Reviewed by Chris
TITLE: Any Old Diamonds
SERIES: Lilywhite Boys #1
AUTHOR: K.J. Charles
PUBLISHER: KJC Books
LENGTH: 229 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 30, 2019
BLURB:
Lord Alexander Pyne-ffoulkes, the younger son of the Duke of Ilvar, holds a bitter grudge against his wealthy father. The Duke intends to give his Duchess a priceless diamond parure on their wedding anniversary—so Alec hires a pair of jewel thieves to steal it.
The Duke’s remote castle is a difficult target, and Alec needs a way to get the thieves in. Soldier-turned-criminal Jerry Crozier has the answer: he’ll pose as a Society gentleman and become Alec’s new best friend.
But Jerry is a dangerous man: controlling, remote, and devastating. He effortlessly teases out the lonely young nobleman’s most secret desires, and soon he’s got Alec in his bed—and the palm of his hand.
Or maybe not. Because as the plot thickens, betrayals, secrets, new loves, and old evils come to light. Now the jewel thief and the aristocrat must keep up the pretence, find their way through a maze of privilege and deceit, and confront the truth of what’s between them…all without getting caught.
REVIEW:
K.J. Charles is once again sitting queen over Victorian England, and giving us a tale of revenge, theft, murder, and love. Sometimes all at once.
Alec, an impoverished son of a Duke, will do anything to strike back at his uncaring and vindictive father. Including hiring Jerry and his partner to steal a set of jewels that his father gave his wicked step-mother. A set of jewels that could have paid for his sisters’ care, and later, his youngest sister’s funeral. Money that could have kept Alec and his siblings from the brink of poverty. A gift that his father chose to lay upon the women he broke his marriage vows for.
And Alec knows it might be petty, but even if money never played a part, he would see the jewels thrown to the wind if it injured his father a fraction of the way it injured Alec and his siblings to see their mother barely in the grave before her replacement took her place. So Alec is willing to be as petty as he needs, to bend as far as he has to, in order to get his revenge. If a few laws get broken along the way…well, Alec knows just the man to show him just how far he can go before he breaks completely. A man who is used to breaking and entering. A man who is so very perfect at getting Alec to bend every which way he pleases…
*hands over fan* Here, you’re gonna need this. You can thank me later.
Well, if one must jump back into reviewing, this is certainly the way to do it. After almost a month of a life consumed with work and little else, I had the pleasure of breaking my fast on this smoking hot gem. And I do mean smoking hot. Jesus. I’m surprised my kindle didn’t catch on fire.
While I am certainly all for Charles’ way with history and mystery, I have to admit I get all weak in the knees for her less-than-honest heroes who know just how trouser-dropping hot they can be. And have little shame for just how bossy they enjoy being. Jerry, our dangerous jewel thief, is all that and a bag of diamonds. He is the kind of villain that you can’t help but hope gets away in the end…preferably off into the sunset with his man. He is not a good man, and can be dangerous if crossed, but he is not evil. To be honest, he is very much the kind of guy who would be an absolute horror in real life, but in fiction is everything my queer heart could want. I know this. I accept this. I love this.
The chemistry between Alec and him made this story for me. Charles has reached a point in her writing career that I honestly come to expect as a matter of fact a certain level of competency in writing and storytelling. To read a book by K.J. Charles is to read a well-researched, well written, highly engaging story. That’s become the norm. But…there is also this thing with some of her characters that keeps pushing those books passed that bar over and over. They are just so damn interesting. I have to had read thousands of Regency/Victorian era stories in my life by this point. Her stories, though, always stand out to me as great examples of what can be achieved if you don’t settle to simply retell the tropes with only the slightest of alterations. This plot is hardly original, but I can’t say I have read one that felt this engaging, this interesting, and this damn freaking hot, in a very long time. Maybe it is just because this has been the first book I’ve got to read in over three weeks, but man…I just really loved it.
Give it try and I’ll bet you will love it too.
RATING: 
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