I love the premise of this series - female spies work as governesses in aristocrat's homes to root out the corrupt and villainous in the Victorian era, when traditional law enforcement couldn't touch high society. The spymaster, The Dove, runs a fake training school for governesses, but she's actually training women in espionage tactics.

In this installment, the brilliant mathematician, Frances "Frankie" Turner, agrees to help The Dove discover who is entrapping wealthy, outspoken young women into marriages in exchange for The Dove's help finding her missing sister. The common thread that connects the men who are being called the Dowry Thieves is that they all belong to a gaming club run by Jasper Jones. Frankie becomes governess to Jasper's newly orphaned niece and her unconventional lessons (learning math through card games) intrigues and infuriates Jasper. Frankie didn't get the espionage training from The Dove, so she blunders a bit, which is pretty charming. Of course, the niece loves her and Jasper grows to enjoy her company, too.

This is a fast paced book - the physical part of Frankie and Jasper's relationship took me by surprise, but suspend your disbelief and enjoy the ride!

There were parts when I was convinced that Frankie is neurodivergent - she talks about not always picking up on social cues and she is unflinching in delivering the truth, even when it might mean she is put in a difficult situation. She's a fun character to follow and definitely not your typical historical romance heroine!

I love that in addition to the story of Franking and Jasper, we get more of an overarching storyline for The Dove. I imagine her story will be the last in the series. She's a fascinating character getting developed very slowly. I'm hooked!

Never Gamble Your Heart is a thrilling, heart-pounding ride that blends clever math with sizzling romance and a dash of danger. Their chemistry crackles with every witty exchange and shared moment of tension, creating a palpable energy that makes their slow-burn romance utterly addictive. The suspense keeps you hooked, but it’s the way Frankie and Jasper’s relationship deepens that truly steals the show. This book is a perfect mix of mystery, passion, and heart; impossible to put down!

I loved this book, and I cannot wait for the next one to come out.

Mystery and intrigue, romance and adventure, set in the past--I am in! I enjoyed the characters and the dynamics between all of them. While I wanted more to read, the pacing of this book was excellent and felt complete.

I thoroughly enjoyed the second book in the series and am so excited to read more!

I loved how the first book, Never Blow a Kiss, introduced us to Frankie, but didn't give away too much as to what her storyline would be but had enough information to intrigue me.
Frankie is brilliant at math, and not as brilliant of being an 'appropriate' governess but nonetheless, that is her job and she gets a job working for notorious gambling hell owner, Jasper Jones, who may have knowledge of where her missing sister could be, as he has taken guardianship of his fifteen year old niece.

Frankie and Jasper find they have a lot more in common (including an attraction to one another) and start to work together to find Frankie's sister. Of course, if they happen to act on their attraction once or twice, well, that's just wonderful.

A great book from Lindsay and I think will be enjoyed by many fans of historical romance books.

Thanks to Forever for an eARC of the book. All opinions are my own.

Fantastic storyteller. I anxiously await the next in the series. Free ARC from NetGalley for honest review.

I really enjoyed this as a historical romance novel, it had that overall concept that I wanted from the description. The romance element was realistic and was built in a way that wasn’t fake. Lindsay Lovise wrote the plot and the characters in a way that worked in this universe and though everything was so well done.

4⭐️
"From the moment you walked into my life you have frustrated me, irritated me, and pulled me into one harebrained scheme after another. And yet I find myself waking each morning with a smile on my face, anxious to hear what you will say next."

I loved this! I knew going into it I would, because Lindsay Lovise's debut, Never Blow A Kiss was great as well

Frankie Turner is working in the household of Jasper Jones, notorious rake and gambling hell owner, as governess to his niece. But she is also there as a spy- recently there have been a string of marriages between compromised young women and fortune-less lords. The only connection between the marriages that mathematical genius Frankie can find is that the grooms are all members at Rockfords, Jones's club.

I loved how the relationship between Frankie and Jasper quietly went from hostile to companionable. At first Jasper doesn't know what to make of Frankie- she's not a society miss, simpering in his presence and only saying the right things. He quickly comes to realize that her quirks are what make her so unique. Frankie for her part is distrustful before she even meets Jasper- he has a reputation as a coldhearted scoundrel, which she comes to discover is far from the truth.

I loved once these two actually started working together! They were both so quick to jump to the other's defence among the ton, where neither of them quite fit in. I also loved how Jasper put up zero internal fight once he began to fall for Frankie. We didn't have to sit through him pushing her away or trying to act distantly. He just wholeheartedly fell and told her so, point blank.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing team for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I had high hopes for this book, based on its action-packed plot and loveable protagonist; however, it ultimately fell short because of undeveloped dialogue, clunky exposition throughout, sudden, unmotivated character decisions, and incomplete editing.

I'll start with the good: I really liked having a FML in glasses who is neurodiverse-coded! Frankie was honest, awkward, brilliant, and loveable. A well-imagined female lead who I was cheering for. The plot also had some good twists and turns, involving political intrigue and murder.

Now the bad: I know that ARCs are by their nature not-quite-ready for publication, but this book felt quite unfinished. From the impenetrable exposition-dump on the series concept in the second chapter, to the insta-lust between romantic leads, to heavy handed themes (I agreed with the feminism and anti-classism, but it was mostly tell instead of show), this book hasn't quite smoothed out its rough edges. It felt like a good book in the making, thwarted by lack of proper cutting down and editing.

This is probably most evident in the book's use of dialogue. An example of the way the dialogue felt only partially developed:
"That makes sense." "It does? I mean, of course it does!"
(This feels like something out of a kid's cartoon, not a romance novel.) I also disliked "Holy Queen V!" as an expletive; it felt really awkward throughout.

I love Victorian-era romance and I liked some of the characters, but this book fell short for me.

Unfortunately, not something I liked. I was looking forward to reading this and immediately started it after finishing my last book.

There is this trend I'm starting to see in historical romance books releasing in recent years where characters act more modern and use modern language. I don't see the appeal and it just put me off. If I want to read a contemporary romance, I'd just read one. Using such modern elements in a HR book makes it seem like a make believe play. Honestly, that's what it is. A make believe contemporary romance book disguised in a historical romance setting. It takes away what HR really is and makes it unenjoyable imo.

Thanks to the publisher for this ARC!

A couple of days ago, I was unaware of this series and the author and now, I’ve read both books and cannot wait for the third!

In this installment (which can be enjoyed as a standalone though the first book is delightful so I’d recommend reading it), Frankie is placed as a governess in the home of Jasper Jones in order to spy on him. She suspects Jasper is organizing an unsavory scheme of trapping outspoken women into marriage with terrible men. As Frankie finds more and more information, she realizes that Jasper isn’t who she thought he was… but will they be able to solve the mystery before they fall into a dangerous predicament themselves?!

This was so entertaining - there is flirting, intrigue, mystery, romance, and a bit of danger. Frankie is a darling and it is easy to root for her. Jasper’s niece Cecilia is charming and adds comic relief, and Jasper is a wonderful match for Frankie. I do not typically read a lot of historical romance as I prefer contemporary but I’m so glad I gave this a try. Enjoy!

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.