A really enjoyable fast moving steamy romance with a great set of characters and some great dialogue and interactions. Not sure if this is the first in a series or a one-off but it was a great read. It was well written and I raced through it. Would recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this book.

I absolutely loved this book! The steaminess was perfect, striking a great balance without overwhelming the story. I adored the banter between the characters, which was sharp and entertaining. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic was executed flawlessly, adding delicious tension to the plot. Additionally, the historical content was richly detailed, bringing the setting to life in a vivid and immersive way. Highly recommend!

Really great story of Hannah, a wallflower with a secret mission, a powerful patroness, and her desire to remain independent. Meet Killian, the Duke, who also searching for the truth about a murder and seeking to overcome the horrors he faced ar war.

Fast, pacy, and a little spicy (couldn’t read those passages on the tube in case someone was reading over my shoulder) this Victorian era tale will draw you in. 4* a thumping good read.

This is a steamy read that gives Bridgerton vibes mixed with espionage and insta-romance.

Hannah Simmons is a secret spy. She acts like a wallflower at high society events while keeping her eyes and ears open for anything that may help her accomplish missions assigned by the queen. She meets Duke Robert Killian who is tasked with the same mission as her by the government. Then ensues a lot of romance with some murder mystery on the side.

If you are in the mood for an easy read with a focus on spice, then you are in the right place. I was personally attracted to this one because of the Victorian time period.

I had the privilege of reading this book as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy). Thank you the opportunity NetGalley.

This is a rollicking Victorian romance/spy thriller, the first in a series from Darcy Maguire. I liked the setting in Victorian London with some feisty characters, especially our damaged FMC who is physically brave but emotionally battered. So is our MMC Killian, a Lieutenant General (and Duke, no less) who survived a desperate situation in Afghanistan (the First Anglo-Afghan War?) when many of his men died. Somehow these two fall for each other as they track a killer, each spying for opposing parties.

There’s play between light and shade, with some funny moments, almost comedic and especially the banter between Lady Philipa and Stokes the butler - great fun!

However, it’s very violent. Hannah in particular uses her weapons to maim her opponents, on the page. Even if this was appropriate for the time, it felt unnecessarily bloodthirsty and even heartless. This pulled me out of the romance.

I’d have loved the dialogue to have been more Victorian and less 21st century idiom. It’s a pacy read though with plenty going on - including tantalising side characters, class differences, political machinations, one murder becoming many, and the budding romance between Killian and Hannah.

Thank you NetGalley, Darcy McGuire and Boldwood Books for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

This book had potential, but ultimately it didn’t hold my interest. It’s witty with interesting characters, but the plot fell flat for me.
- It opens “in media res,” which is great for hooking the reader. But it failed to provide context for what was going on. She’s investigating something, he’s investigating something…are they the same something? Are they working in opposition? And why should I care? It’s like I’ve missed the first 15 minutes of the movie and I have no idea what’s going on.
- Nothing is really at stake. In her first battle, the heroine takes on four men and wins handily. The hero is pretty good at a fight, too. And if they become intimately involved, neither of them will jeopardize their future. She’s not an innocent debutante that he’ll have to marry if he debauches her, and her boss doesn’t care about her dalliances with men. So as a reader, I don’t have anything to worry about.

Still, this author has promise and I look forward to seeing more from her.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Hannah is a wallflower with a mission: to spy on the members of society at the behest of the queen. She is very good at her job, perfectly discreet--until Killian catches her snooping in a room she shouldn't be in. He has his own mission--which ends up being the same, but he's sent by the prime minister, not the queen. Hannah and Killian both want to best the other, but attraction grows between them, blurring the lines between their rivalry and their desires.

I really liked the characters (and the spicy scenes, which mostly landed very well for me), but I wish there were more of the detective angle on the page--it was really intriguing, and I wanted to see more of that. Overall, it was a fun read that sucked me in, even though I wanted more development, and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

One of my favorite reads this month! I love a good regency murder mystery! With lady spies, great characters and a fun, swoony romance I absolutely loved it. Can't wait to read more from McGuire!

Thank you for the early copy

I didn't feel that this book was an accurate reflection of the 'blurb'. Hannah Simmons is not a 'Lady' and we don't really meet any 'Deadly Damsels' apart from herself and her patron. I expected a tale of espionage and intrigue which happened to be spicy, however this book is really about the mutual seduction of the two main characters and solving the murder is not terribly high on the agenda. I think there was potential for more drama and character development which would have made for a better story.
Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the review copy.

Lady Hannah is a wallflower or at least she is very good at pretending to be one. Her ability to blend and be plain comes very handy to her profession. She is a spy for Queen Victoria. Currently she is on assignment, she is trying to find a deadly killer. And here comes Duke Robert Kilian, who is also a spy and has the same mission. Will they be able to trust each other and find the killer before anyone gets hurt?

I must say that it is a strong debut. I was a little afraid that I will read about “strong female” who hates all men and is a boss girl, but no. I was nicely surprised. It holds up to traditional historical romance and gives engaging and entertaining plot. I highly recommend this book 😊

Unassuming wallflower Hannah is secretly one of Queen Victoria’s deadliest detectives. Duke Robert Killian is not only nobility, but also a war hero and private investigator. When the two of them meet, sparks fly as they not only discover that they are tracking the same killer, but also discover their overwhelming attraction to each other. Can the two of them work together to catch the killer before he takes another victim, while also resisting temptation?

This book features a spirited and no-nonsense main character and colorful supporting characters. I loved seeing Hannah grow as a character, and I particularly liked seeing her form healthy and supportive female friendships over the course of the story without utilizing the unfortunately common trope of looking down on more “feminine” women. Great to see! In addition, the descriptions in this book evoked sensory reactions in a very real way, from the feeling of dust under the bed to the smell of hay in the stable, which really helped to set the scenes.

The main thing that kept this from being a five-star read for me was that I felt like, while the spice and physical attraction the two characters shared was quite well done, the romance aspect fell a little flat for me. I didn’t get the sense that Killian fully trusted Hannah’s abilities until the very end of the story, despite all evidence pointing to the contrary. Overall, though, this was a fun and fast-paced romantic spy adventure that I would highly recommend. Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC. This is my honest review.

4/5 Dukes, dances, and death, oh my!

Tropes: class difference; spy vs spy
Steam level:3

I love spy-genre HR's, but this just didn't work for me. The characters were thin and the mystery was overshadowed by insta-lust. Plus too many aspects of the set-up and plot were unbelievable. I was expecting humor, and some of it did work, but for there to be a degree of tension I need to be able to take some of the elements of the book seriously.

This is a new author, so she has time to develop. Hopefully her next book will have more character depth, a more realistic set-up, and focus more on plot.

This book was funny, witty, and so entertaining. I love the premise, and found it completely original. This was the perfect blend of historical history and original vision. I loved the characters of Hannah and Robert and thought they were great together. I always love a book with a strong female lead. I was really impressed by Darcy McGuire's writing and would definitely read more from her in the future. I feel like this would be the perfect beach read.

Woe hot, sexy and a mystery. Two hard headed characters trying to outrun each other to solve th the same mystery.

We have Lady Hannah, faux wallflower, assassin / investigator to the Queen and Lord Robert Killian, investigator to the prime minister. Both are trying to catch the same killer and along the way discover that they like each other VERY much. There is sexy dialogue, sexy scenes, and a beautiful relationship that builds up during the story.

This was a well written book, exciting, very realistic with emotions and plots.

This adult book is a light/funny/spicy Victorian set romance come murder thriller. I might liken Lady Hannah Simmons to a James Bond of the era. If, that is, Bond is a young, sexually naive, female. Her challenge is to find a murderer, and bring them to justice before ‘the men’ do so and hide any retribution in their ‘men’s club’ solutions. Watch out, she might try and demurely hide her sleuthing, but she is no wallflower. Don’t be deceived, she has the skills to protect herself from villains and ruffians; maybe not so much attractive Lord’s. Let the fun, for the reader, begin. Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

The Secret Life of a Lady by Darcy McGuire is a really fun read with a lot of what I’m looking for in an historical romance - emotion, humour, stabbing. The characters are all interesting and well-developed, and the dialogue is clever. It’s kind of a fake-dating story; Lady Philippa convinces Hannah to distract Killian with the feminine wiles Hannah isn’t entirely convinced she has, and Killian’s friend Drake (who is absolutely getting his own book) convinces him to either romance her or blackmail her with his knowledge of her fighting skills. Obviously Killian chooses romance.

There’s some suspension of disbelief required, obviously - one of the characters says “okay” more than once, and Queen Victoria was not exactly a gorl's gorl. That aside, this book is great; it strikes a perfect balance between action, humour, and emotion, and I highly recommend it!

Absolutely loved this book! If I could give it more than 5 stars I would. The book is about Hannah Simmons, a secret agent for Queen Victoria and the a Duke named Robert Killian who is an investigator for the Prime Minister. They end up butting heads when they both end up investigating the same murder but sparks end up flying the more they get to know each over. This story is filled with drama, intrigue, steamy romance and murder. I love when a book makes you love the characters and this one hit the mark! You get so much backstory on both characters and they both come to life on the pages. I will absolutely be reading more books by Darcy McGuire.

Feeling sad after watching Bridgerton Season 3, Part 1 and need something to fill the void? Well I have the perfect book for you! The Secret Life of a Lady is Bridgerton meets a mystery, with lots of spice and action!

Hannah Simmons enjoys life as a lady's companion and a wallflower. Being a wallflower is the perfect way to blend into the background and work the secret part of her life as a detective for the Queen. However her secret is uncovered when Duke Killian, a private investigator to the Prime Minister, is tasked with solving the same mystery as Hannah. Together they must unmask a killer.... and who knows what will happen between the sheets?!

I absolutely devoured this book! I wanted to slow down and savour it, but I couldn't. I felt compelled by this tantalizing story and wonderful characters to read faster! Hannah is a delight as an undercover detective. She has a troubled past, she's plucky and she doesn't shy away from drawing her gun or daggers out when the time requires it. It's her pluckiness that draws the attention of Killian, who has definitely met his match in Hannah. Together the two of them are dynamite, and I was naturally cheering them on hoping they get their Happy Ever After!

The mystery was interesting, as clearly Hannah and Killian are on the same chase, but with different objectives on how to handle the murderer. I didn't see the final denouement coming at all, and it was a thrilling chase to the end to uncover the murderer.

Alongside Hannah, is her patroness, Lady Philippa, who is as tough as nails, and helps guide and train Hannah to be the femme fatale that she is. Let's just say there is more to Philippa that meets the eye, and fans of regency romances that admire the commanding presence of the ladies of the "ton" will adore her.

The Secret Life of a Lady is Darcy McGuire's first novel, and I'm absolutely begging the forces that be, please make this a series because I need more from these characters, especially Hannah's new-found friends, Millie and Ivy!

A nice, light, summer read. A cute romance, with a dash of murder mystery, all in the regency era. The romance moves a little too quickly, but the mystery is well done, and had me rushing to finish to find out exactly what was happening!

This was a fun and quick little read.

The banter was funny and the plot was a little convoluted but fun to read. I especially enjoyed the interactions between the MMC and the FMC.

The writing, although very much appropriate for the time period, is accessible and easy to read.

However, I do feel like the characters themselves lacked depth which brings down the rating for me as I feel like they could have been explored a bit more.

Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone looking for an easy, fun read that doesn’t make you have to think too hard.

Thank you to Bolwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC. These opinions are my own and I am sharing them voluntarily.