'Slippery Creatures' by K.J. Charles

Slippery Creatures

Author: K.J. Charles

Rating: A-

Vibe: Gay working-class bookseller meets disgraced aristocrat spy in 1920s London—cue espionage, sexual tension, and dialogue sharp enough to cut glass

Book 1 of the Will Darling series

Read reviews of Book 2: The Sugared Game, and Book 3: Subtle Blood

Will Darling is trying to run a bookshop. Instead, he's got a criminal gang and the British War Office both threatening him for information he doesn't have, a disgraced aristocrat with impeccable taste offering to help, and an escalating attraction to said aristocrat that's becoming harder to ignore by the day.

Welcome to post-WWI London, where the spy games are deadly, the banter is lethal, and the slow-burn gay romance is heaps of fun. This isn't the kind of novel that's going to shake you to your core or make you rethink your life—but it is the kind of book that will keep you up late turning pages, grinning at the dialogue, and immediately ordering book two the second you finish. Which, for the record, I did. There are currently three books in the series.

Will Darling is a WWI vet who's inherited his uncle's chaotic bookshop and is just trying to make a go of it when his life gets suddenly, violently complicated. First, a gang of criminals shows up demanding information he doesn't have. Then the War Office does the same. Enter Kim Secretan a charming, cultured, and disgraced aristocrat—the kind of man who can talk his way out of (or into) anything. Together, they're trying to untangle a mystery involving stolen documents, dangerous secrets, and people who'd very much like them both dead. Oh, and they're wildly attracted to each other. Naturally.

Let's start with what works—and there's a lot. The dialogue is excellent. Sharp, witty, fast-paced, with the kind of banter that is just fun to read. Charles has a real gift for making her characters feel alive through the way they talk to each other, and Will and Kim's back-and-forth crackles. There's flirtation, yes, but also genuine wit and verbal sparring. These two are smart, and they know it, and watching them try to out-clever each other is half the fun.

But let's talk about Will for a second, because he's the real standout here. Smart, capable, emotionally available, and independent—I just fell in love and developed a little crush of my own. He's not tortured or brooding that tedious way some romance heroes are. He's a guy who's been through hell (literally—he fought in the war), came out the other side, and is trying to build a life.

I also appreciated the historical backdrop. We read so much about WWII—understandably, given how significant that era was—but WWI feels less explored, and Charles uses it well here. It's not heavy-handed, but you can feel the weight of it in Will's pragmatism and Kim's cynicism. The class dynamics are there too—Will's working-class, Kim's aristocracy—but they're more background texture than central conflict. I also loved the subtle nod to how gay men would have navigated those worlds in the 1920s. It's not a deep dive, but it's there, and it adds a layer of authenticity without feeling like a lecture.

Now, the mystery. It's fine. It's fun. There are some good twists, and the pacing keeps things moving. But if I'm being honest, I wanted a little more intricacy. The central plot isn't exactly groundbreaking, and I found myself wishing for a red herring or two—something to really keep me guessing. As it stands, the mystery does its job: it propels the characters forward, gives them reasons to be together, and provides plenty of action. But it's not the reason you're reading this book. You're reading it for Will and Kim, for the banter, for the chemistry, for the sheer pleasure of spending time in Charles's witty, stylish world.

And you know what? That's perfectly fine. Not every book needs to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes you just want a smart, sexy, entertaining read that knows how to deliver on its promises. Slippery Creatures is exactly that kind of book—easy breezy in the best possible way. It's the book you bring to the beach, the book you read on a lazy Sunday, the book you recommend to a friend who just needs something fun and well-written and reliably satisfying.

I'm giving this one a solid A-. It's witty, it's charming, it's got a romance that actually works, and it left me wanting more. If you're looking for a gay historical romance with sharp dialogue, great chemistry, and just enough intrigue to keep things interesting, this is your book. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to book two.

Grab your copy of 'Slippery Creatures'