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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman is a cozy mystery with a bit of romance. Lady Augusta Colebrook and her twin sister Lady Julia Colebrook are spinsters who are helping Lady Hester Belford and her lover Miss Grant escape from Lord Deele. Lord Deele has guardianship over Lady Hester since her older brother, Lord Even Belford, was wrongly accused of murder and sent away to Australia. Lord Deele doesn’t want Lady Hester and Miss Grant to have a relationship, so he locked her up in an asylum. After removing Lady Hester from the asylum, they had to keep her safe from her brother, who plans to return her. Lady Augusta is also working to help clear Lord Even’s name so that he can resume guardianship over Lady Heaster. I enjoyed the way this story unfolded and the connections between all of the characters.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A bit repetitive at the start to remind folks of what happened in the previous book. This became annoying, but the story and characters are still so fun. It didn’t really matter. Can’t wait for the next adventure!
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual violence, Violence, Lesbophobia
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Kidnapping
The main characters investigate a notorious sex club, where they discover bodies of young women tortured and killed by wealthy men who placed bets on how long they would take to die.
A character repeatedly threatens the main character with rape and assaults her by groping her breasts. Later, there is an attempted rape which is violently interrupted after the main character is held down with her skirts over her head, and is groped between the legs.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
What a fun series! I've been waiting for this book ever since I finished the first one, which was excellent. This is a worthy sequel and just as enjoyable. Goodman does a wonderful job of making these books humorous and fun, while also dealing with some dark topics of the time period. However, this is only on the page for a short period. Augusta is a great main character, both adventurous and witty. The relationship between the sisters and everyone in the book is fun to read about. The writing is very good. I really can't say enough good things about it. Now I have to wait for the next installment. Please write fast Alison!
In summary: there is humor, there is heart, and there is a great page turning story. What more could you want?
In summary: there is humor, there is heart, and there is a great page turning story. What more could you want?
adventurous
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
High society, swashbuckling adventure, women’s rights and a dash of romance? Be still my soul! This book has everything. The first book in this series single-handedly reignited my love of reading that has been dormant for a decade. This one is darker than the first but every bit as wonderful. I’m always game for feisty feminist historical fiction. I adore Gus, Julia, Kent and Evan and can hardly wait for the adventure to continue!