This is spoiler-free review. Thank you to Simon&Schuster and NetGallery for providing me with this free e-arc in exchange for an honest review

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
(rounded to 5 for goodreads’ sake)

TL;DR: Orion Hong thoroughly abuses the words “my wife” and “beloved” for 500 pages straight and I love it so much.


“This is an age of consumption, time speeding away on American flavors and jazz, French literature and a sea of lost cosmopolitan love”

I read an arc of this book back in July in one sitting, and I can say that it fully lives up to the hype and cements Chloe Gong as one of my favorite authors. As someone who really enjoyed the TVD duology, I think Foul Lady Fortune allows her to demonstrate her strengths in character interactions and world building and to really show off her skill in gorgeous line-level writing. Some lines I won’t share because of potential spoilers took my breath away, while others had me laughing out loud. I love that she maintains the rich historical storytelling of her previous books and I think it speaks of great planning,skill, and care on her part, and elements of foreshadowing add to the overall richness of the story.

“A city reborn is a city traumatized.”

I think the book has a solid plot, although at some points it may be slightly confusing as to what everyone is doing since there are so many spinning threads. But still, there seriously were twists that I only figured out half a page before the answer was revealed. Besides that, my only real complaint and the reason this is 4.5 instead of 5 stars is that I felt the secondary relationship, (Oliver and Celia) felt a little forgotten about, which is a shame, because they had a lot of potential.

‘“Shh,” Celia interrupted, both because she had heard something and because she took joy from telling Oliver Hong what to do.’

I didn’t quite understand where they were in their relationship development, and where they were going. Also, there would be a chapter from their perspective in the middle and then suddenly they were gone until the end of the book when all threads needed to come together. It’s not something I noticed too much while reading, hence only the half star off, as I was very distracted by Rosalind and Orion, but when I thought back for this review, that definitely stuck out. I was a bit disappointed by it as I felt invested in Celia and Oliver’s story and their relationship, and we all know that Miss Gong excels in secondary relationships (BenMars anyone??).

Now that we’re through all that, let’s talk about the rest of these characters. Orion is hilarious, masking his insecurity and fear with arrogance in a way that is rather endearing. Silas was rather cute and Phoebe was another fun addition and is one of those characters you can just tell is in for something more, similar to Alisa. Although Phoebe and Alisa are both younger sisters of the leading man, Chloe Gong was able to not fall into a character format and they remain distinct, which I liked. I’m sure that there are others that I’m forgetting, but I did enjoy that each character seemed unique and fleshed out and none of them seemed like they were there for no reason.

“Orion couldn’t stop looking at her. Those determined eyes and the set of her brow. Artists would scramble to paint a face like that onto their war posters. Render her expression in vivid enough lines, and the sight alone could lead the world into battle.”

And finally, my girl Rosalind. As someone who didn’t particularly care for/grow attached to Rosalind in the original duology, I was surprised when she was announced as the protagonist of FLF. But, I can say that I am so glad she was. The stunning character development, taking her from something broken and fairly unlivable to passionate and intense, intertwined with the fun and occasionally ridiculous plot line of fake marriage, creates a profound juxtaposition and a full bodied story.

All in all, as I said I read this in one sitting (didn’t even stop to eat) in about 6 hours and I left it with a 4.5 star rating and an immediate need for the second book. The pains of an arc is that the first book isn’t even out yet, let alone the second.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Simon&Schuster for this e-arc

Content Warning: violence

I have to be honest and say I struggled with the beginning of this book because of the mystery and spying going on but wow does it pick up at the ending! Here’s what did and didn’t work for me:

+ We are back in Shanghai but way after Roma and Juliette are gone. This time we are in the thrall of Rosalind’s story – if you remember from the first series and how it ends, things didn’t go so well for Rosalind. This time though she has a chance to do more with what she is left with. And Aliza is in this story, she’s older now and a spy in her own right.

+ The new cast of Orion, Oliver, Phoebe and Silas is wonderful! I was more interested in Orion and Phoebe though since Oliver was on the other team with Celia (Rosalind’s sister).

+ Rosalind and Orion really grew on me. They are assigned together on a mission and have to be in a fake marriage. I love how their relationship grew and by the end I was emotional about what was happening to them.

+ The story gets good at the end! Like that alone makes me want to read book two asap. I’d say more of the action starts midway into this book and into the second half.

~ The beginning is slow – because it starts off like a mystery and moves at a mystery pace. A lot of the politics, which I was interested in during the first series, was lost to me in this book. Now there are communists, Nationalists and the Japanese trying to fight over Shanghai and a lot of that stuff went over my head. I

Tropes: fake marriage, spy romance

Spice Level:

Why you should read it:
*if you loved These Violent Delights and want to return back into that world
*sweet relationship between partners Rosalind and Orion
*the second half of the book is suspenseful and action packed – it was the best part of the story in my opinion

Why you might not want to read it:
*beginning of the book is slow and it was hard for me to get into
*all the politics made it hard to follow who was on which side

My Thoughts:

I’m sad I struggled through the first part of this one since this is one of my highly anticipated reads – it was a two and a half/three star read until the 50% mark came into play. The ending was what I was hoping most of the book would be like…well, maybe not most haha, but it is a long book and the beginning was promising and then went into slow, mystery mode. I enjoyed seeing old characters and meeting new ones. The romance that is growing between Rosalind and Orion was fun to see because they were in a fake marriage but by the end I was totally invested and only want the best for them. I look forward to reading book two!

Thank you SO much to Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with this arc!

Mild spoilers (tropes) ahead:

This.book.is.EVERYTHING! I devoured every second of it. Grumpy/sunshine where SHE’s grumpy!! Fake marriage!! Assassin spies!! She’s immortal!!!!!! This is going to be the first book I reread I seriously loved every second of it. I liked it way more than the TVD duology which I also enjoyed. It’s funny bc I hated Rosalind in TVD/OVE, but LOVED her in this. I know it’s not out yet but I’m already counting down the days for book two because wow that ending.

I still suggest reading the TVD duology first but it isn’t necessary.

Rounded to 3.5 stars.

CONTENT WARNING: medication experimentation, murder, blood, violence

I was over the moon excited to get this book! However, it wasn’t everything I hoped it would be. I think part of that was that my expectations were super high, part of it was the fact that this was a very *busy* novel, and part of it was that one of the main characters was … a lot less than I could have asked for in an MC.

Let’s start with the plot. We have two spies in a fake marriage, and they seriously couldn’t be less suited for each other. Their missions are set against a backdrop of a city in flux—Shanghai, and China overall, is being fought over by the Nationalists, the Communists, and Japanese Imperialists, so there’s a lot to follow. Since Chinese history isn’t something that was well taught in my day, I found it to be a bit confusing. While I wasn’t expecting much of a history lesson, the historical backdrop went by so quickly that I struggled with it at times. It didn’t help that there’s double and triple agents all over the place, so it was even more difficult to keep track of who was on which side and which faction was working where. This contributed to the busyness of the story, making it a little slower of a read than I typically like.

Although Rosalind wasn’t one of my favorite characters in the TVD duology, she quickly caught my attention in this story. She was a good choice for an MC in this story, since she’s struggling with a new internal conflict. She’s facing a new and unasked-for reality, as well as trying to atone for her mistakes in the past, but that creates a whole new set of issues, that land her in the situation that she’s in during this book. And when she finds herself “wed” to Orion, it creates a whole new set of problems.

Which brings me to Orion. I understand the persona that he puts on as a cover, but underneath, his actual personality is rather lackluster. Gong really shines with her side characters once again. Alisa is a winner in this story as well, along with Celia, Phoebe especially, Oliver, and the underrated Silas. I found myself loving them more than the MCs, just as I did in TVD and OVE.

The sexual representation in this book was off the charts! Rosalind is demisexual, although it isn’t explicitly stated due to the lack of appropriate terminology at the time. Celia is transgender, and I suspect that Alisa may be asexual, and Orion is unapologetically and openly bisexual, and gets a bit of flak for that from his father. I loved seeing all the LGBTQIA+ representation in the story.

However, one place that Gong fell sadly short was all the historical inaccuracies. This was a heavy book due to all the political information, yet each time I found a phrase or term that was used despite not being invented in 1931, when the book was set, I was completely pulled out of the story, and shocked that not a single proofreader or editor had noticed it. The regular use of slang such as “barf” or “duh,” which weren’t in the vernacular until well after this book was set, and the specific mention of things such as “serial killers,” “plastic bags,” and “eating noodles out of plastic containers” were endlessly frustrating, and spoke a lot about how pervasive our culture can be, to the point where younger generations can’t even conceive of a world, not even a century ago, where these words and items didn’t exist. And while the story isn’t set *that* long ago, it’s long enough ago that the world was different enough that simple things we take for granted didn’t exist and can distract a reader enough to pull them out of a story.

This was somewhat of a long, unwieldy, and sprawling read, and I struggled with it at times. I’m on the fence about wanting to read the next book, even though it ended on a cliffhanger, and had a decent number of plot twists. It was paced significantly faster at the end, although the sheer amount of subplots slowed the pace through much of the story for the first three-quarters. The side characters definitely saved the story, as did the last quarter of the book, despite the historical inaccuracies and the lackluster character of Orion. Overall, it wasn’t bad, but definitely didn’t quite hit the high bar that TVD set, even if I was much less itchy while reading it. And the cover is absolutely gorgeous.

I'm so glad I read the other duology before starting this one because it made it more enjoyable for me! I really enjoyed reading this book and I loved the writing. I liked following the characters and I cannot wait for the next one!

This was my very first book by this author and I was pleasantly surprised. Whenever I saw the cover and then heard the blurb, I was immediately intrigued. This story had a lot to offer. It had spies, action, murder, mystery— Very addicting. I really enjoyed the romance part in the book, just because romance is what draws me in. Overall I was very happy with this book and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC!!

Following the events of Our Violent Ends, Foul Lady Fortune follows the story of Rosalind Lang, cousin to Juliette Cai. Rosalind is now an agent for the Nationalists, who want control of Shanghai (and China) against both the Communists and Imperial Japan. Normally, Rosalind is an assassin, but her newest assignment teams her up with Orion Hong as her fake husband to infiltrate a Japanese newspaper agency to investigate mysterious chemical killings across Shanghai. When Rosalind meets those from her past and lets new people into her life, everything she thinks she knows is upended. Faced with choosing between love and responsibility, Rosalind must find a way to make amends for her past mistakes and ensure a stable future for herself and the city she loves so dearly.

Foul Lady Fortune felt like a much faster read than These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends. I really enjoyed the political element of Nationalists/Communists/Imperialists all vying for control of Shanghai - and how you see this through the eyes of Shanghai citizens. It was a great historical fiction read with a twist of fantasy thrown in.

Brace yourself - this book ends on a killer cliffhanger!! It was so good, but I WANT MORE!

This was such an enthralling and lovely book! I adored the plot components and found the level of mystery to be very enjoyable. At first it was difficult to get into because the characters all went by different names and I couldn’t keep the political situation straight (Nationalists, Communists, Kuomintang, Scarlet Gang, White Flowers, etc.), but I thoroughly enjoyed it once I settled in. Portions of it reminded me of some other historical fictions I absolutely adore, but this book stands in its own category due to the whole impossible to kill assassin thing. Absolutely fantastic read!

This boom literally slayed me. Thank you Chloe!!! I waited a bit to post this review bc I needed the time to process but Omg. Chooe successfully builds on the world already introduced in TVD/OVE and add intrigue and cliff hangers for dedicated readers without retreading on what has already been told. I can’t wait for the novella and the next book. This has been a privilege!

If you haven’t read These Violent Delights & Our Violent Ends look away. Small spoilers ahead for the prior duology.

PREMISE
Rosalind Lang was saved from death, but the cure changed her. Now Rosalind is able to heal instantly to any wound, making her virtually immortal. The downside? She does not age anymore, making her 17 for the rest of her life. Turning to the Nationalists after the disaster with Dmitri Voronin, Rosalind is now an assassin. Code name Fortune.

There have been a recent slew of murders, all seeming to be chemically induced and all seems to be pointing towards a Japanese company. Rosalind (known now as Janie Mead) has been tasked with infiltrating the company alongside another agent— Orion Hong. Orion is the middle child of a Nationalist general and a Nationalist spy in their covert division. Hiding amongst the elites and extracting information easily in plain site.

The two are ready for the mission— the only catch? They have to pretend to be married, which means sharing Rosalind’s apartment. The two go undercover as Mr. and Mrs. Mu in order to find information on these chemical killings without arising suspicions.

TROPES
If you know me, you know by now I am a SUCKER for fake dating/fake relationships. This book does this trope justice (but when have I ever hated a fake dating book?).

Other tropes— one bed, caretaking while sick, mutual pining, grumpy/sunshine.

CHARACTERS

Rosalind Lang AKA Janie Mead

Who would’ve thought I would grow to love her? After the events of the previous duology, I was so upset to learn she was getting her own series. She betrayed her family!! But I really grew to like Rosalind during this first book.

She really struggles to accept any love or kindness and has a ton of guilt she is holding onto— which is to be expected after everything she went through with Dmitri Voronin. On top of that she feels as if she has to be a savior to atone for all her past sins. This is part of the reason she joins the Nationalists as an assassin is so she can rid the world of evil.

One thing I am confused on in her development as a character is that Rosalind was very flirty and fun in the TVD duology and now she seems to have turned into a Juliette 2.0. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED it, but I would have liked to see more reasoning behind this development other than she almost died and is now an assassin. All of a sudden she’s a grumpy gal with secrets and a love of poison. It just seemed very abrupt at the beginning of the book. Although I do like that Chloe Gong showed Rosalind didn’t have much of an allegiance to the Nationalist party and really she was just with them because they were willing to welcome her in. All Rosalind ever wanted was to fit in

Orion Hong

I wish we got more detail from his background and perspective of things. So far a lot of the stuff we learned about his background was superficial (minus a few things that I will not go into due to spoilers). I am hoping we get more from this in the next book. Maybe even more of his POV or some flashbacks.

I like that he was always in a good mood. It is nice to see a sunshine boy and grumpy gal pairing, but as I mentioned before a lot of his character was pretty surface level. He is portrayed as a player and I am sure part of that is so he does not have to let others in after what he has experienced, but I hope Chloe dives deeper into his character. There is a bunch of potential with all the cute one-liners he delivered while “faking” his marriage with Janie.

Also I freaking love the word beloved now.

Celia Lang

While I loved Celia in the original trilogy I found her chapters lacking. There was not enough depth to them and I really wanted more from her POV. They were also really freaking boring up until the end when things were beginning to take shape with the plot. I hope we get more from her in the next book.

She has joined the Communist’s as a spy and I love the whole siblings on opposite sides thing. Again, I do not think she has much loyalty to them as she does her sister.

Oliver Hong

I really do not care much for him. As a THG stan he is very much giving Gale Hawthorne and I do not like it. I really hope the next book proves me wrong though. He also has ruined the word sweetheart for me. I cannot.

He is also a Communist spy with Celia. I will not go into too much detail past that as too avoid spoilers.

Alisa Montogova

Alisa was one of my favorite background characters in TVD/OVE and I was so disappointed when I found out she was not the main focus of this duology. She has been through so much after the events of the original duology and is all alone in the world. She too defected to the Communist side, likely due to her affiliation as a White Flower.

Also I love that Chloe has confirmed she is aromantic and asexual and even put those clues into this book. I really want more from her in the coming book and it seems like she will play a big role in the next one…

Phoebe Hong

Youngest sibling of Orion and Oliver. She really loves to have fun. Her brothers, and the rest of the world, definitely underestimate her. Throughout the book she throws herself into the fray, despite not being a spy. I love how she always gets Silas in on it too.

Silas

Family friend and best friend of Orion. He has been in love with Phoebe his whole life and would do anything for her. A Nationalist spy gathering surveillance information and backing up Orion and Rosalind in their current mission.

THE ROMANCE

The tension between Rosalind and Orion was *chefs kiss*. Chloe Gong KNOWS how to do romance and this is definitely a strength of hers. The set up of having to trust each other with your life but also having secrets to hide since you’re spies? SIGN ME UP.

There are a few scenes that were quite memorable— car chase, after hours in the office, and of course one at the very end I will not even tease at. JUST IMMACULATE ROMANCE AND TENSION.

For Taylor Swift fans, there is an invisible string reference that had me SCREAMING.

THE PLOT

I was hoping when I read that the two mains were a spy and an assassin that I would get more action, but I felt this part greatly lacking. The front half of the book severely dragged and I definitely could have used more action as Chloe set up the stage for the big twist.

Another thing I struggled with was the whole Communist and Nationalist plot. I am so glad Chloe brings this kind of political context into her books, but everything was very confusing and hard to follow as a reader. I struggled to know what each side really wanted with the Japanese trying to invade Shanghai as well. Maybe this is just due to my lack of knowledge with history, but I wish this was better woven into the story.

Also there was one thing within the plot I found very lazy and too convenient, but will hold onto as it could be seen as a spoiler.

Although I struggled with the first half of the book, it really began to pick up in the second half. One thing Chloe knows how to do and do well is a plot twist you don’t see coming. I actually gasped out loud when the big twist was revealed. I had many theories while reading but none of them were what actually happened. The end leaves the reader ready for book 2 (and screaming at Chloe for doing this to us)!!

Another thing I would like to point out is this reads more historical fiction than fantasy to me. The only thing that really makes this fantasy is the fact that Rosalind has some special powers.


No context spoiler
There was a very Fourtris-esque scene (Divergent fans where you at?) in the book that made me scream. It made my 2014 Fourtris stan heart both happy and frustrated. There was also an Everlark scene as well which had me squealing.


Finally, The EASTER EGGS that were left from the original trilogy. I will not go into detail but there were some lovely hints in there that will make fans very happy.

4.25 ⭐️ i wanted to dislike this book. i started out disliking it!!!! but i caved because WHEW. what a ride. what a book.

foul lady fortune is difficult to rate for me; it took me literal weeks to get even a third of the way into the book (i was in a reading slump but still) and because of all the background needed to set up the plot, i had a hard time maintaining interest. however, once i hit the halfway mark i was hooked. the plot went from too slow to blindingly fast and it was all i could do to keep up. the cast of characters chloe gong had been introducing finally collided and they bounced off each other so well. i particularly loved alisa and rosalind’s dynamic, they’ve become a favorite pairing of mine. their shared past made them super interesting to me and i always looked forward to their scenes together.

and, of course, the romance was Amazing: rosalind and orion have easily overtaken romajuliette in my eyes. im sorry no i’m not. they’re SERVING. like the fake marriage trope the scars trope it’s all just so,,,, *chefs kiss*. they are the best part of this book. i could talk about them for hours. chloe gong outdid herself with these two because if you thought romajuliette was her peak…. honey you’ve got a big storm coming.

celia and oliver on the other hand bored me. they feel like a completely separate entity compared to the rest of the characters; they had minimal chapter time and felt undeveloped. unlike rosalind and orion, whose relaitonship was built up from the beginning, celia and oliver already had this deep, strong bond, but because we rarely spent time with them, it felt like i was just being told about their relationship and not actually shown the mechanics of it. i think they would have been better as cameo characters because honestly i would have been perfectly fine without their chapters. or they could have their own book, i don’t know; all i do know is that i was skimming their parts to get to rosalind’s. it was all very nina zenik in king of scars and that’s never a good thing.

now to my biggest issue: the writing. this book felt strange in a way that neither tvd books did. it felt off in a way i don’t know how to describe. there were too many embellishments and synonyms in places where there should have been more simplicity, and it really threw me out of the moment. i had a hard time getting invested in the scene when i was constantly being distracted by the (it needs to be said) somewhat pretentious prose. i think if chloe gong had whittled chunks of description down just slightly, this book could have been much easier of a read. of course, you don’t necessarily want to spam the word “said” your story, but you also don’t need to go so overboard with synonyms that i have to reread the sentence just to understand what’s being said.

overall, this book does have its issues, and i hesitate to rate it four stars because of how long it took me to read it. but at the end of the day, i found myself enjoying it and i think there’s too much good for me to bring it down to a three. rosalind and orion earned that extra star for bringing the slay factor to this book. also i had a visceral reaction whilst reading the ending. like how is that allowed chloe why would you do that to me :/

Chloe Gong’s These Violent Delights duology was a strong four star read for me— I love her world-building and pacing and think she is immensely skilled at writing a vivid sense of setting, abilities that continue on to her newest novel. I’m not the biggest fan of some of her characterisation and have never really thought writing a convincing romance was one of her strengths, but found her skill at the previously mentioned strengths more than enough to make up for it. Foul Lady Fortune followed in the same vein of opinion for me— I loved the setting, pacing and plot, but didn’t really buy the romance.

Pitched as a story of fake married spies taking on the mercurial and glittering intrigue of 1930s Shanghai. We’re reunited with Rosalind and introduced to Orion— a playful, irreverent nationalist spy. Together, they’re launched on an epic journey of clandestine spying, right squeezes and twisty conspiracy.

I love a spy thriller, as a rule. I grew up devouring Cold War era thrillers and am well accustomed to the expectations of the genre. Chloe took some of the conventions and placed them in her glittering, historically based world in a way I’ve never read before. As I mentioned, I believe her strength lies in setting and plot and Foul Lady Fortune shows off these abilities to their greatest extent. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The build up to the main plot twist was a tad long, with substantial time on exposition in true Gong fashion, but I still found my interest held all the way to the end. The last 100 or so pages were positively gripping and I read them in a single sitting. I also need the sequel ASAP!

As I mentioned in the start of my review, the romance was the least interesting part of the book. I love, love, love the marriage of convenience trope, but I really did not see the chemistry of Rosalind and Orion. I feel like with a lot of Chloe’s writing that she relies heavily on tropes (see “knife to throat” in TVD) at the expense of building up any sense of yearning and chemistry between her characters. This isn’t necessarily a deal breaker for me, as I go into her books excited for the plot and setting and not the romance. I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this, but her relationships are just not my cup of tea.

Overall, Foul Lady Fortune was a great read and I’m really looking forward to the sequel! As a final note, I found the ARC reading experience very difficult and annoying as it was only available to read on the NetGalley shelf, meaning I had to read a 500+ page book on my phone. Eye strain is not the one!

4/5 stars

Similarly to These Violent Delights, I found it difficult to get into the book because of the world-building and writing that is extremely complex. However, once again it did not disappoint. The characters in this book are so amazing. Icons. My favorite part was getting to know Rosalind better and learning more about her. The ships in this book? The love I have for them is beyond words. In the end, when the plot starts to unravel, you can look back on the whole book and realize all the hints and details that were left throughout the book but you wouldn't have guessed it, it's just pure genius. Chloe Gong once again proved to me that she is and will always be THAT girl. I'm so excited to read the second book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I greatly enjoyed Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong. At first, I was unsure about the fact that Rosalind was the main character after her choices in Our Violent Ends, but I ended up liking her a lot towards the end of the book. However, I definitely found myself wishing at times to see less of her and more of Celia and Alisa. Orion and Oliver were great additions as well and I enjoyed reading about both of them. This book also did not hold my attention quite as well as These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends, though part of the reason for that might have been that I was reading the ebook. I still loved this book, it just took me longer to get really invested in it. I loved the ending, and it definitely surprised me at times. Overall, I really liked it and would definitely recommend it to fans of These Violent Delights.

A highly anticipated release from this year, and it did not disappoint! The pacing was similar to TVD/OVE (which was my only qualm), where a good 75% of the book is slow and not too much happens, but when shit hits the fan in the last bit, the setup and payoff makes everything worth it. I loved getting to know Rosalind better, and I adore the new players here, especially Orion, and the marriage of convenience trope was done so so well. Overall, this was a fun and crazy ride and I'm waiting with bated breath for the sequel - if Chloe Gong knows how to anything, it's end a book with more questions than answers!

Foul Lady Fortune is the first in a new duology by Chloe Gong. Set in 1930s Shanghai, this story is a direct continuation of her previous These Violent Delights (TVD) duology. What happens when side characters step into the spotlight? A beautiful, action-packed, heart gripping story.

Four years ago, Shanghai was wrought with turmoil. Brought back from the brink of death, Rosalind Lang discovers something strange: she cannot be killed and does not age. As an agent for the Nationalists she carries out assassinations under the codename Fortune.

Enter, Orion, a fellow Nationalist spy. When a series of unusual deaths occur in Shanghai, Rosalind and Orion are thrown together in a fake marriage to uncover the source.

Foul Lady Fortune is a masterpiece of espionage and dynamic storytelling. From the very first page until the last, this novel enthralled me. I couldn’t put it down.

While just a side character in TVD, Rosalind has been transformed into something else: the beating heart of this story. Rosalind is a relatable character who’s made mistakes in the past and is trying to seek retribution for them. Her reluctance to grow close to anyone after tragedy and heartbreak is something that a lot of people can resonate with.

The fake marriage, slow-burn romance of the novel had me on the edge of my seat. Every love story is different. Sometimes it’s love at first sight and sometimes you’re forced to pretend you love someone and maybe discover that you weren’t always acting a fraud.

Foul Lady Fortune is a wondrous piece of fiction and I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a tale filled with badass women, espionage, and slow-burn romance.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I’m new to Chloe Gong’s books. This is my first one I have read of hers. It definitely didn’t disappoint. I know this author is very popular. A marriage of convenience between two spies. If you’re a fan of historical fantasy then this book is one for you. 1930s Shanghai. This story takes place during the Chinese revolution. It was so unique and fast paced!

4.5 // 5 stars

Chloe Gong has done it again. She's written another novel I'm obsessed with and I don't know how I'm going to cope with the wait for book two.

Foul Lady Fortune is the first in a spin-off duology set after the events of These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends. It follows Rosalind, an assassin who can't die, and Orion, a playboy spy, who must pose as a married couple on an undercover mission. This duology contains characters old and new. While it can be read on its own, it will spoil the events of Our Violent Ends so if you're interested in reading the original duology, I would read that first.

This book has a completely different vibe than the These Violent Delights duology yet also felt like I was coming home. The plot in Foul Lady Fortune is about covert operations, sneaking around in the night, etc. It uses a lot of brain power to follow but it's quite exciting and feels very well-set in 1930s Shanghai.

Of course, my favorite part of this book, like with the previous duology, are the characters. I am obsessed with all of them. I wasn't expecting all the different POV characters but came to enjoy each. I think my favorites are still currently Rosalind and Orion. Their dynamics were hilarious and the way their relationship progressed made me squeal the entire time.

I was expecting there to be plot twists, but I still was blown away when they came about. My mind is still reeling and I'm still wondering about how things will be resolved after the cliffhanger in this book. I absolutely cannot wait to see what happens next. I'm unsure how I'm going to survive the over one year wait but I think finally get my physical copies when this officially releases will help.

Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong- 5/5 stars

When I got an email that informed me I had received an arc of Foul Lady Fortune, I screamed. It was one of my most anticipated books of 2022- and it did not disappoint.

These were my initial thoughts when I first finished it:

“I just finished Foul Lady Fortune and now I can’t think properly. Chloe Gong is a literary genius and no one can convince me otherwise. The plot twists in this book- INSANE. The characters- INCREDIBLE. The setting and atmosphere- STUNNING. I don’t know how I’m supposed to wait for the next book.”

And these are my thoughts now, around a month after reading it!

Foul Lady Fortune is honestly one of the best books I’ve read in a while. Chloe Gong’s distinct writing style and impressive storytelling weaves together an immersive and thrilling adventure set in the same world (and with some of the same characters) as These Violent Delights. I would honestly recommend this book to everyone, but especially those who loved TVD and OVD. The book leaves on such a cliffhanger (like all of Chloe Gong’s books do) but the book does clear up most of the reader’s questions by the end of the book. The plot twists in Foul Lady Fortune were so crazy but made a lot of sense, and were some of the best executed plot twists I’ve read in a while. One of my favorite things about Foul Lady Fortune was all of the representation. I could really relate to Rosalind and I loved all of the characters. They were flawed, but still very likeable and easy to root for. This book also had some of my favorite tropes (fake dating/fake marriage, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, slow burn, who did this to you, etc)

Overall, I could rant about Foul Lady Fortune for hours, but this is seriously one of my all time favorite books and I love it so much. I can’t wait for the sequel!!

and thank you so so much to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the arc!!

DiAngelea Millar wrote this review for Lit Shit Podcast. This is 4.5 stars and I am so grateful for the ARC provided by NetGalley.

I have to say I liked this better than the duology that followed Juliette and Roma (not that I disliked it but because it was based on Romeo and Juliette it was all very obvious).

This book follows Rosalind who is on a mission as a spy and assassin for the nationalists and is partnered with Orion (Oliver’s brother) who is trying to salvage his family’s reputation and they have to pretend they are married. They go undercover as a newspaper to find out if the Japanese are behind a string of chemical murders and are trying to take over China.

We also get chapters with Celia and Oliver who find info that related to Orion and Rosalind eventually (and they have feelings for each other, yes I want Celia to have an HEA she is great).

The next section contains *spoilers*

Anyway, it’s crazy! Turns out that Orion’s mom is behind the chemical being used to inject people. They want to create someone like Rosalind who was saved by the Russians. She can’t age or really die easily. And Orion’s mom is working with his dad using this technology to help the Japanese. But it gets crazier, they’ve been using failed chemicals on Orion and brainwashing him and he’s the one behind the murders but he doesn’t remember any of it. (This isn’t a huge surprise considering he discusses his headaches, his mother’s mysterious disappearance, and how people don’t trust him. Plus he disappears randomly throughout the book). Rosalind wants to save him but when they go to the warehouse and find out his Mom is the one doing this his Mom takes advantage, injects him again with a newer chemical and Rosalind has to flee after realizing she loves him.

She’s hospitalized. Celia and Oliver are like WHOA and Alisa disappears with the last vial, which Rosalind wanted for an antidote (I don’t love this. Rosalind makes it clear they need an antidote and to give it to Celia so her not following the orders and disappearing with the only thing that can save Orion is kind of shit).

Rosalind gets a mysterious note in a cliffhanger ending (which I also don’t love because I want answers but whatever) that someone can help save him signed JM. I have always had the belief that Juliette and Roma survived their duology. There’s some hints to it including Alisa thinking she saw them. But also this note. But also Alisa’s bill are mysteriously paid and it can only be her father (who I have assumed is locked up in a nationalist prison and never cared much for her, or her brother, which seems more likely). Although if he’s been paying her bills but unwilling to see her that seems unfair and shitty.

Orion’s sister turns out to be the communist sniper Priest, which doesn’t really track with her personality or some of the things she said and did. Honestly this is the part of the book I struggled with. Feels like this plot point grasps at straws for something that would “work” and be a surprise. But it doesn’t work. Yes she is skipping school and wants to be taken seriously and pops up randomly but her personality doesn’t fit. She freaks out when her love interest is interested in Priest and brings it up to her brother, which makes no sense. She should feel happy her love interest admires her secret identity and why would she bring it up to her brother who is none the wiser and he doesn’t care it seems like a dumb mistake that given what we know about Priest doesn’t make sense. Maybe this needs editing out or further explanation, idk.

I guess it fits for Oliver who is Priest’s manager. But still she doesn’t do much to help her brother and she could so that’s annoying.

When reading this I had no idea that this was a duology or series. I think the book could have and should have ended given the info we had and what we saw. But I will be reading book 2 and I hope we get answers and I want to be right about Juliette and Roma.