“We have only three laws in our Society, Cecilia. No killing civilians. Pour the tea before the milk. And no stealing each other’s houses.”

🫖 Cecilia Bassignwaite has been raised in proper English society—that is, Wisteria crime society. She is skilled in the art of making a cup of tea, robbing banks, polite conversation, swordplay, and acquiring treasure. So when Ned Lightbourne shows up under one of his many alias with a contract to kill her, she is delighted. After all, it’s an honor within the society to have one’s own assassin. However, it seems Lightbourne is also tangled in the evil Captain Morvath’s plot to restore men’s place in English society. Cecilia must work with this handsome rogue to foil the plot and save the ladies of the society. But most importantly to prove she’s just as much of a scoundrel. 

🫖 This book was everything I could have hoped for and ten times more. Chock full of everything you would want from a historical fantasy romance—flying houses, female pirates, literary references, endless secret identities, thieving and murdering women. I was instantly in love with this world and I don’t believe I have ever so furiously highlighted a book while reading.

🫖 The Lady Scoundrels are not to be messed with—on the battlefield, or in the most deadly art of polite conversation. I won’t spoil all the jokes for you, but I loved the contrast between how serious ailments like pneumonia and freckles were considered when even within the same sentence a character might suggest engaging in a knife fight. India Holton has created a deeply feminist world. It has never occurred to these characters that they might not be the head of the household or obtain their goals in life. By contrast, the men seem almost permanently confused. 

🫖 Yes, this is a romance and I loved that as well, but really I just want to read more adventures from these lady pirates. I need more people to read this so I can share my newfound love for this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars

This was such a fun and entertaining adventure romance. As a huge fan of the movie The Princess Bride, I loved the offbeat humor and whimsy of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels. It is full of hilarious, larger than life characters, a sweet romance, and a ton of action.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is about Cecelia, an accomplished pirate desperately wanting to take her rightful place in the Wisteria Society. However, she is constantly being blocked by her overprotective relatives, as well as concerns over her heritage. She meets Ned Lightbourne when he is sent to assassinate her. Is he an assassin? A spy? A failed pirate who lost his house? No one knows for sure. When the society is kidnapped, the two team up to save the women and of course...they develop FEELINGS for one another.

This book is so theatrical and quirky and fantastical. I loved the nods to classic literature, as well as little jokes and references to more modern pop culture. It is very goofy and absurd in the best way, but is also very smart and sharp with the dialogue. There is some world building thrown at you at first, but once you get the hang of the world (yes, there are flying houses.), you fall in love with it. I could see this being excellent on audio.

Overall, The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is a unique, whimsical adventure of a book perfect for fans of The Princess Bride!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"A gentleman does not trouble a lady by pinpointing the time of her murder."

This is the exact degree of whimsy all books should strive for. It's ridiculous, and I say that with all sincere admiration.

It's a story of lady pirates who fly houses as a means to perpetrate various scoundrel-y type crimes. While it is part of their code not to harm civilians (in a bodily sense), they regularly attempt to assassinate one another and live grand lives of theft and tea-drinking. Cecilia lives with her aunt, dreaming of her own promotion to senior member of the Wisteria Society, complete with her own flying house and full library. She is confident that the other ladies recognize her as an equal when an assassin shows up on her doorstep. However, things quickly get out of hand when it turns out that our assassin is working for many interested parties, including Cecilia's murderous poet of a father and Queen Victoria herself. Ned can't be trusted, but Cecilia can't help but notice his charms even as they both contemplate ways to kill one another.

This book flew by in a haze of laughter and creative liberties taken with historical gender roles. It was a fun, at times perplexing (by the characters' own admission) combination of manners and skulduggery. I would say the romance, characterization, and plot are secondary to the humor, so go in with that expectation. It's a light read that I would recommend to someone looking for a comedic element in their life with a dash of piracy.

This was a really cute story but just got to much into the romance novel genre for my tastes. If you like scifi/magical feminist adventure with a ton of steamy romance built in this is going to be perfect for you!

Oh would you just LOOK at that beautiful cover? I was so excited to get my hands on this one it sounded like it was going to be so much fun. And I will say that it was, to a point. However I find that maybe I'm just not a fan of this type of read. Lady pirates that fly houses? Um. Ok. I really really wanted to love it but I didn't. I don't think that makes this a bad read though for those that fancy this type of story! It is very well written so for that I will give it 3 stars.

Thank you Berkley Publishing for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

What an absolute delight of a book! This book was engaging and riotously funny, with a clever witticism that you'd be hard pressed to find in most fiction today. The characters were fun, interesting, and had such chemistry that made this book hard to put down. What a wonderful read for those who are looking for a bit of Victorian-era adventure and escapism.

Wow, what a wild ride of a book! The Wisteria Society For Lady Scoundrels' gorgeous cover and unique blurb immediately caught my attention. Set in an alternative Victorian England with elements of fantasy and magic, we follow the wild and whimsical story of lady pirate Cecelia and the assassin hired to kill her, Ned. This rollicking feminist farce is definitely not your typical historical romance and has a lot going on - which may or may not work for everyone. Told through multiple POVs with a large cast of characters and deadpan intensely witty dialog, this book boasts everything from and not limited to; tea drinking lady pirates, adventure, revenge, assassination and murder, secret identities and double crossing, thieving, sword fighting, flying houses, poetry, the Brontë family - even Queen Victoria gets involved!

I did find myself wanting more of the slow burn enemies to lovers storyline between Cecelia and Ned and found the romance to take a bit of a backseat to everything else going on at times. Overall this wacky debut is super playful and I was just delighted by how original and fun this book felt. Definitely not for every reader and I wouldn't recommend for those who are bothered by an abundance of casual violence or have a hard time following books that have a lot going on. I will add that I would personally LOVE to see this adapted for a tv series!!

This was a lot of fun! A very fast plot, with quirky characters, and a slow-burn romance. The reader’s enjoyment of this will be measured by their appreciation of the author’s humor and the fantasy elements (lady pirate scoundrels in flying houses!). Occasionally the prose and humor verge on being too silly, but the author generally brings it back just before that happens (this is where the individual’s taste in humor will dictate their enjoyment to a large extent). Recommended for readers who enjoy 19th century slow-burn romance, adventure stories, and many (many) references to the Brontës.

Once I got the hang of this topsy-turvy world I was captivated!

Picture this- Victorian England is a place where the ladies are the leaders and pirating ladies are the not so heroic heroes of the time. Now, ad in magic spells and flying houses instead of ships!

This book was a hoot! Between the extreme manners these lady pirates insist upon, to the shenanigans they get up to on a daily basis, I didn’t know what would happen next and I loved it!

I also really enjoyed how the love story between our young lady porte and her would-be assassin is woven into the plot a a way that mirrors the same dilemma for other historical romance heroines: submit to love and loose your freedom and dreams, or live a life without and realize your destiny. Yes she finds her own way, but it was neat to see that even in this world where females take no prisoners, they can be subjected to the same restraints from that result from marriage.

I really enjoyed this story and the characters, but I will say that the authors writing style did take a little to get used to, to fully enjoy the plot. This was not an easy read and I felt like I was reading something reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter. Bot, that being said- I recommend for readers struggling with the unorthodox style to forge ahead, because once you get it, the quirky style makes sense and inevitably works with the characters, it gets easier and definitely worth it!

The Wisteria Society for Lady Scoundrels by India Holton is scheduled to release June 15th, 2021.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#TheWisteriaSocietyofLadyScoundrels #IndiaHolton #Netgalley #pinkcowlandreads

This was very different from anything I’ve read before and I mean that in a good way. It was fun and over the top. However, there were lady pirates and flying houses and all kinds of things that tip it into the fantasy genre, which just isn’t my jam. And the chapter titles were quite bizarre as well, though they did give you a remote idea of what was to come. I think there’ll be loads of people that get a kick out of it. I’m glad I read it so that I can say I did :)
This is a fancy prim and proper world of Victorian times and the women who are coming of age have assassination attempts on their lives and that meandering they’re ready to be introduced to society.
You’ll definitely have to step out of reality when reading this, but if you do, you’ll have some fun.
Thanks to Berkley Publishers and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review.

Oh wow. This book is just fantastic. I can’t even choose a genre for it to belong to, because it belongs to EVERY genre. Regency, historical fantasy, romantic comedy, just smart, smart writing.

It’s hard to describe, as it starts out as a Regency Austen-style novel, but very quickly reveals itself as a fantastical novel involving woman pirate societies and flying houses. It becomes normal so quickly, which is a huge testament to the flawless writing.

Do you like fun? If you do, then read this book. If you don’t, the.n you don’t deserve this book.

A historical romcom between a lady criminal and an assassin who was hire to kill her? And a gorgeous cover! It looks like a novel made for me! So I requested an ARC. I was grateful to get a kindle version.

Quirky situations and humors were somewhat fun in the beginning, but they became old quickly to me. Deadpan humor of killing and stealing is funny when it's used wisely but not when it becomes one-note joke. I know some people enjoyed it but I got bored instead of laughing out loud.

I expected a thrilling relationship between the lady and the assassin because it's a perfect set-up for that. However, it was another one-note joke kind of flat one.

I'm sorry to write a negative review because I was prepare to like this novel. But I also promised to write my honest opinion.

<i>”It is violence that best overcomes hate, vengeance that most certainly heals injury, and a good cup of tea that soothes the most anguished soul”; thus ran the motto of the Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels.</i>

Oh my heart. This book is a remarkable piece of literature and a swoonworthy, action-packed, and clever romance I’m honestly going to treasure forever.

<i>The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels</i> follows Cecelia Bassingthwaite, a nineteen year old girl inspiring to become a senior member of the Wisteria Society: a secret society of lady pirates (of houses, of course - not ships) who love to both pickpocket and heist, who are completely upfront about their crimes and even announce their piracy with a black flag on their homes for complete transparency. They live in a cycle of attempted assassinations and polite theft and tea, and that’s really all Cecelia wants - a place at the senior table.

She hopes her lucky break has come when she earns herself an assassin. Finally the ladies of the Wisteria Society may think her worthy of her seat. But that assassin has a charming, roguish smile, a wit as sharp as his various knives, and several names (which depend on who you ask). Which of his personas can she trust? Signor Luca, the assassin? Captain Smith, the agent of the crown sent to protect her? Or Ned Lightbourne, a man with a past determined to uphold a promise? With each day they are thrown together (by circumstances or by fate), they learn to lower their guards and trust each other as partners, even maybe friends - but nothing more. At least, that's what Cecilia keeps telling herself. And as they reluctantly team up to defeat the evil Captain Morvath, they must decide how much they will trust each other - and how far they will allow their relationship to go before they have to say goodbye.

<i>”We are exactly that, Signor. Corsairs, robbers, pirates. I, however, am also a bibliophile, and you are impeding my visit to the library. So either assassinate me now and get it over with, or kindly step aside.”</i>

This novel is first and foremost a romance. If you don’t like romance, this may be a bit out of your comfort zone. BUT if you even remotely like romance, this is one hundred percent the book for you! The development of the relationship between Cecelia and Ned is masterfully done; they go from semi-enemies to reluctant partners to I-don’t-understand-my-feelings-for-you-but-they’re-there, and it is utterly heart-warming. There’s all the witty banter you can possibly take and then some, and Ned is the swoon-worthiest of love interests with smirks and charm to make anyone want to be his girl - yet at the same time, their relationship has this purity and sweetness that I absolutely adore, and I am not kidding when I say I could NOT get enough.

Although this book is primarily a historical romance (with elements of action, danger, and intrigue), its wit makes it a true stand-out. All the characters are snarky, and there is constant banter between them. But perhaps the greatest aspect of this novel is its tone; it embraces irony and pokes fun at itself, maintaining the light air of a book that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s got its intense moments, but it's quirky and humorous and never loses its levity. I really truly loved every word of it.

So I most definitely recommend this read! <i>The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels</i> is a remarkably clever, action-packed, and charming novel that is going up on my all-time favorites shelf on Goodreads. If you love funny, romantic reads, you will devour this whirlwind of a story!

*Disclaimer: I would classify this book as new adult; it contains an explicit sex scene but is sweet and tasteful. I would range this for ages 16+.

Bonkers! In the best possible way. Delighted to include it in the June instalment of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month's top fiction for Zed, Zoomer magazine’s reading and books section (full review and feature at link).

Maybe 2.5 stars.

This book was absolutely not what I was expecting based on the blurb provided by the publisher, I was expecting a fun, Victorian romp along the lines of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and I ended up with a Mel Brooks and Monty Phyton Victorian-era fantasy collaboration. I finished this book and my first thought was – what the hell did I just read? Even now, a day later, I am still not sure.

Basically, Cecilia is a lady pirate, but not your ordinary pirate, no, she is a junior member of the Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels – a group of ladies that steal, try to assassinate each other, drink tea and fly their houses (yes, not pirate ships - pirate houses). Cecilia hopes to be made a senior member of the society and is sure that is about to happen since another member has hired an assassin to do her in.

Edward “Ned” Lightbourne (AKA Teddy Luxe, AKA Signor de Luca, AKA Major Candent) was hired to kill Cecilia, but that is not really his true purpose – he may or may not be in league with her crazy father or maybe he works for the Queen – either way – he doesn’t really plan to kill her, in fact after meeting her, killing her is the last thing he wants to do.

And so starts a very bizarre and at times completely absurd story that left me wondering how in the world this got assigned to the historical romance genre, it is clearly historical, but I would put it in the fantasy genre, rather than romance. Do not get me wrong, the book is well-written, albeit a trifle wordy, and the author has an amazing vocabulary that she puts to good use in this book. But sadly for me, even that was not enough to make me a fan of this book. For me, the romance was lacking, the plot was ridiculous, and will someone please tell me what is up with the recent trend of thinking that feminism and misandry are the same things?? It is hard to buy into a romance when the heroine clearly dislikes men. I didn’t hate this book, but I am not sure I would read another book in this series.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Cecilia Bassingthwaite is the very definition of proper. And she's also a thief with a dark past. Being raised by her aunt, Cecelia longs for the day she'll be accepted into The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels. She thinks she has a good chance at getting in now that an assassin has been sent to kill her (a mark of a true pirate).

Besides being hired to kill Cecilia, Ned Lightbourne is immediately captivated by her. But he won't let that stand in the way of his job as hired by the dread Captain Morvath who plans to rid England of the Wisteria Society one bad poem at a time.

But Cecilia and the other women of the Society will not go quietly. If they go out it'll be with guns a-blazing.

Honestly, I cannot even begin to formulate how surprised I was by this book. I went in obviously knowing I was interested in reading the story, but I was not prepared for how much fun this book was! From the very first page when Cecilia first thwarts Ned's assassination plans, I was hooked. The banter and back-and-forth between all that characters was whip-smart and on point. It's one of those books that you have to get into the flow of the dialogue in order to really appreciate the subtleties and nuances of all that's taking place. Plus, the image in my mind of these Victorian houses flying around with their canon's firing is not something I'll soon forget.

Of course I loved every interaction between Cecilia and Ned. They are the perfect definition of enemies to well...maybe enemies who love each other? I love the fact that they are on such opposite sides from one another and don't stray from those sides, but still fall for one another. It's interesting and dare I say very piratical. Very full of delightful contradictions much like everything in the book including the ladies of the Wisteria Society themselves.

It's almost difficult to form a coherent review of this book because it was just so much fun, but at times it was bonkers as well - in a good way mind you. If you are looking for something on the lighter side, that's fast paced, and quick witted you will be extremely satisfied with this book.

I'm now waiting with bated breath for the next installment!

The word on Twitter was that The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels was not to be missed and I have to agree. It exceeded the hype in its brilliance. This book was so whimsical and so witty without being slapstick or silly. The author's comic timing had me laughing out loud, often at times I didn't see it coming because the humor was thrown in so casually. Even as I read it, I pictured the narrator with a perfect deadpan expression. I never thought I'd be rooting for criminals but Cecilia, Miss Darlington, Ned (especially Ned) and the rest of the characters completely had my heart. I suspect India Holton will be a star!

** 2.5 Stars **

The GoodReads blurb for this book made it sound like a fun, entertaining, lighthearted, witty, and exciting read. I could hardly wait to get my hands on either the purchased copy or an ARC – whichever came first. To say I was sorely disappointed would be putting it mildly. Please take this as just one person’s opinion because we all like different things and we all find different things humorous. I’m sure some of you will read the book and love it – I just did not. After reading it, I am of the belief that they need to invent a whole new genre just for this book. I think it was just too much – too much of everything – too busy – it reminded me of some of the descriptions I’ve read from people having LSD trips.

If you get rid of the chaff, you have a nice love story. I couldn’t bring myself to like the heroine, Cecilia, but I did like the hero Nate. He was actually the only person in the story I did like.

In this alternate/fantasy universe, the members of the Wisteria Society fly their houses from place to place, dislike and disrespect men, love nobody, hire assassins to murder their friends, poison their husbands (or stab them, or …), steal the possessions of others, well, you name it – I sort of thought they were worse than the mafia. Queen Victoria even flies Windsor Castle into battle.

I really, really wanted to love this book as much as I loved the book blurb, but I just couldn’t get there. The writing is well done, I loved the author’s way of turning a phrase and the way she handled the internal dialogue, etc. I just couldn’t get into the story or the characters. I am sorry to say that I won’t be looking for further books by this author.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is a unique blend of historical fiction, fairy tale fantasy, and feminism that belongs on a shelf all its own. I read this book with a smile on my face the entire time. I’ve seen it compared to the Princess Bride and I agree, except Cecilia and Ned are evenly matched and fight the bad guys (and each other!) together. Wit and whimsy doesn’t even begin to cover the delight to be found here.

gorgeous cover, intriguing premise, sounded original as all get out... for some reason, i just didn't quite click with it. not sure if it was because it wasn't what i expected, or that it was a bit slow, or maybe it was just wrong book wrong time type thing.