anyolddiamondsK.J. Charles has officially become one of “those authors,” in which I purchase the book on release day and stay up way too late finishing it on a work night. And I have zero regrets about it.

This particular book references the concept of the Victorian-era melodrama multiple times. Then, it drags the reader along through its own surprising plot twists and shocking confessions. Entertaining enough on its own, but there’s also plenty of romance and sexiness thrown in for good measure. I enjoyed every moment of it.

I still consider myself a relatively new romance reader, so I’m not totally familiar with all the tropes just yet. However, the aspect of the relationship between Jerry and Alec that I appreciated the most was exactly who said the magic three words first. I’d rather not go into depth and risk spoiler territory, but I’ll admit that it was a refreshing change from now point of view narrative usually works.

So, why did I knock of half a star despite the glowing review above? I have a pet peeve about narrative characters who keep HUGE secrets from the audience. The reveal for this one was interesting, but I was so confused that I had to re-read the scene until I figured out what was just going on. I don’t like it when characters keep secrets for the sake of the reader.

Overall, I still adored this book. I love the small (and large) touches that show how this story fits into the larger world of the author’s books, and I look forward to reading more about certain characters as this series continues.

Rating: 4.5 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.