An Unseen Attraction

An Unseen Attraction (2017) K.J. Charles (Sins of the City)

Set in London in 1873

This is a MM boinking book.

Clem Tallyfer is the keeper of his brother’s lodging house in London. It’s how he makes his living–surviving on the sufferance of his brother.

He’s also different, and that makes things even more difficult.

Would you like to keep looking? I’ll wait.” That was the sort of thing people said and then it turned out they hadn’t meant that at all. Clem knew he didn’t recognise sarcasm because he had been told so, repeatedly.

Clem was not a man you could read like a book, or if you could, the book was in an unfamiliar typeface, with no page numbers.

Rowley Green is a preserver who chose Clem’s lodging house because it was right next to his shop. He prefers to create life-like creations, but sometimes has to sell the … unusual.

“What is it?”

“A badger presented as the messenger god Hermes.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. Presumably someone ate toasted cheese before bed.”

I really liked the characters. Clem is neuroatypical, but he is also smart. And kind, which makes him a very complex character. Especially since he is quite aware of how his problems cause him to be viewed by society.

Clem tightened his grip. “Rowley, there are lots of people who think I’m worth looking at. Not so many who think I’m worth listening to.”

That helps to make him an incredibly compelling character. I also very much like that Clem does have friends who look out for him.

The other thing I really liked is the mystery. One of the lodgers is found brutally murdered on the doorstep of the lodging house, and events spiral out of control from there.

As I said, this is a MM romance, and that makes this very different from other historical romances, first and foremost because homosexuality was a severe crime at that time, and it made normal relationships almost impossible for such men. But what I also like is that both characters being male allows the story to ignore the limitations placed upon women (such as the lack of basic rights).

The murder and mystery were icing on the cake, especially since Clem’s mindset made it almost impossible for him to see many people in a negative light. Rowley’s struggle with that makes for a fascinating struggle, and a completely believable one.

Another note: the story isn’t completely resolved. But the next book has already been published. So that helps.

Publisher: Loveswept

Rating: 9/10

• Browse the archives:
  
• An Unnatural Vice » »
• « « Bewitching Benedict