#will darling adventures

[autiacorart]

posting it for my best friend alina, who loves everything i draw even if i don’t. based on one of freddy carter’s photos

#kaz brekker #six of crows #freddy carter #kim secretan #will darling adventures #i swear he could be kim secretan my perfect boi

[honkbedonk]

(approaching a gay couple in a kj charles book)

"so which one of you is the streetwise commoner and which one is the nobility that wasn't meant to inherit?"

#kj charles #books #a charm of magpies #doomsday books #will darling adventures

[magickkart]

Listened to the first audiobook of the Will Darling adventures and enjoyed it more than I did when I was reading it for the first time. That happens a lot with KJ Charles books, so I shouldn't have been surprised. What I love most about the writing though has always been the description of Kim as looking like a nervous greyhound. Couldn't really get past it. I tried my best to make him look as oblong and tense as those dogs look. Whereas Will is just. Some Blond English Guy. What a pair.

#will darling #kj charles #will darling adventures #kim secretan #fanart

[mental-about-you-too]

Why I believe the Will Darling Adventures were originally conceived as johnlock fanfiction

I will die on this hill.

The Will Darling Adventures (Slippery Creatures, Sugared Game, Subtle Blood) by KJ Charles are my favorite guilty pleasure comfort books. I have listened to the audiobooks an embarrassing number of times. I can play exchanges of dialogue in my head from memory, reader’s inflections and all. If you haven’t read them and you like a mix of adventure and gay smut (plus it’s a trilogy so there’s time for more complex characterization and more gradual relationship development than you usually get in books of the genre), then absolutely go do that, and don’t read below—because here be spoilers. Also, because the books are a delight.

So. Grand theory.

To be clear: I am not knocking these books AT ALL (if I’m honest, the Holmesian flavor is part of why I like them so much). As in many really good works of fanfiction, the characters have ceased to be mere copies, and have gained their own original and internally consistent characterization. Kim and Will are not Holmes and Watson, but I am completely convinced that the latter were the inspiration for the former. Here are some of the parallels/moments of homage:

Watson => Will

Returned to England from war with nowhere to go; ended up in London: “I had neither kith nor kin in England, and […] naturally gravitated to London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained.” (Study in Scarlet) => “…his mother had died from the Spanish ‘flu while he’d waited to be demobbed […] So, like everyone else, he’d come to London…” (Slippery Creatures)

Ran out of money as a recently-discharged veteran: “So alarming did the state of my finances become…” (Study in Scarlet) => “…his slide into poverty was unstoppable...” (Slippery Creatures)

War wound that nearly killed him: “For months my life was despaired of...” (Study in Scarlet) => “A month in hospital.” (Sugared Game)

Saved by an underling who never appears in the story: “…had it not been for the devotion and courage shown by Murray, my orderly, who threw me across a pack-horse and succeeded in bringing me safely to the British lines.” (Study in Scarlet) => “If it hadn’t been for the bravest stretcher-bearer in Flanders, I’d have died out there.” (Sugared Game)

Retained his favorite weapon from the war: “I have my old service revolver and a few cartridges.” (Study in Scarlet) => “…the Messer, his old trench knife...” (Sugared Game)

Is asked to bring the weapon on adventures: “Put your pistol in your pocket.” (Study in Scarlet) => “Got your knife?” (Sugared Game)

POV character

Holmes => Kim

Has a bunch of names but goes by a middle one: William Sherlock Scott Holmes => Arthur Aloysius Kimberley de Brabazon Secretan

Has pretty hands, which are something of a fixation for the POV character

Doesn’t eat much: “My friend had no breakfast himself, for it was one of his peculiarities that in his more intense moments he would permit himself no food…” (Norwood Builder) => “They ate breakfast, or at least Will did, while Kim chewed a single slice of toast with distaste.” (Subtle Blood)

Withholds information because he doesn’t trust his partner’s ability to deceive: “You won’t be offended, Watson? You will realize that among your many talents dissimulation finds no place.” (Dying Detective) => “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, but subterfuge isn’t your strong suit.” (Sugared Game)

Withholds information for dramatic effect: “It was too bad to spring it on you like this, but Watson here will tell you that I never can resist a touch of the dramatic.” (Naval Treaty) => “Of course Kim would turn up after two months with some bizarre story; of course he wouldn’t tell it like a normal person.” (Sugared Game)

Plays fast and loose with legality: “Doctor, I shall want your cooperation.” “I shall be delighted.” “You don’t mind breaking the law?” “Not in the least.” (Scandal in Bohemia) => “I am absolutely not empowered to break the laws of the land, so I try not to get caught at it.”

Has a brother seven years his senior, whom we meet (several adventures in) at a gentlemen’s club in Pall Mall, and who looks like him but bigger: “Mycroft Holmes was a much larger and stouter man than Sherlock.” (Greek Interpreter) => “He looked like someone had drawn a caricature of Kim as John Bull and not been kind about it. He was significantly bulkier…”

The club (The Diogenes => The Symposium) has a Strangers' Room, and in at least part of the club: "no talking is, under any circumstances, allowed" (Greek Interpreter) => "speech is strictly forbidden" (Subtle Blood)

Chases down the leader of a mysterious criminal organization who appears respectable in normal society, and who stays one step removed to leave no evidence of his involvement: “But the Professor was fenced round with safeguards so cunningly devised that, do what I would, it seemed impossible to get evidence which would convict in a court of law.” (Final Problem) => “[Arrest him] on what grounds? I’ve got a lot of nothing. Straws in the wind, and fears, and the words of the dead. The case needs to be iron-clad, and mine is wet tissue paper.” (Sugared Game)

Has a chat with this adversary before the action kicks off: “…I was seriously inconvenienced by you” (Final Problem) => “It has caused me enormous inconvenience” (Sugared Game)

Better at hand-to-hand combat than he looks like he should be: “I have some knowledge, however, of baritsu, or the Japanese system of wrestling…” (Empty House) => “Where did you learn knife fighting?” (Slippery Creatures)

Lounges around in a purple dressing gown (Blue Carbuncle; all three Will Darling books)

Tall, slender, pale, and dark-haired, with remarkable eyes (at least, the POV character sure remarks on them a lot)

Other parallels:

Inspector Lestrade (“lean and ferret-like as ever”) => Inspector Rennick (“He was a short, shrewd-looking man who sounded North London.”)

An aortic aneurism renders prosecution of a criminal moot: Jefferson Hope (Study in Scarlet) => Lord Waring (Sugared Game)

Will’s expectations upon meeting Waring line up with a description of Moriarty: “His face protrudes forward, and is forever slowly oscillating from side to side in a curiously reptilian fashion” (Final Problem) => “[Will] wasn’t sure what he expected. Something snakey, some reptilian air of cruelty…” (Sugared Game)

This rather iconic phrase: “He sits motionless, like a spider at the center of its web...” (Final Problem) => “…sits like a spider at the centre of a web of obligations...” (Sugared Game)

Alongside the parallels, Charles adds elements often found in the best works of fanfiction: in addition to the on-page romance, there's expansion of the characters' backgrounds, including an exploration of class and privilege, plus a fix-it-esque resolution of the issue of Holmes'/Kim’s dishonesty (I for one always wished Watson would confront Holmes about lying to him for cases).

There. Cataloguing all the parallels was taking up a ridiculous amount of space in my brain, so now you know & I can stop obsessing over it so much.

#this is less a conspiracy theory and more a love letter #will darling adventures #sherlock holmes #john watson #sherlock holmes fanfic #johnlock #acd holmes #kj charles #will darling #kim secretan #slippery creatures #sugared game #subtle blood #will darling spoilers #inter-fandom meta #i will die on this hill #thank you for coming to my ted talk #edited to be even more unabashed in my appreciation of these books #also i listened to an interview with kj charles about comfort reads and these fit the bill

[a-ramblinrose]

💖✨️💖A Very Romantic Book Haul!!!💖✨️💖

I went a little wild when I spotted all the lovely KJ Charles books at The Ripped Bodice! I read the Will Darling Adventures last year with much enjoyment and absolutely needed them in hardcopy. I'm actually reading Proper English on the kindle currently so I popped it and it's sequel into my bag too. 🤣 At that point the Erica Ridley was just gross indulgence. My one non-romance purchase was from the Village Well and after seeing so many recommendations I decided to make my wallet cry some more.

#book haul #book stack #book stacks #books #KJ Charles #Erica Ridley #Moniquill Blackgoose #Will Darling Adventures #England World #to shape a dragon's breath #the perks of loving a wallflower #Not out of void but out of chaos #the bookmarks sticker and pin were all freebies!!!! a wonderful day!!!!!

[hussyknee]

KJ Charles is screamingly funny about the upper classes but I think the absolute funniest scene I've read so far is in this Will Darling book (set in the 1920s).

[SPOILERS for Will Darling: The Sugared Game.]

.

.

.

A gaggle of Woosterish trust fund babies accidentally burst into the climactic scene to gape in bewilderment at the bad guy who's cornered, desperate and brandishing a gun.

Tfw you encounter such an overmoneyed idiot that you nearly have a commiserating moment with the homicidal maniac trying to kill you.

#this is funnier than wodehouse to me because kj charles is so full of scathing class derision #whereas wodehouse was barely two degrees removed from wooster himself #get you a queer historical romance novellist that hates the aristocracy she writes about #will darling adventures #kj charles #historical fiction #roaring 20s #queer fiction #book recommendations #mlm romance #historical romance #class commentary #knee of huss

[theleakypen]

Just had a thought: Will Darling being in a vicious unspoken bookshop feud with Aziraphale.

#crossovers #will darling adventures #will darling #good omens #aziraphale

[telltaleclerk]

I am reading so many books right now. And they’re ALL queer. And it gives me so much happiness.

#queer books #lgbtq books #winter’s orbit #everina maxwell #simon snow #rainbow rowell #kj charles #will darling adventures #aurora crane #the locked tomb #tamsyn muir #a restless truth #freya marske

[magiclamd]

Sometimes your family is a Welsh hatmaker, a bisexual bright young thing, a lying nobleman, a German knife and a bookstore and that’s just fine

#kj Charles #will darling adventures

[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

[slipperymeteor]

Roughly six months ago I picked up KJ Charles’s The Magpie Lord (probably after stumbling upon @fahye’s recommendations) and I’ve been on a binge ever since.

Well tonight I finished reading her entire back catalogue. Forty-something books and novellas and short stories. The Charm of Magpies, Society of Gentlemen, Sins of the Cities, Lilywhite Boys, Will Darling, Green Men, Gentle Art, Doomsday, and all the standalone books.

What’s really interesting to me is that a lot of her books are trilogies, but I often end up liking the second books in the trilogies the best. That rarely happens with trilogies for me, but she has managed to strike the balance between going back/expanding a familiar setting from the first book, but ratcheting up the ante enough to make them truly gripping.

I also like the plots-mysteries-whodunnits too. I never felt the romance to be too saccharine because typically I’ll be engrossed in the mystery. Even when the premise are quite dumb (I’m looking at you, Gilded Cage)—by the end of the book I’d be hooked.

I also felt her representations were done quite well. There are several Black (main) characters throughout her work, and people from Indian heritage. I don’t care much for Clem Talleyfer (half Indian, a bastard son) in An Unseen Attraction but I really like Vikram and Gil’s dynamic in Unfit to Print. Vikram wasn’t white but he’s dripping privilege.. while Gil had to scrabble a living—in KJ Charles’s word: being a bookseller of ill repute. One of the last books that I read was An Unsuitable Heir, and the non-binary character (and the pairing with a one-armed man) made me think about my non binary friend from real life.

Honestly, I’m just in awe. I am thoroughly entertained, and I even get to infect my partner to read her too. (It’s been fun. I think it’s a tossup between Will Darling and Gilded Cage as our favorite.)

#kj charles #gilded cage #lilywhite boys #an unseen attraction #sins of the cities #an unsuitable heir #unfit to print #will darling adventures #charm of magpies

[iammistressofmyfate]

In Progress:

Amor Vincit Omnia: Rated E | Chapter 17/20 | Pynch, Arranged Marriage AU

Most Recently Completed:

Just Beginning: Rated E | 5.7K | Hollanov, PWP

Next Chapter: Rated E | Chapter 21/21 | Hollanov, Kid!Fic

I Am Loving You, More: Rated E | 14.8K | Hollanov, PWP

Birthday Boy: Rated E | 8.6K | Hollanov, PWP

WIPs:

Various and sundry WIPs I can't settle on...

You can read all my fics here

Also, I have a Linktree for all my other Social Media here

#my fics #my writing #pynch fic #will darling adventures #game changers series #hollanov

[aurorawest]

Reading update, part 1

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall - 4/5 stars

The problem with this book was that I liked Paris and Tariq, but god, it was rough to read. I also felt—and I'm going to be honest, this is an issue I've been noticing increasingly with Hall's newer novels—a little like I was reading like, the Perfect And Unproblematic Way To Date. There's this sort of preachy, social media I-don't-know-who-needs-to-hear-this quality to a lot of the dialogue. It was also just hard to read at times. But I still rated it 4 stars, so I guess I didn't hate it.

Rattlesnake by Kim Fielding - 5/5 stars

This book is about a drifter who ends up in a town because a hitchhiker dies in his car (sounds grimmer than it is!), and the hitchhiker was trying to get to said town to see his estranged son. If you said to yourself, I bet the drifter falls in love with the estranged son, you would be exactly right. This book was so poignant and sad, so the HEA was amazing.

Gold Wings Rising by Alex London - 5/5 stars

This is the last book of The Skybound Saga and it was an excellent ending.

Heart of the Steal by Avon Gale and Roan Parrish - 3.75/5 stars

I told a friend the other day that I would die for Roan Parrish, but I should have told her not to pick up this book. It wasn't awful, but...it wasn't great, either.

Rag and Bone by KJ Charles - 4/5 stars

The Reanimator's Heart by Kara Jorgensen - 4/5 stars

The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley - 5/5 stars

Look. Guys. I've raved about every Natasha Pulley book I've read, yeah? And this is no exception. I need you all to read this. Like, I'm not sure you're all taking me seriously out there. But if you read anything I've recommended, it needs to be Natasha Pulley's books. I can only rate up to 5 stars on Storygraph, so yeah, maybe it looks like I loved this book the same as I loved Rattlesnake by Kim Fielding. No. This book lives in my heart and my mind. This book is part of my soul. All of her books are. I love and hate her for A) making me feel SO MUCH and B) being a better writer than I will ever be.

I know I've said nothing about the book, but like. You just have to trust me. Read her books.

Oh yeah, this one is about a nuclear disaster in the USSR that was covered up for decades.

You & Me by Tal Bauer - 4.5/5 stars

Teddy Spenser Isn't Looking for Love by Kim Fielding - 3.25/5 stars

Man, I wanted to like this one? It felt really phoned in, though. The characters all felt very surface level.

The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew - 4/5 stars

Subtle Blood by KJ Charles - 5/5 stars

How did this series just keep getting better? I'm so bummed that this was the last in the trilogy, because I totally could keep reading about Will and Kim and their adventures.

Firestarter by Tara Sim - 5/5 stars

Also the last in a trilogy, and also a worthy wrap-up.

The Mayor and the Mystery Man by AJ Truman - 4.25/5 stars

Fence, Vol 5: Rise by CS Pacat with Johanna the Mad - 5/5 stars

Cattle Stop by Kit Oliver - 5/5 stars

AHHHHHHHHHH. God. This book! Looks like a romcom but will stab you in the heart repeatedly. Oliver has a gorgeous way with words and captures the dynamic between two people who have no idea how to talk to each other so well. There's something the dialogue in Oliver's books that just speaks to me.

Rookie Move by Riley Hart and Neve Wilder - 2.75/5 stars

Boyfriend Goals by Riley Hart - DNF

Please note here that it seems like I don't like Riley Hart's writing. Unfortunately I still have like 3 of her books in my TBR pile.

The Gentleman's Book of Vices by Jess Everlee - 4.75/5 stars

Even Though I Knew the End by CL Polk - 4.5/5 stars

I feel a little meh about this one, despite the rating I gave it. Like, the world was cool, the writing was excellent. I've seen this book hyped so much, though, and it was like...yeah it was fine. Definitely the best over-hyped Sapphic book I've read lately, so there's that.

Nothing Like Paris by Amy Jo Cousins - 4.5/5 stars

Necropolis by Jordan L Hawk - 4.25/5 stars

Roommate Arrangement by Saxon James - DNF

The Place Between by Kit Oliver - 5/5 stars

Yeah this Kit Oliver book was really good too. It's about academics instead of farmers but it will still stab you in the heart a bunch of times. Oh and it's fake dating.

A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson - DNF

I didn't love Kosoko Jackson's debut—there were waaaaay too many pop culture references, many of which I didn't understand, but even when I did, I found it obnoxious. But it was readable. This was...not. I hated the main character so much, and I barely even met the love interest, but I didn't like him, either.

Level Hands by Amy Jo Cousins - 4.25/5 stars

The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by KJ Charles - 4.25/5 stars

How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager by DN Bryn - 5/5 stars

I looooooved this book, omg. I'm not really a vampire person, but this was so cute. I guess it was kind of cozy fantasy? Sort of? With a backdrop of homelessness, medical experimentation, and bereavement.

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo - 1/5 stars

Catch me never reading a Leigh Bardugo novel again. Oof. This woman wrote Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom? I wasn't too impressed by King of Scars but that was better than this, even though the Crows actually appear in this book.

The Barkeep and the Bro by AJ Truman - 3/5 stars

Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green - 4.5/5 stars

I don't usually laugh out loud when I read, but this book made me cackle. Obnoxious self-referential bit aside (yeah Simon James Green, I did catch you slipping a reference to your previous book into this one), this was very cute and very funny. I even got my wife to read this, despite her dislike of romance and YA, and she liked it!

Part 2 (because tumblr cut me off at 30 images)

#paris daillencourt is about to crumble #alexis hall #rattlesnake #kim fielding #gold wings rising #alex london #the half life of valery k #natasha pulley #subtle blood #will darling adventures #kj charles #cattle stop #kit oliver #even though i knew the end #cl polk #a dash of salt and pepper #kosoko jackson #how to bite your neighbor and win a wager #dn bryn #rule of wolves #leigh bardugo #heartbreak boys #simon james green #reading tag

[ayashitetsuko]

Royal and repressed, that’s how I like my gays

#kj charles #will darling #kim secretan #will darling adventures #red white and royal blue #casey mcquiston #alex claremont diaz #prince henry rwrb

[pretensesoup]

Queer fiction, day 6/30

Meet Will Darling and his emotional support knife.

This is book one of a three-book series called the Will Darling Adventures. Also, it's by KJ Charles, which means it's a reference to some type of literature you may or may not have read (in this case, pulp adventure novels from the early 20th century). Don't let that deter you.

The books follow Will Darling, a WWI vet, and his growing relationship with Kim Secretan, a spy. There's a lot of plot, a few Shakespeare references, some excellent supporting characters, and the 1920s, a time of great social change and upheaval.

The books are fun and filled with political intrigue, but also very frothy in the scenery-chewing department. They move quick and I found them hard to put down. There are background lesbians, too, in one of the sweeter relationships that I kind of wish had gotten its own story.

As a whole, the three books have quite a lot of sex scenes, which Charles handles well. She's an excellent writer and I've learned a lot from her (and her blog, which is often cited as a must-read for beginning romance writers). Anyway, 10/10, spy stuff is cool AF, go read it.

#pride #lgbtq #book reviews #thirty days of books #gay romance novels #doin spy shit #kj charles #will darling adventures

[hussyknee]

More from Will Darling.

Will kicks in the door to Kim's flat, as one does, and walks in to find a hostage situation.

A few minutes and one disarmed bad guy later:

Will's pathological incapability to stop poking the bear:

Never let idealism get in the way of violence:

Phoebe has so many gems.

Her powers of description:

She's the sweetest friend:

#will darling adventures #kj charles #queer historical fiction #queer romance #queer historical romance #mlm romance #spy thriller #book recs #knee of huss #crack #funny