Think of England Review

Another K.J. Charles novel and one without connection to any series. It’s also almost the latest one in setting, merely “The Green Men” series is set later (after WWI). I have to admit that of all the K.J. Charles novels I’ve read recently (and I went through almost all of her series), “Think of England” is my absolute favourite, both because of the main characters and because of the story. Unlike almost all I’ve read (the two series I’ve not read that far might be different), “Think of England” has no supernatural aspect, it’s purely an espionage story. As I also write espionage every now and then, that makes it an interesting read for me, of course.

The story is written from the point of view of Archibald Curtis (and, honestly, is there a more British name?), a former soldier who lost three fingers of his right hand and his life as he knew it to a misfiring gun. Only, was it an accident or was it planned? Was the shipment of guns which took his fingers and the lives and livelihoods of several of his brothers in arms merely badly produced, with all of the corners cut for most earnings? Was the shipment manipulated to put a bad light on the manufacturer? Fact is, the man came to see Curtis only days before he apparently committed suicide by throwing himself into the Thames. And he dropped a name: Sir Hubert Armstrong, another manufacturer who grew rich after his competitor was disgraced. So when an invitation for a fortnight in the country from Sir Hubert arrives, Curtis takes the chance and makes the trip, despite his relatively new disability and his still-aching knee.

The rest of the society at the mansion - which is far from everywhere else - seems nice enough: Sir Hubert’s young second wife, his son and a good friend of his son, his brother-in-law with his wife, a middle-aged couple, and two younger, unmarried women. The only one Curtis immediately dislikes is the last guest: Daniel da Silva. Very openly gay and bohemian, he seems an easy person to avoid and dislike for former military man Curtis. An artist with a scathing tongue and a much better look that Curtis would admit to himself: all slender, sleek, and dark to Curtis’ own muscular, rough, and fair looks.

Things change, however, when Curtis realizes Daniel is after the same information - and even more of it. They both want to get into the archives behind the library and they only can do it together, because Daniel can crack the lock and Curtis can disable the alarm system. So they work together and find out it’s worse than thought: not only did Sir Hubert have a hand in the incident which took Curtis’ fingers and the lives of several others, he also does a lot of blackmail and might even be selling government secrets.

When they almost get caught, because Curtis couldn’t keep his cool, it’s Daniel who saves both their hides by pretending he and Curtis were just in the library for a little late-night meeting. He also cements that impression by giving Curtis a blow job (where the line “Think of England” comes in when Curtis protests, because he thinks he isn’t gay).

During the next day, they plot how to get the information to Curtis’ second uncle, who also happens to be Daniel’s boss - since Daniel is a secret agent. It’s agreed upon that Curtis is to pretend he’s overdone it with walking (during an excursion to a nearby cave system) and needs to see his specialist about his knee. Like this, he can return to London without arousing suspicion and his uncle can discreetly inform Daniel about the arrival of reinforcements, so that he can keep an eye out for the evidence.

When things go wrong, however, Curtis has to face a few facts which he pushed away before. His knee is fine, he can walk on it the whole night, even with additional weight on his shoulders. And he is gay, always has been. But since he spent most of his adolescent and adult years in male company, seeking release with other men (and not having straight-up full sex) seemed pretty normal. And, even more painful because the other one is in danger, he has fallen absolutely and unchangeably in love with Daniel, with his thorny personality and sharp wit as much as with his body.

Again, there’s the laws to take into consideration. In  the England of 1904, homosexuality was still illegal and could land you in prison. And while Curtis, with his two influential uncles (he’s been orphaned at two months), is pretty safe from any persecution, Daniel would not be, not as a penniless artist and editor and surely not as Jew. Daniel himself, however, is more concerned about Curtis, who stands to lose more on the social side of things. After all, Daniel is just a Bohemian and has no connections to the higher levels of society, but Curtis does. But what becomes of this double dose of angst is part of the story and I won’t spoil it.

On the whole, “Think of England,” as mentioned already, is my most favourite of the three K.J. Charles books I’ve reviewed this month, perhaps because it’s the only one which is set in reality and doesn’t include supernatural themes (although I love the retelling of old stories and I’ve never been set against supernatural themes). Perhaps it’s the chemistry between Curtis and Daniel, which is really, really good. Perhaps it’s the very different main characters the story includes. Perhaps it’s just everything together. All in all, this is the story I would most recommend, especially to readers who are new to male-male romance with explicit content, because the content here is tamer than in the other two books.