An Unsuitable Heir (Sins of the Cities, #3)

by Kj Charles

• ASIN: B01MZ7SF83
• Publish Date: 2017 (first published 19 December 2017)
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Format: eBook (Kindle)
• Pages: 211
• Language: English

Reviews

[Bookbee]

The best of an extremely good series!

(Series must be read in order since one book leads into the next.)

[Heather]

In this final book of the series, detective Mark finds the lost heir to the Earldom.  He is a trapeze artist performing with his twin sister.  Most people would jump at the chance to go from music hall performer to aristocrat but Pen Starling wants nothing to do with it.  He is genderfluid and comfortable living in a world where he is able to dress in a costume that fits how he feels on each day.  If he becomes an Earl, he would be forced to live as a man full time.  As he says, if he had been raised to be an Earl he might have been able to pass himself off as an eccentric recluse but as a former commoner he would be watched.  Information is given about court cases of the time regarding transgender people.

Mark is a Polish immigrant.  He was born with one arm.  He makes his way confidently through a world that makes no accommodations for people with disabilities.  He is pansexual and has previously had relationships with both men and women.  He embraces Pen's genderfluidity as a wonderful aspect of him.  

This is my favorite of the books.  I loved Mark and Pen's relationship.  The resolution of the mystery was unexpected and very satisfying to all parties involved.  I will definitely read this author again.This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story

[KitsuneBae]

This review first appeared on Wayward Kitsune.

In 2016, I discovered one of the most brilliant LGBTQ series there is, the Captive Prince by C.S Pacat. Since then, I’ve been looking for the next book that will make the same impact and though I’ve come across unforgettable ones, nothing could still compare to Captive Prince but I’m not one to easily give up. So in my search, I found The Unsuitable Heir in Netgalley and after reading the premise, I thought, this is it.

But one chapter into the story, I was bored as hell and gotten confused with the characters. Essentially, this is not a bad book but I could not feel any sympathy for the main character who struggled outing his sexuality considering the time period. I could not care about the impending doom our characters have to face because of a loose killer. I could not care about the budding romance between the two male protagonists because they’re bland as fuck. I could not care about the supporting characters and their dilemma. I could not care about the setting which in another author’s (I’m sorry okay?) hands might have been lovely. I. Just. Could. Not. Bring. Myself. To. Care. About. This. Book.

So all in all, I’d be wasting both our time if I make this review any longer.

[chymerra]

I loved the Sins of the Cities trilogy by K.C. Charles. It took one of my favorite eras, Victorian England, and spun two M/M romances out of it. Now, mention that I said two M/M romances. I say that because Pen is nonbinary/identifies as a woman. So I wouldn’t classify An Unsuitable Heir as an M/M romance. Actually, I don’t know what I would label it. If any of you could please let me know what I could label this book. I will amend the review with the correct terminology.

An Unsuitable Heir’s plot was pretty straightforward. Mark is an enquiry agent and is hired by Clem and Nathaniel to find the true heir to Clem’s brother’s earldom. Mark’s detective skills track down Repentance (Pen) and Regret (Greta) Starling. Pen and Greta are trapeze artists and are content to stay that way. That is until Mark forces Pen to do what he never wanted to do…become the earl. There is also danger involved. The killer who has haunted An Unseen Attraction and An Unnatural Vice has made himself known.He has Pen in his crosshairs.

An Unnatural Vice was a romance. What Mark and Pen felt for each other came off the pages in waves. Even when Pen was very upset with Mark, you could tell the depth of their feelings. Pen loved Mark for who he was and Mark loved Pen for who he was. It was beautiful to read. The LGBTQIA aspect of the book was very interesting too. Pen is nonbinary and I thought the author did a great job of portraying a nonbinary person in the Victorian Era.

I liked Mark. I felt bad that he felt that his disability would even interfere in his and Pen’s relationship. I also felt awful when he dragged Pen to that meeting against his will. He was doing it for Greta and Pen’s own good. Not that Pen understood at first.

I felt so bad for Pen. I couldn’t imagine going to sleep and waking up in a body that I didn’t feel at home in. He knew he was a girl but every time he looked in a mirror, he saw a man. It must have been so hard for him. The era he lived in, Victorian, was not known for their understanding of homosexuality. People were arrested and could potentially be thrown in jail if it was found out that they were gay, lesbian or trans. Pen was terrified of being in public because he knew how he dressed and acted would not be accepted. Which is why he didn’t want to be an earl. He didn’t want all that attention on him. When Mark forced his hand at the earldom, it was his worst fears come true.

Pen and Mark didn’t have real intercourse until the end of the book. But the sexual interactions that they did have were very hot!!

I was pretty surprised at who the killer was. It was the last person I thought it would be (isn’t that always the case….lol). All the other storylines were wrapped up in a very satisfactory way. I am sad that this series has come to an end. I can’t wait to read more books by K.C. Charles.

4 stars

My Summary of An Unsuitable Heir:

An Unsuitable Heir is a wonderful romance. I loved that the author chose to write about a nonbinary person in Victorian times. This book is definitely worth the read and I would recommend it!!

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and some mild violence

I would like to thank K.C. Charles, Loveswept, Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review An Unsuitable Heir

Any opinions stated in this review are mine and I was not compensated in any way for this review

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**