I adored this book! All the moreso because the author's previous one, which had been one of my most anticipated reads after the incredible first entry in the series, surprisingly ended up being a DNF for me. I know she's probably done with historical romance now after getting a half a million dollar advance for her next book--a contemporary romcom under a different name in the vein of Emily Henry, naturally--but I'm so glad she finished out this contract, because at least I'll always have this and THE RAKESS (and her previous self-published historicals). Also the cover is a banger and I would have been so mad if they'd gone with anything other than the same traditional bodice-ripper look for this third book in the trilogy, so thank you to the Avon cover design team for staying true to the imprint's roots and the earlier packaging.

The cover reminded me of the paperback covers I’d see on drugstore paperbacks from my 80’s and 90’s youth, and the synopsis really appealed… I wasn’t disappointed.

I appreciated Thais as a character - her kindness and caring, and that she was a sex worker, with an affirmative attitude toward sex was fantastic.

Alistair was sweet, was quick to blush, and endearing. He cooked, taught Thais how to bake, and cared for her so sweetly while she was sick.

I enjoyed this one a lot - as the two fell in love, the development of both characters, and the underlying messages here.

The “lessons” here are so positive and fun to read.

This was my first book by the author - it definitely won’t be my last. I can’t wait to read more, and plan on reading the earlier titles of this series very soon 🙂



Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the DRC

this book was PHENOMENAL. i just finished and i am still reeling over how absolutely perfect it was. i wasnt sure how i felt about the crass humor at first but came to love it in the end. i think i fell in love eden and thais as they fell in love with each other. i LITERALLY HAD HEART FLUTTERS. so perfect!!!

I can’t speak highly enough about this book. I loved Thais and how she was the dominant personality in the story. Often in historical romances the male takes the lead but this book challenged those stereotypical norms and the heroine was the confidant and knowledgable partner. Honestly, I wish there were more Thais’ in romance novels today across the board. Very wonderful book. I hadn’t read the previous books with the stories of the other characters but now I want to. I will be putting this on our most recommended list.

This book is radical, risky, and lands every punch it throws. I was enthralled from page one and loved every page after that.

Luscious, tender, and sexy. A shamelessly sex-positive historical romance that gives a sex worker the humanity and happy ever after she deserves.

Vibes: courtesan-ing, sexually inexperienced hero, TRUE opposites attract, people with secret hearts that they don't want to unveil but oh no now they're in love

Heat Index: 7.5/10.

Thais Magdalene is a famous, coveted courtesan, known for spending no more than one night with each client. She enjoys her job, and she's great at it, yet she holds a secret desire to settle down with a man who loves her and have a family. To support a charity for women's rights, she auctions off 30 days in her bed. Shockingly, the buyer is Alistair Eden, a polite lord known for following all the rules. But Alistair has a secret: he's inexperienced in bed, and doesn't know how to please a woman--an issue he wants to correct before he marries to have an heir. As Thais and Alistair spend their month together, they both know it's meant to end forever as soon as time is up. Yet in one another, they find their true selves...

uGH I LOVED THIS. It's so good. So emotional, so funny, so hot, so different from your average historical romance. One thing I love about Scarlett Peckham is that she clearly loves and fully embraces historicals and their tropes, while also seeking to explore them in fun, original ways.

Here, she hits on several things you don't often see in the genre: a sex worker who really isn't traumatized by her profession; a hero who isn't a virgin but also really... doesn't know what to do in bed; and feminism that feels quite honest, and doesn't preclude the heroine longing for a somewhat traditional family life. There's a lot of hugging in this one, and I felt hugged by the book.

Also like. Hot.

Quick Takes:

--I knew I'd love Thais--I so enjoy a bawdy, sex-positive heroine who's secretly hiding a wounded heart--but Alistair was more of a question mark for me. I think I very much expected a Soft Boi uwu type hero, and while those can be done well... They often aren't.

To me, Scarlett did a great job of making Alistair vulnerable, caring, and sweet... while keeping his backbone and his flaws. Alistair is stuffy! He is a snob! He needs to get that stick out of his ass! And yes, he does make a grovel-worthy misstep at one point (and I did love the outcome).

The story would've been a lot less interesting if Scarlett had used "sexually inexperienced and genteel" to equal "has no flaws and is a little baby man". Because also? Alistair is pushing forty. This is a grown man, and I appreciated that the story treated him like a grown (hot) man.

--Another thing I appreciated was how the book handled sex positivity. It's extremely sex positive. However, there is never a sense that Alistair should fuck more people to make up for lost time (he's not a virgin, but he hasn't slept with many people and it's been a long time for him). As clear as it is that there's nothing wrong with Thais having a high body count, there's also nothing wrong with Alistair being the type of guy for whom intimacy is important during sex, and who really doesn't need to have sex with a lot of people, so much as he needs to have sex with the right person.

Going back to his age, I also liked the sense that it's like... never too late to learn how to be good in bed. And he does have to learn. But more on that later.

--I've found that a lot of feminist historical romances really focus on like... the heroine wanting "more" than a family. And I get that. There's a lot of books that have a more traditional route, you need to buck the system, you have to follow your heroine's path. I'm childfree. I don't think it's necessary for heroines to want a more conventional life. In both of the other books in this series, the heroines didn't really settle down into conventional family lives, and I enjoyed them.

However, I so liked that for Thais, both things could be true. She could have a life as a sex worker that, while certainly not without its bad points, wasn't really like... her primary issue, exactly? Like, it was and it wasn't, but you don't see these grand depictions of violence and trauma I think you often see in historicals centering sex worker heroines. Anyway, she does ENJOY her job.

At the same time, she could want to marry and have three or four kids. She's allowed to love babies and want, most of all, to be loved by her husband and raise her children. She can be a feminist and want those things. It made her feminism much more real to me, to be honest. Thais never felt like a heroine who was written to be Strong for the sake of being Strong. Her warm, gooey center is very clear to the reader from the front, and when Alistair begins to see through her front and recognize the real her... OH DUDE. READER. I COULD NOT.

--Because the book does have a lot of those moments, right? Moments where Alistair is falling in love with this woman, so hard, and sees what she's really scared of. Moments too, when Thais sees into Alistair's true vulnerabilities, his need to be perfect at all things holding him back from happiness (which... oof, real).

I'm not always down for super cuddly books, but these two are literally so cuddly. A through-line is them just like. Luxuriating in hugging one another. It's so lovely and intimate without sex.

That said, there is a lot of sex, and dude. It is GOOD.

The Sex:

So, the thing with Alistair is a thing I hardly ever see in romances AS AN EXPLICITLY CALLED OUT CONTINUOUS ISSUE. However, it's a thing that absolutely works for me as a reader. He just gets too excited, guys! And then went it Happens too soon, he's so bummed and angry with himself! It's a vicious cycle!

I actually really loved how this book dealt with the pressure some men (in fact, some of the legitimately decent men who care about their partners' pleasure, too) feel to be these amazing lovers. Especially in a romance hero, who is inherently supposed to be this amazing lover. Like, Alistair just wants to impress people and be good at everything, and he is naturally good at everything except for this one thing.

However, being kinda shitty in bed doesn't mean you have to STAY that way, and yay for a novel that shows that sex is something you learn! Listen, I'm down for the well-done virgin hero books wherein the guy is immediately amazing at it. Some of my favorite books feature that. But this is a refreshing change of pace.

The novel also gets into like... How sex is sometimes enjoyable without an orgasm, and how much orgasms can be connected to your mental presence? There's just some really interesting stuff done here regarding how Thais in particular experiences pleasure, and the difference between a Thais that lets go and a Thais that doesn't.

Getting into the brass tax: you get a good amount of p in v, handies, oral on both sides, different positions, the works. I kinda wish there had been some butt stuff, as I feel Alistair could've used a bit of that.... but Scarlett makes up for that by including One Thing You Don't Usually See in Romance. I think I've read one other book that DEFINITELY featured it, and it was a dark romance.

Anyway, I really loved this book and totally recommend it. A very sweet, very sexy, very romantic story about lovers coming to truly know each other, with a great "BABY I MISS YOU" moment on top of it.

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

I enjoyed this book! I thought it was quick read! I liked the reserve teach me troupe!

Thank you for arc!

This book was exactly what I have been looking for! I wanted an engaging story of a true nice guy who is inexperienced. Alastair, the Earl of Eden fit the bill perfectly. He buys a month with the most notorious Courtesan in England, Thais, so he could learn to be a good husband in the physical realm. Thais finds her job harder than expected as she tries to get Alastair to come out of his shy shell. He has no problem being around Thais in general, but he finds it hard to be intimate since his over excitement leads to issues. Since they don’t spend their first bit together in intimate ways, they are forced to get to know one another. They banter and grow a sweet friendship that leads to bigger questions for them down the road.
Thais and Alastair were both fun characters. Thais was a bawdy-mouthed, no-nonsense woman. She was a great actress and had no qualms with what she was. She was also complex in that she also desired to have a family of her own, but knew it would be hard due to her lifestyle.
Alastair was such a sweet man. Even though he was an Earl, he was kind, considerate, and quite domestic. He was just genuine and gentle, but not boring. He was so well written. Despite his gentleness, he was no less passionate. It was delightful. In a world of so many alpha heroes, (and I enjoy a good alpha) I am glad to see a worthy beta hero.
My only complaint is that the story ended a bit abruptly. There was so much time spent in the middle of the story that it almost felt like a let down to see things finish in a heartbeat. Nevertheless, I still highly recommend the book.

The cover is gorgeous. I loved that the hero was the one with less experience in the bedroom. It was a refreshing change in historical romances. I do wish he stopped his search for a bride earlier in the story though.

The Mistress Experience was a refreshing delight to read! An uptight starchy Earl rents an Airbnb in the Cotswolds and hires a bawdy talking harlot with a love for baby animals to teach him how to be a sex god. They catch feelings and society be damned they find a way to a HEA. It’s fantastic. I couldn’t put it down. 100% recommend! Best in this series in my opinion.

I am a sucker for sex lessons as a trope in general. Historical, contemporary, give me all of them please! What I fancied about this book was the role reversal and that the man was the one getting the lessons…bonus points for him being a buttoned up perfectionist of an Earl. Obsessed with those. Usually this trope is paired with a rake/wallflower, which don’t get me wrong, I love those like crazy but it’s always fun to read a different version of a classic. The class difference in this story made for an interesting conflict as well. There was an interesting role reversal here too, he cooks for her, dotes on her and treats her not only as an equal but often views her as superior to him even though he is an Earl and she is a courtesan. Their class difference isn’t an issue when they’re holed away in the countryside bubble together because they’re just two people who have insecurities and shortcomings and love each others company. Ultimately their class difference ends up being the primary obstacle preventing their happy ending until they realize society can go to hell.

Both characters are well developed with complex layers that as a reader keep me invested in their love story and I thoroughly enjoyed how her dirty jokes and his dry wit melded together and created hilarious yet heartwarming dialogue. They were a perfect complement to each other and reading their love story felt like a hug.

Wonderful book! Five stars!

Something about the writing just does not flow well. It feels very stiff. The dialogue is heavy and stilted. I kept struggling to try to understand what Thais is trying to say and I don't normally have that issue with historical romance. I think it had the potential to be a good story, but the writing needs some adjustments. Or maybe this author is just not my style, I'm not sure. Either way, it was not for me.

It is a very enjoyable read for when you want something engaging, well-written, well-rounded, with a satisfying ending. I loved everything about it.

The Mistress Experience is such a funny and sweet romance story! I have read all three books in Scarlett Peckham's The Secrets of Charlotte Street series and I loved them all. While I definitely plan to read the first two in the Secrets of Sirens series, I could not resist jumping to this one first when I received the arc.

Thais is such a vibrant and lovable main character and I think starting with her story endeared me to the friend group in such a special way as I was able to view everyone through her perspective. She is so fiery and passionate and I love her zest for life.

Alastair is so gentle and compelling. I enjoyed reading his perspective and watching him work through his anxieties and childhood traumas that have impacted his adult life.

Their romance is adorable and of course very spicy! Definitely a 4/5 on the spice scale.

I highly recommend this for historical and contemporary romance readers alike. If you like to laugh and swoon, this is the author for you!

I have mixed feelings about this book. There were quite a few aspects that I enjoyed, including the fact that the FMC was experienced (as a courtesan) while the mmc was the inexperienced one, which is so rare. The fact that she was not shamed for her past by the mmc is even more rare. We rarely see this in contemporary romance, let alone historical, so it was quite a refreshing change. Both the mmc and fmc were likable to me. I loved how kind and sweet the mmc was; he cooked for her, washed her hair, and took care of her while she was sick. His love language was acts of service for sure. He also blushed so easily (men who do that are my weakness). But some things about the premise bothered me a little. I didn't like how often during their "lessons" they would bring up his potential future wife.There were a few instances where the hero opposed that and didn't want to imagine being with anyone else but not enough in my opinion. The fact that he was using her to learn things he would potentially use on another woman felt a little icky to me, like a means to an end. Thankfully it never happened. Though I would've loved to see him consider her for marriage earlier on and not let the bride searching go for so long, I totally get why he was reluctant considering his past. Overall, this was an enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the ARC copy.

I enjoyed a different take on a relationship, although I found Thaïs more grating than in previous books. And I actually really missed the relationship between the three female leads, because this one was so isolated. But hey, I'm never going to complain about a book series about women who use their charms and wiles to better the lives of other women, while not caring about what others think.

Peckham didn’t disappoint! I became immediately invested in both characters finding their way to some kind of happy ending since it’s obvious that both of them have dealt with some heavy stuff and deserve their very own version of a perfect happy ever after. I would highly be recommending this book to anyone who enjoys a good HR.

A bit of disappointment from me... the second book in the Society of Sirens thrilled me with its bisexual Duke and strong artist heroine. In contrast, Thais Magdalene comes across as abrasive and single-minded instead of strong, and Alastair Eden feels like a wilting wallflower who is very nearly accosted without consent. While the gender-swapping of the usual historical romances roles may have been interesting, the idea fell flat among all of Thais' dialogue, which seemed to be crass for the sake of shock value not because it helped develop her character.