Listen free for 30 days
-
Proper English
- Narrated by: Bella Lowe
- Series: Think of England, Book 0.5
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: LGBTQ+, Romance
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £18.29
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Think of England
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Tom Carter
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England, 1904. Two years ago, Captain Archie Curtis lost his friends, fingers, and future to a terrible military accident. Alone, purposeless, and angry, Curtis is determined to discover if he and his comrades were the victims of fate, or of sabotage. Curtis's search takes him to an isolated, ultra-modern country house, where he meets and instantly clashes with fellow guest Daniel da Silva. Effete, decadent, foreign, and all-too-obviously queer, the sophisticated poet is everything the straightforward British officer fears and distrusts.
-
-
Story is amazing....the narration not so much.
- By BevS on 19-11-17
-
Slippery Creatures
- Will Darling Adventures Series, Book 1
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Cornell Collins
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Will Darling came back from the Great War with a few scars, a lot of medals, and no idea what to do next. Inheriting his uncle's chaotic secondhand bookshop is a blessing...until strange visitors start making threats. First a criminal gang, then the War Office, both telling Will to give them the information they want, or else. Will has no idea what that information is, and nobody to turn to, until Kim Secretan - charming, cultured, oddly attractive - steps in to offer help. As Kim and Will try to find answers and outrun trouble, mutual desire grows along with the danger.
-
-
Great story, very poor narration 😕😕😕
- By BevS on 06-05-21
-
The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Cornell Collins
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robin Loxleigh and his sister Marianne are the hit of the Season, so attractive and delightful that nobody looks behind their pretty faces. Until Robin sets his sights on Sir John Hartlebury's heiress niece. The notoriously graceless baronet isn't impressed by good looks, or fooled by false charm. He's sure Robin is a liar - a fortune hunter, a card sharp, and a heartless, greedy fraud - and he'll protect his niece, whatever it takes.
-
-
Excellent as ever
- By Nichola F on 22-06-21
-
The Henchmen of Zenda
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Antony Ferguson
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jasper Detchard is a disgraced British officer, now selling his blade to the highest bidder. Currently that's Michael Elphberg, half-brother to the King of Ruritania. Michael wants the throne for himself, and Jasper is one of the scoundrels he hires to help him take it. But when Michael makes his move, things don't go entirely to plan - and the penalty for treason is death. Rupert of Hentzau is Michael's newest addition to his sinister band of henchmen. Charming, lethal, and intolerably handsome, Rupert is out for his own ends - which seem to include getting Jasper into bed.
-
-
Rip-roaring reworking of a classic tale
- By AMG, London on 09-10-21
-
Spectred Isle
- Green Men Series, Book 1
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Ruairi Carter
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Archaeologist Saul Lazenby has been all but unemployable since his disgrace during the War. Now he scrapes a living working for a rich eccentric who believes in magic. Saul knows it's a lot of nonsense except that he begins to find himself in increasingly strange and frightening situations. And at every turn he runs into the sardonic, mysterious Randolph Glyde, the last of an ancient line of arcanists, commanding deep secrets and extraordinary powers as he struggles to fulfill his family duties in a war-torn world. The only question for Randolph is whether Saul is victim or villain.
-
-
Wonderful story, clearly narrated, but not sure the narrator’s voice “fit” for me
- By Anonymous User on 15-09-18
-
Band Sinister
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Cornell Collins
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sir Philip Rookwood is the disgrace of the county. He's a rake and an atheist, and the rumors about his hellfire club, the Murder, can only be spoken in whispers. (Orgies. It's orgies.) Guy Frisby and his sister, Amanda, live in rural seclusion after a family scandal. But when Amanda breaks her leg in a riding accident, she's forced to recuperate at Rookwood Hall, where Sir Philip is hosting the Murder. Guy rushes to protect her, but the Murder aren't what he expects. Sir Philip turns out to be charming, kind - and dangerously attractive.
-
-
I think this is my absolute favourite audiobook!
- By Chriss on 04-05-20
-
Think of England
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Tom Carter
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England, 1904. Two years ago, Captain Archie Curtis lost his friends, fingers, and future to a terrible military accident. Alone, purposeless, and angry, Curtis is determined to discover if he and his comrades were the victims of fate, or of sabotage. Curtis's search takes him to an isolated, ultra-modern country house, where he meets and instantly clashes with fellow guest Daniel da Silva. Effete, decadent, foreign, and all-too-obviously queer, the sophisticated poet is everything the straightforward British officer fears and distrusts.
-
-
Story is amazing....the narration not so much.
- By BevS on 19-11-17
-
Slippery Creatures
- Will Darling Adventures Series, Book 1
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Cornell Collins
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Will Darling came back from the Great War with a few scars, a lot of medals, and no idea what to do next. Inheriting his uncle's chaotic secondhand bookshop is a blessing...until strange visitors start making threats. First a criminal gang, then the War Office, both telling Will to give them the information they want, or else. Will has no idea what that information is, and nobody to turn to, until Kim Secretan - charming, cultured, oddly attractive - steps in to offer help. As Kim and Will try to find answers and outrun trouble, mutual desire grows along with the danger.
-
-
Great story, very poor narration 😕😕😕
- By BevS on 06-05-21
-
The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Cornell Collins
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robin Loxleigh and his sister Marianne are the hit of the Season, so attractive and delightful that nobody looks behind their pretty faces. Until Robin sets his sights on Sir John Hartlebury's heiress niece. The notoriously graceless baronet isn't impressed by good looks, or fooled by false charm. He's sure Robin is a liar - a fortune hunter, a card sharp, and a heartless, greedy fraud - and he'll protect his niece, whatever it takes.
-
-
Excellent as ever
- By Nichola F on 22-06-21
-
The Henchmen of Zenda
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Antony Ferguson
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jasper Detchard is a disgraced British officer, now selling his blade to the highest bidder. Currently that's Michael Elphberg, half-brother to the King of Ruritania. Michael wants the throne for himself, and Jasper is one of the scoundrels he hires to help him take it. But when Michael makes his move, things don't go entirely to plan - and the penalty for treason is death. Rupert of Hentzau is Michael's newest addition to his sinister band of henchmen. Charming, lethal, and intolerably handsome, Rupert is out for his own ends - which seem to include getting Jasper into bed.
-
-
Rip-roaring reworking of a classic tale
- By AMG, London on 09-10-21
-
Spectred Isle
- Green Men Series, Book 1
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Ruairi Carter
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Archaeologist Saul Lazenby has been all but unemployable since his disgrace during the War. Now he scrapes a living working for a rich eccentric who believes in magic. Saul knows it's a lot of nonsense except that he begins to find himself in increasingly strange and frightening situations. And at every turn he runs into the sardonic, mysterious Randolph Glyde, the last of an ancient line of arcanists, commanding deep secrets and extraordinary powers as he struggles to fulfill his family duties in a war-torn world. The only question for Randolph is whether Saul is victim or villain.
-
-
Wonderful story, clearly narrated, but not sure the narrator’s voice “fit” for me
- By Anonymous User on 15-09-18
-
Band Sinister
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Cornell Collins
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sir Philip Rookwood is the disgrace of the county. He's a rake and an atheist, and the rumors about his hellfire club, the Murder, can only be spoken in whispers. (Orgies. It's orgies.) Guy Frisby and his sister, Amanda, live in rural seclusion after a family scandal. But when Amanda breaks her leg in a riding accident, she's forced to recuperate at Rookwood Hall, where Sir Philip is hosting the Murder. Guy rushes to protect her, but the Murder aren't what he expects. Sir Philip turns out to be charming, kind - and dangerously attractive.
-
-
I think this is my absolute favourite audiobook!
- By Chriss on 04-05-20
-
Unfit to Print
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Vikas Adam
- Length: 4 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When crusading lawyer Vikram Pandey sets out in search of a missing youth, his investigations take him to Holywell Street, London's most notorious address. He expects to find a disgraceful array of sordid bookshops. He doesn't expect one of them to be run by the long-lost friend whose disappearance and presumed death he's been mourning for 13 years. Gil Lawless became a Holywell Street bookseller for his own reasons, and he's damned if he's going to apologize or listen to moralizing from anyone.
-
-
That’s 4 hours of my life I won’t get back
- By I. Whitworth on 12-02-21
-
Any Old Diamonds
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Cornell Collins
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lord Alexander Pyne-ffoulkes, the younger son of the Duke of Ilvar, holds a bitter grudge against his wealthy father. The Duke intends to give his Duchess a priceless diamond parure on their wedding anniversary - so Alec hires a pair of jewel thieves to steal it. The Duke's remote castle is a difficult target, and Alec needs a way to get the thieves in. Soldier-turned-criminal Jerry Crozier has the answer: He'll pose as a Society gentleman and become Alec's new best friend.
-
-
Was not expecting that 😳
- By Michael Humphrey on 20-05-20
-
Wanted, a Gentleman
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Greg Patmore
- Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Act the first: the offices of the Matrimonial Advertiser, London, where lonely hearts may seek one another for the cost of a shilling. Act the second: a pursuit to Gretna Green (or thereabouts) featuring a speedy carriage, sundry rustic, a private bedchamber. In the course of which are presented romance, revenge, and redemption, deceptions, discoveries, and desires - the particulars of which are too numerous to impart.
-
The Magpie Lord
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Cornell Collins
- Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Exiled for 20 years, Lucien never planned to return to England. But with the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, it seems the new Lord Crane has inherited an earldom. He's also inherited his family's enemies. He needs magical assistance, fast. He doesn't expect it to turn up angry. Magician Stephen Day has good reason to hate Crane's family. Unfortunately, it's his job to deal with supernatural threats. Besides, the earl is unlike any aristocrat he's ever met, with the tattoos, the attitude...and the way Crane seems determined to get him into bed.
-
-
Enjoyable story. Far better in audio
- By Mary on 12-02-18
-
The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Gary Furlong
- Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I have been Simon Feximal's companion, assistant, and chronicler for 20 years now, and during that time my Casebooks of Feximal the Ghost-Hunter have spread the reputation of this most accomplished of ghost-hunters far and wide. Here is how my association with Feximal came about. I dare say it may not be quite what you expect.
-
-
Amazing narration
- By Mary on 12-11-18
-
A Death in the Wedding Party
- By: Caroline Dunford
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1911. Love is in the air. Despite an unfortunate resemblance to her horse, Lady Richenda Stapleford has accepted an offer of marriage. Euphemia too has accepted one of her beaux. But the course of true love does not run true for upstairs or downstairs. Euphemia, the estranged granddaughter of an Earl, who launched her career as a maid in the household of the corrupt MP Lord Stapleford has now risen to the rank of housekeeper. When a senior member of the wedding party is murdered, it falls to Euphemia to solve the crime.
-
A Death in the Pavilion
- By: Caroline Dunford
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 3 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Euphemia Martins, the estranged granddaughter of an Earl, entered service incognito with the Stapleford family to save her family from destitution, and from that moment on she acquired the bothersome reputation of finding dead bodies. Now a paid companion to the deplorable Richenda Stapleford, she is staying at the country estate of Hans Muller, upon whom Richenda has matrimonial designs.
-
-
A great series!
- By poppyhops on 06-06-21
-
An Unseen Attraction
- Sins of the Cities, Book 1
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lodging-house keeper Clem Talleyfer prefers a quiet life. He's happy with his hobbies, his work - and especially with his lodger Rowley Green, who becomes a friend over their long fireside evenings together. If only neat, precise, irresistible Mr. Green were interested in more than friendship. Rowley just wants to be left alone - at least until he meets Clem, with his odd, charming ways and his glorious eyes. Two quiet men, lodging in the same house, coming to an understanding...it could be perfect.
-
-
Good story
- By Mrs. E. J. Curtis on 27-06-20
-
A Fashionable Indulgence
- Society of Gentlemen, Book 1
- By: KJ Charles
- Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the first novel of an explosive new series from K. J. Charles, a young gentleman and his elegant mentor fight for love in a world of wealth, power, and manipulation. When he learns that he could be the heir to an unexpected fortune, Harry Vane rejects his past as a radical fighting for government reform and sets about wooing his lovely cousin. But his heart is captured instead by the most beautiful, chic man he’s ever met: the dandy tasked with instructing him in the manners and style of the ton.
-
-
Fabulous MM Recency, superbly narrated
- By Josie on 19-08-15
-
Provoked
- Enlightenment
- By: Joanna Chambers
- Narrated by: Hamish McKinlay
- Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David Lauriston is struggling to build his reputation in Edinburgh's privileged legal world. His humble origins are enough of a hurdle, never mind his recent decision to defend a group accused of treason, prompting speculation that he may harbour radical sympathies. David's personal life is no more successful. Tormented by his forbidden desires for other men, David tries to live a celibate existence. But then into David's repressed and orderly world bursts Lord Murdo Balfour. Cynical, hedonistic, and utterly unapologetic, Murdo could not be less like David.
-
-
Really a gem
- By Jackie Thorogood on 19-08-17
-
The Queer Principles of Kit Webb
- A Novel
- By: Cat Sebastian
- Narrated by: Joel Leslie
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kit Webb has left his stand-and-deliver days behind him. But dreary days at his coffee shop have begun to make him pine for the heady rush of thievery. When a handsome yet arrogant aristocrat storms into his shop, Kit quickly realizes he may be unable to deny whatever this highborn man desires. In order to save himself and a beloved friend, Percy, Lord Holland must go against every gentlemanly behavior he holds dear to gain what he needs most: a book that once belonged to his mother, a book his father never lets out of his sight and could be Percy’s savior.
-
-
Sparkling wit and healing restoration
- By Magius on 11-06-21
-
Behind These Doors
- Radical Proposals, Book 1
- By: Jude Lucens
- Narrated by: Callum Hale
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lucien Saxby is a journalist, writing for the society pages. The Honourable Aubrey Fanshawe, second son of an earl, is Society. They have nothing in common, until a casual encounter leads to a crisis. Aubrey isn’t looking for love. He already has it, in his long-term clandestine relationship with Lord and Lady Hernedale.
-
-
Glorious queer historical romance
- By Naama on 15-07-21
Summary
A shooting party at the Earl of Witton’s remote country house is a high treat for champion shot Patricia Merton - until unexpected guests turn the social atmosphere dangerously sour.
That’s not Pat’s biggest problem. She’s visiting her old friend, the Earl’s heir Jimmy Yoxall - but she wants to spend a lot more time with Jimmy’s fiancée. The irrepressible Miss Fenella Carruth, with her laughing eyes and lush curves, is the most glorious woman Pat’s ever met, and it quickly becomes impossible to remember why she needs to stay at arm’s length.
But while the women’s attraction grows, the tensions at Rodington Court get worse. Affairs, secrets, betrayals, and blackmail come to light. And when a body is discovered with a knife between the shoulderblades, it’s going to take Pat and Fen’s combined talents to prevent the murderer destroying all their lives.
More from the same
What listeners say about Proper English
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mo Bass
- 01-11-21
Regency for Adults
A very enjoyable listen with interesting characters and a good plot. Out of the ordinary. Worth keeping.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- A.E. Bross
- 15-11-19
Throwing Propriety out the window!
Thoroughly enjoyed this story. In fact, it may be one of my favorites of Charles' works. It felt very much like the development of the relationship between characters (not just the romance between Pat and Fen, but the friendships and familial relationships written about as well) developed at a pace that felt natural. The reader is very much treated to a study in the interplay between a group of people with mixed emotions and opinions of each other, as well as the surroundings.
While I identified most with Pat, who shares many of my own qualities and outlooks on life (though I'm not a gun person), I was most entranced by the development of Fen, who I felt blossomed outward in a way that had me wanting to know more of this woman who hated the masks that people wore, yet found it so protective to wear her own. The idea of her having this secret self, one that was so strong and determined, was absolutely everything.
My only complaint about this book (and the reason the story is 4 star and not 5) had to be, well, the steamier, romantic parts. This is the first primarily f/f pairing I have read by K.J. Charles, and I found it fairly disappointing. It almost fell into what might consider "traditional gender roles." While Charles' m/m pairings are usually a rush of excitement, of power dynamics and surrender, of stripping off the armor that these characters wear so that they are laid bare (no pun intended) to the dangers of the heart, Pat and Fen felt more subdued, more demure, when neither character behaved in such a manner during the rest of the story. Fen's attempt at "teaching" in some of the more private scenes felt lackluster at best, and utterly frustrating at worst. I mean, I feel that the story, characters, and setting more than made up for it, but I would have preferred that it didn't have to.
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- NYC wheeler
- 30-01-20
Mystery, romance, two women in love
A change for KJ Charles, who I think normally does MM romance novels, and a novel, which greatly beefed up the mystery portion-- I didn't manage to figure out who it was until it was almost at the reveal point-- with two women protagonists. I really don't understand people complaining about Fern being too silly-- that was explained and I quite like the intelligent woman behind the fluff. Actually I really wish Pen was less mannish-- for goodness sake us ladies can be good looking and fluffy and also good shots, although the gender lines were much stricter during this era so perhaps not, but I would have liked there to be much less a division of the two women in terms of "types" but overall a great story and a good foray into WW romance novels for KJ as well as mystery books.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Kindle Customer
- 11-12-19
AND audible just makes it even better.
I loved the novel... Really loved it. Audible just blew it out of the park.
KJ Charles writes some of the best historical romances and this one, a begged for prequel to Thoughts of England was a perfect gift for those of us who were already in love with TOE...The narrator took that tale and made it even better. I so love the voicing of Pat and Fen...
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Michelle
- 18-04-22
No criticisms. Zero.
Easily 5/5 stars. One of my favorite audiobooks in my collection. I’ve listened to it several times already. The experience is honestly like having a movie play in your mind. This narrator is that good, and the events are so well paced and well written. The characters, especially Pat and Fen, are just amazingly well drawn. They are honestly two of the best main characters I’ve come across in a long time, and they compliment one another so well. And the addition of the murder mystery is just downright fun. Who doesn’t love a Clue-style whodunnit? I’ll forever be grateful I found this gem!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- N. Salem
- 28-10-21
one of my favorites
the story is about lady love with a side of murder mystery. there's some background m/m but the focus is definitely on Patricia(Pat) and Fenella(Fen)
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- A. Zulli
- 03-03-21
Excellent reader, good story
I do wish there were hotter sex scenes. What there was was good though. The reader is superb, especially as Fen.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Garcia Drummond
- 24-09-20
The worst dinner party in the best way!
it's difficult to know where to begin gushing when a book meets all your personal requirements. I adore the strong female lead in this tale,her personality and actions never strayed from plausibility which is just wonderful! also the important part in having a cast of characters this large is having diverse motivations and backgrounds that come together beautifully. KJ Charles has done it yet again, i think this is her only f/f pairing to date and the way they compliment eachother is dreamy.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- UnDeadGoat
- 12-09-20
Great story, unfortunate attitudes about dress
A really lovely classic country house party murder mystery, with lesbian romance, plenty of couples having sex, and a character-driven plot. You may be able to guess some secrets before they're revealed to the main character but nothing is too obvious, the twists and turns will surprise you forgot coming out of nowhere.
Unfortunately the author doesn't seem to understand corsetry or aspects of women's fashion--in the Edwardian period especially a well-fitted corset would have had very little restriction on a woman's ability to breathe or move, and they would have still been written by women of all classes similar as bras are worn today. Nobody would have worn "stays," a form of early corsetry that creates a conical shape and pushes the bust up, unlike the lower and more natural busts of the late Victorian and Edwardian period. Also a shirtwaist and sensible skirts would not have been an eccentric choice for ladies' daywear or casual wear.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anya
- 12-09-20
lovely story and brilliant performance!
I always love KJ Charles' characters. they are all so real and flawed and relatable. they are also uncompromising. I like how the author always manages to concoct a story where the good guys always win and they don't loose themselves or their identifies along the way. no compromises, just themselves!
special kudos to the narrator. they made every voce distinctive. I especially liked the variety of Northern accents in the staff.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Destiny
- 28-07-20
easy listening
not a fan of the writing. the voice actress was good, she brought the dull story to life.