Chaotic and Scandalous! A captivating slow-burn regency romance!

This book is more than just a forbidden affairs between unhappy married woman and his husband long time best friend. It tells us how woman in 1800s trying to liberate themselves from how society expect them to behave as a wife and gain rights to stand for themselves against the estranged and unfaithful husband. There's actually many conflicts arises, especially concerning about status, dignity and honor of one's family and reputation. I understand the context of how its considered as scandalous and a nightmare in that era, but the revolutionary and modern thoughts of Fransesca and James (eventually, as the story goes) to beat those odds are so satisfying and revealing. I feels like this book shows us how people are not just plain black or white, dark or bright, good or bad. We're human and we would never be perfect, flaws are inevitable and bound to be. However, as the story goes, the characters thoughts and principles are progressing too, there's a lot of amends and growth could be found in the development of the four main center characters. Everyone got their parts to own their mistake, grown up, and improve themselves to be better, also the groveling!

I have to admit that it tooks a long time for me to finish this, but I'm glad that I take those time to engage with the story. Fransesca and James started to grows on me. Their chemistry is inseparable and undeniable. It turns out I like this story more than I expected to be. Overall rate would be: 4.25/5 stars.

Unfortunately, I found the novel to be a disappointing reading experience. Although the cover and title are appealing, the plot proved to be overly complicated and the characters lacked depth and chemistry.

I was particularly annoyed by the inclusion of chapters written from the point of view of secondary characters, as they interrupted the flow of the main story and did not add much to the plot development. Also, the ending, in particular the fate of one of the secondary characters, was unsatisfactory to me and left a sense of dissatisfaction.

As for the narrative, I found it to be unfocused at times and the central love story simply failed to hook me or make me feel emotional. The abrupt tone of the first chapter was also a little disconcerting, and while I could understand the plight of the main characters, their nasty, misogynistic behaviour did not appeal to me.

In short, while "The Worst Woman in London" has interesting elements and an engaging historical setting, the lack of depth in the characters and the convoluted plot made the novel a disappointment for me as a reader.

Many romance readers give a hard pass to anything that looks like cheating in a romance, and they’ll want to avoid our final book. But they will be missing out, because Julia Bennet’s THE WORST WOMAN IN LONDON (self-published, paperback, $7.99) is the kind of historical I’ve been dying to read.

The first thing our heroine Francesca does in this book is marry the wrong man and stay married to him for 10 years. Edward Thorne is proud, embittered and perennially unfaithful. Fran can try to divorce him, but it’s expensive and difficult and socially ruinous — even her own family is urging her to accept a separation, and preserve the pristine shell of her rotten marriage.

Fran decides to divorce him anyway.

So Edward sends his charming best friend, James Standish, to persuade his stubborn wife to back down. James is heir to the fortune of his tyrannical aunt, so he knows a few things about playing to appearances for the sake of material comfort. He’s a teasing, unserious type of person, but the more time he spends with Fran the more he starts to think she’s better and stronger than the rumors suggest. Fran’s friends in publishing give him hope that there’s some practical use for his knowledge about art and culture — maybe there’s something more to expect from life than endless etiquette and the mere facade of goodness.

And the delicious question from almost the first page is: How long until Fran and James end up in bed together? Can they hold back until the divorce is granted, or will their affair give Edward precisely the leverage he needs to destroy Francesca in court? Bennet concocts a very classic romance mood, where the sex is spectacular even when (or because?) people are painfully conflicted about it. On the angst spectrum I’d rate it less chaotic than Scarlett Peckham but more messy than Tessa Dare.

Certainly it’s one of the most complex and satisfying explorations of the idea that everyone is the hero of their own love story — even the villains.

I didn’t like this book as much as I thought I would. This type of story just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t stay interested in the book. I found it kinda boring

this was such a fun victorian romance! i’m a sucker for this era and it immediately throws you into the world of politics and forbidden romance.

this did make me very grateful i live in this century because…the things they let men get away with 🙄

There’s definitely an audience for this one, but unfortunately it’s just really not for me. It’s an overdone trope in my opinion and the characters weren’t interesting enough to keep my attention for long.

I absolutely loved this book. It hooked me and kept me turning pages until I was done. Finished it in two days! The character development was strong, and the premise was unique enough that it didn't feel like anything else I've read.

Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the chance to read and review The Worst Woman in London by Julia Bennet!

“You could never be unwomanly. Impractical perhaps, but then ideals are rarely practical.”

When Francesca decides to file for divorce she knows that she'll be removed from polite society! After all, her husband, is no worse than most men of the ton and she should know better than to have her own indiscretions, or at least be more discreet. With her family abandoning her, no money, and her divorce at risk (at a time where a woman had to be faultless and prove desertion and abuse to given the right to divorce and remarry) she's still willing to go through it all, if only to have her freedom. When James is sent by her husband to try and negotiate a more informal separation instead of a divorce, sparks fly. But that would put it all at risk.

The Worst Woman in London is the first regency romance I've read with this premise. And it's also got a woman facing the very real things that happened in society at the time. Her husband hasn't bothered to see her in 8 years. but if she has an affair she won't have a full divorce. He can flaunt his mistress openly and give her expensive diamonds, but can withdraw financial support, and keep all of the money she may have inherited. If a woman has a more "stimulating" interest, her parents can refuse to indulge her (like how Sylvia Randle could only read for an hour on certain days" and marry her off to the highest bidder. Even with a happy ending, which is a necessary part of a regency romance, we aren't sure what the happiness will be and will it be only a certain measure of happiness. We don't see a reconciliation with the family and we don't see material wealth, even if we do see love. We also know that the happy ending was entirely due to another mans power.

I had trouble getting into this book, I don’t read historical romance frequently and the language kept tripping me up. The first few chapters were a struggle for me, but once I found a rhythm I quite enjoyed reading. The language was the main thing to get used to. Felt for Fran and how women were treated back in the day, I loved James and his growth as a man.

Serving a story with the stereotypical traits against women especially back in the 80s. Fran wanting a divorce is like a dishonored choice to the people around him. Her husband, her in-laws, her aunt and uncle and so does the society. A wife should be faithful to her husband even if the husband has an affair outside their marriage. Pretty cruel isn't it? Fran had to encounter being thrown out by her aunt. She had to survive by living off her savings with arent much since she never thought of saving before and needed to spend on lawsuits. But for the sake of freedom, she needs to be tough and ignore all the side-eye from people around her.

I like how easy it is to read the story even though it was historical fiction. They still implied the 80s way in the dialog but keeping it light in the storytelling. Easy for those who want to start reading historical fiction.

Overall the story was okay. The story wasn't draggy at all and I enjoyed reading it. All the characters serve its purpose very well. Its an enjoyable read and please give this book a try if you want to devour into the love life of a divorcee.

The Worst Woman in London has a great book blurb and an interesting premise, but it just dragged on a bit much for my tastes. There's a lot packed into this book that clocks in under 300 pages.

The premise is somewhat fresh for this genre and gives an interesting insight into the societal mores of the time period.

Thorne and Francesca have been married for 10 years. They've lived apart for 8, since Thorne is a serial cheater. Francesca wants a divorce, which was a very complicated process for a Victorian woman. She wants her freedom, even if that impacts her future.

James Standish is a long time friend of Thorne's. He told Thorne before his wedding that he didn't think Thorne and Francesca suited. James of course held a little torch for Francesca all those years, and came back into her life when Thorne asked him to convince Fran to give up her quest for a divorce and embarrassing the family and just take money and leave.

Of course, Fran and James are attracted to each other and begin to explore their feelings. We also get a secondary "romance" between Thorne and Sylvia, an 18 year of diamond of society.

Thorne was not a likable character, so a lot of time was spent on him and his HEA, that I felt it was detrimental to building James and Fran's relationship.

Overall, interesting premise, but I didn't love the book or really like or feel connected to the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The thoughts and opinions are my own and freely given.

Francesca has been trapped in loveless marriage with a cheating of a man for years. And finally, she's had enough and decides to get a divorce. But unfortunately, the profoundly sexist London society of her time chastise her and give her a big scarlet letter.

This book quite surprised me! This is the sort of historical fiction that I enjoy. The one that questions the way everything was done back then, that decides it's not okay to continue writing sexist stories in this day and age with the pretense that "it's how it was back then". The author brought us a powerful story about a woman who fights for herself and for her chance at true happiness, in a world that considered her less than.
It did take a while to get into the thick of the story but it was definitely worth it.
The writing was really well done, the main and side characters deep and intriguing.
The love story was exquisite to follow, and I was so happy about how everything unfolded in the third act. It did wrap up a bit too fast but the ending was definitely worth it.
All in all, a great historical romance, with an amazing moral.

Thank you NetGalley and Julia Bennet for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a first time read for me by this author and I found it to be quite interesting and entertaining. It's different than the typical historical romance novels that I've read in that the topic of divorce is addressed, which was very much frowned upon during that time. It was considered quite the scandal to get divorced. But divorce is exactly what Francesca wanted from her husband Edward. They have been married for ten years but it didn't take them long in their marriage to realize they were wrong for each other. They have been living separate lives to the point where Edward has had many conquests while married to Francesca and makes no effort to hide the fact. Despite all his cheating, he refuses to give her the divorce she asks for because of the terrible scandal it would create. James is Edward's best friend and Edward asked him to negotiate with Francesca on his behalf. All those years ago, when they first married, James was certain they had not been a good match, turns out he was right. He reluctantly agrees and talks with Francesca , agreeing with Edward that she should drop the idea of divorce. But when he meets with her, they both realize how fiercely they are attracted they are to each other. James is torn, as she is not only married, but married to his best friend. How can he possibly pursue a relationship with her?
James and Francesca have some major obstacles to overcome before their relationship can really take root. This was definitely a unique storyline, and it kept me intrigued and interested all the way through. The writing was captivating and definitely kept me entertained. I would love to read more books by this author.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

A fun premise that was hindered by an inability to relate to the characters at hand. I really wanted to like this book, but I found myself floundering every time I made an honest try. I am going to give it a go again in the fall, as I do my pre-holiday historical binge. Thank you to both Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity with this title.

Thank you to NetGallery, the author and the publisher for this advance copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion. I love this one so much. I loved it got me back to a time I wasn’t even born. I loved we saw how hard was for women back then. And it made me mad how unfair everything was. The writing is so good and I’m so excited to read more of this author.

The Worst Woman in London is a wonderful read! I enjoyed the fresh perspective on a situation that was rampant at the time in this bygone era.

Francesca and James are such a treat. Francesca is strong and sticks up for herself when others urge her to fade into the background. James is an unlikely friend as Francesca challenges the norms of what is acceptable and proper.

Bennet does a wonderful job in making the reader hate the antagonists as well. I really enjoyed the multiple perspectives and thought it really rounded out the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the ARC. The thoughts expressed are my own.

I liked it and i didn't like it, I am torn because the story between the main couple is kind of nice, the way the author decided to solve the conflict kind of didn't do it for me.

This was a bit all over the place for me: I liked the two main characters, the writing, and the themes it explored, but I just hated the addition of the secondary couple! Well, not necessarily the addiction of it to the story, but Edward was a prick.

How are we supposed to root for this couple when he’s an asshole saying he has changed and is falling for this younger debutante (when his friend of the same age thought he himself was too old for her, like, that was a topic in this book), while still calling his then-wife a whore and a trollop until the last possible opportunity, having no respect for women? Get in the bin!

But besides that, I really liked the characterisation of the two main leads. And I enjoyed the writing.

Thank you Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for this arc.❤️

Fran, our heroine, seeks divorce in an attempt to regain her freedom. We meet her when she's at a point in her life where she doesn't care about other's opinions of her and her life, and being not afraid to speak her mind and going after what she truly wants.
Jemmy, her husband's best friend, tries to convince her her divorce is a lost case. However, what they don't expect is to build a tender friendship that blossoms into the most wonderfully endearing relationship.
Throughout the story we see Fran struggling to battle traditions and is being trapped by society's standards and her husbands infidelities. While her resolve of getting a divorce is unwavering and confident, Jemmy's has had more conflict and was a bit reluctant to leave the customs and traditions he was raised to live by. Both their arcs, individually and together, were satisfying.

With a side story for a secondary couple, and between the steamy scenes between our lovely MCs and they way they were constantly immersed with each other The Worst Waman In London keeps you very entertained. We reach the end of the story with Fran and Jemmy getting their much deserved happy ending.

i liked this for the most part but a large chunk of it felt a bit too slow for my taste and i had trouble coming back to it because of that