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In the first novel of an explosive new series from K. J. Charles, a young gentleman and his elegant mentor fight for love in a world of wealth, power, and manipulation. When he learns that he could be the heir to an unexpected fortune, Harry Vane rejects his past as a radical fighting for government reform and sets about wooing his lovely cousin. But his heart is captured instead by the most beautiful, chic man he’s ever met: the dandy tasked with instructing him in the manners and style of the ton. Harry’s new station demands conformity - yet the one thing he desires is a taste of the wrong pair of lips. After witnessing firsthand the horrors of Waterloo, Julius Norreys sought refuge behind the luxurious facade of the upper crust. Now he concerns himself exclusively with the cut of his coat and the quality of his boots. And yet his protégé is so unblemished by cynicism that he inspires the first flare of genuine desire Julius has felt in years. He cannot protect Harry from the worst excesses of society. But together they can withstand the high price of passion. Read more
Book 1 of 3: Society of Gentlemen
Listening Length: 8 hours and 47 minutes
Author: KJ Charles
Narrator: Matthew Lloyd Davies
Whispersync for Voice: Ready
Audible.com Release Date: August 11, 2015
Publisher: Audible Studios
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Language: English
ASIN: B013PVQBVM
Best Sellers Rank: #84,002 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #74 in LGBTQ+ Historical Fiction (Books) #882 in Regency Romance #1,146 in LGBTQ+ Literature & Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
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Top Amazon Reviews
Format: Kindle
Anyone familiar with K.J.Charles body of work knows that they can expect a story with interesting characters, a tight plot and a page turner - whether it's because of the drama or the sex or the relationships. In this case, it's all three as Harry discovers that his grandfather is willing to claim him as a relative despite his father's abandonment of the family ideals, so long as Harry marries and produces an heir to continue the line. To that end his cousin Richard has persuaded his personal friend and dandy Julius to outfit and school Harry in the ways of society. As members of the Society of Gentlemen, Julius and Richard are part of a small group of comrades who happen to be more interested in the male persuasion than the female. When Harry realizes this, and the fact that Julius is more interested in him than expected, it becomes more and more difficult to keep their hands off each other, in the name of fashion or otherwise. But Harry's seditious background is in danger of being discovered as the people on the street revolt against the upper class and he's caught in the middle. Can he find peace in his new role and a love worthy of the sacrifices it will require? I think what interested me the most about this story was that it's a given that the men involved are homosexual, and that they must keep that a secret from society in general or risk prosecution and loss of society status. So the drama is never about whether they will be revealed as such. The society of Gentlemen is discreet, with well paid servants and strict rules about their public behavior and so you never get the feeling that their sexual orientation is going to be an issue in the plot of the story (other than to direct the romance of course). Instead the drama is all about Harry's background, his being raised by radical parents who had to flee the country, and in doing so leaving Harry as a 12 year old boy with a warrant on his head should he venture back to England from his home in France. But Harry does in fact return after his parents' deaths, and reunite with their friend Silas (to whom Harry owes his life), and who runs a print shop that happens to deal with inflammatory and secretive pamphlets that would easily get him hanged if discovered. When his cousin Richard finds him there to bring him back into the family fold, it's with the clear understanding that his past, where he's been, and how he grew up must be kept hidden from society. While Harry can immerse himself in this new life of wealth and status, he can't change the deep held feeling inside him for the people in the position he used to be in - the public servants, the ordinary workers, the oppressed. He's hard pressed to hold his tongue when in the presence of the very Lords who are a part of the problem. Caught between a rock and a hard place, discovering that his tutor has the same lustful feelings towards him as he has towards him, and with attempted threats on his life, it's no wonder that this story kept me up late flipping pages faster and faster! I loved the slow burn romance between Julius and Harry as they discover the men behind the facades, and the will to be together no matter the cost. With the fascinating politics, fashion and society manners of the time expertly revealed, it was a joy to read. 5 stars.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2015 by Maria Rose
Format: Kindle
KJ Charles' romances are getting better and better. Specifically, I love how she's taking more time to flesh out her worlds, which gives her characters history and context and more texture than simply depending on the set of (often flawed) general assumptions that go with a historical period. A Fashionable Indulgence is a rags-to-riches tale, but one that takes place in a very particular time and place; Harry is the son of radicals, and his entire life to date has been spent among the poor and middle-class as they fight for the same things they fight for today: steady employment, representation in government, a sense of control over their own destiny. Upon being plucked from obscurity by his wealthy grandfather and cousin, Harry learns the ways and mores of Society. But his newfound fortune is entirely dependent on playing the role that his grandfather wishes: no more sedition, no more politics, certainly no more associating with radicals; he must behave well, marry, and provide heirs. Meanwhile, Harry ingratiates himself to the ton, but feels more and more dissatisfied, even as a particular dandy turns his head. What's a newly minted young man of quality to do? The outlines of the plot are familiar, but in all the places where its shabbiness might have showed, Charles' execution absolutely sparkles. Harry spends no small amount of time learning not only social graces and genealogies and clothing (oh, the clothing!), but also that the people his parents vilified are human as well - sometimes thoughtless, sometimes generous, sometimes selfish, but all very real people in search of many of the same things as any human being: security, identity, respect. We spend necessarily less time with the radical set, but at least one member provides Harry with friendship and a good kick in the arse when he needs it most. If the book has a more-than-minor flaw, it's that the romantic plot takes a backseat to the sociopolitical storyline. We spend so much time establishing Harry's new world and new friends that Julius, although not boring, gets slightly short shrift character-wise. His ultimate character revelation is genuinely touching, but he's not the most interesting member of the Ricardian set by a long shot, and Harry's attention is necessarily divided even as their mutual interest grows, so the chemistry is less "sizzling" than "comfortably warm". That's not to say the romantic plot doesn't work - it does! - but this felt to me less like a romance than a particularly well-told period political story with a romantic subplot. Still, if that's the sacrifice we make for such a well-drawn set of characters and well-built world full of beautiful period details, I think I can deal with that. Especially since the second book is due out very soon.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2015 by A. Rose
Format: Kindle
... or lull you into what would be a false sense of comfort. Danger, fear, and violence – the potential for and realization of – are inescapable results of suppression. Something always gives way. This is true on societal and personal levels. This novel is an examination of both. It’s an examination of the many different forms of expression and decisions made while living a reality filled with these things. While trying to survive. While struggling to do more than just survive. While wanting to love and live as the person one is meant to be, especially when it doesn’t conform to the accepted norms. Poverty, inequality, and repression influence many a decision, especially when it’s between life and death, literally and emotionally. This is early nineteenth century England at its tony best and abject worst. Shall we begin? Right from the get-go, I liked Julius. He’s hyper aware of everything, extremely intelligent, doesn’t hesitate to share his biting wit, and is loyal to his friends. Despite all of this, he’s living a life partially blocked, partially broken. ~ * ~ Julius glanced down at his chest with some satisfaction. His waistcoat, in satin of a delicate pink hue shot with apricot streaks and embroidered with silver thread, was a masterpiece. It flattered his slim build, its dawn shades complemented his pale blond hair delightfully, and best of all, it caused almost physical distress to his friends. ~ * ~ Harry is intelligent, quick to thought and action, especially when involving those he cares about, and is so very exhausted from years of barely surviving. He might be smack dab in the middle of the protests against increasing inequality in early nineteenth century England, but that doesn’t fill your table or your belly, or afford him the truths within his heart. Enter his cousin Richard. ~ * ~ Actually, I hoped you would do it.” Julius blinked, startled. “I? Do what?” Teach Harry how to comport himself. How to dress. Help him find his place.” “Make your revolutionary into a gentleman? Bear-lead a radical cub? I?” ~ * ~ Little did any of them know where everything in this endeavor would lead. There is a lot bubbling beneath Julius’s confident air. There’s even more below Harry’s widespread uncertainty. Neither should underestimate the other. The refreshing thing? Sometimes they don’t and the results are bright, entertaining, and meaningful. They both start to realize what’s really going on with each of them, in their individual lives and the one that maybe, possibly, they’re working towards together. ~ * ~ He (Harry) was, in fact, enjoying himself. And, God rot it, so was Julius. ~ * ~ This was probably the last moment when things remained simple, at least on the surface. For as much as Harry and Julius are the centerpieces of this story, all of the supporting characters are just as well described and fully realized. Silas and Richard hold the power positions, if you will. While Francis, Ash, Dominic (his is a powerful place, as well, for different reasons), cousin Verona, Gideon (that Gideon *shakes fist*), Cyprian, Ballard, and so many others make up the moving pieces that bring this world to robust life. Julius + Harry = complex, passionate, imperfect, humorous, and bone-deep needful connection. ~ * ~ ”I’ve spent the evening in the best clubs in the land, and nobody’s thought twice about. You’ve turned me into a gentleman. And I’m drunk, and I feel like celebrating in a bloody ungentlemanly sort of way.” ~ * ~ * Insert fake pout that morphs into a knowing leer here. Look, the crux of it is this: someone who was made to break free of the norm, who doesn’t fit the accepted positions within society, what do they do? What path do they choose? Can they draw a new one, digging that first step in the dirt towards an as yet unexplored way? Is it possible? And will those he’s come to count on and love be there with him, for him? Is it worth the price? It’s surreal, amazing, and feels like a perfect fit when someone comes along and, not only reminds you of who you are but, begins to show you what else you can be. ~ * ~ But more, it was Harry. It was the sense that at last someone was at his shoulder again, on the inside. ~ * ~ Humor, love, mistakes, family, friendships, suffering, great injustice, death, murder, politics, surprises, anger, forgiveness, mayhem, and fun. All at the hands of KJ Charles’ writing. Surriusly? As if there’s a choice here. Read it! And if you are on the fence or don’t normally read historicals, forget that and read it! The detail is delicious, important without being overdone, and all used to paint a fully realized vision of this world. Bonus: at the end, there’s a scene from book two, A Seditious Affair. I’m already grinning.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2015 by Spifette
Format: Kindle
This was my first historical male/male romance. It’s full of sharp dialogue, fancy clothes, and powerful gentlemen, and I mostly enjoyed it. The author is new to me, and I’d definitely read her again. Harry’s father had noble blood, but he married a peasant woman and was disowned when he began inciting the poor of London to riots. Harry was raised in exile in France, hating the nobility. When his parents died, he returned to London, to the seditious rabble-rousing bookstore that he knew as a child. He’s then found by a family lawyer. It turns out that his uncle has died, and Evil Grandfather would rather reform Harry into a proper heir than let the estate pass to an unworthy relative. Evil Grandfather assigns the reformation task to Harry’s cousin Richard, who passes it on to Julius, who “was of medium height… and made of moonlight.” Julius is a dandy in the fashionable sense of the word. He cares for nothing other than his appearance and fine horses. I never knew the importance of buttons, or waistcoat fabric, until Julius lectured Harry about it. Julius’s instructions to Harry are delicious bits of wisdom: “‘You are permitted to speak. I may even, on occasion, require your opinion. You need not fear being wrong. I shall tell you if you are wrong.’” “‘You may be on whatever terms of intimacy with your valet that you choose. My man attends to my appearance with a pride only equaled by his lack of interest in my well-being.’” And, “‘If you speak of your past, in society, you will make the people around you uncomfortable, and they will make themselves comfortable again at your expense by means of mockery and contempt.’” There is a plot, and there are high stakes. Harry must pass as a proper gentleman, without arousing suspicion about his treasonous past. He must embrace the aristocracy, even when it opposes his moral compass. Evil Grandfather also expects him to marry quickly, to really ensure the bloodline. Meanwhile, Harry and Julius are getting it on. They discuss that it’s only until Harry gets engaged, because Harry has a duty to Evil Grandfather and he doesn’t want to cheat on his future wife, and Julius is made of ice and can’t be emotionally involved. Poor Harry is caught in the middle. He really hates Evil Grandfather, and he hates how the newspapers lie about riots, and he hates the aristocratic dismissal of the lives of others. But he puts up with it because he also really hates being poor and living on the streets. Without embracing the lie, he’ll be homeless at best, thrown in prison or hung at worst. The external plot takes up most of the book, which is probably great for some people. There was a lot of mystery and suspense. But I came for the romance. Julius is slow to warm up to Harry. He has reasons for being so cold (hint: The War), and it’s hard for him to admit that he could be worthy of love. I enjoyed his character so much that I wanted more joy and happiness for him. There is a happy ending, as happy as two gay men in the 1820s can have. It’s just almost overshadowed by other characters near the end. So. If you like a little more politics in your historicals, with an extra dash of forbidden love, you should give this a try. Rating: B+ Originally posted at Red Hot Books: [...]
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Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2016 by Janell Sutherland
Format: Kindle
I loved this book. It did take me a while to settle into it, but I think that was because I was trying to read too many books at once. Once I got into it, I was hooked. I really liked the characters, the story, the characters… I enjoyed the differences in the socio-economic status, and also the political differences; gentlemen do not have political views that differ. Harry, at heart, is not quite a gentleman (to his credit). The secondary relationships were also well-done, one of them particularly interesting. I adored Harry and Julius’ relationship. Harry and Julius both have interesting backgrounds that have made them the men they are. The Vanes were fascinating (and slightly vain, as all eyes were on them), and the last third of the book or so was very suspenseful. Highly recommended. KJ Charles did such a skillful job at incorporating historical accuracy and detail about fashion into the book that I didn’t think about it as much, but when I read the details in the shorter piece (The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh), I noticed it more, and that made me reflect back on this work. I was, for a period of time, one of those editors who is pulled off the street who doesn’t have a lot of experience but who, I like to think (to avoid too much of an ego-bruising) a fairly decent editor. I really tried my hardest, and I love doing research. I may not know what every part of speech is called, but I know what sounds good, and I learned that I definitely cannot and will not ever be able to edit my own work (if nothing else, that was a valuable lesson). I could find the same types of errors in other authors that I make, and recognize them as such, but for some reason, when I look at my own writing, it’s harder for me to see them. But that’s another post. My point is that I edited Regency romances, which is when I developed a soft spot in my heart for them–it wasn’t a genre that I’d been familiar with, and I’d never really even read many historicals–but it opened my eyes to a new genre which is now one of my favorites. And in my editing experience, we had to be able to research and know what words didn’t belong in the period, what a curricle was and how many horses drew one, things like that. And a lot about women’s fashion, because they were presented as the only ones who really cared about such things, and men were viewed through their eyes. They had shiny boots. Sometimes they were hessians. But it wasn’t until reading this book and The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh that the full importance of fashion, especially for men, really hit me. Beau Brummel was important, I knew that, but it just didn’t register how important he was. And the books I edited didn’t talk about class differences. So when Julius has his outrageous styles, he really is making a statement, in the way he can. So I applaud KJ Charles with her wonderful achievement with this novel. One thing that I learned, when I was in school when dinosaurs roamed the earth, was that I often learned more about history through literature, or at least that I understood it better through literature. I think that A Fashionable Indulgence succeeds not only in telling a very good story, but in teaching about a period of history that may not be known for it’s reality, but rather it’s romantic, idealized view of life. I was thinking about this last night when I couldn’t sleep, and I thought of the 1994 film, The Madness of King George–a really wonderful film with Helen Mirren and Nigel Hawthorne (both truly excellent actors)–which showed an interesting portrayal of how the Regency period came to be. It’s definitely worth checking out.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2015 by Wendy Clements
Format: Kindle
KJ Charles is an amazing author. I know this. Many people know this. It's a fact. I've just finished my 3rd time through The Magpie Lord series and also Jackdaw, which is one of my all time favorite stories. Read my review on that one!! However, after reading this one again, I find myself NOT caught up in the plot or story or much of anything. I find my mind wandering and I don't gravitate towards it like I did the other books. It's an adequate story with enough detail but it's strung together with M/M sex that goes on in WAY too much detail and for WAY too long!!! I know how gay sex works. Hell, I know how most sex works but if I wanted to read STROKE fiction, this wouldn't be it. WAY too much detail about WAY too many intimate details for me to enjoy. A hand goes here, a lip goes there and .... I know how it happens. I do. But I have to SKIM and SKIM and then I've missed a critical detail about something that was buried in PAGES and PAGES of sex ergonomics and then..... just stop, already. Apparently this is for a different crowd. I've read it twice and although the story is great and it's well written, it's NOT the type of story I want to read. Sometimes sex is best alluded to and not described in PAINSTAKING detail!! Read her other stories. The Magpie Lord series and Jackdaw are amazing novels. This one is of a different nature and for ME, that wasn't a great thing. Great writer, good story, not my scene. It's a 2.5 story that I upgraded to a 3 because of how well she writes. But she fails in content.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2016 by Tom Davis
Format: Kindle
I understand that some regular KJ Charles readers have been slightly disappointed by this book, and I can perhaps understand why (although I've only read one other title Charles title - the wonderful Think of England). This book left me wanting a little more, too, but overall it has such strengths that I can happily give it 5 stars when rated against others in this genre. What did I love? The main characters, who are complex and so different from each other, yet the author shows how they make each other happy. The storyline, which makes excellent use of the politics of the day and the social pressures of the ton. And most of all, the quality of the writing. It's such a lovely feeling to start a book and know I'm in safe hands, that I can just relax into the story without being irritated by grammatical errors or clunky prose or historical anachronisms. There were times when I wished that the point of view had been closer. Some scenes are related in such a neutral tone that I had to remind myself which character's head I was supposed to be in, and I wanted a stronger indication of their emotions about events as they were unfolding.The plot tends to take over the feelings in some places. But I would never ask for less plot, since a lot of historical romance has far too little going on. The relationship between Harry and Julius has tenderness and concern, and the author uses elegant understatement at key moments instead of overblown expressions of feeling. I was entertained by this book, I liked the characters and I felt immersed in a lesser known aspect of Regency England. I wouldn't describe this book as lushly romantic, but I found it very satisfying.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2015 by oceanjasper
Format: Kindle
*This is a partial review. Full review originally posted on BackPorchReader[dot]com 11/11/2015. Visit for more reviews and recommendations!* This was brilliantly written, and I was engaged from beginning to end. I loved the sex scenes—some were so polite they made me chuckle. But more than that, they were intimate and raw with passion—and sometimes their hesitancy. I liked the premise of the guttersnipe rags to riches/Pygmalion story line. I kind of wish there had been a tad more of the transformation to gentleman because it seemed too easy when it was all said and done. “High Society” is navigate these days—it had to have been immensely more difficult back then coming from such a lower social class. I liked the rabble-rousing sedition and politicking, which…well, that was very much a parallel to some of the craziness going on today. I liked the scenes with the puce coat. I like puce…it looks good on me with my skin tone and hair color so don’t hate on puce. Admittedly, the name sucks—and the origins of the word are vile. Books with closeted heroes are often bothersome to me, mainly because of the way (in my opinion) it’s often mishandled in contemporary romance. Here in this era, though—and likely all historicals— the possibility of coming out of the closet and living a fully honest life is not even on the table. I find that deplorable on principle, but I thought it was interesting to see these heroes navigate to an HEA they could live with in a time, and society, that was so steadfastly unforgiving. All said and done; I’m sold on following the series.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2016 by Katie * The Back Porch Reader