Probably a case of "solid book, wrong time", mixed with expectations that weren't really met. I truly enjoyed the whole concept of it but for me there wasn't really a build up to... Anything. Neither the love story nor the mystery aspect of it. Even though my rating is low I still would recommend this to people who enjoy (lgbtq+) romance and historical fiction. It's a great mixture and truly something new! There are not many books like that out there.

I expected this book to be much more of a romance – and I’ve never been so delighted to find out I was wrong! In the London of the 1920s, former soldier Will Darling is trying to survive, but jobs are scarce and life in general is hard, so when he inherits his uncle’s second-hand bookshop, it seems like things are finally starting to look up for him. He soon finds out he also inherited a secret, though, and it’s one that more than one party wants to get their hands on. While he’s dealing with their increasingly unpleasant methods to get to it, figuring out what to do and who to trust, he also encounters Lord Arthur “Kim” Secretan, probably the most slippery creature amongst them all, but definitely allergic to give a straight (pun fully intended) answer to any question that even remotely involves himself. I was just as interested in the mystery aspect as in their slowly evolving relationship, and by slowly I really mean at a pace I could finally get behind – partly because you quickly find out that Kim is not exactly a person you can trust (but still likeable and interesting enough that you want to), partly because that’s just how they and their chemistry work naturally, and that really felt refreshing. So yeah, all in all just the right amount of secrets, double-crossing, and romance, and I’ve already added the second part to my want-to-read list because I’d love to see more of these characters.

„I know I had to do it: that was why I did it. I don’t stab people by accident.” Und again, wie gut kann man bitte ein Buch vorlesen?! Cornell Collins: Ja. Ich will ihn küssen eh, WIE GUT KANN MAN BITTE VORLESEN?!?!?!?!?!?! <3 Auch diesmal mochte ich den Schreibstil von K.J. Charles sehr gern und auch die Geschichte, die bei weitem ernster ist, als in Band Sinister, hat mir sehr gut gefallen! Obwohl ich gern noch mehr Buchladenliebe gehabt hätte, wenn einer der Hauptcharaktere schon einen Buchladen betreibt – wenn auch erst kurz. Haha. Zwar spielen die weiblichen Charaktere keine große Rolle, aber selbst ihre kleinen Auftritte sind fabelhaft und es sind so starke und tolle Frauen? Ich liebe ihre Charakterisierung wirklich sehr. Einmal mehr ein comfort read, auch wenn ein wenig mehr Drama vorhanden war. Ich weiß nicht ... bei diesen Charakteren und diesem Schreibstil und diesem SPRECHER ... da kann es gar nichts anderes als comfort sein, oder? Ich bin ein wenig verliebt. <3