What a fun, action-packed read! I love a good mystery. This book was like Indiana Jones meets the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with kickass women protagonists and lots of Ancient Egypt thrown in! Trust me, you won't regret this read! I hope they come back for more adventures!

A tale of adventurers who happen to be ladies going on a big adventure the likes of which they have never seen before. Probably not for everyone, but very interesting as a premise and concept.

With thanks to Net Galley and the Author for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review. An adventure after my own heart! I will re-read this at least once!!

This was such a disappointment.

I haven't read a lot of F/F romance so I was really looking forward to reading this adult novel from a YA novelist. I am also a trained archaeologist so my interest in a swashbuckling adventure feminist Egyptology mystery was high.

I felt let down by so much but mostly by how young these middle aged female characters were written. It was laughable that these women would have acted and behaved in such a way. I could not get behind any of the characters and unfortunately felt uncomfortable in how predatory the romance was portrayed. It was not sexy, it was very much a 'run away!' feeling.

The mystery was not mysterious, and the supernatural element was not enjoyable which is wild because I have enjoyed so many movies that have that same element. So disappointing.

4 stars for the premise and a couple of thoughts bring this down from an initial 4.

I enjoyed the attempt to bring four key characters into the readers' line of sight. Each character carried a different perspective and dynamic; some were more developed than others.

I'm not sure the book was entirely the right length. At times the pace was ideal, moving along quite nicely and keeping the entertainment going. However, there were some times, particularly towards the latter stages of the book, that were a bit too slow.

Probably 3.5 stars

*I received a copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review*
I expected this to reach into my soul and drag me along on a thrilling ride. Unfortunately, it felt more like a whining woman who didn't get the credit she deserved. Perhaps it improved over time, but honestly, I couldn't get past the first half of the book without constantly rolling my eyes.

I could not get into this book, as amazing as it sounded, which was really a bummer. I think the writing style wasn't for me - it seemed to be very dense and roundabout.

Under-appreciated Egyptologist Anna Baring founds a Lady Adventurers Club to stick it to the men who take credit for her work and exclude her from their social circles. However, when she invites her club to Egypt to excavate the treasures of a lost pharaoh's tomb, a series of unfortunate events unfolds and danger draws ever closer.
I knew nothing about this book when picking it up, but the premise was so interesting to me: 4 ladies making their own place into the world they were excluded from, and on top of that, in Egypt! The first part of the book--the creation of the club--was very compelling, however once the ladies arrive in Egypt, things started going downhill. Several of the plot twists were very predictable and it was easy upon meeting new characters to guess what their role in the story was going to be. The love story between Anna and Clara felt forced, and most of the time very cringy. I found Anna's attitude towards Clara to be very predatory and inappropriate, often taking advantage of her innocence and lack of experience. I simply could not root for their relationships to succeed.
The ending of the book, (the big reveal) was disappointing to me. I found that is was a lazy way to end the book and ultimately undermined all the work that these female characters were doing, particularly Anna, to make a name for themselves as an Egyptologist. The book failed to address colonialism in a meaningful way: all the main characters are non-Egyptian, and the few Egyptian characters are low-ranked employees. Finally, Georgette's lines, one of the club's members and a French woman, were unbearable. Every single one of her lines included a word in French, not translated, which for someone who can speak English that well is simply unrealistic and very redundant.

Overall, I think that this book had immense potential, could definitely be a series, but ultimately did not deliver. Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book failed to grab me very early on. A promising premise, but ultimately not one that captured my attention.

The Lady Adventures Club follows four women who meet by chance at a lecture in NYC. Soon after their first meeting and the creation of “The Lady Adventures Club,” they all meet again in Egypt after Anna, the archeologist, discovers the tomb of a pharaoh. I thought this book would have a little more adventure and action because of the description but it wasn’t quite as exciting as I had hoped. It also doesn’t play into the fantasy until the end which made the twist unexpected but also a little strange based on the rest of the book. I appreciated the attempt at a romance in the book but it often felt awkward, out of place and a little forced. I tended to skip over the romantic bits because they just didn’t fit well. It took me a very long time to read this book because I felt like there was so much set up that the story sort of got lost. I did like the concept of the story but I wanted it to be more polished, more action and adventure, and a more thought out romantic arc.

I really didn't get far enough to rate it well. Only 6% in and the blatant colonialist/imperialist mindset turned me off. It's 2022.

Despite its promising premise - a society of female “adventurers”, doing archaeology and chasing thieves, and a central queer relationship! - I wasn’t enamored by the Lady Adventurers’ Club.

Let’s start with the good: I liked the central premise, and thought that the plot was, for the most part, engaging. I also thought that the fantasy element that was introduced later on in the story was interesting, and I wish it had been explored more fully. I think the multiple POV had a lot of potential, as well.

Unfortunately, most of the rest of the book didn’t work for me. The writing wasn’t bad, but it didn’t do much to draw me in; the French-speaking main character’s bilingualism was a awkwardly written, and didn’t feel super genuine or natural; the central queer relationship started off in a way that felt very unbalanced (which is actually even called out by a character in-text!) and, while it got better, that initial weirdness was never addressed, which cast a weird shadow on the rest of the relationship. Though I loved the idea of the multiple POVs, it just ended up feeling like none of the characters got adequately developed.

And, although I had high hopes based on the foreword, the book didn’t do any real addressing of the colonialism that the foreword mentioned; the main characters are all non-Egyptian, and the focus of most of the characters seems to be on the “treasure” in the tomb rather than anything else; the archaeologist main character has somewhat less of this, but she refers to the tomb’s contents as “my gold” at least twice, which really didn’t read well to me. (There’s a lot of room for nuance and exploration of some serious themes here, but the book pretty clearly is trying to set her up as a “not-a-colonialist” kind of character, so this just ends up feeling out of character and ill-considered, based on the author’s pretty clear intention.)

All in all: not for me. There was a lot of potential, but the execution just didn’t come through. Thanks to Netgalley and Bella Books for an e-ARC copy!

When Anna Baring is frozen out of any of the accolades of finding King Tut’s tomb by the archaeologist and his benefactor, she vows to find the missing tomb of another pharaoh. She meets three women after a lecture in New York City, and they call themselves the Lady Adventurers Club. When she finds the pharaoh’s tomb, she arranges for the other members of the Club to join her in Egypt for the opening of the tomb.

This is a well-written historical novel set in 1923 Egypt. Readers will feel like they are in the bazaar of Cairo with the smells and noises associated with such a place. Frost obviously did her research and stays true to the time, including having her characters be more naïve than more modern characters.

Frost has created four very different and interesting characters. The story is told by four narrators. Two of the characters, Georgette, a mathematician, and Clara, an Annie Oakley type, are naïve and, unfortunately, are portrayed as having less sense than the other two. When Anna makes romantic overtures toward Clara, there is something predatory about her approach that will not endear her to modern readers. Eliza is the character who makes sure the less sophisticated women remain safe.

The ending has problems and may be off putting to some readers because of the introduction of an ancient Egyptian goddess which is improbable enough to take readers out of the story, but the aftermath of that visit is totally ignored by the author and will leave readers shaking their and wondering how in the world the author thought it was plausible.

If you love character-driven historical novels with a touch of Indiana Jones adventure, this book is for you.

My thanks to Bella Books and NetGalley for an eARC.

It sounded like a fun read but somewhere along the line the author lost me. I did not like the direction in which the plot was going. It was just not for me; however, I would recommend as I'm sure this will appeal to someone else.

Thank you NetGalley and Bella Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

What do you get when you put together an aristocrat turned archeologist, a Wild West sharp shooter, a stunt pilot, and a French mathematician, and then turn them loose in 1920’s Egypt? Well, in The Lady Adventurers Club by Karen Frost, you get thrills, chills, intrigue, treasure, romance, and, of course, adventure.

Archeologist Lady Anna Baring believes she has found the tomb of an ancient pharaoh that will make King Tut’s treasure look tame, and she wants to share the opening of the tomb with her new friends Clara Pickering, Eliza Law, and Georgette Martin, all members of the newly formed Lady Adventurers Club. The trip to Egypt though, sets off a chain of events that will plunge the four women into extreme danger. They will need all their wits and skills if they are to survive the threats that are thrown their way.

This is an exciting read. The characters really work well together even though at first they seem to be very unlikely friends. The author did a good job developing these ladies. The setting plays a major role in the story, and it is well-described. It is the action, adventure, and romance that really makes this a great novel, especially with the added paranormal aspect of the story.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. If you love adventure, intrigue, romance and a bit of the paranormal in your historical fiction novels, then give this book a try.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bella Books for an honest review.

When Tyler Falling and Alex Castle take the steps to be together they are met with some resistance, mainly from Alex’s father who can’t accept the fact that his little girl grew up with a deep sense of not being like other girls… she liked, no, changed that to she loved women. Having a lesbian run his business isn’t in the cards even though no one else is ready to operate the company. Her sister has moved on while her twin brother has gotten himself deeper into a life of gambling, which leads Andrew into stealing funds from the company. Syd is living in California growing grapes, making wine with her husband.
Tyler is still nagativing the realities of being an out and proud lesbian. She has broken up with her husband Ethan, leaving him for Alex. Now her and Ethan are trying to do what is best for their daughters and Ethan is trying his best to get over Tyler. It does help that Tyler has fallen in love with Alex, someone Ethan likes and respects.
Upon being told to meet with her father Alex went to the meeting, only to find out the next day her father had been murdered. Now some are blaming Alex for the murder but with Ethan’s help they are finding out more people wanted William dead then they’d though.
Ms Miller’s follow up to ‘Despite Chaos’ is every bit as good if not better than the first book in this series. Great plot with great characters make for a great read, Very enjoyable read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bella Books

This book captured my attention with this beautiful cover and synopsis. I love book set in Egypt too so I was excited to read about a group of friends exploring Egypt. Unfortunately I dnfed this book at 30%. It was rather boring and for such a short book by 30% nothing had happened. It took way too long to introduce each character and nothing of excitement happened to keep me engaged with the story. None of the characters stood out to me and it was a chore to even want to continue the story

In this story Karen Frost has presented us with 4 women all with vastly different backgrounds. They meet by accident and decide to form a club just for women-The Lady Adventurers.
We have Anna an archeologist from Egypt, daughter of the former English governor. Next is Georgette a brilliant mathematician from Paris, who is being denied her doctorate because she’s a woman. Then we have Clara an American from Iowa who is a expert sharpshooter. Her career has ended since by 1923, people are no longer wanting to see Wild West Shows. Lastly we have Eliza, born in the south and raised in Chicago. She works as a barnstormer and has travelled the world.

Anna is giving a lecture in NYC and meets the other 3 women. They start to form a friendship and she invites them to come Egypt to help and watch her open her recent tomb and see the greatest pharaoh of them all with all his gold and precious jewels.

Anna is captivated by the naïve Clara’s beauty and tries to seduce her. Clara is shocked and doesn’t know what to do. Georgette is always trying to solve the mysterious things that keep happening on this adventure. Eliza is the seasoned and mature person and kinda like mother hen who tries to keep everyone safe.

I liked this adventure story and it reminded me of the Indians Jones and The Mummy films. Each woman had a unique personality and Frost did a great job developing each character and telling the story from the four different viewpoints. I like Clara even as naive as she is, inside she has a big heart and a sense of self to lead the group to make the right decision in solving the mystery and themselves from certain death.

For those looking for an action/adventure story and a little romance, this is the book for you.

ARC received from Bella Books through NetGalley for a voluntary and honest review.

An archaeological escapade in 1920s Egypt with a bunch of badass older women? Yes please!

Anna, an archaeologist that assisted with the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb, decides to trike out on her own. When she makes the discovery of a lifetime, she invites her three new friends that make up the Lady Adventurers Club to the opening of the tomb.Things get more adventurous than any of them planned when the to,b is robbed, and only they can rescue the lost treasures.

The absolute best part of this book was the characters! They were all distinctive, having unique voices, backgrounds, motives, and dreams. And no young adults or baby fresher college graduates here. The four main characters are well established some with careers and desires, and it was marvelous to read.

I also appreciated the emphasis on Egyptian treasures staying with Egypt. There were multiple references to the immoral practice of Europeans taking the treasures of Egyptian tombs and selling them on international black markets.

Egypt was also beautifully rendered on the page, sandy and dry and huge and teeming with history. We get time on boats, trains, cars, and camels, as we follow our intrepid heroines in a desperate race across Egypt. Egypt’s mythology also plays a big role, although it’s appearances begin as minor, inconsequential things, that o could be dismissed easily, but ended up turning into an enormous plot point at the end of the book.

I was a little disappointed that the actual climax of the story was a literal deus ex machina. I would have liked to seen the women show off their abilities more. All through the story we see Georgette’s cleverness and reasoning, Eliza’s bravery and tenacity, Anna’s single minded purpose, and Clara’s compassion and sharpshooting skills. All of these women shone on the page, and I feel like the finale could have showed them off more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bella Books for this advance reader's copy!

1923. Archaeology. Egypt. Lady-adventurers. Wonderfully raging feminism and the opening of a rediscovered tomb. Suddenly.. mythology?

I really enjoyed the beginning of this, but there were a lot of things that initially felt like they were just very convenient, either lazy plotting or simply just going back on what had previously been stated, but towards the end it took a sharp turn to a sort of fantasy-element that came out of nowhere? There had been a hint or two, but they were among the things I’d considered “convenient” previously, so when it suddenly went in that direction I was left with literary whiplash.

What really carries this story is the characters. The author has done a great job creating characters that are easy to distinguish between, both in tone and behaviour, and I loved that they’re all in their late thirties/possibly early forties. Sometimes there were situations where their responses to things were a bit naive and didn’t suggest they were actual adults and not teenagers, which was a bit unfortunate. I’d read an entire book about Eliza and Georgette going on adventures, but leave Anna out of it. She’s manipulative and gaslighty and doesn’t seem to play well with people, and despite all the ladies going on “adventures” with her to save “her” treasure she’s still pretty awful towards them. I was so excited for the romance in this, too, because the entire backdrop was perfect for that sweet falling-for-your-fellow-adventurer-vibe, but it just felt icky because of the way Anna behaved. She needs therapy (and to get over herself) more than she needs a girlfriend, is all I’m saying.

All in all, the ending feels like it’s opening up for the possibility of a sequel, and I think I’d read it - if nothing else then just to get to spend more time with Eliza and Georgette.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.