Hatch Day Review | An Unseen Attraction

By Birdie

unseen-attraction

About the Book: 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.

Sins of the Cities #1
M/M Historical Romance
Loveswept | February 21, 2017
amazon2 bn2

Even though I’ve only recently discovered her, I love KJ Charles.  She does M/M historical romance as it should be, realistically.  Homosexuality was a crime back then, with a punishment of imprisonment.  They weren’t able to build a normal life together.  They were left with sneaking around and hiding.  Maybe it sounds weird, but I like that Ms Charles doesn’t bend that reality by pretending that equality was accepted.  I prefer historically accurate, even when I vehemently disagree.

In An Unseen Attraction KJ Charles introduces us to Clem, who’s grown up in England but has an Indian mother.  In addition to being a racially diverse character, I believe he also had a touch of autism which made interacting with his peers difficult for him.  Clem has a crush on Rowley, who was slight in stature, awkward in his own way, and works as a taxidermist.  It was a set up unlike any I’ve read before, and I really loved how both of these awkward characters found security with each other.

I also thought there was amazing heat between the characters.  This was a really sexy read, with the perfect amount of attraction to make the intimate moments everything they should be.  Rowley and Clem were well suited in the bedroom, with Rowley wanting Clem to take control and Clem needing to control and move at his own pace.  That dynamic made all of the physical scenes in the story so hot.

I would say I loved about 75% of An Unseen Attraction.  My only issue with the story was in how the characters interacted during times of stress.  Clem was ruled by a need to not let his family down, despite the fact that they didn’t treat him well, and he often put that ahead of everything.  I would have loved to see Rowley stick up for himself more, kind of force Clem into seeing what he truly had to lose.  BUT, I recognize that Clem and Rowley were acting in character.  I can appreciate that sometimes we just don’t agree with the direction a character goes, but it’s not due to bad writing or the author dropping the ball.  I just wouldn’t have handled things as well as Rowley, I guess.

Now, it looks like this is an on going series, which seems to be Ms Charles style.  I know that I’m not going to get my way, but I’d really love it if all the books were about Clem and Rowley.  I feel like their story isn’t over.  They have a lot more to discover about themselves and I’m not ready for a couple switch.

Reading the synopsis on the back of book two, I have no doubt that it will quickly change my mind.

Thank you to Loveswept for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4-feathers

About Birdie

Don’t look for her in any bar, club, crazy raging party, or anywhere there may be a large gathering of strangers. She’s more likely to be found tucked into the corner of the couch watching one of her favorite shows, or preferably under a comforter with her current novel.

14 Responses

  1. Megan @ bookslayerReads

    I love your reviews! I am always looking for some good m/m recommendations, so thank you! I’ll have to check this book and this author out.

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      3. Megan @ bookslayerReads

        😂😂😂 Hey, that’s ok with me! Especially if you could give me some recs for m/m beginners. Like ones with not a whole lot of explicit sex scenes. I’m still new to the m/m genre and I wanna take it slow, ya know?

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      4. Birdie

        I actually don’t like a lot of explicit sex scenes in most of the books I read. Some sex is fine, but I prefer less sex and more plot. I’d start with TJ Klune. He doesn’t write a lot of sex. How to be a Normal Person has zero sex, but it’s still so much fun. Or Bear, Otter and the Kid. Or, my favorite, Captive Prince is light on the sex.

        Liked by 1 person

      5. Megan @ bookslayerReads

        Ooh, I own Bear, Otter and the Kid!! I just haven’t read it yet (for whatever reason). But I do know a lot of people love his work. So I’ll have to read some of his stuff soon!

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  4. Jackie B @ Death by Tsundoku

    Great review! This is a genre I had no idea existed, and I’m so glad to see it does! I agree with you that I’d love the historical facts to remain straight. Otherwise it become more fantasy, no matter how you want to interpret it. I’ll have to check this series out.

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