I will always be thrilled when K.J. Charles (among many others, Death in the Spires, All of Us Murderers) publishes a new novel, which she did in April 2026 with How to Fake It in Society.
It’s 1821, and watercolor paint creator Titus Pilcrow has just been told by his landlord (a former lover) that he needs to vacate his shop and apartment above. In an attempt to fill as many orders as he can, he makes a delivery to a difficult wealthy older woman, and finds himself married to her in her attempt to disinherit her odious nephew who pushed her down the stairs, causing her death. So now Titus, who, though a gentleman, is a younger son of a minister, having taken up a trade to support himself, finds that he is wealthier than he ever imagined. He has a problem he’s never had before–he is beset by grifters and unknowns, all with their hands out for a piece of his fortune. Being a gentle soul, he doesn’t quite know what to do.
Also showing up is Nicolas-Marc, Comte de Valois de La Motte, who goes by Nico with his friends, who had a sort of “understanding” with Titus’s deceased wife, but now that she’s died and left her fortune to someone else, Nico has to think quickly because the moneylenders are after him. Nico has come from France, where his mother was famous for stealing a diamond necklace from Marie Antoinette, and he and his cousin are trying to sell a painting proving his mother’s innocence. Of course the painting is a fake, and so is Nico, but he makes friends with Titus in the hope he can get at least something of the fortune for the trouble.
I loved the relationship between them–Titus definitely reads as neurodivergent to me, and Nico does not want to hurt Titus–he does everything he can (except for telling the truth) to avoid taking anything from Titus. I loved how Titus learned to stand up for himself with family in a way he had never been able to, and how there was a bonus sapphic relationship (including a potential trans/nonbinary situation) among supporting characters. I loved the obscure knowledge about paint and pigment, and how that knowledge came in handy at important moments.
It was weight-neutral, with no negative descriptions of fatness. And I loved the height difference between Titus and Nico–Titus is described as tall, if not gangly, and Nico much shorter.
If you haven’t read anything from K.J. Charles, don’t wait. You will not be disappointed.
Reading While Fat 