Slippery Creatures

It's been far too long since I've had the pleasure of a new K.J. Charles book - 6 whole months since [b:Gilded Cage 52314497 Gilded Cage (Lilywhite Boys #2) K.J. Charles https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568030557l/52314497.SX50_SY75.jpg 71397881] - and I was so excited to make it onto her shortlist for an ARC. And now it's finally out for everyone to read ASAP!Our hero for this trilogy is a young Great War veteran, Will Darling, whose long lost uncle hires him to work in his mess of a bookstore, then promptly drops dead, leaving him the de facto heir with a place to live, a career, and an inheritance tied up in probate. Almost immediately Will is caught up in a web of danger and secrecy, because someone named Draven sent something to his late uncle that everyone wants to get their hands on. Will has no idea what or where the item is, but he'll be damned if he'll just turn over the bookstore either to the pompous War Office captain who demands that Will do his patriotic duty and let his men search the premises, or to the scary looking goon who threatens extreme bodily harm. Then a very friendly, posh-looking chap named Kim Secretan walks in and offers to help Will. Nothing suspicious about that, is there? I won't reveal any more of the plot because you should discover its twists and turns for yourself. There's lots of danger and ominously tattooed bad guys, with daring rescues, stabbing and shooting (I'd say the body count is about average for a KJC novel). Of course there's much more to Kim than he initially lets on (his last name has the word “Secret” in it for god's sake), but KJC's brilliance lies in keeping the reader in suspense about what he will reveal, how much he is telling the truth at any given time, and exactly how he feels about the inevitable sexual relationship with Will. Which is hot, hot, hot. Will is stubborn to a fault and somewhat bitter about his Great War career, but he doesn't apologize for who he is, including his sexual preferences. Kim, for all of his upper-class background, is more hesitant in bed. Part of his personality, or part of a role he is playing? You're never quite sure. Meanwhile, through Kim, Will meets the absolutely amazing Phoebe Stephens-Prince, one of the bohemian “Bright Young Things,” who is completely outrageous yet utterly genuine and kind. She has an important role to play in the plot, and I'm sure we haven't seen the last of her. She is, simply speaking, a goddess. Then there is Will's good friend Maisie, whose “callipygous pulchritude” (I always learn new vocabulary from KJC – it basically translates to “Baby got back”) and cleverness also stands out.A KJC book always features that sly British sense of humor. This excerpt takes place after Will and Kim's first sexual encounter:[Will] had no idea what civilians, or civilised people, would say in these circumstances. Thanks for that, old chap, much obliged, perhaps? Ought he apologise for coming in his mouth? Would this be a good moment to restart the conversation about where Kim had learned to use a knife?Thank God they were British. He took a deep breath. “Cup of tea?” KJC has been very upfront that it will take a full trilogy for Will and Kim to find their HEA. Slippery Creatures doesn't end in a cliffhanger, but you couldn't even call it a HFN ending, although it leaves open plenty of possible arcs for their relationship. There's so much about both Will and Kim that we don't know yet. Kim especially is a riddle wrapped up in an enigma; at various times I either wanted to hug him or throttle him, sometimes both at the same time. Will is a little more straightforward but I'll bet he has hidden depths as well. I can't wait to learn more about them as their adventures continue. ARC received from the author in exchange for an honest review.