Had I read this book in seriatim with the other novels in this series, I’d likely have rated it five stars. It’s not entirely a standalone book. Instead there is reliance on the reader’s knowledge of the other books in order to put events in the proper order and to appreciate the crossover characters. Unfortunately with time and distance my memory failed me somewhat and I had but the vaguest fog of where scenes fit into the series as a whole. This meant that what should have seemed smooth and connected instead seemed choppy and left me wondering where I was in the storyline from time to time. Even so, it is a taut adventure involving a believable couple in love that should not be missed. Spencer has once again succeeded at getting nuanced action and emotions from characters outside the normative who nonetheless normally fall in love and lust.

I love the overlap between the stories, wrapping everything up in The Cutthroat Countess. Events happening to different characters and observed simultaneously lends even more energy to the plot. Jo Brown's story is very intense as she is the most enigmatic woman in the series, a professional spy. No wonder Elliot can't get her out of his head. All sorts of twists and surprises come up as the two try to make sense of their attraction. At the end of the series I felt like announcing, "You get a title! You get a title! And you get a title!"

The smashing finale to the series. Minerva Spencer /SM Laviolette is one of my top favorite writers. Her books portray different social strata of the Regency era. While the novel does see the Ton characters she brings in so many different humane facets to her characters it is fun, interesting and she does not dumb done the reader.

So finally we have the story of Jo Brown and Elliot. The priceless non human character I
If Angus is beautiful drawn out I can actually see the dominating character.

The story like the previous 2 in the series spans events in France and England. Lots of intrigue and drama. Our favorite previous protagonists mingle in this one. The narrative flows smoothly and I had to put the book down for a breather to enjoy it more. The twist is sort of expected still it flows in smoothly.

Just read - enjoy - the book is in depth, and Ms Spencer always entertains her readers and give thé a book well worth the time

Jo and Eliot are both spies but he's working for the Crown and she's freelance in this Regency romance. Oh, and she throws knives. It's the latest in a series but fine as a standalone (although I suspect fans will find more than I did). The characters are well drawn and there's just the right amount of steam. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read for fans of the genre.

The Wicked Women of Whitechapel is an unconventional series from Minerva Spencer. Each installment has focused on one of the members of "Farnham's Fantastical Female Fayre," an all-women circus. In the first book, three women - Marianne, Cecile, and Jo - accompany three men on a mission to war-torn France. All three of them begin a liaison there that, for one reason or another, doesn't survive their return to England. ⁠
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This book features Jo and Elliot, the most elusive of the three couples. They're both spies, but Elliot is paid by the British government, while Jo is an ethical free agent. What makes them similar is also what drives them apart, as Jo needs to keep her past a secret, but Elliot has a duty to his employer to disclose everything he learns. ⁠In addition, Elliot is under pressure from his family to marry an "acceptable" woman. Jo's been on her own for so long she's wary of making any commitment she might not be able to keep. And while they're trying to figure out what they mean to each other, something from Jo's past takes center stage.
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We really liked the relationship: Elliot and Jo are both as honest as they can be with each other, meaning that miscommunication is kept to a minimum. They might not be on the same side, but they make each other a priority. Elliot falls fast and hard, but always makes sure that Jo's comfort is paramount. She's clear with what she wants and what she has the capacity to give. It was a real pleasure to watch them come together!
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Spencer has structured the series in such a way that the second and third books give the reader a look at what was happening behind the scenes in the first book. That said, if you jump into the series with book 3, the two sections of the book might feel disjointed. We've really enjoyed the series and getting the additional background on the first book, but keep this in mind if you're thinking of picking this one up first!⁠

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

This is the third and final book in the Wicked Women of Whitechapel series by Minerva Spencer. I admit that I passed on reading the first book when it came out a the blurb really did not interest me. When the second book, Dueling Duchess came out, the blurb did interest me so I read that one. It was SO good that I of course had to go back and read the first book, which did not disappoint. I was so excited to get an advanced copy of The Cutthroat Countess from NetGalley so I didn't have to wait for its publication to read it. Sometimes, when you are this excited to read a book, and a final of a series, they don't always live up to your expectations. I'm happy to say that The Cutthroat Countess was a very good finish to this series. These books are all extremely well written and deserve a strong 5 stars. You will root for Jo and Elliot to get their happy ending. While I was able to anticipate some of the twists in this book, I did not figure them all out, which kept me interest until the end. Well done.

Book 3 in the Wicked Women of Whitechapel series, this one centers on the mysterious Josephine “Blade” Brown, the expert handler for the Farnham's Fantastical Female Fayre.

Blade rescues Elliot Wingate, an undercover agent, and a man she is fascinated with (the feeling is mutual). While they work together to uncover secret plots, lies, plot twists, etc., Blade must come to terms with her trust issues (she’s always been on the run from a family scandal), and she also has a class-issue to resolve between her and Elliot.
The intimate moments in this one are very spicy as neither are inexperienced.

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the previous two. Somehow the Blade character from the beginning book just didn’t translate into the Blade in this book for me…hard to explain that. But I did enjoy two aspects of the book very much…the strength and confidence of Blade as a woman and as a fearless combatant in a man’s world and Elliot’s stepping up and fighting for her love as she struggled with her trust issues.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing the free early arc of The Cutthroat Countess for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Farnham’s Fantastical Female Fayre final chapter puts Jo and Elliot, a.k.a. Blade and Smithy front and center.

According to the author’s own “Steam Level” The Wicked Women of White Chapel series is 3/5 peppers. The author writes under at least three different pen names. This year I have binged most of the books she has written. The “Minerva Spencer” byline is typically a steamy historical romance with a 3/5 pepper rating. She also writes under SM LaViolette, and those books are usually a little MORE steamy, but I digress.

Like the previous books in the series, the stories and timelines of each book overlap a little bit. The first book The Boxing Baroness takes place largely in the spring of 1815 just before Napoleon escapes Elba and marches to Paris. The Cutthroat Countess ends a year or two later.

We learn more about Elliot‘s background, as well as Jo of course. It was pretty clear from the first time he appears on the page who the villain is, but there were still plenty of twists, and turns to keep the resolution satisfying and the suspense engaging. Plus, I appreciated learning more about the ripples of the American Revolutionary War just a generation later. I love that Angus has such a big supporting role in this book I knew I would love him from his first appearance in The Boxing Baroness.

None of the “wicked” women are virgins, however, they’re not that wicked either. Their compassion and humanity is evident in the way that they support each other and remain loyal to this family of sorts. Since they all start out as commoners, they have more freedom than gently born women of the time. It’s a refreshing change from the innocent bluestocking/reformed rake trope – don’t get me wrong, I can certainly appreciate a formulaic bodice ripper. Fortunately Minerva Spencer has yet to publish anything formulaic, and I love her all the more for it.

Jo and Elliot‘s story had me swooning and often laughing out loud. Not to mention kept me on the edge of my seat as I feared for my favorite raven Angus’s plight.

Our heroine and hero do get their HEA, there’s no cliffhanger, although I am wondering if Helen will have her HEA told in the future.

If the saucy scenes make you uncomfortable, you may be able to just skim them and you won’t lose any of the plot, but you’re missing out 😉.

I read a lot of steamy historical fiction, sometimes it feels like the author just copied and pasted the sex scenes from one story to the other. Luckily, that’s not the case here. The sex scenes are descriptive and explicit so don’t say you weren’t warned.

Of the three books, I enjoyed this one the most, but that could simply be due to the fact that I have spent more than 1,000 pages getting to know all the characters, so hanging out with Farnham's Females and their highborn beaux was like visiting with old friends.

Jo is an expert at throwing a blade, which is why she works at a circus. She also uses her blade skills to protect herself and others. Having saved Elliot’s life, she becomes more involved with him and his friends. As more comes out about her past she is not sure she can trust him even though they are very attracted to each other. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Kensington Books for my honest review.

Rating: 4,5/5 stars
Spice: 3,5/5

Book 3 in the Wicked Women of Whitechapel series
Can be read standalone, but with the big amount of characters it’s easier to read when you read the first two in the series. I haven’t read the first book, and I noticed that I missed some context in the beginning even though it is explained well.
This happens simultaneously with The Boxing Baroness and The Dueling Duchess, but continues after the end of The Dueling Duchess.

Tropes:
- Spies
- Murder/Mystery
- Forced Proximity
- Instalust
- Badass FMC
- He knows he wants her
- MC has a secret
- Pet Raven
- Secret Identity
- Fake Engagement
- Class Difference
- My fair lady vibes
- Outside tryst against a tree
- FMC is not a virgin
- Light Femdom
- Tryst in a barn


If you were a fan of the show Homeland and you like reading historical romances this is for you. I was having such a great reading this and you jump right into the action with Jo saving Elliot in a particular tough spot.

There were a lot of things I really liked about this one. Especially the jumping right into action part, and we all know what usually happens in these types of situations when the characters need to blow off some steam! What really pleasantly surprised me was the light femdom that comes into play with the spice, especially nearing the end of the book. I needed to fan myself for a bit there!

I really liked that Elliot just knows he wants to be with Jo, even though he feels she is a complete mystery to him. You just know while reading that these two belong together (I mean even Angus knows it pretty much from the start and he is a freaking raven). Talking about Angus, he is the absolute star of the book (okay the series) and I loved the originality of him.

At times this book didn’t feel like a romance per se, but more of a finding one’s identity. Jo really struggles to come to terms with the fact she has friends and that they want to spend time with her. She is so used to living on her own and not trusting anyone that it is very difficult for her to actually open up. I loved that Marianne wanted to include her in important moments of her life.

I had some difficulty with the pacing in the middle part and sometimes it felt like I was reading 2 books. It really slowed down when the book goes forward in time towards London and then from the 80% the pace picks up again in a classic mystery/wodunnit way. I do need to mention that if you like reading crime novels and especially Scandinavian crime novels, the ‘plot twists’ really won’t come as a surprise to you (I know some who read it did not see it coming). But with that said everything that happens makes sense, and I really liked that about it. You sometimes come across these mystery types of books where in the end the ‘villain’ surprises you in a bad way.

Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for providing an ARC.

I usually love when an author goes back in time and tells a story from the viewpoint of side characters. And although I’ve read the previous book in the series, The Dueling Duchess (May 2023) I still found the beginning confusing. This is the story of Josephine Brown who does blade-work for Farnham’s Fantastical Female Fayre (a performing circus). She also occasionally spies on the side for the best price. Elliot Wingate, an agent with the home office, is intrigued and more by Jo. This is a mystery complete with twists and turns and a romance with plenty of heat. But overall I didn’t connect with the characters. If you’ve enjoyed the series you will want to read this book. I think it is harder to read as a stand alone. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

Thanks #NetGalley for the advanced copy of #TheCutthroatCountess by Minerva Spencer in exchange for an honest review.

This series is so much fun. I loved seeing Jo and Elliott in The Dueling Duchess so it was fun to get the story from their perspective in this book. Ms. Spencer did a fabulous job keeping the facts of the story consistent between The Dueling Duchess and The Cutthroat Countess which I really appreciated. Elliott is such a kind hero that it's hard not to fall in love with him. Jo's harsh exterior is easy to relate to even if you aren't a knife throwing bad-ass like she is! The angst is this book is believable and manageable. You can totally see what is keeping them apart and yet you still want them to find a way to overcome it. This book really made me want to delve into Ms. Spencer's backlist.

A well-written, and thoughtful historical romance. Knife-thrower Jo, and government agencies Elliot form an attraction that is not waning despite secrets, and class differences. Third in a series, the author catches the reader up easily and keeps you wondering how it will all work out till the very end.

In The Cutthroat Countess, we finally get to see what Jo and Elliot got up to in France and get their perspective on events. While it filled in all the gaps from the previous stories, the book didn’t rehash the whole adventure which was great. We also finally get to learn more about the secretive Jo (and Angus) and learn what lead to Jo becoming who she is and how she ended up protecting Marianne.

Jo and Elliot have a bit of a slow burn romance that gets challenged when secrets from Jo’s past pop up, secrets even Jo was unaware of. Throughout the book, the main characters grow and learn to drop the walls they’ve built up from living such secretive lives.

While this book can be enjoyed on its own, it will definitely make more sense if you’ve read the previous two.

If you love adventure, action, pet ravens, knives, intrigue, and romance then this book is for you!

Vibes: romance with a side of espionage, a totally in love hero, "a motley crew of oddballs" sensibilities, and light assassin feels

Blade expert Josephine Brown never stays in one place long, and doesn't form deep relationships. But now that she's a partial owner of Farnham's Fantastical Female Fayre (think a traveling circus full of dangerous ladies) connections are becoming difficult to avoid. Particularly her connection with Elliot, an agent for the Crown who quickly falls head over heels for her. As the two work together on a dangerous assignment, Jo finds Elliot increasingly hard to resist--while he's determined to know her secrets.

With a good dose of plot (often having to do with Napoleonic shenanigans), the Wicked Women of Whitechapel series is entertaining and always sexy, with a spin on historical romance you don't see often. I really enjoyed the chemistry and interactions between Jo and Elliot--but I do feel like you might want to read the first two books ahead of this one.

Quick Takes:

--One thing I like about this series is that the heroines tend to be a bit on the jaded side, regardless of age. They've been around the block, they've been emotionally (and usually physically, thanks to their dangerous lifestyles) wounded in the past. This makes it totally believable when they began physical relationships with their heroes without being able to emotionally commit. These are women who seize pleasure when they can get it, and find it difficult to resist indulging their desires.

Similarly, the heroes might be snarky, might be a bit dangerous themselves, might be frustrated with their heroines at points--but they also tend to be heroes that fall first and fall hard. You get that with Jo and Elliot. No matter how much she wants to resist falling for him, it's hard for her to do when he's just so smitten and so charming.

--Jo has a pet raven. His name is Angus and he is excellent. I love it when heroines have random weird pets; it's a quirk that I find particularly satisfying. Maybe the raven watched them have sex? Only God knows.

--There is an interclass conflict, and I do love an interclass conflict. However, at points it did feel like a bit of a rehash of the previous book's personal relationship conflict (separate from the larger suspense plot) which is "I shall not be your mistress, sir". The thing that makes it a little more baffling here is that Elliot is so clearly gone for Jo early on. So it's like--girl, I don't think he really cares if he comes from a wealthier family (and he's not even a firstborn son). He wants you.

--Additionally, I will say that while I enjoyed the relationship between Jo and Elliot and the larger mystery plot... Where I think this book suffered was in the overlapping with the two previous novels. Don't get me wrong, this works as a standalone, but considering how much this entwines with the previous installments... I don't know, I feel like you'd get more out of reading the series in order.

This kind of overlapping plot element can work, especially in romance. But when I compare this to say, The Duke Gets Even, a book that was the culmination of a four-novel buildup to the final couple--this book just feels a little two connected to its companions. It slowed the plot at points, because you'd have to get a catchup on what was happening. By no means did it hurt the story too much, but it was noticeable.

The Sex:

The sex scenes begin pretty early here, and they're great, and they really don't let up throughout the novel. Spencer has a real talent for writing a sex scene that's both quite carnal and quite emotionally satisfying. I really loved the way Jo and Elliot interacted with each other; from the beginning, you felt that she was technically giving him a lot, while emotionally remaining closed off. Over time, you feel that emotional connection strengthen, and that's reflected in the way they have sex. It's a smart writing choice.

While I think I preferred the previous books in the series a little more, The Cutthroat Countess is still a fun, satisfying read. Would recommend to anyone who wants to explore a more action-packed historical romance with a heroine whose skill set extends beyond the ballroom.

Thanks to Kensington and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Always enjoying Ms Spencer's works, the unusual settings, characters and plot are so refreshing. The last heroine of the series, Jo Brown, and her lover Elliot, are another theme altogether. Usually, in these kind of romance stories, we can find so many similarities. But not on this series. They are not birds of the same pastures, but got guts and characters. Not really easy to accept in the polite society then (and sometimes not now either), makes the characters exciting. And these ladies fit perfectly with the unusual yet invigorating story.

This is a period piece of fiction and man did I love it. It had intrigue, romance, and a boss of a MC. This is part of a series and I was a bit lost at times not reading any of the prior books but I made it through and would still recommend highly.

Summary:

Josephine Brown, a spy known onstage at an all-female circus for her knife-throwing act as "Jo Blade" has always found it difficult to open her heart to friends and lovers alike. But during a covert mission, she finds herself falling for Elliot Wingate, a spy for the Home Office. For his part, Elliot is immediately smitten with Jo, but knows he has to be careful, particularly as Jo's old family secrets come to light, endangering the both of them...

My review:

I would recommend reading the first two books in the The Wicked Women of Whitechapel series before reading The Cutthroat Countess. Part I in particular touches on a lot of events that need the context of the first book, specifically when the circus members and their love interests are in France to rescue their friends and family. Part I also feels very separate from the rest of the novel; the only thing that connects it to the rest of the book is Jo and Elliot's burgeoning relationship.

And it doesn't take very long for Jo and Elliot to get together (she kills half a private army in Part I, he IMMEDIATELY goes down on her). They're both spies with a "particular set of skills" (well, Jo more than Elliot), and respect one another's competence, which leads to an immediate attraction. However, because of Jo's scattered upbringing (she was always on the run), it's difficult for her to trust or make friends, so Elliot is the one initially doing a lot of pushing for them to be in even a short-term relationship. I thought it was particularly adorable that both their "pining" came in the form of stalking each other before they finally broke during a ball, had sex on a garden bench, and admitted they wanted to be together. After this, their relationship actually feels very domestic; they come home to each other after long days, they share meals and share pets (good old Angus the raven), and have a lot of very relationship-y sex.

The rest of the novel is split between old espionage secrets related to Jo's family being uncovered, and a bit of a My Fair Lady plot as well. Like I said earlier, I would recommend reading the previous books in this series because the plot of the first two books are actually happening somewhat concurrently. So we see Marianne and Sin's rescue and Marianne's societal debut, as well as Guy and Cecile during Guy's grovel-by-getting-repeatedly-shot-at era. Through the course of the book, Jo also opens up more to her friends at the circus, and I thought this was a good continuation of the overall theme of female friendship in this series.

The sex:

Jo and Elliot are a fan of a quickie, in part because of them having sex in the middle of fraught situations (see: Napoleonic France), and also because Jo is afraid of intimacy due to her past. As they get more comfortable with one another, they settles into having more relaxed, relationship sex (though they still seem to favor minimal foreplay). It's well-written as per Minerva's usual, though I think I'd have been happier if there were longer sex scenes overall. I actually think my favorite moment was at the veeeery end when Jo makes Elliot masturbate in front of her in a place they lovingly refer to as the "torture cottage", an unofficial government residence where.... "interrogations" take place. And they deffo sneak off to have sex at the torture cottage afterwards.

Overall:

I enjoyed reading this book; it's a fun continuation of The Wicked Women of Whitechapel series, full of adventure and mystery. I think Jo and Elliot are a more lowkey couple compared to the first two so don't expect much relationship drama or an intense build-up before they admit their feelings for one another. Like I said about The Dueling Duchess, if you're looking to read a something outside of a ballroom romance that's still set in the Regency era, then this is a great choice for you!

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

I was extremely fortunate to receive an ARC of The Cutthroat Countess from Netgalley.  This is another superhit by Minerva Spencer in her series with super talented (but of common birth) heroines who become ladies of high social standings. Elliot Wingate, an English agent has been in France working undercover. He is captured by the enemy and saved by the superb knife wielding  phenomena, Miss Josephine Brown, also known as Blade at the circus she works at. After saving his life,  the two travel back to England together and learn more about each other's past. Jo tells Elliot she is the daughter of an alleged traitor whose innocence she is trying to prove, and Elliot has to decide whether he can betray her trust or be silent to his superiors. The roller coaster rides they have, the action packed thrill had me literally holding my breath. This is absolutely a must read and though its part of a series, can be read as a stand alone. However,  reading the previous books helps with some of the other characters. A great read!

I’ll be honest this book did take me a little while to get into. It’s the third book in the Wicked Women of Whitechapel Series, so I feel like a lot of the characters have been covered in the previous 2 books.

Once I understood the characters and their connections to one another, I enjoyed the book. Jo is an independent woman having been left to fend for herself due to the death of her father, but she meets Elliot. Their connection is clear but Jo’s unsure on whether to trust him or remain alone.

The storyline lost me in parts, but overall I really enjoyed the book