I'm not going to lie- the first chapter took me several tries to get through. Once I did though I enjoyed this romp quite a bit.. A quick read, not groundbreaking but worth taking a look at if the premise intrigues you or you've been reading the series.

I just couldn’t get into this story and stopped about 15% in. There was a lot of repetitive language that I just couldn’t get past and I won’t be reviewing this book on any other platforms.

I enjoyed the book very much. The attraction between Liam and Penny is explosive. Penny infiltrates the marquess' home looking for evidence of his participation with the Devil's Sons. Unbeknownst to Penny, he wants to infiltrate the Devil's Sons and destroy it from the inside. Liam wants to do it by himself, but he discovers there is nothing wrong with help from friends and the woman he loves.
An upstairs and downstairs romance mystery.
Explicit sex. Some violence.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from Booksprout.

3.5 stars rounded up and my thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC!

"I hate this man, he's evil, and vile. Oh he's hot? I forgive all his errors!"

The plot was interesting, a woman becomes a maid in some well-to-do lord's house to find out if he's a member of a sinister group selling women to the "flesh markets of Europe." Without fail, the man is not as she assumed and he's actually THE NICEST BOY EVER TO EVER NICE and how dare she think different.

Please, for the love of god, please use another word other than "cunny"

3.75 stars

I'm fairly new to reading historical fiction, but I did really enjoy this book! It was a bit too slow for my liking at certain parts of the story, then picked back up reeling me back in. I thought it was a well thought out story and I enjoyed that both MCs were on the same wavelength. Penny did not think she was better than Liam and Liam did not think he was better than Penny. Penny and Liam both were perfect for each other in so many ways. Will definitely look into reading others from this series!

What a delightful read. It hit all the good spots of historical period pieces but added a more modern element with the Queen's deadly damsels. Penny's character was fun to read and you found yourself rooting for her and her happy ending. I appreciated Liam's respect and caring for Penny's freedoms and decisions. This book also avoided many of the miscommunication tropes that can get overplayed with a storyline like the one in this book. While I have not read the first two in the series it did not seem fully necessary to follow the storyline.

McGuire's latest Damsel book is a quick and cute upstairs downstairs romance. I love how confident and determined the FMC even when faced with hardship throughout her life. The MMC was great as well. Determined to not be everything his family determined he should be. I laughed and cried while reading this. I also liked getting to see the MCs from the other two books and look forward to more. Even though this is a third book in a series it can easily be read as a standalone. If you like historical romance with a bit of mystery and intrigue, then this is the book for you!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really fun read! Can easily be read as a standalone.

I loved the quiet strength and smarts of the female lead - especially considering the time period the story is set in. You get a healthy dash of intrigue to go with the romance in this one.

It took me a while to finish this book, so I can’t say it was great, but I did finish it, so it was good. I didn’t really like the main character as I usually do, and the spicy scenes were a bit too much. Historical romance with spy elements seems to be popular lately and I love it.

I struggle with this series because I can never really remember the previous book's plot line. That doesn't matter enormously as these books can pretty easily be read separately (although there is a main plot running through them all) but it is always a jarring experience. Overall, this book was good. It wasn't great but it was fine.

I absolutely love Regency and historical romance, but this one just wasn’t for me. I was intrigued by the spy elements and the upstairs/downstairs dynamic, but the spicy scenes were a bit too much for my taste, and I didn’t really like the main character so I almost ended up DNFing. That said, if you enjoy steamy historical romance, this might be right up your alley.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

If you loved Bridgerton you will love this book! The story was very well written and cute! It was a very story and such a fun read!

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

This Regency romance is the third in the Queen's Deadly Damsels series. I've enjoyed the previous two in the series, so I was looking forward to this one as well. This third instalment follows Penny Smith, and Lord William Renquist. Penny is a housemaid, but she's also a secret spy for the prime minister. Lord Renquist, who goes by the name Liam, is suspected of being a member of the Devil's Sons.

At the start, I found Penny an endearing character, while Liam seemed charming and a little bit mysterious. Both characters made me smile, and the initial spark between them made my heart beat a little faster. The story was a lighthearted mix of romance and mystery, with a dash of spice, and it was satisfying to read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

The Confessions of a Lady is the third book in the Queen’s Deadly Damsels series in which an organization known as the Devil’s Sons, consisting of powerful men, is involved in human trafficking. Queen Victoria and the Prime Minister are determined to stop the group once and for all with the help of a separate group of determined and brave women and war veterans.

In this third book, the protagonist is Penny Smith, who all her life has known suffering and poverty, but now has the chance to save her mother from prison. All she has to do is find proof that Lord William Renquist, Marquess of Stoneway, is a member of the Devil’s Sons, so she finds a job as a maid at his house, but she doesn’t expect to be so attracted to him. What Penny doesn’t know is that Liam not only is also equally attracted to her, but he is actually working undercover to destroy the Devil’s Sons.

This was such a fun read! There is spicy romance, secret spies, and suspense all set in Victorian England. Penny is resourceful and brazen, while Liam tries to amend for the mistakes of his family by bringing down the organization that destroyed it and I loved their chemistry and their witty exchanges.

Well-written, witty, entertaining, and engrossing, The Confessions of a Lady is the perfect read if you love bold heroines, spy romances, and strong friendships. Also, although this is the third book in the series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend the entire series. I can’t wait for the next book!

Historical romance and a crime thriller too. The Confessions of a Lady scratched an itch in my brain I didn't know existed before reading this book. We have a brooding Lord with a tormented past trying to tame his inner beast and do something good with his life, money, and influence. Then we have a scrappy spy who was practically raised in a paupers prison. She has been sent to gather intelligence on said monster. Sparks fly as they attempt to avoid the pull of the other in pursuit of their goals. Written in dual POV this book had me sweating and on the edge of my seat. The mystery aspect had me guessing until the end. Absolutely recommend for fans of Bridgerton, Downton Abbey, and Agatha Christie. Such a fun read.

Housemaid Penny Smith is desperately searching for proof that her employer, the Marquess of Stoneway is involved in an evil cult, known as the Devil’s Sons, which kidnaps young women and ships them abroad. If she finds the evidence, she’s been promised that she will receive a handsome reward and be able to free her mother from prison. Little does she know that the Marquess is also investigating the Devil’s Sons in order to bring them to justice. Sparks fly when they meet and misunderstandings abound as they each carry out their investigations.

Having read the first two books in this series, which I found spent far too much of the story detailing the sexual activities of the hero and heroine and very little actual investigation, I wanted to see if this book was any better. Unfortunately, I’ve got much the same criticism for this book, the steamy side of the book became boring but there did seem to be a little more investigation. So perhaps there is hope for any future books.

The third of the Queen’s Deadly Damsels and love me some strong FMCs meet their scarred MMC + the tension between them = 🌶️🔥

Even if this book could be read as a stand-alone, I recommend you to read the previous books as there are characters from previous books that will be featured in this book. I was very happy to meet Millicent (from A Lady’s Lesson in Scandal) again in this book and apparently this book will be focusing on her former housemaid, Penny Smith. And if asked what part I like the most from McGuire’s book, it’d be how she depicted her FMC with their strengths and principles. I think what stands out the most from this series by McGuire is how a woman could stand for herself and even be supported by her man. Love their characters!

So still with the mystery behind the Devil’s Son, Penny plays a role in gathering clues from the lair of the prime suspect–from her view, The House of Renquist which happened to be the house of William Renquist who truly troubles her with the (unintentional) seduction. But what if that villain in her mind is actually a spy for the Queen, well it’s true that you could not judge a book by its cover–because the cold vile William Renquist was a gentle soul after all. Such a fun time reading their banter and attraction to each other!

A dangerous game from opposite side of justice and forbidden attraction between a Lord and a maid–you can expect a whole ride of spicy banter and steamy slow-burn between Liam and Penny. If you are looking for these traits from your next read, then this is IT for you!
p.s. Now I really need to read the first book of this series–I want to know Hannah more!

This is book 3 in a series which I didn't realise but can be read as a stand alone the only thing I perhaps missed by doing this is where the other characters come in that appear during the story. This book is fast passed containing romance, action, and mystery. Human Trafficking also plays a big part of the story and demonstrates things haven't changed much as its still happening today. An enjoyable easy read that held my interest. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was really great! And I’m happy to say that it met my expectations and made me forget the disappointment of the previous book, while matching the beauty of the first one. There’s angst in this one, with two intriguing characters who hide their passionate and fierce nature, but are a great match for each other. The story of the Devil’s Sons is interesting and far from over, but this book dispelled some of my doubts from the previous books. Definitely worth reading.

This third book in the Deadly Damsel series introduces us to another intrepid young woman. Penny Smith has taken on a role as housemaid in the home of Lord William Renquist, Marquess of Stoneway, in order to provide the evidence needed to infiltrate a deadly brotherhood targeting defenceless young women. However, Penny didn’t anticipate becoming attracted to the deliciously handsome Marquess, nor to have that attraction passionately reciprocated.

What then follows is Cinderella type, rags-to-riches steamy romp, which sizzles with sexual chemistry whilst at the same time highlights the differences between the social classes of those with money who live above stairs and the drudgery of the servants working below stairs. This third book continues the Deadly Damsel theme of strong and capable women fighting to protect the innocent. I enjoyed seeing the return of those characters we have come to know from previous books and I found that Penny Smith was definitely a worthy addition to this band of intrepid woman recruited by Queen Victoria to defend the innocent against adversity.

Lord William Renquist’s attraction to Penny definitely sizzles on the page with their encounters adding a nice amount of spice to the story, and of course, there’s a mystery to solve which comes together nicely and leaves the way open for a further continuation of this delightful series.