Review: A Seditious Affair by K.J. Charles

Author: K.J. Charles

Publisher: Random House LLC

Pages/Word Count: 253 Pages

At a Glance: A worthy sequel and highly recommended

Reviewed By: Sammy

Blurb: Silas Mason has no illusions about himself. He’s not lovable, or even likable. He’s an overbearing idealist, a Radical bookseller and pamphleteer who lives for revolution . . . and for Wednesday nights. Every week he meets anonymously with the same man, in whom Silas has discovered the ideal meld of intellectual companionship and absolute obedience to his sexual commands. But unbeknownst to Silas, his closest friend is also his greatest enemy, with the power to see him hanged—or spare his life.

A loyal, well-born gentleman official, Dominic Frey is torn apart by his affair with Silas. By the light of day, he cannot fathom the intoxicating lust that drives him to meet with the Radical week after week. In the bedroom, everything else falls away. Their needs match, and they are united by sympathy for each other’s deepest vulnerabilities. But when Silas’s politics earn him a death sentence, desire clashes with duty, and Dominic finds himself doing everything he can to save the man who stole his heart.

Review: First off, let’s just state the obvious: author K.J. Charles writes historical fiction better than any other author on the m/m scene today. Smart dialogue, intricate and compelling story lines and complex characters burst to life on the pages of her novels, with the added elements of authenticity and some very sweet heat between her men, making her stories absolutely shine.

While I will admit that I enjoyed the first installment of her Society of Gentleman series, A Fashionable Indulgence, a bit more, that does not detract from the overall excellence of her second offering, A Seditious Affair. This story picks up and carries through from the first, quickly rehashing highlights from the first novel as needed, and how they affected our new main characters, Dominic and Silas. While there was some overlap, the author steadily moved their story into the forefront while continuing to give us tidbits and on-page time from our first pair of lovers, Julius and Harry, and many other Ricardians.

But this time round, it is the mysterious Dominic and his need to be “hurt” every Wednesday evening that takes center stage. It was with real glee that I discovered who was meeting Dominic and giving him the opportunity to be submissive—something he desperately needs and something Richard could never give. For those who did not read the first book, I strongly suggest you do before delving further into this review. My comments are based on prior knowledge of this select group of gentleman, and their friendship and social group were well established in the first novel.

Possible Minor Spoilers

Please forgive this very sketchy synopsis—this is an intricately woven story with many key players and to synopsize it without giving away too much of the plot is not an easy task. Suffice it to say that this novel was two parts history lesson and an equal two parts relationship building. All the pieces came together to produce a fascinating look at a slice of English history while giving us another window into this interesting group of men. It takes a special talent for writing to blend historical fact with a fictitious tale that allows for romance, intrigue and a page turning storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Bringing the highborn Dominic together with the intelligent yet rough lower class Silas was a stroke of genius. Never forgetting that Silas will never bow or scrape to the upper class or give up his passion for justice for the lower class, K.J. Charles gives our brute a delicate man of the gentry to both dominate and protect. All the while we watch as the brute slowly becomes the captive of his own submissive, and we cannot help but sigh just a little and want to spare them both any more pain. A Seditious Affair is just that good—just that raw and tender a story.

This is a worthy sequel to the original. I look forward to reading the next installment in this series and desperately hope it is Richard’s turn. He both fascinates me and angers me most every other scene he is in. Until the next one, I leave you with A Seditious Affair by K.J. Charles—a novel I highly recommend.

You can buy A Seditious Affair here: