I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

When six ladies of the ton come together to form a society, sparked by their wish to launch a girl into society having never had their own daughter, Miss Georgiana Wilcox never expected she would be the first girl chosen. The daughter of a baron with little means to fund a Season, Georgiana has been raised without the usual accomplishments, and is more at home riding astride than in a side saddle. However, she wishes to marry, and knows that the kindness of Lady Mendleton is not to be scoffed at. But there's only one snag in the plan, and that's the Lady's handsome son, Jasper, Viscount Langley. She's attracted to him but knows he's too far above her status, and he's committed to his work for his queen.

This was a decent start to the series. I liked the premise of the Ladies forming their group because of their wish to launch a daughter, and can see the series being a great one. Georgiana and Jasper were decent characters, and I enjoyed their romance. I do wish they had spoken to each other a little more, especially Georgiana to Jasper. She knew that there was something wrong with the two villains, and she should have mentioned it, particularly when Jasper was so linked to the Queen, and the King's health. If she had, then life would've been so much easier for the pair, and there wouldn't have been any moments of heartbreak between them. The main villain was almost comical in his villainy, but it was fun nonetheless. I'm looking forward to book 2.

I liked Georgiana and Jasper. Although, I felt, for 2 supposedly smart people they were blind to what was glaringly obvious. Being a reading geek, I had mostly figured out the the story's conclusion within the first few chapters. All-in-all, it was a good first book for this new series. Started the next in the series,The Sprinter, immediately after.
Thank you Kate Archer, Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

Historical Romance with Intrigue

She is guilty, but what is her crime? She is a meddler, to be sure, but is she a spy? If only he did not assume, things might have turned out quite differently. Jasper wanted nothing to do with his mother’s launching of lady Georgiana into society, but his heart kept leaning in her direction. Then, information about the King and his malady started to show up in the newspaper. Did she send the information to the broadsheet? He suspected she did, and he made sure to send falsehoods her way. When they made it to the newspaper, what was he to think? She must be the culprit, of course. Was she? It is a humorous and twisted tale of misunderstandings, plots, and intrigue. There was some romance, but it got lost amidst the assumptions and the conversations that should have happened but did not. Perhaps, Georgiana and Jasper could have a meeting of the minds in the end, but someone would need rescuing. Someone wanted the throne, and with a mad king on it, it was ripe for the taking. Those who got in the way might not survive. I enjoyed this story and would recommend it for those who enjoy historical romance with intrigue and a dash of humor.

This is the beginning to a new series and I always am eager to see just what the author is planning- not only for the current story but the theme for the overall series. Overall the blurb sums up the gist of the series, Six highly placed matrons mourn their lack of daughters until they devise a scheme to launch eligible girls in need of assistance, and so The Society of Sponsoring Ladies is born. Interpret that as six bored, wealthy, conspiring women decide to shake up the lives of six unsuspecting soon to be couples, let the anxiety, drama, misunderstandings, and romantic inclinations begin…Oh, did I forget some espionage and plots to overthrow of the king, yes that is included. 😉

The MCs are Miss Georgiana Wilcox, eldest daughter of the sixteenth Baron of Manley, has done just what she liked in her little corner of England. She is not unaware that her family’s fortunes have been dwindling for the past three generations, nor that her upbringing has not been up to snuff. Her father has regrets from time to time, as his daughter has never had a tutor, musical or otherwise, and he never did get around to purchasing a proper sidesaddle. For all that, Georgiana is rather cheerful regarding her circumstances and imagines she’ll marry some dashing soldier who might pass through the neighborhood. That is, until the Countess of Mendleton devises a plan to launch her in London.

The hero is Jasper Stapleton, Viscount Langley and heir to the Earl of Mendleton, is rendered speechless over his mother’s latest plan. Some unknown and penniless lady from an equally unknown family is to be taken under Lady Mendleton’s wing. As his mother is a great adopter of the needy—human and canine both—he presumes the young lady is one more lost soul to be rescued. He determines he’ll have nothing to do with the project, as he’s far too busy working for the queen. Though, he does find Miss Wilcox very pleasant to look at. More than pleasant, actually.

I was intrigued by the set up and I loved both MCs they were perfectly matched and their romance blossomed with a few subtle nudges. I am going to keep reading this series to see just what our conspiring matrons do in the following stories. Overall I am rating this story in the category of “good” with a solid 3-stars.

The parts of the story that just didn’t work for me were:
➡️With the set up including meddlesome characters and some light espionage activity I expected a quicker pace as it was the story was really slow in parts.
➡️ This is a romance yet it lacked chemistry and there was an extreme lack of passionate encounters between the MCs.
➡️ The traitor was easy to identify.

To sum it up this is a chaste romance with fun characters and I am planning to continue the series.

3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 0.5 Flames 🔥

📚I received a review copy of this book from Dragonblade Publishing and this review is free from influence and freely given. 📚

2.2/5

🌱THE EXCELLENT
~ Love at almost first sight (if you like that)
~ Importance of gaining/building trust
~ Some intrigue and political consideration of the time
~ Thomas’s joke

Georgiana and Jasper are thrown together after Jasper’s mother decides, together with her friends, to sponsor a distant family member for a season. While there Georgiana blossoms, is favoured by British Queen, attracts some suitors BUT unbeknownst to her, is caught up in unnecessarily complicated, yet slightly boring, political intrigue. For while Jasper grows to admire Georgiana he suspects she is in league with rebels who want to overthrow the mad British King and make the Prince appear unfit - TREASON!. Will Georgiana come to realise the machinations around her before she lands herself in serious trouble? Will Jasper use his brain and the VERY OBVIOUS clues to find out who the TRUE culprits are? Will the pair end up together in comfort and happiness? 💁

✨Give it a read.

🌱THE MEH
~ An extremely slow story with characters that aren’t particularly interesting
~ 🤦 Boring intrigue
~ Jasper seems determined to be oblivious and one wonders how he ever managed to be a spy 😬
~ Basically no seasoning and no spice

♡🌱 But that’s just me ;)

Perhaps he might indicate his lack of interest in musical ability? No, that was probably not right – she might not like to be reminded that she was in the habit of thrashing the pianoforte rather than playing it.

A group of women placed in high society who have always wanted daughters decide to fulfill those motherly ambitions by sponsoring impoverished young ladies. But Jasper is afraid that his mother Lady Mendleton’s choice may be a traitor… if only he hadn’t fallen in love with her!

This is the first book in a new series, and based on the strength of the offering I will certainly continue on with them. I really enjoyed the style of writing, which was humorous without being over-the-top, gentle with all its characters, and had an enjoyable situation to unwind. The leads, Georgiana and Jasper, are quite ordinary people, but that very much adds to their charm. I also liked how kindly the author handled characters such as Annabelle and Lady Mendleton who in another’s hands might have been so easily dismissed as silly people.

On the other hand, I did not love how quick Jasper was to jump to conclusions that Georgiana was a traitor – he put together a whole unlikely sequence of events about what was driving her and became quite determined to rescue her. It was amusing, but also on occasion frustrating for how illogical an otherwise sensible character was behaving. I also wished we saw more of the developing relationship between Georgiana and Jasper on-page. Finally, the plot of the true traitor was quite easy to unwind, though the author did surprise me in two aspects.

A light and enjoyable read, good for those who like low-angst Regency romance without sex scenes.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I love the premise of this new series by Kate Archer. I chuckled when I read the book description. In my mind I could just picture the six highly placed matrons and their dreams of the type of young ladies they would sponsor vs. the reality of the six young ladies involved.
I loved Georgiana and Jasper's characters, and how Queen Charlotte is a champion for Georgiana because her dog liked Georgiana.
I look forward to reading the next five books. Nicely done Ms. Archer!

2.75 stars

The Meddler is a pleasant if somewhat tame story that kicks off a new series by Kate Archer. The series'premise is that a group of society matrons, who only have sons and lament not having daughters to dress up, decide to choose a young lady (one each) of limited means to sponsor for a season.

The first "winner" is one Georgiana Wilcox. The only child of a baron, Georgiana was raised unconventionally, or so it is stated. She doesn't play the pianoforte or sew, and she only knows how to ride astride. Supposedly, this lack of maidenly skills is supposed to be an issue when she arrives in town for a season, but after a couple of minor situations, she isn't particularly held back forth being a success.

Anyway, her sponsor's son, Jasper, soon catches her eye and she catches his, though I don't sense even the smallest spark between them. They actually spend little time together, especially when Jasper, the queen's confidant (and maybe an agent for the Crown; what he does for the queen was unclear to me), decides pretty much without any hard evidence that Georgiana is in league with the Stuart in a plot to taker over the crown. The true culprit is ridiculously easy to figure out; the fact that Jasper doesn't even get a tingle is weird. Regardless, Jasper also convinces himself that Georgiana was forced to commit treason, so he's going to save her.

So who while Jasper is running around jumping to conclusions instead of kissing Georgiana (this novel is quite chaste), Georgiana is dutifully participating in the Season. Eventually, it all comes to a head, but even then, the plot is polite and lacks excitement.

The story is not bad, but it lacks that certain je ne sais quoi. Five more books are coming to this series, but I'm not sure I want to read another one.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!

A fun read with a lot of mix up situations.

I enjoyed Georgina and Jasper's story, and liked how she was a strong heroine with her own mind. A great historical romance read and I will be reading more from this author!

This is my first book by Ms Archer and I guarantee it won't be my last. This is the first installment of A Series of Worthy Young Ladies series and what a brilliant start it is! The premise of the book drew me in. Six matrons of society, mourning the fact of not having any daughters of their own, come together to help launch young ladies into society. Six matching making mamas, so to speak! This makes for a delightfully fun and charming story, I'd say! The first victim, that is to say candidate, is Miss Georgiana Wilcox. Georgiana is an intelligent and beautiful young lady, but when it comes to knowing how to portray herself in society, she is at a loss. This is where Lady Mendleton comes in, one of the six matrons, who is sponsoring her. When she arrives in London, she catches the eye of Jasper, son of Lady Mendelton. Jasper is a shy, introvert that works for the crown. This was a thoroughly charming story filled with intrigue and mystery and wonderfully delightful characters. I enjoyed the build up of the romance between Jasper and Georgiana - they were so perfect together. Such a fun and captivating story! This is one series I fully intend to follow!

I received a complimentary copy from Dragonblade Publishing via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

The Meddler by Kate Archer is the first in a new series: A Series of Worthy Young Ladies. A group of ton ladies without daughters had gotten together with a new project in mind. They would each sponsor of a girl of good blood but with fathers with poor finances to her season. It would allow them to do all the things one would do with a daughter and therefore fulfill that emotional need. They were a fearsome group, each with her own peculiarities. Lady Mendleton would be the first out. She had already approached Baron Manley by mail regarding her sponsorship of his daughter, Miss Georgiana Wilcox. He had agreed and now Georgiana knew. She wasn't sure what to think except that she had not education, except that she had given herself, and none of the maidenly talents the ton would expect. The only thing she was good with was horses, but sadly, she couldn't even ride sidesaddle. Jasper Stapleton, Viscount Langley was a handsome young man who worked as a protector to the queen, rooting out those who intended to do her harm. He was also Lady Mendleton's son. And he suspected Georgiana of being a spy for the pretender, the Stuart, the last of the Stuart line, possible contenders for the throne.

Lady Georgiana was beautiful and brilliant, if not well educated. She was clever and noticed things. She noticed Jasper, but knew anything between them was unlikely. Still, she couldn't help her warm feelings for him. Jasper, was also gifted with good looks, and a clever, quick mind. He was altogether too suspicious, though, and jumped to conclusions. Their romance was a covert one, with he investigating her while dealing with his growing feelings. The reader knew who the spy was, almost from the beginning. There was another surprise, though. I was a thoughtful and enticing book with good characters and a simple, but effective plot. I enjoyed it.

I was invited to read The Meddler by Dragonblade, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #netgalley #dragonblade #katearcher #themeddler

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Kate Archer has a new Regency Romance series: A Series of Worthy Young Ladies. I just finished book 1, The Meddler.

Six matrons of the ton bond over the shared disappointment of having no daughters. They have sons, but it’s not the same. They will never know the thrill of launching a daughter into society. So they come up with a plan to form The Society of Sponsoring Ladies. Each season, they will pick one worthy (meaning wellborn) girl whose family is unable to bring her out. A matron will sponsor the girl, provide her the clothes, the introductions, the chaperonage, and a suitable dowry, and the other ladies will support the effort.

Lady Mendleton chooses the first girl–Georgina Wilcox, a very distant cousin who is the daughter of a baron. Unfortunately for Georgina, her father married a woman whose father was in trade. The mother is impossibly coarse, but the girl is said to be delightful. So the experiment proceeds.

Georgiana is a lovely heroine. She’s clever and beautiful. Unfortunately, she was raised in the country with very lax supervision and has none of the usual female accomplishments. Yet she adapts quickly to the requirements of the ton and is able to work around her supposed deficiencies. Mostly, she’s intelligent enough and grateful enough to her patron to know that Lady Mendleton’s son, Jasper Stapleton–Viscount Langley--is off limits. His sights are set much higher. But he’s so handsome, polite, kind, and has such an air of quiet competence about him, that naturally Georgiana falls for him.

Jasper has all those great Regency hero traits at the start. Also, he is a busy man. He works for Queen Charlotte as a spy of sorts. King George is incapacitated by madness. The Regent is despised. And the Queen is trying to hold the country together. This requires hiding the extent of the King’s madness. Jasper’s job is to keep the rumors tamped down. When gossipy reports appear in the newspapers, he must track down who is spreading them. And even more importantly, why.

A new rumor appears just after Georgiana is brought to London. The rumor is traced to the Mendleton household. Jasper decides Georgiana is a spy/troublemaker. But he likes her so much, he wants to prove that she isn’t.

Georgiana shines. She remains clever and considerate throughout. Despite having fallen in love with Jasper, she tries to manage her expectations. She’s honest enough with herself to know that if her feelings are reciprocated, she won’t be strong enough to turn him down. (For marriage, not dalliance. This is clean romance.)

Jasper does not shine so much. Once he has fed himself the false narrative that she is a spy, although he doesn’t want to believe it, he misreads every clue and his confirmation bias kicks in. The real spy is clear as day pretty much from the beginning and Jasper starts to appear dense as he overlooks the obvious. Granted, the reader has the whole story and Jasper does not. But his position as the Queen’s confidante in this matter is hard to justify while watching his imagination run wild. He creates an elaborate fairy tale in order to implicate and then excuse Georgiana, in order that he might rescue her. (In Jasper’s favor, he has a biting sense of humor, though it mainly comes out when he’s disparaging the girl his mother wants him to court.)

The HEA ending is achieved, thanks to Georgiana’s bravery and loyalty. I expected her to be more affronted that Jasper had so little faith in her. He didn’t think she was a traitor intentionally, only a pawn. But Georgiana wastes no time being miffed.

If all the “Worthy Young Ladies” are as delightful as Georgiana, this new series is certainly one to follow. But I do hope their heroes are cleverer than Jasper turned out to be.

A ROYAL PLOT

Six ladies form THE SOCIETY OF SPONSORING LADIES. All have birthed heirs and some a spare or more, but no daughters. Since they are past the childbearing years, they will sponsor a young lady with no money for a season. Georgiana Wilcox is the daughter of a Baron barely keeping his estate afloat. Lady Mendleton is her sponsor. Once she arrives in London her attention is immediately caught by Lady Mendleton's son Jasper, Lord Langley. Jasper works for Queen Charlotte to suppress any rumors concerning King George and his madness. Georgiana comes under suspicion and Jasper's is determined to save the woman he loves.
Nothing in this courtship is smooth sailing. A mystery romance set in an unsettling time in British history.A lot of meddlers keep the plot moving with humor and tears.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Such a wonderful series and I have truly enjoyed each story! Up next is Charles and Daisy and what a delightful story it is!

Charles of course has held out and refused to marry per the Duke's pact to disinherit a son who does not conform. He is sent off to an estate in disrepair and been giving guardianship to Miss Daisy Danworth.

Daisy's intolerable father has died and she is determined to make a life without benefit of a man. She had been torchered enough living with her father.

With a wonderful cast of characters, including a delightful cat, they strive to solve a mystery and come to an attraction that cannot be denied! Loved it

A new series & six highly placed matrons mourn their lack of daughters so they form The Society of Sponsoring Ladies & devise a scheme to launch eligible girls in need of assistance. Each matron will launch one young lady & their husbands will provide a two thousand pound dowry.
Miss Georgiana Wilcox is happy with her life in the country, until the Countess of Mendleton devises a plan to launch her in London. Jasper Stapleton, Viscount Langley & his father the Earl of Mendleton, are used to the Countess taking in the needy whether it be a dog or a servant so they take her launching a young lady in their stride. Jasper determines he’ll have nothing to do with the project, as he’s far too busy working for the queen & has been directed by Queen Charlotte to achieve what appears to be a simple task—discover the villain who dares talk to the newspapers about the king’s maladies. As he digs deeper, though, it becomes apparent that gossip is the least of their problems. The Stuart has left Russia and Jasper believes he may be in England, poised to take advantage of the incapacity of the king and make a run at the throne. Worse, he discovers evidence that Miss Wilcox is a part of it.
I thoroughly enjoyed this light hearted romp, it was full of humour as well as some suspense & intrigue. I really liked both Jasper & Georgiana, they were perfect for each other, although there was chemistry between them it didn't sizzle but did gradually grow. There were plenty of assumptions & misunderstandings along the way. Georgiana was a delight, a frightful pianist, no skill at drawing & had only ever ridden astride, her first attempt at using a side saddle was hilarious, she was highly intelligent however. Jasper seemed a little blinkered at times but eventually he worked things out, with Georgiana’s help. A charming start to the series & I hope the rest of the matrons have their hands full too.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

The Meddler is a most delightful romance beginning A Series of Worthy Young Ladies. Several society ladies without daughters of their own decide to ‘launch’ less fortunate young ladies into society to make matches. This will allow them to experience the marriage mart as ‘mothers.’

As the first, Lady Mendleton brings Georgiana to London. Georgiana is the daughter of baron and a distant relative. It does not matter that Georgiana’s own mother was left in the country and is a bit hysterical about it.

The Mendleton’s son, Lord Jasper, seems quite taken with Georgiana from the beginning although he tries not to notice her. There are a lot of mistaken clues that lead Jasper to believe she is a spy against the crown. The queen has tasked him with finding out who is against her and the king.

What follows is an adventure in kind of a cat and mouse search to prove or disprove Georgina’s innocence -- light-hearted and fun!

A charming tale full of mystery & intrigue. The mystery of this story kept you ever guessing. Though some guilty parties were more easily pinpointed, some involved took longer to ascertain. Georgiana is a delightful change from the typical London Miss. Being utterly untrained in most activities of a Lady, she is in possession of a clever mind and determined spirit. I found it rather amusing that Jasper could have honestly believed her at the core of attempts on the crown. The Lady’s Society is a lovely idea, and with Lady Mendleton’s penchant for strays she was the perfect choice for the test run of the Society. I did find however that the love story took place mostly off page, and therefore expressions of love seemed to come out of nowhere. But overall, once I got past that it was a rather entertaining story. The ending was a sweet tale that wrapped everything up nicely.

With this beginning of a new series, I am reminded of the saying: There are those who make things happen; those who watch things happen; and those who wondered what happened! All three are evident in this entertaining romance set against the background of political intrigue. Six society matrons have their first taste of the demands placed on mothers with daughters and one wonders whether they will survive the adventure. Viscount Langley's responsibilities to the Crown sometimes overtake his duties to his family, making him suspicious of everyone and everything, except for those within his own household. Georgiana Wilcox feels grateful for the opportunity presented to her but finds it much more difficult than she would have expected, especially as society events are so very different from the uncomplicated lifestyle she has enjoyed. Her entrée into society is carefully orchestrated by the six matrons, but even so, her faux pas become the talk of the town. Added to her blunders are the snippets of circumstantial evidence that lead Jasper to believe that Georgiana is part of the plot he is investigating, despite his attraction to her, leaving him befuddled and confused. Fortunately, the heroine is a level-headed young lady who comes to realize that all she has to do is be herself. The story comes to a sweet and successful conclusion, with the butler pretending, as always, that he was fully in control of the situation. I received a copy of this amusing novel as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and Netgalley, and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Georgiana, an undistinguished girl from the country, is offered the chance of a lifetime. A season in London with her very distant relatives. She immediately is attracted to Jasper, the handsome son of the family, who is a close ally of Queen Charlotte’s. She realizes that she is not good enough socially to be matched with him. Jasper helps the Queen resolve problems quietly and out of the public eye. When a spy is thought to be in Jasper’s home, he suspects Georgiana. For all of Jasper’s intelligence, it takes Georgiana to figure out what is really going on. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.

This is the start of a new series set around a group of Society matrons who always wanted to have a daughter to spoil. Sometimes getting what you want doesn't quite work out how you think it will.

Jasper Stapleton, Viscount Langley is far too busy trying to protect the Crown from malicious people to concern himself with his mother's latest rescue project.

For an intelligent man our hero can sometimes let his imagination run away with him. He's so busy chasing that, he can't see what's happening under his nose.

As a minor Baron's daughter, Miss Georgiana Wilcox has not been brought up with any delusions about her prospects. She just does what she likes. Someday she will probably marry a soldier. That is until a very distant relation decided to change everything.

Our heroine is a bit like a fish out of water in Town Society. She might be beautiful and intelligent but she doesn't know the things she needs to. She is very grateful for the opportunity and wouldn't do anything to upset her dear sponsor.

This is a very amusing story with characters that often seem to get lost in their own minds, ( even the butler). There is political intrigue, humour and a daring rescue. All very entertaining and promises to make a series that we will become addicted to.

Great fun.