Glory and the Master of Shadows

4.5/5. Releases 3/28/2023.

For when you're vibing with... a high heat historical romance, a Victorian romance that isn't! centered on white leads, a mentor/mentee romance, and a srs bsns man paired with a playful, plucky heroine.

As the vigilante daughter of a half-Chinese duke and a woman he had an affair with before they married, Glory has always felt a bit isolated by the ton. Now that all of her best friends are married and experiencing motherhood, she feels even more alone. Perhaps that's why she seeks out the tutelage of Wei Chen, a dangerous--but kind--man with a dark past. While Wei is willing to teach Glory how to fight, he's more hesitant to acquiesce to her desire for a very different kind of lesson... Despite how much he wants her. But the more Glory learns from and about Wei, the less they're able to resist their feelings...

Whew, this was good. While I do think that Pippa and the Prince of Secrets remains my favorite in this series (thus far--I am dying for Charlie's book) Glory and the Master of Shadows is an excellent counterpart, and is definitely my second favorite.

Quick Takes:
--To be clear, all the books in this series are great and you should read them. And I would say that they can be read as standalones, but why skip a fun Victorian Era take on Charlie's Angels where the heroines are girly girls who kick ass, support each other as friends, and get absolutely railed by growly dangerous men?

--Grace Callaway is of Chinese descent and mentioned in her notes that this is perhaps her most personal work. Here's what I really loved about it. You could see the influence not only of Grace's experiences as a bicultural woman and the very real history of the Opium Wars, but also Chinese art and cinema? Wei is inspired by the heroes of Cantonese dramas--tortured, graceful, elegant, DADDY--and there's this sense of wuxia throughout, or at least there was to me.

At the same time, a lot of attention is paid to the fact that Wei, a Chinese man who came to England as a young adult in the 1800s, has a very different experience from Glory, a woman who is not officially recognized as her father's child (like, he is her dad, he functions as her dad, but due to Reasons he basically had to adopt her, and a white man was known as her father by blood). While it's clear that rumor has circulated the fact that Glory is the daughter of a biracial man, it's still not official, and she's been raised as many debutantes in England would be. She's learning Chinese, but she's not fluent; she's curious about that part of her background, but she has to seek it through Wei, versus her father. And that's part of how they bond. A lot of Glory's individual journey is about finding her place, not only as a debutante of (partially) Chinese descent, but as a girl who just doesn't feel like she fits in. Yet never does she come off as NLOG--she's girly, she loves attention from Wei, she loves being feminine with her friends. She's a bit quirky, a bit out of place, a bit... perhaps, a late bloomer?

--And speaking of that--I love that this is the second historical romance I've read recently that exemplifies this sense of "all my friends are getting married without me". When you're on the last (or in this case, second to last, but Charlie is different) heroine in a series, it makes sense that she would feel a little delayed. And Glory has a super protective father, and wasn't super interested in sex or romance until her crush on Wei began... So yeah, it makes sense that she's a late bloomer. She doesn't seem quite as sexually aware as Livy and Fiona, the other virgin heroines in the series, are. Which... does add to the "teach me daddy" vibe she has with Wei. And I was not mad at that.

--However, I do want to make it clear that Wei and Glory's dynamic is very different from Livy and Hadleigh's (the most explicitly dom daddy/little girl romance in the series, though Hawk and Fi also had this vibe). While there's a similar age gap between Glory and Wei and Livy and Hadleigh and Hawk and Fi... Wei is very restrained. He doesn't launch himself at this girl. He also doesn't struggle with the same type of guilt Hadleigh did for wanting Livy; he does feel guilty, but it comes from a different perspective personally and culturally. Also--unlike Hadleigh and Hawk, Wei knew from day one that Glory was a vigilante. This was great to me. The one thing I didn't like when comparing Olivia and the Masked Duke and Fiona and the Enigmatic Earl is that there was a bit of repetition to the heroes not knowing until they knew. While I get why this is the way it is and I literally can't think of a way around it, I loved that in Pippa and the Prince of Secrets, Cull knew from the jump and just had to fucking deal. Wei is in a similar position, except I would say that of all the heroes in this series, he has the most confidence in his heroine's abilities. He's still protective, he still worries--but he knows Glory is a badass, and he loves that about her.

--So coming back to Wei... A fantastic hero. His backstory is achingly sad. He's been set up as very calm and above it all throughout the books, and of course, as we discover, he is NOT. He has a freakout in this book that is actually pretty fucking daring. I was surprised that she went there, and I liked that she did. Still waters run deep with Wei, and, it must be said, he's also SICK HOT. A cool, calm, and collected badass who chucks his heroine on the cheek and also does in fact do dirty shit to her feet away from where her parents are sleeping? We love this. We looooove this.

--If you like the "dating who daddy [father] hates" thing... Yeah, this does that really well. It's all very "BUT DADDY I LOVE HIM" and I was a-fucking-bout-it. I also read some interesting things into it, and I feel like some readers might have their expectations subverted.

--This one does kind of burn slow (by Grace Callaway standards!) and then speed up. I liked this. Some might feel like the ending is a bit too quick, but for me, it all came together very well.

The Sex Stuff:
I just love how like... sexual these books are. While being romantic. Like, there is a lot of focus on sex acts that are not p in v, which? Great. This is a debutante, she's a virgin, she can't get pregnant out of wedlock, it makes sense that p in v happens late in the book. But a lot of shit happens beforehand. There are some VERY VERY VERY good oral scenes in this one. Like. Some of the best oral scenes I've read. And yes, it is all very, very "teach me", if you.... happen to be into that.

I loved this one, and I can't wait for the next. If you've been hype for Wei and Glory, you won't be disappointed. If you're new to the series, I think you'll have a great time.

Thanks to Netgalley and Grace Callaway for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I've been impatiently waiting for this to come out after first reviewing Fiona and the Enigmatic Earl last year and first being introduced to Glory and Wei. After spending the majority of the month of March catching up on Callaway's backlist in order to be fully educated on their backstories, I couldn't wait to dive into this! My sincerest thanks to Grace and her team for providing me with an ARC for review.

I want to start off by saying how different of a vibe this book has from her previous books. While it is written in the descriptive, quick-moving style that I have come to recognize and love from Callaway, it's evident that there is a sense of personalization to it, extending from the author's own half-Chinese background.

Our hero Wei Chen is hellbent on avenging his family we learn very early on, his history an immediately stark contrast to the coolly controlled character we've been introduced to previously. I'll admit that in learning about the devastation in his past, my heart instantly sank. Callaway has written some dark pasts in her heroes but this one was particularly brutal. I don't want to spoil anything, but while this darkness was depressing, and what's more is there is a sense of realism to it when you learn anything about how terrible the Opium Wars were.

Glory Cavendish was just as bright and spunky as she'd been before, and it's always refreshing to see a female character embrace her attraction, and in this case, even seek out counsel from her friends. In fact, their antics in trying to make Glory more appealing to Wei was rather hilarious. Glory is stubborn, but that is part of her charm, and that is what keeps Wei coming to her aid. She's self-aware in a way that doesn't necessarily make her self-deprecating (or an NLOG), she's just who she is and doesn't mind that she's different. Her biggest concern is that she doesn't have enough sway as a debutante in order to help her father.

Their romance is pretty instant and they don't waste time admitting their feelings for each other, which I enjoy when I'm not in the mood for a lot of angst between love interests. That said, there's plenty of mystery to be solved. I'm always impressed with how Callaway manages to weave together the outside conflict in a interesting way without it being cliché. In this case, I felt like I was following the same clues as Glory and Wei without being too ahead of their guesses. Wei experienced a lot more character development than Glory did what with his tragic backstory, but that doesn't mean Glory didn't learn to be confident in self (not just her actions).

As always the steam and the spice was on point, with this novel feeling a bit steamier than it was spicy, but lacking in neither. I will say, the conflict coming together was hysterically chaotic in a way I haven't seen before and while I know it was supposed to be serious, I couldn't help laughing the whole way through. Nothing like a couple men duking it out for the heroine (pun intended).

And now I have to wait to find out who Lady Charlotte Fayne falls for! (It's it Devlin? I say it's Devlin)

Glory and the Master of Shadows. You have to believe me when I say that this book was deliciously good. So good in fact that I found my self slowly reading specific scenes in the book. Can you guess what scenes they are? What specific scenes you ask?
Well that’s between Glory, Wei and I. Giggle, giggle. The writer did a wonderful job with the creation of the characters. I also think that the creativity of the story shares the emotional aspect to how Glory and Wei moves between the dark webs of London’s back alleyways. The romance is a slow burn in the book, but you will find yourself intrigued with the story, from tracking down murders to finding dog knappers. Glory and her Angels team use their special sleuthing skills to hunt down some treacherous men. In the mean time Wei hunts down murderous men and ladies. During Wei’s vengeful hunting, he finds that he must protect Glory at ever turn that she makes. Glory’s character I thought was perfect for this story. She’s that bright star that Wei needs in his life.
Glory’s not an emotionally type of woman, but a strong independent woman who is very intelligent, as well as she thinks for herself. Wei, is a serious man who respects, honor family and the word of his closest friends. How these two find one another is so romantic. Glory and Wei’s attraction is heart melting, as well as seductively arousing. Their story will have you excited over some stolen and intimate moments. The characters are all like able. They bring their special witty moments to the story. Without a doubt Glory and Wei’s characters move the book along with moderate speed, but not to fast. The plot was very logical to the story, which is convincing for the reader. The action scenes are few, but believe able and offers the right amount of excitement to each scene.
My favorite character of course is Wei. As I said his persona is serious, respectful, strong, fearless, intelligent and romantic. No need to worry how soon the plot will be addressed in the book. It hits you at the beginning of the story. You are given enough details to the background story, which will have you understanding the will and determination of Wei.
Ok. Now. Did I tell you about the love scenes and the dirty talk that’s happens in the story? No you say?! Where the heck was my mind? Girrrrrrllll. My man Wei was a naughty, naughty boy. The scenes between Glory and him are so hot that “I” had to take breaks in between. These moments are more so when it comes to Wei or Glory palming a certain anatomy part. I love a man who can be kinky and yet very dirty when it comes to making love.
The writer did a perfect job at using the dialogue and giving details to specific scenes that played out during the love scenes. The writing is terrific and the story was beautiful. I give this story two snaps and a, “assume the position tigress ”. Until next my fellow readers… read on! I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Secret investigator Glory hires master Wei Chen to teach her martial arts. But she soon becomes embroiled in his plan to avenge the murders of his family. As the passion between them grows, so does the danger.

This romantic suspense is a mix of light and dark moments, a dognapping scheme contrasting with sensual scenes and horrific murders. The story and characters are complex and compelling.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Glory is the daughter of a half-chinese duke and a lady fossil hunter. She meets the mysterious Wei, a master of healing and martial arts. She convinces him to take her on as a pupil.... They fall for each other along the way....

Love Wei and Glory's relationship. I love how they fit so well together. Wonderful charcters! The mystery is fun and the plot is fast moving. An enjoyable read.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

There are honestly no words to express how much I adored this regency romance book. It was so captivating that my mind was blown and I could not put it down once I started.

Vengeance, opium and the Angels....

Wei Chen was a teenager when he was the lover of a married woman, when his entire family was massacred. Now, fifteen years later, he is in England, still trying to find his families killer (think regency Kung Fu). He works as a opium healer and a shifu.

Glory is twentyone and the last unmarried Angel (Society of Angels, think regency Charlie's Angels) and she is in no hurry to marry. She's clever, young, athletic and fascinated by Wei and gets him to teach her kung fu.

There's a mystery to solve and of course steamy times, along with character growth.
Props for inclusivity with Chinese protagonists and a next generation lead.

This was everything I hoped it would be, sweet, sexy, intrigue and just a great read to get absorbed in. I wanted a bit more but honestly the author checked all the boxes and filled in any blank spots that came up. I am intrigued to know about the other angels and their romances. I enjoyed the H being Chinese and how we were given great description into his customs and I assume are as historically true.

Another lovely Grace Callaway novel! Glory, Rhys and Maggie's daughter from Remember the Duke, is in he third season. As she sees her friends find men who adore them with all of their hearts, she feels like a failure as a debutante, She does however appreciate the independence her parents allow her and uses her time working with Charlie's Angels, a charity group that secretly helps women who cannot receive justice by conventional means. She's a seasoned, trained fighter who finds her work fulfilling. Her work with the Angels also puts her in the path of Wei Chen, a friend of her friend Livy's husband, who makes her question whether she wants more.

Wei Chen is on a mission. His family was murdered and he wants vengeance. His work, helping those addicted to opium, is fulfilling, but he still needs to find the killer to become whole. While seeking answers, he keeps being thrust into the path of the Angels, and Lady Glory Cavendish, who makes him feel things he hasn't felt in a long time...

It's wonderful. Twisty, turny, slow and steamy, Glory and Wei's story is an exploration of finding love, exploring one's culture, finding home in your partner, and friendship. It was also great to see Maggie and Rhys again! I do so enjoy seeing past characters living happily!

Another good offering by Grace Callaway. A big thumb up for the diversity of the leads. Something different to read and different perspective to look at. There is of course a mystery to uncover and some good steamy scenes. This book is definitely one to read.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley and the opinion expressed here is my own.

What an intriguing, steamy, emotional book! Finally something quite rare in the genre, a Chinese hero who brings with him all his heritage and his culture. Wei is my kind of hero: outwardly stern, composed and cold, with a dark past, but swept away by his passion for the heroine. And Glory is such a wonderful heroine! Socially awkward, yes, but only because she is refreshingly genuine and doesn’t want to change for the sake of blending into Society. I loved the intrigue and the clever retelling of the Charlie’s Angels series, as well as the extended foray into Chinese culture and the history of opium trade. It’s always pleasant to learn about things I don’t know while enjoying a good romance!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.