Another fantastic book by Heather Webb! I loved the story and characters. The women were fierce and had no fear of breaking rules. Each character had such a sense of loyalty, some had to grow to achieve this but it was such a central theme to the whole story.

The narration was done well and I enjoyed listening.

This is for fans of strong women & historical fiction.

Loved this! Webb creates an atmospheric account of a little-known aspect of women’s history. The narration is stellar. I looked forward to it each day!

One word review: spectacular! This one was literally unputdownable for me. I alternated between digital and audio so that when I couldn’t sit down and read I could still listen to the story. I was on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. There were so many interesting characters. Diamond Annie, Hira, Lilian and Dorothy were all unforgettable. The story itself and the character development were incredible - - another home run from Heather Webb. The narrator was wonderful as well.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to listen to the audiobook version of Queens of London by Heather Webb.

Queens of London is the first book I have read by Heather Webb. This is a historical fiction based in 1925 post war London.

It was an easy read. But I hard time figuring out whose story it was? it was about the 40 elephants or about Hira or Dorothy or Inspector Wilds ?

From the epilogue it seems author has tried to portray the story of 40 Elephants but the end for sure seems like it was about Hira.

The narration was nice but the part of the inspector in the 1st half, oh well till the very end, sounded more like someone trying to please her superiors instead of a woman whom the author has tried to portrayed as a strong willed, educated, trying to proof herself , character.

It is a good starting book for readers who want to dip their toes in post war London fictions.

This one wasn't grabbing me right away but I did like that it was a historical fiction book with a diverse cast of British women. The plot seemed very similar to Beezy Marsh's Queen of thieves series and imo those books were much more riveting. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review. I would still definitely recommend this one to other fans of historical fiction featuring interesting female leads.

I initially passed over this because I tend not to like historical fiction, but the concept was too intriguing so I caved and read it - I’m so glad I did! This definitely has crossover appeal for readers who tend to avoid historical fiction - it’s full of interesting characters (Hera is the one I ended up rooting for) and not at all stuffy.

There are some stock characters (the runaway orphan with a horrible uncle who’s after her inheritance, the beauty who’s brainy too, etc) but they were well developed all the same.

Dorothy didn’t ring super true (the beautiful, smart shopgirl) because she spends a good deal of her page time whining about how challenging life is because she’s beautiful. While it’s true that jealousy exists and it’s true the being beautiful can be dangerous (male interest) she also suggests she’s disadvantaged and socially rejected because of her beauty, which isn’t psychologically realistic on the whole. Individuals can exclude her, but study after study proves that people prefer beautiful people, assign them superior morality and intelligence, hire and befriend them preferentially, etc - even as children. The halo effect is real, so it’s hard to believe Dorothy has always been excluded and underestimated for being too beautiful. Occasionally, sure. On average? Doubtful.

📚 Series or Standalone: standalone
📚 Genre: historical fiction
📚 Target Age Group: adult
📚 Cliffhanger: no

✨ Will I Reread: maybe
✨ Recommended For: fans of historical fiction, those curious about suffragettes, fans of Brontë (minus the romance)

💕 Characters: 4/5
💕 Writing: 4/5
💕 Plot: 4/5
💕 Pacing: 4/5
💕 Unputdownability: 4/5
💕 Enjoyment: 4/5
💕 Book Cover: 5/5

Thanks, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

In a mix between fiction and reality, Queens of London is a captivating, completely absorbing story of sisterhood and female empowerment in London's underworld, as well as a tale of power, loyalty control and survival.

The story follows the intertwined lives of three women and one kid in 1925 London. Alice is the leader of the all-female gang Forty Elephants; Lilian is one of the only female detectives at Scotland Yard, driven by great ambition and the desire to help others; Dorothy is a clever but underestimated sales girl at a department store with big dreams; Hira is a sweet 10-years-old on the run that wants nothing more than to be loved.

These characters were so wonderfully crafted and they seemed to come alive the more the story went on. They were all so different and unique, yet so similar to their core. The character development throughout is very admirable, I felt so connected to each of these women and felt myself constantly interested in knowing how their stories would end.

Lilian and Alice's dynamic was particularly interesting to me, especially as Lilian started questioning herself and her beliefs more as things progressed. Which is also tangled with the theme of loyalty, that was so strong in the story, as all the characters have to struggle with it, trying to find where the line between right and wrong is, and what right and wrong even are.

While Alice was by far my favorite character to keep up with, thanks to her particularly complex characterization and the charm she emanated all the way through, every single character was so strong and so interesting. I loved being able to get a glimpse of their lives and watch them navigate through these events.

I listened to the audiobook for this, and the narration was incredibly engaging; it was about 12 hours long, but it didn't feel like it at all. The narrator was great, the different voices used for the characters were easily distinguishable and made it very effortless to follow along.

Thank you very much to RB Media & Netgalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest opinion.

This is a fascinating tale of women in the 1920s. Alice Diamond, or Diamond Annie, was the queen of her gang called the Forty Elephants. They robbed department stores and fenced what they took to earn a living. The other characters, Dorothy, Hira, and Lillian, had their own interesting stories. Dorothy worked at one of the department stores that the gang robbed but had dreams of creating her own clothing line. Hira, an orphaned 10 year old, ran away from a neglectful uncle and found comfort in the gang as well as being a friend of Dorothy and Lillian. Lillian was a police officer assigned to watch for shoplifters, but wanted to do so much more with her career. How these four women intersect and make choices was fascinating.
The narrator, Amy Scanlon, immersed you in the story right away. The voices she created for the different characters allowed you to know who was talking throughout the story. I enjoyed listening to this story and found extra reasons to go for a drive to be able to listen to her narration.
I would highly recommend this book if you are a fan of historical fiction, 1920s, and compelled female characters.
Thank you RB Media and Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Perhaps because historical fiction is my favorite genre I tend to have higher expectations, particularly since this book is based on a true story, but the novel was not as interesting as I had hoped.

Set in 1920s London, the book focuses four main female characters. One is a the boss of an all-female gang of thieves, one is a young Indian girl who becomes entangled with the crime group, one is a rare female police officer working for the Met, and the other is a female "shopgirl" from whom the gang intends to rob.

The good: I appreciated the diversity of characters and the feminist focus of the story, as well as the author's note at the end explaining the true backstory vs. which parts were her imagination. I also liked the narrator of the audiobook.

The bad: some of the characters were not well developed and seemed to be stereotypical archetypes. The book jumped around a lot due to various POVs and lots of extraneous characters. Lastly, the pace was not as fast nor the plot as exciting as one would anticipate given the premise.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and RB Media for providing me with an advanced copy ebook and audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Heather Webb's 'Queens of London' enthralls with its gripping narrative and the indomitable character of Alice Diamond, a true badass whose journey mirrors historical events involving Diamond Annie and the Forty Elephants in the 1920s. The exploration of sisterhood in this historical context elevates the reading experience, prompting this reader to delve deeper into the intriguing story of these women. My enthusiastic review, based on an ARC, extends gratitude to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to immerse myself in this captivating tale of Alice Diamond and the Forty Elephants in the early 1920s—a riveting historical read highly recommended for lovers of sisterhood narratives and compelling characters.

I liked this story about the all female, 40 Elephants gang, in London around the 1920s. It was interesting and well written. The audio version was good. The narrator was good, even though I found some of her voices annoying. In all it was a good story.

Alice Diamond was the true life queen of the forty elephants in the early 1900's. This fiction read is a spin off of facts and fiction. From start to finish you are drawn into the life of female thieves, a detective and a young girl and her furry friend. The author captures what life would've looked like being around Alice Diamond herself both as an enemy, a cop trying to take her down or one of her gang members. Told in multiple perspectives you even get a strong glimpse of Alice herself. This book brought to life the underworld of female gangs in the 1900s as well as a loveable little girl and her story. Highly recommend this amazing audiobook.

I read a book last year that featured Alice Diamond, the leader of the notorious London theft ring that came about after World War II, so her and the premise weren’t new to me. That said, I enjoyed this depiction more thanks to the writing and depth of all the characters.

The audio was done really well and even at almost 12 hours long it seemed to fly by!

Thank you RB Media for the alc via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a wonderful historical novel with four strong female leads, highlighting something I knew nothing about - a notorious gang of women criminals operating in London in the 1920s called 'The Forty Elephants.' Webb combined real historical women - Alice Diamond, queen of the gang and Lillian Wyles, one of London's first female police detectives - with two fictional characters - saleswoman Dorothy and half-Indian orphan Hira, who is living on the streets after running away from a cruel uncle. The stories of all four combine into a fun tale of adventure and mayhem, and narrator Amy Scanlon did a great job bringing the novel vividly to life. Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media, and Recorded Books for a digital audiobook copy.

Queens of London is an exceptional audiobook that I couldn't stop listening to. Based in London 1925, Alice Diamond, the Head of Britains most notorious female gang (The Forty Elephants) crosses paths with a young runaway Hera.

Hera had run away from her uncle (a wealthy barrister) when her parents died og Cholera in India. The daughter of a British soldier and Indian Silk Weaver, her Uncle was going to ship her off to boarding school to get rid of her, but she takes matters into her own hands and runs away.

Fast forward and Police Inspector Lilian Myles s on a basic assignment which is far beneath her skill level when she spots a young "boy" pickpocketing, she gives chase, but "he" gives her the slip and ducks into a department store, The boy is actually are mini heroine Hera and she barrels into Dorothy, a sales assistant who is not the sharpest tool in the shed, but with a kind, if naiive heart

The story is told from these four pov's and the narratives are interspersed seamlessly, weaving in and out and connecting with perfect logic. Lilian Myles is looking for her best collar, to gain recognition, Alice Diamond, the big heist to pay for an apartment, Hera wants a home and Dorothy want's to marry. All of these women are srtuggling to achieve their dreams in an era ruled by men

This was an absolutely glorious tale and a good listen. The narration was well paced and the characters voices varied. Whether reading or listening, an enjoyable and action packed story

Looking forward to buying the ppb on February 6th!

This audiobook was kindly given by NetGalley. The review is left voluntatrily

I have to admit, I kind of struggled with this one. It just didn’t keep me engaged or capture my attention very well.