In A Nobleman's Guide to Scandal, KJ Charles delivers what she does best - great characters, compelling romance, and an excellent historical setting.

I think I enjoyed the first one a little bit more, but this is still a great follow-on. (And I did enjoying seeing Gareth and Joss pop up occasionally in this one, too.)

Overall, a great read for any lovers of historical queer romance and fans of KJ Charles' previous work will not be disappointed.

I loved reading this book as I am a fan of historical romance, but I particularly enjoyed both the class differences between the characters, and the LGBT representation in this book. I found the author’s style riveting and could read many more stories featuring these characters. It was a fantastic read and I think it was beautifully written and very well laid out. I would really recommend this book to any historical romance fans, particularly those wanting a bit of LGBT representation in the genre.

This was my first time reading a book from K. J. Charles, and while I loved the romance, the book as a whole was a mixed bag for me.

I really enjoyed the bulk of the story. As I said, the romance was excellent, with just the right amount of drama, and buckets of chemistry between the main couple! I eagerly anticipated each scene between the two of them, and while they were together early enough for us to enjoy it, there was still enough tension there to keep the intrigue going.

The other characters were eccentric and larger-than-life, which added to the entertainment of the book. The side plots, though, were too numerous and too convoluted. On one level it didn’t matter too much, as they didn’t interfere with the main romance plot, but I found myself wanting to fast forward through them to get back to the romance. The main through-thread hinges on an argument over inheritance, and the family tree was so complicated that I just had to assume there was a plot reason that the two main characters weren’t actually related and do some Downton Abbey-style hand-waving about the whole thing.

The very start and very end of the book were what let it down for me, especially the ending. I was so invested, having such a great time, and then the final chapter undermined so much we thought we knew. Ultimately, while there was so much to love here, the execution fell flat in the final moments for me.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

This book had not formatted into a readable format making it very difficult to make sense of what was happening. I tried to get through a few chapters and could see that it was a well written story in a subject I enjoy. I would buy a physical copy of this book to read.

There's not many writers at the moment whose books always make it onto my wishlist but KJ Charles is definitely one of them - if you like queer historical romances, chances are you've read some (or all) of her books already, as they're often recommended and for good reason.

A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel is the second in her Doomsday book series, set in and around the Romney Marshes, a quite desolate area of Kent, and one of the main characters was a supporting character in book 1. Luke Doomsday was a teenager then, taken in and educated as he's as sharp as a knife, and here finds himself eventually employed as secretary to the newly-created Earl of Oxney.

Rufus is a bluff former-soldier, child of a man who'd been kicked out of the D'Aumesty family for an unsuitable marriage, but who's now inherited the title anyway - unfortunately, the title apparently also comes with a house that's falling down around his ears, more debts than he knows how to resolve and some family members who hate him for becoming the Earl. All of this to deal with an an unfortunate attraction to his new secretary, who has a secret or two in his past which could trip them both up.

As usual, the author does a solid job of rooting her storyline in the period in which it's set, complete with period-appropriate slang. While I really liked Rufus as a character, I found I didn't warm to Luke as much. Not that this stopped me enjoying the book immensely, though again I think I liked the previous book in the series slightly more (though it's a bit like preferring one flavour of a quality brand of ice cream over another, as even the ones you don't like quite as much are still good).

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley. This is my honest review of the book in question.

Didn’t love the pacing of the plot but thought it was a very fun concept and would definitely check out their other works!

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, so had high expectations for this one, which were heartily met! (I might even love this one moreee, Luke is all grown up and falling in love!!!) You don’t miss out, exactly, but not having read the first book, but if you have you’ll know the story behind Luke’s scar from the beginning, and you’ll be able to guess why he’s sniffing around.

Rufus, formerly a soldier, now the new Earl of Oxney, is blunt and uncomplicated, prone to using the same tone for jokes, orders and frustrated outbursts while expecting that others will simply discern which is which. His new secretary Luke, twisty and more complicated than even he would like, is clever with his words and carrying an enormous bucketload of anger from his traumatic childhood. It benefits Luke to hide the truth, while Rufus can’t stand dishonesty, leading to friction in their otherwise well-balanced relationship.

I thought Rufus’ dyslexia and demisexuality were done really nicely — him demi-ness is approached with a ‘it’s just the way he is’ quality that was a nice change from the ‘am I broken?’ angst that acespec stories often fall into. The dyslexia led to one of my favourite moments in the entire book, when Luke makes some changes to properly accommodate Rufus’s reading difficulties. Similarly, I though the power differential between the two was handled really well (I sometimes struggle with that, especially in modern dating-the-boss romances etc, but didn’t have any of those hangups here).

I said I might love this more than the first book, which is a five star read for me, so I’m going to give this five stars as well… but that’s kind of discounting an element in the epilogue, which I feel wasn’t THE BEST way to end a book where the main relationship conflict is deceit. But because I loved the rest of the book so much, I’m kind of pretending it didn’t happen la la la.

What's not to love about historical romance mixed with murder mystery? My first KJ Charles but definitely not my last, I loved everything about this!

A new KJ Charles! True to form, another great historical romance with murder, mystery, and romance with great chemistry.
13 years after the events of the first book, we meet a new face, Rufus, who’s unexpectedly inherited an earldom, much to the great displeasure of his family on the nobility side. We also reunite with a pivotal side character from book one, Luke Doomsday, of the notorious Doomsday smugglers, and Joss’ younger cousin.

**I loved Rufus and it was great to meet Luke again** all grown up. The characters were lively and had great dynamics. I loved how grumpy and spiteful Rufus presents himself in the start, and seeing how he actually is. I really enjoyed seeing his relationship with his cousins develop and the portrayal of his dyslexia (not named as such, we’re still a few decades too early for the term to be used). Rufus and Luke’s romance was fun to read, **they had great chemistry** and the relationship developed well. The **power dynamics may be squicky for some but I felt it was discussed well** between the characters. There is some elements of miscommunication involved in the plot and some of the mystery is predictable, but the story is still engaging and suspenseful.

The **events of this book did a great job of picking up and carrying through with plot elements and some loose threads from Gareth and Joss’ story**. I particularly liked how this went back to the lack of resolution regarding aspects of what Luke experienced and lived through in the previous book. A lot of my thoughts on what had happened were echoed or brought up now that we’ve got Luke’s perspective.

There were lots of little references and cameos of characters from the previous book. I l**oved seeing and hearing about Gareth and Joss from both Luke’s perspective as well as Rufus’**. There are reminders and some narrative explanations of what happened in the previous book, but I would definitely say to read the first book if you haven’t before reading this.

**KJ Charles smashed it yet again**. Always excited for her books and characters. Though I believe this is a duology, if there’s ever to be more in the Doomsday-verse, I’ll be first in line. (I mean, I’m first in line for all her historical romances anyway, but I’ve really loved these unexpected heirs and their Doomsdays.)

This was... meh? Better than the first one, for me. I was left feeling pretty cold towards the first one. But I didn't entirely warm up to this either.
Thing is, I loved both MCs. Grown-up Luke was as endearing, charming and clever as I would have imagined him. Rufus was great allthogether. He reminded me a little of Lord Crane from the Charm of Magpies series, but he's also very different. He's honest, and sweet, and caring, with a huge heart. In theory, these two were perfect for each other, and I kinda believed it at first. In practice, I didn't feel they had much chemistry at all.
Like, at all.
They got to the point of exchanging I love yous and I was utterly unmoved.
Maybe it was because the middle section of the book was extremely slow and sagging? Maybe because they spend a lot of time together but not in extremely meaningful ways that we are shown? Maybe just because in the end, like many K.J. Charles' books, she just kinda loses herself in the plot, and neglects the romance.
And while I think she absolutely excels at romance, she does not in convoluted adventure plots.
So yeah. I liked the MCs. I liked the side characters, even. Odo and Berengaria were absolutely hilarious. I didn't care for any of the Doomsdays apart from Luke.
The ending kinda ties up well what the middle section of the book had let go, so that's why 3 stars. And because Rufus was extra cute.

Bye now

I loved this book! I lucked out and managed to time finishing book 1 exactly on book 2's release day and I'm still not ready to leave the marsh!

This book centers on Luke Doomsday, the young son of the Doomsday family with a terrible father in book 1. Set 13 years after the end of book 1, we revisit Luke, now 26 and out in the world working for various country estates as a Secretary.

Luke gets entangled in the inheritance shuffle of the local Earldom and thus finds himself in the employ of the new Earl of Oxney, Rufus. Little does Rufus know that Luke is there under even false pretences than he originally thought. And thus begins our tale of romance on the marsh.

Compared to book 1, this is much more of a slow burn, around chapter 9 or so I was metaphorically pulling my hair out wanting these two clowns to start properly clowning...little did I know that just around the corner the sparks would be flying and they really never stopped! Yes, there are plot reveals and arguments, which lead to fun groveling etc. etc. but on the whole this was a lovely story and IMO it was a bit easier to follow the "external" plot than book 1.

One of many things to love about KJ Charles' books is how anchored they are in their particular historical period. She doesn't hit you around the head with facts, or elevate research over plot. Instead, we join 'A Nobleman's guide to seducing a scoundrel' in the early 1820s when Gothic novels are still the rage, medievalism is becoming an academic study, the Napoleonic Wars are over, and smugglers now operate largely above board.

This isn't historical decoration. Rufus d'Aumesty, the new, disputed Earl of Oxney, spent more than a decade in the army and it's formed who he is. Luke Doomsday (remember him?) is a confidential secretary who's apparently left behind his days of belonging to Romney Marsh's foremost smuggling clan. They meet at the start of the novel in a maze of a house dating back to Norman times, both embroiled in a succession dispute worthy of Dickens. Luke becomes the earl's right hand man as they both seek to right years' worth of estate neglect.

At first, Luke's interest in the job appears genuine. Then we get hints otherwise, even as he and the new Earl fall for each other. Finally, Luke is discovered where he shouldn't be and everything goes full-on Gothic. Think 'Northanger Abbey' or 'Melmoth the wanderer' - all dark and stormy with abandoned buildings, crazed, vengeful relatives, and a lone hero(ine) struggling against the odds to save themselves and solve the mystery. Of course, the clouds clear and the sun comes out at the end.

This is great fun and a worthy sequel to 'The Secret lives of country gentlemen'. If you read this book first, it doesn't matter. KJ Charles has been very clever in linking both books firmly together but also making it possible to read them separately.

Thanks to the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Super cute romance,
I loved everything, the characters are so cute together and the romance is too cozy and warm!
Highly recommended

Return to Romney Marsh with A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel, the second book in KJ Charles’ Doomsday Books series. Set over a decade after the events of The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, the story centres around Luke Doomsday, Goldie from the first book all grown up, and Major Rufus d’Aumnesty.
Rufus has unexpectedly inherited the title of Earl of Oxney and a remote Norman manor set on the edge of the infamous marsh. He is completely out of his depth, trying to manage an estate that has been neglected for years whilst seeing his position contested by his uncle.

When his uncle’s latest scheme brings Luke Doomsday to the manor as a potential heir, Rufus finds an unlikely ally in the son of the smuggling clan. Luke is a competent secretary, expert schemer and he becomes the lover Rufus had never hoped to find. But Luke has a hidden agenda on his own, and before long his lies and secrets threaten to destroy everything.

I loved the gothic motifs throughout this novel: the isolated manor house at the edge of the marsh, stormy weather at appropriate moments in the story, the villainous family and its secrets, a ruined chapel, underground crypt and whispers of a cult, everything is there. Both main characters have a rich backstory – Rufus is affected by his time in the war, and Luke has a lot of baggage from his childhood, which heavily plays into the events of this book. Their relationship felt genuine, and there was the right balance of tender moments and banter between them.

While it would be possible to read A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel as a stand-alone, knowing Luke’s backstory from the outset will give better understanding of his motivations. And of course it’s immensely satisfying to meet Gareth and Joss thirteen years later and still happily together.
KJ Charles never fails to deliver – queer historical romance at its best! Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing me with an eARC!

Ever since absolutely falling in love with the Will Darling trilogy, KJ Charles has become one of my go to authors for historical romance.
The yearning, the sarcastic characters, the steam…it’s all top tier and so I fell in love with this series too.
I listend to the first book at the beginning of this year and I’m so glad we were blessed with the sequel so quickly!
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Major Rufus d’Aumasty has unexpectedly become the unlikely Earl of Oxney, after his absent father died. Now he’s got his uncle fighting for the title on one side and a strange secretary on the other, who’s arguing that his mother has been married to the Earl. Not only could that mean Luke is the rightful heir, but said secretary is also related to the notorious Doomsday smuggling clan and would make an even more strange Earl than a Major and son of a drapers daughter.
I love how Rufus and Luke bonded so quickly, building a team against Rufus’ horrible family. They made the best opposites attract office romance couple. It was a real slow burn and I was swooning so hard and later fanning myself!!! The way they both were utterly entranced by the other, yearning in secret. They deserved each other, especially Luke with the way he’s been treated before by his abusive father and last employer.
I loved how Rufus slowly got to know his family and built unexpected friendships.
The plot took an unexpected and gripping turn when ulterior motives came to light and I couldn’t put it down!
Added to my favourites of 2023!

I adored the first book in this series (Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen), so when I saw this book go up on Netgalley, I requested it immediately. I read it in a day - finished it at some ridiculous hour in the middle of the night.

Luke Doomsday was a child in the last book, he's all grown up in this one. He is at Stone Manor on a mission. Rufus D'Aumesty is the new Earl Oxney and is struggling to keep up with the chaotic administration of his estate. When Luke turns up, a calm and efficient secretary, he seems like a godsend in more ways than one.

I really enjoyed this book. Rufus is just too lovely - so kind and so very, very honest. Luke is ... less honest at times. The story takes place mostly in the big house, but the marshes play a role too. (I recently went on holiday to Norfolk, which has similar reclaimed land and I feel I now understand the descriptions of the marsh better now). In some places the story veers into danger and the tension is palpable. I was quite worried at one point!

A great central story with an interesting cast of supporting characters. I enjoyed this thoroughly.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy.

Well - I read this book cover to cover in one sitting. An easy 5* read and one of my favourites of the year. It's almost difficult for me to put into words what I liked and loved about this book. The setting was wonderful, the characters lovable, and the romance really passionate, with a strong acknowledgement and good handling of the power imbalance between the two main characters. The twists in the book were believable but the character growth surrounding them did not come as a shock either, which can sometimes be the case leading to a 'forced' twist.

This book is part of a series but can be read standalone, with some references to the previous book that don't get lost if you haven't read it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.

"Been a secretary long?"
"Eight years."
"And you don't want a chance to make the noble family miserable, for once?" [loc 358]
Thirteen years after the events of The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, Romney Marsh is less smuggler-infested (due to lower taxes rather than moral reformation) but still teeming with Doomsdays and fraught family relations. Rufus D'Aumesty, a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, has spent the last seven months fighting to prove that he's the rightful Earl of Oxney. He believes the case is closed, but his unpleasant uncle Conrad claims to have found another claimant, and produces the personable and charming Luke Doomsday. Luke ('Goldie' in Secret Lives) is the son of a woman who may have been married to the previous earl: she was seduced by Elijah Doomsday, Luke's nasty father, but legally speaking the father is the man she was married to... Luke is vehement about not wanting to become the next earl: he does, however, accept a position as Rufus' secretary, since the family archives are in a parlous state and the truth of the inheritance may be hidden in some dusty corner of Stone Manor.

Luke, who reads too many Gothic novels, is a competent and innovative secretary (one of his previous employers was Lord Corvin, a secondary character in Band Sinister). He's kept busy balancing his actual job, his growing attraction to Rufus, and his own mysterious agenda, whilst observing the d'Aumesty family -- Conrad and his wife Matilda, ineffectual medievalist Odo, grumpy heir Fulk, and delightly eccentric artist Berengaria -- with wide-eyed and horrified fascination. The attraction between Luke and Rufus is vivid and tangible, with plenty of enthusiastic consent: Rufus is very aware of the power imbalance between them. But Luke has not been entirely honest with Rufus... or, indeed, with anybody at all, including his own relatives.

A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel is a satisfying and well-paced romance, a suitably Gothic tale of inheritance and bad blood, and a charming dash of Mithraism (which seems to be cropping up in several of the novels I've read recently). The atmosphere of the Marsh is still bleak and forbidding, but rather less fraught with danger than in Country Gentlemen. Which is not to say that the stakes are not high, or that there aren't scenes of extreme peril. Great dialogue, a credible and compelling romance, and a remarkably low body count for this author.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy, in exchange for this full honest review: UK publication due 19 SEP 2023.

As a big fan of I was always a big fan of KJ Charles’ writing, and I could not be more thrilled to find out that they get a well deserved recognition. A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by KJ Charles, the second (and dare I say more enjoyable) novel in The Doomsday Books series, brings back a cast of previously know characters as well as new ones. As a dishy Rufus d'Aumesty becomes the new Earl of Oxney, much to the dismay of his estranged family, he badly needs a friend and confidante who could help him to put the estate in in order and the family in the corner. Enter Luke Doomsday, an uber efficient secretary. There are only couple of problems with this arrangement – he was brought in as a pretender to the title, he is from the slightly less reputable Doomsday clan of smugglers from the Marshes, and he has his own agenda to be in the manor. He is also irresistible to Rufus. Soon the sparks start to fly between them, but there is not long until the secrets start to emerge as well, which threaten to destroy their fragile connection.
KJ Charles can write about unpleasant characters like no other – the Conrads were amazing believable villains, and their children were delightfully eccentric. The story between main characters was charming and steamy in places, but what I really liked were the more tender moments between them, and the way in which Rufus was really caring for his family and those under his protection, as well as his lover. The author is brilliant at creating complex and flawed MCs and her attention to the historical detail is equally brilliant. I am so pleased that she is getting a recognition she thoroughly deserves – I think that The Doomsday Books are the fisty to be published in print as well as ebook format, and I hope that more people will discover one of my favourite authors who was first to introduce me to the historical LGBTQ+ romances. I also hope that the series continues, as I am not ready to say goodbye to Rufus and Luke just yet.

It was so great to be able to come to the world of Romney Marsh, full of smuggles with family values, terrible aristocrats without thereof, people obsessed about their niche interests and skeletons in their closets — and sometimes falling in love. I’ve been reading each KJC book and series for years now, and the sheer appreciation of her craft as it matures is a pleasure in its own right: the settings for stories and the characters feel so solid, relationships of all kinds - central romance or supporting bonds of different kinds - worth emotionally investing into, and let’s be honest, who can resist the satisfaction of eating the rich as a sidedish to their queer romance. Cheering for Rufus felt so rewarding - I do love a staunchly decent man - and Luke had a lot of baggage to sort out (which was mostly addressed in the second half of the book), and there was bonus vintage lesbians! As a treat, for me personally.

It was a delight to read this early. Thank you #Netgalley and the publisher for an arc. Can’t wait to add a physical copy to my queer histrom collection as soon as it is out!