasn't exactly hyped for a sequel...until the minute Courtenay was introduced. I immediately went looking, in hopes that the next book featured Courtenay and that Gary Furlong narrated, and lo and behold I found this book. I don't love the other ML's voice, because he's supposed to be 24 and he sounds like kind of an old man, but Furlong's reading of Courtenay's bored, affected, quasi-French, English dandy drawl, is absolute perfection and exactly what I would imagine, based on the way his voice is described. It's the reason I listen to this book again ever so often, too. Just fantastic work.

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Charming story, narration falls flat

Revisado: 10-19-22

KJ Charles never disappoints. This story is a short-but-sweet little treat, featuring her usual charming characters, vivid settings, and clever situations. My only complaint is that it was too short, but that’s not a real criticism, I just want more, as always. The Audible narration is where it struggled, for me. The inexplicable choice to use two narrators only confused the tone of the story and muddied the characterizations. Individually, they did their best, but neither quite captured the unique voices or the cleverness, or even the pathos of Charles’ brilliant characters. Summary: Worth it because it’s KJ Charles, but the narration falls flat.

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