King's Man

really solid! flagged a little in the middle for me but i loved it a lot

I really enjoyed this slightly different historical romance than what I've been reading. While it is set in England, the two main characters are Americans which gives them different ideals and values to their British counterparts. Definitely read the prequel [b:Rebel 57004021 Rebel (Outlawed #0.5) Sally Malcolm https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612827669l/57004021.SY75.jpg 89190996] first as it establishes these characters and the stakes that makes King's Man so compelling. This is a so-called “second chance” romance story so you hit the ground rooting for them especially after their sweet friendship in the prequel story. While there are plenty of politics and historical events mentioned in this book, Malcolm doesn't dwell on them which is good. I'm not here for a history lesson on the American Revolution. However, it does set the tone nicely and, like I mentioned, gives it a unique feel to most other M/M romances set in the 1700s.

Very powerful second chance love story that places extremely challenging barriers between the MCs and makes them struggle to reach their HEA. Different ideologies, perceived betrayal, geography...how can Sam and Nate ever be together again? Reminded me at times of the brilliant [b:Jackdaw 34861586 Jackdaw (The World of A Charm of Magpies) K.J. Charles https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492260875l/34861586.SY75.jpg 42454930] by K.J. Charles, although the plotting isn't as tight. And one MC keeps a secret from the other that, not surprisingly, blows up in the third act, which annoyed me. There were enough external barriers to the relationship without adding an artificial one. I recommend that you read the prequel [b:Rebel 57004021 Rebel (Outlawed #0.5) Sally Malcolm https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612827669l/57004021.SY75.jpg 89190996], which shows the beginning of Sam and Nate's relationship. I'm not sure that King's Man would have the same impact without it, as this book only portrays the breakup and reconciliation, with a few brief flashbacks to happier times. This is a fairly short novel, just about 200 pages, so I'm not sure why the two couldn't have been combined into one volume. The historical aspect of the book is not one that most Americans are familiar with - the fate of colonists who stayed loyal to England during the Revolutionary War. Malcolm makes the point that it was much more complicated than “The good Americans wanted freedom because bad old England was oppressing us.” There were people like Sam, who loved their country but thought it would be more successful as part of the British Empire. And there were so-called patriots who extolled the cause of liberty even as they owned slaves, or supported the slave trade. I'm not sure I agree with Malcolm that there are clear parallels to today's toxic politics, but it's a thought-provoking idea. There will be two more books in the series featuring characters that are glimpsed briefly in this one, and I will definitely check them out. Sally Malcolm's writing is smooth, straightforward, somewhat somber, gentle and entirely engaging.