Audiobook Review – The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen (The Doomsday Books, Book 1) by KJ Charles, Narrated by Martyn Swain (4/5 stars)

Reading Level:Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance
Length: 11 hours and 16 minutes
Publisher:‎ Dreamscape Media
Release Date: March 07, 2023
ASIN: ‎B0BQQ3H1ZS
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in The Doomsday Books
Source: Borrowed Audiobook from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Abandoned by his father, Gareth Inglis grew up lonely, prickly, and used to disappointment. Still, he longs for a connection. When he meets a charming stranger, he falls head over heels—until everything goes wrong and he’s left alone again.
Then Gareth’s father dies, turning the shabby London clerk into Sir Gareth, with a grand house on the remote Romney Marsh and a family he doesn’t know. The Marsh is another world, a strange, empty place notorious for its ruthless gangs of smugglers. And one of them is dangerously familiar…

Joss Doomsday has run the Doomsday smuggling clan since he was a boy. When the new baronet—his old lover—agrees to testify against Joss’s sister, Joss acts fast to stop him. Their reunion is anything but happy, yet after the dust settles, neither can stay away. Soon, all Joss and Gareth want is the chance to be together. But the bleak, bare Marsh holds deadly secrets. And when Gareth finds himself threatened from every side, the gentleman and the smuggler must trust one another not just with their hearts but also with their lives.”

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in The Doomsday Books series. I borrowed this on audiobook from my library.

Thoughts: This was a very cute and heartwarming historical fiction with a heavy romance theme to it. There is a well done story about smugglers woven in as well, so there is a good plot woven into the romance. This was well written and humorous and full of wonderful characters. I found it highly entertaining.

The story switches POV between Gareth and Joss, who have been meeting up at a pub to “hang out” as London and Kent. Then Kent (Joss) tells London (Gareth) he won’t be in London (The city) much longer and they part ways. Shortly after Gareth’s father dies and Gareth is expected to take over the country estate. Little does he know that the man whose company he enjoyed so dearly is running a smuggling chain in the same area his father’s estate is in. When Gareth ends up being put into a situation where he needs to testify in court against Joss’s smuggling sister, a whole bunch of antics ensue.

This was an incredibly fun read. All the characters are well done, even the side ones. It’s certainly a colorful group of family members on both Joss’s and Gareth’s sides. Joss and Gareth make a sweet (and steamy) couple and I loved watching them navigate all the crazy situations their families get them in to. The added plot around smuggling was well done and integrated very nicely with their love story.

This is a male/male romance and the sex scenes are pretty descriptive, just something I like to call out for those who don’t enjoy explicit sex scenes. There is also some violence in here; people getting beaten, etc.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator was excellent. I would highly recommend listening to this if you enjoy audiobooks.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this. It was a very fun historical romance between two male characters. There is a well done plot here to enhance the romance. There are also a ton of fun characters in here and I enjoyed the setting. I plan on reading the next book in the Doomsday Books at some point.