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A review by jennifermreads
A Useful Woman by Darcie Wilde
4.0
[b:The Secret of the Lost Pearls|60767276|The Secret of the Lost Pearls (Rosalind Thorne Mysteries, #6)|Darcie Wilde|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1649339779l/60767276._SX50_.jpg|95818361] crossed my TL in December and I really wanted to just dive right in. But, because The Secret of the Lost Pearls is #6 in the series, and I’m a read-it-in-order kinda gal, I looped back to #1 to get the character background and a feel for the setting. I am very glad I did that. I do not think I’ve ever read a Regency period novel!
Almack’s and its stuffy patronesses were new, and fascinating, territory for me. Because young women just don’t live on their own, Rosalind’s backstory was imperative & I would have been so confused had I just jumped right in on The Secret of the Lost Pearls. The number of lords and ladies in A Useful Woman was mind-boggling. I was reminded of how reading period-piece novels is a frame-of-mind and one has to get comfortable in the language, titles, and classism.
When I finished the book in the wee hours this morning (darn insomnia!), I wasn’t sure if I’d read the whole series—or just jump to The Secret of the Lost Pearls since it was the one that piqued my interest. But, as I write this review and reflect on how interesting it was to read a book set in the Regency Era, with these characters in particular, I think I will continue reading the entire series. After all, I want to see what happens with Mr. Harkness and if the classism is addressed or if it all just gets swept under the rug for propriety’s sake. Intro a love triangle, best resolve that triangle! And I better not have to read the whole series to get said resolution.
Almack’s and its stuffy patronesses were new, and fascinating, territory for me. Because young women just don’t live on their own, Rosalind’s backstory was imperative & I would have been so confused had I just jumped right in on The Secret of the Lost Pearls. The number of lords and ladies in A Useful Woman was mind-boggling. I was reminded of how reading period-piece novels is a frame-of-mind and one has to get comfortable in the language, titles, and classism.
When I finished the book in the wee hours this morning (darn insomnia!), I wasn’t sure if I’d read the whole series—or just jump to The Secret of the Lost Pearls since it was the one that piqued my interest. But, as I write this review and reflect on how interesting it was to read a book set in the Regency Era, with these characters in particular, I think I will continue reading the entire series. After all, I want to see what happens with Mr. Harkness and if the classism is addressed or if it all just gets swept under the rug for propriety’s sake. Intro a love triangle, best resolve that triangle! And I better not have to read the whole series to get said resolution.