The narrator was good at being the book to life.
Continuation of the series. I enjoyed the banter between these two characters. The mystery was a surprising twist in addition to the unfolding of the dual subterfuge. They have great chemistry and their story is enjoyable. I would have liked to have a little bit more of romance. I received an advance review copy for free, and chose to leave this review voluntarily.

I enjoyed this story with all the characters that were within this book. The main characters were Julia Addison and Graham McKay.

Julia Addison is the daughter of a clergyman. She has been staying with an older woman as a companion. Her and her companion decide to go the theater, but when they get to the theater, there is a miss up with their theater box. There is a handsome man who has the theater box.

Graham McKay is the Earl of Dunstane. He has decided to return to London for the season. He rarely leaves his home in the Scottish Highlands. When he sees a magazine with something that is about him, he decides to go to London to find the people who wrote it. While there, he visits the theater.

This was a fun story to read or listen to.It had action, adventure, suspense, and drama throughout. There were a few giggles within. This is the second book in this series.

I received a complimentary audio copy via Netgalley. This is my honest, unbiased opinion.

I love a historical romance with a strong, snarky female lead. This was a cute and amusing and I look forward to future volumes of this series.

This book had a lot of potential to be great, but it was good.

There was a lot of moments that I felt were missing. Conversations the FMC was having with herself were suddenly top of mind for the MMC without any dialogue between them. The FMC was really familiar with sexual acts without any reasoning as to how when she’s supposed to be a lady’s companion.

The first 30% was rather tiresome. This time could’ve been a better time to introduce the ladies of the magazines in depth and more in depth conversations between the main characters.

I also struggled with the narration. The voice for the FMC was made to sound really young (almost too young) and the MMC sounded like a 45 year old?

The things I liked about this book were the relationship between Julia and her Aunt, the ms’ goode’s guide ladies and the turn of respectable women being able to act.

This was a really good audiobook. The readers voice was very nice, and I loved the story! This scratched my Bridgerton craving!

This was fine while reading and I liked the surprisingly energetic plot device at the end, but I also have forgotton most of it after reading it

Julia is a lady's companion while secretly a review writer for a women's magazine. Graham is an Earl who is secretly a playwright. One of her recent reviews of his play has offended him so he writes a play mocking this unknown reviewer. By chance, they meet and start a friendship and more, while not realizing each other's true identities. The chemistry between the two practically leaps off the page. I love it that we discover that Graham does indeed have a heart, however deeply buried. Susanna Craig is a master of creating a gruff MMC who ends up falling so head over heels, and would protect her at all costs. Julia is a strong character who's intelligent and knows what she wants. I was thrilled that a miscommunication towards the end of book was resolved very quickly instead of suffering through a late book breakup.. Highly recommend!!
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for access to the audiobook for a review.

Narrated by Elizabeth Jasicki

3.5 starts rounded down. I have not read book 1 in this series - I do not think any important information is missed withou having read the first book in the series.

This is third Susanna Craid book I have read and I found this an enjoyable light listen. This is the first narration from Elizabeth Jasicki to which I have listened. I enjoyed her portrayal of the MCs.

I really liked Graham and I have no issues with Julia. The plot is well executed and I find the believable as a couple. The main thing keeping me from giving this four stars is that I found it taking a really long time to get to any real progress on the relationsheip between the two MCs. I think it was near the 50% mark when I felt things started to move.

I've been doing some category romance re-reading over the past couple weeks and that may be contributing to my seeing extraneous everything. I'm not a fan of slow burns which I think this is - so just not for me.

I really enjoyed this book. If you've read anything in this genre then you're not going to be surprised by the basic premises. But that's what we love about books like this, it's a comfort read. I love the premise of women having to work behind the scenes and with alias's in order to be able to compete and participate in a society dominated by men. The humor and banter between the two main characters is wonderfully entertaining and enjoyable to read. I think my favorite part that is unique to this book is that when the expected conflict/misunderstanding happens, they actually just talk about it honestly and resolve it. It drives me crazy when I read books and the conflict continues for so many chapters when it could simply be resolved through honest conversation. I definitely recommend this book, you won't regret it!

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me access to the audio version of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Very enjoyable audiobook to listen to. Well narrated. Enjoyable story of how a young lady becomes a anonymous critic, and meets the guy who is also the playwriter. although initially neither of them knows about the others secret passion. You will not be disappointed!

What I really liked about this story was that it had a really solid ending. Not all the secrets came out in a big mess in the last chapter. They were spread out over the latter part of the book. I also thought the characters were well developed and fun to read. I also really enjoyed the narrator. They did a great job with a male Scottish accent. This is part of a series but can be read alone

Big thanks to RB Media, NetGalley and Susanna Craig for this early release audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I wish I enjoyed this more. It had all the elements that I usually love when it comes to regency romance: a grumpy, misunderstood, Darcy-like love interest. An independent, intelligent, self-sufficient and spunky heroine. A plot line that has more intrigue than just propriety. Something just fell flat. It felt very instalovey and the farther the story went, the less I felt the chemistry between the two MCs. It was a lot of telling and not showing. I didn’t end up rating this book on goodreads because I didn’t want to sully the overall rating. I’d be interested in exploring more from Susanna Craig though, because although I wasn’t entirely convinced by the chemistry, I did enjoy the writing style.

What do you get when you mix up a secret playwright and an undercover theatre reviewer - Sparks and dramatic attraction!

This latest book from Susanna Craig’s Goodes Guide to Misconduct details the romance of a spinster and ladies companion with the secret identity of a theatre reviewer for the infamous ladies magazine. Julia Addison has always had a passion for the stage, since coming across travelling play in her youth as a woman In her social position, being an actress was never on the table… That hasn’t kept her away from the theatre and picking up her pen to jab back at the infamous and mysterious sartorial playwright, Blackadder.

Drawnout from his Highland abode by the cutting remarks and critique from a mystery reviewer, the Earl of Dunstane has come to London to complete the finishing touches on a play that will skewer the lady reviewer with her own pen! That is, anticus, distracted by the theatrical minded, wallflower companion, he finds lurking in his theatre box!

Oh my! I love a mysterious identity and when both characters are hiding their identities, it’s even more fun! Excellent job building the relationship between these two while also keeping them in the dark at the same time. The relationship grows organically, and so does the reveal, that will either make or break them!

The audio narration provided by Elizabeth Jasicki perfectly suited the characters and their different accents. She has a great range of voice, that allows her to really bring the characters to life.

4.5

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. brb, gotta run to read Susannaa's backlist. I loved the dynamic of grumpy-sunshine and theater lovers and how their writing was foreplay without them even knowing.

There was so much dramatic irony in this story (with the secret identities) which usually would annoy me, but it worked soooo well.

There was a little miscommunication but she didn't let that be the conflict, just more angst.

No full third act break up but still plenty of conflict.

The audiobook was so good! At first I was worried Julia's accent was going to be an issue, but it worked in the end.

I was also v hot.

Narrated by Elizabeth Jasicki

Genre: historical romance
London, 1810

Julia Addison is a paid companion to her brother’s wife’s aunt. Her brother may recently have inherited a title, but Julia’s roots as the daughter of a clergyman are modest and her prospects slim, so her chances at the freedom of the city and a Season are as a companion. She’s an avid playgoer, and anonymous critic, writing a column for Mrs. Goode’s Magazine for Misses, and her most cutting critiques are for the plays by Ransome Blackadder, a Scottish playwright. Graham McKay, Earl of Dunstane, is in fact Ransome Blackadder, and while Miss on Scene may be his foe, he doesn’t know that Julia is behind those words when he chances upon her at Covent Garden.

The focus of the plot is the conflict between playwright and critic, all while the relationship between Julia and Graham evolves. He may have had a reputation as a rake and a scoundrel, but as soon as he meets Julia, he can’t think of any other woman. His desire to be open and communicate both his identity and his feelings is valiant, and prevents the miscommunication trope in what is essentially a hidden identity romance. I loved the amount of time we spend on the stage and in rehearsal, emphasizing the importance of the theater to Graham and Julia, but also centering the conflict as something ultimately so essential to each of them.

The Lady Plays with Fire is a solid historical romance with a fun plot, great characters, and a swoonworthy relationship. This is the second book in the series, but I never found myself lost. It’s clear that Mrs Goode’s Magazine is the main connection for the series, and we find out enough information without it feeling as if Craig is leaving us in the dark.

The narration for the book is enjoyable; I find that Elizabeth Jasicki is a fine narrator well-suited to reading historical romance.

I enjoyed this story. It took me a little time to get into it. I am not sure why as once I did, I found the story of the playwright and the critic compelling. Julia is so likable. There was plenty of tension between Julia and Dunstan. The author did a wonderful job of portraying the roles of women and those who would not be confined to the roles of the times. I loved the eccentric "aunt". I would recommend this story to anyone who enjoys romance with a twist.

This book was so boring. I just couldn't get into it. Every time i tried to restart it, i fell back asleep.

Julia, a clergyman's daughter, loves going to plays. Being independent, she goes to stay with her "Aunt" and they are able to see every production. She then writes reviews anonymously to a woman's paper. Then she meets Lord Dunstane and her world changes.

This was very entertaining to listen to! 4 stars.

Many thanks to Net Galley and RB Media for an audio ARC of this book for an honest review.

Miss Julia Adders, daughter of a clergyman, is employed by elderly Mrs. Hayes as a companion in London. She dreams of being an actress, however as it is an unseemly profession for a societal lady, she lives out her passion for theater by sharing candid reviews of the latest stage events in Mrs. Goode’s Magazine for Misses. The Scottish play writer Earl of Dunstane, better known for his pen name Ransome Blackadder, falls victim for one of her scathing reviews. Sparks fly and tension builds as their paths keep crossing.


I absolutely adored this regency era romance. I loved the Bridgeton series and this is my second series in the Historical Romance genre. I am so happy I picked this title up. The story and plot were very well written and the character development was very interesting, especially the MMC’s. The story had romance and humor, a grumpy MMC and a good portion of spice.
I loved the performance of the narrator. The only small issue was that the pause between chapters seemed quite long and could have been shortened a bit.

Hidden identities abound in this regency romance. To the eyes of London society, Miss Julia Adders leads the life of a charming ladies companion. Taken into employment by the good-hearted Mrs. Hayes, she is expected to be the picture of a societal lady of modest decorum. This arrangement gives Mrs. Adders a brilliant alibi to mask her secret career as a writer and theater critic for Mrs. Goode’s Magazine for Misses. Hidden beneath her pseudonym, she is free to share her honest yet sometimes scathing reviews of the latest stage events. All while dreaming she was the one in the spotlight.
Enter stage left, one Graham McKay, Earl of Dunstane or should I say, Ransome Blackadder, reclusive and highly praised playwright. It seems the gruff Scottish Earl has as a hidden identity of his own!
In a twist of fate, an overbooked theater box ignites a romance worthy of its own theater production. Romance, humor and a cast of likeable characters lead the reader through the unraveling of these hidden identities.
Susan Craig does a wonderful job of creating likeable characters with a sweet and spicy storyline that draws in the reader. While this was book two of Goode’s Guide to Misconduct, I had no trouble reading it as a stand alone novel.

*I received a free advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Much love to NetGalley, the book's publisher and of course the author for this gracious opportunity!