The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels
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9780593200179
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Publisher's Weekly Review
Holton debuts with a delightful alternate-Victorian-era romp replete with swashbuckling, skulduggery, and sly romance. Miss Cecilia Bassingthwaite lives with her great-aunt, a prim, hypochondriac member of the Wisteria Society, comprising only the highest class of lady pirates, all of whom pilot flying battlehouses. When Cecilia is attacked by handsome assassin Ned Lightbourne, she's thrilled--maybe now that there's been an attempt on her life, the Society will finally take her seriously. But before she can make her case for promotion to the high tea table, the dastardly, Brontë-obsessed Captain Morvath steals one of the Society's battlehouses. Cecilia has a lifetime's worth of trauma to take out on Morvath, but when his next move is to kidnap the entire Wisteria Society, she's quickly in over her head and must rely on Ned's double-crossing help to take her father down. Though the side characters outshine the smitten leads, readers will adore the hilariously courteous combat, social sniping, juicy flirtation, and thorough repudiation of Morvath's cartoonish misogyny. With secret identities, secret doors, and secret histories to spare, this high-octane layer-cake of escapism hits the spot. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary. (Jun.)
Kirkus Book Review
A lady scoundrel goes on a road trip with a smooth-tongued assassin in an alternate-universe Victorian Britain. Cecilia Bassingthwaite is anxiously awaiting her induction into the highest ranks of the Wisteria Society. This is a woman-only group of scoundrels and thieves who plunder the country in their magical flying houses while nursing intragroup grievances ranging from the petty to the lethal. But when her mentor is abducted along with the rest of the society, Cecilia sets off to rescue them from a nefarious villain, who just happens to be a frustrated poet (among other things). Tagging along are Ned Lightbourne; a man who may be a pirate; an Italian commissioned to kill her; and a royal agent trying to protect her. In this joyride of a debut, Holton draws us into a madcap world of courtly corsairs, murderous matrons, and pity-inspiring henchmen. Familiar romance tropes appear but as if in a fun-house mirror, with broad winks at their origins, while characters make sarcastic references to passionate novels in the Victorian canon. An additional comic effect comes from the ironic distance between readers' expectations of the proprieties in historical romance (including steampunk) and the topsy-turvy rules of Cecilia and Ned's universe. But the rules explain the characters and their actions so seamlessly that we never laugh at them but rather at the shenanigans of this kooky universe. As if The Parasol Protectorate series met The Princess Bride and a corseted Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
LJ Express Reviews
Cecilia Bassingwaite is a proper Victorian lady, as well as a junior member of the Wisteria Society—England's most notorious band of female pirates. One of the Wisteria Society's senior members has set an assassin against Cecelia, which makes her think she may be up for a promotion. Ned Lightbourne has multiple employers interested in Cecilia—bosses who would variously like her to be killed, kidnapped, or protected. Between the thefts, duels, escapes, kissing, double crosses and triple crosses, Cecilia and the reader may question Ned's true intentions; most of the characters play their cards close to the chest until it's time for a dramatic reveal. In this delightfully silly romp, reminiscent of Monty Python's The Crimson Permanent Assurance, pirates fly their houses (instead of ships) to do battle along Mayfair and in Bath; villains heist an entire tearoom full of Wisteria Society members; and Wuthering Heights inspires a coup attempt. Holton excels at witty banter, between not just Ned and Cecilia but most of the character, including Cecilia's overprotective aunt and Queen Victoria herself. VERDICT More a tongue-in-cheek swashbuckling adventure than a traditional romance, Holton's book offers much to enjoy, plus a colorful cast of pirate women and men with multiple identities.—Jennifer Rothschild, Arlington Cty. P.L., VA
Copyright 2021 LJExpress.Publishers Weekly Reviews
Holton debuts with a delightful alternate-Victorian-era romp replete with swashbuckling, skulduggery, and sly romance. Miss Cecilia Bassingthwaite lives with her great-aunt, a prim, hypochondriac member of the Wisteria Society, comprising only the highest class of lady pirates, all of whom pilot flying battlehouses. When Cecilia is attacked by handsome assassin Ned Lightbourne, she's thrilled—maybe now that there's been an attempt on her life, the Society will finally take her seriously. But before she can make her case for promotion to the high tea table, the dastardly, Brontë-obsessed Captain Morvath steals one of the Society's battlehouses. Cecilia has a lifetime's worth of trauma to take out on Morvath, but when his next move is to kidnap the entire Wisteria Society, she's quickly in over her head and must rely on Ned's double-crossing help to take her father down. Though the side characters outshine the smitten leads, readers will adore the hilariously courteous combat, social sniping, juicy flirtation, and thorough repudiation of Morvath's cartoonish misogyny. With secret identities, secret doors, and secret histories to spare, this high-octane layer-cake of escapism hits the spot. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary. (Jun.)
Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly.