This book is set in a loosely Victorian London, I didn’t read the first book but had no trouble following along. Despite the ahistorical elements, with modern-thinking characters that are inconsistent with genre, I did like the author’s writing and the way the book started off.
However, inconsistent plot, weak world-building, and flat characters were disappointing. The biggest low point of the book was its abrupt ending. The story often felt boring and lacked emotional depth.
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebook Casablanca for ARC, all opinions are my own.

It's no secret that I love a good historical romance novel, but unfortunately, this didn't quite work for me - the rivals to lovers didn't feel fleshed out, I also just simply did not connect with the characters.

Faye Delacour’s A Lady’s Guide to London is the second book in her debut series, but it works just fine as a standalone. I didn’t read the first book and had no trouble following along. Set in what appears to be the Victorian era (there’s a reference to The Pickwick Papers), the story unfolds in London and proved to be a mixed experience for me. While there were some enjoyable moments, overall, the book landed squarely in “meh” territory. I was frequently bored, with the final 10% offering the most engagement—only to be let down by the abrupt ending.

What the novel has going for it is older main characters who largely act their age. Della is 26, and Lyman is 35. The writing itself is solid, with well-crafted dialogue and steamy scenes that hit the mark. There’s also a commendable effort at diversity with POC and queer characters. I appreciated that Lyman’s scandal—his abandonment of his wife after a gambling addiction leaves them ruined—was introduced early on and later became a key plot point.

While the book is touted as an enemies-to-lovers romance, the dynamic between Della and Lyman felt more like a rivalry that quickly escalates into instalust rather than any slow-burn tension. Adding to my confusion, the novel is also marketed as a romantic comedy, but I didn’t get that vibe at all—humour, if it was intended, simply didn’t land.

What I didn’t enjoy was the inconsistency in plot and character motivations. At times, characters fret over scandal, yet at others, they behave as if their actions carry no consequences. This lack of cohesion felt symptomatic of weak world-building. The characters never quite felt fully realized, making it harder to connect with them emotionally. Della’s sister, Annabelle, stood out in particular as frustratingly careless—her role in ruining a friend’s life lacked remorse, which made her difficult to tolerate. The writing, while competent, often felt flat, and I had to push myself to finish the book.

And after all that effort, I was disappointed by the lack of a satisfying ending. Instead of a well-earned HEA, we barely get a tenuous HFN. An extra chapter or even a short epilogue would have gone a long way in providing the closure this story needed. 2.5 stars rounded to 3.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy; all opinions are my own.

What a different pace! A Lady’s Guide to London was an interesting book 2 in a series. I appreciated the characters growth and the challenges they faced. I felt a bit on my toes with what would happen next or frustration for the MC’s and how others treated them.

I read this book without having read the first in the series and appreciated that it was just fine as a standalone. I would recommend it those who enjoy historical romance that are looking for something a little refreshing and different in that genre..

Ummmm what just happened? What was that ending? Or non-ending? Absolutely no resolution at all and it was so abrupt. And the "enemies to lovers" were mild rivals to lovers at best.

I enjoyed the first book in this series, although I couldn't fully remember what happened which did make parts of this book a little difficult to follow. But overall, it's a great book!

Cordelia Danby, Della, is a strong, independent woman, way ahead of her times and doesn't let anyone get in her way, specially men. She is the proud owner of Mrs. Bishop's Chocolate Emporium, a ladies only gaming house. She runs it with her best friend Jane Williams, since Della is often a mess when dealing with the day to day problems of running an establishment. Della is very good at coming up with new ideas to boost their business and clientele. So when Della decides that she too wants to be included in The Dicerning Gentleman's Guide to London, she reaches out to Viscount Lyman E. Price who is the author of the guide.He looks forward to helping her until he finds out she is a woman, a beautiful one at that and that she runs a gambling business. All their problems begin here because she represents the things that have caused his downfall and the end of his marriage and he represents all the obstacles that have always been present in her life because she is a woman.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca! 💫💫💫💫💫

I joined NetGalley and this was one of the first ARCs I was approved for. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a historical romance but loved jumping into this even though it’s book 2 of the series.

Cordelia Danby is the sunshine to Lord Ashton’s grumpy straight and narrow nature. She’s co-owner of a Ladies only gambling club in London and he’s a Lord who list it all due to gambling and avoids any of his old vices. She decides she wants to write a guidebook to get their club more recognition and he’s her mentor. Bless poor Della who doesn’t realize she’s got ADD and that’s why she had a hard time focusing - I appreciated this insight although during the time period they wouldn’t have a name for it or recognize it for what it is and she just thinks she doesn’t have her life as put together as others.

Loved the pacing and character development in this story.

Technically, its cheating...

I normally don't like cheating and there is cheating in this book, as Lyman is married, older than Lady Delia and not divorced. Lyman never disparages his estranged wife, as he is the one who solely imploded their marriage about a decade ago on his gambling, that leaves him destitute and writing a guide to London for gentleman for money to pay his gambling debts, He's had affairs with widows but Lady Delia is young, unmarried and a chaotic part owner in a club. She does not have her S together by any means. She possibly has ADHD, as she cannot focus, looses track of tasks and is a chaos agent. She's pretty and plump, which Lyman likes, but he has been burned by gambling and rightly doesn't want to promote it in his pamphlet, which Delia is determined to get their ladies "chocolate" club written up in. She does have good marketing ideas, but she terrible with follow through, except for bedding Lyman. She's on board with that.

I enjoyed the writing in this book. But I didn't love either of the main characters. They do seem like a good match as Lyman takes responsibility and moves forward being a little too cautious. He is so concerned and worried about how his actions might cause issues for others that he doesn't accept that sometimes people are also making choices. I do like that he never really spoke poorly about his estranged wife cause he was the problem and he did her wrong. I don't consider what him and Della had as cheating but others may see it differently than I.
I had a hard time with Della, its seems that she clearly was overwhelmed and maybe has ADHD cause she could not focus. But she is so stubborn and lacks accountability for her actions and dismissive of how her actions or lack of actions (end of book involving her sister and another woman). I was frustrated with her the whole time. When she apologized or hurt people she didn't seem really sorry that she had done something she was sorry that someone was mad at her. It was so childish for a 26 year old woman. She reminded me so much of a friend I used to have so that probably added to my frustrations with her. The whole time I was just wishing she would communicate more with Jane. She should have been honest about so much with her. I just can't le sigh....
This isn't a sad ending but it did feel happily ever for now as an FYI.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC of A Lady's Guide to London.

I really enjoyed Faye Delacour's debut, The Lady He Lost, so I was looking forward to her next outing. Della was such a strong character in the previous novel– a real girl's girl– so I was looking forward to her HEA.

Della Danby has taken on more and more responsibility at the ladies gaming hall she runs with her best friend, Jane Williams, since Jane had her baby a few months ago. She is trying to figure out how to drum up more business so they can expand and hire help when she comes on the idea to approach Lord Ashton, a Viscount who publishes a gentleman's guide to London, to see if he would include Bishop's in his list of gaming establishments. When Della and Ashton meet, he's shocked to find that his correspondent is a woman and he dismisses her. Della won't take this lying down so she approaches Ashton's publisher with an idea: she should write a lady's guide to London. The publisher will only agree if she works with Ashton, because he is a known quantity, so Della is forced to collaborate with him despite their rocky start.

This book is special because of its heroine. Like I mentioned above, I loved Della in the first book and was really looking forward to being in her head. At the beginning of A Lady's Guide to London, Della comes off as a chaos agent. She's disorganized and bouncing from thing-to-thing without much structure. But over the course of the book, you realize that Della is not inherently a chaotic person; she's someone who can't say no to the people she loves. She's a little disorganized but that's not a blocker to productivity. Her friends and family are. Della's journey in this book is to realize that she needs to say no and advocate for herself, especially to those closest to her.

Faye Delacour took a big swing in this book with the hero. Ashton has an estranged wife, who is estranged for a very good reason. Ashton blew through his inheritance, her dowry and then lost everything in a card game, leaving them destitute. They then separated and he's had several discreet affairs in the intervening years. It's been nine years, but Ashton is still married (this was before divorce became a civil issue– it was still litigated in the ecclesiastical courts and then required an act of parliament) so this whole relationship is technically cheating. Getting a romance reader on board with a man who is being unfaithful to his wife is a monumental task, but I think Faye Delacour accomplished it. We see that Ashton was a very different person in his marriage than he is now and he is prepared to confront all of the consequences of his actions.

This book is definitely setting up Della's sister, Annabelle, to be the heroine of the next story. Annabelle is a 19-year-old lesbian who behaves like an adolescent idiot throughout much of this book, getting others into trouble with her actions and then refusing to accept the consequences. I actually found it hard to deal with her at times because she's so inconsiderate, but then I had to remember she is 19 and her frontal lobe isn't fully formed. She's going to be an insufferable idiot for a few more years. I hope she grows up before her book or at least has to finally deal with the impact of her actions on others.

I won't spoil the end of this book because I think it's really unique in a romance novel, but again, Faye Delacour was taking a big risk with it. I think she mostly stuck the landing, but I'll be intrigued to see if we catch some of Della and Ashton in a future book so we can check in on their unconventional HEA.

Oh my gosh I ate this book up!!! I adored Della. She is determined and unconventional in the most delightful way. She doesn't let society's rules limit her and I loved watching her open Lyman's perspective to what could be. Their grumpy x sunshine dynamic was so fun. I adored watching her drag him into all sorts of misadventures. Because it's a historical romance it's not named, but Della clearly has ADHD and I felt so seen by the way it was portrayed in this story. I really loved the sapphic representation as well. It was such a joy to see two characters choose each other despite the obstacles. This book was a delight and I will definitely be reading more from this author! I recommend this story to those who love their historicals with a more modern feel.

This is a very ahistorical 'historical' romance. Our main characters think like modern women. The lesbian representation is sweet. Completely wrong, but sweet. When I'm being dour I worry that people may think that this is actual history, rather than a sweet confection. Faye Delacour writes well enough that I was mostly in the story, not worrying about it's lack of historical accuracy. My main issue with this is I got it from NetGalley (for free in exchange for an honest review) and on NetGalley (as opposed to other places you can get this book) it did not state that it was the second in a series. Even though it was clear what had happened in the first instalment, I think I would have been move invested if I'd experienced the background.
Read the first book first. Read them both if you want a fun romance that centres female friendships.

This book was definitely right up my alley, I had fun with the forced proximity and grumpy sunshine tropes printed throughout. Della was such an interesting character, I didn’t love her all that much in the beginning but grew to appreciate her a whole lot more as the book went on and I loved the dynamic with her and Lymen Ashton. I also really enjoyed Annabelle and the sisterly bond.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series so I was looking forward to a book about Della. And I was pleased with some parts of this, other parts felt lacking. I very much enjoyed Della as a character and her interactions with her family. And I thought it was a very nice change of pace for historical romance that our viscount is actually ruined in the eyes of society because of his past. The romance itself was somewhat lacking and the ending was a total letdown. We really needed more from an epilogue or something to believe they actually get a HFN or HEA. Still looking forward to more from this series though.

Let me just say it—I LOVED this book. A Lady’s Guide to London is an absolute breath of fresh air in the world of historical fiction. It ditches the typical prim-and-proper narrative for something far more fun, grounded, and real. If you’ve ever wanted a heroine who’s clever, bold, and just a bit mischievous (in the best way), this book delivers.

This is the second book in the series, but trust me, you don’t need to read the first to jump right in. The story stands confidently on its own while still giving a nod to the world built in book one.

Set against the bustling backdrop of Victorian London, the novel follows a fiercely independent woman navigating high society on her own terms. She’s witty, daring, and refreshingly aware of the constraints placed on her—but she’s not afraid to bend, twist, and occasionally break the rules to carve out a life she actually wants. And honestly? Watching her do it is so satisfying.

There’s romance (of course), but it’s not the delicate, demure kind—it’s passionate, messy, and realistic. The relationships feel grounded in chemistry and choice, not just fate and fan fluttering. Add in a touch of scandal, a dash of clever dialogue, and a heroine who actually feels like someone you’d want to be friends with, and you’ve got a historical novel that doesn’t just entertain—it empowers.

If you’ve grown tired of historical fiction that feels more like a museum exhibit than a living, breathing world, A Lady’s Guide to London is exactly what you need. It’s smart, sexy, and subversive in all the right ways. I already can’t wait to read whatever comes next in this series.

When it comes to historical romance, I am automatically biased in giving a good rating.
Meet Della, a headstrong woman who is quite progressive compared to her society. She runs a gambling house and pays her own bills. She is smart and witty and aims to empower women, as they are considered minor in society.
Then comes Lord Ashton, a grumpy viscount who loathes gambling (since he had a bad experience in the past) and has lost all his wealth in this habit. He is a successful writer who writes guidebooks of London, aiming to help men find the right places to shop and be entertained.
Della proposes that Lord Ashton include her gambling house in his book, but he refuses since the house does not cater to men, and he would not support a gambling house.
Flustered, Della decides to write her own guidebook, which aims to help women find good places to visit, shop (modiste, drapers, tea houses), and even find places where women can be entertained just like men.
When Lord Ashton agrees to help Della in return for good money, sexual tension builds between them as they explore places that were completely unknown to Della.
I loved Della's relationship with her siblings, her bonding with her friends and her feelings for Viscount, despite him having so many flaws and red flags.
When Lord Ashton spends time with Della, he realizes that she is no ordinary woman and is enthralled by her intelligence and her vision to mark her name in society.
I didn't know it was the second book of the series, but I'd love to read the first one now.

A romp of a rom com about Della, who runs a gambling club for women and Lyman Ashton, a grumpy viscount who runs a guide to London. Opposites attract and a working relationship becomes, well, a romantic one with good banter. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC>. I missed the first book but now I'm going to look for Delacour in the future.

A Lady's Guide to London
by Faye Delacour

This captivating novel is the second installment in the Lucky Ladies of London series, though it is the only book I have read in this collection so far. I found the story to be engaging and richly woven, following our determined heroine as she confidently navigates the vibrant and often treacherous social landscape of Regency London.

Della Danby, is a spirited young woman who becomes a part-owner of Bishops, a unique gambling club exclusively for women. In a bold move to elevate her establishment, she decides to write a guidebook intended for the ladies of London, aiming to enlighten them on their gaming options and empower them in what was often a male-dominated society. Della comes to the decision to write the guide because the illustrious Viscount Ashton has found success with his own guide for gentlemen, and refuses to recognize the existence of Della’s women-only club in the second edition of his publication.

Throughout the book, Delacour explores a range of pressing issues reflective of the era, including the complexities of arranged marriages, the harsh realities of separation and divorce, and the often-overlooked struggle with gambling addiction that some individuals faced. Additionally, the narrative provides a thoughtful commentary on the restrictive roles assigned to women during the Regency period, bringing to light their challenges and the societal expectations placed upon them.

The conclusion of the story takes an unexpected turn, leaving me yearning for a more definitive resolution, as it feels somewhat abrupt and lacks a proper epilogue to grant readers the much-desired happy ever after. Despite this, I am eager to delve into more works by Faye Delacour in the future, as her writing provides an enjoyable and insightful glimpse into this fascinating historical era.

This was book 2 in The Lucky Ladies of London by Faye Delacour. I would consider them interconnected standalones. Book 2 follows Della, a bright, sassy, and fearless woman and Lyman Ashton, a broody, self-loathing Viscount. This was an easy and comfy read. The story was well timed and I could see all the scenes in my mind. The spicy bits are “open-door” but I would only give it 2/5 on the spice scale. Overall I loved the book, I would read it again for the feels.