A Lady's Formula for Love
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- Create Date：2021-04-21 14:50:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Elizabeth Everett
- ISBN：0593200624
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Summary
What is a Victorian lady's formula for love？ Mix one brilliant noblewoman and her enigmatic protection officer。 Add in a measure of danger and attraction。 Heat over the warmth of humor and friendship， and the result is more than simple chemistry—it's elemental。
Lady Violet Hughes is keeping secrets。 First， she founded a clandestine sanctuary for England's most brilliant female scientists。 Second， she is using her genius on a confidential mission for the Crown。 But the biggest secret of all？ Her feelings for protection officer Arthur Kneland。
Solitary and reserved， Arthur learned the hard way to put duty first。 But the more time he spends in the company of Violet and the eccentric club members， the more his best intentions go up in flames。 Literally。
When a shadowy threat infiltrates Violet's laboratories， endangering her life and her work， scientist and bodyguard will find all their theories put to the test—and learn that the most important discoveries are those of the heart。
Lady Violet Hughes is keeping secrets。 First， she founded a clandestine sanctuary for England's most brilliant female scientists。 Second， she is using her genius on a confidential mission for the Crown。 But the biggest secret of all？ Her feelings for protection officer Arthur Kneland。
Solitary and reserved， Arthur learned the hard way to put duty first。 But the more time he spends in the company of Violet and the eccentric club members， the more his best intentions go up in flames。 Literally。
When a shadowy threat infiltrates Violet's laboratories， endangering her life and her work， scientist and bodyguard will find all their theories put to the test—and learn that the most important discoveries are those of the heart。
Reviews
Brooke
，
4 1/2 starsLoved， loved， loved this book！！！
Jenny
，
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did。 The concept appealed to me far more than did the execution; I hoped for/expected more science and a plot with more depth， and the downright schmaltzy parts of the romantic storyline did nothing for me。 I still may read the next one because I feel like the series has potential （ha ha） if the author ups plot complexity and backs off the cornball romance。
Jessica
，
This story started out so promising。 Violet is a scientist and has a secret club for female scientists。 Someone is threatening her life， so she has a new Scottish bodyguard who hasn't been to London in 20 years because of a scandal during his last job there。 It's their romance！ The beginning was so good， but it quickly fizzled out for me and I was just bored by the story。 Violet and Arthur met and then it seemed like they were instantly jumping into bed together and I felt like I missed somethin This story started out so promising。 Violet is a scientist and has a secret club for female scientists。 Someone is threatening her life， so she has a new Scottish bodyguard who hasn't been to London in 20 years because of a scandal during his last job there。 It's their romance！ The beginning was so good， but it quickly fizzled out for me and I was just bored by the story。 Violet and Arthur met and then it seemed like they were instantly jumping into bed together and I felt like I missed something。 Then， I had a hard time believing their connection and that they genuinely loved each other。 I did love the whole scientist backdrop and how they were a collection of intelligent ladies that went against society's norms。 The rest， though， was pretty boring and I do think the ending dragged。 For a book that was over 300 pages， not a lot really happened that I can even remember by the end。 I just didn't really connect with the story or the characters as much as I wanted to。 。。。more
soyagus_Z
，
2。5*
Stacy Laue
，
I really enjoyed this。 A wonderful， fun and playful concept around women being b。a。 feminist selves in 19th century London。 Loved the characters and the touch of who-dunnit-ness。 Some of the supporting characters felt a little 1-dimensional， but loved the overall ensemble cast of the scientists running amok。 Most certainly NSFPL [Not Safe for Pam Laue]， so avoid if necessary [or Pam Laue asks you for a book rec， Heaven forbid！]。
Beth Morrissette
，
A book with a lot of potential。 Concept of women scientists having a club - yes！ Bodyguard who falls for his protectee - yes！ The potential here is never realized though。 Agree with other reviews - kept getting characters confused between similar names and no real character development。 Genius scientist Violet doesn't come across all that smart。 Also the insta-lust is not my thing。 I see there's a second book in the series。 Hope the writer learns from this book and improves。 A book with a lot of potential。 Concept of women scientists having a club - yes！ Bodyguard who falls for his protectee - yes！ The potential here is never realized though。 Agree with other reviews - kept getting characters confused between similar names and no real character development。 Genius scientist Violet doesn't come across all that smart。 Also the insta-lust is not my thing。 I see there's a second book in the series。 Hope the writer learns from this book and improves。 。。。more
Lynne
，
I had trouble getting into this one。 The beginning was messy and confusing with tons of new characters all over the place。 Insta-lust。 No fun building of relationship。Loved the premise and thought a secret club of lady scientists in Victorian London would be REALLY fun but it REALLY just wasn’t。 Oh well！The dialogue was well done。
Alissa
，
3。5。 Maybe。 Grudgingly。Sigh。 I was so looking forward to this。 The cover was so pretty and fun， the premise sounded so charming （and fantasy-esque？ that's my bad for not reading closely enough）， and I was ready for a slow-burn covert romance against the intrigue and politics of Victorian England。 And the first few chapters started out so strong。。。But unfortunately， then it devolved into a mess of insta-lust， surface-feminism anachronisms， and a mystery plot that after a books' worth of red herri 3。5。 Maybe。 Grudgingly。Sigh。 I was so looking forward to this。 The cover was so pretty and fun， the premise sounded so charming （and fantasy-esque？ that's my bad for not reading closely enough）， and I was ready for a slow-burn covert romance against the intrigue and politics of Victorian England。 And the first few chapters started out so strong。。。But unfortunately， then it devolved into a mess of insta-lust， surface-feminism anachronisms， and a mystery plot that after a books' worth of red herrings chose to select its true betrayer with no foreshadowing or justification whatsoever and retroactively made all the actual plot of the book seem nonsensical。There are a lot of tidbits of potential here， about the insidiousness of emotional abuse， the traps for women in society， and elitism of the scientific circles， but unfortunately it doesn't come together to say anything substantial。 The 'forbidden' romance does not feel sufficiently forbidden for how much the characters mope about it， all the themes are overwritten and reiterated to the point I could no longer tell if anything had changed since the last time these nuggets of insight had taken up half a page， and while I did appreciate that one interlude of extending empathy to an unsavory gossip with her own wounding， for the most part this novel's idea of feminism consists of affirming that the conventionally attractive woman is indeed conventionally attractive even though she has insecurities， and also complaining about corsets。（Which， admittedly， could've been from one of the rare time periods that the fashion demanded painful altering of body proportions， but in that case that should have been specified and constrasted because I've watched enough Youtube videos of historical seamstresses to be suspicious of anyone who paints all corsets with the same brush。 Just， the self-congratulatoriness of the protagonist asking why women in fashion magaiznes were drawn in an unrealistic way and having a literal child reply it was for the pleasure of men。 Such a 21st century take， and the most basic one as well。 Let's just pretend most corset-makers and gown-makers at the time weren't women， I guess。）（Not to mention， what's this whole thing about the workers' rights movement being the Big Bad？ Aside from the accidental-not-so-accidental murder and subsequent terrorizing， everything Winters was saying made a lot of sense and made the protagonist seem like a bit of a dick for never having realized that she hadn't worked for her fortune。 If that was some attempt to convey that good， necessary ideas can be perpetuated by shitty people who go about them in very wrong ways。。。 or something about the hypocrisy of such a kind and caring protagonist then turning around and supporting aristocracy， which she didn't really do。。。 the rest of the novel was not strong enough to convey that --- I was mostly just left confused about why they'd been included at all， or possibly demonized？ Why would you leave a book possibly-demonizing the people who are obviously in the right。 Because they're still in the wrong when it comes to women？ *makes vague gesture of confusion*）Anyway， the whole time I was reading this， I just kept thinking about how much more I enjoyed Soulless by Gail Carriger。 It's got vampires and steampunk， of course， so not that similar in theory， but it's Victorian and it's scientific and it's fucking hilarious as well as properly erotic， so。Overall， if a novel roughly like this were written in the time period its actually about， I suspect it would've been quite good， perhaps even revolutionary。 But it's 2021 now and I just want something more。 。。。more
Korra
，
I really enjoyed reading your book。 I read enthusiastically and understood the story。 。。。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Soulfire
，
Alright， so， I’ve read a few books where women are scientists in London in the 1800s。 So I have expectations at this point。 Sadly， A Lady’s Formula for Love did not meet those。 I don’t know if Everett intentionally put in a red herring for a future romantic pairing or if that’s just what happened。 Either way， I didn’t like the outcome。 Actually， I didn’t like that character at all。 Phoebe was mean and so sure of herself that even when I was supposed to feel sympathy for her， I couldn’t。 Yet， in Alright， so， I’ve read a few books where women are scientists in London in the 1800s。 So I have expectations at this point。 Sadly， A Lady’s Formula for Love did not meet those。 I don’t know if Everett intentionally put in a red herring for a future romantic pairing or if that’s just what happened。 Either way， I didn’t like the outcome。 Actually， I didn’t like that character at all。 Phoebe was mean and so sure of herself that even when I was supposed to feel sympathy for her， I couldn’t。 Yet， in any other series， I would expect her to have her own story， but after that ending， she better not。Ugh， I was ready to give the book a three-star， but the more I think about it， the more I realize I can’t go above a two。 Not just because of the Phoebe character， but because of the main characters。 I liked certain things about them， but I didn’t like how it was written。 Not the characters themselves。 They were fine， but the actual writing。 I didn’t enjoy it， and I can’t put my finger on why。 It didn’t feel natural。 I don’t care to think about it long enough to figure out anything further than that。Kind of bummed cause I like that storyline， but I won’t be reading more of the series。2/5 。。。more
Lisa （Remarkablylisa）
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A 3。5 for me。 I enjoyed it but got a bit bored。
Alison （Ali's Books） Flores
，
3。25 Stars
Marla Cantrell
，
Step into London， 1842， for a visit to the city’s first social club for women， Athena’s Retreat。 The public thinks the members have a passing interest natural sciences。 But behind hidden doorways， the women work as secret scientists at a time when such endeavors were unheard of。Funding it all is Violet Hughes， better known as Lady Greycliff。 This unconventional woman， thirty years old and already widowed， hates corsets and parties and the snobbery she typically encounters in high society。 With a Step into London， 1842， for a visit to the city’s first social club for women， Athena’s Retreat。 The public thinks the members have a passing interest natural sciences。 But behind hidden doorways， the women work as secret scientists at a time when such endeavors were unheard of。Funding it all is Violet Hughes， better known as Lady Greycliff。 This unconventional woman， thirty years old and already widowed， hates corsets and parties and the snobbery she typically encounters in high society。 With a brain that seldom rests， she puzzles out formulas for all kinds of things， including an antidote to a toxic gas that’s being used by a group that opposes the queen。The other members of Athena’s Retreat are misfits in a world where the power of women is woefully dismissed。 When ne’er-do-wells target the club， Violet’s stepson sends a guard to keep her safe。 When her protector Arthur arrives， all kinds of other chemistry happens outside the hidden labs， and the two fall in love in the steamiest of ways。 While the romance between two people in different stations of society causes a world of problems， the bigger threat is who is trying to harm Violet？ Is it possible they want her dead？ More than that， could one of the women in the club be involved。 It’s enough to send you straight to your fainting couch！A Lady’s Formula for Love is the first novel by Elizabeth Everett， and it’s a stunning one。 Already she’s working on her follow-up novel due out in spring 2022， and anticipation is growing。 If you love novels with strong female characters， a sense of humor， and good hearts， action and steamy romance， this book perfect for you。 。。。more
Dommie Franklin
，
Very reminiscent of Susannah Nix in that the women are absolutely brilliant and unique and formidable。 I loved this book。 Definitely one of my favorites for 2021 thus far
Annika Hipple
，
2 1/2 stars for an intriguing idea that didn't quite live up to its potential。I was drawn to this book because of its basic premise: a group of female scientists in 1840s London who have created a secret club where they can pursue their experiments。 The main female character， Lady Violet Hughes， is the founder of the club and a brilliant chemist who has been tasked by the government to discover a formula that can act as an antidote to a toxic gas being used by a radical group。 She relishes her i 2 1/2 stars for an intriguing idea that didn't quite live up to its potential。I was drawn to this book because of its basic premise: a group of female scientists in 1840s London who have created a secret club where they can pursue their experiments。 The main female character， Lady Violet Hughes， is the founder of the club and a brilliant chemist who has been tasked by the government to discover a formula that can act as an antidote to a toxic gas being used by a radical group。 She relishes her independence as a widow after a difficult marriage。 Scottish-born Arthur Kneland is the protection officer （a。k。a。 bodyguard） who is hired to protect Violet。 He has returned to Britain after 20 years away and carries secrets and emotional scars of his own。 Naturally， they fall in love。I liked both Violet and Arthur， as well as some of the secondary characters， but several things didn't quite work from me。 First， the pacing felt off。 Violet and Arthur basically take one look at each other and fall in love， or rather lust， while debris is flying through the air from a bomb and all sorts of craziness is happening around them。 Their relationship develops too quickly。 I couldn't figure out how much time was passing--it didn't feel like much， but there were references to several weeks having elapsed between events。 The beginning of the book was frankly a bit confusing， with an excess of characters and activity being introduced in quick succession。 It took me a while to figure out what the essence of the plot was going to revolve around。 Even then， I found the plot a bit convoluted。 The supposedly brilliant female scientists （Violet included） sometimes came across as slightly mad or at least haphazard。Overall， I found this book a bit of a mixed bag but may borrow the next book from the library when it comes out。 The premise of female scientists in 19th-century London still has promise， so I'd be interested to see if Elizabeth Everett's sophomore effort succeeds in improving on the aspects I found a bit unsatisfactory in this book。I do wish Everett had chosen a different title for Violet's childhood friend， the Earl Grantham。 It constantly made me think of Downton Abbey， in which the Earl of Grantham is a major character， whose mother， the Dowager Countess， happens to be named Violet。 I'd be surprised if the author were unfamiliar with the TV series， so her choice to use two names with Downton associations was an unnecessary distraction。 。。。more
SidneyKay
，
Sometimes I don’t understandAs we all know， I’m always on the look-out for new authors。 I always want to encourage writing， so it pains me that after I’ve finished the book， I don’t get it。 I always question myself when I’m not as enthusiastic about a book as others seem to be。 What am I missing？ What am I not seeing that others see？ Once again， I find myself in a minority of people。 Woe is me。 Maybe it’s my age， or maybe I grow weary of my romance stories having a message that I must ponder。 Or Sometimes I don’t understandAs we all know， I’m always on the look-out for new authors。 I always want to encourage writing， so it pains me that after I’ve finished the book， I don’t get it。 I always question myself when I’m not as enthusiastic about a book as others seem to be。 What am I missing？ What am I not seeing that others see？ Once again， I find myself in a minority of people。 Woe is me。 Maybe it’s my age， or maybe I grow weary of my romance stories having a message that I must ponder。 Or maybe I just don’t understand what the message is。 That was one of the problems I had with A Lady’s Formula for Love。 Who am I supposed to be cheering for？ The message of the book was not clear， and because of that I was not able to pick a side。 If an author decides to tackle one issue， or multiple issues， then they need to make it perfectly clear just what they are saying。 When an author is voicing their opinions through their characters， then the characters in the book need to be true to that opinion。 And by the way， if women are portrayed in the book as supportive of each other， then we should be able to see that support。I wanted to like A Lady’s Formula for Love， I really tried。 But I had to work to finish。 I found myself putting it down and becoming distracted by Netflix。 （Not Bridgerton this time）。 First of all， my ability to keep track of characters in my books seems to be dwindling。 Now， I can understand this when it’s an eight-part series。 But I had trouble keeping track of the overabundance of the characters in the first few chapters of this book。 There were too many people wandering around the pages， and not enough character development。Women。 As I mentioned before， the women in this story are supposed to be supportive of each other。 But I thought they were catty。 They insulted each other in a Marie Barrone kind of way。 For the most part， they seemed to be a bunch of aristocratic women who wanted their freedom。 However， they seemed blind to the suffering of women not of their class。 The reason Violet Hughes created her scientific “refuge” for women was to give them the opportunities they lacked in their male dominated world。 But I cannot see too much difference between men who bully， and women who are snide， unpleasant， and myopic。 They're both belittling。 If you are supposed to be friends， supposed to help each other， you don’t do gentle digs which wound。 What’s the point of having a place to go if your miserable there？ I didn’t like Violet， I thought she was a visionary without any vision。Arthur Kneland is a super-duper guard who has been hired to protect Violet。 He’s always had a problem dealing with women。 But in this case that shouldn’t matter because his golden rule is to never get involved with a client。 Haha， I laugh！ He isn’t in Violet’s presence for 5 seconds before his Timothy Toad starts talking to him。 It’s instant-lust。 There’s furniture breaking all over the place。 The whankee-roo would have been a lot nicer if there had been some chemistry between Violet and Arthur。Loads of plots。 Let’s see， we have a group of mad-scientist women， we have Violet trying to save the government by working on a formula， someone is trying to kill Violet， smart women being silly， there’s worker rights movement， there is a transgender person， a hateful brother， and tons of characters waiting for their stories。 It was a tad bit overwhelming， and I know I’ve left something out。As I said earlier， I had a hard time getting through this story。 The romance was swallowed up by other plot lines。 I love stories where the hero falls in love with a woman who is smarter than he。 Yes， they are out there， and they are wonderful！ Nothing better than a hero who isn’t intimidated by a woman’s brain。 Arthur never exhibited those qualities。 I was also irritated with the way the women in this story were portrayed。 They were all about the surface， and they were wearing blinders。 If one is going to tackle issues in a book of fiction， good for you， but the characters need to reflect those issues。 I wanted this book to work for me， but it didn’t。 Sorry to say， I’m very disappointed。Time/Place: 1842 Great BritainSensuality: A rubbing of sticks together without sparks 。。。more
Ginger
，
What a shame！I really wanted to love this book。 It was in the historical romance genre and had women scientists and inventors as the main subplot。"Any book with STEM as the occupation for a woman is a plus in my book！" - said the civil engineer specialist *cough， cough*But A Lady's Formula for Love didn't work for me。✔️ The insta ‘lust’ was way too fast。✔️ The ending was subpar and rushed。 It felt like an afterthought。✔️ The writing felted uneven and all over the place。 The flow was not good in What a shame！I really wanted to love this book。 It was in the historical romance genre and had women scientists and inventors as the main subplot。"Any book with STEM as the occupation for a woman is a plus in my book！" - said the civil engineer specialist *cough， cough*But A Lady's Formula for Love didn't work for me。✔️ The insta ‘lust’ was way too fast。✔️ The ending was subpar and rushed。 It felt like an afterthought。✔️ The writing felted uneven and all over the place。 The flow was not good in this one。✔️ And way too many characters to keep track of。And another thing that got my dander up was。。。All the smart and brilliant women in this book were fragile， brittle， had low self esteem and believed the worse about themselves。I think the woman servants believed in themselves more then the ladies did！Come on！I know that this was the 1700s and it was all about the patriarchy at this time， but I had hoped at least one woman had fire in her eyes， ice in her veins and her demons would not get the best of her。But alas， that was not the case。Sure， we get a happy ever ending and I did like Violet in the end， but did I like this book enough to continue the series？Not really。 Next！ 。。。more
Sara
，
I loved loved LOVED this book。 Every damn thing about it from Violet and her smart scientists who have mishaps to Arthur being Scottish， because that is HUGE and he is a large sexy Scot so it's hella important。 I just loved this。 I read it in one night because I wanted to stay in the world of The Secret Scientists of London。 I wanted to find out what happened with Arthur 20 years ago and I really needed Arthur and Violet to break the sexual tension between them and get it on。 Not gonna lie， I ne I loved loved LOVED this book。 Every damn thing about it from Violet and her smart scientists who have mishaps to Arthur being Scottish， because that is HUGE and he is a large sexy Scot so it's hella important。 I just loved this。 I read it in one night because I wanted to stay in the world of The Secret Scientists of London。 I wanted to find out what happened with Arthur 20 years ago and I really needed Arthur and Violet to break the sexual tension between them and get it on。 Not gonna lie， I needed that more than I had ever needed Kevin Costner save Whitney Houston and carry her off stage。 I just wanted Violet to not be a hummingbird and accept her sensual side and I needed Arthur to accept that he deserves to be loved。 I loved how much Violet hated her confined clothing。 It made me smile each time she had Arthur help her out of her corset。 I loved that she wasn't a skinny little thing and both she and Arthur reveled in the fact。 I just loved this book。 I look forward to the next to in the series。 Letty and Grey are gonna be electric and possibly combustible。 。。。more
Laura-Lea ♡
，
"Men get nervous when women enjoy themselves without their company。 You might discover that we are of limited use。" （32） ♡ This was the first book I annotated in awhile and I really enjoyed doing it。 Smart， witty， and romantic — this book had it all。 Female scientists during the Victorian Era — what a uniquely fun idea。 They were nerdy， clumsy， highly efficient women — especially Lady Violet Hughes （Lady Greycliff）。 She really stole the show for me。 Her romantic affair with Arthur was classic "Men get nervous when women enjoy themselves without their company。 You might discover that we are of limited use。" （32） ♡ This was the first book I annotated in awhile and I really enjoyed doing it。 Smart， witty， and romantic — this book had it all。 Female scientists during the Victorian Era — what a uniquely fun idea。 They were nerdy， clumsy， highly efficient women — especially Lady Violet Hughes （Lady Greycliff）。 She really stole the show for me。 Her romantic affair with Arthur was classic enemies-to-lovers — but maybe a little too insta-love as well & the ending a little too picture perfect but still lovely。I loved [most] of the characters， the very important issues discussed on women's rights （or lack thereof）， & some very sexy romance scenes as well —4/5 ☆ "My father owns me until I am sold to a husband。 Every step I take out of doors in the shoes he purchased is dictated by the length of his leash。 Will you upend the legal constrictions on women？ Can ladies of Athena's Retreat change the marriage laws？ Property laws？ Could you have convinced Parliament to reverse the Reform Act and grant women suffrage？" （285） 。。。more
Michelle
，
This is Elizabeth Everett’s debut novel， and from what I’ve seen， the first book of a series。 If you like bodyguard romance novels as well as historical romances， this is a match made in heaven for you。This book has a very lovable heroine and a very tortured but ultimately gentle main character。 In this book we get to see a Victorian era female chemist and her efforts to include other women who don’t conform to their era and what society expects of them。 She does this by forming a secret society This is Elizabeth Everett’s debut novel， and from what I’ve seen， the first book of a series。 If you like bodyguard romance novels as well as historical romances， this is a match made in heaven for you。This book has a very lovable heroine and a very tortured but ultimately gentle main character。 In this book we get to see a Victorian era female chemist and her efforts to include other women who don’t conform to their era and what society expects of them。 She does this by forming a secret society （I KNOW！）。 I find that this book does a really good job of showing us Lady Violet’s motivations in creating the secret society， and a good set up for books to come （we see glimpses of very interesting ladies here）。 As for Arthur， I enjoyed his steady presence and thoughts throughout the book。 I truly believe that the main characters make the other’s best qualities shine through。I have to say I don’t particularly gravitate towards bodyguard romances， but this was an enjoyable read。I’d recommend this book if you want to read a more current historical romance （I found that this book is very modern for the time it was set， and it kinda works）。 When I finished the book I gave it 3 stars， but now， writing this review I’ve changed my mind， this was a 4 star read for me。 So official rating is: 🥁 🥁 🥁 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5️⃣Pair with some champagne 🥂 🍾 to get the ideas flowing。 。。。more
Nicole
，
A Lady’s Formula for Love， by Elizabeth Everett， was a very charming read。 The author takes us back to a time when women had to hide their scientific abilities。 Lady Violet is one progressive woman and gives these scientists a place to work and converse on all things science。 Lady Violet is a respectable widow and is taking a huge risk to afford herself & these ladies， the career the 1840’s won’t let them attain。 Their is suspended at all turns， as who projects are being done for。 Also love is f A Lady’s Formula for Love， by Elizabeth Everett， was a very charming read。 The author takes us back to a time when women had to hide their scientific abilities。 Lady Violet is one progressive woman and gives these scientists a place to work and converse on all things science。 Lady Violet is a respectable widow and is taking a huge risk to afford herself & these ladies， the career the 1840’s won’t let them attain。 Their is suspended at all turns， as who projects are being done for。 Also love is found。 Lady Violet & Arthur Kneland are brought together ， when the club starts gaining the wrong attention。 He is there to protect the ladies， the club and the secrets inside。 Both are alone in the world and one wonders if love can find its way between the two。 I liked the author’s writing and character development。 I really did like what Lady Violet represented。There were parts that got a little confusing to me， keeping all the characters straight。 But overall I found this to be an interesting love story。 This story is about the underdog， second chances and finding love in the least expected place。 This was a four star read for me。 I have shared this book on my Instagram page and reviewed it on multiple sites。 As always I want to thank Netgalley & Elizabeth Everett for my ARC， for an honest review。 The is always such a pleasure to read all kinds of genres by different authors。 I hope you enjoy it as much as I did。 。。。more
Amanda Supak
，
3。5 starsLoved the idea of a secret society for STEM women in the 19th century。 However I feel like they were all characterized as mad scientists who had so many mishaps。 The main characters had some serious chemistry made for a fun read。 I feel like there were probably too many side characters， and I felt a little lost at the beginning。 Overall fun read
Kristen
，
I liked this book！ It took me a little while to get into it but I enjoyed the Victorian theme of the book as well as the mystery。 I liked the idea of lady scientists as well。
Elizabeth
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Just your run of the mill powerful women smashing the patriarchy AND SO MUCH MORE！！！ This book surprised me in the most delightful of ways。 I was expecting a nice pleasant novel about women rebelling against the oppressive nature of 19th century aristocracy。 Instead I got a compelling novel filled with friendship， self improvement， lies， betrayal， forgiveness， and of course it wouldn’t be a historical romance without a little love and lust。 The love story in this was just exquisite。 The more exp Just your run of the mill powerful women smashing the patriarchy AND SO MUCH MORE！！！ This book surprised me in the most delightful of ways。 I was expecting a nice pleasant novel about women rebelling against the oppressive nature of 19th century aristocracy。 Instead I got a compelling novel filled with friendship， self improvement， lies， betrayal， forgiveness， and of course it wouldn’t be a historical romance without a little love and lust。 The love story in this was just exquisite。 The more explicit scenes were tastefully written and genuine and exciting！ Unlike many other romances I’ve read where it is literally porn on the pages （cough cough the ’Stopover’ I am looking at you 🙄）。 This book will for sure give me a reading hangover I want more！！！ 。。。more
Bookishlor
，
3/5 stars
whatsheread_
，
3。8 stars！！ Very cute and I'm so excited for the next one， loved that sneak peek at the end and I think I'll really love the next lead's story ❤️Full review to come 3。8 stars！！ Very cute and I'm so excited for the next one， loved that sneak peek at the end and I think I'll really love the next lead's story ❤️Full review to come 。。。more
Marla
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*3。5
Hannah
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I strongly recommend this book！ The further I get into historical romance， the more surprised I get by the variations on a somewhat set premise。 A lot of the most popular historical romance novels （at least the ones that have been recommended to me） stay surface level。 By that， I mean they stick to a formula of wealthy， strong-headed but naïve woman meets wealthy， strong-headed， experienced man。 The trope works in some ways， but after reading several just like that， you begin to ask: why are the I strongly recommend this book！ The further I get into historical romance， the more surprised I get by the variations on a somewhat set premise。 A lot of the most popular historical romance novels （at least the ones that have been recommended to me） stay surface level。 By that， I mean they stick to a formula of wealthy， strong-headed but naïve woman meets wealthy， strong-headed， experienced man。 The trope works in some ways， but after reading several just like that， you begin to ask: why are these women all empty vessels waiting for a man to complete them？？ I cannot explain how happy I was， then， when Everett introduced Violet。 She is wealthy， but she is not an empty vessel。 She is naïve in some ways （enter: Arthur）， but she is also brilliant and socially aware。 She is complicated。 Violet does not pretend to be perfect， confident， or fulfilled in herself and her life。 This uncertainty gives her character depth and truth， which I have found hard to come by in similar novels in the genre。 The relationship between Arthur and Violet is truly mutual。 They both need something from the other， but don't know how to ask for it。 I found this dynamic to be compelling and intoxicating。 I understood why they were hesitant with their feelings， but with each page I became more invested in their happiness。 Very honorable mentions include the ongoing mystery， scientific catastrophes， and amazing group of women scientists。 Cannot wait for the next book！！ 。。。more
Etta
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A Lady’s Formula for Love illustrated the wonderful world of female scientists in Victorian London mixed with the bodyguard。 This is the start of an intriguing series and I am all for novels featuring brilliant scientists who are working to change the world！ The story takes place in 19th century England， which gave the story a fun historical flair that added to my enjoyment。 I listened to the audiobook of this novel and I loved Elizabeth Jasicki’s work as the narrator。 She voices the entire A Lady’s Formula for Love illustrated the wonderful world of female scientists in Victorian London mixed with the bodyguard。 This is the start of an intriguing series and I am all for novels featuring brilliant scientists who are working to change the world！ The story takes place in 19th century England， which gave the story a fun historical flair that added to my enjoyment。 I listened to the audiobook of this novel and I loved Elizabeth Jasicki’s work as the narrator。 She voices the entire novel and does the voices of all the characters。Lady Violet Hughes is a founding member of Athena’s Retreat， a secret society where women can step out of a man’s shadow and shine as scientists or just as themselves。 The women in this society study all topics of science from botany to chemistry to biology and everything in between。 After she became a widow in her 30s， she became less confident in herself as a person。 The one place where she feels more like herself is when she wraps herself up in her experiments。 She goes through a lot of character growth in this story and it was heart-warming to read about her journey to heal from the past emotional abuse she went through with her husband。Violet is given a secret mission to devise a chemical neutralizer to a toxic gas by the government。 When her work and her life are threatened， her stepson， Lord Greycliff， hired a bodyguard to protect her。 Enter Arthur Kneland， a Scottish bodyguard in his early 40s， who decided to take on this project after retiring from the Queen’s service。 Arthur’s a character with a mysterious past that gets slowly revealed over time。 He is determined to protect Violet and the other ladies in the society against the mysterious threat。 It is unknown if it is a single person or group of people who are behind the attacks and Arthur is determined to find out。Arthur and Violet have an insta-love connection after he “saves” her by jumping on top of her。 The two of them have instant chemistry and attraction。 They get to know each other a little throughout the story， but， to me， it seemed like a relationship driven by lust。 The two main pieces of conflict seem to be their social stations and Arthur being hired to protect Violet。 They do support each other and have great communication where they were cute together， but it never quite obtained the depth I would expect based on the attention to detail given to the mystery part of the story。Overall， the story is not fully predictable。 Sure， you can see where Arthur and Violet’s relationship is going， but the mystery portion keeps you guessing until the end。 I found myself having a few guesses here and there， but never fully arriving at 100% until it was officially confirmed。 The concept of a secret society of brilliant women dealing with the social expectations given to them in Victoria England is fascinating and one of the main reasons I was drawn to this story。 There are a ton of characters in this story， so there are multiple opportunities for characters to feature in the follow-up novels。 Although this novel was not among my favorites， I am intrigued to try the next as this was the debut novel for the author and perhaps the next will improve on some areas where I had issues。 。。。more
Amanda
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