Thank you to the publisher for the advanced reading copy!

I rated it 3.75/5 stars, which rounds up to 4.

Dr. Emily Clarke is tired of being seen as half a physician and treated as a nurse after years of training in the hospital. When a friend of her brother's shows up, with a pregnant unmarried woman in tow, she is vehemently against taking on an obstetric patient, in fear of being stuck in the specialty moving forward.

When Jo Smith finds her husband's mistress is with child, she fears she will be cast out of her home and divorced. In an attempt to prove useful, she sets about finding a doctor who will take in a woman pregnant under unusual circumstances, but when she meets the doctor in question, she is more excited to ruffle some feathers.

This was an adorable, historical sapphic romance novel. I was not aware of the politics and social movements occurring in the 1880s in England, but they played a hefty role in the inter-workings of the relationships in this novel, as well as the climax; though the climax felt a little underwhelming. I did not expect the end to be the end, and the moment I expected to be the tipping point to the resolution was a brief conversation on both counts, one of which did not occur on page. (This book does not contain the miscommunication trope between the two main characters, nor a third-act breakup.) Thankfully, the conflict occurs separately for the two main characters and focuses on issues with the other people in their lives rather than one another, which I always find refreshing in a romance novel. Though Jo was rather childish at times, I think that she and Emily balanced one another in terms of their personality traits and flaws.

All in all, I enjoyed the read. I recently found historical romance and it is so lovely to read one with a cast of queer characters.

A Bluestocking's Guide to Decadence is the third of Jess Everlee's books that follows a lovely found family in London and their adventures and relationships. This book follows Jo as she gets into a relationship with Dr. Emily Clarke, who takes some time to warm up to her.

I did enjoy this book quite a bit- the way that Emily and Jo played off one another was quite amusing to see, especially when it resulted in banter between the two of them. It was also lovely to once again see Noah, David, Charlie, and Miles from the past books in this series. Unfortunately, out of the three I think this one was my least favorite- which is not to say that it is bad by any means. I still greatly enjoyed this book and loved seeing Jo and Emily grow together, especially when the women of the Wisteria society were involved. Overall I am glad that we got to see Jo's story finally, and even to learn more of her husband and his partner.

When Jo's husband's lover gets pregnant (relationship status it's very complicated) Jo wants to try to help. Enter Dr. Emily Clarke, working in a woman's hospital having her status be questioned by the male doctors that she works with Emily is seeking to widen her client list. Jo and Emily meet and it's not the best first impression but there's an undercurrent of something and when Emily takes on Vanessa as a patient things get even more interesting between Emily and Jo. I loved the letter writing aspect of their relationship. Courting via mail is a bit of a secret love of mine. I also love the inclusion of Jo's Lady's Club. A sweet, fun, sexy romp.

This book hooked me in from the first chapter. I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

I love all the ways this connected to Jess Everlee's first two books in this series (it seems to be the trend these days with romance series and it almost always works on me) but I wasn't as attached to this couple. Even despite their initial negative meeting, they fall in love a little too quickly for my personal tastes and the book was too short to delve into any truly interesting conflict. I like Jo a lot as a character and her B-plot with the Beast is probably my favorite part of this book (especially since it's a continuation of her plot in the first book of this series) but Emily didn't compell me as much and her whole arc was fairly meh.

this book had so much potential to be a slay, but it simply id not live up to the expectations. i didn't believe the love story, i didn't really care about the characters, the sub-plot of the pregnant woman just wasn't super intriguing. overall a flop though i am sad to say so

I have really liked the first two books in this series and was so excited for the third, especially since it was sapphic! There were some things I liked a lot - I liked the relationship between Jo and Emily most and loved seeing cameos from the characters from the other books.

Some of my issues with this book are probably on me - I'm struggling eye reading right now which is an uphill battle. But ultimately at some point, I really lost the plot of this book and just...didn't care enough to find it. I couldn't tell you what happens from the police raid to the end of the book - I feel like there was just far too much going on (though again, that might be my current reading issues.

3.5 Stars. Thank you to Harlequin and Netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a fun story. Emily and Jo are very different in personality and lifestyle, and instantly clash upon meeting. However, as they get to know each other better, they discover a mutual attraction, and that aspects of their individual lifestyles are of value. Emily’s life could use more decadence, while Jo’s life could use a little more stability and predictability. They also have let their pasts and fears limit them. There is a very colorful accompanying cast.

As someone who didn’t really love Jess Everlee’s first romance novel, I had low expectations for this book, but was intrigued due to it being a sapphic historical. This book, however, was so much more engaging than Jess Everlee’s prior books– I think sapphic is her niche!
Fans of Olivia Waite will absolutely devour this wonderful, swoonworthy sapphic historical romance.

A sweet romance about opposite personalities attracting. I also particularly enjoyed Everlee's focus on the other important relationships in both Jo and Emily's lives. I didn't think the writing of the steamy scenes was as effective as the first two books in this series. Overall a nice addition to the series, although not my favorite!

Thank you to Harpercollins and Netgalley for the free arc in exchange for a honest review!

I've always been a fan of queer historical romances, seeing how each individuals queerness is incorporated into a historical romance context is always really interesting!

Jo and Emily finding a way to be together and the found family trope was really sweet as well.

I didn't feel the characters chemistry overall, but I think it's important to address that everyone spectrums and views of chemistry are totally different. So although it wasn't the perfect amount for me, it could totally be for someone else!

The characters are incredibly interesting and worth reading about if you enjoy reading sapphic historical romances with a hint of humor and forbidness.

I adore unique premises (especially in historicals) and this one absolutely delivers! I loved that one of love interests is part of a lavender marriage. That was such a cool aspect to include. My favorite part of queer historical romances is watching the characters carve out a life that works for them so that they can be boldly themselves. This was especially satisfying in this story because Jo and Emily find a way to be a family in a way that works for them (even if others wouldn't understand their dynamic). It was a mostly queer cast so thankfully the homophobia was minimal.

I can't quite articulate what didn’t work for me but the book didn’t fully come together for me. The characters had strong motivations and interesting backstories and I cared about them all individually but I found that I didn't really care about the romance as much and found myself skimming towards the end. It's unfortunate because there's so much else to love about this book. I know from reading other reviews that other people loved the chemistry so I think this is just a case of this being a great book, but it didn't quite hit for me personally. I'm so glad I read it though because the premise is fantastic and watching queer people find queer joy in circumstances that aren't always conducive to it is always inspiring.

A Bluestocking's Guide to Decadence is one of those books that is so good that it makes it hard to read, because you simply don't want it to end. It's one of those five star books that gives you the urge to go and lower the rating of a bunch of other books, because there's simply no way that they can be on the same level of this one.

The concept of this novel is hilarious, yet compelling: what if a butch lesbian in a lavender marriage fell in love with her husband's girlfriend's obstetrician when the girlfriend accidentally becomes pregnant? In all my rambling to friends, family, coworkers, and random booksellers about town that I've done while reading this, that description has always brought about a laugh. It's ingenious, really, and I salute Jess Everlee for not only coming up with the idea, but for following it through in a delightful romp that I'm never going to be able to stop thinking about.

This novel is the perfect example of what I look for in queer historical fiction. Homophobia and transphobia are a part of the story, yes, and don't go unacknowledged, but they're not the focus of the internal or external conflict of the novel. Emily and Jo's families and friends are endlessly supportive, and the novel shows such an intriguing and fun view into the queer subculture prevalent in England in this time. Noncomformity comes in all sorts of different ways in this book, and each and every one of them is a delight to read about.

I cannot shout this book's praises enough. I've not read the first two in this loosely connected series, but I need to, right this second. Everlee's writing is engrossing, exciting, and shimmers with chemistry between our two leads. It may be only March, but I anticipate that this will be one of, if not the, best romance novels of 2024.

An eARC was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good historical romance and this book was perfect for what I needed. I loved the romance between them and found the characters to be so fun to follow

A delightful slow burn historic romance novel. Dr. Emily is a very proper women, trying to get ahead by playing by the rules in hopes that it will get her treated as an equal to the male drs. Jo walks around in men's clothing and her husband prints smut. What happen's when Jo's husband's paramour ends up pregnant and needs the help of a doctor?

Really enjoyable romance with a fantastic cast of characters. I had not read the previous books in this series but this works well as a standalone.

I'll admit I had a bit of a tough time with this one. The first third nearly made me dnf, before I got to the middle (which I thoroughly enjoyed), but then I felt let down again by the ending. I think part of my issue was that I didn't really connect with either main character in a meaningful way -- there wasn't anything wrong with them, they're well-written, I just didn't click.

Even though I didn't enjoy this one as much as past entries, I absolutely plan to continue with this series!

A Bluestocking's Guide to Decadence, set in Victorian London, follows bookshop owner Jo Smith and Dr. Emily Clarke and how the two come to meet. When Jo's husband (a technicality) and business partner Paul's lover Vanessa becomes pregnant Jo overstates her midwife ability. Seeking out professional help leads Jo and Vanessa to a visit with Dr. Clarke and the (light) enemies to lovers arc between Jo and Emily ensues.

I loved Jo's confidence, although I'm curious how she got away with dressing in 'mens' wear. Her and Emily were opposites in many ways but their connection was strong and they had some great flirty moments.

The family dynamics were also nice, Jo is married to Paul but they are content as friends and business partners, Paul and Vanessa are happy being together, Vanessa and Jo become closer as friends because of the pregnancy and Emily fits into their unconventional family by being with Jo and supporting them all.

What I wished was explored more was Emily's whittling/carving skills. She is working on chess pieces at the beginning of the book and later it turns out one of her chess sets has been being used at the sapphic social club Jo frequents. I think this is a very cool skill her character has, in the end she does gift something to Jo as well. It makes sense as a doctor she would have steady has for carving and vice versa.

This was a great story about friendship, family and challenging the status quo. I hope Jess Everlee writes more sapphic romances in the future!

Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC.

I really enjoyed Everlee's previous book in this series, and I loved how the characters came from the same world. I found myself slightly less intrigued by these characters (maybe I just didn't engage in their conflicts as much?), but I still love that shadowy world of underground queer establishments and the networks that queer people had to form in order to survive. It's also a great treatise on how underrepresented women have been in women's healthcare, at least in mainstream health care, as the main character struggles to be taken seriously as a female doctor, the other as a bookbinder and seller who dresses masculine.

I saw this book and was immediately hooked. I promptly requested on both NetGalley and Edelweiss to up my chances of getting an ARC. (Somewhat hilariously, I got approved on one but not the other) I started my romance journey in historicals, so I am always here for more sapphic historical romance! Our main characters are great, even they make some horrible first impressions. Emily is a great doctor and I loved seeing her in that role. Jo handles some things in her interpersonal relationships poorly, but it's understandable why. I also think it was smart for Everlee to start the book from Emily's POV. Based on how other characters describe her, she might be seen as unlikable, but by putting us in her head *first* we start out on her side. As someone who shares some of those less popular traits, I appreciate the care Everlee took with Emily. I can't wait to order this in for my store and throw it at everyone I know!

A Bluestockings Guide to Decadence is a wonderful addition to the Lucky Lover's of London series, centering on seemingly "buttoned-up" doctor Emily, Noah from A Rulebook for Restless Rogues' sister, and brash printer, Jo, it's a lovely romance between two people who seem very different at first, but are alike in the most critical ways and compliment each other in all the others. Their chemistry is sizzling and watching Emily surprise Jo, the actually more judgmental of the pair in the beginning is incredibly fun. Their romance is both sweet at times and spicy and always entertaining, as is the rest of the prose with crackles with wit and humor at every turn, in Everlee's extremely distinct voice.

The book is a really wonderful exploration of cycles of life and change, how it can be both scary, and good, and how the past, the good and the bad, are always part of you, and how to assimilate them into who you've become, as we also change and grow and expand, even when we don't see it. It's a rather poignant book as well as a fun one, and it is highly recommended.