4.5 Stars rounded up!

OK, when I started this book I felt a bit uneasy, because I could not really remember what happened in the first book. I was hit with a similar sense of confusion as I did when reading the first one, because the world that India Holton has created is just so fantastic and so unique, that my brain almost couldn’t figure out what was going on.

But then we met our hero of the story. Or, should I say our heroine’s boy. Alex. An Irish pirate and WOOOOOOOO YESSSSSS MA’AM. And honestly, the chemistry between him and our heroine, Charlotte, is just so *chef’s kiss* superb that I was like “BRAIN JUST CHILL AND DONT WORRY ABOUT UNDERSTANDING THE FANTASTICAL PLOT OR FLYING HOUSES! JUST ENJOY THEIR ROMANCE AND BANTER”. Once I did that, GOOD GRAVEY I JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH RHIS BOOK!

I do love the unique writing and world and magic systems even though I don’t understand the politics or how it works, but what I do know is, we have fierce lady pirates, and equally fearsome lady witches. They have a beef and Alex and Charlotte are caught in the middle AND IT IS DELICIOUS.

I cannot wait to read the third book now and truly think this installment was much stronger than the first and I flew through it.

In the words of Bixby, Alex’s butler, “is this a romance or an adventure?” Who knows, but I absolutely loved it by the end.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a free eARC copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review*

I absolutely love this series, and this one had the rare accomplishment of being better than the first in the series. Alex and Charlotte were such a great duo to follow and seeing all the members of the Wisteria Society fit themselves into this story was delightful. I'm very excited to see where the series goes next!

This is book 2 in the series, Dangerous Damsels. It can be read as a stand alone, I did not read book 1.
Miss Charlotte Pettifer belongs to a secret league of women skilled in the subtle arts. That is to say—although it must never be said—witchcraft. The League of Gentlewomen Witches strives to improve the world in small ways. Using magic, they tidy, correct, and manipulate according to their notions of what is proper, entirely unlike those reprobates in the Wisteria Society.

When the long lost amulet of Black Beryl is discovered, it is up to Charlotte, as the future leader of the League, to make sure the powerful talisman does not fall into the wrong hands. Therefore, it is most unfortunate when she crosses paths with Alex O'Riley, a pirate who is no Mr. Darcy. With all the world scrambling after the amulet, Alex and Charlotte join forces to steal it together. If only they could keep their pickpocketing hands to themselves! If Alex's not careful, he might just steal something else—such as Charlotte's heart.
I'm sure book 3 is on the way with the ending of this story. A paranormal love story. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

So glad I could access to this ARC, big thank you to the publisher! I was very excited for all the delightful ridiculousness that was to come in the sequel to the WSOLS, and it did not disappoint!! I have a great fondness for the Wicken League, and Charlotte in particular. The only non-strengths of the book for me were that at times it didn't feel like it had the same depth in terms of narrative and character background as WSOLS, in this case with Alex. Further, it took a while for the story to reveal the ways in which Charlotte and Alex's dynamic differed from that of Cecilia and Ned, but when that did become more clear I enjoyed it so very much!! Truly a must read!

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

Just as entertaining as the previous book in this series, this one brought me many chuckles and more than a few outright laughs. This book is a comedy-of-manners, a send-up of the problems with cross-cultural relationships (a pirate with a witch? Never!), and a book about the blossoming of a very sheltered young woman who evokes Jane Austin and her many heroines time and again. Consider my funny bone well tickled.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly March New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

This book was a DNF, I didn't retain my attention and I couldn't make it past the first 50 pages. I did attempt to go back to it a couple of times but more often than not I'd end up walking away from the page to read something else.

Pirates, witches, and manners, oh my! What a charmer of a tale! Fun crisp prose guides you through this adventure. Plenty of characters populated this story, but it’s priority is Alex and Charlotte, pirate and witch respectively. But these aren’t your average pirate or witch characters- not with sailing houses and respectable manners. Charming and delightful.
I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

BOOK REVIEW: The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton

SUMMARY: Charlotte Pettifer is the heir apparent of the Wicken League, a secret society of witches focused on thieving for the betterment of mankind, but her world is upended when a famous magical artifact is stolen and she is forced to ally with the rakish pirate Alex O’Riley.

This is the second in the Dangerous Damsels series, which, if you haven’t read the first book—The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels—I would definitely check that one out first. The world of this series is an alt-reality Regency England populated by madcap witches who fly about the countryside in houses outfitted for battle, and a group of equally criminal, yet entirely more proper, witches.

This is such a fun and fascinating world! I really enjoyed this adventure romance between the witchy Charlotte and the piratic Alex, who both had to overcome past trauma to find happiness together. These books are witty, wacky, and require a little extra concentration to follow the unexpected shenanigans. I enjoyed Book 1 but felt a lot of world-building had to be done, so I enjoyed Book 2 even more.

If you’re into the following, this book may be for you:

💖 The Princess Bride
💖 Howl’s Moving Castle
💖 Jane Austen but make it Zany

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

I loved this book so much that as soon as I finished it I found out that there was an earlier book in the series, The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, and bought it immediately. The characters, the language, the setting, the romance, I was drawn into a world that was so much fun that I couldn't put the books down until I finished them.

In The League of Gentlewomen Witches, Charlotte, the future leader of the Wicken League, meets Alex, a handsome Irish pirate and their enemies to lovers tale begins. I sincerely hope that there will be more books in this series! Highly recommended.

As sequels go, this had less of the charm of the first book - the conceit had already been put in place, so what can be done with it now? We get the POV of the rival group, and of course they're the "good" group to the Wisteria Society's "bad group. There's the same arch-ish tone, dashing/rakish pirates and the scramble for an artifact that could change the world. But it's less than the original, possibly a sophomore slump?

eARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

Witches and Pirates what more can you ask for. Book 2 of the series, and follows an enemy-lovers trope. It was fun, witty, and steamy.

3.5 stars = Good +

This was a fun sequel, but it didn't gel for me as quickly as book one did. The world building is great, as it was in book one, and since I enjoy it so much, it made it easy to hang with the book until the characters and romance started to come together. (Language, sex)

“It is a truth seldom acknowledged that a single woman in possession of a good fortune is not especially in want of a husband.”
If you’re not familiar with India Holton, then let me introduce you—if the literary love child of Jane Austen and William Goldman created a brain, it would assuredly reside within India Holton. Written with quippy and cunning wit, The League of Gentlewomen Witches is a swashbuckling tale, a magical romance, and treasure hunt in one delightful novel.

Charlotte Pettifer is a witch and don’t you dare even think that she is anything like those lady pirates of The Wisteria Society. Determined to live up to the glory in which she was prophesized to be Black Beryl’s heir and keeper of the recently discovered amulet Charlotte must first outwit the Lady Scoundrels of the Wisteria Society as well as guard her heart against the cunning and chivalry of one infamous and handsome pirate—Alex O’Reily.

“Alex did not believe in happiness. He believed in temporary self-delusion and gin.”
Charlotte and Alex are remarkably attuned to each other, which makes this the best sort of enemies to lover romance. They also—delightfully—give in to each other quite quickly and repeatedly while also still maintaining their meticulously intricate courting disguised as a treasure hunt. I adore that this romance is equal parts fantastical as well mysterious, and I honestly could not get enough of the quippy fun.

The League of Gentlewomen Witches is not a book that should be read in one sitting, but I won’t blame you if you gobble this in one sitting. The way India Holton crafts her story is so smart that I think each chapters should be savored. From the delightful teases in the chapter heading to each individual scene that makes up a little snapshot in Charlotte and Alex’s adventure—all are crafted with cunning and finesse.

“Alex drew a breath as if to chastise her. She smiled, daring him. And then he kissed her. And she discovered there was a magic beyond words.”
If you haven’t read The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, I highly suggest you do so since many of the same characters make an appearance in Charlotte’s story, though it isn’t necessary. The League of Gentlewomen Witches is equal parts magic and fantasy and one hundred percent enchanting. This is one historical fantasy romance that shouldn’t be missed especially if you love any or all of those elements!

All your favorite "Dangerous Damsels" are back in this second installment in the series. This time, we get to meet the Witches who use magic not to fly houses, but mostly to.... clean? That's their story anyway. When a magical artifact amulet is put on display in a museum the witches and their sworn enemies the pirates/Wisteria Society all plot to steal it. Hijinx ensue when the nefarious Lady Armitage succeeds.

I don't know why I kept losing interest in this fun book, but it was hard to finish for me.

The romance may be what is throwing me off. The lead couple goes from zero to sixty really quickly. They start with the passion, then develop the friendship, whereas the first book in the series developed in the opposite way. The sexual tension barely had time to build before it was released and then I lost interest.

There are a LOT of characters to keep track of, and if you're not fully focused it can be easy to get confused. So stay focused!

These would make wonderful beach/vacation reads. They are light, quick-paced, silly reads with eye-catching covers. If you like fast-paced comedic timing, flying pirate adventures and sizzling romance, the "Damsels" series is for you.

A really fun addition to the Dangerous Damsels series! I really enjoyed Charlotte and Alex bantering off of each other, also getting to explore the witch versus pirate dynamic. This book had so much going on and was so chaotic and fun and exactly what I was looking for. I look forward to reading more in this series or checking out whatever India Holton does next.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

Just as zany, wacky, and deeply and thoroughly entertaining as the first (and even a little spicy!). I especially loved the nods to Austen's heroines, and the fun the MCs have while flirting. Plus, Holton's humor is always spot on (for me at least). I hope there are more of these in the future!

I was on tenterhooks waiting for The League of Gentlewomen Witches after having devoured India Holton's previous novel, The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels. I wanted more, more of Holton's writing, more of this new world she had lovingly created, and more adventure.

Miss Charlotte, the erroneous heir of Black Beryl, an future leader of the Wicken League meets a roguish Irish pirate named Alex, they have a classic enemies to lovers journey to their happily ever after, and one full of magic and pick pocketing, and lots of heated sexy moments to make a reader swoon.

I cannot wait for more!

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2022/04/12/%f0%9f%8e%a7-the-league-of-gentlewomen-witches-by-india-holton/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

3.5 hearts

The covers in this <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/316150-dangerous-damsels" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Dangerous Damsels</strong></em></a> series are just gorgeous.  The covers, plus magic of strong women in a historical setting drew me to read them.   Without being too spoilery,  the first story <strong>The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels</strong> is about pirates.  The women are generally more successful and talented, but there are men pirates.  Pirates are feared by the public, so they are left alone.  The books are romances.

In <strong>The League of Gentlewomen Witches</strong>, we move on to witches. Pirates and witches don't think well of one another. In fact, they have a long standing feud. Pirates fly houses or other buildings and use weapons for fights.  Witches also have weapons and chant Latin spells to affect things in a telekinesis sort of way.  But they both tend to do more aggrandizing than actual fighting.  They also both incredible thieves and pickpockets. Witches deny they are, because witches captured by the police are burned. So witches tend to have a circumspect exterior.

Charlotte is the prophesied leader to be of the witches.  She has done everything properly and fallen in line with the current leader of the witches, her aunt Judith's ways.  But then her ancestor's amulet is found and displayed at the British Museum.  All witches and pirates work to steal it for its power, especially Charlotte.  The pirates from the last book and their friend, Alex included.  Her mother is happily married and not so bothered by the politics. She tried to convince Charlotte they should invite Alex to a dinner.

<blockquote>"Our guests would be most entertained by his looks -- I mean, his books -- I mean he seemed an educated man, judging by his -- er -- broad shoulders. He must have carried many encyclopedias over the years to make him so muscled. You yourself like reading and thinking. Surely you would enjoy having a conversation with him?"</blockquote>

When the amulet is stolen, and everyone gives chase, Charlotte jumps aboard Alex's cottage as it flies off in pursuit of the pirate house of the thief.  Alex O'Riley is an Irish pirate, wealthy and handsome.  His childhood experience has told him all witches are evil and really he can't trust women in general, so he should never marry.  Alex and Charlotte go on a merry hunt and adventure to retrieve the amulet.

I found the things the characters said to each other often ridiculous and humorous.  Overall,  the plot was a little boring, because initially we just had the prim activities of Charlotte from her point of view.  It was much more fun once the pirates and their shenanigans joined the main story.  The bickering of Alex and Charlotte, along with their dedicated attraction was fun while the actual growth they experienced as they came to care for each other was heartwarming. The dialogue did have some extremely clever passages with references to Austen characters and other literature.

This story was so FUN and EXCITING! Like seriously. I enjoyed this one to the point of no return!!

THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEWOMEN WITCHES by India Holton is a masterpiece that goes places no other historical romances have dared tread.

It starts with your typical pirate and witch rivalry but soon develops into a love story for the ages. Alex and Charlotte were totally bonkers and just the way they interacted was so silly sometimes. But they just kept trying to top the other but inadvertently just hyped each other up? It was incredible to witness. Their romance is one that will sweep you off your feet!

This was a story full of adventure, whimsy, outlandish characters, and a world you never want to leave!

If you haven’t picked up either of these books - absolutely take this as a sign to finally give into these wildly amazing books!