This was a wonderfully nerdy historical romance! I love the scientist heroine, Violet, and her stoic bodyguard, Arthur. Everett did a great job writing their palpable chemistry from their first meeting, and it was enjoyable seeing their attraction grow and learning more about the characters as individuals. I feel like this will be a fun read in audio form, to hear Arthur's Scottish accent. The book also set up some excellent side characters for possible spin-off books, and I would definitely like to read more set in the world of Athena's Retreat.

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. I didn't care for the pacing, which seemed all over the place, and the supposed danger just lacked suspense. I couldn't even understand what was so serious and why Violet even needed a bodyguard. Then there was the insta-love, which seemed to materialize out of thin air in the first chapter. There was all this talk about their "connection" but said connection was extremely superficial and lacked chemistry. Cute cover, but this isn't a recommended read from me. Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Lady Violet Hughes runs a secret society for women to conduct scientific experiments away from prying eyes. Violet is a widow, and she had a terrible marriage where she felt stifled by her husband. Her stepson arranges for a bodyguard, Arthur Kneland, to protect her from a dangerous organization that is trying to steal her research. I enjoyed the premise of this book, and I thought Arthur had the potential to be an interesting character. However, I had a hard time following the plot of this book because so much time was spent on minor characters. I felt like some of the obstacles in the book were too cliche and a lot of the plot devices that are meant to propel the story forward just fell flat for me. I didn't understand why the secret organization was trying to steal information from Violet. In addition, Violet's reasoning for why a relationship with Arthur was impossible just felt too unrealistic to me. I guess I wanted Violet to be a little less wishy-washy and more independent. Fans of historical romances that want to read about a female scientist and a bodyguard will enjoy this book.

This is not your grandma's historical romcom.

I'm here for the feminism. I'm here for the ladies in STEM. I'm *here* for the *steamy* bodyguard romance. I'm here for the Victorian romcom.

Between the expectations of Victorian society and the lingering scars of a ill-suited marriage, widowed Lady Violet has lost all sense of herself. She creates a safe space for her fellow women to learn and host their cutting-edge experiments, out of sight of the oppression of the day. But even as the center of a secret society of brilliant women scientists, Violet can't find happiness until she learns to be her true self. The romcom plot is well-balanced and nicely paced, the characters are a delight, and the bodyguard is <fans self> magnificent. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.

You know what? I take that back bit about grandma back. You should totally buy a copy of A LADY'S FORMULA FOR LOVE for your grandma, too. She'll *love* this fun historical romcom, and so will you!

Genius ladies forming a club to advance their research and save lives? Sign me up!

Lady Violet is on a secret mission and Arthur Kneland has been assigned to keep her and her research safe. Though they come from different stations in life, both of them are looking for a safe haven.

Violet married at a young age and was belittled for her brilliant mind. Now she's found a sanctuary for women who want to pursue their scientific education. Her club is full of amazing women from different backgrounds. Yet, even in this crowd of like minded women she's alone. All of the women rely on her respectability and the club for their research.

When her stepson hires a friend to guard her the immediate attraction catches her of guard. Her insecurities rise to the surface. But such bright brilliance cannot be dulled. I believe the light and genius within Violet make Arthur break all his rules and finally find the home he's been looking for.

The chemistry is explosive in A Lady's Formula for Love by Elizabeth Everett.

In Victorian England, Lady Violet Hughes is scientist, with a secret project, and Arthur Kneland is the officer who is assigned to protect her. Of course, their relationship is more than what they bargained for, as the sparks fly between them.

It's a Romance (with a capital R) on the racy side, and I'd have liked a little more development before things got physical, but I can see a lot of fans of this genre enjoying it. Overall, it was some nice escapism.

I recommend this to fans of romance novels with a splash of mystery.

3 stars

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this copy, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I found myself drawn into the book but got a little lost along the way. There was a lot going on and a lot of characters to keep track of. It was definitely a mystery romance. I liked the relationship between our heroine and hero, you can feel the chemistry.
This was a fun little mystery with some romance mixed in.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

Violet, Lady Greycliff, widow and scientist, heads a women’s club of amateur lady scientists called Athena’s Retreat. Needless to say, this club is not well-received in social circles and it’s even viewed as a threat when it’s potentially made known that Lady Violet is working on a secret mission for the queen. Arthur Kneland is recruited as a bodyguard by Violet’s concerned step-son, and soon enough chemistry isn’t relegated to the lab alone.

For a debut, this book isn’t too bad. I like the camaraderie in the club and the snippets of historical information. But I do feel that it’s weak on character, particularly Violet and Arthur. Their relationship moves very quickly. Within the first few chapters, Violet and Arthur are each (separately) claiming to feel a deep “connection” between them, but the issue is that we’ve barely met them. We have no ground on which to stand to ascertain whether this is a legitimate attraction for them because we’re not familiar with them. What spoils the romance quite a bit for me is that there’s no real time given to building that all-important tension, romantic or otherwise, and that’s unfortunate given the amount of steamy scenes in this book.

I’m not fond of the instant-love trope in romances, so I acknowledge that much of this criticism is personal preference. I did also feel there was an inordinate amount of dialogue and not enough narrative padding to lend an overall sense of environment or to give the characters (especially the women) notable distinction. I would as well describe the writing style as being somewhat overbalanced toward “telling” rather than “showing” us the story and characters.

It’s certainly an interesting premise, though, for a historical romance and I would recommend it for that reason. Hopefully the next book can improve with pacing and be a bit more even.

This book was sweet!
It wasn't serious or challenging or deep, but it was compelling enough to make me want to read it on my lunch break. All in all, I'd recommend to patrons looking for a cute romance.
I'd definitely read sequels if the author wrote them.

Whaaat?? I cannot stop myself, I’m singing: “And Iiiiiiiiiii wiilllll alwaysss looooveee youuuuu!” And you know what my husband dearest said after hearing my performance make Whitney Houston turn in her grave and give a horrible ear bleeding to Dolly Parton, he just told me: “Please don’t!” and he kept on watching “Hanting of Bly Manor” because he still thinks I’m the actress who plays the woman with no face!

Anyways, I truly loved this smart, entertaining blend of historical fiction and romance. This is Victorian Bodyguard (instead of Mr. Costner, Colin Firth’s Mr. Darcy works so much better for the story’s sake) meets Austen novels! Both of the MCs are adorable thankfully there was nothing irritating or punch-worthy about their characterizations and plot was interesting, intriguing. After looking at the cover, it gives you books of Evie Dunmore vibes which increases your excitement levels!

Let’s take a look at the storyline to get a better idea:

The story takes place at early 19th century of England. Lady Violet after losing her husband, she finds the best secret place to organize her new club meetings: a group of women who are passionate for scientific discoveries, pursuing their dreams by working on different formulas at their lab time.

Lady Violet also keeps a big secret that she’s working for the crown! But as soon as her stepson who is at the same age with her becomes a threat for her secret mission who is she gonna call? Nope, not Bill Murray. She hired a charming protector/ guard / soldier Arthur Kneland.

You may guess what could happen as Lady Violet and Arthur starts spending so much quality time: it gets smoking hotter than August in Nevada and undeniable desire conquers their hearts.

I found the premise so creative and unique but I have some problems about the obstacles between MCs! The angst part is a little exaggerated. I didn’t see the reason so credible explains why they cannot be together.

But I enjoyed the ending and supporting characters were so much likable.

Eventually I cut my points but I’m still rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 promising, enjoyable, clever, original, powerful women characters stars!

Yes, it’s such a great start as a debut and I’d be pleased to read the upcoming works of Ms. Everett.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this incredible arc copy with me in exchange my honest review.

Although I would call it more of a mystery novel than a romance, I still enjoyed A Lady's Formula for Love quite a bit. I would recommend this one to readers who want to dip their toe in the romance genre, but don't know where to start. There's a spark between the hero and heroine, and you can see why their relationship works so well. I also like a more "mature" romance.

There are a lot of side characters that are hard to keep track of, but that could be more of a facet of the mystery genre than romance (all the better for red herrings).

In my opinion the first few chapters of this book--which I assume were supposed to start off the action with a bang!--were kind of a mess. There were way too many characters, a flurry of activity, and so much going on, that I was just confused. After a bit everything seemed to calm down and I began to enjoy the story and the two main characters. But then again, after about half-way through, the book seemed to lose it's focus. I couldn't tell if the author was trying to give us clues to the "mystery" in a much too heavy-handed manner, or if things were already being set up for sequels, or what. The main conflicts between the two main characters were confusing, as well. I really didn't understand what the big deal was about why they couldn't be together. This book was just not for me.

I love the premise of this book! A group of intelligent women in one house running their own experiments for the betterment of human kind. The women in this book are smart, yet flawed. They don't get it right the first time, but the persevere. That's how we make advancements, right? Learn from our mistakes. I couldn't get into the love interest though. He was supposed to be this top-shelf anti-assassin who honed his craft over the last 20 years. Nothing can get by him and he should have been able to solve this in a pinch. He's constantly sidetracked by the lovely Lady Violet, and the mystery of who is sabotaging Lady Violet reveals itself without really any involvement from Arthur. He needed a little more depth. Still, it was an enjoyable read and I'll read the second installment when it's released.

A Lady's Formula For Love is the perfect concoction of romance, intrigue and wit! Lady Violet Hughes is a brilliant chemist who, with the help of her friends, has founded a secret society dedicated to the pursuit of scientific advancement in Regency England. Arthur Kneland is the enigmatic protection officer who has been assigned to keep Violet safe when her home and lab are threatened.

After years of being silenced and suppressed, Arthur ignites something in Violet that she cannot deny. At the same time, Violet's intelligence and passion for her work breaks through the walls Arthur created to bury the shame and guilt of his past. Intimacy and trust mix together in a way that makes their romance come to life on the page.

Elizabeth Everett takes the reader on a romantic romp as Violet and Arthur shatter the patriarchy in this empowering and delightful Rom Com. I can hardly wait for the next installment from this debut author who has earned a place on my "auto-buy" list!

I really wanted to love this one, but it's just okay. The tension doesn't quite build to its potential and I saw the ending coming from miles away, which is always a bummer. This series has potential, so hopefully the next one improves with the experience the author gained writing this one.

While it was a fun read, the plot was a bit convoluted, and threw out a few too many plotlines that weren't completely tied up. I do enjoy a historic romance with a feminist bent though.

The premise of this book is fantastic. I love the idea of Victorian era scientist women who have gathered together to support each other in a club. The romance part of the book is good. I liked both the main romantic characters but I wanted there to a little more time spent on character development. All in all it was a good read that I enjoyed but I think it could have been shockingly good with a little more detail and time spent in developing the characters and their relationships with each other.

I just couldn’t get into it. Great plot concept but the characters didn’t engage me and following the plot and who was who.... Possibly the failing was mine. I stopped after 30-40 pages.

Loved this light romance. Great pacing and characters. Fun with a little mystery. As we know, smart women didn't just appear when we were finally allowed into higher education and grudgingly (and minimally) recognized in certain careers. I enjoyed this story of smart women trying to balance their place in society with their desire to learn & achieve & experience more. At a time when it was basically scandalous to try to fit into a man's world in any way the women in this story push those boundaries, and of course, our main character gets to find love as well.