4.5/5 stars

Cecelia Bassingwaite is a character to be reckoned with. As a Wisteria pirate, she’s incredibly well-mannered but also ready at any moment to annihilate an enemy. We start her journey at home with her Aunt Darlington reading poetry and drinking tea only to be interrupted by a hired assassin. Cecilia is delighted to finally have a hired assassin coming after her, she has made it as a pirate!

This enjoyable, unique, and thrilling book follows Cecelia on a mission to rescue her aunt and the rest of the Wisteria women pirates from an evil man. Said evil man is tired of women speaking their minds!! Must silence them permanently (so many feminist themes in this book)! Who accompanies Cecelia on this glorious mission? None other but her hired assassin whom she is strangely attracted to.

I wouldn’t say this is just a historical romance novel but also could be a historical fantasy novel. When you hear pirates you may think of thieves on ships but in the land of the Wisteria pirates, they are thieves in houses. They possess a magical spell that allows them to fly literal houses. I kid you not, that is how they travel around. The stronger the pirate you are, the bigger house they are able to fly around.

When I say this book is fun, I mean it. I was actually laughing reading the lunacy that was Cecelia’s life. I loved the writing style and how nonchalant everything was. Breaking and entering? No, visiting without disturbing the occupants. Someone annoying you with bad manners? Stab them. This book was a HOOT.

India Holton created such a unique and wonderful story full of incredible characters, I can’t say enough things about how much I enjoyed it. The only thing I would have changed was how much description paragraphs there were. Instead of reading a battle scene we would read a description of the after-math. I needed just a little more action from a book about pirates.

However, that aside, this book was immensely original and fun and I will definitely be recommending it to everyone.

I don't even know how to review this except to say you need to read it! It's fantasy, it's romance, it's--to quote Jen DeLuca--"delightfully bonkers." If you like prim and proper pirates, flying houses, a side of thievery with your tea parties, and the occasional assassination attempt to break up a dull afternoon, you might like this book. If you love or hate the Brontes (either is fine), you might like this book. Just let it steal a bit of your time, and be swept away in one of the most fun books you're likely to ever read.

Such a witty and wonderful story. I blew through this so quickly I’m the best way. It was easy to read and yet another story I didn’t want to end.

Jen Deluca said it best, when she said this was a "delightfully bonkers" book, so I will quote her. Because it really was! One parts fantasy, one parts historical fiction, one parts romance and maybe some sci-fi, this book was astounding and had me laughing out loud and writing down my favorite lines. There are too many for me to write here - if I did, this review would be almost as long as the book. Suffice it to say that this was the most original, funny, hilarious and bonkers book I've read in a long time.

I cheered for Cecilia and loved the juxtaposition of her as a proper lady who also kills, murders and steals, but all within a ladies code. The lady scoundrels all try to have each other assassinated, but within their code. The dialogue had me laughing so hard and the "proper" way the pirate ladies behaved while stabbing someone or stealing was hilarious. I have no idea how India Holton came up with this concept but I'm in awe.

If you need a book to take you out of your life and into a fantasy world, this is the book for you. Highly recommend!

This is hilarious and has heart. By Chapter 2 I had already recommended it to my friends. It isn't *really* supernatural--that is just the excise for how the houses can fly as pirate ships. So more like "magical realism" than fantasy or supernatural. It is meant to be silly. If you read Gail Carriger, then you will like this one. The ladies are all very badass, and yet proper within the riles of polite society piracy. Our heroine is being stalked by an assassin. Or is he a spy? Or maybe something else altogether? But he does give her the best gift I can even imagine at the end. The villain of the story is really a villain and there are shades of domestic violence where he is concerned, so you have been warned. But overall it is a fun romp through the skies and a nice love story woven through all the adventure.

Holly hell, this is way too much entertaining, hilarious, witty to be accompanied by tea and biscuits ( of course I added at least four drops of bourbon into my tea : that’s why I giggle too loud and luckily you cannot hear the ear bleeding villanelle laugh I’m performing!)

It’s a great combination of espionage, fairy tal-ish fantasy, smart action, regency romance with very smart and sarcastic sense of humor!

Think about a group of multi tasking women who can use weapons expertly as they resume sipping their teas and gossiping about last royalty scandals. And of course they can steal everything in front of your eyes cunningly and adroitly without getting noticed and then taking the direction of their houses to fly them anywhere they want like a skillful pirate captain who controls his ship. Cheers to those ladies!

Especially the hilarious opening gave me so much: we’re introduced Cecilia and her aunt are waiting for their luncheon when they hear the bang on the door. Cecilia meets with our tempting chameleon hero disguised like a salesman tries to give her a brochure and after Cecilia’s rejecting, he tries to climb up to their window , telling her the cruel lady Isabella Armitage- long time nemesis of the family and black widow who has brilliant techniques to get rid of her husbands, hired an Italian contract killer to take her life.

A few minutes a grenade is thrown at their house and the same man Captain Neil Lightbourne who is also her vicious assassin salutes her with cunning smile. Yes, what an action packed opening!

This is very creative, extremely funny , truly gripping and riveting, absolutely enjoyable adventure with thief/ assassin enemies to lovers theme!

And i have to admit as a supporting character Pleasance earned entire awards( wait till find out her interesting identity: I think she’s better cook version of myself! )

A bookish, independent, loyal, witty heroine and a hero expert of disguise, keeping secrets, suffering from deep family issues just like our heroine teamed up against the threat of Wisteria Society crime sorority! What a thrilling ride!

It was genuinely amazing waltz between different genres and I didn’t expect to have so great time but I truly liked the unique and clever writing experience, hilarious dialogues and surprising world building which earned extra half star from me : so I’m rounding up 4.5 stars to 5 extra funny, feminism vibes, intellectual, sassy, wise stars!

Go and read this book, devour cups of teas or just like I did : devour your whiskey and dark chocolate and enjoy your time! This is so good!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

ARC provided by Netgalley

Lady Pirates, Flying houses, an assassin/rake/secret agent of the Queen/hopeless romantic, ghosts and villainous fathers.

When I heard of this book I was expecting a Victorian era cat burglar and an assassin but wow is this ever so much more! This book was exciting, fun, hilarious and witty, sweet and kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed all the characters and their witty banter but I’m fairly certain Pleasance was my favorite and I’m holding out for a second book with her as the heroine.