Copper Script

Increasingly thinking there is no better audiobook narrator than Cornell Collins. Certainly he is the superior performer of KJ Charles's books. This story is a gem: at the urging of his utter knob of cousin, tragically honest, upright DS Aaron Fowler looks into whether "graphologist" Joel Wildsmith is some spiritualist fraud. Their attraction and antagonism is perfectly balanced, their hopeless situation satisfyingly navigated. I am left hopeful that the loose conclusion (and indeed, one prominent loose end) mean that we will see more of this pair, a sequel or even trilogy: Book Two in Germany to check out an advanced prosthesis for Joel; and Book Three returning them to England, where Joel owes the mob boss a favor.

I simply want wholehearted admiration of my courage, integrity, and intelligence, which can be demonstrated by a good shagging at any time.

Aaron is a tight‑laced (closeted) cop who needs someone to loosen his (metaphorical) corset. Joel is an extraordinarily gifted graphologist who can basically read your entire personality off your grocery list. And then some. They meet, they clash, and their lives will never be the same again. You know, all the standard romance expectations.

I needed a bit of KJC-branded romance, where all the relationships are healthy and textbook ideal, yet still manage to retain enough of their smoulder. Cue suggestive eyebrow wagging. And to be fair to the author, she delivers.

Plot-wise, I wish I there had been show more more paranormal graphology than messy police procedural details. Especially since some of the scenes I wanted to see were not necessarily the ones for which the author gave screen time (page time?). I'm still annoyed that Joel's reaction to Aaron's SOS note barely got more than a footnote. I wanted the real-time panic and scrambling, dammit!

Admittedly, I'm also not entirely happy with how Aaron's happy ending turned out. By which I mean, I am totally envious of his good fortune and would probably do the same thing, given a similar opportunity. What? I never said I wasn't a hypocrite...

Score: 3.3/5 stars

If I were to take a page out of Joel's book (of graphology), I'd start with harping on about the disjointed feel of the events. Rather than getting one full-fledged story, it felt like I was reading a collection of more or less random events that converge by accident at the end. It was great for a light and uplifting read, though not so much for creating a lasting impression. show less

This just didn't feel finished. It felt like the draft you send to a beta and they send it back filled with questions that will make the document SO much better. Did Charles lose her beta or something?

For one thing, a beta might have forced her to clarify if this is paranormal or not. I mean, it is, right? It is has to be? But that is cued absolutely nowhere except with Joel's graphology. Graphology is a thing that does not work. We know it doesn't work. We also know it was used by the legal system in multiple countries to imprison people who should not have been. So it's incredibly jarring to see it somehow working here; I would have been 1000% more comfortable with this (and able to suspend my disbelief) if Charles had simply given show more even a tiny hint that Joel's power was magical. She did not. It really threw me.

But that was far from the only problem. The pacing is off, the narrative is weird, the interactions between the characters felt forced, the whole thing just screamed "not there yet." Sometimes in the past, I've been unable to connect with Charles's books, but it was still evident that the story was doing what it was supposed to be doing. Here, it's not. I can't recommend it at all. show less

Two men who have every reason to be cautious of any appearance of involvement with each other find that is not what they want. London following the Great War is not comfortable for gay men, especially if one is a police sergeant and the other has served time for perversion. The characters are fine, but the enormously nasty situation is resolved in a few pages and a standoff, which seem to be tacked on to the "aren't we happy they found each other" account.

I breathe a sigh of relief as I recall what reading a book that is tight and well edited feels like. Both leads charming, a bit funny, very sweet. The only weakness for me is that the mystery didn't feel as suspenseful toward the last 3rd. Could've been a me thing. I would really love to read more about Challice too!

In 1920s London, Aaron is a buttoned-up police detective and Joel is a one-handed graphologist—together, they fight crime and fall in love. KJ Charles is a safe pair of hands for a quick, cosy romance read but this did feel just a tad underbaked in terms of plot and pacing.

From Original Book Review: This was a delightful read! I haven’t read anything by this author before and I’m looking forward to exploring their other works.

The main characters were unique men and you could tell how they fit together like puzzle pieces. The love story was delightful but so was the mystery. It had a very satisfying conclusion and, while I know this is a standalone, I’m intrigued enough that I would love more!

For Audiobook Specifically: I really enjoyed the audiobook reader. I had heard him before with Band Sinister and he did a fantastic job with this story as well.

‘Reading’ this for the second time, I noticed more how well put together the story is. The characters and their backstories along with the show more ‘mystery’ are woven well together.

I also realized how much of a ‘meet ugly’ the two love interests had. I think the author is still amazing and I love the narrator’s way of making the story come to life. show less