This was utterly delightful. I love a good regency adventure, especially with a feminist bent and a woman who defies societal norms to solve crimes and right wrongs. What I did not realize I was missing, however, was for said society-norm-defying-women to be a pair of 42-year-old spinster sisters. It was delicious.

I was immediately struck, upon starting, with how familiar the storytelling felt and how appropriate it seemed for someone setting out to solve mysteries. It reminds me of the Sherlock Holmes stories with the first-person narration of Dr. Watson. In this case we have the first-person narration of Lady Augusta Colebrook, using a similar dry and slightly amused tone. It also reminds me of the narration of the Enola Holmes novels (which are likely based on those about Sherlock).

I like that the mysteries Lady Augusta elects to solve and the crimes she seeks to address all involve women being wronged, from the initial retrieval of a packet of incriminating letters to the final adventure of rescuing the inhabitants of a brutal madhouse. Each is a step farther along the path and take her a step away from the 'neither seen nor heard' proper lady her brother wishes to force her to be.

Her relationship with her sister was wonderful (despite the less-than-likely entire conversations held entirely in gestures -- alongside the multi-sentence exchanges those gestures are purported to represent). Lady Julia is suffering from breast cancer (a disease which killed their mother and aunt) and is much more concerned with propriety than her sister, but she gamely shows up for Gus again and again, lending her skills to their rescue attempts and occasionally threatening the villains at gunpoint. The love and trust between the sisters really shines.

The disgraced Lord Evan - escaped convict, horse thief, and charming rogue - makes a wonderful partner in crime for Gus and it quickly becomes clear that he is her perfect match. I loved seeing them work together from the beginning and how their schemes grew more complicated each time but often relied on standing together and winging it moment to moment.

The villains in this are truly villainous and the misogyny and brutality against women of all ages and statuses are hard to stomach. From brothel to madhouse, the many, many ways that men have invented to be cruel to women are on display. It is hard to read in places and each encounter stokes Gus' (and the reader's) righteous fury.

Things worked out just a little too easily in some of the later more complicated schemes, but never enough that it took me out of the story.

I'm glad that Julia gest a love interest by the end and doesn't have to sink back into mourning for her deceased fiance forever, and greatly enjoyed how that happened and how Julia seems much more in control of the situation.

I can't wait for more of Gus and Julia and Lord Evan and Kent. It's clear by the end of this that their story is only beginning which makes me very happy what with how much I enjoyed this one.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an early copy for review.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! I loved the characters, and their adventures were thrilling. I look forward to the sequel. 4.5 stars.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Berkley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Adventure, Mystery (With a side helping of some romance.)
Heat Level: Sweet (Hmm—a kiss.) HOWEVER, the protagonists goes into some of the seediest places of the time. The abusive and awful stuff is not on the page, but heavily alluded to.
Representation: Both racisms and LGBTQ prejudice with tertiary characters.

I entered THE BENEVOLENT SOCIETY OF ILL-MANNERED LADIES thoroughly expecting the "spinsters" not to conform to society's wishes. But I did not expect the social issues and the correlation to our time period. That's not a bad thing—just a surprise.

Lady Augusta and Lady Julia (twin sisters) are deemed too old to have value in society—even their brother wants them to behave in a "respectable" manner. When these women are presented with an opportunity to rescue a woman from her husband, they go all in—Augusta full strength (toting a gun that might injure a ruffian) while Julia is more circumspect and proper, forever the peacemaker.

But saving one woman is only the beginning of their adventures.
And the ruffian? Who happens to be handsome and the convict, Lord Evans, who was sent to a penal colony for murder. Is it possible he's innocent?

For some reason Augusta can't put him out of her mind.

We don't see as many books with the underbelly of Regency England—but it was a time of political turmoil and social ills. This novel is both entertaining and instructive on how horrible the past has treated women. A feminist take on the Regency era is an apt description.

I felt like I never got a resolution on how Augusta's feelings about her father might have changed through the course of her adventures. And even though the cover is lovely, I wish it had a bolder color or something that might give a bigger clue to the contents besides the women cagily holding weapons. The smaller conflicts are wrapped up, but the biggest mystery is left unresolved for the next book. At least, I hope it gets resolved along with other new adventures. I will definitely read the next book.

This novel is for anyone who wants to delve into a mystery and adventure with middle-aged women who won't allow themselves to be condescended to by anyone. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

A glorious blend of historical romance, Jane Austen feels, and murder mystery. I was unsure if they'd all mesh, but they did and with perfection!

I can't think of any other book I've read quite like this mystery. For starters the book is divided into 3 different cases all involving women in serious and terrible situations. As well, Gus and her sister Julia are both a bit older than the typical main character and financially independent. Gus is daring and adventurous and willing to risk herself to help her friends and protect her sister. Julia is a bit quieter and nicer. Her edges are a bit smoother than Gus's in your face manner and she isn't quite so quick to jump without thinking. That said she is just as smart and brave and Gus is. As well these aren't typical mysteries. There are no murders but the situations Gus and Julia are involved in are perhaps even more serious with everything on the line.

I enjoyed this read and really liked the format of essentially 3 short stories but in chronological order. I enjoyed getting to know the main characters and understanding their motivations. Also, Julia's health issues were heartbreaking and it was interesting to see how breast cancer was treated and thought of in this time period. My main issue was that Gus's obsession with Lord Evan annoyed me a bit. She's an adult and is supposed to be mature but she just won't even pause to listen to anyone's advice.

This is my first experience with this author but it definitely won't be my last. I really enjoyed the writing style, the characters and the stories.

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies is the first book in Allison Goodman’s new Ill-Mannered Ladies series of historical mysteries. It’s nicely told, featuring two older heroines who find themselves becoming detectives, which definitely alleviates the boredom of their orderly lives.

The Colebrook twins, Lady Augusta – called Gus – and Julia, are two well-heeled sisters who are currently completely without male companionship. They go to church, they go to tea – and they’re positively bored stiff. Since they’re past their mid-forties the word ‘spinster’ continues to pop up in conversations, if not precisely aptly. Julia is mourning her fiancé, and Gus is not of a marrying mind. Ergo, they use their position within society as benignly ignored figures to help up the vulnerable. In this case, they seek to help their friend’s daughter, Caroline.

Caroline is apparently being abused by her husband, and Gus and Julia seek to protect her and spirit her off to safety. But they find themselves accosted by a highwayman on the way to her home. Both women are shocked to find love along the way – in Gus’ case, with Lord Evan Belford…whom Gus has shot accidentally. He is accused of a crime he insists he never committed and had been exiled from polite society years ago. Gus vows to help him, and is definitely intrigued by his ways. Might love have arrived for her at last – along with an extra sense of purpose and a way to use her position in society for the betterment of the world?

My biggest problem with The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies is that Julia doesn’t’ get as much time to bake as a character. I think she could have served to anchor more of the plot, but this is Gus’ show. Not that I really minded, since she’s a wonderfully lively character to follow. There’s a lot of twin magic going on with these characters, who can sometimes anticipate each other’s actions thanks to their twin-ness. But that’s a small quibble, as I really loved Gus’ determination.

The book spotlights three cases in which the two women help others and are surprised greatly by the arrival of romance. The book’s great at switching the plot up, making you suspect the unexpected. Be warned that the cases these ladies deal with are not ‘gentle’; they fight for the rights of prostitutes and the abused without fear.

The period research here is excellent, as is the way Goodman keeps her characters’ thought processes period apropos. Everything else about The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies is just a little extra sugar in a cup of tea.

Oh my gosh, how have I been sleeping on Alison Goodman? I now have to scour the internet looking for all her novels because if they are anything like The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies, Goodman may be my new must-buy author. This cover doesn't do this book justice, the pretty pastel colors make you think this may be a light-hearted cozy mystery but little do you know this covers some dark heavy topics in its pages.

Goodman has absolutely hooked me with this book, which I hope is a series (I am pretty sure it is) because I will need to read the right away. I immediately fell in love with the logical, witty, and brave Augusta/Gus who although she takes a lot of risks in her need to help people (some of which I didn't agree with) is just absolutely divine. I even love Julia who plays the straight-woman to Augusta's rashness. I even loved the romance with Lord Evan, who I also really liked.

There are three cases, plus one over-arching case, all of which were incredibly interesting and different from each other. I love that despite the restrictions that Gus has because she is a woman she still goes above and beyond and gets things done. There were a few times that Like Gus I wanted to rage at how dismissive and stifling some of the men were, especially Duffy, Gus and Julia's brother.

Overall, I loved this book and will be waiting with bated breath for a second one.

Adventure, abuse, accosting, a little romance and more fill the pages of Ms. Goodman's new novel, THE BENEVOLENT SOCIETY OF ILL-MANNERED LADIES. Wow, this is a dangerous, exciting and a very unexpected historical romance! It stars an amateur sleuth, Lady Augusta Colebrook, known as Gus, who is a lovely, single maiden determined to defend other unfortunate women from mistreatment. Gus and help from her twin sister, Julia, they race to the aid of women all over London to extricate them from dire consequences. As their adventures take them to unsafe, seedy locations, brothels, taverns, a lunatic asylum, and other places deemed unworthy by society women, they meet a hunkalicious highwayman with a questionable past and a dashing, debonair Bow Street Runner with depth. Gus' resourceful butler helps her out a lot, while her jealous brother hinders her and spitefully alters the course of her well-ordered society life. What other risky escapades lay in store for Gus and her sister, Julia? Will they succeed in their quest to help out all the unfortunate ladies of London?

This lovely historical romance is a story of twin sisters bucking society and defying convention to live life as they see fit, while helping those less fortunate in compromising circumstances in the regency period of London. If romance happens that would be amazing too. Ms. Goodman spins a story so dramatic, magnetic and subtly romantic, I was spellbound throughout the entire tale. What a lively, twisty, dicey plot! Gus has eyes for the rugged highwayman, so I wonder if this will lead to a sizzling romance? Thankfully, there are other stories planned for this series. The beguiling secret life of the Colebrook twins is one I want to read more about! There is also humor and witty writing that I just love! THE BENEVOLENT SOCIETY OF ILL-MANNERED LADIES is a rippling, roaring debut!

This book delivers exactly what the title promised me: a fun romp with women aged above 40 choosing to elevate the grievances of the less fortunate among them, even when against the proprietal standards of regency London.

I loved that we have a strong female sibling bond where the women stand up for each other, but also some loyal friendships, as well as a dashing highway robber working with them on some endeavours. This was everything I wanted in a historical fiction book with this premise. Detailed review to come.

There was so much going on in this book, I almost wished each section got a book of its own to really breathe. Alison Goodman tackles some heavy subjects but isn't able to delve deeply into any of them. I also found that Gus and Julia read as far younger than they were described. Gus is 42 but her thoughts and actions are often naive and careless. Just an ok read for me.

I was so intrigued by this book from the start that I didn't even notice it wasn't marketed as a romance. While a little apprehensive, since that's normally all I read, I was pleased to discover that the story drew me in without the need for romance. Although we did get a little bit, which warmed my forever romantic soul, the story mainly focused on the lives of two independent women. Twin spinsters living together in spite of society expectations and looking for ways to keep themselves occupied, they delve into the darkest corners of society...and find their purpose in shining a light on them. Triggers abound in this book, so don't enter reading it lightly or expecting a cozy mystery. This is gritty, albeit with moments of humor and goodwill, and I think you'll see a side of British society during the Regency period that many historical romance books tend to sugarcoat.

Lady Augusta Colebrooke, being 42 years of age and firmly on the shelf, has little regard for society and what her brother thinks of her. Living alongside her twin, who lost her love before he could make it to the altar, both find meaning in pursuits aside from matrimony, which they find comfort in. While her twin battles the stress of finding a lump in her breast that may be quite serious, Lady Augusta, or Gus, tries to keep her mind off of it by pursuing opportunities to help others. From rescuing a woman kept homebound by her dastardly husband to freeing children from a life of enslavement and prostitution, she doesn't let any danger, great or small, prevent her from doing what she must. On one such journey, she runs into an old acquaintance, Lord Evan Belford, who has become a highwayman since she last saw him twenty years ago...not long before he was tried for murder and banished from the country. Yet there he is, in England, and robbing her coach. From there, her focus becomes much more entangled. Now she not only wants to help others...but perhaps help Evan locate his sister...and win his heart as well.

I had such enjoyment reading about Gus' adventures, because it felt like three mini mysteries wrapped into one. While quite dark at times, I appreciated how frank the author was in describing the conditions of living many faced during that time period. As well, I also found it fascinating to learn that medical treatment for breast cancer was a thing back then, even though they were still learning what it was exactly. The characters in the story were vibrant and welcoming to the reader as you dive into the world, and even the villains were engaging and had me on the edge of my seat, rooting for their demise. The romance was a wonderful cherry on top, not consuming the story but acting as a beacon of hope during the dark times. I adore the fact that we have a heroine who is long past what would be considered her prime in those days, and she can find happiness in spite of society setting her on the shelf. She hopped right off that shelf, found herself an occupation AND a man. I have no excuses in the 21st century after seeing that. None.

Be careful of triggers - I have them listed below. This is a wonderful story if you can get through those and come out on the other side. I look forward to reading more in this series.

Note of Triggers:

*Mention of Sexual Assault (minors and adults) and Incest
*Breast Cancer, Description of Breast Removal Surgery
*Suicide and Murder
*Graphic descriptions of insane asylum conditions

As an older woman, how can I not cheer these I’ll-mannered ladies on? What a fun read, and one I am happy to recommend to our readers!

This story set in Regency London is a mystery and contains a lot of social commentary. Lady Augusta Colebrook and her twin sister Lady Julia are unmarried and 42. Julia, who is still grieving the death of her fiance needs a distraction and Gus decides that looking into problems of society women will be a way to distract her.

Their first adventure takes them to Vauxhall's Dark Walk to retrieve some compromising letters one of their friends wrote to a man who was quite a bit less than a gentleman. They manage to retrieve the letters without parting with the diamond necklace that was supposed to be payment. Their second case flows out of their first. Their friend's niece is in grave danger from her husband and needs to be rescued.

On their way to rescue the young woman, they are beset by highwaymen, but Gus is handy with a pistol and wounds one of the villains. He turns out to be Lord Evan Belford, a member of their social set, who was convicted of murder after a duel and sent to the penal colony at New South Wales in Australia. He's back because he has heard disturbing news about his younger sister. He escaped before completing his sentence and has both a Bow Street Runner and a thief-taker on his trail.

After a hair-raising rescue mission, Lord Evan goes his way leaving Gus disappointed but intrigued. There are two more cases - rescuing young girls kidnapped to work in brothels and rescuing Lord Evan's sister from an insane asylum. Each case exposes the dark side of Regency London. Each case also allows Gus to be both active and useful.

Historical detail includes the rights of women during the Regency which were minimal and the treatment of the mentally ill which were appalling. Lady Julia's possible breast cancer also illuminates the state of medicine at the time.

I enjoyed this story with its historical detail and engaging characters. I'm looking forward to more stories about Lord Evan, Lady Augusta, and Lady Julia.

Lady Augusta and Lady Julia are unmarried twin sisters, past their "sell by" date at age 42. Their much younger nasty brother has inherited the family estate and title, and he and his despicable new bride are treating the sisters with disdain. To ease her boredom, Lady Augusta (Gus) agrees to help a friend secure some love letters that she wrote to a man who turned out to be a rogue. After the successful completion of their task, Gus realizes that she quite likes being useful and having something to do (other than make calls, serve tea, and see the same people every day). So she agrees to help another friend, and so on, and so on. Meeting a handsome highwayman doesn't hurt, either.
After a slow start, this became quite an enjoyable historical novel comprising three "cases" that the sisters solve. Unlike many novels set in the Regency period, there is less emphasis here on gowns, jewels, and balls. There is solid history about Regency life, especially among the middle and lower classes instead of just the bon ton. As in C. S. Harris' Sebastian St. Cyr novels, Gus and Julia can move in a variety of social circles, and they too have their faithful retainers to assist them. There are also a few splashes of romance but not enough to put off non-romance readers (like me). The first book in a planned series. Many thanks to NetGalley and th3e publisher for providing an eARC for review.

A swash-buckling romance and revenge tale featuring spinster twin sisters Augusta and Julia Colebrook. The sisters, particularly Gus, chafe at the many societal restrictions they face in Regency England. They are indeed fortunate that they have financial resources which shield them from their patronizing brother's attempts to control their every movement.

They hear of an unfortunate tale of a childless wife who is being held prisoner under abominable conditions by her husband. They concoct a bold plan to rescue her and get her to a safe place with her family. Their plan is altered by a chance meeting with a highwaymen while in their coach enroute to save the prisoner. It turns out the robber is a disgraced nobleman the sisters knew in their younger days. The sparks immediately fly between him and Gus, even though they realize there are insurmountable obstacles.

The details of their first adventure are full of action, villains, violence and heroics. They no sooner end that outing than they are caught up in the nobleman's quest -- his sister has been locked up in a horrible mental institution/asylum and he is determined to kidnap her although if he is found in England, there is a price on his head and he will go to the gallows.

Over the top? Yes, often, but entertaining and with some sympathetic characters to root for. I will look forward to their next adventure. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I am obsessed with Gus, Julia, and Evan!

This Regency-period adventure was an absolutely delightful read, that ticked all the best boxes—adventure, ladies of the Ton bucking tradition, a rogue Lord, romance that eschews tradition, a duel, a madhouse, a shit brother, multiple whorehouses, kidnapping, and even hitting a dishonorable man where it counts.

Gus and Julia are twins—but each others’ opposites. They’re old enough to be Regency spinsters, but use their influence and life experience to handle shady situations that society would dictate they shouldn’t even know about—let alone get involved with. Throughout this book, they are perfectly written. Flawed but perfect at the same time.

Evan…well, he’s just swoonworthy and I love how he fits into the story like he’s always been around. Given the ending of this book, I truly hope readers can expect a Book 2 so we aren’t left with a well-finished-but-still-a-cliffhanger of an ending!

Would I recommend this? Yes, wholeheartedly to basically anyone who loves an early 1800’s setting and adventuresome ladies.

Thanks to NetGalley, Berkley, and the author for a review copy!!

Like Alison Goodman, according to her Author’s Note, I first encountered Regency London through the novels of Georgette Heyer, which I discovered in my early teens. Even now, I go back to my favorites every so often, although as I have matured, so have my views on which stories I consider favorites.

Heyer wrote her first novel at eighteen, and her early heroines were teenagers. Over the course of her long life, the heroines aged into their twenties, but women over thirty remained bit players—chaperones, governesses, and, worst of all, poor relations, doomed by the dreaded word “spinster” to secondary status even in their own families. So to encounter Alison Goodman’s 40-something unmarried twins—Lady Augusta Colebrook and her sister, Lady Julia—is a pleasant surprise. That the two women, each in her own distinctive way, fight back against the society that would relegate them to back rooms and lace caps just adds to the fun.

In brief, this sparkling take on Regency romance begins in 1812 with Augusta and Julia tackling, on behalf of their friend Charlotte, a would-be blackmailer in the darker paths of the semi-scandalous Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. From there, Charlotte recruits the twins to rescue her goddaughter, Caroline, from an abusive and possibly murderous husband. Augusta is forthright and daring, Julia more superficially feminine but blessed with a photographic memory that makes her a fount of knowledge on the ins and outs of high society. Julia is also recovering from the accidental death of her fiancé two years before and a recent diagnosis of breast cancer—something else that rarely appears in Regency novels.

It's in the hope of distracting her sister from melancholy, therefore, that Augusta agrees to help out Caroline. Near the end of their journey to the victim’s house, the two sisters are waylaid by a highwayman. Only after Augusta wounds the attacker with her pistol does Julia recognize him as Lord Evan Belford, whose alleged murder of his dueling opponent years before led to his transportation to Australia. Augusta uses Lord Evan’s injury as an excuse to wangle their way into Caroline’s house, and the stage is set for the first of the three cases, all aimed at helping women disadvantaged by the unequal laws of nineteenth-century Britain, that make up the first installment of what I hope will be a long and fruitful series. It’s all tremendous fun, with a grasp of all those delightful Regency details that Heyer fans absorb through the skin, and I can’t help thinking that if Heyer were writing today instead of in the last century, this is the kind of novel she would produce.

I will be interviewing this author on my blog (link below) just before the book comes out.

Augusta "Gus" Colebrook isn't really ill-mannered. It's just that she lives in a place and time (Regency England) where 40-something women are expected to be married, silent, or both. And, Augusta is neither. In need of a way to distract her grieving twin sister, she decides to rescue a young woman from an abusive husband. Along the way, she has grand adventures, learns that there is a lot of life to be lived beyond the margins of what is expected of her, and maybe falls in love with a former Earl, who is also a sometimes highwayman. The cover gives the impression that this book is a gentle and cozy read. And, while it is a lot of fun and has plenty of humor, Augusta's new mission takes her to some dark corners of humanity as she helps women who have been grievously mistreated by men who are supposed to care for them. And, a warning to readers, this book is the first in a planned series, and not all plot lines are tied up by the end of the book.

"A high society amateur detective at the heart of Regency London uses her wits and invisibility as an 'old maid' to protect other women in a new and fiercely feminist historical mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Alison Goodman.

Lady Augusta Colebrook, "Gus," is determinedly unmarried, bored by society life, and tired of being dismissed at the age of forty-two. She and her twin sister, Julia, who is grieving her dead betrothed, need a distraction. One soon presents itself: to rescue their friend's goddaughter, Caroline, from her violent husband.

The sisters set out to Caroline's country estate with a plan, but their carriage is accosted by a highwayman. In the scuffle, Gus accidentally shoots and injures the ruffian, only to discover he is Lord Evan Belford, an acquaintance from their past who was charged with murder and exiled to Australia twenty years ago. What follows is a high adventure full of danger, clever improvisation, heart-racing near misses, and a little help from a revived and rather charming Lord Evan.

Back in London, Gus can't stop thinking about her unlikely (not to mention handsome) comrade-in-arms. She is convinced Lord Evan was falsely accused of murder, and she is going to prove it. She persuades Julia to join her in a quest to help Lord Evan, and others in need - society be damned! And so begins the beguiling secret life and adventures of the Colebrook twins."

Alison Goodman's Dark Days Club series set in Regency England is a favorite of mine and this thankfully fills the void left by that series ending.

Sisters living in the 1800’s who were ahead of their time in intelligence, independence and sense of adventure. Follow them as they figure out how to help other woman in terrible situations mainly to to the cultural norms. Norms which they do not neccessarily feel compelled to abide by. They do have a little assistance from some more progressively thinking men.