*I received an advance reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Sophia Monmouth is plucked from the streets shortly after her parents tragic deaths. She is raised by a lady and trained to take down reprobates in the upper classes. She's also taught not to take unnecessary risks. However, one night she gets caught.

Tristan Stratford, Lord Gray (former Bow Street Runner), sees what he believes to be a boy on his neighbor's rooftop. He decides to follow the boy, and quickly uncover that the boy is really a woman.

Sophia is ultimately enlisted to determine the innocence of a lower class individual. Between her stealthy cat burglar skills and Tristan's detective skills, it makes for an enjoyable mystery read.

The book has a strong gothic feel to it, as some of the settings are around a church and its graveyard. There is a slow to medium burn. The characters are enjoyable.

My favorite part was the interaction between Sophia and the other women that have been trained to enact justice in the upper classes.

This is definitely an enjoyable read. I liked the blend of the romance and mystery storyline. The character interactions are also quite strong.

I adored this book. Despite being a Regency romance, the characters have a grit and agency not expected from someone of that era. Still, it does not read as false. The action, however does seem a bit far fetched, but it’s fun and engaging. I don’t usually like a lot of suspense with my HEA, but this one is tempered by equal amounts of cuteness.

This wasn't bad....but it wasn't good either? The plot was kind of lackluster and I never really got into the main characters. I also never really bought their love story either, so my review is basically: meh. It's possible that others will feel differently.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

As a former student, and current teacher, at the Clifford School for Wayward Girls, Miss Sophia Monmouth doesn't spend her time on traditional ladylike pursuits. Where you might expect a woman to upholster chairs, or embroider a cushion cover, Sophia instead spends her time scaling rooftops, and following suspicious characters, even more so now that her friend has been wrongly accused of murder. She knows he is innocent, but without proof, Jeremy is doomed to hang. What Sophia didn't count on was that Tristan Stratford, the new Earl Gray, and former Ghost of Bow Street, would spot her lying on the pediment of his neighbours doorway, and follow her. He's had his suspicions about the Clifford School for some time, and it was his friend who was murdered, and Tristan wants justice. As they form an unlikely partnership, will Tristan and Sophia be able to uncover the truth about the conspiracy, and come out unscathed?

I will admit, I've had this book on my TBR and NG shelf for some time, and didn't start it until the long Easter bank holiday weekend, when I realised I had books 1, 2, and 3 all to read and review. Well, I'm actually glad I waited, because I spent the weekend reading all three, and was happy to have the next one to start as soon as I was finished - and there's only a few months until November now to wait for book 4. This book sees Sophia and Tristan having to overcome their inherent differences and dislike of each other to first save Jeremy from the hangman's noose, and then to work out why people are being wrongly accused of theft, and later murders occurring, all in the same churchyard, with the same witness. Honestly, the mystery and plot line was perfectly concocted, and I didn't guess at who the fourth man was until really close to the end. The book, being about the students of the Clifford School, definitely set the stage for the following books, as we meet Sophia's friends - who are more like sister's really - Cecelia, Georgiana, and Emma, who will be the heroines of the subsequent books. As a romance, obviously the chemistry and love affair between Sophia and Tristan played a big role, but their banter and uneasy friendship to start off with, as well as the moments they opened up to one another, really cemented Anna as an author I'll definitely be watching out for in future. There's so many moments were you think that nothing can pull Sophia and Tristan apart, and then there's angst were it seems they're in danger, and may not make it out alive, but I loved the ending, and think that seeing them in future books will be amazing. Definitely a book for lovers of historical romance and mysteries!

***A Dangerous Romance***
This is an AMAZING book. There is action in every scene, danger around every corner, with tempting attraction and romance interspersed here and there, corruption and those who right the wrongs skirting on the edge of justice, culminating into a reader's thrilling suspenseful exhilarating intoxicating enjoyment. This story is unpredictable: the author surprises the reader with plot twists and turns that will jump out at you and take you by surprise. There are moments of disbelief, haunting dreams, anger, fear, understanding and a complete ninety degree turn in one's outlook of justice. A must read. You will not be disappointed.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Action-packed
Page-turner
Realistic
Scary
Steamy
Tragic
Twisted
Unpredictable
Wonderful characters

What a great start to a new series and I love the premise! Action, adventure, suspense, a former bow street runner (yes love them!), an engaging sleuth disguised as a boy and a slow build romance. What more can you ask for?

Sophie Monmouth has grown up in the Clifford Charity School since she was orphaned very young. When a member of the household, Jeremy, is accused of murder and arrested, she is determined to find the real killer. She ends up following the accuser, a servant of Lord Everly.

What she doesn't expect is running into Tristan Stratford, Earl of Gray, who was a former Bow Street Runner. It was his friend Henry who was murdered and when he finds Sophie trailing someone coming out of Lord Everly's house. Thinking it is a boy, he is surprised when he finds... Sophie!

The two are at odds, but the journey that take is a great one that had me turning the pages!! Cannot wait to read more in this series!

I got this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. It turned out to be a very nice surprise. There was a bit too much mystery in the detriment of the romance but the author made it work eventually. This is an engaging enemies-to-lovers, class-difference romance with a little bit of spice (it could have used more) and a whole lot of feelings.

The Virgin Who Ruined Lord Gray features a wonderful romance between a criminal heroine and a former Bow Street runner.

The Clifford Charity School for Wayward Girls trains women in unusual pursuits that allows them to right the wrongs committed against those less fortunate. Sophia Monmouth spends her nights shadowing suspicious men hoping to gain the information she needs to free a friend wrongly accused of murder. What she didn't count on was being pursued herself by an earl who was once considered a legendary Bow Street runner. Tristan Stratford, Lord Gray, has never let a suspect escape him until he meets the beguiling Sophia. Determined to uncover her true motives, Tristan works with Sophia to uncover a scheme that reaches the highest levels of the government.

Sophia has attended the Clifford School since she was six years old when she became its' first student. She ended up at the school after her mother was murdered and she was found by Lady Clifford. Over the years, Sophia has learned a number of skills including an uncanny ability to blend into her surroundings which is quite useful in this book. I really enjoyed Sophia's confidence in her abilities and how much she enjoys what she does. Tristan never expected to become the Earl as a second son and so he devoted himself to working at Bow Street. Tristan was exceptional at his job and earned the nickname of the Ghost of Bow Street for his ability to always get his man. He clearly loved his work and has struggled with giving it up since inheriting. I liked that Tristan didn't act like a normal nobleman and actually still thought like a runner.

Sophia and Tristan's relationship begins with an interesting meeting after Tristan sees her on his neighbor's roof and believes her to be a thief. I liked that they both originally underestimated each other and were then appreciative of each other's talents. The pair work well together once they're able to get past the initial mistrust. I enjoyed the mystery plot in this book and how Sophia and Tristan worked together to solve it. The chemistry between these two is fantastic and I found the steamy scenes to be very well done although there aren't a ton of them until late into the book.

Overall The Virgin Who Ruined Lord Gray was a great start to a historical romance series and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Virgin Who Vindicated Lord Darlington, soon.

The first book in The Swooning Virgins Society series a well written story with a very good storyline the story flows smoothly across the pages. The one thing I will say is do not start this book at bedtime as once I started I was not putting it down until I finished reading. The story is about the Clifford Charity School for Wayward Girls, Sophia Monmouth is one of their most daring women for their cause. Sophie is never seen in what she does until she comes to Tristan Stratford, Lord Gray, with the nickname the Ghost of Bow Street attention. There is suspense, drama, danger, a graveyard, villains, and romance. A story that is well worth reading. I want to read the next book.

Anna Bradley's stories are always sexy and emotional and I love her historical romances. In this, the hero and heroine are both intent on the same thing - solving a murder - but opposed in their methods and goal. Which leads to some great tension - and sexual tension - between them.

Loved this one!

This romance has mystery as well as suspense, which I love. The action is fast paced and the plot is very good, with characters that kept me engaged. This was a very good read and I look forward to the next book in the series.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Virgin Who Ruined Lord Gray0 by Anna Bradley is the First book in The Swooning Virgins Society Series. This is the story of Sophia Monmouth and Tristan Stratford, the Earl of Gray. Tristan was once a Bow Street runner who had to give that career up when his brother died leaving him the title of Earl. But Tristan is awaiting for the person that murdered his friend and fellow Bow Street runners trial. Sophia was a orphan after her mother's murder and has been raised in the Clifford Charity School where she has meet friends. Now in her current day she still is there but has been blown away along with all others that a worked named Jeremy Ives has been accused of murder. Sophia knows that he is innocent and has taken to proving it which leads her to meet Tristan. Enjoyed their story and hope to read more books by this author.

So so glad to see Anna Bradley back on top form, I always really like her work, but this book is back to the heights of the first few books I read by her, and i absolutely loved it.

Sophia Monmouth is a pupil of the Clifford Charity School for Wayward Girls, headed by the mysterious Lady Amanda Clifford, - where she organises a group of girls with special skills, who work at her direction. The other girls are Cecilia, Emma and Georgiana, and they support each other, and have a tradition where they read Mrs Radcliffe's novels together. We never find out what they do exactly, except in the blurb, where it refers to their mission to bring down corrupt aristocrats.

Sophia has been asked to keep an eye on Lord Everly's household and one of his servants in particular, Peter Sharpe, she lies in wait for him one night on the roof of Lord Everly's mansion, when she has the misfortune to be observed by Tristan Stratford, once a famous Bow Street Runner, called "The Ghost", and now the Earl of Gray, being hustled towards marriage and begetting an heir by his grieving mother.

Tristan is feeling out of sorts, grieving the death of his fellow runner, brutally murdered in a park by a young man. when he spots a youth skulking on the roof next door, his investigative instincts are aroused and he follows the youth, who he is sure is up to no good. When he catches up to her, he thwarts her nightime mission, and then realises she is a girl, who is from Lady Amanda's school and he is very suspicious and wary of her motives. However he is also intensely attracted to her.

Sophia was found and placed in the school at the age of seven, after her mother was brutally murdered by a lover. She is upset and determined to solve the mystery of why her friend and servant at the school Jeremy Ives, has been accused of murdering a bow street runner and is incarcerated in Newgate, awaiting trial. Lady Amanda and Sophia are determined to save Jeremy, but they are running out of options. She has been on Peter Sharpe's trail for a while, and he always ends up at the same place, site of Henry Gerrard's murder, St Clement Dane's Church.

The relationship between Tristan and Sophia is fraught and full of complexity. Tristan is on the side of the law and comes from the aristocracy, he trusts in the justice system, and is not convinced of Jeremey's innocence. Sophia has to work very hard to get him to see that justice is not meted out equally to poor people without connections, when she is able to convince him of Jeremey's innocence, it takes having to see Jeremy and his condition in prison for himself.

The murder mystery and suspense is drawn up to an exciting climax, and the relationship between the delicate looking but extremely strong Sophia and the powerful yet conflicted Earl is swoonworthy and steamy and just perfect.

I really loved it and can't wait for book 2!

I voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of this book, and all opinions are my own.

I was hooked right from the first page of this book. Sophia and Tristan are such a delight to read and the chemistry between them was apparent right from the beginning. The characters of Sophia and Tristan are intriguing with Sophia being a survivor, used to bending rules and Tristan a bow street runner turned Earl who is rather rigid in his beliefs especially regarding the judicial system. The book is part murder mystery and part romance and the mystery in the book keeps up right up until the end. The love story is just beautiful and I couldn't get enough of the both of them. I read this book through the night and it was really difficult to put it down. The only problem I have is with the title of the book as Sophia is not a virgin so why even have that as part of the title, because honestly it doesn't make an iota of a difference to the story. I wish the author and publisher would have done better with the title because Sophia being such a kickass heroine definitely deserved a better title. Having said that, please ignore the title and read the absolutely amazing romance because this book is such a brilliant read. I loved every moment of it. This is book one in the Swooning Virgins Society and I can't wait for Sophia's friends to get their books too.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

A mysterious society of intrepid young ladies! A murder with political connections! A stiff-as-a-board ex-Bow Street Runner! Anna Bradley brings us a new series full of intrigue and suspense, bound together by a lovely romance. From the opening scene where Tristan Stratford, newly minted earl and formerly the “Ghost of Bow Street,” looks out his window and sees a boy lying on the roof of the house next door, readers are propelled into a murder mystery. The “boy,” of course, is a young woman named Sophia Monmouth and she is trying to save her friend who is wrongly accused of the murder.

Sophia and Tristan are delightful together. He is a rather rigid rule follower. She lives in a world where the rules do not always work in her favor. There are class differences as well. He is an earl and is almost betrothed. She is an orphan. They find common ground in a search for truth and justice, even if their methods are not the same.

This is the first book in The Swooning Virgins Society series (a very tongue-in-cheek name!). While enjoying this first installment we are introduced to the Clifford Charity School for Wayward Girls and its leader, Lady Clifford. There is clearly a lot to learn about the mysterious Lady Clifford and her family of girls. What is her mission? How is she connected to some important people? We are only allowed many hints, but no real answers. I can’t wait to find out in subsequent books. Don’t miss this compelling story!

ARC provided through Netgalley

The Virgin who Ruined Lord Gray, wasn't a virgin and didn't ruin him... how did that get overlooked?

Anyway... this book is part murder mystery part historical romance. I didn't reread the blurb before starting and had no idea what was going on.

Tristan is the new Lord Gray after his brother died, prior to that he was a Bow Street Runner, which he is finding hard to leave behind.

Sophia is an Orphan who is taken in at Lady Clifford's school where she trains as a spy type person.

So Tristan and Sophia meet while Sophia is stalking someone she believes to be involved in the murder of her friend.

This is a hate to love story, they work together to solve the murder case and develop feelings for each other along the way.

I enjoyed the mystery aspect of the book since it was something different but I think it could have been handled better and resolved better.

As for the misleading title - Sophia has had very little sexual experience but wasn't a virgin and the only way I can see she ruined him was to ruin his "Ghost of Bow Street" image. Otherwise, I'd say she saved him.

Overall I gave this book 3 stars. It was good.

**ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

This was the best of both worlds. It was a great murder mystery and a beautiful love story.
Tristan is an Earl, a former bow street runner. He misses the days of investing all sorts of crimes. He's bored being an Earl. So when he sees an urchin staking out a house on the roof next door, he decides to follow.
Sophia is trying to prove that her friend is innocent of a crime that he was arrested for. She is following the culprit she thinks is really responsible for the crime. What she doesn't realize is she is being followed as well.
This was a great who done it, as well as a true love story. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down.
5 stars

I am so glad I stumbled upon this book on Netgalley as 'The Virgin Who Ruined Lord Gray' had everything I look for in a romance.

I adored both of our main characters. Sophia has a murky past, she's grown up in a bad position, but she's strong and doesn't let the things that have happened bring her down. When we first meet her she's scaling the roof of Tristan's neighbours home as she spies on a man, and honestly this was the perfect introduction to her! She is true to herself and fierce in her fight for justice, and not willing to compromise to some earl.

Tristan is immediately on guard when he spots a boy laying on his neighbours roof but when he follows him and finds out this young boy is actually Sophia he can't help the intrigue he feels. Tristan is stuck in a rut in his life after leaving his bow street runner days behind to be a respectable earl so he can't help being drawn in by Sophia and her fight for justice.

The romance here was so wonderful, I loved the chemistry between Sophia and Tristan, they are interested in each other pretty much straight away but Sophia is worried about the class difference whilst Tristan has to question what her motives are. Seeing these two come together was so wonderful and I couldn't get enough of them.

I loved the mix of romance and murder that's happening here, there's a big focus on investigating and snooping to find answers. I also loved the discussions about how class privilege plays in to justice.

We do get an introduction to the other women at the Clifford School who the next books are going to follow and I can't wait to see more of them as I loved the connection between these woman. I also loved how they all get together to read romance novels aha!

This was my first read by Anna Bradley but most certainly won't be my last, and I can't wait to read more of her work.

I really enjoyed this story. Why? Because it was different then the normal historical romance.

First - give me any book with a Bow Street character. I love them. The fact that he is now a Lord? Even better.
Second - give me a character (specifically a heroine) that is not part of the ton. I love them too! I really enjoyed the premise of the school and the 'education' the girls received. I really want to know more! What was told in this book was just a teaser.

I really liked how these characters met and their interactions afterward. Love a mystery included within my romances at times and this hit the spot. Intrigue, mystery, action, good plot with romance.

Definitely will be reading the rest in this series as I'm really intrigued by the other characters.

I was provided an arc of this book by Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Lord Gray is a bow street runner who has never failed to track down a man, until Sophia comes along. She's nothing he was prepared for and his attraction to her leads to some delicious complications as they team up to track down the actual killer and free Sophia's friend who has been wrongly accused.

This book was a very fun read! It is unlike any other historical romance I've ever read with a heavy emphasis on the mystery rather than the romance. I loved seeing Sophia unafraid to risk it all to save her friend, and watching Tristan and Sophia fall in love was wonderfully soft and filled with some really sweet longing.

I did feel the first half of the book was a tad slow and I wish the romance had gotten the same attention as the mystery but it was overall a very fun read! I'm excited to check out more from this author.