India Holton seamlessly blends historical fantasy, romantic comedy, and espionage in The Secret Service of Tea and Treason . Alice Dearlove, known as Agent A is the top operative within the Agency of Undercover Note Takers, a secret government intelligence group. She is their best fixer. When rumors of a possible assassination attempt on Queen Victoria reaches the agency, Alice is assigned to the case. However, this time she won’t be working alone. Agent B, Daniel Bixby, the agency’s most reliable investigator, is also assigned to the case. Their undercover assignment is that of a married couple. They must attend a pirate house party and find the hidden weapon. Used to working alone and as a ladies’ maid, butler, or valet, this is new territory for the agents. The assignment doesn’t go smoothly.

Alice has no friends, is sensible, is naive, and has no hobbies other than reading whenever she can. Daniel also reads, is controlled, and is used to working alone. They rely heavily on orders, structure, and discipline. Both characters are more complex than they initially seem and go through transformations as the events unfold. Their banter is a highlight in the book.

The world building and characterization were great. While set in Victorian England, this novel also has witches and pirates with flying houses. It is filled with literary quotes and misquotes as well as humor, and it has a few steamy scenes.

Each chapter heading gives a list of major events without giving away too much. There are many characters in the book, but there is a character list at the beginning of the book. Additionally, if you’ve read the previous books in the series, some of the characters will already be familiar to you. My biggest quibble was that there were times when the story was more “telling” than “showing”. While the book is somewhat over the top, it also has more depth than one might expect with the level of romantic comedy involved. Woven throughout are threads related to loneliness, romance, grief, friendship, and found families.

Overall, this memorable and funny novel has adventure, romance, a mystery, and plenty of excitement. This is a book that I am going to remember. While this is the third book in the series, it can be read as a standalone. Each book features a different couple. Readers that enjoy historical romances with humor, pirates, flying houses, and witches will likely love this novel.

Berkley Publishing Group and India Holton provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for April 18, 2023. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

This book?! It caught me by surprise! It’s romantic, it’s history, it’s comedy it’s a great refreshing read! It’s written very smart! I haven’t read historical romance for some time because I always think it’s stuffy and boring but this isn’t! It’s modern and written like a Sherlock Holmes-ish vibe because of the smart heroines witty quick Jab banter. Alice is a force she’s funny and hilarious and Daniel as much as she pretends to not like him has to fake marry him to save the Queen. Lovers of Fake Dating will love this witty writing style! Thank you for this amazing ARC!

4.5 stars

I adored this book! It's definitely my favorite of the series and Daniel and Alice were the cutest! I loved the secret agent back story, which set up the fake marriage/forced proximity tropes so well. It was hilarious how wonderfully clueless these two were about their feelings (especially Alice). Their love of books and mutual respect for each other had me swooning and there really couldn't have been two people more perfectly suited for each other. They both were so completely gone for one another and the sexual tension and build up (loved all the innuendo!) was so well done. The cameos from the previous couples were a lot of fun and the epilogue had me smiling ear to ear. Such a sweet and beautiful way to bring this series to a close.

I read the previous 2 books via ebook and India Holton's writing style didn't quite work for me with book 2, but I couldn't get enough this time around. I mainly listened to the audiobook of The Secret Service of Tea and Treason and I think that made a huge difference. Elizabeth Knowelden's narration was amazing! Her comedic timing was fantastic and she had me laughing so hard during certain scenes. Truly a wonderful audiobook experience!

Audiobook Review
Overall 4.5 stars
Performance 5+ stars
Story 4-4.5 stars

CW: orphanage, fighting/violence, FMC was physically punished as a child

*I voluntarily listened to and read an advance review copy of this book*

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

Agent A, or Alice as most people know her, is one of the best agents for the Agency of Undercover Note Takers. The only other person who could match her is the mysterious Agent B, who she's never met. When she is reassigned on an important mission, tasked with foiling an assassination plot on the Queen, Alice knows she can do it. But being forced to work with her nemesis, Daniel Bixby, who just happens to be Agent B, and pretend to be a married couple, is almost too much for her to handle. No matter what, Alice and Daniel are consummate professionals, and they won't let anything silly like romance get in the way of their task.

I've loved each and every book in this series, but this has got to be my favourite! We met Alice and Daniel in the previous books, and saw their very first interactions. Daniel was smitten from the get go, but as the perfect butler, he wouldn't show that - not that it stopped Charlotte and Alex from spotting it. Both Alice and Daniel were neurodivergent, and the representation was perfect for them. There were so many heartfelt moments in this book, and Daniel turning into a proper protective hero when Alice was hurt or upset was fantastic. I honestly feel like these two had the best romance, and strongest feelings for each other. There were so many twists and turns, both in the plot and the romance, and I honestly struggled to put the book down enough to sleep, let alone do anything else. My favourite of India's books, and I'm dying for the next!

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton

Published: April 18, 2023
Berkley
Genre: Romance
Pages: 364
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

India Holton is the national bestselling author of the Dangerous Damsels romantic comedy series. She resides in New Zealand, where she's enjoyed the typical Kiwi lifestyle of wandering around forests, living barefoot on islands, and messing about in boats. Now she lives in a cottage near the sea, writing books about unconventional women and charming rogues. India's writing is fuelled by tea and thunderstorms.

“Never had things been worse.”

Alice looks like a well-put-together maid. She is calm, obedient, and intelligent. Daniel can blend in with any crowd, even loud pirates. The secrets they keep close are their biggest, and they will fight to protect them.

This was a blend of Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland, and those images helped bring this story to life.

The concept for this book was unique and fun. I enjoyed the period piece and the way the characters developed. I enjoyed how well-read both Alice and Daniel were and the literary references that were made throughout.

I enjoyed the humor that was woven throughout this story and the bits of spice that were sprinkled in. The romance was such a classic love story, and I loved it.

This is the third book in a series, so I am sure I missed several references and didn’t know the details as well as I could have, but I enjoyed how this story was told.

India Holton continues to do no wrong. The Secret Service is JUST as good as the first two in the series, and I adored spending time with Alice and Daniel. It was the perfect continuation of the pirate universe and a sweet (and spicy) enemies-to-lovers tale. I loved their relationship and the glimpses into the lives our other couples - as usual, I wanted more!

4.5⭐️ Witches, pirates, and a secret service of butler and maid spies?! It was as chaotic fun as it sounds. The only times I put this book down was to laugh out loud it was SO FUNNY! I read this book in essentially one sitting it was witty, adventurous, and sweet. I absolutely loved these characters!! Alice reminded me of a mix between Amelia Bedila and Angelina Jolie’s spy character in Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

I really wish I read the first two books in the series before I read this one I think it would have made the world building easier to understand but I was still able to manage just fine.

I wish I could really describe this book but it was just so absurdly fun and cute! Thank you to NetGalley and berkley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I still love the covers in this Dangerous Damsels series. There are connections between books in the series so I would read them in order. Plus you gain a much better understanding of pirates, and witches. I really appreciate the magic of strong women in a historical setting. The plots are rather ridiculous, but the dialogue is exceedingly clever and often humorous. The books are romances.

Without spoilers, the first story The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels 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. In The League of Gentlewomen Witches, 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.

In The Secret Service of Tea and Treason, the main characters are spies! Spies in this world are often raised from young ages as children in orphanages. Alice, Agent A, and Daniel Bixby, Agent B, are very successful agents and are paired together as a married couple in this adventure. They believe there is a secret, dangerous weapon which they must find and destroy at a pirate house party. They pose as pirates. Since Daniel's last post was undercover in a pirate household for 3 years, he is quite knowledgeable about them.

Alice is quite sensitive to being touched based on her orphanage experiences. Since they need to have the proper PDA of a marriage couple, they start "practicing" all the touching of married couples. Their personal love of books, tidying habits as well as their touching journey is endearing. Agents are never to become personally involved with anyone. In fact, if they want to stop being agents they are often assassinated by the agency. So there's that problem.

Agent A and Agent B manage the weapon, horrible co-workers, pirates, witches and their budding romance with skill and common sense. You can't help but root for them.


Excerpt:
Three years Daniel Bixby had worked as a butler for the rogue pirate Rotten O’Riley. Three years flying a rickety, ensorcelled house at speeds one could only describe as improper, smuggling pennyroyal tea into Ireland, and washing O’Riley’s laundry. Yet after just one week in Dahlia Weekle’s service he was exhausted. Criminal life had nothing on the rigors of shopping with an aristocratic lady.

This purse-snatching offered the best entertainment he'd had since his return to London (or, to be fair, second best, since nothing could surpass yesterday's discovery of a Utopia edition in the original Latin). Indeed, he might have stopped the hoodlum at once by using a phrase from the magical incantation that pirates employed to fly their battlehouses and witches to move small objects-O'Riley's witch wife had taught him how to bring down a man with just one enchanted word-but it was invigorating to give chase (not to mention that witchcraft was highly secret, highly illegal-and, according to pirates, highly, er, low behavior.)

About three hundred feet along the street, he caught the thief. After a struggle, he twisted the man's arm behind his back, relieved him of the purse, and held it out of reach.

"Thank you," said a woman's voice behind him.

Daniel felt the purse removed efficiently from his grip. Glancing around, he was astonished to see the lady's maid. Time seemed oddly suspended as he stared, arrested by the sight of her. You, said something inside of him, like a memory or a dream. It had whispered to him in the dress shop but spoke louder now, as if she'd removed a mask and he could see her more clearly. Her delicate face was framed by a coiffure so severe it made him think of backboards and plain, starched undergarments-

At which point, time dropped into the pit of his stomach with a crash that sent reverberations through his entire nervous system.

"Ma'am," he said, taking refuge in politeness even while his nerves clamored and the thief swore and kicked in an effort to get free. "It was a pleasure to be of assistance."

"You are too kind," she replied, her voice civil but her expression making it clear she was speaking literally. She turned and handed the purse to the thief.

Daniel blinked, trying to comprehend the evidence before his eyes. He had not been so confused since hearing Wordsworth described as a poetic genius. And confusion was dangerous in his line of work (i.e., when he felt it, other people became endangered). He twisted the thief's arm further, causing the man to holler, and took the purse from him once more.

"I beg your pardon," he reproved the lady's maid.

At his somber tone she cringed, her big dark eyes filling with tears, her lashes trembling. Daniel felt like an utter cad. "Please don't cry," he said, holding out his hand in apology.

And she grabbed the purse in it, tugged hard, and jabbed the fingers of her free hand up into his armpit.

Daniel gasped at the sudden pain. His grip weakened, and the purse disappeared once more from his possession. The woman returned it to the thief, who took it with an attitude of bemused uncertainty.

"For goodness' sake," Daniel muttered. Although years of piracy had presented little opportunity for heroics, he felt certain they did not usually involve the victim attacking her rescuer. Wrenching the thief about, he snatched the purse from him and-

The woman grasped his wrist with both hands. Daniel attempted to shake her off, and she attempted to emasculate him with an upthrust of her knee, and he saved himself (and his future children) by quickly blocking her with his own knee, leading to her stomping down on his foot, and him twisting her arm, and both of them stopping abruptly to watch the thief escape along the street.

"Is that your pearl necklace he's carrying?" Daniel asked mildly.

"Yes," she replied.

"Oh dear."

She shrugged. "Hopefully he won't bite the pearls to see if they're real. They are in fact cyanide capsules."

As the thief turned a corner and disappeared from the narrative, Daniel released the woman. She took a careful breath, her fingers twitching at her skirt, and he frowned with concern. "Are you hurt?"

The look she gave him was such that Daniel immediately wanted to find a chalkboard and write I will not ask stupid questions one hundred times upon it.

"Yes," she said in a quiet, terrifyingly precise voice. "I have a headache, my feet ache, and it has been six hours since my last cup of tea. Six hours! And now I even sound like her. Do you realize how much work went in to shepherding that woman into position so her purse could be stolen? How many boutiques I have endured this week? Do you realize how many conversations about penny-dreadful novels I have been forced to endure?"

"I-"

"One such conversation would be too many, but there in fact have been dozens, all mixing together into a ghastly, giggling blur. And yet there goes Putrid Pete back to his gang's headquarters without the tracking device in Miss Tewkes's purse, thanks to your dratted chivalry."

"I-"

"Furthermore, what were you thinking, bringing Miss Weekle shopping on Bond Street today? Her servants coordinate with Miss Tewkes's servants so as to ensure the ladies never meet. The last time they did, there was a fracas over a parasol, and Miss Weekle's footman ended up with his nose broken. You have disrupted everything. Therefore I say good afternoon, sir. This ends our acquaintance."

And grabbing the purse from him, she turned and marched away.

Daniel stared dazedly after her. His memory was shouting for attention . . . His body, however, drowned it out with a hot, uncomfortable throbbing. Perhaps he had strained something in his fight with the thief. He would have to consult a medical encyclopedia this evening.

The woman took an unrelenting course along the footpath, obliging more genteel ladies to leap out of her way. She moved with the dangerous grace of someone entirely aware of her surroundings and entirely unafraid. He watched her, knowing she would know that he did.

And for the first time in living memory, Daniel Bixby grinned.

Excerpted from The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton Copyright © 2023 by India Holton. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved.

This was really cute. Rivals-to-lovers, fake married, and a nice murder plot on top. I do feel like I missed a few things from not having read the first two, but I still enjoyed it well enough. India Holton has such an entertaining way of writing, that was half my enjoyment. I don’t know if I’ll read the others but if she writes things not in this series I think I’ll give it a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 stars

Historical romance meets witchy, pirate fantasy in the third and final installment of India Holton’s unique Dangerous Damsels series.

Like with the rest of the series, I am so conflicted about this book.

So let’s start with the things I like about the book:
* the tropes! Fake marriage! Undercover secret agents! “Don’t touch my wife”!!!!!
* the rep! Both main characters are autistic, and the representation is #ownvoices. In the very beginning, I wasn’t sure about the rep—but by about the 20% mark I felt like the characters were well developed, and I ended up really enjoying the portrayal.
* Alice and Daniel themselves! I’ve loved Bixby in both previous books, so I loved getting to read about him as a main character. Alice, too, stole my heart, and I think she was my favorite FMC of the series—as Bixby was my favorite MMC.

Something I always both like and dislike in these books is the world and magic system. I love how unique it is, it’s certainly interesting, and it’s so very weird, but it doesn’t really make sense. I can’t wrap my mind around it, and I can’t ever fully manage to completely suspend my disbelief. It’s just a little too much for me. There are too many moving objects in the lore.

Things I don’t love:
* the plot. There never felt like there was much of a throughline. Alice and Daniel are supposed to be searching for this weapon that will kill the queen, and yet there felt like there were no stakes there, and that aspect played no real role in the tension and driving force behind the book. Despite the fact that it was mentioned regularly, it never felt important to the story, and I kept forgetting it was a thing that mattered. I didn’t care, but I felt like I should have.
* the pacing. It was kind of slow. There never felt like there was a driving force behind the action and events happening. Everything not directly related to Alice and Bixby’s relationship felt like filler content because there was no tension or stakes to keep me invested in it.
* the blushing virgin trope. Every single book in this series features an overly clueless FMC with an experienced MMC. And every time it feels kind of fetishized. Now, this one was very minor compared to the previous books in the series. But it still made me uncomfortable to read. At least Daniel was just like, averagely experienced compared to the rakish men of the previous series, but still the way that Alice’s inexperience was portrayed didn’t work for me.


All of that said, this is my favorite installment of the series, and if the description catches your interest, I think it’s worth the read.

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton is the 3rd book in her Dangerous Damsels series. We meet Alice Dearlove (Agent A), who is one of the top agents within the Agency of Undercover Note Takers (AUNT). This is a secret government intelligence group that sends out spies; with Alice successfully handling many roles, such as a lady’s maid, witches, pirates, wealthy ladies, etc. Her boss notifies her that she is being assigned to another job, and to her dismay, she is partnered with Daniel Bixby (Agent B), who is also a top-notch agent. Daniel recently worked undercover as a butler to Alex O'Reily, a famous pirate.

Alice and Daniel are not too happy to be working together, but the task at hand is important, as they may need to thwart a possible assassination of Queen Victoria; they are told they have to pretend to be married. Their assignment is to steal a secret weapon held by pirates, and they arrive at an English house party, filled with a group of high-class people who are secret pirates (Wisteria Society- League of Gentlewomen Witches). Many of the heroes in the first two books (Cecilia and Ned-book 1 & Charlotte and Alex- book 2), as well as a wild group of ladies and men, who think nothing of doing dangerous things for their enjoyment.

Alice and Daniel are determined to work together as professionals, but in a short time, the attraction between them grows, as their chemistry heats up; they know any kind of relationship is forbidden by AUNT rules. Despite the danger, they cannot resist each other, as the sexual tension between them increased. The romance was a slow burn, but with little experience they embraced their feelings and slowly accepted that they were falling for each other. Alice and Daniel are wonderful together, as they made a great couple; it was fun to watch them slowly act on their sexual chemistry, and at the same time continue to do their job to find the weapon.

What follows is a wild fun exciting story, filled with flying houses, pirates, witches, mad scientist, spies and many dangerous situations. To tell too much more would be spoilers, and with so much action from start to finish, you need to read this in its entirety. This was a wild escapade of a ride throughout, and this book completes the series. The Secret Service of Tea and Treason was very well written by India Holton.

Alice Dearlove has been trained since childhood by the Agency of Undercover Note Takers (A.U.N.T.) in late-Victorian England. As Agent A, she keeps tabs on the Wicken League of Gentlewomen Witches, ensuring they don’t make too much trouble, all while keeping the tidiest house in England for whichever upper-crust lady with whom A.U.N.T. places her. Her whole life she’s been enthralled with tales of the legendary Agent B, whom she assumes is a woman. But one day she discovers that Agent B is actually the very male and very handsome Daniel Bixby, who stops a robbery Alice wanted to happen so she could track the villain back to his lair. Her adoration of Agent B shattered, Alice is most annoyed when A.U.N.T. assigns them to the same mission: stopping a member of the Wisteria Society for Lady Scoundrels (a.k.a. “pirates”) from assassinating Queen Victoria. To make matters worse, she and Daniel have to pose as a married couple. Over the course of the mission, both Alice and Daniel fight against their growing feelings for each other, knowing that A.U.N.T. forbids relationships between agents.
This delightfully bananas romance features some of the genre’s most beloved tropes (fake relationship, rivals-to-lovers, forbidden love, only one bed) and, in true Holton style, invents all new ones (organizing a closet together, dodging murderous pirates, and preferring death to playing parlor games). Alice, especially, is a loveable, complex character, who compassionately and sensitively represents neurodivergence through her self-stimming finger-tapping, her literal interpretation of idioms (the walls have ears, for example), and her intolerance for loud noises. Better still is the way Daniel accommodates and includes her without making her feel like an oddity. Perfect for readers who like their books steamy and swashbuckling.

I devoured this. Everything India Holton writes is simply a masterpiece. I swear she writes the funniest books ever. Alice and Daniel are very different from characters in her previous books, but they are just as lovable. This book was so fun per the pirates as usual. The world India has created is so unique in the best way possible. Read this book.

Thank you to Berkley Romance for my complimentary eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this book !

It has:
humor
literary quotes
tender moments
adventure
excitement
Slow burn
Found family

But mostly
Witches. Pirates and Spies. Oh My !!

I laughed out loud so many times. Agents A and B are a great couple and to be witness to their story is a treat 3 stories in the making. Alice and Daniel have been put into the most unlikely of situations; they must pretend to be husband and wife, and at the same time, they must stop the assassination of Queen Victoria.
Both were raised to be perfect servants, able to fade into the background while all the time gathering intelligence. What will this new undercover assignment mean for their "by the book" upbringing? You will need to read this one and find out yourself!

When I got the offer in my mail box to read this book for review, I hesitated only slightly. The reason being that this is book 3 in a series. However I should not have worried. While they are written following a timeline, each book follows a different couple. It is very easy to follow without having read any of the previous books.

The thing with these kind of books is that they are very over the top. And they are meant to be. The characters are always a bit on the very stereotypical side or very naive on certain things. But that doesn't make them flat. India Holton manages just fine how to still create threedimensial characters that you like and want to follow. But it is a good point to know before going into these books. Don't take it all too seriously. They certainly don't.

I had quite a grand time with this book which has created a very interesting alternate history with pirates that commandeer flying...houses. Yes you read that right. Houses. It is because of a certain spell that they can use them to fly and live in and fight with. Because aerial fights between flying houses are a thing in this world. I know. So exciting.

As for the romance, for the most part I liked it. They were both so clueless on so many different levels. Always having worked for others and never do anything for themselves, its made it hard for them to see what is right in front of them. But both fit very well together.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason took everything I already loved about this series (fantasy, magic, flying pirates and witches, sly innuendo, hilarious banter and smart prose) and added James Bond references and exploding gadgets.

Alice and Bixby are the top agents and top rivals of the secret service, the Agency of Undercover Notetakers. It's a network of servants who use lethal means to protect the country. Now they are asked to stop an assassination plot against the queen by going undercover as a married couple.

My introverted heart appreciated how much Alice and Bixby abhorred the parlor games and forced fun companionship with their fellow house party guests. Quite understandably, they did not know how to interact with pirates. I haven't seen others mention this, but the description of Alice strongly suggested to me that she was likely autistic. I love seeing such neurodivergent representation, but I would have preferred it be better named and acknowledged at least in an author's note.

I absolutely adored the start of each chapter. Not only does each have the short list of events to expect, but they also include amusing adjustments to quotes from famous literature. For instance, the book begins with "It was the best of dress shops, it was the worst of dress shops."

Elizabeth Knowelden, the same narrator from the previous two books of the series, narrated this book. She again does a marvelous job, and I have come to associate the series' tone with her voice.

This was such a fun addition to an already hilarious story world.

Author India Holton, please write more and more of these cozy books - the Dangerous Damsels series are the best books to read during quiet evenings at home. Utterly charming book #3 has Agent A immersed in historical romance and mystery as usual, and my teacup, shortbread cookies and fireplace all complemented Holton’s latest. A sure pleasure for everyone, No wonder it is one of 2023’s most anticipated in libraries all over! Five of five glorious stars!

Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing via NetGalley for this cozy, lap-cat, soft blanket and fireplace loving arc. All opinions are my own.

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason is the 3rd book in Dangerous Damsel's series and if you haven't picked up these books yet, you are missing out. I think the thing I love most about them is that they aren't your typical historical romance. Don't get me wrong, I love the genre as it is but it is wonderful to have some variety now and then and this book / series definitely mixes things up.

In this book, Alice and Daniel are rival spies who work with the Agency of Undercover Note Takers, a secret government intelligence group. When they are assigned to go undercover as husband and wife, they find that while there is healthy competition to prove each one is the best, they are also attracted to one another and they can't let that derail their plans.

There is so much to love in these books and in this one in particular, we get to see characters from prior books come back into the fold (I love seeing how things progress once a book ends), the banter is always well done, and of course there is magic, flying houses, and a whole host of things that will keep you turning the pages.

If you're looking for a historical romance that has a bit of a twist, check out this series / book. While not necessarily required, I would recommend reading the other books in this series first because you may miss some reference to the other characters and how these two were originally introduced. I'll be looking forward to more books from Holton in the future for sure.

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason is by far one of the most imaginative, hysterically funny and whimsical books I’ve ever read!

When a threat against Queen Victoria is uncovered, A.U.N.T. mobilizes their top agents, Alice Dearlove and Daniel Bixby. Their mission? To infiltrate a pirate house party and secure the secret weapon that will be used against the Queen. Alice and Daniel must work together to a) convince the pirates they’re pirates as well, b) convince the pirates they’re married and c) not go mad while obtaining the weapon. With both Alice and Daniel being used to being too agent, they must adapt and learn to work together. And work ~together~.

This book was absolutely bonkers and I loved every single minute of it! It’s book 3 in the series and I confess i didn’t read books 1 or 2. But really, I had no trouble following the plot or the information provided about their organization. The writing style is so funny and witty and just an absolute delight to read. The plot was funny and moved at a great pace. I loved how everything was whimsical and ridiculous but presented as if it was completely normal. Alice falls out of a window from a flying cottage? Of course she doesn’t die. She’s wearing her parachute petticoat after all!

Alice is so prim and proper and relatively naive, even though she is extremely intelligent and capable. I loved watching her grow out of her relatively narrow mind frame and open herself up to friendship and love. Daniel is charming and witty and a great partner for Alice. His experience as a pirates butler was obviously invaluable to the mission and he was an excellent pairing for Alice.

There is a bit of spice and it’s also hilarious. I don’t think I can say it enough: this book is FUNNY. I found myself literally giggling out loud more often than not. Even during the spicy bits!

I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s such a different read than what you normally see in a historical romance! Don’t let the fact that it’s book 3 deter you. You want to read this book!

Thanks so much to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

What we have here is a spy romance written in Holton's inimitable style. It takes a little getting used to, but now that we've read two Holton books we know what to expect: witty turns of phrase, bonkers situations, and referential prose. We are 100% certain that we didn't catch all of the references to other works, but it also doesn't matter.

Alice Dearlove and Daniel Bixby (Agent A and Agent B) work for the unacknowledged government of Britain: a spy agency that seems to make up about two thirds of the "belowstairs" population. From the perspective of a servant, it's much easier to influence the decisions of the ruling class.

At the beginning of the book, Alice and Daniel are asked to go undercover as a married couple of pirates and infiltrate the Wisteria Society. Why? Because one of the pirates has let it be known that they are going to attempt to assassinate Queen Victoria with some kind of secret weapon. Alice and Daniel must find the weapon and the prospective perpetrator and prevent the assassination from taking place. And if, along the way, they happen to fall in love, it won't have any impact on the outcome of the situation... will it?

This has been our favorite of the series so far, perhaps because our protagonists are spies rather than witches and pirates. Alice and Daniel are out of their depth among the outrageous Wisteria Society. After all, they've been trained all their lives to be the perfect servants: unremarkable and yet incredibly competent. Seeing them navigate a relationship while also completing their investigation and fighting against their spy programming was a real blast.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.