Wanted: A Gentleman is a pure delight. It is a m/m Regency historical in which one of the two heroes is black and of the well-to-do merchant class, while the other hero is a white working class man – a lovely change from the Regency romance norm of rich white people. It manages to be realistic about the backgrounds and hardships of both men while still providing for a happy ending, or at least the happiest ending possible.
In Wanted, Theodore Swann runs a small newspaper, consisting primarily of personal ads. One day, a black man, Martin St. Vincent, comes in and demands to know the name of a person who has been exchanging ads with an anonymous woman. Theodore becomes involved in Martin’s search for the writers when he finds out that the woman is a childhood friend of Martin’s who may be being taken advantage of. He is swayed not only by compassion but also by the fact that Martin is willing to pay him. This leads to the two men spending a lot of time together and falling in love despite the fact that their initial reaction to each other is of mutual lust and mutual disdain.
Wanted is pretty short and it includes a great deal of humor and fun, but it also deals with some fascinating and difficult issues. The most obvious issue is that the men are gay during a time in which ‘sodomy’ is illegal, so any physical relationship between them will have to be kept a secret. The implication is that they will have a happy, but private, HEA, probably living together as “bachelor roommates.”
The story also deals with class. Theodore is deeply in debt and barely scraping by as a printer. He’s considered to be of a lower social class than Martin, who is a prosperous merchant. Martin’s class is complicated by the fact that he is a former slave, and it’s also complicated by his close relationship to an upper-class family. It’s fascinating to see how class and race play out as the two men interact with one another, and with other people.
The story also deals with the issue of slavery. Theodore was purchased by an upper-class family who raised him as a sort of pampered pet and freed him when he turned eighteen. Since becoming free, Theodore has struggled with thinking that he should feel grateful to the family that raised him in luxury and then freed him, largely because they drilled this attitude into him from his very youngest years. He’s also full of resentment towards them because they are condescending assholes who made him wear a shiny collar and kept reminding him that he could be working in their sugar plantations – I HATE THESE PEOPLE SO MUCH.
It’s a painful moment when Martin explains his situation to Theodore, and a marvelous moment when Theodore loses his shit about it:
“There was a time, during the revolution in France, when Mr. Conroy’s business went through difficulties, and it seemed he might find it necessary to sell me-“
“Sweet King Jesus.”
“But he didn’t. Instead I was kept in the household, and freed on such generous terms that I have been able to prosper ever since, and how can I resent that?”
“That sounds to me the kind of generosity that could kill a man.”
Martin let his head thud back against the leather rest. “It is. It sticks in my throat like thistles, it chokes me.” His hand was at his throat, he realized, that old habitual gesture. He let it drop and repeated, quietly, “It chokes me.”
Theodore’s subsequent expressions of rage on Martin’s behalf are both eloquent and profane and involve several paragraphs of well thought out reasoning as well as some cursing. It’s refreshing to see the acknowledgement that slavery isn’t evil merely because sometimes slaves might be beaten or raped or killed. Slavery is evil, period. It’s evil to treat a human being as property and beyond evil to make a person feel grateful for not being treated worse. Theodore has some harsh things to say about marriage, as well, pointing out that just because a man might have the legal right to rape his wife doesn’t mean she owes him gratitude for not doing so.
This book has a great “I hate you but I can’t stop thinking about your ass” set up that eventually becomes a completely believable love story between two people who don’t fit any of the boxes in which society would like to keep them. The plot resolution is clever, the dialogue is sharp and often funny, and the story tackles harrowing issues with grace. As painful as it is that their love will have to be hidden, it’s easy to imagine this couple bickering amiably in privacy for the rest of their lives.
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Theodore was purchased by an upper-class family who raised him as a sort of pampered pet and freed him when he turned eighteen. Since becoming free, Theodore has struggled with thinking that he should feel grateful to the family
Shouldn’t that be Martin rather than Theodore? I’m confused…
I loved this one so, so much! This is probably the closest to fluffy that I’ve read by KJ Charles and it was so much fun.
I’ve been on the fence about buying this one, mostly because it is so short and I was a bit dubious about the premise, but the review really does sell it. I do love a bickering couple quite a bit.
The pampered slave bit mentioned in the review reminds me a little of Beloved by Toni Morrison, in which there are field slaves that are treated poorly and house slaves which are treated fairly well, but slavery is slavery, no matter how gilded the cage, and it’s soul destroying no matter what form it takes.
Anyway, thanks for the review. And it’s always lovely to see KJ Charles especially and M/M books in general here on SBTB.
This sounds so good. Thank you Carrie. I love the sound of the characters and their situations. I agree with Katty, some editing is required in the review.
Sorry guys – you are right, I jummbled the names. Martin was a slave who is now a merchant. Theodore is a book publisher. And, talk about burying the lead…Theodore also writes romances anonymously! Which Martin reads! I spent this whole review in terror of jumbling the names and ended up making a mess after all!
I’m sure I will read this one eventually, I have loved everything by KJ Charles that I’ve read.
For those interested in the eloquent and meaningful treatment of slavery, obv there is Alyssa Cole but also consider the Benjamin January books by Barbara Hambly. I just finished the first, “A Free Man of Color,” and it is a great book despite the upsetting historical milieu. There is just a bit of romance. 🙂
“I hate you but I can’t stop thinking about your ass” is officially my favorite sentence.
WHICH MAKES ME WANT TO BUY THIS BOOK SOOOO BAD. The romance novel portion of my YouTube channel is White, Straight City and that NEEDS to change. This one is so tempting but damn. The length. I NEED A LONGER STORY BECAUSE I’M A WHINY BRAT!
I like a minimum of 300 pages, and that pickiness is why I never read short stories or novellas. I’m such a turd, I swear.
Oooh, I LOVED this book. I think someone on here recommended it in the comments a while ago and it single handedly dragged me out of book slump. Glad to see it given such a positive review. I guess I didn’t find the ending particularly painful with their “hidden” love. It seemed like the people most important to them knew and supported them, like the housekeeper. That sounds like a better HEA than many real life queer couples get today.
I get the feeling I need to read all of KJ Charles’ back catalogue.
@hazel Yes you do!! I just discovered KJ Charles a few weeks ago when Courtney Milan recommended “A Seditious Affair” in a list. I have been tearing through her back catalogue and she is officially one of my new favorites.
Does anyone know if KJ Charles has books that are at least 250-300 pages long? From what little I’ve seen, they all barely make the 200 page mark.
I WANT TO READ HER STUFF BUT I’M A BUTT-FACE WHO NEEDS MORE PAGES! 🙁
@Jacqueline: small, but perfectly formed…..
🙂
I enjoyed this book, too. Thanks for your review, Carrie. It may already be time for a re-read.
@Jacqueline – I don’t know about the book length but she does have a trilogy – Society of Gentlemen – that has an overarching storyline as well as a satisfying hfn at the end of each book.
And the same with the Charm of Magpies series (fantasy Victorian). So that could be a way for you to get your page count in.
@Jacqueline You could think of her series as one 600 page book since once you start you’re probably going to read straight through all of them, they’re that good 😛
Also, ditto to what @cleo said: Society and Magpie Lord have overarching stories that unite them. In fact Society’s installments overlap in some areas so you get different characters’ perspectives and motives on the same situation. It’s quite a neat effect b/c they build on each other as you go through the storylines.