{"id":26634,"date":"2026-04-27T18:55:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T22:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=26634"},"modified":"2026-05-07T19:23:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T23:23:17","slug":"the-secret-lives-of-country-gentlemen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/26634","title":{"rendered":"The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen<\/em><\/a> (2023) KJ Charles<\/a> (The Doomsday Books #1)<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>Set in Kent in 1810<\/p>\n

Gareth Inglis was raised by his uncle who made it clear to Gareth that he wasn’t wanted. When his father dies he learns just how awful his father was.<\/p>\n

“Your father decided that. He thought it was for the best.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cBest? Whose best?\u201d Gareth demanded savagely. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou were settled. Sir Hugo thought it would be wrong to change that. His brother and wife had taken you as their own\u2014\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cLet me assure you, they did not.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Joss Doomsday has run the Doomsday clan in deed–if not in name–since he was young. But things have come to a head and Joss needs to be the Upright Man in deed and word.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s enough of us to deal with him.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, there are.\u201d Anger crackled through Gareth\u2019s voice. \u201cAnd yet it seems nobody has before now.\u201d Several people breathed in sharply, and someone whistled. Ma\u2019s face was not a pretty sight.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Garath may have seemed weak initially, but he really wasn’t, not when it counted.<\/p>\n

And he was thoughtful, which I always appreciate in a person.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would rather turn this over in my head a little because\u2014well, I think you must be wrong, but I can\u2019t put my finger on where. And I\u2019d rather think about why that is and what you said than argue about it.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That’s a hard thing to do.<\/p>\n

One of my favorite characters was Asa Doomsday, for all he rarely left his chair.<\/p>\n

He took the name when he married my grandma, who was a Doomsday born. He had no attachment to his other.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s unusual.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cHe came from Georgia.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There is actually an explanation that followed, but no one with the slightest knowledge of American history needs it; it could have been left there and I would have completely and fully understood.<\/p>\n

I also adored Catherine, who had been dealt a rather poor hand yet made the most of what she had. <\/p>\n

They went through and shut the door. Joss said, \u201cLook, first thing, how\u2019s Luke?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you haven\u2019t beaten Elijah Doomsday to death, you ought to,\u201d Mrs. Inglis said, so calmly that it brought the hairs on Joss\u2019s arms up.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

One of the things I like about KJ Charles stories is that those who on the face of it have little power often have the better deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want something, you ask for it. You told me so, before. Is that always how you get what you want?\u201d <\/p>\n

Joss shrugged. \u201cYou don\u2019t get what you want by not asking for it.\u201d Gareth contemplated the obvious truth of that statement. \u201cI may have to change my approach to life.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“You don’t get what you want by not asking for it” is a hard truth to learn.<\/p>\n

Characters<\/strong>: Sir Gareth Inglis, Catherine Inglis, Cecilia Inglis, Sophia Doomsday, Josiah Doomsday, Granda \/ Asa Doomsday, Sybil Doomsday, Uncle Elijah Doomsday, Isaac Doomsday, Cousin Emily Doomsday, Goldie \/ Luke Doomsday, Cousin Tom, Graveyard, Matt Molash, John Groom, Sir Anthony Topgood, Bovey, John Graves, Pagan d\u2019Aumesty, Bowring, Nadgett, Nate Sweetwater, Mrs. Sweetwater, Bill Sweetwater, Uncle Henry Inglis, Lionel Inglis, Jabez Whalebone, Adam Drake<\/p>\n

Cover art by Jyotirmaryee Patra<\/p>\n

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca<\/p>\n

Rating: 8.5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen (2023) KJ Charles (The Doomsday Books #1) Set in Kent in 1810 Gareth Inglis was raised by his uncle who made it clear to Gareth that he wasn’t wanted. When his father dies he learns just how awful his father was. “Your father decided that. He thought it was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_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},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[191,30,938,292,204,33,148,26,56],"tags":[621,50,476,544,943],"class_list":["post-26634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-8-5-10","category-british","category-dual-point-of-view","category-ebook","category-good","category-historical","category-queer","category-romance","category-sexual-content","tag-abuse","tag-boinking","tag-kj-charles","tag-mm","tag-the-doomsday-books"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-6VA","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":26641,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/26641","url_meta":{"origin":26634,"position":0},"title":"A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel","author":"Michelle","date":"April 29, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel (2023) KJ Charles (The Doomsday Books #2) Set in Kent in 1823 To the surprise of everyone, Rufus d'Aumesty is the Earl of Oxney. After a seven month battle, he was affirmed as the heir, yet his uncle Conrad is still fighting to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/A-Noblemans-Guide-to-Seducing-a-Scoundrel.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/A-Noblemans-Guide-to-Seducing-a-Scoundrel.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/A-Noblemans-Guide-to-Seducing-a-Scoundrel.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17492,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/17492","url_meta":{"origin":26634,"position":1},"title":"Short Stories: KJ Charles","author":"Michelle","date":"June 9, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Short Stories: KJ Charles \"Five for Heaven\" (2019) A Charm of Magpies 3.5 Set in Nagasaki, three years after A Flight of Magpies (15 pages) \"A Confidential Problem\" (2016) Society of Gentleman 2.5 Set in England in 1820 (14 pages) \"A Private Miscellany\" (2016) Society of Gentlemen 3.5 Set in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/A-Private-Miscellany.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/A-Private-Miscellany.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/A-Private-Miscellany.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/A-Private-Miscellany.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/A-Private-Miscellany.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/A-Private-Miscellany.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11073,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/11073","url_meta":{"origin":26634,"position":2},"title":"The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh","author":"Michelle","date":"September 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh (2015) KJ Charles (Society of Gentlemen) Set in London in 1818. This is the prequel to the previous three books, a short story about two somewhat minor characters who appear in the other books: Gabriel Ashleigh, brother to Lord Maltravers, who is, at best, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "British"","block_context":{"text":"British","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/british"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/The-Ruin-of-Gabriel-Ashleigh.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11060,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/11060","url_meta":{"origin":26634,"position":3},"title":"A Gentleman’s Position","author":"Michelle","date":"September 9, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"A Gentleman's Position (2016) KJ Charles (Society of Gentlemen) Set in London in 1820 I am, apparently, reading this series backwards. I'd picked up the previous two books and read a few pages but wasn't in the mood for them at the time. Richard is a younger son, an honorable\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A-Gentlemans-Position.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13253,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/13253","url_meta":{"origin":26634,"position":4},"title":"A Fashionable Indulgence","author":"Michelle","date":"June 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A Fashionable Indulgence (2015) KJ Charles (Society of Gentlemen) Set in London in 1819. Harry Vane has spent his life on the run. His parents were both radicals and they had to flee England after a riot broke out during one of his father's speeches. After his parents died of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Fashionable Indulgence","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A-Fashionable-Indulgence.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":19864,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/19864","url_meta":{"origin":26634,"position":5},"title":"Mistlefoe: A Mead Realm Tale","author":"Michelle","date":"March 8, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Mistlefoe: A Mead Realm Tale (2021) Kimberly Lemming This story is very silly. It's also fun. Many family dinners throughout my childhood were filled with ramblings on taxes being too high or the current king spending too much money on mistresses and trebuchets. Ruby's father snuck into a demon's territory\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mistlefoe A Mead Realm Tale","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Mistlefoe-A-Mead-Realm-Tale.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Mistlefoe-A-Mead-Realm-Tale.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Mistlefoe-A-Mead-Realm-Tale.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Mistlefoe-A-Mead-Realm-Tale.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26634","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=26634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26634\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}