Elizabeth Everett is the queen of unapologetically in-your-face feminist historical romances as far as I'm concerned. Smart heroines who are willing to defy social expectations, plus competent heroes who need to work to deserve them is a winning combination. And this one was set in an apothecary, which has got to be the one of the best settings for any book. I just wish she'd given Lucy a bit more of a break!

✨This book and every character in this book: “He’s ugly. That man is UGLY. That is not a handsome man!” Which I, for one, found to be hilarious and beautiful. Definitely gave a Lisa-Kleypas-describing-Westcliff-vibe lol.✨

Okay, I definitely feel like I have an unpopular opinion right now! Don’t get me wrong, I loved a lot about this book, I’m also just conflicted about a lot of this book. I’m happy my opinion seems to be in the minority though, because Elizabeth is a wonderful writer and the themes are deeply important. So before we get into my spoiler portion, of which there are many, I want to highlight all that I loved about this book.

To begin, if your favorite book in the Secret Scientists of London series is A Lady’s Formula for Love, I think you’ll really appreciate the pacing and romance dynamic set up here. It really made me want to revisit Arthur and Violet again, since I do love Everett’s mature and unconventional characters. The Love Remedy is a bit of a slower and more mellow burn, but the payoff was definitely not.

Elizabeth definitely read my MIND when it came to the sex scenes. Literally, the first scene when Thorne was asking Lucy to “let go,” I was like I think we need some bondage or sensory stuff like a blindfold to really help focus/unfocus her mind, and what did we get??? Her tied to the bed and blindfolded in the next scene! It was so perfect. The sex scenes were super hot

I also loved that Thorne was a single father with sexy spectacles with a good head for account books. I really enjoy seeing characters interacting with spunky and smart children, and Sadie was so charming. I can’t wait to see her grow throughout this and maybe future series! She also helped soften some of Thorne’s rougher edges (for me). She was always a bright moment in the book.

I think if I reread this via audiobook, I’ll have a better experience the second time around and maybe even round up my rating. I didn’t have much time the past week to read this, so it took me ten days to finish. I was reading bits and pieces, so that combined with a rather slow, character-driven plot made it hard to finish. That’s partly on me, so I do wish I read this via audio the first time around. There were so many wonderful parts of this book, I just either wasn’t really the right audience or not in the mood for the type of romance this was.

All of this (and that below) being said, I read the teaser for book two and let me tell YOU. We as a society are not prepared for that book!!! I’M SO STOKED. I’ve literally been wondering about the potential since book one. I’m shook.


⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️🌶️.5/5


Warning: Below is a very long review which may not even make much sense until you read the book. I probably don’t even recommend reading this half of the review until after you’ve read the book. I had to include several spoilers, including who stole her recipe, because I’ve just been left rather confused. All thoughts are my own and hopefully illustrate how the book made ME feel, rather than what the book was trying to convey—because the message of this book remains super important!!!

***This review contains spoilers below this point.***

It was an important book but it was also a heavy book. Poor Lucy was just so downtrodden by those nasty Guardians of Domesticity and the way that father who lost the child reacted? I just didn’t enjoy having take the misogynistic slander from yet another man for something out of her control. Did that father ever get told what an ass he was being? No, Lucy just had to sit there and take it. And she didn’t even open up to anyone about what happened, not even the hero! Literally devastating.

And then a young side character got raped—yes to show the importance of women’s healthcare—but it just made me even more sad. I think we could’ve still had those important conversations if, let’s say, a condom broke, rather than her being forced to have sex without protection. She was having a consensual encounter until she realized they didn’t have protection; she wanted him to stop, he didn’t.

She was a young woman and seeing the change in her character after was just so disheartening in the middle of the book. This was included to show that it was good for sexually active young women to be educated about prevention and abortions if necessary, and to show some of the hero’s lack of awareness…but I’m sorry women already lost a lot in this book and nothing was ever really done to any of the horrible men? I wasn’t really inspired, just sad, especially knowing where we are currently as a society.

I admire Elizabeth so much for writing this book—which was a direct response to abortion bans, politicians interfering in a woman’s right to choose, etc—but it really just illustrated (to me) how powerless it felt to be a woman then and honestly now. Don't get me wrong, I want all of the abortion access and women's health conversations to be in this book. I just also wanted Lucy to punch the shit out of a guardian of domesticity. Just one little punch! Or maybe some light poison! And for Thorne to K/O Timmy because nothing happened to him! Maybe he didn’t realize not using contraception against Katie’s will was rape but???? He deserves to be at least reprimanded!! So he doesn’t hurt someone else!!

✨

Thorne was kind of an oddity to me. In a book about strong women making decisions about their bodies, he was written to in part push back on Lucy and Juliet’s work. He started the book rigid and it took him very long to change…if he did. He was also a bit religious which wasn’t bad, but it was a bit jarring. I get the juxtaposition of specific religions and abortion, but it just seemed like another layer of things to unpack that were never unpacked.

While I think Thorne ultimately came around to supporting Lucy, it was never really discussed? She was mad at him for a bit but then he realized “love can be easy” and got Katie to enroll in science school and apparently that was it? Does he actually support the sexual health education? I guess it’s realistic, but again, I wanted to feel a bit more empowered? He seemed like a good guy, but did I like him? I don’t really know.

Now, onto Lucy. Oh Lucy, I just want to give you a hug. And then I want to give you a SHAKE. Because how can you look me in the eyes and tell me the premise of this book is based on her hard work being stolen by a man and her desperately wanting it back (because he’s already stolen and profited from her other ideas) and have the mystery end like THAT. Again major spoilers, but her sister literally stole the formula, gave half to the same sniveling MAN hoping that he would be convinced to marry Lucy to get the rest of the formula so she would be happy??? And then she just wasn’t really reprimanded? Because once again Lucy just gave in and forgave her for the better good. It the most polite way, what the FUCK.

I guess Juliet had good intentions, but seriously? It made me so angry and she barely got a slap on the wrist and Lucy was still considering marrying the dude to get it back. Like??? She was blaming herself for not asking for help from her siblings when they didn’t want to help her! She needed to be more selfish, but she suffered from “eldest sister in a historical romance syndrome” which meant sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice. I guess I just really wanted Lucy to yell REALLY LOUDLY at someone. ANYONE. I’ve got a lot of rage and I thought this book would help expel some of it, but alas it kind of created more.

It seriously felt like she was going to let Duncan keep the recipe until Thorne got it back. After all that, the entire book, she was closer to marrying him for the recipe than anything else. She probably wouldn’t have gone through with it, but it still made me sad she even had to consider it that late in the book.

✨

Which brings me to my next point of, why lord WHY did we introduce that plotline of literally both main characters entertaining the ideas of marrying OTHER PEOPLE at like eighty percent of the book. Yes it illustrated what they ultimately loved in each other over the other “right” choices, but I was just so tired at that point. It’s a book where it felt like not much happened but also so much happened, simultaneously.

It was very slow burn and then after they finally got together after many many pages, they for some reason started considering offers of marriage from OTHER people! Bad people! Annoying people! Why??? Took the steam right out of me, and right out of their romance. And then when we got around all of that, Thorne still didn’t believe in love and was still thinking they couldn’t be together. Why? I couldn’t tell ya.

Also, there was no epilogue, so when Thorne suddenly made the shift to accepting love, the book just ended. I just wasn’t entirely convinced they were a compatible couple. I can’t really remember a lot of deep conversations between them, and I’d have liked to see a glimpse into their future life together, to see how they cohabitate. How is Lucy as a mother to Sadie? What’s their day-to-day dynamic? Does Thorne keep bookkeeping or is he still an agent?

✨


Thanks so much to the author and publisher for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.

A man from a genteel background and a woman with everything to lose? It's a story as old as time, but Everett gave us one of my favorite romances of 2024 so far!! Women-in-STEM meets a slow-burn romance with a touch of mystery!

-- Thoughts: One of the things I really loved about this historical fiction romance is that it's the first time I've read from a gentleman's perspective on how they were wrong to look down on a woman for her start in life. Thorne's past is somewhat murky, and even though he's on the straight and narrow now for his daughter - I loved his growth! Lucinda was also a great character to get to know because she felt so strong and unassuming. The way she handled rowdy customers with grace? Certainly, a character to admire!

Whenever I get an advanced reader copy - I always give it around 30% before I really decide I don't like it. The beginning of The Love Remedy almost had me giving up on it because it felt like so much happened in such a short period of time and I wasn't loving the cadence of Everett's storytelling. If this happens to you - keep going!! I ended up really enjoying Lucinda and Thorne's romance!!

**Thank you to Berkley Romance & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

This one was a fun read! I love how there was an added mystery to the story. The family dynamics were great and the romance was so sweet. I loved seeing older MC's and one with kid too!

I love the way Elizabeth does important topics in the historical romance setting that aren't usually there!!

The sharp-tongued heroine, tight-knit found family, believable act of redemption by a hero who at first appeared infallible, and edgy scenes of intimacy, made me desperate to inhale the next installment.

Absolutely brilliant and impeccably executed.

Recommended for fans of Evie Dunmore, Joanna Shupe and Sarah Maclean.

Full review on Bookbub and Goodreads.

What will happen when a Victorian apothecary meets a grumpy private investigator and seeks his help to solve her predicament? Much more of what they bargained for. "The Love Remedy" presents an unlikely romance and a mystery to solve.

Our FMC, Lucinda Peterson, owns an apothecary she was betrayed and also robbed of her life's work. Time is of the essence to recover her new medicine formula. And trust in any man is quite impossible. But without any choice she has to ask Jonathan Thorpe, to solve her case.
Will our FMCs solve the mystery? And how will they manage their sizzling attraction to each other? You have to find out!

Once again, Everett gifts the reader with a delicious, well-researched and developed historical romance written to perfection. If you like this genre with a little bit of politics and science to the mix, this book is definitely for you.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Elizabeth Everett & Berkley for this ARC!

DNF at 61%

Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish this book. It was slow, and I didn’t care much for either of the main characters, though I did appreciate the feminist themes and the women-in-stem representation. The romance was not my favorite, and it overshadowed the mystery of Lucy’s missing cure, which was what I found most interesting. I think part of the reason I didn’t enjoy this is that it’s a historical romance. I’m much more used to contemporary fiction so this felt odd. The writing was different than I’m used to, and I could not connect to anything — the characters, the story, the setting, etc. However, I think those that enjoy historical fiction/historical romances may enjoy this more.

The Love Remedy by Elizabeth Everett is the first book in a new STEM historical romance series, releasing March 19 from Berkley. Definitely snap this one up and pre-order! It has an interesting mystery, compelling characters, and a superb slow-burn romance.

Lucy Peterson runs a Victorian London apothecary. Unusual for the time, it had been left to her by her father. When the formula for her new croup treatment disappears, Lucy suspects it was stolen by her former beau and competitor, who had previously stolen a different formula and became wealthy from it. Lucy is determined to get the second formula back and hires a private investigator to track it down.

Jonathan Thorne is an investigator with a shadowy past. Initially, he isn’t interested in Lucy’s case. However, he quickly finds himself charmed by her and takes it. He moonlights as her bookkeeper in order to poke around without suspicion from customers or employees. Their working relationship quickly turns to friendship as they find solace in each from the difficulties in their personal lives. Slowly, over burning the midnight oil, their friendship becomes something more.

The book was a joy to read, both characters were interesting with lots of personality and the chemistry between them was strong and well-written. Thorne is an unconventional romance hero. He’s ugly (in the truest sense, poor guy) and in his mid-thirties when most romance heroes are handsome and significantly younger. He does have that “darkening your doorstep” shadowy appeal to him. Additionally, he is a single dad and a huge softy for his young daughter.

Lucy works herself to the bone and takes on way too much, and always worries about everyone else first. Like Thorne, she is flawed but relatable. My favorite part about her is how she is intelligent with an analytical mind but is completely BEWILDERED by her attraction to Thorne. Not because of his appearance, but because attraction in general is nonsensical and she tries to figure out what, exactly, causes it. Of course, she is only human, and can only resist it for so long.

Thank you to Berkley Romance and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book.

📣a historical with great chemistry & an apothecary heroine who’s a champion for her female patients

📖 let’s use autofill with the title: The love remedy is ______. Mine is: The love remedy is not just a simple solution 🤣.

Thanks to the publisher for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

The chemistry in The Love Remedy by Elizabeth Everett totally worked for me, from the second moment our hero sees our heroine—her body is stuck half in & half out of a building she’s attempting to break into—to the 🔥 scenes throughout the book. Woohoooo.

How these characters are portrayed is part of the magic. Lucy’s a beautiful apothecary who creates some of her own antidotes & champions all of her patients, particularly the female ones who have to bear the weight of so much & oftentimes are denied autonomy over their own bodies.

Thorne is not conventionally unattractive, a former prizefighter with brawn whose voice is raspy & who rarely smiles & who needs to remember how to have (responsible) fun. He’s also a single dad.

In so many ways this is a verdant delight of a book, but the thing that keeps me from going into raptures is that I just wanted more external displays of romance for our heroine. The hero does a lot of internally lusting & feeling & there is a gesture at the end, but I felt like she deserved more throughout the book.

That’s partly because she’s characterized so beautifully & I came to like her *so* much.

This is a good one though & I give all the yays for working-class leads!

4 ⭐️. Out 03/19.

Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.

[ID: Jess, a white woman wearing a gray sweater over a green & white dress, holds an ebook. Below is her reddish-brown & white dog & a dark wood floor.]

I really enjoyed watching Lucy and Thorne grow. I love the single dad trope. It’s nice seeing strong father figures portrayed.

I enjoy Everett's scientist heroines; they are flawed and brilliant and this one in particular was fun to root for. The hero is properly flawed as well, physically and mentally and together, they are so much fun to watch as they find their footing as a couple and helping each other start to move forward again. As always, a fun cast of supporting characters are also along for the ride. My one beef, which is the same issue I write about with 95% of romances is one solid conversation would solve most of the conflict in the story. But this story doesn't drag that out too long that it gets annoying. I also always enjoy the historical conflicts in these stories; this one addresses women in the health professions and abortion in the 1840s.

Good book. It’s about a woman apothecary- Lucy, who loses her remedy for coup, and hires an investigator to find it. Thorne used to be a prizefighter but now he’s an investigator who has responsibilities such as a daughter. I enjoyed this book, you really got to know the characters as well as the secondary characters. It definitely had more weight than regular historical romances and I liked it. A must read!

I loved Elizabeth Everett's Secret Scientists of London series and was excited to dig into this new, somewhat connected series. This first entry brings back a lot of what I loved about that series - brilliant women, mystery subplots, romance, smashing the patriarchy - but removes it from the setting of Athena's Retreat and expands the world a bit. The female main character here is Lucinda (Lucy) Peterson, a female apothecary in London who is struggling to keep the family apothecary business afloat. She inherited the business at 18 when her parents passed away from cholera, and has been running it ever since, trying to keep it successful enough to support her siblings as well. At the start of this story, Lucy is angry at Duncan Rider, the son of another London apothecary who courted Lucy, convinced her to give him her recipe for throat lozenges, claimed it as his own, and is now reaping the financial rewards. She thinks he might have stolen another recipe of hers as well, a treatment for croup, and she hires private investigator Jonathan Thorne to investigate. Jonathan and his 9 year old daughter Sadie come to live in a flat above the Peterson's while he investigates, and he and Lucy find themselves inconveniently attracted to one another. I really loved Lucy, Thorne, and Sadie, and was rooting for everyone in this book to get a happily ever after. Also, this was very pointedly in favor of reproductive justice, and that was a huge bonus for me.

Historical romance with very modern sensibilities. Lucy runs an apothecary with her siblings dispensing not only medicines and curatives, but also advice and care. When she foolishly shares her lozenge formula with her competitor he runs right to market and cuts her out of much needed profits. So when her next formula goes missing she hires an agent to investigate her finances and try to find the formula. Thorne agrees to help Lucy in exchange for a small fee, and lodging for himself and his daughter in the 3rd floor apartment above the apothecary, with the siblings living on the second floor. As he puts the Apothecary's books in order, he sees exactly how hard Lucy works, and she comes to see how trustworthy and caring he is, they both begin to yearn, but it doesn't end there.
Feel how you want about imposing modern sensibilities on historical settings, I really enjoyed seeing the perspective of people living outside of the wealth and opulence usually pushed in these novels. Lucy's character was hardworking, interesting, and was shouldering a lot more responsibility than the average debutante. Thorne was initially very rigid, having drawn so many boundaries to make his life work, that it took time and development for him to let some go. Steamy sex scenes spice things up.
Thank you to NetGally, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own. I cannot wait to recommend this title to my library patrons looking for historical romance.

Elizabeth Everett continues to deliver thoughtful, suspenseful, steamy and entertaining novels about smart women in Victorian England. Lucy is a trained apothecary who inherited her family business from her father. She feels the pressure of keeping the store afloat for her brother and sister, both of whom are very interested in healthcare and supporting the needs of their London neighborhood but not necessarily the day-to-day running of the shop. After a feckless lover steals one of Lucy's formulas for a lozenge, she hires Thorne to get it back. Thorne is a nobleman turned pugilist drunkard turned straitlaced single father, and there is a lot about Lucy that raises his hackles as well as his protective instincts. With a nicely unfolded romance and a interesting commentary on absolutist thinking, The Love Remedy is well worth taking.

Lucy has perfected a formula for croup, and she needs it to be able to salvage her apothecary. Too bad she can’t find it anywhere. She thinks that the rival apothecary has taken it, so she hires a private investigator, Jonathan Thorne, to help.

Thorne is intrigued by this case. As he and Lucy work side by side, they get closer and closer. As the truth unravels around them, they realize they must face the future together.

This book had a lot of things to love, feminist topics and spice! Sign me up! I love reading books about apothecaries and this one did not disappoint. While it did take me a while to connect to Lucy, once I did, I didn’t want to let her go and I loved her. Lucy was such an advocate for women’s rights, and she was so advanced for her time, I really enjoyed it. The male main character, Thorne, was also great. Single fathers who are involved in their children’s lives hold a soft spot in my heart and I adored him. Their relationship had some ups and downs, but it was a great journey. Sometimes I struggle with Victorian era romance, but that wasn’t the case here because it was so well written. I loved how the social issues with portrayed and brought to light within the pages and this was such a great story overall.

Thank you so much to Berkley @Berkleypub, Berkley Romance @Berkleyromance and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to berkley and netgalley for the ARC!

Upon first glance I knew I had to read this. Feminist concepts, an apothecary, medicine, and spice?! Sold. And I hope to check out more by the author

While it took me a bit to connect to the MMC, I appreciated the FMC background and her views. I love anything with an apothecary and this was the perfect romantic twist. The spice was a smidge awkward but it was perfectly appropriate for the era… if not a bit dirty 😳

Highly recommend if you like spice and drama with a bit of apothecary/herbalism 🥰

Oh my Goddess! I did not want this book to end, please give me more from this author! If you have a natural witchy side the apothecary will make you so happy. Set in Britian with political intrigue and a streak of feminist rage, the main character must find a cure to their issues and work together.

⭐️ 4 /5
🌶️ 1.5 /5

I’m so happy to be back in Elizabeth Everrett’s historical STEMinist romance era, and it did not disappoint. And as always, her writing is so easy to read. Just like the previous series (The Secret Scientists of London) “The Love Remedy” also tackles a very important topic that remains timely and relevant to this day including women’s right to their bodies and their fight to be recognized for their own work.  

I love our female lead, Lucy—she’s strong willed and a great advocate for women’s right. She didn’t curl up rather was determined to fight. Meanwhile, MMC Thorne is a grumpy, single dad—yes please!  
 
The ratio between the historical topic and romance wasn’t 1:1 but it was captivating, and overall,  I enjoyed it. Plus that spice 🥵
 
Thank you to Elizabeth Everrett, Penguin Random House and Netgalley for this eARC.

I enjoyed The Love Remedy! I love Victorian England and adore how the author included so many informative tidbits about what life would be like in that era. The growth and love between the characters was also lovely. The only thing that I wish I could change about it was that it felt pretty political. It is the author's prerogative to write whatever they want to write, but I personally do not want to read someone's political standpoints on hot-button issues when I am reading fiction. I just want to escape into a story without being bombarded with political/ideological debates between characters when we are already bombarded with it in the real world. So, that would take it from an easily 5 Star book to a 3.5-4 Star. I still will recommend this, but with some stipulations.

There should also be trigger warnings included for sexual assault, infant loss, and abortion since these are all highly sensitive issues for several individuals. Please consider adding this in the front matter of the book.