This book was incredibly fun to read. The victorian setting paired with fantasy elements created a very whimsical atmosphere. I have to say that Winn was my favorite character by far. She was so lovely. I also enjoyed how much everyone's accents and dialects came through in the writing, I could really hear them speak, especially Dell, our main character. And what a character she was; gutterwitch and petty thief turned bodyguard and bounty hunter. Her relationship with Winn was quite sweet, although not as developed as I would have liked. It seemed that Winn let Dell get away with everything, even when she said hurtful things to her. I would have liked to see a bit more world building, given this is a society where not only humans, but trolls, and half-trolls live. The ending was actually quite anticlimactic and I probably would have given the book 4 stars had it ended less flat. Overall, it was a fun and easy read with a cute sapphic romance, but lacked some depth that I feel would have aided the story in its entirety.

Dellaria is short on her rent, her mother’s rent, and needs a job fast. After having a “hard promise” put on her by her landlady, Dellaria must come up with rent or risk having her face covered in pustules through magic. When a shady card game leads to her arrest, Dellaria falsely claims she is needed at an interview for a powerful and wealthy family, and is completely surprised when a Lady comes and retrieves her from the jail for her fake interview. Turns out, Dellaria is a fire witch and would make an excellent bodyguard for a wealthy woman if Dellaria can only keep her focus and not run off to have drinks and shenanigans with the local men. When Dellaria’s employer is attacked through magical means, Dellaria and her fellow bodyguards discover that they are in far more danger than they were led to believe. Now, Dellaria is caught up in the mystery of who wants to attack Dellaria’s employer, how that connects to the rising drug problems in the area, her growing attraction to one of her wealthy colleagues and should she pursue her for love or the possibility of wealth and safety. The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry is an engaging and thrilling adventure full of humor and action. It has a delightful cast of characters, nearly all women with magical abilities and all incredibly interesting. Dellaria develops what seems to be her first set of real friends and she really struggles to learn how to accept help and positive encouragement. The world found within this story is very interesting. While it appears to be set in old-timey England, with its social classes and fancy dress shops, it’s actually quite progressive. Those with money and social power can “household” another person which I took to mean a relationship similar to marriage. I could be wrong, but that’s how I understood it. These household relationships don’t have to be male-female. Same sex relationships are completely ordinary, happen all the time and it was just so nice to see it treated that way. Slight spoiler-when Dellaria finds herself in the position of potentially be householded, she is all flirty eyebrows and waggly eyebrows and her potential partner is all, slow down girl, we have all the time in the world and Dellaria is just floored! Who turns down Dellaria’s advances? I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks of it. I loved the world, the magic, the characters, it’s all just so good!

Originally, I requested this novel because I thought the cover looked interesting and I like the sound of a historical fantasy. Both of those assumptions were correct, but I was NOT prepared for how much I really enjoyed this book! Waggoner is really adept at striking a great balance between real life misery and poverty...and then lightening the moment with some dark humor. I was so charmed by the humor that I was in from chapter one. There is a staggering amount of description and information included in Dell's story, but I never felt overwhelmed or bored by it. The city and scenes are described with care.
The romance is sweet and passionate and somehow funny and genuine as well. It was nice to see a lesbian/bisexual romance done well and in a historic setting as well.
I fell in love with the characters and stayed for the magic and romance and a strange dead mouse named, Mr. Buttons who, may or may not, be controlled by some supernatural force...It's the small weird things that sometimes push a novel over the top. That weird mouse really made my reading that much more fun.

The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry is a very peculiar sort of book. It's at once an action story, as well as a historical romance, and a fantasy. There are moments where this didn't quite fit together, and there were moments where it really, really did. There are some darker themes, but the book itself isn't particularly dark, and once you get into the story, it certainly becomes an enjoyable read.

The writing is the first thing that is immediately noticeable when reading this novel: it's fairly unique, and very much tailored to the main character Delly's way of speaking. This had its positives, and its negatives. Even though it was third person POV, the writing meant that it was very easy to understand Delly as a character and get a feel for her distinctiveness. This meant that a lot of her character, and her perspective of what was going on, was shown and not told, which helped the story flow without clunky sections. However, it was also an adjustment to get used to because it was so unique. It didn't take more than a couple of chapters to get used to, but there were some turns of the phrase, and especially world building elements, that weren't quite clear and that were a little off-putting. Ultimately, though, it did level out and very much lent a distinctive tone to the book.

I think one of my biggest issues with this book, which is still fairly minor, was that it wasn't quite what I was expecting from the blurb. I went into the story expecting it to be an intrepid adventure with a group of magical women protecting someone, but that really only applied to the first part. The rest was very much 'taking down a drug distribution ring to try and find someone', which was unexpected. This wasn't a bad thing, as this latter half of the book was still a very interesting story. The pacing did get thrown off a little bit in the transition from adventure to more subtle action, but overall the balance of the two worked out well. The ending fit the tone of the story and the direction the characters had taken, even though it was slightly more subdued. Everything worked out nicely in the end, which made this a satisfying book to finish.

One thing I liked a lot was the characters. There's a fairly large cast of supporting characters that appear at various points, with very few men of much significance, and none as main character, but the two that we see the most of are Delly and Winn. Neither are particularly similar to the characters who tend to feature in similar books, which is why I liked them so much. Delly is very rough around the edges, fairly self-contained, and though she does change throughout the book, she still stays very much Delly. There's no sort of push for her to polish up, or to leave behind her roots in the rougher areas of town, and Winn is a similar story, because I don't think I've ever come across a love interest who was part troll and said things like 'regulation hammerball'. Winn was clear and honest, and I love how kind she was but also how determined she was to do the right thing. Absentia Dok was a fairly major secondary character, and though she was certainly a very accomplished lady and knew exactly that, she still had a fairly open outlook regarding Delly especially.

I had fun reading this book, and I remember good things about it. It's quite a genre-blending book, with influences from different areas and a plot that reflects that, but I enjoyed the way it was done. There were a lot of things to like, even if there were some things I did, and the main relationship was handled well without feeling like it took over the story. Definitely a recommendation from me, if you like quirky, fun, new stories with lots of women who just are, without needing a reason.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This will be posted on my blog on February 7th.

I read this as part of a buddy read with some of my friends, and while it was not a novel on my radar, I did enjoy discussing it with my friends more than just reading it individually!

Waggoner has this lovely little whimsical way of writing a story that brought out so many interesting discussion points. Her characters mold nicely together, and they carry the story for sure!

Magical, fantasy, Delly struggling through life (hello, real world!), and historical connections.

I'd recommend this as a buddy read if you want something to read with friends and discuss.

It’s very hard to start in on a review of something as magical as The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry because it just has so many facets and layers.

At first glance we get the feeling that one Miss Dellaria Wells is pretty much a hopeless case. An uneducated fire witch subsisting in the back alleys and barrooms of Leiscourt, just trying to find a way to keep a roof over her head and, sometimes, take care of her mam.

As this book really gets rolling, we find Delly stumbling her way into a very high paying job to watch over — with a passel of other more “high society” witches — a bride-to-be at a statuesque manor outside of Leiscourt.

Oh, but that’s just the start of it.

As the story ensues, we find our Delly embroiled in all manner of plot and chicanery. All of which I dare not share here as to keep the surprises to you, the reader.

In this book, Ms. Waggoner builds a robust semi-Victorian world full of class struggles, new love and some of the absolute best language I have come across in a very long time. Where else are you going to find a perfectly acceptable use for the word “enkittenated?”

I was very much reminded of Jen Williams’ The Copper Cat Series, and, especially the titular character of Wydrin. Delly and Wyd would probably be at each others’ throats a scant few pages in.

This is a book that you will not want to put down, nor want to finish. The characters all have amazing depth (even the dripper trash), and the personalities practically ooze off the page.

It would be a releftin’ shame if Ms. Waggoner did not continue to dabble in this world she has so lovingly built. I really cannot wait for more.

Oh, and then there’s Buttons… (bong)

This took me a while to get into. I probably picked it up about 20 times before I felt like things started flowing a little more smoothly. While I do love fantasy, it’s not a genre I pick up frequently, so the world-building part can take awhile for me to get into. I would feel like I’d been reading forever and I’d only made 2 percent progress. I also feel like too much of the world was inferred, and it was a little difficult to grasp at times.

That said, I ended up liking the story overall. Dellaria “Delly” Wells is our MC. She’s a “gutter” fire witch looking for work in Leiscourt. She answers an ad for a female bodyguard, and finds herself as part of a team of women paid to protect a soon-to-be bride from potential assassins.

I love that this book centers on a group of strong, competent women. I loved seeing the relationship between Delly and Winn evolve and flourish. I liked that there was a lot of humor mixed in with the story. While at first I was v creeped out by Buttons, he actually grew on me a lot! It seems like the door is open for a sequel or possible series, and I’d be open to reading more about these characters. Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for an eARC of this title.

"Sparks fly in this enchanting fantasy novel from the author of Unnatural Magic when a down-and-out fire witch and a young gentlewoman join forces against a deadly conspiracy.

Dellaria Wells, petty con artist, occasional thief, and partly educated fire witch, is behind on her rent in the city of Leiscourt - again. Then she sees the “wanted” sign, seeking Female Persons, of Martial or Magical ability, to guard a Lady of some Importance, prior to the celebration of her Marriage. Delly fast-talks her way into the job and joins a team of highly peculiar women tasked with protecting their wealthy charge from unknown assassins.

Delly quickly sets her sights on one of her companions, the confident and well-bred Winn Cynallum. The job looks like nothing but romance and easy money until things take a deadly (and undead) turn. With the help of a bird-loving necromancer, a shapeshifting schoolgirl, and an ill-tempered reanimated mouse named Buttons, Delly and Winn are determined to get the best of an adversary who wields a twisted magic and has friends in the highest of places."

Magic! Magic magic magic magic magic!

I loved this! Delly was a such a wonderful complicated disaster of a heroine and the story, romance, and found friends all made me happy.

This was a fun jaunt into an alternate earth with magic. Quite enjoyable love story within as well!!

My overall rating was that this book was just 'okay.' There are many of this type--gaslight blending historical with the fantastical. This story line was interesting but could have added more physical action. What makes this unique is the LGBTQ+ addition to the narrative.

I was really excited for this book going into it. The first chapter, we meet Delly, a drunk fire witch who can't seem to get through life without trouble knocking on her door. But, when she gets an opportunity to act as a bodyguard for a rich young lady preparing to marry, things look like they're going to turn around.

The first chapter had me rolling with laughter. In fact, the whole book had this edge of comedy that I really liked. I can really appreciate when a fantastical book can also be comical. It helped lighten up the mood, especially with any scene containing Button, the skeletal, spirit infected rat. But one thing that really hindered my reading was the extremely long chapters.

I'm not sure what it is about adult fiction, but there's no reason for me to read 10% of the book in some cases in one chapter. It dragged the book along, even during intense action scenes, and it felt like everything was going on with no break.

Excluding the pacing issue, I loved the plot, I loved the characters, and I really liked the humor. I think that's the biggest thing that saved this book because each moment had me grinning or laughing throughout. Without it, I feel like I would have been sucked into the endless chapters and gotten lost amongst the onslaught of events happening all at once.

If the chapters were just a little shorter, I think I would have loved this book! But, I have to give it a 3 // 5 stars for the dragging pace and slow plot.

Of all the books I’ve read so far this month Dellaria is my favorite character. She’s a thief of questionable morals, fun, vulgar, a fast talker, caring, compassionate and a Fire Witch.

Dellaria has hit rock bottom. Not only is she late on her rent but also needs to find her mom a place to live before she succumbs to the drip living in abandoned buildings with a bad crowd. She answers an ad to bodyguard a high society young woman who is facing death threats leading up to her wedding day. Not particularly fond of risking her life, she manages to stick to the job and before you know it she’s invested.

The Ruthless Lady’s Guide To Wizardry by @cmwaggoner is a wonderful entertaining story involving a group of female bodyguards each with their own unique skill, a budding queer romance and twists, a mystery filled with adventure and magic.
The pacing and writing style took a bit to get used to but once I got acclimated to the clever writing style it was a smooth read.

Looking forward to the second book!
#theruthlessladysguidetowizardry
#netgalley #berkleybuddyreads #berkleywritesstrongwomen

This is so boring and I'm not hooked on the voice after 30%. Some books just aren't for everyone, unfortunately. DNF.

When I read the book title, I was immediately thrilled to read this book. And after reading the book summary, I knew that I was going to love it because I always love reading about empowered women falling in love or building their dreams. 
So I had expectations when I started The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry. And boy, I have a lot to say. I do not want to bash but I was very disappointed when I finished this book. I immediately thought I could not finish this book. It was a struggle from the start. I don't know why but I just could not connect to the character at all. Like I was trying my hardest in any way but I could not. And from there, it went downhill. And the romance was barely there. Next time, I need to lower my expectation when I start discovering new books from their titles or covers.

not my cup of tea. the writing is very cutesy and quirky, which is just not my flavor of historical fiction that I like to read. i know several people this would appeal to, so i might return to it in the summertime when i am usually in the mood for lighter reads.

I just enjoyed the hell out of this book. That’s it … C. M. Waggoner is officially on my auto-buy list!

Set in the same world as her first book, Unnatural Magic, this was an excellent return to a world full of magic, wizards, thieves, necromancers, trolls and assassins. Excellent world building, and character development makes this charming book a must read.

Our main character ‘Delly’ is a delight. Tough talking, but also incredibly kind, the author makes her a very well-rounded individual. She navigates the world struggling with the specter of a lifetime of poverty, and the terrible insecurity that comes of dealing with a drug addicted parent. She’s charming, funny, foul-mouthed, impulsive, annoying and you can’t help hoping every one of her dreams come true, even though the life she’s lived so far barely allows her to imagine a better life.

That she finds such a wonderful potential love match is a delight. I love the way that same-sex relationships exist in this world without issues. No one ridicules them, no one harasses them. It’s lovely.

If you read the first book by Ms. Waggoner then you will love this one too. Like I said, I can’t wait to see what else she comes up with. I feel like she left the door wide open for sequels to this novel in the future and I’m hoping that’s what we get.

Song for this book: A Better Son/Daughter – Rilo Kiley

Taking place in the same universe as CM Waggoner's 2019 novel, Unnatural Magic, The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry is all about a group of female magic users that band together to take down a drug dealer while solving a crime. At the center of the story is Delly Wells, a self-described "gutterwitch" who has a drip-addicted mother and can't seem to climb out of her own bottle to better her circumstances until an opportunity comes up: use her firewitch powers to protect a high-profile bride-to-be. As part of the magic user guard contingent, she meets Winn, a troll magic user from a comfortable clan; she and Delly have chemistry together, and Delly figures it can't hurt to be a kept woman after the job is done, right? But things go awry, and the group is left to hunt down a murderer. CM Waggoner's gift for worldbuilding and characters who are hilarious and conflicted makes this a fantasy pick for readers who like strong female characters and medieval fantasy settings. An undead mouse is laugh-out-loud comedy relief.

DNF at 30%

I like the idea of this book and appreciate what it is trying to do, but I didn't like the execution. Delly is abrasive and her character was hard to like. I don't know if it was just me, but it felt more like this book was set in the old west rather than the Victorian era. I did like the romance that was developing though.

This was just a personal thing though, and I'm sure others will love both the book and the main character.

Thank you, Ace and Netgalley for giving me an ARC copy of this book for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings expressed are my own.

I found myself struggling to get through this one. I loved this book in the beginning it was a Victorianesque story with magic. However, the pacing was super slow and it took forever for anything to happen. Maybe I just expected it to move at a faster pace because of how it is described but I think there was more about them eating than action.

I am a character-driven reader so I have to be able to at least tolerate the characters. Delly our main character evolution is like a rollercoaster. Every time I started to like her she would do something that made me just not be able to stand her again. Winn is wonderful but there comes a point where I just wanted to shake her and say open your eyes. Then you have Abstentia Dok who in the beginning I never would have thought I would like her and at some point (around 70%) I realized she was the only one that I really liked.

The story isn’t bad it just did not jive with me. If you like slow-paced stories I say go for it.