India was a guest in the podcast. I really loved her take on paranormal meets historical romance. This was a fun escape.

Holton throws the reader into the world of the Wisteria Society for Lady Scoundrels with little explanation. In truth when I picked this book up I had to double check to make sure I had not opened a sequel with how little explanation there is at the outset of the book. Readers are sure to find the writing style endearing and a fun attempt at recreating Austen style prose. I would encourage those who like a more adventurous tone for their Romances to check this book out!

Refreshing, Hilarious, and Witty are all words that come to mind when I think of this book.

India Holton takes a classic story (pirates!) and puts a new refreshing twist on it (lady pirates in the victorian era) and the result is a laugh-out-loud story that is perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas, The Lady Janies series, and The Princess Bride..

Perfect amount of plot and romance to balance each other nicely. This story is perfect for fans of adventure and fans of romance. I couldn't get enough and I cannot wait to read more from this series in the future.

DNF at 25%. I just could not get into it. I see a lot of great reviews for this and bummed that I did not connect with it

To say that THE WISTERIA SOCIETY OF LADY SCOUNDRELS is unique is actually quite an understatement. This story of genteel tea drinking ladies explodes with fun and humor as we see beyond the façade of their proper behavior and etiquette. The ladies are thieves and trained in all kinds of weaponry, and proud to call themselves pirates. Their houses fly, sometimes not exactly how and where they are supposed to go. The main character in this story is nineteen year old Cecilia, who is eagerly waiting for her acceptance as a senior member of the society. Her hypochondriac guardian seems determined to keep Cecilia from being promoted in the society. When a man shows up at their door, warning that an assassin has been hired to kill Cecilia, she sends him away. The mysterious man assumes many roles in this story – he actually IS the hired assassin. He’s also been hired by Cecilia’s mad father to kidnap her. He’s also been hired by the queen to neutralize her. He’s also a dance instructor, and a captain, and a major… His most important role is that of being the man Cecilia falls in love with, and he with her. Cecilia, however, is determined that her future path lies with the society. When Cecilia’s father puts in motion his plan to take over the nation, all chaos breaks loose. If Cecilia and Ned, her mystery man, even survive, will they find a way to be together? THE WISTERIA SOCIETY OF LADY SCOUNDRELS takes off from page one and never lets up. The writing is so clever, with plenty of references to literature of the past. The humor sometimes slaps you right in the face, while at other times it just nibbles at your earlobe. Overall, it’s a wild ride, with a tender love story between a rake and a too-serious young lady. It’s full of action, fun, romance, and adventure, and has me still smiling a day after I read it.

Did not finish. unfortunately the book was so dense and I had a difficult time reading it. It was frustrating and I did not enjoy it.

This was zany and fun, but somehow the romance didn’t completely grab me. There's also such a large cast of characters, that I had a rather hard time keeping track of all of the characters and their motivations, which may have impacted my overall enjoyment a bit. India Holton has a really unique and fun writing voice, but I suspect that I'll need to be in the right reading mood to enjoy it -- I'm looking forward to what she writes next, and will make sure I'm in the mood for something a little bit more fantastical when I pick it up.

It was hard to get into this story. It was a slow start and it didn’t really grab me the way I wanted it to.

i really enjoyed the humor, it was pretty quick witted and overall very exciting to read.

I do feel as if this felt a lot more like fantasy and less like a romance. Not a bad thing, just something to be aware going into it.

I will say I absolutely loved the world the author created. It is full of whimsy and piratey goodness. I loved the contrast between piracy and high society.

This book read less like a romance to me and more like a fantasy. There was a lot going on, but I definitely enjoyed the matriarchal society and the contrast of piracy with politeness. I’m not sure I would have picked this up if I knew what it was about going in, but I’m glad I did.

I really enjoyed The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels and Ned and Cecilia’s relationship, literally when Ned was crushing on Cecilia practically from their first encounter, wow it was just adorableness from there. Ned was so cute and funny and I loved their banter and relationship. The chemistry they had and how desperately Cecilia wanted to refrain from acting on that chemistry was adorable. I also enjoyed the witchy magic plot of this, magic flying houses with a world dominating women who are extremely powerful (we love to see it). The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels was so funny and cute and I really had fun reading this.

Having given The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels four stars, I found that it was really enjoyable, however, when reading the synopsis and other reviews, I had thought this would be extremely heavy on the romance side, but was wrong. While we do get Ned and Cecilia’s romance throughout the book, it had started off lighthearted and more on the sides of developing into a friendship and then slowly becoming a romantic relationship. The plot was more about Captain Morvath and while I enjoyed that, was expecting more of Ned and Cecilia’s relationship.

That being said, The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels was good as it was and I had such a fun time reading this and would recommend reading this! Thank you again to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for inviting me to read The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels and this ARC!

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A fabulously odd and unique clever novel taking swashbuckling to a whole new level.


I will be honest. THE WISTERIA SOCIETY OF LADY SCOUNDRELS is not the book I was expecting when I first sat down to read it. However, it was the book I needed to read the moment I picked it up. Holton weaved together a tale with pirates, romance, whimsy, a hint of magic, and all the pomp and circumstance one could ever want in a historical novel.


This book is simply wonderful. The strong female characters dominate the page while still managing to be proper as they steal the rug from under your feet. The humor is offset by action while the moments of romance are balanced perfectly by witty banter and sass. Then you have the spectacular absurdity surrounding the fantastical elements of this book. A house flying? A villain escaping in a garden shed? What more could you ask for.


Written in what seems like an effortless fashion, Holton gifts her readers with a story no reader could forget. Be prepared to laugh as well as greedily devour the first book in the Dangerous Damsels series. All I can say is give me more!

Creative and inventive, The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels was a fun romp. Fans of historical romance will love this book from India Holton. This book gave me lots of Mr and Mrs Smith vibes, and I loved the chemistry between Cecilia and Ned.

A prim and proper lady thief must save her aunt from a crazed pirate and his dangerously charming henchman in this fantastical historical romance.

Cecilia Bassingwaite is the ideal Victorian lady. She's also a thief. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means. Sure, she has a dark and traumatic past and an overbearing aunt, but all things considered, it's a pleasant existence. Until the men show up.

Ned Lightbourne is a sometimes assassin who is smitten with Cecilia from the moment they meet. Unfortunately, that happens to be while he's under direct orders to kill her. His employer, Captain Morvath, who possesses a gothic abbey bristling with cannons and an unbridled hate for the world, intends to rid England of all its presumptuous women, starting with the Wisteria Society. Ned has plans of his own. But both men have made one grave mistake. Never underestimate a woman.

When Morvath imperils the Wisteria Society, Cecilia is forced to team up with her handsome would-be assassin to save the women who raised her--hopefully proving, once and for all, that she's as much of a scoundrel as the rest of them.

When I finished this book I wasn't really sure what I read. It seemed very here and there, without much story arc. I don't think this was a book I would recommend to a friend unfortunately.

I started this book and could not figure out what was happening. Maybe that was the point,LOL but this book was not for me at this time.

Day 6 #LibFaves2021 : THE WISTERIA SOCIETY OF LADY SCOUNDRELS by India Holton
@IndiaHolton For those of you looking for a traditional historical romance, keep on moving. Lady pirates, flying houses, and charming assassins populate this charmingly witty and outrageous romance.

https://twitter.com/princessofworld/status/1470957486396039171?s=20

I ran very hot and cold on this book. Some of author India Holton's writing is just next-level beautiful, the protagonist's voice is hilarious, and the world-building is so unique that I wanted to love THE WISTERIA SOCIETY OF LADY SCOUNDRELS.

But many of Holton's choices were so confusing and juvenile that I was often very turned off. Without spoilers, the novel, in its first pages, requires the reader to believe that Regency-era pirates were basically witches who flew, not on broomsticks, but using entire houses... That sentence is so confusing, but describes so much of my befuddlement with this novel. Just write about pirates or witches! Why do houses have to fly?

Holton also nods to Gothic novels of the past, like Jane Eyre and Northanger Abbey. Some of her references were funny and charming, but the sheer number laid it on too thick. Her heroine is a very strong pirate-witch with a wit I loved; but she absolutely does not apply that wit to her romantic life. She adopts such a wide-eyed attitude toward sex and desire that I almost couldn't finish the steamier scenes.

All in all, this novel is a bit too quirky to work for me, but would probably make a good movie. I love a creative, new universe, a rakish enemy-turned-loved, and an incel-y villain. It was just a lot on the page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for the ARC.

An absolute, ridiculously witty adventure filled with lady pirates, scoundrels, a revenge plot and a budding romance! I was completely unable to put this one down!

It took a little bit to get into the story - world building was confusing at first - but I fell in love with the characters…especially the fierce, opinionated, sassy women.

This was so much fun! A little over the top at times, but I thoroughly enjoyed the camp. It was a bit hard to follow at times and I felt the pacing was a bit uneven. However, the concept is thoroughly original and executed well.

Once I adjusted to the writing style of this book, I was all in! This witty, funky funny tale following piratical ladies flying about England in house was so unique and a true romp! For a relatively tame romance, it does not hold back on the 🔥tension! Let’s just say, Ned can get it. Can’t wait to see the next installment of the series!