Funny Beatle on My Wisteria Spots on Its Back
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It's a great combination of espionage, fairy tal-ish fantasy, smart action, regency romance with very smart and sarcastic sense of humor!
Think about a group of multi tasking women who can use weapons expertly as they resume
Holly hell, this is way too much entertaining, hilarious, witty to be accompanied by tea and biscuits ( of course I added at least four drops of bourbon into my tea : that's why I giggle too loud and luckily you cannot hear the ear bleeding villanelle laugh I'm performing!)It's a great combination of espionage, fairy tal-ish fantasy, smart action, regency romance with very smart and sarcastic sense of humor!
Think about a group of multi tasking women who can use weapons expertly as they resume sipping their teas and gossiping about last royalty scandals. And of course they can steal everything in front of your eyes cunningly and adroitly without getting noticed and then taking the direction of their houses to fly them anywhere they want like a skillful pirate captain who controls his ship. Cheers to those ladies!
Especially the hilarious opening gave me so much: we're introduced Cecilia and her aunt are waiting for their luncheon when they hear the bang on the door. Cecilia meets with our tempting chameleon hero disguised like a salesman tries to give her a brochure and after Cecilia's rejecting, he tries to climb up to their window , telling her the cruel lady Isabella Armitage- long time nemesis of the family and black widow who has brilliant techniques to get rid of her husbands, hired an Italian contract killer to take her life.
A few minutes a grenade is thrown at their house and the same man Captain Neil Lightbourne who is also her vicious assassin salutes her with cunning smile. Yes, what an action packed opening!
This is very creative, extremely funny , truly gripping and riveting, absolutely enjoyable adventure with thief/ assassin enemies to lovers theme!
And i have to admit as a supporting character Pleasance earned entire awards( wait till find out her interesting identity: I think she's better cook version of myself! )
A bookish, independent, loyal, witty heroine and a hero expert of disguise, keeping secrets, suffering from deep family issues just like our heroine teamed up against the threat of Wisteria Society crime sorority! What a thrilling ride!
It was genuinely amazing waltz between different genres and I didn't expect to have so great time but I truly liked the unique and clever writing experience, hilarious dialogues and surprising world building which earned extra half star from me : so I'm rounding up 4.5 stars to 5 extra funny, feminism vibes, intellectual, sassy, wise stars!
Go and read this book, devour cups of teas or just like I did : devour your whiskey and dark chocolate and enjoy your time! This is so good!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
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I decided to give this new series a try. Love, love the whimsical cover.
It appealed to me because of the added whimsy and humor, but it really wasn't a good match. I appreciate the "outside the box" approach of creative fantasy. It is chock full of things such as flying houses, pirates and other elements of magic and fantasy.
I'm still asking myself, "What did I just read?" It was certainly a trip, but not one I would venture on in the future.
Read all the reviews raving
2.5 Not a good match starsI decided to give this new series a try. Love, love the whimsical cover.
It appealed to me because of the added whimsy and humor, but it really wasn't a good match. I appreciate the "outside the box" approach of creative fantasy. It is chock full of things such as flying houses, pirates and other elements of magic and fantasy.
I'm still asking myself, "What did I just read?" It was certainly a trip, but not one I would venture on in the future.
Read all the reviews raving about it and if fantastical adventures are your thing maybe you'll rave too! Wrong reader here.
Thanks to NG and the publisher for my early review copy. OUT as of June 15, 2021
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Cecilia, our heroine, is from a long line of Cecilias, though according to the hero of the book, she is the best Cecilia of them all. She is a first-rate scoundrel and pirate who wants more than anything to take her place alongside the great scoundrel pirate ladies of her family. She has alas though been interning as a pirate for years and has become stalled in her attempt to be awarded a full seat at the table of the Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels. Being the baby of the family, Cecilia has a difficult time convincing her elders she's ready to adult. Since all of the characters in the novel are paradoxes, Cecilia is also a very proper Victorian young lady with upright morals and ethics, which are endless sources of perplexity for a pirate hero trying to court her. Ned Lightbourne (one of his many aliases) is a skilled pirate as well, in addition to being a courtier under Queen Victoria, a member of the secret service, an orphan, an Italian assassin, and a lovely beta hero to Cecilia's own confusing personalities. They meet when Ned is commissioned by one party to rescue her and at the same time by another party to assassinate her. Cecilia feels assured that she too will likely have to assassinate Ned, if only he weren't so good-looking and didn't wear such tight-fitting trousers. Ned in the end is rarely confused about his role in Cecilia's life because he took one look at Cecilia and fell in love. I'm generally not a fan of instant love, but trust me when I say that in this whimsical story, the author makes it work.
I will save the outlandish, high speed plot descriptions for readers to experience first-hand themselves. It is, however, a perfectly-plotted cheeky novel. I can't wait to revisit it and I cannot wait to read more from this talented new author. It's early in 2021 but I feel assured to say that The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels will be on my favorite end-of-year list of books.
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I can't get over what a barrel of fun this book was. These ladies were drinking tea with one hand and calmly gunning down their enemies with the other, but were never too busy to whomp someone with their razor edged parasol for using the wrong fork at dinner. Transports you to a whole other world quite a bit more proper and fun than ours.
Basically, this is the book you'd get if Mark Twain and Jane Au
So fierce! So feminist! So FUNNY! A romp like no other...two pages in and I was already in love.I can't get over what a barrel of fun this book was. These ladies were drinking tea with one hand and calmly gunning down their enemies with the other, but were never too busy to whomp someone with their razor edged parasol for using the wrong fork at dinner. Transports you to a whole other world quite a bit more proper and fun than ours.
Basically, this is the book you'd get if Mark Twain and Jane Austen teamed up--with a wee bit of whiskey in the tea--to write about lady pirates.
Utterly unique and completely charming.
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This is a book I knew I was going to love, but it truly blew every one of my expectations out of the water. It's the most bonkers romance novel I've ever read in my life!!
Here are some of the things you can find in this story:
- Lady pirates with flying houses;
- Cocaine pills "in case of toothache, neuralgia, or syphillis";
- Haunted man
This is a book I knew I was going to love, but it truly blew every one of my expectations out of the water. It's the most bonkers romance novel I've ever read in my life!!
Here are some of the things you can find in this story:
- Lady pirates with flying houses;
- Cocaine pills "in case of toothache, neuralgia, or syphillis";
- Haunted mansions;
- Haunted people;
- Hired assassins;
- Only-one-room-at-the-inn;
- Enemies AND lovers.
Our main characters are Cecilia Bassingthwaite, who is both a proper lady and a pirate, and Ned (of uncertain last name), who has so many different identities he is basically five different characters in the book.
Cecilia and her aunt are a part of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, a ladies' society where they discuss things like embroidery and guns.
Ned was hired by different people to kill/kidnap/protect Cecilia, which is hilarious, and makes it really hard to understand what his true motivations are. Ned finds himself underestimating her at every moment only to be surprised (usually with a knife at his throat).
This is a wildly romantic book with the craziest storyline you've ever heard. I can't wait for the second one in the series!!! 💕
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This book is actually your standard trashy romance novel with a bloated, quirky plot adding volume to its pages.
The story arc goes like this: protagonist hates men. Protagonist meets one man, declares that he's "charming" (sources needed here, lady, unless his face was working overtime he absolutely was not) and then she argues with herself about
I don't know if maybe the problem with this book was the marketing, but I thought this was going to be an adventure story with a romance on the side.This book is actually your standard trashy romance novel with a bloated, quirky plot adding volume to its pages.
The story arc goes like this: protagonist hates men. Protagonist meets one man, declares that he's "charming" (sources needed here, lady, unless his face was working overtime he absolutely was not) and then she argues with herself about whether or not to have sex with him. Spoiler alert, she decides to have sex with them. Then they're in love! ✨Character development!✨
Almost everything about the Wisteria Society exists for cheap laughs because it's ~silly. The chapters regularly begin with a purported saying or belief integral to the Society. One of the ones that sticks out is about always holding a grudge and always getting revenge. All of the antagonists of the novel are motivated by revenge, and for the main antagonist it results in his ruin. It could have been interesting to have the main character reflect on that in terms of what she's been raised to believe and aspire to. But she does not!
Cecilia never grows as a person. She's consistently nasty to the other junior members of the society. She's unpleasant toward her love interest up until she does a 360 and decides to sleep with him, with the exception of the time he got her extremely drunk knowing full well that she was inexperienced with drinking alcohol. That's romantic, right ladies? You like it when men purposefully impair you for their own amusement, right?
One of the prime examples of the book valuing its attempts at humour over character development is when Cecilia's aunt, the woman who raised her after her mother died, is kidnapped. There's a scene where Cecilia remarks to herself that obviously, while it would be faster to ride horseback, she must take a carriage to rescue her because a woman can't be seen wearing colour on horseback. I presume this is referring to something Victorian society would think of as a faux pas. But why does she care? Why can't she throw caution to the wind, just once? For the sake of her aunt? Why is she a pirate who steals things, but also a woman who cares very deeply about the social norms? How does she pick and choose which rules to flout and which rules to follow?
Another failure at humour comes from a scene where a man finds out the girl he's been sleeping with lied about her age. She claimed to be 19 when she was really 16. The man is horrified. I don't believe the man's age is ever stated? But this reads as extremely gross to me, not funny. The man finds out he's been having sex with a child and it's played off as if she's just mischievous and precocious, and the man and girl continue to have scenes together as if they might rekindle their romance eventually. He's portrayed as being unreasonable for being angry and uncomfortable. Ummmm ok.
The book begins with a plot involving an old woman and an assassination attempt, but that plot is dropped like a hot potato. The old lady disappears at one point and is never brought up again. I'm assuming this is supposed to leave room for a sequel but comes across as a loose end. Also there's a scene where it's revealed that the old lady keeps her house key in her vagina. Take a moment to really absorb that. In. Her. Vagina. Now I really need to know what kind of metal that house key is made of. Most keys in the Victorian era would be made of brass or iron, right? Brass corrodes over time. Iron rusts. She is absorbing all of that through the thin walls of her vagina. Ruminate on that for a while, dear readers. Ruminate on that.
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This book was absolutely not what I was expecting based on the blurb provided by the publisher, I was expecting a fun, Victorian romp along the lines of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and I ended up with a Mel Brooks and Monty Phyton Victorian-era fantasy collaboration. I finished this book and my first thought was – what the hell did I just read? Even now, a day later, I am still not sure.
Basically, Cecilia is a lady pirate, but not your ordinary pirate, no, she is a junior member of the
Maybe 2.5 stars.This book was absolutely not what I was expecting based on the blurb provided by the publisher, I was expecting a fun, Victorian romp along the lines of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and I ended up with a Mel Brooks and Monty Phyton Victorian-era fantasy collaboration. I finished this book and my first thought was – what the hell did I just read? Even now, a day later, I am still not sure.
Basically, Cecilia is a lady pirate, but not your ordinary pirate, no, she is a junior member of the Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels – a group of ladies that steal, try to assassinate each other, drink tea and fly their houses (yes, not pirate ships - pirate houses). Cecilia hopes to be made a senior member of the society and is sure that is about to happen since another member has hired an assassin to do her in.
Edward "Ned" Lightbourne (AKA Teddy Luxe, AKA Signor de Luca, AKA Major Candent) was hired to kill Cecilia, but that is not really his true purpose – he may or may not be in league with her crazy father or maybe he works for the Queen – either way – he doesn't really plan to kill her, in fact after meeting her, killing her is the last thing he wants to do.
And so starts a very bizarre and at times completely absurd story that left me wondering how in the world this got assigned to the historical romance genre, it is clearly historical, but I would put it in the fantasy genre, rather than romance. Do not get me wrong, the book is well-written, albeit a trifle wordy, and the author has an amazing vocabulary that she puts to good use in this book. But sadly for me, even that was not enough to make me a fan of this book. For me, the romance was lacking, the plot was ridiculous, and will someone please tell me what is up with the recent trend of thinking that feminism and misandry are the same things?? It is hard to buy into a romance when the heroine clearly dislikes men. I didn't hate this book, but I am not sure I would read another book in this series.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *
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The only problem I had with the story is that the tone is inconsistent. The dire stakes are hard to maintain when assassination contracts are considered n
This was a romp and I mean that mostly in a good way. If a group of women discovered a spell that let them turn random structures into flying machines and they kept that secret close and used it to establish a feminist pirate society that teaches its inner circle rogue skills along with proper etiquette, you'd have the beginnings of this story.The only problem I had with the story is that the tone is inconsistent. The dire stakes are hard to maintain when assassination contracts are considered no big deal and Cecilia simply tosses a bomb back out the window it arrived through without breaking the tea-time mood. And yet the plot rests on a threat along those same lines and it was a bit difficult to take seriously when similar threats are casually dismissed.
It was a consistent-enough problem that it pushed me out the the story kind of randomly. Still, it's a fun romp and with lots of vivid characters I enjoyed spending time with. Holton keeps a spanking pace and has some fascinating characters striding the landscape. And don't miss (view spoiler)[Queen Victoria demanding to be taught how to fly Westminster Castle into battle (hide spoiler)] because that kind of madcap hijinks is so well-delivered that I near cackled in delight.
So this ends with a strong four stars, though I know I'll have to be in the right mood if I plan on going further in the series.
A note about Steamy: Unfortunately, I left this review a week or so and now I can't remember just how steamy the sex scene got. I'm pretty sure it tripped the steam tag but also pretty sure it didn't dwell long there. But I don't know that for sure...
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The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is a magical unicorn of delight and passion and hilarity. It's so fantastical that I wanted to hug it to my chest and squeal happily from every single page. India's writing feels fearless, and this entire story is exactly what I've been dying to read. The themes of womanhood and bravery and overcoming were the cherries on the top.
I want to be a pirate now.
Favorite line:
"Just who shall assassinate whom,
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is a magical unicorn of delight and passion and hilarity. It's so fantastical that I wanted to hug it to my chest and squeal happily from every single page. India's writing feels fearless, and this entire story is exactly what I've been dying to read. The themes of womanhood and bravery and overcoming were the cherries on the top.
I want to be a pirate now.
Favorite line:
"Just who shall assassinate whom, Captain Charming Ned Flirting Lightbourne?"
What fun!
An enchanting pastiche of historical romance, Victorian fantasy, and worldbuilding all the author's own. India Holton's witty prose had me laughing out loud and the plot kept me turning the pages. With a piratical heroine who would rather be reading and a hero whose many disguises hide a (slightly tarnished) heart of gold, The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is the perfect diversion for a rainy afternoon with a cup of tea.What fun!
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Publication Date: 6/15/21
Period: Victorian
Number of Pages: 336
** 2.5 Stars **
The GoodReads blurb for this book made it sound like a fun, entertaining, lighthearted, witty, and exciting read. I could hardly wait to get my hands on either the purchased copy or an ARC – whichever came first. To say I was sorely disappointed would be putting it mildly. Please take this as just one person's opinion because we all like different things and we all find different things humor
Series: Dangerous Damsels #1Publication Date: 6/15/21
Period: Victorian
Number of Pages: 336
** 2.5 Stars **
The GoodReads blurb for this book made it sound like a fun, entertaining, lighthearted, witty, and exciting read. I could hardly wait to get my hands on either the purchased copy or an ARC – whichever came first. To say I was sorely disappointed would be putting it mildly. Please take this as just one person's opinion because we all like different things and we all find different things humorous. I'm sure some of you will read the book and love it – I just did not. After reading it, I am of the belief that they need to invent a whole new genre just for this book. I think it was just too much – too much of everything – too busy – it reminded me of some of the descriptions I've read from people having LSD trips.
If you get rid of the chaff, you have a nice love story. I couldn't bring myself to like the heroine, Cecilia, but I did like the hero Nate. He was actually the only person in the story I did like.
In this alternate/fantasy universe, the members of the Wisteria Society fly their houses from place to place, dislike and disrespect men, love nobody, hire assassins to murder their friends, poison their husbands (or stab them, or …), steal the possessions of others, well, you name it – I sort of thought they were worse than the mafia. Queen Victoria even flies Windsor Castle into battle.
I really, really wanted to love this book as much as I loved the book blurb, but I just couldn't get there. The writing is well done, I loved the author's way of turning a phrase and the way she handled the internal dialogue, etc. I just couldn't get into the story or the characters. I am sorry to say that I won't be looking for further books by this author.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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I think this book will probably work for some readers but there was just too much going on for my taste. It's kind of a bizarre mashup of historical romance (I think) with pirates and magic and very silly humor, but written as if it's a play. But in novel form, not script form. Yeah...it's rather strange. I didn't expect when the description mentioned the main character would "fly around London" that I should take that literally. I feel like if you are in the right mood for this kind o
DNF at 10%I think this book will probably work for some readers but there was just too much going on for my taste. It's kind of a bizarre mashup of historical romance (I think) with pirates and magic and very silly humor, but written as if it's a play. But in novel form, not script form. Yeah...it's rather strange. I didn't expect when the description mentioned the main character would "fly around London" that I should take that literally. I feel like if you are in the right mood for this kind of book and it's your thing, you may have a good time with it. Unfortunately I don't think it's really my cup of tea so I won't be finishing. The humor wasn't landing for me. It feels like it's trying too hard with things like the excessively lengthy chapter titles. But if this sounds fun to you, other reviewers have been enjoying it, so if it sounds like your thing it may be worth a shot! I received an advance copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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The aura of this book is a magically intoxicating blend of The Princess Bride and Wuthering Heights, from the writers of Shrek 3 with a touch of Up, and of course the pen of India Holton. It's incredible how this one inspired so many memories in me but is still precisely and fearlessly it's own beautiful thing.
Inigo and Wesley sword fighting is exactly how Cecilia and Ned talk to (and also fight) each other. A long line of Cecilias (and a Cilla)? Cathy and Catherine love
✨"Explosions (sensual)."✨The aura of this book is a magically intoxicating blend of The Princess Bride and Wuthering Heights, from the writers of Shrek 3 with a touch of Up, and of course the pen of India Holton. It's incredible how this one inspired so many memories in me but is still precisely and fearlessly it's own beautiful thing.
Inigo and Wesley sword fighting is exactly how Cecilia and Ned talk to (and also fight) each other. A long line of Cecilias (and a Cilla)? Cathy and Catherine love the tribute. Frederick and Captain Morvath are such fun additions because they were over-the-top and just so theatrical. Think Prince Charming trying to act in Shrek 3. The lady scoundrels having a "craft-making session" is both the princesses and the fairy tale villains (in the most lovable way possible). The magical floating houses invoke the whimsy of Up.
Incredible, smart, vivid prose leaps off the page and lands in a battle stance ready to stab you with a fork, where it will then write you a beautiful poem about your demise. The amount of heart and care that went into the characters is as palpable as it is enchanting; the amount of wit and humor is intoxicating. The entire book is just so goddamn clever.
The chapter headers are incredible and also incredibly hilarious. The ending is a true storybook love story and inspired so many potential adjectives I can't even begin to choose the perfect fit.
Ned and Cecilia's fairytale title would be Beauty and the Blackstocking. Cecilia is gloriously turned on by Ned's purloining and he's hopelessly in love with her(s). The romance is slow burn but their chemistry is tantalizing from the beginning. There were little mysteries throughout and the pace never faltered.
Here are some of my favorite lines short enough for me to quote:
🏴☠️You're right. I am the ghost of Emily Brontë.
🏴☠️Ned silences Cecilia inappropriately.
🏴☠️Neither thought for a moment to stop and actually properly talk.
🏴☠️Kindly convey our apologies to Olivia. (In modern parlance: "Fuck off.")
🏴☠️If society wanted me to keep track of my illicit lovers, they should have educated me better.
🏴☠️So this is merely a romance?
Overall, I desperately didn't want this one to end. I've already grown roots pining for the next book. I have a good feeling about Alex. I have such a good feeling about the Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶🌶/5
This book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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The pacing of the plot brought the book down, though.
It just kept going on...and on...and on...
As a reader, I lacked a clear understanding of what the goal w What this book does well it does REALLY well. I loved the world-building. The lady pirates with their floating houses and strict rules of etiquette are such a delight. The humor tends towards absurd without feeling too jarringly anachronistic. And every line about assassination left me chuckling. (And how often can you type that sentence?)
The pacing of the plot brought the book down, though.
It just kept going on...and on...and on...
As a reader, I lacked a clear understanding of what the goal was. Defeat the bad guy? Wrap up the romance? Win fame and fortune? The story itself even mocks this near the end when the heroine admits to all the ways she contributed nothing.
But whatever the goal, every time I thought we'd reached it, I would be surprised to discover my audiobook still had 20% to go.
I also didn't necessarily like the heroine. I love the idea of the romance. The two have chemistry. But I never fully clicked with them as individuals. POVs from side characters also kept distracting me from the main storyline.
And finally, in full disclosure, I'm rather tired of Queen Victoria making appearances in my strong-women fiction. Leave the poor woman alone.
Overall, though, this was a light, enjoyable story and I just might pick up the sequel. ...more
I enjoyed the world Holton created, and I look forward to trying more.
Cecilia just wants to part of the Wisteria Society and show all those ladies that she's not going to turn evil like her father. Then a dashing, charming pirate knocks on her door, ready to assassinate
Ok but this book is really a true enemies to lovers romance where they REALLY REALLY try to kill each other every chance they get lmao. And it was fantastic! The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is a hilarious historical romance with fantasy elements that definitely would work so well as a film.Cecilia just wants to part of the Wisteria Society and show all those ladies that she's not going to turn evil like her father. Then a dashing, charming pirate knocks on her door, ready to assassinate her. Of course, he falls for her immediately and doesn't know what to do. Their missions and goals make them bump into each other constantly, and when the Wisteria Society ladies are kidnapped, Cecilia thinks it's the perfect opportunity to show them all how good a pirate she is.
It's a bit hard to catch up at first with all the different names and things that are happening on-page, but after you know who is who and get a feel of the story and writing, anything else will flow so easily! Cecilia and Ned are really great main characters. It's really interesting to be inside their heads ESPECIALLY when they're together. All these conflicted emotions develop into something really, really good. And let's not talk about the kisses because ooof. It's those kinds of kisses where the tension and pining have been so high, a kiss is bound to happen, you know?
Get ready to meet the Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels and their flying houses, some assassination attempts, two or three marriage proposals, a lot of thieves and pirates, and an epic love story. This is a series so I'm excited to see what's next! I want to keep seeing Ned and Cecilia tho lmao.
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Our heroine Ceci
An exceptionally enjoyable gaslamp fantasy romance! The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is a romp from start to finish. The titular Wisteria Society is a loosely affiliated group of women who fly their houses around to carry out acts of piracy. (Yes, they actually use magical incantations to levitate their houses.) They are, however, "Lady Scoundrels," meaning that in addition to theft, breaking and entering, and assassinations, they are also devoted to the rules of society.Our heroine Cecilia has been raised by her aunt to become a member of the Wisteria Society... but at 19 she has not yet been promoted to full membership. Our hero Ned has at least 5 alternate identities (we're still not sure which is his "real name"), and we're still not sure of his motivations at the beginning of the novel (at least where they concern Cecilia). Ned and Cecilia are thrown together in all sorts of situations as they go to the rescue of the Wisteria Society on their way to their own particular Happily Ever After.
We also want to mention that the style of this book is highly referential to romantic and Victorian authors and poets, so if you are a fan of 1800s literature you will find much to entertain you here! That said, Holton's style is not just a pastiche of other authors. Her whimsical turns of phrase are delightful and will have you chortling while you read.
5-Word Summaries:
Laine: A Guide to Pirate Manners.
Meg: Pack your poetry & your weaponry.
This objective review is based on a complimentary advanced reader copy of the novel.
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WooooOkayyyy… 😂😂😂
A disclaimer: this is actually my second attempt at reading this book. The first time, I went in totally cold, got to page 16 and was like, "what the fff?" I put it aside because honestly I was super confused.
Anyway. After I realised that
"We have only three laws in our Society, Cecilia. No killing civilians. Pour the tea before the milk. And no stealing each other's houses. Anyone breaking those laws is cast out—literally, and in most cases from a very significant height."WooooOkayyyy… 😂😂😂
A disclaimer: this is actually my second attempt at reading this book. The first time, I went in totally cold, got to page 16 and was like, "what the fff?" I put it aside because honestly I was super confused.
Anyway. After I realised that this is NOT YOUR AVERAGE VICTORIAN ROMANCE NOVEL, I quickly reframed and started my second read. Best decision ever.
"We shall not attend," Miss Darlington replied. "Cecilia's health could not withstand such excitement. Kindly convey our apologies to Olivia." (In modern parlance: "Fuck off.")
🤣🤣🤣
This book in one word: MADCAP. We are talking assassins, pirates, murderous septuagenarians, tea parties, flying houses, an evil (and unpublished) poet-villain, Brontë angst, secret hidden passages, sword fights, gun fights, cannon fire, etc etc etc.
Underlying all that, a beautiful love story that blossoms between Cecilia Bassingthwaite, a lady scoundrel with impeccable grace and Ned Lightbourne, pirate/assassin/spy/fencing master/man with multiple nom de plumes.
"I'm thinking of starting a Society of Gentlemen Scoundrels."
"You're millennia too late. It already exists and is called the patriarchy."
If you enjoyed the 1987 movie cult classic that is The Princess Bride, you will love the whimsical craziness and clever wit of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels. I laughed so much reading this; India Holton is one immensely funny, talented writer. I probably missed more than a few obscure literary jokes that flew right over my head, but even so, my sides ached. I'm so looking forward to the next book!
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So this book is about lady pirates who fly their houses around England. They take no offense at thievery and assassination, but you must be proper about it, and heaven forbid
I actually requested the sequel to this book on Netgalley and was approved before I realized it was the second book in a series, and while it didn't seem like it would be necessary to read this one first since romance books can usually be read on their own, I thought I'd give it a shot anyway. And it was a pretty good time!So this book is about lady pirates who fly their houses around England. They take no offense at thievery and assassination, but you must be proper about it, and heaven forbid we should talk about the body as if it actually exists! Anyway, the main character's father is an insane pirate who hates women and who has decided to kill all the lady pirates, Queen Victoria, and take England under his rule, all because he thinks his father was Branwell Brontë (brother to Charlotte, Anne, and Emily), and he is angry about not being legitimate so he can like, cash in on that fame, or whatever.
This is a strange little book. I had a hard time getting into it at first, and the worldbuilding elements (since it's fantasy, and alt-history to some extent) felt really under-developed and nonsensical to me for like half the book, but then something clicked and I ended up having a good time with it. The flying houses thing really got to me. It still seems ridiculous in terms of logistics, but I guess you just have to go with it. Especially since it's meant to be ridiculous, as is the rest of the book. As an example of this, there is a character list at the beginning, only it turns out that by the end you realize that one character in the book is actually seven of those characters listed, in his various aliases. Also, there's a scene where the main character's aunt* calls Charles Darwin "Chubber Darwin", and implies he was one of her lovers.
*Not really, but spoilers.
There is a love for gothic literature present here, an affection for literature set in the Victorian time period, and almost a lampooning of Victorian sexual and social mores. Each chapter starts with a play on a line from a Brontë novel, and there is a beleaguered copy of Wuthering Heights the main character drags around in a futile attempt to connect to her heritage, which at one point is shot through with a bullet. I enjoyed this as much as I do not enjoy Wuthering Heights. The Victorian-flavored sex scene made me laugh out loud, although I'm not sure it was supposed to.
Very much looking forward to the second book.
[3.5 stars, rounded up]
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The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels was such a clever and imaginative story. It was exciting, empowering, and so funny. I did find some scenes overly descriptive and the pacing a bit slow at times, which made the book feel overly long, but it was a great ride. The ending brought a huge smile to my face and I was so happy that Cecelia finally made it to the library. ;) I can't wait to see where this series goes next.
*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*
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Wow! What an adventure. India's creativity and imaginative storytelling made for a deliciously piratical, fantastical romp. It wasn't just set in the Victorian era, it *felt* Victorian. It had so many Victorian easter eggs that my Vic-Lit loving heart leaped with joy to see and my unpracticed brain sighed wistfully for, knowing I was too long out of the lecture room to catch them all. This was stunningly smart and
Thank you to Berkley Romance for the advance review copy. All opinions are my own!Wow! What an adventure. India's creativity and imaginative storytelling made for a deliciously piratical, fantastical romp. It wasn't just set in the Victorian era, it *felt* Victorian. It had so many Victorian easter eggs that my Vic-Lit loving heart leaped with joy to see and my unpracticed brain sighed wistfully for, knowing I was too long out of the lecture room to catch them all. This was stunningly smart and clever, with Wildean wit bearing sucker-punch social commentary in sparkling, drolly delivered lines. Complimented with Gilbert and Sullivanesque theatrical action, absurdity, and playfulness, this was truly such fun. If you're looking for something as brilliantly outside the box as it is seductively smart and swoony, The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is for you!
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Meet our heroine:
"I am Miss Cecilia Bassingthwaite. It's a pleasure to make your acquaDNF - 20%. This is unadulterated silliness with little depth or coherence to either the story or the world. It's not for me, although I can see how it might be audacious enough in its implausibility to work for other people or other moods. Pirate-gentlewomen with flying houses who would as soon shoot you as attend a tea party are not turning out to be my thing, any more than Pride and Prejudice and zombies did.
Meet our heroine:
"I am Miss Cecilia Bassingthwaite. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Another word and I shall have to kill you.""You won't. [...] I know of Cecilia Bassingthwaite. Despite your blighted parentage, you have a reputation for gentle, ladylike refinement. You won't kill me."
Cecilia considered this. She did not mind so much her parents being cast as blighted, since it could hardly be disputed; gentle, however, sounded like an insult. "Perhaps not kill you," she agreed. "But I will happily render you unconscious and then sell you back to your family for an exorbitant ransom."
India Holton seems comfortable writing in this pseudo-Victorian voice and comes off as more fluent than this kind of pastiche usually does. At the same time, this book requires some serious suspension of disbelief at every level: these are pillaging pirates who are also Victorian ladies, who observe some of the finer points of etiquette while also stealing, shooting, and murdering. (Although maybe the greatest stretch of plausibility is doing a flip in a corset and long skirts.) Even human behavior is 100% implausible in this book. By all means, let us banter wittily / flirtatiously with people who just tried to kill us.
It also sets itself up as a romance almost from the first page, and I can already tell you based on the characterization that I don't care.
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is essentially steampunk: a costume fantasy with nothing but hot air underneath. No thank you.
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So I'm ok with Steampunk Victorian novels but I realize I'm not fully relating to this quasi-quirky Pirate Victorian romance more in the mode of a Lemony Snicket title, or maybe of Road Dahl gone rogue and let loose in Victorian England, with Quentin Blake illustrations naturally.
Is this a Victorian fantasy or something else? We have lady pirates trying to kill each other off, a would be assassin who'd rather write poetry, and escapades involving flying hou
So I'm ok with Steampunk Victorian novels but I realize I'm not fully relating to this quasi-quirky Pirate Victorian romance more in the mode of a Lemony Snicket title, or maybe of Road Dahl gone rogue and let loose in Victorian England, with Quentin Blake illustrations naturally.
Is this a Victorian fantasy or something else? We have lady pirates trying to kill each other off, a would be assassin who'd rather write poetry, and escapades involving flying houses.
Have I strayed into a Baba Yaga alternate world, or is this simply a humorous alternative Victorian fantasy romance?
Celia Bassingwaite belongs to the Wisteria Society crime sorority. A thief who takes delight in seeking out treasures and obtaining them in less than approved ways.
Ned Lightbourne is an assassin working for the deranged Captain Morvath who's decided to rid the land of forward thinking women, starting with the Wisteria ladies.
Not what I'd envisaged when I settled down to read a historical romance. No, this is somewhat more of a satirical /paradoxical romp—maybe!
I'm just going to have to do a re-read of this to really come to grips with it's unorthodox departure from my expectations. At the moment I'm sitting just below the fence.
A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley
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This book appeals to a certain type of reader, and as it turns out, that type of reader is not me because I did not care for it at all.
This is kind of an adult version of the Lady Janies series, but with more slapstick humor like Monty Python. This style of humor doesn't really appeal to me so I was constantly rolling my eyes and cringing instead of laughing. It came off as trying way too hard to be funny, like the chastity belt scene or Queen Victoria carryi
I don't even know how to review this…This book appeals to a certain type of reader, and as it turns out, that type of reader is not me because I did not care for it at all.
This is kind of an adult version of the Lady Janies series, but with more slapstick humor like Monty Python. This style of humor doesn't really appeal to me so I was constantly rolling my eyes and cringing instead of laughing. It came off as trying way too hard to be funny, like the chastity belt scene or Queen Victoria carrying around a huge portrait of Albert and talking to it.
I guess I missed from the blurb that this is an alternate Victorian England with some fantasy elements (I thought it was a straight up historical) so I was really turned off with the flying houses and characters speaking in a basically modern way.
The "romance" (if you could call it that) was really random and was somewhat confusing because he had about five different identities and I couldn't keep them all straight. There was a lot of innuendo and banter but it was basically thinly veiled instalove.
The story was very odd and the villain was completely ridiculous. This is the kind of story that would work better as a movie. It was just too slapsticky for me.
**read for book scavenger hunt - read a book whose author's name contains the letters T, A, I, and L**
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In other words, if you grew up (as I did!) on 19th-century literature, you'll either adore or be hopelessly d
This is a fantastically madcap alt-19th-century adventure starring a whole bunch of fabulous lady pirates who sail the air in their flying houses, stealing treasure and fighting each other - except when they have to band against their common enemy, a brooding, Brontë-obsessed villain in a looming abbey with a name you'll recognize (in variation-form) if you've read any Jane Austen novels.In other words, if you grew up (as I did!) on 19th-century literature, you'll either adore or be hopelessly distracted by the fact that this novel is absolutely packed with literary allusions, with half the throwaway sentences containing either allusions to 19th-century novels or variations upon classic lines from those novels. It's all really wittily and cleverly done, but it IS also a lot, and at the beginning of the book I honestly felt like it was slowing the pacing down a bit and also keeping me from connecting to the characters of this book - as if it were more a parody of 19th-century literature than a novel in its own right.
However, once I got a few chapters in and the story got moving, I started really enjoying the book after all, and I read it happily to the end from then on, snickering at several lines and even laughing out loud at a few points that were SO fun. If you're a Gail Carriger fan, you'll enjoy the style of this novel - and any history or fantasy fan will enjoy the fabulous flying houses from the beginning! I loved all the various pirates in this book, and I had a really good time with it overall.
...moreNow she lives in a cottage near the sea, writing books about unconventional women and charming rogues.Think slow burn romance with literal explosions.
India's writing is fuelled by tea, buttered scones, and thunderstorms.
India resides in New Zealand, where she's enjoyed the typical Kiwi lifestyle of wandering around forests, living barefoot on islands, and messing about in boats.Now she lives in a cottage near the sea, writing books about unconventional women and charming rogues.Think slow burn romance with literal explosions.
India's writing is fuelled by tea, buttered scones, and thunderstorms.
...moreOther books in the series
Articles featuring this book
"Yes," he agreed. "I'm thinking of starting a Society of Gentlemen Scoundrels."
"You're millennia too late. It already exists and is called the patriarchy."
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