{"id":10082,"date":"2018-03-31T20:13:59","date_gmt":"2018-04-01T00:13:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=10082"},"modified":"2024-03-01T18:11:35","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T23:11:35","slug":"an-unseen-attraction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/10082","title":{"rendered":"An Unseen Attraction"},"content":{"rendered":"

An Unseen Attraction<\/a><\/em> (2017) K.J. Charles<\/a> (Sins of the City)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Set in London in 1873<\/p>\n

This is a MM boinking book.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

He’s also different, and that makes things even more difficult.<\/p>\n

Would you like to keep looking? I\u2019ll wait.\u201d That was the sort of thing people said and then it turned out they hadn\u2019t meant that at all. Clem knew he didn\u2019t recognise sarcasm because he had been told so, repeatedly.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cA badger presented as the messenger god Hermes.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. I honestly don\u2019t know. Presumably someone ate toasted cheese before bed.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Clem tightened his grip. \u201cRowley, there are lots of people who think I\u2019m worth looking at. Not so many who think I\u2019m worth listening to.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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

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.<\/p>\n

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). <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Another note: the story isn’t completely resolved. But the next book has already been published. So that helps.<\/p>\n

Publisher: Loveswept<\/p>\n

Rating: 9\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[13,30,33,8,608,148,26,56],"tags":[508,50,476,544,535,557],"class_list":["post-10082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-10","category-british","category-historical","category-mystery","category-neurodiversity","category-queer","category-romance","category-sexual-content","tag-asd","tag-boinking","tag-kj-charles","tag-mm","tag-neurodiversity","tag-victorian"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-2CC","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":17510,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/17510","url_meta":{"origin":10082,"position":0},"title":"An Unseen Attraction","author":"Michelle","date":"June 21, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"An Unseen Attraction (2017) KJ Charles (Sins of the Cities) Set in London in 1873 (T)hey said the eyes were the windows to the soul, and Clem didn\u2019t feel comfortable peering into people\u2019s windows. Clem was not a man you could read like a book, or if you could, the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"An Unseen Attraction","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/An-Unseen-Attraction.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":19955,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/19955","url_meta":{"origin":10082,"position":1},"title":"An Unseen Attraction","author":"Michelle","date":"April 27, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"An Unseen Attraction (2017) KJ Charles (Sins of the Cities) Set in London in 1873 The first book in the Sins of the City series. they said the eyes were the windows to the soul, and Clem didn\u2019t feel comfortable peering into people\u2019s windows. \u201cMost people,\u201d Clem said carefully, \u201cmost\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"An Unseen Attraction","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/An-Unseen-Attraction.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13210,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/13210","url_meta":{"origin":10082,"position":2},"title":"An Unseen Attraction","author":"Michelle","date":"June 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"An Unseen Attraction (2017) K.J. Charles (Sins of the Cities) Set in London 28 October, 1873 Clem Talleyfer is quite happy running a lodging house. There is quiet and order and it's in a neighborhood where he doesn't stand out. As a plus, he currently has Rowley Green as a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"An Unseen Attraction","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/An-Unseen-Attraction.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":24603,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/24603","url_meta":{"origin":10082,"position":3},"title":"An Unseen Attraction","author":"Michelle","date":"May 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"An Unseen Attraction (2017) K.J. Charles (Sins of the Cities, #1) Set in London in 1873 This is one of my favorite queer historicals. It's the first book in a series, and I've read just this book, or just the first two, because I adore Clem and Rowley. Look me\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"An Unseen Attraction","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/An-Unseen-Attraction.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":21840,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/21840","url_meta":{"origin":10082,"position":4},"title":"An Unseen Attraction","author":"Michelle","date":"April 17, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"An Unseen Attraction (2017) K.J. Charles (Sins of the Cities) Look me in the eyes, boy! had been a constant refrain at school, but they said the eyes were the windows to the soul, and Clem didn\u2019t feel comfortable peering into people\u2019s windows. Rowley had thought at first the beast\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"An Unseen Attraction","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/An-Unseen-Attraction.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10085,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/10085","url_meta":{"origin":10082,"position":5},"title":"An Unnatural Vice","author":"Michelle","date":"April 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"An Unnatural Vice (2017) K.J. Charles Set in London in 1873 This book follows--and in some cases overlaps--An Unseen AttractionClem's brother is dead, his heir has been made a bastard, and now Clem's friends are trying to keep Clem's cousin from throwing him out of his home by searching for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/An-Unnatural-Vice.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10082"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10082\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}