Crusading journalist Nathaniel Roy is determined to expose spiritualists who exploit the grief of bereaved and vulnerable people. First on his list is the so-called Seer of London, Justin Lazarus. Nathaniel expects him to be a cheap, heartless fraud. He doesn’t expect to meet a man with a sinful smile and the eyes of a fallen angel—or that a shameless swindler will spark his desires for the first time in years.
Justin feels no remorse for the lies he spins during his séances. His gullible clients simply bore him. Hostile, disbelieving, utterly irresistible Nathaniel is a fascinating challenge. And as their battle of wills and wits heats up, Justin finds he can’t stop thinking about the man who’s determined to ruin him.
But Justin and Nathaniel are linked by more than their fast-growing obsession with one another. They are both caught up in an aristocratic family’s secrets, and Justin holds information that could be lethal. As killers, fanatics, and fog close in, Nathaniel is the only man Justin can trust—and, perhaps, the only man he could love.
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Chelsea - 4 Hearts
Well Nathaniel and Justin couldn't have been more different from Clem and Rowley and as such we got an entirely different type of story! Where Clem and Rowley were all sweet explorations and careful considerations, Nat and Justin were all hateful fucks and shoving their opinions in each other's faces.
When we get down to brass tacks, Justin is a liar who literally doesn't give a shit about anyone or anything other than himself and the two girls who live with him. Nathaniel has a very strong moral compass and generally believes he's right about most things. These two clash!...to say the least and you can feel it on page. Their fight, anger and passion towards each other is so obvious it's hard to see how they'll come together… and when they do... Wow.
It surprisingly doesn't take too long for Justin to need Nat's help and for Nat to give it freely, which was the last thing Justin expected. They start to get to know each other and it is lovely to see. I think I would've liked more of this scattered throughout the book though. By the time we get to the 'getting deep’ stages of their 'relationship’ it's all in one clump and became a little slow…. If it was more evenly spread this would've been a 5 heart read!
The mystery that started in Book 1 continues and develops more. I felt there was definitely more mystery and less relationship in this book compared to the last one, which was also a little downer for me.
This was a great addition to the overall trilogy though and I'm super excited about this new heir and can't wait for book 3!!!!
Adam - 4 Hearts
Nathanial Roy and Justin Lazarus are two completely different men. From the moment they meet, they’re at each other’s throats. The mutual dislike is intense. But underneath that, there’s also a strong current of desire.
Most of Nathaniel and Justin’s issues boil down to the fact that they see the world differently. Nathaniel wants justice and order. Justin sees life as a jungle - you either eat, or get eaten.
Justin seems cold and aloof at first, but I was immediately drawn to him. Through his POV, readers see that the shell around him is only for protection, and he had very little control over how his life turned out.
Their first few meetings are disasters. I thought they were hilarious. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t want to see two potential lovebirds shoot daggers at one another, but these two so obviously wanted each other, that it was just funny.
And of course, once Justin and Nathaniel finally gave in to what was building between them, they were hawt. Angry sex FTW!
Things are made more difficult when the two MCs are embroiled in the scandal involving bigamy and murder from book 1. Though Nathaniel and Justin are accidental players in the game, I was more entertained by the mystery this time around than I was in book 1.
The twists and turns kept me hooked, and the action scenes kept me on the edge of my seat.
The situation that the MCs find themselves in also forces them to figure out what they really want from each other.
The big stumbling block in the relationship is Justin’s career as a fraudulent spiritualist. Though I understood why Nathaniel had issues with it, I thought he was being deliberately stubborn by refusing to see things from Justin’s point of view.
But my annoyance with Nathaniel was short-lived. Once the two finally decided to be honest and open with each other, and actually talk, it didn’t take long for them to find a way forward.
Overall, I really liked ‘An Unnatural Vice.’ The main characters are complex and interesting, the mystery was engaging, and the romance was angsty but with an excellent happy ending. I’m looking forward to book 3!
SheReadsALot - 4.25 Hearts
Once again, KJ Charles blew my expectations to smithereens after reading An Unnatural Vice.
Once again, she delivered word porn to savor. And wrote a mystery arc that I was fully engaged with and can't wait to be solved.
Once again a set well written characters that I just wanted to pick apart and re-read over and over.
The leads in the second in Sins of the Cities series, are the serious, crusading former lawyer, now journalist Nathaniel Roy and the deviously cunning spiritualist Justin Lazarus. I don't there isn't a theme this author couldn't conquer. Vice is enemies to lovers and is always my weakness which the author writes it sooooo well.
Nathaniel is writing an expose on the frauds that are spiritualists. The alleged psychics that can communicate with the dead and tell the grieving their loved ones' wishes from beyond the veil... for a price. Nathaniel visits a popular to see the schemer in action. Enter one of my favorite KJ Charles characters, the "Seer of London" aka Mr. Justin Lazarus.
From their first meeting the adversaries are attracted to each other, even if they think that other person is in the wrong. Archbishop's son Nathaniel might be atheist, but he will always fight for what's right. And Justin grew up in the gutter, so whatever he can do so he doesn't have to scrape and bow to anyone. And if that includes fleecing the idiots with fat pockets, so be it.
While the two men argue and try to outwit one another, the arc from the last book is churning along. It might seem slow in spots, but I think it might've been the parts where introspection was given from either man's POV. The men can't deny their lust and act on it rather quickly. And it never fizzles out. They just kept getting better and hotter. Hints: big guy bottoming and hate sex! Wherever the two had sex, floor, backroom or bannister...it scorched.
While Nathaniel is steadfast in getting the rightful heir in place, he can't help but see the good in Justin. Obviously so as Lazarus is the first man in over five years that Nathaniel ever looked at in passion. The author didn't make Nathaniel's past lover, Tony feel like a silent partner that kept a noose of grief around the neck. But the pain of missing his lover definitely came across.
Justin is amoral and doesn't give a fuck what anyone thinks. It was love at first read once I got to delve into that criminal mind. Lying, deceitful, always thinking twenty steps ahead, tricky as hell. That's Justin and more. He's so multifaceted. And underneath the cunning exterior with the eyes that never missed anything, is a damaged man who just needed someone to understand him.
"I hate what you do, and I kneel at your altar anyway."
"Then you're a fool. I lie and cheat and I'm so jealous of a dead man I could die myself-"
The mystery is coming to a head. A lot of truths were finally uncovered, there is still the suspect from book #1 running around. What is the motive. After finishing, it doesn't seem to be over. I can't believe the hints to the next lead was there in book #1. And I can't wait for #3 to be out - the protagonists (Mark which already knew and his love interest will be very, very interesting.) Their history seems like it might possibly explosive.
As for An Unnatural Vice, I enjoyed this even more than book #1 just for the pleasure of reading Justin.
Highly recommended especially for readers who love devious characters!
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