I want to tell everyone about what a fun read this one is! I was drawn in immediately. The voice is strong and captivating. The premise is a fresh take on the fortune hunting/ con artist narrative, and I love how the author used the time period and setting details to immerse the reader in the Victorian era. The characters are realistically drawn; I especially appreciate how the author makes effective use of occasional flashbacks to delve into their personal histories. The pacing is spot on, and the plot twists make THE QUEEN OF FIVES such an enjoyable read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THE HOUSEKEEPERS and hope a movie comes of it! This new novel from Alex Hay is just as good!

It's the late 1800's and Quinn le Blanc is a con woman running a well known house in London. As the Queen of the House (fifth), it is her say so on what heist, con or tickery will take place. The house has fallen in disrepair so a go-big con is needed and she locks on the Kendals, a very old money, very powerful and very discreet family. Using one of the house plans, Quinn sets out to earn a fiancé, not knowing the interpersonal secrets kept between the remaining Kendals. As only Alex Hay can, we are slowly reeled into a complicated and unique con the becomes more and more thrilling as other forces enter the game.

Double Crosses, secrets, violence and genius chess playing is afoot! Grab this story now! #harlequintrade #thequeenoffives #graydonhouse

I really wanted to enjoy this one. A historical con-artist mystery sounds so intriguing! While I did enjoy the mystery and the role each player had, I felt that the story moved very slowly. When I open a book I want to be drawn in from the very first page and I just didn't get that with this story unfortunately. The concept is very unique I just think that the overall execution could be a little easier to follow.

Quinn le Blanc is the reigning queen of the chateau. And her next target? A rich nobleman. But this con is not the same as the others. Quinn is upping the stakes and putting more on the line for this job because desperate times call for desperate measures.

I received a complementary electronic copy of this book from Alex Hay and Harlequin Trade Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone.

I really wanted to like this book. The idea of it was intriguing, but the execution did not quite capture what I was hoping for. The details and certain characters were too complicated and it was hard to keep everything straight in my mind. I also felt like the story was dragged out too much in the middle.

What I liked: I enjoyed the drama of the ending and the overall mystery that encompassed the story. The mystery definitely added to the story, so I am glad that was included.

Overall, I might recommend this to someone who was looking for a historical con artist novel, but I do not see myself recommending this to all of my friends and followers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing with me the advanced reader copy of Alex Hay' 'The Queen of Fives' in exchange for my honest review.

I requested the ARC of 'The Queen of Fives' because I had enjoyed the authors previous novel 'The Housekeepers'. However, I found quickly that while I had enjoyed the author's voice in previous novel I did not enjoy it in this. The first few chapters were incredibly repetitive in their language and the story did not draw me in.

Very entertaining. It gives me "Inheritance games" mixed with "Bridgerton" vibes with something else to it as well.

I was drawn into this one immediately - and almost as immediately lost the threads... I found the topic intriguing, and loved the opening. But I pretty quickly got lost in the details and didn't feel like the overarching story was moving forward so much as limping along. I just didn't connect to the characters or plot. This one wasn't for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced e-copy of this book! I reviewed this voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

This was a fun story - I thought the premise was pretty unique and unlike anything I'd read before, in that it's set in the Victorian-era marriage market but is not a romance, per se.

The characters were fun to follow and well-rounded, and I got a good sense of how each character thinks and what kinds of decisions they make. However, I got less of a sense of who each of the characters are, and I did find them to be lacking a bit in personal history. The characters all had realistic flaws which I always appreciate. The different POVs were used in a really nice way to advance the plot and there weren't a lot of characters with "filler"POVs.

The plot twists and turns were fun to follow and make guesses about - I thought one of the reveals was a little predictable, but the book as a whole did not feel that way to me. The overall direction of the novel was satisfying and I enjoyed the game. I did find it a little hard to follow at times, especially the flash backs. There were several times when I had to flip back a few pages to see where a flashback started. The pacing was good and I didn't feel it lagging at all; the final third of the book was particularly page-turning!

Overall, this was an enjoyable book, and while it didn't quite reach 5 stars for me, I thought it was a refreshing take on both a con artist book and a fortune-hunting marriage book.

Quick Read! I loved the plot of this book as it was super interesting! Victorian High Society is always such an interesting thing to see authors delve into and this book was no different!

I love books about high-society anything, especially during the Victorian era. This one includes a con-woman, so very exciting!

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC.

Wow! Was this fantastic!!! A "sit down and don't get up until you have turned the last page" type of book. Anyone who loves historical fiction, thrillers, or whip-smart badass heroines will devour this! I can hardly sing its praises enough! This was by first book by Alex Hay but it certainly won't be my last. Highly recommended and if I could, I would give it 10 stars! Seriously, run to your nearest bookstore and get a copy when it is published. I have already preordered it, and have plans to read this again in paper form to mark all my favorite passages!

This was fine. I went into it expecting it was a romance and was disappointed. There were too many characters and it tried to keep the reader in the dark for too long, in my opinion.

I got this book as an Arc from NetGalley.

Set in London in the 1800s. Honestly this book was okay. I feel like certain parts could have been taken out to move the story faster. Overall it was a good quick read. Perfect for two plane rides!

Alex Hay brings us the story of Quinn le Blanc, a very talented con woman in 1898 London. She has set her sights on one of the richest families in England. Her target is to get the duke to the marriage altar then take the family fortune. As she gets closer to her goal, the more deceptions start to unfold. Quinn is hiding behind the facade of a wealthy heiress, but she finds out that she is not the only one keeping secrets. What happens when every turn is met with suspicion and deceit? Follow along with Quinn to see what happens when she sets her sights on Max, the Duke of Kendal, and his family. See what twists and turns happen as each player moves forward in their games and what happens once all bets are in and the dice are thrown.

Alex Hay brings us the story of Quinn and those in her employ as we try to figure out how they are going to pull of the wedding of the year. See what happens as each player plays a set across the board and how that impacts all the other players. You keep wanting to turn the page to see what happens next.

I have read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I would like to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House for this privilege.

London, 1896. The city's most gifted con woman attempts to wed a Duke and filch a fortune from England's wealthiest family. Gripping!