How to Fake It in Society by KJ Charles

Timy reviews How to Fake It in Society, a standalone historical fiction M/M romance by KJ Charles.

An eARC was received by Tor Bramble via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Out on April 30, 2026!

About the Book
The Sound of Madness
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Possible fit for The Sound of Madness Reading Challenge 2026 prompts:

Joker prompt that goes with anything: Freefall

Bridgerton meets The Goldfinch in How to Fake It in Society, a stunning queer romance by rising genre star KJ Charles.

It is 1821 and Nicolas-Marc, Comte de Valois de La Motte is making a splash in London Society. The son of Jeanne de Valois de La Motte, infamous for stealing a priceless diamond necklace meant for Marie Antoinette, Nico hopes to restore his wronged mother’s reputation, if only he can raise the funds. But he must operate with great secrecy, because the Bourbon dynasty murdered his mother, and he fears for his life.

At least, that’s what he tells Titus Pilcrow. Titus was a simple shopkeeper, making and selling artists’ paints, when he found himself suddenly married to an immensely wealthy woman who wanted to disinherit her nephew on her deathbed. As word spreads of his fortune, Titus finds himself a target of every scammer and beggar in London…including one Nicolas-Marc, Comte de Valois de La Motte.

Nico is on his last legs, out of money, and on the run from some terrifying gangsters. When Titus offers Nico a space in his household, it’s the perfect chance for him to exploit London’s newest golden purse–until he falls in love with the man he needs to cheat. Still, Nico is sure they can have a happy ending together. If he can just find his way out of his own web of lies…

“I suppose I have done that,” Titus said. “I don’t like arguments; I don’t do them well. I always feel in the wrong, and then one does make oneself smaller, so as not to offend, but it never stops the argument, does it? It doesn’t matter how little space one takes up, because it’s always too much, and so you give more and more ground till you’ve barely enough left to stand on.”

I have yet to be disappointed in a KJ Charles novel. Whenever I need a pick me up, a palate cleanser, or just something familiar and good, her books (mostly the M/M stuff) are rapidly becoming my go to choices. I don’t even have to think about whether I should pick any of them up. So naturally, there wasn’t any question if I would request her latest release, How to Fake It in Society on NetGalley. Although I admit, I might be getting a bit too much M/M romance lately (yes, I know, this is a good problem to have). Funny to think how much deeper I would be into her backlist by now if I jumped on the Charm of Magpies bandwagon a lot earlier than I did. To my defense, I wasn’t all that interested in M/M romance for a very, very long time. I absolutely know better by now. And I was just getting out of my no romance era as well, for the record. Anyway, I was going into How to Fake It in Society with high expectations, and they were met, of course.

We are in the early 19th century’s London (look, this book already got me with London, so…), Titus is the youngest son of a noble, and thus left to his own devices with no inheritance. He runs his own shop making colors and paints for artists. Things don’t look good for him, because he only has a few days to find a new shop and home after a fallout with his landlord/vindictive, toxic AF ex-lover. The last thing he expects is to find himself to be the sole heir of a filthy rich old lady, that brings about as many new troubles as it solves. Suddenly everyone scrambles for his attention – or rather, his money – and he is completely lost in the rules and expectations of the Society.

So bring into the picture the very charismatic French noble, the comtes de La Motte, aka Nico, who very much expected to be the heir of the said old lady, and thus finds himself in even more trouble financially. The solution? Try to manipulate Titus into giving him what he wants. The catch? A friendship neither of them saw coming. And so, even more trouble ensues.

That’s all the plot of How to Fake It in Society I’m willing to get into, I think you get the general idea. I want to talk about the characters, since I already introduced our two MCs. I liked Titus more, because in a way I could relate to him more than to Nico. I loved watching him come out of his shell and allow himself to first believe he can do whatever he wants now, and then to have the confidence to be his authentic self. He’s been repressed for so long that it takes Nico’s guiding hand to show him the way to express who he is and find his place in this new reality. The way he interacts with people throughout, wanting to fit in, but feeling like he is a total outsider. He is gentle, kind and tries to avoid conflicts whenever possible, and that seemingly makes him an easy target, but he is also very underestimated.

Nico is also a very complex character, but in a different way. His driving is his loyalty to his cousin, Eve, the only family who ever cared about him. He is in ways an opposite to Titus – he is outgoing, charming, impulsive, his moral compass is questionable at times. But he also has a gentle side that shows with Titus, especially. He has some mad schemes going on, and consequences come to bite him in the ass, eventually.

There are a host of other characters surrounding them that make How to Fake It in Society a very lively read. Eve, whom I don’t think I liked much, Titus’ brothers who couldn’t be more different from each other (one wants nothing from him but their old bond, and the other who wants his money and obedience to further his own ambitions), the family who serves Titus who are more his family than his ever was. Or there is the money lender who you don’t want to cross, the mad collector who is obsessed with Marie Antionette, or even the narcissistic ex of Titus who comes to get his claws into him again.

Even though the ending was predictable, I still was curious how Charles would get us there, and had a lot of fun on the way. It has a few subplots and some twists and turns, but in the heart, How to Fake It in Society is a story about self-discovery, and being brave enough to open up ourselves to second chances. It’s well written, fun, and queer AF. Definitely worth reading.