Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5242686910

Book Review: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels
⭐⭐💫
🔥🔥

Let me start by saying this isn’t a badly written book, and I completely understand why it was so popular, however it just wasn’t for me. Overall, I’d give it like a 2.5, rounding up to 3 for Goodreads.

Starting out I was very excited. I had heard a lot about this book, saw good reviews, and the early chapters were really strong in setting the scene and vibes of the world. Piracy, magic, and Victorian England with a romantic bent was a great set up and brought to mind some of my favorite stories: Sorcery & Cecelia, Stardust, and Howl’s Moving Castle. The story promised to be fun, adventurous, humorous, and romantic.

The Wisteria Society itself was fantastic. I loved seeing a cast of quirky, capable older women involved in a women-only piracy club. That was tons of fun, and I loved to see it. I feel like this book might be for those looking for a fantasy-comedy-romance. If you like a lot of banter, sword/gun fights, and a “good girl”/rake pairing then this could be a great book for you. A warning that the violence definitely takes a comedic bent, but if you enjoyed that church scene in the Kingsman movie, you shouldn’t have any problems with this.

However, some parts of the book I just couldn’t enjoy as much as I wanted too. The constant bantering and back-and-forth between several characters grew tiresome for me. There were bits of dialogue that sounded like the author was really trying to hit that classic English lit/Austen-esque language but it just sounded awkward.

The main character Cecilia is meant to be sheltered and naive and I’ve come to really dislike that trope in my romance. I’ve also decided that I really dislike when limited sexual experience is equated with innocence. For me it implies something darker: had Cecelia kissed someone before the hero, would the hero think she was wrong or sinful? To some extent, I understand that having an inexperienced heroine is a common trope of historical romance, however considering all of the genre bending ideas the author incorporated I was really surprised to see it here.

One of my biggest pet peeves of the story was when our “hero” Ned decides to mislead the protagonist Cecilia and get her drunk without her knowledge/consent. I know this scene was supposed to be funny, and I’m sure for others it played well. But I found it a bit contrived and borderline problematic. I didn’t find it believable that the main protagonist Cecilia had 1. Never heard of alcohol and 2. Had never heard of the effects of alcohol, such as drunkenness or a hangover. But mainly, it just seemed really inappropriate for Ned to offer alcohol to someone when he knew that she had never had it before and then intentionally leave her in the dark about it when he “playfully” tells her the next morning that hangovers are caused by bad seafood. Not a good look, Ned.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CndIto8rVBW/

𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 🌿

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚆𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚊 𝚂𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝙻𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚜
⭐⭐💫
🔥🔥

This isn’t a badly written book by any means but it just wasn’t for me.

Starting out I was very excited. I had heard a lot about this book, saw good reviews, and the early chapters were really strong in setting the scene and vibes of the world. Piracy, magic, and Victorian England with a romantic bent was a great set up and brought to mind some of my favorite stories: Sorcery & Cecelia, Stardust, and Howl’s Moving Castle. The story promised to be fun, adventurous, humorous, and romantic.

The Wisteria Society itself was fantastic. I loved seeing a cast of quirky, capable older women involved in a women-only piracy club. That was tons of fun, and I loved to see it. I feel like this book might be for those looking for a fantasy-comedy-romance. If you like a lot of banter, sword/gun fights, and a “good girl”/rake pairing then this could be a great book for you. A warning that the violence definitely takes a comedic bent, but if you enjoyed that church scene in the Kingsman movie, you shouldn’t have any problems with this.

However, there were some things I didn’t like that much. I found the dialogue tiresome at times, and some of the characterization of the main character was just not the heroine I usually like to see in my romance novels. If you want to read about what I didn’t like, head to Goodreads for my full review (link in bio).

#SmallBookstagram #CozyBookstagram #Romancelandia #BookReview #CurrentlyReading #TheWisteriaSocietyOfLadyScoundrels

I was lucky to be given an eARC of this book to review. This is my first book by this author, so I was not sure what I was getting into with this story. But I loved my time reading.

This is written in such a fun and goofy way, that you can’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the characters. And yet, I loved every second of this story. If you are someone who wants a very historically accurate story set in regency England, this is not the story for you. The author twists what is reality and turns it into a fun adventure that I couldn't stop reading. I laughed out loud multiple times throughout my reading experience, and this is exactly the fun energy I needed to start off a new year.

I genuinely had the best time reading this story, and I will definitely look into more stories by this author.

I love being surprised by a book, and my experience reading India Holton's start to the Dangerous Damsels series was certainly a happy surprise. This book has pirates, witches, adventure, flying houses, tea parties, razor-sharp wit and a delicious romance that wasn't hindered by the jam-packed plot. Every neatly-organized piece of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels was delightful, whimsical, and well thought out from the beginning. I love Cecelia and Ned both, as well as all of the wacky side characters we meet in this swashbuckling book. Any reader who likes adventure will enjoy this charming series opener!

A zany fantasy of pirates, flying houses, and assassination attempts that ultimately tired me out. Cecilia and her aunt are members of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, a book club that discovered an incantation that made objects move regardless of weight, meaning they drive their mansions through the sky around town. For some reason they're pirates, thieves, and assassins too. Ned, one of his aliases, was hired (or not) to assassinate Cecilia. I was charmed at first by the off-beat characters and clever dialogue but eventually I was lost. Can something be too cute?

One of my favorite books of the year, hands down. Had not realized I had already read previous works by this author but after this will be keeping an eye out for any other books by them.

I really tried to enjoy this book but unfortunately was not able to get into it. Thank you to Berkley Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to review this book

This book was such a joy to read! It was a fun and entertaining historical fantasy! I just couldn't put it down. It was a bit silly/unreal at times but that's what makes it so fun!

This is the first book in the Dangerous Damsels series. I was intrigued by the premise and requested an ARC through NetGalley. I was delighted with this story and found it very entertaining. This story was the perfect sort of madcap love story. I loved all of the characters. It is amazing what great dialogue and a wonderful supporting cast of characters can do for a book. I personally bought a copy of the book and the audiobook for myself. In addition I added it to my library's collection in a variety of formats. I know that this is going to be a community favorite.

I was provided a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review of the materials.

I have to say that the title and description of the book truly intrigued me. I was expecting more wit, but the story was a bit wild. For the first part of the book, I was a bit lost and did not really know what was happening. There are a ton of characters to keep track of and it felt like the plot was not moving forward.

I did enjoy the world of the lady pirates and their strict rules of etiquette. The cover and the description were a huge factor for me to want to read this book, but I couldn't connect with the characters or the pace of the story. I was expecting more of a historical romance book, but the story flirted with the fantasy genre, my least favorite genre. Cecelia had everything to be an iconic female character, but in the end it just did not work for me.

3.5

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels was a fun read. It started action-packed and stayed like that throughout the entire book. The side characters were my favorite part of the book. It had funny moments, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it. My only issue with it was the two main characters. They felt very two-dimensional, and I did not believe they were in love. I am looking forward to reading the next book because the world is exciting, and I want to learn more about it.

This was such a fun book! I don't pick up historical fiction often (something I am trying to read more of this year) and this book makes me want to continue reading this genre. Cecilia is such a badass character! I am really looking forward to reading more in this series.

<i>The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels</i> is a rollicking, absurd book that I absolutely adore. I'm sure to come back to it whenever I need a laugh!
The juxtaposition of proper manners and house-flying pirate shenanigans makes for plenty of amusing situations. Cecelia was a delightful protagonist! I'm a bit disappointed she is the MC of the next book, just because I loved her so much.
The romance of the book was adorable. Usually, I'm skeptical of "instant love" – the book's main action takes place over about a week – but I was here for it for Cecelia and Ned.
I've already recommended <i>The Wisteria Society</i> to half a dozen people, and it's sure to be a staple in my recommendations from now on!

I just could not even get through three chapters of the book. I tell my patrons all the time, don't waste time on a book you cannot get into!

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton is a book unlike any other I've read. The book follows Cecilia Bassingwaite, Victorian lady and pirate, and Ned Lightbourne, her meant-to-be-assassin who has more than a few secrets he's hiding. There are flying houses, ghosts, and a hefty dose of petty thievery.

It really delivered on the laughs, and showed Holton as the kind of author unafraid to swing for the fences and make some bold choices in her craft. The positive is that this made this book a truly enjoyable read and a blast to read with friends (as I did) because it feels like a rollicking adventure poised to be made into a great movie. On the other hand, some of those choices and constant humor left less room for internal character monologue which made it feel as though I didn't know the hero or heroine as well as I would like to truly invest in their romance.

That said, I'm still eager to read more from Holton and see where she takes this series. The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels was a whimsical quippy romp packed with absurdist humor and literary references, and is sure to please readers looking for a light, funny, Regency adventure.

This is so not the type of book I would normally pick up, but I'm very glad I did.

I'm not usually huge on historical romances, but this one called to me because it felt so unique (Lady pirates! Magic houses! Assassins!) and because Bridgerton made me wonder if I really do secretly like historical romances after all.

Turns out, I think I do! I read a review that called this book a "romp," and that's absolutely the best word for it. It was also steamier than I expected (and even the steamy scenes were hilarious somehow).

Looking forward to reading the sequel!

This book was absolutely bonkers in the best way! I'm not sure what rock I was hiding under but I really thought this was a pure historical romance book and not a fantasy book. But I am not mad that it didn't turn out as I thought.

I will say that it took me a while to get my head into the way the story was narrated but once I was able to immerse myself I didn't look back. I'm not sure how to describe what goes on in this book. At-a-glance, this book is a romance, an adventure, and a tiny bit steampunk with a dash of the piratical all rolled into one hilarious romp! I don't want to say too much because I think this is one of those books that you want to go into a bit blind. I will say that this story is chock full of so many great things that I would have never of thought to put together! Pirates with flying houses! Scoundrels! Assassins! SO many shenanigans! Proper Victorian ladies! Enemies-to-lovers! A master of disguise! Complex family relationships! The literary references and subsequent roasting of said literature! So many book references! It was kind of amazing, to be honest.

I especially loved the flying houses and the weird camaraderie and competition found between members of the Wisteria Society! I had a difficult time at first keeping the characters straight. And I will admit I had a hard time relating to the heroine, Cecilia, at first but I grew to love her by the end of the book. I will say I loved Ned and his friend, Alex, from the moment they appeared on page.

This alternate version of England with magic and battle houses made me grin from ear to ear. I can't wait to read more books by this author! I am especially looking forward to the next book in this series which will star a certain Irish pirate!

I cannot begin to describe how much I loved this book. The characters, the story, the humor. It had it all. India Holton is now my new favorite author. So excited for anything else she writes in the future.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton is a fun and witty story about a lady, who happens to be a thief. Cecelia Bassingwaite, is a member of a group of ladies that have tea and travel around England blackmailing and acquiring all kinds of treasures. Her aunt is protective and has her own act and life is good. Ned Lightbourne is an assassin who is hired by one of Cecilia’s victims and he is all set to commit his crime. Only problem is, the minute he sees her, he falls in love. He hesitates to do the job and his boss Captain Morvath is getting impatient. He thinks the job should be easy and can’t understand the delay. Can Cecelia outsmart Ned? Can Cecelia help her aunt and the lady’s society. Should Cecelia and Ned work together? I really enjoyed this story. The storyline was good and the characters were even better. They were flawed but human. There was hijinks at every turn. This was a four star read for me. I want to thank Netgalley & the author for my copy of this book for an honest review. It was a pleasure reading and reviewing this book.. i am looking forward to reading the next one..

I waited a while to read this one because I didn't want to wait on book 2. I went with the audio and can I just say that it is delightful, creative, original and a total blast! I can't wait to read more from India!

First, the cover of this book is gorgeous and it's what drew me to want to read it. However, I had a hard time following the plot and ultimately gave up. I will definitely recommend it to others, as it's a really cute book just wasn't the one for me!