I'm a big reader of historical romance and I can say The Worst Woman in London was a very unique experience! The writing is very fluid and I read the book super fast. A great setting too.

Francesca was one of the most different protagonists I have read in books of this genre, I really liked that the character was not an "innocent maiden". James was a character okay, it took me a while to create some kind of connection with him, but he wasn't the worst character I encountered.

Unfortunately, what I didn't like very much in the book was Thorne and his final redemption, I don't think he was a character who deserved it after the hell that Francesca went through and he "released" her from marriage without further accusations, it wasn't a good thing. I could live without that ending to the character.

It is a good novel with a very nice story, I will keep an eye on the next releases of the author. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Alright, let’s unpack this. Our story follows Fran as she seeks a divorce from her husband in Victorian London. We get a flash-back meet-cute in chapter one that I felt would set the tone for the romance to blossom and circle back. In a way, sure, it did. But good lord we had to work for it. What do I mean by that?! Well you have to read the bulk of the book switching POVs between the heroine, hero and two other unlikeable characters. And honestly, I ended up being annoyed by Fran as well. The premise is really unique and could have been interesting, but I think the execution- in that we get the POV of the philandering husband-why?!- simply didn’t work. I think if you’re a dedicated historical romance lover, like myself, you may struggle with the approach as I did. I like the admittedly old fashioned mannerisms of the time period. I appreciate the strong female character and commentary on lack of women’s rights of the time, but I don’t need it in my romance books. And I definitely don’t need the bad guy to have redemption. Unless if was his own book perhaps?

Overall, this premise is memorable and that’s about it. 2.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for my unbiased review!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Julia Bennet for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Worst Woman in London coming out February 2, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

James Standish grew up in unusual circumstances in English society. He gets by with his wits and knows how to play society’s game. He knows he must follow the rules, he a respectable gentleman and marry a debutante. It’s the only way to inherit a massive fortune from his benefactor. That’s always been the plan until he meets Francesca Thorne. She’s not the kind of woman James could ever marry—not least because, strictly speaking, she’s already married.

Francesca is determined to go against convention and divorce her unfaithful husband. When James enters into her life tasked with convincing her to abandon her dream of freedom, she’s not ready for the desire that sparks between them.

Torn apart by conflicting passions, James and Francesca must choose whether to keep going for the lives they’ve always wanted or take a chance on a new and forbidden love.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! This is my first time reading a book by Julia Bennet. I thought it was unique in the Victorian romance fiction genre. I think the divorce storyline is rarely explored in Victorian fiction. It was definitely hard for women to divorce during that time. I think they both made mistakes, but it was best for them to divorce. There were a couple parts I didn’t care for, but it was a fun read. I loved James and Francesca’s relationship. It wasn’t as predictable as most romances I’ve read.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys unconventional Victorian romances!

3.5⭐️ 3🌶️

A defiant Victorian wife fights to escape a bad marriage but her love for a forbidden man jeopardizes her chance at freedom.

Francesca is determined to flout convention and divorce her philandering husband. When James, her husband’s oldest friend, sweet talks his way into her life tasked with convincing her to abandon her dream of freedom, she’s unprepared for the passion that flares between them.

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
——————
✨My Opinion✨

The worst woman in London was a friends to lovers, regency romance that features the love story of the main characters as well as showing a side of history that isn’t in historical romance novels often. Never did I think reading about a historical romance novel about divorce would actually be enjoyable, but the main characters were well written. Their flaws and character arcs were relatable and real, giving modern sensibilities to historical characters.

This almost felt like 2 books in one, with the secondary couple’s romance happening alongside the FMC and MMC. While the happy ever after wasn’t necessarily deserved all around, It was really well done and placed societal expectations as the true “big bad”. It showed some idiocy through the process of a marriage ending that felt modern and accurate without being over the top. It seemed as if it was well researched and that the plot was pointing out the issues of historical marriage law without changing the realism of the character’s situations. I liked seeing things play out for both couples and didn’t feel as if I missed any plot because of it.

Thank you NetGalley and Julia Bennett for the advanced reader copy of The Worst Woman in London in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

DNF'd at 60%

This was my first historical romance and to say the least I didn't like, I really didn't want dnf it but I couldn't read. This book is not for me.
The plot idea was good. I just found the characters annoying and the change of povs was confusing .
I think there people out there that are going to like it better than me.





Thank you to netgalley and the author for the eARC in return of a honest review.

As much as I love Fran and Jemmy as they both find love and freedom, I hated the POVs of two secondary characters, one who is the villain. Also, giving the villain a HEA is unforgivable. Edward Thorne is trash and he shouldn’t get a second chance with Sylvia, who really is just a younger version of Francesca which makes all of this even more appalling.

The usual regency romance is all about the debutante finding the perfect husband, a bit of forbidden romance or falling for the not so perfect man but all ends happily with the perfect couple living happily ever after. This story is different in the fact that our MC, Fran is already married to the handsome gentleman but it hasn't ended happily ever after at all.

Fran/Francesca doesn't fit into the mold of the perfect wife type in London society circles. She reads inappropriate books and defies convention by not turning the other cheek when her husband is unfaithful. She is intelligent, capable, independent and strong-willed. Everything a model wife is not. She also stands her ground and will not be bullied into doing the right thing simply for reputation and appearances sake.

There are the usual balls and gossip, inappropriate behavior, misunderstandings and conflict in this story which appeals to my Historical Romance ideal. There are the stuffy relatives and understanding friends as well as the characters that grate on the nerves.

This book had all the elements you want in a Historical Romance with that refreshing slant on the conventional plot which presented unusual events and obstacles in the characters journeys. The two main characters were admirable and it was easy to become invested in their lives. The outcome is also something you don't usually find in this genre and I find this refreshing as well. Though I am not sure Edward got what he truly deserved. Overall I found this an enjoyable and entertaining romance.

I firstly want to thank NetGalley and ExpressoBookTours for giving me this ARC to read :)

I wanted to like this book; unfortunately, for whatever reason, I didn’t quite mesh well with it. Perhaps it was because it was my first historical romance, and I’m just not used to them. Additionally, it was written in the 3rd person POV which I am not the biggest fan of (but I understand and appreciate this is simply a personal preference!).

As someone who was a history student, too, I felt like I was getting deja vu with this pure anger regarding women and their treatment in history.

I dont understand why I had to read about the secondary couple in this book. it really ruined the entire experience for me. I had such high hopes based on the blurb but it did nothing. The husband was garbage and his ending did not make me happy at all. I wish I enjoyed this more. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

Julia Bennet has a new fan and it’s me! The Worst Woman in London was such a delight. Francesca Thorne is seeking a divorce from her adulterous husband. While that doesn’t make anyone blink in 2023, in 1886 it was shocking. Disgraceful. Something good women don’t do. But Francesca refused to let society define what her life should be. Enter James , her husband’s childhood friend. I couldn’t put this book down. I finished it in one night. This book had everything I love. Romance, spiciness, and humor. This was easily a 4 star read for me!

This is a romance between a married woman and her husband's longtime BFF. In fact, the book opens a few weeks before Francesca's marriage to Edward, when James meets her for the first time. It's not love at first sight - the next chapter is 10 years later, 10 years during which James and Francesca have only socialized in the presence of her husband. But now, she's petitioning for a divorce, and Edward asks James to negotiate on his behalf. Get Francesca to drop her suit and settle for an unofficial separation, and Edward will fund her lavishly. James isn't exactly happy to represent Edward's interests, but since he basically agrees that Francesca should just drop the idea of divorce, he reluctantly visits her. Once he renews his acquaintance, they both realize that they are almost irresistibly attracted to each other. But their romance is forbidden for many reasons: Francesca's marriage might be over in all but name, but if she doesn't maintain a pristine relationship, she won't be granted a divorce. Plus James is trying to abide by the Victorian bro code - he might be able to indulge in an affair with another man's wife, but not his best friend's.

Bennet brings off what many historical authors try but fail to achieve: the gives us characters who feel historically accurate but with a modern sensibility!
This book was so different and in a very very good way! I loved evry single line!
Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Heart-warming with some real character growth - lovely writing, a compelling plot, and made me very. very eager to discover more of this author's work!

Francesca Thorne has been married 10 long years: 8 of those with an absent husband. Victorian high society has dictated that she must remain the waiting wife, regardless of his countless indescretions and lack of contact. However, vivacious Fran is sure of one thing... she wants a divorce.

James Standish is Mr Thorne's longest friend and always knew the couple were ill-matched. Francesca is fiery and sure of her own mind, which didn't suit the role of the docile, timid wife that his friend desired.

As the prospect of divorce through the Court looms, Mr Thorne requests that James act as an intermediary between he and his wife. Already 'almost' friends, Fran and Jemmy (as they teasingly call each other) are forced to spend time together amongst high society as Mr Thorne attempts to avoid a scandalous trial. But as their friendship develops, will this be used as fodder to destroy Fran's chance at gaining a divorce?

This was a regency romance with a twist. Fran is no innocent, inexperienced girl being pursued by a handsome rake. She's been there, done what society expected and she won't be doing it again! Fran is an example of a woman pushing for her wishes to be respected in a world controlled by men.

I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down! I appreciated the multiple points of view and felt incredibly invested in each of the main characters lives. I think Author Julia Bennet did a great job at delivering a satisfying conclusion, not the typical regency ending we expect!

Thank you to Netgalley, Author Julia Bennet and Xpresso Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Look out for this book on its publication date of 2nd of February 2023!

First of all is a historical romance set in Victorian London which from the start I couldn't resist because I love the era and the city in which it is set.

The book opens by showing us the first meeting between James and Francesca and ,then, takes a time jump of ten years to the current situation where Francesca is struggling with divorce. Right from the start, in fact, it is clear how difficult it was at the time for a woman to be valued as a person since society expected her to remain silent while being repeatedly betrayed and publicly humiliated by her husband.
i’ve greatly appreciated Francesca: she is stubborn,independent ,kind and intelligent. She has made mistakes that she is not afraid to deny, just as she is not afraid to give up her inheritance and her wealthy life in order to gain freedom from a marriage that has been foundering for years.
James, on the other hand, is the character growth made in person.It was wonderful to see him fall in love with Fran and begin to change,not just for her, but for himself. In fact, throughout the book we see his growth precisely from the fact that he begins to value himself much more than his family and society ever gave him.

in conclusion,I loved this book because the author has managed to create a novel in which one can find characters and dynamics that are historically accurate but that in them have modern sensibility.

The Worst Woman in London immediately appealed to me due to the enticing cover, title, and interesting premise. I love historical romances, so I was excited to see what this story holds. The story opens with Edward Thorne and his friend James Standish. Edward proposes to Francesca, and she accepts, although James does not believe the two are suited for each other. Fast forward ten years later and Francesca and Edward are still married in name, but not in spirit. Francesca is petitioning for a divorce, but Edward is hesitant because he is worried about his image in society. He enlists the help of James to help convince Francesca to stay married for the sake of society, but the situation becomes even more tangled when James and Francesca have a spark.

There are a lot of themes explored with this set of characters, such as social class, women’s rights, public image, and the patriarchy. Edward and Francesca married and then began living separate lives. While Edward can freely have affairs, Francesca is expected to remain faithful and not seek her own happiness. James is the heir to his wealthy aunt’s estate, which means following her wishes to remain in her favor. While I was expecting to follow along with Francesca and James, I was surprised at the amount of time spent on Edward. The author not only illustrated James and Francesca developing a romance but attempted to tell Edward’s side of things. While I did not mind the attempt to redeem Edward, I found myself uninterested as it took page time away from the main couple. For me, I feel that Edward needed his own story where flashbacks from moments in this novel could have been used, so readers could connect better to him as a character and focus more on Francesca and James in this one.

With the detailed exploration of divorce and marriage, this aspect of the novel was well-done. It does drag a little as it tended to stay more accurate where separation is not a fast process. Francesca and Edward were clearly not suited together and instead she was a better fit with James, but I wish that the reader got more time to attach to the chemistry that James and Francesca shared. Their connection was apparent, and I liked how their relationship developed. I think the premise of this story was great and the outline was nice, but I think it needed a little more balance as it feels slightly incomplete. Other readers may feel differently, but I still believe how Edward and his storyline fit in needed some changes; however, this was still a nice story and a great introduction to the author. Based on the ease of reading, though, I greatly look forward to reading more from the author!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read this novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the arc of this book in exchange of an honest review

“And so you didn’t like anything about me?” Just her eyes. Leaf green and so very serious. “Until you laughed.”

I haven’t read many regency romance books so I was excited to get to this one and I was happily surprised. I liked how the author presented all the characters with their wrongs and rights, no one here is fully bad or good and I was able to like almost everyone.

I do think that Francesca and James’ relationship was a little rushed, we could have had more pages and a few less time jumps between their encounters and see their processes of falling in love better, but I adored them still the same.

Overall it’s a good romance, I think Julia Bennet did a good job telling a story about women who were seeking freedom through divorce in the regency era.

Francesca is desperate. Desperate to divorce her cheating husband, Edward Thorne, who she does not love. Fran is going against society to get what she wants but she just wants to be free.

James is Edward's best friend and socialite supported by his elderly Aunt. When James is thrust into the middle of the divorce, he realises Francesca is so much more than he remembers. So much that he might be willing to give up everything he has to love Fran.

What will the Ton and James's Aunt think of James socialising with Francesca? Is James willing to give everything up for Francesca? Doesn't she just want to be free? Is remarrying really being free?

Now, I love a good historical romance and I have to admit I had no idea that women could only initiate a divorce in very few circumstances. This is what I loved about this book! Not only was it a delightful love story, it was also an education? The spice was good but the character development was amazing. You will never guess who is Edward's HEA!!

I was drawn in by the title and its promise of a strong minded, independent woman. Ultimately the story was fine and entertaining enough, but distractions took away from to its promise. The story is strongest when showing the limited rights of women in England at that time and this character’s very understandable reluctance to entangle herself in another marriage once she sees a light at the end of the tunnel from her first marriage. Chapters from the POV of secondary characters felt distracting and took me out of the main story. Ultimately it’s an enjoyable read, but not as compelling as I’d hoped.

I usually don't like to read victorian era novels, but I tried reading this and I wished there was more depth throughout.
Book was very slow paced and side characters were a bit annoying at times.
Although a friends to lovers and ex-husband's best friend book.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for arc.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review*

You really lost me at him calling a woman who was described to be similar to my appearance as basically ugly. 😅 I’m not gonna lie, it really hurt.

Outside of the subtle reminders of why I’ll never be good enough. ~ I thought the book was relatively decent. The writing was dry, but the plot had a bit of an interesting pull to it. This all being said, I don’t think I’ll ever be touching this book again.