'Unfit to Print' by KJ Charles
- Reed
- Jan 22
- 2 min read
Author: KJ Charles
Rating: C
Vibe: A rare misfire from a usually reliable author—the romance lacks chemistry, the mystery fizzles, and the whole thing feels underdeveloped.
I'm a KJ Charles fan. I've read a lot of her backlist, and I know what she's capable of: sharp dialogue, satisfying mysteries, romantic tension that builds until it aches. So it's disappointing to say that Unfit to Print doesn't deliver on any of those fronts. It's not bad, exactly—it's just fine. And for an author who's given us books that crackle with wit and heat, "fine" feels like a letdown.
The setup has promise: a missing young man and a Victorian-era romance between a radical book seller editor and a solicitor. There's potential for class tension, political intrigue, and the kind of sparky banter Charles usually excels at. But the execution never gets there. The romance feels phoned in—there's no spark, no yearning, no sense that these two people are drawn to each other in any meaningful way. The connection just doesn't feel earned, and I found myself going through the motions alongside the characters rather than rooting for them.
Part of the problem is the dialogue. It's serviceable, but it lacks the witty edge I've come to expect from Charles. Too often, it's used for exposition—characters telling each other things they already know, or laying out motivations that should've been woven into the story more organically. I didn't feel any chemistry with the characters themselves, and more importantly, I didn't feel chemistry between them. That's a death knell for a romance.
The mystery doesn't fare much better. There's barely a reveal, and the final "twist"—and I'm using that word generously—happens off-screen. For a book that positions itself as part romance, part mystery, the mystery half feels like an afterthought. It just… fizzles. No tension, no payoff, no satisfaction.
What's most frustrating is that this feels like a book that needed more—more pages, more development, more time with the characters. The backstories are surface-level. The motivations are sketched in but never fleshed out. You're thrown into the scenario without enough grounding, and as a result, nothing lands with the weight it should. Charles is known for tight plotting and rewarding mysteries, but here, both feel rushed and unfinished.
I don't love writing a negative review for an author I genuinely admire, but this one just didn't work for me. It's a C—readable, but forgettable. If you're new to KJ Charles, start with Will Darling Adventures or the Charm of Magpie series instead. This one feels like a rare off day from a writer who's usually much sharper.