A Lady's Formula for Love
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- Create Date：2021-02-10 04:18:32
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Elizabeth Everett
- ISBN：9780593200629
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Editor Reviews
11/09/2020
Everett debuts with an enjoyable feminist romance between a widowed viscountess and her bodyguard。 In 1842 England， Lady Violet Hughes runs Athena’s Retreat， a secret club of eccentric and groundbreaking female scientists。 Meanwhile， Omnium Democratia， an illegal workers’ organization demanding suffrage for all men， grows increasingly radical and violent。 When Omnium brings a devastating new chemical weapon to their riots， the Crown tasks Violet with developing an antidote， and her stepson， Grey， hires protection officer Arthur Kneland to keep her safe as she completes the formula。 Between contending with sabotage attempts on her work and keeping up the appearance of propriety to protect her beloved club， the last thing Violet needs is to let the “instantaneous， primal attraction” between her and Arthur cloud her judgement。 The pair decides their affair must be fleeting and purely physical—but both soon realize that deeper feelings lie beneath their chemistry。 Everett’s expert character development results in Violet and Arthur’s believable and scorching connection， though this is sometimes at the cost of the suspense plot， which is underdeveloped in comparison。 Nevertheless， the diverse cast and admirable heroine will win over fans of historical romance。 Everett’s off to a promising start。 Agent: Ann Leslie Tuttle， Dystel， Goderich & Bourret。 （Feb。）
Reviews
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Allison
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Historical rom-com fans， start lining up now: A LADY'S FORMULA FOR LOVE is so charming you won't be able to stand it。 It's got everything: lady scientists， secret societies， broody bodyguards， rogue tarantulas， steamy sex， explosions， feminism， Scottish accents。 Violet is a witty， absentminded， brilliant heroine I was rooting for from page 1， and Arthur is so romantic he's setting the bar impossibly high for men everywhere。 I whipped through this book in a weekend and know I will be coming back Historical rom-com fans， start lining up now: A LADY'S FORMULA FOR LOVE is so charming you won't be able to stand it。 It's got everything: lady scientists， secret societies， broody bodyguards， rogue tarantulas， steamy sex， explosions， feminism， Scottish accents。 Violet is a witty， absentminded， brilliant heroine I was rooting for from page 1， and Arthur is so romantic he's setting the bar impossibly high for men everywhere。 I whipped through this book in a weekend and know I will be coming back to it in the future when I need a witty， sweet escape from the world。 Bravo to the author， and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in this five-star series！ 。。。more
Harper St。 George
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A brilliant scientist and her brooding bodyguard discover that love can find you when you least expect it。 A Lady’s Formula for Love is full of wit， charm， and intrigue。 You don’t want to miss this exciting debut from Elizabeth Everett。
Rebecca
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Thanks to the publisher， via Netgalley， for an advance e-galley for honest review。3。5 stars， rounded up。 I'm really enjoying what feels like a surge in historical romance featuring smart， women in STEM characters and the like。 This was steamy， witty， and smart。 It's been set up for a series well， with lots of interesting characters supporting the main couple in this one。 Thanks to the publisher， via Netgalley， for an advance e-galley for honest review。3。5 stars， rounded up。 I'm really enjoying what feels like a surge in historical romance featuring smart， women in STEM characters and the like。 This was steamy， witty， and smart。 It's been set up for a series well， with lots of interesting characters supporting the main couple in this one。 。。。more
Ariel
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Bodyguard romance meets Secret Society of Lady Scientists in this 19th-century set novel。 Lady Violet opened up one of the most elusive secret society in all of London， a safe haven for lady scientists to explore their work unbothered by society's limits thrown upon them。 In her society， they can explore and create new inventions as they please， as long as they don't burn the place down。。。。 well， she will support them if they do so。 For years Violet was pigeonholed into submission （by way of bei Bodyguard romance meets Secret Society of Lady Scientists in this 19th-century set novel。 Lady Violet opened up one of the most elusive secret society in all of London， a safe haven for lady scientists to explore their work unbothered by society's limits thrown upon them。 In her society， they can explore and create new inventions as they please， as long as they don't burn the place down。。。。 well， she will support them if they do so。 For years Violet was pigeonholed into submission （by way of being a hostess and abandoning her wonder） by her late husband and wishes for women to explore their intellect。 When Violet's latest design is discovering an antidote to a new weapon fashioned by the Crown's enemy， her stepson hires bodyguard Arthur Kneeland。 Kneeland's past continues to haunt him for the last twenty years， and he's hesitant to start caring for his charges again until he meets Violet and her band of scientists。 What I loved most about this book was its romance elements mixed with feminism。 The women within the pages of the book don't want to be the property of the men that rule their lives， they want a room of their own， just as Violet has provided to them。 Thank you Elizabeth Evertt， NetGalley， and Berkley Publishing for sharing this stellar arc with me in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Tracy Emro
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After years trapped in a loveless marriage， where her brilliance was left to molder， Violet Hughes， the widowed Viscountess Greycliff is finally free to pursue her dreams and her scientific theories。 But she was not content to just follow her dream， she also created a social club for ladies; Athena’s Retreat， a place where other women could gather and conduct their research。 Violet is a chemist and often does work for the crown， so when her step-son， William Hughes， the new Viscount Greycliff “G After years trapped in a loveless marriage， where her brilliance was left to molder， Violet Hughes， the widowed Viscountess Greycliff is finally free to pursue her dreams and her scientific theories。 But she was not content to just follow her dream， she also created a social club for ladies; Athena’s Retreat， a place where other women could gather and conduct their research。 Violet is a chemist and often does work for the crown， so when her step-son， William Hughes， the new Viscount Greycliff “Grey” requested her help， she freely and eagerly accepts an assignment to find an antidote for a chemical weapon that was used by the illegal workers’ organization known as Omnium Democratia – a weapon that killed a constable。 The assignment is dangerous as the members of Omnium will stop at nothing to prevent Violet from succeeding。 When Grey is called out of town， he hires Arthur Kneland， a retired counter-assassin for the crown， to protect Violet。 A job that promises to be anything but boring when a bomb is detonated the very first night they meet！ Violet and Arthur are instantly attracted to each other， but both have their reasons for trying to ignore the attraction。 But soon even their best intentions are not enough to keep them apart， something that Arthur berates himself for when he believes he failed her after another attack is made。 For her part， Violet has finally found a man that makes her feel beautiful and encourages her scientific pursuits – a man she isn’t sure she can let walk away。 But before they can consider a future， they must first stop the villain before anyone else is killed！ This debut effort by Ms。 Everett was good and I enjoyed the mystery aspect， but the plot was a bit hectic and there were A LOT of characters to keep track of， not to mention the author’s writing style was a bit pleonastic and she leans toward a more sesquipedalian vocabulary – I am not sure if that is due to the nature of the text， which was largely scientific or if that is her normal style， either way， it was distracting and made the book easy to put down。 I was also a bit disappointed by the ending， I felt that the villain got off too easily – seriously， someone died and I don’t think their “punishment” fit the crime and I would have liked an epilogue since the book ends a bit abruptly。 Those issues aside， I really liked Violet and Arthur， I thought they were both wonderful characters with painful pasts that made them who they are today and I loved watching them bring out the best in each other and seeing them grow and forgive。 So for me， this book was not necessarily a “keeper” but for a debut， it was pretty good and I would read the next book by this author to see if her style smooths out a bit。*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher。 All opinions are my own * 。。。more
PlotTrysts
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A solid and enjoyable debut from Elizabeth Everett， A Lady's Formula for Love gives us appealing main characters and a believable love story。 Violet is a brilliant， socially awkward chemist who has spent years suppressing her intelligence and emotions in an attempt to please her （now-deceased） husband and， by extension， society。 Since her husband's death she has founded a women's "social club" - actually a front for a scientific society that allows women to do their own research， and also provid A solid and enjoyable debut from Elizabeth Everett， A Lady's Formula for Love gives us appealing main characters and a believable love story。 Violet is a brilliant， socially awkward chemist who has spent years suppressing her intelligence and emotions in an attempt to please her （now-deceased） husband and， by extension， society。 Since her husband's death she has founded a women's "social club" - actually a front for a scientific society that allows women to do their own research， and also provides some financial resources for them （Violet provides the space and much of the materials）。Although the society is secret， Viola's step-son knows about her research， and uses her as a resource for the government。 Since starting her experiments， she （and the Athena Society） have come under attack。 Enter Arthur， a bodyguard hired to protect Violet and her investigations。 He's experienced， intelligent， and will literally throw himself between his charges and danger - and he does so when they meet。The development of their relationship is the highlight of the book。 Violet slowly learns that she does not have to change herself for a man， and Arthur begins to open up to the idea that no man is an island。 In fact， both main characters must accept the value of their own emotions。 The only down side in the book is the resolution of the mystery。 We felt that the mystery itself was not well-developed， making the ending more of a head-scratcher than a twist。 （We were also pretty firmly on Arthur's side when it came to the consequences faced by the villain。。。）。 All in all， though， we loved the setup and will definitely be checking out more from Everett。18-Word Summaries:Laine: Widow founds secret society for women scientists， is targeted by a terrorist group， and falls for her bodyguard。 Meg: Violet doesn’t need someone smarter than she is - just someone smart enough to understand his comparative intellectual limitations。This objective review is based on a complimentary advanced reader copy of the book。 。。。more
Laura
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Lady Violet get awarded a contract from the government for a new scientific discovery。 This brilliant woman who has a club for women that masquerades as a place to convene for sewing and gossip。 But is actually a secret place for woman to research and hold scientific experiments。This new attention brings threats to Lady Violet， enter protection officer Arthur。 They have instant chemistry。 Violet is a widow and her husband was an abusive prick （verbally， we don't hear it only the after effects o Lady Violet get awarded a contract from the government for a new scientific discovery。 This brilliant woman who has a club for women that masquerades as a place to convene for sewing and gossip。 But is actually a secret place for woman to research and hold scientific experiments。This new attention brings threats to Lady Violet， enter protection officer Arthur。 They have instant chemistry。 Violet is a widow and her husband was an abusive prick （verbally， we don't hear it only the after effects on her self esteem） and this bodyguard is teaching her how to love herself。 But she is a lady of the ton， she has to choose the prudent Earl， the family friend who can keep her reputation intact but is like a brother。 Will she be able to follow her heart and her lady parts to the man she wants and screw convention？This book was unputdownable （is that a word？） with entertaining smart characters， steamy romance， STEM sexy talk， woman's rights， mystery， intrigue， and balls （the ones you dance at， you people have dirty minds！）！Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫Thank you @berkleyromance and @netgalley for the advanced readers copy for my honest and voluntary review。 。。。more
Ami
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2。5 starsUnfortunately， I have to be in the minority of readers who didn't enjoy this debut book by Elizabeth Everett。 I wish I could've liked it more。 I was interested with the book due to the blurb。。。 I mean， SECRET FEMALE SCIENTISTS sounds heavenly。 Women in STEM， people。 In historical era。 Alas， it didn't happen to me sadly。First and foremost， I thought Everett leaned towards the forgetful and mad-scientists trope a little bit too much。 It already started a bit shaky because so many characte 2。5 starsUnfortunately， I have to be in the minority of readers who didn't enjoy this debut book by Elizabeth Everett。 I wish I could've liked it more。 I was interested with the book due to the blurb。。。 I mean， SECRET FEMALE SCIENTISTS sounds heavenly。 Women in STEM， people。 In historical era。 Alas， it didn't happen to me sadly。First and foremost， I thought Everett leaned towards the forgetful and mad-scientists trope a little bit too much。 It already started a bit shaky because so many characters introduced right from the beginning， I was a bit struggling。 While I did have a smile or two in the beginning， with the mishaps that these women made in their laboratory， I soon grew rather tired of it。 Why can't the author write about competent brilliant women， who functions very well in life and society？ Yes， sure， sometimes explosions or something of error happens during experiment， but in this book， it also didn't serve a good purpose。 Like， well， these women create a lot of errors。 The men will surely roll their eyes。 Another one that totally made me disappointed with the author's choice was the treatment for the villain。 I was upset that the villain didn't get to be rightly punished。 I was even more upset that the author decided to use FORGIVENESS element to justify this， by way of Violet telling Arthur， "that this villain deserves atonement because of Arthur's past and that he should believe in forgiveness"。WELL， HELLO， ARTHUR DID NOT PUT A GUN TO YOU， VIOLET？！？！ And EXCUSE ME， what made Arthur exiled himself was TOTALLY DIFFERENT than what this villain did？！？ It was a different thing！ I was really grumpy about this， everyone！Oh， and Violet's friends made me angry as well！！ Why couldn't they champion Violet's happiness above all else？！？ I thought they were being rude and mean to her， kept her from organizing the events， when they knew how much the club meant for Violet。 Then chastising Violet when she wanted to grasp that happiness with Arthur， for the sake of "keeping the club away from scandal in society"。 WHAT ABOUT SISTERHOOD HERE， LADIES？！？！ You are NOT good friends *scoff*As for the romance， I'm sorry， but I thought Violet and Arthur were only connected by the temptation and attraction of the body。 There were a number of sexy times here， Violet couldn't help thinking about Arthur's physical attractiveness （it was right from the start）， and I am a reader who prefer the connection of mind and heart。 I wish there were more exploration of that， especially with Violet's background （of being lonely since her husband didn't appreciate her brilliant mind） and Arthur's past （of self-exiling because of the mistake he did）。 There weren't many of these scenes in my humble opinion。So yes， there weren't many things that made me excited about the series。 I wasn't curious with any of the secondary characters who MIGHT be the next hero/heroine。 The only two character that I thought were excellent were Winthram， the doorman， whose story was a bit heartbreaking， and Greycliff， who hired Arthur in the first place。 Don't think I will follow this series 😞A Guest Review for The Blogger GirlsThe ARC is provided by the publisher via Netgalley for an exchange of fair and honest review。 No high rating is required for any ARC received。 。。。more
Lynsy
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DNF @ 27%I tried to read this one， but I honestly kept forgetting to。 I wasn't into the insta-lust between the couple， and it sometimes felt like the author was trying too hard。 I think she has potential， but this one wasn't quite there for me。The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 DNF @ 27%I tried to read this one， but I honestly kept forgetting to。 I wasn't into the insta-lust between the couple， and it sometimes felt like the author was trying too hard。 I think she has potential， but this one wasn't quite there for me。The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Readaholic Book Reviews
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Widowed Lady Violet Hughes is on a top secret mission for the Crown。 But as with all top secret missions， her life may very well be in danger。 Soon Violet is under the protection of bodyguard Arthur Kneland。 Arthur takes his duties very seriously。 Rule #1 for Arthur is to never get too close to the person he is supposed to be protecting。 The growing attraction between Arthur and Violet has him concerned。 Violet's life is potentially in danger and Arthur needs to keep a clear head and his wits ab Widowed Lady Violet Hughes is on a top secret mission for the Crown。 But as with all top secret missions， her life may very well be in danger。 Soon Violet is under the protection of bodyguard Arthur Kneland。 Arthur takes his duties very seriously。 Rule #1 for Arthur is to never get too close to the person he is supposed to be protecting。 The growing attraction between Arthur and Violet has him concerned。 Violet's life is potentially in danger and Arthur needs to keep a clear head and his wits about him if he is to protect her。 Will his sense of duty prevent Arthur and Violet from becoming more than a working relationship？ I loved A Lady's Formula for Love！ This book had the perfect amount of humor， mystery and such a sweet and sexy romance between Arthur and Violet。 I will admit that I haven't read a lot of bodyguard romances， but。。。sigh， this one was so good。 Grumpy + sunshine gets me every time and Arthur was such a grump （but I still loved him）。 I loved his dry wit， but also how much love he has to give。 If Arthur is grumpy then Violet is definitely the epitome of sunshine。 Not only does she have an amazing refuge for women scientists to reside in， but she loves them all equally。 She is smart and witty， but is fighting her own doubts and insecurities。 These two together brought out the best in one another and their romance was equally swoony。 Although A Lady's Formula for Love was my first book by Elizabeth Everett， I already can't wait for the next book in the series to come out！ Pick up A Lady's Formula for Love if your'e looking for a romance featuring women in STEM， a bit of mystery and a swoony， steamy romance。 I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher。 。。。more
Morgan- Nothing Better Than a Book
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Violet has created London's first social club for ladies。 There is a secret club within the club where ladies can work on scientific discoveries。 Violet's stepson， Grey， has asked her to help with a project for the government。 This has put her in danger， so Grey hired Arthur to be her bodyguard。 Violet and Arthur instantly are attracted to each other， but he knows he should not be distracted by her while on the job。 He is pretty adamant about it due to some things that have happened in his past。 Violet has created London's first social club for ladies。 There is a secret club within the club where ladies can work on scientific discoveries。 Violet's stepson， Grey， has asked her to help with a project for the government。 This has put her in danger， so Grey hired Arthur to be her bodyguard。 Violet and Arthur instantly are attracted to each other， but he knows he should not be distracted by her while on the job。 He is pretty adamant about it due to some things that have happened in his past。 So every time that they get close， he pulls away and regrets getting distracted。 The middle part of the book started to drag for me a little bit， but the romance in the last third of the book was so sweet！ They were both in love， but were fighting it for different reasons。 I loved getting to see each of their thoughts as they were falling in love。 4 stars I received this book for free in return for an honest review。 。。。more
eyes。2c
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Brilliant！ Funny and more！The dark， earnest assassin and the lovely insecure widow with a genius for chemistry！ Violet Hughes， Lady Greycliff， is developing an antidote to poison gas being used by a radical worker’s organization。 The prime minister’s agent Arthur Kneland has been deployed as her body guard after a failed assassination attempt。Arthur’s idea of the widow， before he meets her it must be admitted， is way below par。 He should have listened more closely to his employer， Lord Greycliff Brilliant！ Funny and more！The dark， earnest assassin and the lovely insecure widow with a genius for chemistry！ Violet Hughes， Lady Greycliff， is developing an antidote to poison gas being used by a radical worker’s organization。 The prime minister’s agent Arthur Kneland has been deployed as her body guard after a failed assassination attempt。Arthur’s idea of the widow， before he meets her it must be admitted， is way below par。 He should have listened more closely to his employer， Lord Greycliff， Violet’s stepson when he muttered，“Funny how chaos seems to follow behind certain women。” Arthur is about to get the surprise of his life。Violet is one of the founders of Athena’s Retreat， a salon that fronts for a secret society allowing women scientists to pursue their chosen areas of investigation away from the disapproving society of the times。I’m not sure if the developing relationship between Arthur and Violet is a slow smouldering burn or attraction at first sight。 After all Violet did reflect at their torrid first meeting， that Arthur’s “eyes were what told Violet she would be safe， no matter what。”As for Arthur I love his acceptance and delight in Violet。 To him “something happened when Violet explained a scientific theory。 She glowed。 Her stained， work-worn hands flew up with a sudden grace， illustrating a point as if pulling the knowledge from the air。 What a beautiful sight， watching her revel in imparting secrets of how the world worked。”This has it all！ A Victorian mystery romance that delights！ I’m looking forward to more from Everett！A Berkeley Group ARC via NetGalley Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change（Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。） 。。。more
Stephanie
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DNF'd at 25% in。This had a lot of promising aspects to it， but something isn't clicking for me。 It seems to have mostly good reviews so YMMV。I love the idea of a secret club for women who are more science-minded being able to express themselves and experiment without worry or prying eyes。 I like a bodyguard romance。 But I struggled with the characters--they didn't feel real。 I felt keenly aware I was reading a book， which may sound weird， but I think you know the feeling when you're lost in a st DNF'd at 25% in。This had a lot of promising aspects to it， but something isn't clicking for me。 It seems to have mostly good reviews so YMMV。I love the idea of a secret club for women who are more science-minded being able to express themselves and experiment without worry or prying eyes。 I like a bodyguard romance。 But I struggled with the characters--they didn't feel real。 I felt keenly aware I was reading a book， which may sound weird， but I think you know the feeling when you're lost in a story compared to。。。not。 Going along with that， the dialogue didn't flow naturally。 I found myself rereading sections for clarity because it wasn't easy to fall into the rhythm of the prose。My biggest disappointment was the insta-attraction。 Arthur and Violet thought there was something completely electric and unique about each other from the VERY first glance across the street。 One simple TOUCH from Arthur folding his body over Violet to protect her from an explosion （their first interaction） and she was all， oh baby， yes yes。 Every moment they're around each other they're fighting their impulses and we're only 25% into the book。 I would've loved for their romance to instead grow from being protector/protected to friends to a mutual respect/attraction （GIRL GONE VIRAL by Alisha Rai is a modern take on the bodyguard trope that I thought was done really well）。 I know insta-love/attraction is a common happenstance in romance to kinda get the plot going， so this is a very personal pet peeve。 If it doesn't bother you， then I hope you enjoy the book！I received a free ARC version of this book， but that in no way influenced my views。 Thanks to Berkley for the early copy！ 。。。more
Susan
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See my review at Reading World See my review at Reading World 。。。more
Allison
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So I'm an absolute sucker for the bodyguard/guard trope and then you throw it into the historical romance genre I was super sold。 Not only that but the fact that these women were doing research and science in secret was awesome。 I liked the twist ending and can't wait to see where Elizabeth Everett takes this series！Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review。 So I'm an absolute sucker for the bodyguard/guard trope and then you throw it into the historical romance genre I was super sold。 Not only that but the fact that these women were doing research and science in secret was awesome。 I liked the twist ending and can't wait to see where Elizabeth Everett takes this series！Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review。 。。。more
FV Angela
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Review to come at Smexy Books
Kim
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Violet， a widow， has created London’s first social club for ladies。 A place of acceptance for women who wish to advance their field of science without ridicule from their families， society， or men。 Violet has a brilliant scientific mind but was belittled for so many years by her husband she lacks confidence in herself。 An illegal worker’s organization， the Omnis， has developed a harmful gas to use against the constables while rioting。 Violet’s stepson， Grey， working for the Crown， asks her to de Violet， a widow， has created London’s first social club for ladies。 A place of acceptance for women who wish to advance their field of science without ridicule from their families， society， or men。 Violet has a brilliant scientific mind but was belittled for so many years by her husband she lacks confidence in herself。 An illegal worker’s organization， the Omnis， has developed a harmful gas to use against the constables while rioting。 Violet’s stepson， Grey， working for the Crown， asks her to develop a compound to neutralize the gas in the air。 When her laboratory windows are smashed with bricks， Grey realizes someone knows her secret and he hires long-time professional bodyguard， Arthur， to keep her safe and investigate who is behind the threats。 They meet as he rescues her from an explosion at her club。 Arthur just wants to take this last job before retiring to a farm to find peace from the tragedy in his past。 Violet is the absent minded scientist with funny dialogue that makes Arthur realize someone so unique is very special。 As the attacks to stop Violet’s work intensify， Violet and Arthur have to decide if the past will determine their future。 A delightful romance with humor and a mystery to solve。 I received an arc of this title from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review。 。。。more
Megan
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1。5 stars。 Great premise torpedoed by too many characters to keep straight and a plot rooted in lust at first sight that wasn’t at all compelling。
Danielle
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Cute concept - Victorian era bodyguard romance between a widowed scientist who runs a secret female science society and the man assigned to protect her when she's under attack - but overall pretty poor execution。 The book starts with an explosion， both of a bomb and of characters on the page， and it was probably meant to engage us in the action right away but only served to make our entry into the setting confusing。 Frankly， I think the entire plot about Violet's formula and the danger she/the s Cute concept - Victorian era bodyguard romance between a widowed scientist who runs a secret female science society and the man assigned to protect her when she's under attack - but overall pretty poor execution。 The book starts with an explosion， both of a bomb and of characters on the page， and it was probably meant to engage us in the action right away but only served to make our entry into the setting confusing。 Frankly， I think the entire plot about Violet's formula and the danger she/the society was in was underdeveloped - I just finished reading it and I already can't really remember what her formula was for or why the villains were after it。 Outside of her two closest friends the plethora of side characters aren't memorable and I think we could have done with trying to keep track of fewer of them。The romance between her and Arthur was pretty good （and steamy！） and I did appreciate that they were both a bit older than the usual early 20s-type protagonists。 I also thought Violet's emotional journey to move on from her toxic ex-husband was handled well but as a whole， this book just wasn't really for me。 。。。more
Kimberly
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I'm not quite sure how to rate this one - I think it took nearly half way through before the book hit it's stride but boy did it pull me in once that happened。 I loved the MCs but I really disliked almost all of the secondary characters who were supposedly friends of the heroine （pretty crappy friends if you ask me 。。。）。 I love love loved the women in STEM aspect and Winthram has my whole heart but I would have loved it more if it we're just the two MCs doing chemistry and raising sheep on a far I'm not quite sure how to rate this one - I think it took nearly half way through before the book hit it's stride but boy did it pull me in once that happened。 I loved the MCs but I really disliked almost all of the secondary characters who were supposedly friends of the heroine （pretty crappy friends if you ask me 。。。）。 I love love loved the women in STEM aspect and Winthram has my whole heart but I would have loved it more if it we're just the two MCs doing chemistry and raising sheep on a farm in the Scottish Highlands than what actually happened in the book。 。。。more
Morgan
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2。5 starsI really really wanted to love this one。 Historical women in STEM bodyguard romance？ It sounded like EVERYTHING， but for me it ended up being a bit of a letdown。The beginning felt very messy and like it was supposed to start with a bout of action， but that just made the plot confusing and at the halfway mark， I was still unsure of what was actually going on。 Arthur and Violet were likable enough as people， but their chemistry wasn’t very strong and at times I had a hard time believing w 2。5 starsI really really wanted to love this one。 Historical women in STEM bodyguard romance？ It sounded like EVERYTHING， but for me it ended up being a bit of a letdown。The beginning felt very messy and like it was supposed to start with a bout of action， but that just made the plot confusing and at the halfway mark， I was still unsure of what was actually going on。 Arthur and Violet were likable enough as people， but their chemistry wasn’t very strong and at times I had a hard time believing why they were interested in each other。 There wasn’t much character building either， other than both having some form of a tragic backstory。This book was mostly just okay。 A lot of actions took place that were meant to move the “mystery” and the plot along， but as I was reading I just kept thinking “when is it going to get interesting？”Overall， this did not work for me， but others may find exactly what they’re looking for in these characters and their stories。*Thank you to Berkley and Edelweiss for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review。* 。。。more
Barbara Rogers
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Series: The Secret Scientists of London #1Publication Date: 2/9/21Number of Pages: 336Elizabeth Everett’s debut novel is a delightfully witty， humorous， romantic， and exciting story filled with lovable characters who will quickly capture your heart。 The story is excellently crafted and well-plotted without being predictable。 After her husband died， Lady Violet Hughes was a shadow of the vibrant， fun-loving， brilliant young lady she had been before her marriage。 After years of abuse to her self- Series: The Secret Scientists of London #1Publication Date: 2/9/21Number of Pages: 336Elizabeth Everett’s debut novel is a delightfully witty， humorous， romantic， and exciting story filled with lovable characters who will quickly capture your heart。 The story is excellently crafted and well-plotted without being predictable。 After her husband died， Lady Violet Hughes was a shadow of the vibrant， fun-loving， brilliant young lady she had been before her marriage。 After years of abuse to her self-esteem， she had shrunk into herself。 Her dream now that she’s a widow has been to create a retreat， Athena’s Retreat， where other women like herself can be themselves – without the censure of unsupportive spouses and family。 These are all brilliant ladies who engage in studies in every scientific field imaginable – botany， chemistry， paleontology， biology – just to name a few。 Lady Violet has sunk a considerable chunk of her fortune into creating that retreat and now she needs to gain at least a moderate acceptance from the ton in order to make it acceptable for ladies to become members。 Of course， the public face of Athena’s Retreat will be benign and will not show the projects and experiments that are carried on in the non-public areas。Arthur Kneland is an ultra-elite bodyguard who has just retired from a special branch of the Queen’s service。 He has guarded and protected everybody from foreign despots to villains to – well， you name it – all in the name of the Crown。 He’s been stabbed， shot， and almost anything else and he is still mostly in one piece and retiring。 He’s only had one failure in his service to the Crown and that was his very first case as a very green 18-year-old。 That case still haunts him and caused him to exile himself from England for twenty years。 Now， he’s back and looking to find a farm to call home – right after he takes this one private case for a good friend – Lord Greycliff。 Grey wants him to provide protection for his stepmother， Lady Violet Hughes， while she is working on a very important project for the Crown。Arthur certainly has his work cut out for him when he finds himself surrounded by quirky， brilliant， secretive ladies who don’t quite trust him – or anyone else for that matter。 Their explosive experiments cause him much alarm – especially when there are explosions happening that are far from benign。 Lady Violet will not believe that one of her ladies could be involved in a plot against her and therefore is always putting herself in danger。 Arthur himself is in danger as well – at least his heart is。 Despite his considerable strength of will， he finds himself more and more drawn to Lady Violet – and she appears to be drawn to him as well。 Can a Scottish farmer's son and an English lady find their HEA？ Is the villain of the piece one of Lady Violet’s ladies？ Or， is the villain Adam Winters， the violent leader of the violent rebel group Omnium Democratia？ Or， is the villain Violet’s suitor， Earl Grantham？ Or – someone else entirely？ You’ll just have to read this delightful book to find out。This was a great， fun-to-read mystery， but the ending left just a little to be desired。 I’m sure this is a personal preference， but it is important to me as a reader。 I want the romance to be totally complete in the book。 I really dislike it when the book ends with the proposal and acceptance。 I always want a wedding and some follow-up from that。 An epilogue is absolutely one of my favorites。 In this one， I would have LOVED to see their wedding and a scene from several months down-the-road when he receives his ‘honors’。 I’d like to know what those honors were。 Was he granted a title – maybe a Baron or something？ Did he just get medals or was it more substantial？ For me， it just felt a bit unfinished because I had too many questions。 Therefore， I’ve given it a 4-star rating。I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more
Homerun2
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3。5 starsThis was an amusing historical cozy romp set in 19th century London。 Widowed Lady Violet， who possesses a brilliant scientific mind， was constrained by both society and her husband during her marriage。 Now that he's gone， she and like-minded friends have formed what purports to be a social club for women。 But， it's actually a sort of scientific inquiry lab， where a whole host of serious scholars and researchers can conduct experiments free of male censure。 Violet is secretly working on 3。5 starsThis was an amusing historical cozy romp set in 19th century London。 Widowed Lady Violet， who possesses a brilliant scientific mind， was constrained by both society and her husband during her marriage。 Now that he's gone， she and like-minded friends have formed what purports to be a social club for women。 But， it's actually a sort of scientific inquiry lab， where a whole host of serious scholars and researchers can conduct experiments free of male censure。 Violet is secretly working on an poison antidote for the government。 Her stepson is quite fond of Violet and is worried about her safety as there are several dissident groups around that want to derail her work。 Enter Arthur， who is an experienced bodyguard who long ago shut off his emotions so he could protect his charges -- some of whom were pretty despicable people。 He wants this to be his last job before he retires and moves back home to the rural countryside with his parents and sister before tragedy struck their family and influenza left him the sole survivor。But Arthur's cold calculated professional attitude and Violet's scientific single minded focus are derailed when an electric sexual and emotional chemistry springs up between them。 Meanwhile， the bad guys have found a way into the club and are causing problems， committing vandalism and stealing documents。 Can Arthur protect Violet when he is totally distracted by her mere presence？Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Caiti （The Romance Mom）
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Total winner。 Brilliant and brave widow running a secret club for a gaggle of eccentric fellow female scientists falls for the gruff and guarded man hired to protect her。 Take my money。There’s a lot to love in this book。 First of all the women and STEM plots are among my absolute favorites。 I love that these women are literally blowing stuff up。 Secondly， the chemistry between Violet and Arthur is most excellent。 There are a lot of characters to keep of track of and in the beginning I worried th Total winner。 Brilliant and brave widow running a secret club for a gaggle of eccentric fellow female scientists falls for the gruff and guarded man hired to protect her。 Take my money。There’s a lot to love in this book。 First of all the women and STEM plots are among my absolute favorites。 I love that these women are literally blowing stuff up。 Secondly， the chemistry between Violet and Arthur is most excellent。 There are a lot of characters to keep of track of and in the beginning I worried that the pacing wasn’t going to work for me but in the end it wasn’t a problem。 I enjoyed this one a lot。Thank you Berkley and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and advanced copy。 I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all thoughts and opinions are my own。**rounded up from 3。5 stars 。。。more
Aggie Thompson
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The book， set in early 19th century England， tells the story of Lady Violet， a widow， and her secret group of fellow female scientists who all share a passion pursuing discoveries。 Sometimes this means sparks fly， igniting the clandestine lab in which they work， but it’s all the name of science。Besides hosting this secret group， however， Violet has another secret: she’s working for the crown。 This necessitates her hiring the grouchy yet swoony Scottish Arthur Kneland as her bodyguard， and that’s The book， set in early 19th century England， tells the story of Lady Violet， a widow， and her secret group of fellow female scientists who all share a passion pursuing discoveries。 Sometimes this means sparks fly， igniting the clandestine lab in which they work， but it’s all the name of science。Besides hosting this secret group， however， Violet has another secret: she’s working for the crown。 This necessitates her hiring the grouchy yet swoony Scottish Arthur Kneland as her bodyguard， and that’s when the other kind of sparks fly。I loved Violet。 I found her witty and bright， and an original character。 In fact， I was happy to be in the company of both of the main characters， who were fully realized adults， and I was rooting for their love while still enjoying the delicious sexual tension as they overcame their issues。 It was a pleasure to read about， and witness， the strong female friendships and camaraderie among Violet’s fellow scientists。 Everett packs a lot in this book， from issues of contraception and trans rights to women’s challenges in the STEM world。 Yet the writing remains tight and witty， sometimes laugh-out loud funny， and often red-hot。 This is a smart and entertaining blend of historical fiction and romance。 Perfect for reading on a cold winter day。 。。。more
Sage
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This was delightful。 Very Evie Dunmore meets Jane Austen vibes。 I liked both main characters and thought they were well rounded and had really interesting backstories。 Lady Violet （and the badass women of the Athena Club） and all of the societal politics of the time was a really great premise。 A lot of the angst between Violet and Arthur was dumb， and I was annoyed that they *couldn’t* be together — all the reasons they couldn’t be together were stupid and irritating。 I was pleased at the ending This was delightful。 Very Evie Dunmore meets Jane Austen vibes。 I liked both main characters and thought they were well rounded and had really interesting backstories。 Lady Violet （and the badass women of the Athena Club） and all of the societal politics of the time was a really great premise。 A lot of the angst between Violet and Arthur was dumb， and I was annoyed that they *couldn’t* be together — all the reasons they couldn’t be together were stupid and irritating。 I was pleased at the ending。 I thought the mystery aspect of it was interesting， and I really did go back and forth in my mind re: who was behind everything。 And I was ANNOYED and frustrated at who the mastermind was。 I just felt like it was kind of a cop out and I didn’t love the reasoning behind it。 。。。more
Nabiha Tahsin
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Goodness！ This book is M-A-R-V-E-L-O-U-SI can't just say how much I loved reading this book。 The debut book by Elizabeth Everett is absolutely unputdownable and ridiculously entertaining。 It's too hard to exclaim my thoughts。 This story has so many elements to make you hooked on it leaving you no choice but to love and cherish it。Let's give you a heads up on this novel。 Lady Violet Hughes is an Aristocratic Dowager in her 30s。 No， this is not your average Regency Romance。 Violet happens to be th Goodness！ This book is M-A-R-V-E-L-O-U-SI can't just say how much I loved reading this book。 The debut book by Elizabeth Everett is absolutely unputdownable and ridiculously entertaining。 It's too hard to exclaim my thoughts。 This story has so many elements to make you hooked on it leaving you no choice but to love and cherish it。Let's give you a heads up on this novel。 Lady Violet Hughes is an Aristocratic Dowager in her 30s。 No， this is not your average Regency Romance。 Violet happens to be the pioneer of a ladies club （Athena's Retreat） consisting of women passionate about science。 In this closed doors of club， these inspiring woman are making new innovations。 I lost my trail over here， cause is there anything better than women being passionate about something， pursuing it amongst all odds even if it's meant to be secret and making changes？The premise was seriously great， I loved that。 But this description doesn't end here， to make things sparkle， there is the bodyguard-romance。 Gosh！🥺❤The sizzling chemistry between Violet and Arthur is spectacular。 On to Arthur， he's a man of strict duty and principles also a bit grumpy。 He gets hired by Grey Hughes （Violet's stepson） to protect Violet。 The brave and reserved personality of Arthur steals Violet's heart。 And， slowly a brilliant widow scientist and a grumpy bodyguard fall in love。 They had flaws of their own and that made them realistic and lovable。 The hero and heroine were definitely a great match both equal fierceness，determination， belief， dedication and enthusiasm。 But there prevails a deeper story other than the striking romance。 The story also shows deep-rooted political and social problems most importantly patriarchy and stereotypes within the Victorian era。 And ofcourse， the mystery surrounding the plot added a thrilling experience to my liking。 Not only that， the delighted friendships and amazing supporting characters added a great charm to this novel。 The blend between Historical Fiction and Romance was charmingly done by the Author。 It's hard to believe this is her debut novel because it's written with such well-developed characters， a genuine plot out of a writer's den， sizzling romance and some incredibe scenes。 I'm so happy this is a series cause I honestly would love to read more and more about Violet and Arthur and ofcourse， the other side characters including Athena's Retreat。 Honestly， I loved this book much more than I anticipated。 I finished reading it in a day， this surely is one of my favourite reads of the year。 I'm not going to give away any more of the story to spoil your fun reading this sweet and steamy Feminist Historical Romance。**Thanks to Penguin Random House International for the free book in exchange of an honest review on my part** 。。。more
Claire
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I tried。 I so honesty tried to read this but I hate romances that begin with insta-lust。 I thought I could power my way through but at 21% I gave up。 There were so many characters introduced in a short amount of time。 I know I'm supposed to care about them because this is part one in a romance series but I don't。 Maybe if I kept reading I would get a better feel for the setting and characters but I don't like the main guy and there's no going back to that in a romance。This review is based on an I tried。 I so honesty tried to read this but I hate romances that begin with insta-lust。 I thought I could power my way through but at 21% I gave up。 There were so many characters introduced in a short amount of time。 I know I'm supposed to care about them because this is part one in a romance series but I don't。 Maybe if I kept reading I would get a better feel for the setting and characters but I don't like the main guy and there's no going back to that in a romance。This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review。 。。。more
Lari
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Violet has spent the past five years building up her women's club for scientific advancements。 She is focused， she is driven， and she is incredibly intelligent。 When her life becomes threatened， her stepson hires her a bodyguard for protection。 Arthur has been defending political officials for over twenty years and he's hoping that this is his last job。 He can't help but be awed by the brilliance and drive of his charge and though he tries to fight it， he can't resist their connection。 If you rea Violet has spent the past five years building up her women's club for scientific advancements。 She is focused， she is driven， and she is incredibly intelligent。 When her life becomes threatened， her stepson hires her a bodyguard for protection。 Arthur has been defending political officials for over twenty years and he's hoping that this is his last job。 He can't help but be awed by the brilliance and drive of his charge and though he tries to fight it， he can't resist their connection。 If you read Bringing Down the Duke， this one is very much in the same vein。 I think that's the best way to explain it。 It was an enjoyable read， but not as much back and forth as I would like from a book of this genre。 I didn't mind the historical inaccuracies but this felt much more like a contemporary romance set in a historical period than a historical romance。 Which is great in itself， look at the cover and know that this is a much more modernized attempt that can definitely appeal to many different audiences。 If you're a hardcore regency romance fan though this probably won't be what you're looking for。 But if you're a big contemporary romance fan then this would be a much more enjoyable book。 I think it went a little hard on just trying to convince us that Violet is perfect but not too perfect。 She's quirky， but in a completely appealing way。 She can't be social except when she's in social situations and even though she's awkward she's charming。 It just felt like too many lines were being straddled in an attempt to make her as likeable as possible。 I liked her well enough without all the additional commentary about it。 I think it just barely missed four stars for me， it would've been a lot better if we had seen more of her expertise and her role。 But I really did love the emphasis on how a couple can have completely separate interests but still love what those interests bring out in one another。 I also loved the character's authenticity with themselves and think that it was a cuter love story for it。 Big thank you to NetGalley for providing me an early copy！ This review and all my others can be found at: https://aworldshapedbybooks。blogspot。。。。 。。。more
Amanda Chaperon
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