I beg your pardon, Captain Lightbourne, but I’m afraid I cannot be diverted from my schedule. Thank you for your consideration, however, and if you’ll just return my bracelet I’ll bid you good day.” Honestly, this book is not perfect but the way Ned and Cecilia interact with each other and mostly Ned and his charismatic personality, it's so hard to dislike the book. The romance is swoon worthy. The dialogues are quote worthy. We get a scene of Ned helping her get undressed, knife to her throat but all they do is flirt with each other, him stealing a whole library for her just cause he knows she loves books. Do I need to say more? Ahhh. India: I can’t honestly say whether I’d write the same way if I’d lived a more urban upbringing, it’s impossible to know. The outdoors lifestyle is so integral to being a Kiwi, even in our cities we are close to beaches or lakes, forests, and rivers. But my writing process is intensely internal, I pretty much shut the doors and windows and disappear into my fictional world.

As much fun as the English language will permit.”—New York Times Book Review on The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels For a moment he just looked at her, his smile still and his eyes intense, making the whole world seem to stop even while her heart fluttered as if he was thieving something from beneath it. Her blood began to race— What bracelet?” he asked, all innocence. Cecilia pursed her lips and held out her hand, and he grinned as he laid the loop of gold and pearl in her gloved palm. The Jane Austen references are frequent, hilarious, and incredibly clever. There are constant references to famous lines that Holton turns on their heads, and Charlotte's habit of relying on the Austen heroines of her imagination to help her when she's unsure what to do (besides being a little too relatable) is such a lovely way for a neurodiverse HR heroine to have adapted to having difficulty in social situations. If books are truly a portable magic, then The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is a satchel full of powerful spells and glittering fairy dust." —Lynn Painter, author of Better Than the MoviesWith 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!" —Manda Collins, author of A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem The characters in "The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels" are a delightful bunch, each with their own quirks and secrets that make them truly memorable. Lady Cecilia Bassingthwaite, our spirited and resourceful protagonist, leads the charge with her determination and sharp wit. Alongside her, Lady Jane 'Bunny' St. Clair, the enigmatic Captain Morvath, and the rest of the Wisteria Society bring an extra layer of intrigue and charm to the narrative.

This is a companion to book 1 so it could technically be read on its own - however I highly recommend starting with book 1 (because it's fantastic). After how much I loved that first book, I had really high executions going into this one. But this had absolutely everything I loved about that first book with new charming and wonderful characters. Recommended for: HR and/or fantasy readers, Janeites, romance lovers, enemies to lovers fans, readers familiar with Victorian/Romantic lit, anyone looking for a good laughThis book disturbed my peace in the most criminally delightful manner. The series is fantastic. I’m pining away for book three as we speak ✨ 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!! 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). A lady scoundrel goes on a road trip with a smooth-tongued assassin in an alternate-universe Victorian Britain. This series is so fantastic!! I love how quirky, funny, and unique this world is and I can't get enough of it. These characters - especially Alex - stole my whole heart.