"Bring back the better days of Britain!" a crowd of angry men yell, as they protest women working outside of the home. "What has science done for the common good?" their broadsheets proclaim. This historical romance feels quite relevant and current.

Letty and Grey are tasked with managing Athena's Retreat, the club for women in science while the founder is away. The two fell out 6 years ago. They avoid each other as much as possible to maintain a truce. In their new roles, both determine to work on their own and ignore each other. This romance follows the classic enemies-to-lovers tale.

My favorite parts were the mathematics and celebration of women's intelligence. Some of the prose was amazing, and I found myself highlighting and enjoying huge passages. But I found aspects of the romance less compelling. Lettie's small stature was emphasized too frequently. And I didn't always like Grey or find his motivation clear.

I appreciate the celebration of women in STEM and women's progress. And I enjoyed the historical notes. I recommend reading for those, rather than for the romance.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounded up

I grew up watching screwball comedies from 1930s Hollywood, and it's one of my favorite movie genres — and one that's hard to replicate in writing, where you can't rely on actor's faces and visual comedy to earn the laughs. But there are a few romance writers out there who, Lord bless them, are giving it a shot and... actually succeeding beautifully? One of them is Elizabeth Everett, whom I only encountered recently, and I've thoroughly enjoyed her sparkling dialogue and swoony romance. Best read (or listened to) at top speed, for full His Girl Friday levels of screwball delivery.

Sparks fly and variables shift when middle class mathematician Letty Fenley and aristocratic semi-governmental agent Lord Greycliff are entrusted with the leadership and protection of the secretive Athena's Retreat, a lady's club where (wonderfully eccentric) women gather to conduct scientific research. Letty and Grey have been at each other's throats for years — the result of a disastrous misunderstanding between the passionate young woman and the cold, inflexible lord. But working together has them questioning all their previous conceptions of each other... and increasingly unable to resist their magnetic attraction. Just as animosity is morphing into something more tender, however, Athena's Retreat is threatened by political maneuvers that put their responsibilities and ambitions at odds. Can Letty and Grey resolve their differences and find a solution that protects everyone?

A Perfect Equation was another wild romp of comedy and romance, building upon the attributes of the first novel and rectifying some of its omissions. As the daughter of a wealthy merchant (and as a disgraced, "fallen" woman) Letty's struggle to find her place in society felt like it had higher stakes, and I appreciated that Everett took the time in this entry to acknowledge the female scientists who were working before and at the time this series takes place (in the mid-1840s) and to point out why these women were the exceptions rather than the rule for how academically-minded women lived in a patriarchal world. The writing can be a bit on-the-nose, but it's also energetic and full of fast-moving comedy and drama, so it's only a minor complaint.

Letty and Grey were compelling and swoony, divided as they are by society, priorities, and misunderstandings that, thankfully, resolve quickly. I loved watching them learn to fight with instead of against each other, and the shift from antagonism to affectionate teasing was beautifully done. And while I'm typically not one for grand gestures, Grey's plan to win Letty back after he, unsurprisingly, made a mess of things was perfect (and perfectly, hilariously awkward) and proved that he finally understood what he'd lost by denying himself love for so long... and that he was finally ready to embrace all the messy wonder of love.

All in all, this book is a delightful read — I think I zoomed through it in about 24 hours (it would have been far less, if life hadn't interfered!), and I'm very much hooked. I can't wait for more adventures in love and science at Athena's Retreat.

My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Perfect Equation is the second book in Elizabeth Everett's The Secret Scientists of London series, following the absolutely splendid A Lady's Formula for Love. This is being released on February 15th so you have plenty of time to read the first before devouring the second. Trust me. You'll want to read them both ... and then you'll be watching for news of the release of A Love By Design.

The book opens with Letitia (Letty) Fenley and her brother Sam assisting a young female shopworker who is being harassed by the Guardians of Domesticity -- a group eager to reinstate good old English values by getting women back where they belong -- basically, barefoot and pregnant. When things appear to be approaching violence, Lord William Hughes, the Viscount Greycliff (Grey) and his friend George Willis, Earl Grantham intervene.

Grey is probably the last person in the world Letty would want saving the day. Six years prior Letty found herself involved in a scandal that ruined her reputation and broke her heart. Grey took the other party's side. 

They're rather like oil and water ... or, more accurately, sugar and saltpeter. If only he wasn't so seemingly perfect ... and she didn't smell like cake ... and they weren't to be thrust together to run Athena's Retreat while Violet and Arthur are on leave in Yorkshire.

There is so much to love about this series and this installment. We get to watch Grey and Letty overcome obstacles and misconceptions about each other and themselves. We get plenty of humorous bits, just the right amount of steamy bits, the joys of blowing things up ... and a hedgehog. We also get to know some of the other members of Athena's Retreat a bit more, fall in love with Letty's brother (please let us have more Sam!), fall deeper in love with Grantham (hurry up, book 3!)... and become more than a bit obsessed with The Perils of Miss Cordelia Braveheart and the Castle of Doom. I need this to be an actual thing to stay up late reading. I'm willing to beg.

DNF @ 38%

Thank you to Berkley Romance and Netgalley for providing an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

I've officially reached my limit on the number of jokes I can handle about the heroine being short... unfortunately this historical romance just wasn't working for me. At over a third of the way into the book I still wasn't connecting to the characters nor did I buy into their chemistry or romance. Mostly because there was no chemistry between the characters.

On top of that the plot of the book didn't feel real or high stakes. I love that this series discusses gender roles and highlight women in a time when they had no voice. But this plot just wasn't strong enough to sustain me through this book. Mostly because all of the problems were self inflicted by the hero (he wants to shut down the club in order to secure a title position and disguises it as helping the women).

I'm really sad this one didn't work as I'm always interested in picking up books featuring women in stem. Unfortunately this one was a bit of a flop.

The secondary characters and Letty were fantastic, and I loved them! However, Grey’s redemption happened too late in the novel and wasn’t enough to make up for his treatment of Letty during a scandal or the treatment of her club. The author was brilliant and made astute observations about society then and now. I think other readers will love Grey, he just wasn’t up to snuff for Letty.

For the past six years, Letty Fenley has been shunned by most in high society, but she's found her place among the other women scientists at Athena's Retreat. All Letty wants to do is focus her time preparing for the prestigious Rosewood Prize for Mathematics, but is roped into managing the Retreat while her friend Violet is away. Despite wanting to help her friend, Letty has no desire to oversee the comings and goings of the other club members and she definitely doesn't want to work alongside the insufferably handsome Lord Greycliff.

Lord William Hughes, the Viscount Greycliff is so close to securing the position of his dreams. He's spent years training to become the director of a powerful clandestine agency, but there's one blemish against him: Athena's Retreat. Grey promised his stepmother he'd help Letty run the Retreat despite their mutual animosity, but with his career in the balance, Grey is being pressured into shutting it down for good. Grey knows he should close the Retreat, but the more time he spends with these brilliant women, especially Letty, the more he can't bring himself to tear away the one place they can fully be themselves. Will Grey walk away from the opportunity of a lifetime, or can Letty solve the problem and prove that love and brains always persevere?

I have to admit I wasn't a fan of the first book in this series, but I'm glad I gave it another try. I ended up liking this one way more. I thought Letty's storyline was more compelling, and I liked her dynamic with Grey. There's this history between them that led them to hate one another, and you can't help but want to know more. Is it a silly reason once you find out? Yes, but I can look past that. They had great banter and weren't afraid to give as good as they got. Like in the first book, I thought the pacing of the relationship was a little off as it felt like it started and stopped quite a bit, but I did think the chemistry worked better. Also, there were moments where the plot felt clunky and didn't flow as smoothly as I'd like. While this is a companion novel, there are a lot of references to the first book, so it might be helpful to read that before going into this. Overall, I thought it was an improvement but still needed a bit of polish to make it shine.

The second book in Elizabeth Everett’s The Secret Scientists of London series follows Letitia Fenley and Viscount Greycliff, enemies charged with running a social club for women during the owner’s absence.

Lettie is a brilliant mathematician whose romantic ideals led to her ruination. Now, years later, Lettie is charged with running Athena’s Retreat, a social club and haven for female mathematicians and scientists, alongside Viscount Greycliff, the unforgiving cousin of the man who tarnished her reputation. Lettie and Grey have a turbulent past, especially considering Grey contributed to her scandal, but when a group of men targets Athena’s Retreat, Lettie and the other women’s lives are at risk, and Lettie and Grey must work together before it’s too late.

Lettie and Grey are both amazing characters, and I appreciate how deeply developed both are. Strong, intelligent, and capable, Lettie’s indiscretion with Grey’s cousin has very much defined her, and she has closed herself off to the potential of love. She has even distanced herself from friends so as not to sully them by association. Letty holds herself at arm’s length and lets few people in. Grey has walls up too. He suffered from seizures as a child and constantly fears their return. He has such a structured life and has built a wall around his feelings as preventative measures, but he isn’t living a full life. Both have really interesting stories, and their individual stories are as compelling as their romance.

The love story between Lettie and Grey is fantastic! Their enemies-to-lovers romance is filled with wonderful banter, a ton of sexual tension, and so much heart. These two drive each other to distraction, and they continually challenge each other, which leads to some fabulous, chemistry-laden scenes. I love that this growing relationship breaks all of their walls down. Lettie and Grey learn so much from each other, and what I like the most is how willing they are to learn, grow, and change. And some of their scenes are so funny and fun, which balance out the more serious aspects of the story well. Lettie and Grey have so many challenges put in front of them, and I enjoyed seeing how they deal with their inner conflicts and concerns, as well as all of the other obstacles that stand in their way.

I love the women of Athena’s Retreat. It’s a wonderful society of STEM women, and there are definite found family vibes going on. The author has created so many dynamic and interesting characters, and I’m eager to see them in the next book in the series. The women are all so unique and quirky, and I love that they have a place where they can experiment and work and be with others who understand and support them Several of these women, who are often underestimated, serve as the voices of reason throughout the book, and they really make Grey especially see things differently. And Grey’s reactions to the different experiments and goings-on are priceless. To see the joy and excitement and awe he experiences with these women made me love Grey even more. He sees their worth and how much they have to offer when many other men don’t. He stands in contrast to the men trying to force these women to stop their important work.

The story highlights so many inequities and troubles of the time, including women’s rights, oppression, prejudice, social inequities, double standards, and so much more. I particularly love the messages about the important contributions from women in STEM-related work. There is also a lot of intrigue, which I enjoyed. Grey is one of two potential upcoming leaders in a secret government agency and has to prove his ability to lead. Plus, men are targeting Athena’s Retreat and protesting against women’s rights across the city, which leads to many dangerous and potentially deadly situations.

I think A Perfect Equation is an excellent addition to the series. It’s smart and fun, and the romance is swoon-tastic!! I adored the characters and felt the messages and themes are powerful and poignant. It’s the type of story that entertains while it makes you think, which makes for a really compelling and interesting read. Special thanks to Berkley Books for providing me with an advanced copy of the book. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

A PERFECT EQUATION is the 2nd installment in The Secret Scientists Of London series, and I loved it even more than Elizabeth Everett's previous novel, A Lady's Formula For Love. Empowered female mathematician up against stodgy, misogynistic English aristocracy; plus an uptight viscount who plays by the rules to keep himself safe (love a hero with a vulnerability!) equals fun & flirty banter, perfect amount of steam and a thoroughly enjoyable historical romance. Bonus points to a portrayal of a heroine who is not perfect; and is learning as she goes. Can't wait to hand sell this one!

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

I ended up loving this book after a slow-is start. Once we got to 25/30% done with the book I was enthralled and nothing got in between me and the ending. SO GOOD. The rationality behind the characters, the soft openings of the characters, the CHEMISTRY, the steamy scenes! My word those were something that you don't normally see in historical (except Joanna Shupe's The Prince of Broadway). I loved the way that Everett weaved politics, culture, romance, math, and heart into this novel in such a kind manner. While I don't think this book is going to be for everyone, I did end up adoring this novel even more than the first.

CW: miscarriage (off page), sexism, childhood illness

Loves:

The Steam: Yes, I'm starting here. But this book jumped from decent to wow, that was something real quick here. And it went beyond just the literal happenings between the characters. These scenes worked double hard to display passion and trust, things that the characters grapple with. And sometimes I'm just this easy to please.

Character Arcs: Grey and Letty are amazing characters not because they're entirely likable, but rather you see them grow and develop. I fully trust that their relationship would keep after the book. They made mistakes and learned from their past, which is everything to me. I wish that every book had this change for their characters. With that, this is a very character driven book.

Athena's Retreat: When I was reading A Lady's Formula for Love I don't think I fully grasped this entity. In this novel, A Perfect Equation, you become more embedded in the characters and goings on. I fell in love with the side characters and the way they interacted throughout the story with themselves and the leads. Honestly, Grey's interactions with the women was the best. (The explosion scene?!? The hedgehog scene?!?-- we can talk after you've read it!).

Complexity in Narrative: While this isn't a plot driven book there's a lot going on here. The discussions around women pushing boundaries and learning, the presence of toxic masculinity, voting rights, double standards, and many other things I'm forgetting makes this book really spectacular. When something can be written and fit in with 1840s England and have me in 2022 USA relate. Actually, I don't know if that's a good thing. Either way, Everett weaves a beautiful novel.

Meh:

Pacing: While I ended up loving this book, it took until the 25/30% mark for me to become fully engrossed in the novel. I kept reading just because I wanted to know what would happen (mostly their relationship in how they would get over things).

Communication: I understand why they didn't clearly communicate in the beginning but I wanted to tear my hair out. If Grey or Letty (or the women of Athena's) would have just LISTENED to each other we'd be good. But there was so much talking over each other I went mad. It got a lot better towards then end, but the beginning was a struggle for me.

Long Story Short:

Do I recommend this book? Yes. If female mathematicians and scientists that are secret romantics with heavy burdens of their past or nobility that bucked the system and have complicated pasts are your thing, is this the book for you. I totally recommend it! A perfect historical romance for those who don't read historicals and also for those who want a different style of historical romance. Just be aware of the content warnings I have above. Everett did a wonderful job on her sophomore novel and I cannot wait to read all of her future books!

This book would be perfect for you if you liked her first novel (A Lady's Formula for Love), any Evie Dunmore books, Manda Collins books, or Bombshell by Sarah MacLean as just a few similarities!

I was so ready to read this book when I was pre-approved by Berkley Romance. I am definitely grateful for the eARC because I have been dying to read the next book in The Secret Scientists of London series.
We have read about Miss Letitia Fenley and Lord William Hughes before in the first book of the series. So I am kinda excited to read more about them because they definitely have some tension between them. Miss Letitia and Lord William make it impossible for them to work together. And their history together is messier than they like to admit. But they have no choice but to work together, especially when the club is under threat.
I hate to do this, but I did not enjoy this book as much as I did with the first book. I just cannot believe how ridiculous Letitia and William are being with each other because of the past. It was totally unnecessary to act that way in the book. And don't get me started on Letitia's annoying behavior throughout the book. There were times that I wanted to throw the book when she acted too much.

A perfect Equation is the second book in the Secret Scientists of London series. I really liked reading Grey and Letty’s story and loved how their characters continued to grow and learn from past mistakes. I also liked the fact that in the end they did not give in to the pressure from others, but chose to stick by what they believed was right and of course that they ended up getting their own happily ever after just like those in Letty’s favorite novel The Perils of Miss Cordelia Braveheart. I really enjoyed getting to know some of the characters a little bit better that we were introduced to in the first book, and can’t wait to read what happens next in the series and who will be next to get their own happily ever after. Even though I loved the first book in this series more, I still really enjoyed this story and would highly recommend it to any historical romance lover out there.

What a true delight! I first fell in love with The Secret Scientists of London with A Lady’s Formula for Love, and I could not wait to read this second book in the series. Elizabeth Everett pulled off another great read (and I’m not surprised). We’re back at Athena’s Retreat, this time focusing on the relationship between Miss Letitia Fenley (Letty) and Lord Greycliff (Grey). Six years prior, Letty made a mistake and Grey judged her for it. And now, the two are pushed together to keep Athena’s Retreat running while it’s proprietor, Violet, goes to Scotland. Though the relationship is cold and prickly at first (thanks to their history) these two turn up the heat and begin to thaw toward one another. In addition to the romance, I just loved the whole mathematics side of this! Plus, Everett has a beautiful way with words. I’m looking forward to book three!

I didn't realize that this was the second book in a series, but I was so hooked on it from the first chapter that I immediately went to check the first book out from the library, paused this one, and read that. I don't think it's actually necessary to read them in order, but I'm glad that I did. This historical romance features Letty, a 20-something female mathematician living with her well to do merchant class family in London and spending most of her time at Athena's Retreat, a social club for women that secretly (but probably not quite as secretly as they would like) provides a safe space for scientifically minded women to do research and conduct experiments. The proprietress of the Retreat is Violet Kneland (main character of the first book in the series), who is taking a leave of absence to help her aunt with the school she runs for girls. Violet asks club secretary and close friend Letty to work with her stepson, Lord Greycliff, to keep the club running in her absence. Unfortunately, Letty and Greycliff have a strained relationship at best. Letty was accused of seducing Greycliff's cousin 6 years prior, and Greycliff came down hard on her at the time and contributed to her reputation being ruined. They drive each other crazy and are also inconveniently attracted to one another, leading to an enemies to friends to lovers to enemies and then to friends and lovers again story. I loved their sharp banter, the careful repairing of their fraught relationship, and also the fact that Letty was based on a real historical figure, a female mathematician from France. I wish I didn't have to wait until 2023 for the next installment!

Plot: While reading the first book in the series, I grew to love all the characters that made Athena's Retreat their home. The possibility that it would be forced to close made for a interesting plot!

Characters: The characters are what makes these books for me! As I mentioned previously, I love all the characters who make the retreat their home, from the scientists, to the staff, and the family, they are all fantastic, vibrant, and I want only good things for them. We got to meet Letty and Grey in the first book, but reading from their POV made me love them even more! (And now that we know who the next book is about, I can't wait to read it even more now!)

The Cover: I like it, it's cute!

Overall: This has become one of my favorite series, and I know I will continue to read anything Elizabeth Everett writes! Overall, this is a series I highly recommend reading

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

A Perfect Equation by Elizabeth Everett is her second book in The Secret Scientists of London series, but can easily be read as a stand-alone novel. This regency-era, somewhat steamy romance, has a brainy heroine, and baby hedgehogs!

Miss Letitia Fenley (Letty) is a brilliant mathematician that works in her best friend's women’s club for women scientists named Athena’s Retreat. Violet, the owner, and manager of Athena’s Retreat must leave to go to Scotland for a few months and leaves the management of Athena’s Retreat in Letitia’s capable hands. At the same time, Violet’s husband, Arthur Kneland, has also asked his friend, Lord Greycliff (Grey) to watch over the brilliant women of Athena’s Retreat.

Letty and Grey have a history, six years ago, Letty made a huge mistake, and Grey has never forgiven her. But, when they are both tasked to take care of Athena’s Retreat, their coolness towards each other warms as they both discover things about each other that they didn’t know before. They have very different views for the future of Athena’s retreat, and they are in almost constant conflict with each other.

I love a book with a brainy heroine, and this book did not disappoint. I’m often reluctant to read regency-era books because I’m always dismayed at the injustices of that time period. Injustice for women, people of color, between the classes, and the unfairness of life during that time period. However, The Perfect Equation gives me characters that fight back against these injustices, and I was loving it. We saw women scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and just super-intelligent women, supporting each other in the pursuit of science. And that’s another aspect of this book that I loved, these women were all working together and supporting each other, even though they are from different classes, and different cultures, they all helped each other to grow and become better.

I just loved the slow-burn romance between Letty and Grey. They both have a history and some personal issues that make them reject personal relationships. Letty because she believes she’s a fallen woman, and Grey had a history of seizures that he controls by cutting himself off from people. As they work together to keep the women of Athena’s Retreat safe, they learn about each other and begin to admire each other and let go of their pre-conceived notions.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a historical romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I enjoyed this book. It has the classic enemes-to-lovers thing going for it as well as a hero and heroine who have put up some pretty strong walls around their hearts and have a lot of soul-searching to do before they can be together in a healthy way.

I loved the concept of Athena's Retreat as a haven for female scientists, though I thought they really could have used more page time. A lot of them were glossed over so much that it was hard to keep track of them. There was a lot of opportunity for representation among them but it was all so minor it didn't add up to much. However, it is possible they had more page time and development in the first book. Even so, more page time in this book would have balanced a very Letty and Grey heavy story.

I loved Letty's family and that rather than toss her out for her mistake they simply retrench around her. I wish they'd had more page time. Sam and his ability to sell anything was a lot of fun.

I really loved Grey's boyish moments when he lets his control slip enough to actually express emotion. Especially when Milly and Willy show him sodium's exothermic reaction (explosion).

I loved Winthram and how they all accepted him as a man without question despite him being trans. I can't speak to how it was handled in the first book as I haven't read it yet, but I really liked his treatment in this one.

Grantham was amusing and could have used more page time. I'm definitely looking forward to his book next.

The villains were not as villainous as they first appeared and I appreciated that they weren't cartoonishly evil. Nevin definitely did not make me like him very much until his decent act at the end. It was a good choice and definitely showed him as a character who could be redeemed.

There were some things that bothered me, however, in addition to the lack of page time of the members of Athena's Retreat:

Letty and Grey had too much sexual attraction going. Like they couldn’t have a conversation without having sex somewhere improbable. As the story went on, the time between improbably sex scenes decreased and my enjoyment decreased with it.

For a book about a mathematician, there's surprisingly little math. Mostly we get visions of Letty's weird math world inside her head which felt strange. It's just accepted that to do math you have to zone out and experience the inside of your head as a river with equations floating around in it and then come to and realize you've covered a blackboard in equations. It just... didn't feel like an accurate portrayal, speaking as someone who went to school with a bunch of scientists and mathematicians.

The other scientists' work was also glossed over and most of what we do see is played for comedic effect. Which is funny but... I feel like they could have shown some of the serious side of science? Not just the escaped tarantulas and bird hats side with some explosions thrown in for good measure?

Letty and Grey's problems were relatable and made them easy to root for however, and their banter and eventual getting together were very romantic and made for excellent reading. So, despite my issues with it I did very much enjoy it.

I would recommend it for fans of Evie Dunsmore's Bringing Down the Duke (league of extraordinary women) series.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an e-arc for review.

I just really enjoy the ladies of Athena's Retreat and the quirky, charming world Everett has created so, so much. She is the best at writing emotionally repressed men who just lose it over their love interests, and smart, prickly women who make those men work for it. I also find a lot of her historical details refreshing—I feel like her work really emphasizes that London was like...dirty? And smoggy? And obviously she knows her science (and in this case, math!). I also appreciate a cishet historical romance that includes both a trans side character and queer side characters. I can't wait for the next one!

“Love stories are the oldest and best stories we have.” So true, Letty.

The Perfect Equation is fast paced from page one, and I immediately wanted to know Letty and Grey’s backstory. Even after that mystery was explained, I was still turning the pages.

There’s a lot of humor here, especially from the snarky unspoken thoughts of our main characters. I’m a sucker for clever banter between the love interests. But balanced with the sarcasm and wit is a depth of feeling in both Grey and Letty. The story balances grief and resentment and disorientation with strong character arcs and romance with a lot of chemistry, no pun intended.

I enjoy historicals that explore women’s roles and their challenges to assert themselves in a framework that keeps them in a prescribed place. All of the women in Athena’s Retreat face that struggle to pursue their talents and be taken seriously and, as a supporting character says, of “mastering the art of being an unwomanly woman, who is just womanly enough.”

But the fight for equal rights and a room of one’s own never overpowers the love story or Grey and Letty’s personal arcs. This book is about moving on from your past, finding your place, and maybe not having to be alone while you do.

This is the second in a series, but you’re caught up quickly if you haven’t read the first one. I intend to go back and read Arthur and Violet’s story. Women in STEM for the win, plus it’s great to see a diverse cast of characters Athena’s retreat.

The Perfect Equation is intelligent, emotional, and sexy, just like it’s main characters, and I’m eager for the next installment of the Secret Scientists of London.

Content note: secondary character miscarriage
I received a copy from NetGalley.

An unpopular opinion is incoming, and I probably should apologize to this book for using it as a chaser to the Love Hypothesis, which I absolutely loved. Alas, not all STEM-centered romances are equal, and I can't recommend this one after giving a third of it a try.

The publisher sent me an invitation for this ARC, which had me assuming it'd be fine to read without reading its precursor. But there were enough references within the first tenth of the book to make me feel like I was missing something, and that was only the start of my issues.

There was so much reference to fire and explosions in the first fifteen percent of the book that it felt like an episode of Rugrats or something about toddlers, not a society of women scientists. There were numerous references to Letty's height and diminutive size and it got very old very quickly to this also very-short reader. The patronizing narration in both these regards was frankly off-putting.

And the love interest and main romance, hoo boy. Greycliff is a caveman wearing a waistcoat and reciting Victorian dialogue, and not in the fun way. It never felt like he took Letty seriously; at one point he wanted to kiss her when she pouted rather than address why the valid reason she was mad. When she leveled factual accusations at him of how he wronged her in the past, he lured her into a makeout session rather than explain himself. It felt very dub-con and not sexy as he commanded her to open her mouth and...YEAH.

The representation I saw in as far as I got felt like tokenism, especially given the un-woke way the main hetero romance was portrayed. I did not have faith any queer characters would be done justice, but kudos for sticking them in there, I guess, as well as labor movement ideals.

I'm disappointed in how a book/series whose premise hinges upon feminism and romance could manage to botch both things.

This book was much more than I thought it would be! It was the perfect amount of smart female characters, historical fiction and a bit of romantic comedy. Grey and Letty are both wonderful characters and I loved their time together in this novel.