The Henchmen of Zenda

The original Prisoner of Zenda relates the swashbuckling tale of Rudolph Rassendyll, an innocent Englishman who falls into the adventure of his life when his uncanny likeness to the king- in-waiting of Ruritania allows him to impersonate the royal, fall in love with a princess, foil a plot by the evil Duke Michael to kill the king, and eventually head back to England with only a few people aware of the deceit that took place. Anyone who has read the original knows that Duke Michael's henchman Rupert Hentzau absolutely steals the show. He's described by Rassendyll as “reckless and wary, graceful and graceless, handsome, debonair, vile and unconquered.” So it is not surprising that for her “queered classic,” K.J. Charles makes Hentzau the pivotal character and gives the reader more of this great literary creation who can't be fully described “without contravening the Obscene Publications Act.” Our narrator this time is Jasper Detchard, a minor ruffian who meets an inglorious death in the original version (which he claims is nothing more than “a pile of sh*t”). Detchard is a sword for hire who becomes one of the Duke's henchman for various reasons, primarily because the Duke blackmails him into it. When he meets the dashing Rupert Hentzau, he is immediately struck by his good looks but is warned that Hentzau is a “rascal of the first order” and finds him to be as arrogant as he is handsome. As the Duke plots a way to gain the throne, Detchard tries without much success to resist Hentzau's charms, but both men have secrets about where their loyalties lie, and it's unlikely that either will live to tell the tale of their treachery. It's important to note that I wouldn't call this book a romance. K.J. Charles can do sweet love stories (check out [b:An Unseen Attraction 30517107 An Unseen Attraction (Sins of the Cities, #1) K.J. Charles https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1470315355s/30517107.jpg 51036162] as a prime example) but this is not one of them. Yes, there are hot men in tights sword fighting. Yes, they do get around to having some very impressive sex with each other, and Charles' allows Rupert a bit of - well, I wouldn't quite say humility, but he does recognize and acknowledge that Detchard's greater experience in this arena is worth respecting. But don't go looking for avowals of eternal love and devotion. They come to admire and respect each other, and the epilogue finds them having spent many years together although not without some interruptions for Hentzau to chase after other lovers but they are hired assassins after all. The whole thing is marvelously fun, although I did get a little confused several times amidst the intricate plotting and shifting loyalties. Charles improves on the original by giving the two female characters, Princess Flavia and Michael's mistress Antoinette, much more agency and a more active role in the plot. All in all this is a delightful romp, and Charles demonstrates her impressive skills by paying respect to a classic while also subverting its plot and tropes and creating something new and engaging. Hats off again to one of my favorite authors.ARC received from the author in exchange for an objective review.