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A review by garbage_mcsmutly
Unfit to Print by KJ Charles
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
π MINI REVIEW
β 4/5 This was a cute, quick story. Two men who were friends at school become reacquainted as adults while trying to solve a mystery and cope with their feelings for each other. The mystery was compelling and the chemistry wasn't bad and there was even an action-filled climax. And I appreciated the politics of the book (see diversity section for more on that).
π§ NARRATION
Single narrator with dual POV. The narrator did a good job with the different accents so it was easy to tell characters apart.
πΆοΈ SPICINESS
3/5 There were a couple sex scenes but they weren't particularly explicit/detailed/sexy.
π³οΈβπβ DIVERSITY
The two MCs are men of color: one is Indian, the other is biracial (Black and white). And of course it is a love story between two men. One is bi/pan, and I think the other maybe is demisexual (of course this is a historical and the characters don't have this language to self-identify with, so it's sort of an educated guess).
Both MCs grew up in England. When they were at school together, they seemed to be of fairly similar standing, but life happened, and one of them ended up having a hard go of it for many years. When they re-meet, one is an educated lawyer while the other is basically a high school dropout peddling smut.
The book has a positive view of different sexualities and choices, but also of sex work, which felt quite progressive considering it's a historical (although I believe these views are par for the course with this author--this is my first KJ Charles). It acknowledges that there is often exploitation in sex work while at the same time recognizing that there are people who freely choose to do that work, and it doesn't demonize anyone who makes that choice.
β 4/5 This was a cute, quick story. Two men who were friends at school become reacquainted as adults while trying to solve a mystery and cope with their feelings for each other. The mystery was compelling and the chemistry wasn't bad and there was even an action-filled climax. And I appreciated the politics of the book (see diversity section for more on that).
π§ NARRATION
Single narrator with dual POV. The narrator did a good job with the different accents so it was easy to tell characters apart.
πΆοΈ SPICINESS
3/5 There were a couple sex scenes but they weren't particularly explicit/detailed/sexy.
π³οΈβπβ DIVERSITY
The two MCs are men of color: one is Indian, the other is biracial (Black and white). And of course it is a love story between two men. One is bi/pan, and I think the other maybe is demisexual (of course this is a historical and the characters don't have this language to self-identify with, so it's sort of an educated guess).
Both MCs grew up in England. When they were at school together, they seemed to be of fairly similar standing, but life happened, and one of them ended up having a hard go of it for many years. When they re-meet, one is an educated lawyer while the other is basically a high school dropout peddling smut.
The book has a positive view of different sexualities and choices, but also of sex work, which felt quite progressive considering it's a historical (although I believe these views are par for the course with this author--this is my first KJ Charles). It acknowledges that there is often exploitation in sex work while at the same time recognizing that there are people who freely choose to do that work, and it doesn't demonize anyone who makes that choice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Racism, Police brutality, Trafficking, and Death of parent