4.25/5. Releases 9/19/2023.

Vibes: boss/employee, an Heir Hunt, a hero whose love language is hypercompetence, soft romanticism with just the right amount of angst.

After inheriting an earldom, Rufus finds himself in a dispute with his uncle--who brings up another snag in Rufus' inheritance, one Luke Doomsday. Rather than fight Luke, Rufus decides to hire him as his secretary and make him his ally. The allyship thing becomes rather complicated, however--not only because Luke is a part of a famous smuggling family, but because Rufus actually super wants to bone him. And Luke might be up to more than Rufus realizes...

KJ Charles is one of those authors with such a strong, distinct voice. That's consistent here, as is the rich setting and sense of subculture inherent in her Doomsday books. I think I might still prefer The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, but that's pure taste (and me being in love with Joss Doomsday). This was a more than worthy followup, and the boss/employee romance that everyone who's uncertain about boss/employee romances should read.

Quick Takes:

--Yes yes Rufus is Luke's boss, and this is something they actually talk about (and, in a very consensual and flirty and normal way) fetishize together. But rest assured, the power dynamics are fully acknowledged and confronted. Like, Rufus initially does feel a bit bad about lusting after his secretary, and he does make it very clear that Luke does not have to do anything he doesn't want to do. (Luke is... significantly less concerned.) I appreciated that.

I also appreciated that Luke points out that an official legal title does not necessarily... peak power... make? Which is a theme throughout this book. Yes, Rufus is an earl, but so many people look down on him despite his title because he is an ex-soldier and isn't able to read very easily, among other things. Yes, Luke is this lower-class guy who's risen up to become a secretary (in part because his cousin Joss Doomsday is absolutely railing a local baronet, bless) but the Doomsdays are also quite powerful in the era. Their power may not be "official", but it has a lot of reach that Rufus and his family can't quite grasp. So that does give Luke a bit more leverage in the relationship, and I found that so different from a lot of historicals that worship the title.

--Going back to reading being a struggle for Rufus... I loved how this was approached by the book. I never got the sense that Rufus needed to learn how to read more easily in order to be seen as a valuable person by anyone who mattered. Anyone who got on Rufus about this issue was an asshole. The main reason why he really "needed" to do anything was because he needed to know what he was looking at re: certain documents related to his responsibilities as earl. The problem was practical, versus being connected to Rufus's intellect in any sense; and it wasn't presented as him being this poor little lost boy, either. It wasn't condescending.

It did give Charles a great opportunity to weave in one of the most touching parts of the novel, however. So much of Rufus and Luke's romance is about the little things that they say and do for each other.

--There's a lot of cozy domesticity in this book? Much of it takes place on this estate that Luke and Rufus are trying to whip back into shape, and they spend so much time working together. You really get this lived in sense of their relationship, despite the fact that they haven't been together all that long.

--In a similar sense, this is one of those books where you just kind of feel like love creeps up on the leads in this very normal way. Like, there aren't a lot of BIG ROMANTICALLY CODED EVENTS (though there are a couple). Luke and Rufus falling in love is woven in throughout the story and in their everyday lives. Like, there isn't some big "omg I love him" moment; you just know that they have truly slipped into love together. It's really lovely and really quietly romantic, and I loved that.

The Sex Stuff:

KJ Charles writes sex in a way that is explicit, sexy, and like... often kind of funny? The sex in this one starts fairly early, which is something I appreciated about Country Gentleman and something I appreciated here. Like, they're definitely into each other by the time they start hooking up, but... they also just really want to throw down, you know? I loved that Rufus and Luke falling in love was aided by this sexual relationship between adults. This is very much one of those books where they're like "OH DON'T WORRY, IT'S JUST SEX, WE WON'T FALL IN LOVE!!!" Which I am trash for.

I really had a good time with this one. KJ Charles is just one of those undeniably strong writers, and I have to just give a blanket recommendation for her books.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.