Think of England was a delightful country house mystery and historical romance. KJ Charles knows how to write a romp and this blend of romance and gentlemen spy shenanigans was pure fun to dive into. 
 
Don’t get me wrong I was wary of Think of England at first. In it we follow veteran and resident “man’s man” Archie Curtis as he vacations at his uncle’s country house investigating potential shady business dealings. His perspective is very much of the time as initially cast aspersions on his love interest the 'foreign'-looking and foppish poet Daniel da Silva. As much as I love historical settings I don’t read HR to experience bigotries of the time, especially from our hero. However, I’m happy to say Charles unpacks Archie’s prejudices in a meaningful way. As we spend more time with him and he spends more time with Daniel the story thoroughly explores Archie’s own internalized homophobia and his relationship to masculinity and sexuality. We even go further unpacking Archie’s own PTSD and feelings of worthlessness as a result of being disabled by injury. 
 
And there lies where KJ Charles always shines, engaging character writing. Archie and Daniel’s romance while initially rocky was engaging because of her innate ability to tease out the humanity of her characters. My favourite moments between our two leads were when they shed their preconceived notions as they got to know each other. I loved seeing Daniel learn Archie is more than a shallow lad’s lad when they connect over Daniel’s poetry. There’s something so beautiful about the insight Archie gains of Daniel through his art and seeing him be moved by it and unreservedly express that admiration was lovely. Archie seeing beyond the foppish figure Daniel constructs for himself to see his cunning and bravery underneath was such a wonderful arc. Charles is master at conveying tenderness and intimacy and those moments between these two were heart melting. 
 
It also helps that the set up that leads to their romance is just pure fun. Think of England is easily my favourite of KJ Charles' novels so far because of its skillful blending of the mystery and romance plot. Quickly after their arrival Archie and Daniel discover they’re both at the manor for similar reasons and are forced to work together to uncover the mystery. The circumstances their forced into because of this unlikely partnership were both bonkers and incredibly fun. Charles expertly uses the escalating stakes of the mystery to push our leads into more and more precarious situations that reveal the truth of their romantic feelings for one another. 
 
In the end Think of England is a perfect romanced wrapped in a fun mystery led by engaging characters and I wouldn’t ask for anything more.