thank you to netgalley and publishers for extending the ARC in exchange for an honest review

2.5/5 stars

i LOVE the idea of a 1930s mystery in Sydney in a brothel. so unlike anything i've ever read. and it delivered!!!

i was a little wary. books about exploring poverty and women's issues in books can be written really well or really wrong, but i learned really quickly that this book isn't showcasing the girls as victims, but rather just women working. simple. it wasn't their last resort, and they weren't down on their luck either. finding a place you love and making a living out of it is special, and i loved that this book highlighted that. it was a tight-knit, found-family group of women who were cared for and respected (by the other girls, not always their customers). it was a side of sex work that i've never seen, and that i want to see more of. Madame, the woman who runs and operates Maison des Flerus, cares for each of the girls lovingly and tolerates absolutely no abuse from the men who come and go. they're there to support each other.

with that being said, i have a few issues with this book. the farther i got into the book, the less interested i became and the more the writing became jumpy and almost distracted from the point. violet seems to not run into any conflicts throughout her journey of solving the truth. like honestly, if you're going to write a mystery, the character has to go through at least some trials and tribulation. but we didnt get that. she barely lifted her fingertip throughout the entire investigation. and because of that, whatever conflict violet came into was quickly solved without any effort because something just so happened to show up and solve it for her. that was really annoying

the whole story had so many plot holes that i didn't know what was going on most of them time. some solutions the characters came up with were like a car with a triangular wheels - unable to drive and super clunky.

Historical Mystery set in Australia 1930 featuring an eighteen year old high end prostitute who's drawn into a dangerous game involving a kidnapped girl, an ancient curse and murder.

1/5 stars: This is Britton's Historical Mystery stand-alone which is set in 1930 Australia and features an upscale brothel's eighteen year old star who's drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse that takes her from dangerous underworld dealings to raucous parties to untold stories about her own past when a former associate of the brothel's madame emerges to claim a long-owed favor involving a kidnapped girl and an ancient curse. When the madame's killed she'll risk all to save her friends, her home and the life she's come to love. Britton's writing and character work are nicely done. Britton tackles some sensitive topics, so take care and check the CWs. Unfortunately, this just wasn't a book for me; leading me to DNF it at 6%.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group | Allen & Unwin in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

A too perfect 18 year old happily working in the kindest brothel risks everyone she cares about lives to save a young woman from a horrific fate.

First of all, thank you to Net Galley for giving me the chance to read this book in advance of the release date.

As for the book, I can see where the appeal to the book is and I think I myself would've loved this book if it hadn't been so prolonged. It felt like it was moving so slow and I didn't see chemistry between characters. Even the first scene of the book felt like fifteen pages long and failed to give (at least for me) the intrigue needed for me to keep reading. I did just to try and prove myself wrong but it just felt a little weak.

It also didn't help that the book was given to read in a PDF format since i had to be constantly making the font bigger every page and was hard on focusing on just to keep reading and being immersed in the book.

I do think that the writer is talented and the book had a good premise!! Just felt like this particular one wasn't for me, but who knows, I might give a shot to another one.

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

The setting for this novel is what drew me in initially: I loved the idea of a mystery set in 1930s Sydney. I was even more keen to read it when I saw the plot revolved around a brothel. It was a combination I’d never seen before, all wrapped up in a cozy little mystery.

The brothel, Maison des Fleurs, was my favourite part of the book. The women who inhabited it showcased an empowering view of brothel life that is seldom explored. These girls weren’t victims, nor were they down on their luck. Sex work wasn’t a last resort for any of them, but a way to make an honest living in a place they loved. It was a found-family of strong women who were well treated and well respected (by each other, if not the rest of the population) for choosing to be independent. It was a refreshing take that I very much appreciated. Usually, women in literature are sold weeping into brothels, or abused and humiliated by its patrons. Not here, where Madame (who owns and runs Maison des Fleurs) watches over her girls and tolerates no cruelty from the men who come to call. Here, women band together and support each other.

Unfortunately, that was where my fondness for the story ended. The farther I got into this book, the more I lost interest. The writing isn’t engaging, and the text gets distracted and frequently interrupts itself. This means the pacing is off and there’s no sense of urgency anywhere in the story. The characters were all fairly one-dimensional, and there are far too many of them. Not a single one had a distinct personality; all were interchangeable. This includes our main character Violet.

Everything is convenient for Violet throughout the book. Rather than having to look for answers to help move the plot or the investigation along, answers show up out of the blue. Violet barely lifts a finger throughout the story, with major plot points being handed to her by other characters, including one character who shows up, is named and contemplated over, and has the sole purpose of leading her to her next destination so Violet doesn’t have to figure things out. We never see him again. Because of incidents like this, conflict doesn’t last. It’s quickly resolved through no effort of the MC, and every time it builds up a sense of urgency, a convenient solution abruptly snuffs it out. What action/suspense sequences do start to form are often side-tracked by rambling thoughts or events that didn’t need to happen. This makes for a fragmented and frustrating read.

The story as a whole has a great many plot holes. Several times the choices characters make seem like square pegs forced into round holes - clunky, messed up, and very obviously a poor fit. The number of times that a houseful of intelligent, grown women consistently shoot themselves in the foot is discouraging.

Final thoughts are these: this book starts out bumpy and never really finds its rhythm. It struggles with transitions and characters are all flat and one-dimensional. The story seems to happen around the main character rather than the main character doing anything proactive. The concept is good, interesting, and unique, but the execution could use some work.

Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this book!

I'm definitely a Phryne Fisher so I was interested immediately. The twists, the turns and the secrets were just *chef's kiss*. It's definitely worth a read

great book it was hard to get into in the beginning but it picked up in the middle and i loved the mystery behind it.
thank you netgalley for giving me this book to review.

I'll admit, Violet Kelly has the potential to patch up a Phryne Fisher-shaped hole in my heart. This is a fun and fast read with a lot of adventure and a just a touch of sexiness. It was easy to get into the story and I was anxious to see how it would end. That said, from the description/blurb, I did expect a lot more mystery. Instead, the "mystery" was solved within a couple of chapters and the majority of the book was our characters figuring out how to get out of trouble. I also felt the story moved too quickly, without giving me a chance to really connect with and get to know Violet and friends, or to revel in the story itself. I started this book excited for the potential of the first in a Violet Kelly series. Instead, I felt there were enough characters & relationships that, aside from the Jade Owl, this book alone should have been split into at least two to get the full depth of the relationships and interactions. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I really hoped for more from it.