An Unsuitable Heir
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4.7 • 47 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A private detective finds passion, danger, and the love of a lifetime when he hunts down a lost earl in Victorian London.
On the trail of an aristocrat’s secret son, enquiry agent Mark Braglewicz finds his quarry in a music hall, performing as a trapeze artist with his twin sister. Graceful, beautiful, elusive, and strong, Pen Starling is like nobody Mark’s ever met—and everything he’s ever wanted. But the long-haired acrobat has an earldom and a fortune to claim.
Pen doesn’t want to live as any sort of man, least of all a nobleman. The thought of being wealthy, titled, and always in the public eye is horrifying. He likes his life now—his days on the trapeze, his nights with Mark. And he won’t be pushed into taking a title that would destroy his soul.
But there’s a killer stalking London’s foggy streets, and more lives than just Pen’s are at risk. Mark decides he must force the reluctant heir from music hall to manor house, to save Pen’s neck. Betrayed by the one man he thought he could trust, Pen never wants to see his lover again. But when the killer comes after him, Pen must find a way to forgive—or he might not live long enough for Mark to make amends.
Don’t miss any of the captivating Sins of the Cities novels:
AN UNSEEN ATTRACTION | AN UNNATURAL VICE | AN UNSUITABLE HEIR
And look for the enticing Society of Gentlemen series by KJ Charles:
THE RUIN OF GABRIEL ASHLEIGH | A FASHIONABLE INDULGENCE | A SEDITIOUS AFFAIR | A GENTLEMAN’S POSITION
This ebook includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Charles brings her Sins of the Cities historical romance trilogy (An Unseen Attraction, An Unnatural Vice) to a satisfying conclusion with this love story complicated by an unlikely inheritance and a deadly killer in Victorian London. Twenty-three-year-old runaway twins Pen and Greta Starling don't have much, but they prize their independence and their work as trapeze artists at a shabby theater. Then private inquiry agent Mark Braglewicz turns their world upside down by revealing that the twins are the children of the recently deceased Earl of Morton, and Pen has inherited their father's title. But someone is killing everyone who knows about their secret parentage, and Mark's friend could be the next victim if the twins don't settle their claim quickly. Pen has serious doubts about giving up his freedom, and his fluid gender, for the narrow life of an aristocrat. The growing attraction between Mark and Pen complicates an already challenging situation. With a lively cast and a tangled, entertainingly pulpy plot, Charles delivers a sensitive, powerful romance full of humor, humanity, and suspense.
Customer Reviews
A wonderful, suspenseful, conclusion to this series.
An Unsuitable Heir is the 3rd book in the Sins of the City series and it brings the underlying story arc to a very satisfying conclusion.
Book 1 in this series was a bit of a struggle for me but I loved book 2 and devoured book 3. Each of the first two books had satisfying conclusions for the couples featured in those stories but the mystery behind the series wasn't concluded until this book. While you could read An Unsuitable Heir without reading the first two – Ms. Charles does an excellent job of reminding us of what we need to know from the prior books – I think you might enjoy it more if you read the others first. And, if you haven't read the others yet you will have the wonderful experience of reading all three books straight through without having to wait in between like I did. 😊
Mark Braglewicz has been hunting for the missing heir to the earldom of Moreton and he finally finds him performing as a trapeze artist, along with his twin sister. Pen Starling wants nothing to do with being an Earl. After he and Mark make a romantic connection he wants to be left alone to live his life without the public scrutiny that would come with being an Earl.
I loved this story and it kept me on the edge of my seat nearly the entire time I was reading it. I had no idea throughout this series who would end up being the bad guy. How it all played out in this book was just brilliant writing on the part of Ms. Charles. It was fun to get to visit again with characters from the first two stories and I loved how some of them were integral to the solving of the mystery.
Sins of the Cities was a well-crafted trilogy and I will certainly be reading more books by K.J. Charles.
A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions***
A lovely conclusion to a brilliant series
Gracefully handling gender fluidity and class distinctions in the age of nonsense, KJ Charles has given us a complete and engaging community borne through time and storylines. Each of the characters is believable, taking our emotions with them into realms of imagination. Superb!
A lovely book, a lovely romance, and a very Victorian mystery.
If KJ Charles's Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal was like queer Sherlock Holmes, her Sins of the Cities trilogy (of which this book is the culmination) is like queer Dickens. While An Unsuitable Heir wasn't as tight as book two (An Unnatural Vice, which remains my favorite of the series), it nevertheless contains the complex characters, lush language, and immersive historical detail that characterize all of KJ Charles's work. There are moments of heartbreaking vulnerability between the two main characters; a running joke that pays off perfectly; and the satisfying wrap-up of the mystery that's driven all three books. I seriously didn't know how Ms. Charles was going to remove the obstacles facing our heroes, but she did it beautifully. A lovely book, a lovely romance, and a very Victorian mystery.