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wardenred 's review for:
The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting
by KJ Charles
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“I dare say domesticity is mocked in sophisticated company, but in truth, I don’t care. It has been the two of us for a long time. Marianne deserves everything London has to give her, and she will have it if I have anything to say to the matter.”
His hazel eyes were different when he said that. Alive, but not smiling, not smiling in the least. Hart watched him as he looked down at his cards again, and thought, So that’s what you look like when you’re telling the truth.
Such a delightful read! I always love me a good enemies-to-lovers tale, and this was such a wonderful rendition of the trope. I loved the way the relationship between Hart and Robin developed, how suspicion and wariness gradually gave way to raw honesty and attraction grew into something more. I enjoyed reading about them talking through their misunderstandings, and that oftentimes, it took more than one conversation to get to the truth of the matter.
My favorite part, perhaps, was how the author never shied away from discussing the realities of the time period, the hard question of privilege and class. Instead, those subjects became the heart of the novel's central conflicts and were heavily discussed from several angles during all the major beats. Somehow, it made the happy ending the leads eventually carved for themselves and those around them even more important and smile-inducing.
Even though this is a m/m romance, there was a number of wonderful, varied, fully realized female characters constantly present on the page. They were all as interesting and as important to the plot as the leads, and I was happy to see them get their respective happy endings.
All in all, this was a lovely book to spend a cozy rainy afternoon with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content