#the benevolent society of ill-mannered ladies

[freckles-and-books]

Absolutely loving this one so far!

A high society amateur detective at the heart of Regency London uses her wits and invisibility as an ‘old maid’ to protect other women in a new historical mystery series.

[bookcoversonly]

Title: The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies | Author: Alison Goodman | Publisher: Berkley (2023)

[whimsicaldragonette]

Blog Tour & Arc Review: The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman

Order

Add to Goodreads

Publication Date: May 30, 2023

Welcome to the Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies book tour with Berkley Publishing Group. (This blog tour post is also posted on my Wordpress book review blog Whimsical Dragonette.)

Synopsis:

A high society amateur detective at the heart of Regency London uses her wits and invisibility as an ‘old maid’ to protect other women in a new and fiercely feminist historical mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Alison Goodman. Lady Augusta Colebrook, “Gus,” is determinedly unmarried, bored by society life, and tired of being dismissed at the age of forty-two. She and her twin sister, Julia, who is grieving her dead betrothed, need a distraction. One soon presents to rescue their friend’s goddaughter, Caroline, from her violent husband.   The sisters set out to Caroline’s country estate with a plan, but their carriage is accosted by a highwayman. In the scuffle, Gus accidentally shoots and injures the ruffian, only to discover he is Lord Evan Belford, an acquaintance from their past who was charged with murder and exiled to Australia twenty years ago. What follows is a high adventure full of danger, clever improvisation, heart-racing near misses, and a little help from a revived and rather charming Lord Evan. Back in London, Gus can’t stop thinking about her unlikely (not to mention handsome) comrade-in-arms. She is convinced Lord Evan was falsely accused of murder, and she is going to prove it. She persuades Julia to join her in a quest to help Lord Evan, and others in need—society be damned! And so begins the beguiling secret life and adventures of the Colebrook twins.

Author Bio:

Alison Goodman is the New York Times bestselling author of Eon and Eona and The Dark Days Club series. Learn more online at www.alisongoodman.com.au/

Author photo credit: Tania Jovanovic

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review, Favorite Quotes, and Non-Exclusive Excerpt below the cut.

My Review:

This was utterly delightful. I love a good regency adventure, especially with a feminist bent and a woman who defies societal norms to solve crimes and right wrongs. What I did not realize I was missing, however, was for said society-norm-defying-women to be a pair of 42-year-old spinster sisters. It was delicious. I was immediately struck, upon starting, with how familiar the storytelling felt and how appropriate it seemed for someone setting out to solve mysteries. It reminds me of the Sherlock Holmes stories with the first-person narration of Dr. Watson. In this case we have the first-person narration of Lady Augusta Colebrook, using a similar dry and slightly amused tone. It also reminds me of the narration of the Enola Holmes novels (which are likely based on those about Sherlock). I like that the mysteries Lady Augusta elects to solve and the crimes she seeks to address all involve women being wronged, from the initial retrieval of a packet of incriminating letters to the final adventure of rescuing the inhabitants of a brutal madhouse. Each is a step farther along the path and take her a step away from the 'neither seen nor heard' proper lady her brother wishes to force her to be. Her relationship with her sister was wonderful (despite the less-than-likely entire conversations held entirely in gestures -- alongside the multi-sentence exchanges those gestures are purported to represent). Lady Julia is suffering from breast cancer (a disease which killed their mother and aunt) and is much more concerned with propriety than her sister, but she gamely shows up for Gus again and again, lending her skills to their rescue attempts and occasionally threatening the villains at gunpoint. The love and trust between the sisters really shines. The disgraced Lord Evan - escaped convict, horse thief, and charming rogue - makes a wonderful partner in crime for Gus and it quickly becomes clear that he is her perfect match. I loved seeing them work together from the beginning and how their schemes grew more complicated each time but often relied on standing together and winging it moment to moment. The villains in this are truly villainous and the misogyny and brutality against women of all ages and statuses are hard to stomach. From brothel to madhouse, the many, many ways that men have invented to be cruel to women are on display. It is hard to read in places and each encounter stokes Gus' (and the reader's) righteous fury. Things worked out just a little too easily in some of the later more complicated schemes, but never enough that it took me out of the story. I'm glad that Julia gets a love interest by the end and doesn't have to sink back into mourning for her deceased fiance forever, and greatly enjoyed how that happened and how Julia seems much more in control of the situation. I can't wait for more of Gus and Julia and Lord Evan and Kent. It's clear by the end of this that their story is only beginning which makes me very happy what with how much I enjoyed this one. *Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an early copy for review.

Favorite Quotes:

“Is he truly senseless? Can we be sure?” It occurred to me that I had been checking people’s vitals far too often in the past few hours.

---

“So, finis,” I said as the front door closed. “Not at all,” Julia said. “He will be back.” “What makes you think that?” She smiled. “Because he did not need to come this time.”

Non-Exclusive Excerpt:

"We should have worn half boots," I said. "I can feel every pebble through my slippers." "One cannot wear half boots with full dress," Julia said firmly. "Even in circumstances of duress." I stifled a smile. My sister's sense of style and occasion was always impeccable, and rather too easy to poke. Julia glanced sideways at me. "Oh, very funny. Next you'll be suggesting we wear unmentionables." "If only we could," I said. "Breeches would be far more convenient than silk gowns." "How would you know?" Julia demanded. "Heavens, Gus, you haven't actually donned Father's clothing, have you?" She knew I had kept some of our father's clothes after his death; he and I had been much the same height and wiry build. By all rights, the clothes belonged to our brother on his succession to the title-as all our father's property did-but I had taken them, anyway. A connection to him and a memento mori of sorts. "Of course not. I am only surmising." Julia settled back against my arm. "To even try them would be ghoulish." She nudged me gently and angled her sweet smile up at me. "Even so, you would look rather dashing in, say, a hussars uniform. You have the commanding height for it, and the gold trim would match your hair." I snorted. Julia was, as ever, being too loyal. My brown hair did not even approach gold-in fact, it now had streaks of silver-and my five foot nine inches had so far in my life proved to be more awkward than commanding. She, on the other hand, had been blessed with the Colebrook chestnut hair, as yet untouched by age, and stood at a more dainty five foot two inches. When we were children I had once cried because we were not identical. Our father had taken me aside and told me that he found such duplications unsettling and he was well satisfied with his two mismatched girls. He had been a good father and a better man. Yet in the eyes of society, his sordid death atop a rookery whore five years ago had become the sum of him. It had nearly tainted my sister and me, too, for I had recklessly gone to the hovel to retrieve my father-I could not bear to think of his body gawped at by the masses, or as a source of their sport. As fate would have it, I was seen at the brothel. An unmarried woman of breeding should not even know about such places, let alone debase herself by entering one and speaking to the inhabitants. I became the latest on-dit and it was only the staunch support of our most influential friends that silenced the scandalmongers and returned us to the invitation lists. A small group of middlings-the women with shawls clasped over dimity gowns and the men in belcher neckerchiefs and sober wools-clustered around a singer at the side of the path. The woman's plaintive ballad turned Julia's head as we passed. "'The Fairy Song,'" she said. "One of Robert's favorites." I quickened our pace past the memory; fate seemed to be conspiring against me. We attracted a few glances as we walked toward the gloomy entrance to the Dark Walk, mainly from women on the arms of their spouses, their thoughts in the tight pinch of their mouths. "Maybe we should have brought Samuel and Albert," Julia whispered. She had seen the matronly judgment too. "Charlotte does not want our footmen knowing her business," I said. "Besides, we are not quivering girls in our first season. We do not need to be chaperoned all the time." "Do you remember the code we girls made up to warn each other about the men in our circle?" Julia asked. "The code based on these gardens." "Vaguely." I searched my memory. "Let me see: a Grand Walk was a pompous bore, a Supper Box was a fortune hunter . . ." "And a Dark Walk was the reddest of red flags," Julia said. "Totally untrustworthy, never be alone with him. It was based on all those awful attacks that happened in the Dark Walk at the time. Do you recall?" I did-respectable young girls pulled off the path and assaulted in the worst way. "That was more than twenty years ago, my dear. We are women of forty-two now, well able to look after ourselves." "That is not what Duffy would say."

Indeed, our brother, the Earl of Duffield, would be horrified to know we had gone to Vauxhall Gardens on our own, let alone braved the lewd reputation of the Dark Walk. "Duffy would have us forever hunched over embroidery or taking tea with every mama who saw her daughter as the new Lady Duffield." "True," Julia said, "but you are so vehement only because you know this is beyond the pale. Not to mention dangerous." I did not meet her eye. My sister knew me too well. "Well, we are here, anyway," I said, indicating the Dark Walk to our right. Huge gnarly oaks lined either side of the path, their overhanging branches almost meeting in the middle to make a shadowy tunnel of foliage. One lamp lit the entrance but I could see no other light farther along the path. Nor any other person. "It lives up to its name," Julia said. We both considered its impenetrable depths. "Should we do as Duffy would want and turn back?" I asked. "I'd rather wear dimity to the opera," Julia said and pulled me onward. I knew my sister just as well as she knew me.

---

Excerpted from The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman Copyright © 2023 by Alison Goodman. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

[booksteacupandreviews]

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman - feminist historical fiction

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies is fast-paced, immersive, emotive, and adventurous feminist historical fiction. This is absolute perfection. The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies (The Ill-Mannered Ladies #1) by Alison Goodman Publication Date : May 30, 2023 Publisher : Berkley Read Date : June 12, 2023 Genre : Historical…

[devonellington]

Tues. June 20, 2023: Deep in the Word Well

image courtesy of mh-grafik via pixabay.com Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Waxing Moon Pluto & Saturn Retrograde Foggy and pleasant Quite the weekend! But we’ll get to it, with our regular Tuesday catch-up. Today’s serial episode is from Legerdemain: Episode 95: Conversation with a Grimmkin Love might not be forbidden, but sometimes it’s challenging. Legerdemain Serial Link Legerdemain…

[lavellenchanted]

Ooh! 1, 7, 39

Name the best book you've read so far this year.

Am I allowed to include re-reads? Because I re-read The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison and it is still absolutely one of my very favourite books.

For first time reads . . . probably The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman. It was fun, romantic, very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

7. What kind of common romance tropes do you enjoy and what kind do you dislike?

Oooh, I am a sucker for fake dating/marriage of convenience, and I'm a big fan of bodyguard/client and queen/loyal soldier dynamics - something about that devotion blurring into romance always grabs me.

If I'm honestly, I don't really like enemies-to-lovers with a couple of rare exceptions that are more like enemies-to-friends-to-lovers. I'm just very picky about how it's written and more often than not I don't believe the couple actually like each other as people or would choose to spend time together outside having sex so I can't really root for them. Also more often than not the transition from enemies to lovers is rushed and poorly done and the issues that made them enemies aren't really dealt with.

39. Do you read reviews before picking up a book?

Sometimes. If I'm on the fence based on the description of the book or previous works of the author I'll check out some reviews and see if they convince me one way or the other. I'm more likely to read reviews after I've finished a book to see if people either loved it as much as I did or if they had the same issues with it!

bookworm asks

[graysonfamfan2021]

About the blogger meme

Thank you so much for tagging me @ambeauty bestie

Star sign: Sagittarius ♐️

Favorite 🤩 holidays: my birthday 🥳 Halloween 🎃, Christmas 🎄 and my mom’s birthday 🥳.

Last meal: barbecue 🍗 pizza 🍕

Current favorite 🤩 musicians: Pharrell Williams, dua lipa , Taylor swift and hailee steinfield.

Last music 🎶 listened to : classical, pop and rock .

Last movie 🍿 watched: Barbie in a Christmas carol, Barbie in the nutcracker and Barbie a fairy 🧚‍♀️ secret 🤫 and watching the Barbie movie 🍿 in theaters 🎭 with my friends.

Last tv 📺 show watched: titans , liberty’s kids and deadly women.

Last book 📖/ fic finished ✔️ : a cage of crystal by tessonja odette and it was romantic 🥰 and amazing 🤩 and suspenseful and I love ❤️ too many Dickkory fics from my besties and so I will name one ☝️ of them , it’s always been you by my bestie @escapism-through-imagination

Last book 📖/ fic abandoned : the stardust thief by Chelsea Abdullah and I will definitely 👍 get back to it as soon as I’m done ✔️ reading 📖 all of my fantasy books 📚 this year and next year.

Currently reading : never 👎 met a duke like 👍 you by Amalie Howard , the benevolent society of ill mannered ladies by Alison Goodman , haunted heroine by Sarah Kuhn and Chloe gong and I love ❤️ reading 📖 these books 📚 sm as they feature heroes and heroines who are often overlooked by society due to their race , sexuality and disability etc.

Last thing researched for art 🖼️/ writing ✍️ hyper fixation: 1920’s slang terms as I’m currently writing ✍️ two books 📚 and one ☝️ of them is a historical mystery set in 1920’s Detroit featuring an autistic heroine 🦸‍♀️ and I wanted to know these things so that I could portray the setting accurately.

Favorite 🤩 online fandom memories: Brenton’s birthday 🥳 post dedicated to Anna and I love ❤️ their friendship in real life and on Titans and mar’is appearances in seasons three and four as they made me smile 😊 so much and made me so happy 😀 .

Favorite 🤩 old fandom you wish would drag you back / have a resurgence: the teen titans fandom as I loved 🥰 reading 📖 robstar fics after school 🏫 and it was fun 🤩 .

Favorite 🤩 thing that you enjoy 😉 That had an active or big fandom that you wish you did : winx club as I always loved 🥰 Aisha/ Layla and the entangled with Fae book 📖 series by tessonja odette that definitely 👍 deserved it’s own fandom as it has a bisexual prince 🤴 Franco and his relationship with ember should have their own fics.

Tempting project you’re trying to rein in/ don’t have time for: completing my comics titans: Grayson family adventures, my own titans Dickkory fics , my 1920’s historical mystery and a fae nutcracker story.

I’m tagging my besties @escapism-through-imagination , @not-so-mundane-after-all , @selinascatnip , @ambelle , @itsjustafia , @majima4587 , @wonderbatwayne , @ablogthatishenceforthmine, @pandoraimperatrix , @ships-bynoa , @kasugayamaisforlovers and @koriandrsgar

[chantalstacys]

tagged by @norashelley thank you sweets!!

last song: sunshine after the rain by lofi bear 🧸

song stuck in my head: chain of fools by aretha franklin (bf too lol)

currently watching: nothing tbh!

favorite colors: cotton candy pink, tea green, lilac

currently reading: finishing up the benevolent society of ill-mannered ladies by alison goodman and i’m on volume 11 of nana by ai yazawa

currently craving: french toast and almond hot chocolate!

last movie: laura (who else is wildly attracted to mark mcpherson??)

sweet, spicy or savory: savory!

relationship status: in a relationship 💋

current obsession: still obsessed with nana 🍓🎸💿🗼

last thing i googled: botticelli drawings at the legion of honor (going with my cousin!!)

three favorite foods: grilled veggies, salmon, fettuccine alfredo

dream trip: rn i want to go to portland, oregon with my bf! just chill and eat and buy records and books

anything you want right now: waiting until my next paycheck but i want to update my style a little bit so i’m shopping for a new set of clothes 🖤

tagging a bunch of people but feel free to ignore!!! @miumiumacaron @silk-fleur @sensuelledoll @ffrannyglass @missboleyns @elegantblonde

[cosmicangst]

weekly reads (12/10)

the bed me books (#1-3) | felicity niven: ★★★☆☆ (duke) | ★★★★★ (baron) | ★★★★☆ (earl)

⤷ series of regency romance books built on the premise of the fmc approaching the mmc for a temporary liaison. felicity niven is quickly rising to the top of my favorite hr authors. one thing i appreciate is the flaws of her characters, especially the mmcs. since many books in this genre appeal to fantasy, sometimes the leads are portrayed as ideals — that while the mmc can be imperfect they can't be too imperfect as to be unattractive or unsexy to the reader. i don't decry this since i actively seek these books out myself. however niven seems largely unafraid to paint her mmcs in unflattering and unattractive lights. and she does all this while maintaining a romance that is still pretty swoonworthy. i also just appreciate that sometimes her leads aren't conventionally physically attractive, which is my catnip in romance novels.

in duke i felt for the fmc and her plight. the chapter where the mmc writes a series of letters while he's convalescent in london and desperate to know if she's found another suitor is my favorite. he kept the lie up a little too long for me to swallow easily since all the while she was literally trying to find a way out of poverty. so that deserved a much longer grovel than it got. but i LOVE that she figured it out much earlier than he or the audience realized. a strength to the writing is how niven withholds information, especially if it's a pov character keeping a secret. and the reveals always catch me by surprise then make me appreciate how much everything they've done or how they act make perfect sense now in retrospect.

earl was just so sweet. i love a short king mmc and the way he just doted on the fmc was so heartfelt i teared up. they're just perfect for each other: he's chatty and sunshine and kind of shameless and uncultured while she's dark, reticent, bookish, and more pragmatic. one amazing small detail is that whenever it was the fmc's pov chapter, her words were written straight out in dialogue because she was ashamed of her lisp but in the mmc's, it was phonetically kept because he loved everything about her, especially the things of which she's most ashamed.

baron though was just the right amount of angst i've been craving. i LIVE for the premise of an mmc who's been too stupid and paternalistic (think knightley but if he was also an idiot) to realize that he's been in love with the fmc all this time until it's too late. and like the actual ramifications of that (the RAMMYS bro). i relished in his despair lmaooo but i was crying basically every other chapter because i could see so much of myself in phoebe and the way she basically molds herself to other people's validation especially the mmc's that a huge part of her journey is shedding that and learning who she really is.

anyway much as i enjoyed these books, my favorite niven is still a convergence of desire. that one is just honest poetry like there's no fighting that

the benevolent society of ill-mannered ladies (#1) | alison goodman: ★★☆☆☆

⤷ i read this thinking it was an hr with mystery elements but turns out it's more historical heist with mystery and romance elements. which i appreciated as a mini palate cleanser but def caught me off guard esp since i felt the romance was not as well paced as i would have liked. but i did appreciate the social justice bent of the "heists" (though any historical fiction that features all the protagonists or "good characters" with modern/anachronistically progressive outlooks on politics or being on the right side all the time kind of turn me off which is why i appreciate anne with an e because characters like anne and marilla who are fundamentally good still initially fall prey to the biases of their time but eventually learn for the better. like if it wasn't for the fmc's sister in this book i would have found the whole thing a little unbelievable to be enjoyable but I DIGRESS.) anyway the machinations in each section were structured a little too same-y that it was slow going on all parts except the "escape" portion of the heists, which i found acceptably suspenseful

my best friend's exorcism | grady hendrix: ★★★★☆

⤷ have no connection to this time period so i unfortunately couldn't fully appreciate the references but idc. this shit wasn't scary (except for a lil bit in the beginning when that normal ass voice said her name which was just unnerving in how deceptively mundane it was) but it did make me sob. you can't give me lifelong devotion (whether you construe it as purely platonic or queerly romantic) and not make me froth at the mouth. these characters prickled me like they always do in horror but i've never rooted for horror protags more than these two best friends. i do get thematically and functionally why the exorcist did what he did but i didn't really feel the impact of it because we don't spend nearly enough time to understand much less be invested in him. the ending otherwise was pretty much perfect.

[toreadornot]

What I read in June

The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirähk, 4.5⭐

Originally written in Estonian and definitely has a darker mood

About the last man in the forests who still speaks the ancient tongue of animals (snakish) while the world is progressing to the medieval era around him

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman, 4⭐

Such a fun book about 'old spinsters' who refuse to simply fade into the background of society as their brother wishes and instead turn their wits towards discretely solving cases of attempted murder and kidnapping

Looking forward to the next book 👀

Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle, 4⭐

Felt like a modern fairy tale set in Ireland and I enjoyed the characters - even if it felt like there were way too many characters to keep track of at first (5 all with plant names), a little page flipping to see who was who again never hurt anyone

Poems to See By: A Comic Artist Interprets Great Poetry illustrated by Julian Peters, 4⭐

Always fun to see how other people interpret poetry - and there were several different mediums/styles which was cool

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, 5⭐

Loved the dynamics of the crew - especially Kaz and Inej's interactions/thoughts about each other.

[nattosushi]

Popsugar reading challenge: A book with a main character who's 42 years old

The benevolent society of ill-mannered ladies by Alison Goodman

I love Jane Austen and despite whatever anyone might say: I like empire waist style dresses! But the idea of two unmarried 'spinster' being the central characters at the regency period is very interesting, because this is rather unusual. After all, the regency period does have a strong focus on woman being married and there isn't that many alternative options for those that does not do so.

Of course, the sisters are only able to have this unusual independence due to being financial independent to a certain extent. But even then, they still have to pay certain deference to their younger brother.

I enjoyed most of the book. Due to it being rather action packed, it is quite a fun read and it is really nice to have a main character that is (overall) pretty comfortable with who she is. And it is fun to see how she navigates through various issues (such as disguising herself as a man, then pretending to be a middle class matron to infiltrate an asylum).

However, I don't like how it does not give us any closure (unless it is because there will be sequels?) . I guess Augusta's relationship with Lord Evans is kind of settled as it is on a hopeful note, but what about Julia's health issue? Not only does it seems that she has breast cancer, it is implied to be at a rather severe stage, so we don't even know if she is going to survive long after the book. In addition, the sisters' now strained relationship with their brother is not explained.

Mainly due to this, I do not really recommend the book. I get that real life is not going to finish neatly at the last page, but readers want closure.

[anntickwittee]

book asks 6, 4

Hi! Thank you for the ask :)

6. Was there anything you meant to read, but never got to?

Hmm not that I can think of? Anything on my holds will still be there next year. The endings won't change. I do have books on hold on libby that I'm looking froward to. Gwen & Art Are Not in Love, A Coup of Tea, A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, The Hexologists, The Saint of Bright Doors, What the River Knows, and a lot more.

4. Did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

So many! I really read a lot this year after struggling for a few years. I discovered E.M Anderson, Em X. Liu, Heather Fawcett, Malka Ann Older, Moniquill Blackgoose, Rochelle Hassan, Sarah Ree Brennan, Simon Jimenez, Timothy Zahn, and some others not on tbr list. I also discovered that Alison Goodman, the author of Eon and Eona, is still writing which I didn't know. I read her new mystery book, The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies.

[lavellenchanted]

Book asks! 2, 3, 4, 20?

2. Did you re-read anything? What?

Yes! I've been re-reading Fellowship of the Ring which has been a delightful experience, and I'm also re-reading A Christmas Carol at the moment for the seasonal vibes. I haven't done a full re-read of anything else but I have flicked through my favourite parts of Persuasion and Eva Ibbotson's books as I do every year.

3. What were your top 5 books of the year?

Oooh, okay, I think I would say:

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen-Turner

Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher

The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman (currently still reading but it's definitely going to be up there)

The Way Home by Peter S. Beagle

4. Did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

I definitely want to read more of both Alison Goodman and T. Kingfisher - I hadn't read either of them before but I've thoroughly enjoyed their books.

20. What was your most anticipated release? Did it meet your expectations?

Answered here

end of year book asks

[storyxonline]

Caffeinated Reviewer | The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman

31st May Sophia Rose is here with a review of The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman. Find out why this historical mystery wasn’t what she was expecting, but turned out to be so good! The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladiesby Alison Goodman Series: The Ill-Mannered Ladies #1 Genres: Historical, Mystery Source: Publisher Purchase*: Amazon | Audible…

[tessatalksbooksblog]

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman #BookReview #HistoricalThriller #RegencyRomance #Excerpt

A high society amateur detective at the heart of Regency London uses her wits and invisibility as an ‘old maid’ to protect other women in a new and fiercely feminist historical mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Alison Goodman. Lady Augusta Colebrook, “Gus,” is determinedly unmarried, bored by society life, and tired of being dismissed at the age of forty-two. She and her twin…