#think of england

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

Sometimes you just have to listen to the live version of a song and feel like you're ascending to godhood...

#this is specifically about the following: #like real people do #how to rest #inertia #hozier #the crane wives #ajr #the chain #fleetwood mac #but also some others #the only time i have ever come CLOSE to believing in god was listening to in the bleak midwinter #lover of the light #mumford & sons #ol' man river #judy garland #wishing well #the oh hellos #trees #running up that hill #first aid kit #think of england #bear's den #anthem part 2 #blink 182 #the wages #june #florence + the machine #have the live versions of all of these songs on my phone

[runawaymarbles]

So what I'm learning from all these KJ Charles books is that one should never attend a house party while single. You'll meet the love of your life but at what cost

#kj Charles #think of England #proper english

[magickkart]

Characters I’d love to lock in a room together and observe from a distance (top to bottom, left to right): Nicky Rook from “Death in the Spires”, Kim Secretan from “The Will Darling Adventures”, Daniel da Silva from “Think of England”….and technically also the will darling adventures I guess,, and last but not least - anachronistic grandpa Julius Norreys from “A Society of Gentlemen” In other news: Ive got the KJC brainworms. again.

#kim secretan #the will darling adventures #kj charles #julius norreys #A society of gentlemen #asog #Nicky rook #death in the spires #daniel da silva #think of england #The tension in the room would be high not only bc daniel is kims toxic employer #But because they cant win in a battle of wits between each other #And a brawl would eventually break out #Which canonically only Julius can win

[a-ramblinrose]

JOMP BPC || January 27 || Reading In Bed:

#Think of England #KJ Charles #jompbpc #justonemorepage #books #book photo challenge #book photography #Not out of void but out of chaos

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Character, book, and author names under the cut

Three Seagrass- A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Daniel da Silva- Think of England by KJ Charles

Chu Wanning- The Husky And His White Cat Shizun by Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat

Celia Lang- These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

#Three Seagrass #A Memory Called Empire #Arkady Martine #Daniel da Silva #Think of England #KJ Charles #Chu Wanning #The Husky And His White Cat Shizun #2ha #erha #Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat #Celia Lang #These Violent Delights #tvd #Chloe Gong #lgbt books #polls #queer book character tournament 2

[do-you-know-this-queer-character]

Do you know this queer character?

Daniel is Gay and uses he/him pronouns!

#sorry submitter the image you linked is fanart and the artists bio says not to repost #i just picked a cover I don't know if this man is daniel or not #if there's a better official image lmk! #daniel de silva #think of england #kj charles #gay #he/him #books #lgbtqia #do you know this queer character #finished

[poisindonottouch]

Queer reads: K.J. Charles

As we leave fantasy, I bring you the last category of my recommendations: smutty smutty smut. 

Okay, these are romance novels, but in my reading of romance novels, I’ve discovered that I thoroughly enjoy the spicier end of the spectrum. The smuttier the better. 

So, for day 22, I bring you my favorite romance author KJ Charles. 

I’m putting this under a cut, because it’s going to be long. 

KJ Charles has written loads of books, but I’ve narrowed it down to my favorite 9. 

I’ll take these by series. 

First off, I give you the Will Darling Adventures. These books take place in 1920s London (and surrounding environs.) They are post WWI. Will Darling served in the war, came home to no one, and ended up inheriting a book shop. He’s gruff, manly, and really a giant cinnamon roll. Kim did not serve in the war (it’s a whole thing), and he’s anything but a manly cinnamon roll. He’s sharp and devious and manipulative. And of course, they fall in loooove. This trilogy follows the same pairing over three books, and it’s nice to see how KJC handles the deepening of their relationship from HFN to HEA. (That’s happily for now & happily ever after.) 

The next two books, Proper English and Think of England, are actually in the same world as the Will Darling books, and you’ll see a cameo or two in the later trilogy. Proper English, set in 1902, tells the story of Pat and Fen meeting at a house party that involves a murder mystery and some sexy times. After all, if a murderer is on the loose, you can’t sleep alone, right? Think of England, set in 1904, tells the story of Archie and Daniel, at a different house party. Archie is there to investigate some shady business, but he’s a straightforward kind of man, and he is woefully out of his depth. Luckily, Daniel is there. 

Any Old Diamonds and An Unnatural Vice are set in the same world, about 20 years apart. They aren’t the only books in their series, but they are my favorite of each. Any Old Diamonds follows Alec and Jerry as Alec hires Jerry to steal some jewels. There’s a great twist to this one, and I love Alec and Jerry. I want more of them. An Unnatural Vice is book two of the Sins of the City trilogy, but Justin Lazarus is the very best character ever, and Nathaniel is good for him. I recommend the all the books in both series, but these two are my favorite in the bunches. 

Band Sinister is a stand alone novel, telling the story of Phillip and Guy, who have some bad history between their families, but unforeseen circumstances bring them together, and chemistry does the rest. I would love to read a book series about every side character in this book, but alas. I’ll keep reading fanfic instead. 

Which brings us to The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, the most recent book out by KJC. It’s the first of a duology, and I’m super excited for the next one to come out in September. It’s marked on my calendar in my kitchen. This is a dual pov book switching between Garath, who recently inherited his late fathers title, home, and secrets, and Joss, the boss of the local smuggler family. This is a lovers to enemies to lovers book, and I love it. Really, one of KJCs best. 

(Ack! I missed Spectered Isle, which is also fantastic. I really enjoy the relationship in this one, and I’d happily read a bunch of books set in this world, but alas, I think this series is over. Spectered Isle follows after The Casebooks of Simon Feximal (also good. Think smutty, magical Sherlock Holmes.) Like the Will Darling books, Spectered Isle takes place post the Great War, and everyone in the novel is scarred from it. It’s not a shared universe though, because this one has magic, and the Will Darling books are not fantasy, but similar time frame.)

#sandi reads #queer books #romance novels #lgbtq romance #happy pride 🌈 #the will darling adventures #Any Old Diamonds #An Unnatural Vice #Band Sinister #The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen #Spectered Isle #Think of England #Proper English #KJ Charles

[pretensesoup]

Queer books, day 13/30

All right, ready to dive back into the seedy world of M/M romance novels after yesterday's unnecessarily heartfelt diversion?

This book is like...James Bond meets and shags a Jewish Oscar Wilde. Also there's some plot about blackmail. It's set in the middle of the belle époque, so right around 1900, at a time when many noble families suddenly realized that they weren't quite as wealthy as they once had been but were still saddled with large country houses, trendy London homes, big payrolls, etc. (This is also the plot of Downton Abbey.)

Anyway, one thing I enjoy about KJ Charles is that she writes Jewish characters into her stuff. The first one I came across, in Band Sinister, was only a side character, but...I had this sudden revelation that I didn't really ever see Jews represented in fiction that wasn't set around WWII. In the same way one could get the sense that there are no queer people before Stonewall except for Walt Whitman and Oscar Wilde, it's weirdly easy to get the feeling that Jews only really existed from about 1929 to 1946. (And in the works of Michael Chabon and the film The Big Lebowski, which is the best film ever.)

Daniel da Silva is the Jewish character here--yes, he's Sephardic, which is both accurate for migration patterns (England got a bunch of Jews following the Spanish Inquisition) and unusual in itself, as Jews seem to be primarily northern European when portrayed in fiction. He's a poet and a spy, brilliant and mercurial, not much of a fighter but very good at what he does. He meets a guy named Captain Archie Curtis, who is a war vet who lost several fingers to a poorly manufactured gun. They solve a crime (and do sex--did I mention that? a lot of sex).

This is a sendup of Victorian/Edwardian novels like She by H. Rider Haggard--explicitly, Captain Curtis is like the nephew/adopted son of Sir Henry Curtis and his "friend"(?) Captain Good, who are characters in King Solomon's Mines. And it has a lot of tropes, if you are a trope-reading person. We get: big gay awakening, sex or death, arguably a kind of grumpy/sunshine thing, attack lesbians as background characters, and a whole last stand/never tell me the odds type of thing. Also, da Silva comes back in the Will Darling books as an older and wiser man, and I wish we'd gotten more of him.

I read this book last summer during a period of about 54 hours when we didn't have electricity. I should have been saving the power in my phone, but instead I was reading this. Eventually, I took the kids to their grandmother's house (because it was July and 90 degrees, and SHE had power) and finished reading this in her air conditioned guest room. No regrets. 10/10, go read it.

#30 days of books #kj charles #think of england #daniel da silva #queer books #pride #lgbtq books #book review

[cactusspatz]

February recs

Fandoms are all over the place this month since I finished my Yuletide trawl, so lots of small fandoms + Star Trek + Star Wars, sorted into thematic clusters for your reading pleasure.

ALTERNATE UNIVERSE ADVENTURES

Another Life by @LullabyKnell (Star Trek AOS, gen)

In one moment, James T. Kirk is the acting captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise, on his way home to Earth after stopping the Narada. In the next moment, without explanation, James T. Kirk is an Academy cadet on academic probation again, barely a day before Nero will destroy Vulcan.

He dares himself to do better. And with a planet on the line and no proof but his own memories, he knows that "better" means he'll need some help.

Classic time-travel fix-it elevated by a mid-story TOS-flavored twist! A wonderful adventure.

Commander Fox's Ultimate Bucket List by blackkat/ @blackkatmagic​ (Star Wars, Fox/Mace)

Fox has a second chance, a to-do list, a stolen lightsaber, and a complete willingness to give everyone around him grey hairs. Plus a Jedi Master to seduce. It's going to be a ride.

*cackles* Fox deserved this SO MUCH! Hilarious and satisfying.

Magic Casements by @edwardianspinsteraunt​ (A Little Princess, gen)

Becky is the one who rescues Mr Carrisford's monkey, and so the one whom the Magic happens to instead.

Captures the sweet magic and friendship of the original while making some sharp points about its class issues.

INVESTIGATIONS

The Striped Leg by wildwestwind (A Study in Emerald, gen)

The Adventure of The Speckled Band, set in the world of A Study In Emerald.

This author really knows their Lovecraft, which brings a rich and creepy new dimension to this very classic case. Mmm, pastiche perfection.

A Country Mile by @bropunzeling​ (Think of England, Fen/Pat)

“You want us to go to a house party? Really?”

“I hate to ask it of you,” Daniel said, voice muffled in that queer way one got with the telephone. "But I need someone I can trust to look after things there until then. Would you?”

Fen and Pat attend a house party and encounter: poison (pen letters); poison (literal); perilous dinner conversation; potential friendship; and physics.

Danger, espionage, female friendship, a lady scientist, general competence in the face of misogyny, Fen's self-esteem issues vs Pat's unswerving support, and a damn good read: what more could you want?

What It All Comes Down To by phnelt/ @phneltwrites​ (Think of England, canon pairings)

“Those blighters—” strong language from Fen there. Pat has been working on her in regards to fruity language but Fen hasn’t much taken to it. “ —won’t let women shoot at these newfangled Olympics games, despite England boasting some of the best women shooters in the world. Present company very much included.” Fen gets so heated when she advocates. It brings up a healthy colour to her cheeks. Pat smiles at her, helplessly. “So we simply must show them how good women can be by having Pat train you up from nothing so you can trounce them in the name of her club and in front of the eyes of God and the Olympic Committee.” If this wasn’t obviously one of Fen’s schemes it would be clear after her speech.

Charming friendship-centric story, with some light intrigue on the civilian side of things for once.

UNEXPECTED MEETINGS

Poiesis (Making) by ama (Queen's Thief, gen + Costis/Kamet)

Kamet is bewildered by a summons he receives to meet with the King of Sounis. After all, what could they possibly have to discuss?

Post-canon interlude where Kamet and Sophos bond over poetry, with great character writing.

Scene on a Balcony by Mary_West (Lord Peter, gen + Sylvia/Eiluned)

8th October 1935 and it's the wedding of the year - Lord Peter Wimsey and Miss Harriet Vane have finally tied the knot. But the wedding breakfast (served at the Dowager Duchess' London house) is getting a little heated. So the balcony is an excellent place to which to escape.

If anyone ever needed a sensible lesbian auntie, it's Jerry - but also this is sweet and funny and well-observed, from the wedding details to the practicalities of being queer at the time.

The Nuclear Option by Tangerine/ @atangeriner​ (From Eroica with Love, Klaus/Dorian)

When Klaus needs help with a family affair, Dorian is more than happy to offer his services.

Superb, satisfying, full of banter and yearning, and I love the slow reveal of wtf is going on with Klaus.

Time Enough by fresne/ @fresne999​ (Ethan of Athos, Ethan/Terrence)

Terrence Cee had spent most of his life feeling like a jumpship caught in the gravity well of a blackhole. Engines on full bore. Only able to keep out of the crushing center, but never able to escape. Now in his new life on Athos, he found himself unsure of how to find a new pace.

Ethan wondered if there was a way to get his love life gestating again. Not frozen like zygotes stored in a bio-freezer against some eventual future.

Sweet get-together for the boys that addresses Terrence's trauma and socially deficient upbringing, plus meet-the-family shenanigans and rich worldbuilding for Athos in all its problematic glory. I am retroactively very pleased with myself for nominating this fandom for Yuletide (even if it took me a few months to get around to this one)!

and remains quiet by marycrawford/ @mcvices​ (Nirvana in Fire, gen)

She picks up her cup and sips delicately of the chrysanthemum tea she brought. It is cooling and calming. She doesn’t need calming, but Mei Changsu might. She is about to administer a medicine that the patient will find disagreeable.

The patient looks fevered, at the moment. “What is wrong with Jingyan?”

The AU divergence point is a little oblique - if I'm reading correctly, the Emperor dies early during the war and Consort Jing takes advantage of her Dowager status to go north to see MCS - but honestly who cares about the premise, because holy SHIT this author writes Consort Jing to perfection, in all her ruthlessly compassionate (or compassionately ruthless?) complexity.

PORN WITH FEELINGS

No Pity, But a Little Love by beautifulduckweed (Will Darling Adventures, Will/Kim)

The author's summary is a mess so I'm leaving it out, but this is a great post-series look at their relationship that captures their banter and mutual delight, plus Will getting exposed to more queer spaces, all structured around Will attempting anal sex again under less fraught circumstances.

Privacy by Resonant (Due South, Fraser/RayK)

“Guess it’s a while since you had a door with a lock on it?”

“I’ve never had a door with a lock on it."

I don't know how long it's been since Resonant wrote new DS fic, but she always nails (heh) their weird and weird-about-each-other charm and this is no exception!

through the desert, repenting by beautifulduckweed (Think of England, Archie/Daniel)

Daniel da Silva comes face-to-face with the deadly consequences of making a mistake and turns to a bad childhood habit to cope—but it's not enough, and Archie Curtis doesn't know how to help.

AKA the one where Archie counters Daniel's self-harm with sex, or as the author's tags put it "In the absence of therapy banging it out will have to do".

#star trek #star wars #a little princess #a study in emerald #sherlock holmes #think of england #fen/pat #archie/daniel #kj charles #queen's thief #lord peter #from eroica with love #klaus/dorian #ethan of athos #terrence/ethan #vorkosigan #nirvana in fire #will darling adventures #will/kim #due south #fraser/rayk #monthly recs #fic rec #yuletide

[obscurecharactershowdown]

Group E Round 1

(please click on the second image to see it fully--sorry for the weird formatting)

[image ID: the first image is a gif of the Cursebringer Angel, a bronze mechanical machine. it has 2 large masks attached to it that rotate around it. the second image is the book cover for Think of England by KJ Charles. it depicts a white man in a tuxedo, standing on the lawn of a manor house. although Daniel da Silva is not on the cover, the submitter included a description of him: “The book cover doesn't show him (even though he's the love interest!), and I haven't been able to find any fan art, but da Silva is described as looking Jewish and vaguely foreign, with dark hair and eyes and darker skin than the white English people who surround him throughout the book. He's delicately built but tall, he moves gracefully and often seems to have a joke no one else is in on, and we learn over the course of the book that he has a nipple piercing.”]

Cursebringer Angel

Synthesizes two items together when you throw them at him. The only helpful dude you find in the Neurotower. Nonbinary Queen.

Daniel da Silva

Daniel da Silva is a swishy Sephardic poet who flaunts his homosexuality despite the book's Edwardian England setting. He arouses at first ire and then other strong feelings from our meat-and-potatoes protagonist Archie. Though his effeminacy, lower class, and vaguely foreign looks cause characters to underestimate him, there is more to da Silva than just his way with words.

#obscurecharactershowdown #group e round 1 #obscure poll #cursebringer angel #baroque game #daniel da silva #think of england #kj charles

[apprenticemockingbird]

Yuletide reveals! I wrote this bit of Archie/Daniel fluff (my first Think of England fic!).

#k.j. charles #fanfic #think of england

[thornfield13713]

“This is a damned useful thing,” Archie observed. “What is?” “This what-d’you-call-it.” He slapped the chaise longue’s side. “The way it only has one end, so a fellow can stretch his legs. I thought they were just for, oh, grand ladies and artistic types.” “I am an artistic type,” Daniel pointed out. "Well, yes, but…” Archie floundered. “I meant, I thought they were just for show. To look Bohemian for its own sake, you see. Blasted uncomfortable things without backs. ” “Whereas now you realise they are perfectly designed to accommodate large men for fucking, it all makes sense?” “Well, yes.” Archie frowned. He was evidently considering some other owner of a chaise longue in a new light. Daniel cherished a gleeful hope it was an elderly relative.

Song for a Viking, KJ Charles

#kj charles #song for a viking #think of england

[mary-canary]

Omg Daniel da Silva showing up as the terrifying Intelligence Office boss in the Will Darling Adventures is everything I could have asked for.

#kj charles #K J Charles #think of England #Will Darling #slippery creatures #will darling adventures #the sugared game #Kim secretan #Daniel da Silva #Archie Curtis

[magickkart]

My boyfriend and I saw you across the room and we just wanted to say that your vibes are foul and we will be fucking your shit up. -

Archie Curtis and Daniel da Silva from “Think of England”.

Think of england remains my favourite KJC book. The characters have stayed with me for 6 years now and aren’t budging from the space theyve reserved in my brain. Anyway heres to the toe girlies if you guys are even still around.

#fanart #Think of england #Kj charles #archie curtis #daniel da silva

[magpiefngrl]

If you've read KJ Charles's Think of England (and if you haven't, you simply must), the link above will take you to an absolutely hilarious summary written 3 yrs ago by Sarah Rees Brennan in the early days of covid. It is sheer perfection. It's made me laugh so much, and has given me the urge to reread Think of England, which is a good urge bc it's a brilliant book.

#think of england #kj charles #my first kjc novel #still one of my faves #and the one that gave me a lot of CaPri feels

[crudelise]

Just lie back and think of England

I just met my mum for coffee. I feel violated. We once again had a talk about me and what all is wrong with me. She still doesnt understand. Out the window behind her I saw a weirdly constructed roof. Just think of England and let it wash over you. 

She is still detailling all the ways in which i am wrong. I should have known better then to try again. It always leads to dissapointment. There is a bird on the weird roof. I wonder about the architect of said roof. I just got reminded that I am still a disappointment. Also about all the things she does for me.

I am thinking about leaving. Of yelling at her. Of just going no contact. I never will.

I can see some of the screws that hold up the weird roof. Oh, yes eye contact.

I still think I can get better. Can at some point be enough for her. Can do what she wants me to. Think of England and the weird roof

#think of england #mental health #tw abuse #emotional abuse #family