Proper English

The characters in Proper English are fun and endearing, and the main romance works well. Pat and Fenella frequently take the position of the only well-adjusted people in the room, and which makes their dynamic with the other, considerably more troubled characters interesting.
They're also relatively detached from the drama of the mystery in terms of character motivation and backstory. While this puts them in a good position to solve the mystery in-story, it also lessens the dramatic tension. Since the inciting incident for the mystery doesn't occur until two-thirds of the way through the book, it's rather rushed and difficult to follow, and the conclusion is not particularly surprising. The first half of the book is mostly romance, the show more second half is mostly mystery, and there's not much tying the two together.
I'm giving this book four stars because I still enjoyed it. It's great if you're looking for a cute lesbian romance; if you're looking for a thrilling mystery, not so much. show less

I love “opposites attract” type of dynamic in a couple, and Pat and Fen encompass it beautifully, their personalities complementing each other, with Fen praising Pat’s ability to be practical and sensible, and Pat unabashedly admiring Fen’s femininity. Pat is also trying very hard not to immediately thirst after a well-shaped, bubbly, sweet Fen and fails spectacularly, it’s delightful.

Their relationship blossoms very naturally, and you can’t help but grin like an idiot every time these two are together. They are so achingly soft with each other I literally burst into happy tears the first time they held hands. Yeah, it’s that good.

Other than a phenomenal main romance the book also has a tremendous cast of lovely show more background characters with an exciting murder-mystery serving as a backdrop. In a typical KJ Charles fashion the villain is absolutely vile and you will cheer when he inevitably gets murdered. Get on it! show less

I described this to someone as a romance with a sudden side step into a country house murder mystery. It wasn't particularly a surprise about the murder -- it was clearly indicated in the synopsis, and even more clearly indicated in the text that this was going to happen. There was little to no surprise when it did happen, although the sheer number of reasons that people might have had for murdering the deceased possibly put an average Christie to shame.

I found the main romance beautifully done, although very much in the joke of lesbians and moving in together on the second date. I was less convinced by some of the secondary pairings, although that has a lot to do with the fact that the author lavishes detail on the main pair, and much show more less on the others -- and that this has a lot to do with a very narrow POV and a very focused viewpoint character.

There was a narrow escape from farce in a couple of scenes; I'm beginning to think that this is characteristic of Charles' work. show less

Pat's practicality, and the way it colors both her perceptions of herself and what she believes her future might look like, provides a delightful internal conflict as she and Fen fall together. I always appreciate Charles's books for being chock full of characters actually capable of communicating with each other when it matters, and that everyone who deserves it gets a happy ending. The murder mystery provided the touch of adventure and intrigue I am used to reading in her romance books, and I really enjoyed this read.

Patricia (Pat) Merton is about to embark on a new phase of her life. Though no one is kicking her out, with her oldest brother just married, she'd rather make use of her household running skills elsewhere. But first, she gets to enjoy a small hunting party. Or so she was hoping, until she realizes that far too many uninvited guests have also crashed said party.

Armed with her absolute worst premonitions, our heroine nevertheless finds herself reluctantly charmed by one Miss Fenella (Fen) Carruth, her host's pretty, rich, and (supposedly) air-headed fiance.

I've been wondering whether I should give this book a chance, ever since Pat and Fen's interaction have intrigued me in Think of England. On the one hand, I enjoy seeing women kicking show more ass, especially when said ass belongs to pompous self-important men. On the other hand, F/F romances are not my thing. Then again, I do very much enjoy K.J. Charles' books in general, so perhaps I needed to get rid of some preconceived notions.

In its defense, I very much enjoyed Pat's no-nonsense attitude, the fact that she was a bona fide shooting champion, and especially her approach to tackling a possibly scary and uncertain future. I loved Fen's approach to navigating the rules of "polite" society, along with the contrast of her mischievous behavior in private. And of course the suitably upbeat promise of a happily-ever-after didn't hurt either.

That said, the intimate scenes did absolutely nothing for me, and I could've just as easily skipped them. The fact that I didn't, was entirely due to my own misplaced ambition in trying new things. But all this was minor, compared to how much Pat's judgemental attitude pissed me off. I realize that this was all intentional characterization, but that didn't change how much it pissed me off. Then again, perhaps this was just a case of hitting too close to home.

Score: 2.5/5 stars

In spite of my general dislike of romances in audio format, single narrators make for a much better experience with same-sex relationships. For a book from a genre, where I couldn't really appreciate the main selling point, I was seriously considering a lower score. Then again, I DID willing embark on this trip, fully aware of its major downside, so penalizing it for that very fact would be churlish.

That said, if femme-slash is your thing, and you enjoy seeing women in period clothes stand up for themselves, then Proper English is an excellent choice of a romantic reading material. show less

This was fun and well-written. While I'm not really a fan of mysteries, the quality of the book as a whole was enough to make me quite enjoy it. That and the lesbians of course. Good characterization and tight plotting made this a solid read.

Pat is going to her friend, Jimmy's, estate to hunt partridge with the men. She does not want to be stuck with a bunch of women so is happy knowing it will be only the men. Unfortunately, the house party has expanded to Jimmy's fiancée, his sister and brother-in-law, and his mother's goddaughter. As they all get to know one another, the women are more comfortable when the men are not around since Jimmy's brother-in-law is nasty to everyone. Pat also discovers Jimmy's fiancée is a lovely young woman who she is attracted to and which he does not seem to notice. Secrets come out during the house party as does murder. Will the truth come out though?

I enjoyed this story. I liked Fen, Jimmy's fiancée, and Pat. They are a good match. Pat show more shows Fen things about herself that Fen downplays while Fen does the same to Pat. Fen starts out as flighty but we see her show her true colors with Pat's encouragement. I appreciated Pat and her brother Bill being honest with each other also. I think it will make life easier for both of them.

I figured who the murder victim was early. The murderer took me longer, almost needed the explanation as the end. I had someone else pegged as the murderer. I'll never be a detective.

I look forward to more in this series. show less