Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the provided ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“Rule number two is that you must never base your worth on what others think of you. None of us are perfect. Some of us are not even what we seem.”

Emily, a governess working as a spy with a dark past falls in love with ex-soldier police detective, Zach, who hunts killers in Victorian London. Both of them are hunting the same killer, but Emily’s secret past just might hinder his career and their romance.

I found this book to be a fun, steamy historical romance with a Criminal Minds-esque subplot. The female protagonist was very relatable and the chemistry between the two love interests was great. The spice was steaming in this one and I really loved how the topic of consent was broached in a historical romance setting. My biggest critique of this was that the writing and dialogue was extremely modern for the setting and really took me out of it a few times. There were also a couple of sections that seemed a little info dumpy and cheesy like a villain monologue scene in a cartoon. But it truly was a fun romp and I would read the next book to see how the author improves as a writer.

Never Blow a Kiss is a fun ride of an historical romance. Emily is the daughter of a con woman/thief/prostitute. Emily worked her way into the role of a governess, for which she is not qualified. However, she is noticed by a mysterious figured known as The Dove, and is recruited into a ring of governesses who spy on the ton to help bring the cruelest and most criminal of their ranks to justice. I was all in from the very beginning.

Emily encounters Zach, the son of a butcher who is a retired soldier and self-made millionaire now working for the Metropolitan Police as a detective constable heading the search for a serial killer known as The Evangelist. (IKR?) They are drawn to each other immediately, Zach harder and faster, and there is a dance of wills that begins. Emily has secrets beyond The Dove and her mother which she feels keeps her from finding love.

Zach and Emily work towards finding the killer, together and separately. There are schemes and moments of peril and sexy times and emotional moments.

I love the idea of governess spies and enjoyed this story immensely. I needed something that was smart, full of heart and also entertaining and Never Blow a Kiss provided that in spades. I cannot wait until the next book in the series.

Thank you to Forever, NetGalley and the author for the advance reader copy. All opinions are solely my own.

Never Blow A Kiss is a highly entertaining historical romance featuring a feisty heroine and a dashing hero who both light up the pages! Neither Emily nor Zach are from the nobility, which is a refreshing change from most historical romance novels. Emily is a governess with a very shady past, and Zach is a very wealthy man, a former soldier, who is now leading a police investigation to catch a murderer. Their encounters sparkle with wit, humor and warmth (and quite a bit of heat!) and the intrigue and danger that surrounds them adds another compelling layer. This is the first of a series featuring governess-spies, and I'm excited to read the rest!

Never Blow a Kiss is an intriguing historical romance featuring a network of governess spies and the hunt for a serial killer too. In Lindsay Lovise’s debut, she combines engaging characters with a plot that keeps readers turning page after page.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Emily put her life of poverty behind her, and is working as a governess for the aristocracy. She’s also part of an undercover network of governesses who share information and help fight crimes. Zach is a military veteran turned railroad magnate who now works for the new London police force. The two meet while Zach is searching for a serial killer. But once he meets Emily, he’s equally impressed by her sass and her knife skills. For her part, Emily is attracted to Zach, but also knows she has too many secrets to pursue a relationship. But as the two grow closer and continue to search for a killer, can they manage to keep their hands to themselves?

I really enjoyed this book! I love the conceit of a network of governess spies, who are perfectly situated in the homes of the ton, definitely not family members, but not accepted by members of the staff either. Their situation is ideal for information gathering, and Emily’s background only makes her a more valuable informant. This book involves both romance and mystery/suspense, but definitely leans more into the romance.

Zach and Emily are both fascinating and intelligent characters, and it’s easy to see why they fall for each other. And they have chemistry that jumps off the page! I also enjoyed both their roles as outsiders among the ton, which sets this story apart from other historical romances. My only slight quibble is that Zach seems to be flawless; even when he occasionally overreacts to a piece of information, he quickly realizes his error.

Never Blow a Kiss is a great start to a new series. If you are a historical romance fan who likes a bit of spying and intrigue too, definitely check out Lindsay Lovise’s debut. Now, I can’t wait to find out what The Secret Society of Governess Spies investigate next!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lindsay Lovise has written an excellent melding of romance and mystery in Never Blow a Kiss. Her character's had depth and their backstories were not only rich in detail but very compelling to their actions within the novel.

I LOVED Zach! How quickly he fell for Emily. How much he respected her and what she was capable of. How as he learned more and more about her past and what she was keeping hidden from the world, instead of it outwardly repulsing him, it made him want her more and more. Which as I mentioned above, I believe his backstory really allowed for him to think this way. And unlike a lot of stories where the heroine is capable of doing everything, there weren't times when Zach was believing Emily shouldn't be chasing after a suspect down an alley, he admired her for it.

I adored Emily and the complexity of her character. How despite her past actions she was able to find a way to make her life the best she could with what she had. How even though she was wary of joining a ring of governess spies, she did so in order to atone in a way for her past.

There were a lot of plot elements working simultaneously throughout this novel, and not once did I feel as though any of the subplots took away from not only the romance, which remained the focus, but from the story itself. Lovise was magical in the way she wove everything together to create such a great story.

Emily is a governess with little training and a fake identity who is approached one day by a woman called the Dove, who runs a network of governess spies. Emily gets placed into a household specifically to uncover more information about the aristocrats who live there. Meanwhile, Zach is an ex-military man turned wealthy detective looking for a serial killer in town. Zach and Emily are constantly bumping into each other, flirting with each other, and well on their way to developing a relationship. Except that Emily is keeping secrets about her not-so-pleasant past and thinks that it will ruin Zach’s reputation and career to be associated with her. While the hunt for the serial killer continues, Emily and Zach’s relationship also gets stronger and they become more enamoured and entangled with each other. This book kept me reading to find out Emily’s big secret and to uncover the big villain of the story.

Wow, this was so good! This historical romance/mystery was unexpected, highly entertaining and left me eager for the next book!
Emily is a governess and not a good one but she is getting by and hoping no one finds out about her past. Then she gets pulled into a network of governesses run by The Dove. This network spices on the Ton in order to help protect women. At the moment the one they need protection from is a person named “The Evangelist” who has been killing women.
Zach is a very wealthy man with a shining past full of struggle, sacrifice and a good reputation. He is also working for the police department to try and solve these murder cases. One night, across a crowded ballroom he sees a fetching woman, who blows him a kiss.

I haven't read a historical romance in a bit, but the details of the plot caught my eye. Let me tell you, I couldn't put this book down. I had been in a reading slump for a while now, and this one just took off for me. I found the writing to be well paced, the action and romance the perfect mix, and the characters were both on point. I think that Ms. Lovise was able to wrap up all the different plot and side plots very well and I wasn't left feeling that something was missing, instead I want to read the next one now!
I thoroughly enjoyed Emily and Zach romance and adventures and I can not wait to see what The Dove has next on her plate. This is definitely a five star read for me and I will be doing a re reading once the second book in the series comes out, if only to be part of this world for a bit longer.

4.5 stars
This is a fun, entertaining, captivating read. Emily and Zach are interesting, relatable, intriguing, entertaining characters. They captured my attention from the start and held it until the very end. I enjoyed their romance and the path they took to get to their HEA. I hope we get to see more of these two in the rest of the series. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. There is a lot packed into this story. The writing is easy to read and get into.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Delight of a debut, packed with passion, intrigue, danger, and revenge.

Lindsay Lovise has penned a rich, swirling historical background around an incredibly hooky premise – a Regency Charlie’s Angels meets Point of No Return, with a shadowy benefactor and a squadron of dangerous governesses with fake identities — pitting a governess spy with a devastating secret against a hard-nosed investigator who’d surely rethink his feelings for her if he knew what she’d done.

A page turner from beginning to end, and a new one–click historical romance powerhouse!

Laugh-out-loud funny, sexy, and incredibly fun. Emily and Zach are clever, likable, and so appealing. The start of a brilliant new series!

Wow, this story kept me on the edge of my seat. This is a very exciting book with mystery and romance tied in. Emily is a brave strong women with kindness that hides her internal strength. Zach adds to the story so well. Can’t wait for the next book!

I absolutely loved the start of this new series by Lindsay Lovise!

Emily and Zach were such vibrant and fun characters, with great banter and unusual backgrounds for a regency romance.

Zach grew up in poverty but after a successful military career and some excellent investments in the railroad business, he is now an investigator with the Metropolitan Police with an obscene fortune -- putting him squarely in the sights of some marriage-hungry mamas and their daughters. Emily also comes from a difficult past -- one she is running from by trying to be a governess. When she is approached by a mysterious woman named only "The Dove" and invited to join a network of household staffers who inform on peerage, part of her is excited to play a bigger role in the justice system while the other part of her dreads that her true past will come to light.

Emily and Zach are drawn to one another like moths to a flame, and not even a serial killer investigation can keep Zach from wanting to pursue this fiesty young governess. Emily knows she cannot be with Zach in truth because of her scandalous past, but she cannot fight the growing love and attraction she feels for him either. Both are working this investigation from their respective posts, which also puts them in danger of (1) being caught and (2) being targeted by the killer.

These characters were SO so good and the plot was a perfect blend of mystery, intrigue, and romance.

I really enjoyed this debut novel and first in the series. I find myself enjoying historical set romances lately. Something about the clothes and way of life then that makes it so much fun to read.

I loved the characters and how Emily was a modern-day woman in the 1800s. I felt the connection with her and Zach, and was rooting for them the whole time.

I'm really intrigued with the spy governess plot and the mysterious The Dove leader. I would have liked more of that in the story.. maybe the next installment will.

All in all, I really enjoyed this. It was a fun read with romance, gossip, murder, and mystery.

Thank you netgalley and publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review and opinions.

A fun Regency read about two people pretending to be something they aren't who band together with a bit of spice to fight crime and solve mysteries. That last sounds a bit over the top but that's sort of what happens. Zach made a pile of money but he's working as a detective for the London police trying to find a killer. Emily who grew up in a family of thieves is working as a governess but she's really an intelligence agent for Dove, collecting all sorts of information on the rich. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers from me but know that the two make a good pair and that this is a page turner

This book started off slowly for me; it took me a couple weeks to get through the first 40%. However, when I returned to it, I read the remaining 60% in a few hours. As a result, I’m not sure if my issues with the earlier part of the book were a problem with pacing or a problem with me.

What I do know is that the latter half of the book was highly engrossing, with characters I cared about—Emily and Zach were a great couple. The sex scenes were well done, which is saying something; lately, I’ve been skipping sex scenes in the romances I’m reading, because they feel so derivative and repetitive. That wasn’t the case here.

One slight criticism is that I did find the plot twists extremely predictable. Within the first couple chapters, I had predicted the major plot twists. That isn’t a dealbreaker for me; I read romance for romance, not mystery or suspense. But it is a little annoying when the big “mysteries” of a book are so obvious.

"Never Blow a Kiss" by Lindsay Lovise is a delightful Victorian romance that seamlessly combines wit, romance, and intrigue. Set in a world straddling the aristocratic "ton" and the working class, the story follows Emily Leverton, a governess with a dark past, and Zach, an ex-soldier turned railroad magnate who hunts killers for the Metropolitan Police.

Emily, a charming and intelligent governess, is recruited into a secret network of governesses who spy on the aristocracy. Determined to leave her troubled past behind, Emily embraces her new role with a blend of audacity and grace. Zach, a self-made man with a penchant for solving crimes, is captivated by Emily's brazen demeanor and is drawn into a whirlwind of romance and mystery.

The chemistry between Emily and Zach is palpable, and their banter adds a layer of charm to the narrative. Lovise skillfully weaves together a compelling love story with a suspenseful investigation, keeping the reader engaged throughout. The intrigue surrounding Zach's murder investigation adds depth to the plot, creating a perfect blend of romance and suspense.

The characters are well-developed, and Emily's street-smart personality shines through, making her a compelling and relatable protagonist. Zach's determination to solve crimes and his self-made success make him a captivating hero. The dynamics between the characters add richness to the story, and the exploration of Emily's dark secrets adds an extra layer of complexity.

The novel successfully captures the essence of the Victorian era, providing a vivid backdrop for the romance and mystery. The narrative unfolds with a perfect balance of humor, suspense, and romance, creating an engaging and thoroughly enjoyable read. As Emily and Zach navigate their complicated relationship and the secrets surrounding them, the story takes unexpected turns, keeping the reader hooked until the satisfying conclusion.

"Never Blow a Kiss" is a delightful addition to the Victorian romance genre, offering a fresh and entertaining take on love, intrigue, and self-discovery. Lindsay Lovise has crafted a compelling narrative with well-drawn characters, making this novel a must-read for fans of historical romance with a touch of mystery.

“You were saying the word noodles?”

My feelings about this debut novel are so complicated. I’d like to start by saying that I am really excited to read more by this author and more in this series! There is a lot of potential here, an interesting concept, and some really wonderful characters!
However, this book in itself has a lot of flaws. There’s this great concept of a group of governess spies- but we barely get any of that, it’s hardly touched on except for a few notes and missives. Then there’s a huge mysterious killing spree in town which should lead to a lot of excitement right? Nope, the book drags a ton. The chapters are really short which normally I would enjoy, but in this book it just felt like we were constantly changing scenes and never really getting anywhere.
The writing definitely feels unpolished and clunky in a lot of spots.
Then there was a whole scene where our main character Emily faints because she’s not used to wearing a corset. This is such blatant un-researched misinformation that I kind of hope it’s edited out of the final book. A properly fitting corset was more comfortable than a modern day bra, and I can’t imagine the Dove making her girls tight lace their corsets. (If you’re interested in more info on this please check out Bernadette Banner or Abby Cox). If this scene was changed to Emily fainting simply because of the heat and not at all because of the corset, I would have no issue at all.
But! The good! Emily and Zach are dynamic, beautiful characters who fit together in such a special way. They really feel meant for each other. Also the Dove is such a fun character and I look forward to seeing more of her. There are some twists I genuinely did not see coming. Even though this book tackles some very heavy, dark subject material, it never feels ubiquitous. In fact I’d say the harder themes are covered very well.
So overall, even though this book is nowhere near perfect, I really look forward to more by this author!


Star Rating: 3/5
Tropes: Governess, secret gang of spies
CW: Abuse, rape, SA, murder, violence, sex work, prejudice

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3/5. Releases 1/23/2024.

Vibes: plucky meets growly, "Miss Scarlet and The Duke", mystery, and Grace Callaway but make it tamer

Scrappy widow Emily Loverton is recruited into a spy network of governesses who make it their mission to collect secrets about the ton's elite. However, she runs into a snag when she catches the attention of the wealth and self-made Zach... just as he's on the hunt for a killer.

So. This did genuinely remind me of Grace Callaway (albeit with a lot less heat, though this is sexy and open door) which is always a good thing. The heroine is sassy and fun, the hero is like "oh my God woman will you just sit STILL" which is also enjoyable. But, and I hate to say this because I really dislike when people nitpick over this... it does have a very modern feel. To the point that even for me, it was a little much. And it really isn't so much Emily's job, or the vigilante stuff, and it obviously wasn't the sex. It was something in the writing style.

Which is why I think this will totally appeal to a ton of people. It just didn't quite work for me.

Quick Takes:

--Emily and Zach do have a really fun little interplay this is very romcom-y, and that's good because there is actually some pretty dark content here. Aside from the, you know, murders, Emily has a bit of a tragic backstory, and a really shitty past with her late husband. There's a bit of "relearning to love" in all of that, as well as a solid amount of "teaching her that sex can be healthy and fun", which I always like. I feel that Lovise treated the abuse with a gentle hand, but if that does trigger you, be on the lookout.

--I really appreciated that Emily and Zach aren't aristos. It's actually kind of rare to find a historical in which neither one of the leads is a true blueblood. It added to a sense of like.. understanding between them. And it made Zach hotter, for the record.

--What I really couldn't get into, like I said before, was the true modernity of the dialogue and writing. At points, it really felt like I was reading about a pair of twenty-first century leads, and I truly, REALLY hate to say that because it is one of my least favorite, often inaccurate critiques of historical romance novels.

But Emily and Zach do go back and forth with some pretty "today" verbiage. There are descriptions that just feels so incredibly... now. I don't want to give away too much, but there was a moment when the term "butt cheeks" was used... And look dude. I'm not a historian. For all I know, that was used at some point in the nineteenth century. Never say never. However, that took me out of the entire scene, (and I'll be honest--I don't super love that phrasing in contemporaries either because it does feel pretty immature to me, but that's a taste thing) and I couldn't really stop thinking about it for the rest of the book.

I actually don't know how much I blame the author for that, though? To me, it kind of read like she was trying her best to write a good historical romance with some mystery (and in a lot of ways she succeeded) but perhaps was not... enmeshed in the subgenre? Which is okay! I don't think you need to be an expert on the history of historical romance to write a solid historical. But I do kind of have questions, and at the end of the day that issue really could've been handled by an editor that was like "let's make this sound a little more antique". Easy fixes, honestly, but noticeable to the reader.

--All this being said, if you enjoy a fun, fast-paced (because it is very fast-paced) romance with some mystery, this could definitely work for you. I can see MacLean fans who want something a little less mired in the historical enjoying this. I can see people who like Grace Callaway but want something lower heat enjoying this.

The Sex:

That said, while this isn't high heat, I wouldn't call it low heat either. There are some good sex scenes (aside from that one word choice). I really enjoyed reading Emily learning about oral sex. To me, there's a real guilty pleasure to a "widow knows some sex but not good sex" book, and this did that well.

While it wasn't for me, I don't want to suggest that Never Blow a Kiss was bad. With a few tweaks, I think it could be a lot stronger. That said, there is an audience for this, and I'm sure they'll get a kick out of it.

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

Absolutely stunning debut!

4.5 Stars!!

This book has everything I’ve been loving about historical romance! Working class main characters, a mystery, secrets, and so much more! The author did a fantastic job balancing everything that occurred in the book and tying it all together.

Zach and Emily have excellent chemistry, their banter is top notch, and the way that Zach absolutely falls over himself for her is just *chefs kiss*. And don’t even get me started on the nick name he gives her. *swoon*

I absolutely cannot wait to read the next book in this series (and more from the author)!