Think of England (England World, #2) in Trysts and Testosterone

Jan 01, 2018 Lee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: tone-serious, feature-queer, feature-spies, type-fiction, setting-1900-1949, written-as-historical, genre-romance, owned-print, owned-ebook, audience-adult

I absolutely adore this book. I've read it so many times now.

Some things I love about it:

* The sheer economy of the structure and the writing - KJ Charles manages to tell a complete and intricately nuanced story in a pretty short book, and not by skimping on anything, but with deftness and grace.

* The characters: especially stout-hearted, heroic Archie and prickly, fiercely intelligent Daniel, but also their foils in Patricia Merton and Fenella Carruth.

* The themes: subconscious and conscious kn ...more

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Aug 15, 2018 Maureen Lubitz rated it it was amazing

Originally posted on You Have Your Hands Full

Think of England was written by K.J. Charles. This is a standalone m/m historical romance novel set during the Edwardian era. I’ve loved all of Charles’ other books, and so I was excited about reading this one.

Archie Curtis attends a house party, but he has ulterior motives. He believes that his host may be involved in the Boer War sabotage that maimed or killed all the men in his regiment. Curtis is annoyed by one of the other guests- Daniel da Silva Originally posted on You Have Your Hands Full

Think of England was written by K.J. Charles. This is a standalone m/m historical romance novel set during the Edwardian era. I’ve loved all of Charles’ other books, and so I was excited about reading this one.

Archie Curtis attends a house party, but he has ulterior motives. He believes that his host may be involved in the Boer War sabotage that maimed or killed all the men in his regiment. Curtis is annoyed by one of the other guests- Daniel da Silva, a young poet who seems like his polar opposite. As the plot thickens, Curtis realizes that Daniel just might be the ally he didn’t know he needed. Peakholme may seem like a gorgeous manor house filled with high-tech modern conveniences, but it is a den of vipers, and Curtis is going to need an ally in order to survive the house party.

This was a wonderful book. My initial thought is that there need to be more m/m Edwardian historicals. It’s such a fascinating era; slightly more modern than the Victorians, but still suffering from the repression of their forebears. I loved the concept of a high-tech house circa 1904; it made for a rather unique setting. As for Curtis and Daniel, I found them to be a delightful example of enemies to lovers. Curtis’ involvement with Daniel made him realize things about himself that he had not considered previously, and I thought that the character arc was very well done. Curtis’ quest for vengeance is justified, and it shows growth for him to admit that he needs assistance in his endeavor. It shows even more growth for him to (begrudgingly) accept help from a man he thoroughly despises.

I would absolutely recommend Think of England. This is a standalone novel, so there are no prerequisites that need to be read before this book. K.J. Charles is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and I have been slowly working my way through the back catalog while waiting for new releases. Although the ending was satisfying, I hope that Charles revisits Curtis and Daniel’s world sometime in the future.
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Jan 06, 2017 Alicia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I have absolutely no idea why I only gave this 4 stars originally. I must have been taking some sort of high moral ground that only the most exceptional and lifechanging books would get 5. Whatever. This is a fantastic take on country house party intrigue.

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Jan 12, 2018 Daphne rated it really liked it

I just love KJ Charles, ok? Suspenseful adventure, incredible characters, clever dialogue and references and jokes, great fun. I finished it very quickly and I wish there was more of it.

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