Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Not much
Perspective: Third person from both the hero, Jeremy, and heroine, Fran, as well as some random scenes from the heroine’s husband, Thorne, and his love interest, Sylvia.

Basic plot:
Thorne doesn’t want a divorce from his wife, Fran. He sends his friend to talk sense into her, but Jeremy finds a side of Fran that makes him feel protective and supportive of her instead of his friend Thorne.

Give this a try if you want:
- Victorian time period (1882)
- Taboo – best friend’s wife
- You’re all right with events of infidelity (to be clear, the marriage has long been over, but technically there is relations while the marriage is still intact, and the hero cheated right from the beginning and this is remembered by the heroine)
- Childless HEA
- Nicknames (Fran and Jemmy – but only they use them for each other and it’s really sweet!)
- Friends to lovers
- Medium steam – 3 full scenes (details at end of my review)
- Experienced heroine

Ages:
- Hero is 36, heroine is 30

My thoughts:
I think a lot of people will really appreciate this story! It features a lot of things that aren’t usually found in historical romance and I love that Bennet featured those struggles and overcoming the obstacles. Sadly, this one didn’t work the best for me at this time.

I’m not sure if it’s because it’s a bit of a heavy book, but I was left without any feels and just generally depressed after reading it. (could totally be my mood too as I have had few dud reads lately). I generally enjoyed the characters a lot and was really rooting for them. But I didn’t love anyone and I was a bit relieved to reach the end.

I did really dislike getting time in Thorne and Sylvia’s perspective. To me, they were utterly unlikable and to think of them in a more empathetic light just left a bad taste in my mouth. I hated that they got their HEA (or whatever form of ‘after’ Thorne was able to give her).

I also disliked the ending and how it was left for so long without either party resolving their lack of communication. I always struggle with that though so I think a lot of these things won’t really bother others.

Francesca has been married for 10 years and having been abandoned by her philandering husband for the last 8, has demanded a divorce. Her husband, Edward, refuses to give it to her and sets his best friend James to talk some sense into Francesca and pass along that he will give her a settlement to stay married. She insists on being free of his grip and decides to proceed with the divorce. James, ever the bachelor, is being encouraged by his aunt (who's fortune he is the heir to) to find an eligible debutante to settle down with. He and Francesca strike up a friendship but they are unable to deny their chemistry, and it evolves into a passionate secret affair that must stay hidden to help protect Fran's reputation for her divorce.
I loved Francesca, she was flawed but determined to stand up for herself and fight for what she wanted, especially after the way that her husband consistently treated her. I loved James and how he realized that money and his position weren't everything that he needed to be happy, especially when it came to Fran. Edward was just a jerk but I'm glad he figured out his happiness in his own way as well. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book even if at times it was frustrating to read because the characters reflected what was once the societal norms, especially in regard to how woman should behave and what men could get away with that they could not. It was hard not to feel frustrated for Fran and just despise her husband's actions, but overall I really enjoyed the story and how her relationship with James developed.
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my review, all thoughts are my own. 4.5 stars/5

I received this book from NetGalley and the publishers to read and review. All statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.
The plot was very interesting! I did not love the book as much as I thought I was going to. The plot and book felt dragged out towards the end and I found myself continually loosing interest.

as someone who is a huge fan of forbidden romance and friends to lovers, i wasnt as in love with this book as i had hoped. it didnt feel fully fleshed out. it felt like a surface read, which is fine if thats what youre looking for! not my fave but not my least fave either!

Thank you to NetGalley and Julia Bennet for the ARC of this novel. I enjoyed the different look into the secondary characters who rarely have any interiority in other romance novels. The book was short and sweet without many unexpected turns. I was not a fan of Edward but the reader is not meant to be and Sylvia was a proto-Francesca but was able to get her happy ending. I would give this 3.5 stars for the happy ending and enjoyable narrative.

James and Francesca first meet when Francesca is being wooed by his friend Thorne. A moment of understanding passes between James and Fran and they share a teasing camaraderie for the next 10 years.
Things change when Fran asks for a divorce and James is sent to ruffle her feathers. There starts their journey of intense attraction and forbidden romance inspite of a lot of obstacles in their path and a very public divorce proceeding made difficult for the woman.

Thorne was a rotter and I didn't want to know anything about his love life. He was petty till the end.
Mrs Kirkpatrick was a surprising lovely character. Caroline and Ashton were such cool characters, I would like these fine folks to have their own books.
I thank Netgalley and the publisher for the earc.

Kicked of February with a romance. Where are my historical romance lovers at?

During a time when divorce was unconventional, Francesca fights to leave her marriage for a life of freedom to live as she chooses!

Recommend for anyone who likes Victorian slow burn forbidden romance.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this eArc!

Thank you to NetGalley for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The Worst Woman In London is a multiple POV that takes place in Victorian London and follows Francesca and James. Fran flaunts all of high society's expectations by trying to divorce her womanizing husband and James (her husband's best friend), intent on inheriting from his rich aunt, follows all the rules at the expense of any personality.

This story was delightful. I immediately loved Fran and grew to adore James. For just about all of our main characters, we get a deep dive into the psychology of why they are the way they are. Fran's husband is terrible. Fran makes some choices that I didn't understand at the time and same for James. But as the story moves along the author builds out our character's backstories that explain things so beautifully.

There were a handful of spicy scenes that were *chef's kiss*.

There are mentions after the fact of trouble conceiving which could potentially be upsetting to some readers. If that is you, perhaps go into this story with caution but otherwise, it is truly delightful and I would recommend it to anyone.

#TheWorstWomaninLondon #NetGalley

I’m regretting that smutty Victorian fiction is not a genre I’m more familiar with after reading The Worst Woman in London. Because if there’s a more enjoyable dichotomy than smut and societal manners, I don’t know what it is.

Yeah, parts near the end don’t make a lot of sense. Thankfully, the rest does make up for it. Fran and James are great protagonists, and many of the side characters are wonderful. I didn’t think I’d like Caroline at first, but once we met her husband, I started to wish they both were more present. The same goes with Mrs Kirkpatrick - like Fran, I found her to be more interesting with each meeting.

The plot is what you’d expect - court drama as a background to a doomed love story full of societal pressures and expectations - but Bennet's writing is captivating and difficult to put down. I can highly recommend you add this book to your TBR when it comes out in February!

When James Standish begins to spend more time with Francesca Thorne, his previous plan to marry a virginal debutante, and inherit a massive fortune, instantly changes. Ten years ago, he told his friend that marrying Francesca would not work as they were too different. Now he finds himself trying to convince her to stay with his friend, whilst trying to stop himself from falling in love with her himself. Torn apart by conflicting desires, James and Francesca must choose whether to keep chasing the lives they’ve always wanted or take a chance on a new and forbidden love.
Francesca is a strong willed woman who is determined to have her freedom despite the impact that it will have on her future, both financially and socially. It was the exploration into the divorce process that I found interesting. However, I couldn’t quite understand James trying to convince Francesca to return to her husband, when she was so determined to divorce. An interesting read overall.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is like if Bridgerton was a bit more “grown up” and had actual spice.

I did enjoy this book after I got through the first 1/3 of it. The writing is pretty typical of this era of historical romance and sometimes that is a slog for me to get through.

The characters in this story were well written and I liked most of them. The banter between Fran and James was great - lots of funny little quips worth a nightlight. His poem and her reaction to it made me laugh out loud.

The author successfully made me loathe Edward - so I didn’t care for any chapters from his point of view. Why do I care if he finds love? He sucks, my friend.

Loved that although there is other woman drama, there is no cattiness.

I was sometimes confused while reading because it would switch POVs in the middle of the chapters and it would take me a little bit to figure out who I was reading about.

Overall, good book! If you like historical romance with a forbidden element, this is for you.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher and author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Mini Summary:
♥️ Historical romance
♥️ Friends to lovers
♥️ Forbidden love
♥️ Non-conformist heroine
♥️ Main characters in their 30s
♥️ Great banter and chemistry

Review:
This was such a fun read! At the same time, it did delve into the social injustices, hypocrisy and lack of women’s rights in the 19th century England. I liked Francesca's character - she was flawed and not your stereotypical hero, but she had gumption! I loved her evolving relationship with James and the lengths they went to to be together. Their banter and chemistry was beautifully written.

Okay. Where do I begin with this? Firstly, thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

In giving my brutally honest opinion, this book is really not my cup of tea. I love the era, the side characters and James himself is a bit of a sweetheart most of the time…but I just cannot reconcile myself to enjoying the premise. I really didn’t enjoy seeing the breakdown of a marriage form almost the entire plot of a story…not to mention the blatant cheating trope that is one of my all time least favourites. I would have enjoyed it more if it was simply a broken engagement. Ugh. I don’t know. I just didn’t enjoy it much.

What a refreshing historical romance!! I love how tough the heroine is! Definitely a change of pace from other historicals, especially since the heroine is technically married. Normally, I'm not a fan of that, but Bennet pulled it off. Bravo!

What are you willing to give up for your freedom?

In Julia Bennet’s Victorian era romance, The Worst Woman in London, Francesca Thorne is willing to give up family, friends, society, and her comfortable lifestyle to gain her freedom at the price of a divorce from her estranged husband.

In an age where women’s rights were still minimal, and husbands, even faithless/ absent husbands reign supreme, Francesca shows extreme fortitude and strength as she perseveres in this gruesome gauntlet known as divorce.

She finds a surprising source of comfort, and her husband’s friend James, after he first reappears in her life on her husband’s behalf to talk her out of the divorce. This meeting reignites the spark of their mutual interest and camaraderie between them, and soon more than a friendship is blooming… but they play a dangerous game, for the stakes are much higher for Francesca than any man.

This was a fascinating story that stayed true to the nightmare that is divorce in historical Victorian London. Francesca has to fight for everything she gets. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this romance that takes place during a divorce case. But the relationship between Francesca and her husband at dissolved eight years ago, and was never true in that regard. I didn’t feel that Francesca wasn’t deserving of this happiness at any point in this story.

It’s not every day you read a book and characters actually have to grow and evolve so much and they’re this deserving of their happily ever after.


The Worst Woman in London is available NOW in KU!!!

Thanks to the JuliaBennet and Netgalley for my review copy.

A new author to me and a different twist on historical fiction!

Married for many years, but estranged for most of that time, Francesca is determined to divorce her husband.

Especially when she meets again, her husband's childhood friend!

An entertaining slice of Victorian marriage and life that will keep you turning the pages until the end!

I’ve always loved regency romances but this one was not for me unfortunately. I liked the premise of a woman trying to divorce her husband and end up falling in love with his best friends. I loved the concept of a divorce in Victorian era when it was seen as scandalous. But the husband. Oh the husband got a redemption arc? If we can call it that too.

I tried to love the two main characters and their talks but I couldn’t. The only reason I think I give this book a 3 star is because it tried to discover something that was new and did it almost well enough.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this wonderful ARC.
📖📖
I've read this book since last year, but I've been 'patiently' waiting for its Publication date to post my review, it's the review I've been looking forward to post and I'm so happy it's finally happening.
📖📖
I really, really loved this book, it was beautiful and wonderful, I wish I had never read it just so I can read it again, yeah, it's that good!
📖📖
Our heroine, Francesca was going through a divorce, which at that time was catastrophic for a woman and yet she soldiered on, it was very brave of her! SWIPE TO SEE THE RIDICULOUS QUOTES SHE WAS TOLD ABOUT MARRIAGE.
📖📖
Divorcing now is definitely easier than it was 200 years ago and I really felt Frances' pain, she just wanted to be loved as a woman and her husband denied that right.
📖📖
I'm happy she found love and the man she rightly deserves. Can't wait to read more of this author's works!
📖📖
I'd have given this book a a five star, but I felt like Thorne (her bad husband) didn't deserve a HEA, apart from that it was perfect!
📖📖
I hope my review has convinced you to buy this book and read!

🦇 Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Everyone expects Francesca Thorne to act like the typical Victorian wife, even while her waste-of-time (a decade in fact) adulterous husband continues sleeping through half the town. When she finally petitions for a divorce, her husband sends his best friend, James Standish, to urge her to accept a quarterly allowance instead. The two are ridiculously attracted to one another, despite the fact that a relationship is forbidden--making it all the more alluring.

Francesca is a sassy, nonconformist heroine who sticks her nose up at societal expectations. James, while just as likely to bend the rules, knows how to play the game to his favor. The two have a decade-long friendship between them before the thought of something more begins to simmer; in defiance of societal pressures, which further adds to the tension. Francesca's defiance is a delight, her refusal to follow expectations inspiring. Julia Bennet balances the era's language with humor and wit, Once you fall into the prose, it's easy to lose time; the story draws you in. The characters' motivations are clear, the conflict realistic for the time, the dialogue engaging. However, it feels like too much time is spent on the ex-husband and other secondary characters. While the shift to a secondary character's POV is intriguing, it pulls attention away from the leads. There are a few areas that drag as a result (namely, Edward's storyline, who doesn't seem worth redeeming).

If you have a love for historical romances and rebellious heroines along with a dash of sassiness and spice, give The Worst Woman in London a try!

🌹 Friends to lovers
🌹 Forbidden romance
🌹 A sassy, rebellious heroine
🌹 Period-appropriate prose
🌹 Historical romance

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Julia Bennet for the e-arc of The Worst Woman in London! I love regency romances and this one was such a fun read.

I have to say I'm very glad to be living in the 21st century and as a married woman I'm not seen as my husband's property. Throughout this entire novel, Francesca simply wanted a divorce from her wondering husband, Edward, so she could experience freedom. She wasn't expecting to get married again, or to necessarily fall in love with anyone she took as a lover. Fran was willing to go through a fall from society and learn how to budget her money and not live the extravagant lifestyle she was used to.
This mindset comes to a complete shock to James, the lifelong close friend of Francesca's estranged husband. As Jemmy begins to spend more and more time with Fran, he sees her determination and absolute need to have this divorce go through. He also sees Edward's behavior as more despicable and he begins to question if their friendship is worth saving or if he should support Fran in her quest for freedom.

The Worst Woman in London was primarily told in the viewpoint of either Francesca or James, occasionally a section or chapter is the viewpoint of a secondary character. I love regency romances and how the courting is so different and proper than what is common today. Julia did a wonderful job with Fran's character and made herself the hero in her own story -- especially when that wasn't able to be done during the 1800s. Reading how the love story between Jemmy and Fran grew over time pulled at my heartstrings, and I wish I could have like an epilogue novella that showed more of their love (and even the love story between Edward and Slyvia).