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readingwithhippos's review against another edition
4.0
Nobody writes a lusty heroine like Grace Callaway. I’m not really a fan of the “experienced man teaches clueless virgin what a clitoris is” dynamic you often see in historical romance, and I really appreciate that Callaway’s heroines may be inexperienced, but they know what feels good and aren’t totally unfamiliar with their own bodies. In this new series, in addition to the steamy goodness we have a team of lady investigators! Olivia is delighted to be recruited into Lady Charlotte’s covert group, but she struggles to keep it a secret from Ben, the tortured widower she’s been in love with since she was a teenager. A great start to the series, can’t wait for the next one.
torilovesheas's review
4.0
This book is ridiculous in the best way. It's Charlie's Angels set in the 1800's with trope heaviness that I just could not stop reading. It's a little bit silly, but I'm telling you, it's 100% fun.
I absolutely had to set aside my logic cap for a good portion of this book, because, I'll be real with you, most of it was ridiculously over the top. I mean, a leader named Charlie, a group of female investigators, and literal mustache twirly villains serving up mysterious new drugs to unsuspecting members of society? It's like Austin Powers and Charlie's Angels had a baby and time traveled back to England. The girls, including our FMC, train to fight, dress in disguises that are insanely over the top (circus performers, anyone?), and manage to solve riddles that I would have been scratching my noggin for days over. In no way is that realistic. But it is freaking fun. I'm telling you I didn't honestly pay half way attention to the romance (which was okay and pretty run of the mill age-gap, friends to lovers). I was just supremely entertained by the girl gang, insane shenanigans that were going on all over London.
Also, can we talk about the fact that the villain of this book is thought to be Chinese, a la every old school action movie where the villain is vaguely not American. But ya know what. He's not chinese. He is a white man in a bad wig and assuming get-up. Like, a thousand points to Grace for flipping that trope around. It's just such a nice change from the villain being a minority. Loved that.
This book was fun and if it wasn't written well, I probably would have hated it. But it made me go rewatch the OG Charlie's Angela with loml Drew Barrymore, so it's a winner in my book.
I absolutely had to set aside my logic cap for a good portion of this book, because, I'll be real with you, most of it was ridiculously over the top. I mean, a leader named Charlie, a group of female investigators, and literal mustache twirly villains serving up mysterious new drugs to unsuspecting members of society? It's like Austin Powers and Charlie's Angels had a baby and time traveled back to England. The girls, including our FMC, train to fight, dress in disguises that are insanely over the top (circus performers, anyone?), and manage to solve riddles that I would have been scratching my noggin for days over. In no way is that realistic. But it is freaking fun. I'm telling you I didn't honestly pay half way attention to the romance (which was okay and pretty run of the mill age-gap, friends to lovers). I was just supremely entertained by the girl gang, insane shenanigans that were going on all over London.
Also, can we talk about the fact that the villain of this book is thought to be Chinese, a la every old school action movie where the villain is vaguely not American. But ya know what. He's not chinese. He is a white man in a bad wig and assuming get-up. Like, a thousand points to Grace for flipping that trope around. It's just such a nice change from the villain being a minority. Loved that.
This book was fun and if it wasn't written well, I probably would have hated it. But it made me go rewatch the OG Charlie's Angela with loml Drew Barrymore, so it's a winner in my book.
aedgeworth27's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
ahyggelibrary's review
3.0
I actually didn't mind the age gap in this one, because Callaway navigated it pretty well. As a main character, Olivia proved herself to be both determined and passionate about what she cared about. In some ways, I think that made her naive about Ben, especially with his past, but I think everyone can be guilty of that with the people they love. Considering Olivia's a member of the Society of Angels
Spoiler
I think it would have made more sense for Ben to go through a more redemptive process to earn Olivia's respect. True, he did save her when he was younger, but I think she was too quick to overlook his flaws. Like another reviewer mentioned, I would have also liked Ben to have seen Olivia more in action, and not just in her disguises. Additionally, the sex was just way too unregency, and often got in the way of the mysterious aspects of the plot.alh18's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.75
Wow! First Grace Callaway book I've read. So steamy!
rubyslippers96's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, and Gaslighting
celeste_golds's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
melireadsromance's review
5.0
This was my first full novel by Grace Callaway, having been introduced to her work by a short story. I was not disappointed. I loved everything about this book. I found the relationship between Olivia and Ben to be sweet and tender (and smoking hot). Their banter sparkled. The conflict between the two was believable, plus there was the added external conflict of the mystery “Charlie’s Angels” are trying to solve. I enjoyed the introduction of the secondary characters, and I found myself looking forward to reading their stories as well. Overall, this book ticked all the boxes for me, and I can’t wait to read the next in the series.