What a fun concept for a book! The moniker of the Scandalous Ladies of London refers to Tru and her friends - most unhappily married to men they now despise, all trying to find what happiness they can in a society that values them for their looks and the children they can bear. The Countess is Tru: 37 years old, Tru's daughter is about to have her coming out in Society. Tru's dissolute husband, who has ignored his family for at least 15 years, suddenly takes an interest in his daughter when he realizes he can turn her marriage to his benefit: if he finds her a rich man, he will be able to live for years off of his son-in-law's largesse. And he thinks he's found just the guy: Jasper Thorne, entrepreneur, who's ready to join high society.

Tru, of course, wants her daughter to take her time finding a man who will respect her. While she's does some sleuthing to figure out who Jasper Thorne is, she comes across a younger man who not only propositions her - she's tempted to accept! Unfortunately it turns out that this young hottie is none other than (dun dun dun) JASPER THORNE!

This is the lust at first sight, older woman/younger man, fake dating HER DAUGHTER romance that we never knew we were looking for. Is Tru married while their relationship develops? She SURE IS. Did we care? NO WE DID NOT. The whole forbidden love (on so many levels) just worked for us here.

Did we love the ending? It verged a little bit on the melodramatic for our taste. That said, the entire Jasper-Tru relationship was deliciously paced, and the reveals came just at the right time. Get ready for a soap opera of a series. We're already getting the popcorn ready!

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

For when you're vibing with... A grown-ass woman of heroine and a grown-ass man of a hero, a bit of scandal (my God, he's supposed to court her daughter), female friendships and women living on the edge, and just... punishment for bad men.

Sophie Jordan takes on a whole new series that's a bit less "ingenue stumbling through her debutante season" (which we love, but is, let's be real, in huge supply in the subgenre) and more about high society women who've seen some shit. Gertrude, the Countess of Chatham, has been awfully wedded to her shithead of husband for nineteen years, having given him two children and seen little of him since. During that time, she's cultivated a reputation as the Cold Countess, one of tastemakers of the ton, and has found solace in her friends (but no lovers--her reputation is beyond reproach).

Unfortunately, Chatham reinserts himself in her life by demanding that their daughter, Delia, wed an upstart of a man who doesn't have a title but does have tons of money--all the better to pay Chatham's debts with. Tru won't have her daughter consigned to the misery she's been dealing with... but that's really not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is that the man Chatham is eyeing for their daughter is Jasper Thorne--who happens to really, really want to sleep with Tru. Really really. And the feeling is, in fact, mutual.

This series concept (The Scandalous Ladies of London) has me absolutely hooked. I am in for the ride, take my money, I will be reading every single one of these. Because listen--I love a virgin heroine, I love a young heroine, I love the Classiques. But how fucking refreshing was it to read about women who are by and large thirty or over (not sure about one of them, but she's certainly not an ingenue) and experienced in life? You have Tru, but also her friend Valencia--the heroine of the next book in the series--a duchess in a once-happy marriage that went horribly wrong. I assume we're also getting a setup for Tru's "old maid" sister Rosalind, who put aside marriage to care for their parents, and maybe Hazel...? Valencia's scandalous stepmother who used to be the mistress and is now married to a doddering old man? Maybe? Will we get Hazel's book? I love Hazel, please Sophie Jordan you're my only hope.

But let's focus on Tru. She's thirty-seven, she's jaded, she's very aware of her reputation, and she's also a bit... prim for even her own set. This book totally dispels the notion of the ton as this uptight society wherein people were shocked, SHOCKED, if even a hand was held, and gets into the reality of the situation. There's the societal rules, and then there's the shit everyone knew everyone else was getting up to, but just didn't cop to out loud. One of my favorite scenes in this book involves Tru's mother telling her to go and get some because everyone is doing it and she needs to get LAID.

A lot of Tru's conflict is really less about what society will allow and more about what she will allow herself, her own self-perception, and the risks she's willing to take. Her growth is just excellent. And this is a heroine-forward novel. Jasper is a great hero. He's sexy, he's romantic, he's got a cute kid that drives his early motivations but like. Never speaks. The best kind of kid, in my opinion. But we get much more of Tru's perspective, and most of the conflict is Tru's. If you're looking for a novel in which the man is all in from day one and the heroine is the one that needs some seduction and persuasion, this will hit those buttons.

A few highlight notes aside from what I've already said:

Quick Takes:
--Tru's a great mom, and while we don't have too many scenes of her mothering (we really don't need to see it on the page, so much of her conflict is about being a good mother to Delia) her relationship with Delia is lovely and never falls into overwrought cliche.

--There is so much positivity towards women in this book, from women. Yes, Chatham is horrible, Valencia's husband is horrible (if a bit more tragic), and most of the men besides Jasper basically suck. But the women... Valencia has animosity towards Hazel, understandably, because having a stepmother essentially your own age is awkward. Yet Tru really doesn't. And when we see Chatham's mistress, Fatima, she's actually not at all what a lot of books would set her up to be. And she has a moment at the end that's just ...!

--There's a huge "everyone can see his feelings for her coming through because of this heightened situation" moment that had me dying. It was very classic and kind of old school-feeling. Like, keep your shit together, man!

--It's pretty funny, honestly. There is one scene in this book that is just... the kind of humor you can really only make work in a historical romance.

--The world is really well done? You get the balls, yes, but also the seances, the weird little candlestick game that gives everyone an excuse to kiss everyone publicly, which most certainly is something our hero takes full advantage of. There's what goes on behind closed doors, and what you do in public, and it's just... a lot.

--This is a book wherein you do have snippets from the perspectives of characters that aren't the leads. In part because you're totally getting setup for the rest of the series, and in part because... The series conceit is so dependent on gossip and perception, and you kind of need to see other people watch a scene and go "oh fuck, Jasper Thorne looks like he's about to eat that woman alive in the ballroom". I do think we could've perhaps gotten a bit of it trimmed, or otherwise added more scenes that are just Jasper and Tru. It still absolutely works and you want to follow their story, I just could have used more. Sophie also writes a pretty tight historical romance compared, always fast-paced and quick, and I don't know if there was space for more--but if there could've been, I would've liked it.

--The ending is very quick, and it does come off as a little abrupt. I honestly had no problem with how things are resolved (in fact, reader, I did cackle with delight) but it is a pretty sudden resolution that could've been drawn out a bit further. Again, this is something that didn't totally surprise me as a lot of Sophie Jordan books I've read have a quick charge to the finish line, but it was pretty apparent here.

The Sex Stuff:
I will say that the sexuality in this novel is a bit more contained than it is in some other Sophie Jordan books I've read (and I suspect that this has to do with the delicacy of the subject matter, especially in a traditionally published romance novel--I'm sure so many people will jump to judgment about this book based off the summary alone) it is CHARGED. The sexual tension between Jasper and Tru is fabulous. There is so much longing, and almost every moment they have before Thee Moment is just this dam-breaking, can't hold back anymore type of situation.

I wholeheartedly recommend this one, and I am very much looking forward to the rest of the series. My critiques are minor, and I think that you get something super fresh here. I was actually really excited while reading this book, because to me, it felt different from a lot of historical concepts I've seen thrown around lately. Again, I have no issue with the innocent debutante books, but it was just really nice to read about high society in a lens wherein a woman is married, just accepts that it is what it is, and then has her life blown up by a hot guy who's like "you deserve better". Tru is the type of character who would give a cautionary tale monologue to a heroine of a different book. Here, she gets to shine.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This books was really surprising and written in such a unique way that we don’t typically see in historical romance.

With multiple points of view throughout the entire book, you really get a grasp on everything that’s going on. This does make it a tad harder to pick out the main characters of this book, but don’t worry, there is still an HEA, and a satisfactory one at that.

I loved the fact that many of the characters in this series are older and are in their 30s. This is definitely a unique series, and I would definitely suggest going into it slightly blind.

I am definitely a big fan of his author, and this book felt so different, but completely binge-able! I’m looking forward to the next book in this series!

Releases on March 28th
Summary:

Lady Gertrude is a pillar of the ton and stuck in an unhappy marriage. She wants to give her debutante daughter Delia more freedom on the marriage mart but her profligate husband has already decided on a spouse for their daughter. Said choice, Jasper Thorne, is the man who propositioned Tru before he knew she was his bride-to-be's mother... and it goes from there.

Some background:
Listen, I know Sophie. I love Sophie. I've read nearly everything Sophie's ever written. My favorites so far have been the books featuring the Langley sisters, the Debutante Files series, and of course her seminal masterpiece of a Texan ex-con series, Devil's Rock. They were hot. Which is why I was surprised that The Countess did not have the follow-through in terms of sex that I was expecting. Like, there were three chapters solely dedicated to Jasper propositioning Tru, not to mention both these characters are not virgins, so I was definitely expecting more time dedicated to sex.

The book I was most inclined to compare this to based on the premise was Sophie's The Scandal of it All, in which the heroine gets with her step-son's best friend. To me, the joke was that Graciela was suuuuper *scandalized* with herself for wanting someone six whole years younger than her. I thought the age gap was negligible at the time so when I read the premise of The Countess, I hoped the age gap would be greater as this is a mother and her daughter's suitor. But alas, it was only four years when I feel like it could have been... more. Like, we really could have sold the "older woman-younger man" thing here, but it didn't happen 🤷🏻‍♀️.

My review:
Tru and Jasper's chemistry was present right off the bat with their darkened garden encounter, and it grew into something true and honest regardless of them having to hide their attraction. Jasper was there for Tru in ways her husband never was. That being said, I finished this book, I couldn't help but feel that the ending was super abrupt and very deus ex machina in resolving loose ends. I'd seen Tru and Jasper's relationship developing, but it wasn't quite there, you know? Maybe a couple more clandestine encounters (yes that includes more sex), and a more firm realization of her love for him would have done the deal.

The Sex:
What we did get in terms of sex almost felt like an afterthought- make no mistake it was well written (although I think the kissing scenes conveyed more passion), but none of them (two of them?) were particularly noteworthy. There was a scene where parlor games were practically (unwittingly) as foreplay, which I wholeheartedly approve of. I feel like people forget parlor games with kissing were A Thing back in the day, which is unfortunate, especially consider the potential of games called "Kiss the Candlestick".

Overall:
I think the problem was that there was way too much time devoted to just how *dastardly* Tru's husband was. She could easily have removed excess passages on how much of a drunk, lecher, glutton, terrible father, etc. he was in order to focus on our actual love interest, Jasper. Additionally, there were a lot of POVs outside Tru and Jasper's. I think Sophie wanted to introduce the full cast of characters, especially those who will be featured in upcoming books, but that came at the cost of somewhat neglecting her main couple.

Outside the romance, I did appreciate the focus on female friendship. It's similar to what I said about Sabrina Jeffries' upcoming book, except in this case, it's friendship between a bunch of disenchanted older women- which is fun. The sneak-peak into the next heroine definitely seems fun. Between Joanna Shupe's Fifth Avenue Rebel series, and Vivienne Lorret's Mating Habits of Scoundrels series, I think this is becoming something of a trend, and definitely one I can get behind.

Overall, I did expect more from Sophie in terms of romance and the sex, but I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt for this series as a whole.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Three stars. I enjoyed this book but I wasn't feeling the main couple like I wanted to. A plus on the sexual tension but yeah this couple was otherwise flat.
This book feels like a set up for the series and I am interested in this series. Very interested. The side characters were fascinating especially Hazel and Valencia.

4.5 stars
Within the first few moments of this book I knew this was going to be one of my favorite Sophie Jordan romances. The premise is “scandalous” (to hint at the title) and completely original. We are introduced to a group of women often overlooked for their age (Tru is 37), status (Hazel was a mistress before a Marchioness), and circumstances (Valencia’s once love-match is now in shambles). These are not the women that historical romances tend to center around, but Sophie Jordan has chosen to pull them into the spotlight with this series and give them their happily ever after.
Gertrude Chatham, Tru, known by the ton as “The Cold Countess” for her unflappability has been married for over two decades to the most atrocious unsavory man possible. Full stop. There is NOTHING redeeming about Chatham and he is a character I loved to hate for the way he talks about and to his wife and the manner in which he uses her and his daughter Delia. Delia is in her first season and a beautiful, kind girl, but Chatham exploits her (or at least attempts to) for his own personal gain by trying to marry her off to the wealthiest bachelor, Jasper Thorne. Jasper himself is in need of a title to support his daughter, but he only has eyes for one woman, and it isn’t Delia.

The interactions between Tru and Jasper are so good. This is the aptly titled “scandalous” part of the novel and boy does it bring tension and 🔥. Their first encounter is perfect even if possibly a little expected as to where it would lead. I appreciated reading the inner dialogue of each MC as Tru and Jasper each want what they can’t have. The idea of a married woman, and one Tru’s age having an affair would cause a scandal she would never recover from, but at the same time I found myself yearning for her to give in to it (truly Chatham is THAT awful!). The chemistry is undeniable between Jasper and Tru and the bargain Delia and Jasper strike show just how “into” Tru, Jasper is. I was so excited for this storyline!—yes, a woman CAN be found desirable by a younger man when she is no longer thought to be in her prime. The set up for Tru’s friends is also an enjoyable part of the story—I felt like I had a clear understanding of who these women were and how unfortunate and difficult it must have been to be a woman during this era. I’m so excited to see where the next “scandal” will take this series. All of these women deserve a HEA and I know Sophie Jordan will deliver. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

So, Sophie Jordan has done it again, but are you surprised? Her books are always five star reads and I wish I could give this one an even higher rating. Okay, so what makes me so excited about this book? You will absolutely love the characters. How can you not love a man named Jasper Thorne? I mean, really (swoon . . . With that name, you know he’s hot as fire). And our heroine is one of my absolute favorites, for several reasons, but the number one is she’s not a 20 year old virgin debutante. I love historical romance, that’s basically all I read. And that means that 99% of the time the woman is right out of the schoolroom. I mean, even books where the heroine is a spinster means she’s 24. Not our Tru, who is 37. She’s been married for most of her life and her husband is the world’s biggest a-hole. (You will love to hate the Earl Chatham.) Her marriage has been nothing but pain and sadness except for her two wonderful children, Charles and Cordelia. Now the horrible husband wants to marry off Cordelia because he cannot keep a penny in his pocket and he needs someone to fund his extravagant lifestyle since he’s basically taken all of Tru’s parents’ money. Well what happens when you have a beautiful daughter at that time? You sell her to the highest bidder, who happens to be Jasper Thorne. Well of course, Tru is not happy about that, because she will protect what’s hers. But what happens when fate keeps putting Jasper Thorne in her path and these two just need to be together?

Like I said, I have zero complaints about this book. It is perfection. I absolutely cannot wait for the rest of the books in the series because there are three, and possibly four, very strong and interesting female characters who are introduced here and leave you gasping for more. Valencia, who is in the next book. Hazel, Valencia‘s stepmother who is married to an old and decrepit man. Rosalind, Tru’s sister, who is a spinster and not interested in men or marriage … or is she? And then there’s the fourth, Maeve, who is happily married, but you never know what could happen. I mean, Valencia was very happily married until her husband’s accident turned him into a different person . . . But for right now, we know we have at least three more books coming in this series and I am here. For. It.

There is so much going on in this book, but it’s easy to keep track of it all. I love that she’s an older woman and he’s a younger man. But I also love the fact that neither of them is 20 years old. They’ve been through things in their lives and it shows. That’s what I like the most about Sophie Jordan; all of her characters are so three-dimensional and realistic that you end up falling in love with them. You want to read more about them. They matter to you. Her writing is such that I have often gone back and reread passages just because I loved what she said and how she said it.

This is the start of a stellar series, and I cannot encourage people enough to pre-order this book and get to reading! 

5+++++ stars

As a huge Sophie Jordan fan, this book was a bit of a departure from her normal books, but delightful nonetheless!
In the Countess, we not only meet Tru and Jasper, our couple for the story, but a cast of women who I assume will be the heroines in the rest of the books. The book felt a little like a season of Bridgerton - there is a main couple who we follow, but other characters have bigger parts than in a typical romance novel.
Tru, an unhappily married woman, meets Jasper, the man her husband has picked out for their daughter, but it is immediately clear that Jasper would much prefer Tru. More than prefer, he won't settle for anyone else.
I enjoyed their story, and Tru's husband was a full on villain so I did not care that she was busy falling in love with someone else. I'll definitely read the rest of the series!

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy!

This is the first in the "Scandalous Ladies of London" series by Sophie Jordan. Gertrude the Countess of Chatham is a pillar of society, she is the perfect representation of a society lady, a member of the ton. She is everything proper amongst the peerage. On the outside she is elegant, proper, impeccably fashioned and never shows emotion, she presents a cool, collected, prim picture to the world, so much so that she has gained the name "the cold countess". On the inside Gertrude is miserable, trapped in a loveless marriage, with a philandering husband who prefers to live apart, not bothering to hide his adulterous affairs with various mistresses from his wife. gertrude fears it is too late for her to gain happiness or joy in life, but she vows to see that her daughter does not suffer the same fate as her. Married to someone twice her age, with nothing in common and without happiness or love, enduring a life chained to someone she despises with all her breath..
When Gertrude meets a strange man at a seance she is scandalized by his forward manner and his lewd, very improper proposal, when that same stranger turns out to be the very man her husband has chosen to wed their daughter, Gertrude is at her wits end. What to do about all the burning desires he has awakened in her? Is it totally wicked and scandalous to desire the man who is to be betrothed to her daughter? Right from the start that what was between him and Gertrude was special and he wasn't going to stop his pursuit of her, no matter what Chatham offered. He wanted the wife not the daughter.
This is a spicy, romance about choices made and consequences lived with from making the wrong choice, just how long must we suffer from the wrong choice, and how much happiness should be sacrificed? When is it right to seek your own happiness over what others expect of you?
I recommend to fans of steamy, regency romances with a bit of a naughty twist.
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review of my own free will.
I loved every minute of this book. I just adored Jasper, he was sexy and knew

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Scandalous Ladies of London series. Miserably married countess Gertrude (Tru) is launching her daughter into the Marriage Mart this year, but her scapegrace estranged husband is willing to sell her off to the highest bidder. A wealthy inn and hotel-owner Jasper is looking to marry a titled and distinguished lady, so entertains the thought of courting the young debutante, until he meets her mother and is drawn to her instead. Loads of drama and the introduction of a female friend group consisting of a miserably married duchess, her courtesan-turned-marchioness stepmother, and Tru’s spinster younger sister, who I’m betting will all have their own books later in the series. This book isn’t too complicated on external plot, just dealing with a prim and proper countess denying her desires and feelings and guilt over wanting her daughter’s suitor. And the villainous husband of hers.

Tru has been trapped for years in an unhappy marriage and wants better for her daughter. When her boor of a husband picks a wealthy suitor, Tru is determined to keep the man away from her daughter. She didn't plan on falling for him herself. Tru and Jasper are both well drawn characters, and Tru's daughter Delia proves to have more mettle and backbone than anyone expects. A great start to a new series. Recommended for fans of Sarah MacLean and Tessa Dare.

This spicy historical features a nice twist - our rakish hero has his romantic sights set on the *mother* of one of the marriage-mart ladies. Not sure I've ever read that kind of story before - and as a more mature reader I loved it! Kudos to Sophie Jordan for introducing a lot of new characters which have much potential to develop into their own standalone books. Will definitely recommend to my historical romance readers.

This is a first book in a new series by Sophie Jordan. It's exciting to begin a series that will focus on (somewhat) older ladies, woman who are not debutantes in their first season. Tru is unhapily married, living apart from her husband and ushering her daughter through her first season. After an unexpected encounter on a balcony she suddenly finds herself embroiled in an affair with Jasper. Jasper just so happens to be courting her daughter. Maybe? Sophie Jordan never lets her readers down. This book was a fun read and I'll looking forward to diving into future stories in the series.

I struggled with this book. It's a departure from Jordan's usual books. The H is married and in a bad marriage. Her daughter is coming out, and she falls in love with the daughter's suitor. It did have a great conclusion, though, which made up for the infidelity part.

I did, however, love that this series focuses on older women who have lived lives. However, they are not that much older.

You probably won't love this book if you hate infidelity, abusive husbands, etc. But you might overlook it if you love Sophie Jordan.

This is a fun new series I'll be continuing to pick up. Sarah MacLean hyped this book on her Instagram and I'm so glad she did. I may have missed out otherwise. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

Overall, I enjoyed The Countess, though the pacing was a bit off throughout the whole book. I wanted more of Jasper's perspective and life outside of Tru, but as a set up to a series, it felt like the balance was more tipped to introducing the upcoming characters and stories than really delving fully into the one that was currently being told. Tru and Jasper have a really solid chemistry and devotion towards each other, but I wished it was built up more and that there was a bit more time for them to be in love and fighting against the obstacles in their way. The story wraps up really quickly and I wanted a bit more oomph to it before it ended.

This being said, I'm excited to see the stories from the other ladies in the series. The Duchess is set to come next and after what she went through in this one, I'm wondering who her perspective match could be. I'll also freely admit that I hope Ros' match happens to have made a cameo in this book, a certain highwayman who seemed to have more to him than first seen. Either way, I'll be reading the next one!

I love that Sophie Jordan has begun her series with an older member of the ton, rather than focusing her stories on the ingenue debutantes! Gertrude is in a marriage that leaves her unsatisfied with the match, but she has since cultivated her reputation, raised her children, and friendships have bloomed. At her daughter's launch into Society, the degenerate gambling father decides to exert his will and secure a husband for the girl. Naturally, this is who Gertrude falls in love with.

I truly appreciated this blend of characters and the viewpoint of the unhappy side of marriage, rather than the usual sight of endlessly happy love matches.

I wasn’t sure how I would feel with concept of the heroine who is married having an affair. I loved it. The way both characters were written you could understand their situation and how it came to be that they had feelings for one another. It also wasn’t her usual reason of cheating in the sense that the husband was cheating and was also a horrible person. The age gap was handled well and all in all, it’s a really well written, well paced entertaining read.

I don't recall the last book I have read by Sophie Jordan, so it has been a while since I read one by her. I like reading forbidden storylines, so I was excited to read this one. The story is set in Regency London about a married woman named Tru, with two grown children. Her daughter Delia is a debutant who will soon make her debut to the ton in seek of a husband. Tru has been happily living apart from her husband for the majority of their marriage. Her husband is of course not the greatest man. He enjoys time with other women, drinks, and constantly asks for money from his in-laws. He hears about his daughter's debut from the newspapers and decides he knows the perfect person for his daughter to marry. A man that can also provide him with more money when he is in need. In comes Jasper, a rich man in need of a wife for his daughter. A man who grew up outside of the ton and knows what it's like to pull yourself up by the bootstrap and make something of yourself. He wants more for his daughter, and what better way than to marry a woman from the ton. He has his eyes set on Delia, who is "diamond of the first water.," but before meeting her he spies Tru, her mother and it is lust at first sight. Even though I did enjoy the story I felt at times that the inner dialogue went on a tad too long. It made the story drag on more than it should have. There were secondary characters that you could tell would have future stories, but some of those character's stories felt a little cut off. Something big would happen and then it would abruptly end to the next chapter and go onto another character. I'm looking at you Valencia. It helps that I am interested in reading her story next. All in all this was a good story. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC.

What happens when you discover the stranger you passionately kiss in a dark garden is a potential husband for your daughter? If you are Gertrude, the Countess of Chatham (aka Tru to her friends and Gertie to her husband who I shall now refer to as Earl Slimeball), you try to prevent her from making the same mistakes that you made. Tru’s parents pushed her to marry an Earl whose only concern money and how he can find more. When wealthy widower Jasper Thorne starts searching for a mother who can guide is young daughter into high society, Earl Slimeball sees dollar signs. It doesn’t take Jasper much time to decide the Tru is the perfect wife for him and mother for his child. He sets about convincing Tru. That she is already a married woman with two children is a minor inconvenience. He’ll figure out something. Welcome to the world of seances, house parties in the country, and finding true love. Earl Slimeball learns important lessons, such as he should not disrespect women (including his mistress) and he should be careful in traffic. I look forward to Tru’s friend the widow Valencia sorting out her life. She has experienced much suffering. Is her knight in shining armor the mysterious distant relative who has inherited her late husband’s title (Epilogue is a must read)? Only time will tell.

Nice to read a historical where the FMC is 37 and the MMC is 33.

5 stars
ARC review copy via NetGalley